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Niagara (1953)

It’s difficult to make a noir film work in a brightly colored landscape, but this one does even while much of the film is presented as an advertisement to visit the Falls, rainbows included. Jean Peters and Max Showalter are on a delayed honeymoon where they become acquainted with philandering Marilyn Monroe and her older, troubled war veteran husband Joseph Cotten. There’s great use of the locations around the Falls to create atmosphere, weaving a dark thread through the naturally bright vacation destination. From her figure and pert nose to her platinum hair and soft voice, Monroe looks unnaturally beautiful, especially when contrasted with the still-cute, but sexed-down Peters.  Noir

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Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway (1985)

Whoopi’s original Broadway one woman show paints her as not just a funny comedian but also a masterful storyteller. From her portrayals of a little Black girl who dreams of being white to a young teenager who gives herself an abortion to a disabled woman who has recently gotten engaged, she somehow manages the tone from funny to sad extraordinarily well without it feeling jarring. She incorporates the characters so thoroughly that each one feels a bit like they must be a part of her. Some of them, like the disabled women, were re-worked somewhat for her Back to Broadway performance and it’s interesting to compare how she advances their narrative.  Comedy

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Whoopi Goldberg: Back to Broadway (2005)

Twenty years after her original one woman show was filmed on Broadway, Whoopi returns with some familiar and some new characters added to her repertoire. Though I’ve only seen a tiny piece of the original show, I have not yet watched it in full. This collection is a bit more contemporary (including jokes about Spongebob Squarepants) and political (multiple mentions of George Bush and September 11th). I think my favorite chapter in this set was Lurleen, the Southern belle going through menopause. The jokes were funny but also felt personal with the line between Whoopi and the character she was playing somewhat blurred.  Comedy

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The Citadel (1938)

An adaptation of a novel that helped lay the foundation of the NHS, Ronald Donat is a doctor who over the course of his career witnesses firsthand the inequalities of for-profit medicine from the coal miners whose ailments are ignored to the rich folk whose hypochondria is treated with the best medicine could offer. Rosalind Russell is his beautiful, faithful wife who encourages him to follow the moral path. For me, it was mostly just an okay film though it does get its message across. Donat carries the film well, but his voice here reminded me a lot of Ray Milland so I was distracted multiple times, making sure Donat hadn’t suddenly morphed into Milland.  Best Picture Nomination

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Director: Best Writing, Screenplay

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The Addams Family 2 (2021)

I think I checked this film out because I thought my housemate would like it, but he literally didn’t remember watching the first film and thought we were watching something from the live action series. This isn’t surprising as the first film was at best unmemorable. Here Gomez decides the cure to Wednesday’s preteen angst is to take the family on a road trip. Unfortunately an evil scientist has convinced her that she might not be an Addams. It’s not saying much but I do think the story here was stronger and more appealing than the original film. I like the cast they have chosen for the well known characters and while some of the backgrounds are surprisingly gorgeous, the animation style is generally weird and ugly. The various Addams look more natural than the style used for the ‘normal’ characters.

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Dangerous (1935)

When already engaged Franchot Tone meets downtrodden actress Bette Davis, whose performance once inspired him to change careers, he offers her a helping hand which eventually leads to an offer of marriage and assistance with her floundered career. It reminds me a bit of Davis’s role in Of Human Bondage, as she admits here that she destroys everything she touches. Her character here seems a little less ruthless, that is until she cripples a man, but also capable of redemption. Those traits make for a lighter feeling film and her performance a lot less impactful.

Oscar Win: Best Actress in a Leading Role

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Censored Voices (2015)

Days after the end of the 1967 Six Day War, a pair of kibbutzniks travelled to other kibbutzim and recorded testimonials from soldiers who were returning from battle. These conversations were heavily censored by the Israeli army until this film was produced. The audio from the interviews is paired with archival footage and current mostly nonverbal reactions from the men who provided the interviews. Almost universally the men agree with the common narrative that it was a just war, but that is juxtaposed with the feelings they have regarding the actual fighting of the war and especially the aftermath. I try to keep a mostly neutral view with regards to conflicts in the Middle East as I have never been there and have little knowledge of the history, but I can understand why the Army tried to suppress this material as it offers an unflattering version of events and questions some of the legends that spurned from that war.  War

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Tokyo Chorus (1931)

In this silent Yasujirō Ozu film, married father of three Tokihiko Okada is an insurance salesman who loses his job in solidarity with a fired older co-worker. During a Depression era, his family tries to scrap by as he struggles to find a new job. Helpful surprises soon find him by way of a chance encounter with his former teacher Tatsuo Saitō. It’s very much a slice of life family drama which Ozu became so adept at, sadly made a bit difficult to watch through a subpar copy.

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Bloodbrothers (1978)

In modern times, this movie could be titled Toxic Masculinity the Movie. In a working class Bronx family, Richard Gere is a sensitive young man who doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life but definitely would rather work with kids than the union construction job his father and uncle have pushed onto him. His father Tony Lo Bianco is a philanderer who beats his wife to the emergency room when he just suspects her of infidelity and has caused her such general anxiety that in turn her influence brought an eating disorder in their younger son. It’s an appealing early role for Gere, though he seems like he should have just been born with grey hair. I particularly appreciate his bonding with children throughout the film and his relationship with waitress Marilu Henner.

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

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The Bostonians (1984)

Suffragette Vanessa Redgrave and Southern lawyer Christopher Reeve vie for the attentions and affections of Madeleine Potter the allegedly charismatic daughter of a faith healer. Aside from being rather slow, the biggest problem with the film is that there is nothing enthralling about Potter’s character and her only trait seems to be the inability to make decisions on her own. It makes one wonder why either of the other main characters gives a wit as to what she does with her life. Reeve is thoroughly dislikable a misogynist who just wants to marry Potter and get her barefoot and pregnant for all her livelong days. Redgrave is ethereal, but she seems mostly motivated to further her cause even if while she shows actual love for Potter.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Costume Design

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