Law And Order (1953)

The Marshal (Ronald Reagan) of Tombstone turns his badge in after the town shows their true colors and demands vigilante justice rather than law and order. This is just fine with his fiancee (Dorothy Malone) who wants him out of the law business. But when he buys a ranch in a different town, he tries to stay out of the lawless town and mind his own business. But can he? Based on the novel SAINT JOHNSON by W.R. Burnett and directed by Nathan Juran (7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD). This is actually the third version of the Burnett novel, it was previously filmed in 1932 and 1940. I've not seen the prior versions so I can't comment on them but this one isn't half bad at all. It's tight and economical in its hour and 20 minute running time until it runs out of steam at the very end. Reagan is decent enough but Malone is wasted. Only Preston Foster as the town's most corrupt citizen manages to create a memorable character. With Alex Nicol, Dennis Weaver, Russell Johnson, Jack Kelly, Don Gordon, Barry Kelley and Ruth Hampton.

Roar (1981)

An American man (Noel Marshall) is a caretaker of a tribal area in Tanzania and lives with free roaming lions, tigers, leopards and panthers who come and go and do as they please in the house and surrounding area. When his wife (Tippi Hedren), daughter (Melanie Griffith) and sons (John Marshall, Jerry Marshall) arrive for a visit, they are overwhelmed by the animals ... literally. Written, produced and directed by Noel Marshall (Hedren's husband at the time). Over 10 years in the making, the film is often referred to as the most expensive home movie ever made and just as frequently as the most dangerous shoot in movie history. Melanie Griffith almost lost an eye when she was mauled and cinematographer Jan De Bont (DIE HARD) had a lion lift his scalp and required over 200 stitches. The story behind the making of ROAR could make a movie all by itself. This nearly plotless film has the most truly amazing footage of big cats doing what big cats do. When you see them bite or scratch one of the actors, that's not fake, it's real blood! If you're an animal lover, this is a fascinating watch. Most of the acting is by non professionals and you can tell the amateurs from the pros. Noel Marshall in particular is just awful in his line readings and his two sons are right there next to him. Only Hedren, Griffith and Zakes Mokae (in a small role) give indications that they know what they're doing. The film was actually shot in Acton, California though you'd never know it wasn't Africa. A truly one of a kind movie! 

When Worlds Collide (1951)

When a noted scientist (Larry Keating) announces that Earth is in the direct path of a rogue star and an inevitable collusion will destroy the planet, other scientists and the government are skeptical. To this end, he accepts private funding from a selfish but wealthy industrialist (John Hoyt) to build a spaceship that will take a small group of people to a new planet and rebuild civilization. Based on the novel by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer, produced by George Pal and directed by Rudolph Mate. This ambitious sci-fi classic was intended to have a bigger budget and a more A list cast but it is what it is and what Pal has given us is pretty impressive except for a lackluster finale. The special effects are first rate, certainly for its day but they hold up pretty well. It's not the kind of film where the acting matters much so we're stuck with two dull leading men (Richard Derr, Peter Hansen) though the object of their affection Barbara Rush lends a pleasant presence that would continue to make her one of the more appealing actresses of 1950s cinema. The best performance comes from Hoyt, who makes a perfectly despicable "villain". Some of the religious undertone is annoying however. With Hayden Rorke, Stuart Whitman and Kasey Rogers. 

Babes On Broadway (1941)

After struggling to get himself cast in a Broadway show, a young actor (Mickey Rooney) decides to put on a show for orphaned children and raise enough money to send them to the country. His intentions aren't entirely altruistic however. He hopes to use the show as a way of being seen and discovered by a Broadway producer. Directed by Busby Berkeley, this was the third Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland "hey gang, let's put on a show" musical following BABES IN ARMS (1939) and STRIKE UP THE BAND (1940). The recycled plot (if you can even call it a plot) is merely a shell for the many musical numbers. The two highlights are Mickey and Judy introducing How About You? which quickly became a popular standard and the lively Hoe Down production number. The film's big finale is a minstrel show with everybody in blackface which is uncomfortable to watch and made even worse by being an overly long dull production number. But there's no denying the chemistry of Rooney and Garland and you can see why audiences wanted to see more of them together. The U.S. hadn't entered WWII yet but the British were at war and there's a painfully sentimental number with teary eyed British war orphans I could have done without. Also in the cast: Fay Bainter, James Gleason, Margaret O'Brien, Virginia Weidler, Donald Meek, Ray McDonald and Richard Quine who would soon turn to directing films like BELL BOOK AND CANDLE.   

