The Divided Heart (1954)

A German couple (Cornell Borchers, Armin Dahlen) have brought up their adopted son (Michel Ray) who they believed was a war orphan. But a visit from the International Refugee Organization informs them that the boy's birth mother (Yvonne Mitchell) is alive and wants her son back. Inspired by an actual incident and directed by Charles Crichton (A FISH CALLED WANDA). This is a story where no one wins, it's impossible to come up with an ending that would please everybody and the film's bittersweet ending leaves one dissatisfied. That being said, it's a potent look at parental love and the question of who is the "mother", the one who gave birth to the child or the one that raised him. The film is extremely even handed, both mothers are good and loving women. The movie gives us a sense of the turmoil in these women's lives as each struggles to hold onto their child with the decision out of their hands and into the courts. With Alexander Knox, Geoffrey Keen, Theodore Bikel, Alec McCowen and John Schlesinger, who would give up acting to become a director (SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY). 

The Ladies Man (1961)

After being jilted by his fiancee, a recent college graduate (Jerry Lewis) swears off women forever. However, when he accepts a job as a houseboy, little does he know it's for a boarding house for aspiring actresses! Co-written (an uncredited Mel Brooks had a hand in the screenplay but walked off the movie after a disagreement with Lewis) and directed by Jerry Lewis (THE NUTTY PROFESSOR). One of Lewis's very best films and more appreciated now than when released. Once again, Lewis shows what a wonderful physical comedian he was (one sight gag had me giggling like a hyena). Make no mistake about it, this is Lewis's show all the way with the supporting players in his service. But the movie is almost stolen by the amazing standing set which needs to be seen to be believed. An impressive four story mansion (several rooms deep) that takes up an entire soundstage with a central lobby that allows for crane shots of the entire set. Among the massive cast: George Raft, Helen Traubel, Harry James, Madlyn Rhue, Kathleen Freeman, Hope Holiday, Jack Kruschen, Mary LaRoche, Joan Staley and Sylvia Lewis.

헤어질 결심 (aka Decision To Leave) (2022)

A married police detective (Park Hae-il) works on a case where a retired immigration officer (Yoo Seung Mok) has fallen off the cliff of a mountain he frequently climbed. He suspects that it was not an accident but murder and the main suspect is the dead man's much younger wife (Tang Wei). But when he falls in love with her, it will lead to a dark end. Co-written and directed by Park Chan Wook (SNOWPIERCER), who won the best director award at the Cannes film festival for his work here. We've all seen movies about obsessive love but I don't think I've seen a more disturbing vision than this one. It's a complicated journey but its characters seem determined to follow it through all the way to its nihilistic conclusion. I've seen the movie referred to as a romantic thriller but I didn't find anything "romantic" about it. The twists and turns are exhausting but I mean that in a good way. An intense thriller. With Lee Jung Hyun and Go Kyung Pyo.

Behind Locked Doors (1948)

Going undercover, a private detective (Richard Carlson) and a journalist (Lucille Bremer) pose as husband and wife when he checks into a private mental hospital to locate a corrupt judge (Herbert Heyes) hiding from the law. Directed by Budd Boetticher (THE TALL T). Some 15 years before Sam Fuller's SHOCK CORRIDOR, this B film noir set up the plot that Fuller would expand on luridly in 1963. Frankly, although I'm a great admirer of Sam Fuller, I enjoyed this one more. It's lean and tight and moves quickly and is quite enjoyable. The premise is far fetched but then again, so was SHOCK CORRIDOR. The acting is solid and Lucille Bremer is good enough to suggest that she was ill used at MGM, where they tried to make her into a musical star. With Douglas Fowley, Tor Johnson, Thomas Browne Henry and Kathleen Freeman.

