Tonight's Movie: Ferrari (2023)

Earlier this week I went to see the new biopic FERRARI (2023).

I was curious about the film for a number of reasons, including the trailer and this '50s-set film being sort of the flip side of FORD VS. FERRARI (2019), giving the Italian car maker's side of the story.

I was also encouraged to try it by Leonard Maltin, who named it one of his favorite films of 2023, and by former Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan, who Tweeted he "greatly enjoyed" it.

That said, I had a bit of trepidation as I strongly disliked Adam Driver as Ben Solo in the recent STAR WARS films, calling him an "uninteresting drip." It's rather rare that I react to an actor so negatively, and I'm quite happy to report I found him absolutely mesmerizing in the title role of FERRARI. Indeed, for me it's an Oscar-worthy performance.

The movie is set in 1957 Italy and depicts Enzo Ferrari's struggles to keep his car company afloat. Prestigious customers like King Hussein of Jordan (Jonathan Burteaux) aren't enough to keep the lights on, and he's hopeful that success in the Mille Miglia road race will translate into increased auto sales.

Simultaneously Ferrari is juggling two separate lives. He's unhappily married to Laura (Penelope Cruz), his business partner and mother of his deceased son.

Since World War II he's also had a secret relationship (from Laura, at least) with Lina (Shailene Woodley), mother of his young son Piero (Giuseppe Festinese).

As Ferrari says about car design and racing, two things can't occupy the same space at the same time, but he's been trying to do that with Laura and Lina, and his personal life is about to crash simultaneously with his business.

This is a well-acted, visually attractive film. I suppose one could say it's rather a soap opera, given the "torn between two women" aspect, but if so it's very high-class, interesting soap opera about a fascinating, if imperfect, man.

The cars and Italian countryside are both beautiful. I also enjoyed the obvious yet enjoyable visual cues used for Ferrari's two lives with two very different women. The home he shares with Laura is dark and claustrophic, with unhappiness hiding in its narrow halls and behind the many doors.

Enzo's home with Lina is like something out of UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN (2003): Light and white, with a hazy, sunny glow. Lina's kitchen, seen as she makes Enzo pasta, is warm and comfortable -- and I'd add, filled with attractive pans.

Laura's kitchen is also white but it's a stark, empty look, as at various points Laura and Enzo's mother (Daniela Piperno) sit there in unhappy silence.

One of the notable story points for me is that the actress Linda Christian (Sarah Gadon), ex-wife of Tyrone Power, is a lead supporting character. Having divorced Power in 1956, in 1957 Linda was having an affair with aristocratic race driver Alfonso de Portago (Gabriel Leone) and was famously photographed kissing him just before an ill-fated crash. The actual photo, recreated in the film, is seen here.

The cast is uniformly excellent. I was quite pleasantly surprised by Driver, who completely disappears into his role as the businessman with a passion for fast cars. He's onscreen a vast majority of the time and is the key component which makes the movie work as well as it does.

Cruz and Woodley are the polar opposites in Ferrari's life. Laura gets the short end of the stick in terms of both her son dying and losing Enzo's love, so it's easy to understand the bitterness Cruz portrays, although it's admittedly not very attractive. Woodley does a nice job as the warm Lina.

I kept trying to place why I knew the white-haired "senior" race driver Piero Taruffi, then had to laugh as near the end of the film it suddenly dawned on me it was Patrick Dempsey, star of one of my favorite Disney films, ENCHANTED (2007). Dempsey was also, of course, a one-time star of TV's GREY'S ANATOMY. Some of it was the white hair and makeup, but I guess I also wasn't prepared for the fact that he's getting older, as are we all!

Some critics have complained about the accents used in the film, including Driver speaking Italian-accented English and other actors having poor or inconsistent manners of speaking, but I wasn't troubled in the least. As someone who spends most of my movie time immersed in classic-era films, where the use of accents is all over the map, I honestly didn't even think about it.  I was focused on the characters and performances, and the accents were simply not consequential for me in any way.

My only complaint, as is often the case with movies these days, is that it's too long. There's no reason this movie couldn't have had 10 minutes or so shaved off its 130 minutes.  

FERRARI was directed by Michael Mann, who also made one of my favorite films of recent decades, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1992). It was filmed by Erik Messerschmidt.

