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Nadine (1987) (**1/2, comedy) (D.- Robert Benton; Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger, Rip Torn, Nadine Hightower, Buford Pope) Small town Nadine (Basinger) has posed for photos for "Playboy". Surprise, surprise! It wasn't Playboy, but the photos are showing up where they shouldn't, and she didn't even get paid. So she wants the photos back. She enlists the aid of her soon to be ex (Bridges) to do a little B&E. Alas, life is never simple in Texas. Throw in a body, chases, and delightful chemistry between Basinger and Bridges. Basinger is quite an underrated comic actress, and Bridges is always charmingly believable as the straight man. With a really top drawer story here, we could have a truly memorable film. Nevertheless, the squabbling, which hides real respect and affection between the two and lots of opportunity to ham it up, makes for an enjoyable evening with no staying power. (9-25-95) Beginning

Naked City, The (1948) (***1/2, crime) (D.-Jules Dassin; Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Don Taylor, Ted De Corsia) Written by Marvin Wald with the screen play by Wald and Albert Maltz. Visually stunning, landmark film for which the French coined the apt phrase Police Documentary. The city (NY) is a living, breathing, dynamic entity and should be given top billing. The film may seem dated in places until you recognize that this is largely due to its overexposure by being so copied. The story seems straightforward. A young model is murdered by two thugs, and the police begin the dog work of trying to track them down. However, the plot is anything but simple and the getting to the spectacular Williamsburg Bridge finale is fascinating. The techniques and procedures are all authentically portrayed. Wald spent a month in the police department following all the different activities and a week in a police homicide refresher course. Wald got his ideas for using the documentary style from working on documentary training films during the war. In one scene, the real police objected strongly to Taylor going alone to the suspect's room. However, after much discussion they acknowledged that a young, inexperienced detective might violate standing rules in this case.

The producer, Ben Hellinger, does the voice over narrative. The director and producer would frequently come back to Wald and say certain incidents were too outlandish to use. He would point out the true incidents on which they were based and they were then included. Much of the film was shot with the unknowing populace acting out their lives as if nothing was happening. For example, the director used a station wagon with one-way windows so that they could shoot street scenes with hundreds of unpaid extras. It did, however, require the actors to make sure that they managed to jockey themselves so that the camera could always get them. In one scene near the end, Taylor raced down the street once, then turned around and raced back up the street. On the first pass people pretty much ignored him but on the return they wondered what was going on and the director got the wanted effect. The whole thing was surreptitiously shot from a room across the street.

The chemistry between the seasoned police leutenant Fitzgerald and his new detective Taylor is excellent--just what one would expect from an old dog taking a newcomer under his wing. The well seasoned police machine where Fitzgerald merely has to raise a finger to let his underlings know what to do is also very realistic. Fitzgerald is an old Irishman and brought a lot of homespun humor to the part, along with being a brutally efficient interrogator. Too bad for anyone who took his laid back exterior for granted. Many good cops are like this. De Corsia was physically very imposing, and Duff was very convincing as a pathological liar. The bit parts are also excellent and virtually all were NY stage actors or radio personalities, many who went on to Hollywood careers based on City.

The entire film was shot on location in New York except for the Homicide Division. It was a hot brutal summer, and Homicide had too many murders a day to let the movie people in. So this part was shot on a sound stage in Los Angeles with a completely convincing NY City tenement outside the window.

Taylor sprained his ankle when dropping from a fire escape that wouln't come down. So, many of the exterior shots (including the one of the police arriving at the crime scene) had to use a double--notice how he keeps his face away from the camera..

One of the amazing things about the film is that it almost wasn't released. The Univeral studio officials were so apalled by this stylistically radical film that they were afraid to release it. Also, it didn't help that they perceived the film as being left wing by its elevation of the working man relative to the well to do. Hellinger died within a week of the first screening. The film was released because Hellinger had financed the film and his estate forced the studio to honor their contract. In spite of a no-advertisement release, the film did spectacularly well and received two Academy Awards. Actually, the moguls may have been justifiably concerned. McCarthy came into full swing shortly afterwards, and some of the principals were investigated and black listed; Dassin fled to France, which probably saved him from the same fate.

Review based on the beautiful Roan Group video disk with narrative tracks by Wald and Taylor. Available at Clemons.

Error: If you look closely you will see one visual glitch in a city night scene. A set of car lights in the center of the frame goes wild. Clearly, they extended the scene by stringing segments together and didn't realize there was a car moving in the spliced pieces (courtesy of my wife). (6-3-96) Beginning

Naked Gun 2 and 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) (**1/2, comedy) (D.- David Zucker; Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, O.J. Simpson, Robert Goulet, Richard Griffiths, Jacqueline Brookes) If you like plot subtlety, character development, etc. DO NOT see this movie. However, it does appeal to my middle class funny bone, and I enjoyed it. Mainly a throwaway with a few truly memorial scenes. In particular, they give one version of the mischief that arises when you inadvertently leave a wireless mike on. Real incidents have equaled and far exceeded the version shown. Beginning

Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) (**1/2, comedy) (Leslie Nielson, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, O. J. Simpson, Fred Ward) The current burnt offering does live down to expectations. There are not many movies that one can say this about, but the Naked Gun series has consistently acheived this status. Nielson again masterfully plays the terminally dense Lieutenant Frank Drebin. Not only doesn't he know, he doesn't even suspect. He is ably supported again by Presley, Simpson, and Kennedy. Ward is a nasty terrorist who likes to make things go boom and is aided by his gun happy mother and a buxom, equally lethal girl friend. It is low, tasteless, uneven, leaves no sacred cow unharpooned, and manages some real belly laughs for my lower middle class funny bone. If you enjoyed the earlier ones, you will also like this. Innumerable crime movies are spoofed. I particularly like the take off on the train station scene from The Untouchables. While the likenesses are absolutely uncanny, the Thelma and Louise take off just didn't have much punch. The Academy Awards do get a savage drebing (whoops, I've seen one too many of these). There is a continuity error in the envelopes (actually in these movies, it is probably deliberate). Do check out the sign on the police station glass. Again, do NOT leave until after the closing credits and read them. (5-9-94) Beginning

Naked Prey, The (1966) (***, adventure) (D.- Cornel Wilde; Cornel Wilde, Gert Van Der Berg, Ken Campu, Patrick Mynhardt) Brutally unflinching nail biter. Not for the squeamish. A turn-of-the-century safari guide (Wilde) finds himself in the unenviable position of being naked and with a meager head start on a band of savage warriors. Pure raw, brutal nature. Give no mercy, and ask none. Kill or die. Prey has some of the best African safari footage since King Solomon's Mines. Similar to Mines, Prey weaves the stunning African wilderness, and the totally unforgiving life and death of the surroundings, into an integral part of the tapestry of suspense. For plot development, the experienced guide occasionally demonstrates an unbelievably bad knowledge of how to survive, but on the balance his behavior and those of his pursuers show the testosterone frenzy you would expect. Only a few boring minutes involving a young boy detract from the tension. Filmed in the absolutely breath-taking Krueger Park in Rhodesia. Review based on the letter boxed version, which adds enormously to the visual impact. Incidentally, Wilde and the pursuers were in amazing physical shape. (4-24-95) Beginning

Narrow Margin, The (1952) (***, suspense, crime) (D-Richard Fleischer; Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Jacqueline White, Queenie Leonard) A very hard-boiled police detective must safely transport a gangster's wife from Chicago to Los Angeles aboard a train. The hit men know he is on the train with the woman, but lack one crucial piece of information. They know what he looks like, but don't have anything on the woman. A very nasty cat and mouse game ensues with no one being quite sure who is playing on which team. This tightly done black and white thriller holds its own against modern films. Excellent cinematography where much of the action takes place in the narrow confines of the train. Many of the images will float through your mind long after the movie. For plot development, the detective acts brain damaged at times, but otherwise the action and dialog are sharp and quick. This is superior to the modern Narrow Margin with Gene Hackman (see below). (7-19-92) (10-25-93) Beginning

Naked Spur, The (1953) (***1/2, western) (D.-Anthony Mann; James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Ralph Meeker, Robert Ryan, Millard Mitchell) Stunningly photographed (William Mellor) and directed. Taut, brutal character study. Bounty hunter Stewart captures accused murderer Ryan, but has to bring him back with a miner (Mitchell), a dishonorably discharged cavalry officer (Meeker), and the girl who was with Ryan. Everyone has their own agenda, and Ryan, a sociopath and master manipulator, skillfully plays them against each other. This is one of Stewart's later complex psychological roles. No Mr. Nice Guy. The acting is first rate, the tension palpable, the plot unpredictable. The ending at first seems very Hollywood, but when you analyze the personalities and the situation, it makes good sense. To act logically is actually a path fraught with numerous dangers for the survivors. I found the sound track intrusive, but it didn't bother my wife. Shot in magnificent Colorado. (9-22-97) Beginning

