Lassie Come Home (1943)

Set in depression era England, a family is hit by hard times and are forced to sell their dog Lassie (Pal) much to the distress of their young son (Roddy McDowall). The dog goes with its new owner (Nigel Bruce) to Scotland but he escapes and begins the long trek back to England and the boy he adores. Based on the novel by Eric Knight and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (FORBIDDEN PLANET). One of the greatest animal movies ever made and if you don't tear up at the finale, well ..... something's lacking in you! You don't have to be an animal lover to enjoy this moving film and it's a perfect family film that doesn't hoke it up for the children and condescend to the adults. Lassie's adventures on the way home include two emotionally charged sequences: the brief respite with an elderly couple (Dame May Whitty, Ben Webster) and his interval with a traveling tinker (Edmund Gwenn) and his pooch. A huge hit that spawned six sequels in the 1940s alone. With Elizabeth Taylor (only 11 years old but already well on her way to becoming a legendary beauty), Donald Crisp, Elsa Lanchester and Alan Napier.

The Flintstones (1994)

Set in the Stone Age, Fred Flintstone (John Goodman) mistakenly becomes an executive at Slate & Company after his buddy Barney (Rick Moranis) switches their test scores. What Fred doesn't know is that his boss (Kyle MacLachlan) is setting him up to take the fall for an embezzlement scheme. Based on the 1960s animated televison series and directed by Brian Levant (JINGLE ALL THE WAY). This is fun for maybe the first 20 minutes as we see how the film makers are translating the TV cartoon show to the live action format but the novelty wears off very quickly and what we get is a visually impressive movie in search of a decent script. Still, audiences seemed to like it enough to make it a box office hit and a sequel followed six years later with a different cast. With Elizabeth Taylor (in her last theatrical feature film), Halle Berry, Rosie O'Donnell, Elizabeth Perkins, Jonathan Winters, Jay Leno, Laraine Newman and the B-52s.

浮草 (aka Floating Weeds) (1959)

A traveling troupe of actors arrive in a provincial town where the leader of the group (Nakamura Ganjiro) has an ex-mistress (Haruko Sugimura) who has raised their son (Hiroshi Kawaguchi), now grown, without the son ever knowing who is father is. Matters become complicated when his current mistress (Machiko Kyo) finds out and in a fit of spite urges another actress (Ayako Wakao) from the troupe to seduce the son. Directed by Yasujiro Ozu (TOKYO STORY). This is a color (Ozu's third) remake of Ozu's silent film STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS (1934). The narrative follows the original film extremely close but many consider it superior to the 1934 movie. While I think it's a marvelous film, I found it veered toward excessive sentimentality toward the film's final moments. But it's a wonderful looking film thanks to Kazuo Miyagawa's lovely cinematography utilizing Eastman color and the performances are excellent. With Hitomi Nozoe and Chisu Ryu.

Love That Brute (1950)

Set in 1928 Chicago, a big shot gangster (Paul Douglas) with a soft heart falls in love with a child care worker (Jean Peters), who doesn't realize he's a mobster. So he pretends to be a widower with two young children in an attempt to woo her. Directed by Alexander Hall (HERE COMES MR. JORDAN). This is a remake of TALL, DARK AND HANDSOME (1941). A lightweight but agreeable slice of entertainment that goes down easily even if its stale plot doesn't offer up anything fresh or original. There's a Runyonesque feel to the narrative especially in the supporting characters of cops, mobsters and molls. With Cesar Romero (who played the lead in the original 1941 movie), Keenan Wynn, Joan Davis, Jay C. Flippen, Arthur Treacher, Kenneth Tobey and Anthony George.

The Slime People (1963)

A group of subterranean reptile men (referred to as the slime people) rise from their depths and invade Los Angeles. They create a wall of solidified fog around the city to prevent its citizens from escaping. Directed by actor Robert Hutton (THE RACKET) in his only movie as a director. Jaw dropping bad! One can't even call it a B movie, it goes straight to Z movie. Stunt men in rubber reptile suits stumbling around excessive fog (the fog machine overdoing it). Are you scared yet? Add the bad acting and inept script and you get a stinker that only connoisseurs of bad movies could love. With Hutton doubling as leading man, Susan Hart, Les Tremayne, William Boyce and Judee Morton.

The Turn Of The Screw (1974)

A governess (Lynn Redgrave) is hired by the guardian (John Barron) of two orphaned children (Jasper Jacob, Eva Griffith) to tend them in the country manor where they reside. Once there, she believes the estate is haunted by the spirits of a former governess (Kathryn Leigh Scott) and her lover (James Laurenson). Her pursuit of the truth leads her to the brink of insanity. Based on the novella by Henry James and directed by Dan Curtis (DARK SHADOWS). Henry James' classic ghost story has been made into films, TV shows, stage plays and even an opera. Perhaps, the definitive version is Jack Clayton's 1961 film version called THE INNOCENTS with Deborah Kerr as the governess. This version done for television is surprisingly good with a solid performance by Lynn Redgrave. Shot on videotape instead of film, it doesn't look particularly good but that is compensated by the quality of the performances and the sense of dread created by director Dan Curtis. With Megs Jenkins (repeating the role of the housekeeper she played in the 1961 film), Anthony Langdon and Benedict Taylor.

