Month: December 2021

After the suicide of Spencer Tracy, a much-despised railroad tycoon, his lifelong friend and secretary Ralph Morgan recounts to his own wife what brought the man to such a desperate act. Coming from a humble background, Tracy was educated by his first wife and then encouraged by her to pursue greater pursuits, to the detriment of his family life. It’s an odd story that doesn’t work on many fronts. There is not a great feel for the qualities of Tracy’s character. While the film portends to be a straight telling of the man’s life, there’s a strong sense of judgment in its chosen form with Morgan out to convince his wife that Tracy was noble and entirely justified in every action he undertook.

A quality adaptation for the book of the same title, this tells the tale of the strange year when the Herdmans, the worst kids in the whole history of the world, decide to take over the church Christmas pageant. It sadly sits firmly in 1980s made for television production values, otherwise it could possibly be a true Christmas classic. It serves as a reminder that perfection and adherence to every little tradition is not what really makes the holiday special to most of those who celebrate. It also has an adorable young Fairuza Balk providing commentary to those unfamiliar with the characters and location. 

Despite publisher Sidney Greenstreet’s insistence on honesty above all, single New Yorker Barbara Stanwyck writes a regular column for one of his magazines describing her married life on a farm in Connecticut. To fulfill the wishes of returning war hero Dennis Morgan, she is forced to finagle a Christmas dinner at her imaginary farm with the soldier, her publisher, and her supposed family. Stanwyck is radiant amidst all the hijinks, pretending to know how to cook, milk cows, and care for an infant all while trying to balance the feelings of her editor and new fiancé Reginald Gardiner with her own feelings for the soldier. The soundstage version of a Connecticut farmhouse provides just enough warm hominess to make it a comforting holiday flick.    

Oklahoman oil worker Matt Damon travels to France to visit his daughter Abigail Breslin who is serving time there for murdering her college roommate. When her lawyer refuses to reopen her case, Damon decides to stay in country and investigate some new information that has been found. For a good portion of the film, it’s a fish out of water tale with Matt performing better than I’ve ever seen him as the middle-aged, blue collar American trying to find his way in French society. His accent and redneck-iness is a bit over the top at times and the film takes some incredulous twists in its latter half, but following the character’s arch and the changes he undergoes finding connections in his life where he had previously failed makes the entire film an intriguing exploration of American myths and masculine culture.

Horse enthusiast Barbara Stanwyck is married to Robert Cummings, a popular Civil War scholar. When his dislike for horses and her jealousy toward his overly-familiar fans get between them, they decide to divorce. It’s not one of my favorite Stanwyck films, but it does have enough humor and silliness to make it worth a watch. It’s a rare film that allows all of the characters to shine equally, even a teeny Natalie Wood in a small role as the couple’s daughter, but it definitely does nothing to making me think the Steeplechase is a good idea for horses.