THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE – Chris Benstead
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughan do like making film and TV projects about ‘gentlemen,’ don’t they? After the 2019 film The Gentlemen, and the spinoff TV series of the same from earlier this year, we now have The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, a comic-book style action adventure set during World War II. Unexpectedly, the film is based on a mostly true story; it stars Henry Cavill as Major Gus March-Phillips, who in 1942 was recruited by Winston Churchill himself to carry out a dangerous secret mission codenamed Operation Postmaster, which required March-Phillips and his team to travel to the island of Fernando Po off the coast of west Africa and destroy the Italian ship Duquesa d’Aosta, thereby cutting off the supply chain to Nazi U-Boats in the north Atlantic. What follows is an unexpectedly violent but also tongue-in-cheek boys own adventure full of exotic locations, evil Nazis, spectacular action sequences, and lots of witty banter between March-Phillips and his men. Interestingly, one of the supporting characters in the movie is a young British officer named Ian Fleming; the real life Fleming supposedly based his character James Bond in part on March-Phillips and his exploits. Read more…
WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN – Zbigniew Preisner
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
When a Man Loves a Woman is a romantic drama about alcoholism. Directed by Mexican filmmaker Luis Mandoki from a screenplay by comedian Al Franken and Rain Man writer Ronald Bass, it stars Meg Ryan as Alice Green, a school counselor, who is married to Michael (Andy Garcia), an airline pilot, and whose outward persona masks the fact that she has a serious drinking problem. Alice is often reckless when drunk, and when one incident results in her endangering her children – nine-year-old Jess (Tina Majorino) and four-year-old Casey (Mae Whitman) – she finally agrees to enter a rehabilitation program. While Alice recovers, Michael must take on more responsibility at home and learn to cope with the challenges of supporting his wife through recovery. As such, the film portrays the complexities of their relationship, highlighting both the strain caused by Alice’s addiction, and the depth of Michael’s love and commitment. Read more…
CHALLENGERS – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The first truly buzzy film of 2024, Challengers is a sexy drama set in the competitive world of professional tennis. It stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a tennis prodigy who finds herself in the middle of a menage-a-trois with two other junior players, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), both of whom are attracted to Tashi, and who are also attracted to each other. Shockingly, Tashi’s career is ended by a devastating knee injury, and over the next few years she marries Art, becomes his coach, and transforms him from a mediocre tour player into a world-famous grand slam champion. However, to help jolt him out of a recent losing streak, Tashi enters Art into a second-tier challenger event… which brings them back into the world of the burnt-out Patrick, who is now an unknown player living out of his car, scraping by on winnings from the lower circuits, and whose presence threatens Art and Tashi’s already feisty relationship. The film is directed by Luca Guadagnino and has already been the recipient of a great deal of acclaim, but also some notoriety, both for its raw emotions, and for the sizzling sexual chemistry between its three leads. Read more…
THE SNAKE PIT – Alfred Newman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
The genesis of the film lay with Bennett Cerf, the president of Random House who presented director Anatole Litvak with a copy of the novel “The Snake Pit” (1946) by Mary Jane Ward. Litvak saw opportunity exploring a topic unknown to cinema and so bought the film rights. He sold his vision to 20th Century Fox studio executive Darryl F. Zanuck who personally took charge of production with a $3.8 million budget. Litvak would direct, and Frank Partos and Millen Brand would write the screenplay. For the cast, Gene Tierney would star as Virginia Stuart Cunningham, but was replaced by Olivia de Havilland due to her pregnancy. Joining her would be Mark Stevens as Robert Cunningham, Leo Glenn as Dr. Mark H. Van Kensdelaerik AKA Dr. Kik, and Celeste Holm as Grace. Read more…
NO ESCAPE – Graeme Revell
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
No Escape is a brutal, violent, but unexpectedly enjoyable action-thriller film directed by Martin Campbell, based on the 1987 novel The Penal Colony by Richard Herley. The film is set in a dystopian future – the hellscape of 2022! – where a former US marine named Robbins, played by Ray Liotta, is wrongfully convicted of murder and sent to a remote island prison called Absolom as punishment. This island is a lawless penal colony where the inmates are left to fend for themselves without guards or rules. Robbins must navigate this harsh and violent environment while trying to survive and escape from the island; he encounters different factions of inmates who have formed their own societies, some more hostile than others, and as Robbins learns the brutal ways of Absolom, he becomes determined to find a way off the island and regain his freedom. The film is a testosterone-fest that has an excellent supporting cast including Lance Henriksen, Stuart Wilson, Kevin Dillon, Kevin J. O’Connor, Michael Lerner, and Ernie Hudson. Read more…
