A Bullet Is Waiting (1954)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by John Farrow
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A sheriff and his prisoner crash land in the Pacific and wash up on a remote sheep ranch in California. Jean Simmons is the pretty sheep herder who lives with her father, an Oxford philosophy professor fed up with mankind. She's never seen a man before, so of course falls for the young prisoner Rory Calhoun. She's soon on his side of the conflict, providing him with a gun and a way out. The man may be innocent anyway, a fact not lost on her father when he returns home. There is some fighting, some philosophizing, lots of rain and overly wrought music by Dmitri Tiomkin. Simmons never cracks a smile and has zero chemistry with Calhoun, ruining the most important relationship in the film. Incredibly, it has a happy ending.

Journey (1972)

Directed by Paul Almond
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(VHS, VCI Communications)

John Vernon rescues Genevieve Bujold from a river and takes her to his commune to recover. Genevieve sleepwalks through the first half of the film, unable to speak and psychotic, she thinks everything happening is a dream. She does eventually speak and wastes no time in expressing her desire to return to civilization, but not before expressing it for Vernon as well. The film feels more like a documentary on communes than anything else, and includes graphic footage of cows mating, a pig slaughter and a live cow birth. I guess you see those things on a commune, but I don't want to see them on film. Nonetheless, the locations in remote Quebec are often stunning and poetically photographed, but the hippie commune life is dated and often unintentionally funny.

The Iron Mistress (1952)

Warner Bros
Directed by Gordon Douglas
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Alan Ladd plays the famous fighter and knife thrower Jim Bowie in this lavish Technicolor production. Bowie travels from his home in the swamps to New Orleans, where he is swept off his feet by aristocrat and all-around fire cat Virginia Mayo. He fights several duels, including a memorable set piece in a darkened room lit only by lightning flashes. He gambles, forges his knife, gets rich but still can't forget about Mayo even when she marries someone else. He eventually ends up in San Antonio to get away from the law on his trail for a questionable race horse bet. The romantic subplots are long and boring, but otherwise fun escapism for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Assault on a Queen (1966)

Paramount
Directed by Jack Donohue
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Sinatra is an ex-Navy officer relaxing and boozing with his pal in the Bahamas. He's approached by a group of salvage hunters after sunken treasure for his diving skills. They don't find treasure, but an old German submarine. They cook up an idea to repair the sub and use it to rob the passenger liner Queen Mary. Way too much running time is spent on the repair of the sub and Sinatra's seduction of platinum blond Virna Lisi. The heist is ill-conceived and predictably fails.

The Lion and the Horse (1952)

Warner Bros.
Directed by Louis King
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Horse whisperer Steve Cochran captures a stallion while rounding up wild horses. He wants to keep it for himself but can't afford to buy the horse from his co-horse wranglers. It ends up getting sold to a cruel owner who exploits the horse on the rodeo circuit. Cochran steals the horse and hides out on a ranch to break him. The ranch is run by a friendly old man and his precocious young daughter, ten year old Sherry Jackson. The little girl almost ruins the movie, dumbing it down with ridiculous slang aimed at her peers of the time. Horse meets lion in climactic sequence, but the lion is just a man in a suit or an obvious stuffed dummy. Cut the girl and the lion fight and it's not a bad piece of western nostalgia, in that weird Warnercolor.

Zenobia (1939)

Hal Roach Studios
Directed by Gordon Douglas
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Oliver Hardy is a country doctor in the Deep South of Mississippi. His daughter gets engaged against the wishes of the man's parents, who conspire for the rest of the movie to sabotage the couple. Meanwhile Hardy is called to a circus sideshow to treat a sick elephant. It turns out he only had a knot in his tail, but the grateful elephant follows him around afterwards. This leads to the big set piece, a fancy ball in a mansion that Hardy and elephant crash. It's pure fluff with the usual Hollywood stereotypes of Southern aristocrats and their black servants for comedy relief.

