Gideon58's Reviews

Lady in the Dark
Handsome production values and an effervescent performance from Ginger Rogers make the 1944 musical fantasy Lady in the Dark worth a look.

Rogers plays Liza Elliott, a no-nonsense magazine editor who has been suffering from headaches and recurring dreams that have no medical explanation and Liza is sent to a psychiatrist (Barry Sullivan) to get the bottom of these dreams. With the help of the psychiatrist, Liza's issues are presented in the form of three very elaborate dream sequences that seem to revolve around the three men currently in her life: her former boss and married lover (Warner Baxter), her slick-talking advertising exec (Ray Milland) and a handsome but insecure movie star (Jon Hall).

The Broadway musical with songs by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin, upon which this film is based, premiered in 1941 and ran for 161 performances with the legendary Gertrude Lawrence playing Liza and an unknown comedian named Danny Kaye playing Russell the photographer. Kaye stopped the show on a nightly basis with a patter song called "Tschaikowsky (and Other Russians)", but Kaye was under contract to another studio at the time this film was being made and was unavailable. Mischa Auer got the role of Russell but the song (along with several others) was dropped from the film.

Despite a serious overhaul of the original score, director Mitchell Leisen has still managed to mount a lavish and entertaining fantasy, serving Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett's adaptation of the original Moss Hart book admirably. The story is almost a character study about a woman who has been burying her inner woman for years behind wool suits and work for years but still longs to be a glamour girl, even though she is in denial about it. This story of a woman in man's world who's not sure if she likes her position there wouldn't fly in 2018, but this was heady stuff in 1944 so it was no surprise that the film didn't do too well at the box office.

As mentioned, much of the Weill/Gershwin score was discarded, but we still have "Girl of the Moment", "The Greatest Show on Earth", and "The Saga of Jenny" an elaborate production number which was re-thought a couple of decades later for Julie Andrews in the 1968 Gertrude Lawrence biopic Star!.

There is money all over the place here. Leisen and company have set this somewhat ahead of its time story against a dazzling canvas, featuring elaborate set designs and the ladies are gorgeously gowned by the one and only Edith Head. Ginger Rogers is lovingly photographed and gives one of her richest performances and you can see why she and Ray Milland did so many films together, the chemistry between them is undeniable. Mischa Auer was very funny as Russell and loved Mary Phillips as Liza's co-editor and pal, Maggie. Not your typical 1940's musical, but fans of the genre and of Ginger Rogers should be right at home.

Period of Adjustment
Some terrific performances from a young cast at the beginning of their careers help to make a talky but entertaining comedy from 1962 called Period of Adjustment worth your time.

George Haverstick (Jim Hutton) and his new bride Lil' Bit (Jane Fonda) climb into a hearse and arrive on the doorstep of George's old war buddy Ralph Bates (Anthony Franciosa) on Christmas Eve, shortly after Ralph's wife, Dorothea (Lois Nettleton) has walked out on him.

This comedy is actually the film version of a play by Tennessee Williams that premiered on Broadway in 1960. Williams is not a playwright known for producing a lot of laughs in his work but Isobel Lennart's screenplay does attempt to open up the play and make it play more like a movie, though it never really escapes its stage origins.

The subject matter also seems to be a bit for foreign territory for Williams...this view of two different marriages in two very different places often plays like a TV sitcom with typical male vs female views on the institution of marriage but about halfway through the proceedings, those lengthy and allegedly deep monologues that Williams was so famous for creep their way into the story and you do see Williams' style come through, which really doesn't work for what is supposed to be a comedy.

What makes this film work is some really first rate performances by a quartet of stars who weren't really stars yet. Jane Fonda is a bit on the shrill side, brings another entertaining sex kitten part to the screen and Jim Hutton is absolutely charming as George, the war vet with the shakes that defy medical explanation but brought him and Lil Bit together. Nettleton is dark and fragile as Dorothea, but Franciosa easily walks away with the acting honors as Ralph, a guy whose honesty about the mistakes he's made in his marriage doesn't qualify him for husband of the year either. John McGiver and Mabel Albertson are also fun as Dorothea's parents, but the acting quartet at the center of this comedy will definitely hold your attention.

Mrs. Henderson Presents
Sparkling entertainment from start to finish inspired by true events, 2005's Mrs. Henderson Presents is a deliciously entertaining and endlessly imaginative piece of cinematic cotton candy that evokes warmth, sentiment, and might even ignite a tear duct or two.

