Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

Saturday, January 13, 2024

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.

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.

Thursday, January 11, 2024

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.

Tuesday, January 09, 2024

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.

Monday, January 08, 2024

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.

Sunday, January 07, 2024

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.

Saturday, January 06, 2024

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.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Happy New Year to all my readers, and a blessed Epiphany!

...We'll lead off with Kino Lorber Studio Classics release news again this week. Kino Lorber has announced a three-film "Sci-Fi Chillers" set "coming soon." This follows last week's news about their release of BACK FROM THE DEAD (1957). The films in the set are THE UNKNOWN TERROR (1957) with Mala Powers and John Howard, THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK (1958) with Mala Powers and Otto Kruger, and DESTINATION INNER SPACE (1966) with Scott Brady and Sheree North.

...At The Hannibal 8, Toby has news of a mid-January MGM release of RED PLANET MARS (1952), starring Peter Graves and Andrea King. King is a real favorite of mine, which makes this a "must" for me.

...Robert Harris of Home Theater Forum gives a thumbs up to the new ClassicFlix restoration of OUR TOWN (1940).

...I have a couple older articles to share, due to taking a few weeks off from this column in December. From Chris Yogerst for the Hollywood Reporter in late November: "Hollywood Has Been Here Before With Antisemitism."

...From Classic Movie Hub: Karen Burroughs Hansberry's November Noir Nook column focused on "Shadows in the Victorian Age" and what some of us term Gothic or Gaslight Noir...Jennifer Garlen's December Silver Screen Standards column was on THE HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL (1951), which one might almost term a modern Gothic Noir!

...Reviews I've enjoyed: CineSavant Glenn Erickson reviewed OPPENHEIMER (2023) for Trailers From Hell...At Riding the High Country Colin recently reviewed STORM FEAR (1955) and THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA (1954)...Cereal at Midnight reviews ANGEL ON THE AMAZON (1948) from a Viavision Imprint "Tales of Adventure" collection...Katie Carter reviewed William Wyler's HELL'S HEROES (1939)...Erica wrote about GREEN DOLPHIN STREET (1947) for Poppity Talks Classic Film...Jessica's latest reviews at Comet Over Hollywood include RENO (1939) and MARY POPPINS (1964). I also really enjoyed Jessica's column on her favorite "new-to-me" watches of 2023. There are some very interesting titles mentioned, including some I've never seen myself and would like to watch.

...I enjoyed Angela's recent column on Joan Crawford as "Box Office Poison" for her blog The Hollywood Revue...She also wrote an interesting article on the casting of the film THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1942).

...Aisha Harris of NPR wrote a nice piece on the excellence of the annual TCM Remembers montage videos. The 2023 montage may be viewed here.

...Notable Passing: The great Glynis Johns, who had a remarkable life and career, has passed away at the age of 100. She celebrated her centennial last October. Johns will always have a special place in my heart as one of the stars of the first film I ever saw theatrically, MARY POPPINS (1964); the Walt Disney Company, which named her a Disney Legend in 1998, has paid tribute. For more on John, please visit my 2014 tribute.

...More Notable Passings: David Soul, star of TV's HERE COME THE BRIDES (1968-70), STARSKY AND HUTCH (1975-79), and my personal favorite, the short-lived THE YELLOW ROSE (1983-84), has passed on at 80. I also enjoyed him in the 1981 miniseries THE MANIONS OF AMERICA, starring Pierce Brosnan...Comedian Shecky Greene died at 97...Oscar-winning sound effects editor Peter Berkos (THE HINDENBURG) has died at 101...For more Notable Passings, please visit last weekend's column dedicated to recent obituaries.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my December 30th column.

Friday, January 05, 2024

Tonight's Movie: Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up (2023)

One of the Hallmark films I most enjoyed watched in 2023 was HAUL OUT THE HOLLY (2022), which I reviewed in November.

The film about a wild and wacky HOA's elaborate Christmas traditions was very popular, even meriting a rare Hallmark Blu-ray release, so of course this year Hallmark Channel gave us a sequel, HAUL OUT THE HOLLY: LIT UP (2023).

It's set a year after the previous film, and Emily (Lacey Chabert) and Jared (Wes Brown) are now a serious couple.

Along with the neighbors, Emily and Jared are busy prepping Evergreen Lane for Christmas when new neighbors move into an empty home on the cul-de-sac...and as it turns out, Jane (Jennifer Aspen) and Joe (Seth Morris) are "Christmas reality show" TV stars.

Jane and Joe initially seem an ideal match for Evergreen Lane...but unfortunately they prove to be endlessly competitive and controlling (and Emily thought the HOA rules were bossy!). It finally gets to the point that even the endlessly tolerant, kind, and bemused Emily has had enough and decides it's time to battle back...will peace reign again on Evergreen Lane?

This was a mostly fun film which is more of the same; if you liked the first movie, you'll like this one. The only issue which makes it less appealing is that the new neighbors are really jerks, to an extent we don't typically see in a Hallmark film.

That's balanced by the fact that quirky neighbors like Pamela (Melissa Peterman) and Mary Louise (Ellen Travolta) are now Emily's friends, and it's a lot of fun to see them again, along with Pamela's husband Alan (Eric Mabius), Jared's mother Belinda (Laura Wardle), and the rest of the neighborhood.

