The Violent Years (1956)

Sometimes you need to skip the Mystery Science Theater 3000 commentary and just enjoy an Edward D. Wood Jr scripted exploration of white female teenage juvenile delinquency on its own beautiful merits. This is The Violent Years (1956), which is a remarkable insight into what happens to teenage girls who are not given the right […]

The Magician (1958)

I was inspired to watch Ingmar Bergman’s The Magician (1958; Ansiktet) by Tracy Letts and Carrie Coon including it in an article for The AV Club where they planned a 24 hour film festival line up. When I read about Bergman, this film doesn’t come up as much as a title and it feels like […]

Orpheus (1950)

I knew little of Jean Cocteau (what a cultural barbarian I am!), mainly that he was a poet and an artist, and I’d always heard about his version of Beauty And The Beast with Jean Marais. When Mubi had Cocteau’s Orpheus (1950; aka Orphee) in their library as part of their French Cinema spotlight, also […]

How To Marry A Millionaire (1953)

Here’s to the first movie I watched that was new to me in 2021! A suggestion by Sally after seeing clips on a Classic Hollywood instagram account, How To Marry A Millionaire (1953) was a bright, funny romantic comedy set in New York City, one of the first movies from 20th Century Fox shot in […]

The Big Heat (1953)

I don’t know my film history but is The Big Heat (1953) the first movie where a cop is asked to hand in their badge and gun? Before they embark on a personal quest for revenge against an unjust system? It certainly feels like it. All I knew about The Big Heat was the infamous […]