The Constant Nymph (1943)

 So, this was a bizarre little film.

Charles Boyer once again shines a pianist/composer, Lewis Dodd, who is struggling to become successful in his art. However, he's a kind-hearted musician this time and has friends all over European, including the poor farmers, the Sangers, who have three daughters, one of whom is Tessa (Joan Fontaine) who utterly adores him. It is unclear of Tessa's exact, which is a huge bone of contention for me. While Lewis has talent as a composer, he lacks inspiration and that's where Tessa comes in. With her around, he's inspired to create beautiful music. 

Then, after Tessa's father dies, her uncle comes along to rescue the family financially and brings his beloved only child, the spoiled Florence (Alexis Smith) along. Like Tessa, she falls in love with Lewis and they quickly marry. However, it is far from a happy union as he is somewhat of a recluse and she wants to show him off so they clash instantly and Florence gets horribly jealous (perhaps rightly so) of Tessa though Tessa refuses to act upon her feelings. Whether that's because of the Hays Code or her own morals (I suspect the latter) remains unclear. 

The film ends sadly though Lewis has finally achieved the success he's so longed for, but at a terrible price, Tessa's heart defect finally catches up to her and she dies, trying to let Florence win. 

Overall, the film wasn't bad though the DVD was lacking subtitles which meant that I probably missed several lines of dialogue. And though the plot line is rather problematic, namely because we don't know Tessa's age (though she's sent briefly to a boarding school so that should give you some idea), it had a good baseline and the acting was completely solid, which is a relief after yesterday's feature. And Fontaine was great, which is good as she was Oscar-nominated for this performance and manages to be convincing as a teenager, playing a waif for the third time in her twenties. Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-The supporting cast was solid and included Brenda Marshall, Peter Lorre, Charles Coburn and Dame May Whitty.

-It is unclear if Tessa's mother is actually dead.

-It is also unclear how Lewis and Tessa's father actually met, but its clear that they have a history. 

-Based on a book, I wonder how similar this was to the source material. 

For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)

 Well, while this might be dubbed as one of the greatest love stories of all time but I found it hollow.

Robert Jordan (Gary Cooper) arrives in Spain as an expert in demolition as he blows up bridges, trying, in vain, to thwart the Spanish Revolution. However, his career in America involved teaching Spanish to college kids. 

Tasked with blowing up a bridge, he starts to form a band of rebels to help him with the impossible task. It is here that he meets the fiery Pilar (Katrina Paxinou) and her drunk and unreliable husband, Pablo (Akim Tamiroff) along with the orphaned Maria (Ingrid Bergman) who escaped prison after watching her parents get killed before her eyes and then she was raped. Yet, she falls in love with Robert and he with her, because there has to be a love story. And while I love love stories, I prefer an organic one rather than a circumstantial or convenient one. 

And this is also a long film, with several shoot out scenes and debates among the men, not to mention some chaste but tender moments between Robert and Maria, all leading up to Robert's tragic death, though he goes out swinging, leaving Maria to continue to add to her constant losses, grieving alone. 

Overall, the film had some good parts and was well-acted and staged, filming could not have been easy given that this film was released in 1943 so in many ways, it was a success. I just wish that Cooper wasn't so wooden as his character was relatively bland which leads Bergman to appear to overact around him just because she breathed life into her Maria. However, the standout was Paxinou who may have been miscast (she was Greek, not Spanish), but she was brilliant nevertheless and did fully deserve her Supporting Actress Oscar. Grade: B

Side Notes:

-Paxinou's make-up was not a success as it made her appear dirtier than her character was supposed to be.

-Maria was only supposed to be nineteen, Bergman was nearly twenty-eight at the time.

-Pilar's flashback, explaining Pablo's actions, is somewhat bizarre as she narrators everything. 

-Though all four of the lead actors received Oscar nominations, shockingly, the director Sam Wood, did not. 

Marry Me (2022)

 So, this movie happened. First of all, Jennifer Lopez is amazing and can do no wrong and despite her and Owen Wilson giving us good performances, this film fell flat on basically all accounts.

We all know what this film's about, Wilson's Charlie Gilbert feels sorry for Kat Valdez (Lopez) and agrees to marry and stay married to her while they get to know each other and there are some good moments, because it is basically boy meets girl, with an impulsive marriage thrown in the mix. Oh, yes, and her musical ex, Bastian (Maluma) is also hovering dangerously on the edge, wanting Kat back, but unable to shake his cheating ways. You don't fully understand why Kat fell for him in the first place. 

