Inception (2010)

Warner Bros.
Directed by Christopher Nolan
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)

A team is assembled to use a "shared dream" machine to plant an idea in the mind of a wealthy man who recently lost his father. The idea is to get him to break up a corporation, which will benefit the person who hired the team. Leo DiCaprio is their leader, an experienced "extractor" who has used the machine in the past to get information from the subconscious of unsuspecting dreamers. They drug the man on a long plane flight and all plug into the machine. They must pretend to not be in a dream and convince the man that it is reality. However, in order to "plant" an idea in his mind, they must plug into another dream machine and go into a dream-within-a-dream. More things go wrong and they decide to descend to another dream level. At this deepest level the subconscious begins to take over and Leo's personal problems with his ex-wife threaten to ruin the whole mission. The overly complex plot does not always stand up to deep scrutiny. For instance, one dream level obeys the physics of the dreamers, but at others levels it does not. They are relentlessly attacked on all levels by anonymous men with guns, who apparently represent the "defense mechanisms" of the wealthy man with a military background. As a result, it frequently turns into a mindless action movie. If the plot had concentrated instead on the much more interesting personal story of Leo and his wife, it would have been more effective, but that story is stuck inside a loud, bloated, CGI driven 3-hour epic.

Utah Blaine (1957)

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

Gunslinger Rory Calhoun saves a rancher from a hanging by a gang of thugs out for his land. Calhoun is rewarded with a job as ranch manager, which also gives him a chance to fall in love with the rancher's daughter. Meanwhile, the gang continue to try take the land by force. One of its members is an old nemesis of Calhoun's from Mexico and the two of them are itching for a showdown. Formulaic Louis L'Amour story shot on  the Columbia back lot by the prolific team of producer Sam Katzman and director Fred F. Sears.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

MGM
Directed by Victor Fleming
My rating: 4 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)

Farm girl Dorothy is knocked unconscious during a tornado and wakes up in Technicolor. She is greeted by Munchkins who proclaim her a heroine after landing on a witch and killing her. However, Dorothy can only think about getting back home to Auntie Em, but must travel to a distant city and its great Wizard to ask for help. She picks up a trio of friends along the way, each hoping to fulfill their own desires. They overcome great obstacles to reach the wizard, but he demands they kill another witch before granting their wishes. The wizard is revealed to be a fraud, but a resourceful one who still finds a way to satisfy everyone. Dorothy wakes up back in dreary black and white Kansas where she recognizes the characters of Oz as people in her every day life. The enduring classic works on multiple levels: everything from escapist musical to psychological symbolism, each viewing seems to reveal something new.

Hard Times (1975)

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

Drifter Charles Bronson arrives in New Orleans during the days of the Great Depression. He hooks up with con man James Coburn who arranges bare-knuckled fights and raises the money for bets. Bronson easily defeats his first few opponents, but has a little more difficulty when he starts winning. Meanwhile, Coburn gets in trouble with loan sharks and relies on Bronson to save him. Jill Ireland has a pointless role as the girl Bronson tries, but fails, to have a relationship with. The fight scenes are not that exciting or convincing, and neither is the period flavor, which relies on a handful of vintage cars and thrift store clothing.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Mel Stuart
My rating: 4 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)

The reclusive owner of a giant candy factory in England hides "golden tickets" in chocolate bars. The winners get a free guided "tour", and perhaps a few surprises along the way. Charlie is the kid from a poor family, who has the least hangups of the group of kids. The others suffer from overeating, gum chewing, being a spoiled brat and watching too much TV, and each meet appropriate fates during the tour. Charlie and his grandpa Joe do break one of the rules and are denied their ultimate prize, a lifetime supply of chocolate, by the apparently cruel antics of Wonka. However, Charlie's final act is described perfectly and succinctly by Wonka himself when he says, "so shines a good deed in a weary world". And so goes the movie itself, an enduring children's fantasy that made an indelible impression on kids everywhere, for better or worse.

