Missing Link (2019)

Academy Awards, USA 2020

Nominee Oscar

Best Animated Feature Film Chris Butler Arianne Sutner Travis Knight

United Artists

Directed by Chris Butler

My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4

IMDb Wikipedia

(Blu-ray, MGM/Fox)

In the late 1800s, a British scientist is determined to make a name for himself by proving the existence of a mythical creature. After receiving an anonymous letter, he heads to Washington state in search of the Sasquatch. It turns out he is a friendly, intelligent talking fellow, who also wrote the letter. He convinces the explorer to take him to the Himalayas to live with others of his kind, the Yeti. They need a map from his old girfriend, so she comes along as well. They are pursued by a bounty hunter hired by a rival scientiest. In the Himalayas, they find a Queen who locks them up rather than risk revealing their location. They manage to escape after some extended fighting scenes. Fifth animated film from the Laika studios is probably their least successful. The deadpan delivery of Zach Galiflanakis as the "Missing Link" seems rather miscast and is rarely funny. The mouth animation needs work, as I was distracted by the mismatch with the voices. 

Dad (1989)

Academy Awards, USA 1990

Nominee Oscar

Best Makeup Dick Smith Ken Diaz Greg Nelson

Universal Pictures
Directed by Gary David Goldberg
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Mill Creek)

Busy executive Ted Danson is called home when his eldery mother has a heart attack. He ends up instead taking care of his father while she recovers. His father is suffering from senility and struggles with even simple tasks, but gradually learns to take care of himself. All appears to be going well until he is diagnosed with cancer and ends up in the hospital. This sends him into some kind of psychologically-induced downward spiral. A change of doctors leads to a miraculous recovery and renewed appreciation of life. Soon, he is dressing outrageously and learning Japanese. However, it doesn't last and the cancer returns. Overplotted melodrama overcome by a tremendous performance by Jack Lemmon in one of his best roles, which is saying something given his stellar career. 

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1943)

Academy Awards, USA 1945

Nominee Oscar

Best Writing, Original Screenplay Preston Sturges

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Preston Sturges
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Paramount)

High-spirited, naive Betty Hutton sneaks out to dance with soldiers. She bumps her head and wakes up married, and pregnant, but cannot remember the name of her husband, who has long since disappeared. Her long-time admirer Eddie Bracken tries to help her out of the situation by marrying her under a false name and "borrowing" money from the bank where he works. However, it all falls apart when he signs his real name on the marriage license and is accused of bigamy and theft by the small minded townsfolk. He is redeemed when she gives birth to sextuplets, causing a media frenzy. The usual rapid-fire Sturges madness, but anticlimactic and a moral code that just does not add up.

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987)

Island Pictures
Directed by Jack Clayton
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Image Entertainment)

Maggie Smith is a lonely spinster who moves into a new Dublin boardinghouse. She falls in love with the brother of the owner, Bob Hoskins, recently relocated from New York City. He turns out to be not only a heel but a rapist. It takes her awhile to realize that maybe he doesn't love her. She spirals out of control leading to a religious crisis and hospitalization. Dreary Dublin scenery doesn't do much to enliven this overwrought drama. 

The Raggedy Rawney (1988)

Virgin Vision
Directed by Bob Hoskins
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Image Entertainment)

A shell shocked new recruit attacks and partially blinds his commanding officer, then deserts into the nearby forest. He takes up with a group of gypsies, disgutising himself as a girl. His real identity (and gender) is soon discovered by the daughter of the gypsy leader. She gets pregnant, leading to misery for all. The blinded officer eventually shows up to get his revenge, leading to desperate measures by the gypsies. Unpleasant distraction by first time director Bob Hoskins, who apparently drew upon gypsy stories told to him by his grandmother. 

The Ruling Class (1972)

Academy Awards, USA 1973

Nominee Oscar

Best Actor in a Leading Role Peter O'Toole

AVCO Embassy Pictures
Directed by Peter Medak
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Criterion Collection)

Peter O'Toole, a certified paranoid schizophrenic who believes himself to be Jesus Christ, inherits a position of nobility. He lives with his uncle and his uncle's wife in a large country mansion. They married him off to young Carolyn Seymour, his uncle's mistress, hoping to produce an heir and lock up O'Toole in an institution. Instead, they fall in love and try to get him cured. It apparently works when O'Toole is pitted against another man who also thinks he is Jesus Christ, in a memorable showdown involving electric shocks. However, he only adopts another personality, this time Jack the Ripper. He proceeds to murder his uncle's wife when she tries to seduce him. He ends up giving fiery speeches in the House of Lords, whom he sees as rotting, living corpses. It ends with one of the best screams in cinema history. Uneven, to be sure, but completely disarming satire of British aristocracy. Peter O'Toole gives a bravura performance.

Captain Kidd (1945)

Academy Awards, USA 1946

Nominee Oscar

Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Werner Janssen

United Artists
Directed by Rowland V. Lee
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Roan Group)

Charles Laughton is the famous pirate Captain Kidd. He persuades the King that he is really an honest man and is hired to escort a ship filled with treasure through dangerous waters off the coast of Africa. He hires prisoners as crew, including Randolph Scott, who is only disguised as a prisoner. Laughton of course has his eyes on the treasure, which he quickly gets his hands on and destroys all of the evidence. The daughter of the sunken ship's captain survives and is taken aboard, and all of the men quickly fall in love with her. She comes to trust Scott for her safety and honor, and he reveals his true identity as a gentleman after revenge for one of Kidd's former victims. Overplotted and talky for a pirate movie, although Laughton is well-cast and a treat as usual. 

Training Day (2001)

Academy Awards, USA 2002

Winner Oscar	Best Actor in a Leading Role Denzel Washington
Nominee Oscar	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Ethan Hawke

Warner Bros.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)

LA cop Ethan Hawke, looking for a promotion, is assigned street duty with narcotics detective Denzel Washington. The naive Hawke is immediately put through the ringer by Washington, whose unorthodox methods push the limits of the law. It climaxes with a bust of one of Washington's friends, an ex-cop turned drug dealer who is hoarding millions of cash under the floorboards, during which Hawke is framed for murder. It turns out Washington needs the cash to pay off the Russian mafia. Hawke gradually realizes what is going on and decides to stop Washington. A gritty, streetwise film that ratches up the intensity with each passing minute. Location shooting in some of the worst neighborhoods of LA and rap soundtrack complete the atmosphere.

Molly's Game (2017)

Academy Awards, USA 2018

Nominee Oscar

Best Adapted Screenplay Aaron Sorkin

STX Films
Directed by Aaron Sorkin
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Universal)

After her career as an Olympic skier is ended by an accident, she moves to LA to start her life over. Working for tips in bars she meets a man who runs underground poker games. He hires her as a secretary and learns all of the tricks of running the game. This causes her to get fired, but she knows enough to start her own games which are a great success. However, she gets pressured by one of the players to raise the stakes, and when she doesn't he leaves the game and takes the players with him. Relocating to New York, she starts a new game and finds the same success. However, the mafia gets involved and she is pressured to start skimming from the top to protect her assets. She gets arrested by the FBI, but convinces a skeptical lawyer to represent her case. She ends up pleading guilty despite her lawyers objections, but a friendly judge lets her off with no jail time. Well made and well acted, but spends too much time on the intricasies of poker, which just isn't that exciting.

The Invisible Woman (2013)

Academy Awards, USA 2014

Nominee Oscar

Best Achievement in Costume Design Michael O'Connor

Sony Pictures Classics
Directed by Ralph Fiennes
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Sony)

Charles Dickens, in his 40s, falls for a young teenage admirer and actress. They steal glances at his public readings and during her rehearsals for a play. Her mother figures out what is going on and at first dissuades her, but realizing it could help her career eventually looks the other way. Dickens separates from his wife, allowing their relationship to continue, but in secret. Understated, somewhat laborious period drama, even Dickens fans may be bored. Incorporates many true events from Dickens life, including a train derailment which he barely survived.

Guest Wife (1945)

Academy Awards, USA 1946

Nominee Oscar

Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Daniele Amfitheatrof

United Artists
Directed by Sam Wood
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Olive Films)

Small town banker and his wife Claudette Colbert plan a second honeymoon in New York City. Before they leave, his old college buddy Don Ameche unexpectedly shows up in a dilemma: he has told his newspaper bosses in New York that he is married to Colbert. Never one to let down his buddy, he agrees to let Colbert pretent to be Ameche' wife for awhile. However, they all get separated at the train station and Colbert and Ameche travel to New York alone. This sets in motion a series of comedy situations for the "couple", who end up on the front page. The charade goes on far too long, and Colbert decided to teach her husband a lesson and pretend to fall in love with Ameche. Zippy screwball comedy with likeable performances all around. 

Maurice (1987)

Academy Awards, USA 1988

Nominee Oscar

Best Costume Design Jenny Beavan John Bright

Cinecom Pictures
Directed by James Ivory
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Cohen Media Group)

James Wilby is Maurice, a student at Cambridge in the early 20th century. He discovers he is gay and starts a torrid love affair with fellow student Hugh Grant. They successfully hide it from the rest of the college, but his grades suffer and he is kicked out. He meets up with Grant at his summer estate to resume their relationship. However, Grant casts him off and marries a local socialite. Wilby takes up with the groundskeeper instead, and together they plot to immigrate to Argentina where homosexuality is legal. Torrid melodrama, with impeccable period detail in the usual Merchant-Ivory style. 

An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)

Universal Pictures
Directed by Phil Nibbelink and Simon Wells
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Universal)

Fievel is separated from his family once again, this time after leaving the harsh conditions of the big city for the wide open spaces of the old west. While looking for his family, he passes his old friend Tiger in the desert but they mistake each other for mirages and keep walking. Tiger becomes a god to a local Indian tribe while Fievel gets tricked into opening a saloon in town. Soon reunited with his family, they all must band together to stop the evil cats who are threatening their existence. Underrated animated feature is a frenetic, wild ride that feels more like a Warner Bros cartoon. Jimmy Stewart's final screen credit, as the voice of an old hound dog who literally rides into the sunset at the end, is bittersweet, but perfect.  

The Proud and the Beautiful (1953)

Academy Awards, USA 1957

Nominee Oscar

Best Writing, Motion Picture Story Jean-Paul Sartre

Columbia Pictures (France)
Directed by Yves Allégret
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Pathe)

Michele Morgan is on vacation with her husband in Vera Cruz, Mexico, when he comes down with an illness and dies. The local doctor soon diagnoses an outbreak of meningitis and the town goes on lockdown. Patients are hearded into the local church by Morgan and a drunken former doctor with whom she has struck up a potential romance. Gritty, sweaty picture brings to mind the Mexican films of Bunuel. Story by philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre is sure to bring up plenty of existential questions.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Academy Awards, USA 2019

Winner Oscar	Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Rami Malek
	Best Achievement in Film Editing John Ottman
	Best Achievement in Sound Editing John Warhurst Nina Hartstone
	Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Paul Massey Tim Cavagin John Casali
Nominee Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Graham King

Twentieth Century Fox
Directed by Bryan Singer
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Fox)

A mostly factual account of the band Queen, focusing mainly on its lead singer Freddie Mercury. From their early days as a club band formed from the ashes of Smile, to their final show at Wembley Stadium for Live Aid. All of the cliches are checked, both for a rock band and for a Hollywood biopic. Rami Malek does an excellent impersonation, as do the other actors standing in for the band members. The Live Aid concert is impressively reproduced using CGI. Still, the whole thing seems somehow lifeless, with no real plot, just a series of scenes, and we all know how it is going to end. 

Notes on a Scandal (2006)

Academy Awards, USA 2007

Nominee Oscar	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Judi Dench
	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Cate Blanchett
	Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Patrick Marber
	Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score Philip Glass

Fox Searchlight
Directed by Richard Eyre
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Fox)

Cate Blanchett is a new art teacher at a rough suburban school. She is befriended by "battle axe" Judi Dench, nearing retirement and able to deal with the students. Dench discovers that Blanchett is in a sexual relationship with one of the students. She uses the information to blackmail Blanchett into staying her friend, with some subtle erotic overtones. The lonely Dench becomes more and more demanding of Blanchett's time. Dench decides to expose her relationship with the student which explodes in the media, threatens her marriage and costs them both their jobs. Blanchett and Dench are well matched, but the material is borderline exploitation.

The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002)

Academy Awards, USA 2003

Nominee Oscar

Best Music, Original Song Paul Simon For the song "Father and Daughter".

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Cathy  Malkasian and Jeff McGrath
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Paramount)

While vacationing in Africa with her eccentric parents, 12-year-old Eliza Thornberry uses her power to talk with animals to track down poachers. She becomes friends with a cheetah family, and when one of the cubs gets captured by the poachers it becomes personal. She sets off alone to find and rescue him. An approaching solar eclipse sends all of the elephants to a remote valley where the poachers plan a mass shooting. Eliza, after escaping from the poachers herself, sets off to rescue them and stop the poachers once and for all. Fairly entertaining expansion of the Nickelodeon TV series into a feature length film, with the expected environmental message not too heavy handed. 

The Blue Dahlia (1946)

Academy Awards, USA 1947

Nominee Oscar

Best Writing, Original Screenplay Raymond Chandler

Paramount Pictures
Directed by George Marshall
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Olive Films)

Three recently discharged Navy flyers arrive in Hollywood. One, Alan Ladd, goes to see his wife while the other two stay in their hotel. Ladd finds his wife drunk at a party and flirting with a man. They fight and she reveals the shocking truth about their child who died while he was serving. He leaves, but she turns up dead the next morning and he is the leading suspect. He makes friends with lonely Veronica Lake who happens to be married to his wife's lover, also a suspect in the murder. Meanwhile, one of his friends back at the apartment gets involved when he goes looking for Ladd and ends up with his dead wife as well. The police finally catch up to him and the other suspects. A satsifying, twisty, turning noir mystery from writer Raymond Chandler.