The Trial (1962) **

Sensational production design, photography, cast but too long and too slavish to the source material. Orson's usually tight pacing is missing.

Not Fade Away (2012) ***

Avoids most of the cliches about coming of age flicks and particularly 60's flicks with a smart script, tight direction and terrific cast.

Hall of Fame manager Whitey Herzog passes away at 92

Whitey Herzog, whose keen eye for talent evaluation and unique creativity in building baseball rosters led to a Hall of Fame MLB managing career, died on Tuesday. He was 92 years old. Herzog won World Series titles in 1969 and 1982 -- first, with the Mets as a farm system director and, later, as the dynamic manager of the speed-driven Cardinals. Like with the Mets, when his fingerprints were all over the franchise’s first crown in 1969, Herzog reimagined the Cardinals into a team built around speed, defense and a strong bullpen with a series of player acquisitions. A roster recreated by Herzog’s moves -- his deals involved 22 players during the 1980 Winter Meetings -- would ultimately win the World Series in 1982 and capture two more pennants for the Cardinals in ’85 and ’87.

Mississippi Mermaid (1969) **

Overlong, meandering flick starts off as a Vertigo-like mystery and ends up as a fable about how love hurts. Cat Deneuve is always watchable.

Gideon's Day (1958) ***

Well photographed by the great Freddie Young, this is a preposterous but entertaining look at a particularly busy day for a Brit detective.

The Two-Headed Spy (1958) ***

Top-notch spy thriller with an intelligent, taut script and perfect casting. Jack Hawkins shows he can carry a film.

Phase IV (1974) **

Intelligent sci-fi update of Them! includes A LOT of micro-footage of ants who, although perfectly cast, are just not up to the same level as the human cast. Nifty surreal ending.

Lord Jim (1965) *

Earnest, sincere effort, well crafted but too long and repetitive.

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) ***

Bowie is perfect and perfectly cast in Nic Roeg's typically disjointed and say-it-with-visuals-only stylized sci-fi flick. It needs to be trimmed by about 30 minutes or it would have been a classic.

Fire Over England (1937) ***

History as only Hollywood can do it, which means heavy handed Brit propaganda. Ms. Robson is so good though and the script has some dazzling moments.

The Detective (1954) **

Guinness and Finchy are the standouts here. It's kind of dull otherwise but nicely made.

Poor Things (2023) **

Production design overwhelms the story. Proves you can get good photography with modern effects. Good cast, not up to Lanthimos's high standards.

Ruten no ôhi (The Wandering Princess) (1960) **

Plays like a Japanese Zhivago and as beautifully shot.

Celebrity (1998) **

Beautifully shot in b/w with a top star cast but disappoints in its dearth of funny one liners and in the glaring miscast of the lead. Charlize literally walks away with the picture.

Warning Shot (1966) ***

Terrific twist on the police procedural blends noir elements with a satisfying whodunit. Top notch cast and a tight, witty script. Only drawback is shoddy production values.

The President's Analyst (1967) **

Another attempt at satire on film has a number of terrific spots but too many heavy-handed unfunny ones as well. Very much of its time but with a lot of ideas that were unfortunately to come to pass.

An Unlikely Life | David A. Bell | The New York Review of Books

A film like Gance’s, long and complex, would not do well at the box office today. Scott has said, “I couldn’t get through it, honestly.” But we need films that take history as seriously as Gance did. In the global culture wars of the twenty-first century, history has become a major battleground. Vladimir Putin’s Russia criminalizes criticism of the Red Army, British conservatives defend the legacy of the British Empire, Israelis and Palestinians duel over the events of 1948, American progressives cast 1619 as an alternate national origin story, and everyone squabbles over statuary. Historical films like Scott’s Napoleon make for reasonable entertainment, but they also represent an opportunity lost. Today, more than ever, we could use more translations of the past that engage seriously with it, rather than just riffing on it or reducing it to a colorful but empty spectacle.

The Limey (1999) ****

Sensational neo-noir is a master class in modern movie making. Terry Stamp nails the role of a lifetime. More proof you don't need 4 hours and $200 million to make a good film.

Tangerine (2015) **

A day in the life of some denizens of LA's underbelly is often harsh but also funny and heartfelt. The photography is terrible but it's fast paced and the leads are actually quite engaging. Unusual Christmas movie.

You Hurt My Feelings (2023) **

It's well made, watchable, entertaining even insightful and admirable. It just doesn't soar.

El Conde (2023) **

Beautifully photographed in stunning black and white and filled with eye popping visuals, it still disappoints because the script can't keep up.

Highball (1997) ***

A terrific ensemble cast elevates this endearingly funny look at 20-something friends over the course of a year. Proof that you don't need $200 million to make a good movie.

Wuthering Heights (1970) **

Gorgeously produced and photographed but never rises above overwrought melo unlike some previous verions.

May December (2023) ***

Natalie Portman is the standout in this thoughtful, interestingly shot melo.

Waiting for Guffman (1996) ***

Hilarious send up of small town bumpkins and the let's-put-on-a-show mockumentary genre. Stellar cast.

A Night at the Opera (1935) ***

Probably their best flick. If only they could avoid those piano and harp solos that bring the festivities to a screeching halt.

Maestro (2023) **

Very well crafted biopic with stellar lead performances and one of the best makeup jobs I have ever seen, but the directorial gimmicks are annoying and the screenplay assumes you know and love the subject already and that's a big mistake.

Icarus XB 1 (1963) **

Obvious influence on 2001 and Star Trek, this imaginative space opera's interior design and photography make up for what it lacks in special effects, and that's quite a bit. Not much of a story, but so well and earnestly done it doesn't matter.

2023 In Review: Movies

*** Asteroid City
*** Barbie
*** The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
** Bottoms
** Killers of the Flower Moon
** Priscilla
** The Holdovers
* Heart of Stone