Released in I958, Vertigo is a tour-de-force in film making directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. It's a story of betrayal and murder. It's also a borderline ghost story. I like to imagine that with a few minor changes this could be one heck of a great ghost story. Ultimately it's a tragic tale of deceit and love. betrayal and the search for redemption in the most Shakespearian of traditions. Bob and I really enjoyed it and we hope you enjoy this episode of Class...
Jun 18, 2015•35 min
“The Professionals” was expertly written and directed by Richard Brooks and stars Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode, Jack Palance, Claudia Cardinale and Ralph Bellamy, released in 1966 by Columbia Pictures. It’s a great ride full of beautiful scenery, sharp dialog, excellent explosions and some great twists in the plot. So saddle up and prepare to cross the desert into Mexico with “The Professionals”
Jun 04, 2015•43 min
In honor of my grandmother Betty, Bob and I review her favorite movie "All About Eve." Starring Bette Davis, also my grandmother's favorite actress. "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!"
May 28, 2015•48 min
Bob and I were unable to record a podcast this week. My grandmother passed away last weekend and so in honor of her passing we are going to review "All About Eve" next week. Bette Davis was her favorite actress and this was one of her favorite movies. We hope you have a good weekend and if you're in the United States, have a nice Memorial Day on Monday. Until next week...
May 22, 2015•54 sec
Bob and I watch and review “The Virgin Spring”. A movie released to critical success in the US, but was panned by critics in Europe at the time. The film was banned in some parts of the US for the depiction of a young virgin, Karin, being raped and murdered. But that is only one aspect of the film. In some respects, the story is a very simple tale of innocence and revenge. On another level, or maybe several other levels, the film is a critique of religion and the clash between the old gods and t...
May 14, 2015•59 min
Winner of 6 Oscar Awards, this William Wyler and MGM production perfectly captures the wartime era of London and surrounding suburbs during the start of the German air raids. Greer Garson, Walter Pigeon, Teresa Wright, Dame May Whitty, Henry Travers and Richard Ney all give outstanding performances. Henry Wilcoxon gives a speech for the ages, which he also helped write. There’s just so much to cover, so many good scenes, great acting, great script writing, set design, cinematography and on and o...
May 08, 2015•1 hr 4 min
The year of the City 2274, the remnants of human civilization survive in a domed city. They spend their days playing, partying, and having sex. That is until they turn 30. Then they must go to Carrousel where they will be reborn if they try hard enough. But some people don't believe in carrousel, or maybe they are afraid, so they make a run for Sanctuary. They are called Runners. And the people that are assigned to stop them, to terminate them, those people are called Sandmen. And all of this, t...
May 02, 2015•52 min
"We aren't dealing with ordinary machines. These are highly complicated pieces of equipment, almost as complicated as living organisms. In some cases they've been designed by other computers. We don't know exactly how they work." And so begins the downfall of the DELOS vacation resort, because the machines, they have a mind of their own and they intend to use they're new found sentience. Bob and I play a game of connect the dots between Westworld, The Terminator, Blade Runner and Austin Powers. ...
Apr 23, 2015•40 min
Deep in the Nevada desert lies a secret underground lab called Wildfire. Is the lab there to promote peace or to forward the agenda of war? What if we discovered a new and previously unthinkable type of life? What would we do with that knowledge? Would we share it for the betterment of all humankind? Or would we weaponize it for our own selfish gain? These are some of the questions raised by "The Andromeda Strain". The questions are raised but they are never fully answered. The answer is up to y...
Apr 16, 2015•41 min
Science, faith, truth, justice, ecology, violence, war are all themes in Planet of the Apes. Imagine that we’re on a distant planet ruled by an intelligent race of apes. Men and women are seen as animals. What would that culture think of a talking man? A man that claims he’s from a distant solar system? And what would happen to that man when he finds out the truth? We find out the truth in this classic sic-fi movie from Twentieth Century Fox, released in 1968, staring Charlton Heston, Roddy McDo...
