Big Bad Mama (1974)

Big Bad Mama (1974)

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“In business, you’ve gotta think big or think fast.”

Synopsis:
After preventing one of her daughters (Robbie Lee) from getting married, a Depression-era mother (Angie Dickinson) goes on the run with her and her other daughter (Susan Sennett), eventually joining forces with a bank robber (Tom Skerritt) and a Southern con-man (William Shatner) who vie for all three women’s affections.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Angie Dickinson Films
  • Depression Era
  • Dick Miller Films
  • Outlaws
  • Roger Corman Films
  • Single Mothers
  • Strong Females

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary isn’t a fan of this exploitation film about a woman “and her two sluttish teenage daughters” who “become bank robbers and kidnappers so they can someday reach the criminal-rich level of ‘Ford, Rockefeller, Capone, and all the rest of them.'”

He notes that “in between the frequent sex scenes… there is much gunplay and many car chases,” not to mention “too much rude language and fake feminism” — and he points out that while this New World Productions flick was made as a “throwback to… Corman-directed fifties gangster films” such as The Bonnie Parker Story and Machine Gun Kelly,” “those pictures had an innocent quality” while this film is simply “embarrassingly vulgar.”

I’m essentially in agreement with Peary’s assessment — though I don’t take quite as much offense at it. As critic Richard Harlan Smith writes in his review for TCM, “the film’s capital asset is its sense of the absurd”: it’s “only superficially a gangster tale” given that it also maintains “one foot in the exploitation subgenres of Southern farce and rural revenge”. Fans of such films will want to give it a look, but others can feel free to skip it. Watch for Dick Miller (naturally!) in a bit role.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Fine period detail

Must See?
No; this one isn’t must-see.

Links:

Underground U.S.A. (1980)

Underground U.S.A. (1980)

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“This whole set-up is a mess.”

Synopsis:
In New York City, a penniless actress (Patti Astor) living with a younger man (Rene Ricard) and a chauffeur (Tom Wright) begins an affair with a drifter (Eric Mitchell) who moves in with them, and tries to revive her career.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Actors and Actresses
  • Has-Beens
  • New York City

Response to Peary’s Review:
The opening sentence of Peary’s review for this “cult film by Eric Mitchell” — about “a bisexual Greenwich Village street hustler” (played by Mitchell himself) “who latches on to a former movie actress… only to discover that she has no money or friends and is weirded out from taking drugs to relieve her depression”:

— dates his book in ways that the majority of his writing doesn’t, given that he notes it “has had some success as a midnight movie (particularly in New York) and has played on PBS as an example of arty/avant-garde independent films currently being made.” He writes that he wishes writer-director “Mitchell hadn’t decided to make another variation on Sunset Boulevard, especially since Andy Warhol had already made a pretty good counterculture version in 1972, Heat” — and “at this point the story hasn’t many surprises left.” *

Peary points out that “from this film it’s hard to tell how talented or original Mitchell is” — and while “there are some interesting scenes, use of color, and camera angles,” “in general [he finds] the characters uninvolving, the dialogue trite, and the pacing too slow.”

I’ll say! Even at just 85 minutes long, this movie feels positively glacial. I was only able to start understanding the “plot” about a third of the way through, and the uniformly amateur acting didn’t help matters any. These days, this arthouse film is incredibly challenging to find, with zero user reviews on IMDb; it will primarily (perhaps exclusively) be of interest to devotees of this particular time and place in cultural history.

* Spoiler alert: things end badly for Astor’s character.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • A time capsule glimpse at a particular moment in the NY art scene

Must See?
Nope; skip this one unless it’s exactly your cup of tea.

Links:

Hollywood Knights, The (1980)

Hollywood Knights, The (1980)

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“Everything changes — remember that; nothing stays the same.”

Synopsis:
In 1965 Los Angeles on Halloween night, the leader (Robert Wuhl) of a car club and his fellow members wreak as much havoc as possible on a pair of bumbling cops (Sandy Helberg and Gailard Sartain) and an overweight Mama’s boy (Stuart Pankin) while overseeing the initiation of four new recruits. Meanwhile, Wuhl attempt to bed a sexy high school student (Fran Drescher); an uptight pair of adulterers (Leigh French and Randy Gornel) are interrupted at every possible lovemaking turn; and a mechanic (Tony Danza) is both frustrated about his girlfriend (Michelle Pfeiffer) wanting an acting career, and sad that his friend (Gary Graham) is leaving for Vietnam.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Comedy
  • Juvenile Delinquents

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that despite being “ignored during its release,” this comedy by Floyd Mutrux “has become a cult favorite because of screenings on cable.” (Updated note: It seems to still have a minor following today.) He notes that while “there are a couple of serious storylines,” the picture mostly “centers on the pranks” that are “instigated by the insolent Robert Wuhl”.

