It 1927

     Betty Lou is working as a sales woman in a department store.  She is interested in the handsome owner of the store but he has never paid any attention to her.  She decides to accept a date with his best friend Monty.  They go to dinner at the Ritz and Betty Lou sees that her boss Cyrus Waltham is also there for dinner with a date.  Her plan begins to work and Cyrus notices her and then he learns she works at the store.  A snag crops up and her plans may be spoiled?

     This is a black and white film with some words shown between the scenes.  You can sometimes read their lips when they are talking too.  I liked the social mores, the cars, the clothing, hairstyles and makeup of this time period.  I thought it was interesting that the women wore sheer stockings and they were made from silk, wool, cotton or synthetic rayon, a new material.  The rayon versions were so shiny that many women wearing them powdered their legs over the stockings to make them look matte.  They were rolled down at the top and came above the knee.  The short flapper dresses exposed ranged from mid-calf to just below the knee.  This was a style obsessed decade and formerly hidden legs were now the rage.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie) 

72 min, Comedy directed by Clarence G. Badger and Josef von Sternberg with Clara Bow, Antonio Moreno, William Austin, Pricilla Bonner, Jacqueline Gadsdon, Julia Swayne Gordon, Elinor Glyn.

Note:  7.4 out of 10, 100% critic 82% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Silent Movie Crazy 4* out of 4*, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 117 reviews.

Special Note:  Elinor Glyn was an author and she wrote a book with an explanation for what “It” means.  It’s someone found to be very attractive by the opposite sex.  It can be looks or personality or both.  Glyn visited the set a couple of times.  Actress Priscilla Bonner didn’t like Glyn and found her to be pretentious and artificial but she loved working with Clara Bow.  One of the best publicity campaigns in Hollywood history was released to promote this film. 

Stronger 2017

     This film is based on the true story and memoir of Jeff Bauman.  He was waiting on the sidelines at the Boston Marathon of 2013.  His girlfriend Erin Hurley and her two roommates were running in the Marathon.  One of the pressure cooker bombs set off at the Marathon exploded right beside him.  His legs were terribly injured below the knees and they were both amputated above the knee.  Jeff is in total shock and he’s in a lot of pain when the bandages are removed at the hospital.  He goes to live with his mother Patty while he recovers and tries to return to this new normal.   

     Many of the people involved with Jeff play themselves in this film.  The medical professionals are from the hospital where he was treated and five members of the Martino family are from United Prosthetics.  The First responder was Jerry Kissel and the real nurses at Spalding Rehab are shown.  Jeff didn’t have an easy time during his recovery.   He began to self-medicate with alcohol for depression.  His behavior took a toll on his relationship with Erin.  He began to push her away and her relationship with his mother went downhill too.  When Erin learned they were going to have a child, Jeff was terrified in the beginning.  The idea of being a father started to turn him around.  3* (This movie is OK)

119 min, Bio directed by David Gordon Green with Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson, Richard Lane Jr., Nate Richman, Lenny Clarke, Patty O’Neil, Clancy Brown, Kate Fitzgerald, Danny McCarthy, Frankie Shaw.

Note:  Imdb 7 out of 10, 91% critic 82% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 41 reviews, Metacritic 76 out of 100 with 41 critics 7.5* out of 10* with 78 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Chelmsford, Boston, South Weymouth, Roxbury, Braintree, Easton, Massachusetts.  Both Jeff Bauman and Jake Gyllenhaal threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park for the Marathon Monday game of April 18, 2016.  Jeff’s former supervisor at Costco, Kevin, is an extra in more than one scene.  Gyllenhaal wore brown contact lenses to have the same eye color as Jeff.  His new prosthetic legs were donated and they were $100,000 each with microprocessors installed to follow his gait.  Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany in the role of Erin Hurley also acted as all the clones in the TV series Orphan Black.

Detroit 2017

     The Detroit Police Department raids an illegal after hours dance hall and bar in 1967.  They fill three paddy wagons with the customers.  Afterwards, the largest race riot in the US history begins.  This story centers around the Algiers Motel incident.  This occurred on July 25, 1967 on 12^th Street.  Three black men were killed and nine other people received brutal beatings.  There were seven black men and two white women detained.  One black man used a starting pistol to shoot out of the window.   Down below were police officers, members of the National Guard and other armed men.  They thought there was a sniper shooting out this window.  Some of the police officers came into the building and rounded up anyone inside.  They shot one of the black men right away and he was the one who shot the pistol.  They yelled at, beat and interrogated the others about the gun.  None of them knew where the gun was but that didn’t satisfy the officers.

