The Suspect - 1944

Philip is tired of his wife. I don't blame him, she is a shrew, but he takes it a bit far when he starts a relationship with a young woman. Later, when the wife threatens to get not only him, but the other woman (Mary), fired from their jobs, Philip loses it. At that point, it's murder.

After that, Philip feels free. He resumes his relationship with Mary and eventually marries her. Now, she can't testify against him if Scotland Yard pursues their suspicions (which they are trying to). Don't think the Inspector is giving up, though. He finds Philip's neighbor, who is a real jerk, and now we have two murders. 

This movie is based on a book called This Way Out by James Ronald. I hope I can track down a copy someday, because this was a pretty solid movie. I'm curious how the book lines up. I wasn't really rooting for Philip, but I wasn't really waiting for him to get caught either. It was strange. I wasn't really rooting for Mary, either. I was just interested in how it was all going to end. I wish there had been a bit more resolution at the end, but what was there was good enough for me. Good Movie!

Gallipoli - 1981

This movie follows several Australian men who enlist in the army during WWI. They end up at Gallipoli, a site notorious for the bloodshed that occurred there.

I was a little confused when the movie went so long without having any actual fighting on Gallipoli. Yes, the location was mentioned a few times, but knowing what I did about it, I felt the anticipation. From what I read afterwards, there are some historical inaccuracies in the movie, but the ones mentioned didn't affect me very much. For instance, the "who's to blame" didn't seem as important in the moment. It was about what was going to happen when they went over the trench. And you knew they were going over. What stuck with me more was when the soldiers were plunging their daggers (? I didn't recognize the weapon) through letters and into the sandbags and hanging mementos on them before charging to their doom.

Overall, I understand why so much of the film was focused on the relationships and backgrounds of the men. I thought maybe more time spent on Gallipoli would've been appropriate, but upon reflection, I take that back. The entire last half hour was so impactful and emotional, and I'm not sure I would've felt that way if I hadn't cared about the characters so much. It's not a happy ending movie, which I expected since I know a little about Gallipoli, but I'm still giving it a Good Movie! review. 

Combat America - 1943/1945

This hour-long movie was filmed in 1943 but was released in January 1945. Thus the dual date in the title.

Clark Gable narrates and was the man behind the scenes in this film that was focused on aerial gunnery. It follows the 351st bombardment group as it goes to England and flies missions over Belgium, France and Germany.

The last 15 minutes are centered around a single mission, since the first 45 show events from the ground. I found the footage fascinating, but it's not for everyone. My grandfather was a pilot in WWII, so things like this interest me. 

I think this film would appeal to people who are interested in WWII aviation or the way things operated during that particular time. I'll give it a Good Movie! review, but not everyone will agree. And that's okay!

The Invisible Man Returns - 1940

After watching The Invisible Man, I was curious how he was going to return. I did enjoy the 1933 movie, so I was looking forward to seeing where this went.

In the first movie, Jack came up with a formula that made him invisible. It also had the adverse side effect of causing him to go insane. Now, Jack's brother, Frank, has used the same formula to save his friend from being hanged. But, there's a small problem. Now his friend is on the run, and Frank doesn't have the antidote for the formula yet.

Geoffrey is charged with the murder of his brother. He escapes and soon starts to show signs of madness. He finds out what happened to his brother, but he also wants to take revenge on his own. The difference is he had Frank make a promise. If he started to show madness, Frank was supposed to stop him before he hurt anyone.

I was glad to see they didn't try to pretend the original Invisible Man didn't die. That would've irritated me. Instead, it was more of a continuation of Jack's formula than pretending none of the previous events happened. 

This might sounds strange, but Frank was my favorite character. Even though Vincent Price was the Invisible Man, and I do like him, Frank gets my vote. He worked his butt off, tried to keep Geoff from going insane, AND was the most level-headed person in the movie.

The end was more uplifting than the last movie, but a few things were left unresolved. Was Geoff held accountable for the laws he broke? Was the doctor? Oh well, he's visible...hooray!! I prefer the plot line in the first movie, even though there was a lot more carnage. This one wasn't bad by any means, and I'll still give it a Good Movie! review. I think if I was going to watch one again, it would be the 1933 movie.