Peary asserts that while Mutrux — who also directed Dusty and Sweets McGee (1971) and American Hot Wax (1978) — tries to combine elements from Animal House and American Graffiti,” he “only manages to show how much better those films are in comparison to their imitators”; and he notes that while “the film does have some funny shots,” the “tastelessness wears thin.” With that said, he points out some of the film’s highlights, which include the “interplay between adulterous Leigh French and lover Richard Schaal, who can’t keep their hands off each other”:

… “the two cops — one who sings the fabricated lyrics to ‘Lawrence of Arabia'”:

… and a scene between Wuhl and Drescher in which Wuhl “loses his ‘lover’ image.”

Less successful than the sporadically amusing juvenile humor are the “serious storylines”, in which “one guy has joined the army”:

… and “Tony Danza worries that girlfriend Michelle Pfeiffer will forget him if her upcoming screen test is successful.”

Nothing with Danza in it seems to suit the overall tone of the film. However, Pfeiffer fans will surely appreciate seeing her here in her first cinematic role; she’s quite luminous.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Some amusing sequences

Must See?
No, unless it’s a personal or nostalgic favorite.

Links:

Gregory’s Girl (1980)

Gregory’s Girl (1980)

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“She’s got teeth — lovely white teeth. White, white teeth.”

Synopsis:
When a gangly Scottish adolescent (John Gordon Sinclair) falls instantly in love with a new female soccer player (Dee Hepburn) at his school, he seeks advice from his equally clueless friends and his wise younger sister (Allison Forster).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Coming of Age
  • First Love
  • Scottish Films
  • Teenagers

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary begins his review of this “offbeat comedy about teenage puppy love” — a “sweet, extremely amusing film” that “is like nothing made in the U.S.” — by noting that it was made “by Scotland’s inimitable Bill Forsyth” while “American directors were churning out vile sex comedies about teenagers.” He notes that “in some truly marvelous scenes,” Sinclair’s “shy boy gets advice about girls from his younger sister so he can plan how to win Hepburn.”

However, he points out that Forsyth “uses Hepburn not so much as a real girl as a kind of angel, who appears out of nowhere” and “orchestrates matters so that Sinclair ends up” in an unexpectedly happy space.

To say much more about the plotline would spoil this whimsical flick, which wanders about while painting a gentle picture of a specific time and place in which quirky people help each other out and (mostly) do the right thing. Frankly, it comes across as far too perfect to ring true — however, as a nostalgic remembrance of the way we wish things were, this one hits it right on the mark.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Strong performances by the amateur cast
  • Michael Coulter’s cinematography
  • Fine location shooting

Must See?
Yes, as a charming Scottish flick.

Categories

  • Foreign Gem

Links:

Brimstone and Treacle (1982)

Brimstone and Treacle (1982)

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“I no longer accept there’s such a thing as a loving God, Norma.”

Synopsis:
When a handsome young stranger (Sting) manipulates himself into the house of an atheist (Denholm Elliott) and his religious wife (Joan Plowright), he soon takes advantage of their disabled daughter (Suzanna Hamilton), all the while pretending to be her former lover.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Con-Artists
  • Denholm Elliott Films
  • Disabilities
  • Grown Children
  • Marital Problems
  • Psychopaths

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary refers to this odd flick — a cinematic adaptation of what was originally a 1976 BBC television play by Dennis Potter — as an “unusual, often unpleasant film” filled with “first-rate” acting (including “Sting’s best performance”), and “a good script, full of intriguing scenes.” He points out that the “most intriguing aspect of [the] film is that we can’t figure out Sting’s motives.”

As Peary asks, “Is he truly religious? Has he been dispatched by God or the devil? Is he trying to help the girl? Is he trying to destroy the family? Or is he trying to put the house in order? Is he trying to become master of the house?” All are reasonable hypotheses, and one is left truly uncertain throughout — especially given “interesting direction by Richard Loncraine” which occasionally turns experimental for no apparent reason other than to remind us we really don’t know what’s going on, or why.

Oddly enough, it’s this ambiguity which keeps us watching, as we wonder whether the film will turn out to be fantastical or simply a tale of a sinister sociopath wreaking havoc on a broken family. The fine performances and unusual storyline make this unnerving film worth at least a one-time look — but be prepared to get creeped out.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Sting as Martin Taylor
  • Denholm Elliott as Tom Bates
  • Joan Plowright as Normal Bates
  • Peter Hannan’s cinematography
  • Michael Nyman’s score (along with music by The Police)

Must See?
Yes, as an intriguing outing and for the fine performances.

