Cobra Woman

 

This was a pretty fun movie where Maria Montez is kidnapped and finds out that she has an evil twin sister who wants to make her life a nightmare. Sabu plays a friend of Maria's love interest. This movie is a short campy delight. 

Macabre

 

This was just an ok William Castle movie. Frankly, I've seen better. It's about a father who gets a call that his daughter has been buried alive. Soon the parents are frequenting the graveyards trying to search for their daughter. Is this caller to be trusted?

Jodhaa Akbar

 

This Indian movie was all right. I got it because of the lovely Aishwarya Rai who is not given enough credit for her acting abilities as well. It's about an arranged marriage but there is a catch Rai gets to practice her own religion. The man agrees to this. This was an unexpected twist but the man is respectful to Rai and the two eventually fall in love.  This movie is long though.  It's three hours and a half.

Underwater

 

This was a pretty boring movie about treasure hunters undersea. I didn't really care for the characters and when they succeeded I still wasn't thrilled.  Jane Russell does look good in this but if that's your motivation for watching this I suggest you just watch Gentlemen prefer Blondes again. 

Boot Polish

 This was an ok old Indian movie.  It's about two children who are beggars. They take up shining people's shoes for a living. One day the girl gets in luck and finds two adults who are loving and willing to take her in. However, their past abusive caretaker lies about the state the boy is in leaving the two separated for a time. Will the two siblings meet each other again? 

The Innocents

 

This was an excellent adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw.  The fact that it was written by two writers John Mortimer and Truman Capote puts it above par compared to other horror movies.  (I suspect that the most shocking moments were the ones written by Capote.)  It's about a governess who is either crazy or perceptive about the ghosts going on in the house.  This is one of Deborah Kerr's best roles.  You believe she is going out of her mind.  The black and white atmosphere adds to the chilliness of the movie.  I typically watch my movies with the light on doing something.  But I decided that this movie was meant to be seen in the dark.  I rarely do that but it was a good choice.  The Criterion Collection unsurprisedly picked this up.

Strangers in the Night

 

This is a short Anthony Mann movie. It's about an old woman who creates a fictional daughter and the man that visits the house eager to meet her.  It's kind of a want to be Rebecca and I thought some parts of the ending were unintentionally funny.  Still, it was ok.  The reason to watch this is if you're an Anthony Mann fan.  He was one of the best directors in the western and noir at the time.  He's the main star of this movie since there are no big-name stars.  

Fall Guy

 

This was the typical noir about a framed man trying to prove his innocence.  The main actor was Sean Penn's father.  This movie features one of the worst songs I've ever heard in a movie.  It seems that every noir needs a singer to sing a song but this movie definitely could have done without it.

Women in Bondage

 

The title may make this sound interesting but actually, it was pretty boring. Gail Patrick returns to Germany after 10 years and is appalled at the way women are being treated.  She gets in trouble for wanting to help a girl who can't get married to an officer she loves because of the problem with her eyes.  This movie was that it wasn't involving and frankly, there were better anti-Nazi movies around at this time.  

Rachel and the Stranger

 

This western was a lot better than I expected it to be.  This movie basically says you should be grateful for what you have.  William Holden buys Loretta Young to be a wife (but really a bondswoman.)  He needs someone to educate his son and do the housekeeping.  However, Robert Mitchum sees her potential, and then Holden gets jealous.  Loretta Young is made to look frumpy.  Only a few times does her beauty show through in this movie.  This was an above-average western.