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The Last Showgirl (#639)

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Looking for s depressing movie?  I strongly urge you to see THE LAST SHOWGIRL, starring, of all people, Pamela Anderson, who I only remember as an over-endowed, publicity-seeking, no-talent, flash-in-the-pan. I hereby sincerely apologize to Ms. Anderson who, in this movie, performs perfectly as a woman whose 30-year career as a topless showgirl in Las Vegas is about to come to an end. The end comes abruptly as she and the other girls at the Razzle Dazzle resort are told the new owners will end their show snd install a new, more potentially popular one. This seems to be the only job the glamorous Shelley (Ms. Anderson) has ever held, and she is at a loss when considering where she goes from here, with a young kind of estranged daughter about to graduate from college. The role and Shelley are sad and poignant, and the actress hits a home run with her performance. Not so with Jamie Lee Curtis in a supporting role as a former showgirl now serving as an acid-mouthed cocktail waitress we...
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Better Man (#638)

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I think BETER MAN was one of the most creatively imaginative films I have ever seen. It was a biopic, a true story, of a very successful young British pop star, Robbie Williams, of whom I have never heard.  I don't understand why the director/producers/writers did to Robbie Williams what they did in this film because I suspect it was intended to be symbolic—in a way, perhaps, known only to them. I certainly didn't have a clue as to why Robbie was shown throughout the film as a chimpanzee, incredibly created, I learned, computer generated.  Not s disguise, and not recognized by anyone else being unusual looking. Maybe one of you reading this review, such as my brilliant children or grandchildren, can explain it to me. The film takes Robbie from boyhood where his father, inspired by the likes of Frank Sinatra, sings with him and has aspirations of being an entertainer. His father leaves to pursue his dream, Robbie has a lousy childhood, becomes a successful member of a boys' ...
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Mufasa: The Lion King (#637)

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I have no rational reason for going to see MUFASA: THE LION KING on a chilly Friday afternoon. I knew in advance that I wouldn't be interested and be bored, and I knew the audience would be comprised of parents escorting wee folks yelling and wandering all over the place.  My predictions were correct, so I wasn't disappointed. I never liked anything about The Lion King when it appeared on Broadway, but this was purportedly life before the grown kin ruled. I suspect most kids these days know all about the story, even two- and three-year-olds, but they wouldn't have a clue about what was going on because I had a difficult time comprehending the narration and dialogue.  It was written for a much more sophisticated audience but who cares.  I was intrigued by the computer generated animals and scenery which were really amazing. Story line?  A cute lion cub, Mufasa, is separated from his parents and wanders far and aimlessly until he is befriended by another cub whose dad'...
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The Damned (#636)

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If anyone were to ask what THE DAMNED, the film I saw today, was about, I would say it certainly was about guilt and humanity but it seemed much longer to reveal than the hour and 29 minutes the film ran. It was well acted and well directed and the setting more than adequately depicted the utter isolation of a fishing station somewhere remote, with absolutely miserable weather. Headed by a widowed wife, the fishing crew spots a sinking ship offshore, and there was a discussion on whether they should try to rescue them or ignore it and try to get through the winter with an inadequate food supply (which wouldn't have lasted long with more people eating).  No rescue is the decision and the rest of the film reveals the growing guilt among all the characters resulting in violence and even suicide. This is what might be described as a folk horror movie, because it obviously occurs in the last century or earlier. I can't say I liked the film but it was professionally produced but not ...
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Nosferatu (#635)

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I was surprised to see as many people in the audience as were there for what I thought was a relatively obscure horror film starring Willem Dafoe. NOSFERATU takes place in Germany in what I would call the Victorian era, the mid to late 1800s. It is about a young woman who is possessed by an evil spirit from a very early age, a spirit known as Nosferatu, identified by scientist Dafoe. Her new husband must go on a business trip to the mountains to sign up a new client for the company he works for—a strange count living in a typical spooky, dark castle. He is abused and imprisoned there but manages to escape and return home to find his wife in dire straits. She is advised by Dafoe that she must succumb sexually to Nosferatu in order to save the world from the plague he has foisted on the country. If this seems too complex to comprehend, I apologize, but that's what I saw and I'm sticking to it. It jumped all over the place, but the actors were good, the scenery and costuming well ...
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