Stubs - Speedway

Speedway (1929) Starring William Haines, Anita Page, Ernest Torrence, Karl Dane, John Miljan. Directed by Harry Beaumont. Story by Byron Morgan. Adapted by Alfred Block, Ann Price, Byron Morgan. Producer (None Credited). USA Black and White. Run time 82 minutes. Silent, Melodrama            .

The Indianapolis 500 has been the subject of several films. The Crowd Roars (1932), and its remake, Indianapolis Speedway (1939) may be more famous but one of the first was Speedway (1929), which came at the end of the silent era. In fact, it is noted as William Haines last such film.

Stubs - The Secret Six

 

The Secret Six (1931) Starring: Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, John Mack Brown Directed by George Hill. Screenplay by Frances Marion. Producer: Irving Thalberg. Run time: 83 minutes. USA Black and White. Drama. Gangster.

1931 seems to be the beginning of the gangster genre in Hollywood with the release of three films that sort of set the standards for the genre: Scarface, Little Caesar and The Public Enemy. Not wanting to be left out of the trend, MGM released their first such film that same year, The Secret Six.

According to Variety, writing about the film at the time it was being made, several elements of this film are traceable to actual gangster activities of the time and about a group of rich vigilantes who helped take down mobsters in 1930’s Chicago. While the film is not hailed by critics the way the other three films were, The Secret Six is notable for other reasons. The film marks the debut of actor Ralph Bellamy and the rise of both Clark Gable and Jean Harlow on their way towards stardom.

Stubs - The Sin of Nora Moran

The Sin of Nora Moran (1933) Starring Zita Johann, Alan Dinehart, Paul Cavanagh, Claire DuBrey, John Miljan. Directed by Phil Goldstone. Screenplay by Frances Hyland. Based on a play by Willis Maxwell Goodhue (production undetermined). Produced by Phil Goldstone Run time: 62 min. USA. Black and White Mystery, Pre-code, Proto-noir

You don’t hear the term “narratage” much anymore. It was a word coined by the Fox Films Publicity Department to describe the story-telling technique utilized in The Power and the Glory (1933) starring Spencer Tracy and Colleen Moore, written by Preston Sturges, his first screenplay, and directed by William K. Howard. The film, told through flashbacks which were narrated, was cited by Pauline Kael in her essay "Raising Kane", as a prototype for the narrative structure of Citizen Kane (1941). It would also be a technique used in film noir.

Stubs - Second Look - Let It Be

Let it Be (1970, re-released 2024) starring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr. Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg Produced by Neil Aspinall Run time: 88 minutes (originally 80 minutes) Color, United Kingdom, Music, Documentary

Having waited nearly 50 years to rewatch Let It Be, your first reaction may very well be, what was all the fuss about? There is a mythology surrounding the film, perhaps more to do with what had happened soon before its release in May 1970, The Beatles' breakup, rather than what actually happens in the film itself.

Having more recently seen the longer, Peter Jackson version, Get Back, it is hard not to compare the two. The original film was intended to be a television documentary about The Beatles doing their first live concert since the Cow Palace on August 29, 1966. The film turned into a documentary of the group working, but still ended with a live performance, the unannounced, free, rooftop concert on January 30, 1969.

Stubs - Smart Woman

 

Smart Woman (1931) Starring; Mary Astor, Robert Ames, John Halliday, Edward Everett Horton, Noel Francis. Directed by Gregory La Cava. Screenplay by Salisbury Field. Based on the play Nancy's Private Affair by Myron C. Fagan (New York, 13 Jan 1930). Produced by William LeBaron. Run time 68 minutes. USA Black and White. Pre-Code, Drama.

Mary Astor may be best known for her role as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon (1941) but before that film, and for many years after, she was a movie star with a career that dated back to silent films. Her first film role at the age of 14 in Sentimental Tommy (1921) may have ended up on the cutting room floor but that didn’t deter her. She would appear in other films before moving to Hollywood in 1923, with her parents, and signed with Paramount Pictures.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

The music industry is no stranger to biopics, and I’ve even seen a few myself, but they tend to stretch or omit the truth in places for the sake of telling its own story (Bohemian Rhapsody comes to mind). Though I was not aware of the original Funny or Die sketch, the announcement of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Weird), based on parody artist “Weird Al” Yankovic and a parody of such biopics no less, got me excited as a fan of his work. This excitement, however, was dampened by its exclusivity to the Roku platform, which I personally had a hard time figuring out and I didn’t want to sign up for something just to watch a single film. This excitement came back in full swing when I saw that Shout! Factory had announced a physical release, meaning I didn’t have to sign up for Roku to watch it. After watching the film upon receiving it as a Christmas present, I found it to be one of Weird Al’s funniest projects yet and an amazingly funny parody in general.

The Compleat Al

“Weird Al” Yankovic is a musical artist that probably needs no introduction, as he is well-known for his longstanding career writing parodies of popular songs of the time, ranging from “Eat It” (parody of “Beat It” by Michael Jackson) to “White and Nerdy” (parody of “Ridin’” by Chamillionaire). While 2022 saw the release of the satirical biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story on Roku, with it finally receiving a home video release the following year, Yankovic is no stranger to joke depictions of his life story, as 1985 saw the premiere of the mockumentary The Compleat Al on Showtime, albeit in a 60-minute edited form, before releasing in full on home video. Shout! Factory’s announcement of the home video release of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is what led me to discover the existence of The Compleat Al through their listing of a DVD release, which I would receive as a gift shortly afterwards. While I did overall enjoy my experience with it, the full 100-minute runtime sadly works against it at times.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R (PS5)

Note: This review contains spoilers for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Ten years after the release of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle (ASB), a PS3 fighting game based on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (JJBA) by Hirohiko Araki, developer CyberConnect2 would release a remastered version for modern consoles, fittingly subtitled All-Star Battle R (ASBR). This release would not only commemorate the 35th anniversary of JJBA, but also the 10th anniversary of its anime adaptation, which at the time was in the middle of adapting Part 6: Stone Ocean (this is important for later). Although the game received positive reception from critics and fans, its online scene sadly decayed in the time between the game’s release and this review. Despite this, we still wanted to document our thoughts on ASBR as fans of JJBA and the original ASB, especially now that all of the DLC characters have released. In that regard, ASBR is definitely a great way to experience ASB, although its differences in presentation may affect your preference.