Movies I Watched in June, Part 3

Four more movies from last month, with four more to go. Like I said, it was a busy month, if you consider sitting in front of a TV screen "busy"...


Why didn’t this movie with an almost completely female cast get all the buzz and attention instead of the cash-in remakes/reboots/retreads “Ghostbusters” and “Ocean’s 8”? It was smart, original, compelling, visually stunning and, more often than not, scary as hell. Directed by Alex Garland, who brought us the excellent “Ex Machina” a few years ago, this science fiction mind-bender sends Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson (who has hit the “she’s in everything!” phase of her career) and Tuva Novotny into something called “The Shimmer,” a bizarre zone that appeared in the wake of some sort of alien object’s crash landing. Now no one who goes in comes out, so no one knows what the hell is going on inside. Hence the expedition. I won’t spoil what’s lurking inside except to say that (a) unlike most science fiction movies, it feels genuinely alien and unnerving and (b) there’s a bear-like creature they encounter that, both visually and aurally, is one of the scariest things I’ve seen in years. The ending, which aims for a bit of “2001” sort of ambiguity, is a little bit of a letdown, but what precedes it is so strong that barely matters. By all means, check it out.

Pretty decent little thriller that reteams “Maltese Falcon” and “Casablanca” co-stars Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet in a murder mystery about an engineer (building, not train) trapped in an unhappy marriage who murders his wife and tries to cover it up, with hopes of then somehow hooking up with her younger sister. It’s not exactly a complex character study, but the plot hums along nicely and Bogart is excellent (as always) as a guy with a lot simmering just below the surface. "Conflict" (talk about a generic title!) is one of those Warner Bros. dramas where the word “efficiency” sums it up, a slick little film that jumps from cozy house to sumptuous lodge to utterly fake outdoor set effortlessly, rarely stopping to breathe. Not in the class of those other two Bogart-Greenstreet films I mentioned – not even close – but not a bad way to pass a quick 86 minutes.

And speaking of quick … "One Two Three," Billy Wilder's 1961 comedy, doesn't hit the heights of the movie that preceded it (“The Apartment” – namely, the greatest movie ever made), but it’s no slouch itself -- and it’s definitely faster. In fact, you could argue that it’s the fastest – or at least the fastest talking – movie ever made. The great James Cagney plays a Coca-Cola exec working in West Berlin during the Cold War, after the city was separated but before the Wall went up. Besides all the usual headaches – managing the Soviet interlopers, managing his staff of ex-Nazis, managing a wife (Arlene Francis) and mistress (Lilo Pulver) and managing the Coca-Cola brand -- he’s given a new task: babysit his boss’ ditzy daughter (Pamela Tiffin), who quickly gets married to a slovenly, slogan-spouting communist beatnik (Horst Buchholz). The film quickly becomes a breathtakingly fast juggling act, with Cagney never slowing down as he keeps dozens of balls in the air playing East against West to turn Buchholz into a well-dressed, well-spoken heir to German royalty, with Buchholz battling him at every step of the way. Cagney was 62 at the time, but he’s flawless (and I mean flawless) delivering insane amounts of rapid-fire dialogue.  (He apparently was so stressed out after making it, though, that he retired from films, returning only once, 20 years later, for “Ragtime.”) And the rest of “One Two Three” is top-notch, too, from the exceptionally strong cast to the striking production design to the gorgeous black-and-white cinematography (captured beautifully on the new Kino Lorber Blu-ray.) Like I said, it never quite achieves the depth“The Apartment,” being more Cold War farce than warm-hearted romance, but it’s among Wilder’s best, earning a spot on the shelf next to “Sunset Blvd.,” “Double Indemnity” and “The Lost Weekend.” By all means, check it out – and be sure to stick around for the very last shot of the movie, which is the gag the whole film was subtly building to the entire time.

The first time I watched this movie, a few years ago, I enjoyed it right up until the ending, which I (a) didn’t see coming and (b) considered a complete cheat. But watching the new Blu-ray (also from Kino Lorber) I knew where things were headed, so I was able to enjoy the film for what it was – and surprise, I thought it was pretty damned great, even with that ending, which felt a lot less screwy the second time around. My all-time favorite actor, Edward G. Robinson, plays a meek college professor who, while he family is out of town, has a few drinks with his fellow profs at a swank club, then stops to admire the painting of a gorgeous woman on the way home. He’s stunned when the subject of that painting – Joan Bennett, looking pretty damned gorgeous herself – is suddenly standing next to him, and what starts as a bit of innocent flirting ends (where else?) in murder, blackmail and suicide. Director Fritz Lang has a lot of fun moving the pieces around on the chessboard, drawing Robinson deeper and deeper into a web of suspicion and deceit, twisting the screws with the the character of a district attorney (Raymond Massey) who is investigating the murder case and happens to be Robinson’s best friend. I won’t spoil anything else except to say that Lang also manages to find roles for the wonderfully sleazy Dan Duryea as well as not one but two Our Gang members, Spanky McFarland and Robert Blake. And the ending? This time around, noticing certain elements from earlier scenes in the film, I really liked it, seeing it as a sort of film noir version of (possibly spoiler) “The Wizard of Oz.” By the way, if you enjoy this film, be sure to check out “Scarlet Street,” which Lang directed the following year and which re-teamed Robinson, Bennett and Duryea. It's another noir tale, but a much darker one -- and one that doesn't give poor Eddie the chance for a happy ending.
Up next: We (finally) finish up the June recap with a classic newsroom comedy, a solid Polanski thriller, a cable staple and, believe it or not, an actual brand-new theatrical release.