This week’s Reel 13 Classic, Angel on My Shoulder, stars the inimitable Paul Muni, an actor whose brilliant chops shone particularly bright in the three films John Farr highlights here.

Scarface (1932)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
In Prohibition-era Chicago, a power struggle is underway: mobster Tony Camonte (Paul Muni) is charged with killing the reigning mob boss, but manages to beat the rap. Tony is nothing if not ambitious: soon enough he’s seized control of the whole bootlegging racket, through sheer cunning and good ol’ fashioned homicide.Though his rise is meteoric, we sense Tony’s fall may be just as dramatic.

WHY I LOVE IT:
Hawks’s film was the most violent America had ever seen (with 30+ on-screen deaths), but the visual energy he brought to the production proved intoxicating, making a big star of Muni, one the meanest criminal maniacs in screen history. Hawks upped the ante in other ways, too, like giving Ann Dvorak a central role as the slinky sis Camonte is perversely jealous of, despite having the sexy Karen Morley on his arm. And George Raft earned himself a studio contract playing Muni’s loyal, kill-happy sidekick, Guino. De Palma’s tongue-in-cheek remake has its own dirty charms, but Hawks’s vicious gangland biopic will never be topped for sheer bravado. Bonus: Boris Karloff as a North Side boss. Don’t miss this one!

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang(1932)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
Sentenced to ten years on a chain gang for a restaurant holdup he was forced to participate in, hard-luck WWI vet James Allen (Paul Muni) sees his dreams of becoming an architect vanish. Unable to take the vicious, dehumanizing prison routine hes been condemned to, Allen escapes, holes up in Chicago, and begins a new life. But his past will not desert him so easily.

WHY I LOVE IT:
Anchored by Paul Muni’s gut-wrenching performance, Mervyn LeRoy’s socially outraged “Gang” is based on real-life escapee Robert Elliott Burns’s Depression-era memoirs. In fact, LeRoy’s gritty, unflinching depiction of the sadistic brutality of chain gangs proved so unpopular in Georgia, where the practice was perfected, that the state’s governor banned the film! Burns himself helped out with the script, and was eventually pardoned after the film’s release. Nominated for a Best Picture Oscar in 1933, “Chain Gang” set the bar high for future prison movies, and its influence, which extends down to “Cool Hand Luke,” can’t be overstated.

The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
Living in Paris with his impoverished painter friend Paul Cezanne (Vladimir Sokoloff), budding novelist Emile Zola (Paul Muni) encounters one frustration after another when his writings are repeatedly stymied by government censors unhappy with his penchant for depicting prostitutes and other persons of low character. Zola eventually makes a breakthrough, but faces his biggest challenge defending Jewish army captain Alfred Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut), whose trial for treason became one of the most controversial news events of the late 19th century.

WHY I LOVE IT:
Part film biography of France’s great writer, part riveting real-life story of justice, Dieterle’s well-mounted production is a triumph all around, especially for Muni and Schildkraut, who won an Oscar playing Dreyfus, for whom an aging Zola penned his now legendary tract “J’accuse.” Harry Davenport is also a compelling presence as the leader of the anti-Semitic officers presiding over Dreyfus’s fate. Winner of the Best Picture Oscar in 1937, “Life” is a splendidly acted, rousing historical film.

Visit Best Movies by Farr for more reviews of the best movies.

The post Best Movies by Farr: Masterful Muni appeared first on Reel 13.

John Farr discusses one of the signature films of the 1960s, directed by Mike Nichols.

The Graduate (1967)

What It’s About: A model son and newly minted college graduate, Ben Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) is proudly paraded around his parents’ friends, who congratulate him heartily. But inside, Ben feels numb. He soon gets involved with his mother’s sexually frustrated best friend, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), then creates a combustible chain reaction by falling for her daughter, Elaine (Katherine Ross).

Why I Love It:
One of the signature films of the 1960s, this feature introduced the world to Hoffman and gave Bancroft a racy role she played with marvelous feline cunning. This sublime black comedy transcends its period, speaking to new generations of alienated youth beginning to navigate a discordant, dysfunctional adult world. The supporting cast, including deft character players William Daniels and Murray Hamilton, are note-perfect, and that Simon & Garfunkel score still stirs the soul. A must for repeat viewings.

