Play Misty for Me (1971) **

Nice to see the Carmel-Big Sur area in all its early '70's glory, when a DJ at a tiny jazz station could afford a cliff house right on the ocean. The script has a few gaping holes and Clint's direction meanders quite a bit but it's a charming stalker flick, if there is such a thing.

La fille de Monaco (2008) **

A jarring third act sinks what was an hilarious comédie romantique. Stunning debut for the lovely Ms. Bourgoin.

Judy (2019) **

Well photographed and Ms. Zellweger is superb. Too bad the script and direction are awful.

The Remarkable Mr. Kipps (1941) *

Too literal adaptation of a Wells story fails to make cinematic impact wasting a fine Mike Redgrave.

Helena Bonham Carter: ‘​I’ve got so many issues, but as you get older you go: whatever’

What’s yours [complex]?
I’ve got so many issues, but as you get older you go: “Whatever.” The curse of being young is you take your complex too seriously. Or you take your opinion of yourself too seriously. As soon as you’re a bit older, you tell the demons to shut up because they’re boring.
Does that make you happier?
There’s no doubt that I’m happier now with my 56-year-old envelope than I was any time before that.

King Lear (2018) **

For the first two thirds of the film it is beautifully produced and colorfully shot, then the director makes the foolish decision to start desaturating the color until it ends up looking like your run-of-the-mill Marvel flick. Superb cast nonetheless.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) **

Would have been better without Josh who is glaringly miscast.

Man Hunt (1941) *

Talky actioner is too long and too heavy-handed.

Billion Dollar Brain (1967) *

Makes Moonraker look like Hamlet. Mike Caine, Françoise Dorléac and the great Oskar Homolka are the only reasons to sit through this.

The Minus Man (1999) **

Another flick with excellent parts but lacks the sure handed direction to bring it all together.

Beat the Devil (1953) **

An example of a film with many exceptional parts that just doesn't add up to much. Shot by the great Oswald Morris, and featuring the lovely Ms. Lollobrigida.

Variety (1983) **

Loved the snapshot of early '80's NYC but the third rate script and direction is a let down.

Florence Pugh called John le Carré an “old f*cking fart,” which… inspired him?

The new friendship turned out to be a very good one, at least for Le Carré, who would lament to Pugh a year later that he was suffering from a serious case of writer’s block, to which Pugh replied, “What do you mean your writing days are over? Just keep writing. Keep stretching your brain. Do it.” And it worked.

The Pale Blue Eye (2022) *

Deadly dull and shot in perpetual shade and darkness. Half the time you can't see the actors' complete faces but when you can, you see they're struggling to say the lines. Complete waste of Ms. Gainsbourg.

Moonlighting (1982) **

Clever socio-political allegory is wonderfully made on a shoestring, but Jeremy Irons just seems lost from start to finish. Not sure if it is him, his performance or the character poorly written.

The Shout (1978) ****

Lots to chew on here or maybe nothing at all. Expertly directed puzzle picture offers spectacular scenery, beautiful images and a top cast.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) ***

Episodic look at the addictive pull of war-time journalism succeeds with a top-notch cast, solid script and direction.

Tangerines (2013) ***

Effective anti-war fable told with restraint and humanity.

2022 In Review: Movies

** All The Old Knives
** Hustle
** The Menu

* Bullet Train
* Glass Onion
* Interceptor

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) *

Apparently we're still working out how to light a digitally shot flick, so there's not even beautiful images to watch as the completely un-engrossing "story" unfolds. Is it just me or is Dan Craig completely miscast?

The Children's Hour (1961) ****

Superbly directed, acted and photographed. A stage adaptation that works. Needs to be studied by contemporary directors so they can learn how to keep more than one actor in focus in the same shot.

Pociag (1959) **

Euro-noir aboard a night train to the Polish seaside is atmospheric and minimal but marred by an inferior print.

A Kind of Murder (2016) ***

Very well made Highsmith adaptation. Superbly cast with a sharp script, well paced and shot.

2022 In Review: Music

**** Katy J Pearson - Sound of the Morning
**** Starcrawler - She Said

*** Alvvays - Blue Rev
*** April March - In Cinerama
*** Asteroid No. 4, The - Tones Of The Sparrow
*** Barrie - Barbara
*** Berries, The - High Flying Man
*** Beths, The - Expert in a Dying Field
*** Blushing - Possessions
*** Cate Le Bon - Pompeii
*** Color Green - Color Green
*** Diane Coffee - With People
*** Dream Syndicate, The - Ultraviolet Battle Hymns And True Confessions
*** Elvis Costello - The Boy Named If
*** Flasher - Love Is Yours
*** Frontperson - Parade
*** I Was A King - Follow Me Home
*** Inflorescence, The - Remember What I Look Like
*** KT Tunstall - NUT
*** Liam Gallagher - C'mon You Know
*** Linda Lindas, The - Growing Up
*** Momma - Household Name
*** Oceanator - Nothing's Ever Fine
*** Paranoyds, The -Talk Talk Talk
*** Phoenix - Alpha Zulu
*** Sadies, The - Colder Streams
*** Say Sue Me - The Last Thing Left
*** St. Lucia - Utopia
*** Stella Donnelly - Flood
*** VA - Under The Bridge
*** Wilco - Cruel Country
*** Yumi Zouma - Present Tense

** Aldous Harding - Warm Chris
** Dentist - Making A Scene
** EELS - Extreme Witchcraft
** Eddie Vedder - Earthling
** Fancey - Star Dreams
** First Aid Kit - Palomino
** Hatchie - Giving the World Away
** Jordana - Face The Wall
** Kiwi Jr. - Chopper
** Lauren Balthrop - Things Will Be Different
** Paranoid Style, The - For Executive Meeting
** Party Battleship - Sweet Thing
** Rusty - The Resurrection Of Rust
** Sun's Signature
** Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Cool It Down

Noises Off... (1992) **

Funny but ultimately exhausting this is about the best you can do in adapting a theatrical farce into film. Some things are better left to the stage.

American Gigolo (1980) **

This time the "hooker with a heart of gold" is a dude but that doesn't help and the flick hasn't aged well. Not particularly insightful nor relatable, it is nevertheless well cast and well made except for the nagging problem of the script.

Game 6 (2005) **

Mike Keaton is terrific in an ultimately unsatisfying flick that nevertheless has entertaining aspects.

Bullet Train (2022) *

Unoriginal action flick that's not funny, not exciting, not even particularly well made. Not sure where the $90 million went. Tiresome.

Dune (1984) ***

Stunningly art directed, designed and shot, this ultimately silly space opera is a wild ride.

The ‘Twitter Files’ Is What It Claims to Expose (NY Magazine)

In sum: The New York Post published a story based on data that was apparently — but, at the time, unverifiably — Hunter Biden’s. That story falsely purported to offer “smoking gun” evidence of Joe Biden’s corruption, when it actually provided no such thing. Faced with warnings from federal law enforcement about impending foreign hacks, and a story based on apparently stolen emails sourced from Rudy Giuliani, Twitter’s content moderation team chose to suppress the Post article. That decision was internally controversial, and even those who supported it said that they wished they had more information about the source of the emails. Within 24 hours, Twitter reversed course. It is possible that this reduced the ultimate reach of the Post’s story, which, given that story’s mendacious content, probably would have been beneficial to public understanding of the Trump-Biden race (after all, there was exponentially more evidence that Donald Trump had used public power to advance his family’s private business interests than evidence that Biden had done so, yet the Post’s story conveyed the opposite impression). But it’s also possible that Twitter’s decision actually increased the story’s prominence by endowing it with an aura of forbidden knowledge. Separately, when the Biden campaign flagged tweets that featured pornographic images, Twitter responded by enforcing its own rules.

The Looking Glass War (1970) ***

Slick spy procedural stays true to the le Carré spirit if not the letter. Interesting Tony Hopkins performance; nice 70's snapshot.

The Menu (2022) **

Begins well and you think you're in for a delicious absurdist dramedy but it doesn't stick to it and becomes a slasher flick that doesn't resonate.

Remember My Name (1978) **

Altman-esque LA-noir is an actor's showcase with many fine supporting performances and a great femme fatale lead. Tony Perkins tries hard but just can't convince as a construction worker.

Johnny in the Clouds (1945) **

Doug Montgomery's performance is the main interest in this Brit WWII soaper.

Lawmakers Set to Propose Record $847B for Defense, $45B Over Biden’s Request

Indeed, the Pentagon is the only federal agency that has never passed an audit. Critics point out that over half of the defense budget goes toward private contractors like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, resulting in huge profits for these companies; in the first three quarters of 2022, while the public has been suffering due to inflation, Lockheed Martin made over $4.2 billion in profit, while Raytheon reported an operating profit of over $3.9 billion.

The Long Good Friday (1980) **

Mob trying to go legit UK style. Likes to go for the gory visuals even if they don't make a lot of sense.

Night Tide (1961) *

Starts promisingly but you soon realize this "thriller" has no thrills and not much else.

Great Expectations (1974) ***

Stellar cast rises to the occasion and makes you forget about the simplistic direction. Well produced and a literate, witty script.

Jabberwocky (1977) **

Uneven, too long and too soon after Holy Grail. Still, the production is well done and foretells great things for Gilliam.

Bell Book and Candle (1958) ***

Lots of subtext to consider in this colorful, witchy rom-com featuring a lovely Ms. Novak(a bit too much with the eyebrows though) and the miscast but very good Jimmy Stewart. Stellar supporting cast.

