The Gentle Gunman (1952)

Set in England and Ireland during WWII, a member (John Mills) of the Irish Republican Army questions the ruthless methods employed by the IRA like bombing crowded London underground stations. His brother (Dirk Bogarde), also an IRA member, considers him a traitor. Based on the play by Roger MacDougall (who adapted his play for the screen) and directed by Basil Dearden (KHARTOUM). An agreeable drama with thriller trimmings that can't quite sustain itself to its end but the journey there is very solid. The movie bounces back and forth between the British and Irish viewpoints of the conflict in an effort to be fair but only superficially. Basil Dearden directs with confidence and the acting is quite good. Thumbs up to Gordon Dines' (SECRET PEOPLE) conspicuous (in a good sense) cinematography. With Elizabeth Sellars, Robert Beatty, Barbara Mullen, Eddie Byrne and Jack MacGowran.

Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968)

On a cross country trip from Pennsylvania to California, a mother superior (Rosalind Russell) must not only once again deal with high spirited schoolgirls but with a young and non conventional progressive nun (Stella Stevens). Directed by James Neilson (THE MOON SPINNERS). A sequel to the 1966 movie, THE TROUBLE WITH ANGELS. More enjoyable than it has a right to be. The movie was on the borderline between traditional mainstream "wholesome" family comedies and the "new" Hollywood films that pushed the envelope (EASY RIDER, MIDNIGHT COWBOY, BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE) that would come the next year. In that regard, it's a bit of a relic. Still, it has it charms, however conventional. If you enjoyed TROUBLE WITH ANGELS, you should enjoy this. If you didn't, obviously you wouldn't bother. With Robert Taylor, Van Johnson, Susan Saint James, Milton Berle, Binnie Barnes, Mary Wickes, William Lundigan and Arthur Godfrey.

Endless Love (1981)

Set in Chicago, a 17 year old boy (Martin Hewitt) and a 15 year old girl (Brooke Shields) fall in love. When her father (Don Murray) refuses to let the boy see his daughter, the teenage boy sets their house on fire. Based on the novel by Scott Spencer and directed by Franco Zeffirelli (ROMEO AND JULIET). This is one sick movie! Spencer's dark novel about obsessive love and its psychotic and unhinged teenage boy's obsession with a 15 year old girl is turned into a sappy tale of "true" love between teens and how a conventional society attempts to destroy that "true" love. In 1968, Zeffirelli's version of Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET turned it into a teen fantasy. In that movie, Zeffirelli discreetly gazed over Leonard Whiting's nude body but in the more permissive 1981, he doesn't hold back and lovingly lingers over Hewitt's nude body till Zeffirelli's own obsession takes over! Zeffirelli's romanticization of the book's dangerous love into a conventional teenage love story makes one wonder if he understood the novel. As an actor, Hewitt is a pretty boy cipher and his career went nowhere until he quit acting altogether. With Tom Cruise, Shirley Knight, Richard Kiley, Beatrice Straight and Penelope Milford.

The Castilian (1963)

Set in 10th century Spain, the film follows the saga of Fernan Gonzalez (Espartaco Santoni) of Castile, a nobleman whose guerrilla warfare attempts to drive the Moors out of Spain. Inspired by the epic poem POEMA DE FERNAN GONZALEZ (author unknown) and directed by Javier Seto (BREAD, LOVE AND ANDALUSIA). A wannabe epic that attempts to recreate the success of EL CID (1961) without any success. It's a Spanish movie with some international names cast in supporting roles to help insure marketability outside Spain. The leads are Espartaco Santoni and Tere Velazquez and their conflicted romance is an imitation of the conflicted romance at the heart of EL CID but alas, they are no Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren as either actors or stars. The jumbled battle sequences are a mess. The U.S. version is about ten minutes shorter than the international cut. With Broderick Crawford, Cesar Romero, Alida Valli and Frankie Avalon as a balladeer who sings the narration for the film.

Mother Didn't Tell Me (1950)

A young woman (Dorothy McGuire) sets her sight on a doctor to marry. But when she marries the doctor (William Lundigan) of choice, she finds her romanticized view of being a doctor's wife unrealistic and marital problems surface. Based on the novel THE DOCTOR WEARS THREE FACES by Mary Bard and directed by Claude Binyon (HERE COME THE GIRLS). This comedy backfires because it miscalculates the appeal of its heroine. Dorothy McGuire is a lovely actress with dignity and charm but here she plays an immature wife whose fantasies about being a doctor's wife clashes with the reality of the situation and her resentment about his duties that occupy so much of his time which she feels should be devoted to her. All the sympathy goes to her doctor husband for putting up with such a selfish brat. With Gary Merrill, June Havoc, Jessie Royce Landis, Leif Erickson and Joyce MacKenzie.

Don Juan (1926)

The notorious lover Don Juan (John Barrymore) pursues his conquests with a rakish abandon. But when he glimpses the virginal Adriana (Mary Astor), he finds true love. But there's a problem. A confidant (Montagu Love) of the Borgia family also has eyes for her. Inspired by the 1821 epic poem by Lord Byron and directed by Alan Crosland (THE JAZZ SINGER). A romantic swashbuckler that I found heavy handed and overlong. As Don Juan, Barrymore shows why he was a silent movie idol with a strong screen presence and some panache in his performance. But combining the Don Juan legend with the machinations of the Borgia family makes for a bloated movie. The film was a huge hit though. The film is notable for being the first silent film with a synchronized musical score and sound effects. With Warner Oland, Estelle Taylor, Myrna Loy, Hedda Hopper and Josef Swickard.

Primrose Path (1940)

A teenage girl (Ginger Rogers) is the daughter of a mother (Marjorie Rambeau in an Oscar nominated performance) who supports her squalid family as a prostitute. The girl marries an upstanding young man (Joel McCrea) but keeps her mother's lifestyle a secret. Based on the novel FEBRUARY HILL by Victoria Lincoln (by way of a stage adaptation by Robert H. Buckner and Walter Hart) and directed by Gregory La Cava (STAGE DOOR). How this racy scenario escaped the wrath of the Hays code, I'll never know. I'm not familiar with the source material, either the book or the play, but apparently this film version is faithful to neither. Once again, the 29 year old Rogers is unconvincing as a teenager but after her character marries, she matures rapidly and Rogers is okay after that. The possibilities of the narrative are never satisfactorily executed and the ending is phony. The most interesting characters aren't the two leads but the prostitute mother (Rambeau) and her bitch of a mother (Queenie Vassar), who may have been responsible for pushing her daughter into prostitution. With Henry Travers, Miles Mander and Joan Carroll.

The Beast Of The City (1932)

A police captain (Walter Huston) is not above fighting violence with violence. His brutal methods cause him to be demoted for political reasons. Meanwhile, his brother (Wallace Ford), also a cop, is seduced by a mobster's mistress (Jean Harlow). Directed by Charles Brabin (THE MASK OF FU MANCHU). A most unusual movie to come from MGM, this was the kind of violent gangster flick that usually emanated from Warner Brothers. In fact, Louis B. Mayer relegated it to the second half of MGM's double features. There are no heroes in this movie. Huston's police captain is brutal in his methods and he's a bit of a racist, too. He refers to a character as "one of the greatest white men I've ever known" and refers to an Italian mobster as "greasy". The bloodbath finale at the end of the film sees all the major characters dead! As the film's gold digging femme fatale, Jean Harlow steals every scene she's in and began her reign as MGM's platinum blonde! With Jean Hersholt, J. Carrol Naish, Dorothy Peterson and Nate Pendleton.

The Brotherhood Of The Bell (1970)

A university professor (Glenn Ford) learns that an elite society he joined as an undergraduate is really a sinister organization that seizes wealth and power for its members through nefarious practices. After refusing an order from the Brotherhood, he finds himself increasingly isolated as he tries to expose the organization. Based on the novel by David Karp and directed by Paul Wendkos (THE MEPHISTO WALTZ). For the first hour, this is a very good conspiracy thriller. It creates an atmosphere of paranoia that grows in intensity until you become unsure if Ford's protagonist is a victim of a conspiracy or if he's mentally unhinged. Alas, it unravels in the movie's last 20 minutes or so. It doesn't entirely fall apart but it goes enough off the rails to make it do some damage. Previously filmed for television in 1958. With Rosemary Forsyth, Maurice Evans, Dean Jagger, Dabney Coleman, William Conrad, Eduard Franz and Robert Pine.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)

A man (Sam Rockwell) claiming to be from the future recruits an unlikely group of diner patrons to join him in a daring attempt to save mankind from the perils of social media brain rot and the impending AI apocalypse. Directed by Gore Verbinski (THE MEXICAN). If THE TERMINATOR and EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE had a baby, it might look like this! Gore Verbinski's first film in ten years is a humdinger of an inventive science fiction action comedy. Its high concept takes awhile to get off the ground (its first 20 minutes or so are shaky) but when it does, it soars. A cinematic rollercoaster ride that you would be foolish to pass up. With Juno Temple, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Pena, Zazie Beetz, Asim Chaudhry and Tom Taylor.

First Love (1970)

Set in 19th century Russia, a 16 year old boy (John Moulder Brown) falls in love with the enigmatic beauty (Dominique Sanda) who lives next door. He isn't the only one however as she has many suitors. Based on the novella by Ivan Turgenev and directed by actor Maximilian Schell (who plays the father in the film), who also wrote the screenplay. It's an attractive looking film thanks to the great Sven Nykvist (CRIES AND WHISPERS) but Schell's adaptation of Turgenev is turgid. Its sluggish pacing aside, director Schell doesn't provide us with any sense of youthful passion or the genuine ache of loving someone you can never have. As the boy, John Moulder Brown broods nicely but the ardor isn't there, it's barely puppy love. The film has one of the worst scores (attributed to Mark London) that I've ever heard! With Valentina Cortese, Marius Goring, Dandy Nichols and John Osborne (yes, the playwright).

The Affairs Of Annabel (1938)

Since in her next movie, she'll play a maid, a studio publicity man (Jack Oakie) arranges for a movie star (Lucille Ball) to go undercover as a maid in a real household to get publicity for the film. But everything backfires on the stunt. Directed by Benjamin Stoloff (THE LADY AND THE MOB). A fast paced, fast talking comedy that's undercut by rather stupid characters doing stupid things that are more irritating than funny. The film's main premise has Oakie's publicity man getting Ball's actress in hot water by continually putting her in crazy situations. Ball's Annabel is supposed to be savvy so why does she constantly agree to these crazy publicity stunts that don't work out? Why does Oakie continually do them when they don't work out? On the plus side, Ball proves early in her career that she was an ace comedienne long before TV's I LOVE LUCY. RKO had enough confidence in it that they already had a sequel in the works before this was even released. With Ruth Donnelly, Bradley Page, Elisabeth Risdon, Thurston Hall, Fritz Feld and Madame Sul Te Wan.