Recent Movies

Below is a quick list of some movies I recently watched. Perhaps this will become a monthly entry.

As usual, I borrowed these on DVD from the public library. I also finished watching the old TV episodes of the Sherlock Holmes TV series starring Ronald Howard. It was very good and worth the $5!

I was so inspired by watching "Dawn Patrol" last month, that I picked up another Errol Flynn movie, Captain Blood, a 1935 swashbuckler. You can't go wrong with an Errol Flynn movie. The DVD included a nice documentary about the making of the movie. This was essentially Errol Flynn's "first" movie and it made him a name.  A B&W film.

The background of the story is kind of interesting, especially since it gets lost in the adventure and love story. The movie is set during the 17th century during a war between Protestants and Catholics in England. I think the Catholics were the "bad guys" in this war. It's never really addressed in the movie. There is so much history we really should know about.

 

No more Errol Flynn at the Library, so opted for this one, Bad Day at Black Rock. I wasn't sure what I was getting into but the cover has a film noir look and I like film-noir. Also stars Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Walter Brennan, Dean Jagger, and Lee Marvin. How could one go wrong with this one?

It turned out to be riveting. The DVD also included a commentary which was ok. It was sort of an oral essay and light on facts and information. I can't really describe the plot without giving away the ending. There is something of a twist at the end but I don't think it affected a second viewing (but I don't want to ruin a first viewing for you). Highly recommended. Supposedly has some McCarthyism/Black List connections. In Color. Widescreen.

 

 

After "Black Rock", I found another Robert Ryan movie from 1949, The Set-Up. This one is described as an American film-noir boxing drama. Directed by Robert Wise (director of "The Sound of Music" and others). What a great movie! They don't make 'em like this anymore. B&W is best for noir.

Some might find the beginning to be "talky" but it sets the stage. The boxing scenes are brutally captivating. No blood in B&W films but you can't avoid a sense of the pain in this movie. There is even a bit about the Bible and heaven in this movie. You won't see that at the theater today. This is really a movie about values, honesty, and relationships. Another thumbs up.

 

After some of the heavy films above, I was looking for something lighter. What could be better than a Buster Keaton film? This DVD contained two (2) films. The main attraction was Sherlock, Jr.  This is only 45 minutes but it contains some spectacular stunts and creative, ground breaking techniques. It's not side splitting laughter but it made me chuckle and feel better.

The second attraction was Three Ages. This is really three short films about a man finding a bride during three different ages in time: prehistoric, roman, and modern (1920s). The DVD is set up to watch it as a feature or each era as a separate short film.  B&W of course.

The DVD has a nice extra for each movie that takes you to several locations from the films and shows how they look "today" circa 2010.