On his own private island buried deep in the seas of Red China, Francisco Scaramanga, the world's most deadly assassin with a just a rare birth mark, hunts the top men of his trade before setting his sights on MI6's top agent who, upon receiving word, treks to Macau, Hong Kong, and Thailand in search of a solar device while bedding his stalker's mistress and a beautiful and jealous fellow agent all before the final showdown. The Man with the Golden Gun is a vapid and cruder than usual 007 entry with Moore still an effete, ineffectual Bond in his second outing. Stupid throwbacks to previous movies don't help and a Lady from Shanghai inspired ending is anticlimactic. The villains and the women continue to be the reasons for these movies with Christopher Lee making a formidable baddie and Britt Eckland and Maud Adams lovely Bond girls.

** 1/2 out of ****

Corrupt Attorney General Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman, hysterical) needs to clear out the Old West town of Rock Ridge in order for the railroad to pass through and schemes the best way to achieve this is to name a black prisoner (Cleavon Little), currently awaiting hanging for uppityness, as sheriff. Facing the expected hostility, Sheriff Bart teams up with a drunken sharpshooter (Gene Wilder) and uses his wit to win over the townspeople and battle the evil Lamarr and his treacherous forces.  Blazing Saddles is one of the funniest (and most disorganized) of Mel Brooks' great, early comedies, with a colorful script (which Richard Pryor contributed to) that probably only Brooks could get approved, and the fortunate presence of Little and Wilder whose roles went through a rocky casting history.

*** 1/2 out of ****

On the lam and masquerading as a preacher in a desolate Far West town, a bank robber's (Clint Eastwood) past finally catches up with him in the form of assassins at which point he hitches a ride with a cocky young car thief (Jeff Bridges) and decides to get the old gang back together to pull one last score. Michael Cimino's directing debut (and audition for The Deer Hunter) which he also penned is a broad comedy with a pretty dumb ending that seems ripped off from Midnight Cowboy. However, the buddy movie aspects work surprisingly well with the two game stars (particularly a lively Bridges) and the picture features tremendous Western filming locations and cinematography.

*** out of ****

Just as he has been drawn to epic, quixotic projects, in his extended career Werner Herzog has also favored short form storytelling, the results of which have been no less outlandishly idiosyncratic. Here is a random sampling of these films, all of which can be found readily online or as part of DVD extras:

Precautions Against Fanatics, 1969

One of Herzog's first film attempts is a very short (and very unfunny) look at people involved in horse training.

**

The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner, 1974

Presents the story of a ski jumper who was so veritable that he began to flagrantly and dangerously overshoot the course. Plays like an episode Wide World of Sports, but not without great footage and central Herzogian themes.

***

Ballad of the Little Soldier, 1984

Intriguing footage of child soldiers from an impoverished Nicuraguan village preparing for combat against the Sandinistas.

*** 1/2

The Dark Glow of the Mountains, 1985

The director and his German speaking subjects are disappointingly dubbed over by an American narrator in this no less compelling documentary of a pair of mountain climbers who discuss their trade and the perils involved.

***

It is difficult to describe the appeal of Monty Python, the irreverent and game changing British comedic troupe, when their irreverent material is as often inane and borderline unwatchable as it is uproarious. Nevertheless the appeal of the group, which consists of members John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and Terry Gilliam and began on the stage and continued on through television and film, is undeniable and their influence on comedy is immeasurable. Here is a brief rundown of their work:

Flying Circus ran on the BBC between 1969 and 1974 with a feature film titled with the group's favorite segue And Now for Something Completely Different sandwiched midway in its run which took the odd approach of refilming some of their greatest hits without of the presence of a studio audience, the result of which is strangely compelling. The series has many regrettable sketches and running gags, and I feel I should keep my opinion on Gilliam's animations to myself in fear of being shunned, but it is absolutely worth suffering the dreck to get to their best and most outrageous routines (or you could just watch them on YouTube---my favorite bit is Palin's bumbling Spanish Inquisitor).

The gang followed up the series with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, perhaps the most widely seen of their features and what I'd personally consider the best of the lot. This silly take on the Arthurian legend has many indelibly hysterical moments and only starts to come apart at the seams towards the very end.

