Heroes for Sale (1933)

“I know that all my promotions and decorations belong to you. I know that I’ve stolen the credit from a real hero.”

Synopsis:
A war veteran (Richard Barthelmess) whose cowardly comrade (Gordon Westcott) has accepted all the glory for his heroism battles a morphine addiction, then starts life anew in Chicago, where he prospers as the co-owner [...]

Man Who Reclaimed His Head, The (1934)

“As long as munitions stay in the hands of private enterprise, war will always be around the corner…”

Synopsis:
An anti-war editorialist (Claude Rains) goes mad when he discovers that his editor (Lionel Atwill) has betrayed his trust by collaborating with munitions manufacturers.

Genres:

Betrayal
Flashback Films
Play Adaptations
World War I
Writers

Review:
The Man Who Reclaimed His Head — based on a [...]

Red Dawn (1984)

“The Russians need to take us in one piece, and that’s why they’re here.”

Synopsis:
When Communists invade America, a group of teenagers in Colorado — led by Jed (Patrick Swayze) and his brother Matt (Charlie Sheen) — defend themselves in the hills, eventually forming a resistance group known as the Wolverines.

Genres:

Cold War
Resistance Fighters
Small Town America

Response to [...]

Seven Women (1966)

“Whatever the doctor’s doing, she’s doing for our good…”

Synopsis:
A doctor (Anne Bancroft) sent to a mission in China clashes with its puritanical director (Margaret Leighton), but is a source of inspiration for many of the other inhabitants, including an older pregnant woman (Betty Field) and an impressionable young recruit (Sue Lyon). When their mission is [...]

War of the Worlds (1953)

“They seem to murder everything that moves…”

Synopsis:
A scientist (Gene Barry) accompanied by a beautiful library science instructor (Ann Robinson) works with the military to stop Martian invaders from taking over the Earth.

Genres:

Aliens
Literature Adaptation
Science Fiction
World Domination

Response to Peary’s Review:
Unlike other reviewers who have fond memories of being both scared and thrilled by War of the [...]

Hardcore (1979)

“A lot of strange things happen in this world — things you don’t know about in Grand Rapids, things you don’t want to know about, doors that shouldn’t be opened.”

Synopsis:
When his teenage daughter (Ilah Davis) runs away during a church trip to Los Angeles, a devoutly religious midwestern businessman (George C. Scott) learns from a [...]

President’s Analyst, The (1967)

“If I were an analyst — which I am — I would say I was rapidly turning into a paranoid personality — which I am.”

Synopsis:
A psychoanalyst (James Coburn) hired to work for the president of the United States becomes paranoid that spies are out to get him; soon he finds himself on the lam from [...]

Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975)

“I never claim to be God… Only close to him.”

Synopsis:
With the help of a local detective (Tanny) in Hong Kong, female operative Cleopatra Jones (Tamara Dobson) tries to rescue her co-workers (Albert Popwell and Caro Kenyatta) from the clutches of a vicious drug dealer known as the Dragon Lady (Stella Stevens).

Genres:

African-Americans
Detectives and Private Eyes
Drug Dealers
Strong [...]

Our Dancing Daughters (1928)

“When it comes to marriage, men are still old-fashioned…”

Synopsis:
A fun-loving but decent flapper (Joan Crawford) is devastated when the man she loves (Johnny Mack Brown) marries a deceptively “innocent” gold-digger (Anita Page) instead.

Genres:

Gold Diggers
Joan Crawford Films
Love Triangle
Silent Films

Review:
23-year-old Joan Crawford sparkles in this “part-sound” film about fun-loving flappers during the Roaring Twenties who find [...]

Private Lessons (1981)

“Fifteen is the perfect age. Just think: you’re giving him private lessons — an advanced education!”

Synopsis:
A sexy maid (Sylvia Kristel) is forced by her unscrupulous co-worker (Howard Hesseman) to seduce the wealthy teenage boy (Eric Brown) they both work for.

Genres:

Blackmail
Comedy
Coming-of-Age
May-December Romance

Review:
This dated, unfunny sex comedy features awful acting, a distasteful plot, and genuinely few [...]