Godfather part II (1974)

Today's film is The Godfather part II.  This film is unique in two ways.  First, it is the only sequel that has won an Academy Award.  Second,  it is both a sequel and a prequel at the same time!

The problem with a film that is both a sequel and prequel is that you really really need to have watched the first Godfather film.  Or else you will be really lost.

The sequel part follows Michael Corleone, Vito's son and the new Godfather, as he moves his operation from New York to Nevada.  He has many enemies and his marriage is falling apart.  He goes with his so-called associate to Cuba, before the revolution hits, but is wary he is trying to assassinate him.

The prequel part follows the original Godfather, Vito, as he grows up in Italy in the early twentieth century and later escapes to America.  He is a honest, hard-working man that slowly changes into the Godfather that we see in the first movie.  Vito is played by Robert de Niro, who actually lived in Sicily to learn the correct dialect.  That is some real dedication right there.

A lot of the cinematography is very dark, and the colors are mostly brown.  Brown scenery, brown costumes, brown everything.  It's like the sepia filter on instagram.  They did go a little overboard on it.  The acting was really good, though.  So I will give it an 8/10.

Some Like it Hot (1959)

Today's film is Some Like it Hot.  It's got Marilyn Monroe in it!  Yeah let's watch!

The two most funniest things in the universe:

1. Farts
2. Men dressed up as women

So, these two male musicians, Joe and Jerry, witness a mob hit, and not just any mob hit, but the famous St. Valentine's Day Massacre, in which 8 people were murdered.  They see a group of female musicians, and run away with them as to avoid being made.

There's men dressed up as women, men dressed up pretending to be different men, it all gets crazy.  Is no one who they say they really are?  Joe tries his best to woo Marilyn Monroe, which can't be that hard, I mean she's Marilyn Monroe. Come on.  Meanwhile, Jerry as a woman is fancied by a millionaire.  He tries everything he can to keep him away without revealing himself, but in the end he comes clean and admits he's really a man in disguise.  The millionaire doesn't care about that and he and Jerry are still married to this day.

If this movie was remade today, it would star Adam Sandler and Kevin James and my husband would watch it every Friday.  10/10 would watch again.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

Today's film is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  This film is the original Swedish version.  I have not read the book nor do I intend to. 

I thought Noomi Rapace did an excellent job as Lisbeth.  The movie is slower paced, and the way it starts, you have no idea what to expect next.  A reporter, Mikael, is set up and will be going to jail, but a rich man hires him to search for his missing niece. Shockingly, Lisbeth, who was hired to hack against him begins helping him, maybe out of curiosity or boredom. 

They begin to officially work together on the case.  But what they uncover shocks everyone. They find a pattern of murders.  But not just murders.  Religious ritual racist Nazi murders.  Say that three times fast.  This film is very graphic, with murders, rapes, and torture/injury scenes.  I liked the pace of the movie, but some scenes were far fetched, like when Mikael is saved at the last minute.  Like of course he's not gonna die, he's one of the main characters.   I'm gonna give this film an 8/10.

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)

Today's film is The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith.  It is based on true events.  This happened in the time of the Boer Wars (1899-1902) in which the colony of Australian was sent to fight in southern Africa to help her mother country, Great Britain.  Also at this time, Australia was seeking its independence from Great Britain.

The British settlers saw the aborigines (the original native people of the island) as a lower race not as evolved as they were.  They were given hardly any rights and were basically treated like dirt.  They did not even get the right to vote until 1962.

The film was hard to watch at times, and it is very hard to write about.  I want Jimmie to succeed, but cannot condone violence.  As a person of multiple ethnicities who is married to a Native person, we receive racism from literally every angle.  And it's not 1900 like this movie. It's 2015.  Remember when they try to convince his white wife to leave him and work for them? And she says no because she's married and they don't care about that?  Yeah I get that all the time.  I get hatred from my white side, hatred from my non-white side, and lots of hatred from my husband's family's side.

 It is an endless source of frustration that no matter what he accomplishes he will never be good enough because he's not white.

