TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL ROUNDUP

Just like last year, the concluded four-day celebration of film at the TCM Classic Film Festival offered much more than promised with its theme of “Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film.

The theme worked well for the opening night gala presentation of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.” No one should question that George Lucas created an enchanted world of fantasy in outer space.

Producing events at TCM’s festival, Bruce Goldstein is a fountain of information and insight on pre-Code films, and fortunately he was the presenter for 1932’s “Me and My Gal,” a comic crime tale starring Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett.

When the Hayes Code, which set a variety of standards to rid films of such things as profanity and sexual perversion, became enforceable in 1934 “Me and My Gal” was kept out of circulation for decades because it could no longer be released.

Spencer Tracy’s Danny Dolan, a wisecracking street cop in pursuit of escaped mobster Duke Castenega (George Walsh), initiates an erratic romance with perky waterfront waitress Helen Riley (Joan Bennett).

Over a cup of coffee at Helen’s hash house, Danny proposes to Helen, saying “Will you marry me so I can get some sleep?” After the screening, Goldstein noted this line was deemed ribald enough to get censored in some jurisdictions even before the Hayes Code kicked in.

While “Me and My Gal” was delightfully funny, Goldstein regaled the audience by quoting film reviews of the era that savaged the film for being smutty. Flopping at the box office, the film got pulled from theaters after a week.

The Los Angeles Examiner noted the film was “real entertainment with the highbrow stuff left out.” One could look at this review as a sort of backhanded accolade, if only because so many other reviews were so brutally negative.

With some irony, Goldstein noted the film also got confused with “For Me and My Gal,” a musical released a decade later and starring hoofers Gene Kelly and George Murphy.

Considering the brilliant wit of Noel Coward, notable for being a playwright, director and actor among other talents, the chance to see the 1945 film adaptation of “Blithe Spirit” proved irresistible.

Coward’s bantering dialogue is evident throughout the film, with Rex Harrison’s Charles informing his second wife Ruth (Constance Cummings) in one exchange, “If you wish to make an inventory of my sex life, I think it only fair to tell you that you’ve left out several episodes.”

Echoing the film’s title, Charles’ flighty deceased first wife Elvira (Kay Hammond) is conjured up during a séance and appears visible only to him, proceeding to hilariously haunt him and induce jealousy from Ruth.

In the role of presenter to the screening, Christine Ebersole, who starred as Elvira on the Broadway stage in “Blithe Spirit,” noted that in the film role Kay Hammond had to be painted a light shade of ethereal green.

The paint job provided the necessary “ghostly quality” needed for a spirit from the beyond, and Ebersole expressed hope that the green coating “didn’t shortened her life” due to the chemicals. Hammond apparently passed at age 71 from undisclosed causes.

“To Be or Not To Be,” a comedy about the Nazi occupation of Poland released in 1942, generated a share of controversy and divided reviews, which are interesting due to the director Ernst Lubitsch coming from a Jewish family and born in Germany.

Jack Benny as Joseph Tura and his wife Maria (Carole Lombard in her last movie role) lead a troupe of Polish actors who turn the tables on Hitler’s lunkheads who have taken control of Warsaw.

Maria copes with her egotistical husband’s comical attempts to play Hamlet on stage and fends off the advances of a lovestruck Polish air force lieutenant (Robert Stack) in her dressing room.

The film turns insanely funny for its sharp dialogue and the clever deceptions against the Third Reich goons by impersonating Nazi officers to save the resistance fighters.

“Jeopardy” host Ken Jennings, who vaulted to celebrity by his record-breaking 74-game winning streak on the quiz show, noted that “To Be or Not To Be” personified the “Lubitsch touch,” which is a sophisticated, cosmopolitan style with an urbane quality.

Jennings observed that the movie raised the question of whether it was in bad taste. At the time, there only two types of films involving Nazis. They were either an “existential threat” or “clowns and buffoons,” and this film straddled the line between these two categories.

A real delight was the 50th anniversary screening of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” an irreverent, anarchic take on the Arthurian legends, with Graham Chapman as King Arthur and the Python members playing multiple roles.

Presenter Patton Oswalt showed up for the morning screening wearing pajamas and a bathroom, telling the audience that comedians don’t get dressed before noon. As such, Oswalt captured the spirit of what he called the “wellspring of pure absurdity” that came with “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

LAKEPORT, Calif. — Dost thou seek the stage?

The Lake County Theatre Co., in collaboration with Mendocino College, summons actors of all experience levels to audition for a grand production of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

The play will be presented as this summer’s “Shakespeare at the Lake’ production.