Narrow Margin (1990) (**1/2, suspense, crime) (D- Peter Hyams; Gene Hackman, Anne Archer, James B. Sikking, M. Emmet Walsh, J.T. Walsh, Susan Hogan). Hackman is the deputy district attorney who must bring his star witness safely back to LA. on a train filled with resourceful killers. A remake of the classic 1952 The Narrow Margin. Tightly drawn tension where the resourceful Hackman uses brain rather than brawn to outwit the killers--a refreshing change from the blow them away school of movie making. Well acted throughout. The businessman henchman (Sikking )does a stellar cameo role; he could sell refrigerators to Eskimos. Incidentally, the plots of the two Narrow Margins differ enough to keep you guessing even if you have seen the other one. (7-19-92) Beginning

Nashville (1975) (***1/2, drama) (7-14-03) (D.- Robert Altman; W.-Joan Tewkesbury; David Arkin, Barbara Baxley, Ned Beatty, Karen Black, Ronee Blakley, Timothy Brown, Keith Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin, Robert DoQui, Shelley Duvall, Allen Garfield, Henry Gibson, Scott Glenn, Jeff Goldblum, Barbara Harris) Classic Altman. Many years ago, I tried to watch it shortly after it came out. My recurring thought was “When will this finally end?” When it didn’t, I got up and walked out, probably the only time I have walked out of a theater. It is classic Altman and the secret to enjoying it is to recognize that the story is that there is “little” story. However, knowing the ultimate end, one might find more plot on a second viewing. What we watch is 24 people from vastly different backgrounds who cross and re-cross each other’s paths over a period of several days. Sometimes the interactions have real impact and sometimes they glide past each other without so much as a ripple. All of this is set both to the campaign of a fringe presidential candidate whose sound truck patrols the street blaring out his message and to the country and western music scene. Also, like eavesdroppers at a nearby table or at a party, we rarely get full details of what is going on. Overlapping conversations and extraneous noise all add to the sketchiness of what is happening—just like in real life. Altman films are not designed for those who want their stories served tied, sealed and delivered. Life is messy, so are Altman films.

The characters include a totally off-the-wall magician played by Goldblum, a private in the army (Glenn), a hedonistic teenager (Duvall), and hard core Nashville types (Reese, Gibson, Blakely, Carradine) either on their way up or on their way down.

There really are a few underlying themes, but the real stories are frequently around those who will be altered by what happens. In true Altman style, the end leaves more questions than answers. What exactly happened to whom? How will the end affect everyone’s lives? Nice for thought.

The film is long, rambling, and after a while, presumably with more maturity and altered expectations, I now found it fascinating to watch and anticipate who will cross whose path, what the consequences will be, and exactly what is going to happen.

Review based on the beautiful wide screen DVD available at Sneak Reviews. The DVD has extras including an interview with Altman, but I didn’t get to those.Beginning

National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) (****, humor) (D.-:John Landis; John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hulce, Peter Riegert, Cesare Danova, Stephen Furst, Donald Sutherland, Karen Allen, Sarah Holcomb, Bruce McGill, Martha Smith, Mary Louise Weller, James Daughton, Kevin Bacon, Mark Metcalf, James Widdoes) The ultimate send off of college life. Animal House reminds us of what we lost with Belushi's untimely death. A misfit fraternity, the Deltas, rebels against oppressive Dean Wormer (Vernon) and the obnoxiously straight-laced, overbearing Omegas. Humor is very individualistic. You will either love it or hate it. Infectiously high spirited. Hyperkinetic. Tasteless. Outrageous. Bawdy. Totally politically incorrect. And, for me, riotously funny. In terms of anarchistic, anti-establishment spirit and style, Animal House is probably as close to the Marx Brothers as we get, but unrestricted by the censors with which the Marx Brothers had to deal.

The cast is marvelous. Belushi is a primal force. All bawdy animal instincts with amazingly few lines. His comedy is very physical and very accomplished. However, when the Deltas find out that they are being expelled, his "Seven years down the drain!" sums it up. Vernon is superb as the steely-eyed, cooly pompous dean--we've all know people like that (not deans, of course). The horse in his office is an understated comic masterpiece. Literature instructor Jennings (Sutherland) gives a lecture that is dead on in our feelings about some of our courses.

I know of one family who took their under 10 children to it. Many were appalled. How could they expose their children to such smut? The response was that the sexual innuendos would pass right over the kid's heads and if they caught them, they were old enough anyway. However, the slapstick was classic and the kids would and did love it.

If your tastes run to subtle, civilized humor, avoid Animal House like the plague, or at least don't say you weren't warned. Otherwise go out, rent it, and don't plan on eating anything while you're watching it. (6-9-97) Beginning

National Treasure (2005) (9-28-05) (D-Jon Turteltaub; W.-Jim Kouf, Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley; Nicolas Cage, Harvey Keitel, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Justin Bartha, David Dayan Fisher, Christopher Plummer)Treasure manages to be a satisfying popcorn movie. Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) belongs to a secret society looking for the treasure of the Knights Templar. It really does exist, and it is intended for the betterment of man. Gates is a crafty hunter who relies much more on his wits than his brawn. It turns out the hints as to its whereabouts are all around us. Some more accessible than others. The dollars bill is one, but a ship frozen in the ice or the Declaration of Independence is a bit dicier. Getting the treasure might not have been too hard except that Gates isn’t the only one after it. Throw in a greedy tycoon who would be willing to leave bodies as bread crumbs to find his way home. The plot is quick, the acting sharp, and the dialogue witty. The stylish way Cage gets what he wants is generally very entertaining. The action sequences work well since this isn’t intended as a high volume actioner, but a more cerebral romp. As an aside, the pyramid and eye have nothing to do with Masons as indicated in the movie. However, they were the symbol for a religious cult slipped into the engravings by a little bit of clever sleight of hand early in the 20th century. Beginning

National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007) (**1/2 adults, **** children, action) (1-21-08) (D.- Jon Turteltaub; Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Justin Bartha, Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris, Diane Kruger, Helen Mirren, Bruce Greenwood) If you saw the original National Treasure and go into National Treasure: Book of Secrets expecting anything different, then do I have a bridge to sell you. The original found an audience-pleasing formulae and this one has no intention of deviating from it. They certainly deliver on these expectations. A passable popcorn movie as Cage and the talented cast go through the motions never breaking a sweat. I'll give you a few hints since you have probably already seen the previews anyway. Benjamin's (Cage) great, great grandfather is implicated in the assassination of Lincoln. Benjamin of course has to prove that the old man was a hero, not a villain (of course that depends on which side of Mason Dixon line you sit along with what he actually did). Surprise, surprise Benjamin and his wife Abigail (Kruger) from part I are estranged, his father (Voight) is crushed by the claims and ends up having to go parchment in hand to his long estranged wife Emily (Mirren). Will it all work out? Will the various lovebirds get back together? Will there be a great treasure blocked by villains and great obstacles, chases, narrow escapes, and outrageous stunts to get what they need? Will the FBI get involved? Will Benjamin have to break into and steal things of great national importance? Will our heroes be teetering on the brink of disaster-literally? Will the sun rise tomorrow? Count on it. I will say our daughter enjoyed it as a popcorn movie, and our 10 year granddaughter who worships the first one sat slack jawed in awe throughout this one and rates it even better than the first. Incidentally, the film was preceded by a Goofy cartoon on how to purchase and set up your new super deluxe, TV system. I think the adults, having been subjected to ads and claims of trivial instant installation of high tech devices enjoyed this more than the children. Personally I hope that this signals the return to a pre-movie cartoon in the theaters. I have always lamented their demise. Beginning

Nature of the Beast, The (1995) (**1/2, crime, drama) (D.-Victor Salve; Eric Roberts, Lance Henricksen, Sasha Jenson, Ana Gabriel, Elroy Casdos, Brion James) Intriguing, thought provoking psychological thriller written by Salve. The minute or so of opening credits manages to set up the entire film. Night at a nowhere stop in the middle of the Nevada desert. Wailing wind and blowing tumble weeds that I remember so well. A radio news flash informing us that someone stole a cool million from Vegas and that a brutal serial killer is on the loose. And... How many times do people have to be told never to pick up hitchhikers. Roberts and Henricksen (Bishop from Aliens) are as creepy and sick a pair as you are likely to see in a long time. How will it end? I think it does work, and both actors are well cast and effective. Hard to come by. Shows regularly on Cinemax, and Blockbuster has it. (7-29-96) Beginning

Naughty Nineties, The (1945) (**1/2, classic, musical, comedy) (D.-Jean Yarbrough; Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Alan Curtis, Rita Johnson, Henry Travers, Lois Collier, Joe Sawyer, Joe Kirk) At Sneak Reviews. Dated and uneven yarn of riverboat gamblers trying to save boat from unscrupulous con artists. I hate musicals, but the segments are mercifully short and can be fast forwarded. However, Naughty has a couple of marvelous set pieces including their classic "Who's on First" and a catfish and the kittens scene. The latter in particular will have kids from 3 to 100 in stitches. Naughty makes a fine way to introduce your kids or yourself to Abbot and Costello humor. (1-27-97) Beginning

Navy vs. the Night Monsters, The (1966) (Turkey, horror, sci fi) (D.-Michael Hoey; Mamie Van Doren, Anthony Eisley, Pamela Mason, Bill Gray, Bobby Van, Walter Sande, Edward Faulkner, Phillip Terry) The legendary Ed Wood of Plan 9 fame would feel right at home. So bad it's funny. Cardboard sets that sway in the breeze, acting more wooden than the sets, cardboard monsters, and B-film sex pot Van Doren. If there is a single chill in the entire film, it is because you're sitting in a draft. A real pity. The copy I saw didn't credit the source, but I have no doubt that it was a white-knuckle novel by sci fi author Murry Leinster. Leinster probably saw the film and had them remove his name. Again it is all a matter of style. Leinster never let you see, much less suspect, what the monster was until the last few pages. The mind, when properly played, can be so much better at creating horror than the eyes. See The Night Stalker (reviewed last week) as an example of great horror on a shoestring budget. (2-24-97) Beginning

Near Dark (1987) (***, horror, humour) (D.-Kathryn Bigelow; Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Tim Thomerson, Jenette Goldstein) Something of a cult classic, and a true favorite of one of my colleagues. A young stud's pickup of a comely, but ethereal young thing leads to an acute hickey and close encounters of the worst kind with a band of red-necked vampires in an RV. He should have paid more attention when she only responded well to the words "die" and "bite" in his patter. Near Dark addresses the profound philosophical question that has probably been nagging at you for years: "How much fun can a bar brawling, boozing, whoring sociopath have if he were to suddenly find himself immortal and indestructible?" Paxton's delightful performance answers the question. It doesn't get any better than this! Check out the bar scene and his testosterone-driven confrontation with an onrushing semi. Some above average special effects and an intriguing concept help to smooth over abysmally bad plot segments, a total absence of explanation of what happened, and the anemic (no pun intended) love relation between the two young love birds (or is it "love bats?"). Interestingly, the word vampire is never used, perhaps because none of the principles know it. You may recognize Paxton from Aliens. Hendriksen, who played the android Bishop in Aliens, is the world weary (he should be, he fought in the civil war) head of the clan. He is quite believable as he tries to mediate feuds, keep his diverse children together, and yet indulge them to any extent possible. An ironically realistic element is the young vampire, who is no longer young mentally, but still looks a child and gets treated accordingly by everyone else--much to his irritation. Not without a certain adrenaline-rush appeal, but not high class. See Vampires. (4-5-93) Beginning

Needful Things (1993) (***, B horror) (D.-Fraser Heston, Ed Harris, Max Von Sydow, Bonnie Bedelia, Amanda Plummer, J. T. Walsh) Based on Stephen King's adequate novel about the final days of his long suffering mythical town Castle Rock. I had a little trouble evaluating this one. The presentation is adequate, the visual imagery acceptable and at times throat grabbing, the black humor fun, but not overwhelming. In short, rationally **1/2. However, horror is not judged intellectually, and the integration of music (including classical and choral selections) and imagery is outstanding. The terror slips up on you like a brown recluse spider in bed at night. Only too late do you feel the bite. I left the theater viscerally wired--one of my criteria for acceptable horror. In short the whole exceeds the parts. Mr. Gaunt (Von Sydow) grandly enters Castle Rock, Maine to set up an antique store called Needful Things. The perfect gift for those who need that extra special little thing in life. Always remember that special things have special prices, although the charming Mr. Gaunt's price does seem modest for the item provided: just a favor, and oh so small a one. Von Sydow is excellent and obviously has a ball as the urbane, absolutely imperturbable, cool manipulator of souls. He is equally at ease orchestrating an apparently harmless prank, a seduction, a bloody duel to the death, or a town's destruction. The stunning juxtaposition of his calm demeanor with the consequences of his acts is consistently unbalancing. Enjoy. For errors, note when Harris places the engagement ring on Bedelia's wrong hand. This may be an accidental film reversal or, more likely, a deliberate flip to maintain visual continuity. I enjoyed the touch of the light house being a perfect match for Castle Rock Film's opening credits. Finally, watching the movie I was impressed with how similar Maine was to British Columbia, which we recently visited. Then the credits: filmed in BC. By the way, Needful Things had one of the finest previews I've seen in a long time. If you saw and enjoyed the preview, you will like the movie. For this class of movie, minimal gore and sex. (9-5-93) Beginning

Negotiator, The (1998) (****, crime, drama) (D.- F. Gary Gray; Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse) In my opinion, Negotiator will be one of the top action, crime films of the year. Not so much because of the plot, which we have seen variations of before, but because of the outstanding scripting and interactions of Jackson and Spacey. Danny Roman (Jackson) is a top police negotiator; we are convinced of this in the opening scenes. But Danny accidentally gets a whiff of the wrong scent in his own department. To silence him his partner dies and Danny is implicated as the murderer and as a principle in a massive rip-off of the division's pension fund. In a moment of rage, as he sees everything that he holds dear slipping away, the hostage negotiator becomes the hostage taker. Danny's first demand is that he will negotiate with no one but Chris Sabian (Spacey) who is in another division, above suspicion, and also a world-class negotiator. And, thus, begins the battle of wits and the unraveling of the conspiracy.

The basic setup is handled well. However, the real pleasure of the movie is Jackson and Spacey. Here are two men who make their living by being, in turn, masterful liars, masterful truth tellers, and givers and takers as required. They are superb judges of human nature and manipulators of others. Their every word and apparent emotion is suspect. They excel at the use and misuse of the language. The interplay as the two try to manipulate each other is superb. This is not a one-sided battle. Danny wanted someone good and when he goes up against the best, he had better expect some hard body blows and an occasional knee to the groin.

The film uses a variety of techniques to show the procedures used in hostage situations ranging from the psychological tools of the negotiators to the surveillance strategies and the assault methods. I assume these are accurate. In some cases, we get this as lecture material, but more often by example. Danny's reduction of his first negotiator to tears is a casebook study of the hunted turning all the tricks of the negotiator back on him like hounds on their master. None of the standard gambits are going to work against a master of the art--and Sabian is smart enough and ruthless enough to know how to exploit this fact.

Jackson and Spacey are two gifted actors. They are always a pleasure to watch, and Negotiator gives them outstanding opportunities to demonstrate their skills as they play off of each other. Even without the beginning and end, the negotiation section of the film would be worth the price of admission.

The action sequences are handled tautly and with flair. Of course, as with most films of this genre, post analysis reveals holes big enough to drive the SWAT truck through. However, you don't notice them at the time and, if they pull it off in the theater, I'm not going to complain afterwards. Incidentally, at 141 minutes, I didn't notice how long the film was. It definitely kept my attention.

The opening credits were by Imaginary Forces. They weren't as chaotic or as surrealistic as their work in Spawn and Seven, but the style is clearly recognizable.

Film Facts: http://us.imdb.com/Title?Negotiator,+The+(1998) (8-10-98) Beginning

Network (1976) (****, satire, drama) (D-Sidney Lumet, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch, Ned Beatty, Beatrice Straight) At every turn, we are assaulted on the TV with the Los Angeles riots, criminal actions justified by news people as an appropriate response to frustration, mayhem and death brought to you in real time, the debacle of the presidential campaign where anonymous tips pushed by news-hungry media far outweigh what candidates think and stand for, evangelists and stock brokers dragged off to jail in chains, and the rock bottom lowering of the morning talk shows (Sally Jessie Raphael). In this atmosphere, I rewatched Network.

This is an explosive, frighteningly controversial, and thought provoking movie. Most older movies, at best, hold their ground with passing time. Network, initially excellent, has increased enormously in power. If you see only one movie this year, make it Network. Based on Paddy Chayefsky's savage satire of TV, this extraordinary movie will rock you back on your heels. Outstanding performances by all make for an enormously entertaining and unsettling movie that drives home a powerful message. How far will TV prostitute itself for ratings? This devastatingly prophetic 1976 movie hits home on so many points that one will turn on the TV with growing dread--awaiting the realization of the remainder.

The story revolves around fourth place UBC's willingness to do anything for ratings: including showcasing the certifiably insane Finch as the mad prophet of the news, weekly films of urban guerrilla warfare brought to them by the Ecumenical Liberation Front, etc. In short, news taken to the logical conclusion of mass media marketing. Except for Holden who plays the Greek chorus of the honest, ethical news man, everyone is driven, mad, and frightenly believable. Finch, the prophet, orchestrates his own doom. Dunaway as the ruthless, amoral director will do anything for points. Duvall is the barracuda VP. who is always in a feeding frenzy. Beatty, as board chairman, has his own hidden agenda. Oscars for Finch (posthumously), Dunaway, Straight, and Chayefsky. As an aside those who lived through the Vietnam War will appreciate the concise encapsulation of the TV feel of the era. Finally, to quote the prophet, "I'm mad as Hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" So will you, so will you. (1994) Beginning

New Jack City (1991) (**1/2, crime, action) (D.-Mario Van Peebles; Wesley Snipes, Ice T, Allen Payne, Chris Rock, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson, Michael Michele, Bill Nunn, Russell Wong, Vanessa Williams) The mid 80s and Nino Brown (Snipes) and his brother exploit the appearance of crack to build a drug empire regardless of the body count. Opposing them are two loose cannon cops Scotty (Ice T) and Nick (Nelson). Unlike many films, there is no glorification of the drug culture. Quite the contrary. The film is well shot and acted, but we've seen it all before. Pookie (Rock) is a superb performance as a crack addict who tries to fight his way out. One of the best scenes in the film is where Nino and his cohorts are watching Scarface! with Al Pacino. As Pacino is cut down, Nino is standing in front of the screen bragging about how he won't fall prey to Pacino's weakness. Yet with Pacino's dying image across him, Nino is making the error that will lead to his destruction. (9-22-97) Beginning

Nickelodeon (1976) (**, humor) (D.-Peter Bogdanovich; Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds, Tatum O'Neal, Brian Keith, Stella Stevens, John Ritter, Jane Hitchcock, Harry Carey, Jr.) Promising, but ultimately disappointing film of early days of film making (1910-1915). Based on factual details. The directors, actors, and writers were frequently as clueless and disorganized as the characters in a Mack Sennett Keystone Cops comedy. O'Neal is literally chased into being a screen writer. Reynolds becomes a star because he rides a horse. The first half of the film accurately characterizes the early insanity with the little details being right on. The opening where the director takes the cast, the writer, and camera on the bus looking for something to photograph and build a plot around is typical, as is how they got the balloon sequence on film. The live orchestra playing to the cast during the filming of a silent film is also true; the directors believed it help set the mood.

