This collection offers the marvelous pre-code films of William Wellman, one of the most under-rated directors in Hollywood history. He is truly one of the great directors in its history, yet he is relatively obscure and unknown to modern audiences.

My favourate film in this collection is without question Heroes for Sale, starring a forgotten but very talented Richard Barthelmess. Seeing his performance in this film, one cannot help but wonder why he did not emerge as a major star in the 1930's. His charisma and acting range contribute much to a film that does a wonderful job describing the social reaction to the suffering of the great depression, the dehumanization of the poor, and offers an interesting perspective of the social consequences of technology making valuable jobs redundant and obsolete. Though Barthelmess had been a major silent film star, unlike many of his peers, his voice carried well on film, so it is rather regretful we did not see more of him in sound films.

The second best film in this collection stars a very young and beautiful Loretta Young in Midnight Mary. I cannot recall a film in which she was any more sensually beautiful as she is in this film. The story may be a bit weak and corny, but this is secondary to enjoying Young's performance and the social commentary of the film about how difficult it is to economically survive during the depression era, particularly if one is a woman and/or background of poverty and low social status. Wild Boys of the Road has a similar theme, and though relatively well done, lacks the charisma or star presence of a Loretta Young, and as a result is somewhat forgettable.

Other Men's Women is a sad film about heart wrenching betrayal. Mary Astor plays the wife of a railroad man that allows herself to fall in love with his best friend, and as does the best friend in turn. A conflict ensues with tragic consequences. The film tends to drag on a little melodramatic, verging on embarrassing corniness, but the film is notable for its theme of betrayal, though it seems to shy away of implying any sexual consummation on the part of Astor and her new love. Another interesting side note is the small supporting role that a young James Cagney has in this film. I usually find it fun to see screen legends in a screen performance prior to their emergence as superstars.

Finally, in Frisco Jenny, we have the familiar story of a woman sacrificing her child to another family so that they can have a better life. I usually find such films have characters that are grossly misguided, masochistic, and melodramatic to the extreme, and this film is no exception. Even though the film does offer a very compelling performance by Ruth Chatterton, I still have to say it is the weakest film in this collection.

Given that these films were all made close to the very beginning of the sound era, I cannot help but marvel at the quality and professionalism of these films. It is a reflection of the high craftsmanship and talent of William Wellman, who in many respects was a director ahead of his time, and as a consequence I have to say these films hold up very well in comparison to many of their contemporaries.

This is the second volume of the three volume collection of Pre-Code Hollywood movies. These films offer a fascinating glimpse into 1930's social mores that we rarely would be able to see once the censorship code took effect in Hollywood.

The collection has two fascinating films starring Norma Shearer. I have to admit that Shearer is not one of my favourite actresses, but the films are interesting nevertheless. The first of these two, The Divorcee, is an exploration of a woman's relationships after she has a divorce. Fearful of any new commitment, she begins having a series of meaningless affairs, the point being that she does not have to be sexually tied down due to her divorce. The second film, A Free Soul, is about a woman who does not believe in any social or moral conventions regarding her sexuality, and therefore has no problem having sexual relations before marriage, a rather avant garde lifestyle for a woman of the time. Clark Gable is in this film, before his superstar status, playing a hard nosed gangster who ends up wanting the Shearer character to make a permanent commitment to him against her will. Leslie Howard is also in the film, again before his emergence as a star, playing the cuckolded ex-boyfriend who ends up saving her from Gable.

In Night Nurse, we have a very young Barbara Stanwyck playing a nurse with a strong conscience and devotion to her profession trying to save two children from being murdered. This film also has a pre-superstar Clark Gable in not only his most villainous role, but probably in one of the most villainous roles in Hollywood history. He is absolutely amazing in playing the handsome but banally evil and brutish chauffeur, his screen presence overwhelming in its menace. This film is worth viewing if only to witness his performance.

Three On A Match is an okay film starring Ann Dvorak, who plays a wife and mother who leaves her husband for the excitement of a playboy. What is especially notable in this film is the small supporting role of Bette Davis, and an early Humphrey Bogart performance as a villain. It is interesting to see Bogart early in his career, how even with supporting roles he tends to dominate the screen with his charisma. In this film he makes an amusing gesture referring to Ann Dvoraks' character's addiction to cocaine.

