Full Reviews Index

Marilyn Monore and Tom Ewell Scratch The Seven Year Itch
Marilyn Monroe was already a star when she stood on a New York subway grate in a white halter dress in the iconic scene from 'The Seven Year Itch.' Here's a review of the classic movie that gave us one of the most indelible images of the 20th Century.

[i]Forbidden Planet[/i] - Good Plot, Great Robot
Inspired by Shakespeare's Tempest, 'Forbidden Planet' is a seminal science fiction film with terrific special effects and a smart script. Featuring the debut of Robby the Robot, 'Forbidden Planet' also offers a young Leslie Nielsen as a space commander.

[i]The African Queen[/i] - Bogart, Hepburn and the Little Boat That Could
'The African Queen' is the only screen pairing of Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, a rip-roaring adventure movie with a satisfying love story. Director John Huston's sweeping film is set in colonial Africa during World War I. It pits English spinster Hepburn, scruffy Canadian expat Bogart and their plucky little boat, the African Queen, against the Germans.

[i]The Invisible Man[/i] Movie Review - 1933 Classic
Claude Rains stars in the original 'Invisible Man,' the first movie made from H.G. Wells' classic science fiction novel. A bit campy, the special effects hold up surprisingly well, and Rains' liquid voice carries the movie when his unseen face cannot.

[i]Close Encounters of the Third Kind[/i]
A classic science fiction film by Steven Spielberg, 'Close Encounters' ignites a sense of awe through both its special effects and its compelling story. Beautifully realized, a little funny, a little frightening, but most of all, uplifting and inspiring.

[i]Witness for the Prosecution[/i]
Billy Wilder's witty screen adaptation of the Agatha Christie play features Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton in a classic movie courtroom battle as the 'Witness for the Prosecution' provides plenty of twists and a surprise ending.

[i]Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb[/i]
'Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' is the funniest movie ever made about global nuclear destruction. Peter Sellers plays three roles, including the bizarre Dr. Strangelove, in Stanley Kubrick's classic black comedy of Cold War military macho and political blundering. A masterpiece.

[i]Casablanca[/i] - Bogart and Bergman in a Timeless Romance
'Casablanca' is the movie on just about every "top ten" list in the known galaxy. With Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in a great romance, it's a thrilling wartime drama with an unforgettable ensemble cast. Play it again, Sam!

[i]The Maltese Falcon[/i] - Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade
'The Maltese Falcon' established Humphrey Bogart as a megastar, and is thought by many to be the first film noir. With Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet as international fortune-hunters who'll do anything to get their hands on the Maltese Falcon, Bogart as detective Sam Spade, from the pulp fiction masterpiece by Dashiell Hammett.

[i]Sergeant York[/i] - A Classic Biopic
'Sergeant York' is a sharp-shooting pacifist from the backwoods of Tennessee becomes an unlikely war hero in the true story of Sergeant York and his courage in WWI. Gary Cooper stars in this great classic movie as Sergeant York, wrestling with duty to God and country.

[i]Gone With the Wind[/i] - A Civil War Epic
A sweeping movie about the Old South, the Civil War and the adventures of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler, 'Gone with the Wind' is the epitome of a star-studded Hollywood blockbuster based on a best-selling novel. A soap opera, a period piece, a costume drama and a Civil War epic all rolled into one of the most famous films of all time.

[i]Ben Hur[/i]
One of the greatest sword-and-sandal epics ever filmed, 'Ben Hur,' stars Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins and Stephen Boyd in a magnificent, thrilling story of the Roman Empire and the birth of Christ. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.

Alfred Hitchcock's [i]Strangers on a Train[/i]
What if two 'Strangers on a Train' meet and plan a couple of murders - but only one of them knows it's not an idle joke? Alfred Hitchcock's tense thriller plays it out in a movie with a memorable villain.

[i]Cat Ballou[/i] - A Wild Lady Outlaw and her Gang
A pretty school marm, a dastardly villain, a couple of rakish outlaws and a legendary gunslinger round out the western cliches in this great spoof, 'Cat Ballou.' Lee Marvin won an Oscar for his double role in this funny, classic movie.

[i]3:10 to Yuma[/i], a Tense Western Thriller
A serviceable western with a solid cast and a classic Old West storyline, the original '3:10 to Yuma' is a showcase for veteran actor Glenn Ford as a charming outlaw and Van Heflin as a stoic rancher caught in a tense conflict.

[i]Vertigo[/i] - Hitchcock's Tale of Obsession
'Vertigo' is first a dreamlike story of obsession and only second a mystery/suspense film. The classic movie with James Stewart and Kim Novak garnered mixed reviews when it debuted, but is now widely viewed as a Hitchcock masterpiece that bears repeated viewings.

[i]She Done Him Wrong[/i] - Racy Mae West
Mae West utters her most famous - and most often misquoted line - in 'She Done Him Wrong,' a scandalous melodrama that shot Cary Grant to stardom in 1933. Sexual frankness and racy songs helped spur enduring censorship after the blue-nose backlash to 'She Done Him Wrong.'

1953's [i]War of the Worlds[/i]
The 1953 version of the. H.G. Wells classic 'War of the Worlds' had spectacular special effects for its day, and set the standard for Martian invasion movies. With Gene Barry as the requisite egghead scientist and some nasty Martians.

Alfred Hitchcock's [i]Rear Window[/i]
A thrilling Hitchcock suspense film, 'Rear Window' features witty dialog, clever camera angles and a still-fresh take on the war between the sexes, from amorous newlyweds to a henpecked husband who may have murdered his wife. One of Hitchcock's finest.

[i]The Shop Around the Corner[/i]
A wry and gentle romantic comedy about two people who can't stand each other by day, but unknowingly write soul-stirring letters to each other by night. Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan in Ernst Lubitsch's charming 'Shop Around the Corner.'

[i]The Day the Earth Stood Still[/i]
A messenger from the stars lands among the Washington monuments with his giant silver robot and makes first contact with humankind. One of the great science fiction films of the '50s, 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' is a classic movie with a message, but still good fun. "Klaatu barata nikto," sci-fi fans!

[i]To Kill a Mockingbird[/i]
In Depression-era Alabama, softspoken lawyer Atticus Finch takes on the case of a black man accused of assaulting a white woman. A classic coming-of-age movie from Harper Lee's best-selling novel, 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'

[i]Stalag 17[/i] - Suspicion in a POW Camp
A compelling study of human nature set in a WWII POW camp, 'Stalag 17' is also a sly dig at the red-baiting of the communist era. Billy Wilder directed William Holden to a Oscar for his cynical perfomance as the outsider in 'Stalag 17'.

[i]Some Like it Hot[/i]
One of the funniest screwball comedies ever, 'Some Like it Hot' is sweet bit of comic fluff with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in drag, hiding out from the mob in an all-girl band, and Marilyn Monroe as a dim-but-luscious singer. 'Some Like it Hot' tops many lists of the best American comic films.

[i]The Big Sleep[/i] - Bogart and Bacall in a Dark Mystery
A complex film noir, 'The Big Sleep' features Humphrey Bogart in one of his most layered roles as Phillip Marlowe, and provides a great showcase for the Bogart and real-life love Lauren Bacall. Clever dialogue highlights this intelligent, suspenseful mystery.