Apr 10, 2015•36 min
Molly Brown is truly unsinkable in the fast paced and fun MGM production of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” released in 1964. Debbie Reynolds sings and dances her way from rags to riches, from the mountains of Colorado to the finest establishments of Europe and back again. There’s a lot to enjoy in this movie. it’s a light hearted and funny movie. Bob and I go through the major scenes and talk about some of the themes of the film. What will happen to Molly next? Would Johnny really be okay with bur...
Apr 02, 2015•43 min
Twelve criminals are recruited to form a special unit tasked with taking out the German high command during World War II. Can Major Reisman get these murderers, psychopaths and general malcontents in shape in time to complete the mission? And why in the heck would they let Maggot be a part of this group? This group of dirty, stinky, rotten troops who for the most part are totally redeemed by the end of the film. Bob and I kick off the episode with a special mention for Nunnally Johnson one of th...
Mar 26, 2015•51 min
"There's a bright golden haze on the meadow. There's a bright golden haze on the meadow. The corn is as high as an elephant's eye. And it looks like it's climbing clear up to the sky. Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day!" Those lyrics kick off a magical journey into the heart of Oklahoma territory set in 1901 before the territory became a state. The tension and drama that existed between the cattlemen and the farmers plays out in spectacular musical fashion both on beautifully f...
Mar 19, 2015•33 min
We'll return next week with our review of Oklahoma! In the meantime, remember that the farmer and the cowman should be friends!
Mar 13, 2015•1 min
A cast of what seems like thousands are on a race for a buried fortune, at least they think it exists, but they don't know exactly where to look, but they know that a giant "W" marks the spot. Why not an X? Don't ask, it's a W which is right next to X in the alphabet. And the whole movie makes about as much sense as that comment! It's a crazy, or dare we say, mad race to the finish. We give it a go and tell you what we think. We keep it real even though the American Film Institute ranks the film...
Mar 06, 2015•35 min
It's Vienna, 1949, Holly Martins steps off a train and into a mystery, full of intrigue and backstabbing. Is it just another day at the office for Mr. Martins? No way, he's a clueless American writer of pulp westerns. He's completely out of his depth and that's the fun of the movie. It unravels before our eyes in glorious black and white with the incomparable zither score by Anton Karas. Directed by Carol Reed, with an all star cast of Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, and Valli, the m...
Feb 26, 2015•32 min
Released in 1953, this independent production didn't garner much in the way of accolades or revenue at the box office. In fact, it's been called a "lost classic". For one reason or another it's fallen into the public domain. You can watch it online via the Internet Archive. Described as a mix of film noir and comedy, the cast is solid, the director, well, it's John Huston and the script? Written in collaboration with Truman Capote. What could go wrong? Is it really a "lost classic" or has it bee...
Feb 18, 2015•30 min
Dobbs continues his descent into madness, Curtin narrowly escapes with his life and Howard finds a tropical paradise in the middle of the Mexican dessert. Really, what? Did Howard look right into the camera in that scene and nod to us as the audience. Yes, he did! But that’s not all, there’s so much to talk about in this movie that our review is nearly as long as the movie itself.
Feb 12, 2015•43 min
Gold does strange things to a man’s soul as we find out in Warner Brothers / First National Picture’s adaptation of B Traven’s classic "The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre". Who is B Traven? Why can’t Dobbs see that he’s got gold fever? How much gold is enough gold? So many questions and so few answers in a truly great movie, one of Humphrey Bogart’s best and definitely one of John Huston’s best. It’s also one of the only (or the only) movie where a father and son both won an Oscar in the same year...
Feb 06, 2015•55 min
Roger Ebert gives it his highest rating, the American Film Institute voted it one of the best movies ever made and starring Humphrey Bogart who was voted the best actor of all time, The Maltese Falcon delivers the goods with incredible acting, directing, and cinematography. Bob and I delve into some of the questions left open at the end of the movie. I even throw out my personal theory on what really happened to The Maltese Falcon. Prepare yourself for the adventure as we walk the streets, corri...
