A Victorian Farewell To July!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                       Seven months have just gone by.  And this month seemed to fly faster than the others.

                         A heat wave--two, actually--two summer colds, a colonoscopy--which came out OK--and an obsession with seeing movies that by this age I should have already seen.

                          Yes, July was both an exciting and challenging month.  I am always glad of the support I get from my readers, as well as all my friends here--David, Baby Gojira, Little Pippin, and Cucumbo.

                           To think tomorrow is August 1st already.  Before you know it, Proserpina will be packing to return to Hell.  That always makes me sad, but I will have more say on the day tomorrow.

                              Meanwhile thank you for the fun and warmth you brought us, July.  Seven down, and five to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   See you next month, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, My God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Girls, Look What They Are Making A Musical Of!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Award-winning playwright Lynn Nottage and renowned composer and lyricist John Legend are combining talents to present a musical adaptation of the Fannie Hurst classic, "Imitation Of Life."  The question is, how are they going to do it????????????

                                                 First of all, it is a limited run, from November 21 to January 3.

                                                 How in hell will they do this story today?  Will the daughter have a pink princess phone?  Will the Lana Turner character be an actress.

                                                   And what about Annie Johnson and her daughter Sarah Jane, who can pass for white?  How will this be treated?  Will it?  Or will there be something different, like maybe Sarah Jane going trans.

                                                      The show is not being presented on Broadway, but Off-Broadway at  The Shed, located at 545 West 30th Street.  Will it move from there?  Only time will tell.

                                                      My advice to you, girls, is to watch the 1959 version as soon as you can.  Because there will be no Mahalia Jackson and a too late repentant Sarah Jane throwing herself on her mother's coffin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   This is the real thing, so see it.

                                                       Ironically, this vehicle so far is the most potentially exciting offering of the new theater season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                         I can't wait to tell you girls about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                        

                                                   

                                            '        

We All Want To See "Wild Inside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                          This documentary, directed by Penny Lane--yes, that is her name--is for lovers of Flaco, the owl whose quest for freedom captured the hearts of just about everyone in the tri state area, and more.

                                           Flaco escaped from his Central Park cage on February 2, 2023.  Someone had left the door open, and Flaco made a bid for freedom.  To this day, the person responsible for Flaco's escape has never been found or come forward.

                                             With his proud, sophisticated stance, and New York determination, Flaco and his adventures captivated me right away.  I kept hoping he would fly out to Bay Ridge and perch on the windows of our apartment.  But Flaco, a sophisticate, understandably preferred the Upper East Side, though he did make it down to the East Village.  He definitely was partial to the East, rather than the West Side.

                                                 I don't know if the filmmaker was able to get an interview with Flaco--I would have loved to have heard his comments on our city!!!!!!!!!!--but, as he is the star, he gets about as much screen time as BARBRA did in "Funny Girl."

                                                    May this film find a distributor.  It was screened the other night in either Central or Bryant Park and was a big hit.  Actually, I just found out that it is opening today at the IFC Center, and so we can all go and see Flaco on screen ourselves.

                                                      Flaco will always remain in our hearts, and now he will be immortalized on screen.

                                                       Go, Flaco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                

Gene Tierney As A Psycho Narcissist???????????? Darlings, You Have GOT To See "Leave Her To Heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                                                    

                                  Having seen this film awhile ago, I had forgotten how good it was.

                                  Long before Glenn Close was born, long before anyone ever heard of Alex Forrest, there was Gene Tierney as Ellen Berent, and what a piece of work she is.  Of course, when you look as stunning as Gene Tierney--and who wouldn't want to look like this, girls????????--you can get away with almost anyth9ng.

                                      The funny thing is Ellen's mother, played by Mary Phillips and her adopted sister, played by Jeanne Crain, seem to have Ellen's number but think nothing of warning Cornell Wilde, who gets trapped in her web.  Mrs. Berent, Ellen's mother, says her problem is "Ellen loves too much."  That is the picture's understatement.  She gloms on to men and psychologically, if not physically, sucks them dry, like a black widow spider.

                                          This was a daring film to present to a 1945 audience, but it must have worked, because it earned Tierney her only Oscar nomination.  She lost to Joan Crawford in "Mildred Pierce, another film that has GOT to be dealt with on here!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            But there is another star besides Gene Tierney in the film, and that is the rich color cinematography of Leon Shamroy.  He was one of the top cinematographers at Twentieth, and he personally photographed Jennifer Jones' screen test for "The Song Of Bernadette," as well as having been married to one of that film's co-stars, Mary Anderson.  See?  It all comes back to 'Bernadette.'

                                                The outdoor scenes of the lake are breathtaking, and the carefully lit interiors highlight each mood of the story.  John M. Stahl's direction saves this from being sheer camp, but he does not manage to restrain Vincent Price, who, as Russel Quinton, Ellen's ex, and now an attorney, overacts all over the place in a courtroom scene unlike any on "Law And Order."

                                                    Otherwise, Stahl has done a marvelous examination of a troubled woman, and the consequences thereof, which include two children being murdered.  Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                        But that title, "Leave Her To Heaven" is questionable.  Heaven has no place for Ellen Berent.  Satan is roasting a spit in Hell just for her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                           Oh, girls, don't be Ellen Berent, but let's all try to get our hair and wardrobe like Gene Tierney here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       

Girls, You Have GOT To See "Brief Encounter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

                                  I first saw this film on TV, Channel 13, and a lot of its subtlety evaded me.  For instance, I had forgotten the film is an extended flashback, and that the ending, and its poignant final line is ambiguous--does Fred know about Laura's minute indiscretion, or doesn't he?  I always believed he did not.

                                   Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson are Alec Harvey and Laura Jesson, who meet in a train station tea cafe--and who continue to do so weekly for a period of time, coming to know each other in a way that would not be the same with their spouses.

                                     But though there is a move toward intimacy, nothing happens, because both, Laura especially, are decent, morally right members of the British middle class who would rather face pain than hurt the ones they love.  And good for them.

                                       Celia Johnson gives what is perhaps the signature performance4 of her career.  Her facial transitions say more about what Laura is feeling and thinking than most of the dialogue, though, by Noel Coward, it is as good as can be.  Trevor Howard is achingly heartbreaking as Alec Harvey, a doctor and their final parting had me weeping.  Oh, hons, this is a real tearjerker.

                                          I am so glad I had a second chance to see "Brief Encounter."

                                          If not one of the ten best romantic films ever made, at least in the top five, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           And David Lean demonstrates he can direct more than epics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         

So Much Fun, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         The best laid film plans went awry this weekend.  First, I was all set to have us watch the A-list 1957 adaptation of "Peyton Place," with Lana Turner and Hope Lange!  Dinner plans curtailed that for Saturday, so we decided to watch it on Sunday evening.  With Baby Gojira and Kerwyn present.  But, as it turned out, only 26 minutes of the 157-minute film were actually recorded.

                                            So, we had no choice but to watch the planned alternative, 1977's "The Turning Point," with Anne Bancroft and Shirley Maclaine.  The year 1977 was a strong year for films, and while this was nominated for 11 Oscars, and in a lesser year may have picked up a few, it was completely shut out.

                                              Not that it can't be enjoyed.  This may not be the masterwork that "The Red Shoes" is but there is much pleasure to derive from it.

                                                 Having not seen it for so long, I had forgotten my favorite Anne Bancroft line.  After bitchy company director Adelaide (Martha Scott) suggests to Emma (Bancroft) that she could "stage" "Sleeping Beauty" next season, Bancroft slowly rises, and blithely says, "I really must do something about my face!"

                                                     Oh, girls, how many times have we used that one?  And how many times was it the truth???????????????

                                                      Then there is Lesley Brown's (as Shrley Maclaine's daughter Emilia) drunk scene, which is hilarious.

                                                        Capped off by the catfight of all catfights atop the roof of the ballet theater.  I love it, and so do all us queens!  Because even Bancroft and Maclaine could not keep a straight face during the filming of it!!!!!!!!!!  I love when Bancroft throws her purse at Maclaine, yelling "You bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                            Sure, some serious topics are tackled--the world of dance versus the world of reality, the sacrifices one must make for art, the need to be driven, relationships between parents and children, friends and rivals, and Antoinette Sibley just steals the show as Sevilla!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                              "The Turning Point" is hilarious, artistic fun!  Who steals the show from whom in this one, hum, darlings?????????????????????????????????

                                                                Now, if you will excuse me, "I really must do soemthing about my face!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                              

She Has Some "Clouds In Her Coffee, Clouds In Her Coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                           No, girls, Carly Simon is still alive, thank God, but she is facing, at 83, some horrible situations.

                           She has been diagnosed with and under care for Parkinson's Disease, as well as undergoing surgery for basal cell carcinoma on her face, both ills leaving her to lead a now reclusive lifestyle.

                          Oh, Carly, thank you for getting us all through broken relationships by recording "You're So Vain," which acted as a catharsis to many of us during those times.

                            This is a sad day for those of us fond of Carly, but Carly is determined to deal with everything as strong as she can.  The creative energy she once put into her music is being put into her health.  Which could bring Carly back to the music.

                                So, let's all send out our special get well wishes to Carly Simon.

                               "Nobody Does It Better," darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Tokyo Story" Is Beautiful And Haunting, But Not The Devastating Experience I Was Expecting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Among cineastes, it is fairly common knowledge that this film's director, Yasujiro Ozu, was inspired by Leo McCarey's 1937 Hollywood film, "Make Way For Tomorrow."  I saw that film when young, and to this day could never view it again.  For years, when I heard "Tokyo Story" was a Japanese version of the McCarey film, I avoided it all these years.

                                       But, inspired by age to catch up on films I am embarrassed not to have seen, I watched "Tokyo Story" yesterday, and was surprised to find that I would gladly view this film again, if given the opportunity to see it on the big screen.

                                         An elderly couple living in a distant suburb outside Tokyo, decide to travel to the big city to see their children, who never come to see them.  That, and the indecision about what to do with their parents once they are there, call up comparisons to "Make Way For Tomorrow."  However, the children in this film, while self-absorbed, are not the selfish, cruel monsters they are in "Make Way For Tomorrow."    They even send the parents on a trip to a gorgeous spa, where a walk along a wall results not only in a beautiful camera shot, but the foreshadowing to come.

                                          The separation in "Make Way For Tomorrow" was forced on the couple by their children, when the only daughter living on the West Coast, agrees to take the father.  When the couple part at the train station, the viewer knows, sadly they're seeing each other for the last time.  Death is more present in "Tokyo Story," when the mother dies, but does so with all her children around them and given a beautiful memorial service.

                                             The film, through the parents, talk about parent and child expectations, or the lack thereof, how the elderly become invisible with change, and how the cinematography uses recurring images of smoking sky high tower chimneys, ancient pagodas, and trains recurrently passing over the tracks to highlight social change.   Imagery is key in foreign films, and these plus the geometric patterns and panels of business buildings and personal residences give the film a visual beauty unique to its nation's culture.

                                              The parents are played by So Yamamura and Cheiko Higashiyama.  They are moving and touching, and so is Setsuko Hara as daughter-in-law Noriko, widow of their dead son, and the only really kind person to them, though as the father says, "not even a blood relative."

                                                So, yes, "Tokyo Story" is a form of "Make Way For Tomorrow," but if I may be so bold as to state it, America is still cruel toward the aged, while the Japanese revere them in a more loving way.

                                                 I urge you to see "Tokyo Story." It is warm and moving, but not emotionally crippling.

                                                  And what does that say about cultural differences?????????????????

                                                

Don't Let This Movie Make A Monkey Out Of You, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    My equally movie knowledgeable friend Chris, and I, talked about seeing this in the theater.  Chris, dear, I am here to tell you how lucky we were that we did not.

                                       Because we got home late from our dinner, which was an experience in itself, we could not watch the movie I had planned on viewing.  That film will be screened tonight and written about in the forthcoming week.

                                        So last night, because it was short enough to be on time to watch The Eleven O' Clock News on Channel 2, we watched "Primate."

                                          Now, older viewers will remember the name Ben used for the lethal rat in both 1971's "Willard," and its sequel.  I will not even TALK about the 2003 remake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           What "Primate" actually turns out to be is a feature length expansion of the sequence in Disney's "Old Yeller," where Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran had to shoot the beloved pet they once loved, who is now a rabid monster.

                                             Ben is turned into a rabid monster, when he is bitten by a mongoose, in Hawaii, yet, but without the build-up of warmth and love that made so many of us cry at the climax of "Old Yeller."  I was so done with this movie before it ended, girls, that, much as I love animals, I could not wait to see the monkey get beaten over the head.  Or electrocuted. Or anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                Besides, Old Yeller was a real dog.  So was Toto.  Ben here is just some CGI manufactured thing, so who cares?

                                                 He becomes rabid within minutes and goes on a rampage.  I was fascinated for his fascination in wanting to pull people's faces apart by removing the jawline and their mouths!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Perhaps he was overdue for a dental appointment.

                                                  The problem with "Primate" is that it took itself too seriously.  I was hoping for a delicious camp romp that would make me laugh.  Instead, my mouth hung open at the sheer stupidity.

                                                   Troy Kotsur, who played the deaf father in the 2021 A list film "CODA," here is cast as a deaf scientist.  He is barely in the film, and his role is thankless, but when one is a deaf actor, I suppose you have to take what is out there.

                                                     Rumor has it that both Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep turned this one down!  I do not blame them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                      Monkey see, monkey do!  Do NOT watch "Primate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                    

Charles Dickens Created Scrooge!!!!!!!!!!!!! But Did Anyone Really Ever Name A Child Ebenezer??????????????????????????

                                                                               

                                The first picture is a Victorian representation of the Alaistair Sim Scrooge, from 1951, still the best live action version of the story.  The second is "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol," which is truly second best!

                                    But that first name--Ebenezer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Where, beside this story, have you heard the name?  Certainly not in this day and age, and when grade school kids are old enough to catch on, anyone with the name would endure merciless teasing.  

                                     I am beginning to wonder if the first name was also created by Charles Dickens.  Having read my way through his works, the Brontes, George Eliot and Jane Austen, I cannot find the name anywhere else.  Nor in Thomas Hardy or Henry James.

                                      So, I have come to accept the name Ebenezer as a dramatic conceit.

                                      If anyone can show further example, then come forward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

                                      And remember, in Winter, to take your gruel, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!                                                

For Darren McGavin And Carl Kolchak Fans Only!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Really, darlings, if you have never seen it, or are fans of the above there is no other reason to tune in to "Svengoolie's" screening of the 1972 film "The Night Stalker."

                                            David and I had planned to watch something else, which I was saving as a surprise, but now, with questionable dinner plans in play, that takes care of that.  Oh, David said we could watch tomorrow, but, as Baby Gojira will be the first to tell you, without our Saturday movie the weeknight is just not the same!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Besides, we saw this the last time it was shown and once was quite enough for me.  We may even have seen the follow up, "The Night Strangler."

                                               I am happy this did something for Darren McGavin's career, but it did absolutely nothing for me.

                                               Still, I almost would trade it in for the questionable dinner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Watching Fellini's "8 1/2" Is Like Staring At A Renaissance Master Painting In Motion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                

                          The beauty of this film cannot be overestimated.  Let us start with the color white and how it is used--in the fabric of women's garments, the tables and chairs in the nightclub scenes, the pure cleanness of the spa, with its crucifix like cross to remind us that this is definitely a Catholic film, but one that dares to question the very nature of Catholicism.

                             And the women--Claudia Cardinale, Anouke Aimee, Barbara Steele--yes! --and Eddra Gale, who, as prostitute by the sea Saraghina, steals the show!  The whole question of the morality of the boys visiting her just to dance, with the ocean as a stunning backdrop asks the question of Catholicism how something so innocent and beautiful could be so immoral.  I have to hand it to Fellini for taking on these issues.

                             One surprise of the film is that the viewer gains insight into the type of film Guido (Marcello at his most Mastroianni) is going to make--a dystopian sci-fi epic with a launching pad set worthy of a surreal production of Sondheim's "Company."

                               It comes as no surprise that Piero Gheradi's costumes won the Oscar for Best Black And White Costume Design for 1963.   And the film won Best Foreign Film.

                               To think when I was a child such films were considered "dirty."  The visuals, and Fellin's use of geometrics and textures is inspired, as is his use of women--not just anorexic looking models, but plus sized, curvy ones.

                                While there are some sad moments--Guido and Lusa, Guido and his parents--the film literally ends as a circular celebration of life.  I cannot wait to see this on the screen.

                                    Those having never seen it at all, like me, it is time you did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where Are The Big Literary Events Of The Year?????????????????????????????????

                                                                              

                         I am talking about books that readers like me would instantly dash to their home bookstore to pick up a copy in hardback.  Take Jonathan Franzen and Donna Tartt.  Oh, I am sure they are working, but, guys, when are we going to see something?  Tartt has not published anything since "The Goldfinch" in 2013, while Franzen's "Crossroads," published in 2021, promised readers a trilogy, of which this was the first volume.  So, where are the other two, Jonathan??????????

                          What would Charles Dickens say?  And, Donna, I know, like me, you are a devoted Dickensian.  So, chop chop!  Give us readers something worth reading.  Haven't we waited long enough?

                             And Jonathan, you may be dreamy, but dreaminess alone does not satisfy the reader!

                             Last year was a bad book year.  And I fear this one is shaping up to be another!

                            Bring on the literary events--even some surprises!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          

Coming Next Week--The Raving Queen's Criterion Closet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

       

                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Yes, girls, I finally have assembled all the DVDs I compiled for my "Gay Film" list, so beginning next week, I will be watching and posting.

                          Though some words are in order.  I do not expect anyone to agree completely, or at all, with the list; these are just the most formative films of my youth, and the choices that came to me easily.

Others may have included "The Children's Hour," "Brokeback Mountain," "The Boys In The Band," "The Killing Of Sister George," or "Death In Vencie," and they would not be wrong.  But since I am limiting the list to ten films, I am going with what I have assembled, and they will be announced as I post after my viewing of them.

                            One more thing.  The films selected are not in any rank or order except the year in which they were made.  I can tell you this much--the years span from 1938 to 1937

                          Girls, think of how much fun this will be.  I want to hear your choices too; if one of them is something I have not seen, it may drive me to watch.  I have resigned myself to not reading every book out there, but even for a fast reader like me, a film is quicker to watch.  So, I stand a greater chance of catching up on movies I want to.

                            The klieg lights are up, darlings!  So, look for my closet posts starting next week.

                             As I bring these films out of the closet and into the light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              

Girls, Isn't This A Great Shot?????????????????????????

                         Look at that lighting, that blocking, that camerawork--this is the mark of great filmmaking, darlings, and this shot is from a little-known RKO thriller that deserves more recognition. The film is called "The Window;" it was shot in 1947 but released in 1949.  Pictured are child star Bobby Driscoll, who won a Juvenile Oscar for his performance, and an actress we all love, Ruth Roman, young, and in one of her sinister roles.

                             Ah, the tragedy of Bobby, whose body was found amidst a pile of rubble in the East Village on March 30, 1968.  Talk about Fantine.  I don't think his body was identified for a long time.  The body, I believe was first interred in an unmarked, or Potter's, grave.

                            "The Window" was Bobby's golden glory. Directed by Ted Tetzltaff, who should have received more recognition after the superb job he did on this film, the story is based on Cornell Woolrich's "The Boy Cried Murder," a variation on "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."

                                Tommy Woodry (Driscoll) lives with his working parents (Arthur Kennedy and Barbara Hale) in a Lower East Side tenement apartment in the late 1940's.  Upstairs above live Joe and Jean Kellerson (Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman) who, if you met them in the hall, would appear to be lovely people, but in reality, are nothing but a pair of grifters who are not above committing murder, and who would do Sante and Kenneth Kimes proud.

                                  Murder is what sets the film in motion.  Before there was air conditioning, or maybe even window fans, people in the Summer used to sleep out on their fire escapes.  Which is what Tommy Woodry does.  Much to his misfortune, he awakens to a light and noise coming from the Kellesons' apartment above.  He sneaks a peak and sees Mrs. Kellerson, all dolled up like a prostitute, which she probably is, with her husband's approval--pretty heady stuff for the 1940s--try to sneak money from a sailor whom she has gotten drunk.  The sailor awakens, realizes what is happening, and attacks Mr. Kellerson, as his wife grabs a pair of scissors, stabbing the sailor in the back, killing him.

                                    One can almost guess what happens next.  Tommy tells his parents, they do not believe him, the Kellersons get wind of it, and next thing they are after him.  To reveal more would ruin the film, but the performances are all award caliber, and it is a shame Stewart and Roman were not recognized for their work here.

                                      But the shot above carries a warning. Even if you are not a nine-year old boy, but you see a young Ruth Roman standing on your outside apartment fire escape looking in at you, don't hesitate--RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Head for the hills, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, Girls, I Am Back From My Colonoscopy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      I thought this was the cutest and most tasteful way of conveying this message.  Not as annoying as Cologuard, or those droplets of urine and poop.

                                        Oh, hons, did my body get a workout on Tuesday.  Even with the lemon flavor the taste of the solution was unctuous.  Thank God for being allowed to drink Gatorade and coffee, because both helped.  Without them, I might have vomited.

                                           The procedure was faster than I thought.  The room began spinning once the IV fluid was in me, and my last thought was "The Wizard Of Oz," before coming to back in my bed spot, the procedure all done.  And nothing found!  So, I don't have to come back for five more years, or 1,825 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But when does it stop?

                                                Anyway, nothing to really worry about till January when I may be facing ongoing cataract surgery.

                                                But we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

                                               Or, as Scarlett O'Hara would say, "I'll think about that tomorrow."

                                           

Girls, Can You Believe It Took Me This Long To See "Targets????????????????????????????"

                                     I had heard about "Targets" for years.  It was the remarkable debut of a promising then new director named Peteer Bogdanovich.  He went on to do "The Last Picture Show," in 1971, and then "Paper Moon," in 1973.  After that his career imploded.  What a sad end to such talent.

                                      "Targets" surprised me in several ways.  I had always imagined it was shot in black-and-white, but it was not.  Also, I had thought there would have been more of an interaction between Bobby, the killer, and Byron Orlock, the horror star played brilliantly by Boris Karloff in what was his final film role.  What a way to go out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Based on the Charles Whitman 1966 University of Texas shooting, the film shows Bobby evolving from having "funny ideas" into a full-fledged mass shooter.  The title is so apt, because the viewer sees him lining up his shots--as targets.  He starts with his family, then goes on to kill anyone he can.  It is chilling and disturbing to watch; it must have been in 1968, but you can bet this did not show up at any theaters in New Brunswick, New Jersey, back then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       What is even more chilling about "Targets" is its prescience, for who could have, then foreseen, Columbine, Sandy Hook, and the Virginia Tech shootings?  And the wheel keeps going, spewing out more victims, while some arcane laws do not allow for accountability or still fail to take these incidents seriously.  And how about gun control?

                                          Bobby, played by Tim O'Kelly, may be a serial killer on the make, but he is so amateurish, leaving an entire arsenal of guns atop the gas tower he poses during the day while committing his atrocities.  But it is the fall of night, the seediness of Los Angles, and the terror that can erupt in a seedy L.A. drive-in that Bogdanovich and his cinematographer, the talented Laslo Kovacs, capture so well.  The final dissolving shot is just brilliant and says it all.

                                             "Targets" is a must for those who take cinema seriously.  But it also demonstrates that as used to as we seem to be to such incidents, this film still has the power to unnerve.

                                                  Don't miss it, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I Had Gone Into Show Business, I Might Have Ended Up Like This!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                

                               That's right, girls!  Singing in a sleazy Atlantic City night club in New Jersey, drinking in between performances, and talking to anyone who will listen, like Dorothy Comignore as Susan Alexander in "Citizen Kane."  The movie makes it look fascinating but is it really?  What does Susan have now, compared to what she had?  At least she does not have to do jigsaw puzzles anymore!

                              Or I could be in some sleazy Manhattan night club, straddling the piano in a glamorous thirties gown, and singing "I'm Just A Black Sheep Who's Blue," like Dorothy Dell as Bangles Carson in "Little Miss Marker."

                                Some choices, huh?  Maybe it is a good thing I did not go into show business.

                               Oh, honey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               "Why don't you come and take me away from it all??I'm just a black sheep who's blue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I Will Not Be Here For The Next Several Days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                Like the sign says, I am having a colonoscopy on Wednesday, so I will be off this blog for some time.  I don't want to do it, but it is that time.  Tomorrow is the prep, which is still horrible: God grant me the strength to get through it. Then Wednesday I go and have the procedure.

                                    So much fear and things to worry about.  And yet I must go through this.  I would honestly rather do this than the alternative.

                                       May I return to write more about interesting items, new movies yet to be seen, and books having been and being read.  And anything else that should come up.

                                         Wish me luck, girls!  I will report on what happens when I return!

                                           "Oh, Mommy, Mommy, don't let the hurt me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                          Heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllppppppppppppppp   meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Finally Saw "The Third Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

                         The above shot has been famous to me for years, ever since I saw footage from this film used in Peter Jackson's 1994 film, "Heavenly Creatures," a film I need to see again.

                             The teen girls in that film, a young Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynsey are obsessed with this film and go to see it constantly.  I can understand their obsession for this film, but not the reasons behind it.

                                Every frame in this masterpiece is pure gold.  So much so that, while Carol Reed gets directorial credit, I have to wonder if Orson Welles himself had a hand in its making.  So many of the shots rival what Welles did in some of his films.

                                  Welles is a mystery figure who does not appear till midway through the film, revealed by a cute cat.  Alida Valli is attractive and haunting as Anna, who loves Harry Lime in spite of his singular negative qualities.  Same with Joseph Cotten, who once again proves himself to be Hollywood's most underrated actor.  I must admit I prefer Valli in the role of the repressed lesbian recruiting young girls in "Les Yeux Sans Visage."

                                      Everything I have heard about this film is true--the footage in the sewers, the haunting amusement park, that iconic Ferris wheel, and the ride Lime and pulp novelist Holly Martine (Cotten) take on that Ferris wheel.  The images in this film are stunning, the plot striking, and it all came from the pen of Graham Creene.

                                        But it took Carol Reed and who knows who else to get it all on film.  Cinema is much better for it, since it can be looked at again and again.

                                          If you have seen it, you get what am I saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         If you have not, then what are you waiting for??????????????

                                       

Darlings, There Are Two Good Reasons To Watch "Swamp Thing" Tonight! And Both Are Adrienne Barbeau!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Adrienne has been famous for her "assets" for decades.  So, you can bet Baby Gojira is really excited that "Svengoolie" is showing "Swamp Thing" tonight at 8PM.

                                       The monster is actually a metaphor for the state of Florida, the people who live there, and what the state has become--or always was--in general.

                                          To think Adrienne was the original Betty Rizzo in "Grease."  Who could have been more perfect?  How I would have loved to have seen that performance.  Stockard Channing, indeed!  Are you kidding????????????????

                                               First time I can remember being more excited about a cast member than monster in one of "Svengoolie's" films.  Oh, I forgot, tonight The Sven Squad is hosting this movie, and while I think it will be perfect for them, with Adrienne getting lots of attention, they could easily have hosted and livened up last week's clunker, "Village Of The Giants."

                                                  This is a screening not to be missed.  The morning after, girls will be stuffing their bras so they can look the size of Adrienne!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     Believe me, chests do get you someplace in this business, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, My God, That Norine Schmittlapp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                       Just days after posting on the passing of Joanna Petet, I had a dream last night about the movie "The Group."  In the dream, my mother was telling me I could not see it, and I told her I was because I wanted to go to Vassar and become one of "The Group"--specifically Libby, the high-powered literary agent, played by Jessica Walter, with just a foreshadowing of Evelyn Draper.

                        This was just a dream, but in reality, when the film was coming to the Albany Theatre in New Brunswick, back in 1966, my mother took me to see something I cannot recall, but I saw coming attractions of "The Group."  Oh, my God, darlings, when I saw the scene of Joanna Petet as Kay locked in the closet and screaming, I shouted to my mother, "I want to see this!"   Of course, my plea fell on deaf ears.

                         But, girls, there is so much you can learn from "The Group."  Like the clinical details of intercourse, pessary fittings and breast feeding.  How to wear a sanitary belt, what books to read, and stop acting like a Bohemian tramp like Norine, played by Carrie Nye, who was ousted by "The Group," and, embittered, tries to take Harald from Kay.

                          I mean, girls, the book and movie are just a primer for adult development.

                        But that Norine!  You really have to watch out for her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                         And all Norines out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is This The Greatest Funeral Scene In Film History??????????????????????

                      It may be, darlings, but actually I prefer the one in 1965's "Doctor Zhivago."  It comes early on, and is a haunting, poetic with music and choral singing and a superb sense of viewing death from the eyes of a child.

                      Now, the above, is from Douglas Sirk's 1959 redo of "Imitation Of Life," one example where the remake becomes the definitive version.  Annie Johnson, played by the great Juanita Moore, has sacrificed her life for her daughter, Sarah Jane Johnson, so she can pass for white.  This, after the child from an early age, disses her and breaks her heart.  Well, Annie dies of that broken heart, but what no one knows is she has been putting money away so she can have the funeral of funerals. 

                     And does she ever!  Oh, my God, girls, marching bands, pounding drums, trumpets everywhere, and the voice of the great Mahalia Jaackson singing "Trouble In The World," as the biggest hearse in history carries Annie's coffin down the main street of the town.

                      But, wait!  The whole thing is capped by a now repentant Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner, who received an Oscar nomination) weeping and wailing alongside her mother's coffin, expressing sorrow now for the way she treated her mother.  Too little too late, Missy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                        Lana Turner, who plays a glamorous stage actress, and Sandre Dee, playing her entitled blonde daughter with the pink princess phone I always wanted, pull Sarah Jane in the car with them.  They should have left her on the street, for how she treated her mother.  Breaking her heart, killing her by running off to Vegas to become a cheap showgirl!  Not even I did that, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          Great or not, this funeral scene has to be seen to be believed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                         Like the song in "Chicago" says, "If you're good to Mama, Mama is good to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Darlings, Would You Believe It Took Me 71 Years To See This Movie?????????????????????????

                          All this relates to my film project, which is ultimately catching up on movies I have yet to see because of my fear of cataract surgery.  I had just re-read the Agatha Christie novel, after a string of highbrow fiction.  I needed something light and frothy and this work delivers.  I think it is Dame Agatha's best.

                           Now, for years, girls, I had heard about Rene Clair's 1945 film version of this story, which was famous for his direction and a wonderful cast.  The cast is indeed wonderful but let me voice my first reservation; though Clair's direction is adept enough, too often this film is played for wit, like a British drawing room comedy.  I think the film would have been better served had it been directed by Alfred Hitchcock.  He may have been wanted, and may have wanted to do it, but don't forget he was still under contract to David O. Selznick, who kept him on a short leash.  Also, since Twentieth Century-Fox made the film, and given June Duprez' startling resemblance, couldn't they have had her role played by Gene Tierney??????????????????

                                The plot remains the same.  Ten unknown people are invited to a remote island by an injustice collector who wants to mete out the justice he/she thinks they deserve. One by one, the guests are killed off in mysterious, unsolvable ways.  Now, the film is faithful to the book, up to a point.  But there is a part which it disengages.

                                 Everyone in the novel is killed, including the perpetrator.  In the film, the two lovers--Louis Hayward and June Duprez, escape, while the alleged killer hints at suicide, but disappears, so does he really die or not?  This ruined the film for me.

                                  Nevertheless, the actors are strong, and so are the stylized Hollywood sets.  A real period feel is captured.  The costumes designed by Rene-Hubert do help, as does the art direction and set design of Ernst Fegte and Edward G. Boyle.  Their work is atmospheric and masterful.

                                   I am glad I finally got a chance to see this film For those who have not, I urge you to do so.  Even more if you haven't, I urge you to read the book first.

                                   The real thrills are all there, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   

This Is The Day I Always Consider Tne Middle Of Summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

                               At some point in my head, I got the idea that July 15 was the midpoint of summer.  And I still feel that way.  For many years, when younger, I would traipse out to Coney Island, all by myself, and go on the rides I wanted to.  These were the spook house rides, the carousel, sometimes the Tilt-A-Whirl, and on one occasion the kiddy roller coaster.  Which suited me fine.

                                 Today, I hardly go out to Coney, but I take pleasure in the half point of summer.  All the greenery, the beautiful flowers, the sunshine, the ability to dress lightly and comfortably, and, really, even though retired, just enjoying a more leisurely pace than one does in the winter months.

                                 And of course, the world is ablaze with color, which why summer, though it can be discomfiting for someone with my sensitive skin, and aversion to the sun.  Despite the detriments, summer is still my favorite season.

                                   So happy mid-summer everyone!  And here is the perfect song to go with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Enjoy the halfway point of summer, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!