Monthly Archives: December 2013

If you follow a deserting soldier as he hitchhikes down the road to a foggy port town named Le Havre, you might expect him to lay low and attempt to stay out of trouble until he can make his nifty … Continue reading →

Watching the adorable Carole Lombard and the hammy John Barrymore in “Twentieth Century,” I kept a smile on my face the entire time. What’s better than a screwy comedy about the backstage shenanigans at a Broadway theater run in despotic … Continue reading →

Since this review involves the 1964 version of “Angelique,” and not this year’s remake, I’ll use the full 1964 title, which is “Angélique, Marquise des Anges.” The title means “marquise of the angels,” although the film never fully explains the … Continue reading →

“American Hustle,” which opened today in theaters, spends a lot of time with voiceovers explaining the background of the 2 main characters, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sidney Prosser (Amy Adams). This helps to ground the film as it tells … Continue reading →

Summer holds a fascination with Swedes for three reasons: they have a short season up north, it stays lighter longer, and there is land to stretch and express freedom and uninhibitedness. For the young couple in Ingmar Bergman’s 1953 film … Continue reading →

Director Christian Carion grew up on a chicory farm in France, so I believe many of the characteristics of the farm in “The Girl From Paris (2001)” are authentic. The French language movie is set mostly on a goat farm … Continue reading →

Anyone who doubts the acting ability and beauty of Vivien Leigh should watch “That Hamilton Woman,” a 1941 movie directed by Alexander Korda. Leigh plays Lady Emma Hamilton, a historical figure from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Lady … Continue reading →

I’m not sure what the great notion is in Paul Newman’s 1970 film “Sometimes a Great Notion,” but the movie offers a gritty portrait of a stubborn and determined family business battling labor strife. Newman plays Hank Stamper, the devoted … Continue reading →

“Raw Deal,” a 1949 movie directed by Anthony Mann, starts off at a prison and then becomes fast-paced chase film with interesting scenery, good visual effects and suspicious characters. It stars Dennis O’Keefe as Joe Sullivan, a man in prison … Continue reading →

In the documentary, “Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten,” released in 2007, we learn that Joe Strummer of The Clash rock group liked having conversations around a camp fire. That explains why almost all of the interviews in this movie, … Continue reading →