The first half of the film is the best and the funniest. Unfortunately, the story doesn't allow the cast enough room to exercise their comedic talents. Towards the end the director and writer seem compelled to impose a real story on the film. Too little, too late, and it merely distracts from the images of early Hollywood. Nickelodeon is likely to be of greatest interest to those who want to see what the early days of film making were like. For those unfamiliar with the term, Nickelodeons were the earliest theaters where you could go in and watch a film for a nickel. (1-5-98) Beginning

Nick of Time (1995) (**1/2, suspense, crime) (D.-John Badham; John Depp, Christopher, Walken, Charles Dutton, Peter Strauss, Roma Maffia, Gloria Rubens, Marsha Mason, Courtney Chase) An intriguing concept that ultimately fails by stretching one's credulity too far, athough it is interesting to see how they play it out. Gene Watson (Depp) and his daughter (Chase) arrive at the LA train station. The nefarious Mr. Smith (Walken) and his able henchwoman Ms. Jones (Maffia) greet them. Through a savage black mail scheme, Depp agrees to commit a murder within the next one and a half hours. To say more would spoil the fun. The film is shot in real time with the ever present clocks ticking off the faithful seconds, although I don't think they always got the synchronization right. Another superb film that used real time with a synchronized clock motif was High Noon. (8-12-96) Beginning

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) (**1/2 adults, **** children, fantasy, comedy, action) (6/23/09) (D.-Shawn Levy; W.-Robert Ben Garant , Thomas Lennon; Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, Robin Williams, Steve Coogan ) If you saw the original, you know what to expect. Museum exhibits come to life. Ex-security guard Larry Daley (Stiller) has now quit and become rich since his first encounters with the living exhibits. Wealth and business has disconnected him from his old friends. Coming by the New York museum he discovers that all the old exhibits are being put into mothballs in the archives of the Smithsonian in DC. His attempts to block this are unsuccessful, and when they get to the Smithsonian it is discovered that the monkey had stolen and taken along the artifact that brings the exhibits to life. The entire Smithsonian is now at risk of becoming alive at nightfall. Worse a megalomaniac ancient Egyptian at the Smithsonian sees this artifact as his meal ticket to world domination. Can Daley stop him? Will there be chases, close escapes, and will all the characters including the miniature cowboy (Wilson) and the Roman legionnaire (Coogan) get into the action? Bet on it.

However, the real high points of the film are the reanimated Amelia Earhart (Adams) and Kahmunrah (Azaria). Adams, always a completely charming actress, is a hoot as the totally liberated take-charge Earhart with a continual stream of 30s slang that frequently befuddles Larry and gives the audience pause as they decipher it. Azaria using a modified Boris Karloff imitation fills his part with droll humor, frequently due to him being out of synch with the 21st century. Azaria also does the voice for Lincoln and The Thinker. Kahmunrah, who has been out of circulation for over 3000 years, can be forgiven his selection of items for his "pile of loot" (the official name). Gold and silver, yes, but a Radio Flyer wagon and the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz to name a few are a bit out of place. The pile is capped with his "most comfortable" throne that many will recognize. The actual "pile" is currently on display in the entrance hall to the Castle at the Smithsonian.

The throne room in the movie bears only a passing resemblance to the Commons of the Castle, which it is supposed to be. When you see the film, you can see why there were a number of artistic changes necessary for some of the effects. The creators took countless pictures in the Smithsonian to get as much of it as close to right as artistic license in the story telling would allow.

So if you are interested in a throw away with a few good laughs, Smithsonian fills the bill, especially if you have some children that you can take. Our 5 through 12 year old grandchildren all loved it and watching their enjoyment as well as the other children in the theater always adds to the pleasure. The photos show some of the items mentioned above as well as several others from the Smithsonian that will make sense when you see the film.

Photos for Night at the Museum.

Beginning

Night Caller from Outer Space (1965) (**1/2, sci fi) (12-31-01) (D.-John Gilling; John Saxon, Maurice Denham, Patricia Haines, Alfred Burke, Jack Watson, Aubrey Morris) Stylish little low budget sci fi. An alien object comes down in England. It ultimately leads to a series of mysterious disappearances of attractive young women from London. If you are into 50 schlock sci fi, this could be your ticket. Good for a few chills and a few laughs. More than the usual amount of suspense established by atmosphere. Now if you want to see a really, really bad sci fi on a similar principle, check out Mars Needs Women. Based on the DVD at Sneak Reviews. Other than textual material on the director and John Saxon, no supplementary material.Beginning

Night Falls On Manhattan (1997) (***1/2, crime, drama) (D.- Sidney Lumet; Andy Garcia, Richard Dreyfuss, Ian Holm, Ron Leibman) It has been 40 years since Lumet directed his 12 Angry Men. He also did Dog Day Afternoon, Prince of the City, and Q&A. Night continues his fascination with the complexity of human behavior, morality, and legality--with the frequent lack of overlap between the last two. Things start clearly enough. Two cops try to bring down a brutal drug lord. In the resultant blood bath, three precincts respond, cops die, and the dealer escapes in an embarrassing way. Sean Casey (Garcia), a new lawyer in the DA's office, ends up trying the case, and his career is poised for a meteoric rise. However, nothing is simple in a Lumet film. Nothing. Especially since the police and the DA's office are dealing with the bottom feeders--the worst of humanity. Human interactions and dealings in complex organizations are messy. Why did three precincts respond to a routine collar? Who knew what and when? How should, and how did they, behave? How strong are the bonds of trust between people? How much blame do survivors have to accept? I am being deliberately vague about plot. Much of the pleasure on first viewing will be in trying to sort out the relationships, figuring out whom to trust, and anticipating the evolution of a number of complex human interactions.

The cast is excellent, especially Garcia and Holm as his father. However, Sean would never have been so naive as to pursue one point that he really didn't want answered. Olin does a good job, but her part looks tacked on for one critical moral dilemma. Dreyfuss is good as the high powered defense attorney, but his behavior is ultimately inconsistent with his character (he actually could have succeeded, which would have been anathema to his character). Liebman is great as the efficient DA who truly understands the system and makes no bones about not doing things to be nice--ultimately he expects quid pro quo.

The film is taut, stark, efficient. Economy of words and scenes. Everything is relevant either directly or in giving us complex real characters whose true beliefs we then have to try to fathom. The first third showing Casey's rise was outstanding with subtle undercurrents rippling the surface so that we sensed something dark and frightening even at the best of times. The middle faltered, but the ending brought all the moral, ethical and legal issues into focus. As with so many Hollywood films, the last scene was one too many. It should have stopped before the final monologue.

In spite of the opening, Night is not a "shoot em up" action film. Night is a thinking person's film with plenty of room for post-viewing discussion. Based on a book by Robert Daley, who also wrote "Prince of the City" with a similar dark theme. (6-16-97) Beginning

Night Moves (1975) (***, crime, noir) (D.-Arthur Penn; Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren, Susan Clark, Edward Binns, Harris Yulin, Kenneth Mars, James Woods, Melanie Griffith, Dennis Dugan, Max Gail) Convoluted film noir and psychological study of detective (Hackman) who consistently asks one question too many--about a missing nymphette and heiress (Griffith), about his wife, about an apparent accident, ... Curiosity can be dangerous for everyone. I think the plot has some logical holes, but because there are a lot of nuances and dialogue that is hard to pick up, I'm not sure. Nevertheless, intriguing and well acted, especially by Hackman. A stunning climax--at least if you take my cynical interpretation, which disagrees with my wife's. A very young and all but unrecognizable (except for her voice) Melanie Griffith in her film debut. (4-8-96) Beginning

Night Must Fall (1937) (***, drama) (D.- Richard Thorpe, Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, Dame May Whitty) It show its age a little, and the stage origin clearly shows through. But still a nasty piece of work. I won't say too much as most of the pleasure is the unraveling of the story. A savagely domineering old woman who would make a piranha flee in terror, her somewhat unhinged niece who gets treatment a masochist would relish, a disappearance and possible murder, and a charming young con man who may be involved in the disappearance make for a taut, unpredictable evening. I don' think that the plot quite holds together with some of the reactions and behavior, especially the niece's, being unrealistic, but.... Check it out. (6-20-94) Beginning

Night of the Demon aka Curse of the Demon (1957) (***, horror, drama) (7-1-02) (D.- Jacques Tourneur; Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis, Maurice Denham, Athene Seyler) Based on the short story Casting the Runes by M. R. James. Don’t let the title(s) fool you. This is not a grade Z horror film, but a film of psychological terror from that low budget master of the dark shadows, Jacques Tourneur (The Cat People). Professor Henry Harrington (Denham) plans to expose a devil worship cult led by Dr. Julian Karswell (MacGinnis) at a parapsychology meeting in London. Erudite, soft spoken Karswell is not a man to have others meddle in his very private affairs. Enter psychologist and nearly fanatical skeptic, Dr. John Holden (Andrews) to participate in the meeting. Since his goals are the same as Harrington’s, he meets with the same not-so-veiled threats.

