Weekly Movie Recommendations

Movies to See Right Now

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Photo caption: BEING MARY TYLER MOORE. Courtesy of HBO.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – a new review of the irresistible family psychological documentary Sam Now, which begin streaming on June 6. And I warn you away from 32 Sounds – check out the better movies below.

Note that the wonderful documentary about writer Bob Caro and editor Robert Gottlieb, Turn Every Page, is now widely available to stream.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

LEVINSKY PARK. Courtesy of JFI.

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • Levinsky Park: refuge for refugees? Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
  • The Speed Cubers: odd, and then profound. Netflix.
  • Rodents of Unusual Size: 5 million orange-toothed critters and a Cajun octogenarian. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Satan & Adam: more than an odd couple. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • The 11th Green: a thinking person’s paranoid conspiracy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Wave: Everything you want in a disaster movie. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Magallanes: some wrongs cannot be righted. AppleTV.

ON TV

Robert Montgomery, Walter Huston and Madge Evans in HELL BELOW.

On June 7, TCM airs the 1933 submarine movie Hell Below. It’s a pretty contrived Robert Montgomery vehicle, but there are some elements worth fast-forwarding to. The comic relief is provided by Jimmy Durante, who plays the ship’s cook Ptomaine; Baby Boomers tend to remember Durante for his shtick on variety shows of the 1950s and 1960s – here’s the unadulterated Durante. Durante even boxes with a kangaroo! 

Hell Below also features Walter Huston, who was a major star at the time and who, with his naturalistic acting style and relatability, I think would be a star today. Madge Evans plays the love interest, and Durante is joined by the bullfrog-voiced Eugene Pallette.

Eugene Pallette and Jimmy Durante in HELL BELOW.

Movies to See Right Now

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Photo caption: Petri Poikolainen in THE MAN WHO DID NOT WANT TO SEE TITANIC. Courtesy of Cinedigm Entertainment Group.

This week on The Movie Gourmet, my top recommendation is The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic, a rare nugget of complete originality that takes us into a unfamiliar world filled with unexpected laughs, suddenly turns into a thriller, and finishes as a moving love story. The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic is one of the Best Movies of 2023 – So Far.

But that’s not all! I also have new reviews of the showbiz biodoc Being Mary Tyler Moore, the family comedy Dealing with Dad and the ever-kinetic French indie Rodeo. And, from TCM’s Memorial Day Weekend slate filled with black-and-white war movies, I’ve plucked a 67-year-old gem that you almost certainly have not seen.

Note that Little Richard: I Am Everything and The Lost King have moved from theaters to the streaming platforms.

REMEMBRANCE

Jim Brown is justifiably best known for being voted the best NFL player of the 20th Century, but the reason he left the NFL was to star in the movies, where he was an African-American trailblazer. In 1969’s 100 Rifles, he played the first African-American male character in a major Hollywood movie to be shown having sex with a white woman (Raquel Welch).  Although Brown displayed a range of emotion onscreen described by James Wolcott as “no wider than a mail slot”, he was a pretty convincing action star, perhaps best in The Dirty Dozen.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

THE SPEED CUBERS. Courtesy of Netflix.

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • The Speed Cubers: odd, and then profound. Netflix.
  • Force Majeure: some things you just can’t get past. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, HBO (included).
  • Satan & Adam: more than an odd couple. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Levinsky Park: refuge for refugees? Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
  • Rodents of Unusual Size: 5 million orange-toothed critters and a Cajun octogenarian. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • The 11th Green: a thinking person’s paranoid conspiracy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Wave: Everything you want in a disaster movie. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Magallanes: some wrongs cannot be righted. AppleTV.

ON TV

Paul Newman and Edmond O’Brien in THE RACK

On Memorial Day Weekend (May 28), Turner Classic Movies airs an overlooked Korean War film, The Rack (1956). A returning US army captain (Paul Newman) is court-martialed for collaborating with the enemy while a POW. He was tortured, and The Rack explores what can be realistically expected of a prisoner under duress. It’s a pretty good movie, and Wendell Corey, Edmond O’Brien, Walter Pidgeon, Lee Marvin and Cloris Leachman co-star.

