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THE LADY EVE: The Two Cents Team Swoons Over Stanwyck [Screwball Comedy 101]
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IMDb Two Cents is a Cinapse original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team curates the series and contribute their “two cents” using a maximum of 200-400 words. Guest contributors and comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future picks. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion. Would you like to be a guest contributor or programmer for an upcoming Two Cents entry? Simply watch along with us and/or send your pitches or 200-400 word reviews to [email protected].
The Pick: The Lady Eve (1941)
The Team
Elizabeth Stoddard
Preston Sturges was a one-of-a-kind writer/director whose work continues to influence filmmakers, generations after his death. The Lady Eve shows his distinct writing and directing style, sharp wit, and flair for casting. Here the usual romance gender dynamic is switched, with con artist Jean (Barbara Stanwyck) pursuing and seducing naïve brewery heir/ophiologist Charles (Henry Fonda). But then she really falls for him and thus must have revenge after he finds her out. “I need him like the axe needs the turkey,” she quips to her team as she plots next steps.
Stanwyck shines in romantic comedies — my first exposure to her was Breakfast for Two, which made me a fan for life – but The Lady Eve stands out. What other film would have her attempting a British accent? She can’t quite pull it off, but she doesn’t need to. We’re in on the con.
And Fonda, better known for his dramatic roles, takes pratfall after pratfall. The gag where he goes through about five different suits in one party never fails to crack me up. He and Stanwyck share sizzling chemistry, especially during the early shipboard romance. And then there’s the horse that steals the scene in a later confession of love! There’s not a dull character to be found here. Each role is delightfully quirky, from Jean’s card sharp dad (Charles Coburn, a popular character actor in the ‘30s and early ‘40s) to the British con artist/uncle-type Jean ropes in to her scheme (Eric Blore, another notable character actor of the time) to Charles’ skeptical minder, Murgatroyd (William Demarest, a regular in Sturges’ films). Sturges points fun at the American obsession with British aristocracy/monarchy and makes the audience fall for a group of con artists. The Lady Eve pushes the limits of the production code and takes the audience for a rollicking ride.
IMDb Frank Calvillo
No one had better skill at handling the different elements that comprised cinematic comedy than director Preston Sturges. His ability to craft an array of comedic setpieces featuring characters who felt like genuine people set the standard for the genre and has rarely been matched since. There’s nothing but pure pleasure when it comes to The Lady Eve with Fonda at his most affable and endearing and Stanwyck at her most…Stanwyck. Sturges’ film is so carefully measured with such comedic precision, that there isn’t a missed beat or cue to be found. The laughs are plentiful, especially the ones that come courtesy of Fonda’s Charles Pike and his many tumbles throughout the film. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find another movie that managed the art of the pratfall the way The Lady Eve did.
Both actors tackle the piece with such abandon, giving themselves totally to the material and the many zany places its prepared to take them in this tale of a con artist who falls for her latest prey, a snake-obsessed member of high society. The romantic chemistry between the two remains pitch perfect. Both actors are clearly so into each other (from a character perspective, at least) and it shows. The moments when Charles and Jean are seen falling for each other are just ripe with the kind of passion and fire that the best romantic comedies are made of. In later years, Fonda would call Stanwyck his favorite leading lady and it’s easy to see why. The actress balanced comedy with take charge femininity in the way that only she could. Meanwhile it’s refreshing to see how Fonda, known primarily for playing men of dignity, was totally willing to look the fool here, which he did magnificently. When it comes to comedies of the romantic kind, The Lady Eve remains the blueprint.
IMDb I know that casting Henry Fonda as the heavy in 1968’s Once Upon A Time In The West was a stunt because Fonda is primarily known as a heartthrob, nice guy, hero type. But seeing as OUATITW is my favorite western of all time, I primarily know Fonda as villainous. So it was a surprise and delight to see him as the befuddled and besotted, pratfalling, love sick puppy Charles Pike in Preston Sturges’ 1941 comedy The Lady Eve.
I’m unfamiliar and inexperienced with screwball comedies so this month I’m learning and exposing myself to something largely unknown to me. And while I probably enjoyed last week’s My Man Godfrey a little more than I did The Lady Eve, there is something primally amusing about a man simply outmatched and outwitted and undone by a dame running circles around him, and Barbara Stanwyck (don’t be mad if I said this is likely the first Stanwyck film I’ve ever seen) is so brazenly confident as the firecracker that will just absolutely decimate this poor lovestruck lunk into submission.
I did have a little trouble accepting the sheer stupidity of Fonda’s Pike as he falls for Stanwyck two different times in the film as her conwoman works her wiles on him and convinces him that she’s a long lost twin of some sort after her con is exposed and he breaks things off with her. I mean, how dense can this guy be? But humorously the film plays into that question, even closing with Pike’s guardian who’s been skeptical of Eve the whole time noting “Positively the same dame”.
In the end this is a wacky comedy about a man just being totally wrapped around the finger of an overwhelmingly dynamite woman, and I quite enjoy the sincerity and purity of a film built entirely around the undeniable charisma of Stanwyck and the spicy-for-1940s chemistry of our two leads.
IMDb From his 2020 review of the Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of the film:
It was such a blast revisiting The Lady Eve — Sturges’ screenplay unfurls with fiendish glee through its brisk 90-minute runtime, and gives each character big and small a feast of comedic scenery to chew on. From Muggsy’s (William Demarest) cigar-chomping gumshoe valet to Colonel Harrington’s (Charles Coburn) debonair devilry, The Lady Eve is one of Sturges’ most memorable parade of faces. Stanwyck and Fonda are a wonderful match here, though; Stanwyck possesses such agency and determination which easily bests the men she’s in cahoots with as much as those she deceives, and Fonda’s established schtick as society’s most earnest upright citizen lays the foundation for such a hapless, lovable goof that you can’t help but adore. It’s such an unexpected subversion of screwball comedy dynamic — in addition to how its male characters’ bravado is endlessly undercut by their own buffoonery, as well as its quick evolution into a wickedly fun revenge story — that gives The Lady Eve such a timeless and inventive feel.
IMDb Brendan Foley
I would just like to use this opportunity to firstly shout out an all-time pantheon tough guy name that Sturges deploys here: “Ambrose Murgatroyd”. Murgatroyd! What a title. I want a whole spin-off series where he scowls his way into and out of various capers on various modes of transportation. Diamond heist on a cruise ship, missing paintings on a transcontinental railroad, let’s get Murgatroyd on the case.
Anyway, the movie! What I really appreciate about Sturges as a writer/director is his willingness to let the characters dictate the scenes and the story rather than the other way around. The Lady Eve has been ripped off and replicated ad nauseam, but reducing it down to formula misses the actual joy of the film. You can summarize the plot in one sentence (“vengeful con artists launches revenge scam against the sap who broke her heart”) but it takes an hour into a film that runs barely over an hour and a half to get there. Instead, Sturges let the audience revel in the building romance between Stanwyck and Fonda, content to park the movie in one spot and let a scene play out at length as the dialogue blazes and the chemistry sizzles.
What a picture.
IMDb Last week was my first, and now entering the second screwball comedy I’ve ever seen; The Lady Eve. While My Man Godfrey felt more like a straight comedy with romantic elements, this felt more like a straight romance that occasionally shifted into the laughs. This isn’t a complaint, of course, as the first half is remarkably sweet, as we watch these two love birds, one a card shark and the other a rich nitwit (I guess we’d call him a “himbo” nowadays?), slowly fall for each other on a cruise across the Atlantic (and, wow, I forgot how well films of this era could establish sexual tension. That entire “ideal person” conversation is a doozy).
Then, we shift into the 2nd half, and, to be frank, my patience with Fonda’s “aw shucks” naivete started to wane. What was a character that felt like a bit of a loner with a kind heart turned into a bit of an idiot (and kind of a total dickhead, especially during the train scene), that I was actually now rooting to get scammed. I think the film agreed with me, as we spend a good percentage of those last 30 minutes watching Fonda put on a master class of pratfalls, falling over seemingly everything that isn’t at eye level. It’s the uptick on the comedic beats that kept me locked in, even as Fonda was falling for one of the dumbest lies I’ve ever seen put on film.