Come Into The Garden, Maud (1982)

A wealthy American businessman (Paul Scofield) is traveling through Europe with his social climbing wife (Toby Robins). An encounter with a widowed Sicilian princess (Geraldine McEwan) suddenly provides a way out of his unhappy marriage. Based on the one act play by Noel Coward (part of his SUITE IN THREE KEYS trilogy) and directed by Cedric Messina. Not Noel Coward at his finest but its brief running time makes it watchable. As great an actor as Scofield is, he doesn't come across as believable as a mid-West American and Robins as his shrewish wife comes across as a misogynistic cliche. Not her fault, it appears inherent in the source material. Since she doesn't have to play American or a harridan, McEwan's performance seems effortless compared to the two others. It's an unsubstantial piece that's dependent on the actors to put it across since the writing offers little in the way of wit or insight. With Bruce Lidington as a hotel waiter, the only other character in the play. 

Night Train To Paris (1964)

A former American OSS officer (Leslie Nielsen) now living in London is approached by a beautiful woman (Alizia Gur) who says she's a friend of another OSS officer (Hugh Latimore) who served with him during WWII. There is a top secret tape that must be smuggled into Paris and the only available means of transportation (it's New Year's Eve) is a night train taking skiers across the channel. But even before the train leaves London, there are two murders and they won't be the last. Directed by the actor turned director Robert Douglas (he was the villain in FLAME AND THE ARROW). Although shot in London, this B movie was clearly intended as a second feature on a double bill. I suppose as a warm up to the main feature, it's tolerable but it feels like a TV episode from THE MAN FROM UNCLE or I SPY. I'm a pushover for thrillers and mysteries set on trains so it held my interest but I doubt others would be so accepting. With Eric Pohlmann as the most inept assassin I've ever seen outside of a comedy, Dorinda Stevens, Edina Ronay and Andre Maranne.

Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase (1939)

Two elderly sisters (Vera Lewis, Louise Carter) are about to inherit a mansion that they plan on donating for a children's hospital. But someone is trying to stop them from inheriting the mansion and will stop at nothing including murder! Enter Nancy Drew (Bonita Granville), teenage amateur detective to solve the mystery! Loosely based on the Nancy Drew book of the same name (the book is much better) by Carolyn Keene (a pseudonym for Mildred Wirt Benson) and directed by William Clemens. Bonita Granville isn't quite the Nancy Drew of the Keene books but she's so plucky and eager that you don't mind. She has a nice rapport with Frankie Thomas who plays her put upon boyfriend for lack of a better word, there's no obvious romantic relationship. I wish the four Granville Nancy Drew movies had stuck closer to the books as their mystery elements are shoved aside in the films for more comedic situations. But this is still a fun piece of nostalgia. With John Litel, Frank Orth and William Gould.

The Last Word (2017)

A wealthy woman (Shirley MacLaine), who's also a bit of a control freak, engages the young obituary writer (Amanda Seyfried) of the local newspaper to write her obituary while she's still alive. But while interviewing friends and family of the woman, the obit writer discovers that everybody can't stand her and no one has a good word to say about her! Directed by Mark Pellington. It's always a pleasant surprise when a movie you went in expecting mediocrity turns out to be a pretty decent movie. In spite of a weak third act (weak but still effective), MacLaine shines in a role that seems tailor made for her and she has a nice chemistry with Seyfried. Seyfried is fine but make no mistake about it, this movie belongs to MacLaine. Instead of going somewhere daring or at least fresh, the film retreats to the safety of what we've seen before which is a pity. But it's still a nice trip. With Anne Heche, Phillip Baker Hall, Tom Everett Scott and AnnJewel Lee Dixon. 

