The Seventh Veil (1945)

After a failed suicide attempt, a young woman (Ann Todd) is placed under the care of a psychologist (Herbert Lom). While in her state, she refuses to speak so the doctor uses hypnosis to find out what events drove her to this state. Directed by Compton Bennett (KING SOLOMON'S MINES). A huge art house hit in its day (its screenplay won an Oscar), the film signaled cinema's interest in psychoanalysis as a film subject. Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND came out the same year and THE LOCKET came out the following year. Its dime store Freud is dubious but there's an appeal in the movie's brooding sadistic hero played by James Mason and his performance here catapulted him to the top of the British box office and Hollywood would soon beckon. It's kitsch but so well done that its foolish to resist. With Hugh McDermott and Albert Lieven.

Tonight We Sing (1953)

A musical biopic on the life and career of impresario and Russian immigrant Sol Hurok (David Wayne) who, despite having no musical talent of his own, fostered the careers of many who did. Based on the autobiography IMPRESARIO by Sol Hurok and Ruth Goode and directed by Mitchell Leisen (MURDER AT THE VANITIES). A crashing bore! A by the numbers tale interposed with guest stars performing excerpts from opera and ballet. MGM (this is a Fox film) did this kind of stuff better with movies like DEEP IN MY HEART and TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY. Here you have Ezio Pinza as Feodor Chaliapin, Tamara Toumanova as Anna Pavlova and Isaac Stern as Eugene Ysaye all doing briefly what they do best in an inferior film. It's one of those "and then I did this and then I did that" movie bios. With Anne Bancroft, Roberta Peters and Byron Palmer (his singing voice dubbed by Jan Peerce).

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947)

Just out of prison, a criminal (Boris Karloff) known by the name of Gruesome meets up with an old criminal friend (Tony Barrett) who introduces him to a mysterious mastermind in charge of a secret formula that temporarily freezes people. After they rob a bank, Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) is on the case! Based on the characters created by Chester Gould and directed by John Rawlins (ARABIAN NIGHTS). The last entry of the four film Dick Tracy franchise from RKO pictures and the silliest of the lot. Its preposterous science fiction plot is imbecilic and its sad to see poor Boris Karloff in this nonsense after such superior horror films as THE BODY SNATCHER, BEDLAM and ISLE OF THE DEAD just a couple of years before. The film doesn't take itself seriously with such characters as Dr. A. Tomic (Milton Parsons), Professor I.M. Learned (June Clayworth) and Dr. Lee Thal (Edward Ashley). It's an attempt to be "camp" before the phrase was invented. With Anne Gwynne and Lyle Latell.

Lost In Yonkers (1993)

Set in 1942, after the death of their mother, two young boys (Brad Stoll, Mike Damus) are sent to live temporarily with their stern German grandmother (Irene Worth) and their mentally challenged Aunt Bella (Mercedes Ruehl). Based on the play by Neil Simon (who adapted his play for the screen) and directed by Martha Coolidge (RAMBLING ROSE). Simon's play was a great success on Broadway receiving a Pulitzer Prize for drama and four Tony awards. I've not seen Simon's play but judging from the film version, it didn't transition well to the screen. It seems contrived with the two adolescents tossing off Simon's wisecracks like 40 year olds rather than real kids. As the gang henchman Uncle, Richard Dreyfuss overacts alarmingly. The whole movie just comes off as a coarse exercise. The film's redeeming features are Ruehl and Worth recreating their stage roles. They're both excellent and better than the material they're given. With David Strathairn and Susan Merson.

The Friend (2025)

After her close friend (Bill Murray) commits suicide, his widow (Noma Dumezweni) tells his writer friend (Naomi Watts) that he wanted her to have his Great Dane (Bing). This proves difficult as not only does she have a small apartment but her apartment building doesn't allow dogs. Based on the novel by Sigrid Nunez and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel (THE DEEP END). Just a lovely and moving film about loss and the emotional chaos that suicides often leave for their surviving loved ones to deal with. While the dog is an important part of the narrative, this isn't OLD YELLER and definitely not a movie for kids. Still, I can't imagine anyone who's lost someone close to suicide not feeling the grief. There's some sophisticated humor flecked in among the drama but not enough to call it a dramedy. Watts is marvelous here and Murray's curmudgeon persona fits in nicely with his character. With Constance Wu, Carla Gugino, Ann Dowd and Sarah Pidgeon.

The Unholy Three (1925)

A ventriloquist (Lon Chaney) teams with a carnival strongman (Victor McLaglen) and a "little person" (Harry Earles) in a series of bizarre robberies. They name themselves The Unholy Three but when one of the robberies ends in murder, they need a fall guy. Based on the novel by Tod Robbins and directed by Tod Browning (FREAKS). One of Browning's and Chaney's best films, the movie was remade as a sound film in 1930 with Chaney and Earles recreating their roles but with another director at the helm. This silent version has a really creepy vibe, notably due to the maleficence of McLaglen's and Earles' characters who seem to get great pleasure in hurting people. Spending much of the film convincingly dressed as an elderly woman, Chaney gets an opportunity to show why he was anointed the title of the man of a thousand faces. If the film's ending seems unconvincing (there appears no repercussions to Chaney's criminal activity), it's a small blip in an otherwise excellent crime melodrama. With Mae Busch and Matt Moore.

Zig Zig (1975)

Two cabaret performers (Catherine Deneuve, Bernadette Lafont) have a dream house they want to build but they can't afford it. So, to raise the money, they become prostitutes. Meanwhile, a retired opera singer (Georgette Anys), now married to a former government official is kidnapped. Written and directed by actor turned director Laszlo Szabo. A truly bizarre movie with eccentric characters. The film is part musical, part comedy, part crime movie, part romance and none of the parts meld into a coherent film. For most of its running time, it appears to be a light farce but the movie ends with death and murder. To its credit, it's never boring but it's a mess. An entertaining mess but a mess nonetheless. With Walter Chiari, Hubert Deschamps and Jean Pierre Kalfon.

The Proud Rebel (1958)

A former Confederate soldier (Alan Ladd) arrives in a Northern town with his mute son (David Ladd) and the dog (King) the boy is attached to, to see a doctor (Cecil Kellaway). The doctor is unable to help the boy but suggests a specialist in Minnesota. In the meantime, he works on the farm of an unmarried woman (Olivia De Havilland) until he can afford to take the boy to the Minnesota doctor. Based on a short story by James Edward Grant and directed by Michael Curtiz (CASABLANCA). This is a lovely western that focuses more on relationships than the usual "shoot 'em up" oaters. The loving relationship between the father and son, the boy's strong bond with his beloved dog and the budding relationship between the father and the farm woman. Ladd is really good here, probably his last good role as the films that followed failed to bolster a fading career and he and De Havilland (excellent) play off each other wonderfully. Curtiz allows some sentiment to take center stage but never lets it get cloying. With Dean Jagger, Harry Dean Stanton, Mary Wickes and James Westerfield.

Remember The Day (1941)

An elderly school teacher (Claudette Colbert) hopes to see a presidential nominee (Shepperd Strudwick), who was a former pupil of hers. While waiting to see him, she reflects on her relationship with him when he was a boy (Douglas Croft) and how the man (John Payne) she loved came between them. Based on the play by Philo Higley and Philip Dunning and directed by Henry King (THE GUNFIGHTER). I was fearing that this would be another one of those "teachers that inspired me" movies, a subgenre I'm not fond of but although it flirts around that, it's more of a romance. It's pretty predictable down the line, however. When WWI breaks out and Payne marches off to war, you just know he won't be coming back! Colbert and Payne are appealing enough to cover up the corn but it's stale anyway you look at it. With Anne Revere, Frieda Inescort and Geraldine Hall.

Romance In Manhattan (1935)

A Czech immigrant (Francis Lederer) is being deported but he jumps ship and swims ashore. When he meets a chorus girl (Ginger Rogers), she takes pity on him and sneaks him into her apartment building where he sleeps on the roof. It isn't long before love is in bloom. Directed by Stephen Roberts (THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE). A rather routine if pleasant 1930s romance takes on an added layer of significance that it wouldn't have had a year ago. The movie takes place during an era where immigrants were welcome, where everybody knew the policeman who patrolled their neighborhood and the police were there to protect you, not terrorize you. This film could never take place in 2025. That aside, Lederer's naivete becomes tiresome after awhile. Sure, he's an innocent dreamer in a strange land but his lack of guile stretches belief. It doesn't help that Lederer and Rogers have zero chemistry. With J. Farrell MacDonald, Donald Meek, Sidney Toler and Eily Malyon.

The Diary Of Anne Frank (1967)

In 1942 Netherlands which is occupied by the Nazis, a business owner by the name of Otto Frank (Max Von Sydow) and his family consisting of his wife (Lilli Palmer) and two daughters, Margot (Marisa Pavan) and Anna (Diana Davila) go into hiding in an attic where they will remain for two years. They are joined in their hiding place by his friend (Theodore Bikel), his wife (Viveca Lindfors) and their son (Peter Beiger) and eventually, a dentist (Donald Pleasence). During this period, his daughter Anna will keep a diary describing the experience. Based on the play by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich by way of ANNE FRANK: THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL, the actual diary kept by Anna Frank and directed by Alex Segal (ALL THE WAY HOME). Anne Frank's diary and the subsequent play based on it are among the most heart rending pieces of literature and theater. While not as effective as George Stevens' excellent 1959 film version, this production retains its power and heartbreak. With Suzanne Grossman and Dave Anor.

The Man Who Had Power Over Women (1970)

Set in London, a successful public relations executive (Rod Taylor) is in an unhappy marriage. When his neglected wife (Penelope Horner) leaves him, he finds a new sense of freedom and begins an affair with his best friend's (James Booth) wife (Carol White). Based on the novel by Gordon Williams and directed by John Krish (UNEARTHLY STRANGER). Populated by a plethora of unlikeable characters including its main protagonist, the title is a misnomer. Indeed, the men in the film seem to be helpless in their dealings with the opposite sex. Playing against type, Rod Taylor is very good but the screenplay does him no favors including his sanctimonious deus ex machina redemption at the end where the film's moralizing seems insincere and calculated. With Alexandra Stewart, Charles Korvin, Magali Noel and Clive Francis.

Presence (2025)

A dysfunctional family moves into a new house in suburbia. The daughter (Callina Liang) is still traumatized by the death of her best friend from an overdose of drugs. Slowly, the daughter realizes there is a presence in the house and suspects it may be her deceased friend. The screenplay was written by David Koepp (JURASSIC PARK) from an idea of Steven Soderbergh (ERIN BROCKOVICH) who also directed. The film debuted in January 2024 at the Sundance film festival but it wasn't theatrically released for another year. In the interim, Soderbergh went and made another film BLACK BAG which was released two months after PRESENCE. I don't consider it a horror movie but rather a supernatural "ghost" story. There are no scares, very little suspense (until the very end) and Soderbergh takes it at a leisurely pace concentrating on atmosphere and psychological anxiety rather than scares. The entire film takes place in the house with the roaming camera as the "ghost". The acting is, well ..... adequate except for West Mulholland who is less than that. The kind of movie that when it's over, you go "Hmm ..... interesting". With Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Eddy Maday, Julia Fox and Natalie Woolams Torres.

Onionhead (1958)

After a quarrel with his girlfriend (Erin O'Brien), a young man (Andy Griffith) leaves college and joins the U.S. Coast Guard just as the U.S. enters WWII. Assigned the duties of ship's cook although he has no experience, he is unprepared for the military life as well as romantic life. Based on the novel by Weldon Hill and directed by Norman Taurog (BLUE HAWAII). An odd mixture of military comedy and a darker subplot, notably the unhappy nymphomaniac wife (Felicia Farr) sleeping around while her husband (Walter Matthau) is away at war. The shift between the two styles prevents a coherent consistency in the narrative. Griffith was just coming off a big military comedy hit NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS and this was a follow up to cash in but the schizophrenic tone turned audiences off. With Ray Danton, James Gregory, Joey Bishop, Joanna Barnes, Claude Akins, Sean Garrison, Joe Mantell and Roscoe Karns.

Wake Me When It's Over (1960)

A WWII Air Force veteran (Dick Shawn) is redrafted through a clerical error. When he arrives on an obscure Japanese island where he is to serve at a ramshackle radar station, he discovers a motley group of pathetic and unmotivated airmen overseen by a non conformist Captain (Ernie Kovacs). Based on the novel by Howard Singer and directed by Mervyn LeRoy (QUO VADIS). I'm not big on military comedies but this one is painless if overlong (it runs over two hours). Its plot is so preposterous that you can't get too invested in it. The island's indigenous Japanese are stereotypes and the film's sexist ending leaves a bad taste in the mouth. You might be better off checking out TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON instead, not that that movie doesn't have its own set of problems but it treads similar ground but it's still a better film than this. With Jack Warden, Margo Moore, Nobu McCarthy, Don Knotts, Robert Strauss and Noreen Nash.

Une Chance Sur Deux (aka Half A Chance) (1998)

After serving an eight month prison sentence for stealing cars, a young girl (Vanessa Paradis) receives a taped message from her recently deceased mother. On the tape, the mother reveals she was in love with two men (Alain Delon, Jean Paul Belmondo) at the same time and one of them is the girl's father. Directed by Patrice LeConte (MONSIEUR HIRE). What starts out as a charming comedy about a young girl seeking the identity of her father takes a different turn about forty minutes into the movie when she steals a car containing drug money from a Russian cartel. Then it becomes an action movie and while still grandly entertaining, I started to lose interest in it. Delon and Belmondo are icons of French cinema. Here, both in their 60s, they've lost their matinee idol looks and make for a delightful pair of rival seniors clucking over their newfound daughter. I'm surprised Hollywood hasn't snapped it up for an American remake. There's a nice underscore by Alexandre Desplat. With Eric Defosse and Michel Aumont.

The Liberation Of L.B. Jones (1970)

A young lawyer (Lee Majors) and his wife (Barbara Hershey) move to Tennessee so he can work in his Uncle's (Lee J. Cobb) law firm. Under his nephew's pressure, the older attorney agrees to represent a wealthy black undertaker (Roscoe Lee Browne) who intends to divorce his wife (Lola Falana) for adultery with a white policeman (Anthony Zerbe). Based on the novel THE LIBERATION OF LORD BYRON JONES by Jesse Hill Ford (who co-wrote the screenplay) and directed by William Wyler (BEN-HUR) in his final film. It's a disappointing swan song for Wyler, a master craftsman. It's the kind of social conscience movie that someone like Stanley Kramer would churn out. It's crude and heavy handed. It makes one appreciate all the more something like IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT which does the same thing but without the hammer. There are some things that stand out like the casual racism of Lee J. Cobb's lawyer and how he attempts to justify it. Two performances stand out: Roscoe Lee Browne in the title role brings a quiet authority to his dignified undertaker and Yaphet Kotto as a young man returning to his hometown to avenge himself. With Chill Wills, Arch Johnson, Brenda Sykes, Eve McVeagh and Fayard Nicholas.