Felt like we were shifting into a true, surprisingly-progressive-for-the-era win for Stanwyck, but, I also understand this is a love story from 1941 (also had a moment of “wait, why did all the boats stop? Ohhhhhh, yeah”), so that ending on the ship was kinda where this was always going to end up. Still, I’d let Barbara Stanwyck trick me into falling in love with her on a cruise, then trick me again into falling in love with her British “twin sister” who’s been married a dozens of times, and then finally get me to fall in love with the original girl that called me “Hopsie” any day of the week.
A JANUARY OF VINTAGE LAUGHS!
In an effort to combat the January blues (not to mention other devastating events taking place that month), the Two Cents crew here at Cinapse have decided to dive into the world of classic screwball comedies. The likes of Carole Lombard, Ernst Lubitsch, Barbara Stanwyck, Jack Benny, and Elaine May are all on deck to chase away those winter blues with a collection of movies that range from the romantic, to the scandalous. Spend the month with us and some side-splitting laughs from the masters who made the genre the riotous (and slightly subversive) staple that it remains to this day.
Join us by contacting our team or emailing [email protected]!
1/20- To Be or Not to Be
1/27- A New Leaf
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PULP FICTION Celebrates 30 Years on 4K-UHD
Quentin Tarantino’s bold and brilliant sophomore effort
Pulp Fiction needs no introduction. More than a film, its a landmark of cinema. It spawned a thousand imitators while also cementing the status of Quentin Tarantino as a standout writer and director. The film is both sprawling and intimate, achieved via interconnected stories unfolding in Los Angeles. A desperate pair robbing a diner, two hitmen and a job gone wrong, a local mob boss and his wife, and a local boxer looking to escape his past. Crime is the connective tissue but that does a disservice to the more nuanced relationships, entwinned histories, trauma, and redemptive arcs that link these tales and their characters.
Pulp Fiction has cemented both its cinematic and pop culture status with a wicked blend of pitch-black comedy, quotable dialogue, needle drops, and good old fashion pulpy genre filmmaking. It’s structure, non-linear in nature, only adds to the films hook, and adds an unpredictability as the various tales twist around each other. The look exudes cool, the tone is compellingly pulpish with a sharp (and often brutal) reality check at times. The film never lets up, even as the rip roaring sequences give way to quieter dialogue driven moments, outstanding performances from the likes of John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Bruce WIllis, and Uma Thurman hold the gaze just as easily. Even after 30 years, Pulp Fiction remains visceral and vital filmmaking. It’s a film that comes from a love of cinema, and in itself has kickstarted a love affair between the medium and a new generation of cinephiles.
The Package
As an owner of the earlier Blu-ray release of this film, this 4K is a marked step up. Far less mucky and saturated than the old format, the transfer is clean and revitalized. Blacks impress, colors are natural and strongly represented Image is free of crushing and any glitches, and the retention of a sheen of grain means the film retains much of its cinematic feel. Chatter online suggests this transfer is the same as the previous 2022 release. So if you want to upgrade, do it for the package, not the transfer alone.
The release celebrates the 30th anniversary with a few extra goodies snuck into the package, illustrated below. First, a hard card slipcover encases the movie, and a pop-up artwork card that showcases the Jack Rabbit Slim’s dance scene. Also inside are reproductions of the original lobby cards, contact sheets, and a sheet of stickers inspired by the film. A digital code for the film is also enclosed.
Extra features are hosted over the 4K and Blu-ray disc:
- Not the Usual Mindless Boring Getting to Know You Chit Chat: A great doc, running nearly 45 minutes, that weaves together interviews with 6 key actors from the film, who delve into their thoughts on Tarantino, the script, experiences on set and in rehearsals, and speak to the films release and legacy
- Here are Some Facts on the Fiction: A 20 min roundtable featuring a selection of film critics who dig into the impact of the film. An interesting and ‘balanced’ addition
- Pulp Fiction: The Facts – Documentary: Interviews with cast and crew that build into a rather promotional ‘making of’
- Deleted Scenes: Running around 25 minutes total, they’re well framed by an introduction from Tarantino
- Behind the Scenes Montages: Each splicing together footage around two of the key sequences in the film, “Jack Rabbit Slims” and “Butch/Marsellus”
- Production Design Featurette: Interview with production designer David Wasco and set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco about putting the films look together
- Siskel & Ebert “At the Movies”- The Tarantino Generation: A fun exchange about Tarantino’s breakout and his impact on cinema
- Independent Spirit Awards: Short interview with Tarantino
- Cannes Film Festival – Palme d’Or Acceptance Speech:
- Charlie Rose Show: Nearly an hour in length, it’s an entertaining interview with Tarantino, who opens up about a whole host of topics
- Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots, Pulp Fiction Posters, Academy Award Campaign and Trade Ads
- Soundtrack Chapters, Marketing Galley, and Still Galleries
- Enhanced Trivia track: An overlay feature that adds extra tidbits of info to the film while watching
The Bottom Line
Pulp Fiction was an instant pop culture hit, one that solidified Quentin Tarantino’s standing as a writer/director, and gave him license to build out his vision as a filmmaker with his renowned later works. Even today, the film has impact, captivating with it’s looks, sounds, and performances. This new anniversary set nicely celebrates it’s 30 years on our screens, and the 4K transfer goes down as the best way to revisit the film at home.
PULP FICTION 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition is available now from Paramount Home Entertainment.
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CHERRY 2000 Screen Comparisons – Checking KLSC’s New 4K-Scanned Restoration Against Their Earlier 2015 Disc
This article contains several comparisons which contrast the older Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-ray transfer (2015) with their new 4K-sourced restoration. The frames aren’t necessarily exact matches, but should give a solid indication of the visual differences.
Returning to Blu-ray is Steve De Jarnatt’s offbeat and futuristic Cherry 2000 starring Melanie Griffith and David Andrews. De Jarnatt’s feature debut is a cutely horny action-romance concoction mixing elements of cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic style with a uniquely campy approach.
KL Studio Classics previously released the film to Blu-ray in 2015, and is now bringing it back in a deluxe treatment with a new master, tons of extras, and enhanced packaging.
The “slider” images below allow for a quick comparison of the stills from both discs by color, cleanliness, framing, but are downscaled and not representative of the full 1080p resolution. These are only illustrative of differences, and not definitive, especially in terms of resolution and clarity.
For a truer direct comparison, it’s recommended to download the image files and view them at full size on a large monitor with 1080p or higher resolution. You can download all images at full resolution via the zipfiles below:
Print Damage
It’s evident throughout that the new restoration features a cleaner image, through I’m not sure whether this is due to specific cleanup or a different source. The new HD master is sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative (the older master wasn’t similarly advertised so it seems likely it was scanned from a later generation print).
In reviewing specific exact-match frames, I found many instances where scratches and speckles in the 2015 print were no longer visible.
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 Other Characteristics
The improvements or differences in the newer master are pretty consistent throughout.
The dimensions are slightly corrected; addressing a slight horizontal stretch that made the image a bit too wide. (This can also be observed on the left and right edges where a bit of additional image is pulled in).
The image is also noticeably more vibrant than before, with great color saturation and contrast.
The grain is also cleaner, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. The grain was quite “chunky” in the older version; I’m not sure if the cleaner appearance is due to finer resolution, a better source, or artificial cleanup.
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 Color Timing
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 
Left: Old 2015 / Right: New 2024 Conclusions
Overall, the newer master is one of superior fidelity, and seems to be closer to the original objective. That said, I have a soft spot for gnarly prints with a lot of character; ultimately I like both versions. While it may sound kind of silly, in my mind it’s ultimately the correction to dimensions that gives the newer print a definitive edge.
Of course the new master is just one angle on this package – the updated 2-disc release also features numerous additional extras including new restrospectives and two of de Jarnatt’s early short films, a slipcover and reversible art, and subtitles (which were omitted on the original release), making it overall a much more enticing and complete edition.