The controversy generated by Life of Brian, which tells the tale of the child born a manger over from Christ, catapulted the Pythons to international superstardom, but the film offers easy and obvious satire, with belabored gags, and laughs that are few and far between (though those few present are hearty). Gilliam's direction does achieve great period look (though his influence beyond that is distracting) and Palin's Pontius Pilate is unforgettable. Casting Chapman in the lead serves as a great disappointment considering what is lost in the supporting roles.

Time Bandits is not officially a Python movie but it was directed by Gilliam who cowrote the script with Palin and features cameos from both Palin and Cleese. The fantastical and occasionally creepy children's story deals with a band of dwarves in possession of a time travel map who take a neglected youth on their marauding journey through history. The film again falls apart towards the end but the actors are likable and the proceedings are worthwhile for the hilarious cameos, which also include Ralph Richardson and Sean Connery. 

Next up was Live at the Hollywood Bowl, a live show converted to film and released theatrically which consists of old sketches and new that comes off quite well leaving you pondering if their material isn't best suited for the stage. 

Meaning of Life, which takes a surreal look into each of life's stages, is a sporadically funny feature which is hurt by dark and atypically heavy dosages of cynicism and vulgarity. The short film that opens the movie is a highlight and the "Every Sperm is Sacred" number is priceless.

In 2014, the Pythons returned for a live farewell show of sorts, Monty Python Live (Mostly), which featured an array of live performances, clips old and new, and a musical revue, all with the participation of the remaining and surprisingly capable troupe members, save Graham Chapman who is roundly toasted during the performance.

A mute, mentally incapacitated man is chained up inside a barn in the German countryside and tended to by an elderly man for a number of years until one day he is toted to the nearest town and left stranded. Shortly, the townspeople become fascinated by their latest resident as he becomes a member of the local circus, a subject for scientists and intellectuals, and soon a member of high society. Werner Herzog's The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser is a strange, haunting, though not always enthralling parable with a fantastic, outlandish performance from Bruno S. The ending is extraordinary.

*** 1/2 out of ****

A college professor exploits his mother, girlfriend, and a star student athlete in order to fuel his debilitating gambling addiction. The Gambler was first conceived by James Toback in 1974 (with nods to Dostoevsky), directed by Karl Weisz. This original is a fairly obvious degenerate gambler tale with strong performances from James Caan and Lauren Hutton (not to mention a really poor one from Paul Sorvino). The film starts strong but loses steam before taking a left turn and ending with a strange, complex and ultimately satisfying finale. It should be added that much of this film feels like its capitalizing on The Godfather's success. In 2014, the film was remade generally well by director Rupert Wyatt and with a smart, tough, and fast paced William Monahan screenplay. However the lead character is so unlikable and Mark Wahlberg is so implausible a the nihilistic, intellectual professor. Also, a subplot involving his romantic relationship with Brie Larson seems underdeveloped and confusing.

1974 version: ** 1/2 out of ****

2014 version: ** 1/2 out of ****

A reviled industrialist (Richard Widmark) lies murdered in his sleeping car on the Orient Express leaving quite literally an entire train full of suspects (Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael York, Anthony Perkins, and John Gielgud among others) and, conveniently, the renowned Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, now tapped to lead the proceedings. Sidney Lumet's adaptation of Agatha Christie's detective novel takes a long time to get moving, but the inquest is a lot of fun and Poirot's outing of the guilty party is downright delectable if not completely ludicrous. Extraordinary exterior visuals prevail and an astounding and unrecognizable Finney dominates over an all-star cast.

*** out of ****

After a powerful Mexican land baron places a million dollar bounty on the head of the man who impregnated his teenage daughter, an alcoholic American expat (Warren Oates) catches wind of the proposition and sets off on a brutal odyssey with his prostitute companion (Isela Vega) in tow to collect the severed appendage. Sam Peckinpah's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is a cold and empty low budget B-picture that features stylish, unrelenting violence and a great performance from a tired and worn Oates.

