“I ain’t got no gun. I ain’t got no wife. All I got is a bed, and board, and a job, and I’m trying to be as good a citizen I can.”
Synopsis:
An inept train robber (Dennis Hopper) goes straight and takes a series of menial jobs in the town of Dime Box. Meanwhile, he befriends [...]
Posted on June 28th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Original Reviews | 1 Comment »
“Cats are funny, mister — they don’t want to hurt you, but if you scare them, they go crazy!”
Synopsis:
When a traveling showman (Dennis O’Keefe) and his star performer (Jean Brooks) accidentally let a leopard loose in a New Mexico town, innocent young women begin to die, one after the other. Soon O’Keefe starts to believe [...]
Posted on June 28th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Response Reviews | No Comments »
“I’ve always wanted to die…”
Synopsis:
A young woman (Kim Hunter) searches for her missing sister, Jacqueline (Jean Brooks), who has joined a Satanic cult in New York.
Genres:
Mysterious Disappearance
Psychological Horror
Satanists
Search
Val Lewton Films
Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “exceptional Val Lewton thriller” is a “complete original”, featuring “bizarre and sinister characters”, “smart, strong-willed women”, and “several [...]
Posted on June 28th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Response Reviews | 1 Comment »
“Stella will never be well until this house is cured — and somehow, we’ve got to cure it!”
Synopsis:
Roderick (Ray Milland) and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) buy a house haunted by the unhappy mother of a local woman, Stella (Gail Russell). When they realize that Stella’s life is in danger, Roderick, Pamela, and a local [...]
Posted on June 28th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Response Reviews | No Comments »
“There’s something clammy about him… I’d have the same feeling brushing up against something in the dark night.”
Synopsis:
In the Russian court of Czar Nicholas (Ralph Morgan), Czarina Alexandra (Ethel Barrymore), and Czarevitch Aloysha (Tad Alexander), the duplicitous “holy man” Rasputin (Lionel Barrymore) worms his way to the top, while Prince Chegodieff (John Barrymore) does what [...]
Posted on June 28th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Original Reviews | No Comments »
“How I wish that I were as nice as you think I am…”
Synopsis:
Ruthless, womanizing publisher Anthony Mallare (Noel Coward) falls in love with a young poet (Julie Haydon), then abandons her for another woman. When he is killed in a plane accident, Mallare’s ghost is given one month to find someone who will shed a [...]
Posted on June 28th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Response Reviews | 1 Comment »
“Ah, the pledges: mow ‘em down, turn ‘em active, and they keep coming, like bad dreams…”
Synopsis:
In the 1950s, an idealistic pledge (Gregory Harrison) and his pledgemaster (Peter Fox) clash with a bullying brother (Scott Newman) over hazing practices at their fraternity.
Genres:
Bullies
College
Untimely Death
Review:
This remarkably assured feature debut by director Thomas Tobin and screenwriter Charles Gray Allison [...]
Posted on June 28th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Original Reviews | 1 Comment »
“Yeah, I’ve got problems — who hasn’t?”
Synopsis:
A man (Aldo Ray) falsely accused of murder tries to escape from two bank robbers (Brian Keith and Rudy Bond), who believe Ray has their stolen money. Meanwhile, Ray is trailed by an insurance investigator (James Gregory) hoping to find the money himself.
Genres:
Falsely Accused
Flashback Film
Fugitives
Jacques Tourneur Films
Review:
This well-acted, [...]
Posted on June 28th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Original Reviews | 3 Comments »
“I’ve declared war — that’s what I’ve done. I’ve declared war!”
Synopsis:
In the early 20th century, a half-aboriginal Australian (Tommy Lewis) tries to adapt to white culture, but finds himself unable to cope with rampant, debilitating racism.
Genres:
Australian Films
Cross-Cultural Romance
Fugitives
Native Peoples
Race Relations
Revenge
Review:
Fred Schepisi’s second film — a follow-up to his semi-autobiographical debut feature, The Devil’s Playground [...]
Posted on June 24th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Original Reviews | 1 Comment »
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain…”
Synopsis:
A misunderstood Kansas farmgirl (Judy Garland) dreams that she has been transported to the wonderful world of Oz, where she meets a scarecrow with no brain (Ray Bolger), a tin man with no heart (Jack Haley), and a cowardly lion (Bert Lahr).
Genres:
Coming-of-Age
Fantasy
Musicals
Witches, Wizards, and Magicians
Response to Peary’s [...]
Posted on June 22nd, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Response Reviews | 1 Comment »