Holden is a dyed-in-the-wool skeptic who has logical explanations for everything that happens. The only question is how soon, if ever, he will realize that he is in over his head? Way over his head. And even if he does, will he recognize it soon enough? Aiding him is Harrington’s niece (Cummins). Let’s just say that their logical reasoning is not always on the same wavelength, which further adds to the tension.

The acting is good and Andrews is believable as a man of science who has experience with con artists and knows how trickery works. Being a psychologist, he also has a deep understanding that what one thinks is real can have dire physical and physiological consequences. However, the film is stolen by MacGinnis. Rarely has such an avuncular, genial person exuded such menace. He never raises his voice. He is never belligerent. When you know you are holding all the winning cards, there is no need for anger or aggressive posturing. He is supremely confident. The children’s magic party is a gem of underplayed horror. To quote from the film: “The devil … is most dangerous when he is pleasant.”

Unfortunately, the monster has not aged well—laughable by modern standards. Indeed, Tourneur didn’t want to include it. He was a firm believer in horror originating in the mind not the eyes. It was what you couldn’t see that you should fear. However, to get financing for the film, he had to include the demon. You can ignore the few moments of crystal clarity on the creature and interpret the film in the ambiguous fashion the director intended.

Review based on the fine letterboxed DVD from Sneak Reviews. The DVD contains both Night of the Demon and Curse of the Demon without additional material. They are virtually the same film except that Night was the UK version and Curse was the US version. We only watched about 15 minutes of Curse, but this made it clear that there were a number of cuts on the US version. While these didn’t damage the story, they did hurt the character development and some of the neat little artistic touches. My guess is that the cuts were made to reduce the film to a length suitable for a B level (second film) length on a double feature billing. My recommendation: watch the UK Night. Beginning

Night of the Hunter (1955) (****, drama, suspense) (D.- Charles Laughton; Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish) Laughton's sole directing effort. Stylistically and plot-wise somewhat dated, but nevertheless a vicious ride on the dark side of the mind. Mitchum is cooly and frightenly malevolent as a pyschopathic preacher. He sports a "LOVE" and a "HATE" tatoo on opposite hands signifying the eternal conflict between good and evil. However, there isn't any conflict in him. He is pure evil. While they didn't have the term then, he is a serial killer justifying each action with his perverted view of the Bible. He woos and marries a recent widow in search of the money her late husband hid from a bank robbery. He then begins a systematic campaign of psychological terror against the woman and her two children while presenting an air of absolute reasonableness and respectability to the rest of the community.

Mitchum's performance is superb as is the young boy's and the supporting cast. Many of the visuals are exceptional and not to be missed. The cinematography is frequently absolutely stark, almost surrealistic, in keeping with the subject. One of my favorite all-time scenes is with Gish in her rocking chair and Mitchum outside singing a hymn, point-counterpoint, to each other in the night. She rocks calmly with a shotgun across her lap, protector of the children. Outside, he sits calmly on the fence, playing out his threatening end game. Obviously I am not alone in my respect for this scene. It was highlighted in Vision of Light, the Art of Cinematography (****).

One of the things giving the movie its characteristic feel is that it was largely filmed on a sound stage, a common practice even this late. For example, the sleeping children drifting down the river at night was shot in segments in the same water tank and strung together to create a continuous whole. In another scene the boy is looking out of a hay loft and watches Mitchum come over a distant hill on a horse against a star-filled sun rise. The boy, tried to his limits, sums it up when he questions plaintively "Doesn't he ever sleep?" The answer for evil is "No". Actually, the rider isn't Mitchum. To get the correct perspective in a 500 foot studio, what you see is the silhouette of a midget on a pony. (10-10-94) Beginning

Night of the Lepus (1972) (Turkey, horror) (D.-Willima F. Claxton, Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh, Rory Callhoun, DeForest Kelley, Paul Fix, Melanie Fullerton) This deserves a Golden Gobbler on sheer audacity. Worse than a plague of locust! More deadly than Godzilla! Eats more Reese's Pieces than ET! Giant (150 pound), killer bunny rabbits (Lepus) with the disposition of timber wolves eat everything in their path as long as it is canned, in a refrigerator or a vegetable bin, has hooves or horns, or is human. Perish the thought that they might actually eat anything that rabbits normally eat in the wild. After digging a burrow the size of a small diamond mine, they have a large hole with a tiny mound of dirty around it. The director obviously didn't have a physics course or forgot about the law of conservation of dirt. The climax occurs when a herd of blood crazed giant good luck pieces swarm across the countryside toward a drive in theater full of necking human appetizers. Pity the poor actor who had to get up in front of the screen, even playing a cop, and tell everyone that a "horde of killer rabbits" is coming their way and to do exactly what he says. Unbelievably, they do! In reality, they might have had men in white jackets come for him or booed him out of the way of their Tom and Jerry cartoon. But obey him? NEVER! For errors, I'll give the director the benefit of the doubt on New Mexico auto plates in Arizona; they are close enough to have spill over. However, the Four Corners area that the rabbits are approaching like unwelcome relatives is about 300 mile north of the movie's Saguaro cactus setting in southern Arizona or New Mexico. A contagious hormone treatment is a gas also. Now having said all these nasty things, they did do a really fine job on the miniatures and the overlays. Some of the models are extraordinarily realistic, and the rabbits coming down the road and through the town really do look BIG. If I were going to be afraid of 150 pound rabbits, this movie would send me screaming from the theater. Also, everyone does appear to be having a good time. Finally, while you don't normally think of rabbits as wiry, muscular creatures, the slow motion close ups will change that belief. (3-29-93) Beginning

Night of the Living Dead (1968) (****, horror) (D.-George Romero, Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Russell Streiner, Karl Hardman) Black and white cult classic that spawned an entire industry of horror movies although very few even batted in the same league. Noteworthy because of ultra-low budget, being the first horror movie shot in Philadelphia, and for being a genuinely effective horror flick, which can still grab you by the throat even though virtually every trick in it is now standard fare. Probably responsible for as many nightmares as any horror movie. A perennial show in our family. For years my wife was unable to get through it until we video taped it and played it during the day. A few human survivors barricade themselves in an isolated farm house and try to stave off a relentless assault by flesh eating zombies. Not pretty, but nastily effective. Even today, not for the squeamish. (8-3-94) Beginning

Nightwing (1979) (**, horror) {D.-Arthur Hiller, Nick Mancuso, David Warner, Kathryn Harrold, Stephen Macht, Strother Martin) "The Angel of Death has been abroad throughout the land, you may almost hear the beating of his wings." [John Bright (1811-1889)] Now you too can hear his wings. Adequate "the bats take over the world". For aficionados of vampire movies Nightwing is the ultimate vampire movie with real vampire bats. Low-budget thriller about a swarm of rabid, "intelligent", vampire bats invading the Southwest. Of course, the Indians are blamed for a series of bizarre, untimely deaths before the true nature of the winged horror is brought out. Some good scenery make an otherwise drive in B watchable. As an aside vampire bats can be a significant problem in parts of Central America. They generally don't kill the cattle directly, but the blood loss and transmitted diseases can destroy the herds. Their saliva has an anticoagulant. Ironically, vampire bats are exceptionally sensitive to poisoning by anticoagulants. This sensitivity, along with their taste for blood, form the basis of two methods of selective control. A cow is dosed with a powerful anticoagulant and set out for dinner. More effective is to trap bats in fine nets, sort out the vampires, and paint them with a sticky paste of anticoagulant. Bats are quite social and groom each other with their tongues. This, of course, leads to one poisoned bat killing many. (9-12-93) Beginning

1984 (1984) (**1/2, drama) (D.-Michael Radford, John Hurt, Richard Burton, ,Cyril Cusack, Suzanna Hamilton, Gregor Fisher, James Walker) A birthday celebration, of sorts, on the doom's day year of George Orwell's prophetic novel. A faithful, well crafted and imaginative adaptation. A man (Hurt) and his girlfriend (Hamilton) search for redemption in a future totalitarian society where language and brainwashing are the ultimate weapons in thought control and words mean what the government says they do. Burton (his last role) is suavely manipulative as the grand inquisitor sent to break their spirits, although it is clear that his spirit is as broken as that of his victims. One imaginative touch that works is that while the year is 1984, the technology is frozen in Orwell's pre WWII time frame. This adds a surrealistic and ennervating touch that a truly modern setting would not. A truly grimy, depressing movie--an accurate portrayal of the book. While Orwell's book has much insight and truth, the subject matter and the presentation are dated for modern audiences. The movie by being faithful suffers the same fate. However, if you have never read 1984, I strongly recommend you read it. You will never again look at language and politicians in quite the same way. (8-30-93) Beginning

Ninth Gate, The (1999) (***, horror, suspense) (9-18-00) (D.-Roman Polanski; Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, Emmanuelle Seigner, Barbara Jefford, Jack Taylor (II), José López Rodero, James Russo) Based on the book The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte. Savaged by the critics. However, for me, Ninth was elegantly atmospheric, beautifully acted, and disturbingly written. Up to the end that is, where it fell apart with too many confused and conflicting endings. The rest was great and, thus, my rating. Others who put more weight on the ending are justified in their evaluation.

