Tonight's Movie: Rimfire (1949)

James Millican stars in RIMFIRE (1949), a "B" Western from Robert L. Lippert Productions.

It's a great pleasure to see Millican, a longtime favorite of this blog, in a lead role, though this is admittedly something of an oddball Western.

Millican plays Captain Tom Harvey, who arrives in a dusty New Mexico town looking for stolen shipments of gold. Harvey, undercover as an itinerant cowpoke, confides his real mission to the sheriff (Victor Kilian) and takes a job as deputy.

Meanwhile the Abilene Kid (Reed Hadley), a suave gambler, is framed for cheating in a card game and convicted in a kangaroo court presided over by Judge Gardner (George Cleveland). In a rather shocking development, the Abilene Kid is immediately hung.

Shortly thereafter, various townspeople are murdered one by one, with a playing card left with each body.

Some nice atmospheric tension builds as the strange series of murders continues, though ultimately the plot sputters out a bit with an unremarkable ending, considering what's gone before.

Millican and Hadley are both enjoyable to watch, the only drawback being Hadley's unexpectedly early disappearance from the film.

There are also a pair of lovely ladies who liven up their scenes, with "B" stalwart Mary Beth Hughes as the sheriff's niece who attracts the Captain's attention, and Margia Dean as the saloon gal who's interested in the Abilene Kid.

Familiar faces among the townspeople include Fuzzy Knight, I. Stanford Jolley, Jason Robards (Sr.), Glenn Strange, and Chris-Pin Martin.

"B" movie specialist B. Reeves Eason directed; this was his last feature film. Eason passed on in 1956.

The story and screenplay of this 63-minute film was a collaboration between Frank Wisbar, Arthur St. Claire, and Ron Ormond. Ernest Miller shot the film in black and white.

This movie is available in a "Western Film Noir Vol. 1" double feature DVD set from VCI Entertainment. It's paired with LITTLE BIG HORN (1951) starring Lloyd Bridges, Marie Windsor, John Ireland, Reed Hadley, Jim Davis, and Hugh O'Brian. With that cast, LITTLE BIG HORN sounds like it's worth checking out!

The RIMFIRE DVD picture is adequate, a little soft but no major defects such as skips or large scratches. The soundtrack is weak in some spots, causing me to wish the disc had captions at a couple points; for the most part, however, it's fine.

The late Ron Scheer wrote about RIMFIRE at his blog Buddies in the Saddle. Ron died in 2015, and I sure miss his posts.

There's a little more on this film by Dan Stumpf at the always-enjoyable Mystery File.

While RIMFIRE isn't a notably good Western, it does have some interesting angles and a nice cast, so Western fans may find it's worth the hour or so to give it a look.

92nd Annual Academy Award Nominations

The 92nd annual Academy Award nominations were announced this morning.

The complete list was published by The Hollywood Reporter.

I've seen two of the Best Picture nominations, LITTLE WOMEN (2019) and FORD V FERRARI (2019).

Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh received Best Actress and Supporting Actress nominations, respectively, for LITTLE WOMEN, both of which I thought were well deserved. I was somewhat surprised Christian Bale did not receive a nomination for FORD V FERRARI.

Greta Gerwig received a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for LITTLE WOMEN, which is somewhat ironic given the issues I had with the film's lack of character and relationship development, but she did try something bold and different with the non-linear structure so it's understandable. Curiously, given the film's other nominations, she did not receive a nomination for Best Director.

The category which is usually of greatest interest to me, Animated Feature, deservedly gave TOY STORY 4 (2019) a nomination yet rather inexplicably omitted FROZEN II (2019).

But then so much about the Oscars tends to be hard to understand, which is why once again this will likely be the end of this year's Oscar commentary from me. From this point I'll mostly ignore the whole thing, as I have for years. On Oscar night I'll be celebrating my love for movies by...watching a movie!

The Oscars award ceremony will be take place on February 9th, 2020.

Previous Oscar nomination posts: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. There was no Oscar post in 2009.

Tonight's Movie: The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

MGM's Oscar-winning THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1952) was recently released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive.

I first saw this movie, directed by Vincente Minnelli, a decade ago, and I'd forgotten just how much fun it is. It's a look at a Hollywood which is both glamorous and cruel, partly inspired by real-life people and incidents. MGM's smooth-as-silk production values and stellar cast make it an entertaining delight from start to finish.

The film begins as studio executive Harry Kebbel (Walter Pidgeon) tries to convince three people to make a movie; the people in question are director Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan), screenwriter James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell), and star actress Georgia Lorrison (Lana Turner).

The problem is that the trio would have to work with producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas), a jerk who has committed serious wrongs against each of them. In flashback sequences we see how each of the three rose to career success working with Jonathan -- and we also see what led to their determination never to work with him again.

