The Age of Consent (1932)

Serious youth Michael is frustrated by the flighty behavior of his best girl Betty, who appears to be receptive to the advances of the campus alpha-douche. Events have Michael in the arms, and other places, of young waitress Dora. Come morning they are discovered, and Paw goes for the preacher and shotgun.

Memorable for the amusing dialog lampooning promiscuous college attitudes Michael’s traditional values are in stark contrast to his college peer’s but with dad’s downright Victorian views. Michael knows he must do what’s right even if it dashes all of his life’s plans.

There are themes here, but don't go thinking this is a deep film. On the topic of promiscuity, I believe it is suggesting a "moderation in all things" approach. I don't believe a deeper investigation is warranted. Future pin-up girl Betty Grable has a blink-and-you'll-miss-her scene. I had blinked.

Age of Consent is a pretty clumsy early talkie, partially redeemed by the risque theme (Dora, the sexual aggressor, is a minor) and the somewhat amusing dialog:

“You know, you'd be much nicer if you'd loosen your morals.”
“I would be much more comfortable if you would loosen your grip.”

And at 63 minutes, it also has the virtue of brevity. But this gets us only so far. It's fairly dull film. AMRU 2.5.

Downhill (1927)

After taking the blame for an indiscretion he was innocent of, young Roddy’s (Ivor Novello) life heads in some sort of negative slope analogy.

Produced directly after the success of The Lodger, Alfred Hitchcock returned to his star, Ivor Novello. Unfortunately, Downhill wasn’t nearly as successful, and it shouldn’t come as surprise. All the mystery and intrigue of the previous film was replaced with “bad stuff happens to good guy”. No mystery, no suspense.

Metadata on IMDb implies gay coding with the Roddy character, but I don't see it. Novello himself was openly gay, but I sense this is commentary on Roddy not responding to Mabel's advances. I don't see that interpretation anywhere else.

Novello is an interesting character. A bona fide matinee idol at the time, the 35ish Novello believably played a high school boy. Ah, what acting talent, pancake makeup, and grainy film stock can do. He co-wrote the play on which the film is based, along with many other plays and songs. His film career would be fairly brief, but would continue to write. The Ivor Novello Awards are still presented for songwriting and composing.

Hitch wasn’t quite Hitch, not just yet. He played with elements of visual style uncommon of the day (some of which he would later criticize) but the film is a bit of a snoozer. Not a painful watch, but not a very compelling one either. AMRU 2.5.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

A boozy couple (Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor) with a complicated relationship entertain a young couple (George Segal and Sandy Dennis) after hours. Mental games are played and secrets are revealed. Will love bloom? That’s not quite right. Everyone lived happily ever after? Let’s go with “It’s complicated”.

The film has only four credited actors, and all four were nominated for Academy Awards. Liz, believably playing a woman twenty years older than herself, won her second Oscar. Sex kitten roles, by design it seems, were in her rear view mirror at this point. Dennis also won as the ‘slim hipped’ young wife too drunk to understand what’s going on.

Taylor and Burton again made it difficult on set, refusing to start work until late, not working past 6, and taking extra long lunches. As they were in every scene, it’s a wonder the film was completed.

Quite engaging for a two plus hour film mostly of just people talking. Based on the Edward Albee play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? touches themes of expectations and reality. Both couples serve as foils for each other, and maybe a vision of the future for the younger. Much is going on and much is revealed over the course of the night. And, I expect, much more to be revealed on a second viewing. AMRU 4.

What else I watched, 2024Q1

Last year I included non-blog films in my end of year wrap-up, and the list was rather long. Too long to go into any depth. I want to try something different this year. Instead I will post quarterly. It will allow me to go into better depth without resorting to a novel-length piece that would give Spider-Bot pause. Let’s see how it goes.