However, if your taste runs to rock em, sock em action flics, pass on Ninth. Ninth is very European in style. Slow. Deliberate. Frequently obtuse. And with lots of loose ends. It is also consistently dark, brooding, and disturbing. Even when you don’t know exactly where it is going, you have a strong feeling that it isn’t where you want to be. Coming from Polanski (Rosemary’s Baby) this is no surprise.

Dean Corso (Depp) is an unscrupulous rare book dealer who is hired by powerful Boris Balkan (Langella). Balkan has one copy of the three surviving copies of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows; this 17th century occult manuscript is rumored to give the wielder the powers of Satan himself. Balkan believes only one of the copies is authentic, wants to know which one, and wants it for himself. As Corso quickly learns, there are some bargains that should be passed on. As the body count rises, the web of friends and foes becomes increasingly uncertain, the issue of authenticity becomes increasingly complex, and a possible beautiful ally (Siegner) appears, Corso discovers that a comfortable retirement in a nursing home is very low on his list of options. More on plot would spoil the fun.

In style and story line, Ninth kept reminding me of Angel Heart. Heart had many of the same elements. A sleazy detective is hired to locate someone, and with each movement he is dragged more deeply into a lethal quagmire. Also, ultimately the resolution was less important than the disturbing trip to the destination. However, by fixing on one version of the end, I am quite happy with the film. Picture a body silhouetted by a background of flames.

Depp is one of the few actors that can pull off such a disreputable character and still manage to generate admiration for his acting and a certain amount of sympathy for the low life he portrays. Langella as always is a powerful screen presence and a pleasure to watch. The striking Seigner is Polanski’s wife but her acting range is limited; fortunately, the part doesn’t call for a wide range. The twins, whom I found delightful but others distracting, were both played by Rodero, and I thought their behavior and contemptuous humor with Dean under the circumstances quite believable. I did think the witches coven went over the top. Beginning

No Country for Old Men (2007) (****, crime, drama, noir) (2-25-08) (DW- Ethan Coen, Joel Coen; based on the book by the same name by Cormac McCarthy; Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald) Rejoice. The Coen brothers are back to their roots: black, black noir set in early 80s in the bleak unforgiving Southwest. The open scenery and monologue by Sheriff Bell (Jones) brings back memories of their memorable first film, Blood Simple. However, No Country shows their maturation and sophistication as film makers. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Coen brothers were on the phone to secure rights to the book after reading the opening monologue. Like much noir, a single moment of weakness and the trapdoor to hell opens under you. It is a chilling study in choices, morality, fate and destiny. Llewellyn Moss stumbles across the aftermath of a drug deal gone very bad, and walks away with millions. The trapdoor in this case is sprung by Chigurh (Barton). People don’t like that much money to walk away, and Chigurh is their way of getting it back. Chigurh is a psychopathic killer of consummate intelligence, cunning, and skill. We have those innate trip wires that our mind sets off when we are confronted with something dangerous. One soft spoken sentence from Chigurh, and we know we should be running screaming for the door. However, it is probably too late. What is so chilling about Chigurh is that he has his own internal code of logic—very moral in his own way, but all but incomprehensible to the rest of us. Throw into the mix the pragmatic bounty hunter, Wells (Harrelson), who will settle for just getting the money back, and the local sheriff, Bell, who is near retirement and wants to get to Llewellyn before anyone else, and you have one of the most nail biting series of manhunts you are likely to see on film.

Llewellyn is a Vietnam vet and he is good, very good; but with an overrated opinion of himself and a bit too much morality. Bell is good with his age and experience and provides a philosophical commentary throughout the film. Wells is a retired special forces Vietnam Colonel and is good too. Chigurh is evil incarnate, although with his internal logic, perhaps evil is not the proper word. Chigurh is a presence, a force of nature, an entity. Something whose path, like a tornado, you hope you never cross. He is the villain of the decade.

The movie is stunningly filmed, brilliantly directed and edited, and superbly acted. Much of the book’s dialogue is beautifully transferred. Getting the elaborate, almost musical, dialogue and nuances of the book right can only be done with stellar actors and direction. No Country has these. Any one of a number of scenes is worth the price of admission. The coin flip in the filling station and the hallway come to mind. The Coen brothers give a dead on translation of the book. In the beginning, as Llewellyn lies there preparing to shoot the antelope, you can feel the heat, the dry wind blowing over you, the dryness in your mouth, and smell the dust. You are there. And you are there in much of the rest of the movie, and perhaps wish you weren’t.

The ending has gotten a lot of criticism for being incomprehensible. It isn’t, but it does take some thought. The key lies in the title. I read the book after seeing the movie. It fills in some holes, and gives more insight into the principals. It is a lyrical piece of writing that your mind will keep coming back to long after you finish it. It is also interesting to study the changes that were made in the film. However, do remember; “They even shot the dawg.” [Note added in proof. No Country won the Best Picture Academy Award and Bardem won the Academy Award for best supporting actor.] Beginning

No Highway in the Sky (1951) (***, drama) (D.-Henry Koster; James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns, Jack Hawkins, Elizabeth Allan, Kenneth More) Well done little cliff-hanger. Not since snake man Henry Fonda in The Lady Eve has a scientist been portrayed so nerdishly and so charmingly. Stewart is an aeronautics engineer who has figured out why the new Reindeer passenger planes are going down. Unfortunately, he also finds himself a passenger on one on its ninth life. As he tries desperately to convince someone of the danger, he encounters the resistance and discomfort from those confronted with someone a little off-center along with the more serious refusal of entrenched bureaucracy to admit anything could possibly be wrong. Dietrich is a glamorous passenger, and Johns is the woman who sees the man beneath the glasses and slide rule. Of course, no scientist would make the precise prediction of life expectancy required for the plot, nor could the little extra effect be predicted so accurately. However, such subtle effects as temperature or salinity have actually led to major disasters.

Now let me vent a little on the stereotype. After years of watching people, it is my opinion as a scientist that the average scientist is neither more nerdish nor off-center than the average citizen. You could even meet some of them in the grocery store and not realize that they were scientists. I do exclude myself, especially in my younger years, from this statement. (3-25-95) Beginning

Noises Off (1992) (***, comedy) (D.-Peter Bogdanovich, Michael Caine, Carol Burnett, John Ritter, Christopher Reeve, Marilu Henner, Julie Hagerty) Great farce about a playwright (Caine) and his unhinged troop (an all star cast of comic misfits). The burlesque revolves around the production of a Broadway bound play coupled with the love interests, the internecine, and the intrigue of the actors, the playwright, and the crew. The play itself is quite funny as we see from the rehearsal, disasterous as it is. You also need this information so you can see what, when and how everything goes wrong during the actual productions. Further, you get to deliciously anticipate the next catastrophe in the making. If you have wondered what those beautiful sets looked like from the back and what was going on behind them, Noises Off answers the question. Even if you have never wondered, you will never be able to look at a stage play again without visualizing the antics of this brain damaged troop. Frenetic, off the wall, frequently politically incorrect, and truly funny. Enjoy. The name comes from the stage term announced when a scene is in progress and a noise is to come from off stage. (9-21-93) Beginning

No Man’s Land (2001) (***1/2, drama, war) (12-7-04) (DW. Danis Tanovic; Branko Djuric, Rene Bitorajac., Filip Sovagovic, Georges Siatidis, Serge-Henri Valcke, Simon Callow, Katrin Cartlidge) Tanovic’s first film. A scathing indictment of human nature from the individual to the institutional. The time is 1993 during the Bosnian-Serbian war. Three soldiers, two Croats (Djuric, Sovagovic) and one Serb (Bitorajac) end up trapped in a trench in no man’s land. One of them is lying on a live mine and cannot move without exterminating all of them. No one can stick his head up without risking being blown away by one side or the other. The struggle for power moves back and forth between the two sides, mirroring the psychology that led to this brutal impasse. In a bizarre but believable fashion, the UN and then the press get involved with little credit to either.

