The Fall Guy (1981)

Colt Seavers (Lee Majors) is a professional stuntman in Hollywood.  On this particular day, he is bursting into flames on a motorcycle stunt for a James Coburn movie.  No sooner has the fire been extinguished than he finds his cousin Howie (Douglas Barr) on set.  It turns out that Colt had been paying for Howie's college education and Howie rarely stayed at any college for more than a semester.  He often offers lines that begin with "When I was at <presitigious college>..." followed by something that causes Colt to roll his eyes.  In addition to Howie, Colt has his protege stuntwoman, Jody Banks (Heather Thomas).  When not doing stunt work, Colt pays the rent by capturing fugitives of justice for Samantha Jack (Jo Ann Pflug), a bail bondsman.  In the pilot, Colt has to somehow nab John Cramer (Eddie Albert) from an Arizona town where he is the sheriff!  Then there is the issue of another fugitive, Country Joe Walker (Lou Rawls), who is being pursued by drug dealers.

The best thing about the pilot is the theme song.  Seldom has a show had a better theme song than The Fall Guy.  Sung by Lee Majors, it details the realities of the stuntman who takes all the risks while the movie star gets both the glory and the leading lady.

Watching it now, it's formulaic and often goofy, but it was one of my favorite shows back in the day.  I had become a fan of Lee Majors when he was the Six Million Dollar Man.  He had launched a movie career from that show, but a series of mediocre to bad movies (The Norseman, Killer Fish, The Agency, The Last Chase) put him back on TV.

An enjoyable show and worth revisiting, though not bingeworthy.

The Hindenburg (1975)

It is April of 1937 and the German Embassy in Washington DC receives a letter warning that the Hindeburg will be destroyed on its next flight.  Though most think it is a hoax, word reaches Germany.  Colonel Franz Ritter (George C. Scott) is assigned as security.  As such, he keeps a close watch on the passengers and crew to see if one of them is planning to sabotage one of the great pieces of Nazi propaganda in the world.  Inevitably, there are suspicious passengers.  There is the man who sends coded messages, the acrobat who has extensive drawings of the internal structure of the airship, the pianist who performs an anti-Nazi song, the man who seems unusually protective of a fountain pen, the Countess (Anne Bancroft) who has rather a lot of luggage, and more besides.  Then there is the crew.  Throughout the movie, a small explosive device is seen in the hands of an unknown figure, showing that the danger is real.

This plays more as a TV movie than a theatrical release.  Perhaps the quality of filming just looks more like later TV quality.  The story tries to keep track of too many characters.  There are events in Washington DC, events in Germany, events in New York City, FBI agents in Wisconsin to learn about the letter, ground crew in New Jersey awaiting the arrival, and so on.  Of course, there are also lots of red herrings and dead ends aboard the Hindenburg.  In addition to the impending doom of the Hindenburg, there is also plenty of talk about the Nazis, showing both committed party members, victims of the party (e.g., the Countess), and those who are on the fence: Colonel Ritter.  Much too scattershot.

The inevitable finale showed the actual footage of the Hindenburg disaster and interspersed scenes of the many passengers trying to escape.  The film had shifted to black and white at this point, which was awkward.  Of course, special effect in 1975 weren't what they are today, or even a few years later.  Decisions had to be made and this was the best option at the time.

Fitting into the 70s disaster movie genre, this proves to be just so-so.  The most enjoyable part was the set of the Hindenburg.  Really, I would love to take a cruise on an airship.

Hombre (1967)

John Russell (Paul Newman) was raised among the Apache and currently lives among them.  However, his livelihood has gone bust at the same time that he inherits a boarding house.  Jessie (Diane Cilento) runs the house and expects to continue in that role.  Russell instead decides to sell the house and use the proceeds to purchase a herd of horses in Bixby.  Though stagecoach service has recently been ended, Alexander Favor (Frederic March) and his wife, Audra (Barbara Rush), offer a premium for a one-off trip.  Several others take advantage of the stagecoach, including Russell, Jessie, a married couple from the boarding house, and Cicero Grimes (Richard Boone).  During the first leg of the trip, the Favors take a clear dislike to Russell and his Apache attitudes.  In fact, almost everyone in the stagecoach has reason to dislike Russell.  However, when the stagecoach meets bandits on the road, everyone looks to Russell as the one most capable of leading them out of the desert alive.