The only question that gives me slight pause of recommending the newer edition is the possibility that they might soon put out a true 4K UHD release. Given that this is sourced from a 4K master and paired with Kino’s track record, this seems well within the realm of possibility. But as for me, I’m quite happy with this Blu-ray.
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I Hated DEN OF THIEVES. Why Did I Love DEN OF THIEVES: PANTERA?
A Surprise That Not Even Donnie Could Have Seen Coming
I did not like the motion picture Den of Thieves. At all.
I do like its sequel, Den of Thieves: Pantera. Quite a bit.
How did we get here?
I’ve been on the outside looking in as the original Den of Thieves steadily evolved from a decently-performing Gerard Butler January programmer with middling reviews into a bonafide cult classic. Many was the B-movie aficionado whom I respect who wrote at length about how Den of Thieves was a new masterpiece, a modern classic of dirt-bag cinema, and the proudly trashy inheritor to the legacy of Michael Mann’s Heat, with that film’s elegance replaced with over-cranked testosterone and a proud layer of sleaze (these are compliments).
With the sequel rapidly approaching, I finally decided to see what all the hype was about and so I plunked down and fired up Den of Thieves.
And I then I sat there for two and a half hours, sort of annoyed, very bored, and then very, very annoyed when Den of Thieves capped off unofficially remaking Heat by also adding in the heist from Inside Man followed by the twist from The Usual Suspects.
In that monotonous slog of a movie, there was really only one sequence where I thought I saw a glimmer of real intelligence and subversion. It comes (relatively) early in the film when Butler’s swaggering cop Nick ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien returns home from a long night of busting heads and frolicking shirtless with sex workers and promptly gets chewed out by his soon to be ex-wife because his dumb ass sent her a text intended for his mistress. As she hustles out of the house with their young daughters, she hangs back just long enough to hiss at Nick that his infidelity is all the more unbelievable because he can’t even get it up with her anymore.
The face of a man who doesn’t necessarily know how to process that news in a healthy fashion. And here I thought writer/director Christian Gudegast was doing something really special. After a first act of nonstop alpha posturing from ‘Big Nick’, suddenly you get confronted with the notion that beneath his leather jacket and puffed out chest, our tough talking hero is actually a literally limp-dicked loser who has to loudly play a badass on the job to cover for how pathetic he is at home
Den of Thieves doesn’t really do anything more with this, though to the film’s credit the subsequent scenes involving the dissolution of Nick’s marriage are played for maximum discomfort at (intentionally) excruciating length. Instead, that first film goes back to the safety of the familiar, but a much lesser version of the familiar.
If you asked me to find a compliment for that first Den of Thieves, the two individuals I’d single out for praise would be Butler for his willingness to go full scumbag without hesitation or apology, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. who proved to be a winning and likable presence, even if his role was intentionally limited to protect the Big Shocking Twist.
Which brings us to the sequel, Den of Thieves: Pantera (no 2 in the onscreen title). Picking up right where the first film left off (spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen that movie) with criminal mastermind Donnie (Jackson Jr.) planning a diamond heist in Europe. Meanwhile, a humiliated Nick loses his marriage, his family, and his career and decides to head oversees and finally bring Donnie down. But when the two come face to face, Nick decides that he’s had it with life as a cop and joins forces with Donnie for the new heist.
Right off the bat, this is the most fun possible angle a sequel could take. For one, knocking Butler’s Big Nick down to zero allows the film to engage with those dropped themes from the first film. When we meet Nick this time out, he’s literally living out of his truck and Butler is somehow even more haggard and greasy than ever. You can almost smell the BO coming off him.
Butler also has a surprising amount of chemistry with Jackson Jr., and the two prove to be tremendous fun playing off one another. Their dynamic is somewhere in the mix of father/son, older/younger brothers, reluctant co-workers, with a healthy hint of homoerotic tension and the pairing gives Pantera a compelling narrative engine and a lighter, funnier touch. Turning Butler’s snarling big dog into the fish out of water trying to blend in with Jackson Jr.’s underworld crew gives both actors far more to chew on than the endless scenes of men in undershirts glowering at one another that ballooned that first film’s running time.
Pantera has a similarly sprawling length, but this time the pacing feels on point. Gudegast uses that breathing room not only to lay out a legitimately inventive and involving heist but to sell you on how seductive this outlaw lifestyle is to Nick. Part of what I found so confounding about the first film was that for all its bloat, it couldn’t find the time to create a single distinctive character or personality for any member of either the cops or the robbers. The whole ensemble blended together in a kind of morass of bloated muscles, shaved heads, and permanent scowls.
Here, the film brings you into the crew and lets the process absorb you as it does Nick. There’s a love of process and jargon, and a quiet confidence to both the characters and the filmmakers that can’t help but be intoxicating. You sincerely want to see these guys pull off their heist, but you also know that going through with this will dynamite whatever decency is left in the rancid mound of hamburger meat that Nick has for a heart.
The heist itself is an exceptional bit of nerve-rattling thriller filmmaking, a series of puzzles and tricks that fit together into a hugely satisfying mousetrap. And the fallout from the robbery makes for an impressive piece of action. You can see where Gudegast is culling from the history of other heist and Euro-thriller films, sure, but none of it feels wholesale cribbed from superior sources.
And maybe that’s the biggest differentiator between the first film and this second one. The shadow of Michael Mann still looms over Pantera because, well, it’s a crime film made in the 21st century. You’re gonna feel some Mannly fingerprints. The jargon-heavy exposition (and one plot-critical dance) feel indebted to Mann’s (brilliant) Miami Vice movie especially.
But Pantera lands on the healthier side of inspiration and influence. It no longer feels like Gudegast and company are trying and failing to copy Mann’s work, but like they’ve absorbed his style and themes and are now creating something indebted to those influences but wholly distinct from them as well.
The best thing I can say about Den of Thieves 2 is that it left me genuinely hopeful that we’ll get a Den of Thieves 3. I want to see Nick and Donnie chase each other around every continent we got until Donnie’s heisting nuclear warheads and Nick is commanding law enforcement from a moonbase. Hell, the Fast and Furious series is finally/mercifully due to wrap up soon, so let’s turn Den of Thieves into our new ongoing meathead soap opera that escalates from movie to movie until things enter live-action cartoon territory. I’m all in, let’s do this.
Den of Thieves – Pantera is in theaters now.
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Two Cents Welcomes the New Year with MY MAN GODFREY
Our month of screwball comedies begins with the 1936 film starring William Powell as a homeless man turned butler (who is not what he seems)
Alice Brady, William Powell, Carole Lombard and Mischa Auer in MY MAN GODFREY. Two Cents is a Cinapse original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team curates the series and contribute their “two cents” using a maximum of 200-400 words. Guest contributors and comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future picks. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion. Would you like to be a guest contributor or programmer for an upcoming Two Cents entry? Simply watch along with us and/or send your pitches or 200-400 word reviews to [email protected].
The Pick: My Man Godfrey (1936)
My Man Godfrey came first to mind after I suggested a month of screwball comedies as a Two Cents theme. The classic romantic comedy stars former spouses William Powell (The Thin Man) and Carole Lombard (Nothing Sacred) as a homeless man turned butler and the dotty heiress who falls for him. Gregory La Cava’s film was one of the earliest to receive Oscar noms in all acting categories (Director and Screenplay, too) without receiving a Best Picture nomination. The talented performers make it seem effortless, but there’s a real craft evident in the construction of this film. With the class differences involved in the romance at its center and the quick patter of the dialogue, it’s an excellent example of the screwball genre. – Elizabeth Stoddard
The insanity of the scavenger hunt at the start of MY MAN GODFREY. The Team
My Man Godfrey has long been a personal favorite. I own the Criterion Blu-ray now, but I once had it on a videotape I’d recorded off either AMC or TCM back in high school. An impressive combination of factors makes the classic movie the masterwork it is. There’s the impeccable casting, the set design, the biting, laugh-out-loud humor of the script, and the talented film-making team which put it all together, led by director Gregory La Cava.
