The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939)

Reasonably entertaining, but too much comedy, 30 June 2021

The Lone Wolf, Michael Lanyard (Warren William), realizes he’s being set-up to take the fall for a series of thefts involving government secrets.  With the police eager to nab him for the crime, Lanyard’s out to clear his name.

Until I watched The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt, I’d never seen a Lone Wolf film.  I’ve always been a fan of the 30s / 40s mystery / comedy series like The Thin Man, The Falcon, and The Saint, so I figured The Lone Wolf would be comparable.  While I was reasonably entertained and will most likely seek out other Lone Wolf movies, I had some issues with the movie that keep me from endorsing it whole-heartedly.  My chief gripe is that the movie never strikes the right balance between the comedy and the mystery elements..  There’s just too much funny business.  Between the girlfriend Val, butler Jameson, daughter Patricia, and cop Sgt Devan, there are enough comedic shenanigans for three movies.  As for the mystery elements, they’re about what you expect from this kind of film and not dissimilar from what you find in one of the other series I mentioned.  One plot point  I really did enjoy was the envelope of secret plans passing back and forth, over and over. 

Even if you aren’t into this kind of movie, there are other things that make The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt worth checking out - Ida Lupino and Rita Hayworth.  Both were 20 years old and still looking for their big breaks.  Really neat they’re both in a movie like this.

5/10

Breathless (2012)

Not as clever as it wants to be, 29 June 2021

Lorna (Gina Gershon) is convinced that her no-good husband is responsible for a recent bank robbery.  She enlists the help of long-time friend, Tiny (Kelli Giddish), to help find the money.  In short order, Lorna has her husband tied to a chair and shoots him in the head.  Now, in addition to finding the money, Lorna and Tiny have a body to dispose of.

I had never heard of Breathless until it was recommended to me by a streaming platform.  The plot summary sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a whirl.  Overall, I wasn’t very impressed.  The main problem I had is that the film is never quite as smart and funny as it wants to be.  I felt like Lorna’s ramblings were meant to evoke a Tarantino-like feeling, but the writing’s just not clever enough.  In fact, I found much of the dialogue-heavy first half of the film a bit boring.  It wasn’t until the scene-stealing PI (played spectacularly by Wayne Duvall) showed up that things got interesting.  So, even though I liked much of the second half of Breathless, my overall enjoyment had already suffered as I was ready to throw in the towel at about the 45 minute mark.  

Finally, I generally like Gina Gershon, but I didn’t care for her as Lorna.  She gives her all to the role, but for me, she seems miscast.  I don’t see her as a housewife living in a single-wide in the middle of nowhere Texas.  

4/10

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)

“Knowing that the odds were stacked against me, I resorted to witchcraft.” 29 June 2021

As the title indicates, Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau (I’ll just shorten that to Lost Soul for the rest of this) is the story behind the making of 1996’s The Island of Dr. Moreau.  Much of this film focuses on Richard Stanley’s involvement with the film and how the production descended into chaos.  Stanley was the driving force behind getting the project off the ground, only to be replaced as director before he could finish the film.  

The Island of Dr. Moreau was a colossal flop - both financially and critically.  While there are aspects of the film I enjoy (and I admit I enjoy a lot of it for the wrong reasons), there’s no denying the movie is pretty much a complete train wreck.  One of the more interesting aspects of Lost Soul is the recounting of events that led to the disaster.  It was a perfect storm - a studio with no faith in a director; a director in over his head; a constantly growing budget; isolated locations; monsoon like weather; actors in open rebellion;- anything that could go wrong did.  

Equally amazing to me is how many of the people involved in the film agreed to be interviewed for Lost Soul.  From Stanley to studio head Bob Shaye to several of the actors involved to production and technical staff - you get to hear the stories of the doomed production from all sides.  It’s fascinating stuff.

7/10

Double Exposure (1944)

Nancy Kelly really shines, 28 June 2021

How many films from the 1940s start with the misunderstanding caused by a name that could belong to either a man or a woman?  That’s how Double Exposure begins.  Magazine editor Larry Burke (Chester Morris) hires a photographer he’s never met named “Pat” (Nancy Kelly).  Of course “Pat” ends up being a woman, setting the stage for a few laughs and a predictable romance.  Things get complicated, however, when: (a) Pat’s old beau shows up, and (b) Pat is accused of murder.  

Double Exposure isn’t anything deep, but it is a decent little film that I found reasonably entertaining.  For me, the comedy bits (especially those involving the health-nut magazine owner) far outweighed the mystery elements.  The killer’s real identity was way too easy to guess.  The film is also helped along by some snappy direction and pacing.  Director William Berke really keeps things moving.  The film’s highlight (at least for me) has to be Nancy Kelly’s performance.  Delightful, charming, and funny would be a few of the adjectives I’d use to describe Kelly in Double Exposure.  Her performance raises the film’s enjoyment in my eyes to a notch slightly above average.  Overall, if you go into Double Exposure without a ton of expectations, you might discover a nice little movie worth watching.  

Finally, another bit I liked was the storyline given to ex-boyfriend, Ben.  I won’t spoil it, but his final scene actually surprised me.  Well done.

6/10

Nothing But Trouble (1991)

I despise every frame of this movie, 28 June 2021

Forget a plot summary - I refuse. I hate everything about this movie.  I saw Nothing But Trouble either during its theatrical run or shortly thereafter and couldn’t stand it.  Watching it again 30 years later, my opinion hasn’t changed - it’s garbage.  

I watch a lot of bad movies that I will give the benefit of the doubt to, but not this one.  Unlike some of the low-budget dreck I actually enjoy, this mess was made with a $40 million budget.  That’s right - $40 million!  Other than salaries, over-the-top special effects, and a so-busy-it’s-distracting set-design, I have no idea where the money went.  I could guess . . .   

The blame for this disaster has to fall squarely at the feet of Dan Akyroyd - the writer, director, and star.  Looking at his filmography, his best work has always been when he’s playing second fiddle to someone like John Belushi, Bill Murray, or Eddie Murphy.  On his own, you end up with something un-funny, repulsive, and nauseating.  

Don’t waste your time.  Nothing But Trouble is a film that I cannot recommend to anyone for any reason.  

1/10

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

“How wonderful. You’re going to kill a ghost.” 25 June 2021

Realtor Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) and family visit a large, creepy mansion that Evers may have the opportunity to sell.  But the mansion’s owner has a secret reason for summoning the Evers family.  The owner is actually a ghost.  He’s haunted the old house looking for his long lost love.  It seems that Evers’ wife is the spitting image for the dead woman.  Can Evers put a stop to the unholy union and save his family?

Over the years, the family and I have been to Disneyworld about a dozen times.  There is no attraction at Disney that I look forward to as much as The Haunted Mansion.  I love it!  Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for this film.  While there are a lot of things that I dislike about The Haunted Mansion (the movie), my biggest complaint is just how dull it all is.  Re-watching last night, it put me to sleep.  I had to slog my way through the rest today.  The story is predictable, the comedy doesn’t work, and I wasn’t invested in the characters.  As a result, I find it to be one incredibly boring experience.  None of the charm and joy I feel on the ride are in the film.  My reaction to the movie is the exact opposite.  

Eddie Murphy may be known for his comedic abilities, but I don’t remember his performance bringing so much as a smile to my face.  Whether it’s his fault or the writers (more likely), nothing he says or does works on me.  Also, I’m kind of surprised that Disney cast Murphy in the lead here.  This was right in the middle of his run in the wildly successful, non-Disney Shrek series.  

There are some homages the film pays to the ride that I appreciate.  From the singing cemetery busts to the wedding dress in the attic to the hitchhiking ghosts to Madame Leota (Meg Tilley is easily my favorite thing about the movie), fans of the ride will enjoy these touches.  

3/10

Death Wish 3 (1985)

“Blow the scum away!” 23 June 2021

After his friend is murdered by a street gang, “Mr Vigilante”, Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson), moves into his friend’s vacant apartment and finds himself embroiled in a war.  Kersey is ruthless in his pursuit of justice.  With the police turning a blind-eye, Kersey is a one man wrecking crew, cleaning the hoodlums off the streets.

If you were to use one movie as an example of the films churned out by Cannon and Golan-Globus in the ‘80s, you’d be hard pressed to find a better example than Death Wish 3.  It’s cheap, exploitative, violent, and a whole lot of fun.  Actually, Death Wish 3 isn’t so much a movie as it is a series of over-the-top set-pieces strung together by the most flimsy of plot threads.  If you think too much about the logic of what you’re watching, it’ll make your head hurt.  Everything from ordering a rocket launcher through the mail to Bronson’s scenes with love interest Kathryn Davis to the completely ineffective police to the Home Alone tactics Kersey uses to battle the gang - none of it makes any real world sense.  But the street gang that Kersey finds himself up against is perhaps the worst offender when it comes to a lack of logic.  They seem to exist only to commit one criminal act after the next with no real payoff.  What’s their end-goal?  And they look absolutely silly, like some sort of rejects from The Warriors. 

Despite all this (or maybe because of all this), Death Wish 3 is a rocking good time.  Watching a 63-year-old Bronson whip out one crazy weapon after another is a real hoot.  And what’s not to enjoy about Bronson setting one trap after the next for the baddies to fall for - like his slow walk to buy ice cream.  I’ve seen this movie a couple of times now and it never fails to entertain.  It easily gets a 7/10 from me.  

7/10