Gunfighters (1947)

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

Gunfighter Randolph Scott lays down his weapons after being confronted by his best friend. He starts over in in a new town, but his reputation follows him and he is soon forced to pick up his guns again when falsely accused of murder. He finds plenty of time to romance twin beauties Barbara Britton and Dorothy Hart. California locations look great in Cinecolor, but romantic subplot drags down the Zane Grey story.

Les Enfants Terribles (1950)

Gaumont
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Siblings Paul and Elisabeth fight, bicker and torment each other in their bedroom. Some of their friends start living with them in a giant mansion she inherits after her newlywed husband dies. They all fall in love with each other, but not to the satisfaction of Elisabeth, so she manipulates their emotions to pit them against each other. Boring people doing bad things to each other for no real reason, with pretentious narration by the author of this melodramatic mess, Jean Cocteau.

It's a Small World (1950)

Eagle-Lion Films
Directed by William Castle
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Midget Paul Dale has a hard time growing up in a small California town. His father yanks him out of school, his sister is ashamed of him and his best friend marries someone else. He leaves home and ends up shining shoes on the streets of LA. He befriends a group of pickpockets and they show him the ropes, but once again love lets him down and he turns to alcohol. A friendly judge sends him to Miami where a circus becomes his new family. William Castle certainly knows how to pick his subject matter to gain maximum publicity, but the acting is strictly amateur and it would be condemned today as politically incorrect.

Nebraska (2013)

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Alexander Payne
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Netflix)

Elderly Bruce Dern believes he really has won a million dollars in a sweepstakes. He convinces his adult son to drive across the Great Plains to claim the prize. They stop in his small home town where everything has changed over the years. However, when the townsfolk find out he is a millionaire, old "friends" come out of the woodwork looking for a handout. They eventually reach their destination where of course their is no money, but his son finds a way out of the predicament. Populated by overbearing Midwest stereotypes, particularly an old woman with a foul mouth who threatens to take over the entire movie. Beautifully photographed in black and white, but episodic and lightweight.

The Blot (1921)

F.B. Warren Corporation
Directed by Lois Weber
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A college professor and minister struggle to keep their families out of poverty despite their stable jobs. The professor's daughter gets attention from numerous young men, especially the spoiled son of a college trustee. He gradually learns that it is better to send her food and money rather than expensive gifts. Meanwhile, her mother is self-conscious about their plight and constantly bickers with a well-off wife next door. Even the cat gets involved. While it may draw sympathy to the plight of the poor, it lacks any kind of dramatic momentum and has a rosy, anticlimactic non-ending.

Before Winter Comes (1969)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by J. Lee Thompson
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Sony Movie Channel)

David Niven is a middle-aged British officer taken away from his regiment and assigned to oversee an Austrian refugee camp in the waning days of WWII. He begrudgingly decides the fates of its inhabitants, sending some to freedom and others to labor camps at the hands of the Russians. Topol is an outgoing resident who becomes his interpreter. However, he uses his position to pad his own pockets and try to get a ticket to freedom. Anna Karina is a local girl also looking out for herself, by sleeping with anyone in power. John Hurt is a young British officer aghast at the inhumanities and selfishness on display. Well acted, but talky an lacking in a compelling plot.

Camille (1921)

Metro Pictures
Directed by Ray C. Smallwood
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Socialite Alla Nazimova floats from one party, and boyfriend, to another in her wealthy circle. She meets dashing Rudolph Valentino and they fall in love. Their impending happiness is blocked when his father convinces her not to marry so as not to smear the family name. Heartbroken, she returns to her former life, where eventually she runs into Valentino again. The ending is not happy. Convincing early adaptation of the Dumas classic, if somewhat overly melodramatic in the style of the day.

A Fine Pair (1968)

National General Pictures
Directed by Francesco Maselli
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Claudia Cardinale shows up in New York to ask for help from her former boyfriend and cop Rock Hudson to return some hot jewels. She somehow convinces him to go to Austria where they break into a house using extreme heat to disable the alarm system. However, Claudia is only using Rock and actually steals jewels while he is busy returning fake ones. Afterwards, they head to Rome to try to same scheme all over again. It's difficult to believe Rock, a cop, could be so gullible, but Claudia does have a way with men. Beautifully shot on location by Alfio Contini, who often worked with Antonioni, but annoyingly the dialogue is all dubbed.

The Wildcat (1921)

UFA (Germany)
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Pola Negri and her mountain bandit friends tangle with the military at a remote fortress. She falls in love with a newly arrived war hero, but he is promised to the daughter of the outrageous camp commander. Pola doesn't give him up easily, until she finds her true love literally crying his eyes out back in the mountains. Lubitsch has created a visually inventive film, with unusual framing and exaggerated sets and characters in the German Expressionist style. However, plot and character development are almost non-existent, making this at times very silly film a chore to watch.

Hot Pepper (1973)

Flower Films
Directed by Les Blank
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

The self-proclaimed "King of Zydeco", Clifton Chenier, is seen performing in bars around Lake Charles, Louisiana, and hanging out with his friends and family. The focus is less on Chenier's music on more on the lifestyles of creole blacks in southeast Louisiana in the early 70s. There is still hope that racial integration will work and everyone will just get along, but nearly 50 years later that has not happened, far from it. A nice companion piece to Blank's other documentary on Mance Lipscomb in nearby east Texas.

Sadie Thompson (1928)

United Artists
Directed by Raoul Walsh
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A prostitute arrives at a South Seas island where she becomes the center of attention of all the lonely sailors. She falls in love with one in particular and hopes to leave her past life behind. However, a conservative missionary tries to get her kicked off the island, until he falls in love with her himself. The story takes a ludicrous melodramatic turn in the reconstructed last reel. Swanson is magnetic, but the story does not do her justice.

It (1927)

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Clarence Badger
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Shop clerk Clara Bow, who has "it", falls for her boss, who doesn't realize he also has "it". Their potential romance is derailed by a misunderstanding over her role as a friend of a poor tenement woman and her baby, who the boss thinks belong to her. Clara is also romanced by a dimwitted but wealthy friend of her boss, and uses him to get to her real target. Entertaining if somewhat predictable romantic comedy, with a bit of social commentary in the subplot.

Our Man in Marrakesh (1966)

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

Clueless American Tony Randall gets involved with spies in Morocco when his briefcase is mistaken for one carrying important documents. Pretty Senta Berger leads him cross country as they run from bad guy Herbert Lom and friends. Laughless, boring trip to north Africa, redeemed slightly by Terry-Thomas' turn as an English playboy.

The Lineup (1958)

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

Eli Wallach and Robert Keith are professional hoodlums hired to recover heroin smuggled in via unsuspecting tourists in San Francisco. Wallach is the gun and Keith the brains, and along with driver Richard Jaeckel they quickly and efficiently go about their business in a cold, ruthless manner. However, complications arise with their last targets, who mistakenly lose the heroin, setting off a confrontation with their superior and a long police chase through the streets of the city. Fast paced script by Stirling Silliphant, location shooting and steely performance by Wallach, but occasionally let down by some poor special effects: a couple of obvious dummies take a fall and the back projection for the car chase is unconvincing.

The Brothers Rico (1957)

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

Successful businessman Richard Conte can't quite shake his gangster past after his brothers get involved with a mob hit and need his help when things start to go bad.  The mob forces Conte to track down one brother: he thinks he can save him when actually the mob just wants him dead. When Conte realizes what's going on it's too late to save his brothers, but not to exact his own revenge. Tough crime drama brought down a bit by overly melodramatic subplots. Conte is good in the lead role as is the unheralded Larry Gates as the conniving mob boss.

The Mob (1951)

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

Tough cop Broderick Crawford is forced to take an undercover assignment after being duped by a killer impersonating a police officer. He assumes the identity of a hard drinking longshoreman to infiltrate a corrupt union. At the top he finds the killer, who, unaware of his real identity, hires him to kill himself! However, his cover is busted when his real wife gets kidnapped. Beautifully shot in moody black and white by Joseph Walker, quickly paced, unusually plotted and peppered with one-liners from Crawford.

Magic Boy (1959)

MGM
Directed by Akira Daikuhara and Taiji Yabushita
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A Japanese boy encounters a witch in his tranquil forest home. He travels far away to find a man who can teach him magic powers with which to defeat the witch. He leaves behind his sister, who is kidnapped by evil henchmen of the witch. The boy returns to save his sister, with help from a handsome prince. Simple story is enhanced by vivid animation, but hampered by comic relief and cutesy interludes with anthropomorphic animals. Americanized version has a terrible theme song by Danny Valentino.

The Vanishing American (1925)

Paramount Pictures
Directed by George B. Seitz
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Indian leader Richard Dix endures mistreatment, prejudice, robbery and even murder at the hands of government "Indian agent" Noah Beery. Pretty school teacher Lois Wilson makes it personal when Beery attacks her but blames Dix. WWI comes calling and Wilson, who has been romancing Dix as well as reading the Bible with him, convinces him, and his tribe, to fight for the American side in Europe. The wounded return home to find Beery in charge and nothing has changed. Strong indictment of the American policy towards its native inhabitants has lost none of its impact. Beautifully filmed in Monument Valley, Utah.

Torrent (1926)

MGM
Directed by Monta Bell
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A peasant family is kicked out of their home after their daughter falls in love with the landlord's son. She leaves for Paris, where she becomes a famous opera singer. Returning home years later, her reputation combined with his engagement to a local girl initially prevent them from rekindling the romance. However, they eventually do, much to the disappointment of their respective families. Downbeat melodrama has little to offer other than an early look at Garbo.

The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960)

Eros Films (UK)
Directed by Ken Hughes
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Successful London playwright Oscar Wilde is accused of sodomy by the father of one of his many lovers. Wilde fights back with a libel suit, but the ensuing trial reveals more of his private life than he intends. Wonderfully acted by Peter Finch as Wilde, Lionel Jeffries as his accuser and James Mason as the prosecuting attorney. Vividly realized Victorian setting provides the backdrop to a debate which continues in earnest today.

A River Called Titas (1973)

Directed by Ritwik Ghatak
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A newlywed couple in a remote Bengali fishing village meets tragedy one night while crossing a river. Ten years pass, and the girl returns to the village after living in another one. A local crazy man may or may not be her husband. After another tragedy, their only child is left an orphan. He is raised by her childhood friend, but she struggles with the responsibility and his apparent ingratitude. Interesting glimpse at Bengali culture and customs, beautifully shot in black and white, but suffers from extreme length, amateur actors and melodramatic, occasionally incoherent plot.

Sword in the Desert (1949)

Universal-International
Directed by George Sherman
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

American boat captain Dana Andrews looking to make a fast buck helps a group of illegal immigrants get to Israel. After he tips off their location to the British, they are forced to go on the run. No longer trusted by the Jewish underground, they keep him a prisoner, but when one of their own is captured they must rely on him to help. Andrews' change of heart takes place on Christmas Eve with a postcard view of Bethlehem in the background. Although not entirely historically accurate, it is nonetheless an engrossing story involving many clever disguises and daring rescues. Hard to see for many years, probably due to the fact that the British, and to a certain extent the Americans, are the villains in a fight against Jewish immigration from Europe.

Secret of Treasure Mountain (1956)

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

Bank thieves running from a posse hideout with an odd assortment of characters in the mountains. An elderly Englishman has retired there for his health with his pretty daughter. Their Indian helpers live nearby in a hut carved in the side of a hill. The legend of buried treasure keep them occupied with digging and searching for it. When the thieves here about it, they begin their own search. One of them falls in love with the girl, causing romantic tension with one of the Indians. Works best as a serial-inspired adventure story, but also mixes in elements of westerns, gangster dramas and romance. Burr is ridiculous as the heavy, especially when his much thinner stunt double fights for him.

Aaron Loves Angela (1975)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Gordon Parks, Jr.
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Teenager Aaron lives with his single dad, a washed-out football pro who runs a diner and drinks too much. His advice to Aaron is to not worry about winning or losing his basketball games but just score as many points as possible. Aaron falls in love with Puerto Rican girl Irene Cara, which causes racial tensions among his friends and neighbors. He secretly furnishes a room in a condemned building where they can have their first sexual experience together. A drug deal gone bad nearby leaves him with a briefcase full of cash, which puts him in a moral dilemma. This teenage romance can't quite escape the feel of an after school drama, but it does have authentic mid 70s period flavor due to NYC locations and natural performances.

Five Minutes to Live (1961)

Sutton Pictures
Directed by Bill Karn
My rating:  1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Small time hoods Vic Tayback and Johnny Cash hold a suburban housewife hostage while attempting to shakedown her bank executive husband. Only problem is their marriage is on the rocks and the husband wouldn't mind at all if they killed her. Cash is cast as a cold-hearted killer who snarls a lot and plays guitar at inappropriate times. Unfortunately his acting chops can't keep pace with his attitude. That problem extends to many of the other actors as well, including little Ronnie Howard.

Sallah (1964)

Directed by Ephraim Kishon
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Recently arrived immigrant Topol and his large family are shuffled off to an Israeli "transit camp" and promised a new house by the government. When it becomes apparent the new house may be years away, Topol schemes to raise enough money to buy one. A taxi cab driver offers a large sum of money for his daughter, which he gladly accepts, but begins to unravel when she challenges his decision and wants to marry for love instead. Topol's huge presence is the whole show, but it is not always easy to sympathize with some of his decisions, mainly because of his lazy, selfish and not always moral approach.

Poltergeist (1982)

MGM/UA
Directed by Tobe Hooper
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)

A typical southern California suburban family's home is overtaken by malicious ghosts. They kidnap their young daughter who communicates with our world through the TV set. They call in professional ghost busters to try to get her back. After they fail, they resort to a psychic medium. However, it's old fashioned rope that does that eventually does the trick. Glossy, Spielberg-ized treatment of the haunted house genre has so many twists and turns that it feels more like a them park ride. It's fun, but impossible to take seriously.

Rio Rita (1929)

Radio Pictures
Directed by  Luther Reed
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A Texas ranger crosses the border into Mexico in search of "The Kinkajou", a bandit patronizing Texas banks. He falls in love with pretty Rita, whose brother may or may not be the bandit. Rita is also pursued by a wealthy Mexican who could also be the bandit. A strange mix of western, operetta and dreadful misogynistic comedy relief from the duo of Wheeler and Woolsey who almost single-handedly ruing the film. For some reason the last 30 minutes or so is in a sickly turquoise and brown early Technicolor.