Show Boat

The 50's version of this isn't as good as the Irene Dunne one.  (I'll have to watch the old one again.)  This was all right.  Lena Horne tried out for the Julie role which dealt with a mixed woman.  It would have been a more interesting choice than Ava.  Now I liked Ava Gardner in One Touch of Venus and The Night of the Iguana but she couldn't sing.  She was dubbed here by Annette Warren, who recorded an album in the '50s.  Imagine what Lena could have done.  Howard Keel plays the love interest for Kathryn Grayson.  Unfortunately, his gambling deteriorates their relationship.  There are many classic songs like Bill which show the musical's longevity. 

East Side Story

This is the third time that I've watched this documentary in the past sixteen years.  It's a documentary about Communist musicals from the '60s and before featuring interviews from some stars of the genre.  There are also interviews from moviegoers from that time.  I immediately watched Hot Summer afterward and it all right.  The thing is that some of these movies look good particularly My Wife wants to Sing and Beloved White Mouse.  It's a shame that most of these musicals aren't released.  There seems to be some false picture that America was the only one doing musicals and it's just not true. 

Late Spring

You can tell an Ozu movie sometimes by their plot.  He liked to do a number of movies about single daughters wanting to stay with their families.  This is no exception but it is a great movie.  This seemed to be a character role for the excellent Japanese actress Setsuko Hara.  I've been watching a number of Asian movies lately and I find them rewarding.

Too Late for Love

When I was a teenager I watched this bad movie called "The Hole."  In the movie, they played some Grace Chang music.  I learned that Grace Chang was a famous actress of the Asian musical genre of the '60s.  She was probably the best actress from that period.  It's a genre I like that not that many Americans know about.  You can't find their movies on Amazon.  I buy my musicals from yesasia.com.  Many of the musicals are subtitled in English although I had to buy a specific DVD player.  Too Late for Love stars Ivy Ling Po, another actress of the genre.  This movie is a downer though.  It's about a newly wedded couple.  The husband goes off to war and the wife has to deal with his mean mother who wants her out of there.  Ivy becomes sick though and the husband gets an injury with the war as well.  There are only three musical numbers in the movie.  The acting was weak at times.  I've seen better movies from Ivy Ling Po and the Shaw Brothers.  Still, it was ok.   

The Cyclops

This is a movie about giant bugs, lizards, and a cyclops - a one-eyed monster.   It's only around an hour.  My sister and I agreed it would have been better if Mystery Science Theatre 3000 covered it.  

The Life of Oharu

This is a good Mizoguchi film.  It's about a girl who is treated like cattle.  At first, she's a concubine but gradually descends to a prostitute.  The makeup is believable as the beautiful woman becomes a hag.  Lately, I've been watching Japanese cinema from the past.  There's a reason why most of Ozu and Mizoguchi's movies make it to the Criterion Collection.  

The Girl Downstairs

This movie was just adorable.  It's about Franchot Tone who uses Franciska Gaal, a foreign maid, to get into the house of a rich girl he is interested in.  He plays the chauffeur to try to appeal to Gaal's social position.  However, he finds himself falling for Gaal. But what will she think of his lies and the fact he is really wealthy?  I've ought to investigate Franciska Gaal.  She was so cute in this. 

Goldie Gets Along

This movie was just bad.  It's obvious that the people making the movie want Lili Damita to be the next Marlene Dietrich or Greta Garbo, another foreign actress on the market.  Only she doesn't have the charisma they did.  The main problem with the movie is that you don't really root for Goldie.  She goes to Hollywood to try to make it but you don't care if she does become a star.  Her boyfriend isn't all that great either. He's a stale character.  

Missing Witnesses

This wasn't that good of a movie.  Luckily it was only an hour.  It's about witnesses changing their mind when they realize the mob might go after them.  One witness Jean Dale has seen a crime.  For a while, she looks like a traitor but that is resolved.  There are better movies in the 30's even ones that just last 60-70 minutes. 

