The Thin Man Goes Home

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Rating 3


Directed by Richard Thorpe

Written by Robert Riskin and Dwight Taylor, based on an original story by Robert Riskin and Harry Kunitz

Characters created by Dashiell Hammett

Starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, Harry Davenport, Lucile Watson, Edward Brophy, Lloyd Corrigan, Donald MacBride, Gloria De Haven, Anne Revere, Leon Ames, Helen Vinson, Donald Meek, Minor Watson, Morris Ankrum, Anita Bolster, Irving Bacon and Ralph Brooks


Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) take a train from New York City to Sycamore Springs, the small town where Nick grew up, to visit his parents and celebrate his birthday. Nick’s father, an eminent local doctor (played by Harry Davenport), has always disapproved of his son’s lifestyle, drinking and chosen profession.

Nick is there for a vacation, but when Peter Berton (Ralph Brooks), a young would-be artist, is shot dead on the doorsteps of the Charles’ family home, he gets to work investigating the murder and unravelling the tangled web of secrets hidden by the inhabitants of the seemingly quiet and sleepy local community.

...


The fifth film in the series, ‘The Thin Man Goes Home’ was released in December 1944, three years after ‘Shadow Of The Thin Man’. Production was originally due to start in 1942, but Myrna Loy refused to make the film at that time, instead leaving Hollywood for New York City to marry for the second time and concentrate on her wartime work for the Red Cross. It was intended to have Irene Dunne assume the role of Nora Charles, but in the end production was delayed until Loy was once again available. She was divorced during the making of the film. William Powell and Irene Dunne later played husband and wife in the 1947 film ‘Life With Father’, for which Powell received a best actor Academy Award nomination.

There are new writers and, for the first time, a new director (Richard Thorpe, the original director of ‘The Wizard Of Oz’, who was sacked two weeks into the production of that film) and producer, Everett Riskin, the brother of writer Robert Riskin. He took over from Hunt Stromberg, who produced the first four films. Stromberg had been one of the so-called “big four” executives at MGM (the biggest of the Hollywood film studies) during the 1920s and 1930s and was once the most powerful producer in Hollywood. He left MGM in 1942 to become one of the first independent film producers. Robert Riskin was a hugely successful screenwriter, whose credits included the classics ‘It Happened One Night’, the first film to win all five major Academy Awards (best film, director, actor, actress and screenplay), ‘Mister Deeds Goes To Town’, ‘Lost Horizon’ and ‘You Can’t Take It With You’. He was married to the actress Fay Wray, of ‘King Kong’ fame.

The franchise was starting to become a little tired at this stage and the first thirty minutes of the film is not especially good. The jokes are a little forced and the two leading players are a little old for the portrayal required of their characters by the screenplay. This is particularly true of William Powell, who was 52 years old when the film was released. He was only thirteen years younger than Lucile Watson, the actress who played his mother. However, once the murder has occurred and the investigation begins the film picks up enormously, even if it is not quite up to the standard of the earlier films.

All in all, ‘The Thin Man Goes Home’ benefits from its new setting away from the big city (either New York or San Francisco) and is an enjoyable addition to the series.

Review posted 1 March 2009



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Haunted

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Rating 3½


Directed by Lewis Gilbert

Written by Timothy Prager, Bob Kellett and Lewis Gilbert, based on the novel by James Herbert

Starring Aidan Quinn, Kate Beckinsale, Anthony Andrews, Alex Lowe, Anna Massey, John Gielgud, Geraldine Somerville, Liz Smith, Linda Bassett and Victoria Shalet


Professor David Ash (Aidan Quinn), an Oxford don, is dedicated to proving that claims of the existence of ghosts, the supernatural and psychic abilities are bogus hoaxes perpetrated by fraudsters. He is inspired in his quest by the guilt he feels for the tragic death by drowning of his twin sister Juliet (Victoria Shalet) in childhood.

Ash is invited to Embrook, a large country estate, to investigate and disprove the fears of the elderly Nanny Tess Webb (Anna Massey) that the house is haunted. He meets the oddly intimately-connected Mariell siblings who own the estate (played by Anthony Andrews, Kate Beckinsale and Alex Lowe) and finds himself falling for Christina Mariell as he tries to rationalise a series of inexplicable and seemingly supernatural events that occur in the house and out by the lake.

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‘Haunted’ is based on a 1988 novel of the same name by the English writer of horror stories, James Herbert. It was produced by Anthony Andrews and director and co-writer Lewis Gilbert, a famous British film director whose career dates back to the mid 1940s and includes such films as ‘Reach For The Sky’, ‘Educating Rita’, ‘Shirley Valentine’ and three James Bond films; one with Sean Connery and two with Roger Moore.

The film is set in 1928 and, perhaps partly because of the presence of both Anthony Andrews and John Gielgud, immediately puts one in mind of ‘Brideshead Revisited’. It has the feel of a film made for television rather than theatrical release, although that is not the case.

Despite the nudity and a sex scene, it actually has a distinctly old-fashioned feel. It works surprisingly well, thanks in part to a clever and satisfying twist in the story. Anthony Andrews, an actor I am not unduly fond of in general, perhaps because I somehow associate him with really bad Hollywood versions of Agatha Christie novels (unfairly so since I don’t think he has ever actually appeared in one), is much more effective here than I would have expected. So too is Kate Beckinsale, whose subsequent successful foray into big-budget Hollywood fantasy-blockbusters like ‘Underworld’ and ‘Van Helsing’ leaves me cold.

John Gielgud, one of Britain’s most famous and iconic stage actors, was 91 years old at the time of this film, although he would continue to act in films and on television for another five years until his death in 2000.

