10 Favourite "Faith" Films

Brothers and sisters, I have come to spread the gospel of our lord Jes- ok not really, I don't really identify with any particular religion, though I do think they all mean to spread joy and hope throughout the world. Despite my lack of affiliation (albeit I am mainly exposed to Christianity, as you'll see in the list), I must admit that I love faith-based films. They are really intellectually and emotionally challenging, often encouraging me to contemplate them long after the run-time is over. 

It's a shame that atheists often ignore this...genre(?) of film because they don't want to be propagated by religious followers. Granted I can see some of their point, as many modern religious movies have become far too preachy and conversion-based. I hated that silly God's Not Dead (2014) and don't get me started on War Room (2015). Hopefully Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge and Martin Scorsese's Silence prove that faith on film is still a valid cinematic adventure. 


Ben Hur: A Tale of Christ (1923)

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Black Narcissus (1947)

On the Waterfront (1954)

Night of the Hunter (1955)

The Seventh Seal (1957)

Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)

 
Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

 
Passion of the Christ (2004)

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Bonus! 
Life of Brian (1979)

Prince of Egypt (1998)

 
Calvary (2014)

 

This Ain't No Mouse Music! (2014) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: This Ain't No Mouse Music!
Year: 2013
Director: Chris Simon
Country: Canada
Language: English

This Ain’t No Mouse Music! (2013) is an intriguing documentary by co-directors Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling. Their subject is Chris Strachwitz, a now-elderly record label owner with a fierce passion for music, particularly blues and folk. The story begins in 1960, where Strachwitz meets legendary musician Lightnin’ Hopkins, and ends about half a century later.

The subject of this documentary, Strachwitz, is a charismatic man who tells entertaining stories about his life in music. He has unbridled energy: no word that comes out of his mouth is dull, and every sentence has great importance. His knowledge of music is impressive, his love for it contagious.

Like most passionate people, Strachwitz has a grumpy and anger-prone side to him: there are certain musical acts which he absolutely detests, but overall he is a great man with a big heart. I left the picture with a greater appreciation for all of the people involved in making Arhoolie Records a profitable company.

Though the film is limited due to lack of archival material, there are many still images that capture the various eras examined throughout the film. The background music also gives us a sense of what Strachwitz heard on a daily basis. The directors expose us to a massive library of work, which spans multiple eras and genres, ultimately giving the viewer a greater sense of culture and the various problems that have been present in America.

Overall the documentary is remarkable. We are given an impressive amount of detail regarding the growth of American music and Strachwitz does a wonderful job of emphasizing the importance of this art. This Ain’t No Mouse Music! will inspire you to drop the Bieber and get with the blues.

A Story of Children and Film (2014) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: A Story of Children and Film
Year: 2014 
Director: Mark Cousins
Country: Canada
Language: English

Though there have been many books that analyze film and the significance of children in them, none can compare to Mark Cousins’ documentary A Story of Children and Film. Using examples from the filmography of famous international directors such as Luis Buñuel, Ingmar Bergman, and Yasujiro Ozu, Cousins thoroughly dissects the importance of child actors and how children can be used to portray distinctions in classes and world events.

A hit at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival, A Story of Children and Film can be seen as a grand visual textbook which is bold in vision. It is thoroughly committed to highlighting films that have been forgotten by the public, ensuring us that they still are important and influencing us to seek them out if we haven’t already. Cousins convinces us that nothing is merely a “child’s film” because even animation can be quite complex and diverse; animation can reveal a tremendous amount about life.

Cousins presents a mosaic of clips, images, and significant moments from various films in order to bring forth his distinctive and sometimes strange essay, which often flows like a magnificent poem. He speaks with the confidence of a narrator in a nature documentary: nothing he says seems out of place and everything makes absolute logical sense. When Cousins explains David Lean’s Great Expectations (1946) in terms of social class that is seen through the young main character, you feel as though it’s exactly what the director and writer intended Great Expectations to be.

Considering there is a lot of material Cousins could have used, it’s both good and bad that the film is only 100 minutes. The picture could have been longer, but it would have risked overstaying its welcome. A Story of Children and Film is short enough to keep its audience’s attention and long enough to display a wealth of information. Cousins’ film is thought-provoking; film buffs and historians will certainly be drawn to it, and even casual filmgoers may find a reason to seriously get involved with this magnificent piece of art.