Where is My Friend's House? (1987)

Directed by Abbas Kiarostami
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A schoolteacher scolds a boy in class about his writing notebook to make a point about discipline. His friend accidentally takes it home after school. After discovering his mistake, and realizing his friend may get expelled the next day without it, he begins the monumental task of returning the notebook. His friend lives in a neighboring village which requires a long walk. He does not have an address and nearly becomes lost in the maze of streets, steps and houses. He asks strangers for help but they end up getting him more confused. As darkness sets in he eventually gives up and returns home. However, he comes up with a plan with which he hopes to save the boy in class the next morning. A deceptively simple story which delves deeply into characters and the day-to-day life of a poor Iranian village. The boy is pulled in many directions by the adults in the story, each wanting to use him for their own purposes but causing moral dilemmas which he must overcome in addition to the physical obstacles.

Days of Being Wild (1990)

Media Asia
Directed by Wong Kar Wai
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Carefree Leslie Cheung has no problems getting women, only getting rid of them. A pretty box office attendant falls in love with him and wants to move in, but he won't commit so she leaves him. In a matter of days, he takes up with a dance hall girl, but has the same problem. He's also dealing with his alcoholic adopted mother, who won't tell him the identity of his real parents despite constant nagging. She eventually gives in for no other reason than to get rid of him, and he takes off for the Philippines in search of his real mother. In an incredible coincidence, he meets and befriends the security guard who fell in love with the box office girl after their break up. As they ruminate over the meaning of life, they have a violent confrontation with thugs which leads to tragedy. Wong Kar Wai's inimitable style and nuance overcome the melodramatics in a character driven story which takes place in the perpetually rainy Hong Kong.

The Holy Mountain (1973)

ABKCO Music and Records
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, ABKCO/Anchor Bay)

Jodorowsky relentlessly criticizes religion, war, consumerism and other modern obsessions using surrealistic imagery, over-the-top violence, and, most of all, sex. Essentially plotless, a Christ-like figure wanders around Mexico where he sees how religion has been marketed to the masses. He eventually ends up on a painted carousel where nine characters are introduced, each representing different planets. The group of ten then journeys to a mountain where they hope to find immortality. Jodorowsky's follow up to El Topo has less violence and more sex, but there is still plenty of blood flowing and dead animals on display. Some parts are dated and it frequently relies on hippie/new age mysticism for explanations to serious questions. The big revelation on the mountain was a let down as well. Still, Rafael Corkidi's cinematography is superb, as is the soundtrack which features Don Cherry among others.

Hands Across the Table (1935)

Paramount Pictures
Directed by  Mitchell Leisen
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Universal)

Manicurist Carole Lombard reluctantly falls in love with heel Fred MacMurray, both of them looking to marry into money but instead finding each other. MacMurray has his pocketbook set on a rich debutante, but only has eyes for Carole. Meanwhile, a wheelchair-bound Ralph Bellamy, who has money, falls in love with Carole. After it all gets sorted out, you can't help but wonder if the wrong couple ended up together. Carole and Fred's attempt at screwball comedy mostly falls flat.

El Topo (1970)

Douglas Films
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, ABKCO/Anchor Bay)

A gunfighter and his young, naked son come across a massacre in the desert. They track down the bandits responsible and kill them, but not before witnessing more atrocities. The gunfighter leaves his son behind and wanders the desert with the girlfriend of one of the bandits in search of master gunfighters with which to duel. He is able to defeat them all, but only by resorting to some kind of underhanded deception. He loses his girlfriend to another woman they pick up during their travels through the desert, and they decide to kill him. He wakes up, or perhaps is reborn, as a monk in a cave full of human throwaways where a midget woman takes care of him. They leave the cave and go to a nearby town where debauchery rules. Filled with abhorrent violence, much of it involving animals, this is a pretentious philosophical mess with little in the way of coherence, much less a plot. Only the cinematography by Rafael Corkidi prevents it from being a complete failure.

