Mara Maru (1952)
[6] Errol Flynn stars as a deep sea diver hunting for a rumored sunken treasure while fending off a trio of baddies that are trying to swipe it out from under him. Flynn is a little past his prime here,…
Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953)
[5] Lex Barker ends his five-film tenure as Tarzan with a bit of a whimper in Tarzan and the She-Devil. The plot focuses around ivory poachers, lead by Raymond Burr and icy-cool Monique van Vooren, who enslave a peaceful native…
Mister Roberts (1955)
[6] Henry Fonda is caught between a beleaguered WWII cargo crew and their vindictive captain in this oddly cheerful, lightweight drama directed by John Ford and Mervyn Leroy. James Cagney hams it up as the nutcase captain while William Powell…
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
[6] On one hand, Arthur Penn's take on Billy the Kid isn't as whitewashed as other tellings. On the other hand, why should we care that some hot-headed simpleton ran out and got himself shot? Despite an admirable effort from…
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)
[5] This atomic-age monster movie features a giant octopus that attacks San Francisco. With the help of special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen, the creature topples some skyscrapers and whacks a piece out of the Golden Gate bridge. Unfortunately, the visual…
Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
[6] This movie version of Irving Berlin's musical is chintzy fun kept afloat by cartoonish performances from leads Betty Hutton and Howard Keel. Watching the movie at this end of the feminist movement can be frustrating. While Annie Oakley is…
The Rainmaker (1956)
[5] Burt Lancaster stars as a conman promising rain for dollars to struggling farmers in the drought-ridden South. He almost gets away with his latest swindle, but burgeoning feelings for one of the farmer's daughters (Katharine Hepburn) threatens to make…
A Night to Remember (1958)
[7] If you've only seen James Cameron's telling of the R.M.S. Titanic's tragic 1912 sinking, you might be surprised how much that film owes to this earlier British version directed by Hammer and Amicus alum Roy Ward Baker (Scars of…
The Young Philadelphians (1959)
[5] Paul Newman stars as a lawyer who rises to power through the manipulations of his mother and other socialites. He finally finds his own voice and something worth standing for when an old friend is put on trial for…
Kim (1950)
[6] This Rudyard Kipling adventure stars young Dean Stockwell in the title role, playing a sneaky street-wise kid who spies for British Intelligence in colonial India. The adventure is a little more episodic than I prefer, bringing Kim into contact…