Movie Review: "Under the Silver Lake" (2019)

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Movie: "Under the Silver Lake"

Director: David Robert Mitchell
Year: 2019
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 19 minutes

An out of work actor goes on a quest to solve the mystery of his neighbor's sudden disappearance.

Movie Review: "Mildred Pierce" (1945)

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Movie: "Mildred Pierce"

Year Nominated: 1946
Director: Michael Curtiz
Rating: NR
Oscar Nominations: 6
Oscar Wins: 1
Running Time: 1 hours, 51 minutes

After her husband is murdered, Mildred Pierce is brought in for questioning. Once she is at the police station, she recounts the events in her life that led her to her current predicament.

Our culture has changed a lot since the days of "Mildred Pierce." Though many ideas about a woman's place in the world have changed, the overall themes and the murder mystery at the center of the film still remain compelling even today. "Mildred Pierce" is directed by Michael Curtiz, who has over 170 directorial credits to his name including "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Casablanca." It stars Joan Crawford as the titular Mildred Pierce, who has been brought into her local police station to be questioned about her husband's murder. Once there, she tells a story of the events that led to her current husband's murder starting with her separation from her first husband all the way to being picked up by the police. Joining Crawford are Jack Carson, Anne Blyth, Zachary Scott, Bruce Bennett, and Eve Arden.

"Mildred Pierce" opens with a literal bang as Monte Beragon, played by Zachary Scott, is shot while uttering the name 'Mildred' just before his death. Early on in the movie, all signs point to Mildred being the culprit, including her actions right after the event. This story, however, isn't so much about a murder, but rather about the life of Mildred Pierce. It is about how a one-time housewife and mother raising two daughters got into this position in the first place. It is about a woman who has become a self-made business person, someone who has built her own empire from the ground up, all for the sake of her narcissistic sociopathic daughter Veda, played by Ann Blyth, a girl who only cares about money and things, not people.

Looking at a movie like "Mildred Pierce," the strangest thing is how so many people look down on her for working, Mildred becoming a wealthy business owner is seen as disgraceful by her daughter. The fact that Mildred runs a restaurant and smells of grease is somehow below the Beragon family name to her second husband. Oh, how times have changed. This film is steeped in drama, and we often wonder why Mildred puts up with so much crap from such an ungrateful daughter and from the condescending men in her life, but we have to chalk it up as "those were the times" and "that's what was expected of women" or it'll drive us crazy. This part of the story only works in a setting before the women's liberation movement, and the murder mystery aspect only works in a pre-cell phone, pre-internet world.

The best part about this movie is the acting. It is spectacular. Joan Crawford took home an Academy Award for best actress for her part here, and we think she absolutely deserved the accolades. The film was nominated for six awards total, but Crawford is the only one who took home the gold. One person who we believe really deserved an Oscar is Eve Arden as the manager of Mildred's restaurant, Ida. Though she was nominated, she lost to Anne Revere from "National Velvet." Arden offers up some much needed comic relief and delivers many of the best, sharpest lines in the movie.

This was a first-time watch for Lolo and me, and we really enjoyed "Mildred Pierce." We found it to be a very engaging film noir despite the fact that it is loaded with so many unlikable characters.

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My Rating: 8.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

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Movie Review: "The Lost Weekend" (1945)

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Movie: "The Lost Weekend"
Year Nominated: 1946
Director: Billy Wilder
Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Did It Win?: Yes.

An alcoholic writer falls off the wagon and goes on a bender that propels him towards rock bottom. 

"The Lost Weekend" is directed by Billy Wilder, who helped write the screenplay along with Charles Brackett. This film is based on a novel by Charles R. Jackson. It stars Ray Milland as Don Birnam, an aspiring writer and a severe alcoholic. He is about to head out on a weekend vacation with his brother Wick, played by Phillip Terry. Don hasn't had a drink in 10 days thanks to the efforts of his brother and his girlfriend Helen St. James, played by Jane Wyman. Before he and his brother are about to leave, Don gets a hold of the $10 dollars that was meant for the cleaning lady and falls off the wagon on an alcoholic bender. 

This film is part character sketch, part cautionary tale against the uses of alcohol. It certainly takes Don to the extremes of alcoholism, almost into "Reefer Madness"-style propaganda territory as he starts having panicked hallucinations due to his bender. Though more modern films like "Leaving Las Vegas" have displayed more realistic views of severe alcoholism, "The Lost Weekend" does a good job considering the year in which it was made. It was likely groundbreaking when it comes to films of its era due to the fact that it is extremely candid in its display of the many real life habits of an alcoholic, like hiding liquor anywhere and everywhere, needing a quick fix, severe physical reactions like sweating, and the habitual lying about the severity of one's own alcoholism. It also shows the slew of enablers who stand by as Don drinks himself into a stupor, from bartenders to cashiers to his own brother, who constantly lies for Don and covers up his drunken escapades to his girlfriend to make him look better than the raging drunk he truly is.