Newman plays the role with action rather than dialogue.  His facial expression gives the impression he is always playing poker.  He does not announce his intentions, thus allowing others - who think ill of him already - to decide on the worst of motives.  That he doesn't follow some expected notions of fairness also paints him unsympathetically.  Or does it?  Cilento probably has the most dialogue on any character and she is usually explaining how Russell has no empathy.  Boone is excellent as a heavy.  His initial introduction where he bullies his way into a ticket on the stagecoach sets the tone.  However, he proves to have a perverse sense of humor when he shows just how manly he can be to a naive woman who admires his manliness.

The movie ends suddenly.  Though all the characters have had their motives revealed, it is unclear what will happen next.  In that, it sort of reminded me of Harper, which ended at a point of a decision.  Overall, good popcorn fun and recommended.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is a harried woman with no time to talk.  Her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), wants to talk but she constantly says 'later.'  Not only is she busy running the laundromat, she also has to prepare a party for her visiting father (James Hong), deal with her difficult daughter (Stephanie Hsu), and prepare for an IRS audit with Deirdre Beaubeirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis).  No sooner has she arrived at the IRS office with her husband and father than Waymond warns her that she is in great danger and must go to the custodian closet.  He hands her some scribbled notes on a sheaf of papers for later reference.  He further says that he will not remember this conversation when they reach their floor.  Huh?  Utterly baffled, Evelyn does not divert to the custodian closet.  During the meeting with Deirdre, Evelyn is constantly distracted and soon shifts to reading Waymond's notes.  Suddenly, she links with an alternate universe where her life took a completely different course!  Moreover, she discovers that there is a pan-dimensional war in progress and she is a key player!

The movie is a high-octane action fest that see Michelle Yeoh demonstrate her martial arts prowess in a variety of settings with all sorts of 'weapons.'  Her adversaries in one reality might be her allies in another.  Ke Huy Quan is great fun.  I had no idea that this was Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  James Hong, who is in his 90s, was terrific as always.  I have been a fan of his since Big Trouble in Little China (1986).  Jamie Lee Curtis is excellent as the IRS auditor who is sometimes a badass enemy and at others a sympathetic ally.  Thanks to the multiverse setting, everyone has the opportunity to play their character in a variety of ways, which was generally fun.

The movie boils down to a dysfunctional family trying to reconcile their differences.  There is a lot of action, but it is really a family drama.  This is the story of how Evelyn reconnects with the father who disowned her, reconciles with the husband that has become distant, and accepts the daughter who has come out as lesbian.  Oh, and also resolves her tax problems.

This is all about the telling, not so much about the story itself.  I don't know that I would rate this the best movie of the year, but it is certainly good popcorn fun!

Meteor (1979)

Astronomers have spotted a new comet that is streaking toward the asteroid belt.  Calculations show that it is going to hit Orpheus, a massive asteroid.  NASA redirects the Challenger 2 spaceship (a manned mission to Mars) to observe.  Sure enough, the comet impacts and sends the shards on a course to hit Earth!  Dr. Paul Bradley (Sean Connery), an MIT professor, is hastily brought to NASA.  He had been key in the Hercules program, which was designed for exactly this purpose.  NASA administrator Harry Sherwood (Karl Malden) provides details and sends Bradley to Washington.  The Hercules satellite doesn't have enough missiles to counter the largest chunk of Orpheus from impacting.  The President (Henry Fonda) calls upon the Soviet Union for help.  Dr. Dubov (Brian Keith) and his interpreter, Tatiana (Natalie Wood), arrive in New York to discuss detente in the face of this global emergency.