Auditions shall be held at the Mendocino College Lake Center, 2565 Parallel Drive, Lakeport, upon these dates:

• Thursday, May 15, 6 p.m.;
• Saturday, May 17, 1 p.m.

Prepare thyself! Audition materials are available at LCTC.us. Those who dare to tread the boards are welcome, whether seasoned performers or spirited newcomers.

Come and lend thy voice to this immortal story of star-crossed lovers, fierce feuds and fateful destiny.

For more information, contact Director John Tomlinson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lake County Arts Council invites the community to its monthly First Friday Fling on Friday, May 2.

The event will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Main Street Gallery, 325 N. Main St. in Lakeport.

This festive monthly event brings together artists, art lovers and the community at large for an evening of inspiration and fun.

Enjoy the newest exhibits at the gallery and the live performance of musician Bob Lucatorto.

Admission is free, and light refreshments will be available.

For more information, call 707-263-6658 or follow the Lake County Arts Council on Facebook for updates.

‘THE AMATEUR’ RATED PG-13

The television series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” transformed John Krasinski’s titular character from a CIA analyst working from the safe position of a desk job into dangerous field assignments that go with the territory of an espionage thriller.

The premise of this type of work-related transition in the spy world is hardly new, but along comes “The Amateur” to offer its own twist of thrusting, and in this case under unusual circumstances, a deskbound introverted CIA decoder into an international pursuit of ruthless killers.

Charlie Heller (Rami Malek), a brilliant but socially awkward decryption and analysis expert, is confined to a basement office at Langley where he works alone and sequestered from interaction with other colleagues.

A man enjoying a bucolic lifestyle in a lovely farmhouse, Charlie is blissfully in love with his wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan), who gifted him with a vintage plane he’s working to restore.

Loathe to travel far from home, Charlie decides not to join Sarah on her trip to a conference in London. Tragically, she’s taken hostage during a terrorist attack and meets a horrible fate.

After returning to work, Charlie is summoned by his superior, Deputy Director Moore (Holt McCallany), to the office of CIA Director O’Brien (Julianne Nicholson), where a viewing of gruesome video footage reveals the senseless murder of his wife.

Unable to face a life without his beloved spouse, Charlie decides to avenge her death by going after three killers, an understandable course of action that gets stonewalled by Director Moore and his colleague Caleb (Danny Sapani).

Given the shadowy world of espionage, it seems like more than bureaucratic roadblocks may impede Charlie’s path, but he knows enough inside secrets to blackmail superiors into getting field training from veteran agent Robert Henderson (Laurence Fishburne) to hunt down the assassins on his own.

Charlie doesn’t have the physical skills or killer instinct of James Bond. He proves inept at shooting or fighting. But fearing a nefarious motive by his superiors, Charlie decides to go rogue and run off with a bunch of fake passports to attempt his mission.

Utilizing intelligence talents gathered from work, Charlie also taps into the dark web where the mysterious Inquiline (Caitriona Balfe) assists in his journey to Paris, Marseille, Istanbul and other exotic locations in his search.

Ingenuity works well for Charlie, and sometimes amusingly as when he employs a video tutorial on how to pick locks to break into an apartment. One of the best scenes in the movie, also featured in the trailer, is the dramatic pool-collapse on a high-rise glass bridge.

While the climactic confrontation on the Baltic Sea lacks plausibility, “The Amateur” does benefit from Rami Malek’s quirky performance of a novice field agent out of his depth but driven by vengeance to make it interesting.



‘DROP’ RATED PG-13

Have we become slaves to our smartphones? That’s not the question asked in the thriller “Drop,” but it may be one to take into consideration if you are on a first date at a fancy restaurant and your cell phone turns from an annoyance to a serious threat with a lot of memes.

That’s the situation for Violet (Meghann Fahy), a widowed mother of a young boy on her first date in years, who arrives at an upscale Chicago restaurant where she first meets the helpful, pleasant bartender Cara (Gabrielle Ryan Spring).

She encounters an older man named Richard (Reed Diamond), who she’s relieved to find out is waiting for another blind date that is not her. At this point, she’s still waiting for Henry (Brandon Sklenar), who has texted he’s running late.

When Henry arrives, they are seated at a table with a fabulous skyline view and served by overly talkative waiter Matt (Jeffrey Self), who’s obviously waiting for his next theatrical audition.

Charming and handsome, Henry turns out to have a pleasant personality and attentive demeanor. He will soon be put to the test for patience when Violet starts getting a stream of text messages.

Violet’s son Toby (Jacob Robinson) has been left in the care of her younger sister Jen (Violett Beane). Nervous enough for going out for the evening while Toby is at home, Violet’s evening takes a dark turn when someone starts sending “drops” to her phone.

