13. Adam's Rib (1949)



Sharp and witty battle of the sexes comedy pitting Spencer Tracy against Katherine Hepburn in a winning combo that produced 9 film. This is the best of the bunch.

Taking in the high theatrics of a court case, husband and wife go head to head as Hepburn defends a woman accused of the attempted murder of her philandering husband. Her sexism argument infuriates her husband to no end and their happy life outside the courtroom begins to wane.

Neither star outshines the other and you can see why this combination carried on into other films. Tracey is excellent as the brow beaten husband and his underplay perfectly compliments Hepburn's over play as this outspoken feminist. There are lots of clever moments in the film when her feminism steps aside to suit her means.

It's the snappy dialogue that is the biggest asset to the movie. Written by husband and wife team, Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, the trouser wearing issue is played out completely for laughs.

Big thumbs up from me.

12. An Actor's Revege (1963)

Hukinojo is a female impersonator actor travelling with a kubuki troupe. When performing in Edo, he comes across the three men who drove his parents to suicide and he plots their demise. Meanwhile there is a side story of rivalling thieves, who get mixed up in Hukinojo's plans, some helping, others hindering.

Legendary Japanese actor, Kazuo Hasegawa, plays dual roles of Hukinojo and also Yamitaro, a Robin Hood type thief who feels connected to the actor as a brother and vows to help him in his plans.
This dual role had been played by the Hasegaa in the 1935 film Yukinojo Henge and this film was commisioned to mark his 300th appearance in movies.

It's a bit of a departure of styles from the director, Kon Ichikawa, who was made to direct this project after his past few films had failed to make money. Doing so under duress, he allegedly camped things up to the max, but it's this exuberance that makes this film such a sumptuous delight.

Very theatrical, the film opens with an actual kubuki performance, but the film is steeped in it's style throughout. The sets are almost stage scenery. The swordplay is dramatically lit and almost shadow play. Much of  Hukinojo's lines are said aside to the audience. It has no shame to dip into theatrics and is enormously resplendent for it, even going so far as finishing with the stage curtain closing.

I am a bit of a sucker for things Nipon, but it's hard to deny the likeability of this feast.

Dramatically lit Hasegawa as Yukinojo.

11. Open Your Eyes/ Abres Los Ojos (1997)

Cesar is a well-to-do man about town. Rolling in money and devilishly handsome, his perfect life begins to unravel one night. When trying to shake off a recent conquest, Nuria, who is overstaying her welcome, he meets his 'perfect woman', Sofia(Cruz). The next morning, after spending he evening with Sofia at her place, he is offered a lift home by Nuria who 'happens to be driving by'. The idiot accepts and he only has himself o blame as the spurned fruit loop drives them both off a cliff. He survives, but he has suffered horrific facial injuries beyond the help of the finest surgeons. Then reality starts to come undone.

The setting jumps back and forth in time. From Cesar being interviewed in a psychiatric penitentiary, back to the past and forward to a seemingly ideal future. Which is true? Is anything actually happening or is it all another dream? Who is the man on the TV?

This is a wild original ride, with many twists and turns. What starts out as a psychological thriller, turns into fantasy/horror as what is reality is revealed in the final scenes. The Director/co-writer, Alejandro Amenabar, has stated that he set out to tell a horror story with camera angles rather than gore. It certainly didn't disappoint, though I imagine the pointless Tom Cruise vanity remake, Vanilla Sky, will.

I mean, really! He even cast Penelope Cruz again.

10. À nous la liberté

So you should really be careful when purchasing DVDs from Amazon marketplace.I fell once at the wrong region fence. This time a fell at the 'check there are English subtitles' fence! Merde! Bless You Tube though! (They have it in 8 parts easily linked, perfect clarity, with subtitles.)

Absolutely charming film though. Great story. 2 friends in prison hatch a plan to escape. One gets free and makes his way in the world, the other gets caught and does his time. The escapee prospers and they met up in coincidence and become friends again.

It's essentially a story about freedom, hence the title. There is a great deal of machine and routine symbolism in the film and Henri Marchand, as Emile, is the proverbial spanner in the works. Whether it is in the actual factory line, or being the distraction for the director of the factory.

It's certainly film that is a stepping stone from the silent era. It was a good 15 minutes in before I realised I needed subtitles. Not that there is anything wrong with the dialogue. You can just see, that with subtitles, it works functionally well as a silent. The score is the same, though the choral singing by the prisoners/factory workers does add more to the machine symbolism.

I AM considering this my first foray into silents and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Great acting, direction, score at al.

Brava!

9. A Bout de Souffle/Breathless (1960)

Brilliant, trend-setting and beautiful, but also quite forgetable crap. I couldn't even remember if I had seen it before! I had.

So, I get the whole jump cut thing started here and I see how stylish it all is and that the camera romances Paris through it's lens (though Truffaut did it better). What I don't get is the trite story and the godawful acting. I don't believe in either of the main characters, let alone like them. Are we supposed to find Jean-Paul Belmondo as Poiccard, attractive, charming and exciting, because he isn't. Did Godard make him chain smoke to look interesting? Jean Seberg's Patricia is equally a paradox. Clearly beautiful, but this intelligent, independent journalist falling for a small-time thief, turned killer? No, I don't think so. Both actors give very wooden performances of these unbelievable characters.

Two for two with disappointing films by Godard. The new wave has better to offer than this. I actually preferred the US remake!

The music is good. I will give it that.

A much more believeable, better and sexier film.



8. 8 1/5 (1963)

This is the first film to really feel like homework, but to be a true cinephile you don't have to like these 'grest' films, just consider them. Well I did consider it and I didn't much care for it.

It tells the story of Guido, a popular Italian film director who is struggling to find inspiration for his next movie which is due to begin shooting. Constant hassles from his wife, his mistress, his leading lady and countless film executives, cause him to escape into his memories and fantasies of the women from his past.

The lines between his fantasies and the reality often blur and it isn't the most cohesive of plots. There is some striking imagery though. The scene when he just imagines that all the women he has wronged forgive him, become his harem and help to bathe him is bonkers par excellence. Especially when it all goes tits up when they learn he sends them 'upstairs' when they get over 40! Bring on the whip! Eddra Gale as Saraghina, performing a rumba for the village kids is a sight. Strictly Come Dancing it ain't!

So no I didn't enjoy watching it, but I'm glad I did. At least Nine had some good songs in it to redeem it's terribleness!

Someone ate Fergie!

7. 42nd Street (1933)

"Jones and Barry are putting on a show!"

is the message relayed around New York in the opening scene of this old Hollywood musical. Indeed they are. 'Pretty Lady' is to star Dorothy Brock and is financed by her sugar daddy, Abner Dillon. Successful director on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Julian Marsh, is hired to ensure it's success, thus begins a calamitous pre-production.

This film is a bit of a mess, but it's shining moments do dazzle, whether it be the snappy wisecracks ("Who can forget Anytime Annie? She only said no once and then she didn't hear the question!") to the startling musical numbers. Some suspension of disbelief is required for the sudden increase in stage area during the show, but Busby Berkeley's dance routines are distracting enough. In fact they are the best thing in it. The 'let's put on a show' format doesn't have the gusto required and is dogged down by sub plots that are barely interesting. Even the overdone main story of the fresh faced new girl, played by Ruby Keeler in her film debut, rising through the ranks is uninteresting. I think this is due to the direction from Lloyd Bacon. The script is fine; moments of light hearted wise cracking banter from the chorus girls is most welcome. Una Merkel and (a pre Astaired) Ginger Rogers delivering some great lines; the dance numbers are spectacular, it's the telling of the story that seems a little lacklustre. Fortunately the actual musical has a good 20 minutes devoted to it's numbers and what numbers! No wonder Berkeley was soon contracted by Warner Brothers.

The Kaleidoscopic images Berkeley puts together are impressive, but probably not so to the show's audience, unless they were hanging from the rafters. That'd be the suspension of disbelief then! (see what I did there?)