Dante's Inferno (1935)

A ruthless carnival barker (Spencer Tracy), blinded by ambition, keeps a fair exhibit open despite warnings from an inspector (Willard Robertson) that the structure is unsafe and dangerous. When tragedy ensues, he doesn't learn his lesson and it will take a second disaster to humble him. Directed by Harry Lachman (CHARLIE CHAN IN RIO). Inspired by the classic 14th century poem by Dante Alighieri, this is an unsubtle moralistic melodrama suggesting mankind often makes its own hell on Earth. The film is most famous for a stunning, surrealistic sequence running almost ten minutes depicting Hell with sweaty nude bodies amidst the flames of Hell being tortured. It's stunning and still holds up. Footage from this scene has been borrowed frequently for other films. There's another spectacular sequence of a gambling ship on fire disaster that is also impressive. These two sequences justify the movie's existence and gets us through the heavy handed preaching. With Claire Trevor, Rita Hayworth, Scotty Beckett, Lynn Bari and Henry B. Walthall.

The Extra Day (1956)

At the end of the final day of filming, one of the studio drivers loses the last can of film. The producer (Laurence Naismith) orders his assistant (Richard Basehart) to track down all five background actors involved in the last scene, ensuring they are all available for the following morning's reshoot. However, it's not so easy as it sounds. Written and directed by William Fairchild (THE SILENT ENEMY). Moderately entertaining dramedy with the unique distinction of having a plot revolving around background actors (called "extras" back in the day). But the coverage is superficial and used as a gimmick rather than any insightful look into the actual lives of background actors. Example: the plot has the film's star (Simone Simon) falling in love with a background actor (George Baker). Yeah, like that actually happens on film sets! Anyway, it's pleasant enough. With Beryl Reid, Shani Wallis, Sid James, Joan Hickson, Jill Bennett, Josephine Griffin, Dennis Lotis and Bryan Forbes, who would soon abandon acting for directing (THE STEPFORD WIVES).

Ivy (1947)

Set in Edwardian England, an attractive young wife (Joan Fontaine) is tired of being poor and sets her sights on a wealthy millionaire (Herbert Marshall). All she has to do is get rid of her loving husband (Richard Ney) and her passionate lover (Patric Knowles). Based on the novel THE STORY OF IVY by Marie Adelaide Lowndes and directed by Sam Wood (GOODBYE MR. CHIPS). Good trashy fun with Fontaine's deliciously manipulative gold digger rivaling Gene Tierney's psychotic in LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN. Alas, this being made during the Hays Code era, she must pay for her crimes but honestly, her character is so much more interesting and fun than all the dopes around her that I was rooting for her. I loved Fontaine's furtive pleasure in her wickedness and she looks terrific in her exquisite Orry Kelly gowns. The attractive B&W noir-ish cinematography is by the great Russell Metty (WRITTEN ON THE WIND). With Cedric Hardwicke, Lucile Watson, Sara Allgood, Isobel Elsom, Rosalind Ivan, Norma Varden and in a nice change of pace, Una O'Connor in a toned down performance as a psychic played without her usual high pitched voice.

Tarzan The Magnificent (1960)

Through harsh jungle terrain, Tarzan (Gordon Scott) escorts a notorious killer (Jock Mahoney) to turn him over to authorities in Kairobi. But he is not alone. A motley array of stranded travelers, dependent on his strength, goes with him. Based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and directed by Robert Day (THE HAUNTED STRANGLER). In spite of being a by the numbers Tarzan jungle adventure, this is a pretty decent entry in the Tarzan cinematic universe. Filmed in Kenya, the location gives the film some authenticity although there is a lot of stock footage and some minimal filming on an obvious soundstage. As Tarzan, Scott speaks perfect English (no "Me Tarzan, you Jane" here) and displays some savvy and some intelligence. There is no Jane in the narrative and Cheetah, thankfully, gets dropped off with a babysitter very early in the film. Ironically, the film's villain (Mahoney) would take over the Tarzan role two years later. With Lionel Jeffries, Betta St. John, Alexandra Stewart, Charles Tingwell, Earl Cameron, Gary Cockrell and John Carradine.

Paradise Highway (2022)

A truck driver (Juliette Binoche) reluctantly agrees to smuggle a young child (Hala Finley) across state lines as a favor to her brother (Frank Grillo) who is in prison. After a deadly killing, she soon realizes that she's inadvertently involved in sex trafficking minors. Written and directed by Anna Gutto in her directorial debut. Using sex trafficking as the basis of a thriller seems exploitative to me. Considering its provocative subject, the movie is surprisingly turgid. Its antecedent seems to be GLORIA (1980) in which Gena Rowlands takes on the mob to protect a little Puerto Rican boy. Here, Binoche takes on that role but the film is flabby where it should be lean. Frankly, I found the other storyline with Morgan Freeman as an old school grizzled detective on the case and his Yale partner (Cameron Monaghan) more interesting than Binoche's tired storyline. Very watchable but not very memorable. With Veronica Ferres and Christiane Seidel.

Being Maria (2024)

A young 19 year old actress (Anamaria Vartoloemi) gets her huge break when she's selected by master film maker Bernardo Bertolucci (Giuseppe Maggio) to play the female lead in his new film opposite Marlon Brando (Matt Dillon). The film, LAST TANGO IN PARIS, will haunt her the rest of her life. Loosely based on the non fiction book MY COUSIN MARIA SCHNEIDER by Vanessa Schneider and directed by Jessica Palud (BACK HOME). An uneven and unconvincing look at Schneider's life after being traumatized by a sex scene she was forced to perform in LAST TANGO. At 19, she was too inexperienced an actress to refuse to film the scene and perhaps Bertolucci counted on that but all of a sudden, she's picking up men in bars and shooting up heroin. There are indications that she was unstable prior to TANGO thanks to being born out of wedlock to a cold bitch of a mother (Marie Gillain) and a famous father (Yves Attal) who refused to acknowledge her as his daughter until she was 16.Vartoloemi is excellent as Schneider. In fact, in her scenes reenacting LAST TANGO, she's better than Schneider was. As Brando, Dillon isn't so lucky. Nothing in his performances suggests Brando at all. With Jonathan Couzinie and Stanislaus Merhar.

Trois Places Pour Le 26 (1988)

The renowned singer and actor Yves Montand (Yves Montand) returns to the city where he grew up and look up people from his past including an ex-prostitute (Francoise Fabian) who is now a Baroness. The purpose of his visit is to rehearse a stage musical based on his life. Written and directed by Jacques Demy in his final film. He returns to his love of musicals and this film has bits and pieces of both UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG and YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT. It's not as good as those movies but it's still a lovely musical full of color, romance and nostalgia. The music is by Demy's musical alter ego, the great Michel Legrand. While the film is a fictionalized view of Montand's life and career (at least I hope it's fictionalized, the incest angle is creepy), names are bandied about like Marilyn Monroe, Edith Piaf, both of whom had affairs with Montand and Simone Signoret, Montand's wife who had passed away three years before this film's release. Demy's love of the film musical is in every frame and I suspect judging from some of the scenes that Damien Chazelle was influenced by it for LA LA LAND as Mathilda May's (as Fabian's daughter) number AU CONCERT was visually replicated in the SOMEONE IN THE CROWD number in LA LA LAND. The lively choreography is by Michael Peters. With Jean Claude Bouillaud and Antoine Bourseiller.

Prick Up Your Ears (1987)

Frustrated writers, co-conspirators, friends and lovers, Joe Orton (Gary Oldman) and Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina) are protege and mentor in each other's life ..... until Orton's success heightens Halliwell's own sense of failure. Based on the Joe Orton biography by John Lahr and directed by Stephen Frears (MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE). The provocative life and death of playwright Joe Orton was fodder crying out to be made into a movie and Frears' film with a great assistance from Alan Bennett's screenplay is a fascinating peak into Orton's brief life and career. The film is often amusing while never straying from the dark aspects of their lives together eventually leading to its tragic end. Oldman is pretty spectacular and his performance here along with his Sid in SID AND NANCY the year before show why he was considered one of the most promising actors of his generation. The movie is almost stolen by Vanessa Redgrave's performance as Orton's agent. In the hands of a lesser actress, it would be an unimportant role but Redgrave elevates it with nuance and a sly sense of humor. With Wallace Shawn, Julie Walters, Lindsay Duncan, Margaret Tyzack and Frances Barber.

Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (1974)

Covering the period from 1873 to 1921, the story of Jennie Jerome (Lee Remick), an American and Brooklyn born woman better known as Lady Randolph Churchill through her marriage to the son (Ronald Pickup) of the 7th Duke of Marlborough (Cyril Luckham) and the mother of the most celebrated British politician of all time, Winston Churchill (Warren Clarke). Directed by James Cellan Jones (BEQUEST TO THE NATION). A six and a half hour period serial anchored by a dynamic performance by Lee Remick in the title role. Known as a great beauty, what a life the woman led! Unlike most costume period mini series out of Great Britain, this isn't stuffy at all but engrossing and fascinating enough so that the six and a half hours fly. Aging some 50 years, Remick is entirely convincing as young 19 year old girl eventually aging to a 67 year old woman. The excellent cast includes Barbara Parkins, Dan O'Herlihy, Sian Phillips, Christopher Cazenove, Zoe Wanamaker, Jeremy Brett and Rachel Kempson.