Newer films:
Asteroid City (2023)
I am a big fan of Wes Anderson and went into Asteroid City aware of a certain amount of hand-wringing. I didn’t know what to expect of this Most Wes Anderson Wes Anderson film and it delivered on that ambiguity. It is his lowest rated film and I get that. The film insists on not being what the viewer expects it to be. Despite or because of this, it may be my favorite. From a watch for enjoyment perspective Grand Budapest is very much tops, but Asteroid City certainly demands a second viewing. AMRU 4+. 

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
Origin story for President Snow. Didn’t know this film even existed. Has some good stuff, some not so good. It’s pretty dark in parts and I liked that. I’d have more of an opinion were I a Hunger Games fanboy, which I am not. Now, if you will excuse me, I will go back to not knowing that this film exists. AMRU 3-. 

The Mercy (2018)
Truish story about a sailing amateur who enters an around the world, non-stop sailing competition. Things don’t go as planned. Interesting watch but I was taken out of the story by the contradiction between how the main character is portrayed (sober, rational, family man) and the choices he makes. Colin Firth is always great, but the flaw remains. There are a few videos that detail the actual events. AMRU 3.

Past Lives (2023)
I could describe the story but it would sound boring. First time film director Celine Song wrote the script and was nominated for best screenplay and best picture. Filmmaking, it’s been said, is about making good decisions. As director and screenwriter, Song made some amazingly brave and wise decisions. It’s a simple yet complex story, intensely moving but not manipulative. It’s a film about adults acting like adults. I’ve already scheduled my second viewing, this time with others. Better than Barbie. AMRU 4.5.

Documentaries:
John Ford: The Man Who Invented America (2019)
I knew very little about the enigmatic John Ford. The man directed 122 features and won four Oscars, but I've only seen two of his films. This documentary was very enlightening and motivated me to watch more of his work. A bunch are already on my DVR. Stay tuned. AMRU 3.5+. 

The Heart of New England (2023)
iMax film that explores the heart of New England, from Boston to the coast of Maine, to Boston, and did I mention Boston? I think they mentioned Connecticut once. It was fun and encouraged me to start jogging. I didn’t, but wanted to while watching. AMRU 3. 

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)
In the 1970’s and 80’s there was a pay cable channel that would broadcast uncut films of all categories, and was so popular with cinephiles that it died before 1990. I would have loved a channel like this back then. This documentary covers the rise and fall of Z Channel and its charismatic program director Jerry Harvey. The channel's commercial failure despite the adoration of film lovers interestingly mirrors the plight TCM finds itself in now. An adored, singular source of quality cinema that is in constant danger of being cut by profit obsessed executives. The parallels are profound. I'm sure completely by accident, once recorded, Magnificent Obsession was titled The Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970) on my DVR. AMRU 4. 

The Power of Film (2024)
A six part series focusing on various topics of filmmaking, featuring retired film studies professor Howard Suber. Interesting if not exactly enlightening, it seemed to insist on explaining things by not explaining them. Sometimes these elements are like this and sometimes like this. Pleasant, but a bit of a fluff piece. AMRU 3. 

VOIR (2021)
Tony Zhou, famous for his Every Frame a Painting youtube channel, was involved in producing this six part special for Netflix. While it doesn’t match his best youtube content, it was still excellent and informative viewing. Tony’s segment was the least interesting. AMRU 3.5.

Four narrative films, three documentaries, two short series. I've struggled to find time to watch anything in recent months, but that is a temporary situation. It has encouraged me to be more selective in the meantime.

Algiers (1938)

A Paris jewel thief (Charles Boyer) hides in the Casbah of Algiers, outside the reach of the authorities. There he is safe, but also a prisoner. He takes a shine to lovely tourist Gaby (Hedy Lamarr). Will love bloom?