What starts off as irritating interruptions during dinner for Violet turns incrementally more sinister. The “drops” deliver messages growing from annoying to menacing, soon insisting that she will have to kill Henry or else an intruder, appearing in video on her phone, will slay her son.

The “drops,” which operate on a short radius, indicate the messages are coming from someone in the restaurant. This heightens the tension because she’s constantly warned not to call the police or seek help from anyone.

The paranoia is ramped up in this bizarre cat-and-mouse game as Violet nervously checks everyone in the room. What about the guy constantly texting on his phone while waiting for his guest? There are plenty of red herrings to at least keep “Drop” interesting.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL PREVIEW

The TCM Classic Film kicks off its opening night gala, showcasing its theme of “Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film” with the screening of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,” the second film in the “Star Wars” trilogy.

Visionary director George Lucas will be there to present his film that is celebrating its 45th anniversary. Hard to believe that so much time has passed when “Star Wars” films were truly thrilling, rather than what Disney has done with forgettable remakes or reboots.

“The Empire Strikes Back” is like “The Godfather Part II.” Technically, they’re sequels, the second movie is a series. But they are so much more. In fact, they arguably could be stand-alone films.

“Empire” not only “dazzled and delighted ‘Star Wars’ fans, it pushed the boundaries of moviemaking, further deepening its characters and expanding the most popular cinematic universe of all time,” said Ben Mankiewicz, the official host of the festival.

According to Mankiewicz, “The first ‘Star Wars’ picture in 1977 ignited a new era in Hollywood and turned a generation of young people into passionate movie fans for life. Then, somehow, three years later, along comes ‘Empire,’ which might be even better.”

The publicity machine at Turner Classic Movies touts 1980’s “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” as “widely considered one of the greatest sequels in film history,” winning two Academy Awards and other accolades as time goes by.

The excitement of the space opera franchise began with George Lucas’ creation of “Star Wars” which quickly turned into a pop culture phenomenon in what was to be a trilogy of intergalactic adventure.

Not known at the time in 1977 was that “Star Wars” would result in a series where the film would later be known as Episode IV subtitled “A New Hope,” while “The Empire Strikes Back” maintained the same subtitle and became known as Episode V.

Three years later along came “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” with the beloved characters in the Rebel Alliance fighting the malignant Galactic Empire. Some will contend that the legacy of “Star Wars” would have been best served if “Return of the Jedi” had been the final chapter.

With the festival rapidly approaching its launch on Thursday, April 24th, the schedule is fully formed, though subject to last-minute changes. A movie lover’s dream will be fulfilled, as it has since the first festival in 2010.

The Marx Brothers may be the best-known family comedy team of all time, having success in vaudeville, the Broadway stage, and a slew of movies that have not lost their popularity.

The festival will feature Groucho’s favorite of all his movies that was not available in its original form for more than 80 years. “Animal Crackers,” the Marx Brothers’ second feature from 1930, was also their last film adapted from one of their Broadway productions.

In fact, “Animal Crackers” was the play the brothers were performing at night while filming their debut feature, 1929’s “The Cocoanuts” at Paramount’s New York studio.

Fun fact: There were five Marx Brothers, but youngest, Zeppo, never appeared on film, while Gummo, the second youngest, appeared only in the first five films. While Groucho is the de facto ringleader, Chico was the oldest, followed by Harpo. If you lost count, that makes Groucho the middle child.

A classic from the 1920s, “Beau Geste,” to be shown in a world premiere restoration, was one of Paramount’s most popular films, starring Ronald Colman, Neil Hamilton, and Ralph Forbes as three brothers forced by scandal to flee England and join the French Foreign Legion.

There’s high drama as they deal with a sadistic lieutenant (Noah Beery) and swashbuckling action scenes of desert warfare. The film also features early appearances by William Powell and Victor McLaglen.

The film’s Irish-born director Herbert Brenon was one of the first directors to achieve celebrity status, second only to D.W. Griffith. In a career spanning three decades, Brenon directed more than 120 films.

Another world premiere restoration is 1955’s “The Big Combo,” a film noir billed as a symphony of “chiaroscuro,” which is Italian for “light-dark,” thereby explaining a lighting technique to achieve contrast between the subject and a dark background.

Cornel Wilde’s detective Leonard Diamond is trying to get the goods of Richard Conte’s Mr. Brown, a new breed of criminal who keeps his hands clean and his books dirty. Diamond is also in love with Mr. Brown’s mistress (Wilde’s off-screen wife Jean Wallace).