Inside Out - 1975

This movie revolves around the premise of a group of men who come together to break a Nazi out of prison to find out where he hid some gold. It's set in the 70's, so it's been a while since the war. The German was in charge of a POW camp where Morgan was a prisoner. Apparently, there's a fortune hid somewhere, and he wants some help to get his hands on it.

So the gang ends up being the former head of the POW camp - Ernst, a man who saw the exchange of the gold - Hans, a professional eater (he provides uniforms but he's not there much), Sly the general criminal, Erika the romantic interest for Sly who is also a nurse, and Prior who works in the prison. I don't understand why they have one guy guarded by so many people. It's just weird and a waste of resources. They could've stuck him in any prison, and it would've been fine. Whatever.

So, I had a few problems with this movie. First, they're breaking a man out of prison for gold. I mean, technically, they put him back, but that's beside the point. Then, they just use people and don't care. For instance, Hans is afraid to go to East Germany. Why didn't they just leave him behind? Instead, he ends up dying, and they don't care. They drive away happily, literally laughing, until they realize they don't have enough people in the car. Then they go back for his corpse and prop him up in the back seat. THEN they just chuck him in the river...seriously?!

I hated everyone in this movie. When they found the gold, I wanted it to be something else. I wanted it to be blankets or newspapers. I didn't want them to win. They were so smug and annoying. At the end, the three putzes just abandon the car in the middle of the road and walk away laughing. Ugh. The last thing I want to mention is the music. I understand the 70's was an interesting time for music and all that, but it was SO jarring. There were only a few times I would say the music fit the mood of the scene.

I suppose the "comedy" in this went over my head. I recognize they were trying to do some lighthearted moments here and there, but I was just so annoyed by the whole thing. This movie was definitely not for me, and I won't be watching it again.

Shadow of a Doubt - 1943

This was on my list of thrillers to watch and it fit my time frame. It's also an Alfred Hitchcock film.

Charlie feels that her life is too ordinary. She's on the verge of sending a telegram to her namesake uncle, Charles, when the family gets a message that he's already on his way to them. But little do they know Uncle Charles has a big secret. He's being hunted by a couple of detectives that suspect him of being the "Merry Widow Killer."

Very shortly after he arrives, there are hints of strange behavior. Charlie is a smart young woman, but she doesn't want to believe anything is wrong with her favorite uncle. When the detectives show up to interview the family, Charlie has to face the doubts that have been adding up in her head.

This was a really good movie. Once Charlie's suspicions are verified, she's not sure what to do. There doesn't seem to be a good solution, because she wants to protect her family. But she also has to watch out because her own life is in danger. I can easily see myself watching this one again. It was pretty tense toward the end, and I was wondering how it would all turn out. Good Movie!

Gaslight - 1944

I thought this was the 1940 version until I tried to look up the poster for it. Oh well, mistakes happen. This version has Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten. 

Paula finds love in Italy and returns to the home she's avoided for years. Her aunt was murdered in the home, and she was reluctant to return. Now she's married a man she barely knows, but it all starts to go downhill once they enter the home in London. A hidden letter sets off Gregory, and then Paula starts to lose things, and she's told that she's forgetting things. Later, she's told she's imagining things. In the background, a detective opens up the aunt's case (which was never solved) and starts taking an interest in Paula.

The mind is such a fragile organ, and I hate when villains use it as a torture device. It's so despicable, and I wanted to punch Gregory in the face so badly. The way he continued to mess with Paula's mind, even when she was on the point of breaking, just shows how little empathy he possesses.

Thank goodness for Brian. I mean, not even Mrs. Potts was helpful. At first, I didn't recognize Angela Lansbury because of the accent she was using. And a shoutout to Mrs. Thwaites. She cracked me up.

Anyway, Brian was the only reason Paula got out of this without ending up in an insane asylum. The manipulation tactics used aren't new, and I'm sure they're used even today in homes across the world. That's just sad. Anyway, the movie was a great psychological thriller, and easily earns a Good Movie! review.

Rear Window - 1954

I know I watched this movie a long time ago, but I wanted to see it again to get a good feel for what it's all about. It's based on a short story called "It Had to Be Murder" written by Cornell Woolrich. I plan on reading it in the future.