It is London in 1937 where we meet Mrs. Laura Henderson (Judi Dench), an eccentric and very wealthy widow who, as she puts it, is "bored with widowhood" and, on a whim, decides to buy a run down theater on London's west end and renovate with the aid of the theater manager she hires to manage the place, Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins). The theater experiences brief success producing colorful musical revues, but business begins to suffer when other theaters begin to copy them, so Mrs. Henderson decides the way to revive ticket sales is turn the revues into nude revues.

Of course, Mrs. Henderson must obtain permission for this dramatic change from the current head of London law, Lord Cromer (Christopher Guest) who agrees to the change as long as the women who appear onstage are not allowed to move, like a tableau. Henderson and Van Damm agree and the theater finds even greater success until the advent of WWII, which changes everything for everyone at the Windmill Theater.

Director Stephen Frears, who mounted 1988's Dangerous Liaisons and directed Helen Mirren into a 2006 Best Actress Oscar for The Queen has crafted a richly entertaining and wonderfully human story that flies in the face of British aristocracy and does it on a large and inviting canvas, that extends beyond the Windmill Theater and involves most of London as a new theatrical concept threatens the very proper British theater going population.

I loved that the story turns out to be a show business story that involves more than pretty girls baring their breasts. It was interesting watching the difference between the two sets of auditions that we witness. The audition for the original revue was a completely different thing than the audition than for the nude revue and I loved the way they decided what kind of girls they were going to need for the nude revue and that it wasn't just about the way they looked without their clothes on.

Mrs. Henderson's care about her theater and especially for the way these girls are treated was quite endearing, as well as her attraction to Van Damm, which she is in complete denial about. The scene where Mrs. Henderson discovers that Van Damm is married was quite startling, a reaction this reviewer didn't see coming, but found wonderfully human. And despite the attraction between these two, I like that it never became the focus of the story, the focus was always the Windmill Theater.

Frears' striking attention to period detail is on the money and production values are first rate, with standout photography, film editing, Sandy Powell's incredible costumes. and George Fenton's evocative music. Oscar winner Judi Dench lights up the screen in the title role, a performance rich with power and humor and she is matched by the late Mr. Hoskins as the man Mrs. Henderson constantly attempts to crumble, but never does. The offbeat casting of Christopher Guest totally works and I loved Kelly Reilly as Maureen, one of the nudie chorus girls. Loved this movie, everything worked here.

Stage Door
RKO had one of its biggest hits with a sparkling look at the New York theater scene with a 1937 comedy/drama called Stage Door.

This film version of a play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber centers around The Footlights Club, a theatrical boarding house for aspiring young actresses. The primary players in this slightly dated soap opera include Terry Randall (Katharine Hepburn), the fiesty millionaire's daughter who wants to make it on her own as an actress without the aid of daddy's money; Anthony Powell (Adolph Menjou) a slick-talking Broadway producer who's dating two of the girls who live in the club; Jean Maitland (Ginger Rogers) is Terry's cynical roommate and an aspiring dancer who has caught Powell's eye, much to the dismay of Linda Shaw (Gail Patrick), another club resident who has been seeing Powell and there's Kay Hamilton (Andrea Leeds), an actress who had a part on Broadway a year ago but hasn't worked in so long that she can't pay for her meals at the club.

Apparently, screenwriters Morrie Lyskind and Anthony Veillier made a lot of changes to the original play that prompted one critic to say that she should have changed the title to "Screen Door" but the film is still a pretty insightful look into what drives people to achieve success in the theater and what they often give up in said pursuit. Yes, the idea of a theatrical boarding house is definitely dated, but it provides a wonderful canvas to present several interlacing stories about the struggles and disappointments that come along with a show business career. We watch as rich girl Terry struggles to fit in as just one of the girls while Linda and Jean contemplate a shortcut to success through their feminine wiles and poor Kay, a girl who proves that talent is not a guarantee of success. Several show business traditions are touched upon here, in particular "The show must go on" and "It's not what you know, but who you know."