The Law vs. Billy the Kid (1954)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by William Castle
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Encore)

William Castle tackles the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid legend in another of his many pre-horror westerns. Scott Brady is the strong, silent Billy the Kid, nice guy turned reluctant outlaw after seeing a friend murdered by a crooked sheriff and his posse. The governor steps in and hires Pat Garrett as the new sheriff, pitting him against his old buddy Billy. There is the usual romantic subplot with Betta St. John and the inevitable shoot-out finale, this time in an old shack in the woods.

Cave of Outlaws (1951)

Universal-International
Directed by William Castle
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Encore)

Another of the pre-horror William Castle films, this one does at least have a gimmick: Carlsbad Caverns. Macdonald Carey plays the outlaw in search of gold lost in the caverns after a robbery when he was a teen. He falls in love with pretty Alexis Smith who almost convinces him to go straight. For awhile he works with her on the local newspaper, but the ever-present allure of the lost gold proves too much for him to ignore. It turns out her dead husband had a role in the missing gold, leading to the inevitable shoot-out in the caves. Sure it's melodramatic at times and the romantic subplot is boring, but the location shooting and vivid Technicolor sets make this fun in an early 50s, Saturday matinee kind of way.

Taggart (1964)

Universal
Directed by R. G. Springsteen
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Encore)

Rancher and his family are killed when the local big man in town feels his land and cattle are threatened. The son survives the attack and kills one of them in a fair shootout. However, a bounty is placed on his head and he is pursued by a wisecracking Dan Duryea who almost takes over the movie. The chase leads them to an abandoned Mission which is being used by a gold miner and his family. They all come under attack from Indians and must work together. Duryea overplays his hand as the obnoxious bounty hunter in a borderline ridiculous caricature. Tony Young as Taggart is the stereotypical strong but silent type.

Siege of the Saxons (1963)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Nathan Juran
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

You couldn't ask for better Saturday afternoon matinee fare than this fun medieval adventure featuring the familiar Arthurian characters and Robin hood. King Arthur not only is old and dying but also dealing with a Saxon invasion and a traitor in his midst. His daughter Katherine the Great is in line to the throne, but must stay alive to get it. Robin Hood kidnaps her then disguises her as a peasant boy, and together search for Merlin to help her claim the throne. Another winner from the producer/director team of Charles Schneer and Nathan Juran.

Showdown (1963)

Universal-International
Directed by R. G. Springsteen
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Encore)

Two cowboy buddies, Audie Murphy and Charles Drake, unintentionally find themselves involved with a ruthless gang of bank robbers. It's a well-written character study contrasting the personalities of the two men. It turns out that Drake is a selfish coward and the younger Murphy a principled straight-shooter. Everyone is after stolen bonds worth a tidy sum of money, which provides the focus for the ever-shifting plot. Drake's old girlfriend, who is now a saloon hall dancer, gets involved, but ironically it's Murphy who turns out to be the only one she can depend on when all the chips are down. My only complaint is the baby-faced Murphy, an amateur actor, whose role demands more depth than he can provide.

Zift (2008)

Directed by Javor Gardev
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Sundance)

A criminal named Moth is released from prison. He is immediately kidnapped and tortured by an old partner who is looking for a missing diamond. Moth has frequent flashbacks to his days in prison and his relationship with a young girl. Zift is a mysterious word that seems to have many different meanings. There are some vague political references. It's all just an excuse for a parade of juvenile debauchery which includes fart jokes, explicit sex, tons of raw sewerage and on and on and on.

Masterson of Kansas (1954)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by William Castle
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Encore)

George Montgomery is the famous Dodge City sheriff Bat Masterson. He is tasked with clearing the name of a falsely accused murderer, whose death would rekindle Indian wars. The man also happens to be the father of his romantic interest. Doc Holliday holds a personal grudge with him and is constantly itching for a showdown. Wyatt Earp completes the legendary trio but doesn't have much to do. It's mostly talk, talk, talk, and suffers from a low budget. Didn't they notice that they used the same outdoor set for both Dodge City and Hays City?

