Serial Killers: Dennis Nilsen (2009)

Director: Jeremy Turner

Starring: Dennis Nilsen and miscilanious body parts

More info: IMDb

Plot: On a frigid winter day in London, a group of tenants complained of drainage problems in their apartments. Five days later, a plumber arrived to inspect the pipes and made a grisly discovery... the drains were being blocked by a mass of rotting flesh. The plumber contacted the police. The remains were examined and found to be of human origin. Dennis Nilsen was a serial killer who resided in a London flat and killed no less than fifteen people during a five-year murder spree. He cremated the remains of his victims in his backyard. This method of disposal was no longer possible when he relocated to an apartment without a yard, and so he began dissecting his victims and flushing their remains down the toilet.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

I love these concise British TV documentaries. They're much better than what we do over here in the States. Of the ones made in the UK about serial killers, they give you lots of information without repeating much and without sensationalizing the killers and their victims, much less so than the U.S.-made ones. One thing about this film is the dramatic recreations are very well done and feel like they were pulled from a movie or a highly produced TV show. The subject of Nilsen himself is an interesting one as once the coppers show up to inquire about the human remains found in the drain that came from his flat, he's very calm about the visit and proceeds to quietly spill the beans to them as if he'd been wanting to confess all along. Good doc. You can watch the whole thing on the video above.

Hard to Handle (1933)

Director: Mervyn LeRoy

Starring: James Cagney, Mary Brian, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Claire Dodd, Robert McWade

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Hey, Folks!... I'm back!

Plot: Small time con artist Lefty Merrill has co-organized a crooked dance marathon and set-up his girlfriend to win the prize money. When his partner disappears with money before the contest is over, he's forced to come up with a series of cons to help pay it back.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again? Of course.

I can't get enough Cagney lately. The guy's a class act. This picture is a hoot with Cagney trying to make a fast buck left and right. He's a schemer and a charmer. Comedies like this one move very fast and there's never (if ever) a dull moment. The performances all around are fun, the dialogue's fast and the double entendres are all over the place. I love pre-code talkies. Naturally, Cagney is the real draw here and he's as strong as ever. For all of the fast-paced comedy there's a scene at the end where Lefty (Cagney) has to find out if the gold-digging girl he loves would feel the same way if he were penniless and in jail. It only lasts a few seconds but it's so tender and genuine that I started to tear up. As always, though, they follow the scene up with something uplifting and very funny. Fun picture. Most of Cagney's pictures aren't on DVD so you'll have to set your DVDRs to Turner Classic Movies (TCM). I haven't had pay TV in years and I sure do miss that channel.

Jack Unterweger: Poet of Death (2004)

Writer/Producer: Jon Siskel

Starring: Jack Unterweger and a high body count

More info: Crime & Investigation Network and Wikipedia

Plot: Jack Unterweger had been a convicted murderer who, seemingly, had completely transformed himself into a reformed character. He wrote a novel, poetry and an autobiography. After his release from prison, he became a celebrity and TV personality, explaining how he was grateful for a chance to redeem himself. What he didn't tell his new audience was that he was also grateful for the chance to kill again.

My rating: 8.5/10

Will I watch it again? Yes!


It sucks that there is very little information about this fascinating documentary and not a single video online anywhere. Set your DVRs to record anything about Jack Unterweger. As you can see by the plot above, he was unique in his place in serial killer history. This made for TV documentary (A&E network perhaps?) is under an hour and it's loaded with surprises. This guy took duping people to a whole new level. If you should ever have a chance to see this then don't you dare miss it. Wow.

The Millionaire (1931)

Director: John G. Adolfi

Starring: George Arliss, Florence Arliss, David Manners, Evalyn Knapp, James Cagney, Bramwell Fletcher, Noah Beery

More info: IMDb

Plot: Automaker James Alden is told to retire by his doctors and does so in deference to his wife Laura and daughter 'Babs.' He is not only bored after six months, but is told by a life insurance salesman that retired men are bad risks. So James secretly responds to an ad in the newspaper about a garage being for sale, but he (using the alias Charlie Miller) buys only half of the garage, since the other half was already sold to Bill Merrick, who becomes his partner. The ex-owner, Peterson, was dishonest in not revealing he was opening a new gas station near the new highway a mile down the road where most of the traffic will be. Not willing to be slickered by anybody, Charlie and Bill buy and elegantly rebuild a decrepit building across the street from Peterson's new station and compete handily with the charlatan. James uses a pretense to get away every day, but wonders how long he can keep up his double life.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Nah, I'll just watch the Cagney clip instead.

I've got two things to say (mostly). This is a pretty good flick. I dug it. It's got moments of humor but it's more of a light drama with no real drama. It's one of those kinds of film. You won't find yourself laughing your ass off but then you're not asked to get too invested with these thin characters. It's "cute". I dislike that term but I can't find anything that better suits it.

The other thing is JAME CAGNEY IS THE MAN!!! He's only in the film for a few minutes (see the above clip - that's all he's got) but he's such a whirlwind of an actor in those few minutes. What energy! Wow. He's fantastic. Gee, it sure would have been swell to have met him. I'm not a celebrity hound and there are few actors that I would like to have met but he's tops on the list. He brought so much to every role, something you just don't see from anyone else. I need to control myself from gushing on every Cagney picture but he consistently brings something to the table that no one else could. His performance in this film exemplifies why he's my favorite actor. He had 'it' and in spades.

