I won't stay in quarantine! I don't care who catches it

Average rating: 7.25

49th Parallel (1941) - "In the early days of World War II, a German U-boat is sunk in Canada's Hudson Bay. Hoping to evade capture, a small band of German soldiers led by commanding officer Lieutenant Hirth (Eric Portman) attempts to cross the border into the United States, which has not yet entered the war and is officially neutral. Along the way, the German soldiers encounter brave men such as French-Canadian fur trapper Johnnie (Laurence Olivier) and soldier Andy Brock (Raymond Massey)."
length: 2 hours, 3 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: Olivier, Raymond Massey - and Anton Walbrook
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 88% Audience: 75%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: Not rated

notable quote: "You call us Germans, you call us brothers, yes most of us are Germans, our name is German, our tongue is German, our handwritten books are in German scripts, but we are not your brothers. Our Germany's dead, however hard this may be for some of us older people, it's a blessing for our children. Our children grew against new backgrounds, new horizons and they are free."

directed by: Michael Powell

my notes: bizarre! Patriotic, funny, surprisingly violent, innocent, religious, reflective, smart, inspiring, and more besides. Olivier is both ridiculous and wonderful as the trapper, Johnnie. Finlay Currie (who I loved as Magwitch in Great Expectations {1946}, first reviewed here) is excellent as the Canadian factor. I also quite liked Leslie Howard as the resilient fop Philip Armstrong Scott. Best of the bunch, though, is Walbrook as Peter, the humble leader of the Hutterite group. It's such a quiet, thoughtful role. He also gives the best spoken performance in the film, an impassioned speech about freedom and meaning. 

    Roger Ebert's discussion of Powell and Emeric Pressburger's work is here, which I love.

Academy Award winner: Best Writing, Original story—Pressburger

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture

• Best Writing, Screenplay—Rodney Ackland, Emeric Pressburger
overall:  recommended

 

Another Thin Man (1939) - "The Charles' are back in New York with Asta and a new arrival: Nickie Jr. They are invited by Colonel MacFey to spend the weekend at his house in Long Island as he desperately wants Charles to help him out. It seems he has been receiving threats from Phil Church, a very shady character. When McFey is killed, Church seems to be the obvious suspect, but Nick suspects there is something far more complicated going on. McFey's housekeeper, daughter and various hangers-on may all have had an interest in seeking the old man's demise."
length: 1 hour, 43 minutes

source: I own the DVD series
I watched it because: I want to watch them all in order

    (previously reviewed here)
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 86% Audience: 85%
my IMDB: 8/10 

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "'Here's another one of those; "Call Long Island Operator #15." Don't you think you ought to call her?'

    'Certainly not; she knows better than that! I told her I was bringing the wife along this time.'

    'I don't know why I always take it for granted that you're kidding.'"

directed by: W.S. Van Dyke

my notes: thoroughly adorable. Powell's Nick is simultaneously smug and considerate, a fribble with a brain and a heart. Nora is a fashionable, sophisticated lady with a sense of humor and obvious kindness. Asta is, as always, cute and funny. This plot is twisted and complex but it sorts out properly in the end. 

overall:  highly recommended

Mulan (2020) - "A fearless young woman risks everything out of love for her family and her country to become one of the greatest warriors China has ever known. When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan—the eldest daughter of an honored warrior—steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honored warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nation … and a proud father. "
length: 1 hour, 55 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from the public library
I watched it because: Jet Li and Donnie Yen make any movie worth seeing
IMDB: 5.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 72% Audience: 46%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: PG-13

notable quote: "You liar. Your deceit weakens you."

directed by: Niki Caro

my notes: keep in mind that this is a Disney film intended for children. It's neither brilliant cinema nor culturally realistic. It is inspiring, emotional, funny, and relevant. The action is terrific, the costumes excellent, and the score is not distracting. It's worth a see.

    RogerEbert.com's review is here, with which I do not wholly agree.

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Visual Effects—Sean Andrew Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury, Steve Ingram

• Best Costume Design—Bina Daigeler
overall:  recommended

Nightmare Alley (1947) - "Mesmerized by the dark allure of the carnival world, opportunist Stanton clings to prophetess Mademoiselle Zeena to learn tricks of the trade. A catastrophic accident and pure chance favor Stanton and he starts using and abusing women who cross paths with him, bent on greasing his path to stardom as a 'spiritual advisor'. In time, Chicago's gullible swear by the Great Stanton's unsurpassed psychic powers. However, when deceit, lies, and hubris pave the way to success, who can deny that there's no place to go but down?"                          
length: 1 hour, 50 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: it has become a noir classic
IMDB: 7.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 88% Audience: 86%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "I got wise to myself. I let the chaplain save me, and got a parole in no time. Boy, how I went for salvation! Comes in kind of handy when you're in a jam."

directed by: Edmund Goulding

my notes: strange, engrossing, and deeply meaningful, this movie equates material achievement with selling one's soul, love with weakness, and carnival culture with the pit of Hell. I was surprised by the pervasive religious message interspersed with sexual hedonism and perversion of the "helping" professions. It's hard to say whether men (weak, conniving, and/or brutish) or women (manipulative, conniving, and/or slaves to their devotion) are more demonized by this script. Tyrone Power (Stanton Carlisle) is marvelous in the starring role. "His" ladies—Joan Blondell as Zeena, Coleen Gray as Molly, and especially Helen Walker as Lilith—are a stew of lovely steps in Carlisle's reach for success. Watch it if you're up for a morality play disguised as ... well, a carnival.

    Note—because modern Hollywood can't come up with an original idea, this has been remade (2021). 

overall:  recommended

 

[the title quotation is from Another Thin Man]