Synopsis:
A thief on the lam (John Garfield) seeks refuge with the family of a woman (Shelly Winters) he meets at the pool.
Genres:
Fugitives
Hostages
Review
While not particularly unique in terms of narrative or characterization, this little thriller nonetheless holds a special place in HUAC-era film history: Garfield — who admitted to membership in the [...]
Posted on November 28th, 2006 by admin
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“All this trouble for a fat man in a red suit…”
Synopsis:
When the ruler of Mars (Leonard Hicks) discovers that Martian children are depressed because they’d like to experience Christmas, he kidnaps Santa Claus (John Call) and two Earthling children, Billy (Victor Stiles) and Betty (Donna Conforti).
Genres:
Aliens
Christmas
Kidnapping
Science Fiction
Review: [...]
Posted on November 27th, 2006 by admin
Filed under: Original Reviews | 3 Comments »
“Ah, dear — the young. Why do they never listen? When will they ever learn?”
Synopsis:
Zeus (Laurence Olivier) tries to help his mortal son Perseus (Harry Hamlin) save Princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker) from the wrath of jealous Thetis (Maggie Smith).
Genres:
Fantasy
Folk Tales, Fairy Tales, and Mythology
Greece
Supernatural Powers
Response [...]
Posted on November 27th, 2006 by admin
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“Have you ever tried to fight a legend?”
Synopsis:
Robin Hood (Sean Connery) returns from twenty years of fighting in the Crusades to find that his one true love, Maid Marian (Audrey Hepburn), has become a nun.
Genres:
Do-Gooders
Folk Heroes
Historical Drama
Nuns and Priests
Richard Lester Films
Romance
Review:
I’ve struggled [...]
Posted on November 27th, 2006 by admin
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“We accept you, one of us! Gobble, gobble!”
Synopsis:
A group of carnival sideshow performers plot gruesome revenge when midget Hans (Harry Earles) is cuckolded by his manipulative new wife (Olga Baclanova).
Genres:
Carnivals and Circuses
Cuckolds
Disabled People
Horror
Revenge
Tod Browning Films
Underdogs
Response to Peary’s Review:
One of early cinema’s unique gems, Tod Browning’s Freaks [...]
Posted on November 26th, 2006 by admin
Filed under: Response Reviews | 1 Comment »
“Mrs. Gentry, just what do you think you’re doing?”
Synopsis:
A recently widowed social worker (Anjanette Comer) investigates a strange case of “child abuse” at the Wadsworth home, where she discovers that a grown man (David Manzy) has been kept in a state of infantile subjugation for 21 years.
Genres:
Child Abuse
Do-Gooders
Review:
Bizarre, disturbing, and patently illogical, [...]
Posted on November 26th, 2006 by admin
Filed under: Original Reviews | 1 Comment »
“This house is not a gift, really – it’s a burden. Perhaps a curse!”
Synopsis:
The financially-strapped Zorba family — Cyrus, Hilda, Medea, and Buck — inherit a furnished mansion (and twelve restless ghosts) from an eccentric uncle.
Genres:
Ghosts
Horror
Inheritance
William Castle Films
Review:
Following his success with The Tingler (1959), William Castle produced and directed this [...]
Posted on November 26th, 2006 by admin
Filed under: Original Reviews | 1 Comment »
“It’s a school for solid platinum rats… It’s a rich kids’ penitentiary!”
Synopsis:
An estranged father (Mickey Rooney) goes to an exclusive military academy on Sabre Island to learn more about his son’s mysterious death.
Genres:
Amateur Sleuths
Boarding School
Corruption
Review:
This surprisingly entertaining B-thriller possesses one of the least suitable titles I’ve come across in a while. [...]
Posted on November 24th, 2006 by admin
Filed under: Original Reviews | 1 Comment »
“It don’t seem like no good ever come to nobody on this bridge…”
Synopsis:
Billy Joe (Robby Benson) pursues his local sweetheart, Bobbie Lee (Glynnis O’Connor), while harboring secret fears that he may be homosexual.
Genres:
Coming of Age
Deep South
First Love
Sexuality
Small Town America
Review:
In her popular country ballad “Ode to Billy Joe”, Bobbie [...]
Posted on November 24th, 2006 by admin
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Synopsis:
While spending the day in the countryside, an engaged young Parisian woman (Sylvia Bataille) and her mother (Jane Marken) are wooed by a pair of local workers (Georges D’Arnoux and Jacques Borel).
Genres:
Cross-Class Romance
French Films
Jean Renoir Films
Star-Crossed Lovers
Review:
Jean Renoir’s cinematic gem (based on a short story by Guy de Maupassant) [...]
Posted on November 24th, 2006 by admin
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