The Arrangement (1969)

Eddie's a rich ad-man with everything he could want materially, but nonetheless attempts suicide. His desperate wife calls in therapists and lawyers, but Eddie just wants to be left alone. When he gets word that his father is ill, he flies across the country to be with him and basically sees his future in front of him. In this setting, he's also reminded of his past and has to contend with his own present self. 

It's a fucking lot. It's also a fucking indulgent mess.

D+

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)

It starts off slow, is at least 30 minutes too long, and the “musical” portions are unmemorable and rather out-of-place. But the story itself is a touching winner.

A rather dull teacher finds love with an actress and his life is transformed -- her love somehow makes everyone notice how worth loving he really is. It spans decades and had me crying by the end.

B-

Last Summer (1969)

This transported me right back to the feeling of being a teenager in way over my head in co-ed groups -- scared of my own sexuality and even more scared of not fitting in.  The "mean girl" stuff was especially, almost nauseatingly, familiar.  I can't say that I really liked this, but it was definitely effective.

B-

The Happy Ending (1969)

A bored housewife turns to booze, pills, health clubs, and excessive shopping to distract herself from her empty marriage and wandering husband.  When she disappears to the Bahamas for a desperate getaway, a gigolo talking about his (fake) work utters the words "very sad.  very nothing."  Perfect summation of this movie.

D+

Downhill Racer (1969)

Where did I get the idea that this movie was any good? It's one of those films I've actively wanted to see for at least a decade but, now that I have, I have no clue as to what got me interested.

Robert Redford plays an Olympic hopeful in speed skiing. He's full of umbrage and complaints when he doesn't get his way and full of excuses when he doesn't do well. Yes, he's talented but he's also a pain in the ass.

As for the story? Well, there's barely one to be found. It's more a series of scenes in chronological order with "the end" when it's time to stop watching than an arc. Much was left to the viewer to figure out -- something I don't usually mind -- but here just felt lazy (perhaps because I didn't care enough to want to work for it). In short: yawn.

D+

Age of Consent (1969)

A famous painter retreats to a small Australian island in the barrier reef. A small-time con man, an angry grandma, and an uptight local woman complicate matters and...oh, who the hell am I kidding? The only reason to see this movie is that Helen Mirren, a gorgeously young and nubile Helen Mirren, gets naked.

Seeing that James Mason was about 60 at the time and Helen Mirren was in her early 20s (and playing younger), it's a rather off-putting story. But, like I said: Helen. Sans clothes. Let me help you out. She looks like this now -

- and that's almost 40 years after the making of this movie. Yeah. I know.

D+

The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)

Liza Minelli plays Pookie, a motormouthed social outcast who sets her sights on Jerry, a quiet boy from a neighboring college. Although he's not much interested, her persistence finally wears him down and their ensuing relationship makes up the rest of the film.

Pookie's a pathetic character -- wearing her wackiness like a costume to disguise the fact that she doesn't fit in anywhere -- and while I found her insufferable, it's hard to fault the film for it because I remember college pretty clearly.

The ring of truth doesn't make up for the fact that I didn't care about either of the leads, however.

C+

The Italian Job (1969)

Yawn. I kept thinking "it's boring now, but once the actual heist begins, things'll really pick up." Nope. Things get a tad less boring…but that's not really the same thing, now, is it?

C-

Cactus Flower (1969)

It's obvious where the plot's headed within the first 10 minutes, but it still manages to charm -- in the mildest of ways. Ingrid Bergman seemed to sleepwalk through the first couple of scenes, taking a while to find a comedy rhythm; but she does find it, and turns in a fine performance. Nothing to remember, really...but OK.

C+

The Reivers (1969)

I suppose this is meant to be a heartwarming coming-of-age deal… Instead it's a ho-hum and sometimes disturbing tale about a kid being dragged to a whorehouse and getting in the middle of southern racial tension and nearly getting killed in a knife fight. Yep - good clean fun.

C-