The Pied Piper (1972) **

Impressive art direction, costuming and a number of fine British character actors in a children's film that hammers home its anti-authority message bluntly.

The Sign of Four (1983) **

Slightly better support for Ian Richardson's second effort as Holmes. More coherent if nothing else.

The Fourth Victim (1971) *

Poor attempt at a Hitchcockian thriller. Mike Craig is ok but he doesn't have a lot to work with here.

The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) **

Featuring an original oddball take on vampirism and the typical lush Hammer photography, it's enjoyable if a bit silly.

The Music of Chance (1993) ****

Terrific mind bender subtly directed with a transformative James Spader and a restrained Mandy Patinkin.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983) *

Ian Richardson and Denholm Elliott are let down by shoddy directing in this confusing Holmes adaptation. Disappointing.

Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971) **

Hammer Films sure knew how to light and photograph a motion picture. This one is no exception which makes it enjoyable along with the lovely Ms.Beswick, even though the story is a bit silly and needlessly graphic.

American Friends (1991) **

Handsomely mounted period piece about an Oxford don who gives it all up for love doesn't quite hit the heights for which it aims.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) **

Dick Lester relies too heavily on extreme closeups and compensates with frenetic cutting, but the material and performances are enough to make the entire production enjoyable.

Couple mistakenly given $10.5m from Crypto.com thought they had won contest, court hears | Cryptocurrencies | The Guardian

In May 2021, Crypto.com intended to refund Manivel $100 but she was erroneously transferred $10.47m. The company did not notice the mistake until an audit was conducted in December.

A worker in Bulgaria, who processed the refund, had entered the wrong numbers into an Excel spreadsheet, Michi Chan Fores, a Crypto.com compliance officer, told the court.

Not only should Crypto.com be forced to honor the payment, they should also be assessed treble damages for using Excel to process anything to do with actual cash.

Fascination (1979) *

Poorly executed would be horror flick is still better lit and photographed than most current movies.

The Cry of the Owl (2009) **

This condensed Highsmith adaptation probably doesn't make a lot of sense if you haven't read the novel, but it's a watchable noir at face value.

The Hidden (1987) ***

Prime example of a "B" picture transcending its genre and budgetary limitations with imagination and skill.

Persuasion (1995) ****

One of the finest Austen adaptations and an exceptionally well made film from top to bottom despite the television origins.

Hotel du Nord (1938) **

Stagey melodrama has its moments but not enough of them.

Endless Night (1972) **

Faithful Christie adaptation could have used a more assured hand at the controls.

Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990) **

Paul and Joanne playing against type, she overcomes it superbly, he cannot. The picture is well made and enjoyable but the ending, while artistically successful, makes the film fall flat on its face.

Summer with Monika (1953) ***

Young love turns sour when reality bites. Some iconic scenes from Bergman and a blazing performance by Ms. Andersson.

Doctor Faustus (1967) **

Nicely shot and produced, with a fine performance by Dick Burton, this faithful adaptation of the Marlowe play comes across as an academic exercise rather than an involving film. Still, it's colorful, watchable and Liz looks great.

Caught on a Train (1980) ***

Dame Ashcroft is superb in this two-hander that captures the horrors of overnight transport in Europe at the time.

Castle in the Air (1952) **

The lead is just not up to the task as the marvelous Ms. Rutherford steals the show yet again. More watchable than other Brit-coms of the time.

The Swimmer (1968) ****

Supremely atypical Hollywood flick is an engrossing character study and an example of how far humans go with delusions when reality hurts. The only other actor besides Burt who could have possibly pulled this off is Chuck.

Ministry of Fear (1944) **

Entertaining spy thriller with a smidgen of Greene left intact. Carried well by a top notch cast.

Toys in the Attic (1963) ***

Well made southern gothic tragedy, this time NOT by Tennessee. Ms. Hiller is superb and Dino acquits himself well.

Journey Into Fear (1975) *

Inept direction sinks a stellar cast.

Radio Days (1987) ***

Woody strolls down memory lane with funny dramatizations of his family life growing up in Rockaway.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) **

Sturdy version of the famous whodunnit with an energetic Basil Rathbone as Holmes.

Shock (1946) **

The most shocking thing about the picture is what passed for state of the art psychiatric care in 1946. Nevertheless, as usual, Vinnie keeps it interesting.

Thank You, Jeeves! (1936) *

The only link to Wodehouse are the character names "Jeeves" and "Wooster".

Arabesque (1966) **

Sophia in her prime can make any movie watchable, but this one gets tiresome halfway through, wasting a game Greg Peck.

The Missionary (1982) ***

Funny satire of Victorian manners and mores with a terrific cast of British character actors. Trev Howard is a hoot.

The Dressmaker (2015) **

It tries too hard to be quirky without finding the humanity underneath it all. Fine Aussie cast, well photographed.