Review posted 28 February 2009



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[REC]

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Rating 3¾


Directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paca Plaza

Written by Jaume Balagueró, Luis Berdejo and Paco Plaza

Starring Manuela Velasco, Pablo Rosso, Ferran Terraza, David Vert, Jorge Yamam Serrano, Vicente Gil, Martha Carbonell, Carlos Vicente. María Teresa Ortega, Manuel Bronchud, Akemi Goto, Chen Min Kao, Daniel Trinh, Maria Lanau, Claudia (Silva) Font and Ben Temple


Ángela Vidal (Manuela Velasco), a young television reporter, is filming a documentary at a Barcelona fire station with her cameraman, Pablo (Pablo Rosso). A call comes in during the early hours of the morning and a unit is dispatched to respond to a report that an old woman has become trapped in her apartment. When they arrive on the scene and break down the apartment door, they discover that the woman is in a state of extreme violent distress, viciously attacking one of the fire crew. They then find themselves quarantined without expanation and locked inside the building, along with the handful of residents. It is then that the full horror of what they have stumbled upon slowly begins to unfold.

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‘[REC]’ is a Spanish horror film, co-written and directed by Jaume Balagueró, whose previous work includes the flawed but interesting and worthwhile English-language horror film ‘Darkness’, starring Anna Paquin, and ‘Para entrar a vivir’, part of the excellent 2006 ‘Peliculas para no dormir’ series of Spanish made-for-television films (‘6 Films To Keep You Awake’). Everything in the film is seen through the lens of the hand-held camera operated by Pablo and is, effectively, shot to create the effect that it is the documentary film footage. The two most immediately obvious points of comparison here are ‘The Blair Witch Project’ and ‘Cloverfield’ (I have not as yet seen the latter). Another film that quickly came to my mind is ‘The Mist’.

The sense of growing hysteria, fear and claustrophobia is extremely well done and the acting is excellent. Manuela Velasco, in particular, is very impressive, but the same is true of all the actors. I did, in truth, eventually find the film verging on being slightly tedious; I was worn down a little bit from watching people, covered in more and more blood, constantly screaming and running up and down flights of stairs through a shaky camera lens. However, clocking in at just 75 minutes, it does not outstay its welcome and is successful in everything it sets out to achieve.

‘[REC]’ has a 94% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes from 18 reviews. An American remake, ‘Quarantine’, starring Jennifer Carpenter, was released in October 2008.

Review posted 28 February 2009



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Imaginary Playmate

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Rating 2½


Directed by William Fruet

Written by Christine Gallagher

Starring Dina Meyer, Rick Ravanello, Cassandra Sawtell, Kurt Evans, Kay Vance, Bronwen Smith, Nancy Sivak, Jim Shepard and Nicole Muñoz

Suzanne (Dina Meyer), an illustrator for a publishing house, moves to a sleepy community with her husband of one year, Michael (Rick Ravanello), and seven-year-old step-daughter Molly (Cassandra Sawtell). Michael has been sent there to manage a local logging mill, which is experiencing financial problems and is in danger of closing. The workforce does not trust the new owners and they treat him with suspicion. Molly, who is still coming to terms with the death of her mother, invents an imaginary friend called Candace. Following a series of disquieting incidents, Suzanne begins to suspect that Candace is real, causing conflict in her relationship with Michael.

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This made-for-television horror film, starring the always dependable Dina Meyer, was premiered on the HBO subscription channel in America in December 2006. It was made by the film production arm of the Lifetime Movie Network. Television movies are all too often dismissed, quite possibly because they are typically assumed to be aimed specifically at a female audience, but the production values are usually high and there is just something almost comforting about them.

‘Imaginary Playmate’ is not exceptional by any stretch of the imagination. It is formulaic and the revelations, as they occur in the story, are easy to guess long before they happen. There isn’t much suspense and the film follows an obvious route, but it is done with some degree of skill that makes it a perfectly enjoyable 90 minutes.

Review posted 24 February 2009



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Charlie Chan in the Secret Service

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Rating 2½


Directed by Phil Rosen

Written by George Callahan, based on characters created by Earl Derr Biggers

Starring Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Arthur Loft, Gwen Kenyon, Sarah Edwards, George Lewis, Marianne Quon, Benson Fong, Muni Seroff, Barry Bernard, Gene Stutenroth, Lelah Tyler and John Elliott


When inventor George Melton (John Elliott) is murdered and his plans for a secret torpedo are stolen by Nazi spies, the Secret Service sends in Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) to solve the case.

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Charlie Chan is a fictional character, a Chinese-American detective based in the Honolulu police department. He was created by Earl Derrs Biggers, who wrote six novels featuring the character between 1925 and 1932. Biggers died at the age of 48 in 1933.

Following three films made during the silent era, the first series of Charlie Chan films began in 1931, with the Swedish actor Walter Orland in the lead role. Orland made a total of sixteen films for Twentieth Century-Fox, up to his death in 1938. He was 59 years old. Four out of the first five films are now lost. The American actor Sidney Toler took over the role following Orland’s death. He made eleven films for Fox up to 1942, when the series was brought to an end. In 1944 the series was picked up by Monogram Pictures, one of the so-called “Poverty Row” Hollywood films studies, still with Toler in the lead role. Toler made eleven more films, prior to his death at the age of 72 at the beginning of 1943. The role was then assumed by Roland Winters for six more films, the last one in 1949.

‘Charlie Chan in the Secret Service’ was the first Charlie Chan film Sidney Toler made for Monogram Pictures. The absence of any appreciable production budget is obvious and clearly the filming must have been completed in a matter of days. Most of the action is confined to a very small set.

The Walter Orland ‘Charlie Chan’ films are far and away the best and the films Sidney Toler made at Fox are far superior to those he made at Monogram. However, it still has a charm that makes it very watchable and seems impossible to reproduce these days.

There is some controversy surrounding the Charlie Chan character, with suggestions that he perpetrated offensive racial stereotypes, particularly since the character was always played by white actors. It has been suggested that this is no different to the “blackface” minstrels. There is certainly some truth to this, but Chan was an intelligent and thoughtful character who always got the better of his foes. I am perhaps biased because I view these films with a great deal of nostalgia, having watched and enjoyed them as a young teenager, but I don’t think there was any hateful intent in them, although I do feel slightly ambivalent about watching them again now.