Leading man William Powell gamely plays straight man Godfrey, a homeless man from privileged beginnings, to contrast with the zaniness of the ridiculously wealthy Bullocks who hire him as a butler. Alice Brady is utter perfection as the flighty matriarch who lives in her own world while supporting “artist” Carlo (Mischa Auer), her protégé who lives off the largess of the family. The Bullock sisters tend to spar with each other; Gail Patrick’s Cordelia is a cruel young woman who aims to get Godfrey out of the house, while Carole Lombard’s spacey Irene hopes to win his heart.
In La Cava’s film, the rich folks are portrayed as blithe nitwits while the down-on-their-luck men living at the dump are witty and wise. Godfrey’s friend Tommy (Alan Mowbray) is the exception to this rule, as his plans with Godfrey straddle both worlds. Sure, the story is ridiculous, but upon the utter madness of the scavenger hunt which opens the film, the audience is removed from the drudgery of our everyday life and transported into the opulence of the Bullock home. And the comic timing! There’s so much silliness to appreciate here, along with a dialogue delivered in a magical rhythm.
The Depression-era work is of its time, and yet timeless in the laughter it brings and the talent it showcases. Even the social issues it touches on remain relevant, from the lack of affordable housing and need for supportive services to the tendency of the ultra rich to detach from reality. My Man Godfrey remains an utter joy to watch.
Carole Lombard and William Powell in MY MAN GODFREY. My Man Godfrey continues its reign as the quintessential classic screwball comedy. Last year, I got the chance to review the 1957 remake starring David Niven and June Allyson, which was an amusing affair, mainly because the original story itself was a real winner with the ability to transfer through the decades. It had been years since I’d watched the original film, nearly 20 in fact. Unsurprisingly, it holds up.
My Man Godfrey remains the perfect blueprint for the screwball comedy, with elements of farce and multiple bits of innuendo coming at the audience every which way. The timing remains pitch perfect with just the right amount of story being packed into the most efficient 90 minutes ever filmed. The colorful collection of actors are given room to make an impression with their characters, all of which become indispensable while the dialogue makes My Man Godfrey’s script one of the finest comedic screenplays to date, boasting such gems as: “All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people.”
But if there’s two things that hold strong above all else when it comes to My Man Godfrey, it’s the chemistry between its two leads and the tellingness of the story they find themselves in. Everyone knows how Powell famously suggested ex-wife Lombard for the lead role, much to some people’s bewilderment. Powell knew how right the actress was for the part of Irene and that the two together would turn the film into magic. He was right. Lombard and Powell both soared, earning Oscar nominations for their roles and setting the standard for the romantic comedy pairing for decades to come. Their knack for banter and generating levity certainly helps in My Man Godfrey’s illustrations of class. Set during the Great Depression, the movie takes full opportunity to show the plight of those affected by society’s struggle through some quietly searing commentary which could not be ignored at the time and still comes across as striking to this day. Nearly 90 years on, My Man Godfrey remains the gold standard it very much deserves to be.
Mischa Auer in MY MAN GODFREY. Cinapse is all about cinematic exploration, and I’m thrilled about this Screwball Comedy 101 theme for this month’s Two Cents Film Club because I’m almost totally ignorant of the genre and have seen none of the films programmed by my esteemed colleagues.
My Man Godfrey was a delight, I must say. Something I couldn’t help but take note of right off the bat was the whip cracking dialog of this thing. It felt decidedly modern with its punchy, mile-a-minute dialog that would fit right into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in some respects. While not my first experience with William Powell (I’ve seen The Thin Man), this was my first exposure as far as I know to queen of the era Carole Lombard. The plotting of My Man Godfrey moves fast and furious as befits the dialog, but I was personally fascinated as someone who works with the formerly homeless in my day job to experience a plotline related to “forgotten men” of the Great Depression.
Powell’s Godfrey is a man of mystery who is picked out of his homeless circumstances by a madcap rich family who are, in a dehumanizing fashion, looking for a homeless person to win a high society scavenger hunt. Godfrey is offended, but ends up enmeshed with Lombard’s Irene Bullock and her whole crazy clan. Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if Wes Anderson took inspiration from this film for The Royal Tenenbaums with all the chaos happening in this mansion. We slowly learn who Godfrey really is as he pushes and pulls against the posh Bullock family whirlwind.
The whole affair is so crackingly paced that the least modern element here is the cute upward mobility that Godfrey is able to achieve by the end. He’d come from a wealthy family, Ivy league education, and the like… but had lost it all in heartbreak (not to mention The Great Depression). It’s a lovely sentiment that Godfrey is able to take a steady job butlering for the Bullocks and simply put his mind to it and rebound back to the high society he had once fallen out of. Even if Godfrey does have a heart of gold and brings up all his “forgotten men” with him, it feels aspirational and highly fictional when viewed today in a deeply stratified oligarchy where such upward mobility is unattainable for the vast majority.
Carole Lombard and William Powell in MY MAN GODFREY. My introduction to screwball comedy was via Preston Sturges’ films–from The Lady Eve in college (and the subject of next week’s column!) to the similar madcap Depression-era romantic comedy Sullivan’s Travels. My Man Godfrey had long languished on my to-watch list, as has To Be or Not to Be, and I’m always excited to use Two Cents as an excuse to rectify such important blind spots.
The film’s predominantly an effective lampoon of the out-of-touch upper crust, who spend their nights stealing horses, smashing windows, and using “forgotten men” as clues for drunken scavenger hunts. Thrust back into this world is someone who tried to stay out of it–fellow forgotten man Godfrey (William Powell)–who allows himself to be brought into the game of the rich in order to help seemingly downtrodden socialite Irene (Carole Lombard) finally get one over on her overbearing older siblings. Godfrey further accepts Irene’s invitation to buttle for her Park Avenue family–only to get far more than he bargained for keeping up with their zany lifestyle as well as Irene’s hysterical affections.
Like the best screwball comedies, My Man Godfrey moves at a delightfully dizzying blur. I’ve always loved how these films feel like creatively-adapted theater plays, with a primer on rapid-fire banter and delicious wordplay. But what I loved so much about Gregory La Cava’s film is how much of an emphasis there was on the surprisingly mobile camera work–making rack focuses, elaborate dolly movements, and more an equal part of My Man Godfrey’s comedy, and making this heightened and theatrical film likewise feel incredibly cinematic.
I also enjoyed the wonderful layers La Cava peeled back on Godfrey himself–while the exact circumstances of Godfrey’s homelessness aren’t explored beyond cursory references to heartbreak, Powell delivers these moments with a moving pathos, even if they’re amid the maelstrom of whimsical madness he must endure at the hands of the Bullocks. It’s a dignity that the film fittingly extends to the other victims of circumstance who Godfrey shares his dump with, never using them or their predicament as the butt of any of the film’s humor. The film’s final set piece, allowing these men to find new rewarding purpose in life, is so rich with understated joy and hope–the perfect antithesis of My Man Godfrey’s cruelly trivial opening pursuits.
William Powell and Gail Patrick in MY MAN GODFREY. A depressing truth; I’m one of those terrible cinephiles who’s knowledge of cinema pre-1960’s is pretty abysmal. Sure I’ve seen a fair share of the larger, pop culture milestone types like Casablanca and Singin’ In The Rain, but, embarrassingly, I’ve seen very little cinema from the first 50 years of its existence. One of those major blindspots, thus, is the screwball comedies of the ‘30s & ‘40s. Coming into My Man Godfrey, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
But wow, what an absolute delight! Just a fun, goofy, genuinely funny comedy all the way through, so much so that, by the time the story started to wrap up, I wanted another 30 minutes of the Bullock family hijinks.
I think what struck me the most about this, a film almost a 100 years old, is how modern it still feels. From the opening scene where a group of rich socialites attempt to “buy” a forgotten man (which, this being the first time I’ve heard it, is an incredibly depressing term), to the continued escapades of a rich family run amok, it’s not really all that removed from our own modern class struggles; a ruling class that views the world as one big party, and everyone else who just need a job to survive. Straight up, the actual insanity that these rich kids get into (massive scavenger hunt that has them essentially robbing the city, treating criminal charges as expenses, drunken vandalism) is pretty much what we see the richest of assholes posting on socials.
