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8
Geena is fantastic !
Geena Davis , Samuel Jackson and Craig Bierko star in " The Long Kiss Goodnight , " a 1996 film that had a woman in the Arnold Schwarzenegger role for a change . Maybe that's why some people didn't like it , but I loved it . I thought it rocked , and I thought Davis did a terrific job as Samantha , an amnesia victim li...
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Lovely underrated musical
Betty Garrett and Janet Leigh star in " My Sister Eileen , " a 1955 musical also starring Jack Lemmon , Bob Fosse , Tommy Rall and Kurt Kasznar . This is not the musical " Wonderful Town " but it has delightful music by Jule Style . It's the story of the Sherwood Girls , Ruth and Eileen , who come to Greenwich Village ...
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Charming documentary , charming studio
Forever Ealing is the story of a small studio in England that had people behind it with big dreams . In its heyday , Ealing Studios produced some of the truly great British films , including " Dead of Night , " " The Ladykillers , " " Lavender Hill Mob , " " The Man in the White Suit , " " Kind Hearts and Coronets , ...
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Strangers meet - one is very sorry
What a wonderful , tense , exciting work Hitchcock's " Strangers on a Train " is ! It is also a great testament to the talent of Robert Walker , who came to a sad end the very year this film was released . His Bruno Anthony is brilliant - demented , angry , fussy , charming when necessary , and scary as hell . But ther...
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A drifter is the catalyst for a lot of small town shake-ups
Hunky drifter Hal ( William Holden ) arrives in a small Kansas town , disturbing the status quo in " Picnic , " a 1955 film based on Wiliam Inge's play and directed by Josh Logan . It co-stars Kim Novak , Susan Strasberg , Rosalind Russell , Betty Field , Cliff Robertson , Arthur O'Connell , and Verna Felton . It's Lab...
495,035
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8
Imagine this being made today
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger filmed the opera " Tales of Hoffmann " in 1951 , to stunning effect . Offenbach's opera is the story of three loves of the poet Hoffmann ( Robert Rounsville ) and epitomizes the struggle between art and love , as he is transformed as a poet by each failed romance . The story begins...
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The discovery of one falsehood leads to lots more
Hayden Christensen is the " Shattered Glass " in the title of this 2003 film , co-starring Peter Sarsgaard , Chloë Sevigny , and Rosario Dawson . Well-directed and co-written by Billy Ray , the film tells the story of Stephen Glass , a young reporter for The New Republic who was a rising , well-liked and vibrant journa...
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Portrait of an icon
For a man who exudes sex appeal , Paul Newman was remarkably appalled when his wife , Joanne Woodward says in an interview on Biography : " We weren't married when we made the Long , Hot Summer . That led to some interesting situations in hotel rooms , etc . " " There was no need to mention THAT , " Newman replies . Th...
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8
early Sellars
Only Two Can Play is a slice of life comedy made in 1962 . Based on a novel by Kingsley Amis , it concerns an assistant librarian , John Lewis ( Peter Sellars ) who has a chance at a better position and a raise , contingent upon him sleeping with the council chairman's wife ( Mai Zetterling ) . He has a beautiful if ...
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8
Excellent film chronicling the nurses on Bataan
Claudette Colbert heads up a team of army nurses caring for the wounded and dying in " So Proudly We Hail ! " It's a great ensemble of fine actresses , including Paulette Goddard , Veronica Lake , Barbara Britton and others . This is the women's story , not often told , but certainly harrowing and inspiring . These nur...
493,762
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32,520
8
I walked with a zombie
Bob Hope made some wonderful , fun movies in the ' 40s , and " The Ghost Breakers " costarring Paulette Goddard , Paul Lukas , Willie Best , and Richard Carlson is a prime example . Anthony Quinn has two small double roles in an early appearance for him . Hope is a radio gossip who talks about the mob and sometimes ups...
494,348
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28,216
8
Gable , MacDonald , and Tracy as San Francisco topples around them
As in the ' 70s , disaster films were all the rage in the ' 30s , with " Hurricane , " " The Rains Came , " " In Old Chicago , " and , of course , 1936's " San Francisco " which certainly sent the other studios running to destroy anything they could . The film stars Clark Gable , Jeannette MacDonald , and Spencer Tracy...