The Barbarian (1933)

An Egyptian gigolo (Ramon Novarro) sets his sights on a British socialite (Myrna Loy) recently arrived in Cairo. So he steals her dog and later "finds" it and returns it to her to get in her favor. He continues to pursue her even though she is engaged to another man (Reginald Denny). Based on the 1911 play THE ARAB by by Edgar Selwyn and directed by Sam Wood (A NIGHT AT THE OPERA). Apparently in the 1920s and early 30s, it was every woman's dream to be carried off to an oasis and ravished by a sheik hence the popularity of Rudolph Valentino's sheik films and movies like this! Alas, this scenario doesn't play well in the 21st century. I found it downright offensive as Novarro's Arabian gigolo/prince degrades Loy (in the desert, he rides while she walks and when they reach an oasis, he insists his horse then he drink water before her). But, of course, in the end they ride off happily into the sunset together! Novarro is billed above the title and Loy below the title but their cinematic fortunes would soon change as Novarro's popularity took a nose dive in the mid thirties while Loy would join the Hollywood A list a year later with THE THIN MAN. With C. Aubrey Smith, Edward Arnold, Louise Closser Hale and Hedda Hopper.

The Crooked Way (1949)

After receiving a head wound in combat, a decorated WWII veteran (John Payne) has a permanent case of amnesia. With no idea of his former life, he moves back to Los Angeles where he lived with the hope that he might find people who can tell him who he is or rather was. Based on the play NO BLADE TOO SHARP by Robert Monroe and directed by Robert Florey (MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE). Just two years previously, there was another ex-soldier returns from the war with amnesia movie, SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT (1947) so this film suffers from deja vu. It also suffers from the contrivance of having Payne return to a large city like Los Angeles and bingo! He's meeting people from his past left and right on the day he arrives! If you can get past that "coincidence", there's a lot to enjoy for noir fans. Notably, the excellent B&W cinematography of John Alton (THE BIG COMBO). Filmed on the streets of L.A. rather than a studio, it adds a touch of realism. With Ellen Drew, Sonny Tufts, Rhys Williams, Percy Helton and John Doucette.

Roofman (2025)

A former Army Ranger and struggling father (Channing Tatum) turns to robbing McDonald's restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname, Roofman. After being sentenced to prison, he escapes and lives undetected inside a Toys"R" Us. Directed by Derek Cianfrance (BLUE VALENTINE). The saying "truth is stranger than fiction" applies here. This is based on the life of Jeffrey Manchester, a criminal caught in 2005 and currently serving time in prison with a projected release date of 2036. If I didn't know it was a true story, I'd more than likely call the narrative preposterous! Clearly, the "Roofman" definitely has some psychological problems and as played by Tatum, he doesn't disguise them but Tatum's likability gives the Roofman some charm. A quirky, offbeat crime comedy with a poignant romance (Kirsten Dunst as a single mother raising two daughters) at its center. With LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Peter Dinklage, Ben Mendelsohn and Uzo Aduba.

Flight Of The Lost Balloon (1961)

Set in 1878, a young explorer (Marshall Thompson) sets off to Africa in a hot air balloon in search of a missing explorer (Douglas Kennedy). He is accompanied by the missing explorer's fiancee (Mala Powers) and a Hindu guide (James Lanphier). "Inspired" by FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON by Jules Verne (although the film doesn't credit Verne) and directed by Nathan Juran (THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD). Shot in 10 days in Puerto Rico, the location is the only attractive thing about the movie. The special effects are shoddy, the African natives are portrayed as superstitious "ooga booga" savages, we have men in obvious gorilla suits, etc. The characters are supposed to be British but are played by American actors who don't even bother with an English accent. With Robert W. Gillette and Felipe Birrie.

Rebel In Town (1956)

Post Civil War, a group of ex-Confederate soldiers enter a town where one of them (John Smith) accidentally kills a child (Bobby Clark). The soldiers flee the town but the boy's father (John Payne) is bent on revenge. Directed by Alfred L. Werker (ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES). Westerns were prolific in the 1950s, both in cinemas and on television. So popular that there were a lot of B westerns. Every once in awhile, you'll come across a western that transcends its B roots, this is one of them. It's not a great western but a solid and efficient one with a strong narrative and complex characters. The only negative (and it's a minor one) is a dreadful title song played over the credits. With Ruth Roman, J. Carrol Naish, Ben Cooper, Ben Johnson and James Griffith.

Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

Set in 1920s Manhattan, an idealistic young playwright (John Cusack) will do anything necessary to get his first Broadway play produced. So when a notorious mobster (Joe Viterelli) backs his play with the condition his untalented mistress (Jennifer Tilly) get a part in the play, he agrees. Written and directed by Woody Allen (ANNIE HALL). One of Allen's best liked films, both critically and commercially. He's not in this one, instead with have John Cusack as his stand in. Fortunately, unlike many actors who stand in for Allen (like Kenneth Branagh in CELEBRITY), Cusack doesn't mimic Allen's tics and verbal mannerisms. But Cusack's playwright isn't the most interesting character in the film. Far more fun are Dianne Wiest (in an Oscar winning performance) as a vain aging actress, Tilly as a shrill untalented actress (one can't help but think of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN's Lina Lamont) and Chazz Palminteri as a thug who finds he has a talent for writing. There's a moral question at its core, similar to CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS, but unlike that movie, not to be dwelled on with much seriousness. With Mary Louise Parker, Jack Warden, Jim Broadbent, Tracey Ullman, Rob Reiner, Harvey Fierstein, Debi Mazar, Edie Falco and Benay Venuta.