Director Gregory La Cava does an extremely effective job of giving almost a dozen actresses their individual moments in the sun. Hepburn is fire and ice as the spitfire Terry and Menjou is appropriately greasy as Powell. Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, Ann Miller, and Constance Collier score in small roles and Andrea Leeds received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her tragic turn as Kay, but if the truth be told, Ginger Rogers walks off with this movie as the cynical wisecracking Jean, a girl who knows what it takes to succeed but is not always willing to do it. The scene where Menjou attempts to seduce a drunken Rogers might have been my favorite in the whole movie. Despite some dated elements, this classic still holds up and provides solid entertainment.

The Comedian
Star power is the primary attraction with 2016's The Comedian, an episodic character study that provides laughs thanks to a motion picture icon in the title role.

Two time Oscar winner Robert De Niro plays Jackie Burke, an aging insult comic who back in the day was the star of a very popular television series called "Eddie's Home" and has now found his career coasting on the memories of his time as a TV star while desperately trying to recharge his career and his self-respect.

Director Taylor Hackford, whose credits include Ray and An Officer and a Gentleman once again applies his over-indulgent directorial style to a story that really doesn't have enough originality to sustain it. Needless to say, images of Rupert Pupkin 25 years later will initially fill the viewer's head but the character De Niro takes on here is nothing like Rupert...Rupert wanted stardom at any cost, while Jackie tries to turn his back on the role that made him a star, despite the fact that his fans won't let him. Like Chris Rock's character in Top Five, Jackie Burke wants his career on his own terms and can't accept the fact that it's never going to happen, not to mention the effect that social media has on a show business career, which Jackie can't seem to wrap his head around.

Fortunately, Hackford was afforded the luxury of having one of our industry's greatest actors center stage, playing a character whose lack of filter onstage and off make the character a little shocking but mostly likable. Unfortunately, Art Linson and Jeffrey Ross' screenplay takes a couple dark detours about halfway through that make getting through this leisurely-paced character study a little more of a chore than it should be. There are scenes in this movie that provide nervous laughs but go on longer than they should. Those familiar with his work, should not be surprised that Hackford has mounted a story whose interest doesn't really sustain its length.

On the positive side, Hackford has packed this film with stars as far as the eye can see. Leslie Mann has never been more appealing onscreen as Jackie's love interest and Edie Falco was terrific as his long suffering agent. Along the way, we also get some entertaining star turns from Danny De Vito, Harvey Keitel, Charles Grodin, Patti Lupone, and Cloris Leachman. There are also cameos from Brett Butler, Jimmie Walker, Jim Norton, and De Niro's Analyze This co-star Billy Crystal. I think in the hands of another director, this could have been something pretty special, but De Niro and his terrific supporting cast still make it worth a look.

Eeverybody Wants Some!!
The creative force behind Dazed and Confused explores similar themes in a talky but entertaining 2016 comedy called Everybody Wants Some!!

Writer/director Richard Linklater sets this story the weekend before classes are to begin at a fictional Texas college where we are introduced to various members of the school's baseball team through the eyes of Jake (Blake Jenner), a freshman and potential new pitcher for the team.

Linklater's screenplay could have used some tightening, but it is still a pretty on target examination of college life , which has often been referred to as all the freedom of being an adult with none of the responsibility. The writing is smart and funny without ever being unrealistic. Naturally, we get a glimpse into the class separation between freshmen and upper classmen as wide-eyed Jake seems to effortlessly fit into his new life but is never allowed to forget that he is a freshmen. This story also spits in the face of the cliche that all athletes are morons with their brains in their biceps. These character are smart, some of them a little too smart for their own good, but never so smart that they are talking above the viewer's heads.

The actual events that make up this story are nothing that we haven't seen before...the parties, the bar fights, the freshmen hazing, but there is an underlying theme throughout everything that happens in this film that the team comes first. Whatever individual conflicts come up between these guys, and they are numerous and varied, the good of team is always top priority. I also liked the fact that this story was about a college baseball team. Traditionally, a film like this would be about a football team, like Dazed and Confused, but I like that Linklater decided to switch it up for this story.

As it was in Dazed and Confused, Linklater's attention to period detail is nothing short of spectacular. The film is set in 1980....the hair, the clothes, the music, effective in transporting the viewer back to 1980 and probably conjuring up your own 1980 memories. Speaking of the music, the only music in the film is the music in the clubs where our boys party. There is virtually no other music in the film and you don't really miss it. Linklater gets terrific performances from his ensemble cast with standout work from Glen Powell as Finnegan, but the actors serve this story that never fails too entertain, if it does go on a little longer than need be.

