Do Not Disturb (1965)

Americans Mike (Taylor) and Janet (Day) Harper recently moved to England for Mike's job.  He is an executive at a wool textile company.  The office is in London and the company has an apartment, but Janet falls in love with a home in the country and convinces Mike to rent it.  He takes the train in to work and for convenience sake, sometimes stays at the flat in the city.  The landlady Vanessa Courtwright (Baddeley) believes Mike is having an affair with his secretary Claire Hackett (McGiveney), who seems to be taking over Janet's role in his life.

Vanessa starts sending Janet flowers to make Mike jealous.  They succeed when Janet receives flowers from antiques dealer Paul Bellari (Fantoni), who Janet hires to redecorate the house.  With their anniversary coming up, can Mike and Janet stay together or will their potential affairs tear the relationship apart?


The story is based on a play by William Fairchild, with a screenplay by Milt Rosen and Richard Breen.  The film changes tone throughout.  The film takes a bit to get into.  Doris Day's character is grating at first and I didn't really like her until she met Sergio Fantoni's character and loosened up a bit.  She is really charming after that point and gets some fun comedy moments.

This is the first two collaborations between Day and Rod Taylor (they followed it up with The Glass Bottom Boat in 1966).  They are fine together.  The cast as a whole is fine, but you don't feel the fun of the film and performances until Day's Janet goes to France.  From there the film just gets better.

Day performed the title song and also sings during the film, as she does in all of her films.

Not bad, but also not great.

Do Not Disturb (1965) 102 minutes
Director: Ralph Levy
Starring: Doris Day as Janet Harper
Rod Taylor as Mike Harper
Hermione Baddeley as Vanessa Courtwright
Sergio Fantoni as Paul Bellari
Reginald Gardiner as George Simmons
Maura McGiveney as Claire Hackett
Aram Katcher as Culkos
Leon Askin as Willie Langsdorf

Move Over, Darling

"I'd like to know what he thinks he's doing."

I'd like to know how he does it."

Ellen Wagstaff Arden (Day) was lost at sea in a plane crash.  Five years later her husband Nick (Garner) has her declared legally dead and then marries Bianca Steele (Bergen).  That same day the Navy rescues Ellen from a deserted island.  She rushes home to reunite with Nick and their young daughters, Jenny (Pami Lee) and Didi (Leslie Farrell), but finds that the girls don't recognize her and Nick has moved on.  Nick's mother Grace (Ritter) encourages her to find Nick before his new marriage is consummated.

Nick is thrilled to see Ellen, but doesn't know how to break the news to his emotional new wife.  Matters are further complicated when he learns that Ellen was not alone on the island: she spent 5 years alone on the island with hunk Stephen Burkett (Connors).  Can Ellen save her marriage, or will she have to startover alone?


This film has a complicated history.  It is a remake of the 1940 film My Favorite Wife, starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.  They planned to remake the film again as, Something's Got to Give.  It was planned as a Marilyn Monroe comeback, with Dean Martin as the male lead and Cyd Charisse as the other woman, under the direction of George Cukor.  Monroe was fired from the film, but when Martin refused to work with anyone else she was rehired.  However, Monroe died before filming could be completed.  The film was never finished, but the studio wanted to make the film anyway after sinking a considerable sum into it.  They changed the title, director, parts of the script, and the cast (with the exception of Thelma Ritter).  The film utilized the set and some of the costumes from the film it replaced.

This was Doris Day and James Garner's second film together (they starred in The Thrill of It All, also released in 1963).  It was also Day's second film with Ritter and director Michael Gordon (they all worked on Pillow Talk in 1959).  The cast is great.  Day and Garner have great chemistry and are charming and believable as a comfortable married couple.  You can tell it was based on a screwball comedy and I can't wait to check out the Grant/Dunne version (which Day's character explains in the film).  Thelma Ritter steals the show as the meddling mother-in-law.  Ritter typically plaid the smart-talking best-friend or assistant or mother, and always managed to steal the show.  I found Polly Bergen's character grating and wished her scenes were shorter.  There are other memorable small roles, such as Don Knotts as the shoe clerk that Ellen pays to play Stephen, John Astin as the insurance man, and Edgar Buchanan as the judge.

