Repeat Performance (1947)

On New Years Eve 1946, a young actress (Joan Leslie) kills her abusive alcoholic husband (Louis Hayward). But fate gives her a second chance when she finds herself back on New Years Eve 1945 and has a chance to relive that year. But can she change her destiny or is her fate sealed? Based on the novel by William O'Farrell and directed by Alfred L. Werker (ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES). The mixture of film noir and supernatural elements are rare but not unheard of, ALIAS NICK BEAL (1949) and THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (1948) are but two examples. This little known example (it was long thought a "lost" film) is both clever and distinctive in its execution. I must confess I couldn't understand why when given a second chance, Leslie didn't just dump Hayward, who's a total jerk, and get on with her life. That aside, for noir or fantasy fans, it's well worth seeking out. Remade as a TV movie in 1989. With Richard Basehart (in the book, his character is a cross dresser) in his film debut, Tom Conway, Virginia Field, Natalie Schafer, Benay Venuta and narration by John Ireland.

The 355 (2022)

When a deadly decryption program drive that can access any digital system on the planet is stolen. a group of international spies reluctantly band together in order to retrieve it and prevent a potential world war. Crosses and doubles crosses occur. Directed by writer turned director Simon Kinberg (X MEN: THE LAST STAND), the film received hostile reviews when it was released early this year so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Granted, it's a generic spy thriller with lots of action but what sets it apart is that the spies are all women and when they're played by such charismatic and attractive actresses like Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong'o and Fan Bingbing, it's easy to get sucked in. They're all good enough actresses to overcome the routine screenplay which offers few surprises. The script gives them just enough background to make them interesting rather than the usual chicks with guns flicks. The percussive underscore by Tom Holkenborg helps a lot. If you're bored with yet another Tom Cruise MI flick or Liam Neeson actioner, this might serve as a nice alternative. With Sebastian Stan and Edgar Ramirez. 

High Sierra (1941)

After spending eight years in prison, a career criminal (Humphrey Bogart) is released. But he needs one last big heist to set him up for life before he retires. To this end, he falls in with an inept group of thieves planning a hold up at a posh lodge in the Sierra Nevada. Based on the novel by W.R. Burnett (THE ASPHALT JUNGLE) and directed by Raoul Walsh (WHITE HEAT). This was Bogart's breakthrough role after years of playing supporting parts, usually gangsters. He wasn't even the studio's first choice for the role and the fact that although he is the star of the film and gets second billing after leading lady Ida Lupino, it shows Bogart's position at Warners at the time. After this, he never got second billing again. It's a perfect part for him and in what could have been played as a cookie cutter gangster, Bogart's performance elicits great empathy from us. He's matched by Ida Lupino's lovely performance, a bruised girl looking for a way out of her dead end existence. One of the classic gangster films (though often bunched in with film noir). Remade by Walsh in 1949 as a western, COLORADO TERRITORY and again in 1955 (not by Walsh) in CinemaScope and color as I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES. With Joan Leslie, Arthur Kennedy, Cornel Wilde, Henry Hull, Henry Travers, Elisabeth Risdon, Isabel Jewell and Donald MacBride.

Mansion Of The Doomed (1976)

When his daughter (Trish Stewart) loses her eyesight in an auto accident, a renowned surgeon (Richard Basehart) drugs her boyfriend (Lance Henriksen) and attempts to transplant his eyes to his daughter so she can see again. When that fails, he kidnaps a female hitchhiker (Katherine Stewart) and uses her eyes and when that fails, he continues to kidnap people and remove their eyes in an insane attempt to restore his daughter's eyesight. Directed by actor turned director Michael Pataki, perhaps best known for TV's GET CHRISTIE LOVE. If the plot sounds all too familiar, it's because this is a low budget horror ripoff of Georges Franju's great EYES WITHOUT A FACE without any of the artistry. There's no style and the film is a relentless series of people being kidnapped and having the eyes removed and the gory images caused the movie to be seized in Great Britain under the Obscene Publications Act. The most frightening thing about the film is how did such excellent actors as Richard Basehart and Gloria Grahame (playing his sister) get roped into this inept horror flick? It was their names that attracted me to the film otherwise I'd never have bothered. With Vic Tayback and Al Ferrara.