Following the 1970s love of disaster movies, this one is single-minded in following the efforts to stop the meteor.  There is a lightly-touched and unrequited romance between Dr. Bradley and Tatiana.  There is some character development and plenty of tragedy.  To insert some action, there are multiple meteor fragments that arrive ahead of the big one.  Hong Kong gets washed away by a tidal wave, a Swiss resort is buried after a strike, and Manhattan is partially flattened.  Trevor Howard has a series of cameos via video conference as the man tracking the incoming fragments.  Martin Landau is a general who views cooperation with the Russians as a bad idea and Orpheus as no cause for concern.  Huh?  You were at the meeting with the President!  Yes, that was bad writing and really damaged his character.  He was just a blowhard buffoon.

The science is atrocious.  A manned-mission to Mars could not possibly reroute to the asteroid belt and still be able to return to Mars.  We don't have that technology today!  Worse, what did NASA expect to happen when sending the Challenger 2 in the vicinity of a comet colliding with an asteroid?  The missiles that were fired at the meteor had their rockets burning the entire time; that's a lot of fuel.  Modern SpaceX rockets have about 3 minutes of fuel; the ones here just go on and on.  In fact, when the fuel runs out, the rocket just dies and drifts away.  No, it should continue on the same flight path.  One of the reasons that both the US and the USSR needed to combine forces was because neither had enough firepower alone.  Okay, but the closer it gets to Earth, the more firepower is needed.  They waited until Orpheus was just a couple of hours from Earth before firing their missiles.  Gah!  Their goal was to vaporize the meteor when it should have been to deflect the meteor.

Both Natalie Wood and Brian Keith were fluent in Russian, which surely helped in their casting.  Wood's parents were Russian immigrants.  I have no idea why Keith was fluent in Russian.  Having an interpreter for central characters is awkward and just slows the story.

Overall, mediocre.  It falls closer to Armageddon (1998) than Deep Impact (1998).  Even so, Armageddon, though even more ludicrous than Meteor, was more entertaining.  If you are looking to watch a disaster movie in this genre, Deep Impact is the one to see.

TikTok

For those who don't know, TikTok is a social media platform that offers short videos.  It is like YouTube for people with short attention spans.  Currently, the US Congress is discussing what to do about TikTok.  Why?  TikTok is a Chinese company and therefore, like all Chinese companies, it is a pawn of the Chinese Communist Party.  As such, there are several concerns regarding TikTok in the United States.

First, user data is at risk.  The Chinese could easily acquire all the data that TikTok collects on those who have downloaded the app.  The story of data breaches at various companies is an old one, but in the case of TikTok it isn't so much a breach as a free exchange to the Chinese government.  How risky is this?  Is some arm of the Chinese government going to open a credit card in the name of some Zoomer?  Unlikely.

Second, the app could be used to spy.  There has long been an issue with apps that virtually take over the phone and thus allow others to listen in or even watch via the microphone and camera.  There is also location data, various other apps, and so forth.  As this is an app produced by a rival global power, it might be best to limit its use in the United States.

Lastly and most importantly, it is foreign propaganda.  Through algorithms, TikTok can emphasize certain messages and suppress others.  For example, criticism of Xi Jinping or the Uyghur genocide has been censored.  Here is a social media platform that is tremendously popular among youth, who are also the easiest to brainwash.  That is probably not a coincidence.

Many countries have already banned TikTok to some degree.  The Anglosphere (England, US, Canada, New Zealand) has banned it from government devices, which addresses point two, at least as far as national security is concerned.  Also of note, TikTok is unavailable in China!  They have a walled garden version called Douyin.  Therefore, China has very strong control over what is available to Chinese citizens and can present completely different content to the foreign audience.

There is no easy or obvious solution to TikTok.  The US First Amendment is anti-censorship (though that view is fading fast).  Here is another case where a foreign adversary is using our values against us.  On the other hand, recent studies (take with a fistful of salt) indicate that social media is a mental health risk, especially for young people.  There is talk of treating social media like cigarettes or alcohol.  Maybe we need a rating system, like we have for movies.  As with most congressional hearings, I expect it to result in nothing at all.

Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)

In a return to his format from The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), John Landis presents a 1950's sci-fi movie - Amazon Women on the Moon - with a variety of commercials, channel surfing, and general silliness.  It opens with Arsenio Hall arriving home only to have everything in his apartment go awry in the most disastrous way.  In another skit, there is a new dating program that allows Karen (Rosanna Arquette) to profile Jerry (Steve Guttenberg); the system knows all, including his stock pickup lines and sexual habits.  Henry Silva pitches his latest TV show, "Bullshit or Not" during several commercial breaks; could the Loch Ness Monster be Jack the Ripper?  Great stuff.  BB King requests money to address "Blacks without Soul."  Don 'No Soul' Simmons (David Alan Grier) sings a series of soulless songs to show how desperate the problem is.  Mr. Gower (Ralph Bellamy) is the kindly old pharmacist who frowns when young George tries to buy condoms.  Through all of this, the incomplete story of three men and a monkey traveling to the moon is shown.  Of course, the moon has a breathable atmosphere and is inhabited by beautiful women.  Like The Kentucky Fried Movie, there is nudity.  Not for all audiences.

One of the funnier things is the technology.  The VHS player is shown in several skits.  The dating program uses a fax machine.  The telephones are all landlines.  Not only does the 1950s sci-fi parody provide a blast to the past, so does the movie itself at this point.  Lots of laughs and great popcorn fun.  Recommended.

The Drowning Pool (1975)

Harper is back.  He has traveled to New Orleans at the request of Iris Devereaux (Joanne Woodward), who says that the former chauffeur is blackmailing her.  He has hardly settled into his motel room when an underaged girl, Schuyler (Melanie Griffith) propositions him.  Even though he refused and escorted her out of his room, he was soon arrested and harassed by the police.  It is suggested that he go back to Los Angeles.  A visit to the Devereaux estate proves informative.  Schuyler is Iris' daughter!  Iris's mother-in-law is the matriarch; she is a shrew who holds Iris in low regard.  Harper has hardly left the estate to start looking for the chauffeur than he is abducted by thugs in the employ of J. Hugh Kilbourne (Murray Hamilton).  Kilbourne is an oilman who wants to purchase the Devereaux property and is not above blackmail to get his way.  His wife, Mavis (Gail Strickland), is clearly terrified of him but dares not leave him.

Harper puts on identities like other men put on jackets.  He has a knack for adopting the correct demeanor to convince people to tell him what he needs to know.  However, like Jim Rockford, he has a habit of getting beaten up or taken for a ride whenever he gets too close to the truth.  That this movie was made 9 years after the original gives it a very different feel.  This one is gloomier.  Maybe that can be attributed to be located in Louisiana rather than Southern California.

Though I had seen this before, the only part I remembered was the scene where Harper was blasted with a water hose.  Upon reviewing, I can confirm that is the most memorable part of this movie.  I would not think that the building would have held together with that much water.

Not as good as the first one but still popcorn fun.

Fletch (1985)

Fletch (Chevy Chase) is on the beach when a man, Alan Stanwyck (Tim Matheson) requests that Fletch kill him.  He says he is dying of cancer and wants to be spared the worst of it while still providing his life insurance to his wife.  Fletch agrees to kill him.  Fletch happened to be on the beach, because he is investigating the drug trade.  His investigation so far has only revealed that Fat Sam (George Wendt) is the onsite seller but who is giving him the drugs?  Police Chief Karlin (Joe Don Baker) is quite hostile to Fletch's investigation, threatening to kill him if he doesn't stay away.  While laying low on the drug story, Fletch digs into the life and history of Alan Stanwyck, meeting his wife, Gail (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson), doctor, father-in-law, parents, etc.  His investigation paints a very different picture of Alan Stanwyck than was provided.

Though the movie generally follows the book, it is all zany comedy.  The Chevy Chase version of Fletch has him in goofy disguises and offering slapstick humor to discover the truth.  It is often puerile.  I remember enjoying it when I saw in theaters those many years ago but now it was mostly one long cringe fest.  Part of that is I had never read a Fletch novel when I first saw this, so didn't know the character.  Also, this sort of dumb humor is better suited for a younger audience.  It certainly doesn't work for solo viewing at this point.  The movie ends entirely differently from the book.  Here, Stanwyck is part of the drug smuggling ring.  Also, Fletch and Gail travel to Rio de Janeiro together, where in the book Fletch went alone with all of Stanwyck's ill-gotten gains.