I wanted to like this film.  I like the cast and premise is enough to make a funny film, but I didn't love it.  There are several laugh out loud moments, such as Ellen in the car wash and Ellen giving Bianca a massage, but it was missing something.  The performances are good, but I didn't love Day's Ellen and I don't particularly want to watch it again.  It is good, but not great.  I really wish the Monroe/Martin version existed, just for comparison's sake.  More than anything else, I really want to watch the Grant/Dunne version.  I still love Day and Garner (and Ritter), but not here.

Like most Day films, she performs the title song, "Move Over, Darling" and sings another song during the film.

Move Over, Darling (1963) 103 minutes
Director: Michael Gordon
Starring: Doris Day as Ellen Wagstaff Arden
James Garner as Nick Arden
Polly Bergen as Bianca Steele Arden
Thelma Ritter as Grace Arden
Chuck Connors as Stephen Burkett
Edgar Buchanan as Judge Bryson

Von Ryan's Express

"If you crab this, the Germans won't have to kill you; I'll do it myself."

During WWII, American Colonel Joseph Ryan (Sinatra) is shot down over Italy.  He is captured by Italian troops and taken to a POW camp, run by Major Basilio Battaglia (Adolfo Celi).  Battaglia is a cruel leader and his harsh punishments killed the highest ranking prisoner the night before.  The majority of the prisoners are British.  There are 8 American prisoners, led by Sergeant Bostick (Dexter).  Many are suffering from malaria.  Ryan is the highest ranking officer in the camp and becomes the leader of the prisoners, despite protestations from Major Eric Fincham (Howard).  The British prisoners are regularly trying to escape and have various tunnels around the camp, while the American prisoners are content to wait for rescue from the advancing Allied troops.  Ryan manages to get better conditions for the prisoners before the Italian army surrenders.  The prisoners escape, with help from Italian Captain Oriani (Fantoni).

Ryan and company are captured by German Major von Klemment (Preiss).  They are placed on a train heading for Germany.  German guards are stationed on the top of the train with machine guns, while the Major lives in the back of the train.  Ryan, Oriani, Fincham, Lieutenant Orde (Leyton), chaplain Captain Costanzo (Mullhare), and doctor Captain Stein (Michael Goodlife), devise a plan to overtake the train and head to Switzerland.  Can they successfully evade the German army and make it to Switzerland?


The film is based on the 1963 novel "Von Ryan's Express".  The author, David Westheimer, was a POW during WWII and used his experience to write the novel.  The novel was a bestseller and the film rights were purchased by 20th Century Fox.  Frank Sinatra was a fan of the novel and wanted to buy the film rights, but when he discovered that Fox already owned the rights, he expressed an interest in starring in the film.  But he insisted that they change the end of the film.  Other than change, the film is pretty faithful to the novel.

The film is similar to other WWII escape films like Stalag 17 and The Great Escape, which are both based on actual events. The benefits from using actual trains and aircrafts from the time period.  They also did most of the filming in Italy and Spain.

The cast is good.  Sinatra is a good lead, but not entirely likeable throughout the film.  He is matched by British actor Trevor Howard, who sells the intensity.  Their differing viewpoints / opinions throughout the film work well.  Most of the other characters don't get a huge chance to shine and are hard to remember afterwards.  The standout is Edward Mulhare as the chaplain who has to impersonate a German officer.  Sergio Fantoni is also good as Captain Oriani, who is sympathetic from the beginning.

A good action film.

Von Ryan's Express (1965) 117 minutes
Director: Mark Robson
Starring: Frank Sinatra as Colonel Joseph Ryan
Trevor Howard as Major Eric Fincham
Raffaella Carra as Gabriella
Brad Dexter as Sgt. Bostick
Sergio Fantoni as Captain Oriani
John Leyton as Lieutenant Orde
Edward Mulhare as Captain Costanzo
Wolfgang Preiss as Major von Klemment
James Brolin as Private Ames
John van Dreelen as Col. Gortz
Vito Scotti as Italian Locomotive Engineer

Live and Let Die

"I know who you are, what you are, and why you've come. You have made a mistake. You will not succeed."