Categories

  • Good Show

Links:

Fedora (1978)

Fedora (1978)

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“I guess time catches up with all of us.”

Synopsis:
When an independent producer (William Holden) arrives in Greece hoping to lure a reclusive movie star named Fedora (Marthe Keller) into his latest film, he quickly finds himself caught up in a complicated scenario involving Fedora’s personal youth-giving physician (Jose Ferrer), Fedora’s maid (France Sternhagen), and an elderly woman known simply as “The Countess” (Hildegard Knef).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Actors and Actresses
  • Billy Wilder Films
  • Flashback Films
  • Jose Ferrer Films
  • Michael York Films
  • William Holden Films

Review:
Billy Wilder’s penultimate movie — co-written once again with his longtime collaborator, I.A.L. Diamond — was this gothic Hollywood tale set abroad in Europe and filled with flashbacks, mistaken identities, drug addiction, mother-daughter dynamics, and plenty of dubbing. The film evokes immediate parallels with Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard given the (re)casting of Holden, and the centrality of an aging diva holding reign over her household while her loyal servants wait nearby.

Quickly, however, the movie takes all sorts of unusual twists and turns, with many other movies (and big-name actors) referenced in some way; I’ll quote from DVD Savant’s review since he so succinctly names many of them:

Fedora seems to be taking a tour through all of Wilder’s work, and the work of others as well. It begins with a Hollywood insider who has a flashback at the funeral of a great star (The Barefoot Contessa).

It then journeys to a romantic Mediterranean setting with an amusing hotelier (Avanti!).

The idea of a perhaps-mad star undergoing radical plastic surgery seems a melding of Sunset Blvd. and Les yeux sans visage, with mirrors removed from the house…

The ‘plastic surgery madness’ also evokes images and ideas about disfigurement from A Woman’s Face… Finally, a major make-over/identity transformation seems patterned after scenes in Vertigo and also the “Vertigo” pretender The Legend of Lylah Clare.

The inclusion of cameos by Henry Fonda and Michael York (playing themselves) simply adds to the surreality of what we’re watching: Fedora is a fictional movie star who nonetheless has a very-real crush on Michael York-the-actor:

… and who receives an honorary Oscar from Henry Fonda as “President of the Academy”.

One also can’t help thinking of Mommie Dearest (1981) at certain points (though that film and its influence wouldn’t appear until a few years later).

Indeed, it’s the mother-daughter element of the storyline that most directly turns it into an unexpectedly dark gothic horror flick; Wilder and Diamond don’t shy away from cynically representing the depths of life-altering narcissism at play in Hollywood. While Fedora isn’t a must-see entry in Wilder’s oeuvre, it will certainly be of interest to his fans, and remains well worth a look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • A truly bizarre storyline
  • Gerry Fisher’s cinematography
  • Fine use of location shooting in Greece and France

Must See?
No, but surprisingly enough, it’s recommended.

Links:

Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, The (1970)

Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, The (1970)

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“I don’t dislike women — I just mistrust them.”

Synopsis:
Private detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) and his housemate Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely) engage in a couple of misadventures, one involving a Russian ballerina (Tamara Toumanova) eager to have a baby, and one involving both an amnesiac woman (Genevieve Page) looking for her husband and Sherlock’s brother Mycroft (Christopher Lee).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Billy Wilder Films
  • Christopher Lee Films
  • Detectives and Private Eyes
  • Historical Drama
  • Sherlock Holmes Films

Review:
Billy Wilder originally intended for this gently comedic look at the more mysterious, “less successful” elements of Sherlock Holmes’ life — co-scripted by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond — to be several hours long, covering one main and three additional episodes. Due to a number of circumstances, he eventually decided to cut it down in length and only include two stories. It wasn’t well-received upon release, but has developed a cult following over the years and was purportedly the inspiration for the more recent British miniseries Sherlock (2010-2017), starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Indeed, it remains an imperfect but worthy period-era piece which fans will surely enjoy — that is, as long as they accept the casting of Shakespearean actor Stephens in the title role (I think he’s well-suited).

The first storyline is meant to be an amusing probing into the possibility that Holmes and Watson were romantic partners; unfortunately, the “joke” is stretched too thin and too long, wearing out its welcome.

