Confidentially Yours (1983) **

The most important aspect of the "falsely accused man on the run" flick is we MUST root for the man on the run. M. Trintignant is a fine enough actor but he can't pull this off. And it is totally unbelievable that Ms. Ardant would give him the time of day let alone be madly in love with him.

Notorious (1946) ****

Shows what star power and a suggestive script can do when in the hands of a master director.

A Severed Head (1971) ***

Enjoyable rondelay among the elite with a stellar cast especially the lovely Ms. Remick and Ms. Bloom. Colorful, witty.

‘Take it easy, nothing matters in the end’: William Shatner at 90, on love, loss and Leonard Nimoy

It feels rude to ask a 90-year-old if he worries about death, so I ask instead what he wishes he had known at 20 that he knows at 90. “Here’s an interesting answer!” he says perkily. “I’m glad I didn’t know because what you know at 90 is: take it easy, nothing matters in the end, what goes up must come down. If I’d known that at 20, I wouldn’t have done anything!”

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) ***

Uncle Psycopath comes to visit. Hitch beats Lynch to the punch by 43 years?

Green Grow the Rushes (1951) *

Another one of those post war British "comedies" that just doesn't hold up. Interesting to a point.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) ***

If you stick with it through the meandering, borderline disgusting first half, it becomes haunting, lyrical, resonant.

Continuum (2013) *

Misguided script, a woeful lead and terrible design. A waste of some fine actors.

I See a Dark Stranger (1946) **

Deb Kerr shines in a wee bit of blarney about spies in WWII Britain.

The Iron Lady (2011) ***

Ms. Streep is astonishing. Too bad the rest of the film is nothing to write home about.

The Strange Woman (1946) **

Hedy plays the archetypal femme fatale and gets all the guys even though lovely Hillary Brooke is not only available but a nice person. Go figure.

What Happened Was... (1994) ***

Karen Sillas is terrific in this two-hander about a first date between 2 broken souls.

Journey to Italy (1954) **

Part travelogue and part Scenes From A Marriage a bit heavy handed at times but the two leads rise above.

Charles and Lucie (1979) **

Droll comedy of the "string of mishaps" variety doesn't hit the heights but doesn't really try to either. Marseille and environs are well photographed.

Scorpio (1973) **

A bit too long but nice to watch two pros play spy v. spy in 70's Paris and Vienna.

Sabotage (1936) ***

Not like other films of the day this one has ultra creepy characters, little backstory, no heavy-handed music and NO Hollywood ending. Excellent Hitchcock.

The Blue Dahlia (1946) **

Average direction and some lackluster leads sink what could have been a classic. Chandler's script is a fan's delight.

Girlfriends (1978) ***

Charming, episodic look at female friendship primarily, but also the life of a struggling, independent young woman in 1970's NYC. Nicely done.

Origin of Covid — Following the Clues

The US government shares a strange common interest with the Chinese authorities: neither is keen on drawing attention to the fact that Dr. Shi’s coronavirus work was funded by the US National Institutes of Health. One can imagine the behind-the-scenes conversation in which the Chinese government says “If this research was so dangerous, why did you fund it, and on our territory too?” To which the US side might reply, “Looks like it was you who let it escape. But do we really need to have this discussion in public?”

Dr. Fauci is a longtime public servant who served with integrity under President Trump and has resumed leadership in the Biden Administration in handling the Covid epidemic. Congress, no doubt understandably, may have little appetite for hauling him over the coals for the apparent lapse of judgment in funding gain-of-function research in Wuhan.

You Only Live Once (1937) *

Even in its time this had to be considered far-fetched right?

Scotland, Pa. (2001) **

Loved the soundtrack and the attempt to recreate the mid-70's vibe, but despite a top notch cast it's not really possible to make The Scottish Play into a comedy.