CRISS CROSS (1947)

Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster), carrying a torch for his ex-wife Anna (Yvonne DeCarlo), returns to LA and finds her in the clutches of small-time gangster Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea, Eternal Cut-Rate Richard Widmark). Thompson concocts a scheme to get a job on his father's armored car and have it robbed by Dundee and his gang so that he and Anna can abscond with the money. Nothing goes as planned, Anna double crosses him and they meet a bad end. This isn't a great movie, and I'd have liked to see more of Duryea, a particularly effective and nasty bad guy (the Warren Oates/Bruce Dern of the Forties). But, it's worth watching for Lancaster and DeCarlo, plus Duryea's irresistable gang of miscreants--how can you miss with a cast that includes Tom Pedi, Alan Napier, Richard Long, Percy Helton and Marc Krah?

No Way Out (1987)

Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman and Sean Young star in a neo-noir suspense thriller with espionage elements. Costner's navy commander hero and Hackman's secretary of defense are caught up in a sordid love triangle with Hackman's mistress, played by Sean Young. Hackman finds out about Young's duplicity and murders her in a blind rage, having been witnessed earlier at the scene by the third man who the audience can see is Costner. Hackman enlists Costner to help cover it up and find the "real killer", a suspected KGB sleeper agent. However, Hackman doesn't know that Costner was the man sleeping with Young. Meanwhile, Hackman's second-in-command, a fixer played by Will Patton, discovers a negative of a photograph Young took of Costner linking him to the scene of the murder. Therefore, a race against time ensues for Costner to find evidence linking Hackman to Young while they wait for the photo to develop so as to ensure he can defend himself against being charged with both murder and espionage.

Took a while to get going but the payoff is worth it. Incredibly suspenseful stuff with plenty of twists and turns as it builds to a crescendo. Costner is serviceable, and Hackman is brilliant as always, but the star of the show is Will Patton as Hackman's devoted and enigmatic fixer. Pay attention in the first half as there is some very clever foreshadowing at play.

SAINT MAUD

Morfydd Clark plays Maud, a recently converted Christian, who serves as a hospice nurse to Amanda, played by Jennifer Ehle. During their brief time together, Maud exceedingly cares for and even tries to save Amanda's soul with her new found Christianity. However, when she is removed as Amanda's caretaker, she believes she is called by God to save Amanda's soul before she passes. Based on the trailer, this seemed to be a sleepy horror film that I was willing to take a flyer on, but the film is so much more. It's rather short by today's standards (84 minutes long) so it gets right to the point but the final act really pays off for the viewer. An outstanding performance by Clark and I look very forward to seeing this again. This has cult status written all over it. Do not sleep on this film! 7/10

NO WAY OUT is a very underrated film. Solid all around. Great pick!

Denzel Washington ~ Equalizer

No power tools were harmed during the making of this film.

FORCE OF EVIL (1948)

Joe Morse (John Garfield), cocky young lawyer, is providing a "legal" front for "The Syndicate" to monopolize the numbers racket by squeezing out small bankers. One of them is Leo Morse (Thomas Gomez), Joe's brother. But, Leo rejects Joe's help because he sees himself as a pillar of virtue in the racket(!), while his brother is just-plain corrupt. This is one of several absurdities in this rather feeble film noir. Another is Joe wooing and winning Doris Lowry (Beatrice Pearson), a comely protege of Leo's who starts out detesting him. I tuned into this movie because I spotted Marie Windsor, my favorite Femme Fatale of the Fabulous Forties and Fifties, who plays the wife of the Syndicate boss and tries to seduce Joe. Alas, she has only two small scenes. She's up to her usual par in the second one, but it's not worth the price of admission. Garfield is energetic as usual, but he's strictly a one-and-a-half-note actor. Gomez is pretty good. Skip it.

One of Denzel's best roles but I still like MAN ON FIRE better and felt the sequel to EQUALIZER was unnecessary.

LAND

LAND is a story about Edee, played by Robin Wright, a recent widower who lost her husband and son in a tragic and violent manner. Edee is left shattered, experiencing survivor's guilt, and at times, contemplates reuniting with her family. She moves out to the mountains of Wyoming, isolated away from her past, the world, but more importantly, her grief. Out of her element, starving, and freezing to death, Miguel (played wonderfully smooth by Demian Bichir) saves her life. They strike up a friendship and Edee before long, with his guidance, begins to conquer the mountain and the elements, rather than succumbing to them. This film deals primarily with grief, isolation, but also serves as a PSA to the fragility of life. To live each moment, and to keep pushing forward, rather than getting swallowed up by our problems. A great reminder, but the film is average at best with nothing standing out as memorable honestly. 5.5/10

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

Daniel Kaluuya & LaKeith Stanfield are 2 of the finest actors working in Hollywood today and they continue to pad their already impressive resumes. JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH tells the story of Fred Hampton (Kaluuya), the chairman of the Chicago chapter of the Black Panther Party. Stanfield plays Bill O'Neal, a petty car thief who gets busted by the police and for the promise of his freedom, infiltrates the Black Panther's and becomes an informant for the FBI. I hate the term "this film is timely" but in this situation it's actually true. The events depicted during the 1960's practically mirror the events of today. Kaluuya is fiery as the activist Hampton, who wants to bring war against the police, the US government, and fight inequality with every ounce of his being. Stanfield plays the role of the swindler, who goes along enough just to save his tail and satisfy his keepers. Wonderful performances by both but I must also note that Martin Sheen's makeup for the role of J. Edgar Hoover, was unnecessarily over-the-top. 6.5/10

I will check it out..

👌 Let me know what you think after you've watched it.

Yes, will do...... did not get to see it yet.

No worries and no rush. I rewatched SAINT MAUD a second time yesterday because of how blown away I was after the first viewing and it still holds up. Gonna revisit THE LITTLE THINGS as well as JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH hopefully here in the next few weeks. All very good movies and might as well see them again since I can get them on HBO Max.

NOMADLAND

NOMADLAND stars Frances McDormand as Fern, a widower nearing retirement who can't make ends meet by taking early social security. She lived in Empire, Nevada with her husband until 2011, where the film begins, until his death and the closing of the plant. Fern works odd end and seasonal jobs while traveling to support herself. She lives in her van and travels around the country from Nevada, to Arizona, to South Dakota, and California. At first, with this being so close to the market collapse of 2008, the viewer may believe this is a film dealing with classism in America and the capitalistic exploitation of its workers; however, that notion is quickly dispelled as we follow Fern and her friends from community to community. It's actually a very touching tale about these communities that society has forgotten about. It's very much a commune where individuals band together like family members, are welcomed and invited, and help each other survive. It also explores the hurdles some of these individuals must overcome in order to do the most mundane of tasks, like getting a flat tire fixed and other inconveniences that we take for granted but is a real struggle for them. McDormand brings a lot of life to Fern and while her performance does stand out, it isn't her best work and even if she's nominated for an Oscar, I'd be surprised if she won for this performance. Other than that, there's nothing much else here. 5/10

Great review i12, my wife did not like this movie much but I loved it.

I thought it was a great view into the lives of these people.

I gave this a high score of 7.5

I keep teasing my wife that I cannot wait for Nomad Land 2....she just says, "oh dear God"
LoL

We found a really good flick we both loved yesterday, try to catch it if you can...its on Netflix 2020

PENGUIN BLOOM

I gave this a 7/10

To each their own. I'm glad you liked it. Were you ever able to track down SAINT MAUD yet?

Not sure I've heard of this. What's it about? I do love Naomi Watts!

I gotta tell ya i12....this movie was awesome..

Very nice family in Australia get a horrible turn of events after the Mother has a freak accident while on vacation.
One of the kids blames himself.

This bird enters into the family and turns things around.

Its a true story and was a well received book brought to the screen.

Try it out.

Thanks for the recommendation DP. Got a lot of things at the moment on the watch list but I'll have to add it.

No, did not find St. Maud yet.

THE SILENT PARTNER (1978)

Miles Cullen (Elliott Gould), a seemingly nerdy clerk in a Toronto bank, has his Inner Crook awakened when he spots Reikle (Christopher Plummer), a department store Santa, casing the bank when big depositors come in. Cullen stashes $50k in his lunchbox and, when Reikle pulls off the heist, he turns over a few hundred bucks from the drawer, and tells the cops that the "Santa" made off with the $50k. Reikle knows Cullen tricked him, and comes after him, but soon discovers that Cullen is a lot more clever than he seems.

This is not a great heist movie, but the cat-and-mouse machinations are entertaining. Plummer, a talented and versatile actor, is good as the sadistic Reikle. Gould, who is neither, is adequate as Cullen. The best performance is by Susannah York as Cullen's sometimes romantic interest.

TOM & JERRY

The live action debut for the duo who have been around for decades. The film follows Tom & Jerry who are up to their old antics in one of New York's oldest and most prestigious hotels, the Royal Gate. The film is supposed to be an origin story, but doesn't really seem like one as the back-and-forth between the characters picks up right from the start, leading the audience to believe these two are already familiar with each other. Chloë Grace Moretz stars as Kayla, a part-time worker at the hotel, who's made it her mission to rid the hotel of Jerry by employing Tom. I like Moretz as an actress, and while this is a safe film for her, she's so much better than this. She's better as the bad ass, with a chip on her shoulder kinda girl. I appreciate her attempt to expand her range, but not in a PG Tom & Jerry movie. Most of the film she tugs at her uniform that becomes quite distracting as the film progresses. Michael Pena also co-stars as Terence, her immediate supervisor at the hotel who's against her hiring from the beginning. Again, Pena's better than this too and as the runtime continues, it's almost painful at times seeing both actors subjected to this type of film. If you have young ones, this is a film for them. Anyone who enjoyed the characters from their youth and are over the age of 10, this is a hard pass. 4/10

We just saw T & J last night, it was fun background entertainment while I was doing something else.

It was fun and funny.

Good for kids as you mention.

We cannot get LAND to load on streamer but hope to try again later in the week.

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)

This Johh Frankenheimer film created a sensation when it was released at the height of the Cold War. You know the plot: A platoon of GI's in the Korean War are captured by the Commies and brainwashed to create a legend that their despised sergeant, Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey, Eternal Cad) is really a hero who saved their lives. He gets the Medal of Honor, and is returned to the US to his manipulative mother (Angela Lansbury) and his dimwitted, McCarthy-like Senator stepfather (James Gregory). He's a long trigger programmed by the Commies to assassinate a presidential candidate on command from his mom so his stepfather, the VP candidate, can take over and hand the country to the Commies. But, his former commander, Maj. Ben Marko (Frank Sinatra) and other brainwashed GI's, start having bad dreams that reveal what really happened.

This is a nail-biter at times, but it's a bit dated and has several big lapses in logic and sappy moments. Harvey and Sinatra are ok, but the best performances are by Lansbury (really scary) and Gregory (perfect in the dimwit role). Fans of the original TV series "Hawaii Five-O" will recognize repeat bad guys Khigh Dhiegh as the Chinese brain-washer and Albert Poulsen as his Russkie counterpart.

I watched The Green Mile last night with Tom Hanks. Still a excellent film after all these years and one of the films i can always go back to.

ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW (1959)

In this "last American film noir," Burke (Ed Begley), a fallen NYC cop, brings together Slater (Robert Ryan), a redneck ex-con, and Ingram (Harry Belafonte), a gambler in debt to the Mob, to rob a bank in upstate New York. Most of the first half is devoted to building up personal story lines, and it's good for a while, pitting Slater's racism against Ingram's defiance of it. The acting is excellent all around, which you'd expect from Begley and Ryan; and Belafonte, in only his fourth movie and his first against type, is very sharp. (He produced it, forming his own production company.) Shelly Winters and Gloria Grahame, in tangential roles, also are very good. But, this movie. which was obviously partly modeled on the all-time-great "Asphalt Jungle," comes nowhere near it because violates several sacred precepts of film noir: it's too long for the story line; is too talky at times; has an intrusive jazz soundtrack, and has too many time-wasting scenes that director Robert Wise threw in just to make the movie look "artistic. Believe it or not, Richard Bright, "Al Neri" in the Godfather Trilogy, has a small part as a gay pretty boy on the Mob's payroll.

CHAOS WALKING

Peter Parker and Rey team up for this sci-fi adventure that takes place 236 years into the future on a planet called New World. This planet is made up entirely of men, who can hear and see each others thoughts called Noise. Tom Holland plays Todd, who one mundane day comes up Viola (Daisy Ridley) after her ship crashes on his planet and she's the lone survivor (lone female member of the team as well). Quickly, Viola's life is endangered on the planet and Todd takes it upon himself to display his "toxic masculinity" by constantly telling himself to "be a man," so he agrees to protect her. The film plays to man's primal nature: hunter, protector, violent. Whereas women are seen are caring, thoughtful, and rational. Unfortunately, Holland's oogling over Viola the entire movie wears then rather quickly (having never seen a woman before). The studio and producers I'm sure are banking on the star power of Holland and Ridley to bring audiences in and sadly, it might just work. However, this film is all sizzle and no steak. 4/10

COMING 2 AMERICA

The 33-year-old sequel to the 1988 hit brings most of the original cast back: Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall once again play multiple characters, Shari Headley as Lisa, John Amos as Cleo, and James Earl Jones as King Jaffe Joffer amongst others. However, like most sequels that are made today decades after the original, this one is both unwanted and unneeded. The title is somewhat bizarre as about 90% of the film takes place in Africa as opposed to America. Yes, I'm fully aware it's a sequel but COMING 2 AMERICA was the best they could do? The film follows Akeem, who learns from a local witch doctor that he has an illegitimate son in America and must bring him back to Zamunda to be his heir, since Akeem and Lisa have 3 girls and no male heirs of their own. The first film is a classic and one of my favorite Eddie Murphy movies of all-time. It was original and funny, whereas the sequel attempts to recycle the same jokes and the new ones are far and few in-between that fall flat upon delivery. They also ruined whatever positive image fans had of the character of Lisa as she was a strong and outspoken character in the original. Here, she's wasted and thrown behind the scenes with the exception of one outburst. Finally, there's quite a bit of product placement that is just too cringeworthy during every scene. Once again, another needless sequel that nobody asked for that tarnishes the memory of its predecessor. 5/10

I too watched it last night. I watched the first 30 minutes and then fast forwarded through it to watch minutes of what remained. Madonne! What a waste of time, money, and talent. Murphy was his usual ebullient self, but time has taken its toll on him and Hall and some of the others from the original. That original had dignity and was authentically funny. This one? Ohh! To tell the truth, parts of it seemed like a BET production during Black History Month. Wesley Snipes and the whole African "we are thugs" scenes were hugely contrived and lacked any production virtue. Cringeworthy is the right word.