I’m no expert on film musicals. My favorites are The Band Wagon and Singin’ in the Rain.
This sequence from Broadway Melody of 1940 featuring Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell is great. I love the mirrors and stars in the background.
Another great Eleanor Powell sequence
High and Low (1963) is my second favorite of the Kurosawa films I have seen (after Yojimbo). It’s a crime film about kidnapping. Kidnappers call an executive to extort a ransom because they have kidnapped his son. It turns out that they have erroneously kidnapped his chauffeur’s son. What does the executive do now?
Dead & Buried (1981) is an entertaining film about dead people who come back to life and the small town where their deaths occur. Jack Albertson, in his final role, is outstanding as the undertaker at the center of the story. Sure, there are a few plot holes if you think about it too much but it’s enjoyable while it’s unwrapping the mystery.
I recently watched two films directed by George Franju: Eyes Without a Face (1960) and Spotlight on a Murderer (1961). Both are in French (with subtitles on the Blu-ray discs) and black and white.
These are both excellent films.
Eyes Without a Face is about a woman whose face (except her eyes) was damaged in an accident caused by her father, a doctor. He tries to replace her face with skin from people he murders.
Spotlight on a Murderer is about a count who dies but whose body is missing. His heirs can’t get his money for five years since there is no corpse. The film turns into a clever and fascinating murder mystery as heirs turn up dead.
The Blu-ray discs from Criterion (Eyes) and Arrow (Spotlight) are excellent with fine video transfers. Franju has been forgotten compared to his peers but he made several fine films.
Whirlpool is not a great film but well worth seeing.
It was on Blu-ray from Twilight Time in a limited edition. It was also on DVD from Fox.
Did you know that the 1980 comedy film Airplane! is largely based on the 1957 drama Zero Hour!?
Airplane! uses the same basic situation as Zero Hour and plays some of the serious old dialogue for laughs. Just like Airplane! has a pro athlete co-pilot (Kareem Abdul Jabbar), Zero Hour has Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch. Zero Hour! is on DVD and Airplane! is on DVD and Blu-ray.
One great film discussed in the video is The Exterminating Angel (1961) directed by Luis Bunuel. It’s available from the Criterion Collection on Blu-ray and DVD.
I posted about Mexican horror films here:
Sad! 