The Room (2003) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: The Room
Year: 2003
Director: Tommy Wiseau
Country: US
Language: English

It is impossible to review Tommy Wiseau’s The Room (2003) with a straight face, mainly because it is awful, everybody knows it is awful, and we choose to watch it anyways. It fails on every level, but many find it entertaining because it’s such a failure. In recent years it has become a cult phenomenon, on par with Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959). The cult following director Wiseau has gained is almost frightening. 

The story takes place in San Francisco, where successful banker Johnny (Tommy Wiseau) lives, sharing a passionate relationship with his fiancée Lisa (Juliette Danielle). One day she decides to seduce his best friend out of boredom. Will their lives ever be the same again?

Unusual for a midnight-movie favourite, The Room does not consist of Equinox-esque monsters, surreal imagery, crazy clowns, or singing transvestites. Rather, it is shaped in the style of a conventional drama.
The difference between this and every other drama is the awful director behind the scenes. Conversations stop and start at random, major plot points are introduced and then scrapped throughout the film, and the acting is just unimaginably bad.

The Room views more like comedy than drama, though the audience is not laughing with the film; they are laughing at it. The humorous quality of the picture is clearly not intentional. Wiseau himself suggests that his film should not be seen as a humiliating sideshow attraction, but rather as a complex work of art. One wonders if Wiseau is an idiot or a comic genius. 

The Room is a complete waste of time to see, but it does its job as being so bad that it’s slightly funny. If you are a fan of watching completely stupid movies, then this is the film for you.

*No Rating*

Carmen (1915) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Carmen
Year: 1915
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Country: US
Language: N/A

Carmen is best known as an opera. Borrowing elements of both Prosper Merimee’s novella and Bizet’s opera, the film is fairly energetic and fast-paced. It was an early hit for Cecil B. DeMille, a legendary director who would go on to make The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston. It is considerably less religious and leaner than his later films, which makes this picture quite accessible compared to his other works. 

In order to help her smuggler kinsmen, a sultry gypsy seduces and corrupts an officer of the Civil Guard turning him into a traitor and murderer. 

The early screen version of the famous French tragic grand opera is worth viewing, if nothing else, for the grand performance and exquisite beauty of opera diva Geraldine Farrar. Her lustrous energy fills the screen, ozzing charisma out of every frame. It's quite difficult to keep your eyes off of her. Her brilliance and intensity on stage was fully realized in Carmen. Few entertainers can match the success she obtained in the silent period. 

Carmen is a good choice to show newcomers to silent film. It’s short, it’s fast-paced and it features several “You can’t do that in an old movie!” moments. Cecil B. DeMille knows how to film an action scene; even for 1915 his use of onscreen violence seems startling. I can't recall any other Director from that time who is matched in passion and intensity. 

The cinematography, though not "new" at the time, is pretty well done. DeMille shows great skill behind the camera, proving that he will become a film-master later in his career. It's just over an hour long, which is a shame because I would have loved to see more. The score is forgettable, but ultimately the movie is entertaining enough to get by without it. 

Cyrano de Bergerac (1900) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Cyrano de Bergerac
Year: 1900
Director: Clement Maurice
Country: France
Language: French

Cyrano de Bergerac is a french film from the start of the twentieth century which features both sound and color. Wait, WHAT!? Yes, you heard me, sound AND color. Too often have I come across people who think that color film began in 1939 with Wizard of Oz and too often have I heard (and admittedly wrote about) that sound began with a Eureka moment in 1927 with The Jazz Singer. The reality is much more complicated. Both were popularized around those respective times, but film-makers had tinkered with the technology since the beginning of film. 

Cyrando de Bergerac is a swaggering swordsman and poet with a cartoonishly large nose, which makes him unwilling to woo his beautiful and intellectual cousin, Roxane, so he offers to help the handsome but dim Christian romance her via letter.

The character of Cyrano de Bergerac is about dash, panache and mind games and all of that is conveyed in the performance. Body language is something to behold, it makes the film as grand as it can be. This is great, because the sound is fairly lackluster, sounding like a high pitched telephone recording.  Early sound was created in many ways, but for this particular film sound was recorded on wax cylinders which were then played in sync with the film. One would think that such an ingenious idea would translate into monetary success, but while the technology had buzz, it did not translate into ticket sales and the company quietly folded.