Parental Advisory: This is a fairly light R rating. There are a couple love scenes which leave no doubt as to what's going on while avoiding showing skin, and a couple of violent car wreck scenes where it's easy to avoid looking at the screen. The film does have mature themes, including Enzo being torn between two women, so the R rating seems about right to me, give or take a year.

This was a very good film, one I'm likely to purchase when it's available in order to enjoy any extras and have on hand for future rewatches. Recommended.

Update: FERRARI will be released on Blu-ray on March 12, 2024.

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Tonight's TV: Columbo (1971): "Dead Weight," "Suitable for Framing," "Lady in Waiting" - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

I'm thoroughly enjoying the COLUMBO TV series, released last month on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

As I wrote in my overview of the set, while I'd seen little bits and pieces of the show over the years, I'd never actually sat down and watched the series.

In this post I'll share some thoughts on the latest trio of episodes I've recently watched. I'll note here that anyone unfamiliar with the show who doesn't want to know either the guest stars, murderers, or murder victims -- which are all disclosed in an episode's opening minutes -- please skip over this post and come back after watching!

"Dead Weight" was my least favorite episode of the show to date, although it still had quite a bit to recommend it. Eddie Albert plays a respected military commander who bumps off a colonel who had cooperated with him in financial malfeasance. I think part of my problem with the episode was that Albert's character was more sad and pathetic than fun, as he throws away a distinguished career in favor of stealing and murder.

Suzanne Pleshette, one year ahead of her starring role on THE BOB NEWHART SHOW (1972-78), plays a rather ditzy young woman who observes the murder from a distance. Albert's character then romances her in order to persuade her to change her testimony.

The episode's pleasures included the surprise of John Kerr of SOUTH PACIFIC (1958) briefly appearing as the murder victim; Timothy Carey (THE KILLING) as a chili-making diner owner I wish had been a semi-regular character; and Los Angeles TV newsman Clete Roberts as, what else, a TV newsman. Roberts also guest starred as a reporter on TV's M*A*S*H.

One of the things I most enjoy about COLUMBO is the location filming; in this episode Albert's home was on Balboa Island here in Orange County. Orange County is seen in films and TV relatively rarely compared to Los Angeles, so it's always a treat to see location shooting in local areas. Balboa Island was also notably featured in THE GIRL MOST LIKELY (1958) with Jane Powell.

Jack Smight directed "Dead Weight." It was filmed, like the other episodes mentioned here, by Russell Metty.

"Suitable for Framing" was directed by Hy Averback. It features Ross Martin (EXPERIMENT IN TERROR) as an art critic who conspires with his girlfriend (Rosanna Huffman) to kill his uncle (Robert Shayne) and inherit his spectacular art collection. Huffman, incidentally, was married to Richard Levinson, who co-created COLUMBO and cowrote this episode.

This episode was a lot of fun, with Martin chewing the proverbial scenery as the flamboyant, nasty critic. I have a fond personal memory of Martin, as he narrated Disneyland's Caroling program one of the years I sang in it with my high school choir, so it's always fun to see him in something and remember that experience.

It's a particular treat for me that Don Ameche plays the murder victim's lawyer in this episode. Kim Hunter plays the victim's ex-wife, and familiar faces like Mary Wickes, Joan Shawlee, and Sandra Gould turn up as well.

The third episode, "Lady in Waiting," was directed by the great actor-director Norman Lloyd. It features Susan Clark as an unstable young woman whose wealthy brother (Richard Anderson) is trying to break up her romance with one of his employees (Leslie Nielsen). Naturally, she kills her brother and tries to make it look like an accident.

Clark's behavior changes radically in the days following her brother's death, as she doesn't mourn him but instead is more interested in taking over his company. Her loving boyfriend (Nielsen) is increasingly perplexed by her unfamiliar, flamboyant new behavior.

Jessie Royce Landis (TO CATCH A THIEF) is lots of fun in this one as Anderson and Clark's mother.  When she sees her daughter for the first time after the "accidental" killing, her initial reaction is to slap her!

Look for Marcia Wallace of THE BOB NEWHART SHOW sitting next to Columbo in the inquest scenes.

My only quibbles with any of these episodes goes back to something I mentioned in my initial review: I don't really enjoy the lengthy murder sequences. In "Lady in Waiting" it goes on for a full 20 minutes before the murder is committed and Lt. Columbo is on the case.  I just don't need 25% of the show focused solely on the murder, but I'm probably in the minority in that regard.