Paul Newman and Walter Pidgeon in THE RACK

Movies to See Right Now

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Photo caption: Fanny in FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK. Courtesy of PBS.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – new reviews of Fanny: The Right to Rock (now on PBS) and the new indie drama Land of Gold. Plus a streaming review of Force Majeure.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

Campbell Scott in THE 11TH GREEN. Courtesy of The 11th Green Film.

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • The 11th Green: a thinking person’s paranoid conspiracy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Satan & Adam: more than an odd couple. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Levinsky Park: refuge for refugees? Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
  • The Speed Cubers: odd, and then profound. Netflix.
  • Rodents of Unusual Size: 5 million orange-toothed critters and a Cajun octogenarian. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Reggie: it’s not just about Reggie. Netflix.
  • Hannah Ha Ha: what makes for human value and fulfillment? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Last Lullaby: backing out of a contract hit. Amazon (included with Prime), Vudu, redbox.
  • Best Worst Movie: a romp through cinematic awfulness. Amazon (included with Prime), AppleTV.
  • The Wave: Everything you want in a disaster movie. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Magallanes: some wrongs cannot be righted. AppleTV.

FORCE MAJEURE – some things you just can’t get past

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FORCE MAJEURE

In the droll Swedish dramedy Force Majeure, a smugly affluent family of four vacations at an upscale ski resort in the French Alps. The wife explains to a friend that they take the vacation because otherwise the husband never sees the family. But, while the wife is blissed out, the kids fidget and complain, and the hubby sneaks peeks at his phone.

Then there’s a sudden moment of apparent life-and-death peril; the husband has a chance to protect the wife and kids, but instead – after first securing his iPhone – runs for his life. How do they all go on from that revealing moment? The extent that one incident can bring relationships into focus is the core of Force Majeure.

Clearly, the family has a serious issue to resolve, but there’s plenty of dry humor. In the most cringe worthy moments, the wife tries to contain her disgust, but can’t keep it bottled up when she’s in the most social situations. The couple repeatedly huddle outside their room in their underwear to talk things out, only to find themselves observed by the same impassive French hotel worker. The most tense moments are interrupted by an insistent cell phone vibration, another guest’s birthday party and a child’s remotely out-of-control flying toy.

Force Majeure is exceptionally well-written by writer-director Ruben Ostlund. It was just his fourth feature and the first widely seen outside Scandinavia. He transitions between scenes by showing the machinery of the ski resort accompanied by Baroque organ music – a singular and very effective directorial choice. Ostlund has gone on to direct The Square and Triangle of Sadness, both of which won the Palm d’Or at Cannes; (but Force Majeure is his best film.)

Force Majeure was Sweden’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Oscar. It is available to stream from Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu and YouTube and is free on HBO.

[I’ve included the trailer as always, but I recommend that you see the movie WITHOUT watching this trailer – mild spoilers]

Movies to See Right Now

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Photo caption: Jay Baruchal and Glenn Howerton in BLACKBERRY. Courtesy of IFC Films.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – a review of the new audience-pleaser BlackBerry, opening today. Also streaming recommendations of The Last Lullaby, an overlooked neo-noir, and Best Worst Movie, an entertaining documentary about a laughably bad horror movie. I also highlighted Preston Sturges’ wickedly funny satires Sullivan’s Travels and Hail the Conquering Hero; if you missed them on TCM this week, you can still stream them from the major services – after eighty years, they’re still hilarious.

Sasha Alexander and Tom Sizemore and in THE LAST LULLABY. Courtesy of Chaillot Films.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

Ane Dahl Torp (center) in THE WAVE. Courtesy of Cinequest.

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • The Wave: Everything you want in a disaster movie. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Satan & Adam: more than an odd couple. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Reggie: it’s not just about Reggie. Netflix.
  • Levinsky Park: refuge for refugees? Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
  • The Speed Cubers: odd, and then profound. Netflix.
  • Rodents of Unusual Size: 5 million orange-toothed critters and a Cajun octogenarian. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • The 11th Green: a thinking person’s paranoid conspiracy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Magallanes: some wrongs cannot be righted. AppleTV.

ON TV

Audrey Totter and Richard Basehart in TENSION.