Seminole Uprising (1955)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Earl Bellamy
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Encore)

Wooden George Montgomery is a sympathetic Cavalry officer dealing with renegade Indians and the flirtatious daughter of his Commanding Officer. The action scenes are composed of obvious stock footage spliced-in with the new material. Those scenes feature some hilariously awful flaming miniature model Indians falling off cliffs to their deaths. Just another day at the office for king of the budget feature, producer Sam Katzman.

Hair (1979)

United Artists
Directed by Milos Forman
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM)

Badly dated even by the time of its release in 1979, this adaptation of the Broadway musical is a bizarre curio. A country hick from Oklahoma travels to New York City to spend his last days of freedom before joining the Army. He stumbles upon a group of hippies in a park singing and performing avant garde dance moves. He should have turned around and run at that point, but instead gets swept into the traveling sideshow led by a grinning Treat Williams. He experiments with drugs, his first LSD trip leading to a surreal wedding to the object of his affections Beverly D'Angelo. After lots more singing and dancing and not much of a plot, he finally goes away to boot camp in Nevada. His old hippie friends miss him and travel cross-country to pay him a visit. The ending is ironic.

The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by William Wyler
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Lurid tale of racism in the Deep South. The police department in a small Tennessee town is run by good ole boys for whom rape and murder is just another day at the office. Lee J. Cobb is the city attorney who turns the other way even when he knows the truth. Character actor Anthony Zerbe gives a tour-de-force performance as the fatally flawed deputy. Despite pretenses of a serious drama, the film frequently stoops to explicit sex and violence to make its points and ends up closer to a drive-in exploitation film.

The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959)

Directed by Nobuo Nakagawa
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A samurai kills the father of a girl he wants to marry when he won't give his consent. After marrying the girl, he decides to kill her as well so he can pursue someone with more money. Along with an accomplice, they fabricate a story that his wife had an affair, kill her and the unjustly accused man, nail their bodies to wood shutters and cut them in half. Apparently this is accepted punishment in medieval Japan. The story takes a turn for the surreal when they are terrorized by the undead, more zombies than ghosts. Superb makeup effects and bold colors bring to mind later efforts by Italian directors like Argento and the Hammer cannon of horror, but this is firmly rooted in Japanese tradition. Occasionally overacted, particularly by the actresses, and the first half or so can be melodramatic, but the second half is some of the best color horror you're likely to find in the late 50s.

99 River Street (1953)

United Artists
Directed by Phil Karlson
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Solid noir with John Payne as an aging prizefighter turned cabbie. His wife takes up with a diamond thief, but when she learns too much the thief murders her and leaves her in the husband's cab in an attempt to frame him. Payne is forced to track down the killer to clear his name. A complex story with excellent supporting work from Evelyn Keyes as an aspiring Broadway actress and Frank Faylen as a cabbie friend. The feel-good ending does not mesh with rest of the film, seems tacked-on at the last minute.

They Rode West (1954)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Phil Karlson
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Encore)

Robert Francis is a humanistic doctor who butts heads with Cavalry brass dealing with an Indian uprising. The doctor wants to treat not only the wounded Cavalry but the Indians as well, in the midst of a malaria outbreak. His disobeys orders to visit the reservation and is branded a "woodhawk", a bird that turns on its own kind. Donna Reed provides romantic entanglements. Francis was tragically killed the next year at the age of 25 in a plane crash.

Sons of the Sea (1941)

Warner Bros.
Directed by Maurice Elvey
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Historical melodrama about the building of the first trans-Atlantic steamship in Britain. Two brothers compete with each other to build the ship and get the girl. They overcome many obstacles in both pursuits. There are several Atlantic crossings with angry seas and strong winds wreaking havoc on model ships. An early writing credit for Emeric Pressburger.