I will admit to using the fast-forward button here and there to speed through some of the murder scenes in these episodes, which often go on for quite a while without any dialogue. Once Lt. Columbo is on the case, I thoroughly enjoy the "procedural" scenes watching Columbo work toward the solution.

I especially like the moments when Columbo drops his "bumbling detective" routine, which he often uses to glean information from the unsuspecting, and gets serious. The bar scene where he levels with Leslie Nielsen on his theory of the case is a great example of this.

It's been fun to share some of my initial impressions as I watch the series for the first time via this Blu-ray collection, and I'll probably return to this topic periodically in the future.

Previous COLUMBO posts: "Murder By the Book" (1971); "Death Lends a Hand" (1971).

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray set.

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TCM Classic Film Festival Update

The TCM Classic Film Festival made a couple of new announcements at the end of last week.

This year's festival will include tributes to Billy Dee Williams and makeup artist Lois Burwell.

I wonder if there's any chance the festival will show THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) as part of the Williams tribute?  Granted, he only appears late in the film, but he's terrific and it would certainly be fun to see it again with an audience.

The most significant announcement for me was the news that the great film historian Jeanine Basinger will be the recipient of the 2024 Robert Osborne Award.

Basinger will be the fifth person to be honored with the award, following in the footsteps of Kevin Brownlow, Leonard Maltin, Martin Scorsese, and Donald Bogle.

Throughout my life, Basinger's writing has been a significant influence for me, beginning with her Pyramid Illustrated History of the Movies paperbacks on Shirley Temple, Lana Turner, and Gene Kelly. I was only 12 when I was given her book on Temple, so that's a good indicator of how long her books have been part of my life.

Since then she's written many more books, including A WOMAN'S VIEW, I DO AND I DON'T, ANTHONY MANN, SILENT STARS, and my favorite, THE STAR MACHINE.

Basinger has a conversational style which engenders reader enthusiasm to track down and view the movies she describes; I always end up jotting down pages of "to watch" movie titles when I read her books!

This honor could not be more well deserved, and I hope I'm able to be at the award ceremony this spring.

Previously: TCM Announces 2024 Festival Dates and Theme; 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival Announcements; Latest TCM Classic Film Festival Announcements.

Updates: Latest TCM Classic Film Festival News; TCM Classic Film Festival Returning to the Egyptian Theatre; New Titles Announced for the TCM Classic Film Festival; The 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival Schedule; The 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review.

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Tonight's Movie: Soul (2020)

The Pixar film SOUL (2020) was originally slated for theatrical release, but Disney made the decision to instead debut it on their Disney+ streaming service due to the 2020 government lockdowns.

Disney has now belatedly released SOUL theatrically. Unfortunately SOUL hasn't done well at the box office this weekend, with estimates coming in at a little over half a million dollars nationally, but I was glad to have the opportunity to enjoy my first viewing of the film on a big screen today.

SOUL concerns Joe (Jamie Foxx), a middle school band teacher who has at long last achieved his dream: He's landed an amazing jazz gig backing saxophonist Dorothea (Angela Bassett) as part of a quartet.

Joe is so excited, running all over town to share the news and get ready...and then he suddenly finds himself in a strange place, apparently headed to the afterlife.

SOUL will resonate will many classic film fans, as it touches on themes from HERE COMES MR. JORDAN (1941), HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943), and A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (1946).

In particular, SOUL borrows the "body swapping" idea from MR. JORDAN -- although Joe's soul ends up inside a cat, rather than a person! -- and it rather copies the staircase from A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH is also known by the alternate title (ahem) STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN.

SOUL's jazz theme particularly appealed to me, given that my father, who passed away a year ago this month, was a lifelong jazz enthusiast. Combined with the subject matter, that made the film especially touching for me.

I was a little concerned going in that SOUL might strike me as irreligious, but instead I found it akin to the other films mentioned above, pure fantasy.  

I very much liked where SOUL ended up, emphasizing the importance of appreciating the "small things" in daily life. It's something I feel strongly about myself, and I loved seeing that idea expressed on film.

