Blu-ray debut for John Farrow's delightful genre-mashing original, THE BIG CLOCK

Anyone who's never seen THE BIG CLOCK, the 1948 film that, while successful enough it is own time has since become what one might call a second-tier classic, should avail him/ herself of any opportunity. It's a keeper -- under just about every criteria. And just because you might have seen the so-so would-be remake from 1987 titled No Way Out, don't think you've even begun to  have discovered the genre-jumping/mashing charm of the original.

As directed by the under-rated journeyman filmmaker from Australia, John Farrow (shown right), with a screenplay by Jonathan Latimer (from the novel by Kenneth Fearing), the film begins with what TrustMovies thinks is an unnecessary prolog in which we learn that our hero is a man on the not-quite-run (only because he can't escape his surroundings).

Had the film simply begun at the beginning and moved along as it soon does, the audience might have imagined they were in for -- not the thriller it partially is -- but either a workplace satire or a comedy of manners, morals and art appreciation.

The Big Clock is all three of the above, as well as a lot more, too, mashing and jumping genres in a manner that would spin the heads of many of today's moviemakers. Plus, it offers a plot that has our hero (Ray Milland, above, right) forced by his evil boss to investigate himself for the very murder that boss has commited. (No spoilers here: most of the fun and multi-surprises come as that "investigation" occurs.)

As the hero, Milland proves his usual adept self at garnering our sympathy, even as he holds us back from fully embracing this somewhat flawed and slightly distanced man, while the great actor Charles Laughton (above) makes a magnificent meal out of the villain, a nasty media mogul named Earl Janoth. Watch the subtle (then not so) changes in Laughton's amazing face in the memorable murder scene for a lesson in fine film acting.

The supporting cast is full of familiar faces, with the wonderful Elsa Lanchester (above, left, and Laughton's real-life wife) a hoot-and-a-half as the artist whose work and bizarre personality figure heavily into the plot machinations. If everyone else were not so splendid, Ms Lanchester would have walked away with the movie. The unveiling of her portrait of the murder suspect is one of the film's highlights -- as is her final line.

A nice surprise, too, is the use of famed character actor Harry (Henry) Morgan, above, playing a masseuse/right-hand man you definitely would not want manhandling your vulnerable body. But then everyone here, including an uncredited Noel Neill as a smart and sassy elevator operator, is first-rate.

Director Farrow's handling of the plot and the melding of genres are also classy indeed. Note how swift and shocking is the murder scene, and how deft and fast-paced is the climax. These days, a filmmaker might drag out scenes like these well past their believability or entertainment quotient. Oh, and that titular clock is used well, too.

All in all as old movies go, this one's a don't miss. From Arrow Academy (distributed here in the USA via MVD Visual) and running just 96 minutes, The Big Clock hits Blu-ray (the transfer seems adequate but nothing to shout about) -- along with several worthwhile Bonus Features, including an appreciation of actor Laughton by Simon Callow, and a fine analysis of the film by Adrian Wootton -- this coming Tuesday, May 14, for purchase and I would hope rental, too.

Home video debut for Michael Dunaway and Chris White's slick, surprising and commendable SIX L.A. LOVE STORIES

Just how much quality entertainment can be packed into a sextet of unconnected stories lasting only 77 minutes is demonstrated quite vividly in the just-released-to-home-video indie movie, SIX L.A. LOVE STORIES.

This proved to be one of those films TrustMovies agreed to watch, thinking that at least he'd be doing the publicist a favor, that turned out to be a delightful surprise he would not have wanted to miss.

A sterling example of what decent direction (Michael Dunaway)

and editing (Sean Valla), smart writing (from Mr. Dunaway and Chris White) and most especially the kind of terrific acting that some of tinsel town's finest supporting and ensemble actors can deliver, this little movie actually makes good on what many other vastly more storied and expensive projects fail at: an intelligent, funny, occasionally even moving and always entertaining piece of movie-making.

That cast includes Dunaway, shown at left, who plays (and very well) a big, cuddly teddy bear of an ex-husband to Alicia Witt's ex-wife, meeting ostensibly to discuss the proper school for their young daughter, but delving into other, much more personal things. Ms Witt (below) provides the dramatic high point here, as she navigates near-perfectly a most difficult and confusing few moments of self-revelation.

