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An Eccentric Love Story: La drôlesse (English title: The Hussy) (1979)
La drôlesse was well-received by critics on its release. The film went on to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. It lost to dual winners Apocalypse Now and The Tin Drum, but...
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For Your Viewing Pleasure: Lo scopone scientifico (English title: The...
Lo scopone scientifico, a dark comedy that centers on an intense high-stakes card game between an immensely wealthy couple (Bette Davis and Joseph Cotten) and an immensely poor couple (Alberto Sordi...
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Recommended for Your Viewing Pleasure: La Ragazza Con La Pistola (English...
Assunta Patane (Monica Vitti), who lives in a small village in Sicily, has been taught to obey a strict code of honor that requires a woman to preserve her chastity until marriage. But Assunta is...
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Recommended for Your Viewing Pleasure: Il vigile (1960)
Il vigile (1960) uses a lively 11-minute tracking shot to acquaint the viewer with its obnoxious know-it-all lead character, Otello Celletti (Alberto Sordi). Otello, sent by his wife to buy milk,...
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The Great and Glorious Totò, Part 1 (1937 to 1949)
Totò in Fifa e arena (English title: Fear and Sand) (1948) It is worthwhile for English-speaking comedy fans to break through language barriers and cultural barriers to find a way to one of the...
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The Great and Glorious Totò, Part 2 (1950 to 1959)
Totò in Sette ore di guai (1951)Figaro qua, Figaro là (English title: Figaro Here, Figaro There) (1950) The film is an adaptation of the opera "The Barber of Seville." Figaro (Totò), a barber, is...
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The Great and Glorious Totò, Part 3 (1960 to 1967)
Noi duri (English title: Tough Guys) (1960) L'Associazione Antonio De Curtis in arte Totò: "Fred Bombardone [Fred Buscaglione] is an FBI agent who is responsible for infiltrating, along with some of...
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The Ugliness of Modern Films, Part 1: Butchered Bodies and Vomit
The silent film is a beautiful art form. Since my early days, I have found the greatest pleasure watching films like Kid Brother or The General. But, at times, I could not help but feel sad about...
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The Ugliness of Modern Films, Part 2: The True Evil of the Horror Film
I have been thinking about an article I wrote more than a year ago. In the article, I compared Annabelle: Creation (2017) to Poltergeist (1982) as a way to demonstrate the moral decline of the horror...
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Eddie Murphy talks about Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby on "Comedians in Cars...
This subject is further examined in my book "Richard Pryor in Hollywood," which is available on Amazon.You can find the full episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffeehere.
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Seth Rogen Makes A Film That Jeffrey Epstein Would Have Loved
Seth Rogen flagrantly sexualizes children in his latest comedy, Good Boys (2019). The film isn't due to be released until August 16, but the film's busy trailer outlines the plot. The plot is set...
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Lighten Up, Hollywood!
Last week, the Hollywood studios released a host of trailers to online outlets to promote their Fall releases. There isn't a single trailer in the bunch that isn't dark and ugly. This is modern-day...
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Tidbits of August, 2019
Clifton Webb spoofs Gary Cooper in For Heaven's Sake (1951). Robert Taylor cobbles together a dress suit for a date at a fancy nightclub in Three Comrades (1938). We have seen this situation enough...
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Kaos (1984): The Big Screen Farewell of Franco and Ciccio
A segment of Kaos (1984), an anthology film based on the short stories of Luigi Pirandello, provides a moral message about the self-destructive nature of obstinacy and obsession. It also provides a...
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Inherit the Wind (1960): Stanley Kramer Breaks Wind
I once loved Stanley Kramer's Inherit the Wind (1960). Of course I did. Hollywood has never produced a more entertaining courtroom drama. The acting, the directing, the script, all of it is...
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Jean Gabin's Inevitable Bad Fate
I have a dilemma. I am a big fan of French actor Jean Gabin, but am not a big fan of the melancholy and fatalism that often accompany the actor's experiences on screen. I recently saw a Gabin double...
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More Treasures from the Eye Filmmuseum's Desmet Collection
The wonderful Eye Filmmuseum has posted many charming early comedies recently.De Betooverde Schaatsen (1908, Lux) A man creates chaos and destruction as he speeds through town on skates.You can view...
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It Started in Naples (1960) and Avanti! (1972): The Ugly American Finds Love...
I was surprised one week to come across two films with the same basic premise. I watched It Started in Naples (1960) on a Tuesday and watched Avanti! (1972) on the following Saturday. Both films...
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Rattle of a Simple Man (1964): Screen Captures
Rattle of a Simple Man (1964) is a simple two-character piece. While in London to see a soccer game, shy and anxious 39-year-old virgin Percy is goaded by his friends to talk to a beautiful woman...
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