494,222
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8
Wonderful spy film
Michael Caine is Harry Palmer , the spy who came in to get out of the cold , in " The Ipcress File , " a non-Bond type spy film set in London . Filmed on location , it really captures the London of the ' 60s and the back office drudgery of the intelligence game . Caine is not your average spy , in fact , he's doing the...
493,863
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8
The original " You've Got Mail "
James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan bicker at work and unbeknownst to one another are falling in love via mail in " The Shop Around the Corner , " a 1940 comedy directed by the great Ernst Lubitsch . There was no one quite like him ; Billy Wilder once complained that something was " like Lubitsch but it isn't Lubitsch ...
493,807
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1,323,535
8
Nice look at the evolution of the gangster film
Public Enemies : The Golden Age of the Gangster Film is an extensive look at the gangster film from the very early days of the silents and follows its evolution through the Depression , World War II and beyond . And of course , no gangster film documentary would be complete without the genre's great stars , shown in ...
493,887
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8
Amazing film , amazing Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin is " The Great Dictator " in this 1940 comedy-drama also starring Paulette Goddard , Reginald Gardner , Henry Daniell and Billy Gilbert . Chaplin has the dual role of a Hitler-like dictator , Adenoid Hynkel ( " Hail , Hynkel " ) ( all the countries are fictional , and the party logo is one X on top of a...
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8
And yet ANOTHER great performance by Paul Newman
Paul Newman is " Nobody's Fool " in this 1994 film also starring Jessica Tandy , Bruce Willis , Melanie Griffith , Dylan Walsh and Philip Seymour Hoffman . Newman magnificently portrays Sully , a 60-year-old man living in a small town in upstate New York . He has a bad knee ; he's suing his boss , the hard living Carl ...
495,131
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another wonderful Monte Markham performance
Either Monte Markham has good taste , or he was lucky in the TV movies in which he was cast . He's certainly made some gems : Visions of Death , Death Takes a Holiday , and The Astronaut . The Astronaut pairs him with Susan Clark , a major actress of the ' 70s . This film is based on the same idea as Capricorn One . In...
494,326
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85,568
8
stunning film about Clara Wieck
And who , might you ask , is Clara Wieck ? Well , if she hadn't married Schumann , she might have been much more famous than he . Her pianist abilities were thought to be equal to or greater than those of Franz Liszt . I had the privilege of seeing this film in New York City in a small theater , subtitled . A friend of...
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a 4F returns home a war hero
Preston Sturges wrote and directed the 1944 film " Hail the Conquering Hero , " which stars Eddie Bracken , William Demarest , Ella Raines and Franklin Pangborn . Bracken is Woodrow Truesmith , whose father was a famous war hero . Woodrow , however , is 4F because of hay fever . Discharged and depressed , he sits in a ...
494,831
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68,248
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psychic phenomenon , satanic worship and more
Leonard Nimoy stars as a race car driver with psychic visions in " Baffled ! " also starring Susan Hampshire , Vera Miles , Rachel Roberts , and Jewel Blanch . After the Nimoy character reports on television that he had a vision that caused him to lose control of his race car during a competition , he is visited by Sus...
493,736
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A sports agent finds the high road steep
Tom Cruise , before his chin implant , is " Jerry Maguire " in this 1996 film also starring Renee Zellweger , Cuba Gooding Jr . , Jay Mohr and Bonnie Hunt . Beautifully directed by Cameron Crowe , the film tells the story of a hotshot sports agent who writes a piece about the ethics of being a sports agent , encouragin...
493,972
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1,151,833
8
Interesting documentary
Martin Scorcese waxes poetic over one of his favorite talents , Val Lewton , the producer of cult classics such as The Cat People , The Seventh Victim , I Walked with a Zombie , etc . Lewton's unique outlook on life was present in all of his dark films , which were actually B horror movies with some heavy messages . Th...
494,674
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246,748
8
lovely Hallmark type of film
I caught this movie on Lifetime , but it had the Hallmark network feel to it . Sometimes this type of film can be overly sentimental , but I found this one to be wonderful as it emphasized the importance of taking time to love one another . Maureen O'Hara , at 80-something and looking great , plays a schoolteacher who ...
494,091
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32,620
8
Charming film
Actor / director / writer Gregory Ratoff often did Lubitsch-like films - " Cafe Metropole " is one and this one , 1940's " I Was an Adventuress " is another . Light and delightful , the film stars Vera Zorina , Eric von Stroheim , Richard Greene and Peter Lorre . Zorina , Stroheim and Lorre are partners in crime - prac...