Review posted 24 February 2009



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Shadow Of The Thin Man

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Rating 4½


Directed by W S Van Dyke

Written by Harry Kurnitz and Irving Brecher, based on characters created by Dashiell Hammett

Starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, Barry Nelson, Donna Reed, Sam Levene, Henry O’Neill, Loring Stephens, Joseph Anthony, Lou Lubin, Alan Baxter and Stella Adler


Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are pulled over for speeding on their way to the race track. They end up with a police escort to the track and find themselves in the middle of a crime scene when a jockey who was accused of throwing a race is found shot dead. Nick does everything to keep out of the investigation, but when investigative newspaper reporter Paul Clarke (Barry Nelson) is accused of a second murder, that of Whitey Barrow (Alan Baxter), he gets dragged into the case.

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“He’s getting more like his father every day.”
“He sure is. This morning he was playing with a corkscrew.”

‘Shadow Of The Thin Man’, the fourth in a sequence of six films based on the characters created by the celebrated crime thriller writer Dashiell Hammett, was released in 1941, two years after ‘Another Thin Man’. Like the second film ‘After the Thin Man’, it is set in San Francisco, whereas the first and third films took place in New York City. This was the last ‘Thin Man’ film to be directed by W S Van Dyke, who was subsequently diagnosed with cancer. He refused medical treatment and committed suicide in February 1943 at the age of 53.

There are new writers this time around, replacing Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, who wrote the first three films, and also no direct involvement by Dashiell Hammett, the author of the original 1934 novel. He wrote the stories on which the second and third films were based.

The film continues the pattern already established in the earlier instalments, mixing comedy and crime thriller, as Nick and Nora banter their way through a labyrinth of clues and possible suspects. Nick still drinks at every opportunity. It’s a tried and tested formula and although this is no competition for the classic first film, it is still very enjoyable and of a superior standard. William Powell was one of the best film actors of the era and his easy-going charm, coupled with his celebrated on-screen chemistry with the equally excellent Myrna Loy, plays a big part in the success of this and the earlier films.

At the end of the second film we learned that Nora was pregnant. In the third film they were parents to a baby. This time around, little Nicky is old enough to go for walks in the park with his father, who reads the racing form to him, under the pretence that it is a fairytale. Little Nicky gets his own back by making Nick drink milk at dinner, rather than his usual cocktail, and then getting him to ride a merry-go-round horse. We are undoubtedly intended to find the child cute. He’s not, but he isn’t on screen long enough or often enough for this to be a problem.

I am biased because from the moment I first watched a William Powell and Myrna Loy film sometime in the mid 1970s they have been two of my favourite stars of the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood, but this is another worthy addition to the ‘Thin Man’ series.

Review posted 24 February 2009



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Another Thin Man

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Rating 4½


Directed by W S Van Dyke

Written by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett and Anita Loos (no credit), based on an original story by Dashiell Hammett

Starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, Virginia Grey, Otto Kruger, C Aubrey Smith, Sheldon Leonard, Abner Biberman, Muriel Hutchison, Don Costello, Tom Neal, Patric Knowles, Phyllis Gordon and Nat Pendleton


For the third instalment of the ‘Thin Man’ series, Nick and Nora Charles are back in New York City. They now have a baby boy called Nicky. They are summoned to spend the weekend at the house of Colonel MacFey (C Aubrey Smith) in Long Island. A former employee, Phil Church (Sheldon Leonard), who went to prison for ten years for dodgy business deals, allegedly undertaken on the instructions of the Colonel, has recently been released and has made threats against his life. MacFey dismisses the threats, but is then found murdered in his bed. The police target several suspects, including Nick, and he is reluctantly dragged into helping to solve the case.

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‘Another Thin Man’ premiered in November 1939, three years after the second film. William Powell and Myrna Loy are once again cast in the lead roles, with the same director, producer and writers as the first two films. Anita Loos, although not credited, also contributed to the screenplay. She had been a hugely successful screenwriter during the silent era and is probably most famous for her book ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’, first published in 1928, which was later adapted as a stage musical, receiving its Broadway debut in 1949. The 1953 musical film version stars Marilyn Monroe.

The pattern established in the first two films is followed again here, although Nora, now a mother and referred to by Nick throughout as “Mummy”, is not seen drinking. Nick continues to drink, although he is no longer the perpetually drunk character introduced in the first film. The banter between the two, however, remains undiminished, if not quite as memorable. Although it is generally accepted that ‘After the Thin Man’ is the best of the five sequels and thereafter there was substantially diminished returns to be had from each successive film, I actually think ‘Another Thin Man’ more or less matches the quality of the second outing.

‘Another Thin Man’ was the eleventh highest grossing film at the box office in America in 1939.

Review posted 21 February 2009



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The Dead Will Tell

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Rating 2½


Directed by Stephen T Kay

Written by Nancy Fichman, Jennifer Hoppe and Mark Kruger

Starring Anne Heche, Jonathan LaPaglia, Chris Sarandon, Kathleen Quinlan, David Andrews, Eva Longoria, Kate Jennings Grant, Gary Grubbs and Leigh Jones

Set in New Orleans, Emily Parker (Anne Heche, also one of the film’s producers) meets Billy Hytner (Jonathan LaPaglia) and they soon become engaged. Billy buys her an unusual antique engagement ring; a ring her friend Jeanie (Eva Longoria) claims gives off a bad vibe. Emily begins to have visions of a ghostly female figure and learns that the ring had once belonged to Marie Salinger (Leigh Jones), a young woman who disappeared years earlier. Marie’s finance Paul Hamlin (Chris Sarandon) was suspected of murdering her, but apart from her severed engagement ring finger, her body was never found.

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This 2004 made-for-television film follows an immediately recognisable tried and tested formula. It resembles Sam Raimi’s infinitely superior ‘The Gift’, a film that was co-written by Billy Bob Thornton. However, unlike Cate Blanchett’s character in that film, Emily Parker does not possess previously identified psychic abilities.

The film suffers from some very irritating editing, for which the director Stephen T Kay must take responsibility. However, it has a decent cast and taken for what it is, it is perfectly watchable, if derivative and ultimately rather run of the mill. I would happily watch it again.

Kay had previously directed the horrendously misguided remake of ‘Get Carter’ and went on to make ‘Boogeyman’, a low-budget horror for Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures production company.