To lean back into the more fun aspects, I was also caught off guard by how romantic this all was, in an actual romantic comedy sort of way. I don’t know if it is because we’ve been in a drought of true romcoms for almost 20 years now, but I couldn’t help but be completely smitten by how Godfrey and Irene play off each other; Godfrey laying a natural, almost accidental, charm in his relationship with her, and Irene slowly but surely wearing down Godfrey with her own eccentric wit. Hell, even the back and forth between Godfrey and Cornelia has some heat; in that moment, at the very end, when she realizes she is also in love with him, has better romantic tension than almost anything made this century.
Genuinely excited for the rest of this Two Cents series, for sure!
A JANUARY OF VINTAGE LAUGHS!
In an effort to combat the January blues (not to mention other devastating events taking place that month), the Two Cents crew here at Cinapse have decided to dive into the world of classic screwball comedies. The likes of Carole Lombard, Ernst Lubitsch, Barbara Stanwyck, Jack Benny, and Elaine May are all on deck to chase away those winter blues with a collection of movies that range from the romantic, to the scandalous. Spend the month with us and some side-splitting laughs from the masters who made the genre the riotous (and slightly subversive) staple that it remains to this day.
Join us by contacting our team or emailing [email protected]!
1/13- The Lady Eve
1/20- To Be or Not to Be
1/27- A New Leaf -
Sundance 2025: Passes and Tickets are on Sale, Plus My Picks!
2024’s Awards season may be coming to a close, but 2025’s is just beginning with this year’s hopefuls premiering later this month at Sundance. Offering both online and in person viewing experiences this year, Sundance returns January 23rd thru February 2nd, in Park City, Utah with an incredible slate of programming including 86 feature films and 57 shorts, supplimented with their trademark talks and events.
“Audiences at the Festival can not only look forward to engaging with the unexpected, but also to be entertained, challenged, and deeply moved by this year’s films.” – Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming.
While the bulk of films will be screening in person, ALL of the competition films (U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic, World Cinema Documentary, and NEXT presented by Adobe) and more will be available online from January 30th thru February 2nd, for audiences all across the country. With their hybrid model one of the best out there, it’s hard not to attend the iconic fest, with online packages and passes now on sale, and single film tickets going on sale on January 16 at 10 a.m. MT.
You can pick up tickets for the fest at https://festival.sundance.org/. I will personally be attending virtually and given my love for genre, my picks definitely skew in that direction; especially given the reputation of Sundance’s Midnight selections with such alumni as Talk to Me, Infinity Pool, The Blair Witch Project, Saw, The Descent and Hereditary.
Some titles I personally am excited for are:
(Synopses provided by Sundance Institute.)
A still from Bunnylovr by Katarina Zhu, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. Bunnylovr / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Katarina Zhu, Producers: Tristan Scott-Behrends, Ani Schroeter, Rhianon Jones, Roger Mancusi, Rachel Sennott) — A drifting Chinese American cam girl struggles to navigate an increasingly toxic relationship with one of her clients while rekindling her relationship with her dying estranged father. Cast: Katarina Zhu, Rachel Sennott, Austin Amelio, Perry Yung, Jack Kilmer. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Samantha Mathis, Juliette Lewis and Robin Tunney appear in By Design by Amanda Kramer, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Patrick Meade Jones By Design / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Amanda Kramer, Producers: Miranda Bailey, Sarah Winshall, Natalie Whalen, Jacob Agger) — A woman swaps bodies with a chair, and everyone likes her better as a chair. Cast: Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Melanie Griffith, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney, Udo Kier. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for Public.
Kiran Deol appears in Didn’t Die by Meera Menon, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Paul Gleason Didn’t Die / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Meera Menon, Screenwriter and Producer: Paul Gleason, Producers: Erica Fishman, Joe Camerota, Luke Patton) — A podcast host desperately clings to an ever-shrinking audience in the zombie apocalypse. Cast: Kiran Deol, George Basil, Samrat Chakrabarti, Katie McCuen, Vishal Vijayakumar. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for Public.
A still from Predators by David Osit, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. Predators / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: David Osit, Producers: Jamie Gonçalves, Kellen Quinn) — To Catch a Predator was a popular television show designed to hunt down child predators and lure them to a film set, where they would be interviewed and eventually arrested. An exploration of the scintillating rise and staggering fall of the show and the world it helped create. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Sally Ride appears in SALLY by Cristina Costantini, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by NASA. SALLY / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Cristina Costantini, Screenwriter: Tom Maroney, Producers: Lauren Cioffi, Dan Cogan, Jon Bardin) — Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast off into space, but beneath her unflappable composure was a secret. Sally’s life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, reveals their hidden romance and the sacrifices that accompanied their 27 years together. World Premiere. Documentary. Available online for Public. 2025 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Winner.
Christine Yuan and Pasqual Gutierrez appear in Serious People by Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson Serious People / U.S.A. (Directors and Screenwriters: Pasqual Gutierrez, Ben Mullinkosson, Producers: Ryan Hahn, Teddy Lee, Laurel Thomson) — A successful music video director and expectant father pushes his work-life balance to the extreme as he hires a doppelgänger to work in his stead. Cast: Pasqual Gutierrez, Christine Yuan, Miguel Huerta, Raul Sanchez. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for Public.
A still from The Dating Game by Violet Du Feng, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Wei Gao The Dating Game / U.S.A., U.K., Norway (Director and Producer: Violet Du Feng, Producers: Joanna Natasegara, James Costa, Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas) — In a country where eligible men greatly outnumber women, three perpetual bachelors join an intensive seven-day dating camp led by one of China’s most sought-after dating coaches in what may be their last-ditch effort to find love. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Ekin Koç appears in The Things You Kill by Alireza Khatami, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Bartosz Świniarski The Things You Kill / Turkey, France, Poland, Canada (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Alireza Khatami, Producers: Elisa Sepulveda Ruddoff, Cyriac Auriol, Mariusz Włodarski, Michael Solomon) — Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, a university professor coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance. Cast: Ekin Koç, Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Hazar Ergüçlü, Ercan Kesal. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Olivia Taylor Dudley appears in Touch Me by Addison Heimann, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Dustin Supencheck. Touch Me / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Addison Heimann, Producers: John Humber, David Lawson Jr.) — Two codependent best friends become addicted to the heroin-like touch of an alien narcissist who may or may not be trying to take over the world. Cast: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jordan Gavaris, Marlene Forte, Paget Brewster. World Premiere. Fiction.
Laurence Leboeuf and Karine Gonthier-Hyndman appear in Two Women by Chloé Robichaud, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Sara Mishara Two Women / Canada (Director: Chloé Robichaud, Screenwriter and Producer: Catherine Léger Producer: Martin Paul-Hus) — Violette is having a difficult maternity leave. Florence is dealing with depression. Despite their careers and families, they feel like failures. Florence’s first infidelity is a revelation. When having fun is far down the list of priorities, sleeping with a delivery guy could be revolutionary. Cast: Karine Gonthier-Hyndman, Laurence Leboeuf, Félix Moati, Mani Soleymanlou, Sophie Nelisse, Juliette Gariépy. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
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KC Film Critics “Are One” for THE SUBSTANCE in 2024 Awards
Full winners and runners-up for Kansas City Film Critics Circle’s 59th Annual James Loutzenhiser Awards
The Kansas City Film Critics Circle met Saturday, January 4 to vote on their annual awards for 2024. It was a contentious turnout with so many deserving nominees in all categories, but in the end the body-horror film The Substance, written and directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, definitively took top honors, winning in multiple categories.
The Substance This year notably marks the debut of a new category, The Buster Keaton Award for Best Stunt Ensemble Film, so named in honor of the legendary comedian’s breathtaking stunts and Kansas origins. It’s our hope that this new category will help to encourage recognizing and honoring stunt work and action cinema.