84 Charing Cross Road (1987) **

Fine cast giving fine performaces let down by ham fisted direction that cops out at the end.

Ten Little Indians (1989) *

Ill conceived and ill executed.

There's a Girl in My Soup (1970) **

Swingin' 60's style romcom (an obvious inspiration for Austin Powers) shows a lot of hair (Sellers') and some skin (Hawn's). Nice to look at and a few choice moments.

Paris Blues (1961) **

Appealing leads and Parisian locales enliven a fairly standard romantic melodrama.

7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) **

Squanders a fine Tony Randall and a luscious Barbara Eden by going broad for the 10 year old set.

Buffet Froid (1979) ***

Abstract absurdism that is actually an entertaining film thanks to terrific performances and a script that sticks to its premises and is not afraid of humor.

Gregory's Girl (1980) **

The Scottish setting and a winning cast provides the charm and interest in this coming-of-age flick that's not in the Hollywood mold.

Mona Lisa (1986) ***

Brit noir character study, well played and directed.

Secret of the Incas (1954) *

Chuck does a good job playing a cad in an Indiana Jones outfit but the rest of the picture is deadly dull.

Countess Dracula (1971) *

It's well photographed and mounted and has the lovely Ms. Pitt in her prime, but it's rather dull. Disappointing.

Appointment with Death (1988) **

Disappointing whodunnit despite the semi-star cast. Nice location shots.

The Clouded Yellow (1950) **

Well done chase flick with a lovely Ms. Simmons in her prime.

Marnie (1964) **

Possibly the goofiest film in Hitchcock's repertoire. Colorful, and some interesting sequences but the last third really drags as the "odeur" of Freud becomes unbearable.

Foreign Intrigue (1956) **

Colorful, globe trotting whodunnit leans heavily on Bob Mitchum's star power and Ms. Thulin's looks. A bit convoluted.

The Set-Up (1949) **

Goes a bit overboard with the cutesy, but delivers in the ring. Nice to see Bob Ryan in a lead for a change.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) ***

Upon repeated viewings this thriller becomes more of a portrait of an unhappy marriage near collapse. Hitch relies a little too much on the obvious rear projection shots, but still some masterful sequences of near silent cinema.

Rachel and the Stranger (1948) **

Pleasant enough Hollywood western features a couple of stars having fun and a brisk pace.

Easy Rider (1969) ***

Despite some laughable "experimental" editing and a rare awful Nicholson performance, this is a thoughtful, well made road movie with some meat to it. Superlative cinematography by the great Lazlo Kovacs, and an unflinching script.

Michael Clayton (2007) ***

Excellent cast in a well written Mamet-esque legal whodunnit. Clooney was never better.

Why John Waters, the Pope of Trash, keeps returning to the Bay Area

SFGATE: Anything else you think our readers should know about?

Waters: Other than, “Come to the Mosswood thing!” that’s the best I can do. I do Camp John Waters [a summer camp for adults], which is sold out. That’s in Kent, Connecticut. About 500 people come and live as my characters and live their lives for four days. We have guest counselors every year — this year it’s Deborah Harry and Colleen Fitzpatrick, who played her daughter in “Hairspray” and went on to be Vitamin C, the pop star. It’s really amazing. People have contests, we speak, we have dinners. Then I do a 20-city Christmas tour, so I’ll be back with a musical. I’m writing that. I’m writing new shows. I’m so busy, I think I’m overexposed. Maybe you shouldn’t hear about me for a while.

Casablanca (1942) **

Ms. Bergman lights up the screen and there's some nifty one liners in the dialogue but it's too long and the acting quality varies wildly.

La Notte (1961) **

A day in the life of a couple breaking up. Ms. Vitti and Ms. Moreau make it watchable.

Hustle (2022) **

Leans heavily on the sturdy Hollywood sports flick structure but keeps it interesting with real NBA stars as actors.

The Big Picture (1989) **

A gentle cautionary tale for aspiring filmmakers features some terrific performances, tons of big star cameos and a witty, humane script. The only drawback (and it's a big one since he's the lead) is Mr. Six Degrees Of Separation.

People Will Talk (1951) *

Not even Cary can rescue this bizarre attempt at depicting human behavior which fails miserably. Not one character in this film would ever be confused with an actual human being.

Licorice Pizza (2021) ***

Visual tone poem to being 15 in the 70's in general and in the San Fernando Valley in particular, is thoroughly enjoyable for viewers d'un certain age. Captures the vibe and the look to a certain extent with a terrific soundtrack. Game cast is excellent.

Five Graves to Cairo (1943) **

Well made play adaptation (unusual for a WWII spy story) marred by the unnecessary and overlong epilogue.

Interceptor (2022) *

Ms. Pataky looks great in a wife-beater.