Jimmie didn't set out to start committing violent acts.  He was driven by intolerance and pure frustration.  But once he started he couldn't stop.  He had to be punished for what he did.

Notice how many people that he and his family encounter aren't racist and try to help him throughout the film.  Only the people in power - cops, wealthy ranchers, educated preacher's wives, are the ones who believe they are better than him and treat him as such.  Maybe that's how they got to be powerful because of their superior attitude towards others.  Look at all the republicans in charge of southerns states here.  I could go on, but there's no way Jimmie could have survived in his own environment or ours.  Nothing has changed.  I will give this film a 7/10.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

Today's film is L.A. Confidential, which takes a look at police brutality and corruption in the 1950's.  The movie was filmed in 1997, and the 90's were not a good time for L.A. cops, what with the beatings of people and all.  This movie shows that this sort of problem has existed for ages.  Trust me I know from experience.

This film could be classified as a neo-noir, which is a noir film not made in the 1940's and 1950's.  During this time, no building in the city could be taller than City Hall, and they achieved this through really well-aimed cameras.  A lot of the scenes were actually based in real life.  The "Bloody Christmas" scene where cops beat up Mexican prisoners occurred in 1951.  The arrest of gangster leader Mickey Cohen did lead to a war to replace him.  Well, that would happen anytime a leader is arrested, because there is always someone to take their place.

I think that it is funny that a film about American cops would star two Australian guys.  Another thing to note is that not a single person in this film is "good".  There are actually three main characters.  Bud White (Russell Crowe) is temperamental and violent, and the corrupt chief uses this knowledge for his own gain often.  Exley (Guy Pearce) steps on everyone to get to where he wants to be.  Jack Vicennes (Kevin Spacey) is another detective, who is famous and gets paid off by a sleazy tabloid writer, played by Danny Devito.  They investigate a shooting in a diner which ultimately involves the chief of police. They decide to work together to do the right thing, but by then it might be too late for them.

Of course with a noir there has to be a femme fatale.  She is Lynn, played by Kim Basinger.  She did not age well.  Anyway, her character works at a place where hookers look like movie stars.  Places like that did exist back then just like they do today. Lynn looks just like Veronica Lake, who is most famous for Sullivan's Travels, but actually did play a femme fatale in some films.  So the cycle goes on and on!  Unfortunately, the romantic boat sinking movie also came out this year, so this film was denied the Best Picture award.  That is too bad, because there were a lot of great performances in this film.  I will give this film a 9/10.

Thelma & Louise (1991)

I get irrationally angry when characters make bad choices in movies.  So this movie really frustrated me.  Today's film is Thelma & Louise.  Thelma and her friend Louise decide to spend a relaxing weekend at a cabin, fishing.  Their trip takes takes a downturn when they stop at a bar.

Thelma spends all night dancing with some creep at the bar, and after drinking too much, he takes her outside and tries to rape her.  Louise comes to the rescue and shoots him.  Their plan now is to hightail it out of there and go to Mexico.  There are two ideas that are a lot better.  One is that they could tell the police what happened and that it was self defense.  Or they could go to the cabin and pretend everything was normal, and get rid of the gun.  These are some good life pro tips in case you murder someone.

After they make the bad choice to run, they continue to make even worse choices the entire movie. Most of these have to do with Thelma thinking with her vagina and not her head.  Like she picks up a male hitchhiker.  Mainly because he's hot, but she needs to think about their safety more.  Louise gives her her life savings of $6,700 to safeguard in her hotel room.  Why she trusted her with all of the money instead of splitting it I don't know.  Anyway, hot hitchhiker returns and they have some hot sex, and he describes his convenience store robbing career.  So what does Thelma do?  She leaves all the money on the dresser, not the safe, and leaves it alone with a stranger in the room.  Of course it gets stolen.  These women are so unbearably stupid I cannot cheer them on.  This whole time I was told it's a girl power movie.  Yeah a stupid girl movie.

Early 90's selfie!

This is also one of those few movies where I knew the ending before even watching it.  That's because it has been parodied in lots of cartoons and comedies. Also there is so much denim.  I remember wearing a denim jacket and thinking how adult I looked.  Now I am an adult finally and I see this film with everyone wearing all the denim and they look stupid.

After losing their money, Thelma robs a store, and then they lock a cop in his trunk, and then they blow up a truck.  They're on a death mission.  If they would have gone to the police in the beginning, nothing would have happened to them. But they figured they had nothing to lose so they kept doing bad stuff.  I'm glad my daughter didn't watch it with me.  This film glorified all the bad stuff they did.  They're not heroes and they're not good people. I will give this film a 6/10.

Little Caesar (1931)

Today's film is Little Caesar.  The dialog is so weird and the slang is hard to figure out, but turning on the closed captioning makes it a lot better.  I don't know if they really talked like that or if that is a gangster film thing,  but it was one of the first films with talking so I'm going to cut them a break.

The character Little Caesar, or Rico, or more precisely Caesar Enrico Bandello, was played by Edwin Robinson.  I'm not going to say he was ugly, he just wasn't very handsome, and that makes him more believable.  He makes money by robbing gas stations, then goes to the city and offers a mob boss his services.

You know how hard it was to find a picture of Little Caesar
that wasn't pizza? I'm serious.

Soon, he takes control and robs and shoots people with abandon.  He even shoots the crime commissioner.  His best friend leaves the mob world and becomes a dancer, and guess what? He shoots him too!  He even has his getaway driver killed on the steps of a church so he can't confess.

Soon, the police come after him and he almost gets away.  However they put some insulting things about him in the newspaper, knowing his ego would make him come out of hiding.  When he does, they finally kill him.  I guess the lesson here is don't be a gangster.  It's not as great as Scarface, but it's pretty good for what it is.  I'll give it a 5/10.

Natural Born Killers (1994)

Today's film is Natural Born Killers. I was excited about it because it was written by Quentin Tarantino.  It was a very creatively made film.  I just didn't care for it overall.

Both Mickey and Mallory Knox came from traumatized childhoods, and band together to travel across America killing people.  They leave one person alive to tell the story and eventually become media darlings.  America loves serial killers.  They're dangerous, exciting, and mysterious.  Mickey points out that technically they are mass murderers, but since they do it more than once, I think it counts.  There are so many movies, TV episodes, documentaries, and books about serial killers.

The film has a highly visual style that requires the viewer's full attention.  There are a lot of extra images in the background, and random commercials as well.  It's like the media: bombarding us with violence then commercials to calm us down and make us want to buy stuff.  Coca-cola let the filmmakers use their delightful polar bears feature in the movie without bothering to read it which I think is hilarious.

Mickey and Mallory are caught and inexplicably wind up in the same jail.  Mickey pulls a daring escape in the middle of a live interview and they both escape into the wilderness.  Maybe they shouldn't have been put in the same jail at all, that would've solved that problem.  I also liked Wayne, played by Robert Downey Jr, because he was everything wrong with the media.  He only cared about himself and his ratings and ended up with nothing.

The movie was visually exciting but I don't think I would watch it again.  I will give it a 6/10.

El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes) (2009)

Today's film is El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes).  It comes to us from Argentina, and is the winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.  It didn't really read as a mystery to me; more like a crime drama.

Benjamin Esposito is a retired deputy who is writing a novel about one of his most difficult cases.  The crime happened over 25 years ago, when a woman was raped and murdered.  He visits his former coworkers and other people affected by the crime, and learns more about it as he goes along.

Benjamin has always been in love with his superior, Irene, but the love has never been quite returned.  She reads his draft of the novel. It ends with him riding on a train and her chasing after it on the station, you know, like the most cliche movie move ever.  She tells him how ridiculous that is, and if she was doomed to be alone for the rest of her life, then why didn't he take her with him?  So, he asks her out and she tells him it will be complicated.  Will they end up together? We don't know.

Benjamin also visits the victim's husband's house.  That's where he learns more about how he coped with his wife's death as well as his response to the killer's freedom.  Overall, it was a good film, but it wasn't anything outstanding.  I will give it a 7/10.