SOUL isn't a perfect movie; for instance, I found the irate character of unborn soul "22" (Tina Fey) more annoying than anything else. That said, I found SOUL to be a worthwhile "mid-range" movie, and in some ways I found the film's subject matter more thoughtful and appealing than some of Pixar's recent films.

There's some beautiful art, a funny cat, and I also liked the music, so all in all it was a pleasant afternoon at the movies.

SOUL is slightly long at 100 minutes; 90 would have been better. It was directed by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers, who cowrote the film with Mike Jones. It was filmed by Matt Aspbury and Ian Megibben.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG. It deals with mature themes, such as death and the afterlife, but otherwise it strikes me as fine for interested younger viewers.

SOUL is available on Blu-ray, although oddly the only one I could find at Amazon is from Region 2. A word of caution, be sure to purchase the correct region!

A trailer is here.

Disney has also announced theatrical runs for the Disney+ films TURNING RED (2022) on February 9th and LUCA (2021) on March 22nd, although given SOUL's lack of performance at the box office, I wouldn't be surprised if the plans change. If the releases go forward, I hope to see LUCA in a theater this spring.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Last week I shared news of the upcoming Kino Lorber Studio Classics Sci-Fi Chillers Collection. Kino Lorber has also now announced a four-film Republic Pictures Horror Collection starring actresses such as Adele Mara, Lorna Gray (aka Adrian Booth), and Vera Ralston.

...Turner Classic Movies is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Directors Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Paul Thomas Anderson will continue collaborating with the network. It's certainly a relief to be in a place where we can look forward to a year of celebration, as it wasn't too many months ago the network's continued existence seemed in doubt.

...Two famous Hollywood Bakeries, Milk Jar Cookies and Sweet Lady Jane's, have sadly closed this month. I was a big Milk Jar fan and am glad I have their cookbook.

...A good friend of mine recently visited the Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. I would love to go there one day! The Pioneer Woman Mercantile & Bakery is located in the same town.

...THE BEEKEEPER (2024) starring fave Jason Statham is getting some nice reviews, including from Variety and National Review. I suspect this one will prove a little too violent for me, but I'll be watching for more info.

...Raquel Stecher has posted her latest list of new and upcoming classic film books at her blog Out of the Past. Raquel goes to a lot of effort to put these lists together, and I greatly appreciate it! Among the upcoming titles of great interest to me are LEGENDS OF WESTWOOD VILLAGE CEMETERY from the Images of America series, THE GREATEST WESTERNS EVER MADE AND THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM by Henry C. Parke (a Lone Pine Film Festival attendee), FROM THE MOMENT THEY MET IT WAS MURDER by Alain Silver and James Ursini for TCM and Running Press, JOAN CRAWFORD IN FILM NOIR by David Meuel (author of THE NOIR WESTERN), and DEANNA DURBIN IN HOLLYWOOD by Barry Lowe for McFarland.

...Disney/Pixar's SOUL (2020), which was intended as a theatrical film but debuted on Disney+ due to lockdowns, is currently in theaters for the first time. It doesn't seem to be drawing much of an audience so it seems unlikely its run will be extended very long, but if you've always wanted to see it in a theater, this week is the chance to do so. I anticipate seeing and reviewing it soon.

...Glenn Erickson has reviewed the Warner Archive Collection's new TARZAN THE APE MAN (1932) Blu-ray. Look for a review here soon!

...Jessica has reviewed the MGM musical DEEP IN MY HEART (1954) at her blog Comet Over Hollywood. As she comments (and as I also noted in my 2016 review), this movie has one of the most sensual dance numbers ever put on film, performed by Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell. The movie is worth seeing for that reason and more.

...The Criterion Channel is offering 20% off its annual streaming fee through January 31st.

...Notable Passings: Longtime Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales has died at 79...Bill Hayes, a decades-long star of the soap opera DAYS OF OUR LIVES along with his wife Susan Seaforth Hayes, has passed on at 98. He was also a singer and theater performer who had a No. 1 hit in 1955 with Disney's "The Ballad of Davy Crockett." Bryan Cranston (BREAKING BAD) shared a lovely story about Hayes in a comment at Deadline...Actress Tisa Farrow (seen here), the daughter of Maureen O'Sullivan and John Farrow and the younger sister of Mia Farrow, has died at 72. She left films in 1980 and became an ER nurse...Anna Strasberg, widow of Lee Strasberg, has died at 84. She inherited much of Marilyn Monroe's estate.