Ray Milland puts on a fine performance as this alcoholic who quickly spirals towards rock bottom. Milland took home a best actor Oscar for his efforts, and we can't say we blame the Academy for this choice because his performance is stellar. That's not all of the awards garnered by this film-noir drama as it took home four Oscars out of seven total nominations, including best picture, best director, and best screenplay. Bold movies often get rewarded, and this movie is certainly bold, especially for its time. Looking back on it since its release in 1945, the subject has, of course, been covered a thousand times over as cinema has taken to venturing into much harder addictive substances, which causes "The Lost Weekend" to lose a bit of its punch now in 2017. That being said, this is still a solid flick with a captivating subject matter and lead performance.

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My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

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Last Oscar season, we were watching: "Juno"

Two Oscar seasons ago, we were watching: "To Kill A Mockingbird"

Oscar Movie Review: "Sunset Blvd." (1950)

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Oscar Movie: "Sunset Blvd."
Year Nominated: 1951
Director: Billy Wilder
Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Did It Win?: No.

Joe Gillis (William Holden) is a struggling Hollywood screenwriter who is in a large amount of financial trouble. One day while trying to hide out from some creditors, he hides his car in the opened garage of what looks to be an unkempt mansion. He checks to see if the house is occupied, and it most certainly is. The house belongs to a wealthy former silent movie star named Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), who, at first, mistakes him for the man who was supposed to construct a coffin for her recently deceased chimpanzee. She soon discovers that he is a screenwriter and asks him to help turn a story she has written into a film, which will star her and her triumphant return to acting. Since he’s desperate for money, Joe agrees to help her. He is immediately persuaded to move in with her as the delusional former star takes care of all his finances. In doing so, she also grows overly attached to Joe. Joe starts to feel guilty and struggles to a find a way to break free from Norma’s grasp, and help bring her back to reality.

Don't cross paths with Norma Desmond!

All stars eventually fade, but some people have a hard time coming to terms with that. Norma Desmond, played brilliantly by Gloria Swanson, is a character who has had trouble coming to terms with this reality. She's a wealthy former silent film star that can buy whatever she wants, yet craves to return to the spotlight as she has been forgotten by a fickle audience. She is an eccentric at best and completely psychotic at worst. The first time she is on screen, she is trying to buy a casket for her dead pet chimpanzee. From there, she goes through a series of manic depressive and borderline suicidal tendencies as she swings from extreme highs to extreme lows and has regularly threatened to take her own life. We get the feeling she could still be in movies, if only she were willing to take supporting roles. Norma is not and will never be willing to be anything other than a leading lady since she is a little deluded in her star power and believes that supporting parts are beneath her. She is a ghost in a world that might not see her anyway, even if she were shouting on a street corner. William Holden is also very good as desperate hack of a screenwriter named Joe Gillis, who reluctantly takes advantage of Norma Desmond by writing a terrible screenplay for her and lives on her dime while doing so. He regularly feels bad about this, but is in such a bad position financially, he willing to put his morals aside. We also see great supporting performances from Erich von Stroheim, who plays Norma's servant Max Von Mayerling. He helps feed Norma's delusions as a way, in his mind, to protect her, as he has strong feelings for her. Nancy Olsen fills the role of Betty Schaefer, Joe's love interest. This casting is quite perfect and each actor plays off of one another in the most spectacular way.

"Sunset Boulevard" is dark, tragic and engrossing film as the audience experiences the depression and madness of a once great actress. We witness the unfortunate events that spring up because of those around Norma who enable her fantasies and feed into what she thinks are accurate delusions of grandeur. This is still a great film even today that has held up very well as its overall theme of falling from Hollywood greatness transcends time.

My Rating: 8.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Oscar Movie Review: "The Maltese Falcon" (1941)

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Oscar Movie: "The Maltese Falcon"
Year Nominated: 1942
Director: John Huston
Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Did It Win?: No.

Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) is a private investigator willing to work for whoever is willing to pay. When a Miss Wonderly offers him and his partner, Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan), a few hundred bucks to tail a man named Thursby, who supposedly has a relationship with Miss Wonderlay's sister and is keeping them from seeing each other, they accept the seemingly easy task. When his partner Archer and their subject, Thursby, turn up dead the next morning, the police zero in on Spade. He must find out what happened and locate the real killers to save his own skin. It turns out, he was being lied to and Miss Wonderlay is actually named Bridget O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor). She is entangled in a plot to find a rare artifact called the Maltese Falcon, which is so valuable that people are willing to anything, even kill for it. 