The color in the film was applied by hand, a fairly common practice at the time, which yields a watercolor-like effect. There's no doubt that it is far from the beautiful technicolor in Wizard of Oz, but we should appreciate the use of color in its early stages. The star of the film Coquelin aîne was fairly well known in France at the time. The Errol Flynn's of 1900, Coquelin pulls of a tremendous performance in this fairly short film version of a popular stage play. 

If you're interested in learning about the progression of film throughout history, then this is certainly a must-see. Its sound and color isn't up to par, but it's worth your time to view sound at a time when it wasn't really a thing in the mainstream. Cyrano de Bergerac is attempt at innovation for the sake of innovation. 

Mifune: The Last Samurai (2016) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Mifune The Last Samurai 
Year: 2016
Director: Steven Okazaki
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese

Toshiro Mifune appeared in 126 films and, from 1946 to his death in 1997, was Japan’s most famous actor. Mifune embodied a quality Steven Spielberg has described as “from the Earth,” meaning the actor’s style was primal, as though something had been unleashed. Like Bruce Lee, Mifune had piercing eyes and a charisma onscreen that few actors could imitate. Although many of his contributions outside Akira Kurosawa are overlooked, there is little wonder to why this man is such a cultural icon. 

This is a feature-length documentary about the life and films of legendary actor Toshiro Mifune, narrated by Keanu Reeves.

Director Steven Okazaki considers his frequent theme of Eastern influence on Western culture and vice versa. A previous film of his, called Unfinished Business, was about the detainment of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans in camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Fortunately with Mifune: The Last Samurai this eastern/western influence is positive. The samurai theme is quite weak, as it only is meant to tie the man to his film roles. Okazaki never quite ties together samurai beliefs with Mifune.

The film succeeds as a straight-forward linear progression of Mifune's professional career, while giving us some insight to his personal life. Most of the documentary is presented complete with archival footage, stills, and testimonials from a variety of Mifune’s fellow actors. Other contributors include Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, and Spielberg, but it’s rather surprising that filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas do not appear, given their outspoken fondness for the Mifune-Kurosawa films.

 Mifune is not the most in-depth documentary, but is is an essential must-see for those who have never heard of the man before. Toshiro Mifune may be the most important non-English speaking actor of cinematic history. It's an engaging film, but to truly understand Mifune's charisma one must watch his films themselves. 

Predator (1987) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Predator
Year: 1987
Director: John McTiernan
Country: US
Language: English

"I don't got time to bleed". By gawd, Predator oozes machismo from every pore of its essence. It’s a man’s man movie, the type where Jesse Ventura completely shrugs off serious physical pain. Aside from expected expressions of violence, emotions are nil. The other lead, Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't have trouble matching muscle with the pro-wrestler. It's pretty amazing that these two became governors later in their careers; Jesse governed Minnesota and Arnold governed California. 

In this, a team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior. 

Director John McTiernan’s film is a fairly good balance of a Schwarzenegger action movie and a creature feature. Here action hero does nor the creature taking top billing over one another. The peculiarity of Schwarzenegger’s muscle-bound onscreen oddity matches the freakishly large and mandible-laden face of the Predator hunter. Here two larger than life characters fight and, even though the outcome is fairly predictable, we still are left with our eyes glued to the screen.

Filming in the sweltering Mexican desert, 7’ 2” actor Kevin Peter Hall had his work cut out for him as his suit left him cooked day in and day out. Luckily he had some experience playing the sasquatch in Harry and the Hendersons and knew what he was getting himself into. Special effects guru Stan Winston, who earned an Oscar for his work on Aliens and created an icon with The Terminator, was contracted to design the monster. Humanoid, with thick reptilian skin and tendril hair, the creature’s streamlined mask covers a face that burns into the audience’s memory. It certainly is one of the most memorable characters in film history. 

The location photography by Donald McAlpine should be commended. Though Predator is a picture where men don't feel, it certainly has quite an intoxicating atmosphere reminiscent of Universal's creature features. By the time the Predator hunter appears onscreen, we’re immersed in the setting and we believe its presence. Alan Silvestri’s superb score also gives the film an instantly memorable quality. Predator is worthy of very high praise.

