An American drama directed by Scott Pembroke, starring Jack Benny.
The son and daughter of an abusive shopkeeper escape his clutches with the help of a man from a travelling show.
This sounded like it was recorded inside a metal trash can and looked worse. There were editing mistakes, video artifacts, dead air hiss and crackling pops. The plot was extremely simplistic with minimal characters of very little depth. Although a technical disaster, it did not hurt to watch quite as much as some films with better production. The card game trickery, boy looking for busted boxes of candy and happy ending were high points if there were any. I'll be really nice and rate it poor.
An American romantic drama directed by Richard Brooks, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon and Donna Reed.
A couple who meet in Paris have various drama in their lives. The man is an ex-soldier who wants to be an author, but becomes an alcoholic. The woman comes from a family which lives a regal lifestyle, although being totally broke. They have a daughter together who adds to their problems.
I am in no way interested in the lives of these people. Their problems are not mine and I care not what becomes of them. Mostly a talking movie (besides writing, kissing and drinking), it held little to capture my attention. I sat through about an hour of the two hour duration before turning it off. The audio and video were fine and there were some creatively framed shots. The plot was clearly communicated and the characters were identifiable. Although technically sound, it did not interest me. In accordance with my turnoff rule, I rate it shit.
An American drama directed by Joseph M. Newman.
A man marries a teacher and moves to a city. His racing horse is injured, but has a colt that grows up to be fast. The man does not get along with his wife and a farm girl is attached to the horse.
Lame, sappy and boring. I didn't like the plot or characters, although they were clearly presented. The style was very much of the time that it was made. It was nearly painful to watch such a long film that I was not interested in at all. I was tempted to turn it off much of the hour and 35 minute duration. I rate it bad because I just plain don't like it.
A French Italian sword and sandal action directed by Jacques Tourneur and Mario Bava, starring Steve Reeves.
Phillippides is an Athenean military leader. He meets a young woman who turns out to be royalty and they fall in love, although another woman is trying to win his heart. There are also some political issues going on, which eventually start a war.
More sword and sandal. Oh boy. This was pretty standard for the genre, so I won't go into lots of detail. What I do want to mention is the epic sea battle at the end. It basically makes the film worth watching. The opposing naval forces use lots of different strategies and tools of war. So, standard and stupid peplum with a cool naval conflict scene? I rate it tolerable.
An American crime drama directed by Elmer Clifton.
A young woman works at a nail salon for men. Her boyfriend is trying to get a job as a newspaper reporter. Meanwhile, there is an organized crime syndicate working on counterfeit money and prostitution.
The plot was very, very vague. I believe that the Motion Picture Production Code may have had something to do with this, but there were women in lingerie, murder and a fight scene. The audio and video seemed about right for the date in that they were not too bad, but not too good either. Basically, it seemed like they were beating around the bush too much. I rate it poor.
An American science fiction directed by Hollingsworth Morse.
A rocket hits the Earth and is traced to a moon. Rocky and crew are sent to investigate. They find that the moon has been taken over by a villain who has lied to the inhabitants.
This was very much like the other Rocky Jones film, so I will just elaborate on my previous post. The plot was very clearly communicated in both of them. There was never any doubt who was who, where they were or what they were doing. The relatively high quality video definitely helped in this. Usually science fiction sound effects from this era tend to be harsh and screechy, but that was not the case here. I would recommend these films to anyone looking for decent science fiction from the '50s. Another o.k. rating.
An American science fiction directed by Hollingsworth Morse.
A set of moons attached by an atmospheric belt enter a solar system and cause problems for the people there. After the narrow escape of a space station, the moons begin their collision course with another moon. The leader of the 3rd moon is hostile and is unwilling to accept outside help.
This was pretty hokey. The science ideas involved were absurd. Such is the way with '50s science fiction. Being part of a television series, the characters were already known to the audience and not developed in this film. The plot was dependant upon the absurd science ignorance of the 1950s. Production value seemed alright to me. The spaceships looked a little bit small and the landing and takeoff scenes could easily have been recycled. Overall, it was mildly amusing. I rate it o.k.
