Tonight's Movie: Little Women (2019)

This morning I saw the brand-new, highly praised version of LITTLE WOMEN (2019) which was written and directed by Greta Gerwig.

It's a handsomely produced film which I quite enjoyed, and in due course I plan to place the movie alongside the five (!) other film versions of Alcott's story which are on my DVD shelves. That said, I feel the movie has been overpraised by critics, who I sometimes think may fall into a trap of being so thankful for a well-made, "different" movie that they overhype it and ignore the flaws -- LA LA LAND (2016) being but one notable example in recent years.

It's of note that the producers of this new version include some of the same names attached to the exceptionally fine 1994 version, including Denise Di Novi and the '94 screenwriter, Robin Swicord.

Writer-director Gerwig clearly worked hard to find a new and fresh way to tell a familiar story which would be different from the '94 film, as well as the several other prior versions, using "non-linear" storytelling. Unfortunately, what this current film then gains as a curiosity factor it loses with the lack of an emotional through-line and relationship development. While the shifting of the story back and forth through time occasionally allows for effective "how we got from there to here" comparisons, particularly with Beth's illness and later death, more often there are missed opportunities.

I'm sure the story needs little introduction, and indeed, that's one reason the film took a very different storytelling tack. Rather than beginning with Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and Amy (Florence Pugh) growing up during the Civil War, the movie begins later in their lives, when Jo is a struggling writer in New York, Meg is a wife and mother of twins, and Amy is traveling in Europe with Aunt March (Meryl Streep), where she's reunited with her next-door neighbor from Concord, Laurie (Timothee Chalomet).

The movie jumps back and forth in time for all of its 134 minutes, until finally landing at the finale with all of the characters gathered at Plumfield, the school Jo opened in the mansion left to her by Aunt March. I had no trouble following along, as I might be more familiar with Alcott's novel than any other, not to mention having seen so many film versions, but I wondered if anyone new to the story -- if there is such a person! -- would have some difficulty keeping up.

Ronan, reviewed by me in BROOKLYN (2015) and LADY BIRD (2017), is a gifted actress who is one reason among many to see the film. Her fiery Jo is perhaps more conflicted than any interpretation I've yet seen.

However, Jo's relationship with Professor Bhaer (Louis Garrel) is one example of where any relationship development is lost. In this film, Bhaer is depicted as a critic of Jo but not a supporter; he tells her he doesn't care for her gory newspaper stories, but while he honors her with a frank opinion, he doesn't build her up -- other than lending her books -- nor does he suggest writing what's in her heart. That is shown to come completely from inside Jo as she comes to terms with Beth's passing.

Likewise, when the professor shows up in Concord near the end, it's not because he was deeply moved by her new manuscript and has showed it to a publisher; he simply dropped in to see her. The filmmakers clearly wanted to give Jo that popular word "agency" and place her completely in charge of her book's development and publication, including negotiating financial terms. And given that Jo's main scene with the Professor ends in a quarrel, why are we supposed to believe she loves him when he suddenly shows up out of the blue at her home?

This lack of relationship development is similarly seen in her sisters' romantic relationships, I suspect because of the filmmakers' desire to focus so strongly on the women and not have them "defined" by their relationships with men.

Consequently, when Amy tells Laurie she's always loved him, how do we know this? Scenes such as Laurie visiting Amy every day she stays with Aunt March during Beth's illness are completely gone, and so is any foreshadowing such as the scene in the '94 version where Laurie promises the child Amy to kiss her before she dies. (It's also a bit awkward that in the "adult" scenes, Chalomet still appears childlike next to Pugh's very adult Amy, despite Chalomet being exactly a week older than Pugh in real life.) The sequence with Amy staying with Aunt March instead entirely focuses on the two female characters, with Aunt March encouraging the idea that Amy must marry well; this sequence thus loses the chance to build up Amy's relationship with Laurie and hint at what is to come.

The low-voiced Pugh is particularly worth seeing with a very different interpretation of Amy, who has a steely edge to her along with her love of beauty; when she burns Jo's manuscript it's not so much a flight of angry passion but a very calculated move to hurt. It was unfortunate, though, that this Amy, of all Amys, didn't get to play a scene in Europe with Amy letting Laurie know in no uncertain terms he needs to turn his life around; other than a line about him working for his grandfather, her disappointment is briefly communicated with her walking away from him in disgust when she sees him drunk at a dance. When Laurie returns to Amy after Beth's death, we have no idea that he's worked to improve himself for her.

