Not all of John Wayne’s contemporary dramas stand up to the passage of time, but I revisit Hellfighters (1968), his oil well-firefighting movie, every few years because it does. Hellfiighters is a fictionalized version of real-life fire-fighter “Red” Adair’s adventures […]
Continue reading »Category: Movies Worth Rediscovering
Dial 1119 (1950) ☆ ☆ ☆
A taut hostage drama takes place in a film noir titled Dial 1119 (1950), which today would have been called Dial 911 due to the revision of emergency telephone service numbers. Not knowing the then-present American system of emergency communication, […]
Continue reading »The Farmer’s Daughter (1947) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
Blending a realistic perspective concerning politics of the era, a yearning for something better and an absolutely delightful performance by Loretta Young (she won a Best Actress Oscar for it), The Farmer’s Daughter (1947) is at the top of the […]
Continue reading »The Tunnel (1935) ☆ ☆ 1/2
A futuristic drama concerning the construction of an underground passageway from England to the United States, The Tunnel (1935) was an ambitious project. It is perhaps better known by its alternative title, Transatlantic Tunnel, for two reasons. That was its […]
Continue reading »The Penalty (1920) ☆ ☆ ☆
Lon Chaney became one of the greatest stars of the silent era, and his performance in The Penalty (1920) is proof positive not only of his talent, but his remarkable dedication to his craft. Chaney plays the role of an […]
Continue reading »Cannery Row (1982) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
Combining two John Steinbeck novels (Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday) into one movie worked surprisingly well for David S. Ward, who wrote the screenplay and directed Cannery Row (1982). 1982 was another great year for movies, and Cannery Row is one […]
Continue reading »Time After Time (1979) ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
One film I’ve always felt has never received its due respect is the wonderful time travel adventure Time After Time (1979), which posits that Jack the Ripper and H. G. Wells stage a fateful confrontation in modern day San Francisco. […]
Continue reading »Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
The premise of the action-drama Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) may remind astute viewers of Howard Hawks’ Western “jailhouse siege” films Rio Bravo and El Dorado, for they provided writer-director John Carpenter with the inspiration for this modern, urban version. […]
Continue reading »Theater of Blood (1973) ☆ ☆ ☆
Vincent Price appears yet again in Douglas Hickox’ horror-comedy Theater of Blood (1973). The central role of a hammy Shakespearean actor who submits his most vociferous critics to torture and death is a perfect fit for Price, who was a […]
Continue reading »The Molly Maguires (1970) ☆ ☆ ☆
While The Molly Maguires (1970) isn’t one of the great coal mining movies like How Green Was My Valley (1941), The Stars Look Down (1939) or Matewan (1987), it’s just a small step below them. It’s a fact-based tale of […]
Continue reading »