If there was a quintessential movie that captures the essence of the film-noir genre like no other, it would definitely be "The Maltese Falcon." Even in the black and white era, the film has a darkness to it that lends to the overall mood of the film and gives it a sinister feel. Add this to Humphrey Bogart's fantastic, fast-talking, slightly misogynistic portrayal of detective Sam Spade and you've got a recipe for greatness. Sam is the story's imperfect hero, who often does good but is willing to look the other way and do wrong when the money is right. He is very self-serving and often marches to the beat of his own drum throughout the movie, but we like him none the less. Bogart has this insane charm about him, and even though you know he's in the wrong, you don't really care. His dialogue as he works everything out is enthralling. Bogart and his character just ooze charisma and coolness. This film encapsulates Humphrey Bogart at his best. As we mentioned, the dialogue in this movie is outstanding and it is full of so many great lines."The stuff that dreams are made of," in particular, is one of the most memorable lines in film history. Bogart is great at delivering the dialogue with Spade always throwing out quips and sharp retorts. The rest of the cast is excellent as well. Peter Lorre is great as Joel Cairo, one of the shady individuals who wants to get his hands on the falcon. His distinct voice always adds a little something extra to his role and it almost makes him sound sneaky. Sydney Greenstreet, in his film debut, is also great as Kasper Gutman, another large personality criminal element trying to retrieve the falcon. Gutman has a much more commanding presence on screen and gives off a king pin, crime boss vibe. Then, there is Mary Astor as Brigid O'Shaughnessy, beautiful, dark and mysterious, but also a scoundrel in her own right. She uses her looks to manipulate men and help bend them to her will to get what she desires.

At its core, "The Maltese Falcon" is a crime-ridden drama with amazing actors and tons of iconic scenes and lines, but when you peel back its layers, it's actually much more than that. It is a complex film-noir wrought with intrigue, action, double-crossing and an overall flawless aesthetic. It is full of chicanery and pulls you deep into the story and completely enthralls you, and even over 70 years later, it still holds up. If we had to make a list of films one should see in their lifetime, "The Maltese Falcon" would certainly be on it. Together, these actors and actresses make up one of the finest casts ever put together on screen. This is one of the true film greats.

My Rating: 10/10
BigJ's Rating: 10/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

Oscar Movie Review: "The Letter" (1940)

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Oscar Movie: "The Letter"
Year Nominated: 1941
Director: William Wyler
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Did It Win?: No.

Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis) has killed a man outside her home in Singapore. The man's name was Jeff Hammond, and Leslie claims she shot him in self-defense after he tried to sexually assault her. When his widow, Mrs. Hammond (Gale Sondergaard), claims that she has a letter written by Leslie to the deceased inviting him to her house, it draws her self-defense claim into question. Mrs. Hammond makes a deal with the Crosbie family attorney, Howard Joyce (James Stephenson), to give them the letter and to hide it from the prosecution for $10,000 dollars. In the end, the letter in question may end up costing Leslie more than just her freedom. 

Is having Better Davis eyes a good thing or a bad thing? Because, seriously, her eyes are intense! Director William Wyler seems to use lighting to his advantage when drawing attention to Davis' gigantic eyes throughout the film. That's what she was known for, and in this movie, her eyes provide for many vicious, cunning, inquisitive, conniving stares and expressions.

This film is a pretty good one. The story itself is rather basic. A man is murdered and audiences get to uncover the truth behind the killing to see if it was self-defense or just plain and simply, murder. It has all the elements of a wonderful film-noir melodrama: deceit, revenge, love, lust, and betrayal. The acting is what sells it in this case. Bette Davis is phenomenal as Leslie Crosbie, a woman who would do just about anything to prove that she's innocent. Like we mentioned above, her eyes tell a completely different story from what her mouth says. She remains shrouded in mystery throughout parts of the film, until her cover is blown and you begin to question her story. Early on in the film, though, she seems to be extremely nonchalant about having just killed a man, whether it was self-defense or not. If someone tried to assault me, you can damn well bet your sweet bippy that I wouldn't be my making guests eggs and breakfast at 4 am. James Stephenson plays a conflicted lawyer quite well. His character must deal with the moral dilemma of being a defense attorney and maintaining his loyalty to his client and friends versus his duty to uphold the law.

This movie is one to watch if you love a good and deceitful mystery and/or Bette Davis. She didn't win an award for this film, but it's certainly one I won't forget very soon. Her eyes are burned into my head! AGHHHHHHHHHHH!

My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
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One year ago, we were watching: "Insidious"