To Each His Own (1946)
[6] Olivia de Havilland won her first Oscar for this sudsy soap opera about a woman who gives up her infant son and spends the rest of her life trying to reconnect with him. The melodrama may be an acquired…
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
[7] Elia Kazan (East of Eden) made the jump from Broadway plays to feature films with this adaptation of the book by Betty Smith. The story centers around a young girl named Francie growing up in Brooklyn in the early…
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
[4] A man named Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) steps in to replace a drunken Santa in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and does such a good job that Macy's then hires him to play Santa in their stores during the holiday season.…
The Third Man (1949)
[8] Joseph Cotten uncovers a conspiracy surrounding a deceased friend in The Third Man, a masterfully crafted film noir thriller from author Graham Greene and director Carol Reed. Reed keeps the story moving at a brisk pace, surrounding Cotten's character…
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
[7] In 1880's Nevada, news spreads of the murder of a local cattle farmer, inciting a few dozen townspeople to form a posse hellbent on lynching those responsible for the crime. Based on the book by Walter Van Tilburg Clark…
Adventures of Don Juan (1948)
[8] Errol Flynn makes a triumphant return to the genre that made him a star (after Hollywood shelved period action flicks for the duration of WWII). Adventures of Don Juan is splashy, colorful, good-humored, and terrifically entertaining. Despite public knowledge…
State of the Union (1948)
[6] Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn star in a Frank Capra movie about the political and personal tolls of running for president of the United States. Van Johnson and Margaret Hamilton are fun in supporting roles. Angela Lansbury is nice…
Knock on Any Door (1949)
[4] Humphrey Bogart defends a juvenile delinquent (John Derek) in this uneven and heavy-handed flick from director Nicholas Ray. Didn't care for Derek in this movie, but Bogey makes a nice courtroom stand at the end. The best thing about…
The More the Merrier (1943)
[6] A pleasant screwball comedy from the versatile George Stevens. Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, and Charles Coburn play mismatched roommates during a housing shortage. Scenes where the three narrowly avoid collision while getting ready in the morning will remind you…
Dive Bomber (1941)
[7] Errol Flynn gives a low-key performance as a dedicated flight surgeon who teams with a bitter pilot (Fred MacMurray) to solve the problem of high altitude sickness and blackouts among Navy dive bombers. Despite the pre-WWII setting, this is…