Down and Out in America (1986)

Academy Awards, USA 1987

Won Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Joseph Feury Milton Justice Tied with Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got (1985).

HBO
Directed by Lee Grant
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(VHS, MPI Home Video)

Homelessness during the Reagan era is explored by actress Lee Grant. Farmers in Minnesota band together to fight bankers foreclosing on their properties and the looming takeover of corporate farming; the inhabitants of a shanty community in LA try to stop it from being bulldozed; and squatters in NYC struggle to survive. Matter-of-fact documentary never gets beyond the obvious, but the roots of the homelessness that still plagues the country can be discerned. A reminder that it was not all bliss during the Reagan era.

Pirates (1986)

Academy Awards, USA 1987

Nominated Oscar

Best Costume Design Anthony Powell

Cannon Film
Directed by Roman Polanski
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Quadrifoglio)

Pirate Walter Matthau and his young sidekick are rescued from their life raft by a Spanish galleon. When he discovers it is carrying a golden throne, he incites a mutiny to get it. Meanwhile, his young friend romances the elusive Spanish maiden Charlotte Lewis, without much success. Good atmosphere can't compensate for lack of plot or contrived attempts at slapstick humor.

The Name of the Rose (1986)

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Fox)

Sean Connery and his sidekick Christian Slater are Franciscan monks visiting a monastery in northern Italy. Connery puts his amateur sleuth skills to work when a series of deaths rock the monastery. Clues lead to a mysterious library housed in a labyrinth where a missing book by Aristotle is closely guarded. However, when the Inquisition shows up he is accused of heresy and must defend himself. Slater is annoying and his character completely unnecessary, while Connery's accent can be a struggle to understand. The sets are stunning and medieval atmosphere authentic, but the plot lacks momentum to sustain its over 2-hour running time.

At Close Range (1986)

Orion Pictures
Directed by James Foley
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM)

Sean Penn plays a brooding teenager who gets booted out of his house by his stepfather so takes up with his estranged father Christopher Walken. He wants desperately to belong to his father's gang of thieves, but they don't trust him. So, he forms his own gang with his brother and friends, but their amateurism lands them in jail. Walken is convinced they will rat him out and sets out to eliminate all of them, leading to a memorable confrontation with Penn. Occasionally over-the-top but absolutely riveting, with powerhouse performances by Penn and Walken. Synth-laden soundtrack by Patrick Leonard helps set the mood.

Castle in the Sky (1986)

Toei Japan/Streamline Pictures
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Disney)

A young girls falls from the sky and floats into the hands of boy. Saved by a crystal she wears around her neck, she is pursued by pirates, soldiers and government agents who want the pendant for their own devious purposes. Apparently it is the key to Laputa, a magical floating island in the sky and home to a lost civilization. Visually stunning but dramatically muddled, with little if any explanation as to what all the hubbub is about. It left me empty and dissatisfied, not to mention fast asleep.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Paramount Pictures
Directed by John Hughes
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Paramount)

High school senior Matthew Broderick decides to take the day off from school by faking an illness. His dumb parents fall for it and he spends the day visiting various Chicago landmarks. He convinces his best friend to "borrow" his father's Ferrari and his girlfriend to skip school as well. A school counselor gets wise to them but is thwarted at every turn in a futile attempt at comic relief. Wildly popular film has little if any plot and shallow characters, only his best friend learns anything about himself, the rest are selfish bores who talk to the camera too much.

You Better Watch Out (1980)

Pan American Pictures
Directed by Lewis Jackson
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Vinegar Syndrome)

Brandon Maggart, in a bravura performance, is a middle-aged factory manager scarred by a childhood episode with his father in a Santa suit. Obsessed with all-things Santa, one Christmas he literally becomes Santa, taking toys to an orphanage or dancing at a party with children. However, there is a dark side to this Santa: he also takes out his frustrations at work with an inexplicable and uncontrollable rage. Maggart is simply astounding, evoking both sympathy and revulsion, in a Christmas movie unlike any other. Better known under its video title Christmas Evil, but the original on-screen title is more apropos.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Academy Awards, USA 1947

Nominated Oscar	Best Picture
	Best Actor in a Leading Role James Stewart
	Best Director Frank Capra
	Best Sound, Recording John Aalberg (RKO Radio SSD)
	Best Film Editing William Hornbeck

RKO Radio Pictures
Directed by Frank Capra
My rating: 4 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Paramount)

Small town boy Jimmy Stewart dreams of traveling the world but instead gets saddled with running the family's barely profitable building and loan business. He raises a family with college sweetheart Donna Reed in a dilapidated mansion. Everything comes crashing down when his business partner loses a large deposit of cash that threatens to ruin him financially and possibly send him to prison. It's up to angel Henry Travers to convince him that it was all worthwhile.  Basically an updating of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, perfectly cast and with an utterly convincing performance by Stewart.

The Man in the Santa Claus Suit (1979)

NBC
Directed by Corey Allen
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Fred Astaire is the owner of a costume shop where he rents a Santa suit to three customers during the holidays. Their stories make up the film in this episodic made-for-TV Christmas movie. Gary Burghoff, who can't quite shake his famous MASH character, is a shy school teacher trying to find the courage to ask his sexy model neighbor to marry him; Bert Convy tries to reconnect with his son and wife; and John Byner is a homeless man trying to hide from the mob. Astaire is, by far, the best part of the movie in multiple roles.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Academy Awards, USA 1948

Won Oscar	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Edmund Gwenn
	Best Writing, Original Story Valentine Davies
	Best Writing, Screenplay George Seaton
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by George Seaton
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Fox)

A young, precocious Natalie Wood lives with her single mom Maureen O'Hara in NYC. Mom has convinced her that Santa is just a marketing tool, which is easily confirmed by the fact that she works at one of the big department stores. Well, the real Santa happens to get hired at the store and is determined to convince Natalie, and maybe mom, that he is real. First, he has to convince a court after he is put on trial for an insanity hearing! A Christmas classic, to be sure, but also contrived and Natalie can be annoying.

The House Without a Christmas Tree (1972)

CBS
Directed by Paul Bogart
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A young girl in rural Nebraska struggles lives with her widowed father and her grandmother. She struggles to convince him that they need a Christmas tree, since everyone else has one. The secret of his Scrooge attitude towards Christmas lies in the past and the death of his wife. Well, the girl brings home a Christmas tree anyway, leading to much emotional upheaval but eventually happiness and acceptance of the past. Overly sentimental and a bit depressing at times, but enough Christmas atmosphere, as well as small town and period flavor to earn a Christmastime viewing recommendation. Jason Robards is good as the father.

A Christmas to Remember (1978)

CBS
Directed by George Englund
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A city boy is sent to live with his grandparents on a Minnesota farm. The grandmother welcomes him with open arms but grandpa is a more skeptical. It turns out they lost their own son years ago and he still hasn't worked it all out. When the boy starts seeing visions of the long-dead son, nobody believes him, except old grandpa in an unconvincing and a bit creepy ending. Jason Robards usually makes better choices for his roles, not much Christmas atmosphere either in this made-for-TV movie.

The Bishop's Wife (1947)

Academy Awards, USA 1948

Won Oscar	Best Sound, Recording Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Samuel Goldwyn Productions
	Best Director Henry Koster
	Best Film Editing Monica Collingwood
	Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Hugo Friedhofer

RKO Radio Pictures
Directed by Henry Koster
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM)

Cary Grant is an angel responding to a bishop's plea for help to build a new cathedral. Instead, he tries to save the bishop's marriage to Loretta Young by taking her out on the town. In an unintentionally hilarious scene, Grant's and Young's doubles are shown ice skating with abandon, with Grant's double in particular much shorter than the real one and wearing an obvious mask. Well, the bishop eventually gets wise to what's going on and forces Grant back to wherever he came from, learning a valuable lesson along the way. Good Christmas atmosphere, but hard to take seriously.

Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (1972)

R & S Film Enterprises Inc.
Directed by R. Winer
My rating: BOMB
IMDb
(YouTube)

Santa's sleigh gets stuck in the sand near a Florida amusement park. While waiting for help, he tells the story of Thumbelina to kids who rush to listen. Thumbelina is actually another film, shown in its entirety complete with title and credits, made at the same park (Pirates World in Dania Beach). It's the familiar story, only emphasizing the psychedelic aspects for the "flower power" generation, acted by amateurs on a high-school level set. When that is over, a giant bunny shows up in a fire truck to rescue Santa on the beach. Inept on all levels, not even worth a "so good it's bad" recommendation. A leading contender for the worst Christmas movie of all time.

J.T. (1969)

CBS
Directed by Robert M. Young
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A young boy in a poor Harlem neighborhood befriends a stray cat in a crumbling nearby building. It gives him something to care about in his otherwise dreary daily life. Tragedy strikes when classmates tease him, but with the help of some unexpected friends it turns his life from despair to hope. Simple story with a Christmas theme, but hampered by a low budget and short running time that does not allow the characters to be fully fleshed out. 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Walt Disney
Directed by J.J. Abrams
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(theatrical showing)

A restless young girl on a desert planet is thrust into an intergalactic war when a defecting soldier crash lands near her home. Also joining them is an anthropomorphic robot who carries a map leading to the location of the mythical Luke Skywalker. First, they must stop the Nazi-inspired "First Order" from destroying planets with their new, larger Death Star. They get help from old friends Han Solo and Chewbacca. J.J. Abrams walks a fine line between nostalgia and a flat-out remake of the original Star Wars films. Genders are switched and family connections have changed, but we've seen all of this before.

Return to Mayberry (1986)

NBC/Viacom
Directed by Bob Sweeney
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

The cast of The Andy Griffith Show is reunited when Andy returns to Mayberry to run for sheriff. He changes his mind when he finds out Barney is also running. However, when a monster is spotted in the local lake, Barney overreacts and it is up to Andy to help him save his reputation. The cast members are old and haggard but mostly do a good job or reprising their familiar roles. Nostalgic and genial but unnecessary made-for-TV movie for the show's admittedly large fan base. 

Pretty in Pink (1986)

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Howard Deutch
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Paramount)

High schooler Molly Ringwald lives in the poor part of town with her good-natured but deadbeat dad. Her classmates tease her about her homemade clothes and she worries about a getting a date to the prom. Ignoring the pleas of her best friend Jon Cryer who also happens to be in love with her, she goes out with a well-dressed "rich kid". Cryer is devasted and Ringwald falls in love. There are many predictable complications, but it all works out in the happy ending. More John Hughes tripe set to a trendy soundtrack and scenes in a record store. 

A Better Tomorrow (1986)

Rim Film Distributors, Inc.
Directed by John Woo
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Anchor Bay)

Two brothers, one a gangster and the other a police officer, clash in modern Hong Kong. After a 3-year prison stint, the gangster brother tries to go straight but leaving his old life proves difficult and he is soon coerced into criminal activities. This leads directly to the final confrontation with his younger brother. It starts out slowly with some awkward attempts at humor, the soundtrack is horribly dated and the slow-motion, blood-soaked violence is now an action cliche, though to its credit the cliches all started here.

Sherman's March (1986)

First Run Features
Directed by Ross McElwee
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, First Run Features)

Filmmaker Ross McElwee sets out to make a documentary about Sherman's March to the Sea, but instead ruminates on his recent loss of a girlfriend and uses the opportunity to meet women. With the camera on his shoulder, he obsessively films every detail of his encounters. Through sheer volume, the film is nearly 2 and half hours long, interesting things will happen. McElwee's dry humor  and eye of for the absurd make it more than watchable, in fact these people have a way of staying with you long afterwards.