I was also left wondering how we know that Meg is happy. She tells John (James Norton) she's happy because she's his wife, yet there isn't a single scene with a warm fireside family moment to contrast with scenes depicting exhaustion and the frustration of longing for things they can't afford. We hear Meg's words of affirmation, but where are the actions to back it up?

Finally, Scanlen's Beth is little more than a cipher spoken of by others. I found Chris Cooper's portrayal of Mr. Laurence one of the best in the movie, but since we never get very far inside Beth's head, he's the one who lends the most emotion to their scenes.

I have enjoyed every version of LITTLE WOMEN I've seen for different reasons, so I try not to get too much into direct comparisons of the various productions. That said, last year I revisited the 1994 version at UCLA and was blown away to be reminded just how good it was. The '94 film is perhaps the closest to this new version in terms of having something of a "revisionist" feel in terms of feminism and reducing or eliminating the Christian principles threaded throughout the novel, with its references to PILGRIM'S PROGRESS and the like.

Given these similarities, I note that while, as I wrote last year, the '94 film "wrecked" me, leaving me composing myself in the bathroom before I could drive home, I sat through this one dry-eyed. I'm not sure that's ever been the case for me before when seeing any version of LITTLE WOMEN. It was interesting intellectually but didn't touch me emotionally.

Having spent time on my criticisms, I enjoyed the film for its cast and the beautiful settings; like the '94 film, the movie does a good job depicting the warm love of family, along with more practical issues such as just how cold it was in an uninsulated house during a Massachusetts winter. I also like, particularly at this stage of my life, the opportunity to understand more of Marmee's perspective; she's well played here by Laura Dern.

There's a nice sequence with Jo and Beth on the beach which I only recall being part of the 1978 TV version, and I also thought it was a fresh choice to have the film end at a point further forward in time than the novel, taking a peek at what would be the setting for LITTLE MEN (though the film does ignore that most of the students at the school were boys).

I also found the script entertaining simply because it was different; the film may not have greatly moved me, but I did enjoy taking in and analyzing the choices made. Despite its length, the movie was never dull and will merit future viewings, which I suspect will yield further insights.

The cast also includes Bob Odenkirk as Mr. March, with Tracy Letts as Jo's publisher and Jayne Houdyshell as Hannah, the housekeeper.

LITTLE WOMEN was filmed by Yorick Le Saux and scored by Alexandre Desplat.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG. It is completely family friendly.

The trailer is here. There is also an official website.

"Noir-Tinged Westerns" at Classic Movie Hub

My latest column was posted today at Classic Movie Hub!

My December post takes a look at what I like to call "Noir-Tinged Westerns." I discuss four favorite films of 1947-48 which are darker than the average Western, starring a trio of great actors: Robert Mitchum, Joel McCrea, and Dick Powell.

Please click over to Classic Movie Hub to check it out.

Thanks very much for reading, and Happy New Year!

Previous Classic Movie Hub Western Roundup Column Links: June 2018; July 2018; August 2018; September 2018; October 2018; November 2018; December 2018; January 2019; February 2019; April 5, 2019; April 30, 2019; May 2019; June 2019; July 2019; August 2019; September 2019; October 2019; November 2019.

Tonight's Movie: Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

Two Christmases ago our family enjoyed the funny and inventive comedy JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (2017). Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson led a good cast in the tale of four teenagers sucked into a video game who find themselves in new, adult bodies -- the game characters -- and then must work together to stay alive and find their way back home.

This Christmas everyone's back in a sequel, JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (2019), and I'm glad to say it's as much fun as the first film.

This time around Spencer (Alex Wolff) is feeling insecure and his relationship with Martha (Morgan Turner) has hit a wall. When Spencer returns home from college for a break, he finds himself strangely tempted to get out the Jumanji video game tucked away in his basement and then disappears.

Spencer's friends Martha, Bethany (Madison Iseman), and Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain) decide they must also enter the game to bring Spencer back, but surprises are in store.

Spencer's elderly grandpa Eddie (Danny DeVito) and Eddie's friend Milo (Danny Glover) are also sucked into the game, and almost no one ends up with the expected avatar body,..for instance, Grandpa is in the body of Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson). Only Martha returns as her game character from the previous movie, Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan). And where did Spencer end up, anyway?

Along with the returning Jack Black and Kevin Hart, Nick Jonas reprises the role he played briefly in the earlier film, and Awkwafina (OCEAN'S EIGHT, CRAZY RICH ASIANS) is on hand as a brand-new character.

The explanation up to this point probably sounds like Greek to anyone who's not seen the first movie, and it's honestly a bit difficult to explain, but it's easy to understand watching the film. It's all good fun, with a lot of enjoyable humor as the characters periodically swap bodies and deal with various crises while trying not to use up all their game lives.

Johnson and Gillan (Nebula from the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Marvel films) particularly shine in the leading roles. As I've said before, Johnson is a true Movie Star who can carry the weight of a film single-handedly on his massive shoulders, but happily there's no need for that thanks to the good cast. Bebe Neuwirth (FRASIER) even pops up in a closing scene.

The bottom line is anyone who enjoyed the prior film will have fun seeing this one as well, as it's more of the same.

JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL was directed by Jake Kasdan, who also directed the earlier film. The movie also had the same cinematographer, Gyula Pados. The running time is 123 minutes.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13 for foul language. I frankly wish they had toned it down a notch. There are also a couple ribald or gross discussions, but nothing especially disturbing in terms of visuals. On the positive side, as with the first film there's an emphasis on teamwork and friendship.

A trailer is here.

Tonight's Movie: Trapped (1949) - A Flicker Alley Blu-ray Review

I can't recall the last time I watched a film three times in a single year, but that was the case with TRAPPED (1949), a deliciously entertaining crime film.

Last March I saw a 35mm print restored by the Film Noir Foundation and the UCLA Film & Television Archive on the opening night of this year's Noir City Hollywood Festival. Just a few weeks later I enjoyed the film a second time at the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs.

I've now watched TRAPPED again on the beautiful Blu-ray just released by Flicker Alley. Flicker Alley has a terrific track record releasing restored versions of the previously lost film noir titles TOO LATE FOR TEARS (1949), WOMAN ON THE RUN (1950), and THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF (1950). TRAPPED now joins that list with Flicker Alley's new combination Blu-ray/DVD set, a "must have" for film noir fans.

I make no claims that TRAPPED is a four-star classic, but it is highly entertaining for a host of reasons, from the cast to the plot twists to the fantastic shots of Hollywood and the Greater Los Angeles area in the 1940s. As Alan K. Rode points out in the commentary track, when was the last time you saw someone make a U-turn in front of the Chinese Theatre?!

TRAPPED was directed by Richard Fleischer, the man behind two of my all-time favorite crime films, ARMORED CAR ROBBERY (1950) and THE NARROW MARGIN (1952). As with those films, in TRAPPED Fleischer tells a compact story in energetic fashion while making the most of location shooting despite a tight budget for Eagle-Lion Films. It's a most enjoyable 78 minutes.

The movie starts off in "docu-noir" style with a visit to the Treasury Department, and then viewers are launched into the specifics of a case of counterfeit bills circulating in Los Angeles. The feds spring convict Tris Stewart (Lloyd Bridges) from jail after he agrees to help on the case; Tris had been in possession of the counterfeit plates at issue before being incarcerated.

Tris instead makes an escape from the agents, but little does he know that that was part of the plan from the outset. Agents are following his every move and have also bugged the apartment of his girlfriend Meg (Barbara Payton), who's living in L.A. under an assumed name, Laurie.

Meg/Laurie works as a nightclub cigarette girl, where John Downey (John Hoyt) has been making a play for her. However, Meg's only interested in her boyfriend Tris...and actually, Tris is Downey's interest too. It turns out that Downey may not be quite who he seems.

As mentioned, the film has great L.A. scenery, shot in black and white by Guy Roe. Southern Californians in particular will enjoy the film for its historic shots of mid-Century L.A.

The cast in this is such a pleasure, starting with Payton, who is simply stunning. Her looks and performance in this make the viewer a bit sad for what might have been; the actress's hard living would lead to deteriorating looks and the end of her film career just a few short years later, with her last movie being MURDER IS MY BEAT (1955).