James Bond (Moore) is sent to America to investigate the murders of MI-6 agents who were investigating Dr. Kananga (Kott), the Prime Minister of San Monique.  Bond follows Kananga to Harlem, New York, where he is captured by gangster/heroin kingpin Mr. Big and Kananga's henchmen: claw-handed Tee Hee Johnson (Harris) and quiet but deadly Whisper (Brown).  He manages to escape, and with the help of CIA agent Felix Leiter (Hedison), flies to San Monique.  In San Monique, he is partnered with CIA agent Rosie Carver (Hendry) who shows him around the island, with help from Quarrel Jr. (Roy Stewart).

The people of the island, including Rosie, are terrified of voodoo priest Baron Samedi (Holder), who also works for Kananga.  Kananga is also guided by Solitaire (Seymour) a tarot card reader who can see the future and present events.  Kananga is extremely possessive of Solitaire and Bond is captivated by her.  Can Bond stop Kananaga and Mr. Big, and get the girl?


The 8th Bond film changed the tone of the series.  The previous films, 6 with Sean Connery and 1 with George Lazenby, were suave espionage films with subtle humor.  They also featured villains that were connected to a single organization: SPECTRE.  With Roger Moore taking over as Bond, the producers took the film in a different direction.  They embraced the humor (and later camp) and featured stand-alone villains.

With this film, director Guy Hamilton and writer Tom Mankiewicz (who were involved in the previous Bond film Diamonds Are Forever) wanted to distinguish this Bond from the previous versions.  Moore does not wear a tuxedo, does not order his signature cocktail, smokes cigars, and doesn't have gadgets from Q (Q does not appear in this film).  They turned to the second novel in Ian Fleming's Bond series, and made a few changes.  The film is a reflection of the time it was made, focusing on blaxploitation archetypes.  It was the first Bond film to feature a black villain, Yaphet Kott, and the first black Bond girl, Gloria Hendry.

The crocodile farm is owned by stunt coordinator Ross Kananga.  He performed Bond's stunt with the crocodiles.  The producers used his name for the main villain: Dr. Kananga.

The title song "Live and Let Die" by Paul and Linda McCartney was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song, it was the first Bond song to be nominated.

The film was successful enough for the studio to continue making Bond films with Moore.  I prefer Connery as Bond, but it is still an entertaining film.

Live and Let Die (1973) 121 minutes
Director: Guy Hamilton
Starring: Roger Moore as James Bond
Yaphet Kott as Dr. Kananga
Jane Seymour as Solitaire
Julius Harris as Tee Hee Johnson
David Hedison as Felix Leiter
Gloria Hendry as Rosie Carver
Clifton James as Sheriff J.W. Pepper
Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi
Earl Jolly Brown as Whisper

Diamonds Are Forever

"One of nature's finest killers, Mr. Wint."

"One is never too old to learn from a master, Mr. Kidd."

After James Bond (Connery) kills Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Gray), the head of SPECTRE, he is given a new task: find out who is stockpiling diamonds.  He is sent undercover as smuggler Peter Franks, to recover the missing diamonds and shut down the operation.  He teams up with smuggler Tiffany Case (St. John) to move the diamonds.

After passing the diamonds along, each smuggler is murdered by Mr. Wint (Glover) and Mr. Kidd (Smith).  Bond and Tiffany end up Las Vegas at the mercy of reclusive businessman Willard Whyte (Dean).  Can Bond avoid the killers and save the world?


This is the seventh James Bond film (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service), based on the character from Ian Fleming's novels.  This story is based on Fleming's novel Diamonds Are Forever, but the main villain and other details were changed.  The film, written by Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz, brings back Bond's nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld, this time played by Charles Gray.

