Rock Hudson's Home Movies (1992)

This pseudo-documentary takes clips from the films of Rock Hudson to show how the actor was very subtle about coming out gay through his work. Actor Eric Farr, who bears only a slight resemblance to Hudson, plays Rock. He pops onscreen here and there, making pithy comments about what characters and situations in the fictional films are really saying about being a closeted homosexual in the 1950's. Hudson was swooning at actor John Hall in "Hurricane," wanting to be the athletic actor. Hudson was a perfect handsome leading man, and became a quick success in films. He married once, in a studio-arranged situation that ended badly. Director Mark Rappaport's entire film is made up of grainy clips of Rock Hudson's films. Lines are taken out of context to "prove" Hudson was trying to come out, or was being forced out, as gay. His homosexuality was no secret in Hollywood, and Rappaport suggests that while your Brandos, Grants, and Clifts- all allegedly gay or bisexual- were getting meaty film roles, Hudson was being held hostage in light romantic comedies costarring Doris Day and Tony Randall.

While the hypothesis is interesting and may have some merit, Rappaport's flippant approach sinks the experiment. The director's treatment of Hudson comes off as unsympathetic and sometimes angry. The montages of some running themes in the films do make their points. Hudson constantly getting interrupted when kissing an actress, flirting with male characters that borders on cruising, and all those movies that needed him to be shirtless in key scenes. His romantic comedies of the 1950's and 1960's, like "Pillow Talk," "Lover Come Back," and "Man's Favorite Sport?" are picked apart as Hudson's characters would sometimes act effeminate in order to get the girl. Rappaport finds less success with the foreshadowings of Hudson's death from AIDS than with the feminization of the actor.

In another instance, Rappaport gets Hudson's only film with John Wayne completely wrong. Hudson and Wayne teamed for the Civil War western "The Undefeated," and Rappaport gives us more edited clips that make it look like the actors were cruising each other through their dialogue. Later, Hudson knocks Wayne "on his a$$" in the film, winning one for the gays against the rigid conservatism of the studio system and the Duke. However, in Pilar Wayne's biography of John Wayne (she was one of his ex-wives), she wrote Wayne had no qualms with Hudson's sexuality. Everyone on set knew about Hudson, his NFL player boyfriend was more than obvious, so one wonders how many more liberties Rappaport took with the movie clips. Technically, the film is messy. The clips look like second generation VHS copies, and none of the films are credited until a crawl at the very end, so the viewer has no timeline to follow concerning a possible conspiracy to keep Hudson in his place. Rappaport is known for his sometimes strange film making style, as the short "Blue Streak" and his similar documentary about Jean Seberg will attest, but here a more traditional approach might have helped the work. Even the title, "Rock Hudson's Home Movies," misleads. I had high hopes for this one.

The Ripper (1997)

Robert Rodat, the scribe behind "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Patriot," cut his teeth on this made for television film that surprises the viewer with its excellent performances. Patrick Bergin is London inspector Hansen investigating Jack the Ripper. The film makers show us early the killer is Prince Eddy (Samuel West), Queen Victoria's grandson and heir to the throne. West does an incredible job as the prince, a bitter syphilitic who is taking revenge on the prostitutes who probably gave him the disease. Gabrielle Anwar is also very natural as the prostitute Florry, who sees the prince, and finds protection in the arms of Hansen. Michael York rounds out the cast as Bergin's superior Sir Charles Warren. While the historical accuracy of all of this could be questioned, the cast does a great job with the sometimes stiff material. Meyers' direction is also good, not crossing into exploitation but not boring us with Merchant/Ivory-type dialogue. The set is also good, as the credits read this was filmed in Australia. "The Ripper" is a good detective yarn that would definitely appeal to fans of British murder mysteries and suspense fans alike. I do recommend it.

Revealed: Portraits from Beneath One's Surface (2012)

Photographer Scott Indermaur had one of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments while driving one day. Indermaur is a portrait photographer, but wanted to capture a person's spiritual and personal beliefs as well. How do you do that with a photograph? He came up with a simple idea: have the portrait subjects hold a small box filled with items that represent their spirituality, giving the spectator a look at both the subject and the incarnation of what goes on in their minds. This simple idea has generated this inspirational documentary. Indermaur teamed his "Revealed" idea with National Public Radio's decades-old series "What I Believe." Now, the portraits of the subjects and their wooden box are accompanied by "what I believe" essays. The short film follows almost a dozen subjects as they work to fill the small wooden box provided by Indermaur, and talk about their lives and representational items. The subjects are everyday people, who are as varied as a group of normal people would be. Most have experienced past trauma, and use this opportunity to acknowledge and demonstrate how they have conquered it, or at least how they still deal with it.Some of the subjects you might deem loopy, like the shamanistic healer or the medium, but they come off as pretty normal. Indermaur says this experience has taught him not to judge others, and this outlook comes through in the film. He refuses to help the person with their box (not in a mean way), and is very patient during the shoot.