Hoyt often played villains, such as the industrialist in WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (1951), which I revisited at this year's TCM Classic Film Festival. Hoyt has a chance to shine in a rare leading role as the mysterious Downey; in his early nightclub scenes he manages to simultaneously convey sophistication and sleaze, an interesting combination. Although he doesn't seem to be the type who'd be handy with his fists, Hoyt also makes us believe that -- despite the overly obvious use of a stunt double in one fight scene.

Bridges is also very good, having the chance to play a leading role after having spent most of the '40s in bit and supporting roles. At times we see glimpses of the more evil character Bridges would play in the following year's TRY AND GET ME (1950).

The strangest thing about TRAPPED is that Bridges' character disappears from the film about 2/3 of the way through, packed off back to jail. Rode researched that issue extensively and couldn't find any documentation or logical reason for Bridges to have left the production; he speculates in the commentary that perhaps Bridges became ill. James Todd, whose character Sylvester is a confederate of Bridges' Tris, becomes the chief villain at this point, who has a very memorable shootout with feds in a Red Car barn.

Also in the film are Russ Conway, Robert Karnes, Tommy Noonan, Rory Mallinson, Ken Christy, Frank Sully, and Harry Antrim. Fans of THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951) will recognize Douglas Spencer, THING'S reporter, as the drunk who's had custody of the counterfeiting plates.

The excellent extras on this disc include an informative commentary track by the Film Noir Foundation's Rode, who discusses the film with historian Julie Kirgo. There's a very good 16-minute featurette discussing various aspects of the film which features Rode, the Film Noir Foundation's Eddie Muller, and Mark Fleischer, son of the director; there's also a 12-minute featurette with Fleischer sharing memories of his late father.

The glossy 24-page souvenir booklet is a particular treasure, featuring the director's sketch of the map route for the climactic Hollywood car chase, as well as his storyboards for the Red Car barn shootout.

I enthusiastically recommend this release and hope my readers will enjoy both the film and the Flicker Alley set as much as I have.

Thanks to Flicker Alley for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray/DVD set.

TRAPPED may be purchased at the Flicker Alley website as well as through retailers such as Amazon.

Christmas Day Wishes

Best wishes to all for a very happy Christmas!

Here's a marvelous late '30s photo of Marsha Hunt juggling her Christmas gifts.

Marsha recently celebrated her 102nd birthday and is greatly loved by so many of us. I hope she's enjoying a wonderful holiday.

Merry Christmas!

Previous Christmas Day photo posts: 2012 (the Lockhart Family), 2013 (Priscilla Lane), 2014 (Martha Hyer), 2015 (Andra Martin), 2016 (Betty Grable), 2017 (Loretta Young), and 2018 (Alice Faye).

Tonight's Movie: The Holly and the Ivy (1952) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

The British Christmas film THE HOLLY AND THE IVY (1952) was very recently released on Blu-ray and DVD by Kino Lorber.

I first saw this film in 2011 thanks to a Region 2 DVD, and I just had the pleasure of revisiting it on Kino Lorber's Blu-ray. I think I enjoyed it even more on this second viewing.

The film was written by Anatole de Grunwald, based on a play by Wynyard Browne. It's the story of a British country vicar, the Rev. Martin Gregory (Ralph Richardson), and his adult children, who are wrestling with significant issues at Christmastime yet feel unable to confide in their father. The Reverend is perfectly nice but his son and daughters are intimidated by the fact he's a parson, feeling he may not be able to understand their "real world" issues.

Jenny (Celia Johnson) wants to marry her secret fiance David (John Gregson), who is about to take a job in South America, yet feels she cannot leave her widowed father alone, especially as he is becoming a bit frail.

Jenny wishes her sister Margaret (Margaret Leighton) would move home from London and live with their father, but Margaret seems caught up in life in London, where she writes for a fashion magazine; indeed, Margaret has rarely been seen by the family in recent years. Little do they know the reason why. Margaret does show up for Christmas, rather worse for the wear in terms of fortifying herself for the visit with alcohol.