494,067
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8
A great cast enlivens the southern tale of four friends and a secret
Ellyn Burstyn , Finnoula Flanagan , Shirley Knight and Maggie Smith hold " The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood , " a girlhood pact made in childhood , in this 2002 film also starring Sandra Bullock , Ashley Judd and James Garner . Bullock plays Sidda , a successful writer and the daughter of the outrageous Vivi ...
494,271
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32,617
8
Delightful William Powell and Myrna Loy vehicle
After saving a life , William Powell becomes the victim of amnesia in " I Love You Again , " a 1940 film also starring Frank McHugh and Edmund Lowe - this having the distinction of two Philo Vances , Lowe and Powell , in the cast . Powell plays a cheapskate named Larry Wilson . While on a cruise ship , he jumps into th...
493,983
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23,825
8
Your mouth is like a gardenia , open to the sun .
Jean Harlow is the " Bombshell " of the 1933 film also starring Franchot Tone , Frank Morgan , Lee Tracy , Pat O'Brien , Una Merkel , Isabel Jewell , Louise Beavers , Ted Healy , and C . Aubrey Smith . Harlow plays a star , Lola Burns , who has a career very similar to Jean Harlow's - in fact , she starred in " Red Dus...
493,570
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433,383
8
Clash of the Titans
Edward R . Murrow goes up against Senator Joseph McCarthy in " Good Night , and Good Luck , " a 2005 using Murrow's famous sign-off on the news program " See It Now " as its title . The stars are David Strathairn , George Clooney , Jeff Daniels , Patricia Clarkson , Ray Wise , Frank Langella , and Robert Downey , Jr . ...
494,021
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37,024
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You can destroy the things you love . . . and love what you destroy
Laird Cregar , who died shortly after this film's release , is Mr . Slade aka Jack the Ripper , in 1944's " The Lodger " also starring Merle Oberon , George Sanders , Sara Allgood , and Cedric Hardwicke . As 20th Century Fox often did , they remade this A film as a B film in the ' 50s as " Man in the Attic " starring J...
495,004
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24,034
8
The granddaddy of them all
The only other time I saw " 42nd Street " besides on TCM recently was at a revival cinema many years ago . The audience spent most of its time in hysterics during the most serious parts . The reason is obvious . Thanks to " Dames at Sea " and the million " chorus girl becomes a star " stories that followed this 1933 fi...
494,851
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24,044
8
remarkable , strange film
I basically checked out " Gabriel Over the White House " because of Walter Huston , an actor I have always considered one of the greats . He doesn't disappoint as the President of the United States in this bizarre fantasy , produced by William Randolph Hearst and promoting his ideas of fascism . I gave this film a high...
494,275
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50,526
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Exciting drama starring Jack Palance - and Jack Palance
Jack Palance plays look-alike brothers in " House of Numbers , " a 1957 film also starring Barbara Lang and Harold Stone . A " B " movie didn't mean a film wasn't good , and " House of Numbers " is proof of that . Palance plays a man who is desperate to get his brother out of San Quentin . He enlists the help of his si...
494,285
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54,387
8
H . G . Wells ' fantasy of time travel
Rod Taylor boards a contraption he built and goes forward in history in " The Time Machine , " a 1960 film also starring Alan Young as Filby , Yvette Mimieux , Sebastian Cabot , and Whit Bissell . Taylor plays George , who is in actuality H . G . Wells , who wrote the book on which the film is based . He's built a stra...
494,250
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28,333
8
heavenly dancing , heavenly music , heavenly partnership
There's something special about all of the Astaire-Rogers movies , and " Swing Time " is no exception . Directed by George Stevens , it tells the story of a dancer and a gambler - not seen as much of a catch by his future father-in-law - who , after he misses his wedding , goes to New York . He promises his fiancée's f...
494,349
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Thrilling suspenser from Warner Brothers
It's wartime and Warners is short of those hot , young leading men , so they bring on one of the all-time great screen odd couples - Sydney and Peter - to work their magic . And as always , they deliver , in " The Mask of Dimitrios " starring Zachary Scott , Sydney Greenstreet , Peter Lorre , and Faye Emerson . Though ...
494,596
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106,977
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Great thriller
Harrison Ford is " The Fugitive " in this 1993 version of the popular television series . The film also stars Tommy Lee Jones as Gerard , Sela Ward , Julianne Moore and Joe Pantoliano . For you young ' uns out there , " The Fugitive " TV show starring David Janssen was based on the 1954 Sam Sheppard case , the subject ...
494,016
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Square cut or pear shaped , this is a diamond
Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell team up for " Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , " also starring Charles Coburn , Elliot Reid , Tommy Noonan , and George Winslow . Marilyn and Jane are Lorelei Lee and Dorothy , two showgirls and best friends en route to Paris . The gold-digging Lorelei intends to marry her rich , nerdy , belov...
493,965
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33,238
8
A much loved film
At the beginning of Britain's entry into World War II , an officer walks across Waterloo Bridge and remembers the love of his life from World War I in " Waterloo Bridge , " starring Vivien Leigh as Myra and Robert Taylor as Roy . Leigh is a beautiful ballerina who meets the dashing , handsome Taylor in an air raid shel...
494,096
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250,494
8
Fun comedy
Reese Witherspoon is " Legally Blonde " in this 2001 comedy that's a switch on the old nerd who wants to be one of the beautiful people and gets a makeover . This time , the beautiful person wants to be one of the nerds . After her boyfriend Warner ( Matthew Davis ) , who's from old money , breaks up with her and goes ...
493,627
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Unrelenting
Well , if there was ever a movie to make you sink to your knees and thank the good Lord that you weren't in Russia during WW II , this is it . An absolutely brilliant film , unrelenting in its graphic depiction of the horrors and filth of war . Uniformly excellent acting from all of the principals and supporting cast a...
493,793
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120,382
8
Deceptive
Truman Burbank ( Jim Carrey ) is the star of " The Truman Show " in this 1998 film directed by Peter Weir . Truman's life is a fake reality show , watched by millions of viewers , though he doesn't know that . He lives in the small seaside town of Seahaven , a peaceful place . Truman is married , has a best friend and ...
493,672
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Ustinov and Smith - like I suppose it could get any better than this !
Talk about a dream cast - just two of the most wonderful actors who ever appeared anywhere - Peter Ustinov and Maggie Smith - together - in " Hot Millions , " a funny , quirky comedy also starring Karl Malden , Robert Morley , and Bob Newhart . Ustinov is an ex-con embezzler who gets the resume of a talented computer p...
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Powerful , beautifully acted film
These Three is an absorbing film that somehow manages to retain its integrity despite being different from the play , " The Children's Hour , " on which it is based . Having seen the later film , " The Children's Hour , " about two teachers accused of lesbianism , I wondered how the 1936 film would measure up . The a...
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Hard to take
Robert Ryan is a victim of " The Set-Up " in this 1949 film also starring Audrey Totter , George Tobias and Percy Helton . Ryan plays Stoker Thompson , a 35-year-old prize fighter who is still trying to make it . Totter is his wife , who wants him to quit before he's crippled and / or brain-damaged . In fact , she's no...
495,211
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Good soap , filled with now-familiar faces
Ryan's Hope , the story of the Ryan family , was a wonderful show filmed in New York City , thereby giving it the advantage of some veteran stage actors as well as newcomers . The cast was led by the amazing Helen Gallagher , a great musical theater star , as the matriarch of the Ryan family , Maeve . Maeve and her hus...
494,126
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excellent later period Columbo
Faye Dunaway is the guest star of this marvelous Columbo , who seems to be entering into a flirtation with a beautiful socialite . This is a little off the beaten track for our sloppy detective friend as the lady even attempts to spiff him up with a new tie . The socialite has , with a partner , murdered her gigolo lov...
494,939
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Powerful film , but Ty is just in it for box office
This is a wonderful movie about the struggle of the Mormons and their final settlement in Salt Lake , Utah . The beginning and the ending are especially powerful , and the message is one we all have to be reminded of - God doesn't talk , but he communicates , if we would only listen . As I am writing this in the midst ...
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Splendini , and I mean that with all due respect
Scarlett Johansson is an aspiring journalism student who steps into a magician's dematerializer and is visited by a dead reporter in " Scoop , " also starring Woody Allen , Hugh Jackman , and Ian McShane . We first meet the reporter , Joe Strombel ( McShane ) , on a boat with other dead people headed for who knows wher...
495,161
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Priceless
Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis are a miserable married couple in " The Ref , " also starring Denis Leary , Glynis Johns , and Christine Baranski . One could not ask for a better cast , and after seeing this , I think a stage production of " Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff " starring Spacey and Davis would be inspired . The...
