My quick review of 'All About Eve': Bette Davis' best film!

My quick review of 'All About Eve': Bette Davis' best film!

All About Eve is a 1950 American Drama written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz based on the short story The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr. Stars Bette Davis, Ann Baxter, George Sanders, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, and Marilyn Monroe in her 1st screen appearance round out the cast. 

Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) is so obsessed with Broadway star Margo Channing (Bette Davis) that she travels cross-country from her home in San Francisco to New York in hopes of seeing her idol which she does by way of Margo's friend Karen Richards (Celeste Holm) who is impressed by the humble, polite-spoken Eve. Through tons of flattery, Eve earns herself a job as Margo's personal assistant. Eve's constant praises are just what Margo's ego needs as roles for aging actresses are far and few between. Little does Margo know what her younger protege is really after or even who and what her protege is. Eve has everybody fooled, everybody except theater critic Addison DeWitt!

All About Eve is among only 3 films nominated for 14 Academy Awards with the other 2 being 1997s Titanic and 2016s LaLa Land. Eve walked away with 6 Academy Awards and is the only film ever to have 2 actresses nominated for awards in 2 categories, Bette Davis and Anne Baxter for Best Actress and Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter for Best Supporting Actress. Although she only had a few lines in the film, Marilyn Monroe’s performance is also great as Addison's DeWitt's busty-but-not-as-dumb-as-I-look date at Margo Channing's Birthday Party. 

Everything from the cinematography (by Milton R. Krasner) to the editing by Barbara McLean are terrific. Back then, you had to know how to write as there weren't any gimmicks such as computer effects to hide behind, nor was there a soundtrack to distract you from the actors. Also, not being a color film removes another layer of distraction from the actors’ performances. 

This is 1 of those movies that seems to get better as movies today become more and more kiddified by Marvel and DC and sequels on top of sequels. At the time she appeared in this film, Bette Davis' real-life career was also undergoing a transition because of her age (40), something that most likely added to her role as Margo Channing and something that resonates today with actresses disappearing around 40 years of age. In a way, All About Eve is like Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard without the swimming pool at the end. 

I have this film on DVD and the image and sound quality are excellent. If you wonder what a lot of older folks mean when they say they don't make them like they used to, see All About Eve and you'll know why.

My quick review of The Killers (1964) directed by Don Siegel

The Killers is a 1964 film directed by Don Siegel based on a 1927 short story by Ernest Hemingway.  This film follows a 1946 version directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Burt Lancaster. This 1964 version is better than its predecessor for a number of reasons but before I get into these reasons, I will endeavor to give those who haven't seen the film a quick summary.

Hitmen Charlie and Lee (played by Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager) appear at a school for the blind to execute a hit on an instructor named Johnny North (John Cassavetes) on behalf of mobster Jack Browning (played by Ronald Reagan). Johnny makes no plea to have his life spared. But the fact that Johnny didn't seem surprised nor afraid to die doesn't sit right with Charlie who believes that there's more to the hit than Jack Browning told them and from this point, Charlie and Lee track down everyone directly and indirectly involved with Johnny, each person providing--through flashbacks--a piece of the puzzle as to what would make Johnny give up his life without a fight. 

Director Don Seigel takes a lean no-nonsense approach in this version as we see 2 hitmen who have distinct personalities, both deadly in his own way. First, there's Charlie. Lee Marvin plays the older speak-softly-carry-a-big-stick hitman, the kind who won't ask you the same question twice. His much younger partner Lee (played very effectively by Clu Gulager) plays the barely-under-control, health-conscious psycho who seems to enjoy his work and who’s as scary as Tommy, played by Joe Pesci in the 1990 film Goodfellas. 

Then there are the film's other stars. John Cassavetes performance as race car/getaway driver Johnny North who falls in love with the wrong woman (played by Angie Dickinson) is typical 'guy-gets-screwed-by-beautiful-dame' film noir. The flashback involving their relationship could have been a stand-alone movie in itself. Claude Akins is also great as Johnny's mechanic Earl Sylvester playing the best friend who gets ditched for the girl. But probably the best role in the film is Jack Browning played by a very pimp-like Ronald Reagan. Politics aside, he is good in this film and perfectly cast as “The Man” who uses the dame to manipulate the sap into helping them knock off a bank truck. 