Son Michael (Denholm Elliott), a soldier known as Mick, seems to have the least to worry about, yet even he has his problems, such as having had to wangle a compassionate 48-hour Christmas leave after having been caught AWOL. He also needs to find a way to tell his father he's not interested in going to Cambridge when he leaves the army.

Also on hand for the family holiday are distant cousin Richard (Hugh Williams), who is Margaret's godfather; kindly, dreamy Aunt Lydia (Margaret Halstan); and embittered Aunt Bridget (Maureen Delany), who cared for her late mother and became an "old maid," similar to the path Jenny may find herself following.

I have a hard time understanding Jenny's determination to put her commitment to her father ahead of her responsibility to the man she's pledged to marry, but I suppose that does contribute to make her as "human" as her more obviously flawed brother and sister.

A bigger issue for me, as it was the last time around, is Johnson being very obviously older than her character; it would have been wise to rewrite the part slightly so that she was closer to her actual age.

There's a wonderful contrast of bits of Christmas music wafting through the background with the heartfelt drama being experienced by the characters. There are brief moments of theatrical staginess, but for the most part genuine emotion comes through on the screen as secrets are disclosed and characters arrive at new understandings of one another.

One of the things I appreciated is that while some of the conversations are heavy, the film manages not to be weighted down by these scenes; it manages a lightness of tone for multiple reasons, including the aforementioned Christmas music, the support and advice from Richard and Aunt Lydia, and the fact that the Gregorys are all, in the end, decent people who want to do right; they just haven't learned to communicate well. In the end there is hope and optimism for the future.

It's been nice to see this film become better known to American audiences over the past couple of years. Last year Jeremy Arnold included the film in his book on Christmas movies, which was followed by screenings on Turner Classic Movies in both 2018 and 2019. This year the film has also screened theatrically in both the Los Angeles area and at the AFI Theatre in Maryland. It's a worthwhile film deserving of greater exposure.

THE HOLLY AND THE IVY was directed by George More O'Ferrall and filmed in black and white by Ted Scaife. It runs 83 minutes. The brisk running time is another thing which keeps the film's subject matter from feeling too weighty.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray has an excellent picture and sound. The disc includes four trailers for Christmas-themed films (or films which have significant Christmas sequences) which are also available from Kino Lorber. More importantly, there's a thoughtful commentary track by Jeremy Arnold, whose tracks are among my favorites. Along with discussing the cast, Arnold talks about the film's structure and themes and why he feels the translation from play to screen works well. I very much enjoyed a second pass through the movie listening to Jeremy's thoughts.

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

Merry Christmas!

Best wishes to all for a very Merry Christmas!

Season's Greetings: The Color Edition, Vol. II

It's that busy time of year, wrapping up work and Christmas preparations! Things are just about ready for Christmas, so the pace of blogging should be picking up as we relax and enjoy the season over the next couple of weeks.

Here's a sequel to my 2017 post Season's Greetings: The Color Edition, with more festive publicity photos of classic film stars enjoying the holiday season.

Joan Leslie:

Rita Hayworth:

Doris Day:

Annette Funicello:

Martha Hyer:

Debbie Reynolds:

Anne Francis:

Maureen O'Hara:

Previous Season's Greetings Photo Posts: 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.

TCM Remembers 2019

The annual TCM Remembers video has been released this weekend by Turner Classic Movies.

The video may be seen on Twitter or YouTube, or simply click the embedded video link below:



I was quite surprised to learn from the video of the passing of Dianne Foster. The only obituary I could find online after watching the video was at Boot Hill. (Update: That blog has since been deleted.)

As I've shared here in the past, her son is a local oral surgeon who has treated all of our children. After I made the connection thanks to some reading, my husband had the opportunity a couple of years ago to chat with him and confirm the relationship. Her son said she still received fan mail!

I was happy to see the inclusion of actresses like Julie Adams, Peggy Stewart, Fay McKenzie, and Allene Roberts, while I was puzzled by the omission of Nancy Gates. Perhaps they will add her this week, as I suspect they may update the video to also include Anna Karina, who just passed on at 79. (December 29th Update: I'm informed that there is now a new version of TCM Remembers airing on TCM which includes both Nancy Gates and Anna Karina. Thanks to TCM for updating the video!)

