The Haunting

I think this is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen...and I didn't see anything. No blood, guts, violence. Just sheer suspense. This is how a thoughtful, smart, intelligent horror movie is made.

1963 film directed by Robert Wise stars Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, and Russ Tamblyn as a group of investigators looking into a house that is reportedly haunted. All have some claivoyant abilities or have experienced some paranormal events during their lifetimes. But no matter what they have experienced before pales when compared to what they encounter at Hill House.

Put aside the usual expectations for this genre...it will surprise you, entertain you, and frighten you.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057129/

Mother Goose Rock and Rhyme

One for the kids...and their parents too!

Shelley Duvall exec produced this 1990 TV musical (directed by Jeff Stein) that is creative and fun on many levels. Innovative sets, costumes, and great production numbers make this endearing and fun.

And what a cast! Shelley Duvall as Little Bo Peep teams up with Mother Goose's son Gordon to find out why all the inhabitants of Rhymeland are disappearing. Look for Harry Anderson as Peter Piper, Ben Vereen as Itsy Bitsy Spider, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, the Stray Cats, ZZ Top, Gary Shandling, Teri Garr, Little Richard, Bobby Brown, Deborah Harry, and many more stars and performers.

Cute and great songs and dancing. Fun for the whole family!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100192/

Blackboard Jungle

1955 film directed by Richard Brooks stars Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Vic Morrow, and Sidney Poitier.

Hard hitting film about a New York City teacher who has to deal with the frustrations of the job as well as the delinquent youths who populate the school. Dramatic and harrowing at times. Still has something to say today considering the state our our inner city schools.

Look for a young Vic Morrow, and Sidney Poitier as gang members...one incorrigible, one with a chance at redemption.

An interesting note: this was the first film to ever feature rock and roll in its soundtrack, making Bill Haley's Rock Around the Clock a huge hit.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047885/

Forbidden Planet

Ok, maybe you HAVE seen this one, but if not, definitely check it out.

1956 film directed by Fred McLeod stars Leslie Nielson, Walter Pidgeon, Anne
Francis, Jack Kelly, and Robbie the Robot.

Based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, this is the story of an Earth ship that travels to another planet looking for survivors of a previous expedition. All they find are a scientist, his daughter, and the robot created to help make their lives easier as the only inhabitants.

Along the way, the crew discovers a secret: a former civilization called the Krell, whose mind expanding technology has dire effects.

GREAT effects created by Disney studios. I've always had the suspicion that this film strongly influenced the creation of Star Trek. And Robbie is the coolest robot ever.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049223/

This Island Earth

This movie scared the hell out of me when I was a kid.

Surprisingly good sci-fi flick from 1955 directed by Joseph Newman stars Jeff Morrow, Rex Reason, and Faith Domergue.

Earth scientists are recruited to work on a secret project. Unbeknownst to them, their employers are aliens who communicate with their planet through a device called an Interossiter. The scientists are eventually abducted to the aliens' home planet where they help their abductors fend off other maurading aliens.

Suspenseful and quite elaborate special effects considering when it was made.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047577/

Sullivan's Travels

Preston Sturges masterpiece from 1941 that's an oldie but goodie and holds up well even today.

Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake star in this satire of Hollywood that follows a film director who is tired of selling out and wants to make a "real" film about the real world out there. In order to research his film, he sets out on the road with ten cents and the determination to learn something about his fellow man.

Funny and deep Sullivan's Travels still has a powerful message over fifty years since it was made.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034240/

The Fisher King

Another gem from Terry Gilliam.

1991 black comedy stars Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams.

Depressed radio host Bridges driven to dark despair is inspired by a homeless man (Williams) on his own quest for salvation. At times hysterically funny and at other times deeply emotional, The Fisher King is unique and absorbing.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101889/

The Sea Hawk

1940 version directed by Michael Cutiz and starring Erroll Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Raines, Donald Crisp, and Alan Hale.

Rousing pirate film with just the right mix: swashbuckling adventure, ship battles, swordplay, and romance.

Curtiz and Flynn were almost always a good mix and this is one to be enjoyed me hearties.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033028/

Bunny Lake is Missing

1965 film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Laurence Olivier, Carol Lynley, and Keir Dullea.

Sometimes dreary, sometimes suspenseful look at an investigation into the disappearance of a child. The question eventuall becomes was there ever a child to begin with?

