Det Jim McLeod

What We Are Fighting For (1943) Youtube 6/10 Another one reel WWII propaganda film for wartime audiences. Lon Chaney Jr stars in this one as an average guy who is frustrated with all the rationing for the war effort. An air raid warden (Samuel Hinds) shows him why it is needed. They go to the house of a German widow who escaped the Third Reich. She is played by an Danish actress named Osa Massen and she gives a good performance as she tells of the evil deeds of the Nazis. The copy on Youtube is in real bad shape but this is worth seeing for Chaney fans and anyone interested in the WWII era.

Keeping Fit (1942) Youtube 5/10 A one reel short subject about teaching good nutrition and exercise to WWII audiences. A interesting curiosity. I had seen this listed in filmography of Lon Chaney Jr, so I decided to seek it out and found it on Youtube. It has many Universal studio stars playing ordinary citizens but they use their own names. A very young Robert Stack is a factory worker who faints at work due to not eating right. Dick Foran is a husband who does not like vegetables. Andy Devine is an overweight guy who lies in a hammock eating big lollypops. Chaney finally shows up as Andy's buddy, who invites him to play a game of horseshoes and encourages him to go bowling. Anybody interested in these actors may like to see them in this. Others in it are Anne Gwynne, Louise Allbritton and Mary Wickes.

500 Days Of Summer (2009)

The Face Behind The Mask (1941)

My top ten favorites of the decade: The Boys In The Band (1970) The Mind Of Mr Soames (1970) Dirty Harry (1971) Bless The Beasts & Children (1971) Sleuth (1972) Deliverance (1972) Butterflies Are Free (1972) The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (1974) Jaws (1975) Taxi Driver (1976) I liked the early years of the decade best. I saw Star Wars but not a big fan. The later years of the decade had some good ones, but none that I really thought were great.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) Next- 48 Hrs (1982) Eddie Murphy double feature of when he made good movies

McVicar (1980)

I love this movie. There were several Tarantino type imitations around this time and I think this was by far the best. So many great characters and I loved how they all finally came together. My favorites are Jeff Daniels as the cop with anger issues and Eric Stolz as his more sensitive partner, they have great chemistry. And there is the best knockdown drag out cat fight I have ever seen in a movie between Teri Hatcher and Charlize Theron (she was at her most gorgeous here.)

Newbie complainer alert!

Spanky McFarland Next-favorite movie directed by William Friedkin

LA Confidential (1997) Next- Memento (2001) Guy Pearce double bill

My top 5 Christmas movies: 1. Miracle On 34th Street (1947)- A great movie for the season, with sharp satire on Christmas commercialism, Edmund Gwenn may or not be the real Santa Claus, but he is definitely the best movie St Nick. Natalie Wood gives the best child performance ever and Maureen O'Hara is perfect as the loving though bluntly realistic mother. 2. Fanny And Alexander (1983) My favorite foreign language film of all time. It has the most joyous Christmas celebration on film. 3. Sundays And Cybele (1962) The friendship between a shell shocked soldier and an abandoned little girl. It has a sad and bleak ending taking place on Christmas Eve, but I love it anyway. 4. The House Without A Christmas Tree (1972) A TV movie but my favorite Yuletide one that was made for the small screen. Jason Robards is a bitter widower who does not want to get a Christmas tree for his precocious daughter. It's funny, touching and very realistic. The fact that it is on videotape gives it a great personal feel. 5. The Christmas Wife (1988) Another Jason Robards TV movie and almost as good as the other one. He is recently widowed and decides to look to the dating ads for companionship for the holidays. He finds Julie Harris who acts very secretive. A combination of Christmas celebration, poignant look at loneliness and a bit of mystery.

Psycho (1960)

Voodoo Man (1944) Youtube 5/10 A mad doctor (Bela Lugosi) uses voodoo and kidnapped young women to revive his zombie wife. This was one of the cheap Monogram horrors that Lugosi made and it's one of the better ones, though that's not saying much. George Zucco plays a voodoo priest who conducts the ceremonies. John Carradine plays a scraggly haired pervert who abducts the girls. There is some OK direction by William Beaudine, some good closeups of a very sinister looking Lugosi, he wears a goatee in this one. So it's very watchable, short (62 minutes), moves fairly swiftly and rarely boring.