The Comic (1969)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Carl Reiner
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Sony Movie Channel)

Dick Van Dyke narrates his life as a Chaplin-esque silent comedian. In the early days, he becomes a Hollywood star and marries his leading lady. The film's best moments are recreations of his silent comedies, complete with title cards and scratchy black-and-white photography. He begins having affairs which leads to his personal downfall, and can't adapt to talkies which leads to his professional one. He drinks, becomes unemployed and ends up a lonely old man watching his own films on TV alone in a sparsely furnished house. Mickey Rooney is his best friend Cockeye who never abandons him. The depressing last half hour or so is not much fun to watch , but it is still a must see for film buffs, in particular silent film fans.

The Rabbit Trap (1959)

United Artists
Directed by Philip Leacock
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Ernest Borgnine more or less reprises his Marty character as a weak, self-doubting "company man" who finally stands up to his boss. While on vacation for the first time in years, his boss calls him back to the office on the first day. Borgnine dutifully responds, but in the rush he leaves a rabbit trap set in the woods. His son, a rather whiny Kevin Corcoran, realizes their mistake the next day, too late to save the potentially trapped rabbit. Borgnine himself is trapped, between his promise to his son not to harm the rabbit, and his dedication to work. In the end, Borgnine is forced to dig deep and stand up to the man, even if it means losing his job. Superb acting and an insightful script make this deserving of as much attention as its much more famous stepbrother Marty.

HealtH (1980)

20th Century Fox
Directed by Robert Altman
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Fox Movie Channel)

A Florida health food convention stands in for a political convention in Altman's satirical view of American politics. It is not clear to me why he didn't just go ahead and set this at a political convention, as the health food angle adds nothing but a few cheap laughs. Dick Cavett plays himself as a talk show host broadcasting live. The threadbare plot revolves around two women running for president of the HealtH organization. They are both a little crazy. Carol Burnett is a government official and James Garner an assistant to one of the candidates. They rekindle an old romance while roaming around the nuttiness on display. It's poorly acted, the script is unfocused and it's constantly underlit.

Fury at Showdown (1957)

United Artists
Directed by Gerd Oswald
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Encore)

Moody little character study of John Derek as convicted gunslinger who does his time but has trouble adjusting on the outside. He tries to start ranching but the brother of the man he killed vows to prevent him. The townspeople don't really want him around either. His former girlfriend doesn't trust him. He starts to lose his mind leading to a shootout with a hired gunslinger. Hidden gem that deserves a better reputation.

Slave Ship (1937)

20th Century Fox
Directed by Tay Garnett
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Fox Movie Channel)

Warner Baxter tangles with first mate Wallace Beery aboard slave ship of title. Baxter is trying to go straight since he married pretty Elizabeth Allan, neglecting to tell her about his past before bringing her aboard for their honeymoon. Beery and crew resent having a woman on board and mutiny, heading straight for Africa and another cargo. It spends way too much time on the romantic angle and not nearly enough on the slavery one.

Wyoming Renegades (1954)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Fred F. Sears
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Encore)

Routine story of a former member of the Butch Cassidy gang trying to go straight in a new town. He is blamed for a bank robbery that kills some townsfolk. A mob runs him out of town and he rejoins the Cassidy gang. His business partner goes along, but it turns out he's a "Pinkerton man" (private detective) after Butch and the gang. Poorly acted with a dreary script and too many murky day-for-night scenes.

The Last Word (1979)

Variety International
Directed by Roy Boulting
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(MGMHD)

Richard Harris is miscast as a soft-spoken inventor who takes a cop hostage and barricades his family in their home to protest its impending demolition by the city. Karen Black is also miscast as a TV reporter who gives running commentary to the proceedings. Martin Landau is simply awful as a blue collar cop with an accent that comes and goes depending on the scene. It's all a poor imitation of The China Syndrome with a murky anti-establishment flavor. The inventor angle introduces some silly plot devices like a remote control sun car that gets turned into a bomb and the big finale where Harris takes on a SWAT team. Only in the 70s...