It’s hard not to compare this film with Casablanca. There are many parallels. Exotic North Africa location, problematic love story, and elements of danger and intrigue. The later film was certainly inspired by the first. Warner Brothers even wanted Lamarr to play Ilsa but MGM refused to loan her. When Casablanca’s screenwriter tried to explain Casablanca’s plot, he finally exclaimed "Oh, what the hell! It's going to be a lot of shit like 'Algiers'!" The similarities are many but the differences are legion.

Old friend Alan Hale has a sizable role. I remember seeing him in a film when I was young and was convinced he was The Skipper. It’s too bad there never was an Alan Hale III in film and TV. Prolific character actor Gene Lockhart also lurks in the Casbah underbelly. Daughter June is pushing a hundred and still occasionally does voice work. Leonid Kinskey has a very small part. Some may remember him as Sasha in Casablanca, so there we go again.

Algiers is based on the French film Pépé le Moko from way back in the previous year. True to form, the producers tried to destroy every copy of the previous work. I tried to find a translation of the lead character’s name, but the best I could do was “Pepe the Moko”. The Looney Tunes character Pepe le Pew is based on Boyer’s performance.

While Casablanca is so much better in so many ways, let’s not lose sight of the fact that Algiers is not Casablanca. And Algiers is not a bad film. Some of the scenes are stilted and awkward, and the accents and poor audio quality made it hard to follow sometimes, but the story holds up well. It’s a fair watch, so long as you don’t keep comparing it to a vastly superior work. AMRU 3.

Storm in a Teacup (1937)

Pretty Victoria (Vivien Leigh) returns to her small Scottish village to learn that her Provost father (Cecil Parker) is running for Parliament. An English reporter (Rex Harrison) is instructed to write a fluff piece, but put off by his manner, decides to write a hit piece. Will love bloom? Arf, arf, arf!

Hollywood legend Vivien Leigh appeared in, let me check …. nineteen films? That’s all? The only other film I have seen her in was the one about slave owners having their lives destroyed. A slim, 30 year old Rex Harrison was almost unrecognizable, though I admit I’ve only seen him in two other roles: as a gruff sea captain ghost and a stodgy old man who makes advances on a young cockney woman.

Provost seems to be an appointed position somewhat akin to mayor. Everyone, including some family, called him by his title. The principal conflict surrounds a woman who has her dog taken away because she cannot pay the license fee. Provost takes a hard line while campaigning how he is a man of the people.

I haven’t much to say about Storm in a Teacup. The stakes aren’t that high, the comedy isn’t that funny, and thick accents and confounding dialog doesn’t help. But the performances were pretty good and there were some interesting cinematic choices. In the end it’s a very watchable, pretty forgettable little rom-com. AMRU 3.

Two on a Guillotine (1965)

Pretty Cassie (Connie Stevens) inherits the estate from her estranged, eccentric, magician dad (Cesar Romero), and is required to stay one week in his spooky mansion. A charming reporter (Dean Jones) weasels his way into the story. Will love bloom?

I grew up with the Love Bug movies. Dean Jones starred in two of the five or six in the Herbie Cinematic Universe. Ken Berry replaced him for the first sequel which may explain why I confuse the two actors. Jones, like Stevens, specialized in the lightest of light comedies. Connie was hoping to expand her acting range with this film, but it turned out to be a serious flop.

The movie was directed by William Conrad, whom my set will remember as TV’s Cannon (or from Jake and the Fatman for the slightly younger). He did a fair amount of TV directing, but only four features. He was known for getting a lot done on a tiny budget.

My problem is that Two on a Guillotine doesn’t know what it wants to be. It's labeled Horror but it’s really a horror themed mystery rom-com. There is space for light horror (looking at you, William Castle), but this was light to the exclusion of any real horror element. Which is a shame because the setting could have led into some great atmosphere, but we are only teased with it. Dead dad booby-trapped his mansion and I would have liked to have seen more of that.

All that aside, Two on a Guillotine is a reasonable watch. There are some clever elements in there. Just temper your expectations. It's a fair rom-com, but it could have been so much more. AMRU 3.