While the set up is contrived, the behavior of all concerned is distressingly realistic and familiar. And stranger things have happened in war. The soldiers are a microcosm of the governments and personal thoughts that drive the horrific destruction of humanity in such conflicts. Even with the best of intentions, the UN and the press answer to their own institutional needs and individual ambitions. Only one French officer, who steps outside the box, brings some measure of sanity to the proceedings, and in doing so inadvertently precipitates further mayhem.

Towards the end in response to her camera man asking whether he should get a final shot of the trench, the reporter replies “A trench is a trench. They are all the same.” How true. The trench is a metaphor for our humanity. Good and bad.

Believable farce that is bleakly funny. Taut. Brutal. Savagely critical of human nature and yet simultaneously sympathetic to us in spite of our self-destructive foibles. Well written. Well filmed. Well acted. The final scene is, unfortunately, perfect. Review based on the DVD with no extras except the trailer, which totally misrepresents the film. Available at Clemons and Sneak Reviews. In Bosnian, French, and English (plus maybe a few others) with English subtitles. Beginning

North by Northwest (1959) (****, suspense) (D.-Alfred Hitchcock; Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Leo G. Carroll, Martin Landau, Jessie Royce Landis) Classic Hitchcock. Grant as a very successful ad man thought that he had problems with a meddling mother and two divorced wives. Then a case of mistaken identity leads him into a rabbit's warren of intrigue, murder, spies, and the CIA. He is wanted for murder by the police and the baddies who botched one attempt on his life have no plans to botch it again. His only hope is a beautiful blonde in a Pullman sleeper. Unfortunately, it is not clear whether she is more interested in his gorgeous body or in having him act the part of a corpse--with perfect authenticity. Mason effortlessly plays the suave, ruthless villain with an able assist from the coolly menacing Landau. Eva Marie Saint has a true bedroom voice and the lines to go with it. Grant is his usual superb combination of wit, resourcefulness, and vulnerability. Grant was quite an athelete and a professional dancer. Watch the way he moves in some of the scenes. I wouldn't be surprised if the bruise was real; watch closely the scene where he was supposed to get it. While somewhat dated, the dialogue is still sharp, the humor effortless, and some of the suspense excellent. Fine cinematography throughout. If you have only seen this movie in the regular TV version then you haven't seen it. Some scenes scream for the orginal panoramic view. In particular, in the cornfield scene where Cary Grant is waiting, you miss the point entirely on the cropped TV image. The letterboxed laserdisc version is awesome!! The panoramic view of the desolate, barren, windswept Iowa fields is overwhelming while the cropped TV version feels imprisoned. The same is true of the superbly orchestrated climactic finale on Mount Rushmore. ??For those unfamiliar with Hitchcock movies, he made an effort to appear in most of his movies. In many, I have never located him, but in North by Northwest, even the near blind can pick him out. see also North by Northwest, Comments. (12-6-92) Beginning

Nosferatu (1922) (***1/2, horror, classic) (D.-F.W. Murnau, Max Schreck, Alexander Granach) The first vampire movie. Loosely based on Bram Stoker's novel. While some of the scenes are still eerily effective, the grossly exaggerated theatrical expressions and actions of the early silent films will bring as many laughs from modern audiences as shivers. Jonathan Harker's behavior is so moronic that one begins to wish the Count would dispatch him as an act of mercy. However, you will probably remember the shipboard scenes long afterward. Also, the use of shadows is particularly effective and ghostly images and disappearances were well handled. Given the time, this is a very well done movie of interest to students of cinematography. Comparative students of vampire lore will also enjoy the variations on the story. Nosferatu was such a blatant and unauthorized adaptation of Stoker's Dracula, that Stoker's widow won a lawsuit that called for the destruction of all prints. Fortunately, copies survived to provide a unique look at an early visual interpretation. (2-8-93) See Vampires. Beginning

Nosferatu (****) (Restored version 2000) (11-27-00) The film was accompanied live by the Silent Orchestra. They also did the sound track for the DVD. The film, the sound, the restoration are quite simply magnificent. I suspect the sound track is more discordant than the original, but the intent of the music is to convey mood and support plot; it works beautifully. After having watched this restored version, I am forced to reassess my opinion of the film. While it still brings occasional laughter from the audience, it manages to be genuinely chilling and truly disturbing. The stunning camera work and editing create a world of growing decay and fear, which ultimately fill one with dread.

The Silent Orchestra is a modern ensemble dedicated to bringing the art of new music to the silent screen. The group consists of Rich O’Meara and Carlos Garza , and they used a beautiful blend of both acoustic and electronic instruments.

I can hardly wait to get my hands on the DVD. See Vampires. Beginning

Nosferatuu the Vampyre (1979) (***1/2, horror) (D.-Werner Herzog; Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz, Roland Topor) Beautifully seductive and immensely disturbing. Superb visual-aural integration. The story pays homage to F. W. Murnau's classic 1922 Nosferatu along with the surrealistic, unnerving atmosphere of Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1932 silent classic Vampyr. This is not your standard vampire film. Don't expect blood and gore or action. Story is secondary. Nosferatu is atmosphere and style. It is slow, but it grew on me. I think it will grow even more on the next viewing. The combined impact of the aural-visual images had me mesmerized by the end.

Kinski IS Nosferatu (the original, not the suave Count of Lugosi). Pale, fanged, bald, and with pointed ears. Hands like claws. Ancient. Bored. Spent. Too tired to be evil. Taking life is a chore, but a necessary one since he is still unwilling to give up his spark of life.

Adjani as Lucy, wife of the hapless Jonathan Harker (Ganz), is beautiful. Ethereal. Delicate. Fine featured. And with a steel will the equal of Nosferatu's ancient powers.

Nosferatu has awesome images. One is the swirling camera around the ghost ship carried by the winds toward its fateful rendezvous with the thriving city of Bismark. Herzog loves this detached swirling view. In Aguirre: the Wrath of God, he uses it in the stunning climax--a scene that alone is worth the price of 10 admissions. Review based on the dubbed English version, which is about 10 minutes shorter and supposedly not as good as the German version. (7-14-97) See Vampires. Beginning

Nostradaums and Mission to Mars: A Comparison. (12-10-01) I review, too, very different films below. One is Mission to Mars. Given the gifted cast and director and the cost, I didn’t believe the film could be as bad as many of the reviews had indicated. The other was Nostradamus. Mistakingly believing this was a documentary DVD, I accidentally checked it out of Clemons. It is actually a very low budget sci fi, horror thriller. I think you will find the comparison interesting. Beginning

Nostradamus (2000) (***, sci fi, horror, action) (12-10-01) (D.- Tibor Takács; Rob Estes, Joely Fisher, Fintan McKeown, David Millbern, Brent Fidler, Peter Jordan, Paul Jordan) I’ll get some static on my rating, but for the genre it delivers. Mixing time travel, witchcraft, a psychic, a police procedural, and action the director produces a genuinely entertaining film based on what at first seems like a totally ridiculous premise. But bear with it. It is no less ridiculous than many other films and actually does have internal logic that holds together reasonably well. A medieval cult from the time of Nostradamus is trying to bring about the apocalypse in the present by coming forward in time and destroying critical pockets of good before the alignment of the stars is right. The only things standing in their way is totally skeptical policeman Michael Nostrand (Estes from Silk Stalking) and psychic FBI agent Lucy Hudson (Fisher). The cult led by the ominous Garamond (McKeown, the unrecognizable good natured pig farmer from Waking Ed Devine).

The cult sends forward in time their Mabus henchmen. Armed with modern and ancient weapons and sorcery, they cut a swath through the human obstacles as the police try ineffectually to figure out what is going on. The primary Mabus was Peter Jordan. This man is genuinely frightening. If you saw him coming down the street towards you, all your instincts would scream “cross the street”. Later on, a second Mabus appears who is similar in appearance and virtually as bone chilling; in reality he is the brother (Paul) of the first one.

What makes the film work is the truly believable performance of Estes. Here is modern man, a true skeptic who is gradually forced into accepting the unthinkable. His transformation, his clinging to rational explanations are totally believable. Some of his reactions when confronted with an alternate reality are so completely human that I could totally sympathize with him. His performance is complemented by the nice chemistry with, and the performance of, Fisher. In effect, she plays several very different parts and her skepticism is also believable. You like these people. John Doe (Fidler) does a truly memorable performance as a madman who may not be mad at all, just behaving logically under enormous psychological pressure. Incidentally, Mabus comes from the writings of Nostradamus and appears to have had at least two meanings. The operative one here is the tool for the apocalypse.

The DVD comes with a very nice supplementary film voice over commentary by the director. A low budget film shot in only 18 days, the director points out many of the tricks used to make a nifty little film on an ultralow budget. In Canada, how do you find a medieval castle and church? They used a burned out Gothic church near Winnepeg. Coupled with cg and matte overlays, the castle looked pretty good. They also explained how they handled rain. The burned out cathedral and graveyard is actually a Winnepeg tourist attraction complete with lighting that the director used almost without change. The film is supposed to take place in Minneapolis. The director was able to get many locations in Winnepeg that pass. Apparently, there is even one scene with the capitol building in the background and the director says they get away with it because the two capitol buildings are so similar. The cars were all rentals and could not be damaged. The bullet holes are cg for the initial impact and very convincing decals afterwards. The director couldn’t shoot up downtown or the parking garage, so the shattering glass that you see is all cg! The effects work great. There are a number of places where the director adapted the story to the locations that they could get, which is the mark of a good low budget film director. Finally, one last thing I really liked about the film were the opening credits by Frantic Films.

