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THE MOB (Dir: Robert Parrish, 1951).
THE MOB (Dir: Robert Parrish, 1951).
A tough gangster movie-cum-film noir thriller. The Mob stars Broderick Crawford as Johnny Damico, a tough New York cop who poses as a longshoreman to bust up the corrupt union activity polluting the city's dockyards.
Based upon the novel Waterfront by Ferguson Findlay, The Mob covers similar ground to the more famous On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954). Pre-dating the latter movie by three years it is more of a pulpy crime drama that Kazan's socially conscience classic.
In his second outing as director, former editor Robert Parrish has crafted a hard hitting, at time brutal thriller which still packs a considerable punch seven decades later. It is a tough movie, with tough guys talking tough. William Bowers' screenplay is interspersed with some smart hard boiled dialogue, delivered in suitable pithy fashion by the excellent Broderick Crawford.
A year after his Oscar winning performance in All the King's Men (Robert Rossen, 1949) Crawford is dynamite here; perfectly cast as a hard nosed cop, ruthless in his mission to bring down the mob. Also impressing in an early role is Ernest Borgnine as thuggish mobster Johnny Castro. As his right hand man, Neville Brand is equally effective in one of many maniacal bad guy roles.
Often categerised as a film noir, The Mob feels closer to a gangster film than a true noir; its staccato pacing and overall theme evoking the Warner Brothers mob movies of 1930s. It presents an evocative, shadowy world of backstreets and dive bars populated with shady characters It is surprisingly violent at times, especially in its realistically scrappy fist fights.
It may not rank among the greatest thrillers of its era, but it is an exciting and engaging minor noir, or rather a gangster movie in noir clothing. Deserving of far more attention than it generally receives, The Mob is neat little crime flick with a cracking screenplay and a first rate cast. To my knowledge, the movies only official home video release is as part of Spain's Columbia Classics range. This may make The Mob a little difficult to source, but it is well worth the effort!
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MURDER MOST FOUL (Dir: George Pollock, 1964).
MGM’s third outing for Agatha Christie’s amateur sleuth Miss Marple, with the incomparable Margaret Rutherford in the title role.
Investigating the murder of a blackmailer, Miss Marple bluffs her way into theatrical troupe the Cosgood Players, with whom the victim has a previous association. The old girl knows she is on the right track as more troupe members are disposed of. Anyone of the players has possible motive for murder, and Miss Marple is soon in danger herself as the killer gets wind of her snooping.
As with the previous series entry Murder at the Gallop, this movie is based upon a novel featuring Christie’s Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, in this instance her 1952 novel Mrs McGinty’s Dead. As before, Poirot is elbowed out the picture to make way for Miss Marple.
Once again Rutherford attacks the role of Miss Marple with relish! While nothing like the literary incarnation, she injects the role with such goodnatured bluster that its impossible not to love her interpretation. A strong supporting cast of Brit acting legends adds to the fun. Returning from previous adventures are Charles Tingwell as the long suffering Inspector Craddock and Rutherford's real life husband Stringer Davis as Miss Marple's chaste love interest Mr Stringer.
As with other titles in the series, Murder Most Foul is not necessarily one for Christie purists. Great liberties are taken with the original, not just the recasting of the lead character. However, the movie is a lot of fun. Director George Pollock skillfully judges the overt comic tone with the more serious business of murder. There are genuine thrills to be found as the mystery unfolds to a neatly suspenseful, not too obvious climax.
In truth, Murder Most Foul differs little from the two previous outings. But happily, what worked before works again and the formula still feels surprisingly fresh. Unfortunately Miss Marple doesn't delight us with her twist again, or any other fad dances for that matter. But as compensation she does perform a priceless rendition of Robert W Service's poem The Shooting of Dan McGrew, which alone makes the movie worth a watch!
A longer, more in-depth review of MURDER MOST FOUL is available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (Dir: J.J. Abrams, 2019).
I am writing this review assuming that anyone reading it will already know a little about the Star Wars universe. This latest movie The Rise of Skywalker is the final instalment of the nine movie strong (not including spin-offs) saga.
In this, Episode IX, the Resistance are, once again, up against the First Order. Rey, meanwhile has some serious soul searching to do and some pretty important decisions to make.
A bit more of a romp than the preceding two instalments, co-writer/director J.J. Abrams has fashioned a rollercoaster adventure that barely stops for breath. Its more poignant and emotional moments, of which there are many, are offset by the humour that was sadly missing in the prequels and by a general good natured atmosphere.
Special effects are, as you would expect, spectacular. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you on the edge of your seat, while longtime fans will appreciate the nods to previous movies including some welcome cameos of characters past.
Key to the movies enjoyment is the game playing of its likeable cast, most notably Oscar Isaacs’ Poe Dameron; his cheeky-chappie-Han-Solo-ish persona comes to the fore more here than in previous movies and for me, Isaacs is the real standout of the newer gang members. Perhaps as a consequence, Finn seems a little underwritten. While John Boyega has impressed in previous entries, here, through no fault of his own, is left with seemingly little to do. As Rey, Daisy Ridley spends much of the movie in a sort of heroic turmoil, but this she does excellently! While, over the course of three movies Adam Driver has pretty much perfected his mean and moody bit as bad’un Kylo Ren.
So we conclude the Star Wars nineology (or whatever) with a movie which, while perhaps not among the best of the series is still a mostly satisfying end to the franchise. Those fans who come to Star Wars first and foremost to be entertained should not be disappointed.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker! Link below.