Carefree
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers paired up for the 8th time for a delightful piece of fluff called Carefree that turned out to be a lot more entertaining than I thought it was going to be.

Fred plays Dr. Tony Flagg, a psychiatrist who has been asked by his best friend Steve (Ralph Bellamy) if he would take on Steve's fiancee Amanda (Ginger Rogers) to try and figure out why Amanda keeps putting off their wedding.

During their first session, Tony hypnotizes Amanda and she has a romantic dream about herself and Tony. The next morning, an embarrassed Amanda can't tell Tony about her dream and he says that unless she does, he can no longer help her. In order to continue seeing Tony, Amanda starts making up crazy dreams that just confirm what Amanda is denying...the fact that she has fallen in love with Tony but doesn't know how to tell Steve.

Allan Scott and Ernest Pagano's screenplay is witty and sophisticated, not only providing clever dialogue but even providing small backstory elements that legitimize what happens here. I loved that during the opening scene with Tony and Steve, Tony confesses that long before he became a psychiatrist, he actually entertained thoughts of being a dancer, which allowed me to accept the concept of a dancing psychiatrist, one of the reasons I actually avoided this film for awhile.

Mark Sandrich's smooth and economic direction (the film runs less than 90 minutes) serves the story and never gets in the way of what we want to see when we tune into an Astaire/Rogers. Their first number together is actually Amanda's first dream about Tony, a lovely pas de deux which utilizes slow motion photography to maximum effect. I also enjoyed a big production number called "The Yam", which not only involved Fred and Ginger, but everyone in the audience watching them as well.

As you can imagine, Fred and Ginger are a well-oiled machine by now and once again, Ginger gets an opportunity to prove how funny she is. The scene where she makes up a dream in order to keep seeing Fred is a riot. Ralph Bellamy once again is regulated to the odd man out in the romantic triangle and there is a very early appearance by a young Jack Carson as Tony's assistant. It's no Top Hat, but there is fun to be had here.

Sold! I have to see this now. I'm not only a big fan of Ginger Rogers, as you know, but also of Ray Milland. I've been wanting to see more films with Milland in it.

Sounds interesting and your rating piqued my interest in this. I'd never heard of it but will add it to my watchlist.

I might have seen this one, sounds good! Glad to see you're watching a lot of Ginger Rogers films

Ahhh, nothing better than Fred and Ginger floating through the air. You've watched a lot of good stuff lately

The Big Hangover
Despite a clever premise, the 1950 comedy The Big Hangover doesn't work quite as well as it should, due to a story that's too convenient at times and tries to cover a little too much territory.

Van Johnson plays David Muldon, a recent law school graduate who has joined one of Manhattan's top law firms. It is revealed that when David was in the war, he was being held prisoner in a monastery where the monks made wine and that he fell in a large vat of wine. Ever since, David now has a disturbing allergic reaction every time he takes a drink of alcohol. Elizabeth Taylor plays the daughter of David's boss, who tries to cure David of his ailment.

Writer/director Norman Krasna has provided an interesting premise for this story in the fact that David is not an alcoholic, but displays bizarre behavior that is triggered by alcohol, including the ability to have conversations with his dog, Mike. David's behavior is not really explained...he doesn't get drunk and the effect that a drink has on him only lasts for a few minutes, almost like a magic spell of some kind. Understanding this condition, which seemed to make light of the disease of alcoholism did make it a little difficult to get behind what happens to David.

The comic possibilities of this story are explored to a point and there are some laughs along the way, but the story gets diluted with a very serious subplot involving the law firm trying to keep an Asian man and his wife from moving into an apartment building and how David puts his job on the line to stop it. This story seemed like a separate movie and could have been a very good one, but piling this story on top of David's story made for a very uneven film experience.

What the film does have going for it is a solid cast, led by Johnson and Taylor whose onscreen chemistry was so strong that were reunited onscreen four years later in The Last Time I Saw Paris. Johnson's goofy charm was so endearing that you almost don't notice that Taylor is a little too straight faced for this kind of comedy. Gene Lockhart, Leon Ames, Percy Waram, Rosemary DeCamp and Edgar Buchanan score in supporting roles, but a muddled story that tries a little too hard to be something "important" eventually weighs down the proceedings. Taylor is breathtaking though.

