Thieves' Highway (1949)

An ex-GI (Richard Conte), now working as a trucker, is bent on satisfaction from the man responsible for crippling his father (Morris Carnovsky). But when the ruthless market operator (Lee J. Cobb) gets wise to his plan, treachery and heartbreak follow. Based on the novel THIEVES' MARKET by A.I. Bezzerides (who adapted his book for the screen) and directed by Jules Dassin (NEVER ON SUNDAY). Like his THE NAKED CITY, Jules Dassin shot this film on actual locations (in this case, San Francisco) rather than studio soundstages. The movie is much admired by film noir fans and while it's an effectively gritty look at corruption and duplicity in the produce market of the day, I found it rather pedestrian. Conte makes the perfect noir protagonist and Norbert Brodine's (KISS OF DEATH) dark and shadowy cinematography emphasizes the noir atmosphere and goes a long way in giving authenticity to the plot. With Valentina Cortese, Barbara Lawrence, Millard Mitchell, Jack Oakie and Tamara Shayne.

Return To Treasure Island (1954)

A descendant of Jim Hawkins (Dawn Addams) returns to Treasure Island with a priceless map with the intention of locating the treasure buried there by Long John Silver (Robert Long). But she's not the only one after the hidden treasure. Directed by E.A. Dupont (VARIETE). Dupont did some impressive work in his native Germany and Great Britain. His American career was far less illustrious and this snoozefest was his swan song! It's incredibly amateurish and badly acted. It's Tab Hunter's worst performance and he would later redeem himself but boy, is he a piece of wood here. Shirtless throughout the entire movie, he's reduced to hunk eye candy. The narrative is laughable with lots of plot holes. Even at a brief running time of one hour and 15 minutes, it's a slog. With Porter Hall and James Seay.

8番出口 (aka Exit 8) (2025)

Exiting the subway, a young man (Kazunari Ninomiya) gets lost trying to exit the station. He finds that he is trapped in the looping corridors and must spot possible anomalies in each loop to escape. An adaptation of the video game THE EXIT 8 and directed by Genki Kawamura (A HUNDRED FLOWERS). I've never played a video game in my life so in spite of the movie's good reviews, I wasn't sure I was the demographic for a movie like this. I needn't have worried. The movie is divided into three segments and the first segment THE LOST MAN is rather tedious and the film doesn't find its rhythm until the second segment, THE WALKING MAN when the horror of it all comes out in full force. It's all rather existential, suggesting that modern man leads a dull repetitive life, unable to break out of his routine. If you have the patience to hang in there, there are rewards though ultimately I found the ending tipping over into sentimentality. With Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase and Nana Komatsu.

Ginger & Rosa (2012)

Set in 1962 England, two teenage girls (Elle Fanning, Alice Englert) are inseparable. They share everything together from dreams to politics. But as the threat of nuclear war escalates amid the sexual revolution, their friendship is threatened. Written and directed by Sally Potter (ORLANDO). A coming of age story that eschews the stereotypes and cliches inherent in the genre. The title is a misnomer, it should have been called GINGER because although Englert's Rosa is an important part of the narrative, it's Fanning's marvelous performance that takes over the film and anchors it as Englert's Rosa begins to fade into the background. Fanning's Ginger is a bit of an emotional mess but this is due in part to her parents (Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks) antipathy and more importantly, her father's lack of parental interest. Refined and astute, it's a refreshing portrait of adolescence on the cusp of maturity. With Annette Bening, Oliver Platt, Timothy Spall and Jodhi May.

Storm Warning (1951)

In the South to visit her sister (Doris Day), a model (Ginger Rogers) witnesses a murder by the Ku Klux Klan. Traumatized by the terror she has just seen, she's shaken to the core when she meets her sister's husband (Steve Cochran) and recognizes him as one of the Klan murderers. Directed by Stuart Heisler (THE GLASS KEY). A well intentioned attack on the Ku Klux Klan but it hedges its bet by eliminating all references to racism. Their victims aren't black, Jewish or foreigners but a white journalist who was going to expose them. That aside, it's still pretty gritty for its era and there's a solid dramatic performance by Rogers (more impressive than her Oscar winning KITTY FOYLE turn) as well as a strong performance by Doris Day in her first dramatic role. Whether intentional or not, the shadow of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE hovers over the proceedings with the triangle of Rogers, the brutish Cochran and Day. Not as potent as it should have been but compelling nonetheless. With Ronald Reagan, Hugh Sanders and Ned Glass.

The Case Of The Avenging Ace (1988)

During his time as an appellate judge, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) denied the appeal of a man (Larry Wilcox) convicted of murder. Now having returned to law practice, he takes on the man's case for a new trial when a new witness (Joel Colodner) appears. But when the witness is murdered, Mason's client becomes the main suspect. The eighth entry in the thirty Perry Mason movies that followed the series end in 1966. As far as the telefilms go, this one is unique in that Mason has to solve two murders. The original murder of which his client was convicted and the new murder of the witness ..... or are both killers one and the same? It's rather convoluted with the two storylines running concurrently (there is some flashback usage). Not boring but I still found it one of the lesser Mason telefilms. With Patty Duke, Barbara Hale, William Katt, Don Galloway, Erin Gray, Charles Siebert and David Ogden Stiers.

La Seconde Verite (aka The Second Twin) (1966)

A middle aged, married attorney (Robert Hossein) falls in love with a disc jockey (Michele Mercier) at a disco club. The lovestruck attorney can't bring himself to leave his wife (Malka Ribowska) but when his mistress's wealthy suitor (Jeann Claude Rolland) is murdered, he becomes the main suspect. Based on the novel UN HOMME A PART ENTIERE by Jean Laborde and directed by Christian Jaque (THE BLACK TULIP). While never less than gripping, I found this a frustrating movie mainly because of the two lead characters. I just couldn't drum up much empathy for a hot tempered adulterer (who's not satisfying either his wife or his mistress) and his mistress who whines that she's only getting part of him when hey! He's a married man! Still, the complicated structure of the narrative is strong enough to hold one's attention to the very end. Let's say I liked it in spite of my self. With Bernard Tiphane and Pascale De Boysson.

Wabash Avenue (1950)

Set in the Chicago of the 1890s, a burlesque queen (Betty Grable) is romantically pursued by the owner (Phil Harris) of the dance hall but she's not interested. Enter the owner's ex-partner (Victor Mature) and she's interested. But her career ambitions come first. Directed by Henry Koster (THE ROBE). A remake of one of Grable's hits, CONEY ISLAND which came out seven years earlier. I wasn't a big fan of CONEY ISLAND but I still liked it a bit better than this stolid effort. Grable is wonderful in her jazzy numbers like I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate but weak after Mature turns her into a ballad singing "lady". Who wants to see Grable as a chanteuse? We're also saddled (in a subplot) with an irritating Irish drunk played for laughs by James Barton. One of it songs, Wilhelmina got an Oscar nomination. With Reginald Gardiner and Robin Raymond.

Cover Up (1949)

Set during Christmastime, an insurance investigator (Dennis O'Keefe) is sent to a small midwestern town to find out whether the death of one of its policy holders was a suicide or a murder. But the victim was hated by the whole town, no one is sorry about his death which hinders his investigation. Directed by Alfred E. Green (THE JOLSON STORY). A little known but worthy murder mystery that's slightly hindered by having a victim so detestable that you don't care that he's dead, just who killed him. Not unlike Agatha Christie's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. The real mystery is whether the investigator who insists on solving the killing that no one cares about is going to turn in the murderer, who seems to have done the town a favor. A minor entry worth checking out. With William Bendix, Barbara Britton, Art Baker, Virginia Christine, Russell Arms and Doro Merande.

Hold That Blonde! (1945)

A wealthy kleptomaniac (Eddie Bracken) turned to theft when he was spurned by a girl. His psychoanalyst (George Zucco) advises him to find another girl. So he fastens his interest on a girl (Veronica Lake), who happens to be helping a criminal gang steal a valuable necklace. Based on the play THE HEART OF A THIEF by Paul Armstrong and directed by George Marshall (DESTRY RIDES AGAIN). As a comedy, it's hit and miss, mostly miss. There's a scattering of genuinely funny bits but Marshall doesn't know when to quit. There's a sequence where Bracken (who's good at the physical comedy) wearing only a towel is hanging on a window ledge but it goes on and on and on, way past its humor expiration date. Lake is lovely but she's not much of a comedienne so it's left to Willie Best (much subtler than usual) to provide the best comedic moments. With Albert Dekker, Donald MacBride, Jody Gilbert and Norma Varden.

Two Arabian Knights (1927)

Set during WWI, two American soldiers (William Boyd, Louis Wolheim) are caught by the Germans and placed in a POW camp. They escape dressed in the white robes of Arab prisoners and are sent with other Arab prisoners to Constantinople. Based on a short story by Donald McGibney, produced by Howard Hughes and directed by Lewis Milestone (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT), who won an Oscar (at the very first ceremony) for his direction here. A very slight "buddy" comedy with Mary Astor thrown in for romance. I found it rather unmemorable except for the movie's last shot of Wolheim giving a eunuch an intense sexual vibe ..... what? Am I reading into it? There's a slight xenophobic undertone that I found bothersome.  The film gives off a distaste of Islamic culture and tradition and even uses it as a punchline for laughs. William Boyd would find fame in the 1930s and 40s as Hopalong Cassidy. With Boris Karloff and Michael Visaroff.

The Private Files Of J. Edgar Hoover (1977)

A chronicle on the life and career of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (James Wainwright as the young Hoover, Broderick Crawford as the mature Hoover) from 1924 to his death in 1972. Written, produced and directed by Larry Cohen (IT'S ALIVE). The movie suffers from cramming almost 50 years of a polarizing public figure into two hours. There's no time to explore with any depth so what we get is a shallow movie of highlights of his career. It's a highly fictionalized and speculative version of Hoover's life, both negative and positive. The only other character with major screen time is Robert Kennedy (Michael Parks) but Parks is truly awful here. In addition to not being convincing, he annoyingly interjects "uh" between every five words spoken! In addition to Kennedy, other famous people portrayed include Martin Luther King (Raymond St. Jacques), Franklin D. Roosevelt (Howard Da Silva), Lyndon B. Johnson (Andrew Duggan) and Roy Cohn (George D. Wallace). The score by Miklos Rozsa is disappointing, it sounds recycled from his past film scores. The huge cast, most with little screen time, includes Rip Torn, Celeste Holm, Dan Dailey, Jose Ferrer, Lloyd Nolan, Ronee Blakley, Jack Cassidy, June Havoc Michael Sacks, Tanya Roberts and Brad Dexter.