John Ford brings the John Steinbeck novel to the screen. It is a somber tale of an Oklahoma family’s misfortunes during the great depression. The film brings to light the realities of the misery and poverty of that time. It also shows that even a well intentioned person, can’t stay away from trouble. The film […]

He may not be remembered by the casual filmgoer, but Lon Chaney is an actor known for his very different roles. He gave us sympathetic and frightening characters, long before Boris Karloff gave the world, the Frankenstein monster. His portrayal of Quasimodo, the deformed title character, is amazing. He had to wear an uncomfortable back

Would a movie about British aristocracy be boring? That is the question a filmgoer might ask about Downton Abbey. Anyone who hedges about seeing this film, should resist their initial thoughts, and go. You won’t be disappointed. Michael Engle, the director, has done a very good job, of bringing the television show to the big

White Zombie features Bela Lugosi as ‘Murder Legendre’, a character similar to Dracula; except that he uses voodoo to control people. He is nearly as menacing. Legendre is having a wedding at his plantation. The couple is Neil Parker (John Harron) and Madeline Short Parker (Madge Bellamy. They arrive at Legendre’s house by carriage. The

This is another Hollywood version of a western legend. It has Burt Lancaster playing straight as an arrow marshal, Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas playing playing hard drinking, tuberculosis stricken, Doc Holiday. It’s a normal casting decision with two of Tinseltown’s biggest stars at that time. The film is a good western, with the good

Godzilla is billed as king of the monsters. That title is debatable. What may not be is king of the monster sequels. Since this original Japanese film, there have been many sequels, remakes and sequels to the remakes. It is a good film, that follows a trend in the 1950’s of irradiated monsters. The movie

Chrissy Metz gives a quality performance as Joyce Smith, a mother whose faith is tested, with a family crisis. She is the mother of John Smith, a star on his high school basketball team. Her and her family have a deep faith in God, and are close to their pastor, John Noble, (Topher Grace). One

Judy tells the story of Judy Garland, but not her stardom at MGM studios. It is the sad tale of someone who was one of the most talented movie stars Hollywood ever produced; addicted to drugs and broke. In this film, she moves to London; to do a series of concerts. This was how she

The question is why does Hollywood remake successful films? The obvious answer is money. The other less obvious one is its easier, because there’s already a working script. The challenge for this movie is it was an animated feature, and it had to be updated to computer animation. The studio has succeeded in making The

There may be people who wonder why Frank Sinatra wasn’t comfortable being a successful singer and musical film star. There are people who probably doubt his acting ability. The people in either of these groups, need to see his portrayal of Frankie Machine, a heroin addict. This will put their doubts to rest. Sinatra’s character