‘The Dead Will Tell’ is based on an alleged true story told by the medium James Van Praagh, who is also one of the executive producers. Praagh is a co-executive producer of the successful CBS network television series ‘Ghost Whisperer’, which is now in its fourth season and attracts up to ten million viewers a week.

Review posted 21 February 2009



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The Mummy (1932)

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Rating 5


Directed by Karl Freund

Written by John L Balderston, from a story by Nina Wilcox Putnam and Richard Schayer

Starring Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Arthur Byron, Edward Van Sloan and Bramwell Fletcher


An ancient Egyptian burial site is discovered during a British Museum expedition led by Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron). The mummy of the priest Imhotep and a gold casket are recovered. The casket contains the Scroll of Thoth, which, when read out, brings the mummy back to life. Ten years later, during another British Museum expedition, this time led by Whemple’s son Frank (David Manners), a mysterious Egyptian called Ardath Bey (Boris Karloff) leads them to the undisturbed tomb of the princess Anck-es-en-Amon. Sir Joseph Whemple is sent for following the discovery of the tomb and he quickly realises that Ardath Bey is actually Imhotep, who is searching for the soul of the dead princess.

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Universal Pictures released ‘Dracula’, starring Béla Lugosi, in February 1931. It was the first of a classic sequence of horror films made by the studio and was immediately followed by ‘Frankenstein’, starring Boris Karloff, in November 1931 and ‘The Mummy’, again starring Karloff, in December 1932. Karloff was 44 years old at the time of ‘Frankenstein’ and had already appeared in more than seventy films, dating back to 1916. The film made him a star and he remains, 40 years after his death in 1969 at the age of 81, one of the legends of the horror genre.

Karloff had a screen presence that was perfect for roles like the monster in ‘Frankenstein’ and Imhotep in ‘The Mummy’. His acting was understated and really rather modern in style. While he was adept at suggesting menace, he had an uncanny ability to portray pain in his eyes, which is what really sets him apart.

‘The Mummy’ was inspired by the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. It was directed by Karl Freund, the German cinematographer famous for his work on films like German silent-era classics ‘The Cabinet of Dr Caligari’ and ‘Metropolis’, the aforementioned ‘Dracula’ and the 1948 John Huston film ‘Key Largo’.

Anyone expecting something similar to the 1999 remake would be disappointed. There is no ‘Indiana Jones’-like derring-do here. The film is slow-moving, with several long lingering shots to slow things down even further, and has a strange almost dreamlike quality. There is little in the way of action and most of the thrills and deaths occur off-screen, Freund relying on suggestion and the imagination of his audience.

‘The Mummy’ is rather creaky looking by our standards today and it is complete hokum, but it remains a classic of the genre. It also sealed the reputation of Boris Karloff; one of horror’s greatest ever stars.

Review posted 21 February 2009



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After the Man

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Rating 5


Directed by W S Van Dyke

Written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, based on an original story by Dashiell Hammett

Starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart, Elissa Landi, Joseph Calleia, Sam Levene, Jessie Ralph, Alan Marshall, Penny Singleton, Paul Fix, Teddy Hart and George Zucco


Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) arrive back in San Francisco following a three day train journey from New York City, after solving the murder of Charles Wynant (told in ‘The Thin Man’), only to discover a raucous party in full swing in their house. They reluctantly leave to go to a stuffy family dinner with Nora’s formidable Aunt Katherine (Jessie Ralph), who disapproves of Nick. Nora’s cousin Selma (Elissa Landi) tells them she is worried because her husband Robert (Alan Marshall) is missing. David (James Stewart), who is in love with Selma, tells them Robert has tried to extort money from him to disappear. Later that night Robert is shot dead and Selma becomes the prime suspect.

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“Come on, let’s get something to eat. I’m thirsty.”

This sequel was made two years after the unexpected success of the 1934 film ‘The Thin Man’. It reunites William Powell and Myrna Loy and once again their on-screen chemistry crackles with life. The same writers are involved and the same director is at the helm. The screenplay is based on an original story written by Dashiell Hammett, the author of the original novel. Like the first film, ‘After the Thin Man’ was produced by Hunt Stromberg, who won a Best Picture Academy Award that same year for ‘The Great Ziegfeld’, which also starred Powell and Loy.

‘After the Thin Man’ does not quite have the same sparkle as ‘The Thin Man’, one of the best films to come out of Hollywood in the 1930s, but it is very nearly as good. There is slightly less emphasis on Nick’s drinking (and Nora’s, for that matter) this time around, especially following the murder that becomes the focus of the investigation. A couple of comic scenes involving Asta the dog and “Mrs Asta” could easily have been cut out without causing any detriment to the film, but they do lend it a certain period charm. So too do two enjoyable musical numbers, sung by Penny Singleton.

The story follows a similar pattern to the first film, with Nick bringing together the various suspects at the climax of the film and holding court as he unravels the labyrinth strands that tie them all together, much like Agatha Christie’s famous detective Hercule Poirot.

The film is also notable for an early appearance by James Stewart, who had made his film debut the previous year.

Review posted 19 February 2009



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The Thin Man

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Rating *5*

Directed by W S Van Dyke

Written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett

Starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O’Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Porter Hall, Henry Wandsworth, William Henry, Harold Huber, Cesar Romero, Natalie Moorhead, Edward Brophy, Cyril Thornton and Edward Ellis


Inventor and industrialist Clyde Wynant (Edward Ellis) announces his plans to leave on a secret business trip on the day that his daughter Dorothy (Maureen O’Sullivan) gets engaged. On that same day, he discovers that $50,000 worth of bonds have been stolen from his safe. When he fails to return on the agreed date, Dorothy expresses her concerns to Nick Charles (William Powell), who is in town for Christmas. Nick, a former private detective who once worked on a case for Wynant, is now married to wealthy socialite Nora Charles (Myrna Loy) and happily spends his days getting drunk. When Wynant’s mistress Julia Wolf (Natalie Moorhead) is murdered, the missing industrialist becomes the prime suspect and Nick reluctantly becomes involved in the investigation.

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“I read you were shot five times in the tabloids.”

“That’s not true. He never came near my tabloids.”