Strangers on a Train (1951)

In horror films, the plot progresses because the main character/s make bad decisions.  If they would have made a good decision, there might not even be a movie at all.  Today's film is Strangers on a Train.  If you are thinking, wait, this isn't a horror film, just trust me.

Our main character is Guy, a super hot tennis player caught in a bitter divorce with his ex-wife.  He's riding on the train when approached by a man named Bruno Antony.  He seems okay, and is a fan of Guy.  So, being a sports celebrity, it is relativity easy to find out about him.  It's not like today, with facebook and instagram, where everyone puts there info online and it's incredibly easy to stalk anyone.  Bruno knows about Guy's ex-wife and how he feels about her.  He then proposes his amazing idea of the perfect murder - to switch murders so both parties have no motive yet get rid of their victims.  Now is the time to scooch away as far as you can.  But, nope.  Guy makes a bad decision and condescendingly nods and listens to Bruno's grand idea.

Bruno wants to kill his father, because his father wants him to get a job.  So, murder is totally the best route here.  But, Bruno knows he will be arrested because of his motive.  So his idea is to kill Guy's ex-wife while Guy kills his father, so neither will be caught.  Guy just entertains his idea, not realizing he is 100% serious.  I think Robert Walker's performance of Bruno is probably the best part of watching this film.

So Guy goes to see his ex-wife, who is the town bicycle (because everyone's had a ride).  His ex-wife is pregnant with someone else's baby.  She decides that since Guy finally has money and fame from his tennis career, she's going to refuse to divorce him, ruining his chances to marry his girlfriend.  She is such a slut bitch and Guy is furious.  He yells that he wants to strangle her.  Bruno, meanwhile, stalks her for a bit, and then actually strangles her.

Bruno waits for Guy outside his house, and informs he what he's done.  Guy is horrified that he was serious.  He wants to go to the police, but Bruno talks him out of it. Another bad decision by Guy.

Later, Bruno realizes that Guy isn't going to kill his father like he'd hoped.  He decides to plant evidence to convict him of his ex-wife's murder.  Guy's girlfriend tries to help, but makes it worse.  She is also smart enough to figure out what's going on without anyone telling her.

The only bad part about this film, which forces me to lower the score, is the carousel scene.  Guy and Bruno are fighting on the carousel and it explodes.  What.  What a cheap ending, all this intriguing stuff going on, and you're going to make a carousel explode.  That makes no kind of sense.  I don't like that at all.  The cops want to arrest them, and Guy wants Bruno to confess.  Bruno dies, and his evidence falls out of his hand.  If Guy would have just gone to the police a long time ago, and explained everything, none of this would happen.  So the moral of the film is, don't make bad decisions or a carousel will explode.  Still not one of the best Hitchcock films, but it's better than Rope cause that movie succkked.  I will give this film a 6/10.

Lola rennt (Run Lola Run) (1998)

Today's film is Run Lola Run, a film which is part fantasy, part video game, all with a fast paced soundtrack.  Lola is our fiery-red haired heroine who must come up with $100,000 in twenty minutes in order to save her boyfriend, Manni.  Manni was supposed to deliver it to his boss, but left it on the subway, where it was picked up by a homeless guy.

Lola thinks, then runs down the stairs of her apartment.  The running down the stairs scene is animated.  This will be explained momentarily.  Her plan is to ask her rich dad, who runs a bank if she could borrow the money.  That's the best plan she has for now.  As she runs, she encounters different people, and we see snapshots of their future.

Her dad is at work in his office, talking to his mistress.  Lola barges in as his mistress confesses to being pregnant.  Lola's dad throws her out of the office and tells her that she is not his biological child and that he will stay with his mistress.  Lola walks off crying.  Meanwhile, Manni becomes impatient and goes to rob the nearby grocery store, hoping to regain the money he lost.  Lola arrives too late, and agrees to help him.

They get the money and are stopped by police.  One of the cops shoots Lola, killing her.  She starts whispering and then the whole movie starts over again, and we see the cartoon scene of her running down the stairs.  This is where the film is like a video game, the cartoon part is the cut-scene that never changes no matter how many times you play it.  The choices Lola makes during the twenty minutes determine what happen to her and Manni.

This time, Lola runs towards the bank, where her dad and mistress are talking, as usual.  This time, Lola comes a bit later, so her dad learns that his mistress' baby is not his at all.  Lola comes in and asks for the money.  Of course, it's too much and he won't give it to her.  Lola decides to rob the bank and escape.  She runs towards Manni, hopeful that she was successful.  Manni then gets hit by an ambulance and dies.

So, their choices influence each other.  When Lola does the wrong thing and robs the bank, Manni dies.  When Manni does the wrong thing and robs the store, Lola dies.  Lola has to find some other way to get the money.  Lola starts the level over again and we see the cut-scene once more.

In this level, neither Manni nor Lola rob anyone.  Manni chases down the homeless man and demands his bag of money bag.  The homeless man agrees if he can have Manni's gun.  I personally would not give a homeless person a gun, but he does anyway.  Also, Lola doesn't go to the bank at all, but sees a casino.  She thinks, please just this once, and goes to place some bets.  The luck factor in video games is a lot different than in real life, so she wins, and leaves with her winnings to find her boyfriend.  So not only did Manni get the money back himself,  but Lola got a ton of money too.  And they lived happily ever after.

Every time I watch this film, I find something new or something I didn't notice before.  This movie is very fast paced.  Every choice Lola makes not only influences herself, but Manni and even random people.  The snapshots we see of the minor character's lives change each time she passes them.  I will give this film a 10/10.

Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Today's film is Heavenly Creatures.  I found some parts to be weird, some parts boring, some parts awkward and some parts okay.  It was one of the most unusual films I have ever seen.

Pauline is an awkward lonely teenage girl until she meets the new student, Juliet.  They both have a rebellious spirit, Pauline likes to doodle why Juliet is keen to correct the teachers.  Which is typically what we do at high school, but their friendship becomes incredibly strong.  They spend most of their time in a fantasy world involving the royal family in a castle.

The fantasy world is one of the best parts because that's where Peter Jackson shines.  I don't know how he made those giant clay people but they look freakishly real.  To me, the fantasy sequences are the most interesting part of the movie.  Otherwise, it's mostly a boring teenage friendship/romance plot.  They did interview the real Pauline who said that they were not lesbians, but that doesn't matter.  What matters is they spend so much time in their fantasy world that it becomes their reality, and they cannot stand to be separated.  What I don't understand is why they burned all of their Mario Lanza records.

I was surprised at how brutally they killed Pauline's mother.  This shouldn't be a spoiler because it's a true story and it happened over 50 years ago.  They take turns bashing her in with a brick.  And all because she wouldn't let her go overseas with Juliet.  Ironically, after being arrested and convicted, Juliet and Pauline were never allowed to see each other again.  In real life, they both changed their names.  Pauline, now Hilary, runs a school and devotes her life to disabled children.  Juliet, now Anne, writes murder mysteries.  Well I guess she would be an expert in that.  Since this murder was famous, Peter Jackson decided to make a film focusing on their relationship rather than just the murder itself.  In fact, if it weren't a true story, you would never expect them to do that.  I typically don't like films like this, but it was well made.  Also, this is the debut of the main stars playing Juliet and Pauline.  I will give this film a 6/10.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Today's film is Dog Day Afternoon.  It's based on a true story.  I love films based on true stories, and in this one the real story is even more outrageous than the movie.

Al Pacino stars as Sonny, the main bank robber.  In this film he was 35, but the real Sonny was only 18.  Also, the real Sonny got $230,000 from the bank, whereas movie Sonny got less than $2000 as the bank pick up had already occurred.  I wasn't sure about his partner, Sal.  Not much is said about him.  How did they meet?  What about the third robber who chickened out?  Whose idea was it to rob the bank and how did they plan it?

Even though the robbery should have been quick, the police and news media turn it into this huge spectacle that lasted hours.  Sonny realizes that with hostages he can do what he wants and get whatever he demands.  He wants to go to the airport and fly to Algeria.  ! Why Algeria??  He asks his partner which country he wants to go to, and he replies, "Wyoming".  That was really funny.