L. B. Jeffries has been laid up for a while with a broken leg. He's a photographer with a bit of an adrenaline addiction, so he's taken up people watching. He has nicknames for some of the neighbors, but one apartment has most of his attention.

Lars Thorwald is acting suspiciously, but it isn't clear what's going on. His invalid wife appears to be missing, and Jeffries thinks she's dead. He's buried something in the garden, he's making midnight trips out of the apartment, and a trunk is picked up and taken to the train station.

I really did like this movie. All the characters did a good job helping to ramp up suspicion. But there's also that little nugget of doubt. Did Jeffries really witness a murder? The end has a little film trick that looks a bit strange, but for the time it was made, I'll give it a pass. This one definitely gives a Good Movie! review!

*I also want to give a quick shout out to the board game based on this movie. My family loves it, and we've had a lot of fun with it. I think you need at least 3 people to make it fun, but if you have that, you might consider looking into it.

The 39 Steps - 1935

I read the book associated with this movie a while back. The review can be seen here. 

Hannay is attending the theater when shots ring out. Everyone rushes to the exit, and he helps a woman. She asks him to take her home with him, and he agrees. When they get back to his place, she acts strangely. She won't pass in front of the windows and claims to be a spy. After a bit of convincing, he's on board. He's awakened in the middle of the night by her dying words and takes a map out her hand.

He knows he's going to be on the hook for the murder, and the murderers will be after him (why they didn't kill him when they took her out is a mystery). He decides to go to the place she's marked, but all he finds is the person she was trying to warn him of. The man is trying to steal secrets from the British military, and so he shoots Hannay.

And then we jump to the police station where Hannay is trying to explain what happened to the police. He says that he played dead and then stole the man's car, but no one believes him. He ends up making a speech (something that sort-of happens in the book), and then he's trapped with a woman for the rest of the movie. It takes her a bit to realize the trouble they're both in, but she gets there eventually. In the end, Hannay figures out that the villain is using "Mr. Memory" from the theater to get the secrets out of the country. The man is a 'wonder' and answers any bit of knowledge that's in his head. So, and I'm not kidding, Hannay shouts (while the police are trying to get him out of the theater), "What are the 39 steps?" And Mr. Memory just looks at him and says, "It's a network of spies working for..." and then he's shot. So weird.

I really enjoyed the book, so the movie puzzled me a bit. It didn't seem to make as much sense as the book, and the added "romance" seemed odd. I mean, at one point, Hannay referred to the woman's husband, but at the end, he's holding her hand. Weird. Also, the woman who "picked him up" at the theater never existed in the book, and they changed the meaning of the 39 steps. In the movie, it was a network of spies. The book is superior in this case, but that isn't the only reason I wasn't as much of a fan of this movie. Things just didn't make sense. 

I guess I'd have to say I don't feel like I necessarily wasted my time with this movie, but I doubt I would ever watch it again.

The Enemy Below - 1957

This movie is the last one I had on a list of submarine movies. It's based on a novel of the same name by Denys A. Rayner. The book is actually the second in two short books revolving around a destroyer called the Hecate, a British ship. Side note: I think it'll be interesting to read the books in the future.

Back to the movie - the crew of an American destroyer is a bit wary of their new captain. He is in his cabin with seasickness, so they're wondering how much confidence to place in him. So far, they haven't had much going on with their tour of the south part of the Atlantic Ocean. A blip on the radar changes all that.

What follows is a cat and mouse game between the German sub and the American destroyer. Both captains are extremely smart, and the tension is insane. This was another movie where I couldn't wait for it to be over just so I could find out what happened. Fortunately, the end didn't make me sad or angry.

I think the acting was pretty good in this one. The leads were especially good, but I also saw a familiar face in XO Ware. I had to look it up, but he was in a few James Bond films. Overall, I liked the story and feel like this deserves a Good Movie! review.

Strangers on a Train - 1951

I've heard the scenario used in this movie multiple times, but I'd never actually seen the original. This is an Alfred Hitchcock movie and even has his daughter, Pat (Patricia), in it.