A View To A Kill (1985) Next-Vamp (1986) 2 with Grace Jones

Buck Privates (1941)

The Weekend Nun (1972) Youtube 6/10 A nun moonlights as a probation officer for juvenile offenders. This was a TV movie that I saw many years ago and just revisited on Youtube. It was a very dark, faded copy but I liked it anyway. Joanna Pettet plays the title role who uses her faith and kindness to her cases and she is partnered with Vic Morrow as a more tough and cynical P.O. Kay Lenz has her first role as Pettet's toughest case, a drug addicted teenage hooker. The acting by Pettet, Morrow and Lenz is excellent. The most memorable scene is Morrow giving Lenz a dose of reality when he drags her to the morgue to show her what awaits her.

The Thin Man (1934)

My Top Five 1. Goldfinger (1964) The best James Bond actor in the best James Bond film. Connery tosses off a great wisecrack, has a great scene with his Aston Martin and has to battle a near indestructible henchman in Oddjob. One of my favorite action movies. 2. The Untouchables (1987) Connery is excellent as the beat cop given a chance to redeem himself from corruption and goes after Al Capone with Eliot Ness. My favorite film of the 1980s. 3. Dr No (1962) The first 007 film and Connery at his toughest and most ruthless. His first scene is iconic. 4. From Russia With Love (1963) Connery again is deadly serious as Bond, he slaps Russian agent Daniela Bianchi, fights with brutal assassin Robert Shaw and has to avoid the poison tip shoes of Lotte Lenya. 5. The Man Who Would Be King (1975) A rousing adventure film and one of Connery's most challenging roles. As a British soldier in India who is thought to be a god, he starts to believe it himself.

I love that movie. Bacall is the most intelligent of the three women and gives the most subtle performance. Though I was also entertained by Allyson as the well meaning klutz and Dahl as the scheming seductress.

I struggled a bit when thinking of putting this on my list. I have not seen it in many years, but would love to see it again. Ronald Colman gives a powerful performance so he is the main draw, though I recall Winters having that great Othello scene with him.

She is a very deserving Star Of The Month, since she had a very long and diverse career. Here are my favorites in chronological order, what are yours? 1. A Place In The Sun (1951) She is very touching as the factory girl who becomes pregnant by social climber Montgomery Clift. She generates a lot of sympathy especially since she has to compete with gorgeous Elizabeth Taylor. 2. He Ran All The Way (1951) She plays a lonely woman living with her father whose life is changed by escaped criminal John Garfield. 3. The Night Of The Hunter (1955) She is another victim here but plays it very well as the young widow charmed by psycho preacher Robert Mitchum. 4. The Diary Of Anne Frank (1959) She won her first Oscar playing the frightened Mrs Van Daan, one of the Jewish people hiding from the Nazis. 5. Lolita (1962) She is excellent and often very funny as the mother of nymphet Sue Lyon. 6. A Patch Of Blue (1965) Her second Oscar, as the worst mother on film. Her racist character blinds her young daughter, when she grows up she beats her and treats her like a slave and then tries to sell her into prostitution. She once said that this was the only time she could not find something to like in her characters. 7. Harper (1966) A scene stealing role as a former glamour girl actress, now overweight and alcoholic. 8. What's The Matter With Helen (1971) She and Debbie Reynolds play mothers of young Leopold and Loeb type killers. Shelley plays it with subtlety here, but there are some surprises as well. 9. Whoever Slew Auntie Roo (1971) One of her looney Baby Jane type roles and one of the best. Her daughter's death years ago sends her into madness, desperately trying to replace what she lost. 10. The Poseidon Adventure (1972) She is a standout in a great cast of Oscar winners in this, the best disaster movie ever made. She has a great heroic scene done without a stunt double.

Once Upon A Honeymoon 1942) Next-Monkey Business (1952) Cary Grant/Ginger Rogers double feature

Blondie's Reward (1948) Youtube 41/0 Dagwood bungles a deal and Mr Radcliffe demotes him to office boy. This is the 23rd entry in the series, not as funny as it once was, though it tries very hard. After Dagwood forgets to pick up some plans, Alvin's football hero cousin helps out posing as Dagwood. He punches out the boyfriend of the client's daughter to protect her. It turns out her father can't stand the boyfriend so he is OK with it. Some complications when people are confused by two guys named Dagwood Bumstead.