The Man I Married (1940)

Set in 1938, an American citizen (Joan Bennett) married to a German (Francis Lederer) accompanies him on a business trip to Germany. She is disturbed by the rise and cruelty of the Third Reich but much worse, to her growing horror she realizes her husband is a Nazi sympathizer! Based on a short story by Oscar Schisgall and directed by Irving Pichel (DESTINATION MOON). Released the year before America entered the war, this was one of the first Hollywood movies to document the atrocities of the Nazi regime. Perhaps Bennett's character as written is too naive as she almost has to be hit over the head before she realizes what's going on. But that's the fault of the script, not the actress as Bennett is very good. Yes, a war "propaganda" film (even though we weren't in the war yet) posing as a melodrama but overall a superior one. With Lloyd Nolan, Anna Sten, Otto Kruger and Maria Ouspenskaya.

The Man Who Played God (1932)

Distraught after losing his hearing, a renowned pianist (George Arliss) attempts suicide but is saved by his manservant (Ivan F. Simpson). Looking at Central Park from his penthouse view, a pair of binoculars lets him view the world below and his talent for lip reading makes him privy to personal conversations down below. Based on a short story by Gouverneur Morris and directed by John G. Adolfi (ALEXANDER HAMILTON). George Arliss isn't remembered much anymore but during the 1920s and early 1930s, he was a highly respected actor in theatre and film (he won a best actor Oscar for DISRAELI in 1929). He had done THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD as a silent film in 1922 and this remake was a popular success. Personally selected to play his much younger fiancee, Bette Davis always credited Arliss for giving her her first big break. After seeing the film, Jack Warner signed her to a studio contract. This was a prestigious A picture, a real break for Davis but she would be mired in programmers for the next few years. The film itself holds up well, it's a solid soap opera and Arliss gives a touching performance. Remade in 1955 as SINCERELY YOURS with Liberace (!) in the Arliss role. With Violet Heming, Donald Cook, Louise Closser Hale, Hedda Hopper and a young pre-stardom Ray Milland.

The Merry Widow (1925)

A showgirl (Mae Murray) touring Europe in a musical revue catches the eye of a prince (John Gilbert). They fall in love but on their wedding day, the prince gets cold feet and chooses his royal "duty" over his heart. Loosely based on the popular 1905 operetta by Franz Lehar and directed by Erich von Stroheim (GREED). Making a film version of an operetta during the silent film era may seem an oddity but von Stroheim whips up an elegant epic of love and betrayal, a bit overblown and too long (it runs over two hours) for such a light and frivolous piece. The music isn't missed. In the age of the Me Too movement, the aggressive courting of Murray's showgirl by the prince and his cousin (Roy D'Arcy) comes across as sexual harassment and not romantic. D'Arcy is terrible. His performance consists of a non stop leer and sneer. He may as well have "I'm evil" tattooed on his forehead. It's the kind of performance that gives silent movie acting a bad rap. Remade with sound and with the music returned in 1934 by Ernest Lubitsch. With Josephine Crowell and George Fawcett.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968)

Set in Athens, a father (Nicholas Selby) objects to his daughter's (Helen Mirren) choice of husband (David Warner). He wants her to marry another man (Michael Jayston) but his daughter's best friend (Diana Rigg) is in love with him though he isn't with her. Based on the play by William Shakespeare and directed by Peter Hall (THREE INTO TWO WON'T GO). Hall was one of the most important figures in the British theatre. He also directed operas but his film output is small and erratic. This film adaptation (the second after 1935's Warner Brothers movie) is a mixed bag and I didn't think it was very successful. It's the most magical of Shakespeare's comedies (one could even call it an early example of a romantic comedy) but there's no magic here and MIDSUMMER'S DREAM without magic is tedious. For some reason, Hall thought to set it in modern times (Mirren and Rigg wear knee high boots and mini skirts) and the contemporary mixture with the faeries in the forest aspect of it just doesn't work. The acting is mostly good (especially Diana Rigg) but some of it is bad (Ian Holm's Puck). With Michael Jayston, Bill Travers, Barbara Jefford, Ian Richardson, Sebastian Shaw and Paul Rogers.

East Of Sumatra (1953)

The manager (Jeff Chandler) of a Malayan tin mine goes to an unchartered island where there are massive deposits of tin to be mined but they need the help of the island's natives. At first, things are very friendly and the natives are happy to cooperate. But when the island's king (Anthony Quinn) suspects the manager is romancing his bride to be (Suzan Ball), things turn ugly. Directed by Budd Boetticher (THE TALL T). A modestly entertaining South Seas adventure shot on the Universal backlot. Boetticher's direction is workmanlike but without any of the intensity or style of his superb Ranown westerns. As usual with films like this during its era, it's condescending toward the island's indigenous people. Louis L'Amour, best known for his western novels, wrote the original treatment which was quickly changed from a story about a big corporation exploiting the island's natural resources into a sarong and sex picture. With Marilyn Maxwell, John Sutton, Earl Holliman, Scatman Crothers, Jay C. Flippen and Peter Graves.

