KING OF THIEVES (Dir: James Marsh, 2018) My Quest To Watch As Many Movies As I Can In 2019 Continues

KING OF THIEVES (Dir: James Marsh, 2018) My quest to watch as many movies as I can in 2019 continues with movie King of Thieves. Based on the true story of the Hatton Garden safe burglary of 2015, King of Thieves is something of a sweary throwback to the British crime caper films of yore. The Italian Job’s Michael Caine stars as criminal mastermind Brian Reader and, as his criminal cohorts, is supported by a top notch cast including Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent and various other Harry Potter cast members. The real-life crime was as audacious as its perpetrators were ultimately careless and is neatly told here against the London locations on which it took place. While King of Thieves won’t change cinema history it is stylish, old-fashion (in a good way), frequently humorous and well worth a watch! 100+ movie reviews now available on my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com

OUT OF THE PAST aka BUILD MY GALLOWS HIGH (Dir: Jacques Tourneur, 1947).

Adapted from his novel by Geoffrey Homes, this classic thriller from the golden era of film noir stars Robert Mitchum as a former PI with a shady past and Jane Greer as the femme fatale he is hired to find by louche businessman Kirk Douglas in a star-making performance.

Mitchum has a new life and new girl in very un-noirlike rural Bridgeport California. But his past soon drags him back to his sordid big city life and back into the arms of his client’s cheating, murderous gal.

This terrific movie is like a film noir checklist with cutting dialogue, shadowy cityscapes and moody atmosphere to spare.

Out of the Past is a classic of it’s genre.

100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.

SATAN MET A LADY (Dir: William Dieterle, 1936). Hollywood’s second adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s Maltese Falcon is, in spite of the presence of Bette Davis, its weakest. Davis is reputed to have referred to this comedy take on the famous thriller as ‘trash’. That said, Ms Davis is never less than watchable and I could forgive her almost anything. Even trash. 100+ movie reviews now available on my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com

RIP Ron Miller; former president and CEO of Walt Disney Productions, husband to Diane Disney Miller from 1954 until her death in 2013 and son-in-law to Walt Disney. He received production credits on movies including Escape to Witch Mountain, The Rescuers and Tron and was latterly president of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Family Museum. Sad to see you go Mr Miller.

BORN YESTERDAY (Dir: George Cukor, 1950) Movie of the year number 8, Born Yesterday, is an absolute classic. Judy Holliday’s recreation of her Broadway role as the uneducated mistress of bent junk magnet Broderick Crawford is one the greatest comedic performances in cinema history. Maybe the greatest. Completing the trio of fine star performances is William Holden as the journalist who Crawford hires to smarten Holliday up. All three are excellent but the movie is really Holliday’s; deservedly winning her the Best Actress Oscar in a tough category including heavyweights Bette Davis (All About Eve) and Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard). Perhaps slightly betraying its stage origins, this is still a cinematic gem with Cukor handling the intelligent razor sharp Garson Kanin dialogue with his usual class. Born Yesterday is truly classic Hollywood at its finest. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. 100+ movie reviews now available on my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com

Mouskouri Monday