Visit Best Movies by Farr for more great DVD recommendations.

The post Best Movies by Farr: The Graduate appeared first on Reel 13.

John Farr discusses the best Astaire-Rogers movie, directed by George Stevens.

The Americanization of Emily (1964)

What It’s About:
John “Lucky” Garnett (Fred Astaire) isn’t so lucky in matters of love. He’s late to his own wedding, and his perturbed would-be father-in-law won’t give him a return engagement until Lucky raises a large sum of money to properly support his daughter. So off the dancer/performer goes with his loyal pal “Pop” (Victor Moore) to make his fortune in New York. There, he quickly meets dance instructor Penny Carroll (Ginger Rogers), and soon all thoughts of his fiancee evaporate. Lucky and Penny (get it?) are soon a couple on and off the dance floor, but before they can twirl themselves away to wedded bliss, there remain some romantic strings to untangle.

Why I Love It:
George Stevens’s classic Astaire-Rogers entry too often takes a back seat to the prior year’s “Top Hat”, and shouldn’t, as it’s every bit as good. The dancing sequences are unmatched in the series, particularly the “Bojangles of Harlem” number, and the gossamer Kern-Fields score includes the immortal “The Way You Look Tonight”, and the overlooked “Never Gonna Dance”, among others. Victor Moore provides appealing comic relief, along with “Top Hat” veterans Eric Blore and Helen Broderick. One of the screen’s tip-top musicals.

Visit Best Movies by Farr for more great DVD recommendations.

The post Best Movies by Farr: Swing Time appeared first on Reel 13.

John Farr discusses Julie Andrews’ war film, directed by Arthur Hiller.

The Americanization of Emily (1964)

What It’s About:
Officer Charlie Madison (James Garner) has a dream job in World War II catering to the luxurious needs of a two-star admiral (Melvyn Douglas). He advocates for cowardice and survival, but when he meets Emily Barham (Julie Andrews), a principled English war widow, she challenges his self-serving outlook. The two still fall helplessly in love, but will the war keep them together or split them up?

Why I Love It:
Written by the gifted Paddy Chayefsky, this is one of the sharper anti-war satires out there. Both leads are solid, with Andrews particularly impressive in her first non-singing role. Veterans Douglas and James Coburn (as Charlie’s womanizing fellow officer) almost steal the movie, however. Fall in love with “Emily”, a touching and engrossing film with something to say.

Visit Best Movies by Farr for more great DVD recommendations.

The post Best Movies by Farr: The Americanization of Emily appeared first on Reel 13.

Although his reputation has faded somewhat due to questionable role choices, Nic Cage was once one of Hollywood’s brightest stars. John Farr recommends you revisit three crucial Cage classics.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
Depressed Hollywood screenwriter Ben (Nicolas Cage) arrives in Las Vegas with one goal: to drink himself to death. On the Strip one night, he picks up fresh-faced hooker Sera (Elizabeth Shue), who takes a liking to the self-destructive Ben. As their friendship turns into a damaged love affair, they accept each other unconditionally, with Sera agreeing never to ask Ben to stop drinking-no matter what.

WHY I LOVE IT:
Filmed on a shoestring by Figgis, who also contributed the haunting jazz score, “Vegas” is a fearlessly downbeat love story about desperation and despair that was rapturously received at the box office in 1995. Cage won an Oscar for his gritty, go-for-broke portrayal of the suicidal Ben, and Shue made the leap from TV’s “Melrose Place” to the big screen with her convincingly raw, Oscar-nominated performance-especially in one horrific motel scene. Adapted from John O’Brien’s novel, “Vegas” is one cinematic bender that leaves a strangely blissful hangover.

Face/Off (1997)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
Deranged criminal mastermind Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage), currently in a coma, has planted a biological weapon somewhere in LA and only his equally psychotic brother Pollux (Allesandro Nivola) knows where. Crack FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) has a long, painful history battling the Troys, and undergoes a radical medical procedure transferring Castor’s face to his own, in hopes that once he’s reunited with Pollux in prison, the ever loyal little brother will talk. But the insensate Castor’s got life in him yet, and unfortunately, Archer has left his own face behind.