有りがたうさん (aka Mr. Thank You) (1936)

Traveling from rural Japan to Tokyo, a bus driver (Ken Uehara) is known as Mr. Thank You because of his politeness to pedestrians who move out of his way. Based on a short story by Yasunari Kawabata and directed by Hiroshi Shimizu (JAPANESE GIRLS AT THE HARBOR). This charming road movie is sweet and gentle without ever getting all icky. Nothing much happens but the lives of the ordinary bus passengers with their foibles and quirks take center stage during the journey to Tokyo. Lovely as the B&W movie is, one wishes color had been available to Shimizu at the time as the Japanese countryside looks lush and ripe for Technicolor but perhaps that would have been too distracting and taken away from the simple story and its characters. With Ryuji Ishiyama and Michiko Kuwano.

Marooned (1969)

Three astronauts (Richard Crenna, Gene Hackman, James Franciscus) are the first crew of an experimental space station. After a couple of months, one of the astronauts (Hackman) begins behaving erratically so the mission is scrubbed and they are ordered to return to Earth. But the spacecraft doesn't have enough fuel to initiate atmospheric entry and they are running out of precious oxygen. So a plan is hastily put together to rescue them. Based on the novel by Martin Caidin and directed by John Sturges (GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL). Originally intended for Frank Capra to direct (thank heaven that was nipped in the bud), Sturges focuses on the human component rather than the scientific elements. His methodical approach prevents it from the tension of an APOLLO 13 (though the film gave Apollo 13's Jim Lovell's wife nightmares) but while others may find it too dry (or boring), I liked Sturges' take. Enough attention is paid to the characters which allows some good performances, notably Gene Hackman, Richard Crenna and Lee Grant (she has no dialog when told her husband is dead but her body language is eloquent) with only James Franciscus as a weak link. The film has no underscore, just sound effects. With Gregory Peck, David Janssen, Nancy Kovack, Mariette Hartley and Scott Brady. 

Große Freiheit Nr. 7 (aka Port Of Freedom) (1944)

An ex-sailor (Hans Albers) works as an entertainer in a nightclub. Although he has sworn never to return to his former life, the call of the sea proves difficult to resist. When he meets a young girl (Ilse Werner) and falls in love, he feels he can put his former life behind him. But he has a rival (Hans Sohnker) for her love who threatens to ruin his plans. Directed by Helmut Kautner (BLACK GRAVEL). Shot in 1943, due to the war the film was made in Prague in what was then Czechoslovakia rather than Germany. Although shot (in Agfacolor) at the height of WWII, this is strictly a romantic drama with music and not a war propaganda film. As cinema, it's actually pretty decent and contains a lovely performance by Ilse Werner. The movie has a realistic ending as opposed to a "happy" ending. Curiously, the film was banned in Nazi Germany (not Third Reich enough?) and wasn't released in Germany until after the war's end. With Hilde Hildebrand and Gustav Knuth.

Lisa And The Devil (1974)

Set in Spain, a pretty young tourist (Elke Sommer) gets lost in the city of Toledo. She accepts a ride from a married couple (Sylva Koscina, Eduardo Fajardo) but when the car breaks down in front of a decaying mansion in the country, they are invited to spend the night. But it's a house of death where bizarre activity is ongoing. Directed by Mario Bava (BLACK SUNDAY), this surreal nightmare makes absolutely no sense at all so it's best not to even try. Bava's unique gift is his stylish visuals and sense of atmosphere, there's no depth at all to his material. He walks a fine line between solid horror and shallow silliness. If you're okay with that, then there's much to hold your attention. This is one of his best efforts. Not especially admired at its first release, the film's reputation among horror buffs has grown and the movie is quite appreciated today. Inexplicably, the film's producers filmed some new scenes for a framing story and released the movie as HOUSE OF EXORCISM which dissipates Bava's dreamlike landscape. With Telly Savalas as a lollipop sucking butler (a habit he would use for his Kojak character), Alida Valli, Gabriele Tinti and Alessio Orano.

