The Night of the Hunter (1955) – Charles Laughton

  The Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book brings me back to the Thriller genre, with this classic starring Robert Mitchum as twisted evangelist Harry Powell, a man not afraid to commit evil in the name of the lord. He has just served time for a car theft, and had met a prisoner,…

Gone With The Wind (1939) -Victor Fleming, George Cukor and Sam Wood

  A gorgeous score by Max Steiner welcomes me to this towering four hour epic based on Margaret Mitchell’s classic (albeit incredibly racist) tale of the south. This was one I had never seen, but as I dove back into the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, specifically the romance and melodrama section,…

Edward Scissorhands (1990) – Tim Burton

  Tim Burton’s suburban fairy tale is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film following my screening of The Wizard of Oz. Perennial Burton favorite Johnny Depp is the titular character, a gentle young man, created by an elderly inventor (Vincent Price) who dies before he can give his creation…

Star Trek: The Entropy Effect (1981) – Vonda N. McIntyre

  It’s time to continue exploring the non-canon adventures of the crew of the starship Enterprise. This is going to be fun, as some of these I haven’t read since I was a kid (reading them as they were published) and some I have never read. So going in order of publication, the first book…

Raising Arizona (1987) – Joel Coen  

  The family fun continues with the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book with this recommendation following my screening of Way Out West. It has been years since I originally watched Raising Arizona, and I had forgotten, for all intents and purposes, all of it, so I was eager to dive into a…

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) – Eugene Lourie

  My sci-fi journey continues with the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, as I dive into the first title recommended following a viewing of King Kong, which I’ve previously reviewed here. The most enjoyable aspect of this film, is Ray Harryhausen’s animation of the titular monster, which is vaguely Saurian, but unlike…

Magnum, p.i. (1984) – Rembrandt’s Girl and Paradise Blues 

  Comedy legend Carol Burnett shows up in Hawaii this week in the first of the two episodes up for review this week. Rembrandt’s Girl was written by Chris Abbott, and aired on 2 February, 1984. Higgins (John Hillerman), with Agatha (Gillian Dobb) helping out is planning a meditation retreat weekend at the estate, and…

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) – Mervyn LeRoy

  The Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book brings me back round to musicals again, and I was quite happy to dig into this 1933 gem that I had heard of, but had never seen. Featuring some wonderful choreography by Busby Berkeley, this had one was a complete delight. Set in the depression,…

Ninotchka (1939) – Ernst Lubitsch

  My time with Greta Garbo comes to an end with this recommended title from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, and this one ends up being my favorite, I think. Billy Wilder has his fingerprints on the screenplay for this Oscar nominated film that sees Garbo playing a Soviet envoy on…