WHY I LOVE IT:
Despite the grotesque, almost preposterous premise, Hong Kong director John Woo’s second American-made actioner has all the savage bite, black humor, and balletic fight choreography of his best-known Asian films. Deliberately mythic in concept, “Face/Off” probes questions of honor, identity, and morality while giving Travolta and Cage plenty of leeway to stretch their archetypal good-and-evil personas. Ingenious, kinetic and reveling in its choreographed, over the top violence, “Face/Off” is a complex thriller that’s bloody good fun.

Adaptation (2002)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
Sad-sack, chronically self-doubting Hollywood screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage) is hired to script “The Orchid Thief”, written by New Yorker scribe Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep). Obsessed with the foxy author, and struggling with how to faithfully adapt the tale of Orleans’s intriguing friendship with a renegade rare-flower expert John Laroche (Chris Cooper), Kaufman becomes increasingly stressed, unhinged, and of course, innovative in his approach. Meanwhile, studio producer Valerie Thomas (Swinton) is breathing down his neck.

WHY I LOVE IT:
This brilliant meta-narrative and hilarious spoof of Hollywood’s formulaic approach to telling stories, “Adaptation” is the brainchild of Jonze and real-life writer Kaufman, who had teamed earlier on “Being John Malkovich.” In fact, Kaufman really was hired to adapt the Orlean book, and took a chance writing a zany, highly inventive script about his neurotic inability to wedge it into a conventional plot structure. He also invented a fictitious alter ego, twin brother Donald, who despite being a noodle-brained philistine, knows how to write a crack blockbuster. Cage’s sweaty, uncomfortable turn in both roles is pure angst-filled genius, and pros Streep, Swinton and Cooper (who nabbed an Oscar) match his inspired playing throughout.

Visit Best Movies by Farr for more reviews of the best movies.

The post Best Movies by Farr: Crucial Cage appeared first on Reel 13.

You will fall in love with Audrey Hepburn once again after watching this film. John Farr explains why.

Sabrina (1954)

What It’s About:
Shipped off to Paris for lessons in cooking and refinement, charming Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn)-the daughter of a chauffeur for the wealthy Long Island Larrabee clan-returns a sophisticated woman. Playboy David Larrabee (William Holden) is enthralled, but his responsible older brother Linus (Humphrey Bogart) has arranged for David to marry an heiress, and woos Sabrina himself to keep them apart.

Why I Love It:
Hepburn blossoms as Sabrina, perhaps the world’s most enchanting and cultivated chauffeur’s daughter. Under Wilder’s capable wing (he both directed and wrote the screenplay), the young Oscar-nominated star smoothly makes the transition from a skinny awkward girl who fantasizes about life among the privileged classes to the stunning object of desire for both handsome Holden and the more mature Bogart (who reportedly stepped in for Cary Grant at the last minute). And even Bogie can’t help himself. “Sabrina” is that all-too-rare thing: an intelligent, effervescent, and infectious comedy.

The post Best Movies by Farr: Sabrina appeared first on Reel 13.

John Farr discusses Andy Griffith’s first and best film, directed by Elia Kazan.

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

What It’s About:
Local radio interviewer Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal) decides to interview transients at the local jail for a human-interest story. There, she spots a drunken Arkansas hayseed named Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes (Andy Griffith), whom she discovers has a rare gift for gab and song. Before long, due to Marcia’s initial boosting, “Lonesome” becomes a wildly popular network TV star. Little does she know she’s creating a monster.

Why I Love It:
This engrossing and sobering tale about the precarious and poisonous nature of fame in our mass-media age seems even more timely today. Budd Schulberg’s script literally sizzles, and Neal is superb. As to Andy, this role made him, but he sure is a long way from Mayberry! The sterling supporting cast includes a young Lee Remick as Betty Lou, Lonesome’s baton twirling, clueless child bride, Tony Franciosa as a slimeball talent agent, and the legendary Walter Matthau as a wise but weary network executive. This is one “Face” you’ll never forget.

Visit Best Movies by Farr for more great DVD recommendations.

The post Best Movies by Farr: A Face in the Crowd appeared first on Reel 13.

Burt Lancaster understood the importance of choosing the right roles. John Farr covers three of his finest.

