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The Great Bank Robbery

“An alleged western comedy, well, that’s not an entirely fair description. It’s very much a western, but debatable as a comedy. An effective comedy requires a bit of energy, and The Great Bank Robbery is distinctly lacking. This is a shame since there’s an enviable roster of solid comedy actors” read more

The Legend of Lylah Clare

“Can a movie be a must-see viewing experience without actually being good in any demonstrable level? Yes, and this phenomenon is practically the reason we have midnight movies and cult classics. I present you with The Legend of Lylah Clare, a hodge-podge narrative of corrosive Hollywood dreams.   ” read more

The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders

“If you kept most of the individual elements of The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders and just tweaked the script, you’d have something. I’m not sure if it would be very good, but I know it would be better than this. Moll Flanders comes out with heaving bosoms and ribald humor, then quickly set” read more

Kiss Me, Stupid

“No one could ever incorrectly accuse Billy Wilder of being cynical, but given the jaundiced nature of his outlook and work, there’s still something bracing about Kiss Me, Stupid’s acerbic quality. Not only does Wilder put female exploitation and fragile masculinity through the wringer, but marri” read more

Of Human Bondage

“Occasionally a remake will wind up as the superior version, look at Judy Garland’s A Star is Born or John Huston’s debut The Maltese Falcon, that particular property was the third go at Dashiell Hammett’s stellar novel. This 1964 version of M. Somerset Maugham’s tale does not join those exem” read more

Boys' Night Out

“These cosmopolitan, chic 1960s sex farces/bedroom comedies are much harder to realize then their artifice would lead you to believe. Just because Doris Day and Rock Hudson flirting in Pillow Talk is a tart, tasty dessert doesn’t mean the whole genre is so wonderfully pretty. Boys’ Night Out is e” read more

The Notorious Landlady

“The pedigree is strong with The Notorious Landlady, but the final product doesn’t add up to much of anything. The pacing is lacking, the production values are strangely muted, and the star power is either miscast or gone to waste.   Director Richard Quine’s 1950s comedy output was never lacki” read more

Strangers When We Meet

“Richard Quine is an odd choice for a marital infidelity soap opera. This material feels better suited to numerous other directors, not Quine’s more comedic strengths. Instead of bringing any energy into the material, Quine plays everything straight, and Strangers When We Meet is a bit of a pretty-” read more

Vertigo

“If you want to know what staring at cinematic nirvana looks like, there’s a few films I could recommend: Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast, Orson Welles’ Chimes at Midnight, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes, and this warped tale of romantic obsession from Alfred Hitchc” read more

The Eddy Duchin Story

“A typical biography of a popular musician in the studio era was all scrubbed clean, high-gloss, highly-fictional biographical bits in-between popular stars belting out the greatest hits of the artist(s) depicted. It can make for entertaining spectacle, and several great musical stars gave their grea” read more

The Man with the Golden Arm

“The Man with the Golden Arm has seen its reputation mellow in comparison to other addiction dramas from the era, namely The Lost Weekend. I suppose falling into the public domain and an avalanche of poor home video releases can do that to a movie. Shame as The Man with the Golden Arm has a lot to of” read more

Phffft

“Comedies of remarriage are a backbone of the screwball genre, and there’s several classics to be mined from the material (The Philadelphia Story and The Awful Truth come to mind immediately). Phffft is not one of these films, as it takes a couple amusing gags, strong comedic actors, and then stick” read more

Pushover

“In 1954, Kim Novak made her debut onscreen in this forgettable minor noir. The running time is short, but the story still feels bloated and stretched out, and none of the beats feel shocking or anything more than routine. It’s fine, but there’s nothing here worth a repeat visit.   Pushover pl” read more

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill

“Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill is a five star performance in a three star vehicle. Audra McDonald, the reigning grand dame of American theater, gets to reprise her history making role, and her work is wondrous. Electrifying, terrifying, defiant, wounded, broken, and heartbreakingly fragile,” read more

Political Animals

“Political Animals wants to act like a distaff West Wing, a thinly veiled account of Hillary Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential bid. A great foundation for a juicy story about politics, journalism, and family legacies in the public sector is laid, but then it veers off course. Wildly off course, in” read more

Princess Arete

“Positively lovely to look at, blissfully quiet for long stretches, and wonderfully feminist, Princess Arete should have been a slam dunk, an underrated classic just waiting for rediscovery. It was not to be, as the pacing drags all over the place, like a theme park ride that comes to a screaming hal” read more

Anastasia

“Borrowing liberally from the Disney Renaissance template, Anastasia plays as fast and loose with historical figures and events as the Mouse House’s own Pocahontas or Mulan. There’s the basics of names, a few historically accurate trivia tidbits thrown in, some musical numbers, and cutesy sidekic” read more