Sing You Sinners (1938)

Three brothers disagree about everything and could not be more different from each other. The eldest son (Bing Crosby) is a shiftless gambler looking for easy money rather than working for it. The middle son (Fred MacMurray) is the responsible son, who is supporting the family and the youngest son (Donald O'Connor) idolizes his gambling brother and wants to be just like him. When the eldest brother (Crosby) moves to California, the family follows suit. Directed by Wesley Ruggles (CIMARRON). This is a movie about family and how the family bond is so strong that they stick together through everything. But the entire family is so flawed that the sticking together angle looks more foolish than practical and the phony happy ending seems contrived. It's a musical and on that level, it's not very good. I'm not Crosby's biggest fan but the film gives him an opportunity to show his acting chops early in his career. He got a hit song out of the movie, his rendition of Small Fry stayed at the top of the charts for 13 weeks. With Ellen Drew, Elizabeth Patterson and John Gallaudet.

Devil Doll (1964)

A magician (Bryant Haliday) dazzles audiences with his mastery of hypnosis and his strange ventriloquist dummy called Hugo. Determined to find out his method of controlling the dummy, a journalist (William Sylvester) begins a covert investigation. Directed by Lindsay Shonteff (THE MILLION EYES OF SUMURU). The theme of a ventriloquist being controlled by his dummy creation has resulted in some fine to decent creations, the most notable being the Michael Redgrave sequence in DEAD OF NIGHT (1946). But there's also MAGIC (1978) with Anthony Hopkins and a TWILIGHT ZONE episode called THE DUMMY (1962) with Cliff Robertson. This one is rather unusual in that the hapless ventriloquist is not controlled by his evil dummy but rather the "dummy" is the victim while the ventriloquist is the evil one. Although often needlessly slow in its narrative (and Sylvester's dull reporter doesn't help), it holds your attention long enough to get you through the "twist" finale. Horror fans should check it out. With Yvonne Romain and Sandra Dorne.

The Last Man To Hang (1956)

A married music critic (Tom Conway) is having an affair with an attractive singer (Eunice Gayson). He is about to leave England with her when news arrives of his wife's (Elizabeth Sellars) death. He's even more stunned when the police arrest him for her murder. Based on the novel THE JURY by Gerald Bullett and directed by Terence Fisher (THE BRIDES OF DRACULA). A rather drab courtroom murder mystery, a mash up of 12 ANGRY MEN and WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION. Not as dull as 12 ANGRY MEN (what could be?) but so stale that even its absurd "surprise" ending doesn't lift it out of the doldrums. As the husband on trial, Tom Conway gives a performance so soporific that you don't care if he's innocent or guilty. With Freda Jackson, Anthony Newley, Joan Hickson, Victor Maddern and Gillian Lynne.

The Case Of The Murdered Madam (1987)

A public relations woman (Ann Jillian) invites four clients to a luncheon at her country house where the men will discuss a plan that will make all of them rich. What they don't know is that she's secretly taping the conversation for her own scheme. When she is later found murdered and the tapes missing, her husband (Vincent Baggetta) becomes the prime suspect. Enter Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to defend him. Based on the character created by Erle Stanley Garner and directed by Ron Satlof (PERRY MASON RETURNS). The sixth Perry Mason movie (there were a total of 30) based on the Perry Mason series with Raymond Burr which ran from 1957 to 1966. This entry is middling and the mystery isn't particularly compelling. The most interesting character is the ex-brothel keeper now turned respectable public relations woman played by Ann Jillian but she's bumped off early in the film and is sorely missed. With Barbara Hale, William Katt, Bill Macy, John Rhys Davies, David Ogden Stiers, Daphne Ashbrook and James Noble.

Affeksjonsverdi (aka Sentimental Value) (2025)

After the death of their mother, two sisters (Renate Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) must contend with the return home to Norway of their estranged father (Stellan Skarsgard). With his oldest daughter (Reinsve) who is an actress, he hopes to reconnect with her by casting her in his new film. Directed by Joachim Trier (THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD). Winner of the Grand Prix at last year's Cannes film festival and the Best International Feature at this year's Oscars. It's a stunning film that deals with the open wounds that a fractured family dynamic leave behind in their wake. It also addresses the connection between Art and what personal baggage (a crude way of putting it) artists bring to their art to humanize it. The four central performances (the fourth character is Elle Fanning as an American actress the father casts in his movie) are flawless, not a false note among them. They all received Oscar nominations. The film's emotional charge slowly and subtly creeps up on you, finally grabbing you in its hold by the film's end. With Anders Danielson Lie and Oyvind Hesjedal Loven.

The Egg And I (1947)

A newlywed wife (Claudette Colbert) follows her husband (Fred MacMurray) to the countryside where his dream is to become a chicken farmer. A city girl, she finds it difficult to adjust to the rural farm life. Based on the memoir by Betty MacDonald and directed by Chester Erskine (ANDROCLES AND THE LION). A charming if typical "fish out of water" tale that coasts along nicely until its last 15 minutes when it slogs to its sluggish end. Colbert and MacMurray had a nice chemistry through the seven movies (this one was the sixth) they made together. The film was a huge success at the box office and was an inspiration for the TV series, GREEN ACRES. The movie is stolen by Marjorie Main (in an Oscar nominated performance) as the slovenly neighbor with a shiftless husband (Percy Kilbride). Their teaming was so successful that they went on to make nine more movies playing their characters of Ma and Pa Kettle. With Richard Long, Louise Allbritton and Elisabeth Risdon.

Hillbillys In A Haunted House (1967)

Two country and western singers (Ferlin Husky, Joi Lansing) and their manager (Don Bowman) are en route to Nashville but become tired and stop to rest in an old abandoned mansion. Little do they know, but the basement of the old house is headquarters for the evil Madame Wong (Linda Ho) and her entourage of spies. Directed by Jean Yarbrough (SHE WOLF OF LONDON). I'm a sucker for haunted house comedies like THE CAT AND THE CANARY and GHOST BREAKERS. But this one is lame! For one thing it's a haunted house country & western musical comedy. But the songs aren't organic, the movie just stops dead in its tracks and someone sings a C&W song. The film ends with a 15 minute C&W jamboree. The whole thing comes off as amateur night. Somehow some movie veterans like Basil Rathbone, John Carradine and Lon Chaney Jr. were roped into this. With Merle Haggard, Molly Bee and Richard Webb.

Scener Ur Ett Aktenskap (aka Scenes From A Marriage) (1974)

During the tenth year of their marriage, a divorce attorney (Liv Ullmann) and a psychology reader (Erland Josephson) find their marriage at the crossroads. The marriage begins to disintegrate with the husband eventually leaving his wife for another woman. Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman (CRIES AND WHISPERS). Originally conceived as a five hour mini series for Swedish television in 1973, Bergman edited it down to three hours for a theatrical cut when released in the United States. I've seen the five hour cut and heresy I know but I think the three hour cut works just as well and frankly the thought of spending two more hours (the TV version can be seen in episodes) with the battling couple wasn't inviting. I found both protagonists unpleasant. Josephson's husband is an unfeeling brute (his beating of his wife was difficult to watch) and Ullmann's wife was a needy clinging vine suffocating her husband. By the film's end, she's liberated and he's weak and now married to others, they become adulterers resuming their "marriage". What holds the movie together for me is the acting which is superb. With Bibi Andersson (just one one scene but she kicks it out of the ballpark), Jan Malmsjo and Gunnel Lindblom.

The Caddy (1953)

The son (Dean Martin) of a San Francisco fisherman (Joseph Calleia) is expected to follow in his father's footsteps but he doesn't want to be a fisherman. With the help of his best friend (Jerry Lewis), he becomes proficient enough in golf to compete in tournaments and win money. Directed by Norman Taurog (BLUE HAWAII). One of Martin and Lewis's lesser vehicles. Lewis is in top form but the movie's lame script sabotages him. It makes his character more irritating than funny. Other than Lewis's sporadic highpoints, the only other notable thing about the movie is Martin's rendition of the Oscar nominated song That's Amore which became a big hit for him. As Martin's love interest, Donna Reed is wasted and had better luck with her other movie released the same month, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY. With Barbara Bates, Fred Clark, Clinton Sundberg, Nancy Kulp and Marshall Thompson.

Eve's Bayou (1997)

Set in rural Louisiana, a wife (Lynn Whitfield) and mother of three is forced  to admit that her family is falling apart due to her philandering husband (Samuel L. Jackson). Witnessing one of her father's infidelities, the youngest daughter (Jurnee Smollett) struggles to make sense of what she's seen. Written and directed by Kasi Lemmons (HARRIET) in her directorial debut. A complex coming of age tale with supernatural trimmings. Lemmon's direction takes us back in time and on a journey of fragmented memories, the occult and parental flaws that may or may not consist of abuse. The acting is superb, notably Debi Morgan giving a multi layered performance as an aunt with psychic abilities but unable to foresee her own tragedies. Just a lovely piece of film making. With Diahann Carroll, Meagan Good, Jake Smollett, Ethel Ayler, Vondie Curtis Hall and Roger Guenveur Smith.

David Copperfield (1935)

After the death of his father, a young boy (Freddie Bartholomew) and his mother (Elizabeth Allan) become very attached to each other. But when she remarries to a cruel and manipulative man (Basil Rathbone), he makes life miserable for them both. Based on the novel by Charles Dickens and directed by George Cukor (MY FAIR LADY). In the 1930s, MGM brought to the screen several "prestigious" literary adaptations of books and plays by the likes of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, Eugene O'Neill and Rudyard Kipling to name a handful. This version of DAVID COPPERFIELD is one the better page to screen adaptations and that's due to Cukor's meticulous direction which avoids the stuffiness and stiffness of those BBC adaptations. With one exception, an excellent cast. The one exception is W.C. Fields who seems out of place (he doesn't even bother to speak with an English accent). But most of the casting is spot on, notably Edna May Oliver as Aunt Betsey, Roland Young as Uriah Heep and Lennox Pawle as Mr. Dick. With Frank Lawton, Maureen O'Sullivan, Lionel Barrymore, Elsa Lanchester, Madge Evans, Lewis Stone, Una O'Connor and Jessie Ralph.

Meet The People (1944)

Set during WWII, a welder (Dick Powell) in a shipyard falls head over heels for a Broadway musical star (Lucille Ball). He is also a playwright and when he gives her a script for a musical show, she decides to star in it. Based on the Broadway revue and directed by Charles Reisner (THE BIG STORE). The kind of musical they don't make anymore ..... thank heaven! The barely there "plot" is a thin excuse to serve up a variety of singing, dancing and novelty acts that have nothing to do with the narrative. Unfortunately, with the exception of two numbers, the songs aren't very memorable and the novelty acts are the pits. The two standout numbers are I Like To Recognize The Tune, an ensemble number performed by June Allyson, Virginia O'Brien, Vaughn Monroe, Ziggie Talent and the King Sisters and the amusing Say That We're Sweethearts Again  sung by Virginia O'Brien. With Bert Lahr, Rags Ragland, Steven Geray and Spike Jones and the City Slickers.