Full Winners and Runners-up for the 59th Annual James Loutzenhiser Awards:
BEST FILM
Winner: THE SUBSTANCE
Runner-Up: DUNE: PART II
Demi Moore in The Substance ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Coralie Fargeat, THE SUBSTANCE
Runner-Up: Sean Baker, ANORA
The Substance BEST ACTOR
Winner: David Dastmalchian, LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL
Runner-Up: Ralph Fiennes, CONCLAVE
David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil BEST ACTRESS
Winner (Tie): Mikey Madison, ANORA; and Demi Moore, THE SUBSTANCE
Mikey Madison in Anora BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Kieran Culkin, A REAL PAIN
Runner Up: Yura Borisov, ANORA
Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Margaret Qualley, THE SUBSTANCE
Runner-Up: Danielle Deadwyler, THE PIANO LESSON
Margaret Qualley in The Substance BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner: THE SUBSTANCE, by Coralie Fargeat
Runner-Up: ANORA, by Sean Baker
The Substance BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner: CONCLAVE, adapted by Peter Straughan from the book by Robert Harris
Runner-Up: NICKEL BOYS, adapted by RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes from the book by Colson Whitehead
Conclave BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner: THE BRUTALIST, director of photography Lol Crawley
Runner-Up: CIVIL WAR, director of photography Rob Hardy
The Brutalist BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Winner: CHALLENGERS, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Runner-Up: CONCLAVE, composed by Volker Bertelmann
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Winner: THE WILD ROBOT
Runner-Up: FLOW
The Wild Robot BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Winner: FLOW
Runner-Up: EMILIA PÉREZ
Flow BEST DOCUMENTARY
Winner: WILL & HARPER
Runner-Up: SEEKING MAVIS BEACON
Will and Harper VINCE KOEHLER AWARD FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, OR HORROR
Winner: THE SUBSTANCE
Runner-Up: DUNE: PART TWO
The Substance TOM POE AWARD FOR BEST LGBTQ FILM
Winner: I SAW THE TV GLOW
Runner-Up: EMILIA PÉREZ
BUSTER KEATON AWARD FOR THE BEST STUNT ENSEMBLE FILM
Winner: THE FALL GUY
Runner-Up (TIE): FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA and DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
The Fall Guy
About Kansas City Film Critic’s Circle:
The KCFCC, the second oldest professional film critic organization in the United States, was founded in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser (1931–2001) who served as the group’s president for over 30 years.
You can view the KCFCC’s official press release about this year’s winners here.
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The Austin Film Critics Association Share their 2024 Film Awards
With the bonus of Jon’s Top 10 Films of 2024!
With Cinapse being founded in Austin, we’ve been awaiting the film award announcements from our local critics group, the Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA). An organization that has several Cinapsians within its ranks, myself included. After announcing their film award nominees a few days ago, they have now followed up with their list winners.
This awards season has seen several films vying for the awards and despite leading pack with nomination in 10 categories, The Brutalist only managed to take home two wins (for Cinematography and Score). Instead, it’s Anora that celebrates, winning 5 awards from its 7 nominations – including Best Film, Best Director (Sean Baker), Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress (Mikey Madison), and Best Supporting Actor (Yura Borisov). The Substance also racked up deserved wins with Best Supporting Actress (Margaret Qualley) and Best Editing. A pick I’m particularly proud of is the choice of Colman Domingo for his Best Actor performance in Sing Sing. A wonderful film, and a performer who has been turning out outstanding work for the past few years.
One thing I’m glad to see was Love Lies Bleeding getting some love, well remembered after it’s release way back in March. A win for Arkasha Stevenson in Best First Film with The First Omen is pretty damn great too. Horror doesn’t get the respect it deserves come awards season. The only quibble I personally have is in the Best Digital/Animated Performance category, where the work of Robbie Williams and Jonno Davies for Better Man deserved some recognition.
Check out the full list of winners below and via the AFCA website, as well as my own personal top 10 films of 2024!
I always like to pair the AFCA with my own personal top 10, which is as follows.
- Anora
- Love Lies Bleeding
- The Brutalist
- The Substance
- Dune: Part Two
- Civil War
- Conclave
- Challengers
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Better Man
Honorable Mentions: A Different Man, Ghostlight, Kneecap, Last Stop in Yuma County, Sasquatch Sunset
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BATMAN RETURNS: Two Cents Goes to Gotham for the Holidays
Season’s greetings from a bat, a cat, and a penguin.
Two Cents is a Cinapse original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team curates the series and contribute their “two cents” using a maximum of 200-400 words. Guest contributors and comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future picks. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion. Would you like to be a guest contributor or programmer for an upcoming Two Cents entry? Simply watch along with us and/or send your pitches or 200-400 word reviews to [email protected].
We all know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and all that noise, right? There are tons of Christmas movies from neo-classics like Elf to old time favorites like A Miracle on 34th St to Hallmark’s 1000 new films each year to that Hot Frosty movie on Netflix that’s getting all the buzz. We have all seen these and we all have our favorites and least favorites. And, each year there are hundreds of film bros who tell you that Die Hard is their favorite Christmas movie, too. This is a valid selection, for sure… at least, in our eyes… as Christma is in the eye of the beholder. So, this year, in the spirit of John McClane, we present some other films that are secretly Christmas films. – Justin Harlan
The Pick: Batman Returns (1992)
Our “actually a Christmas movie” month concludes with one of the best examples this sub-genre of film has to offer, 1992’s Batman Returns. The movie that scared little kids (with the exception of your’s truly, who ate up every minute of it) was a summertime hit when first released, but quickly took its place between Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas as the centerpiece of director Tim Burton’s ode to the holidays. With a memorable Christmas tree lighting in the Gotham City center and the sexiest use of mistletoe ever committed to film, Batman Returns is loaded with enough dark comedy and gothic trappings to make the Christmas season a mix of the festive and macabre. – Frank Calvillo
Our Guests:
Talking about Batman Returns always winds up feeling extremely personal, as the word “favorite” never fails to get thrown around multiple times when it comes up. It’s my favorite Tim Burton film (featuring my favorite sequence from his films) and my favorite Batman film, as well as featuring my favorite performance from one of my all-time favorite actresses. See, that’s a lot of favorites, but it can’t be helped. This particular chapter in the cinematic saga of the Caped Crusader ticks all the boxes for me and I will never stop wishing we’d had some additional Burton entries in the canon.
The balance between the heightened comic origins of Batman and the gritty, harsh reality of live-action Gotham is struck perfectly by Burton. Even the most outlandish antics are still dripping with menace, and the true villain is an all-too-real tycoon who knows the rules don’t apply to him (played with sinister understatement by Christopher Walken). Given its Christmas season setting, Gotham City is transformed into a frozen nightmare, with the metal hellscape of the zoo where the Penguin’s lair resides being a pinnacle of production design. The snowy darkness gives Burton his own personal playground, where shadows tell their own story. The effect of Selina Kyle’s glasses casting an ominous cat-like mask on her face as she’s about to be transformed into her feline alter ego is remarkable.
Donning his mask for a second time is Michael Keaton. I enjoy Keaton’s performance more and more with every rewatch. His choices always keep him firmly Bruce Wayne. To him, Batman is simply Bruce Wayne with a mask on, a way of hiding his identity, but not an entirely different person. It’s what makes his connection to Selina Kyle land so well in their final moments together. Danny DeVito relishes every second as the grotesque Penguin, the role that takes this film into the truly macabre. Like my compliment to Burton above, DeVito grounds the Penguin’s most cartoonish actions in a grim reality, which makes him all the more fiendish. His over-the-top flirtations with Catwoman are a delight.
