Classic Movie Reviews

Starting in the 1920’s and really picking up the pace in the 1940’s it was common to see several short animated films prior to the main feature. You’d also see a serial and a news reel before the show too. It was truly a golden age of animation. And the creativity was off the charts. Some of these cartoons are truly bizarre, even to a modern viewer. We wonder what those must of been like to see in...

The warm breezes, the crashing waves, the lovely women at “the club” and let’s not forget the never ending PK duty, scrubbing floors, pulling weeds, running laps, running up mountains. You know, the good old days on Oahu before the United States entered into World War II. In an all star production of the James Jones novel of the same name we experience the turmoil that filled the lives of a group...

Grab your camera and your scooter as we tour the beautiful sites of Rome with Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, and Eddie Albert. In a movie that feels like it’s out of a fairy tale, Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann escapes the overbearing life as a public figure to spend the day as a common person. Gregory Peck finds out her secret and lots of fun and interesting (and weird/creepy) hijinks ensue. Direc...

High Noon is a film that has been analyzed to death in every way conceivable. It tells a straight-forward story of a man who stands up against overwhelming odds to keep his sense of duty intact and to “do the right thing.” It stars Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado and Grace Kelly in her first major film role. Fred Zinnemann directed the film. It won four Academy Awards with...

Strange celestial events, the wholesale slaughter of predators to ants in the Arizona desert and unusual crop circles are just the beginning of a series of highly unusual events that lead Dr. Davenport and Dr. Lesko to setup a scientific observation station on the outskirts of an abandoned housing development. What exactly is going on? And is Kendra Eldridge really the mother to a new race? So man...

In the “Seven Samurai” released in 1954 by Toho and director by Akira Kurosawa, we follow the exploits of an unfortunate peasant village in feudal Japan as they recruit seven samurai to help them defend themselves against marauding ronin. In “The Magnificent Seven” released in 1960 by MGM/UA and directed by John Sturges, we follow the exploits of an unfortunate peasant village in rural Mexico as t...

Released in I958, Vertigo is a tour-de-force in film making directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. It's a story of betrayal and murder. It's also a borderline ghost story. I like to imagine that with a few minor changes this could be one heck of a great ghost story. Ultimately it's a tragic tale of deceit and love. betrayal and the search for redemption in the most...

“The Professionals” was expertly written and directed by Richard Brooks and stars Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode, Jack Palance, Claudia Cardinale and Ralph Bellamy, released in 1966 by Columbia Pictures. It’s a great ride full of beautiful scenery, sharp dialog, excellent explosions and some great twists in the plot. So saddle up and prepare to cross the desert into Mexico w...

In honor of my grandmother Betty, Bob and I review her favorite movie "All About Eve." Starring Bette Davis, also my grandmother's favorite actress. "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!"

Bob and I were unable to record a podcast this week. My grandmother passed away last weekend and so in honor of her passing we are going to review "All About Eve" next week. Bette Davis was her favorite actress and this was one of her favorite movies. We hope you have a good weekend and if you're in the United States, have a nice Memorial Day on Monday. Until next week...

Bob and I watch and review “The Virgin Spring”. A movie released to critical success in the US, but was panned by critics in Europe at the time. The film was banned in some parts of the US for the depiction of a young virgin, Karin, being raped and murdered. But that is only one aspect of the film. In some respects, the story is a very simple tale of innocence and revenge. On another level, or may...

Winner of 6 Oscar Awards, this William Wyler and MGM production perfectly captures the wartime era of London and surrounding suburbs during the start of the German air raids. Greer Garson, Walter Pigeon, Teresa Wright, Dame May Whitty, Henry Travers and Richard Ney all give outstanding performances. Henry Wilcoxon gives a speech for the ages, which he also helped write. There’s just so much to cov...