This celebrated comedy thriller is based on a novel by the famous crime thriller writer and Pinkerton detective Dashiell Hammett, whose other literary creations include Sam Spade in the novel ‘The Maltese Falcon’. ‘The Thin Man’ was his last novel and was first published in 1934, the same year that the film was made.

William Powell had been a successful film actor during the silent age, before making the transition to sound films. He was signed to Paramount Pictures, before moving to MGM, where he appeared in ‘Manhattan Melodrama’ alongside Clark Gable and Myrna Loy. That film achieved notoriety when the gangster John Dillinger was shot dead by police outside a Chicago movie theatre after watching it.

Director W S Van Dyke had observed the screen chemistry of Powell and Loy and cast them together again immediately afterwards in ‘The Thin Man’, a low-budget support feature (what would now be called a b-movie). The film, which took just sixteen days to make (twelve days according to some sources), was an instant success, both with critics and cinemagoers, grossing $1.4 million at the box office against a production budget of $230,000. It received four Academy Award nominations, for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Powell and Loy are, probably, the most celebrated screen couple in American film history. Their on-screen chemistry is apparent instantly, especially in ‘The Thin Man’ and its five sequels as the wisecracking Nick and Nora Charles. The first film, in particular, includes some sparkling comic sparring. They appeared in fourteen films together all told.

Myrna Loy was one of the most popular and highest paid actresses in Hollywood during the late 1930s, when she was dubbed “The Queen of Hollywood”. She worked for the Red Cross during the Second World War and for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) later on in life. She died in 1993 at the age of 88. William Powell was a three times Best Actor Academy Award nominee. He was married to the actress Carole Lombard between 1931 and 1933 and was in a relationship with Jean Harlow at the time of her death in 1937, a period during which he was receiving treatment for colon cancer. He retired from acting in 1955 and died in 1984 at the age of 91.

The reputation of ‘The Thin Man’ is now almost entirely based on the performances of Powell and Loy and the wisecracking characters they play. Without them, it is probably not an especially memorable film. With them, it is one of the greatest films of its time. Also featured in the film are Maureen O’Sullivan, the mother of actress Mia Farrow, and Cesar Romero, who became an iconic figure to many for his role as the Joker in the 1960s television series ‘Batman’.

Review posted 17 February 2009



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Whitechapel

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Rating 2½


Directed by S J Clarkson

Written by Ben Court and Caroline Ip

Starring Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis, Steve Pemberton, Johnny Harris, Sam Stockman, George Rossi, Christopher Fulford, Alex Jennings, Sophie Stanton and Paul Hickey


Detective Inspector Joseph Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones) is being fast-tracked by senior police officials. He is appointed by Commander Anderson (Alex Jennings) to head up what appears to be a straightforward murder enquiry in Whitechapel, his last step towards promotion to a senior ranking position. The fastidious and book educated Chandler immediately comes into conflict with cynical down-to-earth Detective Sergeant Ray Miles (Phil Davis) and his team of officers, not least because he insists on taking a hands-on approach and questions their methods and motivation.

Edward Buchan (Steve Pemberton), an eccentric “Ripperologist”, approaches the police, claiming the murder is a copy of that of Mary Ann Nichols, the first canonical victim of Jack the Ripper. He is dismissed out of hand by Miles, but taken seriously by Chandler, creating even more animosity between the two. However, when a second murder bears the hallmark of the Ripper’s second victim, Annie Chapman, it seems that they have a copycat killer on their hands.

Chandler begins to win the respect of his men, but comes into conflict with his superiors. They have no interest in the victims or the ongoing investigation; they simply want to avoid public scrutiny and bad press.

...


‘Whitechapel’ was broadcast on ITV in three one-hour segments over a three week period. It gets off to a very ropey start, seeming to follow the path taken by the utterly appalling Lynda La Plante police drama ‘Above Suspicion’, which was broadcast by ITV during Christmas 2008. However, although it continues to be decidedly hackneyed in many respects, it does improve dramatically, particularly during the second and third episodes. Much of the credit must go to Rupert Penry-Jones and the excellent Phil Davis, who work very well together and make two decidedly clichéd characters more interesting than they have any right to be. Penry-Jones is certainly more successful here than he was in the disappointing BBC adaptation of ‘The 39 Steps’. Steve Pemberton, from ‘The League of Gentlemen’, is also watchable in the role of the slightly creepy Jack the Ripper expert.

There is probably not enough substance to the other police officers working the murder enquiry, meaning that they tend to blur into a single entity, and there is too much reliance on annoying visual trickery to try to create an atmosphere. Modern day Whitechapel bears little resemblance to the district that Jack the Ripper haunted back in 1888, but not enough is made of those little nooks and crannies that do remain from Victorian London.

It isn't brilliant, but it is a lot better than I feared it might turn out to be. The Jack the Ripper story is a well-worn path that no longer offers much in the way of surprise, but this is an interesting variation on the theme.

Review posted 17 February 2009



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Night Of The Demon

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Rating 5


Directed by Jacques Tourneur

Written by Charles Bennett, Hal E Chester and Cy Endfield (uncredited), based on the story ‘Casting the Runes’ by M R James

Starring Dana Andrews, Niall MacGinnis, Peggy Cummins, Maurice Denham, Liam Redmond, Peter Elliott, Brian Wilde and Athene Seyler


American academic Dr John Holden (Dana Andrews) flies to Britain to meet Professor Henry Harrington (Maurice Denham), with the intention of speaking at a conference to expose Dr Julian Karswell (Niall MacGinnis, who steals every scene he’s in), the leader of a devil-worshipping cult, as a fraud. When he arrives, Holden discovers that Harrington has died in a freak accident and following unsettling encounters with Karswell, it becomes a race against time to discover the truth behind his apparent command of dark magic. Holden is helped in his quest by Joanna Harrington (Peggy Cummins), the niece of his deceased colleague.

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This low-budget 1957 British horror film was directed by the French film director Jacques Tourneur, who is probably most famous as the director of two classic 1940’s b-movie horrors, ‘Cat People’ and ‘I Walked With A Zombie’. Tourneur directs here with typical panache and understanding that atmosphere and suggestion is often the most effective form of horror.