*** out of ****

Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is the preeminent West Coast wiretapper bar none, with not a San Francisco verbal exchange privileged thanks to his state of the art gadgetry and brilliant methods. His personal life, however, is a lonely, unguarded, and vulnerable state of paranoia. When he is hired to surveil a young couple by the chairman of a powerful corporation, he finds himself entwined in an obscure murder plot and his private life begins to unravel as his conscience gradually gets the better of him. A somewhat diminished thread in an unprecedented string of classic films of the 1970s, Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation is a tense, intelligent thriller that takes its time while functioning as a character study, all leading to a haunting resounding payoff, with Hackman unforgettable in a career defining performance.  

**** out of ****

1930s L.A. private eye Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is drawn into a routine and seemingly simple case of adultery involving the director of the water department and his steamy and fragile wife (Faye Dunaway). When the politico is found murdered, the investigatory trail takes on serpentine and overarching proportions, all leading to Dunaway's nefarious, ruthless businessman father (John Huston). Chinatown boasts one of the cinema's all-time great screenplays courtesy of Robert Towne which throws in everything but the kitchen sink and barely leaves you hanging from a thread. Roman Polanski's direction is masterful (his cameo as a knife wielding hood is memorable also), Nicholson and Dunaway are in top form, and legendary helmer Huston is potently menacing.

Outraged that the state has taken custody of their son and placed him in foster care, a young mother (Goldie Hawn) busts her old man (William Atherton) out of a Texas minimum security prison with only a few months remaining on his sentence with aims on reclaiming their child. Instead, they are forced to kidnap a highway patrolman (Michael Sacks) and lead an caravan of lawmen on a multi-county chase. The Sugarland Express was Steven Spielberg's first directorial outing and is done just about as well as as a two hour car chase can be. The famed helmer's ability is evident right from the get go and the movie is only hurt when its satire is kicked into high gear. Atherton is a liability in a vital role and Hawn, at her most stunning, is quite effective in her part.

A manic depressive middle class housewife (Gena Rowlands) wants nothing more in life than to satisfy her also slightly off husband (Peter Falk) and be a rock for the rest of her family. As her behavior grows increasingly more erratic, he sees no choice but to institutionalize her for six months and hope for the best upon her return. John Cassavetes' independent groundbreaker is more admirable for its efforts and intentions than for actual execution. Like many of his films, A Woman Under the Influence is self-indulgent and feels strained and stretched to the limit far after a scene or an idea has run its course. However, Rowlands and Falk are nothing short of extraordinary for their brave, unadulterated performances.

When Martin Scorsese has forayed into documentary filmmaking, it is usually to capture either music (The Last Waltz, No Direction Home, The Blues) or film (A Personal Journey..., A Letter to Elia) topics. Early in his career however he aimed his camera at very personal subjects, interviewing first his parents and then a close friend in two separate hour long profiles. In Italianamerican, following his breakthrough success of Mean Streets, Scorsese interviews his parents Charles and Catherine who, with warm detail, tell of their experiences as second generation immigrants by way of story spinning and pictures, stopping occasionally to offer family recipes and berate their son. Made several years later, during a particular low point for the director, American Boy features Steve Prince, a man of many hats (one of which was a memorable bit as an actor in Taxi Driver), who tells wild stories of his often drug addled life on the road, some of which have found their way into films by modern directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Richard Linklater. Whether it's a big budget studio picture or two friends exchanging stories in an apartment, it has always boiled down to simple storytelling and with these two films we simply have one great storyteller introducing a few others.

A homemaker's abusive husband dies suddenly in a car crash, hurling her and her only son out on to the open road where she seeks to reclaim a childhood dream of becoming a singer and encounters a wide array of people and difficulties along the way. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is an atypical early film from Martin Scorsese, an imperfect semi-episodic female centered road movie featuring many excellent scenes and several that don't work or lack credibility. Ellen Burstyn is outstanding in her Academy Award winning performance and Alfred Lutter III turns in good work as her flippant son. The film is also a treat for the fine supporting work by talents including Diane Ladd, Harvey Keitel, Jodie Foster, and Kris Kristofferson.