Disappointing.  See the Jon Hamm version (Confess, Fletch) instead.

The Verdict (1982)

Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) is a broken lawyer who regularly drinks himself into a stupor.  Ten years ago, he narrowly dodged being disbarred.  Now, he is an ambulance chaser with few cases.  Mickey (Jack Warden) is an old friend who steers cases to Frank, only to have Frank lose in court.  However, the case of Deborah Ann Kaye looks like a winner.  Better yet, he meets a gorgeous woman, Laura (Charlotte Rampling), at his regular bar and is soon in a relationship with her.  Yes, things are looking up.  In fact, it looks so good that he declines a settlement check, infuriating his clients. And then everything starts crashing.  Defense counsel is Ed Concannon (James Mason), a truly formidable lawyer.  Frank's star witness has suddenly gone to the Carribean for an extended vacation.  His easy win is now looking like a certain loser and the offered settlement has been withdrawn.  Can Frank dig himself out?

Though Frank has a sad backstory that explains his current troubles, he is still hard to like.  Of course, he is a lawyer, which is already big strike against anyone.  Concannon is competent and smooth but likewise entirely unlikeable; again, lawyer.  As for Laura, she seemed a little too eager to hop in the sack with an alcoholic, even if he was Paul Newman.  She likewise proves to be a less than worthwhile character.  Really, it's all up to Jack Warden to provide a likeable character.  Of note, this was one of David Mamet's first screenplays.  Also, Bruce Willis appears as an extra in the courtroom audience.

Just okay.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

In the 1920s, Fred Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) is an American living a hand to mouth existence in Tampico.  When he spots an American, he regularly begs "will you stake a fellow American to a meal?"  He soon teams with Curtin (Tim Holt) and the pair get a job working at an oil derrick.  After a month of labor, the foreman stiffs them.  While staying the night at a hostel, the pair meet Howard (Walter Huston).  Howard is an old prospector who talks of gold in the mountains.  Pooling their resources, the trio dare to trek into the Sierra Madre range to dig for gold.  Just when Dobbs and Curtin are on the brink of surrender, Howard finds a gold vein to pursue.  The more gold they extract, the more they become suspicious of each other.  Each hides his portion of the gold lest the others steal it.  This tense situation grows worse when Cody (Bruce Bennett) arrives.  He too is looking for gold and has guessed that the trio are working on a successful vein.  On top of that, bandits have spotted them and come to acquire the rifles that the men have.  This sees the movie's most famous quote:

"Badges?  We ain't got no badges.  We don't need no badges.  I don't have to show you any stinking badges."

Classic!

Here is a movie that explores limits of friendship and the risks of sudden wealth.  Men who had been willing to share what little they had when poor became less generous as their wealth grew.  Motvies are questioned and distrust fills the air.  An outstanding film that earned Oscars for both John Huston as director and his father Walter Huston for best supporting actor.  Highly recommended.

Harper (1966)

Lew Harper (Paul Newman) is a private detective based in Los Angeles.  This morning, he has a meeting with Elaine Sampson (Lauren Bacall).  Her husband is missing and she doesn't want to involve the police.  Sampson's lawyer is Albert Graves (Arthur Hill), an old friend of Harper's and also the man who suggested him for the job.  Harper begins his investigation by talking to the pilot who last saw Sampson, Allan Taggert (Robert Wagner).  This leads him to a high-end hotel where Sampson has a room, which leads to a once famous actress, Fay Estabrook (Shelley Winters), and so on.  Harper has a talent for adopting personalities that allow him to pump people for information.  However, the further he digs into the case, the more he finds himself in danger.  It isn't a simple missing person case.

To add to Harper's troubles, his wife (Janet Leigh) has filed for divorce.  Harper has repeatedly dodged lawyer appointments to stave off the divorce.  Sheriff Spanner (Harold Gould) is unimpressed by Harper's methods.  Miranda Sampson (Pamela Tiffin) is the missing man's daughter and enjoys flaunting herself in front of men for a lark.  She has a contentious relationship with her stepmother.