Tourneur and the English playwright Charles Bennett (who wrote the adapted screenplay) found themselves in dispute with their American producer Hal E Chester during a fraught production. Both wanted the demon of the title to remain in the imagination of the audience, but Chester did not agree. Tourneur and Bennett were clearly right, but Chester’s insistence that the demon be shown still does not take away from what has been, for at least the last thirty years or so, one of my all-time favourite films.

One of the most effective scenes takes place early on when Holden goes to the country estate of Karswell, where a children’s party is taking place. As a display of his power for Holden’s benefit, Karswell creates a wind storm, sending the children running in panic. It is a genuinely unsettling moment and a superb example of Tourneur’s brilliance in this genre. He was a master of creating an atmosphere of menace and unease. The film is hokum, but it’s brilliantly done hokum.

‘Night Of The Demon’ followed a trend in the 1950s that included ‘The Quatermass Xperiment’ and ‘X the Unknown’; low budget British horror films made with American money and starring American leading actors who were perhaps entering the twilight of their careers. Dana Andrews was a dependable actor who is undoubtedly best remembered for his roles in two classic 1940s films, ‘Laura’ and ‘The Best Years of Our Lives’. An alcoholic who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease later in life, he continued to act through the 1960s and 1970s and sporadically in the 1980s. He died in 1992 at the age of 83.

It is claimed that when Andrews, who was President of the Screen Actors Guild between 1963 and 1965, starred in the 1945 musical ‘State Fair’ his singing voice was daubed, even though he was a trained opera singer. The story goes that the studio was ignorant of his singing abilities and he did not mention it because he knew the unnamed singer they hired needed the money the job brought him.

‘Night Of The Demon’ is based on a story called ‘Casting the Runes’, which was published in 1911 as part of the second collection of ghost stories by one of my favourite writers, M R James, the provost of King’s College, Cambridge. The rights to the story were owned by Charles Bennett, who wrote a film script based on it that he then sold to Hal E Chester. Bennett is best known as the screenwriter of several Alfred Hitchcock films, including the original version of ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’, ‘The 39 Steps’ and ‘Foreign Correspondent’.

The film was cut by 13 minutes for its American theatrical release and re-titled ‘Curse Of The Demon’.

“It’s in the trees, it’s coming,” a line of dialogue from the film, was used by Kate Bush in her famous 1985 song ‘Hounds Of Love’.

Review posted 15 February 2009

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The 39 Steps (1935)

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Rating *5*


Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Written by Charles Bennett and Ian Hay, based on the novel by John Buchan

Starring Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Godfrey Tearle, Lucie Mannheim, Peggy Ashcroft, John Laurie, Helen Haye, Frank Cellier and Wylie Watson


Richard Hanney (Robert Donat) meets a mysterious woman, Annabella Smith (Lucie Mannheim), who tells him of a plot to steal British military secrets. He is wrongly accused of her murder and flees London, taking the Flying Scotsman up to Scotland, searching for evidence to clear his name. Along the way he meets Pamela (Madeleine Carroll), who twice alerts the police to his presence, but is ultimately persuaded to help him.

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This 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film was the first adaptation of John Buchan’s 1915 novel and remains one of the most celebrated of all British films. It was ranked fourth in a 1999 British Film Institute survey conducted to find the 100 greatest British films of the 20th century. It is obviously dated, being nearly 75 years old, and a little creaky in places, but it contains many Hitchcockian trademarks and remains a zestful and invigorating 85 minutes, helped in no small part by the screen chemistry of Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll, two of Britain’s greatest film stars.

The Scottish actor John Laurie, who would find fame late in life in the memorable role of Private James Frazer in the much loved long-running BBC comedy series ‘Dad’s Army’, has a small role as a crofter.

Hitchcock planned to reunite Donat and Carroll the following year in his next film, ‘Secret Agent’, but Donat’s health problems meant that the role he was originally cast to play went instead to John Gielgud. Donat, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1939 for his role in ‘Goodbye Mr Chips’, suffered from severe asthma and it affected his career to the degree that he only appeared in twenty films in total. He died in 1958 at the age of 53.

A new BBC production of ‘The 39 Steps’ was broadcast during Christmas 2008, but its leading actor, Rupert Penry-Jones, is no Robert Donat and it proved to be a rather botched and dreary affair.

Review posted 14 February 2009



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The Eye (2008)

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Rating 1½


Directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud

Written by Sebatian Gutierrez, based on an original screenplay by Oside Pang Chun, Danny Pang and Jo Jo Yuet-chun Hui

Starring Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey, Rade Serbedzija, Fernanda Romero, Rachel Ticotin and Chloë Grace Moretz


Blind classical violinist Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba) has a cornea transplant and regains her sight. When she begins to see disturbing images and suffer from terrifying hallucinations, she persuades her initially disbelieving therapist Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola) to help her to find the truth behind her visions.

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This is a 2008 American remake of the acclaimed 2002 Pang Brothers film ‘Gin gwai’. It adheres closely to the plot of that film, but it is almost tempting to surmise that the screenwriter and directors have deliberately sucked the meaning and purpose out of each and every scene. Particularly galling is the horribly tweaked climax to the film.

Jessica Alba is an actress I don’t find especially interesting on screen, although I have no strong opinions one way or the other. I had previously seen her in a handful of episodes of ‘Dark Angel’, a television series I never took to, and in the ‘Fantastic Four’ films. I liked the first one, although I wasn’t particularly struck by her performance. Here, she is okay, but her acting feels flat and rather detached to me, not that the uninspired quality of the film helps very much.

Remakes are often a problem, especially when compared to an obviously superior original. ‘Pulse’ is another recent example of a fairly dire American remake. Having said that, not all remakes are worthless. ‘The Ring’ worked well and, contrary to most of the reviews, I thought so too did ‘The Grudge’, which was directed by the original Japanese director. John Carpenter’s original 1980 version of ‘The Fog’ is my favourite horror film, but I enjoyed the 2005 remake, even if I don’t make any claims for it. The problem with ‘The Eye’ is that it singularly fails to reproduce the aura of sadness and melancholia and hope and fear and alienation and dread and resignation that made the original such an interesting story. In its place it gives us nothing.