Guy Hamilton returned as the director, he previously directed Goldfinger (he would later direct 2 more Bond films: Live and Let Die and The Man With the Golden Gun).  Sean Connery also returned for this film.  He left the franchise after You Only Live Twice and was replaced with George Lazenby, who declined to return to the franchise.  Connery received a sizeable salary for this film, which cut down on the special effects budget.  He left the franchise again after this film (he would play bond again in Never Say Never Again which was not produced by Eon films).  Connery maintains his suave persona, but also embraces the camp that would define the Bond of his successor, Roger Moore.

The villains come in pairs in this film.  Wint and Kidd are the most visible villains, but the film also throws out a set of female villains: Bambi (Lola Larson) and Thumper (Trina Parks).  The film also features a character that is based on Howard Hughes: Willard Whyte (Dean).  The character was created with Hughes' blessing.

Shirley Bassey performed the title song, "Diamonds Are Forever," making her the first artist (and to date the only artist) to perform more than one Bond theme song.

Not my favorite Bond film... but it's not terrible either.

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) 120 minutes
Director: Guy Hamilton
Starring: Sean Connery as James Bond
Jill St. John as Tiffany Case
Charles Gray as Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Lana Wood as Plenty O'Toole
Jimmy Dean as Willard Whyte
Bruce Cabot as Saxby
Bruce Glover as Mr. Wint
Putter Smith as Mr. Kidd
Norman Burton as Felix Leiter
Joseph Furst as Dr. Metz

Captain America: Civil War

"Who's speaking?"

"It's your conscience. We don't talk a lot these days."

Steve Rogers / Captain America (Evans) and the Avengers travel to Sokovia to capture Brock Rumlow (Grillo), but their actions cause several deaths.  Governments around the world are concerned about the Avengers actions, and the death tolls they bring, and band together to create the Sokovia Accords to keep the Avengers in check.  As half of the team signs the documents, leaders from around the world gather in Vienna to ratify the Accords.  Their meeting is interrupted by a bombing and the Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (Barnes) is named as the culprit.  Rogers and Sam Wilson / Falcon (Mackie) set out to find Barnes before he is killed.

Their actions put them at odds with other members of the team.  The government tasks Tony Stark / Iron Man (Downey Jr.) to bring the others to justice.  But Rogers, Barnes, and Wilson find a bigger problem is out there and assemble a team to save Barnes.  With the Avengers divided, can they still save the day?


This is the first film in Marvel Studios Phase 3, it is also the third Captain America film: after Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014.  And like the previous two Captain America films, this film changed the stakes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The first film set up the Avengers.  The second film destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D and introduced Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson to the MCU.  This film divides the team and sets up the rest of Phase 3.

The creative team behind the scenes of the 2nd film return for this film: directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.  The film feels like a mini Avengers film, with most of the other Avengers appearing here.  But the stakes are high and the big fight between the team feels earned.  You know and care for all of the characters.

The story is serious, but still allows the characters to have light and quippy moments.  The cast is great, but the 3 newest heroes are the standouts.  Paul Rudd is a great addition to the cast, he fits well and brings humor.  Chadwick Boseman is incredible as T'Challa, and I look forward to his stand-alone film (set to debut in 2018).  Tom Holland is a great Peter Parker, and sets up his character and stand-alone film.  The other characters reactions to these three was also great.  As good as these characters were, the real focus was on Chris Evans' Steve Rogers.  Again, Evans is compelling as Captain America: heroic and still human.

The fights and action are well-choreographed and keep you on the edge of your seat.  Even with the the longer run time, it never feels like a long film.  And the trailers didn't spoil too much.

Overall, another stellar Marvel film that lives up to the hype.  I'm excited to see where the MCU goes from here.

Captain America: Civil War (2016) 146 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for extended sequences of violence, action and mayhem
Director: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon
Don Cheadle as Lieutenant James Rhodes / War Machine
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye
Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther
Paul Bettany as Vision
Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man
Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter
Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
Daniel Bruhl as Helmut Zemo
Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow / Crossbones

Mission: Impossible III

"Please don't interrupt me when I'm asking rhetorical questions."

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is trying to have a normal life outside his career with IMF (Impossible Mission Force).  He has retired from field work and trains new recruits.  He is engaged to nurse Jules Meade (Monaghan), who doesn't know anything about his real job.  He is contacted by IMF Operations Director John Musgrave (Crudup) to rescue his prize student Lindsey Farris (Russell).  Farris was investigating arms dealer Owen Davian (Hoffman) and was captured.  Hunt and his team are able to successfully rescue her, but discover that Davian implanted an explosive in her head which kills her.

Hunt and his team are reprimanded by Theodore Brassel (Fishburne), the head of IMF, for their actions.  But Hunt convinces the team to go after Davian.  The team is Luther Stickell (Rhames), Declan Gormley (Meyers), and Zhen Lei (Q), with help from IMF computer expert Beji Dunn (Pegg).  Before the mission Hunt and Jules get married.  He also learns that someone at IMF is working with Davian.  Can they stop Davian and his sadistic weapons?


The third film in the Mission: Impossible film series (Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible II, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation).  The film was delayed to issues behind the camera, with the first 2 directors leaving the project.  Ultimately, star and producer Tom Cruise approached TV director J.J. Abrams to make his feature film directorial debut.  Abrams also wrote the screenplay with his frequent collaborators, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

Like the previous film, this film has a new director and composer.  Only Cruise and Ving Rhames return for the film and are joined by new characters.  They have a good rapport and a believable friendship.  Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Maggie Q are good additions to the team, but this is the only M:I film either has appeared in.  Simon Pegg has a small, but important role, as Benji the computer expert.  Pegg reprises his role alongside Cruise and Rhames in the sequels.  Philip Seymour Hoffman is a great villain.  And the reveal of the mole is good as well.

The film is jam packed with action and stunts.  Cruise performed many of his own stunts.  Once again the film involved a stunt with heights.  It is a decent action film and entry in the M:I franchise.

Mission: Impossible III (2006) 125 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of frenetic violence and menace, disturbing images and some sensuality
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Owen Davian
Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell
Billy Crudup as John Musgrave
Michelle Monaghan as Jules Meade
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Declan Gormley
Keri Russell as Lindsey Farris
Maggie Q as Zhen Lei
Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn
Eddie Marsan as Brownway
Laurence Fishburne as Theodore Brassel

The Lady in the Van

"Shouldn't you say sorry?"

"I've no time for sorry. Sorry is for God."

In the 1970s, writer Alan Bennett (Jennings) purchased a home in London.  His first day in the house, he meets Miss Shepherd (Smith), the eccentric homeless woman that lives in a van.  Miss Shepherd is abrasive and mysterious, but seems to tolerate Alan more than the other neighbors.  They interfere in each other lives and when she is forced to move the van, he offers his driveway.

The move was intended as a temporary situation, but turns into years.  Despite living close to each other, he knows little about her life.


In 1989, Alan Bennett wrote The Lady in the Van about his experiences with Miss Shepherd.  In 1999 he adapted the story into a play, and he also wrote the screenplay for this film.

Filmed on location at Bennett's home in Camden Town and Bennett has a cameo at the end of the film.  Bennett previously worked with director Nicholas Hytner on another adaptation of one of his plays, The History Boys, and most of the cast from that film have small roles in this film.  Hytner also worked with Bennett on the adaptation of his play The Madness of King George.  Maggie Smith originated the role of Miss Shepherd in the play in 1999 and again in the 2009 BBC radio production (which featured Bennett as himself).

The film focuses on the character of Bennett, as portrayed by Alex Jennings, and splits him into 2 versions: Alan the writer and Alan the one experiencing everything.  They spend much of the film discussing and debating their situation.  It is entertaining, but takes away from watching Smith embody Shepherd.  She is phenomenal.

The rest of the cast is good as well, but are only peripheral characters, as the film focuses on Bennett and Shepherd.  A decent film that makes me want to check out more of Bennett's works (and Hytner's film adaptations of Bennett's works).

The Lady in the Van (2015) 104 minutes
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Starring: Maggie Smith as Mary Shepherd
Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett
Roger Allam as Rufus
Deborah Findlay as Pauline
Jim Broadbent as Underwood
Cecilia Noble as Miss Briscoe
Gwen Taylor as Mam
Frances de la Tour as Ursual Vaughan Williams