The Train (1964)

What It’s About:
In the waning days of the Nazi occupation, cold-blooded Colonel Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) pushes through a plan to transport a sizeable shipment of priceless art from Paris to Germany by train. Specifically, the Colonel has his beady eye on paintings by Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, and Picasso. Determined to keep France’s art treasures where they belong, railroad worker Paul Labiche (Burt Lancaster) takes on the tricky, dangerous task of derailing this mission, with the help of some gallant friends in the Resistance.

Why I Love It:
Based on a real incident, John Frankenheimer’s pulse-pounding war film is lean and riveting, as Lancaster and team work intrepidly to foil Von Waldheim’s exacting plans. Burt is restrained and no-nonsense as Labiche- thankfully he doesn’t even attempt a French accent, with Scofield icy perfection as the ruthless Nazi. The luminous Moreau is fabulous as well in a small but pivotal role.If you like movies with plenty of action and suspense, don’t miss “The Train”.

The Professionals (1966)

What It’s About:
When a lawless Mexican revolutionary named Raza (Jack Palance) abducts the gorgeous Maria (Claudia Cardinale) for ransom, wealthy Texas rancher Grant (Ralph Bellamy) hires the only men he knows have a chance of rescuing his wife: horse trainer Hans (Robert Ryan), tracker and longbow expert Jake (Woody Strode), and stoic leader Fardan (Lee Marvin), who posts bail to recruit his womanizing best pal, explosives pro Dolworth (Burt Lancaster), for this tricky job. The trek is dangerous, with bandidos in the canyons and Raza’s trigger-happy watchmen on patrol, but with $10,000 each on the barrelhead if they bring Maria back, the men are highly determined.

Why I Love It:
Richard Brooks’s self-penned, high-energy Western, set in the waning years of the Mexican Revolution in 1917, is a tense, gritty and exciting horse drama. The teaming of Marvin and Lancaster, playing Raza’s disenchanted ex-amigos, works brilliantly, while Strode and Ryan offer fine support as talented sidekicks. Italian bombshell Cardinale, in her first English-speaking role, provides plenty of fiery va-va voom, too, especially in league with Palance’s rough-riding Raza, who proves to be quite a romantic himself. Filmed on location in Nevada, “The Professionals” is a rousing, thoughtful action movie that deals with questions of money versus morality, and the last gasp of noble frontier idealism.

The Swimmer (1968)

What It’s About:
Hopping from one backyard swimming pool to another in suburban Connecticut, affluent, middle-aged ad executive Ned (Burt Lancaster) appears to be fit and happy. His neighbors, however, seem distraught and worried about Ned’s mental state, and it slowly becomes evident that his destination is not just home, but a reckoning with the devastating truth of his past- and present.

Why I Love It:
Perry’s heart-wrenching adaptation of the celebrated John Cheever short story digs under the skin of suburban malaise to reveal a kind of festering wound of disappointment, represented by a man absolutely naked in his psychological trauma. Lancaster never really gave a bad performance, but here he is riveting, playing a manic, effusively upbeat man who keeps insisting to everyone that he’s “okay”. Slowly, of course, we come to realize some darker things about Ned, and why he’s really not okay at all. Perry handles the slow reveal with magisterial grace, with all of it building to a shattering final image. Stylishly photographed and robustly acted, this unforgettable film will swim through your brain for a long time.

Visit Best Movies by Farr for more reviews of the best movies.

The post Best Movies by Farr: Brilliant Burt Lancaster appeared first on Reel 13.

John Farr discusses one of the great train movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

What It’s About:
When elderly Miss Froy (May Whitty) disappears without a trace on a train en route to England, her acquaintance Iris (Margaret Lockwood) searches every cabin and corner-without success. Stranger still, the other passengers deny this charming old lady ever existed. Despite their skepticism and her own increasing self-doubt, Iris pursues the truth with the aid of handsome musician Gilbert (Michael Redgrave), who’s more attracted to Iris than to the mystery.

Why I Love It:
Hitchcock’s timeless classic begins on a high comic note, then quickly transforms into a suspense film with political overtones. As in “The 39 Steps,” the priceless banter between the heroine and her unlikely ally elevates what is already a nifty nail-biter into something infinitely more special: a romantic mystery. The cast of eccentrics-especially two English tourists played by Basil Radford and Naughton Wayne-give this “Lady” extra punch, and Dame May Whitty is adorable as the elusive old lady who causes all the fuss.

The post Best Movies by Farr: The Lady Vanishes appeared first on Reel 13.