BUSH CHRISTMAS (Dir: Ralph Smart, 1947).
Set during the Christmas holidays in the small valley community of Mara Mara, Bush Christmas follows the adventures of five children: brothers John (Morris Unicomb) and Snow (Nicky Yardley), their big sister Helen (Helen Grieve), English evacuee Michael (Michael Yardley) and friend Nesa (Nesa Saunders). After some horses are stolen from their ranch home, the kids decide to take the law into their own hands and set out into the Australian bush in order to track down the thieves and rescue the precious animals.
Bush Christmas was one of the first feature films from Rank Organisation's Children's Entertainment Film unit; a department which would eventually evolve into the Children's Film Foundation (CFF).
Although low budget, it feels significantly more polished than the usual, appealingly amateur, CFF output. Director Ralph Smart keeps the action moving at a steady pace while cinematographer George Heath captures the locations beautifully. Filmed in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, the location photography is a definite plus and lends an atmosphere unique in family movies of the era.
Chips Rafferty, then Australia's biggest homegrown movie star, hams it up nicely as Long Bill, the leader of the horse thieves. John Fernside and Stan Tolhurst are his cohorts, alternating some broad comedy with the required menace, as they are outwitted every step of the way by the kids.
Performances from the youngsters, none of whom had significant acting careers as adults, are appealing and natural. Nesa, the only indigenous lad, is slightly stereotyped, perhaps to be expected considering the era in which the movie was made. However, I feel the stereotyping is more naive than negative; with his knowledge of bush crafts he is shown to be the most intelligent and resourceful of the gang.
Set during the Australian summer, Bush Christmas is not especially festive for western audiences and is suitable viewing all year round. It is a modest little movie, but an engaging one at that. Perhaps a mite dated, but with enough comedy and action as to make it a worthwhile watch, especially for those looking for an alternative to modern family fare.
For a longer, more in-depth review of BUSH CHRISTMAS visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
THE MEN OF SHERWOOD FOREST (Dir: Val Guest, 1954).
An early production from Hammer Films, The Men of Sherwood Forest is a low budget but spirited romp with Don Taylor as the legendary Robin Hood.
The simple plot involves Robin attempting to thwart an ambush attack on Richard the Lionheart on his return from the Crusades.
More famous for their Horror movies, Hammer also did a nice line in swashbucklers; the studio produced four Robin Hood movies, of which this was the first.
Although clearly working with a meagre budget, director Val Guest makes decent use of outdoor locales and the movie feels less studio bound than might be expected. It also benefits from being shot in colour and whilst the action is not as well staged as in a more lavish production, Guest generally elicits decent performances from his actors, not all of whom are perfectly cast.
Don Taylor makes for a slightly bland leading man. There is nothing essentially wrong with his performance and with an athletic build he certainly looks the part of Robin. However with an accent that is more Hollywood than Sherwood, Taylor lacks both the authenticity and charisma of earlier Robin Hoods such as Errol Flynn or Richard Todd. Likewise, Leonard Sachs is not ideally cast as The Sheriff of Nottingham, lacking both the authoritative air and any real sense of menace to make a truly memorable villain.
The best performances are to be found in the supporting cast. Maid Marian is inexplicably missing from The Men of Sherwood Forest; her replacement here is Lady Alys in a nice performance by Eileen Moore. A loyal ally to Robin, she holds her own with the best of the Merrie Men, but there is no romance between the two. Robin’s most significant relationship here is with Friar Tuck. As the wily man of the cloth cum con artist Reginald Beckwith gives a marvellous comic performance which is arguably the movie's highlight.
While The Men of Sherwood Forest is no masterpiece, as an example of the sort of boys own adventure that once filled matinees, it is invaluable. Cheap and cheerful maybe, but also engagingly innocent, old fashioned fun.
To read a longer, more in-depth review of THE MEN OF SHERWOOD FOREST visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
FROZEN II (Dir: Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee, 2019).
Walt Disney Animation Studios sequel to their original blockbuster Frozen (Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee, 2013).
The events of Frozen II take place roughly three years after those of Frozen. However, the movie takes us further back into Elsa and Anna's past as, through flashbacks, we see the girls' father King Agnarr of Arendelle relating the tale of their grandfather's attempt to form a treaty with a neighbouring tribe in their Enchanted Forest homeland. An ensuing battle results in grandfather's death and discord among the Forest's spirits. Years later Elsa is drawn to the forest by a mysterious voice and becomes embroiled in the ongoing conflict which is threatening the well being of both the Enchanted Forest and Queen Elsa's kingdom of Arendelle
While Frozen II bears the legend "Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, it is nothing like the original fairytale. Neither is it particularly like the original movie, incorporating more references to Nordic myth and legend than the original Frozen.
Reuniting much of the core creative team from the first movie, co-writers and directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee have created a movie which never feels like a quick buck cash-in. The animation is stunning, even more so than in the original. Its forest setting and warm autumnal colour palette gives it a distinctly different feel to the cooler blues and whites of Frozen's icescapes.
In its attempt to differentiate itself from the first movie, Frozen II does seem to suffer from an overly complex narrative. There is so much going on in Frozen II that one misses the more economic and ultimately more satisfying simplicity of the original, although Buck and Lee are to be commended for not being content to just churn out the same movie.
While the story may be a little over complicated for its own good, Frozen II is still a highly impressive, enjoyable movie, much better than audiences may have been expected and continues Walt Disney Animation Studios’ excellent run of features throughout the 2010s.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME to read a longer, more in-depth review of Frozen II! Link below.