Most people already know what this movie is about. But just in case...Guy is on a train when he meets Bruno. The man is a little strange, but Guy can't seem to get away from him. Bruno shares his idea for the perfect murder, and Guy brushes it off as nonsense. Soon, he discovers that Bruno was 100% serious.

The characters did a great job in their roles. I was worried Guy wasn't going to find a solution since Bruno was such a nut. I understood why Guy didn't go to the police, but I wasn't sure how it was all going to turn out.

RIP to the carousel. I was so excited at first to see an important part of the finale was on a carousel, but then they destroyed it. And with it went my heart. I LOVE carousels, so that was a hard moment to watch.

I really did like this movie. I kept checking how much time was left. There are only two reasons I do that. The first is that I can't wait for it to be over. The other is that I want it to be over so I can find out what happens. And this movie falls under the latter. The tension ramped up so well I was getting nervous. Good Movie!

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - 1953

Lorelei and Dorothy are showgirls, but more importantly, they are best friends. When Lorelei becomes engaged, she wants to take a cruise to France. Her fiancé isn't able to come along, but Dorothy offers to chaperone.

Lorelei (Marilyn Monroe) is magnetically attracted to money, especially diamonds. Dorothy doesn't really care about that - she just wants to find someone to love. Unfortunately, she gets close to the private detective who has been hired by Lorelei's future father-in-law.

This movie was...interesting. I'm not sure I was rooting for anyone in particular, and the musical numbers weren't something I enjoyed. It does have the famous "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend," but some of the other ones were really odd. Like the one with Dorothy and the Olympic team. I just kept seeing their dirty feet, and they moved unnaturally a lot.

Toward the end, I thought it was going to get better, but the courtroom scene was just weird. Dorothy pretending to be Lorelei was an interesting concept, but then she removes her fur coat and bursts into song. The whole diamond tiara "mystery" was also strange.

Overall, I think it comes down to the characters for me. I didn't like that Lorelei was portrayed as a dumb blonde who cared mostly about money. Dorothy was okay for a bit, but she grated on my nerves at times as well. I think my favorite character was probably Henry Spofford III. Yes, it was a child, but he was the best part of the movie for me. Oh well.

The Invisible Man - 1933

This is considered a classic monster movie, but I'd never seen it.

Jack shows up in a small town and just wants to be left alone to perform his experiments. He's made himself invisible, but what he doesn't realize is that one of the chemicals he's used is extremely dangerous. When his frustration boils over, he leaves the town in chaos and goes back to a coworker. That turns out to be a big mistake and the beginning of his downfall.

I don't know if I was supposed to sympathize with Jack, but I didn't. I didn't have any sense of who he was before he went invisible, and the only time he showed any real humanity was when he was talking to Flora. The rest of the time, he was basically insane. Kemp was irritating, and the other doctor should've turned Jack in when he discovered he was dangerous. I mean, Jack was murdering people left and right!

Even though there wasn't really anyone to root for in this movie, I still enjoyed it. There were some little moments of humor I liked, and the movie was a little over an hour. I wish it had been longer. It would have been nice to see how Jack's character changed from the effect of the drug. I've got another one lined up, The Invisible Man Returns, but I'm curious how that's going to happen. Jack died...anway, this one gets a Good Movie! review.

Paths of Glory - 1957

I believe I found this movie from a list of WWI movies. It's based on a book by Humphrey Cobb written in 1935.

The French army (with surprising American accents) are ordered to charge and secure a German stronghold called the Anthill. The general is aspiring for some glory, and he's willing to risk the lives of his men to get it. At first, I thought he was going to stand up for the men, but the temptation of glory took over.

He goes to a colonel and orders him to take the Anthill the next day. The attack goes terribly wrong, and the general is witness to the whole thing. He notices that one set of troops isn't leaving the trenches and orders the artillery to fire on their own men.

In the aftermath, the general is looking for someone to pay. The hill could've been taken if the troops hadn't been cowards. He wants to court-martial 100 men. The colonel speaks up for his men, and in the end, they compromise on three. One from each company that was in the first wave. One of the men was picked for personal reasons. He was one of my favorites, and I hated that he was just doing his duty and had to deal with the pettiness of his commanding officer.