Like any good film noir, the script is filled with punchy lines like “You can’t tell a jury a man’s guilty because he’s too innocent,” and contained multiple levels of overt and implied adult sexuality.

Conte and Wallace have a love scene that had censors in a tizzy, while Conte’s two cool gangsters, Lee Van Cleef’s Fante and Earl Holliman’s Mingo, seem to be more than just colleagues, putting it imprecisely.

While these films are a brief taste of the cornucopia of great cinema, a future column will feature some of the festival highlights.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

‘A WORKING MAN’: RATED R

Unless someone has been in a coma for the last twenty or so years, it’s unlikely that even the most casual fan of action films would be surprised that Jason Statham has forged his career on the strength of his physical prowess evident in almost all his films.

The British actor, who does a lot of his own stunts, has apparently been quoted as saying something to the effect he wouldn’t get an Academy Award for his role in 2006’s “Crank” or any of his other movies.

To get a sense of Statham’s talent for action, the “Expendables” franchise is a reliable source, as well as any of the “Transporter” series or his turn as an elite assassin in “The Mechanic.” Classic films worth watching include “Snatch” and “The Bank Job.”

Now along comes “A Working Man,” yet again another target for critics who may take issue with a storyline and an excess of violence that would have been a perfect vehicle for Liam Neeson if only he wasn’t now past the age when you must take Social Security.

Speaking of Liam Neeson, the Irish actor will show up in late summer for a reboot of “The Naked Gun,” an action comedy in which he stars as Lt. Frank Drebin, Jr., the son of the inept police detective played by Leslie Nielsen in the TV series “Police Squad!” and the original “Naked Gun” film franchise.

One of Statham’s trademarks is a sarcastic sense of humor. Unfortunately, in his new role of Levon Cade he’s mostly a stoic avenger, consumed with exacting revenge against a multitude of vicious Russian thugs and drug dealers. There is no time for levity once he’s forced into action.

Levon, once in the British Royal Marines where he developed a lethal skill set, is now a construction foreman trying to leave behind the violent life of his military career. His job entails leading a crew on a major project in Chicago for the Garcia family.

Wanting only to be a working man while overcoming traumas of his past, Levon is like family to his boss, Joe Garcia (Michael Pena), along with Joe’s wife Carla (Noemi Gonzalez) and college-aged daughter Jenny (Arianna Rivas), who work in the office trailer at the construction site.

Adding to his own woes is that Levon is a widower who fights for custody of his young daughter, Merry (Isla Gie), battling in court with his ex-father-in-law, Dr. Jordan Roth (Richard Heap), who sees Levon as a PTSD-riddled former soldier unfit to raise a child.

Wanting to move on from his tormented past, Levon is put to the test on the job when a bunch of thugs show up to attack one of the workers, and they quickly regret doing so, as he delivers a severe beatdown to these aggressors to the astonishment of his crew.

To celebrate her graduation, Jenny goes out on the town with a bunch of girlfriends to dance at various sleazy clubs. This routine outing is nothing out of the ordinary until Jenny is abducted into a sordid underworld of the Russian mafia and human trafficking.

The grief-stricken Garcias, knowing of Levon’s military heroics, plead with him to undertake a rescue mission, but he initially claims he’s no longer that person. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t take long for him to reconsider, given he told Jenny he’d always have her back.

Enlisting the help of his blind Army buddy Gunny (David Harbour), Levon stocks up on an essential supply of weapons that brings an excess of firepower. Waterboarding a bartender results in Levon identifying Russian mob boss Wolo (Jason Flemyng) who suffers an unusual fate in a swimming pool.

Levon taps into the gritty Chicago underworld by impersonating a drug dealer with the aim of finding Jenny before she disappears forever in the sleazy network of sex traffickers ready to sell her to a wealthy deviant.

Our hero works his way through a parade of bad guys, including Wolo’s scoundrel son Dimi (Maximilian Osinski); the vicious tandem of Viper and Artemis (Emmett J. Scanlan and Eve Mauro); and biker bar proprietor Dutch (Chidi Ajufo). There’s no shortage of interesting characters to deal with.

Chicago is an iconic city with great architecture and incredible landmarks. Regrettably, none of that is shown here as the filming was done in England. The occasional shot of an Illinois license plate or an elevated train is not enough to create a sense of realism.

The die-hard Jason Statham fans will overlook locational flaws or the absence of a coherent plot or storyline. “A Working Man” fits perfectly into the pantheon of the British strongman’s string of exciting action thrillers.

This action genre is geared to being a crowd-pleaser and Jason Statham’s latest opus is no exception. While in the middle of the film there is a bit of a lull in the action, the climactic action really delivers fatal blows to the despicable villains.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.