It amazes me that I had not seen this film or that it isn't more hyped as one of Newman's great roles.  Oddly, I did see The Drowning Pool (1975), but I remember virtually nothing of it since that must have been 40 years ago.  I'll have to watch it again.  Harper is hugely entertaining and highly recommended.  Great popcorn fun!

Insurrection Hoax?

Recently, House Speaker McCarthy provided access to the thousands of hours of video recording on January 6, 2021.  For the past couple of nights, Tucker Carlson has aired snippets.  Though he started out with the riotous stuff that we have already seen ad nauseam, he then transitioned to some videos that had not been shown.  For example, the Q-Anon Shaman, the fellow who became the face of January 6th, was escorted through the Capitol by the police.  No, not in handcuffs so he could go directly to jail.  The police appear to be giving him a tour of the building and even open a door for him.  Huh.  That's peculiar.  When the shaman finally got to the chamber where plenty of video has been shown, he thanked the police for their participation.  That seems weird.  Of course, it fits with story of Matthew Martin.  Martin was acquitted of all charges for his participation on J6, which included entering the Capitol, because two officers flanking the door made no effort to stop him.  Didn't anyone tell these two officers to close the doors or at least attempt to turn away protesters?  Then there was Ray Epps.  In testimony, he claimed to have left the Capitol but the timestamped video shows him still onsite.  Of note, Epps was on the FBI most wanted list for 1 day.  He still hasn't been arrested or charged.  For a guy that is on tape insisting that protesters must 'go into the Capitol,' it seems odd that he hasn't been charged.  Then we have the man who actively dragged protesters into the Capitol building.  Officer Sitnick, who was beaten to death by protesters, is shown walking about in the Capitol a half hour after his supposed beating.  Huh.  How come none of this was addressed by the J6 Select Committee?    It's almost as if that was a show trial that only wanted to paint a particular narrative, not find the truth of what happened.

Much of this footage was kept hidden for the last 26 months because it contradicts the established narrative.  None of this excuses those who clearly rioted that day.  However, the idea that a bunch of unarmed protesters came close to overthrowing the government is ludicrous.  CNN reported the far deadlier and more destructive events in Minneapolis as a 'mostly peaceful protest.'

The Westerner (1940)

In west Texas, the cattle ranchers and the homesteaders clash.  During the clash, a homesteader returns fire at some attacking ranchers but kills a cow.  Soon, he is brought before Judge Roy Bean (Walter Brennan) who sentences him to hang.  Soon after, Cole Harden (Gary Cooper) is brought before Judge Bean as an accused horse thief.  His prospects look dim but he notes the many posters of Lily Langtry about the bar and, while the jury deliberates, he tells Judge Bean that he knows Miss Langtry.  Judge Bean soon views Cole as a friend and, when the verdict comes back guilty, he passes a suspended sentence, much to the surprise of the jurors and the mortician.  Cole claimed to have a lock of Miss Langtry's hair and Judge Bean means to have it.

Cole just wants to get out of the area - he has vague plans of riding to California - and save his neck.  However, he stops for the night at the Matthews' homestead.  Jane Ellen (Doris Davenport) lays on the charm to get him to stay on and work the farm.  Thanks to the rancher attacks, it has been difficult to retain workers.  Seeing the state of the homesteaders and having already gauged the ranchers, Cole attempts to play peacemaker through his 'friendship' with Judge Bean.  There's plenty of land for everyone.

The only historical figures in the movie are Judge Bean and Lily Langtry (Lilian Bond).  There is a lot to commended regarding the portrayal of Bean.  He did have trouble with his neck on account of having been hanged.  He was known to fine people based on the amount of money they had in their pockets.  Any fines he levied, he kept.  His saloon doubled as a courtroom.  He did indeed fight in the Civil War as a Confederate.  Brennan is terrific in the role, making Bean amiable, ruthless, and lovestruck.  On the other hand, the climax sees Bean getting killed in a gunfight in Fort Davis.  In fact, Roy Bean died in his bed in 1903 at the age of 77.  As for Lily Langtry, she and Bean never met; his pining for her was unrequited.

Good popcorn fun!