The colonel does his best, but he can't save the men. He even exposes the general, but all that does is give the impression the colonel was after the general's job. Which isn't even what was going on. At the end, the troops somberly listen to a song before being ordered back to the front.

It made me sad the men ended up being sacrificed for nothing. I don't think it accomplished much of anything. In fact, nothing that happened in the movie accomplished anything. The attempt to take the Anthill just resulted in dead and wounded soldiers. This is one of the better anti-war movies I've seen. It didn't leave me with a happy feeling when it ended, but it was a Good Movie!

(By the way, I was pleasantly surprised to see Richard Anderson - Oscar from Six Million Dollar Man - in this!)

Sabrina - 1954

I've been a big fan of the 1995 version of this film for a long time, but I'm also a big fan of Audrey Hepburn, so I wanted to watch it.

Sabrina is in love with David, the black sheep of the Larrabee family. She is only the chauffeur's daughter, and he's the son of one of the biggest families in New York. She spends two years in Paris learning to cook, and when she comes back, she discovers that David is engaged. The two look like they're going to ruin the engagement and a merger, so David's brother, Linus steps in to distract Sabrina.

In a lot of ways, I saw the similarities between the two movies. In other ways, this one had some super dark moments. There are a couple times in the movie where suicide is attempted/mentioned, so that's something to be aware of if you're sensitive to that. 

I loved Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina. Julia Ormond did such a great job as well that it's hard to say if one was better. The thing is, Hepburn only changed her hair and gained confidence. So her acting had to pull more weight in the movie, and I think she did a good job. For Linus, I have to go with Harrison Ford. I am not really a fan of Humphrey Bogart, so that's part of it. But on top of that, Ford portrayed more vulnerability, and you could tell he was falling in love with Sabrina. Bogart was more one note. I did enjoy seeing him get punched in the face.

Something that struck me was that I felt like the relationship between Linus and Sabrina didn't feel like it had time to grow. But if I thought about the 1995 version, a lot of the same elements were there. I think it was more the way Bogart didn't seem to change during the interactions with Sabrina. It felt like he was the same most of the time. The end was pretty cute, though. The callback to the hat was a nice touch, but I wish they would've showed Linus getting from the tugboat to the ocean liner. I would've liked to see that.

Overall, this was an enjoyable movie. Even though I wasn't as on board with the romance as I was in the 1995 version, I wouldn't say it was a waste of time. The humor was fun, and I liked a lot of the side characters, especially the Larrabbee patriarch, a character that was missing in the 1995 version. He cracked me up. Good Movie!

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse - 1933

This movie came across my radar when I was looking for a thriller. I had no idea what it was about and no clue it was a sequel. I'm going to try and watch the first movie, Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, sometime and see what I think. That one is a silent movie, so we'll see. This is also directed by Fritz Lang, and I've watched a couple of his movies now including M, Metropolis, and The Woman in the Window. It's been a bit of a roller coaster. Dr. Mabuse is from a novel by Norbert Jacques. I'll have to look into that as well.

I'm struggling to find a way to describe this movie. A man is trapped in a job he wants to get out of. He's also fallen in love with a woman who doesn't know about his past. A master criminal in an insane asylum is influencing his doctor with his writings. A police inspector is trying to figure out what's going on. He's gotten a strange phone call from a former colleague, but now the man is incoherent and only react by singing when someone approaches him. 

This reminded me of a serial a bit. There was a "man behind the curtain" with lackeys that did his bidding without knowing who they are working for. There's a diabolical scheme, but it's handled a bit more seriously than a serial would. There's a different tone that flows through this movie, and I read Lang was trying to reference Hitler. Goebbels even banned the movie in Germany, so Lang did a good job getting his message across since it was seen as "dangerous."

I liked this one. For me, it suffered from a lack of resolution at the end. A chemical plant was on fire, but did the poisonous gas get into the city? We never find out. Does Tom have to pay for his criminal activities? Dunno. That bothered me at the end of M as well, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the movie.

The inspector was one of my favorite characters. He was also in M, so it was nice to see him again. I can see myself watching this one again, even though it was in German. I had subtitles, and those help, but I feel like I'm picking up more German. Maybe one day, I'll have the capability to watch a movie without them and actually know what's going on. Maybe...Good Movie!