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why would anyone mess with Robert Ryan ?
Inferno is a small but excellent 1953 film about a beautiful woman ( Rhonda Fleming ) and her lover ( William Lundigan ) who leave the woman's husband ( Robert Ryan ) alone in the desert with a broken leg , assuming he'll croak . The story focuses on Ryan's character trying to survive in the desert and what he learns a...
493,613
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479,977
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Poirot in top form
David Suchet is Agatha Christie's mustached detective Hercule Poirot in " After the Funeral , " produced in 2005 . Anyone who has heard David Suchet speak with his own British accent knows what a shock it is , because his accent as Poirot is so perfect and organic to the character . Suchet is the Poirot of Agatha Chris...
494,770
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a gem
It's always great to find a " little " film on video that you never heard of and have it turn out to be worth your while . The Gift , with its rockin'-sock ' em cast and neat story is one of these . The question I have is , with all the junk the studios publicize and the garbage that sits in our theaters , why don't th...
494,605
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41,587
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another winner from Joseph Mankiewicz
One of Hollywood's best directors , Joseph Mankiewicz , who gave us " All About Eve , " had a previous winner with " A Letter to Three Wives , " starring Linda Darnell , Jeanne Crain , Ann Sothern , Kirk Douglas , Paul Douglas , Jeffrey Lynn , Thelma Ritter , and Connie Gilchrist . The never-seen Addie Ross ( voice of ...
494,035
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32,811
8
excellent MGM look at Nazis in 1933 Germany
A family is divided by two sons ' belief in " the new Germany " in " The Mortal Storm , " a 1940 film set at the time that Hitler became Chancellor of Germany . Frank Morgan plays the Jewish ( though he is only referred to as non-Aryan ) Professor Roth who has a son and a daughter Freya ( Margaret Sullavan ) with his c...
495,134
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hot stuff TV style , before Brosnan became a movie star
A few years after his success as Remington Steele , Pierce Brosnan made this film with Jobeth Williams and Virginia Madsen . Though highly derivative , it makes for very intriguing viewing . Williams is a psychiatrist with a few personal problems of her own . She meets Brosnan and , like any red-blooded , healthy woman...
494,330
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Excellent ' 50s tale of reality TV that wasn't
I was growing up during the Charles Van Doren scandal , and I remember his face on the front page of the paper and my mother crying . When I asked her what happened , she said , " He told a lie . " He told a whole bunch of them , in fact , and was part of the quiz show scandal of the ' 50s , which Quiz Show so beautifu...
493,591
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8
Fabulous , sophisticated Lubitsch comedy
Trouble in Paradise is a wonderful , masterful comedy directed by the master , Ernst Lubitsch . It has a delightful cast , consisting of Kay Francis as her most glamorous , Herbert Marshall in a role that will seem like an aberration for him if you only know him from the 1940s , and the always excellent Miriam Hopkin...
493,497
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32,342
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The power and the curse of dreams
James Cagney , Arthur Kennedy and Ann Sheridan all live in the " City for Conquest " - New York , that is - in this 1940 film directed by Anatole Litvak and also starring Frank McHugh , Donald Crisp , Anthony Quinn and - yes , Elia Kazan . Cagney and Kennedy are the Kenny Brothers , Danny and Eddie . Danny is a truck d...
494,981
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delightful Tracy and Hepburn vehicle
Based on the play of the same name , Desk Set , viewed today , is somewhat dated based on its use of an enormous computer that spits out data . But it's a fun dated - very ' 50s , with a great cast and wonderful performances . Katharine Hepburn plays the head librarian in the research department of a broadcasting compa...
494,049
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50,306
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Laughter and charm galore
Lauren Bacall is a " Designing Woman " in this vibrant , sophisticated 1957 comedy directed by Vincent Minnelli and starring Gregory Peck , Delores Gray , Sam Levene , Tom Helmore , Mickey Shaughnessy , Jesse White and Chuck Connors . Suggested by costume designer Helen Rose , this story of a designer marrying a sports...
494,144
342,623
41,487
8
Superb
An Italian-American family is the subject of " House of Strangers , " a 1949 film starring Edward G . Robinson , Richard Conte , Susan Hayward , Luther Adler , Debra Paget , Hope Emerson , and Efrem Zimbalist , Jr . Being of Italian extraction myself , I actually thought this film was written by an Italian and was surp...