L'Africain (1983)

A travel agent (Catherine Deneuve) travels to a remote section of Africa with the intention of starting an upscale resort for tourists. When she arrives, she is surprised to find her estranged husband (Philippe Noiret) in the isolated outpost, now a conservationist and animal activist. Directed by Philippe De Broca (KING OF HEARTS), this is an uneasy combination of romance between two disparate individuals forced together by circumstances (think THE AFRICAN QUEEN) and a social message picture about the destruction of Africa's natural habitat and its indigenous humans and creatures by civilization and poachers. The film benefits greatly from Jean Penzer's stunning wide screen (Panavision) lensing of the Kenya locations and the appealing performances by Deneuve and Noiret. I liked how De Broca avoided a predicatble romantic ending and left us with something more ambiguous and poignant. There's a lovely underscore by Georges Delerue (JULES AND JIM). With Jean Francois Balmer, Jean Benguigui and Vivian Reed. 

Lost Continent (1951)

When an atomic powered rocket is fired from a missile base in New Mexico disappears somewhere in the South Pacific, a military expedition is dispatched to find it. But when their plane crashes on an uncharted island, what they find there will astonish them. Directed by Sam Newfield, this super low budget scifi/fantasy film was shot in 11 days and looks it. If you've seen either the 1925 or 1960 film versions of THE LOST WORLD, you've pretty much seen it all before. It's a pretty tedious affair and the crude stop motion dinosaurs lack the Harryhausen magic to put it mildly. When the expedition arrives at the island's "land before time" plateau, all of a sudden everything is tinted green. I thought the film's finale of the island's earthquake was very well done and the film has a nice underscore by Paul Dunlap (THE NAKED KISS) that belies the film's B movie status. The cast includes Cesar Romero, Hugh Beaumont, John Hoyt, Whit Bissell, Sid Melton, Chick Chandler and two actresses who each have one scene apiece, Hillary Brooke and Acquanetta.

Zaza (1923)

A music hall performer (Gloria Swanson) has all the men falling for her. All except the man she wants, a reserved diplomat (H.B. Warner, KING OF KINGS). However, a near fatal fall changes all that but the road to love is littered with heartbreak. Based on the 1899 French play by Pierre Berton and Charles Simon and directed by Allan Dwan. Previously filmed in 1919 and George Cukor would direct Claudette Colbert in yet another version in 1939. It's a pity that Gloria Swanson's career now seems defined by her Norma Desmond in SUNSET BOULEVARD. As excellent as she was in that, it seems to have eclipsed her reigning years in silent cinema where she was a vibrant and fascinating presence. She's the reason to see ZAZA. As cinema, it's rather hackneyed. Yet another variation of BACK STREET but this time with a happy ending. But Swanson tears up the screen whether engaged in a catfight with another music hall performer, suffering in pain in the hospital or raging at her lover. With Lucille La Verne, Mary Thurman and Ferdinand Gottschalk.

The Second Woman (1950)

Set in the Big Sur coastline of California, a young woman (Betsy Drake) falls in love with an architect (Robert Young) whose fiancee (Shirley Ballard) died in a car crash a year ago. However, his mysterious behavior suggests that he might be suffering from paranoia as a series of destructive acts and bad luck in his life suggests that he might actually be the perpetrator of these actions. Directed by James V. Kern, this atmospheric noir-ish mystery is very Hitchcockian in its narrative. A touch of REBECCA, a little bit of SUSPICION, a drop of SPELLBOUND etc. But its execution is so very good that one doesn't mind the derivation. It's a minor thriller to be sure and Kern's name isn't exactly a well known moniker among film auteurs but the direction is solid and Young is very good playing against type. In a way, it's a pastiche of a movie and seems on the verge of being something very special but ends up being better than average. I don't want to oversell it but fans of noir and moody thrillers might want to check it out. With Florence Bates, John Sutton, Morris Carnovsky, Steven Geray, Jean Rogers and Henry O'Neill.