It was especially wonderful to see that Rudy Behlmer, Ron Hutchinson, and Bob Dorian were honored in this video. They each did so much to preserve film history and share the love of classic movies! And the ending with Stanley Donen and Doris Day was perfect.

Great thanks to TCM for always doing such a thoughtful and moving job with these annual tributes.

Past TCM tribute posts: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Quick Preview of TCM in March

A few days ago I previewed the February schedule for Turner Classic Movies, and now the channel's March schedule is available as well!

As usual, the first days of March are actually the conclusion of February's "31 Days of Oscar." The March schedule then gets underway on March 3rd, a day earlier than usual due to Leap Day.

The March Star of the Month is Joe E. Brown. Over 20 Brown films will be shown on Wednesday evenings.

I'm not a particular fan of the actor but I admire TCM providing a "deep dive" into Brown's career. Even better news is that the Brown lineup will include Betty's Grable's 20th Century-Fox musical PIN UP GIRL (1944). It's been shown on TCM in the past, but Fox musicals don't make it onto the schedule on a regular basis so that's great news.

As a matter of fact, there's a second Betty Grable Fox musical airing on TCM in March, THE SHOCKING MISS PILGRIM (1947), shown as part of a centennial celebration of the 19th Amendment. And there's even more Fox musical goodness with the delightful THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE (1946), starring June Haver, Vera-Ellen, Vivian Blaine, and George Montgomery.

Also of particular note: TCM is showing the very good Universal Pictures Western RAILS INTO LARAMIE (1954), starring John Payne and Dan Duryea. (February 29th Update: RAILS INTO LARAMIE dropped off the final March schedule. Let's hope it is shown on TCM in the future!) (March 19th Update: RAILS INTO LARAMIE is now back on the 3/31 late night schedule!)

The TCM Spotlight for March is "Life at Sea," focusing on all kinds of movies set on ships and submarines. I've seen many of the films in this series, and it's a terrific lineup.

After taking February off for Oscar month, Noir Alley returns on March 7th with Robert Montgomery's RIDE THE PINK HORSE (1947) from Universal Pictures. It's a terrific Noir Alley month which also features yet another Betty Grable film, Fox's I WAKE UP SCREAMING (1941) plus ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS (1958) and one of my all-time favorites, CRIME WAVE (1954). CRIME WAVE is seen here with Sterling Hayden and Gene Nelson.

Also of interest is a screening of the documentary BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHE (2018), recently released on DVD by Kino Lorber.

Filmmakers receiving multifilm tributes next March include Bette Davis, Troy Donahue, Steve McQueen, Maureen O'Hara, Sterling Hayden, Charlton Heston, and Reginald Denny, who receives a prime time salute. "A Mankiewicz Weekend" is also on the schedule.

Although the films are scattered throughout the schedule, it's a particularly good month for Robert Montgomery's many fans, as TCM is showing a number of his movies.

March themes include war nurses, crime sprees, Wyatt Earp, gambling, and baseball.

As usual, there's an Irish-themed lineup for St. Patrick's Day including three films directed by John Ford.

Please click any hyperlinked title in this post for my detailed review. I'll be posting more on the March schedule here around March 1st!

Joan Blondell is currently the December Star of the Month, with Patricia Neal scheduled for January and 31 Days of Oscar in February.

Update: For more on TCM in March 2020, please visit TCM in March: Highlights.

Latest TCM Classic Film Festival Announcements

This week the TCM Classic Film Festival announced the 2020 festival's opening night movie.

BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) will receive a 35th anniversary screening in the Chinese Theatre on Thursday, April 16th, 2020.

Costars Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, and Christopher Lloyd will be present along with co-writer/co-producer Bob Gale for the premiere of a new 4K remaster of the film.

Several films were also added to the screening list for this year's festival, including an all-star cast in DINNER AT EIGHT (1933); Jean Arthur, Bob Cummings, and Charles Coburn in THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES (1941); Mona Freeman in the restored THAT BRENNAN GIRL (1946); Ronald Colman in his Oscar-winning film A DOUBLE LIFE (1947); and James Stewart and Doris Day in Alfred Hitchcock's THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956).

I'm especially excited about THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES, which I've not seen in many years, and two films I've never seen, THAT BRENNAN GIRL and THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. I saw the 1934 version of THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH at the festival a couple years ago so it would be wonderful to also see the remake at the fest!

