Audra McDonald At The London Palladium - 2023 - UK

Audra McDonald At The London Palladium - 2023 - 8/10

 
Spellbinding performance of one of our era’s greatest sopranos, literally at the top of her game.
At 52, she remains fearless, unafraid to chase after those high notes, nail them, then hold them.
(I cannot tell you how many concerts I have attended where the singer quits, or doesn’t try.)
This is an uplifting and soul-affirming show; a tonic against the one-note vitriol from our daily prophets of hated.
Hatred for the other, hatred of themselves, and of course, hatred for you and I.
♪ No use permitting some prophet of doom ♪
♪ To wipe every smile away ♪
Catch this, and push yourself back into the Parade.

The Other Woman - 1954 - USA

The Other Woman - 1954 - 6/10

 
Studio hanger-on is given her lucky break for exposure.
A walk-on.  Three lines.  Which she bungles.  Badly.  Three times.
Too bad.  She’s nervous, and not much of an actress.
No matter, it’s not her fault!  It’s the director who gave her the chance.  Yeah!
Sherry decides to get revenge, wreck his career, his marriage.
Trashy Noir from indie auteur Hugo Haas.
Has its moments, and Cleo Moore shines as the acid drenched vixen.

The Other Woman’s Story - 1925 - USA

The Other Woman’s Story - 1925 - 6/10

 
The accursed's perhaps love interest
He is charged with murdering his wife’s divorce attorney.
Curious Silent film, set mostly in the courthouse, observes several witnesses.
Testimonies conflict, or don’t make sense, or they subsequently “correct” them.
Viewers, like jurors, must sift before the verdict.
Mind you, revelations and a hurried search arrives at the end.
Beautifully restored by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

The Quiet One - 2019 - UK

The Quiet One - 2019 - 6/10

 
Bill Wyman … bass guitar.  Member of a small British blues group.
The band had a few hits.
Wyman was always known as the Stones’ historian, archivist, diarist, keeper of the lore.
His thick, coffee table book, “Rolling With The Stones” is jammed with photos and memorabilia.
The narrative chronology in this is spot on, accompanying visuals less so.
Nonetheless, this is a lot of fun, and a must for Stones fans.
Excellent companion to 2023’s The Stones And Brian Jones.
Shoot, watch that first, then this!

The Music Of Erich Zann - 1980 - USA

The Music Of Erich Zann - 1980 - 6/10

 
One of the earlier HPL adaptations, this evokes rather than shows or tells.
A student, Charles Dexter Ward, takes rooms below a mute violinist.
The music haunts him, and he tries to befriend the elderly musician.
And yet a gulf separates them, for one has committed blasphemy.
Effective short gives a nice sense of the other-worldliness of the tale.

Stuart Schiff (“Whispers”) had recommended this decades ago.

The Last Edition - 1925 - USA

The Last Edition - 1925 - 6/10

 
Wonderful Silent melodrama, filmed in and around San Francisco.
The McDonald family strikes the heights, suffers the blows.
Pa, expecting a promotion at the newspaper, is bumped for young blood.
Junior joins the District Attorney, where he is green and trusting.
The Chronicle tries to stay relevant, wile bootleggers protect their turf.
Most of the actors rely on facial expressions, subtle and quick, to help viewers.
No great shakes, but entertaining.
Note: In several scenes, workers gab or listen while the presses are rolling.  That’s impossible.  I was a paperboy; when those presses roll, the noise is deafening.

The Spider Woman - 1944 - USA

The Spider Woman - 1944 - 6/10  

 
Following a series of strange suicides, Sherlock Holmes fakes his own death.
The victims were men, short of cash, and inveterate gamblers.
When they lose everything, they check out.
Holmes soon zeroes in on one Adrea Spedding, adventuress.
This Sherlock film is a patchwork of several Doyle stories.
Best, however, is Gale Sondergaard as the “female Moriarty”, although she more resembles Madame Sara (“The Sorceress Of The Strand” by L. T. Meade).

Mädchen In Uniform - 1931 - Germany

Mädchen In Uniform - 1931 - 6/10

 
14-year-old Manuela is sent to the strict girls school.
Mother dead, father away soldiering, her aunt just cannot be bothered.
The school scrimps on meals, confiscates any incoming food, and is harsh with punishment.
Not the nightmare that was Diary Of A Lost Girl, yet it is unpleasant.
The girls are a gregarious bunch, and teacher Fraulein Von Bernburg is adored by all.
In fact, Manuela soon develops a crush on the woman which leads to consequences.
Although viewed as a lesbian film (and there are overtones), these are young girls, desperate for affection.

Wolfen - 1981 - USA

Wolfen - 1981 - 6/10

 
Murders splash across Manhattan penthouses and rubbled Bronx tenements.
One might think random serial killer or spree killer, yet detective finds himself drawn into myth.
Legends from when New York was a native tribal area.
Of early Dutch settlements.  Of beasts that still pad their territory.
Wolves, werewolves.  Part slasher / part thriller.  Add police procedural, surveillance and Capitalism.
Albert Finney and Gregory Hines make a great team.
Michael (“Woodstock”) Wadleigh’s rough cut – preferred cut – director’s cut remains unseen.

Mrs. Biggs - 2012 - UK

Mrs. Biggs - 2012 -  6/10

 
Mrs. Ronnie Biggs, longest refugee from justice for the 1963 Great Train Robbery.
Powerful acting by Sheridan Smith and Daniel Mays boost this greatly.
Ronnie, cheap crook, petty soul, gets into a whirlwind affair with Charmian.
Marriage, children, and the desire for “nice things” which they can ill afford.
The heist is well thought out and meticulously shown.
There are too many men in the heist, though.  More men, greater chance of a weak link.
Caper is just one episode, followed by years on the run, evading, separate lives.
Aside from seeing clips of Biggs rollicking on the Rio beaches over the years, I knew little about this.
The real Charmian Biggs assisted in the script, so one hopes this is somewhat accurate.