Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)

Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)

While I cannot say that each of the Swashbucklers I chose changed the genre, I can claim that each is a signpost in the genre’s development (or in some cases, its stability).  But Cyrano de Bergerac is an exception, it is not on that road; it is a detour.  It is different than its predecessors

Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998)

Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998)

Mike, having found out that he is going to become an alien, or is already an alien, or is carrying an alien in his head (it’s not clear, and is never made clear) goes off on his own, chased, often in his dreams, by The Tall Man. Reggie tries to either rescue Mike or kill

On Borrowed Time (1939)

On Borrowed Time (1939)

Julian Northrup (Lionel Barrymore), the argumentative and crippled grandfather and caretaker for Pud, is in a custody battle with his deceased wife’s unpleasant sister (Eily Malyon), but he has run out of time. Death has come for him, but with a surprisingly simple trick, he manages to trap the agent of death, Mr. Brink (Cedric

Wicked City (1992)

Wicked City (1992)

Lung and the half breed Ying are members of the Hong Kong squad tasked with fighting the monsters that live amongst us, masquerading as humans, unnoticed by the average population. Yeun (Tatsuya Nakadai) is a powerful monster that thinks it is time for humans and monsters to live in peace, but few others agree and

Green Lantern (2011)

Green Lantern (2011)

Irresponsible test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is given a ring by a dying alien, making him a member of the Green Lantern intergalactic police. His powers are based on his strength of will, but there is another power in the universe, one based on fear. Parallax uses that power to destroy worlds, and he’s

Moana (2016)

Moana (2016)

Moana (Auli’i Cravalho), yet another Disney self-doubting teen needing to become who she really is, is chosen by the sea to find the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) who long ago stole the heart of a goddess and cursed the world. Together they must return the heart, but first they have to whine a lot and

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

In the early ‘70s, Bill Randa (John Goodman), the only survivor of a ship destroyed years ago by a giant monster, is obsessed with finding giant monsters in the world. As his last chance, he puts together a team that includes ex-S.A.S tracker James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), and a military

The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973)

The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973)

Divorced and exceptionally drab Robert Bridgestone (Kirwin Mathews) gets a weekend with his thirteen-going-on-six-year-old son, Richie (Scott Sealey) in a forest cabin. Their timing is bad when a passing werewolf starts shaking Richie; why is he shaking Richie? Dad intervenes which results in a dead werewolf and a bitten father. Dad never noticed that it

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Belle (Emma Watson) becomes the captive of an enchanted nobleman (Dan Stevens as CGI) who must find someone to love him or remain forever a beast. The magical castle is filled with servants who have been transformed into clocks, candelabra, tea pots and the like (Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson). Oh, come on, you

Trouble in Store (1953)

Trouble in Store (1953)

Norman (Norman Wisdom) is an incompetent and dim stock boy at a large department store. When not destroying things or insulting people, he is chasing after fellow employee Sally (Lana Morris). He repeatedly gets fired by the new boss, Mr. Freeman (Jerry Desmonde) and rehired by dumb luck. Meanwhile, Miss Bacon (Margaret Rutherford) is shoplifting

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

In a town ruled by the wealthy Ivers family, on a stormy night, run-away Martha Ivers is brought back to her domineering aunt. The night ends with the aunt dead, tough kid Sam gone, and weak kid Walter at Martha’s side. Years later, Sam (Van Heflin) passes through town and meets recent parolee, Toni Marachek

This Gun For Hire (1942)

This Gun For Hire (1942)

Hired killer Philip Raven (Alan Ladd) is betrayed by his employer, being paid with marked bills. He’s chased by Lieutenant Michael Crane (Robert Preston), who is engaged to Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake), who happens to have been recruited by a senator to uncover a spy ring that includes Raven’s employer. She also happens to be