‘The Eye’ has a 22% rotten rating at Rotten Tomatoes from 74 reviews. It grossed just under $57 million at the box office against a production budget claimed to have been in the region of $12 million.

Review posted 13 February 2009

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Demons

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Rating 2

Created by Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy

Written by Peter Tabern (three episodes), Lucy Watkins (two episodes) and Howard Overman (one episode)

Directed by Tom Harper (three episodes) and Matthew Evans (three episodes)

Starring Christian Cooke, Philip Glenister, Zoë Tapper, Holly Grainger, Saskia Wickham, Mackenzie Crook and Richard Wilson


Teenager Luke Rutherford (Christian Cooke) meets his godfather Rupert Galvin (Philip Glenister) for the first time. Galvin tells him he is the last Van Helsing and it is his destiny to fight “half-lives”, vampires and dark forces from the supernatural world. Luke is introduced to Mina Hawker, the same Mina Hawker who appeared in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel ‘Dracula’, and is thrown into a strange and dangerous netherworld, unwittingly dragging his friend Ruby (Holly Grainger) in with him.

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The remarkable success of the revived ‘Doctor Who’ has opened the door to several shows with a supernatural or fantasy/horror theme. ‘Primeval’ was the immediate ITV answer to the celebrated BBC series and a third season of that show has been commissioned. Now comes ‘Demons’, once again targeting the Saturday teatime family audience, with a basic premise that rather blatantly copies ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’. Its first season ran for six episodes between 3 January and 7 February 2009.

Whereas ‘Doctor Who’ can command viewing figures in excess of 10 million and ‘Primeval’ averaged 6.2 million across its first two seasons, ‘Demons’ saw a dramatic and almost immediate decline in viewers, dropping from 6.3 million for the first episode to 4.2 million by the time of episode four.

The series never fires on all cylinders, although it is not a complete failure. The biggest problem lies with the main characters – and that is a serious problem. Luke is self-centred in the way that teenagers tend to be, but he has no discernible personality and, as seen through his attitude towards his friend Ruby, he is, putting it politely, routinely pig ignorant. Philip Glenister adopts a terrible American accent for his portrayal of Rupert Galvin, which does nothing to enhance the character. Zoë Tapper’s muted performance as Mina Hawker is, I assume, intended to give her a mysterious and otherworldly air, but it does tend to suck the life out of the character. Only Ruby has any real spark.

Mackenzie Crook, famous for his roles in ‘The Office’ and the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films, puts in an amusing turn in two episodes as the vampire Gladiolus Thrip; basically David Bowie in Teddy Boy garb with a false nose. Richard Wilson could have been used more in the role of the zombie priest Father Simeon.

The series received a mixed reaction from television critics and the already declining viewing figures suggest there is no guarantee it will return for a second season. If it does and it manages to breathe some life into the characters, there is hope, but it needs to establish its own identity. At the moment it is just a pale imitation of the various sources it has clearly copied.

Review posted on 8 Febuary 2009



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Pulse

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Rating 2

Directed by Jim Sonzero

Written by Wes Craven and Ray Wright, based on an original screenplay by Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Starring Kristen Bell, Ian Somerhalder, Jonathan Tucker, Christina Milian, Rick Gonzalez, Samm Levine, Ron Rifkin, Zach Grenier, Kel O’Neill and Joseph Gatt


The story is set on an austere and rather nondescript university campus. When Josh (Jonathan Tucker) commits suicide, his girlfriend Mattie Webber (Kristen Bell) blames herself for not spotting his decline. Then her friends Stone (Rick Gonzalez), Tim (Samm Levine) and Izzie (Christin Milian) start to exhibit the same symptoms as Josh. Dexter McCarthy (Ian Somerhalder) buys Josh’s old computer and discovers some disturbing files on it, seemingly linked to the strange epidemic that sweeps the university campus and beyond into the city and further afield.

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Like ‘The Ring’, ‘The Grudge’ and ‘Dark Water’ before it, ‘Pulse’ is a remake of a Japanese horror film. ‘Kairo’ was made in 2001 by the writer/director Kiyoshi Kurosawa. This remake premiered in American cinemas in August 2006. ‘The Ring’ grossed a remarkable $249 million at the box office, more even than ‘The Blair Witch Project’, and ‘The Grudge’ grossed an impressive $187 million. However, subsequent J-horror remakes saw diminishing returns and ‘Pulse’ stalled at a little under £30 million, against a production budget of $20.5 million.

The selling point of the film was the presence of two young actors who had made their names via television series; Kristen Bell as the star of ‘Veronica Mars’ and Ian Somerhalder in ‘Lost’ and before that ‘Smallville’. The adapted screenplay was co-written by the acclaimed horror film director Wes Craven.

The film is derivative and offers nothing that hasn’t been done in countless other films, often better. The actors, who also include Rick Gonzalez, one of the regular cast of ‘Reaper’, and Ron Rifkin from ‘Brothers and Sisters’, do what they can with what amounts to a very stale and threadbare script, but they cannot save the film from its mediocre fate. It starts off well enough, but quickly goes downhill, especially in the latter stages. What is most disheartening is that the screenwriters and the director seem to have completely missed the point made in the original and have sucked the life out of the story.

Taking the Japanese original out of the equation, ‘Pulse’ is a middling horror film that is not entirely without merit. It is over-reliant on largely uninteresting special effects, but eschews gore and just about does what is expected of it.

