Dial M For Murder (1954) - A man hatches a plan to murder his wife, only to have it go wrong. His Plan B attempt is nearly perfect. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Starring - Ray Milland, Grace Kelly,... Continue Reading →
Dial M for Murder – 1954
The Father Brown Mysteries – Book
The Father Brown Mysteries (1910-1936) by G.K. Chesterton. Fifty-plus stories about the world's least impressive detective. It isn't his skill in solving mysteries that is unimpressive, it is the man himself. Chesterton describes the Roman Catholic priest in consistently unflattering terms. He is short, even stumpy, with baggy clothes and commonly a vacant look on his... Continue Reading →
The Window (1949)
The Window (1949) - A boy with a reputation for telling tall tales witnesses a murder, and no one will believe him! Directed by Ted Tetzlaff Starring - Bobby Driscoll, Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy While often categorized as film noir,... Continue Reading →
Futureworld (1976)
Futureworld (1976) - Things had gone horribly, horribly wrong in "Westworld" but the computer geniuses have figured it all out for the new robotic theme worlds, including "Futureworld". Two reporters (Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner) are looking for a story. Is it a great new amusement or something more sinister? Deep in the bowels of... Continue Reading →
It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
It's A Wonderful Life (1946) - George Bailey was a young man with dreams. Dreams that he set aside so that he could take care of those around him. Finally, one Christmas Eve, he's pushed too far and wishes that he had never been born. What the world looks like without him isn't what he... Continue Reading →
The Quartermaster – Book
The Quartermaster: Montgomery C. Meigs, Lincoln's General, Master Builder of the Union Army by Robert O'Harrow Jr. (2016) - Lost amid the names of generals of the Civil War is the man who may have had as much to do with the victory of the Union as any commander in the field, Montgomery Meigs. It... Continue Reading →
The Way (2010)
The Way (2010) - A father travels to Europe to claim the body of his only son, who died on the first day of a pilgrimage through northwestern Spain. On impulse, the father decides to complete the journey for his son. In the end, it becomes a pilgrimage for them both. Directed by Emilio Estevez... Continue Reading →
The Allure of Battle – Book
The Allure of Battle - A History of How Wars Have Been Won and Lost (2017) by Cathal J. Nolan (Oxford University Press) - Overviews of military history have generally been divided into two categories, the Great Captains, and the Great Battles. Decisive action in war has been attributed to the genius of the winning... Continue Reading →
Short Reviews – November
Quick looks at more recent movies Crimson Peak (2015) - A visually stunning, gothic romance/horror film that simply has no guts, no heart, nothing behind a beautiful face. Utterly predictable modern version of a hundred previous versions of this story. If you don't mind the shallowness of the storytelling, you will fall in love with... Continue Reading →
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956)
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) - Ten years after World War II, Tom Rath (Gregory Peck) is still troubled by what he did there. Meanwhile, at home, his wife Betsy (Jennifer Jones) is hoping to move up in the world, at least a little. So Tom takes a job as a PR... Continue Reading →
Stories Are My Life 