Jan 22, 2015
A #1 pop hit song kicks off this tale of inner city kids and their inexperienced but masterful teacher and how they all end up deeply affecting each others lives. A powerful portrayal by the consummate Sidney Poitier, and a wonderful job of writing and directing by James Clavell bring combine to make a truly memorable movie. So travel back in time with us to the dock yards, back alleys and school rooms of London, 1967. Next episode we kick off a three movie marathon of John Huston and Humphrey B...
Jan 07, 2015•38 min
“The sun is shining, the grass is green, The orange and palm trees sway. There's never been such a day in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it's December the twenty-fourth, And I am longing to be up North” Nope, you’re not going to hear this original first verse to the iconic and hugely successful “White Christmas” song in the movie or in any of the popular versions of the song released since the 1940’s. But it says a lot about the state of mind of Irving Berlin. He was missing his family in New York City...
Dec 24, 2014•59 min
What do "the adventures of a blind, gambling masseur who also happens to be a master swordsman", the television show "Sons of Anarchy" and Star Wars all have in common? Tune in and find out as we connect some tenuous dots between a wide range of genres and time periods in our review of "Zatoichi: The Tale Of Zatoichi" the first of 26 movies and 100 television episodes produced between 1962 and 1989 that follow the life and exploits of Ichi, the wandering blind ronin or as Ichi says "yakuza". Nex...
Dec 10, 2014•44 min
Will Dan Evans get Ben Wade to the 3:10 to Yuma in time? Will Dan redeem himself in his son's eyes? What other uses of cutlery will Ben Wade find along the way? All these questions and more are answered in "3:10 To Yuma". Bob and I compare the original movie released in 1957 to the new movie released 50 years later in 2007. Can you say "turn the drama dial to 11!" because that's what they did in the 2007 version and we think it works!
Nov 26, 2014•44 min
"O-Lan, you are the earth." Those are the closing words to MGM's 1937 film adaptation of Pearl S. Buck's "The Good Earth". Bob and I land squarely in the middle of our rating scale on this one (spoiler alert). We like Luise Rainer, who won an Academy Award for her role as O-Lan, the cinematography is great and there are some great scenes (how did they film the locus scene?!?) in the movie. But is suffers from being too long and from some questionable directing and acting choices. Well, there you...
Nov 13, 2014•44 min
Just in time for Halloween here in the United States, we pick a perfect movie if you like to be creeped out, shocked and generally made to feel like you won't be able to sleep tonight.
Oct 29, 2014•54 min
There are some great and memorable lines from the movie that changed motion picture making, The Jazz Singer broke ground with the dramatic use of music, singing and talking. It's also remembered for the use of "black face" in the closing musical numbers of the film. Al Jolson was known as the "World's Greatest Entertainer" at the time of the movie's release. We can catch glimpses of his charisma in the film. By all accounts, you'd have to have seen him in person to really understand why he carri...
Oct 15, 2014•1 hr 3 min
Rated as one of the top movies of all time Singin' In The Rain has left a huge mark on film making that we are still feeling, seeing, hearing and enjoying today. From the classic "Singin' In The Rain" number to the goofy "Make Em Laugh", Singin' In The Rain is great fun from start to finish. So grab an umbrella as we go a Singin' In The Rain!
Oct 01, 2014•52 min
"Chick... chick... CHICK!" Poor Wilbur, if only Chick would believe him. He really is being chased by Dracula and Frankenstein's monster. And what do they want from Wilbur? His brain of course! No, they aren't zombies. They don't want to eat it. They want it for it's intellectual capacity, or lack thereof. And why and how did the Wolfman get mixed up in this zany adventure? Lot's of fun is had as we follow the adventures of Bud and Lou in this classic horror comedy, voted one of the top 100 funn...
Sep 18, 2014•46 min
"To a new world of Gods and Monsters." - Dr. Pretorius "This isn't science, it's more like black magic." - Dr. Frankenstein That may be true Dr. Frankenstein but that doesn't stop you from trying to create a new race of man and woman to walk the face of the earth. Of course it doesn't end well for our poor creatures, not to mention the crazy Dr. Pretorius. The similarities between this movie and Young Frankenstein are overwhelming. And can you believe there may be a musical connection between Br...
Sep 04, 2014•38 min