Captain Applejack

Although it's only an hour this movie was a disappointment.  A man finds out that his ancestors could have been pirates and that's the reason why they're rich.  There's a pirate sequence for like ten minutes.  Otherwise, it's just a boring talkie.  I like Mary Brian.  She's in it for a bit.

Sidewalks of New York

This is a Buster Keaton talkie.  I've seen this and What no Beer and I'm not impressed so far by his talkie period, but his silent films were genius.  In this Buster decides to save some street kids, one of which has Anita Page as a sister.  She's the love interest in this movie. I recommend it only for Anita Page and Buster Keaton fans.  It was mediocre. 2.5/5

Teresa

This was one of Pier Angeli's first movies.  She was a gorgeous underrated actress.  It's about a soldier who probably has PTSD from World War II.  He marries a young girl he met in Italy.  However, with his family life, there are complications.  The movie was kind of slow.  Although the movie is not that great I recommend it for Angeli fans.  I remember seeing stills for this movie in a film book when I was a little kid.  That was my introduction to Pier Angeli.

Stage Struck

I know that Gloria Swanson was in the Keystone Kops but I haven't seen it yet.  For me, this was my first introduction to her in comedy.  She does a good job.  Gloria plays a waitress who daydreams about being an actress and for good reason.  She has a crush on the owner of the restaurant and he's pursuing an actress.  She tries to become an actress herself but it ends in disaster.  This isn't a milestone in Swanson's career but it's pretty cute.  

Born in 45

This is another DEFA movie that I revisited.  I watched this years ago.  It was better this time around.  It involves a couple that decides to divorce.  The husband ends up wandering around throughout much of the movie.  The ending's sweet. This was banned for 24 years although I don't understand why.  There was nothing really radical to me about this movie.  

The Rabbit is me

I like watching DEFA movies, which was a production company in Germany that sometimes did controversial movies.  This is the best I've seen from them.  The leading actress Angelika Waller in this is gorgeous and does a very good job.  Her brother is imprisoned.  She has an affair with the judge who put her brother in jail.  So things get complicated.  This was my third time watching this movie.  It really is an excellent movie and should be viewed as one of the best movies Germany had to offer in the 60's. 

The Hot Heiress

A rich girl falls for a poor construction worker but is embarrassed by him at the same time. (She lies to her dad about his occupation.) Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart contribute a few numbers.  It sounds better than it is which was just mediocre. 

Shining Victory

This is about a research psychologist and his assistant who fall in love.  It's a pretty boring movie.  I have to admit when I watched it I was hoping for another Spellbound.  However, I have to admit that it really picks up  with an ending I didn't expect.  Barbara O'Neil is the best thing in this movie playing a psychotic secretary.  

The Only Son

This was Ozu's first talkie.  It's all right although I found it a bit too simplistic.  It's about a mother who works hard so that her child can have an education.  She sends him away and doesn't see him until he's an adult. However, he's unhappy with just an ok occupation.  She's naturally disappointed.   I've been watching a lot of Ozu movies now.  He's been a great discovery for me.  

The Big Show

This is the worst circus movie I've seen and I've seen a few.  It's boring and long.  An older Esther Williams plays the love interest and she's easily the best thing of this movie.  This is the first movie I've seen of her where she doesn't swim.  Cliff Robertson and her deserved better.

Madame X

This 1929 movie with Ruth Chatterton is stagy.  I've seen better work from Ruth Chatterton.  A later movie called Frisco Jenny which featured Ruth Chatterton too has basically the same plot but is a much better movie.  Ruth also did a better job in that movie as well.  I would skip this one.  

Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi

Half of this Bollywood musical is about a beautiful woman (Madhubala) who needs her car fixed and forgets to pay the mechanic.  There's not much plot in the first half but it's cute.  Then a murder plot is involved and I didn't care for this direction.  There should have been more focus in this movie.  Half the reviews on Netflix complain about the lack of subtitles so I guess I was lucky.  

