FILL THE SCREEN, YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH!

Looks like the stories of the Coen Brothers remaking TRUE GRIT are true. That is good news and bad. Good because it is the Coens, good because Rooster Cogburn is to be played by Jeff Bridges and good because I love the original book so my interest is aroused. Bad because this looks like another example of Hollywood's remake frenzy and bad because the only piece of total shit that the Coens ever made was a remake of THE LADY KILLERS. Be careful boys...

MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE/My Son the Vampire (1952)

This film is often seen as a low point in Bela Lugosi's career but the truth is far from that. More accurately it should be seen as the pinnacle of Arthur Lucan's career.He was not encumbered by Mrs.Lucan (the awful Kitty McShane) who couldn't deliver a line if she's been a Postman, and, for once Lucan has a decent director at the helm in the late John Gilling who was always capable of telling a story. Lugosi is on top form and seems to be enjoying himself with such lines as "Am I going mad? Is this a nightmare" - no Bela it's just Old Mother Riley. Lucan, although his style of comedy probably died with the Music Halls, shows his accomplished timing with both dialogue and slapstick. The supporting cast is a total joy with such familiar faces as Dora Bryan, Hattie Jaques,Dandy Nicholls, Graham Moffatt, Judith Furse, Charles Lloyd Pack, George Benson and John Le Mesurier. Dandy and Hattie get to back Lucan in a musical number and it is pure joy to see these much loved actresses so early in their careers. Dora is excellent as the confused maid being wooed by policeman Richard Wattis. And for those into genealogy there is Charles Lloyd Pack, father of Roger and grandfather of Emily. Rating ***

THE HIDDEN HAND (1942)

Willie Best

Another vintage old dark house mystery surfaces thanks to the kindness of friends. This one is pretty obscure - so much so that I couldn't find a still on Google. The film, directed by Ben Stoloff, certainly brings noting new to the genre. It has an escaped lunatic, a creepy old house, trap doors, secret passages, several murders, a Will and greedy relatives - all standard but enjoyable ingredients of this kind of film. Where it scores is in the more than competent cast. Headed by a very young Craig Stevens and featuring the ever excellent Willie Best but the real gem in the cast is Roland Drew as the wonderfully crazy Walter. THE HIDDEN HAND is nothing special but it wastes not one second of its 63 minutes. Rating **

JEAN SIMMONS 1929 - 2010

R.I.P.

And as CHARLES STEWART PARNELL we present...

Films about political figures are fairly popular now but one wonders what made MGM think that a film about Irish politician Charles Stewart Parnell might be good box-office back in 1937. The answer was in the casting. This is a photo of Mr.Parnell.


So who did MGM decide to cast as Parnell. It is obvious that casting was done more with an eye on the box-office rather than on authenticity. Yep! it was super star Clark Gable. Reportedly Clark didn't like the project or the director (John Stahl) and things were not helped by his refusal to extend his facial hair beyond his famous moustache. The film, perhaps not unexpectedy, bombed.



Convincing ? I'll leave you to decide.

FANFAN LE TULIPE (1952)

My mother was a great fan of Gerard Philipe - which is odd because she rarely watched foreign language films. She thought he was one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen. I' ve seen few of his films and he is certainly handsome and a fine actor and it is easy to see why he became a huge star in France - his reputation enhanced even more by his early death in 1959. I've waited something like fifty years to see FAN FAN LE TULIPE which is regarded as among his best films and is certainly one of his most famous. It is an old fashioned swashbauckler with lots of sword fights, seductions, robberies, coach chases, battles etc with Philippe as the ever optimistic hero and the young Gina Lollobrigida as the beautiful gypsy girl who falls in love with him. It's pretty much critic proof fun along the same lines as the Gene Kelly version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS or PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN and directed with an agreeably light touch by Christian-Jacque. The DVD I rented contained the original bla ck and white film and a colourised print. I pretty much opposed to the colourisation of old movies so I watched the b/w version to see the film as made but, I have to say, I was impressed by the technical excellence of the coloured version nonetheless. Rating ****

IN THE LOOP (2009)

As I write we have an inquiry into the Iraq War taking place. Scrap it I say and just watch this film - it's probably the closest we are going to get to the truth. For followers of the television series THE THICK OF IT the character of press secretary Malcolm Tucker (played with frightening conviction by Peter Capaldi) is the real centre of this film. Oddly, and I certainly found it disconcerting, virtually the entire cast of the television show are in the movie but playing different people, albeit their characters are the same. There seems to be little reason for this given the rapid reshuffle culture of goverment and civil service circles. Tucker is the Prime Minister's rottweiller (as in the tv show the Prime Minister is never seen - likewise the US President) taking on the his American opposites in Washington and at the UN, trying to come up with intelligence that will give the excuse to invade an unnamed country when no such intelligence exists while at the same time dealing with a totally incompetent British minister who is systematically ignored by his American counterparts. To pick out funny scenes is pointless really as there are no unfanny ones but I loved Tucker's visit to The White House and his encounter with a presidential aide who appears to be about 13 yrs old. Directed by Armando Ianucci, featuring the cast of THE THICK OF IT, James Gandolfini and David Rasche. I'm still laughing. Rating ****