FORT APACHE – Richard Hageman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Director John Ford believed the Saturday Evening Post story “Massacre” by James Warner Bellah told a story he believed needed to be brought to the big screen. This film would be the first of Ford’s renowned “Cavalry Trilogy”, followed by “She Wore A Yellow Ribbon” in 1949, and “Rio Grande” in 1950, which all starred John Wayne. Ford’s production company Argosy Pictures purchased the film rights, with he and Merian C. Cooper overseeing production with a $2.1 million budget. Ford would also direct and Frank S. Nugent would write the screenplay. Ford assembled an impressive cast, which included John Wayne as Captain Kirby York, Henry Fonda as Lieutenant Colonel Owen Thursday, Shirley Temple as Miss Philadelphia Thursday, John Agar as Second Lieutenant Michael Shannon “Mickey” O’Rourke, and Pedro Armendáriz as Sergeant Beaufort. Read more…
FRANK AND JESSE – Mark McKenzie
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Frank and Jesse is a mid-budget western film directed by Robert Boris, starring Bill Paxton and Rob Lowe in the roles of the notorious outlaw brothers Frank and Jesse James, who became cult figures for their exploits robbing banks and trains in the Wild West in the 1860s and 1870s. It’s a complete hagiography of course, treating the James Brothers as folk heroes akin to Robin Hood rather than the thieves and murderers that they were; the film specifically looks at the period immediately after the end of the Civil War when Frank and Jesse – disillusioned by the result of the conflict and suffering severe financial hardship caused by unscrupulous Chicago railroad investors – get a gang together and set off on a trail of bank robberies, train heists, and stage holdups while evading the dogged pursuit of Allan Pinkerton and his newly-created detective agency. The film co-starred country superstar Randy Travis, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, and William Atherton as Pinkerton; it originally aired on HBO, before receiving a limited theatrical run, where it grossed a mere $50,000, and then essentially disappeared into obscurity. Read more…
DRAGONKEEPER – Arturo Cardelús
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Dragonkeeper is a Spanish-Chinese-American animated fantasy adventure film directed by Salvador Simó and Li Jianping, adapted from the popular novel by Australian author Carole Wilkinson. The film is set in ancient China and follows Ping, a slave girl for the evil master Lan, who saves the life of an aging dragon named Danzi and escapes from Lan’s palace. Pursued by a ruthless dragon hunter named Diao, Ping and Danzi make an epic journey across China carrying a mysterious stone that must be protected as it is vital to the dragon’s legacy. The film’s English-language voice cast includes Bill Nighy, Bill Bailey, Anthony Howell, and young Mayalinee Griffiths as Ping. Read more…
MOTHER WORE TIGHTS – Alfred Newman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1946 20th Century Fox was on the hunt for a new musical to showcase their star, Betty Grable. They found their vehicle with the novel “Mother Wore Tights” (1944) by Miriam Young. The film rights were purchased, Lamar Trotti was assigned production, would also write the screenplay, and Walter Lang was tasked with directing. For the cast, Betty Grable would star as Myrtle McKinley Burt. Joining her would be Don Dailey, a gifted former MGM musical film star who following military discharge signed with 20th Century Fox. He would play Frank Burt, joined with Mona Freedman as Iris Burt, and Robert Arthur as Bob Clarkman. Read more…
BAD GIRLS – Jerry Goldsmith
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Despite Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven winning Best Picture at the 1992 Oscars, and despite the efforts of films like Wyatt Earp and Tombstone, the Western genre was still struggling to return to mainstream popularity in the 1990s. The 1994 film Bad Girls, directed by Jonathan Kaplan, was another attempt to reinvigorate the genre, albeit this time with a significantly feminist spin. The story is set in the 1860s and centers around four women – Cody (Madeleine Stowe), Anita (Mary Stuart Masterson), Eileen (Andie MacDowell), and Lilly (Drew Barrymore) – whose lives intersect after a harrowing incident at the home of a brutal brothel owner, where they are forced to defend themselves, and kill a would-be rapist. Following this event, the women decide to break away from their troubled pasts and set out on a journey of freedom across the American frontier – all while being pursued by Pinkerton agents determined to bring the ‘bad girls’ to justice. The film co-starred James Russo, James LeGros, Robert Loggia, and Dermot Mulroney, and boasted handsome and authentic production values, but unfortunately was a box office flop and critical misfire, with many people pointing to fact that original director Tamra Davis was fired a few weeks into production, and that her more serious intentions for the film were changed in order to make it more action-packed and mainstream. Read more…