Chinatown (1974)

It is 1937 and Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is a private investigator in Los Angeles.  After wrapping up another case about an unfaithful spouse, he is hired by Mrs. Mulwray to expose her husband's infidelity.  Hollis Mulwray is the director of the water department.  Initially, Jake's investigation finds that Mulwray spends his nights on the beach near a drainpipe.  However, he does finally locate the other woman and gets some pictures.  The following day, Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) files a lawsuit against Jake; she is not the Mrs. Mulwray who hired him!  Jake has been setup and Mulwray was targeted for some reason.  Jake wants to know why.

What starts as an investigation about infidelity soon evolves into one about the water supply of Los Angeles, corruption, murder, and a hidden scandal in a powerful family.  Noah Cross (John Huston) is the former partner of Hollis Mulwray and the father of Evelyn Mulwray.  He is rich and powerful.  Evelyn says he is dangerous and Jake should steer clear of him.  Jake finds himself under threat of death at every turn.  Clearly, he is poking his nose in unhealthy places.

The setting is terrific, immersing the viewer in 1930s Southern California.  The acting is top notch.  Jake is a talented investigator but has a habit of jumping to conclusions, some of which cost him.  He is often reckless.  In fact, Evelyn points out that he can't last long with assaults he suffered in the last 24 hours.  One annoying thing was the constant reference to Chinatown.  Chinatown figures prominently in Jake's past but the precise details are never offered.  Then, the last few minutes of the film take place in Chinatown.  So?

"Forget it, Jake.  It's Chinatown."

What is that supposed to mean?

The film is very dark, painting a bleak picture of Los Angeles and the prospects of many of the characters.  Nonetheless, it is a good film and recommended.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was born in 1817 or 1818.  He did not know as slave birthdays were not recorded or considered to be important.  He was separated from his mother while a toddler and only saw her occasionally, as she was sent to work on a different plantation.  His mother died when he was around 7 years old.  Of course, it was common to separate children from parents, as that diminished familial ties, which could be a support for a slave.  Better for slaves to view themselves as alone in the world and dependent upon the goodwill of their master.  As far as Frederick's life as a slave went, his was less onerous than most he witnessed.  While still a boy, he was sent to be a house servant in Baltimore.  The lady of the house started teaching him to read.  However, when this was discovered, she was ordered to stop.  She had never had a slave and, by default, had treated him as a person.  As time went along, she adopted the mentality of a slave owner, thus corrupting herself and denying Frederick his humanity.  Frederick came to view slavery as dehumanizing to both the slave and the slave owner.  As a teen, he was sent back to the plantation and tangled with various overseers.  Sent to work the farm of a man noted for breaking slaves, he offered resistance.  To his surprise, the man let it slide.  Had his failure with Frederick become public knowledge, his reputation for breaking slaves would be ruined.  Once again, Frederick was sent to Baltimore and was now taught the trade of caulking ships on the wharf.  He became an independent contractor, finding jobs and receiving pay.  Of course, he had to give all the money to his owner but he did have some degree of independence.  White caulkers did not appreciate him and had beaten him.  His first effort to flee to the north was undermined by another slave.  He eventually did escape, but he does not offer details as it would reveal sources and methods; this narrative was written in 1845.  Once in the north, he still had to be concerned with being grabbed and sent back south.  He relocated to Connecticut and resumed his trade of caulking.  Soon, he was involved in the abolition movement and offered speaking engagements.

The most interesting thing about the book was Douglass's stating that slavery was as spiritually harmful to the slave owner as the slave.  He was particularly irked by religious men who defended slavery or owned slaves.  Despite being a slave, he felt sorry for the woman who set him on the path to literacy; becoming part of the slave owning class, she was twisted from a generous and kind woman into someone who could accept the cruel institution.  This is an excellent read and highly recommended.