Metropolitan (1935)

20th Century Fox
Directed by Richard Boleslawski
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Fox Movie Channel)

Lighthearted backstage musical drama with Lawrence Tibbett trying to salvage an opera company on the verge of collapse and falling in love with leading lady Virginia Bruce. It starts with a funny scene in which the two singers lip synch to prerecorded arias outdoors. It's hard to say if the rest of the film was done the same way, but why else include the scene? Anyway, Tibbett gives us marvelous performances in a practical hit parade of Italian opera, even non-fans are going to recognize songs from Carmen and I Pagliacci, if not by name at least by melody. There are some hilarious character performances in supporting roles, including an unbilled Walter Brennan.

Crime and Punishment (1935)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Josef von Sternberg
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Peter Lorre is Dostoevsky's Roderick Raskolnikov, timid student turned paranoid killer, pitted against police inspector Porfiry in a battle of wills. Lorre practically recites many of his lines in an impersonal performance derivative of his Hans Beckert character in Fritz Lang's M just a few years earlier. Dostoevsky's story is bastardized by Hollywood hacks into an unrecognizable police mystery. Director Sternberg manages to inject a poetic scene or two, for instance some nice shots of water ripples for symbolism, that harken to the original story, but otherwise it's an infuriating experience given the source material and cast.

The Heroes of Telemark (1965)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Anthony Mann
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Sony Movie Channel)

Harris and Douglas lack chemistry as Norwegian resistance fighters attempting to stop the Nazis from obtaining a critical ingredient for a nuclear bomb. First they lead a small group on a nighttime mission to sabotage a hydroelectric plant. They succeed but the Nazis are one step ahead and have it up and running again. A second sabotage mission is carried out against a Norwegian ferry full of innocent bystanders. Spectacularly shot in cold, snowy and remote Norwegian locations.

Everlasting Moments (2008)

Directed by Jan Troell
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Sundance)

Epic story set in early 20th century Scandinavia centered around a devoted wife who picks up photography as a way to escape from her otherwise depressing life. Her husband is an alcoholic brute who attempts to murder her (twice), rapes her, beats the children and has numerous affairs. Her dying father made her promise to stay with him, appealing to her religious convictions, and she does. It occasionally utilizes a trendy shaky cam zoom which almost ruins an otherwise exquisitely photographed film. It can't quite get away from the towering shadow of Ingmar Bergman, but what Scandinavian filmmaker can?

Seventh Heaven (1937)

20th Century Fox
Directed by Henry King
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Fox Movie Channel)

Unfairly overlooked remake of the 1927 Borzage classic. Jimmy Stewart and Simone Simon are well-matched as the star-crossed lovers in 1919 Paris. Jimmy is a philosopher/sewer worker, giving running commentary on the life "up above" on the streets. One day he saves Simone from a brutal beating by her sister. In order to prevent her from getting arrested he tells the police they are married. So begins the romance which is the centerpiece of the film. They live together in his attic garret, looking down on the streets in stark contrast to his sewer job. The neighbors include an amateur astrologist with a hoard of cats and a friendly street cleaner. The scenes in the attic are allowed plenty of room to develop and are Capra-esque in their charm. Jimmy is drafted into the Army and the dreamy couple is separated. She becomes a nurse while he goes to the front. The ending is telegraphed home and seems rushed, one of the few disappoints in an otherwise very entertaining film.

The Lone Hand (1953)

Universal-International
Directed by George Sherman
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Encore)

The usually bland Joel McCrae is surprisingly watchable as a single father with a young boy who takes up farming but falls in with a local gang of stagecoach robbers. In shades of Shane, the boy is heartbroken when his dad goes bad. Even a new mom, Barbara Hale, can't help him cope, and she suspects the worst. However, in a plot twist not entirely unpredicted McCrae shows everyone he's not such a bad guy after all.

The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Jose Ferrer
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Sony Movie Channel)

Uneasy mix of British-style humor and a secret military mission into France during WWII. The first half or so of the film shows a group of rag-tag soldiers being trained for their mission: a canoe trip up the Seine to blow up some Nazi ships. The training scenes are played mostly for laughs, a typical scene shows them running half-naked through the local town in swimming trunks trying to get a bomb safely in the harbor. It's not a bit funny. The military mission is marginally more entertaining, but some particularly obvious model-work for the big explosions takes you right out of the film.