Blu-ray Review: Little Miss Marker (1934)
A legendary newspaper columnist and author, Damon Runyon’s biggest contribution to film is his short story “Little Miss Marker.” It was first filmed in 1934, then remade as a Bob Hope vehicle Sorrowful Jones (1939), reworked as a Tony Curtis movie, 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962), and finally remade again as Little Miss Marker starring […]
Blu-ray Review: A Bill of Divorcement (1940)
A remake of the 1932 film of the same name, A Bill of Divorcement directed by John Farrow, stars Maureen O’Hara (McLintock!), Fay Bainter, Adolph Menjou (The Sheik), and Dame Mae Witty, taking over for Katharine Hepburn, Billie Burke, John Barrymore, and Elizabeth Patterson who starred in the 1932 version. O’Hara, still finding her footing […]
The Front Page (1931) (Blu-ray)
The first of three film versions of the Ben Hecht/Charles MacArthur play, 1931’s The Front Page presents a sharp, insightful look at journalism of the day. Watching the film more than eighty years after its initial release, it’s both sad and amazing how much the depiction of sensationalism and corruption resonates today. Reporter Hildy Johnson […]
Blu-ray Review: A Star Is Born (1937)
Watching any version of A Star Is Born is almost impossible to do without comparing it to the other two versions available. While the original 1937 version has its merits, I’m partial to the 1954 Judy Garland and James Mason remake, while I can barely stomach the 1976 offering that featured Barbra Streisand and Kris […]
DVD Review: Paths of Glory (Criterion Collection)
Criterion | 1957 | 88 mins. | NR 1957’s Paths of Glory was Stanley Kubrick’s fourth film, and the first one to bring him a taste of notoriety. The then 28-year-old director and co-writer (with Carlder Willingham and help from novelist Jim Thompson) delivered a masterful, unsentimental, classic anti-war film about World War I. This […]