Yet despite the fact that Jonathan's actions led to professional fractures, a broken heart, and, in a roundabout way, even death, the classic final shot is of director, screenwriter, and star picking up a phone in order to listen intently to his pitch.

Viewers familiar with Hollywood will recognize sequences inspired by Val Lewton (CAT PEOPLE) and the death of Carole Lombard, while Jonathan's history is thought to have been inspired by the life of David O. Selznick.

The underrated Turner is terrific in a role clearly based on Diana Barrymore; Georgia is the daughter of a deceased actor who drowns her sorrows in booze, just as her father did before her. Despite her bad habit Jonathan sees star quality in Georgia and elevates her from the ranks of extras to top-billed star. Turner nails every stage of Georgia's character progression, culminating in the famous driving scene after she realizes Jonathan had been pretending to love her for the sake of her performance in his movie.

I dislike most of Douglas's work, perceiving a real-life arrogance which seeps onto the screen, but if ever there were a role meant to utilize that, this was it. He's completely believable as a back-stabber who does what's right for Jonathan and whatever film he's currently working on, and if someone else gets hurt in the process, oh well.

Powell is marvelous, simultaneously warm and sardonic as the professor-turned-screenwriter whose Southern belle wife (Gloria Grahame) is thrilled with their sojourn in Hollywood. One wonders at times what an educated man like James Lee sees in his overly excitable, chirpy wife; then when she turns on the charm and comes on to him one can see why, in his words, he gets "a kick" out of her.

(One of the film's oddest notes is when Kebbel suggests to James Lee that his life has turned out all right despite Jonathan's machinations; after all, James Lee has a Pulitzer prize, so what does the loss he suffers matter?)

I love Sullivan, and what we see of him is great, as the steady, reliable director and dedicated family man with a lovely wife (Vanessa Brown); my only regret, given my enjoyment of the actor and his character, is that he disappears for much of the picture.

The cast also includes Gilbert Roland as Gaucho, a popular Latin lover type actor, and Elaine Stewart as Gaucho's gorgeous bit player girlfriend; they're in the still below. The scene where Stewart tells Turner "You were swell" might be my favorite in the entire movie. Talk about a scene-stealing moment, I could watch that line delivery on a loop.

The excellent cast also includes Paul Stewart, Sandy Descher, Leo G. Carroll, Ivan Triesault, Barbara Billingsley, Kurt Kasznar, Madge Blake, Steve Forrest, Kathleen Freeman, Marietta Canty, and Bess Flowers. Some of these roles are quite small, yet each one is perfectly executed, contributing to the overall excellence of this 118-minute film.

Oscars went to Robert Surtees for Best Cinematography, Helen Rose for Costume Design, Charles Schnee for Screenplay, Cedric Gibbons and his team for Art Direction, and Grahame for Best Supporting Actress. Douglas was the only one of the film's nominees not to win.

Curiously, David Raksin's stellar score, which remains highly regarded today, wasn't even nominated! It also strikes me as odd that Turner wasn't nominated, as she's excellent start to finish; meanwhile Grahame was perfectly fine in her small role, but did it actually deserve an Oscar? (Especially up against Jean Hagen for SINGIN' IN THE RAIN?!) It just goes to show that Oscar injustices aren't a recent thing.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray extras are comprised of the trailer, music scoring session cues, and the 86-minute documentary LANA TURNER - A DAUGHTER'S MEMOIR (2001).

The Blu-ray picture and sound are superb. This is an outstanding release of a memorable film, and I recommend it.

March 2020 Update: The Warner Archive has now also released this film on DVD.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Amazon or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

Tonight's Movie: Naked Alibi (1954) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

I first saw NAKED ALIBI (1954) nearly eight years ago at the Noir City Film Festival in Hollywood.

I very much enjoyed seeing it at the festival, but unfortunately the movie hasn't been available for home viewing in the years since. It's been a long wait, but I'm happy to say that NAKED ALIBI is now finally available on Blu-ray and DVD thanks to Kino Lorber.

I was glad to have the chance to watch Kino's attractive new Blu-ray release, as I had a good time revisiting this quite entertaining film.

Gene Barry plays Al Willis, bakery owner, married to Helen (Marcia Henderson), father of a young child...and possible murderer. After Al is picked up for disorderly conduct he gets into a fight with the cops, including Lt. Parks (Casey Adams), and says he'll get revenge. The very next night, Parks is killed. Soon thereafter, two more policemen are murdered.

Police Chief Joe Conroy (Sterling Hayden) is certain Al is the killer, but a sensational photo of Joe supposedly "roughing up" Al combined with political pressure forces Joe out of office, while Al remains free.

Joe remains convinced that Al is guilty and hires a private detective (Don Haggerty) to shadow Al, who becomes so unnerved at being tailed that he tells his wife he needs to go somewhere to calm his nerves and immediately leaves town.