At times interesting going, other times it might drag on....but interesting and worth a look.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058997/

The Princess Bride

Without a doubt, my favorite movie of all time.

Fractured fairy tale has it all: adventure, comedy, swashbuckling action, a smart script, and great characters.

1987 comedy from Rob Reiner starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Peter Falk, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Andre the Giant, and Fred Savage.

Farm boy Wesley, in love with Robin Wright, leaves the rural life to seek his fame and fortune, becoming the Dread Pirate Roberts (thanks to a franchise arrangement with the former Dread Pirate Roberts). Returning after years, he finds his beloved engaged to an evil Prince and sets out to eventually win her back. But first he must save her from a kidnapping plot.

Absurd, silly, and wonderful, the cast is perfect and the humor smart.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/

Brazil

1985 comedy from Terry Gilliam will facsinate and amaze with its creative imagining of a bleak future society filled with both hopelessness and absurdity.

Stars Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Jonathan Pryce as a clerk whose imagination takes him from his humdrum existence to a life as a superhero who saves the woman of his dreams. De Niro has a small role but is always great when playing it for laughs. Gilliam's incredible originality shines here.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/

The Grifters

1990 film directed by Stephen Frears stars John Cusack, Annette Bening, and Angelica Houston as con artists who try to scam everyone including each other.

Cusack is a small time but successful hustler who takes up with Annette Bening (at her sexiest) just as his mother (Houston - very sexy herself) comes back into his life. All are on the take and on the make.

Gritty story doesn't pull any punches and gives us a view of another strata of society where cash is king and all that matters.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099703/

A Thousand Clowns

Hysterical comedy from 1965 directed by Fred Coe from Herb Gardner play.

Jason Robards is a down and out comedy writer who is forced to consider altering his lifestyle when nephew is forced to stay with him. Martin Balsam won an Oscar playing Robards' brother. Great cast makes this fun. Has a lot to say about relationships, love, and the TV industry. And Robards is a hoot.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059798/

Blow Up

Michelangelo Antonioni's1966 film stars David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave in multi-layed film about a photographer in '60s Mod England who thinks he has uncovered a murder.

The entire film challenges the viewer to consider what is real, what is fantasy....such as a game of tennis that is mimed by street performers...until you start hearing the ball. Amazing film filled with symbolism, meaning, and may leave you both confused and satisfied.

Look for the classic group the Yardbirds in a club scene.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060176/

Twelve Monkeys

1995 film directed by the brilliant Monty Python cartoonist-turned-director Terry Gilliam and starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt.

Willis is sent from the future where mankind has moved underground to our present day to find the cause of a plague that has devestated the Earth. Claiming he is a time traveler, psychiatrist Stowe at first tries to treat him but eventually believes him and the two embark on a quest to save the future of society. Brad Pitt is amazing as is Willis.

Gilliam is always smart, clever, interesting, and his movies will have you talking about them long after you've seen them. This one is no different, taking you back and forth in time and playing with your mind along the way. Great acting and thought-provoking plotline will keep you intrigued in this hallucinogenic saga.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114746/

Gone in Sixty Seconds

Some movies are great, some are cool. Some are great AND cool (Pulp Fiction).

Gone in Sixty Seconds is ok, but VERY cool. Made in 2000 it stars Nicolas Cage, Giovanni Ribisi, Angelina Jolie (in blond dreadlocks!) and Robert Duvall.

The title refers to the time it takes a master car thief to do his or her thing.

Cage plays a former car thief who is drawn back into the business. He and his cohorts must steal 50 upscale cars in one night. An almost impossible feat but it must be done to save his brother's life.

A remake of an earlier film, this one is way cool. The characters are cool and so are the cars, especially a car Cage has a history with: Eleanor, a '60s Mustang. Climax of the film is the fight between Cage and the bad guy but the real highlight is the car chase near the end featuring Eleanor. It has thrills, pretty good effects, and even some humor.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187078/


Not a great movie, but certainly a cool one.

Dead End

1937 drama directed by William Wyler stars Sylvia Sydney, Joel McCrea, Humphrey Bogart, and the Dead End Kids.

Dramatic look at life in the tenements in New York in the '30s. Gangster Bogart, on the lam after plastic surgery, returns to the old neighborhood and finds residents dealing with gritty life in many different ways... from despair to optimism. Script by Lillian Hellman. Originally a Broadway play. Striking studio sets.

Introduced the "Dead End Kids" who reprise their Broadway roles (Huntz Hall, Leo Gorcey, Billy Halop, etc.) who amused us with their shenanigans in a number of films as the Dead End Kids, East Side Kids, and the Bowery Boys.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028773/

The Crimson Pirate

I've heared that Burt Lancaster was a circus performer before making it as an actor. If that's true, the evidence is apparant in his athletic film roles.

Yes...another pirate movie! ARRRGH! But I love 'em. Bucle me a swash anytime.

This 1952 film stars Lancaster, Nick Cravat, and Christopher Lee and was directed by Robert Siodmak. And I'll tell you, I think it holds up well against any other pirate movie for thrills, adventure, humor, and personality.

Suitable for any age, this one's fun. Put on an eyepatch and include it in your pirate marathon.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044517/

The List of Adrian Messenger

1963 film directed by John Huston starring George C. Scott, Kirk Douglas, Dana Wynter.

Murder mystery with an interesting twist: stars Tony Curtis, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, and Burt Lancaster all appear in cameo roles but are disguised. Half the fun is trying to pick out who's under the heavy make-up and prosthetics. It adds to the enjoyment but the film holds up on its own as a suspenseful mystery.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057254/

Silverado

Love a good western and this is one of my favorites.

Seemingly a tribute to all the best elements of westerns, Lawrence Kasdan (director) cowrote with Mark Kasdan and got it right.

Amazing cast including Scott Glenn, Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, Linda Hunt, Jeff Goldblum...even John Cleese.

On his way west, Glenn meets up with Kline, breaks his brother (Costner) out of jail ("All is did was kiss the girl!") and the three team up with Glover to fight bad guys.

It is said that Costner was given his role as Jake by Kasdan to make up for the fact that he was cut out of The Big Chill. Actually, this is one of Costner's best performances.

Great musical score, scenery, characters, some humor, and the Wild West...who could ask for more?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090022/

Fire in the Sky

A different kind of UFO movie for sure.

Supposedly based upon a real incident, Fire in the Sky was made in 1993, directed by Robert Lieberman, and stars D.B. Sweeney and James Garner.

Loggers see a strange sight in the woods and drive off, leaving Sweeney behind. When they return, he is gone and stays missing for five days. The loggers are suspected of committing murder and James Garner investigates. Plot turns around when Sweeney reappears and claims he was abducted by aliens.

Provoking, dramatic effort is not great but interesting.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106912/

Thunderheart

1992 film directed by Michael Apted starring Val Kilmer, Sam Shepard, and Graham Greene.

Based on a true incident, the story of an FBI agent (Kilmer) sent to a Sioux reservation to solve a murder.

Reluctant to acknowledge his own Sioux heritage, Kilmer is forced to confront it during this probe into an activist's death. Dramatic, suspenseful, with touches of mysticism. Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves, Northern Exposure) shines as a tribal cop and Shepard is fine as always. But the real scene stealer is Ted Thin Elk as a shaman whose spirituality affects Kilmer's character in profound ways. Look for former presidentail candidate Fred Thompson as an FBI official.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105585/

A Fine Madness

1966 film directed by Irvin Kershner stars Sean Connery and Joanne Woodward

At the height of his James Bond run, Connery made other films including this satire about a go his own way poet who battles just about everyone and everything that doesn't fit into his world view. At times, this is hysterical and will appeal to the non-conformist in anyone.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060414/

Captain Newman, M.D.

1963 film directed by David Miller stars Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, and Bobby Darin.

Comedy/drama about a psychiatrist treating military personnel at an air base here in the U.S. during World War Two. Afflictions range from the silly to the intense. Eddie Albert shines as a mentally ill officer, Robert Duvall is notable, but the scene stealer is singer Bobby Darin as a corporal who relives his most traumatic combat experience.

It will make you laugh, it will make you cry (maybe) but certainly worth a peek.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056903/

Twentieth Century

Love those screwball comedies...from His Girl Friday to Bringing Up Baby. But this one could be the grandaddy of them all.

Made in 1934 and directed by Howard Hawks, Twentieth Century stars John Barrymore at his funniest and Carole Lombard who matches him laugh for laugh.

Broadway producer with an ego the size of New York turns shopgirl Lombard into a star but when she decides to leave him, he tries every trick in the book to win her back. He has plenty of time, as they travel across country on a train called the Twentieth Century.

Taken from the original Broadway play, this returned to Broadway some time ago as a musical called On the Twentieth Century.

Played for laughs, it provides more than enough.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025919/

Operation Petticoat

Gee, who ever thought war could be this much fun?

Made in 1959 and directed by Blake Edwards, Operation Petticoat stars Cary Grant and Tony Curtis.

Straightforward submarine commander Grant is vainly trying to get his damaged sub back to a safe port during World War Two. Complicating matters are a group of nurses who have to hitch a ride and a con-man wheeler dealer (Curtis) who actually comes in pretty handy in a pinch. Hilarious...from Curtis' shenanigans to the idea of a pink submarine limping into port. Grant and Curtis are great together.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053143/

My Blue Heaven

This is one of those films that I have to watch everytime it's on TV even though I own the DVD. Just a favorite.

This 1990 film was direcected by Herbert Ross, written by Nora Ephron, and stars Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joan Cusack.

In this comedy Martin plays a mid-level mobster who is put into the Witness Protection Program in the suburbs. It's sheer hell for a city guy. FBI agent Moranis, with his own issues, is assigned to oversee Martin until he completes his trial testimony. Martin, bored to tears and realizing his government payments won't last, embarks upon his own suburban crime spree.

Favorite scenes are Martin mowing the lawn in a sharkskin suit, going to the supermarket, taking Moranis to the tailor, and many, many more.

Check out Martin's hair...funny on its own.

Loved Martin meeting Carol Kane in the supermarket's frozen food section where he te;;s her she "could melt all this stuff", how he's treated in jail, and the various excuses he comes up with for his numerous arrests.

Not great, but funny and worth watching.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100212/

Elvira Madigan

Ah romance.

This Swedish film from 1967 was directed by Bo Widerberg and stars Pia Degemark and Thommy Berggren.

A beautiful story and absolutely a feast for the eyes, with lush, pastoral images seemingly pulled from an art gallery.

Based upon true events, Elvira Madigan is the story of a popular tightrope artist/dance who travels with her father's small circus. She meets and falls in love with a married army deserter. They run away together but the star-crossed lovers run into difficulties. It is a moving story, wonderful to look at, and the Mozart music brings it to a whole other level.

A film for the romantic in all of us.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061620/

Five Million Years To Earth

Britsih Sci-Fi film with limited effects but mucho suspense and quite thought provoking.

Made in 1968 and directed by Roy Ward Baker, this thriller starts with the discovery of a spacecraft discovered by subway workers excavating an area underneath London. The craft contains the bodies of its crew. But anyone approaching the craft is affected strangely and that effect spreads.

Film deals with our origins, genetic memory, and psychic possibilities.

Different and interesting.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062168/

Blood Simple

Love Coen Brothers movies. From Raising Arizona and O Brother Where Art Thou to The Big Liebowski.

Almost all of their films seem to be about crimes gone wrong. But each is instilled with its own unique personality and great characters. And Bllod Simple was the start of it all.

Made in 1984 by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya (remember him as Nick Tortelli on Cheers?), John Getz, and M. Emmet Walsh, Blood Simple is a modern day film noir.

Bar owner husband is being cheated on and hires someone to kill his wife and her lover. But that's only the beginning. The plot twists and turns keeping us in suspense and, at the same time, laughing at the twisted humor.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086979/

Bronco Billy

This 1980 film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood has its uneven moments but is still worth a viewing.

Former shoe salesman from New Jersey (Eastwood) reinvents himself as a cowboy and takes his cheesy wild west show on the road with a group of misfits. Unable to make ends meet, he still keeps the show going to entertain the "young buckaroos".

Things are complicated along the way when co-star Sondra Locke, as a spoiled, rich heiress is forced to tag along with the show.

Despite some sub-plots that get in the way, this film is funny, quirky, and a tribute to anyone who ever thought about giving it all up to live the life you've only dreamed of living.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080472/

Captain Blood

Yo ho ho...it's the Pirate's life for me!

Yes, i loved Johhny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. But when I think of pirate movies, the first one that comes to mind is the one I have loved since my childhood: Captain Blood.

Made in 1935 and directed by Michael Curtiz, it stars Basil Rathbone, Olivia de Haviland, and Errol Flynn in the film that not only made him an action star but gave him the vehicle to set the bar pretty high for swashbuckers. The Adventures of Robin Hood, perhaps his most notable role, didn't come along for another three years.