     I think this film needed tighter editing to shorten the length.  Not very much time is given to the causes that brought on the riot in Detroit.  The violence from law enforcement shows their bias against all the black people.  If you were black, you were guilty.  If you were white, you were innocent.  Except for the two white women because they were with black men.  Even at the trial the all white jury members found the accused to be innocent.  Maybe it’s fortunate that later none of the officers worked in law enforcement again?  There was a lot of focus on the criminal background, large or small of those that had been victimized.  There was a lot of criticism that black women were not shown to be important in this story.  3* (This movie is OK)

143 min, Crime directed by Kathryn Bigelow with John Boyega, Anthony Mackie, Algee Smith, Chris Chalk, Mason Alban, Bennett Deady, Andrea Eversley, Michael Jibrin, Khris Davis, Tokunbo Joshua Olumide, Daniel Washington.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10, 84% critic 79% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 162 reviews, Metacritic 77 out of 100 with 49 critics 6.4 out of 10 with 158 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Detroit, Michigan; Brocton, Mason, Lawrence, Boston, Lynn, Malden and Dorchester, Massachusetts.  Kathryn Bigelow also directed The Hurt Locker of 2008.  On both films she used three or four cameras at a time.  They were kept in constant motion around the actors.  She had lighting on the entire set so the performers had more flexibility to move around.  She told the actors she wanted their emotions to be as raw as possible and after two or three takes, she said she had what she wanted.  Julie Hysell was one of the white women survivors and she was on set throughout most of the shooting.  During July of 1967 there were also riots in Newark and Plainfield, New Jersey; Cambridge, Maryland; Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the Watts Neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Brad's Status 2017

     Brad Sloan takes his teen son Troy to the East Coast to check out colleges.  Brad doesn’t know that Troy would like to go to Harvard?  Brad also doesn’t know if he can afford Harvard and he didn’t know the school guidance counselor said Troy had a good chance for admittance?  Brad is having a midlife crisis and he’s regretting that he went into charity work instead of going for the big money like his friends.  He’s not even sure they are still his friends since they are far apart in lifestyles.  Brad, his wife Melanie and Troy live in Sacramento.  Brad feels this location doesn’t indicate he successful or high powered?  The family moved there for Melanie’s job and Brad can work anywhere.

     Usually Ben Stiller plays a slacker and he does somewhat in this film but he just thinks he is a slacker.  He’s having trouble sleeping because of his worries.  He talks to his wife but she’s not worried.  Brad tends to get mad at Troy when he makes mistakes.  But it’s because he wants the best for Troy.  Just because a person is wealthy, makes speeches, gets the primo restaurant table and appears on television doesn’t make them a somebody!!  What about the personal traits that really matter in a person??  3* (This movie is OK)

102 min, Comedy directed by Mike White with Ben Stiller, Austin Abrams, Jenna Fischer, Michael Sheen, Jemaine Clement, Luck Wilson, Shazi Raja, Luisa Lee, Mike White, Xavier Grobet, Adam Capriolo, Felicia Shulman.

Note:  Imdb 6.5 out of 10, 82% critic 56% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon Video 3.2* out of 5* with 333 reviews, Metacritic 71 out of 100 with 40 critics 7.1 out of 10 with 41 reviews, Roger Ebert 3 ½*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Boston, Massachusetts; Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  The Writer/Director Mike White thought of his own life when he wrote the script.  His father worked as a minister and questioned his success.  White partially made the film to thank his dad and to show that he considered his father to be a success.  Ben Stiller is 47 in the film but he is actually 51 years old.

Sweet Revenge 1998

     Also titled The Revengers’ Comedies.  Henry Bell is very depressed because he has lost his job.  He goes to London’s Tower Bridge and he plans to jump off the bridge to commit suicide.  He sees Karen Knightly caught on the side of the bridge.  She was going to jump but she was left hanging over the side looking down at the water.  Henry rescues Karen and they go to her family’s large country home.  He meets Karen’s brother Oliver, housekeeper Winnie and apprentice housekeeper Norma.  Also living there are Anthony Staxton-Billing and his wife Imogen.  Karen dreams up a pact, she will kill Bruce Tick because he took Henry’s job and Henry will kill Anthony Staxton-Billing.  Karen was having an affair with Anthony but he went back to his wife Imogen.  Henry doesn’t want to go along with this plan but Karen starts her ball rolling by getting a job as Bruce’s secretary.