On May 16, Turner Classic Movies will present the deliciously sordid Tension, where Quimby (Richard Basehart), the wimpy night manager of a drugstore, has one of the worst wives in film noir. Claire (Audrey Totter) spends her daytime hours belittling Quimby and her nighttime hours cuckolding him. When she moves into Barney’s beach house and lets the hairy-chested Barney (Lloyd Gough) beat up her nerdy hubbie, the humiliated Quimby has had enough. There’s a murder and a frame. Will the cops find the real murderer? Rising star Cyd Charisse plays the good girl, and Barry Sullivan plays the cop who outsmarts them all.

Lloyd Gough and Audrey Totter in TENSION.

Movies to See Right Now

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Photo caption: Little Richard in LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING. Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – new reviews of Little Richard: I Am Everything and Jews of the Wild West:. Plus a reminder that Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song is now available to stream.

Gordon Lightfoot died this week, so it’s fitting to stream the amiable biodoc Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind from Amazon (included with Prime), AppleTV or KinoNow.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • Rodents of Unusual Size: 5 million orange-toothed critters and a Cajun octogenarian. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Satan & Adam: more than an odd couple. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Levinsky Park: refuge for refugees? Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
  • The Speed Cubers: odd, and then profound. Netflix.
  • The 11th Green: a thinking person’s paranoid conspiracy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Wave: Everything you want in a disaster movie. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Magallanes: some wrongs cannot be righted. AppleTV.

ON TV

Vampira and Tor Johnson in Ed Wood’s PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE

First, the good movies – on May 9, Turner Classic Movies will be presenting the best work of Preston Sturges:  The Lady Eve, The Palm Beach Story, Sullivan’s Travels, Hail the Conquering Hero and The Great McGinty. I’ll be writing more about them on Sunday.

And now, the bad one – on May 11, TCM will air Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959), often ranked as the worst movie of all time and #1 in my Bad Movie Festival.

This movie is so bad that Tim Burton made a Johnny Depp movie about it – Ed Wood, named for its zealously persistent, but pathetic, creator.  Ed Wood throws everything at the screen, hoping that something interesting will stick:  dying vampire star Bela Lugosi, the TV fortune teller Criswell, the horror movie hostess Vampira, zombie-look-alike pro wrestler Tor Johnson and stock footage of a nuclear explosion.  None of it is tied together with any coherence, and it’s all unintentionally funny.  This one’s good for the whole family.

Lugosi died while making this film and was replaced by a taller, non-speaking “double”, who stalks about covering his face with his cloak.  The double shows up in the trailer.

Movies to See Right Now

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Harris Dickinson and Lola Campbell in Charlotte Regan’s SCRAPPER at the SLO Film Fest. Courtesy of Kino Lorber.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – I’m attending the SLO Film Fest (tonight is Surf Nite), and here’s my Best of the 2023 SLO Film Fest. Plus there’s a recent Oscar coming up on TCM, and I’ve got a a remembrance of Harry Belafonte. Watch for a new review of new review of Little Richard: I Am Everything.

Note that I’ve launched my Best Movies of 2023 – So Far and have completely refreshed The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE.

REMEMBRANCE

Harry Belafonte in ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW.

Already a big musical star, Harry Belafonte burst on screen with searing performances in the 1950s – Carmen Jones, Island in the Sun, Odds Against Tomorrow. He only made a few movies after 1959, but they were good ones: Sidney Poitier’s Buck and the Preacher, Robert Altman’s Kansas City and The Player, Spike Lee’s BlacKKKlansman. Belafonte could have had an even bigger film career, but, early on, he refused roles that he found demeaning and then devoted the last six decades of his life to civil rights work, where he made immense contributions.

CURRENT MOVIES

  • Return to Seoul: brilliantly crafted and emotionally gripping. In theaters.
  • Hannah Ha Ha: what makes for human value and fulfillment? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Roise & Frank: therapy dog and hurling coach. In theaters.
  • The Lost King: not all cranks are cranky. In theaters.
  • Living: what is it to live? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • A Dark, Dark Man: rounding up the usual suspects in Kazakhstan. MHz.
  • Reggie: it’s not just about Reggie. Netflix.
  • I’m an Electric Lampshade: the final score is Doug 1, Expectations 0. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.

WATCH AT HOME

Damián Alcázar in MAGALLANES; Courtesy of Cinequest.

