Movie Reviews

Joel McCrea plays a movie director who becomes dissatisfied with putting together his popular comedies and longs to direct a "socially relevant" drama in "Sullivan's Travels." He goes undercover as a hobo to experience hardship, only to discover the ways comedy helps people socially. Director-screenwriter Preston Sturges ("The [..]

"Catch us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines - For our vines have tender grapes." This Biblical passage from Song of Solomon 2:15 inspired the title of the film "The Little Foxes," a story about a struggle among members of a wealthy Southern family over [..]

"Meet John Doe" is a classic Frank Capra yarn about a newspaper reporter who accidentally sparks a major grassroots political movement when she publishes a fake letter to the editor. Director Capra and screenwriters Richard Connell and Robert Presnell put together an excellent drama with good writing and [..]

MGM released a glossy version of the old horror story "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" starring Spencer Tracy. It is generally recognized that his performance as a friendly doctor who turns into a monster was inferior to Fredric March's offering in the 1931 Paramount Pictures production of the [..]

"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" is a screwball comedy film about a couple who find out that their three year marriage is not valid due to a clerical error. The comedy is well directed by Alfred Hitchcock ("Rebecca" 1940), who is known for his suspense-filled thrillers. This is the [..]

"The Maltese Falcon" is the story of a private detective who has several clients who all seem to be interested in the same thing: A priceless, jewel-encrusted statuette of a falcon. First-time director John Huston did an excellent job of creating what many consider to [..]

"High Sierra" is a film noir drama about an aging ex-convict who gets involved in a jewelry heist in a small town in California's Sierra Nevada mountain region. Director Raoul Walsh ("They Drive by Night" 1940) put together a classy melodrama with excellent production values, memorable [..]

Remakes and sequels seem to be staple of Hollywood these days, but really are nothing new. MGM did a good job with 1941's "Topper Returns," the third in the series which includes "Topper" (1937) and "Topper Takes a Trip" (1938). This one is a [..]

"It's terrific!" Or so says the original poster for "Citizen Kane," and we agree. This film classic from Orson Welles and RKO Pictures seems to be at the top of everyone's list of best movies of all time. Good reasons for this abound: Innovative film structure by narration, [..]

The Best Picture of 1941 is...."How Green Was My Valley." This drama film follows the story of a Welsh coal-mining family over decades starting at the beginning of the 20th Century. Director John Ford ("The Grapes of Wrath" 1940) and screenwriter Philip Dunne created a [..]