The Thief Of Bagdad (1940)

When Prince Ahmad (John Justin) is blinded and cast out of Bagdad by the nefarious Jaffar (Conrad Veidt), he joins forces with the scrappy thief Abu (Sabu) to win back the royal palace, as well as the heart of a beautiful princess (June Duprez). Directed by Ludwig Berger, Tim Whelan and Michael Powell. One of the best movie fantasies ever made. Ludwig Berger was the original director but producer Alexander Korda was unhappy with his work so he brought in Michael Powell, who eventually had to leave due to another commitment and Tim Whelan brought in to finish the film. The film won Oscars for best cinematography (Georges Perinal), art direction (Vincent Korda) and special effects. Handsomely shot in Technicolor, the film was a pioneer in its technical aspects and though those aspects are perhaps too obvious by 21st century standards, the film holds up as a grand entertainment. Sabu is delightful as the spirited thief of the title, June Duprez is perfectly cast as the beautiful princess with only John Justin lacking as the prince. He's handsome enough but he lacks personality and charisma. With the imposing Rex Ingram as the genie, Miles Malleson, Mary Morris and Adelaide Hall.

Secret Agent Of Japan (1942)

Set in Shanghai prior to Pearl Harbor, an apoliticial nightclub owner (Preston Foster) with a mysterious past has no allegiance to anyone but himself. But he unwillingly becomes involved in espionage when he gains access to information that the Japanese government wants at any price including torture and murder. Enter an allied spy (Lynn Bari) to complicate matters further. Directed by Irving Pichel (THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME). Yet another WWII propaganda piece but with a difference. This one is very entertaining as it (mostly) spares the jingoism and concentrates on the action. It's a B movie but if it was an A picture, he would have starred actors like Humphrey Bogart and Ann Sheridan, it's that good. It's an invigorating above average slice of WWII propaganda with good acting and director Pichel keeps it moving forward at a rapid pace. With Janis Carter, Steven Geray and Victor Sen Yung.

Mississippi (1935)

Set in the Old South, a gentleman (Bing Crosby) loses his honor and the respect of his fiancee (Gail Patrick) after he refuses to engage in a duel. After taking a singing job on a riverboat, he must learn to regain his confidence with the help of a quirky captain (W.C. Fields). Based on the novel MAGNOLIA by Booth Tarkington (THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS) and directed by A. Edward Sutherland (THE INVISIBLE WOMAN). The third version of the Tarkington novel (previously filmed in 1924 and 1929). A mess of a movie! It's a musical with songs by the great Rodgers and Hart but none of the songs are memorable and the film reeks of a glamorized Old South which Hollywood seemed enamored of in the 1930s and 40s. Black people are referred to as "darkies" and their children as "pickaninnies", get the picture? Obviously, I don't "get" W.C. Fields at all as I've never found him funny and I'm not a Crosby fan (at least, not without Bob Hope) so the movie was a slog for me to get through. The mixture of comedy with the code of the Old South (duels and all that nonsense) which is taken seriously doesn't jell well. With Joan Bennett, Queenie Smith and John Miljan.

South By Southwest (1997)

A young woman (Mel Harris) witnesses the murder of a government agent. Placed under FBI protection and using a pseudonym, she boards a train heading from Los Angeles to Florida. On the train, she shares a dinner with the renowned mystery writer, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). When she suddenly disappears, the writer is determined to solve the mystery. Directed by Anthony Shaw (MRS. ARRIS GOES TO PARIS). MURDER SHE WROTE ended 12 seasons in 1996 and its star Angela Lansbury did four movies featuring her character in the telefilm format. This one was the first. It's a decent murder mystery with a dash more paranoia and intrigue than the standard MSW episodes. Lansbury's Fletcher gets more involved in the physical action of the piece but if you're a fan of the series as I am, this is an acceptable offering. With Keith David, Elya Baskin, Harriet Sansom Harris and Ray Baker.

ブラザー (aka Brother) (2001)

After his clan is defeated in a criminal war with a rival family, a yakuza enforcer (Takeshi Kitano) flees to America. There, he reunites with his younger brother (Claude Maki), who sells drugs to make money. He then creates a gang of his younger brother and his African American friends to challenge a Mexican gang's turf. Written and directed by Takeshi Kitano (ZATOICHI). This was Kitano's first and only film made outside of Japan to date. It's in both Japanese and English. While Kitano's film making is skilled, taking a violent Yakuza style narrative out of Japan and placing it smack in the middle of Los Angeles just doesn't work. Having all the central gangsters played by Japanese, African Americans and Mexicans also leaves an uncomfortable taste. Kitano brings in the Mafia (Italians) near the end but they aren't given nearly as much time as the other ethnicities. The violence is overdone but without much style and becomes plodding after awhile. The whole enterprise feels "fish out of water". On the plus side, there's a terrific score by Joe Hisaishi which is very different from his scores for Hayao Miyazaki. With Omar Epps, Masaya Kato, James Shigeta and Tetsuya Watari.

Flight To Tangier (1953)

Set in Northwestern Morocco, five people at an airport are waiting for the same plane to arrive: a pilot (Jack Palance), an American woman (Joan Fontaine), a French woman (Corinne Calvet), a foreign agent (Robert Douglas) and an army colonel (Jeff Morrow). But when the plane arrives, it crashes and burst into flames. But there are no signs of any crew or passengers being on the plane! Directed by Charles Marquis Warren (SPRINGFIELD RIFLE). Originally shot in 3D but mostly released in a "flat" version due to the fading popularity of 3D movies. Though set in Morocco, interiors were filmed on the Paramount soundstages and exteriors shot in rural Southern California locations (and looks it). As a thriller, it's nondescript but serviceable if you go in with low (very low) expectations. Part of the narrative seems contrived but if you hang on till the very end, it's all explained satisfactorily. The kind of potboiler that serves to pass the time. With Murray Matheson and John Pickard.

The Cardboard Lover (1928)

A young American tourist (Marion Davies) visiting Monte Carlo befriends an international tennis champion (Nils Asther), who is trying to break off a relationship with an unfaithful mistress (Jetta Goudal). She offers to help him break off the toxic relationship by pretending to be his fiancee. Based on the play DANS SA CANDEUR NAIVE by Jacques Deval (and its American incarnation by Valerie Wyngate) and directed by Robert Z. Leonard (ZIEGFELD GIRL). 1928 was a banner year for Davies with three hits: SHOW PEOPLE, THE PATSY and this one. Not as well known as the first two, I found this romcom effort on the tedious side. Davies is supposed to be wacky and adorable but I just found her character irritating. We all know she's eventually going to end up with Asther (after all, she's the star of the picture) but she's such an obnoxious pest that you wonder why Asther bothers. The transfer I saw had one of those annoying organ scores so that didn't help matters either. The genders are switched from the play where it's a besotted man who attempts to free a woman from the clutches of her cruel lover. This reversed back to the play's intentions when MGM remade it in 1942. With De Segurola and Tenen Holtz.

The Phoenician Scheme (2025)

Set in 1950. During the final stages of a vast, decades-long, career defining business project, a ruthless and unscrupulous millionaire (Benicio Del Toro) survives a sixth assassination attempt and must appoint a successor: his long estranged daughter (Mia Threapleton) ..... a nun. Written and directed by Wes Anderson (MOONRISE KINGDOM). If you didn't know this was a Wes Anderson movie, you'd know it by the first frame of the film. Visually, the film is fantastic! Narratively, it's often confusing (I'm still not sure I understood what the Phoenician scheme is). If you're a fan of Anderson's work, you should find this a delight. Others may not be so charitable but I found its standard Anderson absurd quirkiness charming. Del Toro is excellent as are Threapleton (Kate Winslet's daughter) and Michael Cera as a Norwegian entomologist. The massive cast includes Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Riz Ahmed, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Hope Davis and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Lost Highway (1997)

A musician (Bill Pullman) is arrested and convicted for the murder of his wife (Patricia Arquette). While in prison, he mysteriously disappears and is replaced by a young man (Balthazar Getty) leading a different life. Directed by David Lynch (MULHOLLAND DRIVE). Perhaps the most underrated of Lynch's movies, it received mixed reviews and dismissed by most critics as incoherent (understandable). It has since been reevaluated and appreciated. The movie has been influenced by a variety of other films and is a surrealistic voyage but what does it all mean? Is it a horror movie? Film noir? A psychological thriller? I don't think it means anything other than an exercise in style and atmosphere so I didn't feel the need to try and connect the dots. Robert Blake's role as the "mystery man" seems even creepier now when several years later, he was arrested for the murder of his wife. While it may seem that Lynch is treading over familiar ground, the film's ominous atmosphere is beautifully constructed. With Robert Loggia, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Gary Busey and in his last film role, Richard Pryor.

Rififi (aka Du Rififi Chez Les Hommes) (1955)

Recently released from prison after serving five years in prison for a jewel heist, a criminal (Jean Servais) joins forces with three other men (Carl Mohner, Robert Manuel, Jules Dassin) in robbing an exclusive jewelry shop in Paris. Based on the novel by Auguste Le Breton and directed by Jules Dassin (TOPKAPI), who received the best director award at the Cannes film festival. Perhaps the granddaddy of heist movies, every heist movie that followed owes a bit to RIFIFI. The film is notable for its nearly thirty minute detailed heist sequence with no dialogue and no music score. Of course, as with all classic film noir, what seems like the perfect crime soon messily unravels. No stranger to noir in Hollywood (THE NAKED CITY, BRUTE FORCE) or London (NIGHT AND THE CITY), it seems fit that he would direct the ultimate French noir although he's an American. Gritty, stylish and atmospheric, a genuine classic of the genre. With Magali Noel, Marie Sabouret, Claude Sylvain and Robert Hossein.

Promises To Keep (1985)

Diagnosed with a life threatening illness, a Wyoming ranch foreman (Robert Mitchum) makes the trek to California for treatment. On the way, he decides to visit the family he deserted 30 years earlier, his wife (Claire Bloom) and son (Christopher Mitchum, Robert's son). Directed by Noel Black (PRETTY POISON). While you know exactly where a melodrama like this is going and in spite of the cliches involved, for most of its running time it's not bad at all. This is mostly due to Black's sensitive direction and strong performances by the iconic Mitchum and Claire Bloom who brings a depth of unstated emotions not in the writing. The film's last twenty minutes or so sink into a morass of banality that undermine the good that came before. There's a third Mitchum in the cast. Robert's grandson and Christopher's son Bentley Mitchum, who's pretty bad and doesn't appear to have inherited any of the Mitchum talent. The score by Michel Legrand helps things along. With Tess Harper and Paul Mantee.

Alex & The Gypsy (1976)

An aging bail bondsman (Jack Lemmon) stands bail for a gypsy (Genevieve Bujold) when she is accused of stabbing her husband. Even though they had an affair several years ago, he suspects she will skip out on him. Based on the novel THE BAILBONDSMAN by Stanley Elkin and directed by John Korty (THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN). Something happened to Jack Lemmon's acting in the 1970s and it continued through the rest of his career. He began intensely overacting. This often worked in his comedic roles like THE OUT OF TOWNERS and PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE but it was a mess in most of his dramatic roles and that included his Oscar winning turn in SAVE THE TIGER. When he was reined in, he could still be wonderful (CHINA SYNDROME, MISSING) but he's just awful here. I've not read the Elkin source material but it seems the film doesn't resemble it much nor the racist and misogynistic protagonist of that book. Bujold's character which is a major character in the film is an invention of the screenwriter, she's not in Elkin's book. The film is a mess and I've seen it described as a comedy ... you could have fooled me. A misguided misfire! With James Woods, Robert Emhardt and Eddra Gale.