The Slave (1962)

MGM
Directed by Sergio Corbucci
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Warner Archive Collection)

Roman centurion Steve Reeves is the son of rebel slave Spartacus, which he discovers when the amulet he wears is identified by slaves as the one given to him by his father. He takes pity on slaves when they are killed and tortured, becoming, like his father, their leader. By day he is the representative of Caesar in an eastern land ruled by the traitor Crassus, but in his spare time he dons a helmet which obscures his identity to slay the oppressors. Location shooting in Egypt adds authenticity, and there is some interesting torture on display, but it fails to rise above the usual Italian spectacle centered around boring palace drama.

Nickelodeon (1976)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Sony)

Lawyer Ryan O'Neal becomes a reluctant director in the early days of cinema. He travels to California to make silent comedies on an isolated ranch location. Burt Reynolds takes punches as well as he throws them as the star, while they fight over leading lady Jane Hitchcock in her only film appearance. The pacing, especially in the first hour, if frenetic, with one gag after another in pure slapstick style. The recreation of early Hollywood feels just right and movie buffs will have a field day spotting all of the references. While the love triangle at the heart of the film feels forced and unemotional, the homage to early cinema is anything but.

Crazy Joe (1974)

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

Peter Boyle and his small gang of hoods pull a hit for the mob, but when they are not paid decide to take over. They almost succeed until he is arrested and sent to prison for ten years. He sits in jail, reads existential philosophy and befriends the leader of a black gang, while one of his partners rises to the top by becoming a politician. After being released, he teams up with the blacks to try to take over. Filled with the usual quota of mafia violence and melodrama, but an interesting cast and vivid New York City locations make it more than watchable. Somewhat forgotten amidst the glut of post-Godfather mafia films in the 70s.

Yeelen (1987)

Cinecom Pictures
Directed by Souleymane Cissé
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A young man sets out on a journey to find an uncle to help him make a stand against his father who wants him dead. The father relentlessly pursues the boy with the help of two slaves and a magical post which points them in the right direction. The boy ends up befriending a king and helping his village defeat invaders. He gets a young wife in the process, and the two continue the journey to his uncle. They find him in another village and are given a magic "wing", which the boy uses in the final confrontation. Interesting, but not particularly compelling, story of African rituals and magic. There is no real explanation of the central feud between father and son, and the primitive special effects, a floating post, a dog walking backwards, are not very convincing either.

Show People (1928)

MGM
Directed by King Vidor
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Fluff about a naive girl from Georgia who arrives in Hollywood searching for fame and fortune. She starts out in slapstick comedy where she meets and eventually falls in love with her carefree costar. She becomes in instant success, but wants to be taken as a serious actress so abandons the comedy troupe and takes up with a stuffy studio to make drama pictures. She becomes engaged to her leading man, but her old comedy pal shows up just in time to show her the error of her ways. Of interest now mainly for glimpses at backstage Hollywood and cameos of silent film stars, including an amusing bit where Marion Davies meets herself!

Prometheus (2012)

Twentieth Century Fox Film
Directed by Ridley Scott
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray 3D, Fox)

Scientists travel to a distant planet in search of the origins of mankind. Instead, they are relentlessly attacked by alien creatures who invade their bodies and a God-like humanoid intent on destroying Earth. Lead scientist Noomi Rapace shows incredible fortitude, surviving a self-induced abortion to rid herself of an alien and a slow-motion crash of a giant spaceship. She gets help from a robot named David, or at least his disembodied head. Well, needless to say Earth is saved, but the open ending leaves plenty of room for the inevitable sequels. This horror-science fiction hybrid pours on the violence and gore, is obsessed with  technology and consists of characters that are neither likeable or memorable.

This Land Is Mine (1943)

RKO Radio Pictures
Directed by Jean Renoir
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Timid school teacher Charles Laughton gets caught up in the resistance movement of an occupied city of Europe during WWII. He's secretly in love with fellow teacher Maureen O'Hara, whose brother is a saboteur desperately wanted by the Germans. Her fiance George Sanders is a Nazi sympathizer which causes her to break up with him. She accuses Laughton of turning in her brother but in his sensational trial the truth is revealed. Laughton gives a series of speeches in the denouement: in the first he poignantly admits to being a coward on the outside but realizes that bravery lives in his heart, in the second he makes a case to the townspeople for supporting saboteurs and in the final one he recites the American Bill of Rights to his young students before being lead away, presumably to be executed. Released in 1943 at the height of the war, the speeches become increasingly propagandist, but Laughton is utterly convincing in a bravura performance.