Enter The Dragon (1973)

A martial arts instructor (Bruce Lee) is approached by a British intelligence agent (Geoffrey Weeks) to enter a high profile martial arts tournament on a private island. His mission is to gather evidence against the crime lord (Shih Kien) who owns the island and is sponsoring the tournament. The crime lord is involved with drug trafficking and prostitution. Directed by Robert Clouse (GOLDEN NEEDLES), this low budget martial arts movie was a massive international hit (on a $900,000 budget) and would have made Bruce Lee a huge international star if he hadn't died at age 32 before the film was released. I'll be upfront, I'm not a fan of martial arts films in general and I've seen better Asian films involving martial arts than this. But some bad acting aside (but who watches a movie like this for good acting?), it's an enjoyable example of exploitation pulp. I couldn't help but find some of the martial arts scenes unintentionally amusing as Lee squawks like a chicken when he fights. Still, the film is one of the most influential genre films of all time. With John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Ahna Capri and Bob Wall.

Ann Vickers (1933)

A social worker (Irene Dunne) falls in love with a soldier (Bruce Cabot) and becomes pregnant but it soon becomes clear, he doesn't want to get married. The child "dies" and she becomes a leader in prison reform before engaging in an affair with a bribe taking married judge (Walter Huston) and has a child by him. Based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis and directed by John Cromwell (OF HUMAN BONDAGE). This pre-code film is pretty daring for its time. Dunne's unapologetic relationship with a married man and having his child would have been condemned once the Hays code came into existence. Still, the movie is evasive on how she "lost" her first baby. It can be read as either an abortion (as it was in the book) or a miscarriage. Normally, I can't abide Dunne's weepies (I much prefer her comedies) but her Ann Vickers is a strong quasi feminist that takes the punches life gives her and makes her even stronger. She feels no shame at the unconventionality of her romantic life in a judgmental society. Not a great movie by any means but certainly one of great interest. With Edna May Oliver, Conrad Nagel, Jane Darwell, J. Carrol Naish, Gertrude Michael and Rafaella Ottiano.

Valerie (1957)

Set shortly after the Civil War, a rancher (Sterling Hayden) calmly enters the home of his wife's parents (John Wengraf, Iphigenie Castiglioni) and shoots them as well as his wife (Anita Ekberg). At the trial, we hear testimony from three people: the husband, the wife (who survived the attack, her parents didn't) and the town's preacher (Anthony Steel) and through flashbacks, we see the story from three different perspectives. Directed by Gerd Oswald (A KISS BEFORE DYING), the movie seems inspired by Kurosawa's RASHOMON but unlike RASHOMON, we discover which story is the truth. It's a B programmer and crudely executed but compelling in its own way nevertheless. In a change from her usual sexpot roles, Ekberg's immigrant wife is demure with blouses buttoned up to the neck. I can't honestly recommend it but if it comes your way, you might want to give it a look. With Peter Walker and Jerry Barclay. 

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)

Set in 1935, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is forced to flee Shanghai after a murder attempt on his life. Accompanying him are a nightclub singer (Kate Capshaw) and an orphan (future Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan). When the trio arrives in India at a small village, the villagers plead for Indiana's help in retrieving their kidnapped children and the village's sacred stone. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this was a sequel to the 1981 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. The original reviews (and some of the public reaction) was rather hostile because of the violence and gore in a PG rated movie and this film was responsible for the creation of the PG 13 rating. It's over the top and outlandish but I've always liked it unlike the two horrid sequels THE LAST CRUSADE and THE CRYSTAL SKULL that came after. True, Spielberg overemphasizes the ick factor what with monkey brains for dessert, hearts ripped out of living people, cockroaches in the hair etc. but it remains an exciting and fast moving action adventure. The film's biggest flaw is the annoying female lead played by the uncharismatic Capshaw (I kept thinking how wonderful Bernadette Peters would have been in the role) who is shrill and brings no appeal to the part. The thrilling score is by John Williams and the handsome images by Douglas Slocombe (THE LION IN WINTER). With Dan Aykroyd, Roshan Seth and Amrish Puri.

