DVD/150: THE GRIFTERS (Stephen Frears, 1990)

Stephen Frears followed DANGEROUS LIAISONS with another tale of deceit, sex and death, Jim Thompson's THE GRIFTERS.

Crime writer Donald Westlake superbly adapts Thompson's terse tale of a trio of grifters' dark dealings in the LA sunshine.

They first appear memorably in split-screen: Lilly works for the mob around California racetracks, fixing the odds with last-minute betting (creaming some off the top for herself), Roy is her estranged son who works short-time cons while his new girlfriend Myra is also a con-artist, using her body if she has to.

Roy is beaten when a scam goes wrong, Lilly visits him for the first time in eight years and discovers him in pain so has him hospitalized.  Lilly and Myra meet over Roy's hospital bed, instantly disliking each other.

When Roy dumps Myra for suggesting him and Lilly are too close, Myra's revenge changes all their lives...

Shelf or charity shop?  One for the shelf: produced by Martin Scorsese, Stephen Frears delivers an excellent Film Noir which brings the form from the 1950s into 1990 Los Angeles.  A fabulous sense of place surrounds Westlake's hard-boiled adaptation while Frears has the best cast to reference the old while bringing the new: John Cusack's baby-faced Roy subtly delivers the Montgomery Clift-style dude who thinks he can control his destiny.  Both Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening totally deserved their Academy Award nominations as the duelling scorpions Lilly and Myra.  Bening is wonderfully good while conjuring up Gloria Grahame amoral sexuality - I think it's her most memorable screen role.  Anjelica Huston brings a flavour of the intensity of Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Crawford to Lilly but with an icy remoteness that is chilling and all her own - she is frightening while in control and terrifying when she loses it.  They are surrounded with a wonderful supporting cast of character actors including Henry Jones, Pat Hingle, JT Walsh, Charles Napier and Stephen Tobolowsky.

DVD/150: RICHARD III (Richard LoncraIne, 1995)

Richard Eyre's 1990 RICHARD III at the National Theatre starring Ian McKellen was set in the 1930s, finding a natural setting against the rise of Fascist dictators and five years later, Richard Loncraine based his screen version on this production using an adaptation by himself and McKellen.

As good as McKellen is, eventually he becomes wearing; being so close to the script-writing means few other characters get a look in.

Loncraine's film however is excellent: the action is wonderfully thought through to fit the 1930s concept and the production design and costumes won BAFTAs and were nominated for Oscars.

As I said, it's a struggle for the cast to get round McKellen but there is fine work from Annette Bening as Queen Elizabeth. Maggie Smith as the Duchess of York, Nigel Hawthorne as Clarence, Jim Broadbent as Buckingham, Kristen Scott Thomas as Lady Anne and Adrian Dunbar as Tyrell.

Shelf or charity shop?  Alhough McKellen's Richard is ruling from the DVD limbo of a plastic storage box, it is definitely one to keep for it's ingenuity, dazzling cast and the wonderful location use of Battersea Power Station. St Pancras Station, Brighton Pavillion, Senate House and the former Bankside Power Station, now the Tate Modern building.

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Dvd/150: FILM STARS DON'T DIE IN LIVERPOOL (Paul McGuigan, 2017)

This film of Peter Turner's memoir of his 2 year relationship with Hollywood actress Gloria Grahame is shot through with a sadness that lingers long afterward.

They met in a London boarding house in 1979: he starting out as an actor while she was an Oscar-winning actress returning to the stage as the film work dwindled.  Love blossomed but 18 months later, Gloria abruptly ended it while Peter was with her in New York.

A year later and back in Liverpool, Peter received a call from Gloria; she had collapsed on tour and asked to recuperate with him and his parents.  But Peter discovered she was in fact dying of cancer - the diagnosis of which made her finish their relationship, sparing him the pain.

Paul McGuighan moves from the Turner home to Peter's memories of their relationship with cleverly staged transitions and elicits exquisite performances from his remarkable cast.

Shelf or charity shop?  Probably one for the shelf due to McGuighan's elegiac tone, fine supporting performances from Vanessa Redgrave and Frances Barber as Grahame's mother and embittered sister, and Julie Walters and Kenneth Cranham as the warm-hearted Joe and Bella Turner.  Jamie Bell is outstanding as Peter Turner and Annette Bening is magnificent as Gloria Grahame - loving, angry, hurt, afraid, charismatic, and alone... 

Dvd/150: THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Lisa Cholodenko, 2010)

Gay couple Nic and Jules are content: Nic is a doctor and Jules is launching her landscaping business and both are proud that daughter Joni going to university soon.  Unknown to them, Joni and younger brother Laser have made contact with their sperm donor father Paul and want to see more of him.

Paul's presence proves unsettling and soon tiny details - Nic's enthusiastic wine consumption and Jules' reliance on Nic's financial support - are seized upon as weapons.

Lisa Cholodenko's comedy/drama benefits from excellent performances.  Annette Bening and Julianne Moore have great chemistry and it's a joy to see them explore their characters' confusion at their sudden shifting emotions.

Mark Ruffalo is great as Paul, although the script twist of him and Jules starting a sexual relationship feels contrived.

Fine performances too from Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson as the teens starting to rebel against their loving but careful upbringing.

Shelf or charity shop?  Happy to have seen it, will let someone else enjoy it too...