Review posted on 6 February 2009




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Veronica Mars (Season Three)

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Rating 4½


Created by Rob Thomas

Written by Rob Thomas (three episodes), Diane Ruggiero (five episodes), Phil Klemmer (five episodes), John Enbom (seven episodes), Jason Elen (one episode), Jonathan Moskin (two episodes), David Mulei (two episodes), Robert Hull (two episodes) and Joe Voci (two episodes)

Directed by John Kretchmer (five episodes), Harry Winer (three episodes), Jason Bloom (two episodes), Nick Marck (three episodes), Michael Fields (three episodes), Steve Gomer (one episodes), Rob Thomas (one episode), Tricia Brock (one episode) and Dan Etheridge (one episode)

Starring Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Francis Capra, Michael Muhney, Ryan Hansen, Tina Majorino, Chris Lowell, Julie Gonzalo, Ed Begley Jr, Patrick Fabian and James Jordan



Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) has now graduated from Neptune High and enrolled at the local Hearst College, as have various other graduating students from the high school, including Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) and Wallace Fennel (Percy Daggs III). Veronica continues to live at home with her father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), the former sheriff, who now works as a private investigator. Wallace moves into a dorm room on campus, as does another friend of Veronica’s from high school, Cindy ‘Mac’ Mackenzie (Tina Majorino). Logan is living in a suite at the Neptune Grand, a luxury hotel, where he is later joined by his friend Dick Casablancas (Ryan Hansen). Veronica soon finds herself investigating a series of rapes on the college campus and gets embroiled in campus politics, falling foul of the Dean, Cyrus O’Dell (Ed Begley Jr).

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The third and final season of ‘Veronica Mars’ marked several changes. The main characters had now graduated from Neptune High and, mostly, enrolled at Hearst College, requiring a new setting. There was also a change of network, following the merger of UPN and WB to create the CW Television Network.

The show had initially been commissioned by UPN to fill the gap left when ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ came to an end. It was heavily promoted as the “New Buffy”, which it clearly wasn’t, but once again it is impossible not to compare the change brought about at the beginning of this third season with that in season four of ‘Buffy’, when that show made the change from its original high school setting to a university campus. ‘Buffy’ made the transition successfully, although it certainly wasn’t welcomed by all fans, and ‘Veronica Mars’ does the same. In fact, it proves, I think, to be a better setting for the show.

This third season introduces a new title sequence, intended I imagine to create a more sophisticated and noir feel, complete with a new (inferior) version of the title song, ‘We Used To Be Friends’ by the Dandy Warhols. Although hardly the most important aspect of the show, it did take me a while to get used to it. As a friend remarked to me, it sets the mood, which might partly explain why I felt slightly underwhelmed and disappointed during the first few episodes.

In the first two seasons, each episode would house a self-contained story, a “case” for Veronica to solve, and also hold clues to the wider murder mystery, a story-arc told across all 22 episodes of the season. Season three follows a similar format, but this time rather than having one season-long story arc, there are three, dividing the season into smaller segments. There are also threads connecting one segment to the next. It perhaps does not flow as smoothly as the earlier seasons, chopping and changing as it moves through the episodes and leaving the impression that something is either missing or being held back from us. Some characters now feel sidelined and have a lesser impact than before; Wallace, for example, and, in particular, Eli “Weevil” Navarro (Francis Capra), although it is interesting how believable his change from the leader of a motorcycle gang to a maintenance man at Hearst College actually turns out to be. Ultimately, however, I think I enjoyed the third season even more than the first two seasons, although I do not claim it necessarily to be the best of the three.

There are 20 episodes in total this time around. I am not sure why this is. The final episode leaves a number of storylines unresolved and, having not paid close enough attention to the DVD set when I first purchased it, I was fully expecting two more episodes. As a result, the ending felt anti-climactic and left me disappointed. In retrospect, I think it actually works quite well, although I will have to wait until I watch the season again in its entirety before I discover just how well.

Rape, specifically rape involving the use of a so-called “date rape drug” on the victim, such as GHB, was a theme of both the first two seasons and is dealt with again in the third season, in greater detail this time around. ‘Veronica Mars’ is not a gritty hard-hitting realistic show and an in-depth exposé of this serious and very emotive subject should not be expected, but it does deal with it in an interesting and, I think, responsible way, looking at the issue from various angles.

A feminist group on campus wants the Pi Sig fraternity house shut down, but campaigns for their cause in a very confrontational manner. Veronica argues that she is searching for the truth, whereas they are seeking revenge and simply direct their anger at the most obvious target. Equally, the attitudes of the members of the frat house, and the activities that allegedly take place there, are repulsive – as reprehensible as the stance taken by the Dean, who refuses to accept that the institution he represents has any responsibility in the matter.

Various characters are used to represent different views and attitudes. Dick Casablancas, another graduate from Neptune High and a member of Pi Sig, is a repellent sexist, his attitudes born out of ignorance and arrogance. A friend of mine commented that he was impossible to relate to on any level, even simply laughing at him, because he was the kind of person who would be capable of raping a woman without even realising he was doing it. I understand the sentiment, but I don’t agree. As objectionable and downright offensive as Dick clearly is, I think he does know the difference and I actually don’t think he would be capable of rape, in as much as such a statement can be made with any degree of certainty. In fact, I suspect the character was used to make this very point, that the very overt juvenile and simplistic sexism of someone like this is not, in itself, an indication of his likely inclination towards perpetrating rape, knowingly or otherwise.

One aspect of the show that many television critics picked up on for particular praise across the three season of the show is the relationship between Veronica and her father, Keith. I concur. It was a highlight of the show – one of many.

The viewing figures for season three increased slightly from the season two average of 2.3 million to 2.5 million, although this is perhaps to be expected because CW has greater network coverage than UPN did. However, it was officially announced in January 2007, four months before the final episode of the season was broadcast, that the show would not be returning for a fourth season.

In September 2008 it was confirmed that creator Rob Thomas has been working on a possible film script. It has also been claimed that executive producer Joel Silver is keen on the idea of a film version, but in January 2009 it was stated that Thomas’s priority is the new television series ‘Cupid’, an updating of his short-lived 1998 series of the same name.

‘Veronica Mars’ was not a groundbreaking television series in the way that, as examples, ‘M*A*S*H’, ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, were. The influence of that latter show is obvious, but so are other influences. One storyline, in season one, about an inspirational teacher who proves to be anything but perfect, is a copy of an episode of the earlier ‘My So-Called Life’, a series that ‘Buffy’ also borrowed heavily from.

In the end, ‘Veronica Mars’ is just a very likeable show that easily becomes addictive viewing, helped by some good casting and a constantly impressive performance by Kristen Bell in the lead role. Given its viewing figures, the cancellation was inevitable and, in fact, it did well to survive as long as it did, but its demise is to be lamented.

Review posted 1 February 2009





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