This brings me to the true reason for the season: the demonically divine Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. To solely focus on Pfeiffer’s iconic Catwoman is to do a disservice to her performance, as her introduction as the skittish secretary is just as incredible, with her nervous tics as she serves the businessmen their coffee and her hysterically calling herself a “stupid corndog” afterward. Which brings me to the favorite scene I mentioned earlier: Selina’s transformation into Catwoman. Her interaction with Walken’s Schreck that kicks the whole thing off is brilliant, as you see Selina realizing all too late that being the best secretary is going to get her killed; after she’s shoved from the window, the marriage between Burton’s gruesome creativity and Pfeiffer’s fearless performance ignites the screen. Cats essentially lick her back to life, she returns dazed and confused to her childish apartment, and the descent into hell commences. Smashing everything in her path, Pfeiffer is exhilarating as she emerges as the newest vigilante in Gotham, feeling “so much yummier.” If you have not watched the clip of her doing her own bullwhip stunts and knocking the heads off the mannequins in one take, run to YouTube and watch it. You’ll thank me!
While not It’s a Wonderful Life, Batman Returns earns its place as a Christmastime viewing necessity. Pfeiffer’s performance alone is a gift; that it happens to be featured in such a perfect package of a film is a holiday miracle. “How about a kiss, Santy Claus?”
Nathan Flynn
Batman Returns traumatized me as a child. Tim Burton’s most frightening imagery operates within a gothic carnival dream-logic, a perfect trap for a developing frontal lobe to latch onto. Among the most terrifying films I’ve ever seen, it’s easily the most haunting one starring Batman. Decapitated mannequins, attempted infanticide, a taser to the face, a fatal Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, and the Caped Crusader casually murdering someone—this is all before we even discuss one of cinema’s most horrific creations: Oswald Cobblepot, the sewer-dweller turned Gotham mayoral candidate. Played with greasy, feral intensity by Danny DeVito, Cobblepot’s master plan—a coordinated extermination of Gotham’s firstborn sons as biblical vengeance for his own abandonment—fueled countless childhood nightmares of a penguin with a rocket launcher lowering a younger version of me (also a firstborn) into a sewer grave.
Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) was a visual masterpiece and an extraordinary commercial success. It perfectly captured the comic book sensibilities of Frank Miller’s grim Gotham, blending them with the grayscale of 1930s noir and the angular towers of 1920s German Expressionism. The result was as transportive as Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. But with Batman Returns, Burton discarded the noir influence and fidelity to the comics, embracing pure German Expressionism to craft a borderline subversive blockbuster. Oscillating between the ridiculous and the sublime, it’s perhaps the purest expression of Burton’s artistic vision—a precursor to directors like Ang Lee, Sam Raimi, Christopher Nolan, Ryan Coogler, and James Gunn, who adapted beloved characters with deeply personal, stylistic interpretations.
Batman Returns is far from perfect. It’s overly long and occasionally too convoluted. But who cares, coherence has a short shelf life. The climax—featuring a battalion of penguins armed with rocket launchers—is as unruly as it is unforgettable, a surreal spectacle leagues beyond the formulaic third acts of most Marvel films.
But what Batman Returns has that the first film lacked is Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman. Pfeiffer delivers a brilliant, sexually charged performance, infusing the film with heat and danger that pushes its PG-13 rating to the brink. “You’re always confusing your pistols with your privates,” she taunts a pair of hapless mall cops, dripping menace and innuendo. Her arc—charting a journey of misogynist abuse, murderous betrayal, and resurrection—evokes the feminist rage of rape-revenge thrillers like Ms. 45, filtered through Burton’s surrealist lens. For all the visual splendor, the standout sequence is Catwoman’s transformation: wrecking her drab apartment, cramming plushies down the garbage disposal, drinking milk straight from the carton, and fetishistically sewing herself into her vinyl catsuit. It’s cathartic, terrifying, and utterly unforgettable.
The film also functions as a wickedly funny Cassandra, forecasting the dark clouds looming over America. Christopher Walken’s Max Shreck—a sleazy, dead-eyed industrialist—is all too recognizable, while DeVito’s grotesque, oddly charismatic Penguin manipulates public sentiment with spectacle and lies. The Penguin’s downfall—his contempt for his base revealed via incriminating audiotape—feels eerily prescient. It’s impossible not to think of modern political figures who have risen on outsider bravado and populism, only to expose their disdain for their own followers. I often wish DeVito’s real-world counterpart would meet a similar fate, rejected by his supporters and raging before slinking into obscurity. Walken and DeVito’s performances serve as savage reminders that real-world villains don’t need costumes.
Oh, right—Michael Keaton is in this movie, too. It’s telling how long it takes to mention the titular character. Keaton remains a fantastic Batman, carrying a bemused detachment that fits the chaos surrounding him. This restraint keeps the tone balanced and approachable, particularly when the villains steal the spotlight. His chemistry with Pfeiffer is electric, their scenes simmering with tension, particularly during the masked ballroom dance—a poignant mix of romance and melancholy.
For my money, Batman Returns represents the artistic apex of the Batman franchise. Its grotesque beauty, unsettling performances, and operatic exploration of power and identity transcend the superhero genre. It’s not just a Batman movie—it’s Tim Burton at his boldest, crafting a cinematic yuletide nightmare that lingers long after the credits roll.
The Team:
The Burton Batman films are widely beloved and cherished. While certain aspects haven’t aged phenomenally, they are largely still considered among the best superhero screen adaptations – at least pre-MCU. And, for this Batman megafan – complete with a large comic style Batman tattoo – I hold these films in extremely high esteem.
While my childhood preference was easily the OG… the clown prince of crime, the origin story, the awkward dining room scene, all of it! But, the extra dark part 2 has surpassed the original as I’ve grown up. There’s a richness and complexity above the original, in both characters and story. The Burton quirks are more pronounced, as well. And Danny DeVito chews on the scenery as much as he chews on fish (and… people).
I genuinely love this movie and I love revisiting it. In the past several years, I’ve returned to it almost annually and it still hits perfectly every time.
A perfect wrap up to the December to Remember event here at Cinapse, so I must thank Michelle for starring in this film, thus leading Frank to champion it as one of our selections.
Sure, Batman Returns is a Christmas movie. But it’s also a weird, stylish, sexed-up superhero tale that has only gotten more beloved, and more prescient, as time has crept on and given it plenty of space from the film that came before it, not to mention the sequels that came after.
Just listen to the anger Selina Kyle speaks to Bruce Wayne regarding the billionaire Max Schreck, who murdered her with his own hands: “Don’t give me a ‘killing Max won’t solve anything’ speech because it will. Aren’t you tired of this sanctimonious robber baron always coming out on top when he should be six feet under?”
Could there be a more “of the moment” character motivation as we reevaluate this film here in 2024 in the wake of the murder of a healthcare CEO at the hands of an angry crusader, or as we witness the wealthiest man in the world buy his way into political power? Or as we see a billionaire convicted criminal ascend once again to the highest office in the land? I didn’t expect Catwoman to represent the voice of the downtrodden looking to claw back some safety and assurance of a better future, but here we are. To be clear I’m not advocating for violence personally, but rather noting the relevance of Catwoman’s rage here in 2024.
While I’ve always enjoyed Returns, it’s never quite held a candle to the ‘89 original for me. That said, it does only get better upon each rewatch, and this go-round was no different. In fact, while I know the return of Michael Keaton to the cowl didn’t go so hot with The Flash, I’d very much advocate for a legasequel re-teaming a hot post-Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Tim Burton with Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer to cap their trilogy with a late in life tale of Bruce and Selina that ignores Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. A fan can dream, and in an era where Batman remains king and has proven multiple times that he can sustain multiple, seemingly incongruous franchises with tons of messy overlap (or lack thereof), why not wrap up a trilogy that the world has always wanted and never gotten?!
Biggest surprise coming into the Two Cents is that, apparently, I’m in the minority of having this in my yearly Christmas rotation. I mean, to be fair, all the Christmas-y stuff is pretty much in the first 10 minutes or so, but it always had that vibe to me.
One of those films that ends up being shaggier than you remember with each viewing, but is still able to both capture the gothic charm of the first one, while also amplifying the straight up weirdo elements that seem to come out when Burton gets a blank check film; namely, how incredibly horny this is, while also being intensely repulsive at times.