Crazy In Love (1992)

A documentary film maker (Holly Hunter) loves her husband (Bill Pullman) so much that her constant demands and suspicions are pushing their relationship to the edge. When a photographer (Julian Sands) enters her life, her attraction to him confuses her. Based on the novel by Luanne Rice and directed by Martha Coolidge (RAMBLING ROSE). The film may be easy to relate to (who hasn't had an obsessive streak when it comes to love sometime in their life?) but Hunter's character carries it to such an extreme that it renders her, well ..... crazy! It becomes more than a romantic quirk, it's downright unhealthy. It's a film about three generations of women: Gena Rowlands as her mother, Frances McDormand as her sister, Herta Ware as her grandmother, who live on a private island and whose dominance have had an ill effect on the men in their lives. It's well acted but I'm not sure that its premise worked for me. Still, with a cast like this, it makes for an absorbing watch. With Peter Lohnes and Marjorie Nelson.

So This Is Love (1953)

A young singer (Kathryn Grayson) struggles to forge a career for herself. After several years, she achieves success as a Broadway star but she has one ambition left ..... to star at New York's Metropolitan Opera House. Based on the autobiography YOU'RE ONLY HUMAN ONCE by Grace Moore and directed by Gordon Douglas (TONY ROME). Grace Moore isn't much remembered today but in addition to starring on Broadway and opera, she had a successful career in Hollywood too and received a best actress Oscar nomination for ONE NIGHT OF LOVE (1934) and was only 48 when she died in a plane crash in Denmark. This movie biography is typical bio fodder and its by the numbers script is stale. Curiously even though Grayson's not much of an actress, I don't mind her acting and I find her an attractive screen presence but her "singing" is like fingernails scraping a chalkboard to me! We're forced to listen to her operatic vocals but she gets a chance to relax and bump and grind to I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate which is fun. It doesn't help that Grayson is saddled with bland actors like Merv Griffin and Douglas Dick as her romantic leading men. With Joan Weldon, Marie Windsor, Jeff Donnell, Walter Abel, Rosemary DeCamp, Mabel Albertson and Fortunio Bonanova.

Marco Polo (1962)

A 13th century explorer (Rory Calhoun) journeys to China with the aim of expanding world trade. There, he meets a Princess (Yoko Tani) and becomes romantically involved and participates in a rebellion against a treacherous war lord (Robert Hundar). Directed by Hugo Fregonese (MAN IN THE ATTIC) and Piero Pierotti (the Italian version). Despite the title, this Italian/French nonsense has absolutely nothing to do with the real Marco Polo. Obviously the film makers have confused Marco Polo with Casanova as Polo is portrayed here as a love 'em and leave 'em lothario. Furthermore, Calhoun's portrayal of him is flippant. Realism is thrown out the window. Example: when the Chinese first serve Polo a dish of long thin noodles that is new to him, he is told that it is spaghetti! Spaghetti is a Chinese word? Of course, Polo takes a sample back to Italy with him. Yes, it's that kind of movie. The film's ace is the gorgeous wide screen cinematography courtesy of Ricardo Pallottini (SON OF SAMSON) masking Italy as China. Also notable are Mario Giorsi's costume design and the art direction (credited to four people). With Camillo Pilotto and Michael Chow.

Women Talking (2022)

In an isolated Mennonite community, the women have been tranquilized and raped systematically by the males of the colony. When the rapists are arrested and imprisoned in a nearby city, the men leave to bail the attackers. While the men are away, the women must decide to either forgive the men, stay and do nothing, stay and fight or leave the colony. Based on the novel by Miriam Toews and adapted for the screen and directed by Sarah Polley. Has there ever been a movie more properly titled? Polley's movie is just that ..... women talking. Toews' novel is based on an actual incident that occurred in a Mennonite colony in Bolivia in the years between 2005 and 2009. Frankly, this is a film that I admire more than I embrace it. There's no denying its potent message and Polley doesn't hammer us with it. Instead, she slowly peels away the layers as the women reveal their dreams, fears and there is no stone unturned as they examine and question the pros and cons of their options. Intellectually, I admire what the movie is attempting but as a moviegoer, it often seems contrived. For example, the token male character, a schoolteacher (Ben Whishaw) is so good and clean that he doesn't resemble an actual human being. He's just there to show that not all men are bad. When the women are debating, more than once I thought, "Stop the talking and get your asses outta there before the men come back!". I wish I liked it more, I really do but talking heads can hold my interest for only so long. With Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy and Frances McDormand.