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Reviews
Gloria (1980)
Climaxes A Third of the Way Through
Lots of great moments, acting and above all Gena Rowlands as a believable tough broad in the Noir mode. The one ironic and exasperating thing about this film is that the scene where Gloria wipes out a car load of mobsters who want to kill the boy is one of the greatest scenes in 80's cinema and as I say NOTHING comes close to that moment for the rest of the movie. I sometimes just find that one scene to watch. I think the boy actor was adequate but NOT quite up to the part.
The wonderful and deliciously flavorful views of NYC in 1980 are a real treat for someone who lived there then. Above all Geena Rowlands perfectly embodies a very specific kind of woman found on the fringes of the criminal world.
Fat City (1972)
Susan Tyrrel Unforgettable and Takes the Honors
John Huston, one of America's finest directors meets a real 'wild card' of an actress Susan Tyrrell and the result is the finest depiction of a woman alcoholic on screen. That she didn't get a best supporting actress award is a disgrace. She is the classic all day cheap sherry drinker. It is a very definite type (usually female)
who generally sips the stuff endlessly and never falls into blackouts and dt's and the usual end horrors but just maintains a constant buzz, a state of confusion, irritation and self pity. I'd swear she wasn't acting! In review after review here all the other fine acting has been properly acknowledged but Susan's greatest role deserves a posthumous Oscar.
North by Northwest (1959)
A 'Shout Out' for James Mason
I've read dozens of reviews by fellow lovers of N by NW and have yet to see anyone give sufficient credit to the exquisitely elegant performance by James Mason as Vandamm. I have looked everywhere for a James Mason interview about his work on the film, about him working with Hitchcock ANYTHING and can't find it.
Hitchcock always said the better the villain, the better the story. Mason's role was so smooth, elegant and seductive I think Vandamm is the ONLY villain who ever gave Cary a run for his money for the leading lady's hand. When Mason at the auction realizes Eve's real feeling for Roger his hand lifts a moment and flash of pain and understanding crosses his face. HE LOVES Eve Kendall and his pain on being betrayed is perfectly conveyed.
Wow, poor Cary has one gray suit to wear through the whole movie (it is said there were a half dozen copies for all eventualities) but as male attire of the period goes James Mason looks INCREDIBLE suited out.
Woman on the Run (1950)
Alan Campbell Laid This Noir Plot Out Beautifully
Alan Campbell was Dorothy Parker's husband and a familiar with the intellectual/Hollywood crowd. He's the credited writer of this and you can see his touches throughout and the STRUCTURE is expert and far superior to any 'cheap noir' in the public domain I can think of. There are three pivotal 'ah-ha! Moments in the film and the ending at an amusement park will remind you a little of Hitchcock and Welles. NEVER LAGS for a moment.
Ann Sheridan is very exciting and has a rough noir edge that suits her perfectly. The snappy dialogue is supposedly often improvised and it often sizzles. The dog 'Rembrandt' is a sweet mutt and is the one thing binding the husband and wife.
Modern Times (1936)
THE FEEDING MACHINE SCENE IS UNSURPASSED
I saw this as a child and my laughter at the feeding machine scene was so WILD that I have never laughed so hard at anything again in my entire life. I literally slid out of my chair to the ground gasping for air. The whole film is absurd and brilliant, crisply realized by a comedy genius but for me that one moment transcends even greatness and touches the sublime where is poetry and God. Seeing the 'feeding machine' again as an adult there are tears mixed with laughter. To eat is to live, it is the personal realm and the invasion of the authoritarian state into the personal realm is so arrogant and pompous that it frightens me a lot to see how far it has gone as 'they' regulate our speech, our food, our sex lives according to the latest PC doctrines of 'nice'. Chaplin would not have recognized this new world of ours where the working class he represents here is ruled by progressive billionaires spouting inanities.