"Driftwood" (1947) with Natalie Wood and Walter Brennan

Here's a gem of a film which has great application to the ongoing debate about vaccinations. In this case the disease is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which is spread by tics. Until the 1920's the disease killed about 10% of those infected. After the vaccine was discovered that rate was pretty much cut in half. With the advent of anti biotics  the vaccine is no longer necessary, and is treated with Doyxcelin, or other forms of the Tetracycline family. If caught in time the rate of mortality is the same as using the vaccine. 

This is a fictional story, but it carries quite a wallop. Natalie Wood plays a little girl who lives with her Great Grandfather, played by H.B. Warner, a preacher who lives a long way from any town. When he dies she travels by foot to the nearest town all alone. Halfway there she witnesses a plane crash. Alone in the woods, surrounded by coyotes and mountain lions, she encounters a seemingly stray dog, who is burned. They quickly become close and continue on the journey together.

While sleeping by the side of the road she is found by a doctor from the town where she is headed. Doctor Steve, played by Dean Jagger, takes her to the town and the Sheriff, whom her Great Grandfather always told her to see if/when he should pass away.

Doctor Steve, who has been working with tics in order to find a cure for Spotted Fever, is about to leave for San Francisco where he hopes to find work conducting research for a cure. The town he comes from doesn't even have a hospital. And the people there are not interested in trying the vaccine he has not yet perfected. That all changes when one of the children in the town dies from the disease.

The little girl has a secret. The dog, whom she calls Hollingsworth, actually comes from the plane she watched crash. And that dog is immune to the Fever. For how all this plays out you will have to watch the film. Beautifully written, acted and directed, this film, which also stars Walter Brennan and even Margaret Hamilton as the lovable town spinster, will capture your heart.

"The Judge" with Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall (2014)

In this film Robert Downey Jr.  plays attorney Hank Palmer, who is going through a rough time in his marriage. His wife is screwing around on him and he is on the verge of a divorce, even as he handles the high profile cases he is known for. Hank is a true shark; he can spot the jugular on anyone and knows just how to go for it. He had a lot of practice in learning the art of intellectual defense; his father is Judge Joseph Palmer, and the two have never gotten along well.

His two brothers; Glen, played by Vincent D'Onofrio ; and younger brother Dale; seem to have an easier time accepting their fathers semi abusive manner. Glen has a profession, while Dale is somewhat slow and has a learning disability which prompts him to film everything with an old 8 mm movie camera. He is; at least in his own mind; working on a film.

When Judge Palmer’s wife passes away Hank returns home to the small town in Indiana where he was raised and his father still presides as Judge. Old wounds quickly open up again when Hank returns and Judge Palmer may be drinking again.

The stage is set for a final show down between the Judge and his most combative son when the father is arrested on suspicion of murdering a man who had appeared before the Judge previously. With the Judge depressed over his wife’s death, and struggling with cancer himself, Hank is afraid his father doesn’t really want to fight for his own freedom. He seems to want to be punished for the sins of his past. To complicate that, Hank believes his father to be guilty of both the murder and drinking again.

 

In the fight of his life; and with a court battle that has the Judge on trial for his freedom; if not his life; Hank must use every skill he has ever learned to overcome his own emotions and free his father; while at the same time uncovering the truth behind the murder. In the end Hank finds that he has more in common with his father than he ever thought.

Riveting performances by all make this screenplay by Nick Schenk and  Bill Dubuque; from the story by David Dobkin; shine. Billy Bob Thornton is also credible as the suit and tie Prosecutor Dwight Dickham.

  

"God's Pocket" with Phillip Seymour Hoffman and John Turturro (2014)

In his directorial debut, actor John Slattery has done a very competent job of conveying the lives of some very incompetent people living in the town of God’s Pocket, Pa. Perhaps incompetent is too harsh a word to describe the characters in this novel by Pete Dexter; and a screenplay by John Slattery. It’s more as if the people in this story are victims of the world around them; as well as themselves.

Mickey Scarpato; played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman; is a man who dwells on the outskirts of the legitimate world. He has a legitimate business, but he is also willing to deal in stolen property; he respects his marriage, but realizes that the love he and his wife once felt is a thing of the past; and while he tries to look towards tomorrow, he is haunted by the events of yesterday and today. He is a walking contradiction.

