The Cocoanuts (1929) **

It's terrific when the Marx's are on screen. Execrable when they are not.

Francis Ford Coppola Shares His Oscar Memories - Deadline

What’s really going on with CNN and Fox and this addiction to daily news? To me, it’s very simple. They give you four minutes of bad news that there’s nothing you can do about. I mean, you look at the kids in Afghanistan and you cry about these babies. I want to help. You look at what’s happening in Ukraine and you say, oh my God. But there’s nothing you can do about it, and they give you that. Then they show you six minutes of commercials, options you can do something about it. You can give yourself a treat and buy a bad unhealthy hamburger, or you can…but everything they suggest that you can do involves you spending money. So that’s what’s going on.

DEADLINE: I never thought of that.

COPPOLA: Commercials are basically subliminally telling you that you’re not okay the way you are. And you’d be better off if you could have a Mercedes, because then you can have a pretty girlfriend. In other words, it’s not telling you you’re okay. It’s telling you you’re not okay, repeatedly. Some poor guy is working in an office and he’s working as hard as he can, and he can’t get any more money. So he can’t have a Mercedes and he can’t get a nice girlfriend that looks like Cheryl Tiegs. And so he just goes berserk and he shoots five people, or some 17-year-old kid commits suicide because he’s being bullied. That stuff is not all necessary. I finally figured it after I looked very carefully at what the news was saying, and I realized everything that I feel bad about is because the news is telling me I can’t do anything about it. It’s very frustrating because I want to help the Ukrainians. I want to help, but I can’t. It’s beyond my ability. But then the next commercials are things I can do. And some of them will give me a little shot of dopamine. I could get that pizza. I can act. I can just do it.

Rifkin's Festival (2020) **

Nice to look at and enough chuckles to make it fairly enjoyable, but the glaring, miscast lead cannot carry the picture.

The Bank Dick (1940) ****

Hilarious, top notch Fields.

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) **

Strikingly art directed, beautifully filmed and sharply adapted script, undermined by miscast leads. Nice to look at and enjoy the words and images.

Design for Living (1933) *

Unconvincing rom-com with a twist is miscast and not very funny. It's a long 90 minutes.

Shiva Baby (2020) **

Pedestrian direction undermines a witty script and fine lead.

Benedetta (2021) ***

Beautifully produced look at cynicism, faith and madness in desperate times. Deftly directed.

Morocco (1930) **

A couple of iconic scenes but mostly a lackluster, strangely paced melodrama.

5 Fingers (1952) ***

Goofy title notwithstanding, this is a terrific spy procedural.

Million Dollar Legs (1932) *

Not at all funny and a major waste of WC.