Stand by Me (1986)

Academy Awards, USA 1987

Nominated Oscar

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Raynold Gideon Bruce A. Evans

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Rob Reiner
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Columbia TriStar)

Four young friends set off from their idyllic small town in 1950s Oregon to look for the body of a boy rumored to have been killed by a train. Along the way, they discover a lot about each other, and themselves, and lose a bit of their childhood innocence. Unfortunately, I didn't buy into any of it. The performances seemed forced, the entire situation absurd and the 50s nostalgia grating. The narration and wraparound segment with Richard Dreyfuss only made things worse.

Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986)

Troma Entertainment
Directed by Richard W. Haines and Lloyd Kaufman
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A leaking nuclear plant turns students at the high school next door into zombies, sex-maniacs or out-of-control rebels. It's mostly good-natured fun, with a healthy dose of gross-out special effects, set to a non-stop rock soundtrack. The low budget and amateur cast may actually help.

The Hitcher (1986)

TriStar Pictures
Directed by Robert Harmon
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, HBO Video)

A teenager driving cross country picks up the wrong hitchhiker on a desolate Texas highway. The two engage in an escalating battle of survival, eventually consuming everything and everyone around them. Rutger Hauer is perfect as the practically indestructible hitchhiker empowered by the teen's growing sense of desperation. Jennifer Jason Leigh also stands out as a sympathetic waitress. It borrows heavily from previous films, especially Spielberg's seminal TV movie Duel, and becomes increasingly unrealistic with each passing scene, but undeniably suspenseful and practically unstoppable.

Highlander (1986)

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Russell Mulcahy
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Lionsgate)

An immortal man in modern NYC clashes with another immortal because "there can be only one". We learn through flashback of his early life in medieval Scotland, where he is outcast as a devil and taught by a dashing Sean Connery his true identity. It all culminates in an epic sword battle underneath a neon sign on a hotel rooftop. This over-the-top fantasy is filled with eye-popping camerawork and sets, but doesn't make a lick of sense. Lambert is one-dimensional and has no chemistry with his loves, particularly Roxanne Hart in the critical role of the woman for which he gives up his immortality.

Children of a Lesser God (1986)

Academy Awards, USA 1987

Won Oscar	Best Actress in a Leading Role Marlee Matlin
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Burt Sugarman Patrick J. Palmer
	Best Actor in a Leading Role William Hurt
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Piper Laurie
	Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Hesper Anderson Mark Medoff

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Randa Haines
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Paramount)

A speech teacher at a remote school for the deaf falls in love with a beautiful yet reserved employee. Their torrid love affair exposes old emotional wounds and threatens to destroy them both. They separate almost by necessity, before reconciling in the end. Intense, believable performances by William Hurt and Marlee Matlin, as well as a picturesque if dreary backdrop in New Brunswick, Canada, elevate this beyond mere melodrama, though it does occasionally succumb to genre conventions (the ending for example).

King Kong Lives (1986)

DEG
Directed by John Guillermin
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Universal)

Picking up where the 1976 remake of King Kong left off, Kong is revived by a dedicated doctor who performs a heart transplant. Luckily another giant ape is discovered just in time to provide the necessary blood plasma for the over sized operation. Kong and Lady Kong eventually escape and spend a few intimate moments in the idyllic California countryside before the military arrives and a bloodbath ensues. Ludicrous plot, cliche ridden characters and questionable special effects (mostly utilizing people in gorilla suits on miniature sets) sink this Dino De Laurentiis production.

Caravaggio (1986)

Cinevista
Directed by Derek Jarman
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Italian Renaissance painter Michelangelo de Caravaggio cavorts with his models, both male and female, while courting the financial support of a Catholic cardinal. Scenes are often strikingly posed to reflect the original paintings by Caravaggio, but unfortunately there is little in the way of plot or structure otherwise. The result is a harried, unfocused glimpse of the decadent life of a tortured artist.

Down by Law (1986)

Island Pictures
Directed by Jim Jarmusch
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Criterion Collection)

Three men end up together in a New Orleans jail for different reasons. Months of boredom with no hope for release lead them to escape. After traversing the nearby swampland they end up at a small restaurant run by a friendly Italian girl. Ever so slight drama is mostly a character study bolstered by striking black and white photography by Robby Müller.

The Wolf at the Door (1986)

International Film Marketing
Directed by Henning Carlsen
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Recently returned to Paris from Tahiti, artist Paul Gauguin struggles to make ends meet. He continues to paint, his favorite subjects being underage girls for which he has an unhealthy obsession. The film pushes the comfort level with several nude scenes of his subjects posing in the studio and at least one sex scene. Gauguin's character is so thoroughly deplorable that it saps any enjoyment from Sutherland's performance. Max von Sydow provides some welcome relief as his friend August Strindberg, but it's not enough to overcome the overall seedy atmosphere.

Rosa Luxemburg (1986)

New Yorker Films
Directed by Margarethe von Trotta
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(VHS, New Yorker)

Meticulous account of the life of a Polish-born German socialist trying, and failing, to stop her country from waging two world wars. Her love affairs with fellow activists also suffer from her devotion to the cause. This dense political drama requires a working knowledge of German history to be fully appreciated, but the skill of Barbara Sukowa in the lead role is undeniable.

Man Facing Southeast (1986)

FilmDallas Pictures
Directed by Eliseo Subiela
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(VHS, New World Video)

A mysterious man shows up at a mental hospital and claims to be from another planet. His skeptical doctor gradually comes to suspect that he might be telling the truth. The other patients believe he is the second coming of Christ. A woman who comes to visit him one day turns out to be from the same place. Cerebral, murky drama is an uneven mixture of psychiatry, theology and science fiction, but works due to intelligent script and sympathetic characters.

Vicious Lips (1986)

Empire Pictures
Directed by Albert Pyun
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

An all-girl new wave punk band and their new singer get stranded on an alien planet on their way to a gig. They spend most of the time bickering with each other but are also menaced by a rampaging man-beast. Disappointingly, it's all just a dream. The soundtrack is not all that bad if you are into that kind of thing, and Dru-Anne Perry is an appealing lead, but sunk by low budget and bimbo characters.

SpaceCamp (1986)

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Harry Winer
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Anchor Bay)

Teenagers attending "space camp" in Florida accidentally get sent into space. They must use their limited training and teamwork to get home. A ludicrous plot with bratty, clueless teens and an irritating anthropomorphic robot.

Eat the Peach (1986)

Film Four International (UK)
Directed by Peter Ormrod
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Two unemployed men are inspired by the Elvis movie Roustabout to build their own "Wall of Death" in their small Irish town. They get involved with smuggling liquor to help fund it. Opening day finally arrives and they even get TV coverage, but no one seems to care. Amiable if slight comedy-drama that seems to want its characters to fail at everything they do.

Nomads (1986)

Atlantic Releasing Corporation
Directed by John McTiernan
My rating: BOMB
IMDb
(DVD, MGM)

The mysterious life and death of an anthropologist is relived through the eyes of the hospital nurse who tried to save him in the emergency room. He somehow transferred his memories to her after biting her ear at the moment of his death. In the days before, he was being harassed by a group of bikers, led by Adam Ant. They turn out to really be a lost Eskimo tribe who followed him to L.A., gaining an appreciation for leather and bad heavy metal music along the way. Jaw-droppingly awful.

Desert Bloom (1986)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Eugene Corr
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Columbia TriStar)

Teenager Annabeth Gish recalls her troubled childhood in 1950s Las Vegas. Dad Jon Voight drinks too much and beats her while mom carries on like nothing is wrong. Ellen Barkin is a sympathetic aunt. Meanwhile, the city prepares for an atomic test in the nearby desert, but this is little more than  background noise and has no relevance to the story, leaving only the rather predictable melodramatic elements to propel the plot.

True Stories (1986)

Warner Bros.
Directed by David Byrne
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Warner Bros.)

