bingoboss Reviews

Nina Takes a Lover (1994)

Beautifully filmed, good performances, but the story is meh

[6/10 · 25 September 2023]

This quiet, scenic film is set in the mellow San Francisco of the early 90's, with a pair of convincing and attractive lead actors. You could enjoy watching this on that basis alone. Just get a glass of wine, and you'll feel like you're settled in for the evening wrapped in a warm blanket. The story unfolds slowly, but there are some downright sluggish parts, and there's surprisingly little drama considering the subject matter. This film isn't really an exploration of the thorniness of extramarital affairs - for that you can watch "Unfaithful." Still, there's some food for thought, as well as a few really touching scenes. San Giacomo and Rhys are both great actors and manage to pull it off and keep things interesting.

Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948)

Enjoyable old-school film.

[7/10 · 26 July 2021]

I was curious to see Marilyn Monroe's (one-second) film debut, and when I saw Natalie Wood's name in the cast, I got drawn in. It's an odd film: an "East of Eden" type soap opera plot involves step-brothers who vie for possession of vivacious blonde June Haver, and a team of mules. The characters are all quite gruff with each other, and there's little of the sentimentality typical of films of the time. The title suggests a screwball comedy or maybe a musical, but the film is far from either. The tone is rather dark, with little Natalie Wood providing welcome bits of comic relief. The acting can be hammy in parts. It seems like it should never work, but it somehow does all come together and make a watchable, enjoyable film. Bonus points for the proto-feminist attitude of June Haver's character; I thought that was a nice, unexpected touch from a film of this era. Watching in pandemic 2020, this movie drew me into its little world and made me strangely nostalgic for a time I've never known.