Maisie Goes To Reno (1944)

Set during WWII, an overworked riveter (Ann Sothern) is falling apart so the factory's doctor orders a two week vacation with pay so she can relax and get her health back. Unfortunately, she gets anything but rest when she gets mixed up with two con people (Paul Cavanagh, Marta Linden) who are trying to get control of a wealthy heiress (Ava Gardner) and her money. Directed by Harry Beaumont (WHEN LADIES MEET). The eighth entry in MGM's ten movie MAISIE franchise. This lively effort is one of the better ones. The plot is interesting and fun and there are enough complications to hold our attention. As usual, Ann Sothern's wisecracking sassy screen presence takes center stage and so likable that we keep rooting for her even when she does some silly things. With John Hodiak, Tom Drake, Bernard Nedell and Roland Dupree.

Le Choix Des Armes (aka Choice Of Arms) (1981)

A retired criminal (Yves Montand) is now the pillar of respectability. Happily married to a beautiful wife (Catherine Deneuve), he raises horses on his farm. But it all comes crashing down around him when a former comrade in crime (Pierre Forget) comes to him after breaking out from prison. Directed by Alain Corneau (POLICE PYTHON 357). While this French crime thriller is well made, I found it a bit bloated. I know it seems strange to complain about exposition and character's backstories but after awhile it just seemed to be plodding along. I'm not sure what Corneau is trying to say. The police are portrayed as morons, he tries to redeem the psychotic killer played by Gerard Depardieu by showing us he likes kids and animals and had a bad childhood. No, thank you! And after all the violence and threat of violence, the sappy ending is near laughable. There's a nice underscore by Philippe Sarde. With Michel Galabru, Christian Marquand, Jean Claude Dauphin and Gerard Lanvin.

The Last Showgirl (2024)

After thirty years as the face of a Las Vegas revue, a fifty-ish showgirl (Pamela Anderson) faces an uncertain future when she is informed the show will close for good. What does a fifty-ish ex-showgirl do when she has to start over at her age? Based on the play BODY OF WORK by Kate Gersten and directed by Gia Coppola (MAINSTREAM). A poignant look at someone who has their career pulled out from under her. Being a showgirl is all she knows. One can say it's her own fault for not planning ahead but she loves what she does and retirement was never an option. Unrealistic of her? I don't know, I can relate. Shot in 16 millimeter (it has a dark, gritty look to it) for under two million dollars in 18 days, it's tight economical film making (it runs just under 90 minutes). There's no fat, every moment counts. It's a good little film and an opportunity to showcase Pamela Anderson's vulnerable performance. There's also a nice turn by Jamie Lee Curtis as Anderson's aging ex-showgirl pal struggling to make ends meet as a cocktail waitress. With Dave Bautista, Billie Lourd, Brenda Song, Jason Schwartzman and Kiernan Shipka.

Entertaining Mr. Sloane (1970)

A lonely middle aged nymphomaniac (Beryl Reid) picks up a young man (Peter McEnery) in a cemetery and brings him home where he becomes her lover. Meanwhile, her brother (Harry Andrews) who is a closeted homosexual also takes an interest in the young man which causes friction between the siblings. Based on the play by Joe Orton (LOOT) and directed by Douglas Hickox (THEATRE OF BLOOD). Orton's play was notorious in its day when it premiered in 1964 and still startling when the movie version opened in 1970. The film version adheres religiously to Orton's text. With its ghoulish black humor, its fixation on sex and an undercurrent of sadness, film audiences stayed away although it quickly became a cult film. Beryl Reid gets Orton's dark farcical humor and she's wonderful here. Acting wise, Peter McEnery is also very good although he's physically wrong for the part. He spends most of the movie in various stages of undress with characters commenting on his beautiful well built body but McEnery is scrawny! I found it amusing but I'm not certain it holds up well. We've progressed a lot these fifty years. I can't help but wonder what Orton would have thought of it (he was murdered three years earlier). With Alan Webb.

Design For Living (1964)

An interior designer (Jill Bennett) has a complicated relationship with the two men in her life. She lives with a painter (John Wood) but she had a previous relationship with his best friend, a playwright (Daniel Massey). She loves both men, they both love her and they love each other. Based on the play by Noel Coward and directed by Joan Kemp Welch. If done right, this can be a witty and charming play. If done badly ..... ouch! As the girl in the menage a trois, Jill Bennett is good and vital and sexy enough that you can see why she is attractive to men. Alas, the male actors don't measure up. Are there two actors more sexless than Massey (who would go on to play Noel Coward in 1968's STAR!) and Wood? They play their roles as petulant homosexuals but even then in name only as one can't image them having sex either! Their performances are all surface, tossing off witticisms without wit and they just come across as bitchy and shallow. In retrospect, Noel Coward seemed to understand why this was one of his least revived plays. His characters are essentially self centered and superficial. With David Pearson.