...More Notable Passings: Film historian David J. Skal was killed in a car accident on New Year's Day at the age of 71. His books included CLAUDE RAINS: AN ACTOR'S VOICE with Jessica Rains and many books on the horror/monster genres. Terry has more on Skal at A Shroud of Thoughts...Screenwriter Tracy Torme, the son of singer Mel Torme, has passed on at 64. He was the head writer on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION...Actress Cindy Morgan of TRON (1982) has passed away at the age of 69. She was also a recurring character on TV's FALCON CREST in the '80s...Ruth Ashton Taylor, a news reporter on KNXT in Los Angeles for years, has died at 101.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my January 6th column.

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Tonight's Movie: Mystery of Marie Roget (1942) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

It's a joy that the Kino Lorber Dark Side of Cinema Blu-ray collections keep coming, most recently Volume XVI! It's just been released.

I dove into this set with MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGET (1942), which is also known under the reissue title PHANTOM OF PARIS.

It's just the kind of movie I love to explore, a short and sweet 61-minute "B" movie with a fun cast, directed by Phil Rosen.

The film, based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe, is set in Paris of the late 1800s. Maria Montez plays the title character, who plots with her lover Marcel (Edward Norris) to murder her sister Camille (Nell O'Day), who is on the brink of inheriting a large sum of money.

The girls' grandmother (Maria Ouspenskaya) overhears the plans and calls in police scientist Dr. Pierre Dupin (Patric Knowles) to protect Camille. Dupin is also working to solve the murder of another woman which may or may not be connected.

Nothing goes exactly to plan and Dupin works to find a killer, with the Rogets' old family friend Beauvais (John Litel) being an additional suspect.

While the movie is necessarily lacking much depth, I found it a fun hour thanks to the cast, the somewhat unusual plotting, and some extremely effective black and white cinematography by Elwood Bredell. The winding Parisian streets of the Universal backlot never looked so good.

I've always had a soft spot for Knowles and enjoyed him here as the Holmes-like Dupin, though his performance admittedly isn't particularly compelling. Still, I like him and he comes off well compared to Dupin's dimwitted police sidekick Gobin (Lloyd Corrigan).

Montez is fun as the wicked sister, with O'Day charming as the "good" girl of the piece. And Ouspenskaya is as feisty as one might expect.

It's an atmospheric hour which can't help but entertain. I haven't even mentioned that the murder victims of the piece are missing their faces...!

As a side note for those who care about such things, some posters for this film give the title as THE MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGET, which also appears on the Blu-ray case and disc. However, the title card simply reads MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGET, or to be more complete, EDGAR ALLAN POE'S MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGET. My practice is to always use the opening credits title when writing about a film.

The lovely print is from a 2K scan of the 35mm fine grain.

This disc is loaded with extras in the form of not one but two commentary tracks. One track is by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones and the other is by Tom Weaver, Gary L. Prange, and Tom Zimmerman, author of THE QUEEN OF TECHNICOLOR: MARIA MONTEZ IN HOLLYWOOD, which I reviewed here.

The disc also includes the original trailer, newly mastered in 2K, plus two additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

I'm really thrilled by the inclusion of such a fun little "B" movie in this set and hope there will be more to come in future collections.

I'll be taking a fresh look at the other two films in the set, CHICAGO DEADLINE (1949) and IRON MAN (1951), but having seen them at film festivals in the past I can definitely recommend this latest Dark Side of Cinema set.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection.

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Tonight's Movie: State Secret (1950)

Following the recent passing of actress Glynis Johns I saw mention on Twitter of her film STATE SECRET (1950), aka THE GREAT MANHUNT.

I was immediately intrigued as I learned more about the names associated with the film, which also stars Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

The movie was written and directed by Sidney Gilliat (GREEN FOR DANGER), based (uncredited) on the Roy Huggins novel APPOINTMENT WITH FEAR. Gilliat also coproduced with his longtime partner Frank Launder.

Unfortunately STATE SECRET is not readily available on physical media, but I was fortunate to find it on YouTube. That, however, was not without its own issues; I had to watch the movie in sections due to my work schedule, and when I sat down to watch the last half hour, the movie had disappeared. Fortunately I found it elsewhere, albeit colorized, and was able to finish.

When the movie began I was immediately struck that the introductory narrative card read much the same as for the same year's CRISIS (1950), starring Cary Grant, which coincidentally I just revisited a few days ago for the first time in a dozen years.

The card essentially said that the country the movie was set in isn't real, but viewers may recognize the situation.

The movie turned out to have a great deal more in common with CRISIS than their introductions; each film is about a surgeon trapped into operating on a dictator, with the doctor prevented from leaving the country afterwards.

American Dr. John Marlowe (Fairbanks), currently on a visit to England, is lured to the Eastern European country of Vosnia with an award and the chance to share his new surgical technique with doctors there.

When he performs a surgery to train Vosnian doctors Marlowe is misled about his patient's identity, with the patient switched in between the presurgical consultation and the operation; when there are postsurgical complications Marlowe realizes his life is in danger and goes on the run -- with Colonel Galcon (Jack Hawkins) dogging his every step.

Shades of Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS (1935) or SABOTEUR (1942), Marlowe finds himself hiding out with an initially reluctant British-American dance hall performer, Lisa Robinson (Johns).

They're able to enlist the help of a smuggler (Herbert Lom), who sets them up for a perilous climb to get out of the country.

I found STATE SECRET quite enjoyable, with two charming leads and strong support from Hawkins and Lom. Fairbanks' Dr. Marlowe is mostly a smart man, though he was easily swayed to end up exactly where the dictator's staff wanted him; it's interesting watching him attempt to deal with his dire predicament, where even the American embassy is out of his reach.

Hawkins and Lom played their characters mostly for laughs, although we learn in an early scene that Hawkins' general is a lethal man, with life-threatening danger lurking just below the jovial surface.

This 104-minute film isn't perfect; for instance, the climbing section goes on too long and the outcome proves frustrating. I would also have enjoyed more banter and personal relationship development between the doctor and Lisa, although what made it in the film is well done.

I also found comparing STATE SECRET to CRISIS interesting; it's one example among many of similar films which were released in close succession. CRISIS had a July 1950 release, with STATE SECRET rolling out in different countries beginning the same month; it had a U.S. release in October 1950.

I found CRISIS the stronger of the two films, with a tighter script, although my friend Colin over at Riding the High Country is of the opposite opinion, so "your mileage may vary." I'd love to hear thoughts from anyone who's seen either of the movies.

STATE SECRET was filmed by Robert Krasker, with some of the location work done in Italy. The score was by William Allwyn.

Learning of a previously unknown film such as this one is always a treat. Let's hope it receives an authorized release for home viewing at a future date.

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Quick Preview of TCM in February (and March!): 31 Days of Oscar

The annual 31 Days of Oscar festival, showcasing films which have been nominated for Academy Awards, returns to Turner Classic Movies this February.

TCM is doing things a little differently this year, beginning 31 Days of Oscar on February 9th rather than at the start of a month.

The festival will run through March 10th, which is the day of the Academy Awards ceremony.

There are still a handful of slots to be filled in on the schedule, including on the final evening, but most of the titles to be shown are now available.

Longtime viewers will know that while the films shown each year are largely the same, TCM tries to come up with unique scheduling for each 31 Days of Oscar fest; for instance, last year movies were grouped by genre.

This year the films will be scheduled by category. February 9th kicks off with films nominated for Costume Design, then moves to Supporting Actress on the 10th, and on it goes.

There will be a handful of TCM premieres of "newer" films during 31 Days of Oscar, including GOSFORD PARK (2001) and THE MAN WHO SKIED DOWN EVEREST (1975). I've long had an interest in the history of Mt. Everest so I'm looking forward to that documentary.

As usual, regular TCM franchises such as Noir Alley and Silent Sunday Nights are temporarily off the air during the festival.

Prior to 31 Days of Oscar, the first eight days of February will include multi-film tributes to Clark Gable, Anthony Asquith, Alfred Hitchcock, Ruby Keeler, and Ruby Dee. 

Themes that week will include Greece and race car drivers, with a Black History Weekend Marathon from the 2nd through the 4th and an evening of Academy restorations on the 7th.

I'll post more details on all of the above around the end of January. In the meantime, enjoy Robert Mitchum as TCM's January Star of the Month!

Update: For more on TCM in February and March 2024, please visit TCM in February (and March!): 31 Days of Oscar Highlights.

