My Favorite Wife (1940) *

The film is premised on the audience being complete idiots. Not funny in the least.

2023 In Review: Music

**** Albert Hammond Jr. - Melodies On Hiatus
**** Anna Hillburg - Tired Girls
**** New Pornographers, The - Continue As A Guest
**** Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Council Skies

*** Bar Italia - Tracey Denim
*** Beach House - Become
*** Belle And Sebastian - Late Developers
*** Buddie - Agitator
*** Bully - Lucky For You
*** Clientele, The - I Am Not There Anymore
*** Diners - Domino
*** Frankie Rose - Love As Projection
*** Frankiie - Between Dreams
*** Guided By Voices - Welshpool Frillies
*** Jenny O - Spectra
*** Keeley - Floating Above Everything Else
*** Lightheaded - Good Good Great!
*** Locate S, 1 - Wicked Jaw
*** Marnie Stern - The Comeback Kid
*** No Ones, The - My Best Evil Friend
*** Paula Carino - Thundersnow b-w Fall Preview Issue
*** Pip Blom - Bobbie
*** Ratboys - The Window
*** Rolling Stones, The - Hackney Diamonds
*** Shonen Knife - Our Best Place
*** Tubs, The - Dead Meat

** Barrie - 5K
** Dengue Fever - Ting Mong
** Emma Anderson - Pearlies
** Graham Parker - Last Chance to Learn the Twist
** Guided By Voices - La La Land
** Jenny Lewis - Joy'all
** Ladytron - Times Arrow
** Pretenders - Relentless
** Ringo Starr - Rewind Forward
** Sea Lemon - Stop at Nothing
** Speedy Ortiz - Rabbit Rabbit
** This Is The Kit - Careful of Your Keepers
** We Are Scientists - Lobes

Brightwood (2022) **

I'll allow for the over-reliance on close-ups given the miniscule budget of this absurdist relationship allegory. Good effort.

The Dead (1987) ***

Lovingly crafted adaptation of the Joyce story.

Christmas in Connecticut (1945) *

Has nothing to do with Christmas and everything to do with standard rom-com tropes. The performers are good and there are a few laughs.

Marked Woman (1937) **

Ripped from the headlines melo is preachy at times but has a mostly sharp script and two stars in their prime who make up for the annoying direction. Nice to see Bogie as a crusading assistant D.A. instead of a gangster.

The Holdovers (2023) **

Terrific early '70's look and feel and thankfully shot and color balanced without the noticeable, ubiquitous blue or yellow hue, nevertheless disappoints with a lackluster story about 3 characters I found it hard to root for or care about. Kind of a waste of the great Paul Giamatti.

Blast of Silence (1961) ****

Bleak, brutal Christmas-noir has style to burn with crisp b/w shots of gritty, early 60's NYC and a taut sparse script. Director/writer/star Allen Baron (looking for all the world like a poor man's George C.) hits on all 3 cylinders.

Denny Laine, of Paul McCartney's Wings and Moody Blues, Dies at 79

Denny Laine, the British singer-guitarist best known for his work with Paul McCartney & Wings and the Moody Blues, has died after a long battle with interstitial lung disease, according to a social media post from his wife. He was 79.

Remember the Night (1939) **

If you can get past the heavy dose of cornpone, you can enjoy watching Fred and Babs who work so well together and seem to bring out the best in each other.

Priscilla (2023) **

It has Sofia's impeccable soundtrack choices but nearly every interior scene is shot with a glaring backlight, distorting the image so you can't see the actors faces. Disappointing.

Mr. Soft Touch (1949) **

Tonally uneven Christmas-noir is watchable thanks to a surprisingly good Glenn Ford.

The Cockleshell Heroes (1955) *

One dimensional characters in a by-the-numbers Hollywood-style WWII actioner on a suicide mission that never really makes sense.

Moss Rose (1947) **

Hollywood's idea of a Brit noir is watchable thanks to the odd casting and the nice b/w photography. Just don't expect any believable accents even from the real Brits!

The Razor's Edge (1984) **

Superbly produced with exceptional location shooting but Bill Murray in 1983 was just not up to the task. To be fair, Ty Power wasn't either. Theresa Russell is terrific.

Track 29 (1988) *

You have to work way too hard to stay involved and that's no good even with the lovely Ms. Russell and Nic Roeg's way with a camera.

Every Man for Himself and God Against All by Werner Herzog: Books

I’d rather die than go to an analyst, because it’s my view that something fundamentally wrong happens there. If you harshly light every last corner of a house, the house will be uninhabitable. It’s like that with your soul; if you light it up, shadows and darkness and all, people will become “uninhabitable.” I am convinced that it’s psychoanalysis—along with quite a few other mistakes—that has made the twentieth century so terrible. As far as I’m concerned, the twentieth century, in its entirety, was a mistake.

A Study in Scarlet (1933) **

I liked Reg Owen as Holmes and Ms. Wong is always a welcome treat. Decent mystery.

Lady from Chungking (1942) **

Nifty script and the great Ms. Wong elevate this WWII propaganda flick which might have been something special with a little more care and effort.

Daughter of the Dragon (1931) *

Third rate production wastes two legendary Asian actors.