Absence of Malice
There is an old expression that "The Pen is mightier than the Sword". The power of said pen is thoughtfully examined in a 1981 Best Picture nominee called Absence of Malice.

Megan Carter (Sally Field) is an ambitious reporter for a Florida newspaper who writes an unsubstantiated story about an investigation into one Michael Gallagher (Paul Newman), a wholesale liquor distributor and son of a mob boss, who is believed to have been involved in the "disappearance" of union leader. Gallagher confronts Megan who refuses to reveal her source and a cat and mouse ensues as he tries to learn her source and she tries to learn if he's really guilty.

Kurt Ludetke's intelligent screenplay provides just enough answers to legitimize the story for the movie screen and just enough questions to keep the viewer invested in what's going on. It's always interesting in stories like this when someone is accused of something like this, they always want to know how the story got leaked but never offer proof of their innocence either. Gallagher's innocence is revealed but it is not really the point of the story, the point of the story is the far reaching ramifications of Megan's story on a lot of different people and how their lives will never be the same. An even richer irony is that Megan revealing her source (which she eventually does) doesn't really change things.

Sidney Pollack's direction is centered and focused and in complete service of this compelling and somewhat tragic story. Paul Newman's powerhouse performance as Gallagher earned him a Best Actor nomination and Field matches him note for note as the reporter with a conscience. Melinda Dillon offers another one of her best "hot mess" characterizations that earned her a Supporting Actress nomination. Bob Balaban, Josef Sommer, Wilford Brimley and Luther Adler also shine as key supporting characters.

Luedtke's screenplay earned a nomination and Owen Roizman's cinematography and Dave Grusin's music should have. Pollack once again proves what a gifted and underrated filmmaker he was. Fans of All the President's Men and The Firm will have a head start here.

Sabrina (1954)
Billy Wilder puts his own stylish touch on the well worn cinematic premise of a romantic triangle in the 1954 classic Sabrina.

The setting is the Larrabee Estate on Long Island where we meet Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) the daughter of the family chauffeur (John Williams) who has had a crush on younger Larrabee brother David (William Holden) forever, a thrice married playboy who doesn't know Sabrina is alive. Sabrina actually half-heartedly tries to commit suicide but is stopped by David's older brother, Linus (Humphrey Bogart). To help her get over David, her father sends her to school in Paris for two years.

Sabrina returns to the Larrabee estate a more mature and glamorous woman who David falls for instantly, despite being engaged to the wealthy daughter of a business associate (Martha Hyer). When David gets sidelined, Linus begins dating Sabrina as a ruse to save an important business merger but, as expected, the lines between business and romance begin to blur.

As director and co-screenwriter, Billy Wilder has taken the romantic triangle to a sophisticated level we don't see coming because all the feelings that come out of this triangle are or become genuine. Sabrina definitely cares for David who definitely cares for Sabrina who finds herself caring about Linus who finds himself caring about Sabrina. Usually in a story like this, one part of the triangle is pretty much out in the cold but in this story Sabrina does care about both of these brothers, despite the fact that one of the brothers is much older than Sabrina.

Wilder's casting instincts are also on the money here, casting three actors at the top of their game. Audrey Hepburn received an Oscar nomination for her accustomed enchanting performance in the title role and William Holden is completely winning as young David. Humphrey Bogart works very hard to be a convincing romantic lead, but comedy was never Bogey's thing and there are times where he just doesn't seem to know what he's doing, but he does seem to understand Linus and that's something. Williams is lovely as Sabrina's father and I also loved Walter Hampden as Linus and David's father.

The movie features first rate production values including lush black and white photography and marvelous set direction. The Larrabee estate and Linus' office are classic yet contemporary and Edith Head's costumes for Hepburn won her an Oscar for black and white costume design. Anyway you slice it, a classic. The film was remade in 1995 with Julia Ormond in the title role.

Bright Lights Big City
Despite first rate production values and a strong cast, 1988's Bright Lights Big City is a pretentious and smug melodrama that isn't nearly as smart as it purports to be.

The film stars Michael J. Fox as Jamie Conway, magazine fact-checker and aspiring writer who is dealing with his mother's death from cancer and the breakup with his girlfriend by drowning his sorrows in massive amounts of alcohol and cocaine.

Director James Bridges, whose other credits include The China Syndrome and Urban Cowboy does display some directorial flair with this in your face look at the "me" generation of the 1980's that attempts to convey deep messages about the grieving process and the evil of drugs, but the way these messages are beaten over the viewer's heads becomes tiresome very quickly.

Jay McInerney's screenplay, adapted from his own novel, attempts to say a lot through this somewhat pathetic central character, but provides less than satisfactory motivations for a lot of his behavior and what is provided comes way too late for us to care. We learn that Jamie's girlfriend has been modeling in Paris, but we're never sure if she left because of the work or because of Jamie because every time Jamie talks about it, the story changes. It's also revealed that Jamie's brother has been trying to contact him and Jamie wants nothing to do with him. Their eventual reunion actually results in an actual chase all over the streets of Manhattan. And don't get me started on Jamie getting fired from his job and trying to get revenge on his boss with a ferret.

The film does feature some authentic Manhattan locations and a jazzy music score that set the mood for this sullen and allegedly self-important story. Michael J. Fox was apparently trying to stretch himself as an actor with this role, but the performance is basically Alex P. Keaton on crack. Keifer Sutherland was slick and sexy as Jamie's BF and I also liked Swoosie Kurtz as a co-worker who has been secretly crushing on Jamie and Frances Sternhagen as his boss, but this film is pretty much the cinematic equivalent of a beautifully wrapped gift box with absolutely nothing inside.

I like the 1954 version of Sabrina, but I thought Humphrey Bogart was miscast in that role. That's probably the main reason why I prefer the 1995 remake.

Bogey is the only reason I didn't give the film

Have you seen the 1995 remake of Sabrina? If so, what did you think of it?

Yeah, a long time ago, it was OK...Julia Ormond is no Audrey Hepburn.

Yeah, as much as I liked Bogart, he was aged 55 in this film. He did seem natural for the business tycoon part, but it was a stretch for the love interest. Even at that, he might have pulled it off but for the fact that he looked so hammered. After decades of heavy drinking and chain smoking, he just looked very unhealthy, which didn't jibe for the Sabrina part. And there was almost 20 years differences in ages between Bogart and Holden, so the brother angle felt slightly unbelievable.

OTOH he did Caine Mutiny that same year, and his look was perfect for the Captain Queeg role. Bogart died 3 years later in 1957.

~Doc

Mother's Day (2016)
The late Garry Marshall had already provided us star-studded looks at holidays like Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve. The final part of the trilogy, which turned out to be Marshall's final work as a movie director, was 2016's Mother's Day, which I'm happy to report is the strongest film in the trilogy and a nice swan song for this show business icon, who passed away a couple of months after its release.

This story is set in Atlanta one week before Mother's Day and like the other two films, features multiple storylines that weave together and make a couple of connections we see coming and a couple we don't. Jennifer Aniston plays a divorced mother of two who is having a hard time dealing with the fact that her ex-husband (Timothy Olyphant) has remarried; Kate Hudson and Sarah Chalke play sisters who have been keeping major secrets regarding their life from their domineering mother. Jason Sudeikis plays the father of two daughters whose wife was killed during her time in the military. Oscar winner Julia Roberts plays an on air spokesperson for HSN who is part of more than one story here.

I must first applaud the screenplay by Marshall, Anya Kochoff, Tom Hines, and Matthew Walker which even though it often plays like very long sitcom episodes. presents multiple stories that keep within the basic framework of the film's theme, still have an air of originality to them. The stories presented here weren't at all what I was expecting, which was a pleasant surprise that allowed me to forgive some of the predictable outcomes of the stories as well as the fact that, like Marshall's other two holiday films, this one does go on a little too long.

Despite its over-length, I found this film to be the strongest of his three holiday films, was never bored, and found consistent laughs throughout and Marshall's directorial instinct for what's funny had a lot to do with that. This man has been making us laugh since the late 1960's and right up to the end, he proved that he hadn't lost his touch.

Marshall works magic with his cast, as always, and even though the film is packed with stars, the actors serve the story and I didn't find my attention to the story diverted by star-gazing. Aniston was terrific as the divorced mom and I found Jason Sudeikis utterly charming as the widowed dad struggling to move on. Roberts brings a substance to her role that really isn't in the script and I absolutely LOVED Margo Martindale doing another of her patented mother-from-hell turns, stealing every scene she was in. And if you don't blink, you'll catch brief appearances from Jon Lovitz, Loni Love, Larry Miller, and the director himself, not to mention Marshall's long time good luck charm Hector Elizondo. The director's sister, Penny, does the opening narration and his widow, Barbara has a cameo as a nurse. It could have wrapped a little sooner. but I found the film consistently entertaining and a fitting tribute to its director, RIP. Oh, and stay tuned through the closing credits.