You never know how the final schedule will shake out, but hopefully I'll be able to catch all three of these films.

Stay tuned for further festival news as it develops!

Previously: TCM Announces 2020 Festival Dates and Theme (August 27, 2019).

Update: The Latest TCM Classic Film Festival Announcements (February 5, 2020).

Update: New Titles and Guests Announced for 2020 TCM Classic Film Festival (March 5, 2020).

Update: 2020 TCM Classic Film Festival Cancelled (March 12, 2020).

Update: The TCM Classic Film Festival 2020 Special Home Edition (April 15, 2020).

Tonight's Movie: Midway (2019)

MIDWAY (2019) follows on the heels of yesterday's movie FORD V FERRARI (2019) as another strong example of well-made, "old-fashioned" entertainment.

MIDWAY, which I saw this afternoon, is old-fashioned in the sense that it's a well-crafted patriotic story without any modern political agenda. It simply seeks to depict the events in the key U.S.-Japanese naval battle during WWII in straightforward fashion, and it does a very good job in doing so. In fact, for those who may wonder, I think it's probably a better film than the 1976 MIDWAY, where a strong all-star cast had to overcome a pointless melodramatic subplot.

When I first saw a trailer for MIDWAY I was uncertain whether I'd like it, despite great interest in the topic; some of the battle scenes in the trailer caused me to fear that watching the movie would feel more like viewing an extended computer game than a film.

My friend Deb gave the film such an enthusiastic review at her blog Sidewalk Crossings that I decided I had to try it, and I'm glad I did.

After a brief prologue set in 1937 Japan, MIDWAY begins at Pearl Harbor, which sets the stage for all that follows, including the dire condition of our navy and the desperate need for accurate intelligence. Gradually the film's action moves forward, briefly depicting the Doolittle raid on Tokyo in the spring of 1942 -- Aaron Eckhart has a cameo as Doolittle -- before moving on to the decisive Battle of Midway in June 1942.

Other than the topic itself, the actors who really pulled me to see the movie were Woody Harrelson and Dennis Quaid as Chester Nimitz and Bull Halsey, and they couldn't have been better. Harrelson has become something of a wonder as a character actor; it was fascinating watching him in this authoritative role just weeks after his rather down-and-out retired Texas Ranger in THE HIGHWAYMEN (2019).

Quaid was likewise excellent. I particularly enjoyed the scene where he awards Bruno (Nick Jonas) a battle promotion after Bruno jumps into a plane parked on a carrier in order to shoot a Zero headed toward a crash landing on deck. (Like other scenes depicted in the film, this was based on fact; there were so many remarkable stories at Midway that there's really no need to make anything up.)

The film focuses on a variety of other characters including intelligence officer Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson) and pilots Dick Best (Ed Skrein) and Wade McClusky (Luke Evans of the FAST & FURIOUS movie series). Best is believed to be the first man who successfully bombed two aircraft carriers in a single day's flying.

With regard to the issue I raised earlier, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't think about the computer effects while watching the film, other than very briefly here and there; the story is so compelling that that helped keep my mind from wandering to "How are they doing this?"

Frankly I also looked away from the dogfight scenes periodically, as they were so visually and emotionally overwhelming. Such bravery, and so much loss. It's almost hard to imagine that there were men brave enough to do what our men did at Midway...and that after they landed, if they landed, they'd go out and do it all over again.

There was one scene in particular depicting deaths at the hands of the Japanese that I wish had been left out; like everything else, it's a true story, but I've had trouble forgetting it. Viewers should also be warned they may not want to look when bodies are shown in the morgue at Pearl Harbor.

Classic film buffs will appreciate that the movie's authenticity includes a nod to the presence of Oscar-winning director John Ford (Geoffrey Blake) at Midway. Ford being wounded by shrapnel while filming what would become the documentary THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY (1942) is depicted.

Mandy Moore (TANGLED) plays Best's wife. The large cast also includes Luke Kleintank, Keean Johnson, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Darren Criss, Jake Weber, and Brennan Brown.

MIDWAY was directed by Roland Emmerich and filmed by Robby Baumgartner from a script by Wes Tooke. The movie runs a well-paced 2 hrs and 18 minutes.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13.