494,380
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72,431
8
Hilarious send-up of the Frankenstein story
Gene Wilder is the scientist Dr . Frederick Frankenstein ( pronounced Fronkenshteen ) who returns to the family castle in " Young Frankenstein , " a classic , 1974 Mel Brooks comedy that is now enjoying a reincarnation as a Broadway musical . Besides Wilder , it stars Marty Feldman , Madeline Kahn , Teri Garr , Peter B...
494,915
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50,347
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Excellent film , shades of On the Waterfront
1957's Edge of the City , directed by Martin Ritt , stars John Cassavetes , Sidney Poitier , Jack Warden and Ruby Dee . It's the story of a troubled man , Axel , who has a mysterious past that gradually comes out during the film . He has a connection that gets him a job on a loading dock working for Charlie ( Jack Ward...
494,061
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271,184
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home movies - a truly lovely documentary
I never knew that John Mills began his career as a song and dance man until I saw his documentary , " Sir John Mills ' Moving Memories " done in 2000 . Part biography , part filmography , part home movies , this is a delightful look at the actor , his family and his friends over the years . His children , Juliet , Hayl...
494,406
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76,202
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early wife abuse drama
Before we heard a lot about wife beating , this excellent film depicted it from both sides and explored the issue . Sally Struthers is the abused wife , and Dennis Weaver is the confused and sometimes out of control husband . Tyne Daly is great in a supporting role as a friend of the wife . Weaver does a wonderful job ...
493,655
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28,505
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suspicious minds
Jean Harlow is the secretary no wife wants her husband to have in " Wife vs . Secretary " starring Clark Gable , Myrna Loy , and Harlow , with an early appearance by James Stewart . It's hard to believe , looking at this film , that Jean Harlow would be dead a year later . Less blonde than in some earlier films , and f...
493,650
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50,356
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excellent World War II chess game on the high seas
Curt Jurgens and Robert Mitchum play commanders on opposite sides of the war in " The Enemy Below , " tautly directed by Dick Powell . Powell was multitalented - he started out as a light leading man / crooner in ' 30s musicals , turned into a hard-boiled detective type in the ' 40s , a director in the ' 50s , and the ...
494,678
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460,698
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Nice documentary on a top leading lady of the ' 30s and early ' 40s
Though Alice Faye was alive at the time this biography was produced , she did not appear on camera . Instead , she let her friends , family , and most of all , her work do the talking . The result is a pleasant and interesting story of a wonderful 20th Century Fox star . The narration tells of Faye's poor New York City...
494,861
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Marvelous
Spencer Tracy is " Edison , the Man " in this 1940 film also starring Gene Lockhart , Felix Bressart , Gene Reynolds and Charles Coburn . The Clarence Brown-directed film begins with Edison as an old man looking back on his life as he's talking to kids from a school newspaper . Edison had a brilliant mind and invented ...
494,659
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The two parts of love
The Agony and the Ecstasy is the story of Michaelangelo and his painting of the Sistine Chapel at the behest of Pope Julius II , a warrior and Patron of the Arts . But it's really about so much more - the connection between art and the artist , faith , will , and the quest for perfection . Most of all , it's about th...
494,343
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Pre-code Stanwyck ROCKS
Baby Face is a precode melodrama starring a very young Barbara Stanwyck , an almost unrecognizable George Brent , and Theresa Harris . It's about a girl who goes to the city to make good . . . or should I say make time . Stanwyck's father has been pimping her for one reason or another her whole life in dingy , depres...
493,512
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Really good Holmes entry
The Scarlet Claw is an unusual Sherlock Holmes mystery in that it takes place in Canada . Holmes and Watson are in Quebec at an occult society meeting when they hear about a village legend involving a phantom that killed three villagers . There are fears that the phantom has returned - some sheep killed , some strang...
494,736
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Twenty years between wars in the history of a British family
The Gibbons family is " This Happy Breed , " a 1944 film starring Robert Newton , Celia Johnson , Sterling Holloway , John Mills and Kay Walsh . The story begins with the end of World War I in 1919 with the return of Frank Gibbons ( Newton ) to his family - wife Ethel ( Johnson ) , son Reg ( John Blythe ) and daughters...
494,952
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A little lost in the translation
This was recently broadcast on Turner Classic Movies under the title " Billy Wilder Speaks . " The German title actually translates into " Billy Wilder , What Have You Done ( or Made ) ? " I'm assuming 98 % of this documentary is originally in German - 98 % because Wilder sometimes mixes German and English . However , ...
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The imaginary world of children
Sir Laurence Olivier , Carol Lynley , Keir Dullea and Noel Coward star in " Bunny Lake is Missing , " a 1965 black and white British film directed by Otto Preminger . A young woman , Ann Lake ( Lynley ) and her brother Steven ( Dullea ) report the woman's little girl , nicknamed Bunny , missing when she can't be found ...
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Lovely Christmas film
Though I don't like " Remember the Night " as much as " Christmas in Connecticut , " but it is a wonderfully warm Christmas film , notable for its Preston Sturgess script and the performances of the two leads , Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray . MacMurray plays a prosecutor , John Sargent , who is stuck with a shopl...
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243,155
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a pure delight
Wonderful film with a fantastic performance by the super-talented Renee Zwelleger , ably supported by Colin Firth and Hugh Grant , both marvelous , as was the entire cast . Strangely , I saw this film and " Someone Like You " around the same time - the basic plots are the same , though the subplots are quite different ...
493,763
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41,600
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Interesting film about prejudice in the north
Lost Boundaries is a 1949 film , based on the true story of a black family that passed for white in New Hampshire . The stars are Mel Ferrer , Beatrice Pearson , Richard Hylton , and Carleton Carpenter . Ferrer plays a black doctor , Scott Carter , who looks white . He wants to live as a black man , and his future wi...
494,210
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427,327
9
Fantastic adaptation of Broadway hit
John Travolta , Michelle Pfeiffer , Christopher Walken , Queen Latifah , Nikki Blonsky , Zac Efron , Brittany Snow and Amanda Bynes star in " Hairspray , " a 2007 movie musical directed by Adam Shankman . Shankman has a great understanding of what made this musical and the John Waters film great , and he brings it to t...
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Beautiful film that shows the essence of a true hero
Gary Cooper is Lou Gehrig in " The Pride of the Yankees , " a 1942 film also starring Teresa Wright , Babe Ruth , Walter Brennan and Dan Duryea . The film chronicles Gehrig's life growing up as a German-American . As a young boy , his mother wanted him to become an engineer . Instead , he becomes a world-famous ballpla...
494,635
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405,159
9
a knockout punch
I grew up watching Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates on " Rawhide . " Who could have imagined , looking at his unlined face and watching his easygoing manner , that he would ever have developed into the filmmaker that he has ? Though we should have known Clint was something special - in those days , it was nearly impossibl...
493,675
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91,167
9
Three sisters and their intertwining lives
In " Hannah and her Sisters , " Woody Allen has created a funny , poignant , and sweet film about three very different sisters . The focus is Hannah ( Mia Farrow ) , a successful actress currently married to Elliot ( Michael Caine ) and divorced from Mickey ( Woody Allen ) . She's more of a mother figure to her sisters...
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engrossing fare
Three Strangers has long been a favorite film of mine , with its fascinating reference to the statue of the goddess Kwan Yin , who , in Chinese legend , opens her eyes and grants a wish to three strangers on the Chinese New Year . Geraldine Fitzgerald , Sydney Greenstreet , and Peter Lorre are the above-mentioned str...
494,317
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369,117
9
Fun show
House Hunters is a great show on HGTV with a simple concept - house hunters look at three homes and choose one , discussing the pros and cons in between . Hosted by the lovely Suzanne Wong , there is something very involving about this show and some other HGTV offerings , such as Designed to Sell , Buy Me , and How M...
493,575
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368,658
9
The ultimate in " Who am I ? "
Billy Crudup is a " Stage Beauty " in the 2004 film costarring Claire Danes , Rupert Everett , Tom Wilkinson , Ben Chaplin , Zoe Tapper and Richard Griffiths . Based on the writings of Samuel Pepys about a stage actor named Ned Kynaston ( Crudup ) , the plot centers around the repeal of an English law forbidding women ...
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160,459
9
Four friends gather to discuss an old crime
Lesser Evil is a 1998 film starring Colm Feore , David Paymer , Tony Goldwyn and Arliss Howard . It's very well directed by David Mackay , and the script by Jeremy Levine and Steven Schultze is excellent . The film starts at a funeral presided over by a priest ( Howard ) who then tells the story in flashback . As tee...