Sonny was trying to get money to pay for his lover's sex change operation.  All of $2500 dollars.  If that doesn't show us how much medical costs in America have skyrocketed I don't know what does.  I stayed in the hospital for one week and the expenses were $15,000.  And that's with insurance.  At the end, we learn that his partner does get his surgery, but Sonny is sent to jail for 20 years.  The real Sonny served his full sentence of 20 years and died in 2006 of cancer.  His lover died before Sonny was released.

Interesting fact: this movie was filmed in winter, but took place in summer, so to prevent the actors' breath from being seen, they ate ice before they spoke!  I liked this film and I will give it a 7/10.

Dirty Harry (1971)

Today's film is Dirty Harry.  I thought it was great.  It had a decent story and just enough action, and it didn't seem dated.

The villain is the Scorpio Killer, who was based on the Zodiac Killer in San Francisco.  He targets people at random from rooftops and shoots them.  However, that is totally the wrong size of silencer for a gun that size.  Seriously, the force from an actual shot could have torn it apart.  The correct size is about a foot long, yet because of the kind of bullets needed to reach the distances he wanted, a distinct "crack" sound would still be heard.

Part of the film is spent guessing why Harry is called "dirty".  We know that he operates under his own rules, is racist, is a peeper, and might be crazy.  But we find out that he is called that because he takes every dirty job given to him.  And how does he get away with carrying a handgun that big on duty?  There's just no way.

Even though Harry caught the Scorpio Killer and found the body and the gun, the movie is far from over. The DA explains how the evidence is inadmissible in court and that they cannot charge him with anything. Okay, even though he obtained it without a warrant, automatic weapons are illegal in California and it is a felony to possess one.  Also, he would have been charged with assault against a police officer, attempted murder against his partner that he shot, and resisting arrest.  If Harry doesn't know enough to argue this, then that's his problem.  He could have prevented Scorpio Killer from being released and hijacking the school bus.

Harry stops the Scorpio Killer by jumping on the roof of the school bus and forcing him to stop.  When he has him trapped in front of the water, the Scorpio Killer starts pleading for his life and that he has rights.  This is supposed to enrage us because he obviously doesn't care about any of his victim's rights, not even children's.  And yet here he is exploiting the justice system for his own good.  If Harry were to arrest him again, the killer would be freed and would kill again.  So, Harry delivers some more badass lines and shoots him with his ginormous handgun.

Even though this film is not without its flaws, it was fun to watch.  I will give it a 7/10.

M (1931)

Today's film is M,  which is just as relevant today as it was in 1931.  Someone is going around town killing kids, and the police are at a total loss.  So, assuming he's a regular criminal, the police raid the criminal areas night after night.  So, the criminals are upset at this, since they can't do "business" they'll go broke, not to mention they are tired of being harassed.

The leaders of each criminal organization meet and come up with a brilliant plan.  They will find the killer themselves.  They enlist the help of the beggar's organization to keep watch on the streets.  They have a great system of communicating with each other through the streets, by sounds and whistles, like an old-fashioned twitter.  The blind balloon seller recognizes the killer's whistle and tells a friend to follow and mark him.  The killer was whistling the same tune when he bought a balloon for a girl named Elsie, who became one of his victims.  The man marks his coat with the letter M for murderer so everyone can spot him easily.  The killer, Beckert, realizes this and takes off.  The criminals track him down to an office building and search for him.  They use their talents to break in and search each room.

About the same time the criminals find the killer, the police have enough clues to arrest Beckert.  But he's gone from his house, hiding in the office building.  After a watchmen in the building trips the alarm, most of the criminals flee, carrying Beckert away.  The police catch a stranded thief and question him.  I did not like the upward crotch shot of the detective while he was talking.  What an odd angle.  Anyway, Beckert has been taken to a court set up by the criminals.  He pleads that he is paranoid and is compelled to kill.  The lead criminal doesn't want him to go to a real court, where he can plead insanity and be taken care of by the state.  Which I agree with.  I am reminded of the case of Andrea Yates, who drowned her five children and now resides in a LOW security mental hospital in Texas.  A child killer just like Beckert.  Beckert pleads for his life, but the women of the court speak out about losing their children to him.  The criminals rush toward him but are stopped by the police.  The final scene show them in a real court, with the mothers telling each other they have to still watch their children.  Because you'll never know when he'll be released and start killing again.

I thought this movie was great and was well-made.  I enjoyed every minute of it.  It started a little slow, but it built up until the final scene.  So I will give it a 9/10.

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Today marks my 200th post, and I'm reviewing the film Witness for the Prosecution, which is an awesome rollercoaster ride of a movie.  It follows the final case of an experienced barrister (lawyer) who is retiring due to a heart attack.  His name is Sir Wilfrid Robarts and he is tended to/annoyed by his nurse, Miss Plimsoll.  He even tells her, "if you were a woman, I'd strike you."  The chemistry between them makes it even funnier, and it's interesting to note that the actors playing them are actually husband and wife.

Despite his nurse's advice, Robarts takes on a stressful criminal case.  This is not good for his heart at all.  His client, Leonard Vole, is accused of killing a lonely widow for her inheritance money.  There is a load of circumstantial evidence that could put him away.  Fortunately, his wife can help with his alibi.  Still, it looks hopeless.  This does not deter Robarts because his is one of the best barristers in the area.

Robarts is shocked when he actually meets Vole's wife, Christine.  She is tough and coolheaded.  Christine was a cabaret singer in war-torn Germany.  I recognized her as Lola Lola from The Blue Angel!  She was so desperate to get out she agreed to marry Vole even though she was already legally married.  They had a wedding ceremony but nothing official.  Christine has kept this knowledge secret this entire time.  Because of this, she is called in as a witness for the prosecution.  A wife can't testify against her husband, but Christine can, because legally she's not his wife!  She tells the jury that his alibi is false and he admitted to killing the widow.  Robarts calls her out on her constant lying.  She lied about being single, has been lying all these years, so how can anyone trust her now?

The best part of this film is that it has so many twists and shocking surprises.  Is Christine lying for her own gain, or is it an elaborate plan to free her husband?  It is a very entertaining film to watch.  And though the ending may be disappointing, I can explain that.  Back then, it had to be shown that criminals could not profit from their evil deeds.  Vole couldn't just go and spend that money on a cruise with his new arm candy.  He had to suffer for his crime.  If they ever decide to remake this, I hope they leave the ending more open. I will give this film an 8/10.

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Today's movie is Kind Hearts and Coronets, which is a very dry, dark comedy.  It's very dry, like gin dry.  I don't think I've ever used gin to describe a movie, but this is perfect.  It's also dark because it involves the main character murdering a bunch of people, albeit in hilarious ways.

I often enjoy watching crime-related comedies, but what is so special about this one?  Overall, it's a pretty dull comedy.  The best reason to watch this is because Alec Guinness plays all eight members of the D'Ascoyne family!  He plays the banker, the parson, the duke, Lady Agatha, the admiral, and two other young members of the family.

Alec Guinness as every member of the D'Ascoyne family

The main story is about Louis, whose mother comes from a long line of dukes.  She is cruelly abandoned by her family because she chose to marry for love.  She was even denied the right to be buried near her family.  Louis swears revenge by becoming the next duke himself.  The problem is he's 8th in line so he figures that killing them all off is his best bet.

The upper class is often made fun of in this movie, while Louis' actions are never condemned.  He is blamed for the suicide of Sibella's husband, but that's only because she hid the suicide note and tried to blackmail him.  I believe she is the worst character in the movie.  She refuses to marry Louis and marries another man solely because of his wealth.  She later constantly brings her marriage problems to Louis.  Then, once he becomes a duke, she blackmails him into leaving his new fiance and marrying her.  She is everything that is wrong in their society.

Overall, the movie is not fall-out-of-your-chair funny, but it does have its moments.  It also pokes fun at upper class people in a sly way.  I will give it a 7/10.

Tsotsi (2005)

Today's film is Tsotsi, which came all the way from South Africa.  Tsotsi means "thug" and is the street name of our main character.

Tsotsi and his friends/fellow gang members live in the worst part of Johannesburg.  He lives an aimless live of crime, not caring about anyone.  One day, after randomly carjacking a woman's car after shooting her, he drives off.  He discovers a baby boy in the backseat.

Tsotsi tries his best to care for the baby, but he has no idea how.  He leaves him with some milk, but ants get all over him.  Tsotsi finds Miriam, a young woman with baby of her own to feed the baby for him.  Meanwhile, he robs the baby's parent's house of their formula and stuff so he can care for the baby.  Notice how he doesn't return the baby to the house, he steals the baby's stuff.  Does he intend on keeping the baby?

Miriam convinces him to bring the baby back to his real parents.  So he does.  That's the entire movie.  I think the point of the film is for us to see the daily lives of impoverished people in South Africa.  It is definitely a different kind of life.  It's not a groundbreaking movie by any means, but it was okay.  I will give it a 5/10.

Ladri di biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) (1948)

Lately I've been watching a lot of films from the 1940's and this one really struck me.  Not only because of its stark realism, but that it could have been made today and have been no different.  Everyone was struggling there back then.  It was almost impossible to find a job, and people took whatever they can get.  Same way we have recent college graduates working at Burger King and will wait years before anything is available in their field.

Antonio Ricci is someone who needs a job for his family, and actually gets one!  It requires a bicycle to go around town one.  Unfortunately, someone nicks it while he's on the job.  If he doesn't get this bike back, he'll lose his means of supporting his family.

Ricci, his friends, and his son Bruno, scour the city looking for the bike.  They also go to the market to look for bike parts, because it could have been stripped for its parts and sold bit by bit.  I had no idea Italians were so serious about their bikes!  The bike market was impressive.  It becomes apparent that the bike isn't just for his job, but for living a normal life as well.  Also, Ricci takes his son out to eat even though he's broke because he wants to show that he can take care of him and not to worry.  It's not his son's responsibility to worry, it's his own job.

Does Ricci get his bike back?  No, but life isn't always about happiness.  This movie left me feeling empty and hopeless about the future.  Even now, there are no jobs here.  At all.  I'm giving this film a 7/10.

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Today's film is In the Heat of the Night, which features Sidney Poitier as Virgil Tibbs, a detective trying to solve a murder in a town full of racism.

In a town in Mississippi where no one is ever murdered, someone is murdered.  The police have no idea what do, and as the film progresses, randomly arrest people based on speculation. Virgil is quietly minding his own business waiting for the train when he is grabbed and arrested without being questioned.  Soon the police learn that not only is he innocent, but he is a police officer in Philadelphia.  Bonus: He's the best homicide detective in Philadelphia.  So the prideful police chief begrudgingly asks him for help.  Virgil doesn't want to, but his boss tells him to.

The police chief, Gillespie, asks him his name, and when he replies, "Virgil", he laughs. But he doesn't understand how important he will be to the investigation. None of the police have ever been through the hell of a homicide investigation, and as an experienced detective with forensic knowledge, Virgil is the perfect guide.

I did enjoy watching the early forensics.  He was good about looking at the victim's hands and his head injury. He proved the innocence of another man they arrested because of this.  However, he goes to the victim's car and sees the bloodshed.  He wipes his bare hand all over it!  ewwwwwww.

Why are the talking portions so quiet while the guy running through the leaves is so blaring?

I was wrong about all those people smoking in the '40s movies.  Smoking is not the worst habit. Smacking gum with your mouth open is! Gillespie is a nasty gum smacker. That is so nasty.  In every scene I see him, he is smacking his gum with his mouth wide open.The funniest was when the camera zoomed in on his face, smacking away in tune to the music!

Most of the film deals with the main character's prejudices.  The police and other residents of the town are mostly racists, while Virgil is a classic example of a Northerner's superiority complex.  Gillespie and Virgil slowly start to lose their prejudices, but never fully let go because they are prideful.  Both of them were good actors, and I particularly liked his death stares. Also, dude slapped a guy. I will give this film an 8/10.