Watched BLOOD GAMES (1990) a strange combination of A League Of Their Own and Deliverance as an all-female baseball team fight for their lives against a gang of crossbow-wielding hicks. It’s pretty fun, but lacks that certain je nais se quois that’d make it a classic.
Watched IS PARIS BURNING? (1966). A lumbering account of the liberation of Paris during WW2, that’s weighed down by a sprawling cast and a script that was sanitised by the French government.
Watched ABANDONED (1949) pretty good noir-ish thriller about a journalist investigating an baby adoption racket. Great visuals from the great DP William Daniels.
Watched CHILD’S PLAY (1972). This was a very strange Sidney Lumet story. Sort of a psychological drama, sort of an occult thriller, without ever resolving its identity. It’s still a decent watch for James Mason’s performance, but it’s an odd one alright.
Watched SHE (1935) a handsomely staged, old school, adventure movie. The sets and special effects are terrific. It’s currently on Prime in the UK if you want to check it out.
Watched THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON (1941). Ignore the factual inaccuracies, feel the filmmaking gusto. Rambunctious ‘telling’ of General Custer’s life story. Eighth and final pairing of Flynn and DeHavilland.
Watched INSIDE THE WALLS OF FOLSOM PRISON (1951). A pretty standard prison flick that pits jailbirds vs a tyrannical warden. There are some surprisingly tough scenes of violence.
Watched NO MAN’S WOMAN (1955) a noir-tinged murder mystery. The first half of this was terrific with Marie Windsor at her scheming, devious best.
Watched SPACE AMOEBA (1970) aka Yog: Monster From Space. Men in rubber suits battle other men in rubber suits. Also some men who aren’t wearing rubber suits.
Watched THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES (1941). Really nicely played and scripted comedy. It also has a surprisingly left wing message with department store employees trying to unionise and prevent management exploitation. The film’s politics are even more curious when you consider that director Sam Wood had a track record of working to denounce communists in Hollywood. You have to assume this was a studio assignment and he held his nose as he made it.