Sinners' Holiday (1930)

Director: John G. Adolfi

Starring: James Cagney, Grant Withers, Evalyn Knapp, Lucille La Verne, Noel Madison, Otto Hoffman, Warren Hymer, Ray Gallagher, Joan Blondell

More info: IMDb

Plot: Based on the play Penny Arcade. After seeing the performance on Broadway, Al Jolson bought the rights to the play and sold it to Warner Bros. under the agreement that both Cagney and co-star Joan Blondell reprise their stage roles for the screen. The story concerns an overprotective mother, Ma Delano (LaVerne), who runs a penny arcade in Coney Island and lives with her children: Harry (Cagney), Joe (Gallagher), and Jennie (Knapp). Harry works for a sideshow ran by liquor-dealing gangster Mitch McKane (Hymer), who wants to date Jennie. Grant Withers plays Angel, Harry's co-worker and the hero that saves Jennie from Mitch's advances. When Mitch goes to jail, Harry takes over his shady liquor business and keeps the extra money for himself, leading to a deadly gunfight. When he's accused of murder, Harry begs his mother for protection and she frames Angel with the weapon out of a bizarrely obsessive love for her son.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

James Cagney has been and always will be my favorite actor. Ever since I was a kid I've been captivated by his performances. He is truly unique in the film world. I've seen plenty of debuts of movie stars that didn't amount to anything but Cagney's is one of the few where you can tell this guy is going on to bigger and better things. He's not the star of this picture but he sure steals your attention from everyone else.

One thing I like about his performances is he's always moving and doing things - he's alive with "business" as he called it. From the get go, as you can see in the clip above, he's delightful to watch. He can be both sides of the coin, from the tough guy to the sweetheart. I've seen tons of his pictures and I'm convinced I'm going to make his catalog the next project I start in the next couple of months.


Anyway, SINNERS' HOLIDAY is a good crime flick from start to finish. You've got guns, liquor, killin' and carny shit a-plenty. Without Cagney it'd still be a good show but it wouldn't be nearly as fun. He's the real reason to see this. What a guy. Oh, and then there's Joan Blondell. This was the first of 7 pictures she and Cagney did together over the next 4 years, their most well-know collaboration being THE PUBLIC ENEMY (1931). It should go without saying that Joan Blondell needs to have my babies but I like sayin' it.

Gambit (1966)

Director: Ronald Neame

Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Herbert Lom, Roger C. Carmel, Arnold Moss, John Abbott

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Shirley MacLaine raises Michael Caine!

Plot: Cockney cat burglar Harry Dean needs Hong Kong dancer Nicole Chang's help to pull off the perfect heist. With a simple makeover and a new wardrobe; Nicole's resemblance to wealthy recluse Mr. Shahbandar's late wife is uncanny. While Shahbandar is distracted by the mesmerizing Nicole, Harry takes steps to swipe a priceless artifact from under the tycoon's nose. But even the most foolproof schemes have a way of backfiring.

My rating: 5/10

Will I watch it again? No.

I guess I expected more from the cast. Herbert Lom comes off best. MacLaine does a fine job and is very likable but it's Caine that delivers a very bland performance. I mean, there's no life in it and this is from a guy who's generally solid. The opening (which lasts for many minutes) is a false one. Once they start the story over for real it's like you've been duped. I found myself suddenly not caring. I liked the false start and thought it was different and kind of funny but I just didn't care enough at that point to go through it again only much longer. I didn't buy Caine's character falling in love with MacLaine. I challenge anyone to show me where Caine exhibits any believable emotion. OK, I'll stop. I have a problem with Michael Caine phoning it in and that's that. The little twists at the end were slightly cute and one of them was very predictable - almost like afterthoughts.

Anzio (1968)

Directors: Edward Dmytryk & Duilio Coletti

Starring: Robert Mitchum, Peter Falk, Robert Ryan, Earl Holliman, Mark Damon, Arthur Kennedy, Reni Santoni, Joseph Walsh

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Where the end of World War II began.

Plot: One of WWIIs bloodiest battles as the Allies smash through the German lines which have enclosed the Anzio beachhead. Four months and 30,000 casualties before the Allies finally march to Rome.

My rating: 5.5/10

Will I watch it again? No.

Man, what a wasted opportunity. Robert Mitchum saunters through the entire picture. I don't think that man could run with his pants on fire and that's essentially how the picture moves, too. It's almost kind of pointless. You'd think that a movie about a real event where 767 men went into battle and only 6 returned that it would be infinitely more exciting than this picture. The Italian landscape was welcome but it's pretty bad when about all I can think of that's positive is that. Then there's Peter Falk. He's fantastic and the only real reason I'd advise anyone to see it. He's always fun but he does have a couple of scenes that feel like filler and add nothing to the story except giving us an extra few minutes with the only cool guy in the picture. I normally like Riz Ortolani's music but this score seems out of place as if it were written for another film. And that theme song at the beginning sung by Jack Jones has got to go.

That pretty much sums up ANZIO - misplaced elements that belong in any number of movies except this one. It's a real bummer when a movie about so many people who lost their lives turns out like this.