Strange Bargain (1949)

RKO Radio Pictures
Directed by Will Price
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Assistant bookkeeper Jeffrey Lynn barely scrapes by on his wages at a law firm. He lives in the suburbs with his devoted wife and kids, who encourage him to ask for a raise one day. Instead, he gets fired, but his boss proposes another arrangement on the way home from work. The law firm is going under and he plans to commit suicide and leave the life insurance to his own wife and son, but wants Lynn to help him make it look like murder. Pesky police detective Harry Morgan is assigned the case, and the clues all lead to Lynn who must deal with his guilty conscience. Good mystery with a twist that is difficult to anticipate.

Alice (1988)

First Run Features
Directed by Jan Svankmajer
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, First Run Features)

Kristyna Kohoutova is a bored little girl with a vivid imagination. She gets knocked out one day while playing games with her dolls and has an adventure following a white rabbit. She finds herself locked in small rooms and must use various methods to find a way out. The white rabbit leads her deeper and deeper into trouble, ultimately ending up in the court of the red queen and king on trial for her life. The plot tends to bog down in repetitive situations and since we don't really know much about Kohoutova we don't really care about her plight, leading to a rather unemotional story. Svankmajer's highly imaginative stop-motion animation makes up for those deficiencies for the most part. A bizarre, surreal interpretation of the classic Lewis Carroll story.

The Hidden Eye (1945)

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

A private detective is hired to solve a series of murders. He's blind, but is adept at using his other senses to compensate. Also helpful is his guide dog Friday, who saves him on many occasions. They get kidnapped by the killer and his gang, leading to a fist fight with obvious stunt doubles for the big finale. Edward Arnold as the blind detective is a little too smug for my tastes.

The Single Standard (1929)

MGM
Directed by John S. Robertson
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Socialite Garbo openly has a relationship with her chauffeur, defying the social codes of her wealthy circle of acquaintances. When they threaten to expose her, it leads to tragedy. Years later, she meets and falls in love with macho prizefighter, artist and sailor Nils Asther. They spend an idyllic few months together sailing the world, but he abruptly ends the relationship so not to "spoil it". Heartbroken, she settles for another man and they have a child together. Asther eventually shows up again wanting her back, leading to some tense moments before she decides to take him back or stay with her husband and child. Melodramatic to be sure, but Garbo has a way of making you care about what happens to her character.

The Brighton Strangler (1945)

RKO Radio Pictures
Directed by Max Nosseck
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Stage actor John Loder is hit on the head during an air raid and assumes the identity of his latest role: a maniac strangler. He proceeds to re-enact the play scene-by-scene, befriending young WAF June Duprez and her new husband. A Scotland Yard inspector figures out that he is the killer, but too late. He manages to get Duprez on a London rooftop for the big ending, but it doesn't turn out as planned. Good, atmospheric mystery, if a bit far fetched.

Il Sorpasso (1962)

Fair Film (Italy)
Directed by Dino Risi
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Carefree, middle-aged playboy Vittorio Gassman picks up meek law student Jean-Louis Trintignant and takes him on a 2-day road trip around Italy. They stop at various bars and restaurants, meet several women, speed on local highways in his sports car and have a grand time bothering normal folks with their antics. They stop by some relatives of Trintignant and we learn a little about his past, then later they visit Gassman's ex-wife and daughter, the lovely Catherine Spaak, who Tringtignant falls in love with Lolita-style. You will see the tragic ending coming a mile away in this rather predictable road movie.

Escape from Crime (1942)

Warner Bros.
Directed by D. Ross Lederman
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Recently paroled Richard Travis tries to go straight for his wife and new kid. He finally lands a job on a newspaper when he photographs his old pals during a bank robbery. He is constantly harassed by his parole officer who refuses to believe he has changed his ways. His editor forces him to illegally photograph an execution which lands him in hot water with the law, but he manages to clear his name in a final shootout. Another fast-paced Warner crime drama, but totally predictable.

I Was Framed (1942)

Warner Bros.
Directed by D. Ross Lederman
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A newspaper reporter digging up dirt on a politician is framed for manslaughter after a drunk driving accident. His cell mate convinces him to escape, and he starts a new life in a nearby town. Five years go by, and his old cell mate shows up to blackmail his wife with the truth about their background. It starts out as a fast paced crime drama, but degenerates into a family melodrama, including gratuitous scenes with precocious 5-year-old Patti Hale singing songs with their negro servant!

Bullet Scars (1942)

Warner Bros
Directed by D. Ross Lederman
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Gangsters hire local country doctor Regis Toomey to take care of their mortally wounded partner. Toomey, oblivious to what's really going on, keeps him alive and falls in love with his nurse at the same time, who also happens to be the victim's sister. When the truth finally comes out he manages to sneak a message to the town pharmacist leading to a police shoot out for the big finale. Zippy Warner crime entry, but let down by a predictable plot, poor acting, particularly Adele Longmire as the nurse and interminable "comic" relief by character actor Ben Welden as "Pills Davis".

The Get-Away (1941)

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

Rebellious convict Robert Sterling turns out to be an undercover FBI agent hoping to befriend cellmate Dan Dailey, the leader of a gang responsible for a string of payroll robberies. He even goes as far as a breakout, eventually ending up in Chicago where Dailey's gang, and personal doctor, nurse him back to health after he is shot by pursuing cops. Donna Reed then shows up and spoils things, with the plot taking a left turn into a romantic melodrama. She can't decide if she loves Sterling enough to turn in her no-good long lost brother Dailey.