Jingle All The Way (1996) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Jingle All The Way
Year: 1996
Director: Brian Levant
Country: US
Language: English

Jingle All the Way represents Arnold Schwarzenegger's fourth attempt at a "straight" comedy (guess which the others are). The general idea is "fish-out-of water", the big, hulking action hero struggling to overcome "normal" problems was an odd fascination for late 90's American audiences. I suppose the film could be ambitious in the way it deals out a good old Christmas lesson, but we find the true meaning of Christmas is...material things. Wait, what!? 

In this, a father vows to get his son a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas, however, every store is sold out of them, and he must travel all over town and compete with everybody else in order to find one.

I'll admit that there is some actual comedy in Jingle All the Way. Phil Hartman plays his role as the greedy conniving antagonist neighbor extremely well. "I think your wife is in the shower, want me to check for you?". Of course Hartman could do almost any role well. I also enjoyed the scene where Schwarzenneger takes on the many santas, some of which are ninjas. There are moments of comedy...not brilliance, but adequacy. 

Anakin Skywalker puts on an ok performance considering he's like 5 at the time of this film. Sinbad's comedy is awful, but I'll put that down to the screenwriting. Jingle All the Way isn't the best written film, which is apparent in all the fluff and filler. The narrative is unfocused, the desire to satirize the toy market is weak at best. It borders on boring, though I suppose families will find it entertaining.

Being good-natured, mildly violent and family-friendly ensured Jingle All The Way was a moderate commercial success, although it didn't do as well as the majority of the govenator's other more violent ventures. It's easily one of the most forgettable films in his filmography.

Santa With Muscles (1996) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Santa With Muscles
Year: 1996
Director: John Murlowski
Country: US
Language: English

By 1996 Hulk Hogan, a then household name, was rapidly losing his luster. He had brought "Hulkamania" to World Championship Wrestling, only to see a more edgy audience boo his family friendly 80's gimmick. In the Summer of that year he would join the bad guys, forming the New World Order, and revitalizing his career in the process. For some inexplicable reason he decided to do Santa With Muscles, a move which did nothing to help his in-ring or out-of-ring career. 

In this, an evil millionaire believes he is Santa Claus after an accident renders him amnesiac. 

Hulk Hogan is the anti-Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in terms of his film career. Dwayne is one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, while Hogan struggled to make audiences care about his films even at the peak of his career. None of his movies come even close to entertaining, well except for Gremlins 2, but that was a random cameo! That doesn't count! Is it Hogan's fault? He's a fairly charismatic guy who knows how to cut a promo, but it doesn't seem to translate well beyond "Say your prayers and eat your vitamins brother!". 

It also doesn't help that Hogan doesn't have a good director or script-writers. Santa With Muscles is a comedy without any jokes, unless you count the extremely cringe-worthy "laugh because it's so bad" one-lines. Santa with Muscles is a Christmas movie without any heart, spirit, or SNOW. How do you have a Christmas movie without ANY FREAKING SNOW. 

A critic at the time said "Hulk Hogan makes Arnold Schwarzenegger seem like Laurence Olivier", and it's fairly hard to disagree. Grossing only 200K in its initial and subsequent releases, Santa with Muscles doesn't even have the pleasure to consider itself a box office success. A failure in so many ways, watch only for an ironic laugh. 

Madonna: Truth or Dare Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Madonna, Truth or Dare
Year: 1991
Director: Alek Keshishian
Country: US
Language: English

Twenty-five years after Madonna: Truth or Dare's original theatrical run, its subject- the Blonde Ambition tour- feels like one of the less interesting aspects of the famed singer's career. Madonna herself blared a commanding sexual power from the stage, performing muscular choreography that featured simulated sex so defiant in nature that autorities in Canada and Rome threatened to shut her shows down. Madonna wasn't, and still isn't, afraid to stir the pot and create controversy. 

This documentary follows Madonna on her 1990 Blond Ambition concert tour. Filmed in black and white, with the concert pieces in glittering MTV color, it is an intimate look at the work of the music performer.

