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 »Category: Movies Worth Rediscovering
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 »Captain Newman, M.D. (1963) ✰ ✰ ✰
Gregory Peck followed his Oscar-winning turn in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) with the title role of an Air Corps psychotherapist who uses whatever means necessary to connect with his troubled patients and help them to adjust to life after combat […]
Continue reading »Man Without a Star (1955) ✰ ✰ ✰
In his fourth western, Kirk Douglas finds a role that fits his personality to a tee, one which allows him to jaunt and joke, sing and dance, prove his worth as a dramatic actor and display his newfound acumen in […]
Continue reading »Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) ✰ ✰ ✰
Of the two well-known baseball musicals (1958’s Damn Yankees is the other), I prefer this frothy MGM vehicle. To me, Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) has better songs, livelier humor, a better feel for the national pastime and, most […]
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