whose life, when you look at it under a microscope, doesn't have any flaws?

SPOILER ALERT! Don't read the fourth review if you're planning to watch D.O.A. Average rating: 7.25. (I disregarded the outlier, for fairness to the others.)

Insider (1999) - "After seeking the expertise of former 'Big Tobacco' executive Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), seasoned TV producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) suspects a story lies behind Wigand's reluctance to speak. As Bergman persuades Wigand to share his knowledge of industry secrets, the two must contend with the courts and the corporations that stand between them and exposing the truth. All the while, Wigand must struggle to maintain his family life amidst lawsuits and death threats."
length: 2 hours, 37 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I remember it being incredibly thought-provoking, and disturbing (in a good way)—and I really needed a distraction

    previously reviewed here
IMDB: 7.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 90%
my IMDB: 9/10

MPAA rating: R

notable quote: "'Where's the rest? Where the hell's the rest? You cut it! You cut the guts out of what I said!'

    'It was a time consideration, Mike.'

    'Time? BULLSHIT! You corporate LACKEY! Who told you your incompetent little fingers had the requisite skills to edit me! I'm trying to band-aid a situation here, and you're too dim to...'

    'Mike... Mike... Mike...'

    'Mike? "Mike." Try "Mr. Wallace". We work in the same corporation doesn't mean we work in the same profession. What are you going to do now? You're gonna finesse me, lawyer me some more? I've been in this profession fifty fucking YEARS! You, and the people you work for, are destroying the most-respected, the highest-rated, the most-profitable show on this network!'"

directed by: Michael Mann

my notes: excellent film, brilliantly acted, directed and shot. Michael Mann is a terrific director. Besides Christopher Plummer, Crowe and Pacino, there are some real powerhouse actors in this cast, including Colm Feore, Bruce McGill (always a favorite), and Rip Torn. 

    It's not a movie for everyone, but it's profoundly good.

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture—Michael Mann, Pieter Jan Brugge

• Best Actor—Russell Crowe

• Best Director—Michael Mann

• Best Writing, Screenplay based on material previously produced or published—Eric Roth, Michael Mann

• Best Cinematography—Dante Spinotti

• Best Film Editing—William Goldenberg, Paul Rubell, David Rosenbloom

• Best Sound—Andy Nelson, Doug Hemphill, Lee Orloff
overall: strongly recommended

 

My Favorite Brunette (1947) - "Ronnie Jackson (Bob Hope) is a lowly baby photographer who secretly fantasizes about being a private detective. When a lovely baroness (Dorothy Lamour) actually mistakes him for one and asks him to help locate her missing husband, Baron Montay (Frank Puglia), Ronnie finds himself agreeing. Several days later he is on death row whiling away the hours until his execution by recounting to a group of reporters the bizarre tale of how he ended up there."
length: 1 hour, 27 minutes

source: streamed on PlutoTV
I watched it because: it was on my watchlist, and I wanted something light-hearted after the intensity of the last picture
IMDB: 6.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 75% Audience: 69%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "I was cut out for this kind of life. All my life I wanted to be a hard-boiled detective like Humphrey Bogart or Dick Powell or... even Alan Ladd."

directed by: Elliott Nugent

my notes: OMG, it's a Bob Hope movie that I actually liked. It's a little twisty and very goofy, full of in-jokes and silliness. The fourth wall is broken. The rest of the cast is ... weird, but in a good way. And Lamour is outstandingly beautiful.

overall:  recommended

1941 (1979) - "After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, residents of California descend into a wild panic, afraid that they might be the next target. Among them are Wild Bill Kelso, a crazed National Guard pilot; Sgt. Frank Tree, a patriotic, straight-laced tank crew commander; Ward Douglas, a civilian willing to help with the American war effort at any cost; and Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell, who tries his hardest to maintain sanity amid the chaos."
length: 1 hour, 58 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from a friend's collection
I watched it because: I hadn't seen it before, and wondered if a comedy directed by Spielberg could really be funny
IMDB: 5.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 39% Audience: 41%
my IMDB: 1/10     DNF

MPAA rating: PG

notable quote: "Madness - it's the only word to describe it. This isn't the state of California, this is a state of insanity."

directed by: Steven Spielberg

my notes: WAY too long. The first hour felt like 3 hours of nonstop lame jokes and gags. Solid feh.

overall: not  recommended

D.O.A. (1950) - "Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien) is about to die, and he knows it. The accountant has been poisoned and has only 24 hours before the lethal concoction kills him. Determined to find out who his murderer is, Frank, with the help of his assistant and girlfriend, Paula (Pamela Britton), begins to trace back over his last steps. As he frantically tries to unravel the mystery behind his own impending demise, his sleuthing leads him to a group of crooked businessmen and another murder."

length: 1 hour, 23 minutes

source: streamed on "Fandango at Home" (seriously, who came up with that name? It's awful!!)
I watched it because: it's been on my watchlist for ages
IMDB: 7.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 88% Audience: 75%
my IMDB: 5/10

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "'Of course, I'll have to notify the police. This is a case for Homicide.'

    'Homicide?'

    'I don't think you fully understand, Bigelow. You've been murdered.'"

directed by: Rudolph Maté

my notes: it is probably really good if you can get into it, which I could not because of all the incredible coincidences that had to take place for it to even get off the ground. Like, how did they know he'd be in that bar, at that time, under those circumstances?

overall: recommended only to major noir fans, because this is a classic of the genre

 

Letter to Three Wives (1949) - "Lora May Hollingsway, who grew up next to the wrong side of the tracks, married her boss—who thinks she is just a gold digger. Rita Phipps makes (at least) as much money writing radio scripts at night as her school-teacher husband does. Deborah Bishop looked great in a Navy uniform in WWII but fears she'll never be dressed just right for the Country Club set. These three wives are boarding a boat filled with children going on a picnic when a messenger on a bicycle hands them a letter addressed to all three from Addie Ross—who has just left town with one of their husbands. They won't know which one until they return that night."

length: 1 hour, 43 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I liked it so well the first time, and I'm in the mood for moody

    previously reviewed here
IMDB: 7.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 86%
my IMDB: 8/10

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "'How do I look?'

    'If I was you, I'd show more o' what I got. Maybe wear somethin' with beads.'

    'What I got don't need beads.'"

directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

my notes: I love this movie. The premise is fresh and the script both snappy and thoughtful, the cast is incredibly skilled and well-suited to their roles, and there is real humor (Thelma Ritter is a hidden gem in any film). Fantastic!

Academy Award winner:

• Best Director—Mankiewicz

• Best Writing, Screenplay—Mankiewicz

Academy Award nominee: Best Picture

overall: highly recommended

 

[the title quotation is from Insider]