BRUTE FORCE – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Following the huge commercial success of his film “The Killers” (1946), producer Mark Hellinger decided to continue his film noir journey with a descent into the brutality of prison life, inspired by the “Battle of Alcatraz” (1946) where prisoners revolted and fought a two day battle after a failed escape attempt. His production company would finance the project, Jules Dassin was tasked with directing, and Richard Brooks would adapt a story by Robert Patterson and write the screenplay. “The Killers” had launched Burt Lancaster to stardom and Hellinger recruited him to play the lead role of Joe Collins. Joining him would be Hume Cronyn as Captain Munsey, Charles Bickford as Gallagher, Yvonne De Carlo as Gina Ferrera, Ann Blyth as Ruth Collins, Roman Bohnen as Warden A. J. Barnes, and Art Smith as Doctor Walters. Read more…
THE FIRST OMEN – Mark Korven
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
A movie that nobody asked for, but which in my opinion ended up being the second-best film in the series, The First Omen is a prequel chronicling the events leading up to the birth of the antichrist Damien as shown in the original 1976 Richard Donner Omen film, which adds a great deal of depth and intrigue to the backstory of David Seltzer’s characters. The film is set in 1971 and stars Nell Tiger Free as Margaret, an American novitiate nun who arrives in Rome to take up a position at a convent orphanage overseen by the kindly Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy). However, Margaret soon discovers that all is not right at the orphanage; a young girl named Carlita is plagued by terrible visions, a fellow novitiate appears to want Margaret to experience sexual vices before taking her vows, and – worst of all – she is visited by an agitated Irish priest who is convinced that the orphanage is a front for a cult intent on bringing about the birth of the child of Satan. The film is directed by Arkasha Stevenson, and has a supporting cast that includes Alice Braga, Ralph Ineson, and Maria Caballero. Read more…
THE PAPER – Randy Newman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The Paper is an ensemble comedy-drama directed film by Ron Howard that follows the hectic day of a New York City tabloid newspaper, the New York Sun. The plot revolves around Henry Hackett, played by Michael Keaton, the managing editor of the paper, who faces a series of challenges over the course of 24 hours. These challenges include breaking a major story about two young men wrongfully accused of murder, dealing with corporate interference and pressure to sensationalize stories, and navigating personal conflicts within his team, including with his pregnant wife who also works at the paper. Throughout the day, Henry grapples with ethical dilemmas, personal integrity, and the demanding nature of his job, all while trying to balance his professional and personal life amid the fast-paced and often chaotic environment of a tabloid newspaper. The film has a superb supporting cast that includes Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, Randy Quaid, and Robert Duvall, among many others, and it was a relative critical hit, although it was almost entirely overlooked at the subsequent Oscars – with one notable exception. Read more…
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES – Michael Abels
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
In cinematic and literary parlance, a “magical negro” is a stock trope that refers to a supporting black character who often has special insight or displays mystical powers, and who seems to exist only to help the white protagonist in their journey or to solve their problems, often at the expense of their own development and agency. Magical negroes often possess supernatural abilities, deep wisdom, or unusual insights that exceed those of the main (usually white) characters. Their role revolves around assisting the white protagonist, sometimes at personal cost or with little regard for their own story arc, and often lack a fleshed-out backstory, personal aspirations, or development independent of their assistance to the main character. Examples of the “magical negro” trope in cinema include John Coffey in The Green Mile, Dick Hallorann in The Shining, Oda Mae Brown in Ghost, and most notably Bagger Vance in The Legend of Bagger Vance, and many now see those characters as racial stereotypes which perpetuate the idea that black characters exist primarily to aid white characters’ narratives. Read more…
THE RED HOUSE – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In an effort to assume greater control of his career, renown actor Edward G. Robinson joined with producer Sol Lesser to form the Thalia Production company. For their inaugural film, Robinson chose to adapt the mystery-thriller novel “The Red House” (1945) by George Agnew Chamberlain. Lesser would manage production with a $1 million budget, Delmer Daves would be tasked with directing, and and would also collaborate with Albert Maltz to write the screenplay. A fine cast was brought in, including; Edward G. Robinson as Pete Morgan, Lon McCallister as Nath Storm, Judith Anderson as Ellen Morgan, Allene Roberts as Meg Morgan, Julie London as Tibby Rinton, and Rory Calhoun as Teller. Read more…
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