Only Emily's neighbor Ned (Stephen Tobolowsky) disappoints, as he's so taken with the new neighbors that he lets down his longtime friends.

Chabert is charming as always, with Brown appealing with his deadpan charm as the Christmas-obsessed HOA president.

There are a number of amusing moments, including an inside joke where Mary Louise mentions Joey Travolta (Ellen Travolta's real-life brother). And I love that Hallmark star Eric Mabius turned up again in this one. As expected, the film builds to a very nice conclusion.

All in all it's a fun 84 minutes which I enjoyed. Just prepare to be as annoyed with Jane and Joe as the residents of Evergreen Lane.

HAUL OUT THE HOLLY: LIT UP was directed by Maclain Nelson. It was written by Christopher Sey, based on the characters created by Andy Sandberg for the prior film. It was filmed by Lisa Wiegand with exteriors filmed in Utah.

Wednesday, January 03, 2024

Tonight's Movie: A Big Fat Family Christmas (2022)

One of the most recent Hallmark films I watched was A BIG FAT FAMILY CHRISTMAS (2022).

A BIG FAT FAMILY CHRISTMAS aired on Hallmark Channel in 2022 and is now available on DVD in a 6-film set of Christmas movies.

Shannon Chan-Kent plays newspaper photographer Liv Rose Chang. She works for the San Francisco Chronicle, where she meets reporter Henry (Shannon Kook), a reporter from Bangkok who has just been hired by the paper.

Liv and Henry's editor Charles (Jack Wagner) assigns them to cover a big annual Christmas party hosted by Liv's parents (Tia Carrere and Yee Jee Tso) for their local Chinese community.

There's just one problem: Liv is embarrassed by her parents' over-the-top (to put it mildly) style of celebrating Christmas, and she attempts to keep her connection to the party a secret from Henry and Charles. Which, of course, isn't exactly ethical given that she's actually part of the story she's helping cover.

Liv and Henry quickly grow close and Liv begins to realize she's been wrong about both her parents' Christmas traditions and keeping secrets from her colleagues...

I chose this movie in part because I was intrigued by largely Asian cast and the San Francisco setting. The movie, however, was filmed in Vancouver; I'm not certain if any of it was actually filmed in San Francisco (maybe a cable car scene?).

The movie is rather strange in that it's set in a fantasy version of modern-day San Francisco; Liv and Henry do a great deal of walking around the city, but every street is safe and clean. What's more, print editions of newspapers aren't a dying breed, heavily impacted by layoffs, and a front-page story is a big deal.

There were a couple other mildly off-kilter moments, such as when Liv and Henry are invited to say a Christmas prayer while visiting a church. The church is apparently Roman Catholic, where an invitation for an Advent prayer would have been more likely ahead of Christmas.

The film was watchable enough but didn't really work that well for me, chiefly because the character of Liv is so edgy. She makes some very bad choices, personally and professionally, which hurt her parents and coworkers. There's a painful family confrontation late in the film which is heavier going than is typically found in a Hallmark Christmas film.

I also wasn't sure I completely bought the reticent Henry falling for Liv. He's a very nice, handsome guy, but between his quietly mellow character -- unless he's on a cable car -- and her aversion to truth-telling, let's just say they need to make sure they're right for one another.

Speaking of cable cars, Liv and Henry also have a moment of irresponsibility regarding a very large amount of money which has to be seen to be believed.

That said, the cast is attractive and otherwise likeable, and Shannon-Kent has a nice redemptive moment singing "O Holy Night" in Cantonese as part of the film's climax. I assume it was her actual singing voice, as it sounded like her speaking voice. It's a touching moment.

A particular plus for me was that the supporting cast includes two actors from "old school" GENERAL HOSPITAL of the '80s-'90s, Tia Carrere (who played Jade on GH) and Jack Wagner (who played Frisco). Carrere also voiced Nani in Disney's LILO AND STITCH (2002).

Wagner's screen time is limited -- but I have to mention a typewriter on his office desk is a very nice touch -- but Carrere makes an impression as Liv's exuberant mother.

In the end, it's worth seeing for Hallmark fans, as it has a number of aspects which make it unique in the Hallmark Christmas genre, but it's not one of the network's stronger films.

A BIG FAT FAMILY CHRISTMAS was directed by Jennifer Liao and filmed by Dan Dumouchel. It runs 85 minutes.

Tuesday, January 02, 2024

TCM Star of the Month: Robert Mitchum

The New Year is starting off in fine style on Turner Classic Movies, with Robert Mitchum featured as the January Star of the Month.

47 Mitchum films will be shown this month, spread over Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings. The series kicks off on January 2nd.

The complete Star of the Month schedule is below. Please click any hyperlinked title for an extended review.

I've reviewed a significant number of the films being shown this month, and almost all of them are worth seeing.

Instead of well-known films, I'd particularly like to highlight some relatively lesser-known Mitchum films which are worth catching. I'm fond of THE BIG STEAL (1949), ONE MINUTE TO ZERO (1952), and SECOND CHANCE (1953).

January 2nd