Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  The Devil Commands 1941

  ★★★½ Watched 13 Oct 2021

  One of the best variations on the "can we communicate with the dead?" theme. Karloff's grief-induced derangement is moving, but the shudders largely come from Anne Revere, whose domineering, sociopathic medium is a B-movie Lady Macbeth. Austerely Gothic art direction, the Iron Maiden-like metal hoods, and an evocative voice-over by the scientist's daughter contribute to a memorable, if uneven 65-ish minutes of entertainment.

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  Girl Rush 1944

  ★½ Watched 17 Jul 2021

  Longest 64-minute movie I've ever seen. The only reason to watch GIRL RUSH is lanky hipster cowboy Robert Mitchum, fifth billed in the cast. (No offense to the adorable Frances Langford, who got better showcases than the grating old-timey songs she sings in this.)

Popular reviews

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  The Sandpiper 1965

  ★★★ Watched 03 May 2021

  POV: you are a bird with a broken wing being lovingly tended by Liz & Dick on a bed of Minnelli Red cloth.

  While THE SANDPIPER is a tad long and awkward, I found it disarmingly sincere with an elegant visual flow. Melodrama is nothing to laugh at, and Minnelli knew it. All the earnest chatter about sin and freedom and social adjustment and gender roles may seem "dated" to some, but the film resists the preachy finality I was dreading…

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  Mystery Ranch 1932

  ★★★★ Watched 20 Apr 2021

  I'd be surprised if any movie ever did more in less than an hour than MYSTERY RANCH. Never-a-dull-moment Western with macabre Gothic ambiance and lurid pre-Code violence. Brisk direction, fluid camerawork, and expressionistic lighting. George O'Brien shines whether fighting three bad guys at once or flirting with the heroine. Deserves to be much better known!