Raton Pass (1951)

Arriving in a new town by stagecoach, an ambitious woman (Patricia Neal) sets her sights on the son (Dennis Morgan) of a cattle baron (Basil Ruysdael). After their marriage, she's not content to play housewife and her zealous push for power will bring about bloodshed. Based on the novel by Thomas W. Blackburn and directed by Edwin L. Marin (JOHNNY ANGEL). What elevates this minor western out of the routine is Patricia Neal's Lady MacBeth on the range. There are a handful of westerns with a female protagonist (JOHNNY GUITAR, FORTY GUNS) and while the movie is no match for Nick Ray's and Sam Fuller's masterworks, Neal's chilly and calculating femme fatale is a match for Crawford and Stanwyck in the aforementioned films. Neal steamrolls over her two romantic leads (Morgan and Scott Forbes) with only Steve Cochran's cold blooded gunslinger a match for her. Western film buffs should check it out. With Dorothy Hart, Roland Winters and Louis Jean Heydt.

Once Before I Die (1965)

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese forces turn their attention to the Philippines. After being attacked, an underequipped unit of the 26th Cavalry slowly marches toward Manila through hostile territory amid Japanese strongholds. A lone woman (Ursula Andress) accompanies the soldiers. Based on the novel QUIT FOR THE NEXT by Lt. Anthony March and directed by actor John Derek. Derek was married at the time to the film's leading lady Ursula Andress but by the time the movie was released, they were divorced. It's a well intentioned but poorly made anti war film. Derek's lugubrious pacing, his overuse of freeze frames and dubious "artistic" decisions like having a silhouette of Andress placed over a raid by the Japanese only serve to call attention to Derek's pretensions. With the exception of Richard Jaeckel as a psychotic Lieutenant, the performances are weak. With Ron Ely, Jock Mahoney and Rod Lauren.

Three Women (1924)

An aging socialite (Pauline Ferderick) is more concerned with her social and romantic life than her daughter (May McAvoy) away at college. When the daughter returns home for a visit, the gigolo (Lew Cody) who has been romancing her mother sets his sights on the daughter. Based on the novel LILLIS EHE by Yolande Maree and directed by Ernst Lubitsch (TROUBLE IN PARADISE). His third American film sees the German expatriate once again turning his eye to the foibles of the rich. This isn't a romantic comedy however but a tragedy along the lines of MADAME X (which Pauline Frederick played four years earlier). It was a big hit at the box office but it isn't one of Lubtisch's most memorable movies. The title is a misnomer. The film is really about two women, the mother and daughter. The "third" woman, Marie Prevost as Cody's mistress, is barely in the movie. If you're a fan of silent cinema or a Lubitsch completist, this may prove satisfying to you. With Pierre Gendron and Mary Carr.

Village Of The Giants (1965)

A precocious 11 year old (Ron Howard) makes some concoction with his chemistry set that turns people and animals into giants. When a group of wild teens gobble the goo up, they begin to tyrannize the town. Loosely based on THE FOOD OF THE GODS AND HOW IT CAME TO EARTH by H.G. Wells and directed by Bert I. Gordon (PICTURE MOMMY DEAD). This is a dreadful movie but it's the kind of cheesy bad movie that's so innocent in its ineptness that it's hard to resist and one just bathes in its silliness. For example, after the "bad" teens take the concoction that turns them into giants, do they proceed to terrorize the town into submission? No, they immediately get down and dance for five minutes while the townspeople watch in stupefaction! The special effects are so poor that they become almost endearing. I couldn't possibly recommend it except to connoisseurs of bad movies. Remarkably, there are some actually talented people in the cast. With Beau Bridges, Tommy Kirk, Tisha Sterling, Toni Basil, Johnny Crawford, Joy Harmon, Freddy Cannon and Orangey (BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S).