The writing includes a marvelous riff on Kurt Cobain's pancreas, delivered with in deliciously dry fashion by one of my favorite actors, Ross Partridge (below, whose film Lamb you really ought to see),

playing a "guest" at a rather typical L.A. pool party who has a yen for another guest, an angry young woman essayed with zest and finesse by Ashley Williams, below.

More delightful dialog comes as a recently cuckolded husband (a fine Matthew Lillard, below), confronts his abashed wife with a raft of questions: "Did he use a condom?  Was it one of mine?  Out of my sock drawer!?"

That poor wife (the always wonderful Carrie Preston, below), here as hang-dog as you are likely to have seen her, can only sit and hope and cope.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, a sort of mini-Ted-Talks-marathon is taking place, staged managed by Jennifer Lafleur (below, left), at which one of the guest speakers turns out to be her ex-lover (Ogy Durham, below, right), whose very appearance here has been stage-managed, too.

What L.A. movie would be complete without some "movie industry" fodder? This is provided by the tale of a ditzy would-be screenwriter (Marshall Allman, below) who seems to pride himself on insulting the very folk who try to help him,

and his ex-girlfriend (Jamie Anne Allman, below), who, despite his idiocy and maybe due to how f-ing adorable the kid is, continues to carry a torch.

The funniest story involves the historic home of the famous Will Rogers, and a tour guide/docent at that home (the fabulously funny Beth Grant, below) and her encounter with an academic writer who is not a fan of this Mr. Rogers but who has flown out from New York to visit the house.

The writer is played by that ubiquitous supporting actor Stephen Tobolowsky, and he and Ms Grant make quite the match. These tales, fortunately, are women together so that we spend two, three, maximum four minutes with one and then move to another and another before arriving back to the original again. The pacing proves just about perfect so that we never lose touch with the each plot nor its humor and drama, even though there is no connection between the characters or tales.

The movie has a nice, improvisational quality that carries through all the tales, and it helps immensely that each situation and each set of characters are different enough, one from another, that neither repetition nor similarity ever sets in. What is maybe most surprising here is how very involved we get in these short little stories -- thanks to the very high grade of acting, writing, directing and editing on view. Good job, all! (That's Peter Bogdonovich, below, who makes a guest appearance in the film as one of those Ted-ish-Talks speakers.)

From Random Media and running just 77 minutes, Six L.A. Love Stories made its debut on digital, DVD and VOD this past Tuesday, May 8. It's definitely worth a watch, especially for those who appreciate the movie equivalent of some good "short stories."

David Mackenzie's in-depth look at the fraught way we live now, HELL OR HIGH WATER

The only ordinary thing about HELL OR HIGH WATER, the marvelous new film from David Mackenzie, is its somewhat tired and certainly overused title. Otherwise, this compact, subtle, surprising little marvel of a movie gets under your skin and has you thinking about, understanding, and feeling for our fractured country and its poor (and not only financially) populace in ways that very few films have managed -- including even last year's terrific-and-should-have-won-the-Oscar movie, The Big Short.

How ironic that a British director should be able to nail today's America so sadly and beautifully. Mr. Mackenzie, shown at left, has a number of good films to his credit -- from his early and somewhat problematic Young Adam through the under-seen/under-rated Hallam Foe to one of the most profound and moving sci-fi dramas ever, Perfect Sense. This new one hits his high mark so far: a tale of bank robberies (that work both ways: Banks continue to rob us, so we them), brotherhood that is shown us in bonds of both family and friendship, and a search for justice that proves as difficult, sad and quietly unsettling as any you'll have so far witnessed, movie-wise.

Mackenzie and his casting directors (Jo Edna Bolden and Richard Hicks) have rounded up a truly wonderful cast -- both well-known leads and simply fabulous supporting players that lend the film the necessary gravity as well as a lot of tart truthfulness and humor. As the bank-robbing brothers, Chris Pine (above, right) and Ben Foster (left), whom I would never have imagined as siblings, work beautifully together  -- bouncing off each other with the kind of rivalry, annoyance, and deep love built up through decades (along with a certain brotherly lack of respect).

As their eventual adversary, we have an actor who just seems to deepen and improve with age to the point that he effortlessly owns any role (often any movie, too) in which he appears. That would be Jeff Bridges (above) as the Texas Ranger who, along with his partner (played wonderfully well by Gil Birmingham, below, right) dogs the bank robbers cleverly if sedentarily from very nearly the point of their initial foray into heists.

This is, as befits its tale, a "male" movie, but it does offer some choice supporting roles for women, in which every last one of them shines. The various bank tellers, in particular, are given wonderfully real moments, and one particular waitress -- a lovely job from Katy Mixon -- registers quite strongly. Another waitress (Margaret Bowman, below, center), in what is the film's funniest scene, registers even more strongly, and the always-fine Marin Ireland does a terrific job in making us understand why her character is Mr. Pine's "ex."

Working from a rich but lean screenplay by Tyler Sheridan (this one is much better than his earlier, more overwrought but less believable screenplay for Sicario), Mr. Mackenzie keeps everything on a low simmer throughout. Even when he gets to what would be, for lesser filmmakers, the chance to pull out the stops, he holds back -- which makes his audience appreciate all the more the opportunity to think about the consequences -- intended and not -- that one's actions incur.

This is the beauty of the film: how it forces us to confront the needs of all its characters and how it muddies up "right" and "wrong" until we, just as some of the characters here (those who are still alive, at least), are left pondering not-so-easy answers, along with as what that next and all-important step ought to be.

Most filmmakers would never allow the chance for additional action and bloodshed to go wanting. But this is what separates, movie-wise, the men from the boys. Hell or High Water is one of those rare "adult" motion pictures that asks for every bit of our attention and willingness to empathize and contemplate -- and then offers the kind of reward we seldom experience. (The musical score, too, by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, is appropriate -- and then some.)

From CBS Films and running a just-about perfectly-timed 102 minutes, the movie, I hope, will be one of those up for multiple awards come Oscar time (unless it is just too subtle for Academy members to appreciate). A better film in every way than the over-the-top and crammed-with-violence No Country for Old Men, after opening in New York and Los Angeles this past week, it hits cities nationwide this Friday, August 19. Here in South Florida it will Click here to find the theater(s) nearest you.

NED RIFLE: Hal Hartley's third and final part of the splendid "Henry Fool" trilogy opens

Despite all the acclaim (mine included) for Richard Linklater's 12-year project, Boyhood, and his three-part, follow-the-characters-through-the-decades "Before" series, not so much is made of the very interesting and decidedly off-kilter trilogy that now completes itself with the simultaneous theatrical and digital opening of NED RIFLE, the third part of the trilogy that began with the brilliant Henry Fool, continued with the not quite so fine Fay Grim, and now concludes -- at least, according to what its filmmaker, Hal Hartley, tells us -- with this new work.

This lack of critical acclaim may be because Hartley (at right) is even more "independent," loosey-goosey and out of the mainstream than is Linklater. His work over the decades (his full-length film debut was 1989's The Unbelievable Truth) has ranged pretty far afield, with Henry Fool being perhaps his most accessible and popular work -- and that is still nowhere near mainstream. Even when he's seemingly out to lunch (as with the oddball Girl From Monday), there's still plenty going on. I find Hartley's work worth watching, no matter what, and this is particularly evident in this fine trilogy.

It's been well over a decade since I revisited Henry Fool and maybe five years since Fay Grim (the eponymous characters for which the first and second film are named. Ned Rifle -- also eponymous -- turns out to be the son of the aforementioned pair, and this movie is his story.

As played again by Liam Aiken (two photos above), who has grown some since the second film -- these characters age realistically and believably from movie to movie -- Ned, with his mom in prison and his dad forever on the run, has been in some sort of witness-protection program, living as part of a very a church-going family, in which Dad (Hartley regular, Martin Donovan, above, right) is the local preacher.

Back again, too is Parker Posey (above) as Ned's mom, along with the driving force of the trilogy, Thomas Jay Ryan as dad Henry (below), who had too small a role in the middle movie. Also on board is the wonderful James Urbaniak (two photos below), reprising his role as Simon Grim.