Still, it is impossible to not root for Charlie, with his flip phone, and Kat who is constantly live-streamed to her millions of fans, to forego their differences and fall in love, which they do, only the good moments are painfully short-lived, as the supporting characters keep jutting in at the least opportune moment. And then there is the improbability of Hollywood rom-coms so everything works out and the character chances and is willing to take a chance on love (if this happens in real life, it's never happened to me) so they end up together, thank goodness. 

However, this film was a missed opportunity to truly delve into life post-divorce and how difficult single parenthood is, not to mention aging in an industry that loathes aging and what it's truly like to have your face plastered everything and have people clinging to your every word and every action as it is all various forms of social media. But instead, they focus on the fluffy rom-com staples, which dilute the good parts, which is most unfortunate. Fortunately, this is far from the worst rom-com I've seen, though it isn't even close to the best. Grade: B-

Side Notes:

-I have to say it, some of Jennifer Lopez's outfits show far too much skin for my liking (though I don't wish to slut shame her) and I can't believe that the song 'Marry Me' was nominated for a fake Grammy.

-The supporting cast is solid, though some appear on screen for, well, next to no time: Sarah Silverman, John Bradley, Michelle Buteau and Utkarsh Ambudkar. Chloe Coleman is delightful as Charlie's young daughter.

-It is also unrealistic how quickly, and without any stumbles, Kat writes up the lyrics to 'On My Way', a song written for Charlie, not Bastian, which is what everyone thinks.

-Those nun costumes in the beginning are borderline disturbing and something that you would never find in church.

-The only truly funny part is when Sarah Silverman's Parker blows a fire extinguisher at the press so Charlie could get to work without incident. 

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

 Well, Jessica Chastain was great at least. Actually, overall, this wasn't the worst biopic I've seen, though it was far from the best.

Here, she shines as Tammy Faye, who grows up stigmatized from her religious family as she's a product of her mother's short-lived first marriage (great to punish the children for the parents' mistakes), but she falls in love with Jesus nevertheless and then, in college, Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield), who has good intentions, at first, and she's super supportive, for far too long. 

And they make it big, bigger than even Pat Robertson (Gabriel Olds), but while Tammy's message is simplier, she loves everyone because that's what Jesus and church taught her, Jim is more focused on money, doing horrible things along the way, even making Tammy apologize for cheating on him (barely cheating, by my definition) on the air while all of his affairs (some of which may or may not have been the most consensual) are swept under the rug, until Jerry Falwell, Sr (Vincent D'Onofrio) wants them gone and all of Jim's shady business dealings are brought to light. 

Still, while charges are never brought against Tammy, surely, she must have known that Jim's ideas and ways of earning money for his own TV station weren't exactly above board and she spent money like a bandit, and enjoyed pampering herself with her long nails and make-up caked on her face though at least she keeps her sense of humor about it. And this film certainly portrays her as a victim, accidentally discovering that her husband might be a homosexual (which is later confirmed) and he isn't exactly sympathetic when she's suffering from post-pardon depression. And while she encourages her husband to break free from Pat and Jerry, he never fully does, he plays into the politics of TV religion while she doesn't completely, feeling that everyone deserves love, even if it goes against the Republican agenda. So, while she's portrayed as the hero, I can't help but feeling like the screenplay didn't tell the audience the whole truth. 

That being said, Chastain and Garfield are fantastic despite the heavy make-up and I had to see what would happen so at least the film kept my attention. Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-Chastain ages marvelously from bright-eyed college teenager to a woman in her early fifties and does so effortlessly which is no small feat.

-Garfield pulls off two great albeit vastly performances in 2021.

-Tammy announces her first pregnancy to Jim on air of their religious puppet show, which must have been horribly awkward. 

-Tammy's nails are so long that she has to use a nail file to open her precious cans of  Diet Coke, and yes, she is addicted to Coke.

-Cherry Jones is somewhat miscast as Chastain's mother.

-The film has Tammy's water breaking when she's masturbating against another man (Mark Wystrach), but one who actually appreciates her fully, unlike Jim. 

-According to Wikipedia, Jim was released from prison, remarried and then adopted five children, who decided that was a good idea? Not rhetorical, I want names.