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

ON TV

Peter Reigert and Peter Capaldi in LOCAL HERO

On April 29, Turner Classic Movies will air the sly comedy Local Hero. An oil company sends a corporate lackey (Peter Riegert) on a scheme to buy a remote Scottish village – the entire village. The canny locals, however, are not without their own wiles. Scottish writer-director Bill Forsythe made Local Hero to follow up his art house hit Gregory’s Girl. Forsythe went on to make my favorite of his films, the wonderfully droll and absurd Comfort and Joy. But then he made three box office bombs with big movie stars and stepped away from filmmaking in the mid 1990s.

On April 30, TCM will broadcast the Iran hostage thriller Argo, already officially a Turner “Classic” from 2012. Of course, Argo was a big Ben Affleck Hollywood movie that won the Best Picture Oscar and a Supporting Actor Oscar for Alan Arkin. But, besides, Arkin, Argo is rich with brilliant supporting performances. Victor Garber, Clea Duvall, Scoot McNairy, Zeljko Ivanek, Christopher Denham are especially good as “house guests”.  Farshad Farahat is compelling as the commander of the final revolutionary checkpoint.  The rest of the cast is equally superb:  Bryan Cranston, Philip Baker Hall, Richard Kind, Michael Parks and Chris Messina.  Watch for a bit role played by 80s horror maven Adrienne Barbeau.

A reflection on Ben Affleck, who has become easy to lampoon. Affleck has “gone Hollywood” in a big way, made bombs like Pearl Harbor and Gigli, has been on a bumpy journey with and without alcohol, and his dating history is made-for-TMZ.

Let’s remember that Affleck was the youngest person ever to win the screenwriting Oscar (for Good Will Hunting). He’s directed Argo and Gone Baby Gone. After beginning with two exceptional indies, Dazed and Confused and Chasing Amy, he’s acted in some of the very best big Hollywood movies: Good Will Hunting, Shakespeare in Love, Argo, Gone Girl, The Last Duel. This body of work demonstrates that Ben Affleck is an important filmmaker – we’ve been lucky to have him.

Ben Affleck in ARGO.

Movies to See Right Now

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Photo caption: Park Ji-min in RETURN TO SEOUL. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – my first coverage of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival – SLO Film Fest is just around the corner. There’s also a new review of Hannah Ha Ha. I’ve launched my Best Movies of 2023 – So Far. And I have a completely refreshed The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

Note: Bill Nighy’s superb performance in Living can now be streamed.

CURRENT MOVIES

  • Return to Seoul: brilliantly crafted and emotionally gripping. In theaters.
  • Hannah Ha Ha: what makes for human value and fulfillment? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Roise & Frank: therapy dog and hurling coach. In theaters.
  • The Lost King: not all cranks are cranky. In theaters.
  • Living: what is it to live? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • A Dark, Dark Man: rounding up the usual suspects in Kazakhstan. MHz.
  • Reggie: it’s not just about Reggie. Netflix.
  • I’m an Electric Lampshade: the final score is Doug 1, Expectations 0. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.

WATCH AT HOME

Adam Gussow and Sterling “Mr. Satan” Magee in SATAN & ADAM. Courtesy JFI

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • Satan & Adam: more than an odd couple. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Levinsky Park: refuge for refugees? Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
  • The Speed Cubers: odd, and then profound. Netflix.
  • Rodents of Unusual Size: 5 million orange-toothed critters and a Cajun octogenarian. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • The 11th Green: a thinking person’s paranoid conspiracy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Wave: Everything you want in a disaster movie. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Magallanes: some wrongs cannot be righted. AppleTV.

ON TV

Gene Hackman in the 1975 NIGHT MOVES
Gene Hackman in NIGHT MOVES

On April 23, Turner Classic Movies is airing the 1975 character-driven neo-noir Night Moves, with Gene Hackman as an LA private eye who follows a trail of evidence to steamy Florida. Hackman shines in the role – the detective is deeply in love with his estranged wife (Susan Clark), but unsuited for marriage. Night Moves also features Melanie Griffith’s breakthrough role as the highly sexualized teen daughter in the Florida family; Griffith was right around eighteen-years-old when this was filmed, and had already been living with Don Johnson for three years. Night Moves features an impressive ensemble of supporting actors: Harris Yulin, James Woods, Edward Binns, Max Gail (Wojo on Barney Miller) and the sui generis Kenneth Mars.

