Chisum (1970)

A land baron by the name of Chisum (John Wayne) is challenged by a greedy newcomer (Forrest Tucker) who is intent on taking over the town and eventually Chisum's land, too. This is pretty much a standard late John Wayne western entry, directed without much style by Andrew V. McLaglen (who directed five Wayne westerns). A tacky main title sequence accompanied by Merle Haggard singing the cheesy lyrics leaves you expecting the worst but while it's generic Wayne, it's nothing to be ashamed of. The most interesting aspect of the film is how it incorporates two actual western legends, Pat Garrett (Glenn Corbett) and Billy The Kid (Geoffrey Deuel), and has them meeting up here for the first time. McLaglen whips up an effective showdown between the "good" (though most of them are outlaws) guys and the bad guys in a standoff that lasts from the night to early morning. There is (at least for me) a disturbing cattle stampede sequence in which one can clearly see a cow falling over and being trampled on by the other cattle which appears to be accidental but still. The wide open vistas are nicely done by William H. Clothier and the unmemorable score is by Dominic Frontiere. The large cast includes Ben Johnson, Richard Jaeckel, Christopher George, Patric Knowles, Bruce Cabot, Andrew Prine, John Agar, Pamela McMyler and Lynda Day George.

The Devil At 4 O'Clock (1960)

On a small French island in the South Pacific, a failed priest (Spencer Tracy) is being relieved of his duties by a younger priest (Kerwin Mathews, 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD). But when the island's volcano shows signs of erupting, the priest is determined to save the residents of a children's hospital built in the path of the volcano. It's a race against time, as the last boat departs the island at 4 o'clock. An early entry in the disaster movie sweepstakes, most of the film is well done with decent special effects but one gets restless during the film's last minutes when it goes all religious faith on us as various characters prepare to meet their maker. Most of it was obviously shot on a Hollywood sound stage with some actual exterior shooting in Hawaii. Tracy, by this point in his career, had played enough priest parts that it's second nature to him. But Frank Sinatra, as a convict who assists Tracy in evacuating the hospital, does some nice character work. The first rate score is by George Duning (PICNIC). Directed by Mervyn LeRoy (MISTER ROBERTS). With Jean Pierre Aumont, Alexander Scourby, Bernie Hamilton, Barbara Luna, Gregoire Aslan, Marcel Dalio and Cathy Lewis.

Charlie Wilson's War (2007)

The fascinating true story of Texas congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) whose efforts, with the assistance of a CIA operative (Philip Seymour Hoffman in an Oscar nominated performance) and a wealthy socialite (Julia Roberts) provided support and weapons to Afghan rebels against the Soviets in the early 1980s. With generous doses of humor, director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin provide an unusual backdrop and assortment of characters than your usual Washington D.C. stories. Hanks' congressman is a womanizing boozer as well as recreational drug user while Roberts' politically motivated socialite is a hard drinking, born again Christian not above casually climbing into bed to get what she wants. The real Charlie Wilson (who died about three years after the film's release) had no objections to how he was portrayed, how could he? It was a matter of record. Though the film's end downplays the ramifications of our abandonment of Afghanistan (until 9/11 brought us back), the film is a perceptive yet irreverent look at covert politics and activities. With Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Ned Beatty and John Slattery.

Back Street (1941)

At the turn of the 20th century in small town America, a young woman (Margaret Sullavan) meets a young banker (Charles Boyer). They fall in love but through circumstances beyond their control are parted. Five years later, they meet again in New York City and even though he's now married, she becomes his mistress for the next 25 years. Directed by Robert Stevenson (MARY POPPINS), this second of the three film versions of the Fannie Hurst (IMITATION OF LIFE) novel is difficult to watch using contemporary mores and sensibilities. Sullavan's character seems to have no identity apart from her "career" as a mistress. I realize this is supposed to be very romantic, the idea of a woman so in love that she waits around for years for the man to make time for her and she's grateful for it! But the temptation to yell at her, "Dump him! Find someone who'll treat you right" is powerful. The 1961 remake remedied some of this by having the wife a shrew who wouldn't give him a divorce. Here, the wife is only briefly seen and doesn't know about the back street affair. Fortunately, Margaret Sullavan is one of those actresses with such a likable screen persona and presence that she makes a lot of the objections moot. The Oscar nominated score is by Frank Skinner who would do a much better score for the 1961 remake. With Tim Holt, Richard Carlson, Frank McHugh, Dorothy Adams and Esther Dale.

Happy Ever After (1954)

When a beloved benefactor (A.E. Matthews) of a small Irish village passes away, the town welcomes his nephew (David Niven) who inherited the estate. However, unlike his uncle, the money hungry nephew presses the townspeople for loans owed, rents unpaid and abandons institutions that his uncle underwrote. So, they decide to kill him. Directed by Mario Zampi, this amusing comedy with dark undertones might lay the Irish whimsy (even though it was filmed entirely in England) on a bit thick but it's so good natured in its deviltry that it's best to let it soak in. Niven seems to be having a wonderful time playing the heartless rogue and Yvonne De Carlo matches him as the glamorous, gold digging widow who returns to the village after her husband's death. The comedic finale where the village conspires to do Niven in by various methods (decapitation, scaring him to death, blowing him up) is deftly handled and full of chuckles. Directed by Mario Zampi. With Barry Fitzgerald, Noelle Middleton, Robert Urquhart, Michael Shepley and George Cole. Released in the U.S. under the title TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT.

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Five students: a jock (Emilio Estevez), a brainy nerd (Anthony Michael Hall), a popular "prom queen" (Molly Ringwald), a misfit (Ally Sheedy) and a "bad boy" (Judd Nelson) are thrown together at an early Saturday morning detention class. Though seemingly different, by the end of the day, they've opened up to each other and bonded. Arguably the best high school movie ever made, over 25 years later the film holds up surprisingly well. Although stereotypes defined by the exterior images they project, anyone who's ever been to high school knows these types exist and chances are were fit into one of the five. The director John Hughes (who also wrote the script) slightly panders to his demographic by stacking the deck. While the students are represented by the five different types, the one teacher we're provided with is a total jerk. I suspect to the 2012 teen audience, some of the film has a "you had to be there" quality to it. Specifically, the rebellious "bad boy" who seemed so cool in 1985 now comes across a uncouth bully. It doesn't help that he's played by the supremely untalented Judd Nelson. Fortunately, the other four actors ace it (Hall and Sheedy are pretty awesome) and the big confessional scene between the five is beautifully played out. There's simply no excuse for the phony as Hell ending. The MTV music video style montages date the film but the soundtrack is comprised of a terrific selection of mid 80s pop rock.

Never Take Sweets From A Stranger (1960)

An English family relocates to Canada where the father (Patrick Allen) has accepted a position as a school principal. However, when his 9 year old daughter (Janina Faye), along with her friend (Frances Green), is molested by an aging pedophile (Felix Aylmer), he finds himself an outsider as the town looks the other way as the pedophile is the patriarch of the town's most influential family. A film that can be truly called ahead of its time, this disturbing film is still shocking even though it was made over 50 years ago. Child sexual abuse wasn't as open or talked about in 1960 as it is today and the film's graphic depiction must have seemed sordid and unpleasant (it still is) to audiences back then. The scene where the defense lawyer harasses and twists the child's testimony in order to discredit her is quite abhorrent. Since this was a Hammer film, the film is at times an uneasy mixture of horror and social commentary. A scene where Aylmer (who doesn't speak a word in the entire film) chases the two little girls through the woods is right out of FRANKENSTEIN! Still, to the film's credit though some of it seems psychologically naive by today's standards, it follows its story to its dark conclusion rather than giving us a pat ending. Directed by Cyril Frankel from a play by Roger Garis. With Gwen Watford, Niall MacGinnis and Robert Arden (Welles' MR. ARKADIN). For its U.S. release, the word sweets was changed to candy.

Lisbon (1956)

An American smuggler (Ray Milland, who also directed) in Portugal is hired by a professional thief (Claude Rains), who in turn is being paid by a wealthy American woman (Maureen O'Hara) who has a trick or two up her sleeve, to smuggle the woman's elderly husband (Percy Marmont) out from behind the Iron Curtain. This amiable romantic thriller is reminiscent of those Warners exotic international capers that combined romance and action, think CASABLANCA or TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT but, of course, not as good. Still, it's a serviceable late show entry if you don't have high expectations. Rains, in particular, brings an urbane quality to his charming sadist (he kills birds with his tennis racket and feeds them to his cat). The handsome Portugal locations are shot by Jack Marta (CAT BALLOU) in a scope (2.35) format called Naturama. The score by Nelson Riddle incorporates his top 40 hit Lisbon Antigua as part of the underscore. With Yvonne Furneaux (LA DOLCE VITA), Francis Lederer and Jay Novello.

Les Deux Anglaises Et Le Continent (aka Two English Girls/Anne And Muriel) (1971)

At the turn of the century, a young Frenchman (Jean Pierre Leaud) meets a young English girl (Kika Markham) in Paris. She invites him to England to spend time with her mother (Sylvia Marriott) and sister (Stacey Tendeter) with the notion of playing matchmaker between him and her sister. Eventually, both sisters become romantically involved with him. Francois Truffaut directs this film based on the novel by Henri Pierre Roche which is a gender reversal of another Roche novel, JULES ET JIM (also made into a film by Truffaut) which had a woman in love with two men. The film suffers terribly in comparison to Truffaut's previous film. None of the characters are as fascinating or compelling as Jeanne Moreau's Catherine. Leaud, looking bewildered through it all, gives a stilted, passionless performance. Just what the two sisters see in him is lost on us. While the two actresses playing the sisters fare somewhat better, for a film about love and passion it's too analytical. Don't talk about it endlessly for over two hours, show us! Truffaut does the narration and the exquisite score is by Georges Delerue (who has a cameo as Leaud's business manager). With Philippe Leotard and David Markham (Kika's father, who played Jacqueline Bisset's husband in DAY FOR NIGHT).

Catchfire (aka Backtrack) (1990)

After suffering a blowout late at night on a freeway, a young artist (Jodie Foster) accidentally witnesses a mob hit. The head mobster (Joe Pesci) spots her but his men are ineffective in killing her. The mafia boss (Vincent Price) hires a professional hit man (Dennis Hopper, who also directed) to find and snuff out the girl but while pursuing her, the hit man becomes obsessed with her and wants to possess her. Hopper's original cut ran three hours and when the studio shaved it down to one hour and forty minutes against his wishes, he had his name removed and the film went out with the standard pseudonym of Alan Smithee (though the print I saw had Hopper's name as director). As is, the film has major gaps in the plot line and characters are underdeveloped (and disappear never to be seen again) and behave in illogical ways. The mixture of thriller and dark comedy plays awkwardly. But there's enough that's good here that I'm willing to give Hopper the benefit of the doubt that his three hour cut would fill in the gaps and flesh out the characters rather than the self indulgence of a director. The film's title sequence, with Foster driving at night through the San Pedro refineries, flames shooting out into the night sky while accompanied by Curt Sobel's intense score is a beauty. The large cast includes Charlie Sheen, Dean Stockwell, Bob Dylan, John Turturro, Julie Adams, Catherine Keener, Fred Ward and Helena Kallianiotes.

Yield To The Night (1956)

Before the movie's opening credits begin, the film opens with a blonde (Diana Dors) shooting a woman (Mercia Shaw) in cold blood several times in front of her home. The rest of the film is devoted to the monotonous day to day existence awaiting her execution while she recollects her past and the events leading up to the murder. If the film seems tedious and slow moving at times, it's just being real and eschewing the melodramatic cliches of prison movies. Dors' character is hard to read. She doesn't seem to have any remorse over her murder yet she's not a brazen, cold blooded killer either which makes it more difficult to condemn her but we can't quite shed any tears over her either. For those who only know Dors as a blonde bombshell, Britain's answer to Marilyn Monroe, her performance is a revelation and a pity that she didn't get more roles that taxed her as an actress. This was her last English film before she left to conquer Hollywood which emphasized her sex symbol status rather than her talents as an actress. Directed by J. Lee Thompson (GUNS OF NAVARONE) and based on the book by Joan Henry who also co-wrote the screenplay. With Michael Craig as Dors' lover and the reason for her fall, Yvonne Mitchell as a sympathetic prison matron, Geoffrey Keen, Marjorie Rhodes, Mona Washbourne, Athene Seyler, Dandy Nichols and Marianne Stone.

Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes (1939)

The devious Professor Moriarty (George Zucco) concocts two crimes. One, a ruse to keep his nemesis Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) occupied and the real crime of the century for which he hopes to humiliate Holmes and disgrace his reputation. The second of the Rathbone/Holmes films isn't based on any of the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories but rather loosely on a play by William Gillette. For most of its running time, it keeps to the feel and style of the Doyle characters and the film has a nice faux Victorian London atmosphere. But the "action" ending with Holmes and Moriarty engaged in a fist fight is pretty silly. Still, at least it wasn't placed in a contemporary setting like many of the Rathbone/Holmes films unfortunately were. The film features Ida Lupino as the damsel in distress who comes to Holmes for assistance. She's still pretty much an ingenue at this point in her career but the next year she would move to Warners and her breakthrough role in THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT would solidify her as a top tier actress. Directed by Alfred L. Werker. With Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, of course plus Alan Marshal (looking like a young Olivier), Henry Stephenson and Mary Gordon.