His closest friend is an inveterate gambler named Arthur the “Bird” Capezio ,; played by John Turturro . His gambling debts are almost as bad as Mickeys, although he does hit a win for $15,000 at a time when Mickey could really have used the money. If only he had listened to Arthur on his “tip.”

As if his life were not in enough of a downward spiral his stepson Leon Hubbard; played by Caleb Landry Jones; is killed by another “day worker” at the construction site where Leon was working. He was a drug addicted bully who was known to break into homes and steal to support his habit. Mickey has spent years trying to ignore the boy’s shortcomings in deference to his wife Jeanie; played by Christina Hendricks; who adores the boy. 

But this time Leon has picked on an elderly African-American man who kills him; in front of the whole construction crew; after the young man tried to cut his throat with a knife. When the police arrive, no one tells the truth about how his head got caved in. They all swear it was an accident with a piece of equipment which caused the fatal head injury.

Jeanie is utterly destroyed; the people at the local bar all swear it’s a tragedy; but Mickey knows better. Meantime, while arranging the funeral for Leon he manages to lose his money on a race and can’t pay the undertaker. He bullies the man into providing the service on credit.

But the real corker in this film is the relationship which Jeanie forms with a local news reporter named Richard Shellburn; played by Richard Jenkins. He is an alcoholic; washed out and prone to having affairs with young interns with whom he cannot perform well.

When he is told by his editor to find a good story or a new job he quickly jumps on the local rumor of Leon’s death as being of a suspicious nature. This puts him into close and intimate contact with Jeanie as she struggles with the death of her son, as well as the failure of her own marriage, and it isn’t too long before they each find comfort with the other.

The reviewers all hailed this as a “dark, brash, black comedy”, but I see it in a much different light. This is a sad, but unfortunately somewhat true story; more so than most of us would care to admit. Many people struggle to find their place in society; through school, work, and raising families. Those are the lucky ones. They get to play the game. 

This story concerns itself with the ones who don’t quite fit in and how they attempt to get along in a game they either don’t understand; or would rather not play, but have no other options available. What do you do when it’s the only game in town?

"The Trip to Bountiful" with Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams (2013)

In this Horton Foote play; directed by Michael Wilson; Cicely Tyson plays the elderly Mrs. Watts who lives with her son Ludie and daughter in law Jessie Mae; played by Blair Underwood  and Vanessa Williams, respectively. Ludie only wants what is best for his aging hymn singing mother; but the old woman is a thorn in the side to his wife. It’s worth noting that Ms. Williams’ portrayal of Jessie Mae is so spot on that you will despise her character within only a few moments of meeting her.

Mrs. Watts lives off her “government pension check”, which never seems to arrive early enough to suit Jessie Mae. She has even instructed the local grocer to never cash the check for the older woman; making sure that she is using the check to pay for her room and board. The elderly Mrs. Watts wants only one thing in life before she dies; she wants to return home for a visit to her hometown of Bountiful in Louisiana. Her memories of it are so vivid that she can feel the sea air wrapping around her face as she once did while sitting on her front “gallery”.

As things in her son’s house get more and more difficult for the old woman to bear she hatches a plan. Hiding the monthly check from her daughter in law she packs her things when no one is home and goes to the bus station, intent on making the trip to Bountiful on her own. It is while at the bus station that she finds out Bountiful is nothing more than a ghost town between 2 other stops on the bus line. With her uncashed check and nothing but the $4.50 bus fare in change, she gets a ticket to the town 12 miles short of her destination.

Waiting for the bus she spots her son and daughter in law looking for her. She eludes them with the help of a young woman named Thelma; played sweetly by Keke Palmer; whose husband has just left for “overseas”. She is returning home to stay with her parents during his absence.  The two women sit together on the bus and find kinship with one another and the vagaries of life. They even sing hymns together; in sharp contrast to the older woman’s life at home, where her daughter in law forbids her to sing and her son is not man enough to stand up for her.

Arriving in the town of Harrison at midnight; 12 miles short of Bountiful;  Mrs. Watts discovers that she has left her purse, with the uncashed check in it; aboard the bus, which has now left and will not return until 5 AM. This turn of events coincides with the departure of Thelma on a connecting bus to her destination, leaving the older woman alone to spend the night on a bench in the bus station waiting room.

But she is not really alone. Aside from her hymns she has the bus station’s elderly ticket agent to keep her company. She chats with him for a while before they both drift off to sleep; her on the bench and he behind the window of the ticket counter. When her purse arrives at 5 AM he elects to let her sleep until her son; who has phoned the local Sheriff; is scheduled to arrive to pick his mother up and bring her back to his home.

Before that can happen though, the local sheriff; played by Clancy Brown, arrives and asks the agent to keep her there and phone him if she becomes unstable. Her daughter in law has portrayed her as crazy to the Sheriff in an effort to thwart Mrs. Watts’s efforts to elude her son. But the Sheriff is taken by the older woman’s pluck and agrees to drive her on out to Bountiful for a look at what is left of her old home.

On the way the two are able to establish a rapport which transcends the racism and bigotry of the time and place in which this story takes place. As a matter of fact, the only times race relations come up in this movie are when you see the Colored Waiting Room signs and notice the attitude of the ticket agent in the first bus terminal towards African-American passengers. This laissez-faire attitude towards the “elephant in the room” does much to enhance the film. Without “beating the dead horse” the story is more focused on the human aspect of Mrs. Watts wanting to go home. And that’s something we can all identify with at one point of our life or another.

In the end, Mrs. Watts gets to go home; via the courtesy of the Sheriff. And her son does arrive to pick her up; but not at the bus station, as planned. He too, must make that extra journey of only 12 miles; if only in order to understand his mother more fully. And, I think it’s fair to say that we all need to make that extra journey in order to understand one another. This was a delightful; and poignant; film. 

"The Rat Race" with Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds (1960)

This is a remarkable film in so many ways. Tony Curtis plays Pete; a saxophone player who comes to New York with big dreams and little hope. He immediately finds himself sharing an apartment with Peggy; a “taxi dancer” played by Debbie Reynolds. For those who don’t know it, a “taxi dancer” is one of those ten cents a dance girls you rented by the dance. Sometimes you could strike up other “deals” with them for after hours. Sometimes they were just dancers.

Lonely people attract other lonely people; and so it is with Pete and Peggy. Pete doesn’t realize the debt that Peggy is in while he scouts around for a job. She is dancing regularly and paying the bills for both of them. Although Pete is kind of smitten with Peggy, she denies her feelings for him.

When Pete’s saxophone and other belongings are stolen she goes to her boss “Nellie”; a sinister character played by Don Rickles in what has to be the most sleezy role he ever played; for a loan. She is already hjeavily indebted to him, and this “loan” comes with conditions. “Nellie” is the guy who runs the dance hall, ensuring that the girls all fall into debt with him. Then he tries to turn them into “escorts” for out of town businessmen who arrive in New York looking for fun.
  

Garson Kanin wrote the play and the screenplay for this film, which is searing in it’s portrayal of the dark and predatory side of humanity. In one of the more tender scenes, the bartender, Mac, played by Jack Oakie, waxes poetic, noting that “One half of the world is looking for the other half; we’re all buyers looking for sellers.”

I saw this film on TV the other night. I had never seen it before. It’s an old movie, but the topic of how we treat one another in life never gets dated.

"August: Osage County" with Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep (2013)

This is a difficult film to watch. It deals with interpersonal relationships in a highly dysfunctional family; which is never an easy topic to tackle in a film, let alone view as entertainment. In this film version of the Pulitzer Prize winning play by Tracy Letts, the Weston family comes to terms with the myriad of issues which confront all families. The real question isn’t about the issues; it’s about how we deal with one another concerning them, and the impact from that attempt at interaction.

The Weston’s consist of Violet, played by Meryl Streep, who is the mother afflicted with cancer and is dependent upon the pain relieving drugs she needs to take. Beverley, played by Sam Shepard, is her husband. He is a poet. They have 3 daughters; Barbara, played by Julia Roberts; Karen, played by Juliette Lewis; and Ivy, played by Julianne Nicholson. Rounding out the cast are Violet's sister Minnie, played by Margo Martindale; her husband Charles, played by Chris Cooper; and their son, Little Charles, played by Benedict Cumberbatch.