The year of the City 2274, the remnants of human civilization survive in a domed city. They spend their days playing, partying, and having sex. That is until they turn 30. Then they must go to Carrousel where they will be reborn if they try hard enough. But some people don't believe in carrousel, or maybe they are afraid, so they make a run for Sanctuary. They are called Runners. And the people th...

"We aren't dealing with ordinary machines. These are highly complicated pieces of equipment, almost as complicated as living organisms. In some cases they've been designed by other computers. We don't know exactly how they work." And so begins the downfall of the DELOS vacation resort, because the machines, they have a mind of their own and they intend to use they're new found sentience. Bob and I...

Deep in the Nevada desert lies a secret underground lab called Wildfire. Is the lab there to promote peace or to forward the agenda of war? What if we discovered a new and previously unthinkable type of life? What would we do with that knowledge? Would we share it for the betterment of all humankind? Or would we weaponize it for our own selfish gain? These are some of the questions raised by "The...

Science, faith, truth, justice, ecology, violence, war are all themes in Planet of the Apes. Imagine that we’re on a distant planet ruled by an intelligent race of apes. Men and women are seen as animals. What would that culture think of a talking man? A man that claims he’s from a distant solar system? And what would happen to that man when he finds out the truth? We find out the truth in this cl...

Molly Brown is truly unsinkable in the fast paced and fun MGM production of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” released in 1964. Debbie Reynolds sings and dances her way from rags to riches, from the mountains of Colorado to the finest establishments of Europe and back again. There’s a lot to enjoy in this movie. it’s a light hearted and funny movie. Bob and I go through the major scenes and talk about...

Twelve criminals are recruited to form a special unit tasked with taking out the German high command during World War II. Can Major Reisman get these murderers, psychopaths and general malcontents in shape in time to complete the mission? And why in the heck would they let Maggot be a part of this group? This group of dirty, stinky, rotten troops who for the most part are totally redeemed by the e...

"There's a bright golden haze on the meadow. There's a bright golden haze on the meadow. The corn is as high as an elephant's eye. And it looks like it's climbing clear up to the sky. Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day!" Those lyrics kick off a magical journey into the heart of Oklahoma territory set in 1901 before the territory became a state. The tension and drama that existed...

We'll return next week with our review of Oklahoma! In the meantime, remember that the farmer and the cowman should be friends!

A cast of what seems like thousands are on a race for a buried fortune, at least they think it exists, but they don't know exactly where to look, but they know that a giant "W" marks the spot. Why not an X? Don't ask, it's a W which is right next to X in the alphabet. And the whole movie makes about as much sense as that comment! It's a crazy, or dare we say, mad race to the finish. We give it a g...

It's Vienna, 1949, Holly Martins steps off a train and into a mystery, full of intrigue and backstabbing. Is it just another day at the office for Mr. Martins? No way, he's a clueless American writer of pulp westerns. He's completely out of his depth and that's the fun of the movie. It unravels before our eyes in glorious black and white with the incomparable zither score by Anton Karas. Directed...

Released in 1953, this independent production didn't garner much in the way of accolades or revenue at the box office. In fact, it's been called a "lost classic". For one reason or another it's fallen into the public domain. You can watch it online via the Internet Archive. Described as a mix of film noir and comedy, the cast is solid, the director, well, it's John Huston and the script? Written i...

Dobbs continues his descent into madness, Curtin narrowly escapes with his life and Howard finds a tropical paradise in the middle of the Mexican dessert. Really, what? Did Howard look right into the camera in that scene and nod to us as the audience. Yes, he did! But that’s not all, there’s so much to talk about in this movie that our review is nearly as long as the movie itself.

Gold does strange things to a man’s soul as we find out in Warner Brothers / First National Picture’s adaptation of B Traven’s classic "The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre". Who is B Traven? Why can’t Dobbs see that he’s got gold fever? How much gold is enough gold? So many questions and so few answers in a truly great movie, one of Humphrey Bogart’s best and definitely one of John Huston’s best. It’...