Flynn plays Peter Blood, an Irishman and a doctor. Being non-political, he treats an enemy of the crown and is arrested for his compassionate act. Shipped off to the West Idies, he is sold into slavery where he is bought by de Haviland. Becoming a pirate, he teams up with Basil Rathbone for a short time, but goes off on his own to win battles, his freedom, and the heart of his true love.

Look for great swordplay (Rathbone was an expert and actually taught many stars to fence), rousing battles at sea, broadside, boardings, and romance. This is a great action-adventure even after all these decades.

Skip the colorized version and stick to the original in glorious back and white.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026174/

Beau Geste

Another terrific film from 1939 (What was it about that year?).

Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston, and Brian Donlevy star in this story about honor, duty, and redemption.

Great opening draws you into this French Foreign Legion adventure where three brothers combat the enemy and their sadistic officer. Sentimental ending ( I won't spoil it) is memorable.

There were two other versions I am aware of: a silent film version starring Ronald Colman and a '60s remake with Telly Savales. But this is the first one I saw and it has stuck with me.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031088/

A Touch of Class

If you ever cheated, thought of cheating, or have been cheated on...this movie will have something to say to you.

George Segal is a married man who intends to have what he considers a fun, harmless affair with Glenda Jackson. Things get complicated when he actually falls in love with her.

This 1971 film is not great but does have its moments. Segal and Jackson are great together....wonderful on-screen chemistry.

Best line....when they meet Segal tells Jackson he never cheats on his wife...in the same city. "Where is she?" Jackson asks. "Out of town..." Segal replies with a charismatic smile. The rogue.

Melvin Frank Directed and Glenda Jackson won an Oscar.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070819/

Gunga Din

This is the quintessentail action-adventure buddy film. Made in 1939 (what was it about that year and great movies?) Gunga Din was directed by George Stevens and stars Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Sam Jaffe.

Loosely based upon the Rudyard Kipling poem, Gunga Din follows the exploits of three sergeants in the British army who are stationed in India in the 19th century. Involved in a war against a murderous cult of assassins, our heroes still find opportunities to seek treasure, fall in love, and get themselves into trouble. All in rollicking good fun.

In the midst of their trvails, one of the trio (Fairbanks) decides to leave the service, marry, and go into the textile business. Grant and McLaglen's attempts to convince him otherwise are funny and add a subtext to the film that help make it memorable.

Sam Jaffe, as a native lowly waterboy, longs to become a soldier and is at first ridiculed for his goal but he eventually becomes a hero worthy of the respect of his regiment.

Look for a great scene with a tipsy Cary Grant trying to convince McLaglen to let him go seek a golden temple, tough McLaglen softened by an ailing elephant, and Grant attempting to arrest hundreds of assassins on his own.

Younger viewers who can't tolerate films in black and white should put their prejudices aside for this one. It's worth it.

Funny, action packed, clever, and sentimental, Gunga Din is not to be missed.

Note: Remade in the '60s as a Rat Pack movie called Sergeants 3.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031398/

Steelyard Blues

Steelyard Blues

This offbeat, funny, counterculture romp stars Donald Sutherland, Jane Fonda, John Savage, Howard Hesseman, and Peter Boyle ( in a tour de force performance).

Veldini, a former demolition derby driver, is released from jail and returns to meet up with old cronies: his prostitute girlfriend (Fonda) and Eagle (Boyle). The plan: fix up an old PBY aircraft and fly off to a place where there are no jails.

A noble goal, but complicating their endeavor is the fact that they need to steal needed parts for the plane from the U.S. Navy and Veldini's brother (Hesseman) who is determined to see his brother back in jail. Along the way Veldini finally gets to complete a life-long goal: wrecking the only American model car

he's never smashed in a derby.

But the high point for me is Peter Boyle as Eagle. A Human Fly

in the circus he checks himself in and out of the mental institution

at will by climbing up and down the building. He assumes a

different identity in each scene with elaborate costumes and

attitudes from an airline pilot, cowboy, and more - including what

has to be the best Marlon Brando impersonation in a pinball parlor.

Written by David S. Ward and directed by Alan Myerson, this

1973 film is a delight.

Note: TV version was released as The Final Crash.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070731/