49th angels with dirty black holes

49th Parallel (1941): Richard George, Eric Portman, Raymond Lovell, Laurence Olivier, Basil Appleby
In the 49th Parallel, a nazi u-boat off the coast of Canada is sunk and the crew must fight their way down to the amnesty of the United States. It's a simple premise, and one used chiefly to demonstrate the evils of nazism. As the nazis trek across Canada, they are shown nothing but hospitality, and they thumb their noses at it the entire time. When they're not killing their hosts, their killing each other for wanting to desert. It seems like it would be more logical to try and blend in with your surroundings if you're on the lam and trying to escape through a foreign countryside, but these nazis just can't help themselves, they're brutal gangsters and they are compelled to kill as much as possible. They're presented with a chance to destroy some original artwork by Picasso and Matisse, or destroy some original manuscripts, which is like waving candy in front of a baby, you don't have to ask twice. Sure, it's a little cartoonish, and yes, its war fantasy with the emphasis on fantasy, but the lead nazi does have a certain amount of depth. He's read "Mein Kampf" and believes in the Hitler reich. Unfortunately, any humanity that surfaces in the course of this film gets quickly over-shadowed by the cartoonish nature of the nazis. It's a shame because there are some fine performances here.
*** out of *****

The Black Hole (1979): Starring Anthony Perkins, Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Ernest Borgnine, Roddy McDowall
Borgnine. 70s mustache. In space. Disney. Star Wars created a "space" fad in the late 70s, and the Disney corporation was determined to cash in on it one way or the other. They did indeed see the dollar signs. What they unleashed on the public was a movie perfectly in tune with the space fad, but not the seventies one, the fifties one. It's a throwback, not only to pre-2001, but to pre-star trek days. A spaceship crew and their robot are floating through space, their mission: to find "habitable life". They come across a black hole, and a derelict space station sitting on the edge of it. It turns out the space station is using some sort of "anti-gravity" invented by it's mad scientist to keep from being sucked into the black hole. The mad scientist has invented an army of robots and holds the crew captive with the intent to force them to come along with him into the black hole. What follows is another hour and a half of crude special effects and silly robot feuding. It's not a bad adventure, but there isn't alot going on here. Although I did learn one thing about robots: if you ever happen to find yourself in a robot breakroom, and they're having laser shooting contests, don't challenge the black robot cause he's a dick and will cheat. Also, Ernest Borgnine in space with a mustache will steal your rocket ship everytime.
** out of *****

Angels With Dirty Faces (1938): starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan, The Dead End Kids
Angels With Dirty Faces is a story of two innercity boys who take different paths in life, after one is caught stealing. Jerry goes on to live a respectable life, he attends college and becomes a preacher while Rocky spends the next fifteen years in and out of prison. Rocky's final stint is a 3 year sentence, taking the fall for his attorney (Humphrey Bogart), in exchange for $100,000 and a 50/50 partnership in his gangster activity. When he gets out of prison, the partner isn't too anxious to relinquish his dues, and tries to have Rocky bumped off. Meanwhile, the old neighborhood hasn't changed much, and a new gang of kids is running ragged in the streets. Father Jerry is trying to reform them, but it's an uphill struggle when the big gangster hero Rocky moves back into the area. Rocky's way with the kids shows that he isn't so different from his old childhood friend, and that he could've been there right alongside father jerry, had he not been caught so many years ago. It's odd to find poetic symbolism in a 1930s gangster movie, but that just goes to show how top notch the writing was for this movie. Cagney is great, Pat O'Brien is great, and the Dead End kids are like a kiddie 3 stooges (I could swear they're throwing real punches around). It's the interaction of the entire cast that makes this movie so entertaining. What makes this movie unique isn't the message ("Crime Don't Pay" was cliche even by this point), but the questions it raises. When it comes to morality, when it comes to fate, when it comes to justice, where are the lines drawn? And when Jesus won't even throw the first stone, who are we to?
***** out of *****