The Blackbird

This was a pretty good silent movie.  Lon Chaney was always an awesome actor and villain.  He plays two roles here a crippled preacher and a criminal.  People think they're brothers but it's Lon Chaney playing with people.  The girl he likes the innocent Renee Adoree falls for a thief herself.  He doesn't think the thief is worthy of her (but then neither he is.)  So he plans a plot.  However, Lon gets his just desserts in the end.  Lon Chaney's silents are always worth discovering.

Vigil in the Night

This is one of Carole Lombard's few dramatic pieces and she does all right.  She plays a nurse who covers up for one of her sister Anne Shirley's mistakes.  However, it doesn't really solve the problem as Anne gets slipping up. I like Anne Shirley and was enchanted by her performance in Anne of Green Gables.  She was a nice presence in Hollywood.  This movie was just ok.  

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Shahrukh Khan is friends in college with Kajol a tomboy.  She falls for him romantically.  However, he has another girl in mind the pretty Rani Mukherjee.  Soon Kajol leaves the college.  It isn't until his kid has an interest in getting the two back together that he sees a more feminine Kajol again.  However, she's engaged to Salman Khan.  This is one of the better Indian movies I've seen.  It was fun and the characters were likable.  I recommend it.  

Weekend at the Waldorf

This is a mediocre remake of Grand Hotel.  I haven't watched the Greta Garbo movie in years but I really need to.  I remember that being enchanting.  This was slow and long 2 hours and 10 minutes.  The best part of the movie was Ginger Rogers who plays a reluctant Hollywood star.  Lana Turner was also in this.  

Ready, Willing and Able

So so musical.  Ruby Keeler is cute in it.  There's a dance on an enormous typewriter and there's one really good song Too Marvelous for Words.  However, this movie did introduce me to Wini Shaw whose voice blew my sister and I away.  So we are going to search for more movies with her.  

Ek Saal

My sister owns a cd of the singer Geeta Dutt who participates in this movie.  I thought it was pretty cool to see her used in a movie.  This old movie is about a woman with a brain tumor.  It's about a con man who eventually does fall in love with Madhubala.  In fact, the father and the guy are hiding the truth about her deteriorating condition.  This was all right.  I'm now curious about the actress Madhubala who was the main star.    

It Rains in my Village

The negative reviews on Amazon are mostly about the translation of this movie like the songs weren't translated.  However, this is one of the few movies from the Yugoslavia black wave that are available so it's worth just watching for that.  It's about a swineherder who falls for a school teacher.  She belittles his intelligence.  He kills a mute girl who is in love with him, even though he's in the same unrequited love category as her.  He's a major jerk but you kind of feel sorry for him at the end.  

Fanaa

A blind girl (Kajol) falls for a charming guy.  He has a secret though.  He's a terrorist.  I liked this movie because he was more than the one-dimensional villain.   There are times in the movie where you root for them to get together.  However, he's evil.  There is chemistry between the two plus there's also a kid in the mix but you know it won't end happily ever after.  There were good performances from all involved.  

The Brothers Rico

Richard Conte plays a man who got out of crime a long time ago.  Unfortunately his brothers haven't.  He tries to warn them that they are going to be killed but it turns out he's being watched.  This is an ok noir mostly because Richard Conte does a believable performance.  I've seen better noir but if you're a huge fan of the genre it's worth a watch.

Goodbye Again

A writer comes in contact with a married old flame that he doesn't remember.  Nevertheless, he carries on with the relationship.  His secretary Joan Blondell has a thing for him and is jealous.  This was just ok.  Joan is the best part of the movie.  

Full Confession

Victor McLaglen plays a murderer who is just caught burglarizing.  He considers himself lucky and takes the wrap for that.  At the jail, a priest takes to him.  While on a hospital bed he admits his crime to the priest without full consciousness.  The priest begs him to come forward.  An innocent man is being convicted of the crime.  What is he supposed to do?  Sally Eilers plays a love interest.  She doesn't have much to do here which is a shame since I like her.   