Madonna paved the way for so many singers interested in embracing their sexuality through their music. The film does a great job at portraying the musician as a sheer force of will and nature. Filmed in high-contrast black-and-white 16mm, the backstage scenes intentionally evoke the vérité style of documentary film-making, as seen in Bob Dylan's Don't Look Now. Madonna's decision to allow cameras to follow her around constantly allows to turn every interaction, no matter how insignificant, into performance art. 

Truth or Dare tries to be many things; a Freudian deconstruction of sexuality, a dissection of gender roles, an analysis of power and performance. It attempts philosophy, sociology, psych-analysis, and approaches the topic of feminism. One could view this film as an exploration of identity and our place in society. Truth or Dare straddles the line between great art and pretentious bullshit. 

I really enjoyed this film, and came out with a greater appreciation for the Monroe look-alike. At the very least, if not an intelligent examination of the relationship between life and art, then this film is fairly entertaining. This is certainly a must-see for fans of this era of music. 

De Palma (2016) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: De Palma
Year: 2016
Director: Noah Baumbach
Country: US
Language: English

I'm slightly perplexed as to why Noah Baumbach would make a documentary about Brian De Palma.  His sensibilities hardly suggest that of a De Palma student, since he’s mostly known for a string of blithe existential dramedies like Frances Ha (2013) and Mistress America (2015). The other director of this film, Jake Paltrow, doesn't borrow from De Palma either. Even Wes Anderson would have made more sense to be at helm, but it's rather interesting material nonetheless. 

Brian De Palma, the great film writer and director, takes us, in his own words, through his professional life and a career that redefined film horror and suspense.

Co-directors Baumbach and Paltrow deliver a simple interview-style retrospective of the virtuoso filmmaker’s life and career. The entire interview was apparently shot in one sitting, as De Palma recounts his work in a linear progression with brief cutaways to the material mentioned. It isn't the most artistic avant-garde documentary made, but despite that it is engaging. We truly feel like we come to know who the man is by the end of the run-time. 

Lesser pictures would avoid Hitchcock's influence on De Palma, but this documentary hits on the topic  straight on from the beginning. De Palma talks about Hitchcock’s “influential” status, and he wonders why other filmmakers aren’t more closely following him. We see direct examples of how the man's passion projects took a queue from the "Master of Suspense". 

Personally I wonder why more people aren't influenced by De Palma, he seems to be the forgotten middle child of his generation, which includes Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas. The filmmaker’s concerns with technical and formal storytelling are also rather engrossing. This is an easy film to sit through, albeit not the most engaging on a creative level.  I could have read a book and got the same out of it, perhaps much more detail. Ultimately it's worth a watch, but it's very forgettable.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Year: 1953
Director: Howard Hawks
Country: US
Language: English

Directed by Howard Hawks, a director who has crafted a tremendous amount of American feature films, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a remarkable little picture that focuses on the theme of love vs. money. The wacky hijinks resulting from miscommunication and characters who would normally be villainous reminds me a little of Bringing Up Baby, rather than Hawkes other Marilyn vehicles. At times it may make women out to be gold diggers but it has a fairly sweet heart. 

Showgirls Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) and Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) travel to Paris, pursued by a private detective hired by the suspicious father of Lorelei's fiancé, as well as a rich, enamored old man and many other doting admirers.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is the film in which Marilyn Monroe gives her penultimate performance: the legendary "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" sequence. Even today, after scores of parodies and tributes, this number captivates. Not since Rita Hayworth's "Put the Blame on Mame" in "Gilda" was there such an intoxicatingly sexy marriage between star, song and persona. She's a snappy, playful, alluring, seductive star who easily steals the show, even with another star like Jane Russel on the same screen. 

The costumes are breathtaking, fairly risque for 1953. The set-pieces and cinematography are fairly dream-like, surely the technicolor (which was pretty much a mandatory for a Monroe picture) added to the film's sense of whimsy and wonder. Though the script is a bit weak (some of the comedy comes off as desperate for a laugh) this pure escapist entertainment of the '50s is enough to keep you glued to the seat.

While it's probably Monroe's most iconic film next to The Seven Year Itch, I wouldn't claim it to be my favourite of her or Howard Hawks' filmography. Regardless it's very beautifully made and has moments that will be remembered for all time. Despite the characters being obviously shallow, it's difficult to not love them at the end of the run-time. 