The movie is not easy to watch- I had to take a short break midway through; but the plot is fairly simple. When Beverly commits suicide the family comes together; or at least they make an attempt to do so. Violet has a drug problem and Barbara is having difficulties in her marriage. Ivy; who has been the one taking care of their Mom; has a boyfriend nobody knows about, and is about to leave with him for a new life in New York City. Karen brings her fiancée with her, and he is a little bit too interested in one of the sister’s 14 year old daughters.

The friends of the family are also involved, bringing their own set of problems to the table. The only ones who seems to even have it slightly together are Little Charles and also Ivy. They seem to be their own persons and you begin to look at them as the only survivors in this whole mish mash.

The movie is well made, written and acted. But I don’t recommend it as entertainment. It was more of an investment of time. The whole point of the movie seems to be to show how we screw up in dealing with one another as human beings. Families with a chronically ill member are particularly vulnerable to this trap. The dueling emotions brought on by health issues can devastate a family. I speak from experience. This is a great movie but one that will perhaps hit too close to home for some viewers; like me.

"The Snake Pit" with Olivia DeHavilland, Mark Stevens and Celeste Holm (1948)

This is one of the hardest films for me to watch. It is searing. I have planned on reviewing this film for several years, but needed to work up the courage to view the film again. It is that painful in its portrayal of human frailty. I cannot imagine how deeply Ms. De Havilland had to dig within herself in order to play this role. This film was made in the days when actors and actresses had to dig deep within themselves in an effort to bring life to the characters which they portrayed. This film, and Ms. De Havilland's performance, prove the point.

In this film she plays Virginia Cunningham, a woman who finds herself in a mental asylum with people who are seriously afflicted. She cannot recall how she got there. Through a series of flashbacks her husband, Robert, played by Mark Stevens, begins to recount the story of their courtship in Chicago. What follows is the tale of a woman going mad.

As the two continue to date, Virginia becomes more and more shut off, and eventually she leaves for New York with no explanation. When Robert runs into her again, after some time apart, the two are married and all should be well. Instead this is only the beginning of Virginia’s final descent into her own private hell.

While Virginia continues undergoing treatment under the care of Dr. Mark Kik, played by Leo Glenn, she seems to be making progress. But soon she takes a turn for the worse and finds herself back in the most intensive ward of the hospital, known as the “Snake Pit”.

In 1948 a film dealing with a schizophrenic inmate at a mental institution was pretty much cutting edge stuff. Virginia hears voices and is totally out of touch with reality. The scenes of shock therapy and the treatment of the inmates by some of the staff were not yet the stuff of TV dramas and documentaries. The strait jacket scene still sends shivers down my spine; I cannot bear to be restrained.

The film won 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture for 1948. It was directed by Director Anatole Litvak, who was adamant that Ms. De Havilland, as well as other key players in the film, undergo several months of research and training before shooting of the film even began.  In the end though, it all paid off. This is one intense film to watch.

Ms. De Havilland, who is still alive and well; living in Paris; has described this as being her favorite movie among the scores in which she starred. I know this to be true; as about 5 years ago, on her birthday in July; I sent her a birthday greeting along with a review of “Robin Hood” with Errol Flynn. She was kind enough to send a reply and mentioned the fact to me then.

The “Snake Pit” is so painful for me to watch; and her acting so realistic; that it has taken me that long to work up the courage to watch it again! It is no wonder she won the Academy Award for her work in this film.

"Guilt Trip" with Barbara Streisand and Seth Rogen (2012)

This was a wonderful film to end the year with. Sue and saw it on December 28^th. It’s also a great movie with which to start a new year; because that’s what this film is all about; endings and beginnings; in that order. To start over requires having closure with the past, and that is exactly what Joyce Brewster, played by Ms. Streisand, and her 33 year old son Andy, played by Seth Rogen, discover when they decide to go on a road trip together from New York to San Francisco, promoting Andy’s new cleaning product.