Gate of Hell

Machiko Kyo was one of my favorite actresses in my early 20's so I'm revisiting her movies.  For some reason, though her movie Princess Yang Kwei-fei is still not on DVD which surprises me as it was directed by Mizoguchi.  Gate of Hell is about a samurai who is granted anything he wishes and he desires a married woman Machiko.  This, of course, is not a good idea and creates chaos for all the characters ending into doom.  The colors of this movie were vibrant.  It was a lovely looking movie.  It's really a classic.  

Wheeler Woolsley

I got a disc of them that featured Cracked Nuts/Caught Plastered/Hold 'Em Jail.  Caught Plastered was cute.  It was a comedy about prohibition and Hold 'Em Jail had the two in prison.  Edna May Oliver starred in two of these movies.  I loved her in Ladies of the Jury and she definitely had something.  Wheeler and Woolsey are pretty much a forgotten comedy team from the 30's.  I'll probably watch another disc eventually.  

Wild Orchids

Greta Garbo stars in this movie as a woman torn between her husband Lewis Stone and Nils Ashter.   Lewis Stone starred in a number of Garbo movies.  I was like I've seen him somewhere and sure enough imdb showed me.  This is an ok silent with some sound.  Greta doesn't speak here of course as the movie that introduced her voice was Anna Christie.  This is recommended for Garbo films.  It's just ok. 2.5 out of 5 

Westward the Women

A group of women answer an ad about being brides.  Robert Taylor leads the way as they make their trip to meet the men.  Women die along the way.  There are problems with the wagons.  This movie doesn't make their journey look pretty.  It makes the women look courageous.  There's also a little love story.  Overall this was an ok western. 

Floating Weeds

I watched the silent movie A Story of Floating Weeds a while ago.  I've seen Floating Weeds years ago and thought it was amazing.  This is the superior remake.  Machiko Kyo was one of my favorite actresses when I was in my early 20's.  She was in classic movies like Gate of Hell and Rashomon.  She is great as a villain here.  An actor decides to visit his wife after many years and meet his grown-up son.  His mistress Machiko is jealous so she gets an actress to play the son's interested lover.  Only things don't go as planned.  This movie is simply fantastic.  

Dance Charlie Dance

This movie reminded me of The Producers.  It's about a guy who takes a local show and brings it to Broadway.  Some mobsters want to get rid of it and sell the rights.  Only when it becomes a hit (people think it's so bad it's good) they want it back.  However, there are other complications.  Glenda Farrell plays a small role.  

Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic

I like Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji but this was a piece of crap.  Saif gets in a car crash and accidentally kills a couple.  As a punishment, he has to take care of their children.  He gets a nanny Rani who is really sent from God to help him.  Then there's some forced chemistry between them.  This movie really wants to be Mary Poppins.  If it was trying to be something original maybe it would have been better.

High and Low

I had this mistaken notion that most of Akira Kurosawa movies were about samurais. Now that I'm watching them I realize he was more versatile than that.  He also did noir which is the genre of this movie.  A wealthy businessman gets a phone call about the kidnapping of his son. It's really the chauffeur's son though.  Nevertheless, there's panic.   He ends up giving the money to the crook and the rest of the film is spent as a police film.  It's over two hours so choose to watch this on a day when you have time on your hands.  It's a good movie.  Toshiro Mifune is the lead star.     

The Road Home

This G rated movie is proof that you don't need trash to have a good romantic story. The movie starts with a son thinking about his parents' courtship. A girl falls for the new school teacher in town. The lovely Zhang Ziy plays the girl.  While the town is constructing the schoolhouse she makes food for the man.  Eventually, the communists question him and he has to leave town.  She waits for him for years.  This movie was cute.  

The File on Thelma Jordon

This movie fumbles at the end with a rushed ending.  Overall though it's an ok noir.  Barbara Stanwyck has an affair with Wendell Corey.  Then she's convicted of murder.  He does everything possible to make sure that she wins the trial.  Is she innocent though or he is a chump?  Stanwyck is good as usual.  