Babes in Arms (1939) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Babes in Arms
Year: 1939
Director: Busby Berkely
Country: US
Language: English

Based on a successful Broadway show by Rodgers and Hart, Babes in Arms' music features several compositions by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, including “Broadway Melody,” and “Good Morning,”  more famously known for their inclusion in another film about the segue from one form of entertainment to another –Singin in the Rain (1952). While that film is better known among modern audiences, and Debbie Reynolds' performance is fantastic, I can't help but feel blown away everytime Garland sings onscreen.

This film is about the struggle of two talented young artists, both of whom wish to make their own way in the show business.

 The Rooney/Garland formula is evident, regardless if you’ve watched any of their features. Garland is the pie-eyed girl who could do WAY better but, for some reason only known to her, she thinks there’s something special in Mickey Rooney. There's also a female protagonist trying to ruin their relationship. he examination of vaudeville kids and their lifestyle eerily mimics Garland and Rooney’s own lives, more outright thievery than imitation. Rooney, afterall, was literally BORN in a theatre.

Is this film supposed to be empowering children or being condescending towards them? I sense it's a little of both. Things take a turn for the worse as the kids...refuse to attend school. Ok that's a bit tame but..wait, what, THEY HAVE TORCHES!? The finale is a Les Miserables style musical number that seems very silly at first, but actually is quite impressive. I'm quite impressed by the staging, cinematography and set pieces.

The Simpsons would have you asking "What's the matter with kids today?" Well, Babes in Arms pulls no punches as the kids go full guerilla on their prude parents. Sheesh, and you thought those teenagers of the 50's were nuts. What can I say? It's a fun film that deserves the praise it gets. 

Satan Met a Lady (1936) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Satan Met a Lady
Year: 1936
Director: William Dieterle
Country: US
Language: English

One of author Dashiell Hammett’s finest works, The Maltese Falcon has received the adaptation treatment three separate time, most famously in 1941 with Humphrey Bogart. Few know that before John Huston directed that cinematic classic there had already been two previous attempts at the material. I have already reviewed the 1931 pre-Code titled Maltese Falcon, but I have not yet mentioned this 1936 Crime comedy starring Bette Davis. 

 Sardonic detective Shane (Warren William), thrown out of one town for bringing trouble, heads for home and his ex-partner's detective agency. The business is doing poorly, but things are looking up When when pretty Valerie Purvis walks in the next day willing to pay over the odds to put a tail on the man who did her wrong.

The general tone of the film is meant to evoke The Thin Man, rather than a gritty crime noir. In fact, the first sequel to the Nick and Nora canon, After the Thin Man, came to theaters just five months after this, so this film was made in the wake of that series' popularity on purpose. Warren William is solid substitute for William Powell, he's a charismatic onscreen presence that allows even the mean-spirited jokes to get a few laughs. 

Bette Davis called this film "junk". After being successful in The Petrified Forest (1936), Davis wasn’t interested in playing villain. I'd say she pulls off a fine performance, the character fits well in the confines of a crime comedy. Her evil-ness is less serious and more comic book villain. Despite her disinterest in the picture, her brilliance oozes out every frame. The script does her tremendous favours with lines like "Would you mind taking off your hat in the presence of a lady with a gun?"

Despite Satan Met a Lady taking far too many liberties with its source material, it's charming and humorous enough to get a solid recommendation. It's a memorable little picture that doesn't feel too dated despite being made in 1936. Well directed, written and scored, this left me thoroughly impressed.

Babes in Toyland (1961) Review-By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Babes in Toyland
Year: 1961
Director:  Jack Donohue
Country: US
Language: English

Disney is known for adaptations, they've based their entire animation division on it, but usually when adapting they make changes to the source material and/or songs. Babes in Toyland marks the first time Disney didn't make drastic changes. The songs were directly lifted from the 1903 operetta and well. it's a bit messy. Long time Disney animator Ward Kimball being fired as the film’s director may have been the first mistake among many, which resulted in this picture being a financial failure. 

There are three movies mashed within the film: the kidnapping of Tom, the saving of Toyland, and the destruction of Barnaby and all three begin and end with little payoff; the script is just done working with them. 