So if you are willing to suspend a certain amount of credulity, don’t mind a WWI pistol having more rounds than a machine gun, and like films done with style on a low budget, Nostradamus is an entertaining evening. Beginning

Notorious (1946) (***, spy, thriller, drama, classic) (12-21-98) (D.-Alfred Hitchcock; Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern, Leopoldine Konstantin, Reinhold Schunzel, Moroni Olsen) The time is 1946, and the war isover. A woman of easy virtue and hedonistic life style (Bergmann), a German spy ring up to no good, and a government agent Devlin (Grant). Bergman is convinced to infiltrate a German ring in Buenos Aires by Grant who, in spite of her past lifestyle, falls for her instantly, but cannot accept her past. To succeed she must marry one of the spies, an older man Alexander Sebastian (Rains), who has long had a crush on her--the final step in Grant's disillusionment with her. The discovery of her duplicity by the Germans leads to the final resolution.

There are many classic Hitchcock touches. The opening, where a critical identity is delayed is perfect. The escape at first seems too Hollywoodish, but on analysis everyone's behavior is coldly rational. Unfortunately, the chemistry between Bergmann and Grant never achieves the believability necessary for the film to work. Perhaps this is a problem with inadequate time to develop their chemistry, but nevertheless for me it is a major weakness. What does work, however, is Raines' performance. He clearly conveys the tragedy of an older man manipulated and destroyed by a younger woman and by his domineering mother (Konstantin). In spite of his profession, he is the most sympathetic character in the film. But then Hitchcock never had a problem with instilling complex humanity in his villains, and if Raines had the brains of his mother, the end might have been different.

A marvelous aspect of the film, which I had missed until I read Truffaut's Hitchcock was the use of uranium as the MacGuffin. The film was released in 1946 after the war. What I had missed is that it was based on a 1944 film script. Yet the A-Bomb Manhatten Project was one of the most closely guarded secrets until its use in August 1945! What led Hitchcock to this? The answer was two-fold. First there had been a few murmurings about nuclear energy and weapons before the war. Second, a friend of Hitch had told him that there was a super secret project in New Mexico where people went in and never came out. Hitchcock put the two together, but really didn't care what the MacGuffin was. The script was rejected by one studio because of the outrageous premise. Hitchcock did go to Andrew Millikan at Cal Tech (complete with a bust of Einstein in the corner) to test the idea. The first words out his mouth were "Dr. Millikan, how big would an atom bomb be?" Millikan replied "You want to have yourrself arrested and have me arrested as well?" He then spent an hour trying to convince Hitchcock that an atom bomb was nothing, but a hydrogen bomb would be a real weapon. Hitchcock much later learned that the FBI followed him for 3 months after that meeting. [From Hitchcock by Truffaut--see review 11-30-98] Beginning

Notting Hill (1999) (***, humor) (6-21-99) (D.-Roger Michell; Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Richard McCabe, Rhys Ifans, Emma Chambers, Gina McKee, Ja mes Dreyfus, Hugh Bonneville, Dylan Moran, Tim McInnerny) By the same director as Four Weddings and a Funeral. If you liked Weddings, you may like Hill with which it has many common threads. It is about the meeting of an unlikely couple, the travails that separate them, and ultimately reconciliations. This frame is surrounded by delightfully quirky characters. Anna Scott (Roberts) is the world's most famous movie actress and William Thacker (Grant) is Notting Hill's least successful businessman. She pops into his book store to pick up a book. He, of course, recognizes her, but manages to help preserve her illusion of anonymity, which is a commodity in very short supply for the famous actress and she is grateful. After a second "meet cute", mutual interest rears its ugly head. Of course the biggest obstacle is that she is the world's most famous actress. The important things in a film of this type are the main characters, their chemistry, a logical progression of overcoming obstacles, and the wall paper of surrounding characters. Roberts and Grant are both charming and their interactions delightfully believable. Grant is master of the bumbling, love struck suitor act, and no one does it better. The local color includes William's spacy, punk sister Honey (Chambers); his best friend Max (McInnerny), Max's wife Bella (McKee), and pal Bernie (Bonneville). However, the master of insanity is Thacker's roommate Spike (Ifans). He is a loose cannon and you never know when he will set off a conflagration by failing to think through the consequences of his actions.

Much of the humor comes from the self-effacing way that Roberts allows her character, a famous actress, to be portrayed. In real life Roberts is about as famous as Anna, and has suffered through many of the experiences portrayed in the film, including surgery and outrageous press. She did, however, use a stunt body in Pretty Woman.

Hill lacks the breadth of plot and the richness of characters of Wedding, but what it does have makes for a pleasant evening. At 125 minutes, it could have used some judicious tightening, but it never drags badly. So my recommendation is that if you liked the style of romantic comedy of Wedding, go to Hill. Just don't expect it to be as good. Beginning

No Way Out (1987) (***, suspense) (D-Roger Donaldson; Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young, Will Patton, Howard Duff, George Dzundza) A genuinely clever variation on the classic Big Clock. I will not spoil the story by giving too many details. Politics, sex, death, and double crosses. A young career Navy officer (Cosner) is having a hot clandestine affair with Young who has one too many admirers. She is killed and Cosner finds himself assigned to direct the task force to track down her killer. Unfortunately, his association with her has left a trail that leads his minions directly, albeit slowly, to him. Everything he does to uncover the real killer oh so slowly and elegantly tightens the noose around his own neck. Excellent tension and suspense. In my opinion, the ending is spoiled somewhat by having one too many twists, but your adrenaline levels won't let you worry about that until much later. (10-26-92)

Fact: Kevin Costner was very self-conscious about the love scene in the limo. At one point, he felt that his character would want to put up the barrier to prevent the driver from watching, so he started an impromptu conversation with the nonexistent driver to this effect. Everyone was stunned but continued filming. Afterwards the director decided his action was correct and promptly filmed the necessary driver's responses; that is how it plays. Beginning

Nuns on the Run (1990) (**1/2, comedy) (D.- Jonathan Lynn; Eric Idle, Robbie Coltrane, Camille Coduri, Janet Suzman, Doris Hare, Lila Kaye, Robert Patterson) No great shakes and uneven, but with some very funny moments by Idle and Coltrane. The two are criminals who have enough of the escalating violence in crime, find themselves with a suitcase of money, and decide this golden parachute retirement package is too good to pass up. Unfortunately, everyone else, including their vicious boss (Patterson) think the golden years of retirement should be short--seconds if possible (like our budget-minded government). So the pair bolt and hide in a convent disguised as nuns with all the associated complications that you would expect. (6-19-95) Beginning

Number Seventeen (1932) (**1/2, crime) (10-15-01) (D.-Alfred Hitchcock; Leon M. Lion, Anne Grey, John Stuart, Donald Calthrop, Barry Jones, Garry Marsh) Dated but entertaining early Hitchcock. A man wanders into a deserted house on a cold wind-swept night. Deserted that is except for a body, a delightful tramp (Lion), and a steadily growing list of characters. The place is positively crowded by the end of the evening. Who is who? Who did what to whom? How will it end? These are the questions that make up the film. Little is as it seems as the alliances shift and details unravel. Noteworthy for the many Hitchcockian touches and the then novel use of miniatures in an action, suspense movie. The bus, train chase is quite effective, although the miniatures are frequently (but not always) apparent. Review based on the DVD from Clemons Library.

Nurse Betty (2000) (***, comedy, crime) (11-20-00) (D.-Neil LaBute; W.-John C. Richards; Morgan Freeman, Renée Zellweger, Chris Rock, Greg Kinnear, Aaron Eckhart, Tia Texada, Crispin Glover, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Allison Janney) A black comedy. A young woman, Betty (Zellweger), is married to a worthless car salesman (Eckhart) who gets on the bad side of some very unpleasant types. Betty’s sole love in life is the soaps, especially Dr. David Ravell (Kinnear). Following an unfortunate misunderstanding involving her husband, she retreats into a psychotic state where she thinks Dr. Ravell is real and her ex-beau. So she embarks on an odyssey to reclaim her lost love. If this isn’t bad enough, two hit men, Charlie (Freeman) and Wesley (Rock), are in hot pursuit. The set up, the pursuits, both physical and sexual, the flukes leading to her meeting Ravell, and the final crisis form the backbone of the film. The acting is excellent, especially by Zellweger and Freeman. Freeman’s acting is so effortlessly looking and so sophisticated that it is always a pleasure to watch. The interaction between the laid back, about to retire, Charlie and the hyper kinetic loose cannon Wesley is one the comedic high points of the film.

This is not a riotously funny comedy, but it does have a steady stream of comedic moments. Black comedy is always tricky and my wife and I both felt that the end was excessively dark. However, the getting there was entertaining. Beginning