The saga of the Corleone crime family and their struggle to hold on from power and their fall from grace, as the sins of the father are passed on to his favorite son and the latter loses his soul. What more can be said about The Godfather films that hasn't already been said? Francis Ford Coppola's first two installments, made in collaboration with the source author Mario Puzo, are some of the finest examples of modern storytelling and moviemaking that we have. From the plot subtleties to the iconic performances (Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Robert De Niro) to Gordon Willis' breathtaking photography and Nino Rota's unforgettable score and even the somewhat unsung supporting performances (John Cazale, Richard Castellano, John Marley, Michael Gazzo, Lee Strasberg). Then there is the dreadful Part III, a film I was ready to defend, until realizing how poorly realized it is upon a recent viewing. Here Coppola does everything he seemed to be trying to avoid doing in the earlier films, and presents a horrible screenplay with godawful acting, which is abetted somewhat by good direction, yet is still a black eye on an otherwise exceptional and unsurpassable series.

After hearing that their grandfather's cemetery has been vandalized and raided for body parts, a young woman, her wheelchair bound brother, and three friends travel to Texas to check on the plot and stay at the family house. Along the way they pick up a psychotic hitchhiker, encounter some weirdos at an abandon gas station, and fall into the clutches of Leatherface, a chainsaw wielding lunatic--all members of a cannibalistic family preparing for their latest barbecue. Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" is a low budget and highly influential horror which is (thankfully) not nearly as gory as its reputation deems and induces audience queasiness through staging and suggestion. Although its a fairly short film in length, it takes its time to build to a phenomenal nighttime chase sequence through the brush, and is somewhat diminished when it devolves into the freak show at the conclusion. John Larroquette's extended opening narration also proves highly contributory. In and of itself, Hooper's movie is a terrifying experience and a crucial entry in its genre. Only in looking through the lens of the countless retreads, remakes, and ripoffs does one begin to question its veracity, which is of course through no fault of its own.

Nick Carraway takes up a modest residence in Long Island next door to a mysterious millionaire of newly acquired and likely ill-gotten means. Gatsby, the endearing new friend, hopes to stoke the flames of a love that once burned between himself and Daisy, Nick's cousin who is married to an old money man. Gatsby's dream eventually manifests itself in tragedy against the backdrop of the aimless opulence of the Roaring Twenties. F. Scott Fitzgerald's monumental novel is given a faithful rendering in this adaption written for the screen by Francis Ford Coppola and directed by Jack Clayton. While all the plot points are mostly hit, symbols such as the the green light on Daisy's dock and the glowing eyes of Dr. T.J Eckleburg are nicely realized, and Gatsby's parties are gloriously recreated, the spirit of a classic that probably does not need a film rendering is never rightly instilled. The film is well cast, with Robert Redford making a near ideal Gatsby, Bruce Dern excellent as the cruel, philandering Tom Buchanan, and Sam Waterston as the naive and reticent Nick (I felt Mia Farrow was wrong as Daisy, playing her as too broad and wooden). Despite this inspired casting, the film fails to delve deeply into the hearts of these, which Fitzgerald does so well in the novel. "The Great Gatsby" is a film that may defy cinematization due to its narrative structure and beautifully poetic and descriptive prose. This version gives it a good, perhaps overly faithful but ultimately hollow crack at it, and I hold deep reservations for the upcoming 3D(?) Baz Luhrmann version featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan due out later this year.

A Seattle journalist is denied access to the Space Needle where a conference with the Senator is taking place when the guest of honor is murdered. As the government committee declares the assassination to be the work of a lone gunman, the journalist's ex-girlfriend/colleague visits him in terror of being murdered as other witnesses to the crime are being mysteriously eradicated. When she turns up dead a few days later, the brazen reporter launches his own investigation which leads him to the abstruse Parallax corporation and, which goes without saying, way over is head. Two years before creating his political thriller classic "All the President's Men" and during the Watergate scandal that provided the basis for that film, director Alan J. Pakula crafted another outstanding, paranoid yet not as successful film based on another landmark event in U.S. history. Using the JFK assassination and the Warren Commission as a springboard, "The Parallax View" brings terrifying believability to ludicrous scenarios. Filmed much in the same manner as "ATPM", Pakula uses slow burn tension and minute detail to concoct an absorbing story. Warren Beatty is brash and cheeky and absolutely perfect for his role as the hero/patsy. I personally do not subscribe to conspiracy theories but Pakula's film does an excellent job of showing how the puzzle pieces can be arranged to form an entirely different picture.