Mother Goose’s (Mary McCarty) opening line about “set[ting your imagination free” seems content to banish any questions about the plot. Babes in Toyland looks like a play, the obvious two-dimensional reminds us of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, but the world building is not consistent. We're not sure of the time period either, maybe it's medieval, but in that case why are there trippy 60's songs about income tax and rent? I'm confused. 

Immersive this film is not. The tone desperately tries to come off like Wizard of Oz, but fails in almost every aspect. The characters are not at all enticing, even the villain is boring and not given that much to do in this picture. Ray Bolger as Barnaby attempts to act as the lovechild of Wicked Witch of the West and the Scarecrow (*shudders*) but lacks any drop of onscreen charisma and/or presence. 

Babes in Toyland is an odd little 60's Disney musical. Perhaps I'm harsh on it because it's dated, but if even the sets look community theatre cheap then it still has a lot to do with the production. Loads of pacing problems, the only redeeming quality of this picture is the sense of humor it sparingly throws out at odd moments. 

Sully (2016) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Sully
Year: 2016
Director: Clint Eastwood
Country: US
Language: English

On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549, piloted by Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, struck a flock of geese just moments after leaving LaGuardia Airport, rendering both engines unresponsive. Sully's years of pilot experience, as well as his quick thinking, resulted in all 155 passengers surviving, and led to widespread praise for Sully as an American hero. Clint Eastwood’s account of what actually happened evokes thoughts of 9/11 and reminds us of how tragic that incident could have been if it were handled by the wrong individual. 

Played by Tom Hanks, Sully was the main character of the "Miracle on the Hudson", gliding his plane into the waters when it became disabled. Heralded as a hero by the media, because he saved all 155 passengers, Sully is a little uncomfortable with the title brought on him. He is also being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

First and foremost Screenwriter Todd Komarnicki takes liberties with the real-life story to pad the run-time and create a conflict; otherwise there may not have been enough material for a feature-length picture, though I disagree with Komarnicki's approach entirely. In real-life the NTSB did not doubt Sully, nor did they go through villainous lengths to show how computer simulations could disprove his status as a "hero", rather they too applauded his piloting efforts. 

In real-life Sully was not that humble of a man, infact Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow wasted no time writing a book about what happened, having released Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters just a few short months after the so-called “Miracle on the Hudson”. It's the same kind of American hero worship seen in American Sniper, although in this instance Sullenberger really is a hero, he's just not as humble or controversial as Clint Eastwood would like you to believe.

Despite this, Sully is a very easy character to empathize with. Eastwood successfully manages to give us  a sense of just how big his accomplishment really was, and just how much pressure was on the man. In an increasingly divided world, Eastwood is able to show us that great things are possible if we work together. It's a really important lesson that we need to be reminded of in 2016. 

Sully is a fairly formal straight-forward presentation that, while historically inaccurate, is engaging and manages to keep us in a constant state of suspense. It fills its run-time adequately, never straying too far from the original intent of the story. I can certainly say this is a "good" film, but needs more character study and less of the villainous NTSB to be considered "great". 

Metropolis (2001) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Metropolis
Year: 2001
Director: Rintaro
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese

Rintaro's Metropolis is based off of a very early work of the same title. Tezuka's sci-fi classic manga was drawn in 1949, when the man was just a young medical student. The title may remind you of Fritz Lang's classic silent movie, which depicted the people's uprising and the android Malia, who played the great part in the revolution, in a New York-like future city. Tezuka had not seen the movie at the time; instead still photos of futuristic skyscrapers beautiful metallic androids inspired him to create his vision of Metropolis.

The story is set in the far future where humans and robots live together, unfortunately not in harmony. Many robots are forced underground and are terminated for entering unauthorized areas. They are more or less servants to humankind. The plot starts to unfold when the boy meets a robot named Tima and they get into trouble. 

Tezuka's Metropolis was very different from Lang's, and Rintaro's movie version is apparently very different from the Manga (at this time I have not read the manga). The film is gorgeous to look at. We are beholden to high-level computer artwork displaying an incredibly realized world that accentuates a powerful, gripping story that will leave you thoroughly engaged. It is a fairly accessible film to a modern world audience, as much of its cultural references and homages are from sources outside of Japan. I was reminded of Dr.Strangelove, The Fifth Element, Blade Runner and many more American films. 