The shoot itself is fascinating. The subject stands in the dark, flashlight beams dance off the box, and their faces are illuminated by strobe-like flashes of light. Indermaur does not coach or direct the subjects, letting them do it again if need be. De Rezendes does a fantastic job of directing and editing. My attention was held throughout, and I was interested in all of the subjects, from the shy woman who must deal with her mental illness on a daily basis to a woman who refuses to be defined by a "salad dressing incident" with a relative years before. Indermaur's dream is to take this project to a global level, he had shot well over a hundred portraits in this country already. While I would have liked to have seen more coverage on the subject selection process and the essays, de Rezendes film is great, and Indermaur is talented in front of as well as behind the camera. His explanation on why he hasn't photographed himself as part of the project is smart and true, as is "Revealed: Portraits from Beneath One's Surface."

Return of the Street Fighter (1974)

Chiba is back, hacking and coughing all over the Far East. Sonny Chiba is Terry Sugury, a hired killer for a business tycoon who is building a giant karate academy. Sugury dabbles in the hitman trade, while his old karate instructor finds out the tycoon is using the instructor's name to procure "donations" for the mob. After an honest cop is killed and the instructor injured in a hit, Chiba contorts himself all over the tycoon, the mafia, and an old villain we thought was dead in the first "Street Fighter" film.

This film is definitely an improvement over the original "The Street Fighter," whose plot I was never able to figure out. Chiba does that thing where he calls up inner strength through breathing exercises in the middle of some fights. They call it inner strength but someone must have let the producers knows this was kind of funny in the first film because it is kept to a minimum here. Sadly, Chiba is also saddled with yet another "funny" sidekick, this time a young woman who speaks like a hippie. There are a few major fight set pieces here, with the best being a chaotic fight at a spa, just ignore the weak comedy relief in the form of a whiny fat guy. I do recommend "Return of the Street Fighter" over the first one, and to any martial arts fans.

Return (1985)

If ever a film generates a complete feeling of indifference in a reviewer, this is it. A young woman finds a man who claims to hypnotically regress to the woman's grandfather, who was murdered years before. The woman's search opens up a big old can of worms, involving her unstable mother and political office seeking father (Frederic Forrest) who is going to run for governor of Arkansas. The film is short, seventy eight minutes, so the writer/director moves the plot along without spending too much time on intricate character development or suspense. The final "twist" is something you will see coming up the main street of your hometown. Even the normally reliable Forrest seems to have filmed all of his scenes in an afternoon. This is a supernatural thriller, without the supernatural thrills. The love affair is forced, and the cast must suffer through some stiff line readings. All in all, this will not change your life and it will not ruin it. Think of this as the last fast food meal you ate. Remember that? Me neither.

Resurrection (1999)

Lambert is Chicago detective Prudhomme on the trail of a killer who is using the Bible as a guide in order to fulfill his own sick prophecy- resurrecting what he thinks is the body of Christ. The cops catch the killer, lose him, and eventually, a showdown right out of "Seven." The plot is very good, and very complicated for a straight-to-video suspense release. Director Mulcahy shows some incredible chops, although you swear David Fincher had his hands in this. Chicago becomes the Rainy City, as most of the action takes place in a downpour. Lambert plays a typical bitter detective who is still grieving the loss of his son in an accident. The character has been done before, but Lambert shows some very good emotions and his character is smart, not just running around blowing things up. This might be because Lambert also co-produced and co-wrote this, giving himself plenty of moments.

He also gives himself plenty of leaps in logic, as his Cajun cop single-handedly solves the case as if by divine intervention. He comes up with breaks in the case by concentrating and pacing, reading magazines, and making change for a coworker. The film is about twenty minutes too long, and the finale involves putting a newborn baby in peril that represents one of the lowest points in serial killer cinema next to Hannibal Lecter feeding the little girl a "snack" on the plane. This film is unrelentingly dark, and this works for most of the film. The gore is very heavy and very disturbing, and the film is suspenseful in the way "Seven" was. Like that film, however, once the killer is identified, the plot becomes a bit of a letdown, switching from suspenseful cat-and-mouse games with a killer to shoot 'em up action. Definitely not for the squeamish, "Resurrection" is not a great film, but a good one. I would have to guess that if it had received a wider release, it would have tapped into serial killer genre fans and made a little money.

Shake & Flick: Raw Deal in Rome (1995)

Shake is a dog, Flick is a flea, and they both make like Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, as Shake tries to entertain some Romans while Flick tries to get in his fur and bite him. Soon, they are introducing fighter jets and nuclear warheads into the battle, making you wonder why this thing was set in ancient Rome in the first place.

This was a little gory as well, as Shake has the ability to shed his skin and muscles in one scene. This is the kind of cartoon "The Simpsons" makes fun of on their "The Itchy and Scratchy Show" blood-drenched cartoons. One funny scene: Shake's ride up the elevator.