Goodbye Again (1961)

Goodbye Again (1961)

[6] Tired of her boyfriend's sexual indiscretions, Ingrid Bergman reluctantly begins an affair with a much younger man played by Anthony Perkins. The relationship is doomed from the start, of course, and everything ends in tears. Bergman is uncharacteristically manic…
True Grit (1969)

True Grit (1969)

[7] John Wayne took home the Oscar for his performance as crotchety Rooster Cogburn, an alcoholic US Marshall recruited by a young girl (Kim Darby) to capture her father's killer and bring him to justice. Wayne is low key as…
Break of Hearts (1935)

Break of Hearts (1935)

[3] Katharine Hepburn plays an aspiring composer who falls in love with a successful conductor. He cheats on her, they split up, they miss each other, they get back together. Snore. Supporting player John Beal is five times more appealing…
Wolf (1994)

Wolf (1994)

[5] An odd and perhaps ill-fitting choice of material for director Mike Nichols (The Graduate). Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer give decent performances, but James Spader leaves a greater impression as a backstabbing protege. Wolf focuses more on the psychological…
Marked Woman (1937)

Marked Woman (1937)

[6] Five ladies of ill repute muster the courage to take the stand against their evil nightclub boss in this Bette Davis vehicle. Davis overacts a tad (doesn't she always?), but Humphrey Bogart is reliable in the role of the…
Mister Roberts (1955)

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)

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…
The Formula (1980)

The Formula (1980)

[4] George C. Scott stars as a police officer who follows a murder case that gets him embroiled in a mystery involving the Nazis and big oil. The film's ahead of its time in vilifying the oil companies, represented here…
Airport (1970)

Airport (1970)

[6] This star-studded best picture Oscar nominee is credited for kicking off the boom of disaster flicks that plagued (or bedazzled?) the 1970s. It's entertaining enough, though I much prefer The Towering Inferno. All of the Airport movies (there would…
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

[7] Richard Gere plays a navy cadet who falls in love with a factory worker played by Debra Winger. The romance part of the story doesn't work as well as Gere's combative relationship with his drill instructor, played by Louis…