Dead Of Night (1977)

An anthology of three short films dealing with the supernatural and horror: 1) SECOND CHANCE. A college student (Ed Begley Jr.) restores an antique car from the 1920s and when he drives it for the first time he finds himself transported to 1926! With Ann Doran and E.J. Andre. 2) NO SUCH THING AS A VAMPIRE. A woman (Anjanette Comer) wakes up with puncture wounds on her neck which leads her husband (Patrick Macnee) to suspect vampirism. With Horst Buchholz and Elisha Cook Jr. 3) BOBBY. A grieving mother (Joan Hackett) summons up the demons of darkness to bring her drowned son (Lee J. Montgomery) back from the dead. When he returns, he's decidedly different from the son she knew. All three stories have screenplays by Richard Matheson (SOMEWHERE IN TIME) and are directed by Dan Curtis (DARK SHADOWS). Curtis had hoped this would serve as a pilot for a proposed TV series of horror stories like NIGHT GALLERY but it was never picked up. The first story is innocuous and serves as a curtain raiser, the second one is a cheat but the third offers some mild terror (it's reminiscent of the excellent AMELIA segment of TRILOGY OF TERROR) with a nice twist.

Desire Under The Elms (1958)

A farmer's son (Anthony Perkins) bitterly resents his tyrannical mean spirited father (Burl Ives) and holds him responsible for the death of his mother (Anne Seymour) because of his treatment of her. When his father returns from a trip with a new young wife (Sophia Loren) and announces he will leave the farm to her, passions erupt but not in the way they expected. Based on the play by Eugene O'Neill and directed by Delbert Mann (MARTY). This is a fairly faithful rendering of O'Neill's version of a Greek tragedy. Contemporary reviews were unkind but despite flaws, I found it well done. Although Burl Ives is physically wrong for the role, that didn't bother me. The problem is that Ives is a limited actor and his performance here is too reminiscent of his other two 1958 performances, Big Daddy in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF and his Oscar winning turn in THE BIG COUNTRY. Perkins and Loren (her character rewritten as an Italian immigrant) are just fine. The strong underscore is by Elmer Bernstein. With Pernell Roberts, Frank Overton, Jean Willes and Rebecca Welles.

Merrily We Roll Along (2025)

The story of three friends: a composer (Jonathan Groff), a lyricist (Daniel Radcliffe) and a writer (Lindsay Mendez). The film begins in 1977 where the characters are at the lowest point in their lives and goes back in reverse order through the years ending in 1957 when they are their most hopeful about the future. Based on the 1981 musical by Stephen Sondheim by way of the 1934 play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart and directed by Maria Friedman. The 1981 musical was a flop receiving negative reviews and closing after 16 performances. Throughout the ensuing years, the musical has been fine tuned with rewrites on the narrative and songs being jettisoned and new ones replacing them. The movie which received a limited release last Christmas in theatres is a film of the highly praised Tony award winning 2023 revival with the original Broadway cast. Friedman filmed it in intense closeups and her stringent direction gives the musical a strong pulse that thrusts it ever forward. Groff (who won a Tony for his work here) gives an aggressive performance that is the linchpin of the show. A must for fans of musical theatre. Richard Linklater is currently filming a film version due to be released around 2039 (sic). Like his BOYHOOD, rather than age his actors, he's filming it in real time so that they are the age they are playing. With Krystal Joy Brown, Katie Rose Clarke and Reg Rogers.

Captain Kidd And The Slave Girl (1954)

Set in the 17th century, an Earl (James Seay) dispatches his mistress (Eva Gabor) to seduce the notorious Captain Kidd (Anthony Dexter) in order to discover where he has hidden his treasure. Directed by Lew Landers (DAVY CROCKETT INDIAN SCOUT). A generic pirate movie with all the cliches intact. Here, Captain Kidd isn't the cutthroat pirate that Charles Laughton played in the 1945 CAPTAIN KIDD. Instead, he's a dashing swashbuckling hero but the nondescript Anthony Dexter is no Errol Flynn or Tyrone Power so there's a blank space on the screen. The film was shot in color but the transfer I saw was in B&W but other than making the movie more visually pleasing, I doubt it would have made the film any better. With Alan Hale Jr., Lyle Talbot, William Schallert and Sonia Sorrell.

悲愁物語 (aka A Tale Of Sorrow And Sadness) (1977)

An aspiring young golfer (Yoko Shiraki) is groomed by her lover and manager (Yoshio Harada) to become a tournament winning champion golfer. When that goal is reached, she becomes a media celebrity pushed on by a corporate advertising agency and even gets her own television show. But it soon all turns ugly. Directed by Seijun Suzuki (TOKYO DRIFTER). In 1968, Suzuki was fired by his studio Nikkatsu because (they said) his films were incomprehensible and didn't make money. Embroiled in legal battles, he didn't make another movie for almost ten years. A TALE OF SORROW AND SADNESS was his "comeback" movie. Although kinetic and stylish, in most ways it's an atypical Suzuki film. Its nihilistic and surrealistic narrative which includes putting his exploited heroine through the wringer seems more Lars Von Trier than Suzuki. Yoko Shiraki's heroine is not only exploited by the men in the movie but also its female characters including the neighbor (Kyoko Enami) from hell. This is all in addition to having a ten year old brother (Tetsu Mizuno) with incestuous feelings toward her. By the time the blazing finale arrives, we feel we've been put through the wringer too. Bizarre but worthwhile, after all, it IS Suzuki. With Joe Shishido and Koji Wada.

Lo Spettro (aka The Ghost) (1963)

In turn of the century Scotland, a young wife (Barbara Steele) conspires with her lover (Peter Baldwin) to murder her wealthy paralyzed husband (Elio Jotta). But when the dead spouse's spirit returns, she begins to unravel. Directed by Riccardo Freda (I VAMPIRI). Freda had directed Steele and Baldwin in THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK the year before. I didn't much care for HICHCOCK and I found this Italian Gothic horror a much more accomplished film. Rich in atmosphere and superior costumes and art direction, it has the flair of the Roger Corman Poe movies he did for American International in the 1960s. The transfer I watched was newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative (shown at last year's Venice film festival) and it looked terrific. With Harriet Medin and Umberto Raho.

Listen, Darling (1938)

A young girl (Judy Garland) and her best pal (Freddie Bartholomew) will do anything to stop her widowed mother (Mary Astor) from entering a loveless marriage with the town's fuddy duddy banker (Gene Lockhart) ... including kidnapping her! Directed by Edwin L. Marin (TALL IN THE SADDLE). Corny as Kansas in August but perfectly delightful! It's all such nonsense but so likable that you just go with the flow. Garland sings a few songs including the lovely Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart which became one of the standards in her repertoire. Alas, talented young Freddie Bartholomew (just 14 years old here) never made the transition from child to adult star which is a pity. With Walter Pidgeon, Alan Hale and Scotty Beckett.

Levity (2003)

A convicted murderer (Billy Bob Thornton) is unexpectedly released from prison after serving a 22 year sentence for killing a convenience store clerk (Luke Robertson) in a failed robbery attempt. Haunted by his past, he is drawn to the sister (Holly Hunter) of the boy he killed. Directed by writer Ed Solomon (BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE) in his only directorial effort. Every once in awhile, I come across a good movie that was dismissed by the critics, movie audiences and even the studio (in this case Sony Classics) and I have to wonder why. I found this a potent drama about a killer looking for redemption both moving and absorbing. Yes, it was a bit heavy handed at times but its sincerity and commitment and four excellent performances more than compensate for its shortcomings. In addition to Thornton and Hunter, there's Morgan Freeman as Thornton's mentor with a dark secret of his own and Kirsten Dunst as a self destructive young woman. Worth seeking out. With Dorian Harewood, Catherine Colvey and Geoffrey Wigdor.

Happy Land (1943)

An Iowa pharmacist (Don Ameche) becomes embittered when his son's (Richard Crane) life is cut short during WWII. The spirit of his grandfather (Harry Carey) guides him on a journey of discovery and reconciliation so he make peace with his son's death. Based on the novel by MacKinlay Kantor and directed by Irving Pichel (DESTINATION MOON). Crikey, is this WWII home front drama drenched in a thick dose of treacle. I can understand why movies like this were important for wartime audiences but they don't hold up well at all today. It's just too obvious and awash in sentimentality for an America that probably never existed outside of books and movies. It makes one appreciate a well done home front WWII drama like MRS. MINIVER all the more. With Frances Dee, Ann Rutherford, Cara Williams, Harry Morgan and Mary Wickes.

The Winning Of Barbara Worth (1926)

The adopted daughter (Vilma Banky) of a rancher (Charles Willis Lane) who dreams of turning their desert town into a farmland is pursued by two men: the son (Ronald Colman) of a devious land developer (E.J. Ratcliffe) and a shy cowboy (Gary Cooper). Based on the novel by Harold Bell Wright and directed by Henry King (LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING). A slightly creaky mixture of western romance and action movie. Ronald Colman seems an odd choice for a western but this is a silent movie so his clipped English accent isn't heard. Colman is the star and Cooper is the young newcomer so there's never any doubt who the heroine will end up with. The highlight of the movie is the massive flood finale and it's handled beautifully. Unfortunately, the transfer I saw had one of those godawful solo organ scores instead of a full orchestra. With Paul McAllister and Clyde Cook.

Belles On Their Toes (1952)

Set in the 1920s. After the death of her husband, a female engineer (Myrna Loy) struggles to make a living to support her twelve children. Male chauvinism against women in the industry makes it difficult for her to get work. Based on the semi autobiographical book by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and directed by Henry Levin (WHERE THE BOYS ARE). The first book by the Gilbreth brother and sister CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN was made into a hit movie in 1950 so it was inevitable that the second book which continued the story of the Gilbreth family would get made into a film too. It's a bland wholesome family movie with the thinnest of plots. In the 1950 movie, the father was played by Clifton Webb and his acidity is sorely missed in this sequel. The second installment is inoffensive but not much else. If you're a fan of the first movie, your tolerance for this one might get you by. With Jeanne Crain, Jeffrey Hunter, Debra Paget, Edward Arnold, Barbara Bates, Martin Milner, Robert Arthur, Verna Felton and Hoagy Carmichael.

The Case Of The Notorious Nun (1986)

A young priest (Timothy Bottoms) brought in by an archbishop (William Prince) to look for signs of embezzlement in the archdiocese is found stabbed in his hotel room. A young nun (Michele Greene) is accused of the murder. The archbishop asks his old friend Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to defend her. Directed by Ron Satlof (PERRY MASON RETURNS). The second of the thirty Perry Mason movies made in the 1980s long after the television series ended in 1966. It's a decent murder mystery hampered by the unsympathetic nun suspect being exceedingly irritating, a fact that is acknowledged in the telefilm. The movie seems somewhat padded out. The original PERRY MASON episodes were an hour in length and by expanding it to 90 minutes, some of the scenes seem superfluous. With Arthur Hill, Barbara Parkins, Tom Bosley, Barbara Hale, William Katt, Jon Cypher and Gerald S. O'Laughlin.