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STAN & OLLIE (Dir: Jon S Baird, 2018).
STAN & OLLIE (Dir: Jon S Baird, 2018).
The big screen biopic has had a resurgence in popularity in recent years. From the stories of British rock stars Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody (Bryan Singer, 2018) and Elton John in Rocketman (Dexter Fletcher, 2019) to Hollywood's own golden age legends Judy Garland in Judy (Rupert Goold, 2019) and this biopic of beloved comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.
Movies about the movies have long been a staple in Hollywood, but Stan & Ollie has a somewhat different approach to many of the biographical titles which have preceded it. Most notably, it ignores the the duo’s well documented heyday, being with the stars’ falling out over a contractual dispute with producer Hal Wallis in 1937. From here we jump to the early 1950s when the pair, reunited but still nursing wounds over the quarrel, embark on a comeback tour of the UK and Ireland. Here the tour is initially mishandled by promoter Bernard Delfont and the pair are playing to largely empty venues, although the duo are eventually afforded the warm welcome they deserve. Stan & Ollie chronicles the stars' strained relationships with each other and their partners, while also detailing their attempts to reignite a movie career. Eventually Hardy's failing health brings an abrupt halt to the tour but also signals a renewed reconciliation between the pair.
Read the full review on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME at the link below:
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DR CYCLOPS (Dir: Ernest B Schoedsack, 1939).
Legendary King Kong (1933) co-directors and producers Ernest Schoedsack and Merian C Cooper reunite for this unusual shocker, based on a story by Henry Kuttner. Co produced by Dale Van Every, Dr Cyclops was released through Paramount Pictures.
Dr Alexander Thorkel (Albert Dekker) has been in the depths of the Peruvian jungle for some years working on a secret experiment. Fellow scientists Dr Robinson and Dr Bullfinch are duly dispatched to his remote lab as Thorkel's assistants. On arriving, they are dismayed when the less than welcoming Doc Thorkel asks them to leave. Eager to learn why the doctor is so secretive, the gang do some snooping and are surprised to learn he has discovered a rich vein of pitchblende ore, containing uranium and radium. The demented doc is using the ore to shrink living creatures and promptly downsizes his curious colleagues. The gang must return to normal size and thwart the doctor's evil plans, but not before battling with oversized jungle foliage and enduring some close calls with enormous crocodile and a kingsized kitty cat.
Read the full review on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME. Link below.
THE SHEEPMAN (Dir: George Marshall, 1958).
Glenn Ford had a terrific run of movies in the 1950s. Many of which were westerns, including this unusual oater with an excellent supporting cast.
Ford stars as Jason Sweet, a stranger who arrives in cattle country with a flock of sheep which he intends to graze on public land. The cowpoke townsfolk disapprove mightily of this and let Sweet know, in no uncertain terms, that they want him gone. But the tough talking, milk drinking Sweet means business. Picking a fight with town heavy "Jumbo" McCall (Mickey Shaughnessy) and making an enemy of shifty cattle baron "Colonel" Steven Bedford (Leslie Nielsen); meanwhile giving the glad eye to Bedford's intended Dell Payton (Shirley MacLaine).
Read the full review on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME. Link below.
MEET THE STEWARTS (Dir: Alfred E Green, 1942).
A domestic comedy from Columbia Pictures which provides an early role for future acting legend William Holden.
Meet the Stewarts' paper thin plot concerns the matrimonial problems of working class Mike Stewart (William Holden) and new bride Candy (Frances Dee). Juggling a limited budget and disapproving families, Candy is determined to prove herself a dutiful wife, without the help of Daddy's income.
Read the full review on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME. Link below.
He played a hero on screen. Turns out he was a hero in real life.
SCOOBY-DOO & THE CURSE OF THE 13TH GHOST (Dir: Cecilia Aranovich Hamilton, 2019).
Scooby-Doo Where are You! debuted on US TV network CBS in the late summer of 1969 and was an instant success for creators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and producers Hanna-Barbera. This recent Warner Bros Animation effort is the continuation and conclusion of the 1985 series The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, a short-lived series which premiered in September 1985 in which Mystery Inc teamed up with the mystical Vincent Van Ghoul in order to capture 13 ‘real’ spirits accidentally released from a magic chest by Scooby. Drawing criticism from those who accused the show of endorsing the occult, the show was cancelled before the season end and the final pesky paranormal entities were never captured.
Here we find Mystery Inc on the verge of retirement following the bungling of a recent case when the gang are contacted, via a crystal ball, by old friend and associate Vincent Van Ghoul. Van Ghoul is eager to find the 13th missing spirit and the gang are once again on a ghost hunt. This time around there is no janitor in a rubber mask as the ghosts are real! Or are they? A skeptical Velma is out to prove to the gang that 'ghoul' is not always how it appears.
Read the full review on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME. Link below.