     This is a British comedy so everyone is an oddball and it includes the dry British wit and eccentricity.  It’s full of 'different' characters and you don’t know what’s going to happen next.  Karen is quite happy to dispatch Bruce Tick but Henry wants to remove himself from this plan.  3* (This movie is OK)  

     

86 min, Comedy directed by Malcolm Mowbray with Sam Neill, Helena Bonham Carter, Kristin Scott Thomas, Rupert Graves, Martin Clunes, Steve Coogan, John Wood, Liz Smith, Anita Dobson, Charlotte Coleman, Adrian Scarborough.

Note:  Imdb 6.2 out of 10, 60% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 21 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed at Tower Bridge, London; Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex; Weston Truvill, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.  Helena Bonham Carter and Rupert Graves also played sister and brother in A Room with a View of 1985.  There are several other films with the title Sweet Revenge. 

Only Yesterday 1991

     This movie is based on a manga series of comic vignettes of a small girl of 11 years old in Japan of 1966.  Taiko is a 27-year-old office worker in 1982 and she travels to the countryside to work on a farm.  As she is riding on the train, she thinks back to her home life and her childhood in school.  Taiko loves the time she spends away from her technical job and out in the country.  Doing farming work is the complete opposite of office work.

     The dialog is spoken in English by US actors and it is released by The Walt Disney Company.  There is another release by Studio Ghibli-Tokuma that is dubbed in English.  Adult scenes were added to the film and were not included in the manga to connect expand on the childhood scenes.  Taiko’s family purchases a pineapple, they aren’t sure how to cut it and they are not used to the taste.  Imported fresh fruit was very expensive and uncommon in 1982.  Most Japanese people had only eaten canned pineapple.  I really like the animated films produced by Studio Ghibli-Tokuma.  I like the colors and the intricate drawings plus the very good stories.  4* (I really liked this movie)

118 min, Animation directed by Isao Takahata with Miki Imai, Toshiro Yanagiba, Yoko Honna, Mayumi Izuka, Mei Oshitani, Megumi Komine, Yukiyo Takizawa, Masashi Ishikawa, Michie Terada, Masahiro Ito, Yorie Yamashita.

Note:  Imdb 7.7 out of 10, 100% critic 86% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 4*, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 129 reviews, Rolling Stone Peter Travers 3.5* out of 4*, Metacritic 90 out of 100 with 19 critics 8.5 of 10 with 69 reviews, The Guardian Peter Bradshaw 5*.

Special Note:  The Walt Disney Company acquired the US distribution rights from Studio Ghibli-Tokuma.  Disney wanted to eliminate one of the scenes from distribution in the US.  There was a clause in the contract that prohibited Disney from altering the scene.  This film was a surprise box office smash when first released in Japan.  It was the highest grossing domestic film in 1991.  Named #61 on the Tim Out Magazine’s list of 100 Best Animated Films of All-Time in 2014.  There is another film with the same title from 1933.

The Bad and the Beautiful 1952

     Jonathan Shields is a tough and ambitious Hollywood producer.  Jonathan's story is told in flashbacks and as he is seen through the eyes of various acquaintances.  This includes writer James Le Bartlow, star Georgia Lorrison and director Fred Amiel.  Shields is ruthless, hard-driving, ambitious and he uses everyone he comes in contact with for his own benefit.  He wants to become one of Hollywood’s top movie-makers.  It doesn’t matter how many toes he steps on as he makes his way up the success ladder.

     In the beginning, I thought this was slow paced and I didn’t know if I could stay with it?  It did start to get better but can be classified as a soap opera.  There are three segments about working the Jonathan, experiences of the writer, the star and the director.  Lana Turner was very beautiful and I especially liked the scene when she drives away from Shields’ home in the rain.  3* (This movie is OK)

118 min, Drama directed by Vincente Minnelli with Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame, Gilbert Roland, Leo G. Carroll, Vanessa Brown, Paul Stewart Sammy White, Elaine Stewart, Ivan Triesault.

Note:  Imdb 7.9 out of 10, 96% critic 85% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, TCM Leonard Maltin 3.5* out of 4* user average 3.9 out of 5, Empire Online 4* out of 5*, 4.3* out of 5* with 89 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Beverly Hills, Culver City and San Bernardino National Forest, California.  Gloria Graham won an Oscar and her performance was 9 minutes and 32 seconds.  She held the record for shortest for a win until 1976 when Beatrice Straight won for a 5-minute performance in Network.  Originally there was a scene of Shields accepting a Best Picture Oscar for a film but he stole the idea for the film from his best friend.  Minnelli wanted to soften the depiction of Shields by cutting this scene.  Jonathan is a mixture of producer David O. Selznick, Orson Welles and producer Val Lewton.  Georgia is based on Diana Barrymore.  Writer Bartlow is based on college professor turned best-selling author turned screenwriter Paul Green.