Joyce is the quintessential Jewish mother, worried that she has not been the mother she should have been; while at the same time being way too obsessed with her son’s lack of a relationship, while she herself has not been on a date in 25 years, since her husband passed away when Andy was only 8 years old.

Andy is usually annoyed with his mother, and during an infrequent visit to see her in New York, she relates the story of the man she was once in love with, years before Andy was born. She even remembers his name, as well as the name of the advertising firm with which he was connected. She also confides in him that he was named for this man, without the knowledge of his late father. Obviously, the torch still burns for what might have been.

Armed with that information, and his laptop, Andy locates the firm and the man. Then he invites his mother to accompany him on his journey promoting his cleaning product. He mentions nothing of the man he was named for, or his intentions to get them together. Since his mother has always inserted herself into his personal life; without invitation; he feels like this is a kind of  justified “payback.”

But, prior to going to San Francisco, his is mother insists on his stopping to see his old girlfriend in order to find out why that relationship; from 15 years earlier; did not work. The big secret that Andy has been carrying around all these years is that she didn’t break up with him; as his mother believes; but rather that he split from her when she said no to his proposal of marriage. She wanted to wait- he didn’t. Inadvertently, once again, Joyce has humiliated her son.

Along the way the Joyce and Andy visit a roadside steak house, with it’s offer of a  50 oz. steak and meal for free; if you can eat it, or pay $100 dollars; Joyce meets a man. With a few more adventures thrown in, they finally arrive in San Francisco to meet her old flame.

The only problem is that the elder "Andy" has passed on. What happens next changes Joyce; and coupled with the changes in her son, Andy, that have taken place during the road trip; they are able to come to terms with their own pasts; which in turn releases them both to pursue their individual destinies.

A wonderfully written  script, directed by Anne Fletcher, this movie sparkles and shines as it weaves its way into your heart. This is a film which may have you tear up a bit at the end, as you realize that sometimes, it takes a huge step backward to begin moving forward again. This film is a real triumph for Ms. Streisand, as well as a real treat for her fans. Try not to miss it.

"Being Flynn" with Robert DeNiro and Paul Dano (2012)

Robert DeNiro stars in this very poignant drama about a homeless man named Jonathan Flynn. He is a great writer. We know this because he says so to anyone with whom he comes into contact. He is only driving a cab to make ends meet while he completes his novel. When his aggressive behavior causes him to be evicted from his apartment, he becomes one of the homeless.

Denied shelter by his friends and acquaintances, he finds himself at the homeless shelter. His son, Nick Flynn, played by Paul Dano, works there, which causes all kinds of problems as the son begins to know the father he never had. Moreover, he does not really like what he sees; in some ways he is an emotional image of his father.

Julianne Moore plays his mother, Jody Flynn, who kills herself after reading an unfinished story by her son in which she was supposed to be the hero.  Mistaking the story to be about her own failure as a mother, she then takes her life.

Nick has saved over 100 of his father’s letters to him over the years. In these letters his father alludes to the “masterpiece” he is working on, but never seems to complete. Nick grows up wanting to be what his father never became; a writer. But he is plagued by the same demons as his Dad, and only a rude awakening will shake him out of his lethargy. When his father calls him, after 18 years, he is awakened.

Struggling with his own problems, and a lack of confidence, Nick navigates his way through the world of the homeless while working at the shelter. When his father is barred from the shelter for bad behavior, Nick is forced to make a choice in reaching out to his father, even while struggling to get his own life on track.
 
With outstanding performances by all, and a script based on the semi-autobiographical book by Nick Flynn, this film really moves the viewer. Directed by Paul Weitz, who also co-wrote the screenplay, the movie leaves many questions unasked, as well as others unanswered. In the end it is left for you to decide who the real hero in this story is. Are there really any heroes at all? Is Jonathan Flynn a good man, or a flawed man?  Or, is he just like the rest of us; including his son Nick; simply searching for a clue?

"The Chase" with Marlon Brando, E.G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson and Jane Fonda (1966)

Changing societal conventions collide with booze, money and power in this barnburner of a film by director Arthur Penn. Bubber Reeves; played by Robert Redford, escapes from prison; and promptly becomes involved in a crime which results in a murder he does not commit. With the entire state on the lookout for him, he heads home to his South Texas town to see his wife, Anna, played by Jane Fonda. She has been having an affair with the married son of Val Rogers, played by E.G. Marshall, the local oil and cattle baron, who provides a great deal of employment to the people of the town. He also causes a great deal of resentment toward the Sheriff.

