Movies I Watched in July, Part 2

With the end of August looming, I figured I'd better finish off the July movie recap, or things were going to get really confusing around here. So ...
Watched this one for an episode of the Out of Theaters podcast (listen to us discuss it here ), and I don't think I'd seen it since catching it in theaters back in the 1980s (during my college days). It feels very much like a 1980s artifact, from the fashions ( dig Holly Hunter's formal outfit -- this isn't supposed to be some sort of visual joke, believe it or not) to the hand-wringing over William Hurt's ethical lapse. Still, it's a solid comedy-drama, with Albert Brooks (of course) getting all the best lines. What did ring true, mostly because I've been through it in my actual journalism career, is the scene where most of the staff is fired due to budget issues. That was suitably brutal.
Pretty solid Marvel super-hero movie that worked because it scaled things back and wasn't worried about saving the entire world. Paul Rudd is completely likable, of course, and Michael Douglas makes a good previous-generation hero. Best special effect? Taking Douglas back to a "Wall St." era look in the opening scenes. Man, it's scary how seamless that can be.
Intense little drama, part of TCM's excellent film noir series that ran this summer. Host (and noir expert) Eddie Mueller apparently spent years working to get this 1949 film restored, because it had slipped into the public domain and increasingly poor prints (with no financial incentive to improve the quality) kept pushing it closer and closer to "lost" territory. Thankfully it's in fine shape now, with a few scratches and glitches to remind viewers of the rough road it took to get to their TV screens. The story itself concerns a couple who finds some (obviously tainted) money, and though the husband wants to return it, the wife (played very well by noir icon Lizabeth Scott) becomes more and more obsessed with keeping it. Dan Duryea (star of classic noirs "Scarlet Street" and "The Woman in the Window") adds to the fun, and the movie keeps surprising you by zigzagging into surprising (and dark) directions you just don't expect. If you're a noir fan, be sure to catch it. In the meantime, you can read more about it here .
It's great, obviously. In fact, I'd argue it's one of the all-time greatest American films. We talk about it on our podcast here , and if you go here , you can read why, unlike everyone else, I actually like the concluding explanation by the pompous psychiatrist.
In case you're wondering how boring a movie about the early days of rock 'n' roll can be, even when it includes performances by some vintage acts, look no further than this 1956 chestnut. Though Bill Haley and His Comets are featured prominently on that poster, the real star of this show is Johnny Johnston (hell, even his name is boring!) as Steve Hollis, a big band promoter who stumbles onto Haley's group and figures they're the next big thing. Alongside a few musical numbers (including Haley performing "Rock Around the Clock" three times), there's the typically inane love story involving Hollis and a fetching young dancer who performs the dances that go with Haley's songs. That plot also includes a female record mogul so obsessed with Hollis that she vows to destroy him, and more bland parties than any movie needs. And if you tune in for Alan Freed, look fast -- he's only in one scene. The brief relief comes when the The Platters take the stage, but of course no one was going to make a whole movie about a black musical group in 1956. According to news reports, crazed teens tore up the theaters when they heard the "rock" music in this movie. Wow.