Just some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until November 7th):
Rarely does an atmosphere of such overpowering dread subsume a cinematic story so completely as it does 1943's The Seventh Victim.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until November 7th):
One of the finest westerns ever made is Top Ten Western #4, Sam Peckinpah's elegiac Ride the High Country (1962).
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Just some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until October 31st)…
… is an ultra rare showing of CC Hidden Gem #42, Black Tuesday (1954).
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Just some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Monday, October 20, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until November 15th):
The expression "Don't judge a book by its cover" certainly applies to the film Kind Lady, a previous TCM recommendation here.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until October 15th):
Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain (1966) may not enjoy quite the drawing power as many of his other films, however, fans should still find enough engaging elements to stay entertained.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Monday, October 6, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until November 1st):
In the U.K. town of Midwich, strange children with mysterious origins are behaving badly. Find out just how bad when experiencing the chilling Village of the Damned (1960), previously reviewed here.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until October 24th):
1967's Hotel was taken, like 1970's Airport, from a novel by Arthur Hailey and is the far better crafted of the two films.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until October 26th):
Barbara Loden's critically acclaimed directorial debut Wanda (1970) is Hidden Gem #29 and a previous TCM recommendation here.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until October 7th):
This next TCM recommendation is, for many experts, the final film noir released during the classification's classic time period (1940 - 1959), Orson Welles' stylistically aggressive Touch of Evil.
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Just some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until September 24th):
“What a story! Everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end.”
All About Eve (1950) is really all about the spoken word and is a prior TCM recommendation here.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until September 4th):
One of cinema’s most quintessential performances can be seen in 1947’s Possessed by the film’s star Joan Crawford. Crawford’s thorough commitment is bolstered by the actress, along with the film’s director Curtis Bernhardt, having visited several psychiatric hospitals observing patients and interviewing doctors regarding the script’s authenticity.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until September 19th):
One of the CC’s Hidden Gems (# 76 to be precise) and briefly reviewed here, is this little pre-code crime / romance drama with James Cagney and Joan Blondell entitled He Was Her Man, from 1934.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until August 22nd):
Unlike the hardened criminals Sterling Hayden portrays in both The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and The Killing (1956), 1953’s Crime Wave has Hayden playing hardened cop Detective Lt. Sims. Previously reviewed here, this is one wave you’ll be glad you caught.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Monday, August 11, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until August 16th):
James Garner, Rod Taylor and Eva Marie Saint star in the intriguing “Mission Impossible” prototype espionage thriller 36 Hours (1964), previously reviewed here.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Friday, August 8, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until September 4th):
Some cinephiles take aim at those films identified as film noir if their stories’ setting occur during an earlier time than the classic period (1940 - 1959) in which they were made. They insist that this alone would disqualify a film from being categorised as such, even though the dark criminal surroundings and emphasis on character motive are present and accounted for. The Tall Target is such an example and for myself, joins other so called “period noirs” that are rightfully embraced in the film noir canon.
Just some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until September 4th):
In my review of 1942’s Casablanca, I made some criticism regarding its emotionally underwhelming Parisian flashback. Prior to this film Casablanca's producer Hal Wallis and one of its contributing writers, Casey Robinson, made Now, Voyager (1942), previously reviewed here, where the romance witnessed from start to finish comes alive with fervour, maturity and elegance.
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Just some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until August 9th):
MGM contract player Robert Taylor appeared in a startling number of excellent films. Johnny Eager (1941), a previous recommendation here, is one of them.
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Just some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Friday, August 1, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until August 10th):
Both tension and fear are at their zenith in Cape Fear (1962) with Robert Mitchum once again playing southern bred evil incarnate as he did in 1955’s The Night of the Hunter.
Read MoreJust some film musings of a more succinct, spontaneous and sometimes seditious nature:
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Currently available at Watch TCM (until August 1st):
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) has Humphrey Bogart portraying perhaps his darkest and most psychologically troubled character.
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