Metropolis has a surprising amount of emotional depth. It surpasses even the more serious science fiction in trying to comprehend human nature, free-will, and sociological  changes in society. It is ambitious in substance and style, but manages to be excel at both and become a true anime masterwork. I particularly loved the jazzy score, which would normally be off-putting in sci-fi, but this time proved to be fairly useful in emphasizing emotion. 

The climax of Metropolis is guaranteed to leave you stunned. Rintaro's film is rather slow paced and drawn out, but at the same time he leaves you wanting more by the end. Despite a run-time of close to 2 hours, it feels like a much shorter film. It's difficult to say anything negative about this work of art, as I was I found myself incredibly inspired by it. 

Mary of Scotland (1936) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Mary of Scotland
Year: 1936
Director: John Ford
Country: US
Language: English

Based on the play by Maxwell Anderson, John Ford's Mary of Scotland (1936) portrays Mary Stuart as a righteous martyr and Elizabeth Tudor as a conniving paranoiac even though history may suggest otherwise. The historical analysis is fairly simplistic, the reality of this situation is far more complex than what has been put onscreen, but it does play off like a Shakespearean drama. The real question is, despite the inaccuracy, does Mary of Scotland prove to be a great film?

In Ford's picture, the recently widowed Mary Stuart returns to Scotland to reclaim her throne but is opposed by her half-brother and her own Scottish lords. 

Historians may cringe at Ford's obviously pro-Stuart and anti-Tudor sentiments, but I am impressed by this well-staged drama that features Katherine Hepburn in the title role. As with most Ford films, we are fully immersed in the setting. The costumes are divine, the make-up is up to par and the staging is near flawless. The score (complete with bagpipes) is also suffice for this particular drama.

My main problem with Mary of Scotland is with the story itself. Despite being about a particularly intriguing time in history, we are given the plot of a bad romance novel. “I’d burn my throne if it meant another night with you.” The film is far more about Mary's loves than about her difficulty of returning to the Scottish throne. 

I had a lot of high hopes for Mary of Scotland, considering it was directed by John Ford and starred Katherine Hepburn, but unfortunately I was a little let down. By the end of the film I was incredibly bored, wanting to find a film that showed a more tumultuous view of this history.  Technically well-made, but lacking substance. 

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Year: 1971 
Director: Robert Stevenson
Country: US
Language: English

In the wake of Mary Poppins several less successful copycats were greenlit. United Artists tried their hand four years after Poppins, losing Andrews but retaining Dick Van Dyke, with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Disney was at a loss by the 1970s with how to capitalize on the financial and critical success of Poppins, especially considering P.L. Travers would refuse to sign away any more of her novels. Bedknobs and Broomsticks was an attempt to recreate the successful Poppins formula. 

In this film, an apprentice witch, three kids and a cynical conman search for the missing component to a magic spell useful to the defense of Britain. 

Bedknobs and Broomsticks was a surprisingly edgy (for Disney family fare, that is) fantasy that is rooted in a historically important chapter of World War II, as the Nazis seemingly unstoppable Blitz trudged forward into Great Britain. The finished product feels like Sound of Music mixed with Mary Poppins, albeit with worse acting and less memorable songs. Bedknobs and Broomsticks marks the end of an era for Disney live action films. It was the last film the Sherman brothers would create the music for; the last Disney film nominated for an Oscar until The Little Mermaid in 1989; and it was the final film overseen by Roy Disney, Walt’s brother.

Bedknobs is a fun, imaginative little movie that provides a consistent tone of pure wackiness throughout its run-time. It has issues with story, pacing and some frivolous waste of scenes, but I do enjoy the second act animation. The animated sequences involving an underwater world and a fast & furious football match have a charming old school quality, which is absolutely welcome for anyone weary of modern-day, digital "perfection".

Angela Lansbury is no Julie Andrews however. She is far less charismatic and her voice carries much less weight in terms of the film's few musical moments. Lansbury could have been substituted by many of 1970's beautiful actresses and the film would be drastically improved.  It's worth watching out of curiosity, but I personally haven't found any real reason to watch it more than once.