Sheriff Calder, played by Marlon Brando, is married to Ruby Calder, played by Angie Dickinson. Together they run the courthouse, seemingly at the direction of Val Rogers. But that myth is shattered the night Bubber returns to town, and the "respectable" citizens show their true colors. All have something to hide, or prove to others, and to themselves.

With Sheriff Calder alone looking out for justice, can justice prevail? Old tensions flare, and the film ends on an apocalyptic note; literally; as the town utterly destroys itself.

Working from the novel by Horton Foote, the screen play by Lillian Hellman captures all the drama of the fragility of the human condition. When a whole town can be so adversely affected by one event, the question of just what constitutes society is called into question.

"Wind at My Back" - A Mini-Series with Shirley Douglas, Kathryn Greenwood and Dylan Provencher

When the Depression forces Jack and Honey Bailey to close their hardware store, they move the family to Jack's hometown of New Bedford, where Jack's family owns a silver mine. Jack is killed in an accident shortly after the family's arrival, forcing Honey to move her 2 boys, along with their 2 year old sister, in with her domineering mother-in-law. She is unwelcome in the home and goes to Ontario, searching for work in order to re-unite her family.

Much of the action in this series takes place in Ontario, which, like the rest of the world, was going through the roughest days of the Great Depression. Distraught by the recent passing of her husband, as well as her inability to land even the most menial job, combine to tear Honey apart.

Meantime, her two boys, who have now been separated from their younger sister, are struggling to come to terms with their over bearing Grandmother, who is now planning to separate the boys. Running away to rejoin their mother proves fruitless, but the boys desire to be with her softens, ever so slightly, the Grandmother's heart of ice, and a tenative truce is worked out, whereby the boys will be able to see their mother on a limited basis.

As the story progresses, old family disagreements resurface. These disagreements must be met and conquered if the family is ever to be united as one. Wonderful acting by all, especially the two boys and their mother, have you pulling for them to make it work out, against all the odds which confront them.

Beautiful camera work, along with the scenery, and accurate depiction of every detail of the era in which the story takes place, make this a very textured, and poignant piece of work.

Can't wait to pick up the second volume.

"Cabin In The Sky" with Ethel Waters, Lena Horne and Eddie Rochester (1943)

This is one of those movies which I have watched quite a few times over the course of about 40 years. Each time it is more of a delight than the last time. It deals with the age old question of just what happens to us when we die. That it confines itself to the traditional interpretation of Heaven and Hell does nothing to diminish the pleasure the viewer can get from watching it.

Little Joe, played by Eddie Rochester, is married to Petunia, played with real heart and soul by Ethel Waters. Joe is a "sporting" man; in other words, he prefers drinking and gambling, along with the company of women other than his wife, to working hard and making something of himself. In spite of these faults, Petunia is very much in love with him.

He rewards this love by fooling around with Georgia Brown, played by Lena Horne, drinking and finally getting knifed in a gambling club, which begins an epic struggle between Heaven and Hell as to whom his soul belongs to. Satan argues that, since the man lived a life of sin, his soul is forfeit to the Devil, and accordingly, he shows up to claim his due.

But what about Petunia? She is a blameless person, who now finds herself with her heart broken at the loss of her love. She prays in such earnest that God sees fit to give him 6 more months in which to prove that he is worthy of both God's grace, and Petunia's love. This turn of events really ticks the Devil off, and he proceeds to place every obstacle he can find in Little Joe's path, in order to claim the soul he feels rightfully belongs to him.

The scenes in Heaven, with Louis Armstrong as the Trumpeter, and Kenneth Spencer as "The General", who works at the direction of God himself, are extraordinary. Rex Ingram, who as both Lucifer, and Lucius Ferry, Little Joe's "best friend" and gambling buddy, are reminiscent of Dorothy's awakening at the end of "The Wizard Of Oz", in that the characters she encountered in that magical place were all people she really knew here on earth.