Finally, we have Female, starring the mostly forgotten yet talented Ruth Chatterton. In this film she plays a business tycoon that uses her wealth and power to seduce a series of male employees until she meets her match in George Brent. The story is relatively weak and silly, but it is interesting to see a film of the day exploring the sexual promiscuity of an intelligent and powerful woman, and a glimpse of George Brent at the beginning of his film career.

These films are particularly remarkle in their feminist inclination, many decades before the feminist revolution of the 60's and 70's, and how they unabashedly explore themes of sexual promiscuity, drug addiction, adultery, and the murder of children. These themes would rarely be seen in Hollywood movies in such a graphic honesty after the pre-code era.

As much as I tried liking this film (I am a huge Viggo Mortensen fan), I couldn't help but conclude that this is a relatively dull film. The backdrop of a world totally devastated of plant and animal life, the emergence of human cannibalism, and from what I could garner from the film, the progressive extinction of the female gender, is a nightmarish vision of a hell on earth. But what makes it a hell on earth is not so much the physical destruction of Mother Earth as is the destruction of the human spirit. Though the tender and loving relationship between father and son is emotive, I found the film to have an overbearing sense of nihilism which hindered me from caring for the characters or story in the film. In fact, I found myself wishing they would all just die and be put out of their misery, since they literally had nothing to live for except survival. It is difficult to even fathom an interested God is such a hell.

I also found the film to be grossly inconsistent. The idea that everything would perish except a handful of humans seems rather absurd. Anything that could kill all plant, animal, insect life, and 99% of the human population probably would kill 100% of everything. I realize the film is not really about Armageddon, but how love can giving the human spirit meaning even in the most hellish scenario, but the film puts it in the context of such hopeless despair for the future that it is difficult to really appreciate the deep love the Mortensen character has for his son. I found the ending also inconsistent and misleading, since it implies a hope that really is not there if one really thinks about it.

A film that is interesting enough, but not really that entertaining.

Molokai - The Story of Father Damien, is one of the most inspirational films one will ever see.

A truly powerful film about faith and how that faith can elevate the human spirit to greatness. If humanity has one redeeming feature that can aspire it to be a blessing in the universe regardless of its bloody and selfish history, is its capacity to love and self-sacrifice. The recently canonized Father Damien exemplifies the very essence of this to the point where we feel we see the image of God through humanity. If God communicates or shows Himself to humanity, it is through people like Father Damien. A modern saint for modern times.

Paul Cox does a magnificent job of creating a beautiful film that captures the wonder of this man. As for the actor who plays Father Damien, David Wenham, what can one say? In an absolutely brilliant performance, his performance conveys the spirit of the great saint. In an example of the emotional power of cinema, he becomes Father Damien to the viewer.

Everything about this film I found to be satisfying. The supporting actors were excellent. The screenplay by John Briley was excellent. Finally, the emotional power of the theme music by Paul Grabowski and Wim Mertens can bring tears to one's eyes.

A beautiful film about a beautiful soul.

This collection of B-movies starring or co-starring the legendary Boris Karloff is an excellent way to get to know the work of a great character actor of the 1930's and 1940's. Modern audiences may only know him from his brilliant naration of the classic The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, but this collection shows the viewer the great talent and charisma of this actor.

An entertaining collection for any fan of Boris Karloff or any film fan that would like to get to know his work beyond his classic role in the Frankenstein movie.

Derailed is an entertaining enough movie, thanks largely to the charisma of the leading players, particular Clive Owen, who does an excellent job in a role that under close scrutiny doesn't make a lot of sense. However, this film is nothing new in that it is your typical betrayal movie, reminiscent of films were one character plays on the emotions and trust of another in order to destroy, hurt, or use them. It is always stunning to see how these sociopaths in movies can manipulate and seduce their victims into loving or trusting them.

In Derailed, we see the Clive Owen character fall prey to a pair of con artists played by Jennifer Aniston, in a so so performance that offered limited possibilities, and Vincent Casel, who does a great job of playing the vicious character in this movie. It soon becomes a nightmare of extortion and violence for the Owen character, to the point where he jeopardizes the life of his daughter by giving away the life savings he had for her life saving medical treatment.

One serious weakness in this film, and I suppose you find it in many of this type, is the maddening stupidity of the lead character that allows this nightmare to grow. I found myself continually wondering why he would not go to the police rather than go through this nightmare. The reason the film gives are incredibly lame and naive, particular when we consider the price he ends of paying. Also, even the film gives the viewer a satisfactory happy ending, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the ending is too neat and convenient, and really is designed to appease the audience. Yet, there would be no movie if the character had behaved in a rational manner.

In many ways this is a glossy film noir, and as such, an enjoyable film to view. On that basis, I would recommend it for fans of the genre.

If you don't like Spaghetti Westerns, then A Bullet for Sandoval is not for you. If it is, then this film should offer 90 minutes of entertainment.

The Spaghetti Western is the anti-myth of the traditional western. The realism is overt to the extreme, showing a cruelty and ugliness of the west that can be quite depressing and a stark contrast to the Hollywood western of the forties to 1960's. A Bullet for Sandoval does a good job of describing the futility and madness of the American civil war, particular from the point of the view of the South, which was basically fighting a war they could never win.

It also describes a cruel society to the point where we see a little baby starve to death because of this cruel indifference. This proves to be the turning point of the film, when our anti-hero, played by George Hilton, becomes an outlaw by seeking revenge upon those that he thought were responsible for his baby's starvation. Ernest Borgnine does a fine job playing the grandfather who has a seething hatred of the George Hilton character, being the one that started the tragic chain of events by disowning his bastard grandson.

A Bullet for Sandoval is a very typical Spaghetti Western. Lots of shooting, killing, and ugliness (either characters or background scenery). But, as I said earlier, not a bad film to view if you are a fan of Spaghetti Westerns.

Dark City is a solid film noir that introduces Charlton Heston in his first Hollywood starring role. We can see in this why Charlton Heston became a major star: he exudes the charisma and strength of character of a leading man, and the pedigree of a handsome man with an above average physique. We see in this film that Heston is a good actor, but more importantly, the camera loves him. When he is on the screen, the viewer is simply seduced by his presence.

The film is about a group of seedy gamblers, all played by solid character actors, and led by Charlton Heston's character. They find a mark in Don DeFore, very effective in a small but crucial role, and set him up in a couple of poker games to take him for $5,000 that he was supposed to deliver on behalf of a group he represented. Five grand was alot of money in 1950, and as a consequence, in a moment of despair and remorse, he commits suicide.

This is when the film gets interesting, since even though Don DeFore was a mild and docile character in the film, he had a domineering brother with a serious mean streak, and as it turns out, an old fashion idea of justice. He goes about murdering the gamblers who caused his brother's suicide, until we are left with Heston trying to figure out how to save himself from his homicidal nemesis. The film does a good job of creating an ominous suspense, and it is clever how it goes about portraying the vengeful brother of the suicide victim.

I have to admit that I found the involvement of Heston's character with DeFore's widow in the film rather strange and a bit out of character for the kind of man Heston was playing, but I suppose the film makers used it as a vehicle to show the change in Heston's character and how he attempts to redeem himself for what he has done.

I am a great admirer of Lizabeth Scott, but in my opinion she is wasted in this film. She does get to sing a couple of tunes, and she's not bad doing it. But, her role in this film is more eye candy than anything else, and I have seen her in much better roles in other film noirs. Ultimately, this film is Charlton Heston's, and Heston's alone.

This was an enjoyable film to view, and this film being Charlton Heston's first leading role, just ads a major bonus. A solid film noir with a timeless quality.

It is remarkable just how entertaining these campy science fiction films can be. They suck you into accepting their ridiculous scientific premise, in this case the idea that a brilliant scientist can keep a head alive while he searches for a body to transplant it on. No matter how ridiculous the premise, the film works and it brings you into its bizarre realm of characters and plot in a charming way.

The no-name cast does a surprisingly good job in bringing this film to life, and you can tell that the performing actors in this film took their work seriously. The film is well directed, and the script is actually quite well written for such a campy science fiction movie. It is no wonder that this film has become a cult classic of the genre.

I enjoyed viewing this film, and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the camp science fiction genre.

Lucky Numbers is a very enjoyable comedy to view. The film has more than its fair share of funny moments, largely due to the great performances of the ensemble cast led by John Travolta in a very fine comedic performance.

This is a very well written and directed comedy. It brilliantly uses the talents of its cast to great effect, particularly Lisa Kudrow, who is absolutely wonderful as the dipsy femme fatale, and the two Michaels, Michael Moore and Michael Rapaport, are very funny in their respective roles. In fact, the whole cast of relatively well known actors do great work with their parts. True, most of them are playing stereotypical roles that they have done in other movies, but playing on their comedic strengths is what makes this film fun to watch.

I would highly recommend this film for anyone looking to relax with a good comedy.