494,403
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30,418
9
absolutely adored it - and Adrian worked overtime
Adrian went all out for this lavish , gorgeous production of " Marie Antoinette " starring Norma Shearer , who is never more beautiful or glamorous than in this epic biography . This Marie is quite the heroine , a woman of the people , generous to a fault , and never says , " Let them eat cake , " and would only have s...
494,070
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39,204
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Great ' 40s film starring John Garfield
John Garfield is a fighter taken over " Body and Soul " in this 1947 Faustian drama about a man who becomes too heady with success and too greedy , eventually signing on with a crooked fight promoter . Garfield is supported here by Lilli Palmer , Anne Revere , Hazel Brooks , William Conrad , Canada Lee and Lloyd Gough ...
493,654
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34,862
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A wonderful holiday treat despite some political incorrectness
I have always loved " Holiday Inn , " and will say up front that my favorite dance is the one Fred Astaire does with the firecrackers ! This film will always put you in the holiday spirit with its great cast , music , and dancing . Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby make a fantastic team , with Fred playing a bit of a cad . ...
495,217
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Great story + two marvelous actors + a brilliant director - = recipe for entertainment
Leonardo DiCaprio is the nemesis of an FBI agent , and vice versa , in " Catch Me If You Can , " a 2002 film starring Tom Hanks and directed by Steven Spielberg . Based on a true story , DiCaprio is the young Frank Abagnale , a great impostor who teaches school , becomes a pilot , a doctor , and a lawyer as he floats b...
493,611
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43,465
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The story of a tightly wired detective and his view of the world
Kirk Douglas is the man referred to in the title " Detective Story , " a 1951 film based on Sidney Kingsley's play . Directed by William Wyler , the movie features several actors from the Broadway production : Horace Mcmahon , Joseph Wiseman and Lee Grant , who appear with Eleanor Parker , William Bendix , Frank Faylen...
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9
vintage Columbo
When a frightened young woman comes into the police station to report a missing fiancée , she runs into Columbo and he has pity on her . Thus begins " Any Old Port in a Storm , " a fantastic " Columbo " episode about a vineyard owner , his half brother , his secretary , and a big secret . Donald Pleasance is exceedingl...
495,011
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Brilliant black comedy with a very serious message
Charlie Chaplin is " Monsieur Verdoux " in this 1947 film based on the real-life serial killer Henri Landru . Verdoux is a bank clerk who is laid off late in life and turns to marrying and killing women for their money in order to support his invalid wife and child . Sounds brutal , and when you think about it , it rea...
494,661
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91,867
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Ah for the days of Merchant-Ivory
A Room with a View is perhaps the jewel in the Merchant-Ivory crown , done in 1985 , during their marvelous heyday . It was an era in film of lushly photographed dramas of another time and place , popular perhaps because many of us yearned for a simpler life and a return to some basic manners and standards . But thes...
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. . . and not have charity . . .
James Mason is the " Odd Man Out " in this 1947 film directed by Carol Reed , also starring Cyril Cusack , Robert Newton , Wilford Brambell and Kathleen Ryan . Mason plays Johnny McQueen , the well-known head of the Irish Republican Army in Belfast . Though he has just escaped from prison , he plans a mill robbery to g...
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Fascinating , surprising , insightful look at a great artist and his movies
My affection for Woody Allen has grown over the years . With " Crimes and Misdemeanors , " I thought it had peaked , and then I saw " Match Point " and became convinced that he is not only brilliant but still has plenty to say . In this interview , Woody Allen had some interesting things to relate about his films and h...
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fun , poignant , with great performances
I saw this film on a plane and thoroughly enjoyed it , particularly the performance of Philip Seymour Hoffmann whom I found spectacular as a lonely , vulnerable , witty drag queen reaching out to recent stroke victim , homophobic DeNiro . The two of them were marvelous - and the end of the film had an outtake of Hoffma...
494,280
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39,811
9
Whither America
I've been waiting to see the 1947 film " The Senator Was Indiscreet " for years - ever since walking by a TV and hearing Ray Collins utter the line : " Don't you think it's time you cut out the part where you laugh at the idea of the U . S . going to war against Japan ? " I finally got a copy of the film , and I wasn't...
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Hard to take but worth it
It's difficult to grasp that Melvyn Douglas spent most of his career sailing through light , romantic roles and emerged in old age as one of the greatest actors in cinema history . Knowing the talent he possessed , how did he keep from killing the heads of the studios ? Paul Newman , Melvyn Douglas , Patricia Neal , an...