(For volume six, in 2004, I switched the title of the column. The format remained the same.) Never having been satisfied with the column title “Overlooked (or Obscure) Goodies,” which appeared in the final two issues of volume three, […]
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Rome Adventure (1962) ✰ ✰ ½
Delmer Daves’ dated romance starring Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette may have been forward thinking in 1962 but today seems like a relic from another age. A young American college graduate (Pleshette) flees a conservative college town for Italy and […]
Continue reading »Personal Velocity (2002) ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
One of the better and more audacious films from last year is one I have only recently seen, entitled Personal Velocity (2002). Rebecca Miller, daughter of playwright Arthur Miller, adapted her own book and has directed the film, which is subtitled […]
Continue reading »The Best of Times (1985) ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Writer-director Ron Shelton has made movies about several sports before more recently branching into the cop genre (Dark Blue, Hollywood Homicide), and the script he wrote for The Best of Times is one of his sharpest. It is a movie about […]
Continue reading »The Story of a Cheat (1936) ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sacha Guitry’s inventive comedy about a man writing his memoirs of a life led both honestly and through deceit stands as an early French masterwork. Told entirely via voice over, the film utilizes numerous cinematographic and editorial techniques that were […]
Continue reading »Village of the Damned (1960) ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
My second film of choice is the British science-fiction film Village of the Damned (1960). Based on a chilling John Wyndham novel (The Midwich Cuckoos), the movie expertly blends horror and speculative fiction with a decidedly British flair. And though it […]
Continue reading »Gun Crazy (1949) ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
The 1949 thriller Gun Crazy is the first film which I will be spotlighting. It is loosely based upon the Bonnie and Clyde story; with amoral Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins) leading infatuated Bart Tare (John Dall) into a life of […]
Continue reading »Waterproof (1999) ✰ ✰ ✰
My fourth overlooked movie is a warm and wise parable about life, Barry Berman’s Waterproof (1999). Soulful and sweet, this independent film beautifully captures the laidback pace of life in rural Louisiana, nicely contrasting it against the hustle and bustle of […]
Continue reading »Fools’ Parade (1971) ✰ ✰ ✰
My third choice is an unusual comedy-drama set during the Great Depression titled Fools’ Parade (1971). It boasts yet another terrific performance from James Stewart, who I think might have to be my pick as the greatest male movie actor of […]
Continue reading »The Raid (1954) ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
My second pick is one of the few decent Hollywood movies regarding the Civil War and one which depicts one of the most improbable incidents of the war. The Raid (1954) may be a small film in terms of scope, but […]
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