This is a great heist film and a great showcase for all actors involved. The disc comes with an audio interview (reenactment) with Don Siegel who explains the process of how he acquired the material to make the film and many other anecdotes that are as entertaining as watching the film itself. I have the Criterion version and it looks and sounds great. If you've seen the old version of this film but haven't seen this version yet, you should do so to judge them for yourself.

My quick review of 'The Ice Storm'

The Ice Storm is a 1997 American drama directed by Ang Lee based on Rick Moody's 1994 novel of the same name. The film's cast includes Kevin Kline, Christina Ricci, Tobey Maguire, Elijah Wood, and Katie Holmes. The film is set in 1973 in New Canaan, Connecticut and focuses on 2 dysfunctional suburban families over the course of Thanksgiving week.

Ben and Elena Hood (played by Kevin Kline and Joan Allen) drift apart due to Ben’s affair with neighbor Janey Carver (Sigourney Weaver). The Hood and Carver kids are out of school for Thanksgiving break and spend the time experimenting: Janey Carver’s youngest son likes to blow things up around the house; Ben Hoods’ daughter Wendy (Christina Ricci) spends most of her time trying to get boys to have sex with her; then, there's Reverend Phillip Edwards whose alternative views on relationships consists of "group and 1-on-1 therapy sessions.”

The Ice Storm shows how we avoid addressing difficult issues in our lives directly and how we often address these issues indirectly, be it through sex or drugs or other destructive behaviors such as Janey Carver son’s habit of blowing stuff up.

I recently upgraded to blu ray and the images are sharp and the colors are saturated! Frederick Elmes did a great job with the cinematography. The music by Mychael Danna is also great. 

This is a movie you can watch and rewatch the same night. The Ice Storm has no action or profanity but is 1 of the most entertaining dramas because of its fast pacing and the fact that its very, very funny, especially the affair involving Ben Hood and Janey Carver.  The film feels a lot shorter than its 1:53:00 running time. Of all the directors today, I can think of very few with Ang Lee's ability to bring out the nuances in characters and relationships. He’s done a number of great films but The Ice Storm is probably his best.

My quick review of Bob Fosse's 'Star 80'

Star 80 is a 1983 film about Playboy model Dorothy Stratten written and directed by Bob Fosse who adopted the story from a 1981 Village Voice article entitled "Death of a Playmate" by Teresa Carpenter. Eric Roberts, Mariel Hemingway, and Cliff Robertson round out the cast.

A pimp, inventor, and nightclub promoter named Paul Snider discovers 19 year old Dorothy Stratten working at Dairy Queen and sees her potential as a model. They do an impromptu photo shoot that results in her being invited to Los Angeles to meet Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner that opens the door to more opportunities. Feeling left out, Snider uses her emotional weaknesses as leverage to get money and material items out of her, including a red Corvette on which he puts the vanity plates Star 80. A series of flashbacks throughout the film show Snider naked and covered with blood.

Everything about Star 80 is perfect. The music is by Ralph Burns who also worked with Fosse on his 1979 film All That Jazz. The film’s terrific cinematography was done by Sven Vilhem Nykvist who was a longtime collaborator with Ingmar Bergman.  Everything about the period that the film is based on--the music, the cars, the clothes, the swagger--is perfect. 

Eric Roberts' performance as Paul Snider--the overachiever who is desperate for respect and recognition--is terrific although he didn't receive an Oscar nomination for this performance. Mariel Hemingway's performance as Dorothy Stratten-- the girl next door torn between her obligation to a blood-sucker and her promising career as a Playboy model--is also terrific. Cliff Robertson is also convincing as Hugh Hefner who pressures Dorothy to dump Snider. This may have or may not have been the tipping point  for Snider although Hugh Hefner sued the film's producer in objection to how the film depicted him. 

Bob Fosse was originally a dance choreographer. He directed 5 films including Cabaret which won 8 Academy Awards and also beat out The Godfather that year. Star 80 was his final film. When I think of how multi-talented Fosse was, I also think of Motown founder Berry Gordy who also went on to become an accomplished film director with no prior experience. Anyway, if you haven't seen Star 80 and you like Fosse's All That Jazz, it's a solid buy and you should pick it up.