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, who was also highly appreciative of FORD V FERRARI, liked this one as well: "MIDWAY is so square, so old-school and old-fashioned, it almost feels avant-garde. Ambiguity is not its goal, nor is nihilism its motivating philosophy. It aims to celebrate heroism, sacrifice, determination and grit, and if you don’t like that it really does not care." Definitely my kind of movie!

This is a tough yet inspiring film about some of the greatest days and bravest men in American history. It seems to be doing pretty well at the box office, and I hope it continues to find appreciative audiences.

The movie has an official website.

Tonight's Movie: Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in the highly enjoyable FORD V FERRARI (2019). It's old-fashioned entertainment in the best sense of the term, with strong performances and a straightforward yet very interesting story.

Demanding, cranky Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) is concerned about the future of his company. Ford exec Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) pitches the idea that the company needs "sexier" cars, along the lines of European race cars.

When Ford's attempt to purchase Italian auto maker Ferrari fails, Ford determines that his company will build their own race cars, with the goal of winning the 24-hour race at Le Mans. Carroll Shelby (Damon) is tapped to design the car, and Shelby in turn recruits driver Ken Miles (Bale) to work with him on the development.

Uptight executive Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas) doesn't want Miles to race the car as he fears the unpredictable, irascible Miles would not be a good public "face" for the Ford company. Ford loses at Le Mans, but when Henry Ford commits to continuing with the project, Shelby is able to bring Miles back on board; together they work toward winning the 1966 Le Mans, with Miles behind the wheel.

Depending on one's interests, the thumbnail plot sketch above may or may not sound like a particularly exciting film, particularly for a movie that runs a long 2 hours and 32 minutes. I'm happy to report that it's a highly engrossing film which stands up to the long running time; it could have maybe trimmed five minutes but I think the filmmakers did an excellent job taking the time to tell as complete a story as possible while holding the audience's attention throughout.

The film is rich in characterizations, with Bale a standout as the British-born Miles. It's a fully rounded performance which feels deeply authentic; Miles is hot-tempered and finds it near impossible to suffer fools gladly, but he's also exceptionally talented and a devoted husband to Mollie (Caitriona Balfe of TV's OUTLANDER) and father to Peter (Noah Jupe). I don't believe I'd seen Bale in anything since LITTLE WOMEN (1994), and I thought he was Oscar-worthy.

This isn't to short Damon as the calmer Shelby, who's able to walk the line between playing the corporate political game and engaging on a more realistic, down-to-earth level with his team. Damon successfully carries much of the film on his shoulders and is always excellent. I particularly enjoyed the make-or-break scene where he pitches Ford on why the company has Ferrari "where we want them."

Balfe is likewise terrific as Miles' wife, who is willing to live with her man's love for a dangerous profession. A scene where she takes Miles on the ride of his life, infuriated that he's held back telling her about Ford's offer, is another memorable sequence.

I've previously enjoyed director James Mangold's Johnny Cash bio WALK THE LINE (2005), which I felt had a similarly authentic feel. Mangold also directed the entertaining but entirely cartoonish Tom Cruise film KNIGHT AND DAY (2010).

The cast of FORD V FERRARI also includes Ray McKinnon, Jack McMullen, JJ Feild, and Remo Girone. The movie was filmed by Phedon Papamichael. Racing special effects are excellent and, in a way, subtle, in that the viewer doesn't think about the ingenuity required to depict these sequences in such thrilling fashion. That's a mark of outstanding effects work.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13. It's a comparatively mild PG-13, mainly due to profanity. Car wrecks are suspenseful but non-graphic. On the plus side, the film emphasizes dedication, hard work, and (in the Miles family) strong family relationships.

Thoughts from other reviewers I enjoy: Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, who picked the film as his favorite of 2019, says it's "made the way Hollywood used to make them, a glorious throwback that combines a smart modern sensibility with the best of traditional storytelling." Leonard Maltin says FORD V FERRARI "has no ambition except to entertain, and it does so exceedingly well. That’s not something I take for granted...It’s rare to find a mainstream Hollywood film that works on so many levels."

A trailer is here.

2024 Update: For a flip side of this story, please visit my review of FERRARI (2023).