From the start of Ned Rifle, we're besieged with god, prayer, terrorism, witness protection, and a plan for murder. Hatley's plot machinations are witty and smart, and his peculiar style of weighty-subjects-done-deadpan is exactly right. In this film, he takes in the modern world, including blogs, the web and credit-card tracking in ways that are humorous if not always completely believable. But he is after bigger game, and he often manages to catch it.

The filmmaker treats things we generally laugh at or pooh-pooh as worth at least considering honestly. His film is also full of fraught reunions executed in small, precise, dry and alternately funny and moving scenes. Ned Rifle builds in humor and suspense, and yes, there are a gun and a knife present -- both given their Chekhovian due.

New to this film, and so very good that she ought to become an immediate member of the Hartley acting stable, is Aubrey Plaza (above and below) who plays Susan Weber, a lady with connections to just about every other character in the film. Ms Plaza is near-perfection: the central figure in an array of characters that is indeed something to see.

The suspense, smiles and shocks build, and then -- suddenly it's all over. Too fast. I'd like to say More, please, but Hartley has told us there will be nothing further, at least so far as these characters are concerned. Too bad. For now, though, at least we have the joys of Ned Rifle. And while there is nothing here as amazing as that final scene in Henry Fool of running (toward or away, and does it even matter?), this final segment connects us so fully to that earlier film that we can only be thankful. (Grateful, too, for the wonderful music score -- by Hartley himself.)

Ned Rifle -- from Vimeo on Demand and running only 85 minutes (considerably shorter than the first two in this series) -- will open theatrically on Wednesday, April 1 in NYC (at the IFC Center) as well as via Vimeo On Demand. On Friday, April 3, the film will open in L.A. (at the CineFamily), San Francisco (at The Roxie), and Toronto (at The Royal), and then branch out on Friday April 10 to Boston/Cambridge (at The Brattle), Huntington, NY (at Cinema Arts Center), Seattle (at SIFF Center) and Portland, Oregon (at The Laurelhurst).  

Israel Horovitz's MY OLD LADY gives plum roles to three great actors in one sweet film

Say what you will about Israel Horovitz's feel-good rom-com-dramedy MY OLD LADY -- and I suspect that when the film opens this Friday, there will some very vociferous nay-sayers: The early ads for the film have taken to quoting critics such as yours truly, so clearly, they didn't have any famous "print" names to bandy about -- in this film, Mr. Horovitz's first major work as a director (he's best known as a playwright), he has brought together a well-nigh perfect cast and given it three plum roles to act in a tale that is almost sure to delight no end the forty-year-old-and beyond audience. The trials and tribulations going on here -- real estate and wills, parenting and parentage -- will be of no account to youngsters but prove catnip to most adults, particularly, I think, the senior crowd.

Horovitz, pictured at right, began this project using one of his plays, but as a movie director he has opened the play out so thoroughly and so well that anyone not knowing this guy's métier would never imagine that the tale began as a stage play. Horovitz has also set his contraption in Paris and made pretty good use of that fabulous place so that, visually, the movie is a constant treat. Even without the City of Light, with a cast this sterling -- which is used here spectacularly well -- you won't want to take your eyes off these marvelous performers for even a moment.

Of course, we're used to Maggie Smith (above), Kevin Kline (below) and Kristin Scott Thomas (further below), each offering first-class performances, but seldom are they given roles this plumb and then used in a manner both this obvious and this well. Watching the three play off each other is an absolute delight.

The story involves Mr. Kline as an American in Paris who has inherited from his estranged and now-dead father a rather large Parisian estate. What he finds when he arrives constitutes surprise after surprise after surprise.

Yet the plot is really rather simple, once the set-up is in place. But again, the performances breathe life and art into all they touch. The situation here is not an uncommon one where real estate in concerned. In fact, a good friend of mine found herself with a similar "cross to bear" some years back. But that was here in New York City. The French evidently have even more encompassing laws that protect the rights of those who find themselves in the situation occupied by the character played by Ms Smith.

In addition to this storied threesome, Horovitz (did he use a French casting director? I can find none credited on the IMDB) has cast some terrific French and Belgian actors -- including Dominique Pinon (below, left) as a local real estate agent, Noémie Lvovsky as the family doctor, and Stéphane De Groodt as the initial (and incorrect) love interest for Ms Scott Thomas -- all of whom shine.

As a film director Horovitz shows surprising promise late in his career. Scene after scene bubbles with enthusiasm and smarts, as he places his performers at precisely the right spot and then films them at their best. He is also subtler than I would have expected, and this is never better expressed than in his final scene. Here, in the far background, we catch sight of someone who remains in the far background and yet is so very present that we can rejoice in how beautifully and quietly the filmmaker has made perfect use of her, first to last.

OK: This film is a fairy tale of sorts. But fairy tales done well are among the very legitimate reasons so many of us still flock to cinema. These days, in particular (ISIS, anyone?).

From Cohen Media Group and running 104 lovely minutes, My Old Lady opens this Wednesday in New York (at the AMC Lincoln Square, Angelika, Bowtie Chelsea and Cinema 123) and  in Los Angeles (at The Landmark and the Arclight, Hollywood). Over the coming weeks it will open in cities across the country. You can find all currently scheduled playdates by clicking here and scrolling down a bit.

Our new hero(ine): Lake Bell and her singular amazement, IN A WORLD...

The title? Come on: Don't pretend that it doesn't ring a bell. That's right: Movie trailers and those special words that so often seem to begin them: "In a world where..." (you finish it). The first big surprise about IN A WORLD... -- the new movie and the first full-length film from Lake Bell (shown above and below), the actress who also wrote, produced, directed and takes the starring role -- is that something this funny, enjoyable and accessible could be made about the odd little voice-over industry that helps supply the world with movie trailers.

You'd think this would be terribly esoteric stuff (and it probably is), but Ms Bell has found a way to take us rather deep inside it to make us understand the whole thing remarkably well. How? First of all, by hitting us with a terrific opening credits sequence in which she manages to offer up this little industry, along with its history and current events, by the end of which we're ready to roll.

And roll, we do. Ms Bell has concocted a tale involving family, friends and business associates throughout the L.A. and Hollywood areas (everywhere from sound studios to steam rooms) that jumps in and out of genres from rom-coms to movies about movie-making, family films, competition thrillers & infidelity dramas. And she does this so buoyantly, jubilantly that 93 minutes roll by in the blink of an eye.

Bell trusts us to keep up with her, too; for a first-time, full-length filmmaker she's surprisingly adept at pacing her film and using the sort of movie-shorthand that speeds things up. Clues are dropped along the way, and the filmmaker assumes that we'll catch them and figure things out. We do.

Voices, tapes and talking count for a lot in this film -- which is a kind of verbal/audio feast. This also may account for why the film is no great shakes visually (it doesn't need to be, so satisfyingly aural and well-written is it). Bell's visual sense may continue to develop; this is only a first film, after all. And as the movie is so much fun, I suspect only visual purists will complain.

In the terrific cast assembled here (by Ms Bell?  Neither the IMDB nor the press materials lists any casting director), so many performers have the opportunity to stand out. Time prevents me from listing them all, but I must praise Rob Corddry (above with Ms Bell), whose work here as the boyfriend of Bell's sister is as good as anything he's done (which is saying something!), as well as Michaela Watkins, who is lovely and vulnerable as that sister.

Fred Melamed (above, left, with a funny, sexy Ken Marino), plays Bell's uber-narcissist, in-the-same-profesion dad; while Demetri Martin (below), whose wonderful energy and genuine sweetness makes the rom-com portion of the film work beautifully (this is Martin's best work since Taking Woodstock), provides the most important of Bell's romantic interests.

Look for Geena Davis, too, in a surprise role toward the finale that should makes us all realize how much we've missed her over these past few years.

TrustMovies doesn't rate films via stars, but if he did, this one would have amassed 'em all. It's the most fun I've had at the movies so far this year, and it also proves a great learning experience. Ms Bell is now my hero (or heroine, whichever she'd prefer). She's not only shown us that she can make a terrific film, she's proved to us -- and to the industry -- that there is indeed a place for the sound of a woman's voice in trailers and voice-over, while giving us one hell of a good time in the process. This is the feel-good romantic-comedy of the summer.

In a World..., from Roadside Attractions, opens this Fri., August 9, in New York City (exclusively at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema) and in L.A. (at the Arclight Hollywood and The Landmark). It'll certain-ly open soon elsewhere around the country -- everywhere, I hope.