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Tonight's Movie: Moss Rose (1947)

Every so often I enjoy a good Gothic crime melodrama, and MOSS ROSE (1947) filled the bill nicely.

It's a bit slow out of the starting gate, but the strong cast and unusual storyline kept me interested.

Rose Lynton (Peggy Cummins, GUN CRAZY) is a dancer just scraping by in Victorian London, working under the stage name Belle Adair.

When her friend Daisy Arrow (Margo Woode) is murdered, Rose uses the opportunity to blackmail the chief suspect, Michael Drego (Victor Mature), but she's not looking for money. Rather, Rose is looking for the chance to sample her lifelong dream, living like a "lady."

In an unusual arrangement, Michael takes Rose to his family estate, where she meets his mother, Lady Margaret (Ethel Barrymore), and his fiancee Audrey (Patricia Medina). They accept Rose and for a while she's happy living in Michael's grand home...but Inspector Clinner (Vincent Price) and Deputy Inspector Evans (Rhys Williams) are still on the murderer's trail -- and then someone else turns up dead.

The story requires a suspension of disbelief on multiple fronts, including "ladies of quality" accepting a dance hall girl socially -- especially as Audrey suspects Rose may have romantic designs on Michael.

There are other flaws; for instance, it was fairly obvious where the story was going after a scene roughly halfway through the movie. This also led me to wonder if some of Victor Mature's part ended up on the cutting room floor of this 82-minute film? His Michael definitely needed more character development, including insights into his thoughts and motivations.

And what, if anything, is the significance of Cummins playing a character named Rose, given the title and the film's references to the moss rose?

All that said, this is a fun watch thanks to the fine cast and unusual premises. Mature's patented soulful look works very well here as we gradually come to realize why he seems so tortured.

Cummins, in her first U.S. film role after having recently been dropped from cast of FOREVER AMBER (1947), is quite good as the brassy dancer, though the part just hints at the talent she would display a couple years later in GUN CRAZY. Sadly, her years in the U.S. film industry were short; she never made another American film after GUN CRAZY.

Barrymore and Price are always fun to watch, and they're well supported by Medina and Williams. All in all, it's hard not to like this mystery, even if one wishes the studio had done a little more script polishing to make it that much better.  The screenplay was by Jules Furthman and Tom Reed, adapted by Niven Busch (PURSUED) from a novel by Joseph Shearing.

MOSS ROSE was directed by Gregory Ratoff and filmed in black and white by Joe MacDonald.

For more on this film, please check out Colin's 2020 review at Riding the High Country. I always enjoy his takes, and in this case we had similar feelings about the movie.

MOSS ROSE is available on DVD from Fox Cinema Archives.

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Tonight's TV: Columbo: "Death Lends a Hand" (1971) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Last month I reviewed the new COLUMBO TV series Blu-ray set released by Kino Lorber Studio Classics, including the first regular season episode, "Murder By the Book."

As I mentioned at the end of that review, my intent is to occasionally review selected episodes from this set, and I'm back already to review Episode 2, "Death Lends a Hand," which I thought was even better than "Murder By the Book."

Although it was the second regular season episode to air, "Death Lends a Hand" was actually filmed first. It captures the attention from the opening moments, as a P.I. named Brimmer (Robert Culp) fires a gun.

We quickly learn Brimmer is taking target practice, after which we watch his meticulously planned day begin, as he meets with a client, wealthy Arthur Kennicutt (Ray Milland).

Brimmer has been tailing Kennicutt's younger wife Lenore (Patricia "Pat" Crowley) and assures his client she is faithful...then once Kennicutt leaves, Brimmer meets with Mrs. Kennicutt and proceeds to blackmail her to keep her husband from learning the truth.

It doesn't go as Brimmer has planned, and soon enough Mrs. Kennicutt is dead by his hand and Detective Columbo is on the case.

I've read that, along with Jack Cassidy from "Murder By the Book," Robert Culp is considered by most to be one of the series' legendary villains, and it's easy to see why. He's fascinating as the tightly wound, controlling Brimmer -- who like Cassidy in the previous episode is increasingly annoyed and exasperated by Detective Columbo.