The Batman (2022)

The mayor is watching the news report of the debate with his challenger.  He is not pleased with the polls and thinks he should be winning easily.  Suddenly, a man in a mask appears behind him and beats him to death.  Lt. James Gordon (Jeffery Wright) arrives with the Batman (Robert Pattinson) to investigate the scene.  The other cops are horrified that Gordon brought Batman.  Batman surveys the scene, noticing several things that the detectives had missed.  Of particular interest, there is a card left for The Batman.  When opened, it offers a riddle.  What does a liar do when he's dead?  "He lies still," Batman states.  There is also a cypher to solve, which Batman takes to the bat cave.  Soon, there are more corpses and more riddles to solve.  The Riddler (Paul Dano) is exposing some dark secret related to city corruption and all the participants are getting eliminated.

Many of the standard characters appear: Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), Penguin (an unrecognizable Colin Farrell), and Alfred (Andy Serkis).  Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) proves to be something of an enigma, a man who has a history with Thomas Wayne.  In a dramatic shift from the Christian Bale version, this Bruce Wayne is a brooding hermit reminiscent of Howard Hughes.  There is much more emphasis on Batman's skills as a detective; he solves most of the riddles, is frequently trailing suspects, records all his observations in journals, and discovers important facts through deduction.  He is active by day but not generally in costume.  Paul Dano's Riddler is very different from previous incarnations.  He isn't the cackling psychopath (Frank Gorshin) nor an over-the-top redhaired goofball (Jim Carrey).  This is more Unabomber/Zodiac Killer.

Though long, the pacing is good.  There are a few scenes that didn't work, especially the one where the police transport an unconscious Batman back to the police station without removing his mask, especially since the police are hostile toward this version of Batman.  Good popcorn fun!

Along Came Jones (1945)

A robber (Dan Duryea) is hidden on the side of the road as a stagecoach approaches.  He shoots one of the horses in the leg which cascades into a tremendous crash.  As he moves in to seize the bag of money he is after, the man riding shotgun threatens.  The robber shoots him.  After the driver hands over the money, the robber gallops away.  However, the mortally injured man shoots the robber.  The robber drops his rifle, which has his named etched on it: Monte Jarrad.

Meanwhile, Melody Jones (Gary Cooper) and George Fury (William Demarest) riding south in search of work.  Melody is singing a song, which consists of silly verses and a 'round and a round' chorus.  George thinks Melody has hit his head one too many times.  They arrive in Paynesville where a local notes the MJ initials on Melody's saddle.  Monte Jarrad is said to be a tall slim fellow who travels with his Uncle Roscoe.  Soon, the whole town has jumped to the conclusion that Monte Jarrad has arrived in Paynesville.  Melody is loving all the respect and deference that the townsfolk are giving him, thinking his squinting eyes and standoffish demeanor explain all.  Not until Cherry de Longpre (Loretta Young) calls him Monte and escorts him out of town does he realize it was a case of mistaken identity.  Now he feels the fool but he is also attracted to Cherry.  Not so dull-witted as George things, Melody returns to the Longpre farm to discover why Cherry opted to call him Monte rather than just clear up the misunderstanding with the townsfolk.

Here is an unusual combination of Western, comedy, and romance.  The villain, Jarrad, is a straightforward coldblooded killer who would fit just fine in a more serious movie.  By contrast, Melody can't draw a gun to save his life.  He is more likely to fling it into the dirt than successfully get it out of his holster.  This is who they are talking about when they accuse someone of not being able to hit the broadside of a barn.  However, he does prove to have a keen mind, deducing what is happening behind the scenes on several occasions.  Though Demerest is good in the role, I kept seeing Uncle Charley from My Three Sons providing sage advice to Melody.

This feels like a movie that couldn't decide what it wanted to be.  Just okay.

Is She Saying that Democrats are Racist and Sexist?

Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago since 2019, placed 3rd in the recent primary for this year's election. Therefore, she will not be included in the April runoff that will decide the Democrat nominee.  When asked about her loss, she said, "I'm a black woman."  The electorate that voted her - a black woman - into office four years ago has had a change of heart.  Of note, Chicago is overwhelmingly a Democrat stronghold and this was a Democrat primary.  The two men who outperformed her are both Democrats.  Therefore, this backhanded accusation of racism and sexism can only be pointed at fellow Democrats, specifically the ones who voted for Paul Vallas (a white man) or Brandon Johnson (a black man).  Maybe the rocketing murder rate has something to do with the voters choosing to try someone else.  That would be my guess.