To this point the viewer isn't completely sure whether Joe is an overzealous cop or Al is the killer, but when Joe tails Al to Border City, it soon becomes clear which is which. Among other things, the married Al knows nightclub singer Marianna (Gloria Grahame) very, very well...and he doesn't treat her especially nicely, either. It seems Al has a completely different side which might shock his loving wife. (One wonders if he always held on to his temper around Helen...)

All Joe needs is the evidence to crack the case against Al and prove it in court, and Marianna may help him get the answers he's looking for.

Hayden is perfect in this as the aggressive cop with no quit in him, reminiscent of the part he played in the classic CRIME WAVE (1954), released the same year. Hayden's Joe may be a little nicer than his CRIME WAVE detective, but not when it comes to doggedly going after a bad guy.

Barry often played upstanding men, in films such as THE ATOMIC CITY (1952) or THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953), but he's quite convincing here as an out-and-out sleaze. The duality of Al's character -- loving husband to Helen, abusive lover of Marianna -- is never really explained, but much of the time there's no rhyme or reason to evil, so it's not too much of an issue, other than making the viewer curious. Al's cruelty to Marianna is chilling.

Grahame is terrific in an appealing performance as the singer who comes to realize her boyfriend Al, who disappears from town for long periods of time, isn't all he seems. (He sure gets testy when she suggests marriage!)
I especially enjoy Grahame's performance of "Ace in the Hole," even knowing she's dubbed (by Jo Ann Greer). Grahame really puts the number over.

The film's other pleasures include Haggerty as the reliable private eye, Kathleen O'Malley (WAGON MASTER) in a brief but memorable scene as a cop's wife, and a young Chuck Connors, over four years before his RIFLEMAN TV Western, as a police detective. I wished that the story had been such that it would have made sense for Connors' character to be in the film longer.

The cast also includes Billy Chapin, Tol Avery, and Stuart Randall.

I noted when I first saw the movie that cinematographer Russell Metty's black and white shooting of "Border City" seems to foreshadow his later work in TOUCH OF EVIL (1958). That still hit me strongly on this viewing several years later.

The movie runs 86 minutes. It was directed by Jerry Hopper.

Extras on the Blu-ray are the trailer, a gallery of four additional trailers for films available from Kino Lorber, and a commentary track by Kat Ellinger.

Film noir and crime film fans should particularly enjoy NAKED ALIBI. While not a top-drawer classic, NAKED ALIBI is a solid, entertaining film with excellent lead actors which holds up to repeat viewing. Recommended.

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

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...As mentioned in my year in review, last year I had an unusually busy work schedule due to undergoing training on new equipment for my business. Combined with writing commitments such as my Western Roundup column for Classic Movie Hub, that meant that somehow 11 months have flown by since I wrote my last Around the Blogosphere This Week column. I've missed doing it, so here's a new roundup post for the new year!

...Thanks to Dean Street Press for sending me a Kindle edition of their upcoming release, VERONICA: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF VERONICA LAKE. Dean Street is bringing this 1969 book back into print next month, with a new introduction by Eddie Muller of the Film Noir Foundation and Turner Classic Movies.

...LAWMAN (1958-62) starring John Russell, Peter Brown, and Peggie Castle is one of my favorite TV Westerns. (You can read my review of the Season 1 DVD set here and Season 2 here.) I was thus excited to learn about the upcoming book LAWMAN: A COMPANION TO THE CLASSIC TV WESTERN SERIES by Bill Levy, published by Bear Manor Media. It will be out in March.

...Here are 10 essential Yasujiro Ozu films from the British Film Institute.

...Netflix streaming recommendation: I have really enjoyed Taco Chronicles, an interesting and educational documentary. (Just don't watch it when you're hungry!) Here's a review from Eater.com, and here's a guide for great tacos available in Los Angeles.

...This 2013 BBC article on the missing John Wayne-Ann Rutherford film THE OREGON TRAIL (1936) and the Lone Pine Film Festival remains interesting. At the Lone Pine Film Festival a couple years ago, guide Don Kelsen used stills from the film to take visitors on a tour of the "lost" movie's locations. There's a terrific edition of the LONE PINE AND THE MOVIES annual available from Amazon, which I highly recommend. It's 124 pages long and has a great deal of information on the film, including many photos.

...I've reviewed most of the GOURMET DETECTIVE MYSTERIES which air on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. I'm happy that a new film in the series, ROUX THE DAY (2020), will air on January 19th. Dylan Neal, Brooke Burns, and Bruce Boxleitner star. Neal and his wife Becky Southwell have again written the screenplay.

...As regular readers know from my reviews, Kino Lorber has consistently interesting releases with terrific extras. I'm especially excited about their March lineup, which includes Blu-ray releases of CANYON PASSAGE (1946) and NIGHT PASSAGE (1957). Both releases will have commentary tracks by Toby Roan of 50 Westerns From the 50s. (And for those who may have missed the news in my TCM Remembers 2019 post, NIGHT PASSAGE leading lady Dianne Foster passed away last July at the age of 90. The news was not widely reported.)

...Coming this fall from GoodKnight Books: FILM NOIR STYLE: THE KILLER 1940S by Kimberly Truhler of GlamAmor.

...Turner Classic Movies General Manager Jennifer Dorian has decided to leave after two decades with Turner. Her replacement, recommended by Jennifer herself, is TCM's Pola Changnon. Farewell and sincere thanks to Jennifer for her great tenure, and congratulations to Pola!

...Here's Leonard Maltin's review of THE MOVIE MUSICAL! by Jeanine Basinger. This book is thick (over 600 pages!) and beautifully designed. I've only just begun reading it but can confidently say that Basinger's books are always worth reading, which is backed up by Mr. Maltin's review.

...The '80s TV series THIRTYSOMETHING (1987-91) will have a reboot, focused on the children of the original characters. At the time the series ended, the children on the series were Janie and Leo (Michael and Hope's children), Ethan and Brittany (Elliot and Nancy's children), and Emma (Gary and Susannah's daughter). Original stars Ken Olin (Michael), Mel Harris (Hope), Timothy Busfield (Elliot), and Patricia Wettig (Nancy) are scheduled to appear.

...Congratulations to my friend Victoria Mature, who is featured in this year's Noir City Film Festival posters! The San Francisco edition of the festival opens later this month. Noir City Hollywood opens on March 5th; incidentally, unlike the past few years, Noir City Hollywood will take place a month before the TCM Fest, rather than the prior week.

...Royalty Watch: Here's an interesting article from Nippon.com on the postponed marriage of Princess Mako, eldest daughter of Crown Prince Akishino. (Given what's been going on with the immature and disappointing behavior of Prince Harry and his wife this past week, perhaps extra caution before marrying royalty isn't a bad thing...!)

...Remembering Rod Taylor: My 2014 birthday tribute to the Australian-born actor, who was born January 11, 1930.

...Coming to the beautiful American Legion Post 43 Theater on Saturday, January 18th: Charlie Chaplin's THE GOLD RUSH (1925), presented in 35mm by Retroformat Silent Films. Cliff Retallick will provide live musical accompaniment, with an introduction by Allison Anders. Ticket info is here.

...Here's a 2019 CNET article on going to the movies alone. I've done it since I was a teenager and have never understood the reluctance of some to see films solo. I love going with family and friends, but I never let having to go alone at times stop me! It's not like you chat during the movie itself anyway...

...Notable Passings: Edd Byrnes of TV's 77 SUNSET STRIP (1958-64) has died at 87...Christopher Beeny, who played Edward the footman on UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS (1971-75), has passed on at 78.

There's much more I could share, but I'll end here, and hopefully it won't be another 11 months before the next edition of this column. Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) - An Olive Signature Blu-ray Review

Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman star in the classic THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S (1945), recently released in a lovely Blu-ray edition by Olive Films.

I saw THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S and its prequel, GOING MY WAY (1944), as a teenager but somehow I haven't managed to see either film again in all the years since. There's no particular reason -- indeed, I like the stars very much -- so I was glad that Olive's release gave me the impetus to finally sit down and watch THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S. I've got a copy of GOING MY WAY in my "watch" stack and hope to see it soon!

THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S finds Father O'Malley (Crosby) newly assigned as priest at a rundown parish school, St. Mary's. It's possible St. Mary's will be closed, but school head Sister Mary Benedict (Bergman) has a determined belief that the school will be saved; specifically, she is praying for something which seems improbable, that Mr. Bogardus (Henry Travers), the developer who wants to buy St. Mary's and raze it, will instead gift them his building next door.

The movie rolls gently along for its 126 minutes as Father and Sister help lonely young Patsy (the excellent Joan Carroll of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS), who is troubled by her single mother's lifestyle, and Eddie (Dickie Tyler), who is being bullied. One by one issues are resolved...and then Father O'Malley learns that Sister Benedict needs treatment for tuberculosis.

Some of the situations in the film are treated fairly simplistically, particularly the perhaps too easy reunion of Patsy's parents (Martha Sleeper and William Gargan). And the initial lack of communication regarding Sister Benedict's diagnosis is mind-blowing to a modern viewer, with the doctor (Rhys Williams) handling her condition with Father O'Malley rather than directly with the Sister herself; that said, I've seen similar things in other films of the era. Medical privacy doesn't seem to have been a concept in the '40s, or at least in '40s movies!

But what the movie at times lacks in depth or good medical ethics is more than made up for with pure likability, thanks especially to the two leads. I grew up, of course, watching Bing Crosby in his TV specials and movies, including one of my all-time favorite films, WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954), but with the passage of time he strikes me more and more as pure genius. His screen persona here is absolutely compelling, and that's before he ever even opens his mouth to sing.

Bergman is positively ethereal in this, and it's not simply due to the way she was filmed by cinematographer George Barnes. She glows with beauty, despite most of her body being hidden under a nun's habit. The moment when Sister Benedict almost wills Mr. Bogardus to tell her some good news was one of the most moving things I've recently seen in a movie.

Besides the pleasures of watching Crosby and Bergman -- one or both are on screen most of the movie -- there's something simply very peaceful about watching this film, which by way of positive example encourages those of its audience who are of faith to emulate Father O'Malley and Sister Benedict, praying and placing trust in God. It's a movie which leaves the viewer feeling better than when it started.

In fact, I couldn't help but remember that when George Bailey returns to Bedford Falls in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946), THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S is playing at the theater. That seems so appropriate, and it's also rather amusing that Henry Travers from THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S was Clarence the Angel in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S was directed by Leo McCarey. The supporting cast includes Ruth Donnelly, Una O'Connor, and Edna May Wonacott (SHADOW OF A DOUBT).

Olive's beautiful Blu-ray print was mastered from a new 4K restoration. The soundtrack is also excellent.

Olive has outdone itself with a collection of excellent extras, beginning with a commentary track by highly esteemed Crosby biographer Gary Giddins. There are also multiple featurettes, a pair of radio productions, and a glossy booklet with photos and an essay by Abbey Bender.

Recommended.

Thanks to Olive Films for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

Tonight's Movie: Great Day in the Morning (1956) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

The Civil War Western GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING (1956) has just been released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive.

It's early 1861, and Owen Pentecost (Robert Stack) is rescued from Indians by fellow travelers heading toward Denver: Ann (Virginia Mayo), who plans to open a dress shop; Kirby (Alex Nicol), Ann's hired guide; and Ann's other guide Zeff (Leo Gordon), who hates Southerners. Which is a bit of a problem as Owen is a Southern sympathizer from North Carolina.

Once in Denver Owen promptly wins a saloon, The Circus Tent, from its owner Jumbo (Raymond Burr); the win comes thanks to bottom-of-the-deck dealing from Boston (Ruth Roman), who has immediately taken a fancy to Owen. Jumbo had previously used some marked cards himself so Owen doesn't seem too bothered to win the saloon through cheating.

Ann and Boston are each attracted to Owen, but Owen is too self-involved to give either woman a great deal of thought. He's all about making a fortune quickly and perhaps, while he's at it, helping the few Southerners in the area get their gold out of town to support the South.

In a rare spurt of generosity, Owen does spend some time helping Gary (Donald MacDonald), the orphaned son of a man Owen had killed, but Owen's long-term plans don't involve Gary or either of the women.

This movie, directed by Jacques Tourneur and filmed by William Snyder in Technicolor and RKO SuperScope, is a visual treat, thanks particularly to the new Blu-ray. Mayo and Roman are both stunning, and their colorful gowns (by Gwen Wakeling) are pure eye candy as well.

Overall, the film is surprisingly dry coming from the director of a pair of Westerns I hold in very high regard, CANYON PASSAGE (1946) and WICHITA (1955).

A big part of the problem lies in the script by Lesser Samuels, which was based on a novel by Robert Hardy Andrews. Stack's lead character is too unlikeable to be a hero and not interesting enough to sustain interest as an anti-hero. One has the feeling that the other characters are all in the way of Owen doing whatever it is he wants to do. He doesn't seem to care deeply about anyone or anything, other than himself, and consequently the viewer doesn't care much about him.

Both women somewhat inexplicably love Owen, but Owen's not thinking about a permanent relationship. As it happens, the women share the single most interesting scene in the movie, discussing their mutual feelings for the same man; Roman's character pledges unconditional love, while Mayo's Ann says that's not enough and a relationship has to be, in essence, a two-way street. Each woman makes a valid point. I would have loved a film about the two women and what led each of them west; it could have been fascinating.

There are some nice bits here and there. I particularly liked Leo Gordon's loudmouth Rebel hater not being a cartoon character; a former sergeant, he's recruited to return to uniform near the end of the film and immediately sets about whipping his scraggly recruits into shape. It's a nice scene.

In the end the film is entertaining enough, thanks particularly to Mayo and Roman and the lovely color, but viewer interest is tamped considerably by the overall storyline.

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING runs 92 minutes.

The supporting cast includes Regis Toomey, Carleton Young, Peter Whitney, Pierce Lyden, Burt Mustin, Lane Chandler, Kermit Maynard, and William Phipps.

This Blu-ray widescreen print from the Warner Archive is very attractive, with a strong soundtrack. The welcome extras are four short subjects directed by Tourneur.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Amazon or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

Tonight's Movie: Operation Crossbow (1965) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

OPERATION CROSSBOW (1965) is an espionage film set during World War II which was just released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive.

The film's title comes from the actual Allied code name for the German long-range rocket program. The story of Allied agents sneaking behind enemy lines to gather intelligence and disrupt the Germans' ability to launch the rockets has a deep cast and a fairly interesting story, though it's ultimately bittersweet.

As the film begins, British intelligence recruits men who have both engineering and foreign language skills. They're looking for men willing to go behind enemy lines and pose as Dutch or German engineers in order to apply to work on the German V-1 and V-2 rocket program.

George Peppard plays an Army Air Force pilot who is one of the recruits thanks to his degree from MIT and his ability to speak German. Engineers played by Jeremy Kemp and Tom Courtenay also join the program. The men adopt cover stories using the names and histories of recently deceased men, but just after two of the newly minted spies have parachuted in behind enemy lines, British headquarters learns the mission may be compromised.

All three spies deal with a wide range of problems on their mission, including the wife (Sophia Loren) of Peppard's cover identity showing up at the hotel where he's staying, not realizing her real husband is actually dead. There's also the matter of a double agent (Anthony Quayle) who puts all the men's lives at risk.

The Crossbow mission reaches a crisis point shortly after V-1 rockets start raining down on London.

The procedural aspects early on were what interested me the most about the movie. I enjoyed watching intelligence officers studying photos and trying to figure out what the Germans were doing, then putting together a daring plan to deal with it.

I also especially liked these scenes as one of the officers is played by dashing Richard Todd, a real-life war hero who was one of the first men to parachute into France on D-Day.

The spies' experiences behind enemy lines are interesting but ultimately brutal and a bit hard to watch. Ultimately I enjoyed the first part of the film much more than the scenes depicting the actual mission, as a great many characters die in order to help save the Allies from the devastating German rocket attacks. I mention this not to be spoilerish but because I think some viewers will wish to be forewarned, at least in vague terms; also, the danger of the mission is telegraphed fairly early on.

The movie runs 116 minutes. It was directed by Michael Anderson and filmed by Erwin Hillier. The three screenwriters included Emeric Pressburger, using a pen name.

The supporting cast includes John Mills, Trevor Howard, Lilli Palmer, Richard Johnson, Helmut Dantine, Patrick Wymark, Sylvia Syms, and Paul Henreid. It's a bit disconcerting seeing Henreid, famed as CASABLANCA's Resistance leader "Victor Laszlo," as a German general!

The Warner Archive Blu-ray is a very nice widescreen print with good sound. The disc includes the trailer and a ten-minute archival featurette, "A Look Back at Crossbow."

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from the WBShop or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

Tonight's Movie: Madigan (1968) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Richard Widmark stars in the title role as MADIGAN (1968), recently released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

Dan Madigan is a rough-edged New York detective who is known to skirt the edges of appropriate conduct, but he's also appreciated -- by everyone but his neglected wife (Inger Stevens) -- for his dedication to his job.

Unfortunately Madigan and his partner Rocco Bonaro (Harry Guardino) aren't cautious enough when they attempt to arrest Barney Benesch (Steve Ihnat), not realizing he's wanted for murder; Benesch pulls a fast one, takes the detectives' guns, and gets away.

Police Commissioner Anthony Russell (Henry Fonda) is none too pleased and gives the detectives an ultimatum to find Benesch in 72 hours. The very upright chief has additional problems on his mind, including the fact that it appears his old friend, Chief Inspector Charles Kane (James Whitmore), has been caught on tape providing a favor to a crook.

The Commissioner, however, is not as above reproach as he appears to the public; behind the scenes, he's having an affair with a married woman (Susan Clark).

As Madigan and Bonaro close in on Benesch, Benesch uses Madigan's gun to shoot two patrol cops, ratcheting up the urgency to bring him in without further loss of life.

I've been trying to catch more of director Don Siegel's films; last year I liked both THE KILLERS (1964) and ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ (1979) at the TCM Classic Film Festival, and I also rewatched the excellent CHARLEY VARRICK (1973) a few weeks ago thanks to Kino releasing it on Blu-ray as well. COOGAN'S BLUFF (1968) starring Clint Eastwood, released the same year as MADIGAN, is in my "watch" stack.

I enjoyed my first viewing of MADIGAN quite well, finding it an engrossing 101 minutes. The film does a good job balancing scenes of routine police work, personal and professional melodrama, and action. I found it an evocative depiction of life in a New York where crime seems to be edging a bit out of control; much of the film was actually shot in Los Angeles, but it's not as apparent that the locations were "cheated" as it is in some other films.

Neither of the lead characters is perfect, though they're generally good men trying to do tough jobs. Madigan isn't above taking freebies to ease living on a cop's budget, and he's not always understanding that his dedication to his job means many lonely hours for his wife; moreover, the entire problem with Benesch's escape begins due to too-casual, sloppy police work.

Widmark manages to retain audience sympathy while also being downright annoying at times given his blind spots. He's not a quitter, and when it comes time for the ultimate confrontation with Benesch, a heart-pounding close-range shootout, he insists on taking the lead in the most dangerous position.

The buttoned-up, seemingly cold Russell likewise wants to hold his department to the highest standards, then must wrestle with whether to excuse his friend from those same standards and find a way to loosen up, given extenuating circumstances. Unfortunately, when it comes to his personal romantic life, Russell's standards fly out the window. Fonda does a good job with a character whose stonelike demeanor covers up roiling tension underneath.

The healthiest character in the film is probably Bonaro, a happily married family man who makes more of an effort to check in and keep tabs on what's happening at home, reassuring his wife of his interest in her and their kids.

The film is colored with a variety of types played by pros like Sheree North, Michael Dunn, Virginia Gregg, Lloyd Gough, Warren Stevens, Don Stroud, and Woodrow Parfrey.

The movie was filmed in Techniscope by Russell Metty.

In 1972-'73 Widmark revived the character for half a dozen films in the NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie series. I'd be curious to see those.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray is a very nice-looking widescreen print with excellent sound.

Extras include TV spots, the trailer, two additional trailers for films available from Kino Lorber, and a commentary track by film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson.

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

Tonight's Movie: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Tonight I caught up with the final film in the current STAR WARS trilogy, STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (2019).

I honestly wasn't particularly anxious to see it as while I had initially found the prior film, STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017), solid, with the passage of time I found that it was the film's flaws, which I wrote about here, which remained at the forefront of my memories.

I was curious how the saga would be wrapped up, though, so off to the theater I went to find out. Fortunately I didn't feel THE RISE OF SKYWALKER's problems were as annoying as in THE LAST JEDI, but the new film still has some significant issues, including the inability to edit an overlong film into a coherent story. I'll share some of my thoughts below, while being as vague about the plot as possible.

First, the film runs 142 minutes, and the first half is kind of a mess. After shoehorning in stories and characters that went nowhere in THE LAST JEDI, the filmmakers bizarrely cut one of those LAST JEDI characters (Rose, played by Kelly Marie Tran) almost entirely out of this film...then turned around and added a brand-new character (Keri Russell) who also served absolutely zero purpose! The film should have been 20 minutes shorter, and leaving Russell on the cutting room floor (or out of the script in the first place) was the place to start.

The meandering first half of the film was honestly fairly dull, a remarkable thing to say about a STAR WARS film. The movie finally caught fire and picked up interest in the second half, thanks to a combination of revelations, action, and glimpses of people and places of STAR WARS past, but I have very different ideas for how Rey's (Daisy Ridley) story should have gone.

I'm trying to review the film that is, rather than the one I wished for, but the problem is that there was a complete lack of setup and foreshadowing; I was like "Say what now?" when her background was revealed, and I know I wasn't the only one. I won't elaborate on what I think should have been done in order to avoid spoilers, but I think there was a more profound way to end her story.

Finally, in terms of criticisms, I have zero interest in seeing Adam Driver (Ben Solo/Kylo Ren) on screen ever again. What an uninteresting drip. Maybe I'll change my mind someday, but I don't get his appeal as an actor. At all.

The best moments in THE RISE OF SKYWALKER were the old familiar characters, sets, music, and "callbacks" -- the things some critics derisively refer to as "fan service" but which are the people and places viewers actually care about and want to see, the moments which strike deep emotional chords because of past history and our connections with them. These scenes are scattered throughout the film, especially in the second half, and made it worthwhile; indeed, a certain "swampy" scene with an X-wing almost single-handedly made the entire movie worth seeing for me. That was a Moment.

Also, a side note, how amazing/odd is it that someone who died almost exactly three years ago is the movie's top-billed actor?

In the end, though it has some very good actors and special moments, this trilogy is kind of an interesting failure for me. THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015) was the best of the trio, and the films which followed never really reached their full potential. That said, they are certainly better films than the prequel trilogy -- after the first two films, I didn't even bother to watch REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005).

If you're not going to watch the original 1977-'83 trilogy, which are among my favorite films ever made and are endlessly rewatchable, it's far better to spend time with a pair of films which actually "feel" like STAR WARS and have coherent, well-plotted stories: ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016) and SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018).

It's also encouraging that at the same time this film has come out, we've all had the deep pleasure of watching STAR WARS done exactly right, thanks to Disney+. I found more STAR WARS joy in a single half hour of THE MANDALORIAN than there was in this film; it's the most purely enjoyable STAR WARS since 1983. Every episode made me smile, and the finale was an absolute gem. Creator Jon Favreau clearly understands STAR WARS and knows how to use familiar worlds in service of a brand-new story.

I can't wait for Season 2 of THE MANDALORIAN next fall, and I'm excited that I'll be attending Star Wars Celebration for the very first time next summer, where I can soak up as much MANDALORIAN info as possible -- not to mention Baby Yoda merchandise!

Parental Advisory: STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER is rated PG-13.

The movie was directed by J.J. Abrams, from a script by Abrams and Chris Terrio. It was filmed by Dan Mindel, who also shot THE FORCE AWAKENS.

A trailer is here.

Tonight's Movie: Out of the Blue (1947) - A ClassicFlix Blu-ray Review

OUT OF THE BLUE (1947) is a film I've wanted to see for some time now, as it stars favorites Virginia Mayo, George Brent, and Carole Landis.

Till now the movie has eluded me...and then came a wonderful surprise, when ClassicFlix announced the company would be releasing it on Blu-ray.

The film just came out very recently, and I had the opportunity to see it tonight at long last. It was immediately apparent that the Blu-ray is beautifully restored; watching this disc was a visual treat.

The movie is a goofball comedy which finds Brent playing Arthur, the henpecked husband of Mae (Landis). Mae leaves town for a brief trip and Arthur heads to the nearest bar, where he meets a drunken interior decorator named Olive (Ann Dvorak).

Just like Edward G. Robinson's professor in THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (1944), Arthur soon regrets kicking up his heels while the wife is out of town! Olive ends up going home with Arthur to his apartment and then passing out.

Arthur thinks Olive is dead (!) and, terrified of his wife's reaction -- he seems more nervous of her than he does the police -- he deposits Olive's "body" on the next-door terrace of his neighbor David (Turhan Bey), with whom he's been quarreling about David's dog.

What follows is a zany film with Olive's "body" coming and going between the apartments, and at one point David and his new ladylove Deborah (Mayo) make Arthur think Olive is really dead and force him to help bury the "body."

Meanwhile two busybody neighbors (Elizabeth Patterson and Julia Dean) keep an eye on the goings-on, and Mae is due home from her trip...

This is a pleasantly silly film which plays better than it may sound. While the pace isn't as manic as one may expect, it sustains the underlying comedic energy for all of its 84 minutes without petering out; while not a classic, I enjoyed it and would watch it again.

I found OUT OF THE BLUE a better film than a couple of other '40s Brent comedies with similarities, the bedroom farce TWIN BEDS (1942) and the mystery THE CORPSE CAME C.O.D. (1947). With its Greenwich Village setting, the film reminded me slightly of another comedic mystery, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (1943), which starred Loretta Young and Brian Aherne.

Dvorak's drinking is played for laughs, which wasn't unusual in that era; her character was initially a bit disconcerting, but once I realized every serious topic in the movie, including murder, was being treated as a joke it no longer concerned me.

It was a bit surprising to find Landis playing a shrew and Brent timidly saying "Yes, dear" over and over while wearing horn-rimmed glasses. Landis's character is a bit cardboard, as there's no motivation for her controlling treatment of her husband, but she looks lovely. Brent does well as the husband who's increasingly exasperated with both his wife and the unusual situations he finds himself in thanks to Olive.

The absolute charmers of the movie are Bey and Mayo, who play their roles with appealing high spirits. Their characters meet as the movie opens and experience an instant attraction; their romance develops as they simultaneously deal with the weirdness which comes their way. Bey is suavely handsome, and I wish he'd played more roles like this, as he's quite smooth handling comedy. Mayo's good-natured character is quite delightful -- and she has a fantastic wardrobe, including some beautiful hats. This gorgeous pair was clearly meant to be together.

Richard Lane is on hand as a police detective, and the cast also includes Charlie Smith, Paul Harvey, and Tito Vuolo. The dog Flame, who plays David's dog, also appeared in the RUSTY film series for Columbia Pictures beginning in 1947, the same year OUT OF THE BLUE was released.

OUT OF THE BLUE was released by Eagle-Lion, which may have been a Poverty Row studio, but they turned out some excellent films in the late '40s, including REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947), RAW DEAL (1948), and TRAPPED (1949).

Producer Bryan Foy had spent many years at Warner Bros., as had star Brent, while Mayo was wrapping up work for Goldwyn and would soon be headed to the Warner Bros. studio for several years. While played on a limited number of sets, the production has a feel of class thanks to the filmmakers and cast.

OUT OF THE BLUE was directed by Leigh Jason and filmed in black and white by cinematographer Jackson Rose. The screenplay by Walter Bullock, Vera Caspary, and Edward Eliscu was based on Caspary's story; Caspary was also the author of the novel LAURA.

The Blu-ray looks terrific and also has excellent sound. The disc also includes five trailers for additional discs available from ClassicFlix.

OUT OF THE BLUE is also available from ClassicFlix on DVD.

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