Monique van Vooren, Joe Dallesandro, Flesh for Frankenstein The first time I saw Flesh for Frankenstein was during its theatrical release in 1973, when it was titled, Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein.…
-
Directed by schlock-master William Castle (House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler), Shanks is a little-known curiosity piece, telling the story (written by Ranald Graham) of Malcolm Shanks, a deaf-mute puppeteer who leaves his abusive…
-
Boom! movie: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton critical and box office disaster is rediscovered and receives some belated cult classic appreciation.
-
The Whales of August with Lillian Gish, Bette Davis, Vincent Price, and Ann Sothern. According to my math, the careers of the three leading ladies – Lillian Gish, Bette Davis,…
-
In her first American film without the guidance of director Josef von Sternberg, Marlene Dietrich was definitely up to the acting challenge of Rouben Mamoulian’s The Song of Songs. Not…
-
La Habanera with Zarah Leander and Ferdinand Marian. First, I have to state that I watched Douglas Sirk’s La Habanera, not knowing what to expect. All I knew was the…
-
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg with Ramon Novarro and Norma Shearer. The theme of a prince who gives up the girl he loves in order to fulfill his royal…
-
7 Faces of Dr. Lao movie review: An excellent Tony Randall proves the point that things are not what they seem to be in George Pal Oscar-winning fantasy.
-
Noah’s Ark with George O’Brien, Guinn ‘Big Boy’ Williams, and Paul McAllister. Of all the films from that magical moment when silent movies merged into sound, nothing is as effective…
-
The Killing Kind with Ann Sothern and John Savage. When I read that The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film described Curtis Harrington’s The Killing Kind as “a seldom-seen sickie” I just…
-
Possessed with Joan Crawford and Van Heflin. From the moment we see her shuffling across town in a comatose stupor to the homicidal climax, Possessed is Joan Crawford’s picture all…
-
From the moment The Gang’s All Here opens with a nightclub production number presented on a stage as big as a football field, Busby Berkeley’s fast-paced Technicolor musical delivers the…
-
The Wild Women of Wongo (1958) movie review: You’ll enjoy it if you focus on what truly matters: Beautiful physiques and the overall weirdness.
-
Humoresque (1946) movie review: Joan Crawford exudes charisma in Jean Negulesco’s stylish but ponderous melodrama. John Garfield costars.
-
Targets (1968) movie review: Boris Karloff is fantastic in this disturbing Peter Bogdanovich thriller that shows life and art as irrevocably intertwined.
-
The Poverty Row jungle flick Nabonga lacks thrills and logic, but it features curious cast members Buster Crabbe and Julie London.
-
South Seas sex worker Joan Crawford proves herself a fine dramatic actress and destroyer of pious missionaries in the vastly underrated drama Rain.
-
The Joan Crawford gangster drama This Woman Is Dangerous can be entertaining as long as you have low expectations. Dennis Morgan costars; Felix E. Feist directed.
-
Inspired by the Bugsy Siegel and Virginia Hill affair, Vincent Sherman’ skillful crime drama The Damned Don’t Cry is Joan Crawford’s second best Warners movie.
-
The genius of Lon Chaney and the best production values that MGM could buy make William Nigh’s ‘exotic’ Mr. Wu movie adaptation a must-see.
-
In Tom Forman’s Victorian but engrossing melodrama Shadows, Lon Chaney brings dignity to his Chinese victim/savior stranded in racist England.
-
An homage to unconventional families mixed with social commentary, Charles Chaplin’s 1921 movie The Kid remains just as touching 9 decades after its release.
-
MGM star Ramon Novarro delivers a charismatic performance in Fred Niblo’s still impressive silent era mega-blockbuster Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
-
Man of a Thousand Faces Lon Chaney delivers another phenomenally creepy portrayal in Wallace Worsley’s top-notch revenge thriller The Penalty.
-
Seen (sort of) together for the first and last time, Mae West and W.C. Fields follow their own routines in the entertaining comedy Western My Little Chickadee.
Desert Nights: Enjoyable John Gilbert Sahara adventure dares to ask old philosophical question. Mary Nolan bathes naked and Ernest Torrence steals show.
The Bubble (1966) movie review: Starring Deborah Walley and Michael Cole, 3D B sci-fi thriller can be an enjoyable experience if you’re not picky.
Vilma Banky. Edward G. Robinson was only 37 years old when he gave this hammy, scene-stealing, over-the-top performance as Tony, a middle-aged Italian grape grower in Napa Valley, California, in…
Cobra (1925) movie review: Rudolph Valentino’s most effective star vehicle tells a true love story - one that takes place between two male friends. Nita Naldi and Casson Ferguson costar.
Leonard Kastle’s The Honeymoon Killers rivals better-known fare partly thanks to Shirley Stoler and Tony Lo Bianco’s charismatic performances.
Starring gay MGM contract actor William Haines, the pre-Code comedy Western Way Out West features gay innuendoes just about everywhere you look.
Silent era veterans Erich von Stroheim and Betty Compson deliver quality performances in James Cruze’s engrossing psychological drama The Great Gabbo.