10 Rillington Place (1971)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Richard Fleischer
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Richard Attenborough is the landlord of a small, dilapidated London row house. He leases the upstairs flat to young couple Judy Geeson and John Hurt. When Geeson becomes pregnant and seeks an abortion, Attenborough convinces her that he can do the job. Instead, he satisfies his sexual desires and strangles her. The grief stricken Hurt is easily manipulated by Attenborough after the fact and is framed for murder. However, Attenborough cannot contain his impulses and goes on to commit more murders. Filmed on location in small, cramped quarters which creates a feeling of claustrophobic angst with almost no music and a slow, deliberate style. Despite the abhorrent subject matter, it's a fascinating character study impeccably performed by the ensemble cast.

Sergeant Rutledge (1960)

Warner Bros.
Directed by John Ford
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A black officer in the US Cavalry is accused of raping a teenager girl and killing her father. A court martial follows in which the story is told in flashback. It becomes apparent that the evidence is circumstantial and the race of the accused was also a factor. His commanding officer, also defending him at the trial, searches for hard evidence that will acquit him. The events at the trial burden an otherwise enjoyable Ford western: there is unnecessary comic relief and in particular a ludicrous plot twist that almost single-handedly ruins the film. Woody Strode is excellent as the accused sergeant, but Jeffrey Hunt is just adequate as the defense counsel.

Xala (1975)

New Yorker Films
Directed by Ousmane Sembene
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A wealthy businessman in Dakar decides to take on a third wife, much to the displeasure of his other wives and daughter. When he fails to perform on the wedding night, it is blamed on a "curse". He seeks several cures, from fellow businessmen and local witch doctors, but none of them work. His financial affairs soon start to crumble and eventually he finds himself broke and on the streets. The source of the curse, and its cure, is not revealed until the rather bizarre ending. The lifestyles of the ultra-rich are presented in all of their absurdity, all the more pathetic in light of the poverty frequently visible in the streets lurking in the background. The final scene makes it clear how the director feels about them. However, the pace is very slow, the wedding takes up much of the first hour, and it's obvious that some of the actors are simply reciting their lines, even if it is in a foreign language.

The Battle of El Alamein (1969)

Directed by Giorgio Ferroni
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(MGMHD)

The Italian-German alliance engages in desert warfare with the British in north Africa during WWII. Field Marshal Rommel carries out the commands of Hitler in an attempt to take control of vital oil fields and join with the southern European forces. Both sides use misdirection, such as a staged camp complete with mannequins and fake guns or a forged map of a mine field, to gain advantage. As the battle wages on, it becomes apparent to the men in one Italian company that they will be sacrificed for the greater war. A last stand pits the woefully undermanned and out-gunned Italians against the mighty British tanks lead by General Montgomery. The desert battles tend to go on and on with monotony eventually setting in for this viewer, with no one really to root for (the British are bad guys who murder prisoners of war) and some obvious miniatures for the bigger battle scenes.

The Good Die Young (1954)

United Artists
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Four men in post war London meet daily at a local pub. Their conversations about domestic problems, and lack of money, lead one of them to propose a daring heist at a nearby post office. However, most of the screen time is taken up by the rather routine melodrama of their pathetic home lives. Each one is saddled with a woman who either demands money, is having an affair or using them in some way. Most are angry about the way they have been treated after the war by society or the government. Unable to get real jobs, the "leisurely gentleman" is easily able to persuade them to participate in his poorly planned robbery. No one should be surprised when it goes tragically wrong. The main appeal here is the fine acting by the ensemble cast, with Stanley Baker as a washed up boxer standing out.

Boy (1969)

Art Theatre Guild (Japan)
Directed by Nagisa Ôshima
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A dysfunctional family uses a scam involving fake accidents and extortion to make a living. They travel from city to city across Japan, staying one step ahead of the law, living in hotels and seemingly always eating. The father, a brutish military veteran, slaps around his wife when she gets out of line and threatens the kids. Ten-year-old "Boy" learns the ropes of the scam and is a willing participant, even enthusiastic, especially if it helps hold the family together. He has an uneasy, complex relationship with his stepmother and tells stories about aliens to his younger sibling. Everything changes one day when one of the scams goes wrong and the police catch up with them. A fascinating character study set against the "modern" Japan of the late 1960s, where tradition has been replaced by traffic and seedy hotels. The soundtrack by Hikaru Hayashi sets the tone: dreary, modern, almost avant-garde. Ôshima utilizes color, black and white, stills, documentary-style reporting and other techniques from the Japanese New Wave to convey the inner turmoil of the family. There is a memorable scene that takes place in the snow involving a snowman and aliens...

Los Olvidados (1950)

Directed by Luis Buñuel
My rating: 4 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Street urchins in Mexico survive, rather than live, in the streets. One of the older boys bullies the others into helping him rob and steal, even from the blind and crippled. Just out of reform school, he takes revenge on the boy he believes turned him in, killing him in the process. He bribes a younger boy who witnessed the murder. He stays quiet but is racked with guilt which festers inside him and threatens to take over his life. Framed for theft by the same boy, he is sent to reform school himself where a kindly director almost manages to turn him around. However, the streets are unforgiving leading to the unforgettable final scene. A brutal, hopelessly pessimistic film with occasional touches of Bunuel's surrealism.

Pather Panchali (1955)

Directed by Satyajit Ray
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A poor Indian family in a rural village struggles to survive. Their house is in disrepair and they never have enough food to eat. The heart of the story is the relationship between the mother and her daughter. As a young girl, Durga, the daughter, steals fruit from a nearby orchard, shaming the mother in front of neighbors. Later, the daughter is accused of petty theft and the mother almost kicks her out. Years pass, Durga is now a teenager but her relationship with her mother is still strained. One day she and her younger brother, Apu, venture out to see a passing train, in one of the film's more lyrical moments. Meanwhile, their father leaves for the city to try to earn money. He is away for months, during the which the family faces its gravest hardships and tragedy.

The Host (2006)

Magnolia Pictures
Directed by Joon-ho Bong
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(HDNet Movies)

Pollution in South Korea's Han River results in a giant, man-eating, walking catfish that terrorizes the population in general and one family in particular. The giant catfish stashes the little girl in a sewer which it is using as a lair. Meanwhile, her family is hunted down by authorities, suspected of carrying a virus. Presumed dead, her father receives a cell phone call from her asking for help, setting in motion his transformation from pathetic louse to determined hero. The CGI monster is unconvincing, the cell phone centric plot tiresome and the characters difficult to like.

Oklahoma Crude (1973)

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

Uneven mix of comedy and drama, with Faye Dunaway determined to save her oil well, at all costs. Her icy, man-hating character clashes with drifter George C. Scott, hired by her boozy father John Mills to help protect the well from a greedy Oklahoma oil company. Jack Palance perhaps gives the best performance of the bunch as the cigar-chomping strong arm of the company who does not hesitate to use intimidation, violence and murder. The period detail of a turn-of-the-century Oklahoma oil boom town is occasionally stunning. However, the uneven tone of the film, and Dunaway's stark, unlikeable character make it hard to warm up to.

Cairo Station (1958)

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

Youssef Chahine, the director, plays a poor and lame newspaper vendor who lives in and around the busy Cairo train station. He falls in love with a voluptuous girl who makes her living hawking sodas in stopped trains. He attempts to win her with a gold necklace, but she rejects him in favor of a macho union organizer. The news stories of a recent murder plant the same ideas in his own mind. He buys a knife but his plans are botched. The disorganized plot covers everything from union politics to repressed sexuality, in a style very reminiscent of Italian realism. The story of Qinawi reminded me of the hunchback of Notre Dame, whose disfigurement also leads to unrequited love and ultimately tragedy.

Master of the World (1961)

American International Pictures
Directed by William Witney
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

This is basically Captain Nemo in the air, with Vincent Price as the mad captain of an airship with plans to end war as we know it by blowing up anyone who disagrees. It actually stands in pretty well for the faulty nuclear deterrent argument, which audiences in 1961 would have easily noticed. Charles Bronson is a scientist who is kidnapped, along with pretty Mary Webster and a few others, by Price and take a flight over the Atlantic to Europe where he confronts various governments. Unfortunately the story is marred by subpar special effects, such as a sequence where they battle stock footage of Africans on camels, which completely takes one out of the film. Still, it's not without a certain Saturday matinee charm.

Loss of Innocence (1961)

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

Teenager Susannah York and her two younger siblings end up alone in a countryside French hotel when their mother goes to the hospital. The hotel owner wants nothing to do with them, but gentleman Kenneth More convinces her to let them stay. At first, they take tours of the city and become great friends, the story straying dangerously close to a travelogue. However, the much older More begins to flirt with 16-year-old York, and she falls in love with him. If that wasn't bad enough, an even younger 13-year-old sister is flirting with the older busboy. There are some very uncomfortably situations that would probably get people arrested today. A scene with York, her sister and busboy getting drunk on wine is poorly acted by all, especially York. More's gentlemanly demeanor becomes unraveled and York gradually suspects that his true identity is a wanted thief, and possibly murderer. It all takes place in an old hotel and beautiful French countryside lavishly photographed by legendary cinematographer Freddie Young (Lawrence of Arabia, among others).

All the Young Men (1960)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Hall Bartlett
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Sony Movie Channel)

A small group of Marines is ambushed in the mountains of Korea. The survivors hole up in a house in a box canyon and wait for reinforcement. The dying sergeant gives over command of the unit to Sidney Poitier who reluctantly accepts. Alan Ladd, whom most of the men think should have been given command, questions his every move. He has problems with a southern racist which leads to fist fights. There are several tense scenes and graphic violence which is unusual for a major studio film made in 1960. Glacier National Park stands in for Korea, nicely captured in black and white by cinematographer Daniel Fapp (West Side Story, The Great Escape).

Paratrooper (1953)

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

Disgruntled Canadian-American Alan Ladd makes trouble in the barracks at parachute school in England. He gets in fights, argues with his superiors and even manages to upset poor parachute packer Susan Stephen. His troubled past is eventually brought up which explains everything. Meanwhile, the training goes on, leading to a couple of real raids against the Germans: one in France and another in north Africa. The studio-bound sets do their best to hide the fact that nothing takes place outside of Shepperton Studios, but the back projection for many scenes makes it all too obvious.

Mr. Lucky (1943)

RKO Radio Pictures
Directed by H.C. Potter
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Scoundrel Cary Grant comes up with a plan to fleece a war relief charity with his gambling buddies. First, he has to assume a new identity to escape the draft. He needs to raise some cash fast, so deftly steals a personal check of wealthy Laraine Day, who runs the charity. She initially resists his flirtations, but then falls for him, but on a trip to her country mansion realizes they come from different sides of the track. All seems lost, but Grant has a change of heart after receiving a letter from Greece meant for the man whose identity he stole. He spends the rest of the film making amends, though with many complications. The wraparound story provides an opportunity for two endings: one downbeat, the other happy.

Ashanti (1979)

Warner Bros.
Directed by Richard Fleischer
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Sony Movie Channel)

Stunning beauty Beverly Johnson, a doctor for the U.N., is kidnapped while skinny dipping by slave trader Peter Ustinov. They take a long trek across Africa where he plans to sell her to rich customers in the Middle East. Her husband, Michael Caine, relentlessly pursues her, along with help from a desert man who is seeking revenge. William Holden, Rex Harrison and Omar Sharif have brief appearances in supporting roles, but really don't add much to the story. Caine is relatively subdued, though he does burst into his shouting schtick once or twice, and his attempt at comedy with a camel is a disaster. The authentic locations can't disguise the fact that this is little more than a violent exploitation film.

In a Lonely Place (1950)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Nicholas Ray
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Bogie is a screenwriter who talks a hat check girl at the local restaurant into going home with him to help  with a script. After she turns up murdered the next day, he is the prime suspect. Neighbor Gloria Grahame is the eyewitness who backs up his story and provides him with an alibi. They fall in love, but his violent temper gives her doubts about his marriage proposal. Bogart and Grahame are perfectly cast and their scenes together are a joy to watch. My only complaint is a somewhat self-conscious Hollywood insider feel to the scenes in the restaurant and at other times when the two leads are not alone.

The 7th Dawn (1964)

United Artists
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Action yarn set in Malaysia with ex-war buddies becoming friends and lovers in the years following the end of the war. William Holden is the American who becomes a land owning rubber baron, taking as his mistress idealistic school teacher Capucine. Their old friend Tatsuro Tanba becomes a communist terrorist and is hunted by the ruling British. Susannah York is the pretty daughter of the British leader who becomes romantically and politically entwined in the struggle. Some good action scenes, particularly the final escape from the jungle, but tries to cover all of the angles and gets a bit lost in the process.

Les Maudits (1947)

Cine Selection (France)
Directed by Rene Clement
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A French doctor tells in flashback the story of his kidnapping by Nazis on a submarine and their voyage to South America in the final days of WWII. The motley crew includes German elite who doubt the reports of Hitler's death, a German officer and his mistress, a teenage girl from Norway trying to escape and restless German sailors who run the day-to-day operations. Much time is spent at the dinner table where they argue about loyalties, defeat and the meaning of the war, until finally they reach their destination only to find that their former agents have deserted them faced with the end of the war. One of the Germans on board takes over from the inept captain, starts to murder anyone who thinks the war is over or tries to leave the ship. He orders the sinking of a German cargo ship leading to mutiny among the crew. Good sets and atmosphere on the submarine, but there is too much talk and Nazi stereotypes abound.

The White Bus (1967)

United Artists
Directed by Lindsay Anderson
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(MGMHD)

A young woman at a menial secretarial job fantasizes about suicide. After work, she walks around the dirty London city for awhile then gets aboard a white bus that takes her on a tour of a typical British city. She, along with the other passengers, walk around a huge industrial complex, visit an art gallery, a girl's school and other typical British locations. She says little to nothing, I remember only two lines, and rarely interacts with the other characters except to tell one of them to take his hand off her knee. It's mostly in black and white but there are occasional changes to color for a few seconds to a few minutes for no rhyme or reason. I suppose it provides a glimpse at the post war, heavily industrialized England of the 1960s, with a particular appreciation of the architecture, but otherwise dated and not exactly riveting viewing.

Le Notti Bianche (1957)

Rank Film (Italy)
Directed by Luchino Visconti
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Marcello Mastroianni falls in love with Maria Schell while walking the streets of an Italian town one night. The only problem is that she is in love with another man. However, that man has left for one year with a promise to return, and it was while waiting for him that they met. At first, she resists, but with time they become friends, until finally on the verge of becoming lovers her old flame returns, leaving Mastroianni alone in the snow to wonder about the meaning of it all. Filmed mostly at night, in a fog, it feels more like a dream than reality. Schell's friendly eyes and welcoming smile make her easy to fall in love with, but those eyes are too often full of tears and it seems she may have something to hide behind all of those smiles.

Enter Laughing (1967)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Carl Reiner
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Brooklyn teenager Reni Santoni lives for classic movies and dreams of becoming an actor. His conservative Jewish parents want him to be a pharmacist. Things come to a head when he signs up for a play at a run down theater advertised as an acting school. The director of the play is Jose Ferrer, a great actor turned alcoholic, and his leading leading is Elaine May, who is mainly interested in their romantic scene together, which drives his real girlfriend crazy with jealousy. He has two days to learn the part, find a tuxedo and convince everyone it is the right thing to do. The opening performance features a hilarious scene where Santoni has a serious case of stage fright. This is one of Reiner's most underrated films, a real comic gem based on his own autobiography, with superbly drawn supporting characters finely acted by Ferrer and May especially, but everyone shines, even Rob Reiner in a small part for his movie debut.