Merry Go Round (1923)

Set in pre WWI Vienna, a dashing Count (Norman Kerry) is a ladies man in spite of being engaged to a noblewoman (Dorothy Wallace). While amusing himself with friends in an amusement park, he comes across a naive innocent (Mary Philbin) working as an organ grinder. He finds himself attracted to her but what about his "royal" responsibilities? Directed by Rupert Julian (THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA) and Erich von Stroheim (FOOLISH WIVES). Just two weeks into shooting, von Stroheim was fired and replaced by Julian. So how much of the movie is von Stroheim and how much Julian? My guess is that it's mostly Julian as the film as a whole doesn't have the inventive vision that usually marks a von Stroheim film. I found it excessively overdone, especially in its characters. The movie's sadistic villain (George Siegmann) is lighted and photographed to resemble a devil and he even drools! The film's "hero" (Kerry) is a liar and a cheat and its heroine (Philbin) is a doormat to the male sex and in spite of Kerry's appalling treatment of her is still madly in love with him while ignoring the movie's most decent character (George Hackathorne) who is in love with her. Are we supposed to be happy that these two people who have hurt other people end up in each other's arms? With Dale Fuller, Cesare Gravina and Edith Yorke.

This Boy's Life (1993)

Set in the mid 1950s, a young boy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his divorced mother (Ellen Barkin) move to the Pacific Northwest hoping that life will be better. When she remarries, things turn ugly when her new husband (Robert De Niro) turns out to be a tyrannical and abusive stepfather. Based on the autobiographical novel by Tobias Wolff and directed by Michael Caton Jones (MEMPHIS BELLE). A solid effort even if we suspect how everything will end up (and it does) that is elevated by a superior performance by a young DiCaprio. Only 19 but giving a performance as assured as any veteran actor. He balances the little thug with the sensitive adolescent with aplomb. As the mother, Ellen Barkin has less to work with but she brings a strong undercurrent of desperation to her part. As for De Niro, he's fine but we've seen this psycho performance from him before so it's not especially interesting. A fine portrait of teenage rebellion. With Chris Cooper, Eliza Dushku, Carla Gugino, Tobey Maguire, Gerrit Graham and Jonah Blechman.

The Four Feathers (1939)

Set in 1895, a Lieutenant (John Clements) in the Royal North Surrey Regiment is called to active service during the Mahdist war against the forces of the Khalifa. Unhappy in the military which he joined only because it was expected of him by his career army father (Allan Jeayes), he resigns. He is branded a coward because of this by not only his army peers but by the woman (June Duprez) he loves. He sets out to prove them wrong. Based on the novel by A.E.W. Mason (previously filmed in 1915, 1921 and 1929) and directed by Zoltan Korda (THE MACOMBER AFFAIR). Considered the best of its many film adaptations (it was filmed again in 1955, 1978 and 2002), I couldn't warm up to the British Empire colonialism the film and novel seems to revere so much. The 2002 version was more revisionist but I didn't much care for that one either. But it's a handsome looking movie, shot in the three strip Technicolor process and filmed on authentic locations in Northeast Africa. If you can get past the stuffy colonial aspect, it's a moderately entertaining adventure movie. My lack of enthusiasm is my own, most films buffs love the film. With Ralph Richardson, C. Aubrey Smith, Donald Gray and Frederick Culley.

The Lady Is Willing (1942)

A stage actress (Marlene Dietrich) rescues an abandoned baby and discovering her maternal instinct decides to keep it. However, she needs a husband in order to adopt the child. To that end, she proposes a marriage of convenience to a doctor and medical researcher (Fred MacMurray). Directed by Mitchell Leisen (MIDNIGHT). An uninspired screwball comedy that gets all sappy at the end by putting the infant's life on the line. Marlene Dietrich provides some star wattage although she's all wrong for the role. Dietrich has no talent for screwball comedy and watching this I kept on thinking how an Irene Dunne or Claudette Colbert could have effortlessly coasted through it. As the male lead, MacMurray is fine but the by the numbers screenplay proves a Herculean task for any actor to deal with. Even Dietrich's most ardent fans would have a hard time defending this one! With Aline MacMahon, Arline Judge, Ruth Ford, Marietta Canty, Elisabeth Risdon and Stanley Ridges.

Slaves Of Babylon (1953)

After the destruction of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar (Leslie Bradley), the Jewish population are brought captive into Babylon. The prophet Daniel (Maurice Schwartz) asks a slave (Richard Conte) to go on a quest to help release the Jews. This necessitates recruiting a young shepherd (Terry Kilburn) to become the leader of Persia. Directed by William Castle (STRAIT JACKET), this cheesy low budget (and boy, does it ever show it) Biblical pseudo "epic" is a turgid slice of homegrown peplum. It lacks the kitschy glamour of something like SAMSON AND DELILAH (1949) or the sincerity of THE EGYPTIAN (1954). Its low budget prohibits any major set pieces and we're pretty much studio bound which leaves only the bad acting to try and hold our interest. The worst performance comes from Maurice Schwartz as Daniel whose performance consists of rolling his eyes to the heavens with his mouth open and poor Richard Conte looks like he wandered in from Brooklyn! With Linda Christian, Julie Newmar, Michael Ansara, Ruth Storey and Beatrice Maude.