Surrounded on all sides by temptation, and conciously unaware of the high stakes for which he is playing, Little Joe is torn between his love for Petunia and the "sporting" life. Will he fall prey to the Devil's tactics? Or will Petunia's love pull him through?

With a cast of the best of the African-American performers of the time, including Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, Butterfly McQueen and Ruby Dandridge; whose beauty rivals that of Ms. Horne; and under the careful direction of Vincente Minnelli, this movie comes to life right off the screen. The "Shine" sequence, featuring John William "Bubbles" Sublett as Domino Johnson, and as himself, was choreographed and directed by the great Busby Berkeley, though he is uncredited in the film. If you have never seen this wonderful movie before, you should.

Here, courtesy of You Tube, is a 14 minute "short" synopsis of the film, which includes some of the most memorable scenes;

http://youtu.be/FvQ-zJc_u54

"Bubble" a Steven Soderbergh Film with Dustin Ashley and Debbie Doebereiner

Kyle and Martha work in a doll factory. He is a young twenty something, while she is an older mid thirties, overweight woman. He lives with his mom in a trailer, while she lives with her disabled father and cares for him. Kyle is aimlessly looking for something to define his life. Martha has defined her life by the rut she has found herself in. Each morning she picks Kyle up and they drive to work. At night, the routine is reversed as they drive back to their respective homes.

When Rose, a twenty something, divorced young woman, comes to work at the doll factory, Martha's world is threatened. There is an attraction between Rose, who is not all she appears to be, and Kyle. Martha is the proverbial third wheel. Her pain is palpable when Rose asks her to babysit her daughter while she goes on a date with Kyle. Martha is not happy.

When Rose and Kyle return, Kyle does not stay, the situation is too awkward. While Martha and Rose are talking, Rose's ex shows up, demanding that she return some money and belongings that she has stolen. Only the presence of Martha keeps the situation from turning violent. Meantime, Kyle has arrived back home and discovered that his money, which he kept in a dresser drawer, is missing.

When Rose is found dead, strangled while her daughter slept in the next room, suspicion at first falls on the ex. But soon Martha's world begins to crumble around her as she becomes the suspect in, and is finally charged with, the murder of Rose.

A masterfully directed film, with a slow pace that mimicks reality, this movie is engrossing in it's minimal approach to what should be high drama. The superbly underplayed performances by Debbie Doebereiner, Dustin Ashley and Misty Wilkins are perfectly suited to Steven Soderbergh's direction. This is an unusual and haunting film.

"To Dance With The White Dog" with Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy

This is an absolutely stunning film starring two of the world's greatest actors, Hume Cronyn and his real life,off screen wife, Academy Award Winner Jessica Tandy. The story takes place at the time of the couples 50th wedding anniversary in 1966 Wisconsin.

When Cara (Tandy) passes away, Sam (Cronyn) has a hard time adjusting to the over attention of his chidren, all grown and married with children of their own. He encounters a brillant white dog one morning, which only he seems to be able to see. This convinces his children that the old man is nuts. But gradually, the dog reveals itself to all. It accompanies Sam wherever he goes, even on a trip to his High School reunion in Madison, Wisconsin. During this journey Sam gets hopelessly lost and begins to relaize that he is losing his hold on the world. Comforted by this thought, he releases the white dog from it's obligations to him, promising that they will meet again. Obediently, the dog goes away, as quickly as it appeared.

Sam finds himself desperately ill and summons his children (amongst them Christine Baranski in a role cast against her usual type) and tells them the truth about the white dog. It was Cara, their mother, who had come back to look after him. The children, of course, don't believe him, but then again, maybe there is a reason that they should.

Outstanding performances by all, with special mention to Esther Rolle(of TV's "Diffent Strokes")as the maid, and Harley Cross as the grandson, Bobby. Mr. Cronyn and Ms. Tandy are, as usual, pure poetry in their demeanor and delivery. (Can you tell that I'm a fan?) And the outstanding photography actually captures Wisconsin in the fall adding to a rich and multi-layered production.

The story of a subject not often explored,the one of aging, and how it affects us all,is gracefully and poignantly examined in this screenplay by Susan Cooper as taken from the book by Terry Kay. It is really a film not to be missed.