Alfred Hitchcock Movie: ***^ Easy Virtue (1928)

This is a silent movie and consequently hard to follow at times, but the theme is very intriguing.   A young woman, Larita Filton (Isabel Jeans) is divorced by her husband, and he proves in court she was unfaithful, however that status is in doubt.  There was an all male jury who decided the case.  This leaves a stain on her in England, so she fleas to France, where she meets a young man, John Whittaker (Robin Irvine) and marries, but doesn't speak of her past.  The supposed lover suicided.  

After the wedding she returns to England, and the young man's mother (Violet Farebrother) is very cold.   His father (Frank Elliott) is more accepting.  When news comes out of her past the mother drives a wedge between she and her husband.  It is just a matter of time that she is abandoned again.  The press, the courts and her husbands family have beaten her cruelly.  

John Grisham, Tom Cruise Movie: ***^ The Firm (1993)

 The Firm is a movie with lots of tension.  A young couple is starting their life after he, Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) finishes law school.  He accepts a position with a law firm in Memphis, and he and his wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn) move to the new law office, making much more than he would have from his other offers.  However it soon becomes evident that things are not right.  Two employees in Chicago are killed.  Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman) is assigned to groom him.  There is tight security at the firm.  William Devasher (Wilford Brimley) is director of security.  Wayne Tarrance (Ed Harris) of the FBI want him to gather information on his bosses.  He cooperates to a point.  He gathers information on the billing, as they all over bill.  He goers to Chicago as the work for the mob and he gets them to agree to releasing information on the billing.  He provides this to the FBI and gives them this with which they can put the FBI in jail, while leaving the mob (the client) alone and not violating client/lawyer confidentiality.  This movie is very intense.  His wife helps him, but he also gets help from Tammy Hemphill (Holly Hunter) who was the secretary for a private I murdered by the mob because McDeere approached him for help.  

Very tense but this movie is ratd R and has too much swearing and use of the F word.  

At the Movies: *****Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

 A great time at the movies yesterday.  The new Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is excellent.  The story is very good as Spider-Man struggles with mor of the spider DNA taking over as a result of his being stressed.  He is working too hard cleaning up the city, and then he sees MJ (Zendaya) kiss his old nemesis at school.  Turns out he is her girlfriend.  He also sees his old best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon).  As you remember in the last Spider-Man Doctor Strange has erased all memory of him from everyone.  On top of this there is a new nemesis, Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) who is a character from X-Men.  She has unique telepathic power, and the ability to control people telepathically and is trying to break into Department of Damage Control headed by Director Metzger (Tramell Tillman). The Punisher/Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) helps Spider-Man even though they have different styles.  Spider-Man also consults Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) with regards to suppressing his spider DNA.  The DNA enhances Spider-Man's abilities but also makes him more rageful.  This movie is very good.  There are flashbacks of Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and they play an important part in the story.  Additionally Black Widow/Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) consults with Spider-Man and uses her Avenger resources to help.  There is a new character, Spidey's liaison with the police, Detective Jean Dewolff (Lisa Colón-Zayas). Fun interactions between she and her kids and Spider-Man.  

This is a terrific movie.  I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but there is a major twist and it doesn't go where you think it will.  Jean's powers are significant.  She even manipulates the Hulk and sets him loss on DODC.  Classic battle between Spider-Man and Hulk.  

Alfred Hitchcock Movie: *** Number Seventeen (1932)

 Number seventeen refers to a house, to which a group of jewelry thieves are congregating to find the jewels and be on their way.  The catch is a detective also present.  There has also been a murder, but the body disappears.  Barton (John Stuart) is the detective in disguise.  However several people are bad men.  The worse is Henry Doyle (Barry Jones), who is the gang leader.  Sheldrake (Garry Marsh) is the most ruthless.  The crooks get away from the house and jump a train, Nora Brant (Anne Grey) in tow.  She would like to get away but was with the criminals in the beginning.  There is a train chase, Barton in a bus trying to catch up to the train.  The train catches, but where are the jewels.  Turns out the hobo in the house, Ben (Leon M. Lion) was able to get the jewels away from the thieves.  He presents them to the inspector at the end.  This movie has a chase, and a train crash, and murder on the train as the conductors are killed.  It shows early special effects. and it provides entertainment.  

