Witchfinder General (1968) *

It's very well made on a micro budget, and Vinnie does a good job, but it is such a depressing and dark tale. In younger days I might have been able to enjoy the filmmaking but the parallels to contemporary reality are too much.

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937) *

It's not so much the "yellowface" but the lackluster script and low B cast. Completely forgettable.

Berlin Express (1948) *

I suppose we can forgive the massive amount of propoganda and naivete in the script and chalk it up to the times but the horrendous voice-over and the preposterous plot are too much.

The Phantom of Liberty (1974) **

Satire is very tough to pull off on film even for Buñuel. Still, the cast and the cinematography keep it watchable.

Hour of the Gun (1967) **

John Sturges knows how to shoot a picture in wide screen and the results here are great. The problems are a middling script, an underwhelming production design and I just can't see Robards as a gun for hire.

Death of a Corrupt Man (1977) **

Intriguing 70's paranoid noir this time with a French perspective. Excellent cast with the stunning Ornella Muti and Alain Delon, but it is way too long and really needed a tighter script. I know it's a movie and the star is the star but by the 4th time Delon walks away from a car crash in a severe rollover with all other passengers killed my disbelief was no longer suspended.

Circle of Danger (1951) **

Middling whodunnit is not in the least thrilling save for a brief well done end sequence. Nicely shot, enjoyable cast, but the lead character is an arrogant prick.

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) **

Stunningly photographed western/noir is fairly ludicrous but thanks to a top notch cast and a tight running time also fairly effective.

A Tale of Two Cities (1935) ***

Ron Colman is the draw here and he's never been better. The storming of the Bastille is an impressive sequence but overall the film techniques are rather dated and heavy-handed. Still, an enjoyable flick.

Pygmalion (1938) ****

The great Wendy Hiller and the actually pretty good for once Les Howard in Shaw's greatly entertaining play.

5 Against the House (1955) **

Top notch photography, a nifty heist sequence and the lovely Ms. Novak are the pluses, a lame amd annoying screenplay the major detriment.

The Dresser (2015) ***

A great play, two great leads, fine support. (Still partial to Al Finney in the 1983 film though.)

Woman of Straw (1964) ***

Nicely produced twisty murder thriller with some gorgeous shots of Majorca. Sir Ralph is very good here.

A Perfect Murder (1998) **

A sloppy ending mars an otherwise nifty thriller that is gorgeously produced. Top notch cast delivers the goods.

Mademoiselle (1966) ***

The great Jeanne Moreau is good at being bad and the great David Watkin shoots it beautifully in this fable of desire and prejudice in rural France.

The Moustache (2005) ***

Tries to get inside the mind of a man having an identity crisis and mainly succeeds. Well done.

The Zone of Interest (2023) **

Nicely shot and designed drama about "the banality of evil" but it could have been a terrific Twilight Zone episode at 30 minutes and we'd get the point and perhaps even have more impact.

Happyend (2024) ***

Director Neo Sora's bildungsroman/dystopian mashup is a great example of how to shoot an effective film without extreme closeups. Good cast and no schmaltz.

The Millionairess (1960) *

Fails to engage despite lustrous cinematography and peak Sophia.

Who Killed Teddy Bear (1965) **

Admirable ambition and weirdness in depicting the often overlooked (in films) gauntlet women have to deal with nearly every day but there's a lot of awkward and amatuerish moments that ruin the vibe. Has an unrelenting need to provide EVERY character with a too pat motivation that's irritating. Still, the divine Juliet Prowse is worth the price of admission to whatever she decides to do.