Part of Columbo's methodology, deliberate or not, is that he initially appears a little "slow," only to gradually reveal he's a very observant man. (His slow unwinding of the truth from a golf pro played by Brett Halsey is excellent stuff.) Brimmer, who has been hired by Kennicutt to assist the police, gradually realizes Columbo knows what he's doing and attempts to buy him off.

The performances and plotting of this episode are excellent, and I also didn't find the opening murder sequence as long-drawn-out and distasteful as in the earlier show.

While Culp is electric as the villain, I also found Milland quite interesting and sympathetic as the victim's husband. The interplay between the two powerful personalities, Brimmer and Kennicutt, with the mild-mannered Columbo in the middle, is good stuff, such as the scene where Columbo perplexes both men with seemingly innocuous palm readings. (I knew there had to be a reason...)

It was also great fun to discover Hollywood Forever Cemetery was a location in this episode. The previous episode featured the Tail o' the Pup hot dog stand. I'm looking forward to seeing what familiar Los Angeles locations turn up in future episodes!

This episode was directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and filmed by cinema great Russell Metty. A sequence seen through reflections on Brimmer's glasses is particularly unique.

The show looks great on Kino Lorber's Blu-ray, and I'm looking forward to watching more of COLUMBO in the near future.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray set.

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Tonight's Movies: Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 2 - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

The Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 2 collection was recently released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive.

The set, containing 25 cartoons on a single Blu-ray disc, is a sequel to the 20-cartoon Vol. 1 collection which was released earlier this year.

All of the cartoons in the set are "restored, remastered, and uncut." The release years span 1937 through 1963. With the exception of DAFFY'S SOUTHERN EXPOSURE (1942), all of the cartoons are in color.

Along with original characters and stories, viewers will find cartoons in this set starring familiar characters including Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner, Sylvester, Tweety Bird, and Daffy Duck.

I've been watching these cartoons gradually since the set arrived and really enjoying them. I've seen some of them previously, whether as a child, as DVD extras, or as part of theatrical screenings, but it's been quite a long time in most cases.

Watching them in a short time frame, I'm struck not only by the standard cliche of how violent the humor tends to be (which doesn't bother me in the least), but by how adult some of the visual and other jokes are.

CROSS COUNTRY DETOURS, a spoof look at the "wonders" of Yosemite and Bryce Canyon, is one such example. I'm sure any of the more "adult" gags sailed right over my head as a child, but they work to keep the cartoons interesting revisited as an adult. (And I particularly loved a bit where the screen was divided in half, with pictures for children and adults.)

The cartoons are shown alphabetically if the viewer hits "Play All," and I've found that a fun way to dart back and forth among years and characters. They can also be chosen by scrolling through a menu of the titles. I wish the print on the title selection menu was slightly larger, but that's my only issue with this set.

The prints are beautiful. In one of my favorite cartoons, the cute GHOST WANTED, there are some really lovely color sparkles near the end when some dynamite goes off.

If I hadn't already purchased Vol. I previous to reviewing this Vol. 2 screener, I would buy Vol. 1 on the strength of this set alone. Animation enthusiasts will want to obtain both volumes. I'm glad to have these on my shelf next to the Warner Archive's Tex Avery collections.

The complete list of the 25 cartoons included in this Vol. 2 set: BEHIND THE MEAT-BALL (1945), BROTHER BRAT (1944), CATTY CORNERED (1953), CROSS COUNTRY DETOURS (1940), DAFFY'S SOUTHERN EXPOSURE (1942), DING DOG DADDY (1942), THE EAGER BEAVER (1946), FAIR AND WORM-ER (1946), FIN 'N CATTY (1943), FROM HAND TO MOUSE (1944), GHOST WANTED (1940), GREETINGS BAIT (1943), HAMATEUR NIGHT (1939), HARE-BREADTH HURRY (1963), A HICK A SLICK AND A CHICK (1948), HISS AND MAKE UP (1948), A HOUND FOR TROUBLE (1951), I WANNA BE A SAILOR (1937), THE LEGHORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT (1950), LICKETY-SPLAT (1961), ONE MEAT BRAWL (1946), THE PENGUIN PARADE (1938), RABBIT RAMPAGE (1955), THE REBEL WITHOUT CLAWS (1961), THE WACKY WORM (1941).

Additional good news: Volume 3 is said to be in the works!

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, the Amazon Warner Archive Collection Store, or from any online retailers were Blu-rays are sold.

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