The second, lengthier story is much more intriguing, involving mistaken identities, beautiful Scottish landscapes, escaped midgets, a brotherhood of friars, secret scientific endeavors, and a sighting of the mysterious Loch Ness monster. We genuinely don’t know where it will all lead — plus we get to see Sherlock interacting with his equally (albeit differently) brilliant brother Mylock (Lee), shown below with Queen Victoria (Mollie Maureen).

This part is a much more satisfying peek into Holmes’ foibles, revealing a side of him Watson didn’t tend to write about. Wilder’s film isn’t must-see viewing, but is one of his better late-life outings, and worth a look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Christopher Challis’s cinematography
  • Fine period detail
  • Miklós Rózsa’s score

Must See?
No, though of course it’s a must-see for Holmes fans. Listed as a Sleeper and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

Fortune Cookie, The (1966)

Fortune Cookie, The (1966)

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“This guy is so full of angles and gimmicks and twists, he starts to describe a doughnut and it comes out a pretzel.”

Synopsis:
After his brother-in-law (Jack Lemmon) is accidentally hurt by a football player (Ron Rich), a shyster lawyer (Walter Matthau) convinces Lemmon to fake a back injury for insurance purposes — which Lemmon only agrees to in hopes that his ex-wife (Judi West) will return to him once he has money.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Billy Wilder Films
  • Comedy
  • Con-Artists
  • Detectives and Private Eyes
  • Jack Lemmon Films
  • Lawyers
  • Walter Matthau Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Walter Matthau won a Best Supporting Actor award for his performance as a crooked lawyer in this collaborative comedy “with a mean edge to it” by director Billy Wilder and writer I.A.L. Diamond, who made twelve films together, with a couple of gems among them — specifically Some Like it Hot (1959) and The Apartment (1960). Unfortunately, this seventh collaboration falls in the “true clunker” category. The topic of insurance fraud wasn’t new for Wilder, who covered it with noir-ish flare in Double Indemnity (1944), but playing it for laughs was a bad idea all the way around. We’re not meant to like either the insurance agents or Matthau’s Willie Gingrich (and we most definitely don’t):

… but it’s also hard to feel much sympathy for Lemmon’s Harry Hinkle, given that: 1) his only reason for going through with the scam is to earn money for an ex-wife clearly undeserving of his ongoing devotion:

… and 2) his lies cause tremendous distress to poor Rich, whose character is otherwise (mostly) purely sympathetic (admitting to having a fiancee in every town doesn’t help his case, but he’s otherwise selfless to a fault).

Indeed, according to TCM’s Pop Culture 101:

The year The Fortune Cookie appeared, 1966, Stokely Carmichael issued his public appeal for African-Americans to embrace “black power.” In regards to the turbulent Post-Civil Rights climate, some reviewers considered the benign, almost saintly Boom Boom Jackson a throwback to earlier African-American stereotypes.

Exactly; Carmichael was right. While Peary argues that “Matthau’s conniving, coldhearted performance is the reason to watch this otherwise unfunny” comedy, I disagree that he makes it worthwhile; and not that we need more to dislike in this film, but Lemmon’s mother (Lurene Tuttle) won’t stop crying hysterically, either.

Sigh. This one was simply a chore to sit through.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
Not much.

Must See?
No; skip this one.

Links:

Billy Budd (1962)

Billy Budd (1962)

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“There are many ways to lie, Mr. Claggert, but there is only one way to tell the truth.”

Synopsis:
When a good-hearted young crewman named Billy Budd (Terence Stamp) begins work aboard a British naval vessel, he is soon targeted by a sadistic master-at-arms (Robert Ryan), and the ship’s captain (Peter Ustinov) faces the hardest decision of his career.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • At Sea
  • Falsely Accused
  • Melvyn Douglas Films
  • Niall MacGinnis Films
  • Peter Ustinov Films
  • Robert Ryan Films
  • Ruthless Leaders
  • Terence Stamp Films

Review:
Peter Ustinov produced, directed, and co-starred in this adaptation of Herman Melville’s final (unpublished) novel, about the challenges of leadership in ethically murky waters. Unlike in Mutiny on the Bounty — the remake of which was released the same year as this film — the ultimate authority of the ship here remains steadfast; instead, it’s a subordinate leader who pushes the boundaries of acceptable behavior. As in The Naked Spur (1953), Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), and other titles, Ryan once again excels at playing a menacing baddie who makes life untenable for those unwilling to kowtow to his demands:

… and Stamp (in his breakthrough cinematic role) is an appropriately naive foil for his efforts. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough to the overall narrative arc to sustain the nearly two-hour storyline. Melvyn Douglas is on hand to provide wise counsel:

… but neither he nor the other supporting characters (including Ustinov himself) are sufficiently fleshed out to help us relate to their dilemmas. While this seems like a fine adaptation of Melville’s work, the story itself doesn’t quite rise to the ranks of its seafaring peers (including Melville’s own Moby Dick).

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Robert Ryan as John Claggart
  • Terence Stamp as Billy Budd

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look.

Links:

Longest Day, The (1962)

Longest Day, The (1962)

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“Sometimes I wonder which side God’s on.”

Synopsis:
On D-Day — June 6, 1944 — various allied troops invade Normandy while German officials try to determine what their next steps should be.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Curt Jurgens Films
  • Eddie Albert Films
  • Edmond O’Brien Films
  • George Segal Films
  • Henry Fonda Films
  • Jeffrey Hunter Films
  • John Wayne Films
  • Leo Genn Films
  • Mel Ferrer Films
  • Peter Lawford Films
  • Red Buttons Films
  • Richard Burton Films
  • Robert Mitchum Films
  • Robert Ryan Films
  • Robert Wagner Films
  • Rod Steiger Films
  • Roddy McDowall Films
  • Sal Mineo Films
  • Sean Connery Films
  • World War II

Review:
Darryl Zanuck produced and several directors helmed this three-hour adaptation of a 1959 non-fiction book by Cornelius Ryan about the D-Day landings, based on more than 3,000 interviews with participants from Canada, the United States, England, France, and Germany. The result is an appropriately overwhelming approximation of what that pivotal day in history was like, from multiple perspectives — and it sure involved a lot of violence. Indeed, other than some preliminary planning (taking up the first 50 minutes or so), the entire movie is a series of diverse attacks and maneuvers (eight battle scenes in total), showing the incredible complexity and danger of what went down that day.

We never really get to know any of the characters, though we do pay closer attention to a few — such as Red Buttons’ paratrooper Private Steele, who landed on the pinnacle of a church tower in Sainte-Mère-Église (and ultimately suffered a much better fate than the majority of his compatriots).

For those interested in World War II logistics (i.e., tactics and battles), this film is essential viewing — especially given how accurate it is in many ways. (See either Wikipedia’s entry, IMDb’s Trivia page, or one of several YouTube video reviews — such as the one put out by A Million Movies — for a comprehensive overview.) Of course, there are also some notable gaps and omissions — such as the fact that while 1700 African-American soldiers took place in D-Day, none are shown in this movie.

Cinematically, this film is wonderfully innovative in terms of having native languages spoken by the German and French characters, thus putting the cognitive “lift” on audience-goers to read a few subtitles. (Indeed, English isn’t heard until 10 minutes into the movie.) It’s also, of course, notable for having so many big name stars in the cast, each with varying (and sometimes minimal) degrees of screen time. Perhaps most front-and-center is John Wayne as Lt. Colonel Benjamin Vandervoot, who’s given several memorable grandstanding lines:

“You can’t give the enemy a break — send him to hell!”
“England’s gone through a blitz with a knife at her throat since 1940. I’m quite sure that they, too, are impatient and itching to go — do I make myself clear?”
“We came here to fight, not to swim!”
“One thing I’m sure of: we’re gonna hold this town until the link-up does come, whenever that is — today, tomorrow, till hell freezes over!”

Other big-name actors playing real people include (but are not limited to) Peter Lawford as Brigadier Simon Fraser:

… Robert Mitchum as Brigadier Gen. Norman Cota:

… Henry Fonda as Brigadier Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. and Edmond O’Brien as Major Gen. Raymond O. Barton:

… Robert Ryan as Brigadier Gen. James M. Gavin:

… and Curd Jürgens as Infantry General Günther Blumentritt.

Additional well-known actors inhabiting a diverse cross-section of fictional characters include (but once again aren’t limited to) Leo Genn and Mel Ferrer:

… Richard Burton:

… Sal Mineo:

… Sean Connery:

… Eddie Albert:

… Jeffrey Hunter:

… Gert Fröbe:

… Peter van Eyck:

… George Segal, Robert Wagner, Rod Steiger, Richard Beymer, Jean Servais, Jean-Louis Barrault, and Roddy MacDowall (who came over to participate due to being bored on the set of Cleopatra).

Whew! While I’ll admit I quickly got battle-weary watching this epic war flick, it’s easy to see how appealing it would be to those with authentic interest in such matters. Favorite light-hearted moment: a group of nuns walk in and kick ass as field nurses during the heat of battle.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Fine cinematography by Jean Bourgoin and Walter Wottitz
  • Truly impressive battle footage

Must See?
Yes, once, simply for its historical relevance.

Categories

  • Historically Relevant

Links: