Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)

Set in Hawaii, a charter boat skipper (Elvis Presley) wants to buy the boat he works on but the owner (Jeremy Slate) is asking a steep $10,000 price for it. He attempts to work off the asking price but meanwhile, he has girl trouble from a nightclub singer (Stella Stevens) and a rich girl (Laurel Goodwin). Directed by Norman Taurog (GIRL CRAZY). A tedious and mindless Elvis musical with the thinnest of plots. Some of the songs (but not all) are pretty good and Presley got one of his biggest hit records from the movie, Return To Sender. Elvis fans made it a box office hit but for the rest of us, it's a slog. Almost all the characters are annoying or unpleasant and I felt sorry for poor Stella Stevens stuck with the bitter and bitchy other woman role. The movie has some uncomfortable Chinese stereotypes, too. You have to be a diehard Presley fan to enjoy this one. With Robert Strauss, Benson Fong and Beulah Quo.

Riders Of The Purple Sage (1996)

Set in a closed religious community, a proud homesteader (Amy Madigan) is being pressured to marry a man (Norbert Weisser) she doesn't love. As the town turns against her, a mysterious gunman (Ed Harris) offers her protection. Based on the novel by Zane Grey and directed by actor (ALTERED STATES) turned director Charles Haid. Originally made for television, This is a western that's good enough that you wish it were better. In the original novel, the closed religious community is Mormon but that's been changed here to an unnamed religion for obvious reasons. This is the fifth film version (1918, 1925, 1931, 1941) of the Zane Grey novel and I wish it had a stronger screenplay and a more creative director. Filmed in Utah (including Monument Valley), it would have benefited from being shot in wide screen scope too. On the plus side, the performances by Harris and Madigan are strong. Maybe the sixth film version will do the novel justice. With Henry Thomas, Robin Tunney and G.D. Spradlin.

The Man Inside (1958)

A mild mannered jeweler's clerk (Nigel Patrick) steals a priceless diamond and kills a man in the process. He is pursued across Europe by two people: a private detective (Jack Palance) and a beautiful woman (Anita Ekberg) who claims the diamond belongs to her. Based on the novel by M.E. Chaber and directed by John Gilling (PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES). A decent enough international crime thriller that could have been so much better with a stronger script. The film focuses on the wrong man, Jack Palance's detective when it's Nigel Patrick's mild mannered clerk turned thief who's the most intriguing character but the screenplay doesn't give him any background and instead focuses on the detective's pursuit. With Anthony Newley, Donald Pleasence, Sid James and Anne Aubrey.

Artists And Models (1937)

An advertising bigwig (Jack Benny) is charged with choosing a queen for the yearly Artists And Models ball. He wants to make his girlfriend (Ida Lupino) the queen but his client (Richard Arlen) has other ideas. He wants a society type, not a professional model. Directed by Raoul Walsh (WHITE HEAT). A bland musical comedy whose sole distinction is casting Jack Benny as a romantic leading man. Benny's persona never translated well to flm, he seemed more suited for TV and radio. It's a failure as a musical and as a comedy. Two musical numbers compensate for the barely there formulaic plot: a lively dance number with Judy Canova and Ben Blue that accents their physical agility and a jazz number with Martha Raye and Louis Armstrong directed by Vincente Minnelli in his first Hollywood assignment. With Gail Patrick, Hedda Hopper and Cecil Cunningham.

یک تصادف ساده (aka It Was Just An Accident) (2025)

When a stranded driver (Ebrahim Azizi) walks into his shop, a mechanic (Vahid Mobasseri) believes he has come face to face with the notoriously brutal prison guard who tortured him during his political imprisonment. He sets out to take justice into his own hands ..... but does he have the right man? Written and directed by Jafar Panahi (NO BEARS). The winner of the Palme d'Or at last year's Cannes film festival and nominated for two Oscars, best screenplay and best international feature. Filmed in secret in Iran, It's a potent film that doesn't hide its political agenda. Although it has the thin veneer of a thriller, it still has the feel of a heavy handed diatribe. Frankly, I thought this type of subject was handled better by Roman Polanski's DEATH AND THE MAIDEN (1994) and that had a single set and only three actors to accomplish the same thing. I don't mean to detract from an excellent movie but it didn't hold me in its grip, it just had a sense of deja vu. With Mariam Afshari, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi and Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr.

The Phantom President (1932)

The presidential hopes of a charmless businessman (George M. Cohan) are dead on arrival until his political advisors hatch a desperate plan by hiring a look alike snake oil salesman (George M. Cohan) to impersonate him during the campaign. Based on the novel by George F. Worts and directed by Norman Taurog (BLUE HAWAII). A pre code musical political satire that hasn't worn well. The songs are by Rodgers and Hart and they're not among their best work. The film is notable as being one of the few films made by the legendary George M. Cohan (played by James Cagney in YANKEE DOODLE DANDY) and this was his first talkie and he made only one more movie after this one. It's all a little too obvious and pat to be really interesting and the film is a relic of its time. Cohan does a musical number in blackface, there's racial and ethnic stereotypes and when Jimmy Durante (as Cohan's right hand man) suspects a man might be homosexual, he tells him, "Swish, sister, swish!". With Claudette Colbert, Sidney Toler and George Barbier.

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

Near the Arctic Circle, an atomic bomb is detonated. This disturbs the sleep of a giant rhedosaurus (a fictional dinosaur) encased in ice for over 100 million years and sends it southward on a destructive, deadly rampage. Loosely based on the short story THE FOG HORN by Ray Bradbury and directed by Eugene Lourie (GORGO). A relatively low budget sci-fi movie that became a huge hit and a landmark (it was released one year before the Japanese GODZILLA) in the "giant creature on a rampage" genre of the 1950s. The legendary Ray Harryhausen created the special effects. Although critical response was lukewarm upon its original release, the film is now considered a classic in the creature feature genre. It's a tight, economical film that holds up very well. The creature is the star of the movie but among the human cast are Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, Kenneth Tobey, Donald Woods and Lee Van Cleef.

Цареубийца (aka The Assassin Of The Tsar) (1991)

A severe schizophrenic (Malcolm McDowell) in a dreary Soviet mental hospital is convinced that he's the assassin of two Tsars, Alexander II in 1881 and Nicholas II in 1918. The new head (Oleg Yankovskiy) of the hospital is determined to cure him of his madness. Inspired by the novella WARD NO. 6 by Anton Chekhov and directed by Karen Shakhnazarov (ZEROGRAD). Simultaneously shot in Russian and English versions (McDowell is dubbed in the Russian version), this is a complex and often frustrating film. The back and forth between the doctor and the schizophrenic is engaging and especially so when its the doctor and not the patient who begins to descend into insanity. The flashbacks into the assassination of Nicholas II (with Yankovskiy playing Nicholas II) are often intrusive and obvious. A good movie but alas, not good enough. With Armen Dzhigarkhanyan and Olga Antonova.

Toomorrow (1970)

A group of college students have a band that they hope will turn professional if they get the right break. Meanwhile, aliens from outer space kidnap them because they are intrigued by the band's synthesizer "tonalizer" that gives off life vibrations that their planet needs. Written and directed by Val Guest (THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE). A bizarre sci-fi pop musical (with generic pop songs) that seems rather silly today rather than 60s "groovy". Co-produced by Don Kirshner (a music producer who discovered Neil Diamond, Carole King, Kansas among others) and Harry Saltzman (producer of the James Bond movies) and notable as Olivia Newton John's film debut, some eight years before GREASE. Visually, it's quite colorful with brightly colored costumes and sets but rather innocuous when you compare it to earlier pop rock movies like HEAD with the Monkees or HELP! with the Beatles. After a one week run in London, the film was hit with an injunction (no one on the film had been paid) and except for a one time showing in Los Angeles, it hasn't been seen since its original release in 1970. It's been restored and looks marvelous but it's not a long lost jewel of a movie waiting to be rediscovered, it's a relic of its time. Still, if you're an Olivia Newton John fan (as I am), it's fun to see the pre stardom ONJ in the earliest stage of her career. With Benny Thomas, Roy Dotrice, Vic Cooper, Karl Chambers and Margaret Nolan.

Five And Ten (1931)

Thanks to his chain of five and dime stores, a small town businessman (Richard Bennett) becomes a wealthy magnate and he moves to New York with his wife (Irene Rich), son (Douglass Montgomery) and daughter (Marion Davies). But their newfound wealth just means they're nouveau riche to Manhattan society. Still, the daughter decides to steal a playboy (Leslie Howard) away from his fiancee (Mary Duncan). Based on the novel by Fannie Hurst (IMITATION OF LIFE) and directed by Robert Z. Leonard (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE). What begins as an interesting pre code melodrama stagnates midway as it goes around in circles until it limps to its hokey "tied neatly in a ribbon" finale. Davies and Howard work well together although sympathy for Davies' situation is hampered by her unethical and deliberate scheme to steal another woman's fiance. With Theodore Von Eltz and Henry Armetta.

The Garden Of Eden (1928)

A young girl (Corinne Griffith) leaves for Budapest where she hopes to find fame as an opera singer. Instead, she ends up working as a chorus girl in a notorious cabaret. The cabaret's costume seamstress (Louise Dresser) takes her under her wing and they head to Monte Carlo. Based on the play by Rudolf Bernauer and Rudolf Osterreicher and directed by Lewis Milestone (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT). A rather wearisome romantic comedy with Corinne Griffith playing a variation of Cinderella and Louise Dresser playing her "fairy godmother". Griffith is as cute as a button but that can carry the storyline only so far before the tediousness sets in. The movie originally contained a Technicolor dream sequence but that seems to have been lost to time. With Lowell Sherman, Charles Ray and Maude George.

Man With The Gun (1955)

When a gunfighter (Robert Mitchum) rides into town, the only thing he's looking for is the woman (Jan Sterling) he once loved. But what he finds is a town in trouble and he is hired by the townspeople as a "town tamer" to get rid of a brutal land baron (Joe Barry). Based on the short story THE DEADLY PEACEMAKER by N.B. Stone Jr. and directed by Richard Wilson (RAW WIND IN EDEN). A minor but very good addition to the western genre. We know where it's going because its narrative isn't all that original. The town that hires a gunfighter to get rid of the bad guys but turn on him when he gets the job done because he is a reminder of their cowardice and guilt in the way it was done. But it's done so skillfully that I didn't mind the retread plot. Western fans should enjoy this one. There's a nice score by Alex North (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE) that elevates the movie. With Angie Dickinson, Karen Sharpe, Barbara Lawrence, John Lupton, Ted De Corsia, Claude Akins, James Westerfield and Maidie Norman.