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They Won't Forget (1937)
Searing
This may well be the most depressing movie ever made. Based on a notorious murder case, the audience is spared nothing. I think it took guts for producer Mervyn Leroy to make this film. Many theaters refused to show it. The role of a lifetime for actor Claude Rains, I was impressed by the performance of the actress who plays the wife of the victim of a trial that never should have been. It takes a strong stomach to sit through until the end. The film did win awards, but the Academy of Arts and Sciences was afraid to touch it. In real life the victim of the miscarriage of justice was exonerated many years later, but the political career of the Governor who tried to commute his sentence was ruined.
Eight Men Out (1988)
This is a wistful nostalgia of the days before America grew up.
As far as anybody knows, Joe Jackson was a nice guy whose life just happened to turn into a Greek tragedy. This is his story. Considered by many to be the greatest natural hitter in baseball history, Joe was banned from the sport for life because of the "black sox scandal" of 1919. To this day the issue has not been settled, and he has not been allowed a plaque in the baseball hall of fame. In 1951 the South Carolina legislature passed a resolution: "32 years is too long to suffer for something he was never guilty of in the first place." The Commissioner of baseball refused to answer the letter, and the legend continues in this important movie.
Scanners (1981)
This has some of the best special effects since King Kong
This is a not for everyone movie but I rate it as David Cronenberg's masterpiece. Mutants are starting to appear who have powerful telepathic powers. Given sufficient numbers they would have no trouble exterminating ordinary humans. But attacking each other would defeat their purpose. One of them is convinced another is trying to kill him. "Not you, never you," is the outraged protest. His adversary refuses to believe him with fatal consequences.
Race with the Devil (1975)
This is one of the great spook outs of all time.
Vacationers run into a coven of malevolent witches who warn "Any trouble you make for us will be paid back ten fold." They prove more than willing to back up the threat with a wild ride that can only have one ending.
The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
One of the most original movies ever made
Pure Orson Welles genius makes this one of the greatest of movies. Welles is drawn into a murder conspiracy only to be set up as the fall guy, which is what he refers to with the sarcastic comment "big dummy that I am." Plot is so complex that I still don't know whether the victim knew that his life was about to be lost. The shootout scene in the carnival hall of mirrors is one of the most amazing ever filmed. That scene alone is worth the price of admission. This is the only time that Rita Hayworth ever played a complex yet believable character. No one but Welles would have had the nerve to cut her hair and dye it brassy blond. No one should miss this picture.
Beau Geste (1939)
Considered by many to be one of the 100 greatest movies ever made
Brilliant use of the flashback technique on an unusually complicated plot. Mysterious events in the beginning of the picture are explained by going back to show what led up to them. Brian Donlevy eclipsed three more famous actors with his greatest performance as the villainous but brave Sergeant Markoff, a man who wants a promotion so badly that he is willing to die for it. The author of the book actually served in the French foreign legion, and he knew a lot about it. Only one of the three brothers comes back alive, and the title means beautiful gesture, which refers to Gary Cooper, who pays with his life for causing a family disgrace.
Broken Lance (1954)
Best western ever
Superb cast with actors of stature in minor roles. Probably the most notable performance of Spencer Tracy's career. Great plot seething with bitterness. The emotional climax is reached when Spencer Tracy finds himself being stabbed in the back by his friends. "I put you in that Governor's chair and I can pull it out from under you," he rages. This is followed by a pathetic scene where he rides out to seek revenge only to collapse with a heart attack.
Johnny Trouble (1957)
Great opportunity for Stuart Whitman
Stuart Whitman plays a tough ex marine who enrolls in a small college and becomes a classic anti-hero. This movie has heart. Sentimental ending resolves the conflict. They just don't make movies like this anymore.
Outcast of the Islands (1951)
Offbeat treatment of Joseph Conrad's story has greatness
As art I rate this the single greatest movie I've ever seen. Not for those with a weak stomach. An incredible performance by Robert Morley as a man driven insane by hate. The hatred is directed at Trevor Howard who's inner demons lead him to destruction. This film has a cast of cannibalistic natives who consider murder a recreational sport.
Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
Not a dry eye in the house when I saw this.
Single greatest B picture I've ever seen. Sad ending is beyond belief, yet there is comic relief in the middle that is really funny. Mickey Rooney wondered why Redbook magazine voted this best picture of the year (over the A pictures.) He should have SEEN the picture! An absolutely unforgettable movie.