Movies to See Right Now

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This week on The Movie Gourmet – I’ve been covering the San Francico International Film Festival, now underway: First look at the 2023 SFFILM and Under the radar at the 2023 SFFILM. But I still have new reviews of the enjoyable Sally Hawkins vehicle The Lost King and the Kazakh neo-noir (yes, a neo-noir from Kazakhstan) A Dark, Dark Man. The best movie in theaters remains Return to Seoul.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

Brit Marling in THE EAST. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures.

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • The East: how do we punish corporate crime? HBO, Amazon, AppleTV, redbox.
  • Radio Dreams: stranger in a strange and funny land. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Mustang: repression challenged by the human spirit. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Truman: how to say goodbye. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Love & Mercy: a tale of three monsters and salvation. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Searching: A ticking clock thriller that captures the Silicon Valley vibe. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Venus: Meeting your kid for the first time while transitioning. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • The Sapphires: Here’s a crowd pleaser: Motown meets Aborigines. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu.
  • Wind River: “This isn’t the land of backup, Jane. This is the land of you’re on your own.” Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Little Dieter Needs to Fly: an unimaginable escape and a quirky guy Project Nim: .Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • We Believe in Science: denying science on a monumental scale. Amazon, Vudu, YouTube.

ON TV

Humphrey Bogart and Martha Vickers in THE BIG SLEEP

On April 17, Turner Classic Movies presents Humphrey Bogart as Raymond Chandler’s hard-boiled LA detective Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep. Bogart’s performance is iconic, and The Big Sleep is famous for its impenetrably tangled plot. It’s also one of the most overtly sexual noirs, and Lauren Bacall at her sultriest is only the beginning. The achingly beautiful Martha Vickers plays a druggie who throws herself at anything in pants. And Dorothy Malone invites Bogie to share a back-of-the-bookstore quickie.

Speaking of the plot, I recently heard Eddie Muller say that, after filming, the studio bosses had more scenes written for Bogart and Bacall (and we thank them for that); to make room for those new scenes, some exposition was cut, leaving at least one loose end. I have to say, though, that I enjoyed watching The Big Sleep many times over the decades before I learned about the supposed hanging plot thread. You probably won’t notice it, either.

Dorothy Malone and Humphrey Bogart in THE BIG SLEEP

Movies to See Right Now

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Photo caption: Bríd Ní Neachtain in ROISE & FRANK. Courtesy of Juno Pictures.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – new reviews of the delightful Gaelic dramedy Roise & Frank, the gotta-see-it-to-believe-it I’m an Electric Lampshade and the surprising Reggie Jackson doc Reggie. And a totally refreshed CURENT MOVIES section.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

RADIO DREAMS
  • Radio Dreams: stranger in a strange and funny land. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Mustang: repression challenged by the human spirit. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Truman: how to say goodbye. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Love & Mercy: a tale of three monsters and salvation. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Searching: A ticking clock thriller that captures the Silicon Valley vibe. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Venus: Meeting your kid for the first time while transitioning. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • The Sapphires: Here’s a crowd pleaser: Motown meets Aborigines. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu.
  • Wind River: “This isn’t the land of backup, Jane. This is the land of you’re on your own.” Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Little Dieter Needs to Fly: an unimaginable escape and a quirky guy Project Nim: .Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • We Believe in Science: denying science on a monumental scale. Amazon, Vudu, YouTube.

ON TV

Mary Astor in DODSWORTH, the subject of SCANDAL: THE TRIAL OF MARY ASTOR

On April 11, Turner Classic Movies airs the recent documentary Scandal: The Trial of Mary Astor. It’s worth a watch for its tale of America’s Victorian social mores running headlong into the emerging celebrity culture. In 1936, movie star Mary Astor suffered through a humiliating child custody trial; her vindictive ex-husband stole her diary, in which she had documented her sex life with the playwright George S. Kaufman and others, and leaked it to the press. The trial was held at night so Astor could shoot Dodsworth during the daytime. And, in another bizarre twist, Astor won over the court on the stand by channeling her extremely sympathetic character in Dodsworth!