International intrigue surrounds the choice of a new Pope in the sumptuous version of the Morris L. West bestseller. The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) chronicles the unlikely rise of a priest as he travels from the captivity of a labor […]
Continue reading »Author: admin
The Glass Wall (1953) ✰ ✰ ✰
Another film that touches upon the many difficulties facing immigrants to America is The Glass Wall (1953). The trouble for one “lousy foreigner” (to which is referred in the film) begins when he travels to America as a stowaway, seeking asylum […]
Continue reading »Black Legion (1937) ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Warner Bros. in the 1930s was a studio that produced a large number of gritty social exposés. Black Legion (1937) is one of the best of the bunch, dealing with a secretive, ultra-patriotic group of hooded hooligans very much like the […]
Continue reading »The Dead Zone (1983) ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
A great many crappy movies have been made from Stephen King’s novels, but David Cronenberg’s 1983 version of The Dead Zone is not one of them. With a heartfelt performance by Christopher Walken at its core, a nightmare scenario at its […]
Continue reading »Duel at Diablo (1966) ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Ralph Nelson made some important films during the ’60s (Lilies of the Field, Soldier in the Rain and Charly) but my favorite has always been Duel at Diablo (1966). From the opening image of a knife cutting a map to shreds to […]
Continue reading »Sayonara (1957) ✰ ✰ ✰
Frank Gutierrez writes: The second film is also set in the Orient: Sayonara, starring Marlon Brando as an Air Force fighter pilot during the Korean War who is reassigned to Japan by an area commander in hopes that Brando will […]
Continue reading »Oil for the Lamps of China (1935) ✰ ✰ ✰
Subscriber Frank Gutierrez has two more recommendations for Movies Worth Rediscovering, and I heartily concur with his selections. The first is an oldie from 1935; I’ll let Frank briefly describe the plot and his reasons for recommending both titles. Pat […]
Continue reading »The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) ✰ ✰
Although I have enjoyed and given good reviews to a couple of the Twilight films in recent years, I was bored by Breaking Dawn, Part 1. It is so slowly paced, with so little significant action or plot development, that I […]
Continue reading »My Week with Marilyn (2011) ✰ ✰ ✰
Though I have no way to support this thesis, I believe that most people, especially younger audiences, are aware of Marilyn Monroe primarily through her fame — and have never seen her movies. Other than Some Like it Hot, and […]
Continue reading »The Descendants (2011) ✰ ✰ ✰
This low-key feature, set in Hawaii, is a fairly rich character study. George Clooney stars as a businessman whose wife has had a boating accident and lies in a coma. His young daughters are too much for him to handle […]
Continue reading »