Diner
Barry Levinson would eventually win an Oscar for directing 1988's Best Picture Rain Man, but the guy actually put himself on the map six years earlier with a gem from 1982, a great year in cinema, called Diner, a deliciously humorous slice of life coming of age story that looks at that period between college and career/marriage that can seriously impede lifelong friendships.

It's 1959 Baltimore (the first of four films Levinson set in this period) where we meet a group of guys who grew up together whose primary hangout is the Fells Point Diner. This very special circle of friends include Boogie (Mickey Roarke) a self-proclaimed womanizer with a gambling problem; Shrevie (Daniel Stern) is a television salesman whose marriage to Beth (Ellen Barkin) has him feeling like he's missing something; Eddie (Steve Guttenberg) has just gotten engaged but will call off the wedding if his fiancee can't pass an oral test about the Baltimore Colts; Fenwick (Kevin Bacon) is an unhinged firecracker who works tirelessly for the other guys' attention.

Levinson scores a direct bullseye here, proving that he was a writer and director to watch. His attention to period detail and his ear for 1950's dialogue is just uncanny. Levinson takes us back to a time and a way of life that is nothing but a dream but manages to still entertain contemporary audiences. Despite the 36 years that have passed since this film's release, it still felt fresh and funny and best of all, authentic to the period. From the music to the settings (especially that fabulous diner) to the french fries with gravy, everything that appears on the screen is absolutely 1959.

The other thing this film does so effective is absolutely nail the concept of friendship and how the waters of the concept are often quite muddy. The guys make it pretty obvious that Eddie making his fiancee pass a test on Colts trivia is ridiculous but they never actually say it to his face, They're even in the next room when he's giving the test! I loved when Modell (Paul Reiser) wanted some of Eddie's sandwich but Eddie wouldn't give him a piece because Modell wouldn't come out and ask. Also loved Shrevie's rant about putting his records away properly. If you have a BFF, there will be something in this film that will remind you of something that happened between you and your BFF.

Levinson managed to construct an intelligent story that definitely has a structure and a focus, but also has a very improvised feeling to it. That whole scene of discussing what singer they like to have for background during sex just feels totally off the cuff and totally real. Levinson's brilliant ensemble cast works because it is just that, an ensemble who serve the story and don't try to act over each other, something else for which Levinson must be credited. If you've never seen this quietly dazzling sleeper, please treat yourself.

Austin Powers International Man of Mystery
Mike Myers capitalized on his success on Saturday Night Live and became a movie star as the writer and star of Austin Powers International Man of Mystery.

This 1997 comedy/adventure is a dead-on satire of James Bond films in the best tradition of farceurs like Mel Brooks and the Zucker Brothers. Meyers stars as the title character, a British secret agent from the 1960's whose longtime rival with Dr. Evil (also Myers) climaxes in 1967 when both Powers and Evil are frozen for thirty years.

As the two men are unfrozen in 1997, both find themselves struggling with the many ways the world has changed since 1967. Austin is in complete denial that the time of free love and promiscuous sex is a thing of the past and poor Dr. Evil is not only upset to learn that a million dollars doesn't buy what it use to, but that he now has a teenage son who was created in a lab during his absence and absolutely hates his dad.

Myers' razor sharp screenplay not only brilliantly establishes how different the world was in 1967 and how much it has changed, but also creates "Austin speak"...a very special and very funny language for the title character that sounds very British but still manages to be very funny. Myers script shows a definite knowledge, respect, and affection for Bond movies, even borrowing the most famous line from Goldfinger.

Myers and director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents) were apparently given a huge budget for this one because there is money all over the place here. There are elaborate set pieces, some first rate visual effects, and the 1960's costumes are absolute perfection. Myers effectively chews the scenery in his dual role and Elizabeth Hurley is a very decorative leading lady. Robert Wagner and Michael York shine in supporting roles and Seth Green is a riot as Dr. Evil's son, Scott. And if you don't blink, you might catch Will Ferrell in the opening scene. After twenty-one years, this movie still brings the funny. Followed by two sequels.