Alfred Hitchcock Movie: ***^ The Skin Game (1931)

 An industrialist, Mr. Hornblower (Edmund Gwenn) has moved to town, buying up real estate with the end goal of puttig in a pottery factory.  Mr. Hillcrist (C.V. France) represents old money and has sold some properties with the understanding that nothing will change.  However when Hornblower evicts a tenant Hillcrist confronts him, and they enter a skin game to see who will control the community.  It is obvious Hornblower is winning when he buys another property through a third party.  He will do whatever he needs to do to win, and change the community forever.  

However the Hillcrists have some hope when it comes to light that the daughter-in-law (Phyllis Konstam) of Mr, Hownblower has a checkered past Hillcrist's wife (Helen Haye) blackmails Hornblower into selling the property to Hillcrist, destroying his plans.  However, as will happen, the checkered past becomes common knowledge around the house, destroying a marriage, and the daughter-in-law attempts to take her life.  Hillcrist relents, and the industrial future takes over represented by the felling of a tree to make way for the factory.  

Alfred Hitchcock Movie: **^ Juno and the Paycock (1930)

 This film is based on a stage play by Sean O'Casey and adapted to the screen by Alfred Hitchcock.  This is Hitchcock's first film that was talking from the start.  A previous movie, "Blackmail" was first filmed as a silent movie and then parts re-filmed with talking.  It is set during the Irish Civil war and death is very near.  The movie is about the Boyle family.  The father Captain Boyle (Edward Chapman) is a vagabond who always says he is injured so as to not work.  The matriarch, Juno Boyle (Sara Allgood) keeps the family together.  Their son, Johnny (John Laurie) has been injured in the civil war and is suffering shell shock (PTSD).  Their daughter, Mary (Kathleen O'Regan) has a suitor who is a solicitor and announces that Captain Boyle is to inherit money.  The family then begins to live lavishly on credit.  The also have many friends for a time.  When the inheritance doesn't turn out the bill collectors start to pile up and the friends disappear.  They are ruined.  Juno leaves the Captain who continues in personal personal oblivion.  

This story seems it would be better in a play than a movie.  However the highlight was people singing around the table.  They were having a good time.  Sara Allgood does a very good job portraying the mother, and dealing with the captain, even when Mary is pregnant.  She goes with her daughter.  Then Johnny is killed and she deals the grief.  

Tom Clancy/Harrison Ford Movie: ***^ Patriot Games (1992)

Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) is back and quickly becomes a hero when he says a British Royal from attack.  In his heroics he kills a terrorist.  The brother of the terrorist, Sean Miller (Sean Bean) is now gunning for Ryan, and his family, wife Cathy (Anne Archer) and daughter Sally (Thora Birch).  Sean Miller is the muscle while the head of the group is Kevin O'Donnell (Patrick Bergin) and his girlfriend Annette (Polly Walker).  Turns out she is a liability as the head of the Irish Republican Army, Paddy O'Neil (Richard Harris) will not turn on a fellow Irishman but she is British.  So through her they are able to track them down in Libya.  They mount an operation, but it misses them.  Instead the attack the Ryan residence when the Royal is there.  Lord Holmes (James Fox) is visiting.  Holmes' secretary Watkins (Hugh Fraser) is a traitor and Miller and the team are coming.  

This movie is more intense than the other Jack Ryan movies.  There is more swearing and more violence, and it earned an R rating.  Samuel Jackson and James Earl Jones also have parts, Jackson as Ryan's boss and Jones as director of the CIA.