Talking Head David Byrne leads us on a tour of the mythical small town of Virgil, Texas. Most people work at the big computer factory outside of town. In their spare time they shop at the mall, watch TV, have fashion shows or, in the case of John Goodman, look for a suitable wife. It's all rather kooky and silly, interspersed with MTV-style music videos and Byrne's deadpan observations.

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

Academy Awards, USA 1987

Nominated Oscar

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Hanif Kureishi

Orion Classics
Directed by Stephen Frears
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Criterion Collection)

The son of Pakistani immigrants is given the chance to manage a run-down laundrette in London. Together with his friend/lover, they transform it into a hip joint to wash your clothes. Along the way they deal with backlash from racist punk rockers and a rocky relationship with his family. Amiable comedy-drama is not afraid to incorporate controversial social issues, which are sadly still relevant today.

King Rat (1965)

Academy Awards, USA 1966

Nominated Oscar	Best Cinematography, Black-and-White Burnett Guffey
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White Robert Emmet Smith Frank Tuttle

Columbia Pictures

Directed by Bryan Forbes

My rating: 4 stars out of 4

IMDb

(DVD, Columbia TriStar)

American and British soldiers struggle for survival in a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines. American George Segal rises above the fray through black market sales with locals at the expense of his fellow prisoners. An idealistic young provost marshal tries to expose him, but when he uncovers another racket involving his direct commander he runs into a brick wall. An uncompromising portrayal of the daily lives of desperate men in a hopeless situation: the sweltering heat, the omnipresent buzzing of flies, thin and sickly men where death is never far away. It's not all bleak though, with comedy relief provided by Segal and associates from their latest racket involving the numerous rats in the camp.

Ten Little Indians (1965)

Seven Arts Pictures
Directed by George Pollock
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Warner Bros.)

Ten strangers are summoned to a remote Alpine lodge by an unseen host. They quickly realize it's all just a set up for his insane plan to murder each of them for perceived injustices in their past. When the body count starts to mount, a search of the house turns up nothing, and it dawns the killer is posing as one of the survivors. The classic Agatha Christie story is a mildly successful rehash of 1945's And Then There Were None (set on an island instead of a mountain lodge), with some irritating characters (Fabian, thankfully the first to go), and an impossible-to-guess resolution to the mystery.

Primitive London (1965)

Compton-Cameo Films (UK)
Directed by Arnold L. Miller
My rating: BOMB
IMDb
(Blu-ray, BFI)

Documentary purports to expose the deviant lifestyle of London hipsters, but instead degenerates into a live human birth scene, stripteases and animal cruelty in a chicken factory. Just another in the long line of shockumentaries trying to duplicate the success of Mondo Cane.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)

Academy Awards, USA 1966

Nominated Oscar	Best Actor in a Leading Role Richard Burton
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White Hal Pereira Tambi Larsen Ted Marshall Josie MacAvin

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Martin Ritt
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Paramount)

Aging British spy Richard Burton is sent on one last mission to East Germany. He poses as a drunkard and takes a series of demeaning jobs, all in order to entrap a British double agent helping the Germans. Along the way he falls in love with idealistic communist Claire Bloom, whom he tries to protect when the going gets tough. Dialogue-heavy story which Burton chews up and spits out never gets going until the final scene, but it's hardly worth the effort.

Six in Paris (1965)

Les Films du Losange (France)
Directed by Claude Chabrol, Jean Douchet, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Daniel Pollet, Eric Rohmer and Jean Rouch
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, New Yorker)

Six vignettes by leading directors of the French New Wave which are all set in Paris. Most deal with unsatisfied lovers lashing out at their partners in various ways and an ironic moral. The final piece by Chabrol, featuring a boy who wears earplugs to drown out the arguments of his parents, is perhaps the most successful because it avoids the subject matter of the others. All of them are poorly acted and so shoddily photographed as to resemble home movies. A major disappointment considering the talent involved behind the cameras.

Fort Courageous (1965)

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Lesley Selander
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Fox)

A cavalry troop escorting a prisoner to New Mexico stops to rescue a woman and her daughter from an Indian attack. The capture the Indian who raped the daughter and bring him to their fort in New Mexico. The escorted prisoner has also been accused of rape, though he denies it, leading to an unusual romance with the older woman with whom he sympathizes. The captured Indian turns out to be a chief's son and his tribe relentlessly attacks the fort to save him. Gritty, tough western has more in common with noirs of the previous decade than western genre films of the 1960s.

Hail! Mafia (1965)

Mercury Films (France)
Directed by Raoul Lévy
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Jack Klugman and Henry Silva are hired by the mob to kill a witness in France. The professional killers strike up a friendship as they pursue their quarry across the French countryside. Silva is reluctant to reveal his private life to the stranger, and his instincts prove correct when the hit turns out to be anything but routine. Klugman and Silva are terrific in their roles, but the film tends to get bogged down in their daily routines before the bravura finale. The jazz soundtrack, while at first adding an air of coolness, is not synced to the action and eventually becomes a nuisance. This could have been a great film in the hands of a better director with a bigger budget.

He Who Rides a Tiger (1965)

British Lion
Directed by Charles Crichton
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Serial burglar Tom Bell, recently released from prison, resumes his old life as a high-class jewel thief. Rolling in money, he picks up a series of women then violently turns on them the morning after. One day he meets his match in art teacher Judi Dench. She falls in love with him, but cannot reconcile her feelings with his criminal lifestyle. With the police closing in, she gives him one chance to go straight. Strong, character-driven film, but Bell's reprehensible character makes it difficult to enjoy.

The Debussy Film: Impressions of the French Composer (1965)

BBC
Directed by Ken Russell
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Vladek Sheybal plays a film director making a movie about Debussy, with Oliver Reed in the title role. The two have long discussions about how Reed is to play the character, inter-spliced with scenes from that film. It is not always obvious how this makes us understand Debussy any better than a straightforward biography would have. As a result, it comes off mostly as a gimmick. That, combined with Debussy's unsympathetic character as a tortured artist and womanizer, makes this early made-for-tv effort from Russell little more than an interesting curio. There are, however, a few tantalizing scenes which foreshadow things to come.

Cat Ballou (1965)

Academy Awards, USA 1966

Won Oscar	Best Actor in a Leading Role Lee Marvin
Nominated Oscar	Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Walter Newman Frank Pierson
	Best Film Editing Charles Nelson
	Best Music, Original Song Jerry Livingston (music) Mack David (lyrics) For the song "The Ballad of Cat Ballou"
	Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment Frank De Vol

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Elliot Silverstein
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Columbia TriStar)

The transformation of innocent college graduate Jane Fonda into the leader of an outlaw gang is told in flashback on the eve of her hanging. After her father is murdered by a gunslinger wearing a false nose, she talks a hopeful admirer and his pal into hiring their own gunslinger for revenge. Lee Marvin makes the most of his dual role as both gunslingers. Supposedly a spoof of the western genre, it too frequently relies on cliches to keep the plot moving. Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye are entertaining as a pair of minstrels who frequently appear to summarize the plot.

Finger on the Trigger (1965)

Allied Artists
Directed by Sidney Pink
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

In the days after the Civil War, soldiers from both sides fight over hidden gold in a dusty Oklahoma town. Some of them make a bargain with local Indians to steal it, leading to the inevitable shootout. Spanish-made "spaghetti western" is slow, grim and predictable.

Help! (1965)

United Artists
Directed by Richard Lester
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Capitol Records/EMI)

A religious cult wants the ring worn by Ringo for their sacrificial ritual. They follow Ringo and the boys around London, to the Austrian Alps and eventually the Bahamas. Scotland Yard inspectors get involved but are of little help. Threadbare plot is just a way to showcase new Beatles songs interspersed at regular intervals, which are slickly edited and miles beyond anything else coming out in 1965. Their goofy antics are a little too smug and self-aware at times, but always colorful and entertaining.