Ivy (1947) **

Impeccably produced star vehicle for the lovely Ms. Fontaine. Nicely shot.

Remorques (1941) **

So-so melo à la française with a hot pair of leads.

Maigret Sets A Trap (1958) ***

Best adaptation of the venerable French inspector thanks to the great Jean Gabin and a no-nonsense directorial approach.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) ***

A sort of Budapest Dispatch, jam packed with detail and some amazing performances.

The Admirable Crichton (1957) ***

Well done social satire thanks to a witty script and taut direction. Ms. Howes helps immensely as does a nice turn by Ken Moore.

Night Ambush (1957) *

The Archers try hard but this is a tedious WWII procedural. The South of France stands in admirably for Crete.

Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972) **

Incredible cast acts the heck out of a pretty lame screenplay and makes this watchable and often amusing.

The Mirror Crack'd (1980) *

Glacially paced so each guest star can have the same screen time ruins the picture and a nice turn by the lovely Ms. Novak.

Scream of Fear (1961) ***

Brilliantly directed and photographed, this Brit-noir on the French Riviera features a lovely Ms. Strasberg and a Chris Lee with a passable French accent.

Sherlock Holmes: Incident at Victoria Falls (1992) **

Way too long, but nicely paced take on Holmes. Not the best photography and there's too many single closeups but the cast tries their best and it's a decent script.

Suspiria (1977) *

The promise of the first 30 minutes or so turns into tedium the rest of the way despite the lurid scenes.

The Bank Shot (1974) **

Wasted opportunity given the cast and the script. The director couldn't stop veering wildly into cartoon territory.

So Long at the Fair (1950) **

Gets a little repetitious in the middle, but nice little mystery story with appealing leads.

Curacao (1993) *

A better director might have made something of this lifeless espionage thriller. Gorgeous Curaçao location shots.

Bottoms (2023) **

A bevy of fine young character actors propels this queer POV fable of high school life. Too bad it looks like it was shot with a flip phone.

swissmiss | 50 Short Rules for a Better Life (From the Stoics)

Focus on what you can control.
You control how you respond to things.
Ask yourself, “Is this essential?”
Meditate on your mortality every day.
Value time more than money/possessions.
You are the product of your habits.
Remember you have the power to have no opinion.
Own the morning.
Put yourself up for review (Interrogate yourself).
Don’t suffer imagined troubles.
Try to see the good in people.
Never be overheard complaining…even to yourself.
Two ears, one mouth…for a reason (Zeno)
There is always something you can do.
Don’t compare yourself to others.
Live as if you’ve died and come back (every minute is bonus time).
“The best revenge is not to be like that.” Marcus Aurelius
Be strict with yourself and tolerant with others.
Put every impression, emotion, to the test before acting on it.
Learn something from everyone.
Focus on process, not outcomes.
Define what success means to you.
Find a way to love everything that happens (Amor fati).
Seek out challenges.
Don’t follow the mob.
Grab the “smooth handle.”
Every person is an opportunity for kindness (Seneca)
Say no (a lot).
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Find one thing that makes you wiser every day.
What’s bad for the hive is bad for the bee (Marcus Aurelius)
Don’t judge other people.
Study the lives of the greats.
Forgive, forgive, forgive.
Make a little progress each day.
Journal.
Prepare for life’s inevitable setbacks (premeditatio malorum)
Look for the poetry in ordinary things.
To do wrong to one, is to do wrong to yourself. (sympatheia)
Always choose “Alive Time.”
Associate only with people that make you better.
If someone offends you, realize you are complicit in taking offense.
Fate behaves as she pleases…do not forget this.
Possessions are yours only in trust.
Don’t make your problems worse by bemoaning them.
Accept success without arrogance, handle failure with indifference.
Courage. Temperance. Justice. Wisdom. (Always).
The obstacle is the way.
Ego is the enemy.
Stillness is the key.

Ginger Snaps (2000) **

A terrific first hour slows to a crawl in the next 50 minutes and loses the plot. A well photographed and produced horror flick could have been something more.

It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) **

Slice of post-war East End London life meets noir thriller. Above average Ealing effort.

The Last Run (1971) ***

Nicely shot road trip + mob + car chase + character study doesn't quite mesh completely but George C. makes it enjoyable.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986) **

All star cast and decent production, but this just isn't a very compelling tale.

Model Shop (1969) ***

A day in the life of a lost young man who loves L.A. but has 'Nam looming ahead. Honest slice of '60's life in SoCal when gasoline was 31 cents per gallon.