JAMES GARNER

James Garner always seemed like the kind of guy you’d like to have a beer with, the sort of man you’d want for a brother-in-law. He died at 86. The handsome, laid-back actor made a good living in the niche he solidly carved out for himself.

The character he played so well first surfaced in The Great Escape (1963) with Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Richard Attenborough. Garner is Hendley, called “The Scrounger” by the other prison camp inmates, for his ability to con the Germans and get whatever is needed. This is a great WWII movie. McQueen’s motorcycle ride is worth the price of admission.

In Support Your Local Sheriff(1969) and Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) James Garner is the easiest-going and funniest lawman the wild west ever saw. Rather than using a gun or his fists, he makes great use of his charm to defuse violent situations. And he somehow gets you to believe that he could make this approach work.

The little-known but excellent TV series Nichols ran from 1971 to 1972 for only 24 episodes. It was one of my favorites, as the laconic Garner played the sheriff of a small western town, eschewing a gun or any other display of violence. 

So when the powers-that-be decided to make Maverick into a TV series, there was no other choice for the easy-going con man brother Bret than James Garner. This very successful series ran from 1978-79 and 1981-82 and spawned a mediocre movie in 1994 with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster.  

And when the TV networks wanted a detective show with an easy-going laid-back lead who would rather talk than fight, they of course settled on James Garner to play the main guy in The Rockford Files, which ran from 1974 to 1980, and led to a couple of so-so made for TV movies with pretty much the same cast and crew.  

If you dial back to 1961 you can find Mr. Garner in a more serious role in The Children’s Hour, also starring Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine. The two women are teachers at a girls’ school and their careers are in shambles after untrue gossip is spread by a disgruntled student. Mr. Garner is the long-suffering fiancé of one of the teachers, and one of the few who stands by them. 

James Garner was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a middle-aged man in love with a much younger women (Sally Field) in Murphy’s Romance (1985). This is an endearing movie with good and likeable actors. Mr. Garner lost to William Hurt for Kiss Of The Spider Woman.

All of the movies and TV series in this column are available on DVD. Only The Children’s Hour is unsuitable for under 12.

                                                                   Melinda Dillon

        Her name was never really a household word, but Melinda Dillon had quite a good run until 1999. After that, she continued to work, with over 100 credits, until she died at 83. She was nominated for Oscar twice, but was 0 for 2. 

Her first Oscar nomination came for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). She lost to Vanessa Redgrave for Julia. Ms. Dillon  portrayed Jillian Guiler, the awestruck Mom of the abducted child Barry. She and electrician Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) dream of a strange mountain, which turns out to be the landing area for a UFO. As the US Army tries to cover up the landing and abductions, the UFO lands anyway and Jillian and Roy are there. Barry is returned to his Mom along with dozens of abductees. The aliens select Roy to travel with them (voluntarily) and head out. 

Melinda’s second Oscar nomination was for Absence of Malice (1981). This time she lost to Maureen Stapleton for Reds. Ms. Dillon’s role as Teresa Perrone cast her with heavyweights Paul Newman I(Michael Gallagher)  and Sally Field (Megan Carter). Carter is a reporter who writes an altogether fake story about Gallagher committing a murder,  causing him to lose his business and almost his life. Carter also includes in a later story the fact that Teresa Perrone claims to be Gallagher’s alibi in the fake murder charge because he took her out of town to get an abortion on the crucial date. Perrone is a  devout Catholic who had pleaded with Carter not to reveal her name but Carter uses it anyway. Perrone subsequently kills herself. 

Slap Shot (1977) is a fun movie about a minor league hockey team on its last legs. Paul Newman stars as  player-coach Reggie Dunlop. Melinda Dillon has a minor, but revealing, part as his girlfriend Suzanne. Beware the dreadful sequel. 

In 1983 Ms. Dillon landed the plum part of Mother Parker in Jean Shepard’s A Christmas Story. Her oldest son Ralphie wants just one thing for Christmas- a Red Ryder BB gun. He is repeatedly told by everyone, especially his Mom, that he will “shoot his eye out”. This charming film later became a pretty good Broadway musical. 

In the semi-biographical Bound For Glory (1976) Melinda Dillon has a double role. She plays Woody Guthrie’s long-suffering wife Mary and is also the radio voice of country singer Memphis Sue. Keith Carradine is quite good as Woody. 

Melinda Dillon’s last important roles were fairly minor, but she is very good in The Prince of Tides (1991) and Magnolia (1999).

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults. 

                                                             BETTER SEQUELS

        Boy, Hollywood loves sequels. I don’t. Most of them really suck. The studios get a winner and decide to ride it into the sunset. But- there are exceptions!

We saw Paddington 2 because we loved the first one. The bear from darkest Peru who lands in London and is adopted by a typical British family is just so much fun and so dear. Believe it or not (I was amazed) the second one is even better. Sally Hawkins is back as the family’s Mom and Hugh Bonneville as Father. She was up for an Oscar for The Shape Of Water (2017) and he was fabulous as Robert Crawley, Lord of Grantham, in the PBS smash hit Downton Abbey. And Paddington 2 features the most unlikely of actors as the villain- Hugh Grant. Through a misunderstanding (of course) Paddington gets sent to prison. Where he quickly wins over the hardened cons and guards (and us). 

Godfather (1972) is almost the best movie ever made about gangsters. With Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Al Pacino and James Caan, it is terrific. But- the very best is the first sequel, Godfather 2 (1974). No Brando- he got his nose out of joint about his treatment by Paramount and refused to play nice with others. But it carries on the ascendancy of Vito Corelone (Pacino) and most of the rest of the original gang. Shoot, it even has Troy Donahue in a bit part! And it is the first sequel to win the Best Picture Oscar! Now be warned- Part 3 is right much of a dud. 

Another sequel that won Best Movie might puzzle you. It’s Silence Of The Lambs (1991). Okay, great movie- but what was the prequel? Thought you’d never ask. It is a consummate loser called Manhunter (1986). It is actually also based on Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, but it’s pretty lame. Silence is one of the scariest, nail-bitingest films ever. It features Jodie Foster as very much at risk FBI agent Clarice Starling. And it stars Sir Anthony Hopkins as the terrifying Hannibal Lecter. “I’m having a friend for lunch” gets a whole new meaning. 

Terminator (1984) made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star and is really good. He plays a cyborg killer sent back from the future to kill an innocent waitress whose son will save the world in the future. But Terminator 2 (1991) is much better. Arnold is back, but this time as the protector of the future savior. And this one features Robert Patrick as the T-1000 a metallic shape-shifting killer who seems to be indestructible. Another warning: these Terminator things just keep coming- number 6 came out in 2019. Can 7 be far behind?. These sequels are okay, but not up to the first two. Some other sequels that are arguably better than the originals include Toy Story 2 (1999) featuring Pixar at the top of its game, and The Dark Knight (2008) the best of the Batman franchise

All of the films in this article are available on DVD. Kids will love Paddington 2 and Toy Story 2. The rest  are for adults. 

                                                        TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

Not all stage plays adapt well to the silver screen. Consider the recent out-of-control August: Osage County (2013). Tennessee Williams was arguably our greatest playwright. And- what a bonus!- almost all of his wonderful plays adapt really well into movies. It helped that he wrote the screenplay for most of them. 

My all-time favorite is the delicate Glass Menagerie. There are several good adaptations, but I like the 1950 the best. Jane Wyman just glows as the shy, beautiful Amanda Wingfield, and Kirk Douglas is superb as the Gentleman Caller. Gertrude Lawrence as the hopeful mother and Arthur Kennedy as the brother are fine as well. I like the slightly upbeat ending better than the darker version in the play. 

Marlon Brando became a superstar by yelling “Stella” over and over, and his character just drips macho sex appeal in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). Vivian Leigh, Karl Malden and and Kim Hunter all won Oscars. Brando was nominated, but strangely enough lost to Humphrey Bogart for The African Queen. I think Marlon was robbed.

And speaking of sex appeal, you won’t do much better than Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958) with Elizabeth Taylor as the sultry Maggie The Cat, and Paul Newman as washed-up athlete Brick. Burl Ives is on hand as the legendary Big Daddy, and Jack Carson is Brick’s brother Gooper. Maggie calls his obnoxious children “little no-neck monsters.” She is right. 

Marlon Brando brings method acting to a rolling boil as a rebellious drifter in The Fugitive Kind (1958). This film is somewhat loosely based on Williams’ Orpheus Descending. When asked what he is rebelling against, Brando famously answers “Whatta you got?”. Voluptuous Anna Magnani is somehow plugged into this Southern drama, and it works. 

Summer And Smoke (1961) has Geraldine Page and Laurence Harvey as troubled lovers with different lifestyles, but is fairly low key for a Williams play. 

Sweet Bird Of Youth (1962) features Paul Newman , Geraldine Page, Shirley Knight and Ed Begley in a romantic drama based on two Williams plays that morphed into one. It had long runs in New York and London; the movie is not the most successful of Williams adaptations. 

Suddenly Last Summer (1959) is not for the faint of heart. Elizabeth Taylor is a young Southern woman traumatized by viewing the death of her cousin while they are in Spain. In an extremely questionable attempt to help her, she is given a drug to help her remember the details of his death. Those details involve not only homosexuality, but also cannibalism. She seems to recover (go figure!). This one is definitely not for all tastes. 

All of the films in this column are available on DVD.  All are for grown-ups.

                                                        JILL CLAYBURGH

By the time of her early death at 66, Jill Clayburgh was largely forgotten. But in a six-year span bridging the late 70's and early 80's she was about as hot as it gets, starring in five excellent films. 

While Silver Streak (1976) largely belongs to Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, Ms. Clayburgh has a nice turn as the love interest and holds her own against those two superstars. This is a clever movie that deftly combines comedy and suspense. Mr. Wilder is on a trans-continental train ride and for some reason someone wants him dead. Mr. Pryor is, as always, hilarious. 

In Semi-Tough (1977), Jill Clayburgh is again matched with two heavyweights, Burt Reynolds and Kris Kristofferson. They are professional football players and she is sort of their mutual girlfriend. Adapted from Dan Jenkins’ hilarious novel, this is a winning combination of comedy and drama. While most of Ms. Clayburgh’s duties involve being straight woman to the two stars, she is darn good at it. 

An Unmarried Woman (1978) pulls no punches in its depiction of real people in real life. Ms. Clayburgh’s bravura performance as a dutiful wife abandoned by her feckless husband for another woman earned her an Oscar nomination. She lost to Jane Fonda for Coming Home, but her performance is a masterpiece. Michael Murphy is the deserting husband, Alan Bates the guy who picks up the pieces. 

The next year brought Jill Clayburgh another Oscar nomination for her stellar performance in Starting Over (1979). This time she lost to Sally Field for Norma Rae. Ms. Clayburgh is the new love interest of recently divorced Burt Reynolds, who can’t seem to get over his ex-wife (Candace Bergen). James L. Brooks’ sparkling screenplay from Dan Wakefield’s novel gives the cast plenty to work with. Very funny. 

In First Monday In October (1981) Jill Clayburgh is the first female Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The film lost some sting when Sandra Day O’Connor was named to the court for real just before the release date. But, Ms. Clayburgh plays a stanch conservative whose frequent battles with curmudgeonly Walter Matthau and Barnard Hughes provide plenty of laughs. 

Ms. Clayburgh is a Valium addict who quits cold turkey in the harrowing I’m Dancing As Fast As I Can (1982). She is very good, but the movie really isn’t. After this film, Jill Clayburgh pretty well drops off the map. 

All of the films in this column are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.

                                                                  2022 Sleepers

                                                                 Part 3

    Herewith the third, and last, entry about movies from last year that didn’t get noticed much, but that I thought deserved mention.

