A lot of the movies we’ve watched lately involve themes of murder, which seems about right for the times, given how Covid has murdered our social lives. Here, then, are a few. [Updated: I neglected to include ratings. This has been rectified.]
On The Waterfront opens with an unfortunate dockworker being tossed off a roof in retaliation for his planning to testify against a corrupt local union. Marlon Brando stars as another dockworker who eventually finds a way to fight back against the corruption and avenge his friend’s murder. His famous line, “I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am” always makes me start singing the lyrics to “Something to Live For” by Barney Bentall (“…coulda been a contender, coulda been a big guy…”) Sorta ruins the moment, you know?
Rating: 
I continue to be impressed with Marlon Brando, and I haven’t even seen The Godfather yet! This is yet another Brando must-see. Just avoid Barney Bentall before you do!
Gaslight is the 1940 movie from which “gaslighting” gets its name and its definition. The movie is so named because the main character, a woman who is literally being gaslit by her douchey husband, realizes something is amiss because the gas lights in her house dim every evening for no apparent reason. The actual reason they dim is because said douchey husband is pilfering about in her attic looking for a secret treasure that she inherited from her aunt (who, it turns out, he murdered).
Rating: I was excited to watch this movie just for the cultural context, and ended up really enjoying it, and I loved the ending.
The 1985 movie Ran is what King Lear would be if it were set in Japan. In true Shakespearean tragedy form, eventually everyone is murdered.
Rating: While it breaks a rule on the runtime by a LOT (2 hours, 42 mins), I was remarkably engaged by this movie. Mieko Harada as the vengeful Lady Kaede is spectacular.
Charlie Chaplin plays Monsieur Verdoux, a con man who seduces women, marries them, and then murders them for their money. He’s the total package!
Rating: Charlie Chaplin gets one thumbs up on his own. Despite a storyline that seems dramatic, there is a classic Chaplin-style comedy scene when M. Verdoux’s real wife is invited to the wedding between he and one of his marks.
Suspiria (the 1977 version) witches curse a ballet dance school, causing maggots to rain from the ceiling, and dogs to kill their owners. For added gore, girls also fall through glass ceilings, and jump into rooms filled with razor wire while trying to escape the school grounds.
Rating: 
There’s nothing really wrong with this movie except it’s a bit …. 70s.
Badlands is a true-crime story of a couple who escalate bad behaviour into a cross-country murder-spree. The story is based on real life serial killers Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate who murdered 11 people as well as 2 family dogs over a few weeks between Dec ’57 – Jan ’58. Other fun cinematic portrayals of these two crazy kids include The Sadist, Kalifornia, Natural Born Killers, and Starkweather.
Rating: One thumbs down on principle, just for the disturbing content.
In The Searchers, Ethan Edwards, played by cowboy poster-boy John Wayne, returns home to find his family murdered and his home in flames, in a manner reminiscent of Luke Skywalker discovering his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, also murdered and on fire. The killers in this case turn out to be a band of Comanches who also kidnap Ethan’s 9 year old niece (played by Lana Wood, and in later years, by her older sister Natalie – the movie is a bit of a family affair as Wayne’s son Patrick also has a role). Ethan and his sidekick spend the next 5 years searching for his niece, with Ethan intending to kill her himself if she has become too “indian”. This all seems pretty somber, what with all the positive race representation, but the biggest surprise is that this movie is littered with unexpected comedic moments. Totally worth a watch.
Rating: Keeping in mind the year this movie was made (1956) and taking the racial tones into context, this really is a solid John Wayne movie. Maybe 1.5 thumbs instead of 2 (but I don’t have a half-thumbs-up icon)
The Big Heat stars Glenn Ford as Sergeant Dave Bannion, a good cop who is assigned to investigate the alleged suicide of a fellow officer. Bannion quickly determines this was no suicide, and as more people are killed, including his wonderfully charming wife (doesn’t that just figure) in a bombing intended for him, Bannion goes on a revenge mission to bring down the bad guys, who turn out to also be cops.
Rating: Just a solid good-cop movie.
The Lady From Shanghai seems like it should be an awesome movie, full of double cross and intrigue, and starring Hollywood sweetheart Rita Hayworth and filmmaking icon Orson Welles. But in reality, it is a bizarre and often confusing romp. Rumour has it that Welles threw this together in order to quickly raise the money he needed to fund his musical Around The World in 80 Days, leaving my wondering why this movie made the 1001 Movies list? Even the book describes it as a crazy, hard-to-follow kaleidoscope.
Rating: It’s just such a weird movie …. !
Of all the Stephen King movies, The Shining is perhaps the best (or at least my favourite), despite “winning” two Razzies in 1981. King was allegedly not enamoured with it, but as evidenced by Maximum Overdrive, he’s no expert in masterpiece filmmaking (my experience with Stephen King is that he is too attached to his own visualizations of his books and doesn’t understand that interpretations may vary). The brilliance of this movie shines (you heard me) with the unbroken takes of Danny riding his big wheel through the interconnect halls of the hotel, Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of his character’s descent into madness, the blood filled elevators, and Shelley Duvall in the Heeeere’s Johnny scene.
Rating: I love this movie. Love it.
