Mauvais Sang (1986)

This French film is also known as "The Night is Young" and "Bad Blood" (in the US) and is a flashy riff on the gangster film.  The director Leos Carax has a definite eye for the cinematic and focuses on that rather than on a believable story.  The two main stars are Juliette Binoche and Denis Lavant who also appear together (as different characters) in the director's "Les Amants du Pont Neuf".  The convoluted tale is about two old crooks -- one of whom is played by Michel Piccoli, a strange sort of role for him -- who are being strongarmed by an American gang to steal a serum for an AIDS-like disease (which is sexually transmitted only when the lovers are not in love!)  They recruit Lavant who is the son of a murdered colleague since he is light-fingered (he is also something of a magician) and he falls for Binoche who is Piccoli's moll despite the age difference; he leaves his previous girlfriend, the motorcycle-riding very young Julie Delpy.  I think the best way of viewing this movie is to forget about the story and try to focus on the poetry of the cinematography; otherwise your response might be uncharitable.

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

I suppose this qualifies as a "chick flick" but more for those women past the first flush of youth.  Diane Lane who has been around for so long that it is hard to believe that she is still relatively young plays a recently-divorced woman who can't seem to find herself.  On a trip to Italy with a gay tour group (too complicated to explain why since she is straight) she purchases a run-down villa on the spur of the moment.  The rest of the film is taken up with the various traumas of its repair, her attempt to find a new love in the wrong place, and her gradual acceptance by her new community.  Lane is a luminous actress and nearly makes all of this rhubarb bearable -- but I can't imagine what a male viewer could find to like in this farrago.

Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

This is another classic and little-seen comedy but one that has been re-made several many times with varying degrees of success.  It is perhaps best known under its original title of "Heaven Can Wait", the 1978 version starring Warren Beatty which I, unlike some critics, find a worthy nod to the original film.  In this one our hero is a prizefighter, played by the debonair Robert Montgomery, who a bumbling heavenly messenger, the inimitable Edward Everett Horton, has taken before his time.  Together with his mentor, the unflappable Claude Rains, they must find a new body for the next 50 years as Montgomery's own has been prematurely cremated.  Is this beginning to sound familiar?

The film won Oscars for best original story and screenplay and was nominated in several other categories as well which is something that none of the re-makes can boast.  However the one annoying bit that has always bugged me about this movie is the extremely phony Brooklynese accent that Montgomery uses in his role -- so out of keeping with his screen persona.  Finally I must mention James Gleason, another recognizeable face from films of this period, who plays Montgomery's fight manager with great aplomb and hysteria mixed.

The Ghost Goes West (1935)

The great director Rene Clair made this trifle for Alexander Korda in England between leaving his native France and trying his hand in Hollywood -- and while I am sure that it is remembered with affection by those fortunate enough to have seen it, I doubt that it is well known today since it's not been broadcast for a good twenty years.  Robert Donat plays the dual role of the cowardly 18th century Scottish lothario who is doomed to haunt the family castle until he avenges the family's honour and his impoverished descendent who reluctantly agrees to sell the old homestead to American nouveau riche entrepreneur, Eugene Pallette (one of the 30's unforgettable character actors).  He demolishes it stone by stone to rebuild it in Florida and this is where the fun begins as the ghost finds himself transported as well. It's all a good-natured dig at American pretensions combined with a charming love story, as Palette's daughter is wooed by both of the Donat characters.  Catch it if ever you can.

The Tao of Steve (2000)

I was beginning to wonder if this film would ever receive a television screening, since although I'd heard good things about it, I didn't feel like buying the DVD (and before you ask, I don't rent them). Anyhow it has finally turned up somewhat after the event and was a pleasant enough eighty-odd minutes -- that's about the right length for most films say I.  For those who do not know the story, it is about an under-achieving, overweight ladies man who claims to have found the perfect formula for wooing the ladies into his bed.  It all has to do with keeping an air of mystery and the personification of cool like McQueen and certain other Steves.  He then finds himself falling for someone he had once bedded and forgotten and realises that his rules will not work in this situation.  Unlike our hero, it was an extremely lightweight movie, but likeable enough.

The World Moves On (1934)

The careful reader of this blog will have worked out that I am a big John Ford fan and number many of his films among my favourites.  There are not many of his sound movies that I have not seen (he also made dozens of silent flicks) and this was one that had eluded me previously.  So why am I sad?  Because it was a big fat disappointment and joins "Mogambo" and "Gideon's Day" as the exceptions that prove the rule. Ford's strengths are his emotional manipulation (I'm sure he would have denied this if asked) and his miraculous use of music (only noticeable here in a small way).  This film feels like it was made by a totally detached director and even the two leads, Franchot Tone and Madeleine Carroll, who are often quite likeable, appear to have no real interest in each other.

The story spans over one hundred years and tells of the Southern family who spread their business interests to England, France and Germany and how they face up to the changes in the world, in particular from the early days of World War I through the stockmarket crash of 1929.  After this, where the family had always been foremost, they now seem to think that only another war will save them. The part that I thought well-done, and this was especially prescient in a film made in 1934, was Ford's visualizing the growing threat of the Nazis in Germany, the fascists in Italy, and the marshaling of the communist forces in Russia. 

Wolf Creek (2005)

This may be the last of my FrightFest reviews (or not, depending on what else is going on), but since it will be released mid-month, I thought I'd best make my comments now.  I believe this Australian flick debuted at Sundance where it was the object of a bidding war -- although I'm not sure why since it is reminiscent of a number of other films. It is apparently based on the true story of the so-called Back-packer killer who preyed on travellers in the 90's; this makes me think of another Australian film, "The Cars that Ate Paris", which was made long before the events outlined here.

Anyhow what we have here are two British gals on holiday who have teamed up with an Australian guy whom they fancy for a camping trip to a National Park in the middle of nowhere.  As in so many other movies, their car breaks down and they accept help from a passing backwoodsman.  Big mistake! This seals their fate and despite some red herrings, one just knows that there is not meant to be any sort of happy ending.  In common with many debut films, the director wastes too much time at the start of the movie detailing their carefree existence before getting down to the nitty-gritty business at hand.

Antibodies (2005)

This German policier directed by Christian Alvert is probably a good half an hour too long but otherwise effectively presented.  It concerns the capture of a serial killer who has perversely slaughtered young boys and his fixation with a country cop who has been trying to solve the mystery of the death of a young girl in his parish.  This crime does not fit the killer's pattern, yet is it clear that there is some connection.  What this is and how another tragedy is only closely averted form the nub of the tale.  I can see an American re-make a la "Insomnia" before I can see this movie getting a UK release, not that I think a US-version would be any more acceptable, except to those who avoid subtitles.

Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005)

I will always go to see anything directed by Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, but it has really been a case of diminishing returns in recent years.  This television movie is the first of a series that he has planned for Italian TV, but the only one that he is directing; I understand it has not yet been seen in Italy.  They are not missing too much as it is little better than acceptable television fodder lacking Argento's visual verve; it does have some nudity, but that doesn't make it any better,

The story concerns a film student who thinks he has uncovered a plot to swap murders a la "Strangers on a Train" and who sticks his nose where it doesn't belong.  There is one major McGuffin to distract the know-it-all viewer, but the only real fun for a film buff is identifying the homage to at least half a dozen other Hitchcock thrillers.

Thunderbirds (2004)

This movie did not set the box office alight and was a rare disaster for Working Title. I'm not surprised, since I have not the foggiest idea of its intended audience -- too scary for young children, too mundane for teenagers, and too stupid for adults.  (I think I said much the same about another film on this site -- probably "Cat in the Hat".)  I even doubt if former fans of the TV series of which I was not one would find much to engage them here.  The best I can say is that the colourful front titles were pleasant and that Sir Ben Kingsley can do villain.  The only bit that amused me was seeing the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square with a big sign reading "Bank of London".  Great.

The Light of India (1925)

Just to prove that I really do attempt all sorts of films, I bring you this one which had a command performance royal showing at Windsor Castle in 1926.  The whole film was shot in India with authentic settings, costumes and props under the generous auspices of the Maharajah of Jaipur. It is basically the story of Prince Gautama who became the Buddha.  All his life he was protected from evil, sickness and ugliness, but on finding that such things exist, he cast aside his wealth for a life of poverty and the attempt to bring hope to mankind. Nicely shot but a little slow and primitive, this is about as far as one can travel from the FrightFest weekend.

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)

Of all the FrightFest offerings, this was the movie that I most wanted to see since I am unlikely to ever have another opportunity of seeing it in a cinema.  The reason for this is that it was shelved by Warner Brothers as not being scary enough and the powers that be then brought in Renny Harlin, who is little better than a hack-director of late, to rewrite and reshoot the film which was released in 2004 as "Exorcist: The Beginning".  I have not yet had the misfortune to view this one, but I understand it is very poor indeed and it was a complete bomb at the box office.

If Warner Brothers knew what they were doing in the first place, they would never have hired a cerebral talent like Paul Schrader. The film he made may not be super-scary, but it has its moments of terror and is very professionally shot and mounted.  Stellan Skarsgard plays the younger Father Merrin (the Von Sydow character from the original) in the years following World War II when he has lost his faith; he is working on an archeological dig in British East Africa where he meets the satanic presence that will follow him throughout his days.  The movie is out on DVD in North America and hopefully will be available here in due course.  It is certainly worth seeking out.

More FrightFest reviews to follow over the next few days.