Navy Blues

This was William Haines' first talkie.  He plays a sailor and his love interest is the lovely Anita Page, who I got this movie for.  The movie isn't that good though.  It's one of those ancient talkies that unfortunately have nothing really going for it.  You can pass.  

Caesar and Cleopatra

Vivien Leigh stars as Cleopatra and Claude Rains does Caesar.  I didn't much care for this movie.  It was slow and boring.  There were good performances though.  I liked how Cleopatra was an immature girl.  That was a different interpretation that I haven't seen before.  There's better George Bernard Shaw plays and other Vivien Leigh movies that are superior.

Late Autumn

I really like Setsuko Hara, a famous Japanese actress.  I saw her recently in The End of Summer where she played a widower too.  This is another Ozu movie that she starred in.  It's about a widowed mother and her young daughter.  The daughter doesn't want to leave her mother to marry.  However, some men in the town are scheming to get the mother married as well.  It was a good quiet movie.  I didn't like how love and marriage were treated as business plans in the movie though.  

Parineeta

I watched the old movie of this.  Unfortunately, it had edited 45 minutes of the movie.  So I liked this movie since this is their complete version.  It deals with a father asking for money from his neighbor.  Only there's no way that he can pay it back.  Lalita his daughter is in love with her the neighbor's son Shekhar.  However, an older man is interested in her.  That's the only way she can think of paying back that loan. Saif Ali Khan plays Shekhar and he's one of the best Bollywood actors of this generation but he is such a jerk here.  He plays hot and cold with her the whole movie.  For an Indian movie, this is short.  It is only 130 movies.

Stray Dog

This is a crime movie by Akira Kurosawa.  (I'm trying to watch his movies and also get into Asian cinema.  There is so much about cinema in general that I still have to learn.  This is despite being a film buff since I was 10.)  Toshiro Mifune plays a cop whose gun is pickpocketed.  He finds out that the gun was used in a crime.  So he goes on a search.  I liked it.  It wasn't a masterpiece like Kurosawa's Rashomon but it was a cool noir.   

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

I watched this years ago when I was in my early 20's.  It's still good.  Shah Rukh Khan falls for Kajol who his father Amitabh Bachchan disapproves of.  She's not the woman he chose for Khan's marriage.  He says she's not of the same breeding.  Shah Rukh Khan goes ahead and marries her, abandoning his former family. Hrithik Roshan, his younger adopted brother, seeks him out years later.  He also falls for their daughter.   Bachchan is good as a jerk.  (I've been watching his 70's movies as well lately.)  Do you know that Shah Rukh Khan is one of the highest paid actors in the world?  I find that intriguing.  

A story of Floating Weeds

I remember that I watched the remake made in the 50's years ago by the same director Yasuijiro Ozu.  I had to watch the earlier version.  What surprised me about this movie was that it was made in 1934 yet it was silent.  Sound films had been in style for a few years.  When I put it in the DVD player I was surprised.  It's about an actor and the son that he hasn't seen in years. (The mother sees his profession as an embarrassment.) His jealous mistress tries to make a plan where a girl seduces the actor's son, only the two end up falling in love.  I liked this love story in the movie.  I'm watching the remake next month.  

A Blueprint for Murder

When his niece dies Joseph Cotten begins to wonder if his sister in law Jean Peters did it.  He begins to worry about his nephew going through the same thing.  Joseph decides that he has to intervene.  He can't leave her alone.  Joseph even goes so far that he goes on their cruise trip to oversee her.  It was all right.  To be frank I wanted more but it was about average.  

Surprise Package

I'm a fan of Mitzi Gaynor.  I love the albums she did and her role in South Pacific.  This movie was one of her last and I can see why.  It's pretty mediocre.   It's about Yul Brynner being deported to a Greek Island and getting his girlfriend instead of the million he wanted.  Noel Coward and Mitzi sing a number together and it's easily the best moment of the movie.  Mitzi Gaynor fans can skip this one.