The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)

The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)

Sir Lionel Barton (Lawrence Grant), who is the definition of an Englishman, has discovered the tomb of Genghis Khan. This news worries the always-worried but also stiff upper-lipped Nayland Smith (Lewis Stone) of the British secret service. He knows that Dr. Fu Manchu (Boris Karloff) wants the mask and sword of Genghis Khan to make

Hello, Dolly! (1969)

Hello, Dolly! (1969)

Dolly Levi (Barbra Steisand), an elderly widow who for some reason looks twenty-five and stunning, decides to give up her matchmaking career and find herself a match. Her target is wealthy Horace Vandergelder (Walter Matthau). On her path to getting him, she fixes up the relationships of his niece Ermengarde (Joyce Ames), who she sends

Borrowed Wives (1930)

Borrowed Wives (1930)

Peter Foley (Rex Lease) is deeply in dept to G.W. Parker (Sam Hardy), and needs his inheritance to pay him off. His problem is that he needs a wife to get it, and his intended bride Alice Blake (Vera Reynolds) has been delayed. So Parker supplies him with a fake wife for the night, Julia

Wings of Fame (1990)

Wings of Fame (1990)

Brian Smith (Colin Firth), an angry writer, murders Cesar Valentine (Peter O’Toole), an egotistical actor, and then is killed by a falling light. Both end up in a hotel on a small island, filled with dead celebrities. As people become less famous on Earth, they are moved to smaller and smaller rooms, until they are

My 2024 Oscar Ballot

[This is not my picks for the best of the year—I’ll do the FOSCARs later—but just how I’d vote based on the options presented. And I will be skipping the animated shorts as I have not seen enough of them]   ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE CILLIAN MURPHY (Oppenheimer) [I’d have given it to Barry

Near Dark (1987)

Near Dark (1987)

Small-town cowboy-wannabe Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar) picks up pixie-girl Mae (Jenny Wright) sometime late in the evening (it’s hard to say when as time doesn’t work in this film). That’s a problem as she’s a vampire (the “V” word is never used) who converts him. He’s now stuck with her vampire family: angry man in

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

I’ve always thought of the The Prisoner of Zenda as a “smart” Swashbuckler, and it is, in dialog, character, and structure, if not in story.  The action is first rate, but secondary to the film, for in this case, it is all about words—superbly crafted words—and the voices that pronounce them.  While fun to watch, the true joy

Phantasm (1979)

Phantasm (1979)

Things are just not right at the cemetery. Jody and Mike attend the funeral of their friend, only for Jody’s compulsively spying little brother, Mike, to spot the undertaker lifting the 500 lb coffin with ease. Soon, hooded dwarves are coming after Mike and a living amputated finger persuades Jody that there is evil that

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)

Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward), in full ‘60s TV-era form must face off against Catwoman (Julie Newmar), The Joker, The Riddler, and The Penguin and their plot which involves a duplication ray. The daring duo follows them, even into space, to stop their dastardly scheme, but fails to take into account Catwoman’s plan

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

In 1926—in the pre-Harry, Harry Potter world—Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) comes to a terribly quaint New York with his suitcase full of magical creatures. That probably wasn’t a good move on his part as magical creatures are illegal there. An accidental run-in with Kowalski (Dan Fogler) a “no-mag” allows several of his beasts to escape.

Superman III (1983)

Superman III (1983)

Evil businessman Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn), standing in for Lex Luthor, forces a computer genius (Richard Pryor
 Yes, I said Richard Pryor. That’s not a mistake.) to control the weather and help in the destruction of Superman (Christopher Reeve). Without Richard Donner to restrain the Salkind production team, and with director Richard Lester one-upping them

Thor (2011) [MCU Ranking]

Thor (2011) [MCU Ranking]

Thor, the arrogant and unworthy son of the Asgardian King is exiled to Earth, giving his troubled brother, Loki, a chance at the throne. Thor is two movies: A bold, beautiful, epic fantasy of gods and monsters, and a small scale relationship/self-improvement flick. One of these works. Everything in Asgard is bright and huge and