Strange Cargo (1940)
[3] Clark Gable escapes the Devil's Island penal colony and takes floozie Joan Crawford along for the ride. Along with a handful of other fleeing criminals, they rough it through the jungle and long days at sea to reach the…
Satan Met a Lady (1936)
[4] This second retelling of The Maltese Falcon (before John Huston proved the the third time was the charm) is a bizarre pseudo-comedy with an ingratiating performance by Warren William in the role Humphrey Bogart would later immortalize. Warren got…
The Maltese Falcon (1931)
[5] A mysterious woman enters detective Sam Spade's office with information about a valuable statue called the Maltese Falcon. Spade is soon swept up into a mystery involving multiple pursuers of the statue in this famous story from Dashielle Hammett.…
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
[7] A claustrophobic mystery featuring a career-launching performance from Humphrey Bogart. Characters like Sam Spade can often be played over the top, but Bogart keeps it grounded and accessible for me. I also like the ensemble of supporting players, including…
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
[7] Ryan Gosling stars as Lars, a young man who begins seriously dating a life-size doll. His friends and family are instructed by a doctor to go along with it until they can figure out why he has engaged in…
Dragonwyck (1946)
[6] Writer/producer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir) made his directorial debut with Dragonwyck, a gothic romance with a dash of horror/suspense. Gene Tierney plays a farm girl summoned by a distant relative to help…
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…
Father Goose (1964)
[5] I like the premise of this one. Cary Grant plays a beach bum who relays Japanese radio messages to the military during WWII. His life is a solitary one until a plane crashes on the island, introducing him to…
M (1931)
[7] Peter Lorre gives a star-making performance as a child murderer running from both the law and the criminal underground in this stylish early 'talkie' from Fritz Lang (Metropolis). As much as I love both Lang and Lorre, M is…
Time After Time (1979)
[7] H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) travels through time to 1979 in hot pursuit of Jack the Ripper (David Warner), who's hell-bent on continuing his murderous rampage in a whole new century. In the hands of director/screenwriter Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek…