A Lady to Love

Edward G. Robinson puts an ad up for a wife with the photo of his much better looking friend. Vilma Banky answers and is disappointed. She marries him but falls for the better looking guy. Eventually she turns around. Vilma Banky didn't really have a talkie career because of her thick Hungarian accent. I don't know why as Greta Garbo's accent was pretty thick too. Edward G. Robinson was miscast. This is different from his usual gangster role.

It always rains on Sunday

This was an ok 1940s British noir. A woman hides her old boyfriend from the law. Of course she gets caught and learns that she made a serious mistake. She lets her old feelings for him get in the way of rational thinking. British noir is pretty much a subject I know nothing about. I bought The British Film Noir Guide by Michael F. Keaney so I have a lot to catch up on.

Wharf Angel

Two guys talk to each about a swell girl they know. They don't realize that they are in love with the same prostitute. The actress Dorothy Dell in this died shortly after. So it's kind of sad seeing a promising career cut short. But this isn't the best precode I've seen. At least it's only 65 minutes.

Blanche Fury

This was an ok costume drama about a wealthy woman who has an affair with the stable boy. He wants to inherit and his desire is so bad that he would even hurt a little girl. With that the woman gives up on the man and things don't end happy with him. Valerie Hobson and Stewart Granger give good performances.

The Thief La Voleuse

This looks like it would be a good movie. It's written by Marguerite Duras and stars Romy Schneider but it was pretty boring. It's about a woman who decides to get custody of her boy she left at birth. It's busy easy since the family didn't take the time to adopt the boy. But the father has a huge mental breakdown. Romy Schneider is the only good thing about this movie. She gives a good performance as the desperate mother looking for meaning in her life along with a troubled marriage. It was apparently based on a true story. But there's better Romy Schneider movies, better Marguerite Duras movies too. I only recommend watching this movie if you know what you're getting yourself into.

The Curse of Nostradamus

A vampire seeks revenge on the people who murdered his father. This wasn't that good. The only reason to watch this Mexican movie is because Carlos Enrique Taboada co-wrote it. He's one of my favorite directors. He was a writer before he made it as a director. He wrote The Witch's Mirror which I thought was amazing. I would watch that and pass on this one.

La Bien Pagada (The Well-Paid Woman)

This was an ok Mexican soap opera about an adultress who learns a lesson. A wealthy man expects his beautiful wife of cheating and no surprise he catches her in the act. A few years later he finds out she has become a dancer. He becomes one of her visitors. She feels guilty. She was no saint but I felt like he was manipulative and mean towards her, let her move on with her life. He falls in love with her saintly sister but I didn't feel he was worthy of her. Alberto Gout would later make the classic Aventurera, a much better movie. Tf anything this is worth a watch to see the promise he had before he made a masterpiece of Mexican cinema.