Argentina 1985 belongs entirely to that country. In the 1970's thousands of civilians were rounded up, imprisoned, tortured and “disappeared” by the military junta that ruled the country. The prosecution bureau decides to put on trial the generals who authorized the atrocities. The actors will be unknown to readers, as they’re all Argentines. The head prosecutor is repeatedly told that the judges will never convict theses guys. His life and family are threatened, but he perseveres. The evidence is overwhelming, but is justice served? Watch and see!

The Good Nurse (2022) stars Jessica Chastain as the good guy, Amy Loughren,  and Eddie Redmayne as the bad guy, Charile Cullen. Charlie seems a nice guy and very capable nurse. But he is a mass murderer who kills patients in a sly, diabolical manner. No, he doesn’t know them. Yes, this is based on a true story. And yes, Redmayne is sensational as the killer and good friend to Amy, a single mom struggling with her obligations. No reason is given for his actions, and the real Charlie never gave one either. 

Windfall is a throwback thriller with lots of sly twists. Jason Segel portrays a burglar who breaks into the house of a billionaire who is supposedly on vacation. But the owner and his wife return unexpectedly. Unable to escape, the burglar decides to hold them hostage and make the owner have the ransom delivered. There’s some good character stuff and an ending you will not see coming. 

Okay, if you’ve seen the Bourne movies you may think you’ve already seen The Grey Man. Ryan Gosling is the rogue CIA agent who knows too much and is the target of agency assassins. Lots of chases and gunfights. Still and all, I found it different enough to be enjoyable. The plot is too complicated to summarize here, but you can safely assume that Hollywood isn’t going to kill off the hero. Not when they’re planning a sequel.

The mostly unknown cast of The Wonder manages to pull off an Irish story that is different. A young girl becomes famous throughout the country because she never eats and yet remains healthy. This is supposedly a religious miracle, and a strict and suspicious nun is sent to the girl’s home to check out the story. An interesting facet of the film is how most people seem to want and need for the story to be true. So- is it? Watch and see!

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups. 

                                                                   2022 Sleepers

                                                                        Part 2

        Here’s another batch of good movies from last year that didn’t get much notice. Maybe you’ll find one or two to try.

Call Jane turns out to be code words for women to use who need an abortion. The women at the other end of the phone number indeed assist callers to end their unwanted pregnancy, if it’s early enough. Elizabeth Banks plays Joy, a suburban mother is life is threatened by an unexpected pregnancy. This is not legally available where she lives. Sigourney Weaver plays the leader of the underground group of women who strive to help their sisters. The film takes place in the 60's but is as up to date as today’s headlines. 

Ali and Ava features unknowns Adeel Akthar and Claire Rushbrook in a tender film about interracial love. He is a immigrant Pakistani taxi driver and she is a suburban British woman. Their mutual love of music is the catalyst for a relationship that gradually deepens. The problems they encounter are not new but are treated with respect in this lovely movie. 

For weird titles, it would be hard to top My Donkey, My Lover And I. A naive French schoolteacher, besotted with a married colleague, decides to follow his family on a wilderness trek in the hope she will “stumble onto him”. Like those she is following, she rents a donkey. Hers is named Patrick. He is the real star of this film, and he turns out to be an excellent warning device and a faithful companion. 

Catherine Called Birdy is a charming Medieval comedy-drama about the only daughter of an impoverished nobleman. He needs to marry her off to someone with money. She doesn’t want to marry anyone and her ploys to prevent a wedding are effective and funny. Bella Ramsey plays the resourceful and extremely reluctant Birdy. The 14-year-old heroine holds her own against her parents and a plethora of suitors. 

Jennifer Lawrence appears as Lynsey, an American soldier seriously injured in an IED in Iraq. She is sent home to rehab and recover and has a very hard time adjusting to normal life. Her sole ambition is to get well enough to return to active duty. Her doctor doesn’t think she’s ready. Lynsey falls in with auto mechanic James (Brian Henry), who is also partially disabled from a car wreck. For a while they seem to bond. Causeway is an excellent title for this film because “it’s terrifying to drive across it because when you’re on it you can’t see”. Henry was nominated for Best Supporting but lost to Key Quan. Lawrence already won gold for Silver Linings Playbook in 2012.

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults.