The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

"In my opinion, you are the most obstinate young woman I have ever met!"

"Thank you.  I've always wanted to be considered obstinate!"

Lucy Muir (Tierney), a young widow, is tired to following expectations.  Despite the protestations of her anxious mother-in-law, Angelica (Isobel Elsom), and domineering sister-in-law, Eva (Victoria Horne), Lucy decides to move to the seaside town of Whitecliff.  She falls in love with the inexpensive Gulf Cottage and decides to rent it, even though the locals say it is haunted.  She moves into the cottage with her young daughter Anna (Wood) and maid Martha (Best).  The first night in the house, she stumbles onto the ghost of Captain Daniel Gregg (Harrison).

Captain Gregg died in the house and has been scaring potential renters for years.  He and Lucy strike a deal: she won't change the house, and he won't bother anyone else.  They begin talking each day and start a unique relationship.


The story is based on the 1945 novel "The Ghost of Captain Gregg and Mrs. Muir" by R. A. Dick.  It was adapted to radio in 1947 with Charles Boyer and Madeleine Carroll.  It was adapted again in 1951 with Boyer reprising his role alongside Jane Wyatt.  It was also adapted as a TV show that ran from 1968-1970.

A friend recommended the film and I went in blind... only knowing the title and that Rex Harrison was the ghost.  And I was pleasantly surprised.

The story is simple, but intriguing.  Gene Tierney is ok as the lead, but she is far from the most interesting character.  Harrison is commanding as Captain Gregg.  I always enjoy George Sanders' performances, and as usual he is smooth and fascinating to watch.  The cinematography, by Charles Lang, is beautiful.

The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography.  It was also recognized in the American Film Institute's (AFI) 100 Years... 100 Passions list.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) 104 minutes
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Gene Tierney as Lucy Muir
Rex Harrison as Captain Daniel Gregg
George Sanders as Miles Fairley
Edna Best as Martha Huggin
Natalie Wood as Anna Muir

Support Your Local Sheriff!

"I guess you know what you're doing, Sheriff."

"I don't know what I could have said to give you that idea, Mayor"

The town of Calendar, Colorado is a lawless free-for-all.  The town has a thriving gold mine and has attracted the worst of the worst.  The town is also plagued by the outlaw Danby family, who waylay the gold from the mines and do as they please in the town.  No one wants to stand against the Danby's and the last 3 sheriffs have been killed or ran away.  All that changes when Jason McCullough (Garner) arrives in town.  McCullough wants to try his hand at gold mining before traveling to Australia for an adventure.  He takes the job as sheriff for the pay and the job and board offered with the position.

His first job is to stop a muddy street brawl and arrest Joe Danby (Dern) who murdered a man in the saloon.  With help from the "town character" Jake (Elam), he takes Joe to the jailhouse.  The town is especially proud of their jailhouse; it has everything the sheriff needs, except for bars on the cells.  He makes Jake his reluctant deputy and moves into the home of Mayor Olly Perkins (Morgan) and his hot-headed daughter Prudy (Hackett), the wealthiest woman in town.  News of Joe's arrest reaches his family, and his Pa (Brennan) makes a plan to scare off the new sheriff.  Can Jason clean up the town, outsmart the Danby family, and stay alive long enough to make his fortune?


This film, written by William Bowers (who also produced the film), is a parody of classic western films.  The story mimics the setup of many western films, while also laughing at the absurd situations.

James Garner stars as Jason, the reluctant hero who has to outsmart everyone else.  Most of the other cast members appeared in numerous western films.  Walter Brennan is the exasperated villain, surrounded by idiot sons: Bruce Dern, Gene Evans, and Dick Peabody.  Dern is entertaining as Joe, and the other brothers are mostly comic relief.  Joan Hackett is the feisty love interest, who is more than willing to dive into a fight.  Jack Elam is the quirky sidekick.

It is an enjoyable film.  It pays homage to westerns, while still appealing to fans of the genre, and brings lots of laughs.

The film was a success and Burt Kennedy repeated the formula two years later with Support Your Local Gunfighter in 1971.  The majority of the cast returned, in new roles, with Garner again playing the reluctant hero.  The gunfighter film is much funnier and a better all-around film than it's predecessor.

Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) 92 minutes
Director: Burt Kennedy
Starring: James Garner as Jason McCullough
Joan Hackett as Prudy Perkins
Walter Brennan as Pa Danby
Harry Morgan as Olly Perkins
Jack Elam as Jake
Henry Jones as Henry Jackson
Bruce Dern as Joe Danby
Willis Bouchey as Thomas Dever
Walter Burke as Fred Johnson

Game Night (2018)

"You're like a double threat. Brains... and you're British."

Max (Bateman) and Annie (McAdams) love a competition.  They met at a trivia night and share a love for games of all kind.  Every week they host a game night with their closest friends: Kevin (Morris) and Michelle (Bunbury) who have been together since middle school and Ryan (Magnussen) who brings along dim-witted dates.  Every week they also try to avoid their sad sack neighbor Gary (Plemons), who is a police officer and used to be a part of game night until his wife, Debbie, left.

Max's brother Brooks (Chandler) is in town and invites the group to his home for game night the next week.  As the group arrives, including Ryan's co-worker Sarah (Horgan), they learn that the game for the evening is a murder mystery and the winner will receive Brooks' new car: a Corvette Stingray.  Two masked men enter the house, beat Brooks and take him away.  As the group starts following the clues, they learn that the evening is not as it appears.  Can they survive the evening and rescue Brooks?


I was intrigued by the premise of this film... but expected it to be a raunchy disappointment.  I didn't plan to watch the film, or learn anything about it, until it was recommended on my favorite podcast.  I re-watched the trailer and decided to give it a chance, while also noting the "R" rating... and I was pleasantly surprised.

The story is interesting: a murder mystery game turned into a real mystery, with real consequences.  As a whole, it delivers: it twists and turns and keeps you guessing.  The end didn't work for me, and feels like they were trying to hard.  The language isn't excessive, but is still too much.

Overall, the film is good, but not great.

Game Night (2018) 100 minutes
Rating: R for language, sexual references and some violence
Director: John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein
Starring: Jason Bateman as Max
Rachel McAdams as Annie
Kyle Chandler as Brooks
Sharon Horgan as Sarah
Billy Magnussen as Ryan
Lamorne Morris as Kevin
Kylie Bunbury as Michelle
Jesse Plemons as Gary