First, the horny; Gone is the subdued, conservative performance of Kim Basinger in the first, and in comes Michelle Pfeiffer, slinking around the film like a world-class femme fatale as Selina, then, as Catwoman, stalking the night in stitched together skin tight leather, both sultry and dangerous in her approach to every man in the film. Burton has dropped any pretense of “hero or villain” with Catwoman, and has just made his perfect woman on screen; incredibly sexy and threatening.
Then, the repulsive; I don’t mean to be hyperbolic here, but DeVito might be the most disgusting villain ever put to screen. A combination of grotesque prosthetics, which turn DeVito into something closer to a circus sideshow than a comic book villain, paired with DeVito’s 100% commitment to the bit create a sickening beast of a character; something dredged from the sewers that shouldn’t be breathing, let alone eating raw fish in front of you. DeVito’s penguin is like a car crash; something you feel the need to turn away from when you see it, but can’t stop the urge to look back at in macabre fascination. Kinda shocked that a producer didn’t walk on set, take one look at DeVito, and demand something less “birth defect” for their $100 million dollar childrens movie. But, nobody ever said “no”, so we have one of the greatest movie villain performances of all time because of it.
Won’t get into how the plot kinda just meanders, and definitely sags in the 2nd act, because this is just one of those films that works on “vibes”, and the specific vibe here is: Have a happy, horny, gothic Christmas!
Another Christmas, another revisiting of Batman Returns. The placement of this movie in the lineup works perfectly since it comes on the heels of the annual December screening Alamo Drafthouse puts on of this growing Christmas classic. As screenings of Elf and Christmas Vacation play down the hall, those who prefer a decidedly offbeat Christmas tale once again flock to Tim Burton’s Gotham.
It’s hard to ignore year after year just how much Michael Keaton’s Batman feels like a supporting player in his own movie, it’s only because he’s forced to share the screen with two such memorable costars. Danny DeVito’s Penguin steals almost every scene he’s in with his grotesque appearance and endless supply of one-liners. The actor sinks his teeth into the outrageousness of the character, but also manages to pay homage to Oswald Cobblepot’s tragic backstory, culminating in an end scene that’s genuinely moving.
But if there’s one figure most remember when they think of Batman Returns, it’s Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman. Famously labeled by Burton as his favorite performance of any he directed, Pfeiffer has a ball bringing the dark side of Selina Kyle to life. Her transformation from an invisible secretary/assistant to a woman embracing her true feline nature is a joy to behold in every classic moment from the destruction of her apartment to the uttering of the iconic “meow.” Too often written off as a villain, Batman Returns is the best example of Catwoman’s true anti-hero nature. She’s not out for power or domination the way Penguin is. What she wants is simply to revel in her actual self after years of being overlooked by society.
Batman Returns strangely plays more violent today than it did in 1992 (although those complaints were plentiful back then) while the script’s various sexual innuendos feel just as racy. Still, Batman Returns remains what Burton intended it to be: a playful dark fantasy tale thats draped in shades of German expressionism and tongue-in-cheek humor. Touches like Jan Hooks’ amusing cameo and the Siouxsie and the Banshees “Face to Face” needle drop (perfectly timed to Pfeiffer’s incredible entrance) are certainly of the time, but there’s a universal quality to the movie that can be found in the overall production design (so much about it feels eerily timeless) and in the trio of leads. While it features three of the most iconic characters ever to come out of the comic book world, Batman Returns actually plays as a sympathetic tribute to those destined to exist on the margins of society; those who have been shunned, ignored, or forced to conceal themselves because they never really belonged. Nowhere is that feeling more prevalent and palpable than at Christmastime in Gotham City.
A JANUARY OF VINTAGE LAUGHS!
In an effort to combat the January blues (not to mention other devastating events taking place that month), the Two Cents crew here at Cinapse have decided to dive into the world of classic screwball comedies. The likes of Carole Lombard, Ernst Lubitsch, Barbara Stanwyck, Jack Benny, and Elaine May are all on deck to chase away those winter blues with a collection of movies that range from the romantic, to the scandalous. Spend the month with us and some side-splitting laughs from the masters who made the genre the riotous (and slightly subversive) staple that it remains to this day.
Join us by contacting our team or emailing [email protected]!
1/6- My Man Godfrey
1/13- The Lady Eve
1/20- To Be or Not to Be
1/27- A New Leaf -
An Albert Brooks Fan’s Best Friend is his Copy of MOTHER
“Boy, you must be upset. Look, we’re actually using the living room.”
Albert Brooks recently confirmed that when it came to casting the title role for his 1996 comedy Mother, the first person he had in mind was Doris Day. Brooks had written the part of the Northern California mother of two adult men for the legendary actress. But Day had long since retired from showbusiness and, following an awkward meeting between her and Brooks in the actress’ Carmel home, flat out told the writer/director that she would never make another film again. Cut to a chance encounter some time later between Brooks and old friend Carrie Fisher who suggested her mother Debbie Reynolds (another legend) for the part. It was an exercise in kismet; the former studio darling enjoyed one last great movie role and Brooks ended up with one of the funniest movies of the late ’90s.
In Mother, Brooks stars as John, a middling author who is suffering a personal and professional block after just having gotten divorced. In an effort to find out where things went wrong for him, he decides to pay his mother Beatrice (Reynolds) a visit. The following few days will bring great revelations for John as he tries to co-exist with the one person who drives him crazy like no one else can.
It’s a real shame that the pitch-perfect screenplay for Mother didn’t take Brooks all the way to the Oscars, despite winning the New York Film Critics and National Board of Review awards. The script for the comedy is chock full of classic Brooks dialogue, all of which pull double duty by providing a steady stream of Brooks-isms while also giving us a comedic glimpse into John’s troubled world. This begins with the first scene in which a divorce lawyer (Paul Collins) is instructing his soon-to-be ex-wife (Laura Weekes) not to leave the state. “She left me,” he clarifies, “she had nothing against the land.” The winning dialogue is only amplified once John and Beatrice reunite, particularly whenever the two find themselves in the kitchen. When Beatrice tries to slice up an enormously large block of cheese, John states: “I like my cheese in ounces. When they start weighing as much as a Fiat, I get worried.” Another kitchen scene the following day sees Beatrice doting on her son by bringing out a parade of snacks. When this eventually becomes too much, an exasperated John declares: “No more food! It’s like Fantasia!” Even Mother‘s moments of tenderness come with a slight wit that grounds the scenes and makes things relatable such as when Beatrice tells John she loves him to which he lovingly replies: “I know you think you do, Mother.”
Mother was scheduled as a Christmastime release, an appropriate move as that was the time when most of the film’s target demographic would have found themselves around their mothers, allowing the themes of the film to shit right where they were supposed to. Brooks foregoes any mean-spiritedness in his attempts to show how crazy adult children (sons in particular) can be driven by their mothers. That being said, unexpected moments of bonding, such as John teaching Beatrice how to use a computer (a tender and touching scene), occur now and again in Mother and play out the way they do for so many of us in real life. Still, the way simple comments can snowball, the presumably easy act of communicating with your mother without her understanding anything you’re saying makes up the bulk of the film. Through it all, Brooks’ film explores the intricacies and aims to get to the cause of such moments even though the filmmaker knows there’s nothing he can create that can remedy the nature of a mother’s relationship with her adult son. What Brooks does manage to do is illuminate the inevitability of a relationship like John and Beatrice’s by showing how hard it is for parents and their children to ever fully see each other as people, apart from who they’ve been to each other for so long. It’s not a solution, but it does provide some unexpected comfort.
The moniker of “the West Coast Woody Allen” is one that Brooks found himself saddled with the minute he became a name in the 1970s. But Brooks cannot be categorized as just another version of someone who came before him. The actor/writer/director is an underrated filmmaker whose comedy genius and penchant for laughter doesn’t just lie in the maddening minutiae of the world around him, but rather in the humanity that drives his characters’ reactions to it. It’s hard not to root for an Albert Brooks character and even harder not to see shades of ourselves in the flawed humans he creates. Criterion has recognized this through stellar releases of this and other Brooks classics, including Lost in America and Defending Your Life. Well done, Criterion. Now do The Muse.
Mother is now available on Blu-ray and DVD from the Criterion Collection.