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

 This film delivers Henry Fonda with his best role of Tom Joad, convicted of manslaughter, desperate to get back to his family and put his past behind him and make a life for himself. 

Filmed almost in a documentary style with tons of natural performances, realistic lightning with brilliant cinematography from Gregg Toland (who wasn't even nominated for an Oscar for his superb work here), this is a film that has actually managed to age well which is no small feat considering this film is now more than eighty years old, but with realistic characters only to have their hopes dashed and dashed again, but they refuse to give up or give in to death despite judgment coming from all around them by people who can't even begin to imagine their circumstances. 

And Tom Joad is a great protagonist, with flaws and unlucky chances which force him to abandon his family, as he refuses to drag them down with him. But he still wants to do good, wants to help the little guy. However, I feel that Ma Joad (Jane Darwell), who doesn't even get a first name, is also one of the heroes who may be down but not out, knowing that she will have to keep going because 'they're the people'. 

Despite the bleak ending (though not as bleak as the book apparently), this film is a classic for a reason and Fonda should have won his Oscar for this role and Darwell fully deserved her win. I can't believe this film didn't win more awards as it is a timeless classic. Grade: A

Side Notes:

-It is unclear how many siblings Tom actually has, though by my guess, I'd say four: Rose of Sharon, Al, Ruth and Winfield.

-It is odd seeing vehicles pass through so many inspections as they travel through several states to get to California. 

-I can't believe that the Joads managed to fit all their belongings and themselves into that rickety old truck, which cost only $75 dollars. 

-The trip is a tragic one, both of the Joad grandparents pass away before making it to their final destination.

-It is shocking at how drastic labor prices can drop due to the demand of labor.

-The police treat the innocent bystander with cool indifference, which is just wretched. 

-Rose of Sharon (Dorris Bowden) is pregnant though they never say it nor does ever even appear pregnant though it is referenced several times throughout the film. That is probably the only part that doesn't treated with the realism of the rest of the film, but again, the Hays code is to blame.

Primrose Path (1940)

 This is Ginger Roger's other 1940 film, and while she might be just as good here as in Kitty Foyle which would win her her only Academy Award.

Here, she's white trash, Ellie May Adams, who is the daughter of a drunk but educated man and a kept woman. She's uneducated herself and a tomboy but can be just as manipulative as her mother, faking a suicide attempt to get diner owner, Ed Wallace (Joel McCrea) to marry her and she fits in with his lifestyle like a glove.

But she lied to him and once the truth is out, Ed claims he no longer wants her because of that, but its likely because he's ashamed of her background. So Ellie May returns to her family, which is good, because they need her. Though it is not shown on screen, her mother probably wrestled a gun away from her husband and got shot as a result and dies in short time and after being unable to find a job, Ellie May reluctantly starts to follow in her mother's footsteps but thanks to some quick thinking and bantering with Ed, he chases her once again and this time it ends better, I guess.

Now, while I'm glad the two ended up together as I do think they loved each other, it was an odd courtship as in the beginning, Ed egged her on just until he got a rise out of her and kisses her without warning but at least she smacks him back. And she's so desperate to get out of her house that she lies through her teeth just to get him to marry her, which he does and they seem to get along well until the truth is out. And then at the end, he just takes control of her family at the end, even spanking her younger sister (Joan Carroll), which is enough to make me cringe though I know spanking was typical back then. 

While Rogers gave another natural performance (while Kitty was a stronger character, I think this may have actually been her better performance), the film actually belonged to Queenie Vassar as Ellie May's grandmother, sharp and witty and nasty if the situation requires it. However, it was Marjorie Rambeau (Ellie May's mother) who would receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, though I wasn't truly impressed with it, as it wasn't anything special. Though this film might have been daring for the day, I found it dated and safe and did nothing to advance the feminist movement. So take this film with a grain of salt. Grade: B

Side Notes:

-I loved how there was a warning at the beginning of the film, informing the audience that this film passed the censor tests. 

-Honeybelle is an unfortunate name for a child. 

-I felt that you were missing a scene as Ed says he wants nothing to do with Ellie May and then is told off by her grandmother in the next scene.

-This film has the double-standard as Ed was certainly a man about town before marrying Ellie May but she has to come from a pure family.

-My favorite character was Ed's grandfather (Henry Travers), one of the best characters in the business.