Some movies appear to approach perfection. Ernst Lubitsch ditched operettas for saucy pre-Code romance with this winning, hilarious look at high class thievery and honest lust. Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins are larcenous high-society outlaws, preying on continental swells that can afford to be bilked for millions. Kay Francis is the wealthy widow who teaches…

The FUN never stops in this pre-Code Paramount variety show, with a rudimentary plot, bizarre performers and plenty of risqué humor. It’s the 1933 equivalent of Wild and Crazy — with a sensational cast, some of whom need explaining: W.C. Fields, Rudy Vallee, Stuart Erwin, George Burns & Gracie Allen, Cab Calloway, Bela Lugosi, Baby…

Sebastián Silva’s domestic drama is Upstairs-Downstairs for the 21st century, a story that involves class difference and social isolation, yet doesn’t push the usual buttons of comedy or tragedy. When the exhausted maid of an upscale Chilean family begins behaving strangely, we fear that this beautifully-acted film may be turning into a horror picture. We…

We once again have sprung for a pricey Mario Bava import — this time to finally be able to hear this Italian show with its original Italian-language audio. That’s basically what’s covered in this abbreviated review of an all-time CineSavant favorite. Can you hear Alessandro Alessandroni’s sitar yet? “Adesso è il momento giusto — Di…

There’s nothing like discovering a ‘new’ movie by a favorite star. Cary Grant took time out from playing cinematic arm candy for Mae West to try his luck starring as a reluctant mobster. The gangland context is a turf war between illegal gambling ships. Benita Hume is Cary’s love interest, with Jack La Rue as…

Our interest in this noir must-see has never faded. Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford remain one of the hottest screen couples of the 1940s in this surprisingly adult, surprisingly sophisticated love/hate tale in a casino in Buenos Aires. Their romance is one for the books, with perverse angles that must have sailed over the heads…

A popular DVD combo is back for more, this time remastered in Blu-ray quality. Diss these no-account drive-in cheapies if you must, but they made their producer a lot of money, being produced for peanuts and playing theatrically and on TV for almost two decades. Rod Lauren is a mixed up teen possessed by part…

We remember plenty of movies that got chalked up as failures, yet now seem more interesting than most new Oscar nominees. Mike Nichols’ ambitious anti-war epic, from Joseph Heller’s satrical novel, impresses greatly in multiple ways, with a dream cast in quirky, imaginative roles. Alan Arkin’s Yossarian is an airman, a sad sack everyman. He…

Some movies just knock us for a loop. This first official starring vehicle for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers is delightful entertainment, the kind of psychological medicine that makes the world seem right again. The cast is so good, the guy playing the waiter deserves star billing. All that and a giant musical number —…

We’re certainly happy to revisit this favorite in 4K … Joe Dante’s Sci-fi comedy taps several genres and styles for laughs, and comes up a winner in every regard. Astronaut Dennis Quaid is the pilot for a ‘Fantastic Voyage’- like journey into micro-minidom, but his micro-sub ends up in the bloodstream of Martin Short, a…

We can’t say we were even aware of this one. Universal’s between-the-wars pacifist melodrama edges a bit into horror territory, with an insane Claude Rains walking through Paris with his baby under one arm and a satchel in the other … that might contain the body part mentioned in the title. Rains, Lionel Atwill and…

Is it a classic?  We think so. Organized crimeland is invaded by the New-Wavish visual grammar we associate with Alain Resnais. Thriller fans loved the bizarre stylized performance of Lee Marvin as Walker, a vengeful mob victim out to claim the 93 thousand dollars he’s owed. A crystal clear Los Angeles is the setting. Marvin…

Kino Lorber has a gem in this dazzling 4K remaster that gives Andrei Konchalovsky’s classic a new lease on life. Accessing prime film elements strips away a veneer of greyness and detail-dulling grain. The live-action no-CGI thrills feel even more like gritty reality. Jon Voight, Eric Roberts and Rebecca De Mornay are sensational. Investing in…

Quick, adapt this hit Broadway play for the screen!  But remember the guidelines — you can’t directly say what the play is about or use certain words to describe its subject. In fact, you’ll need to eliminate direct references to the play’s strongest statement. The ‘tamed’ film adaption of Robert Anderson’s play gets the glossy…

A bizarre favorite returns in a crystal-clear 4K encoding. Michael Laughlin’s eccentric ‘Middle America’ horror item was actually filmed in New Zealand, yet eerily correct in every detail. Michael Murphy and Louise Fletcher top the cast list, but Dan Shor, Fiona Lewis and Dey Young all make strong impressions. In 1981 it was odd and…

That crazy Pedro Almodóvar had no fear and no limits — following through on his theory that sexual desire is the engine driving everything human, this beautifully-filmed, disturbingly raw horror thriller gives us an amour fou between two crazy killers, plus others equally loco de amor. A young Antonio Banderas attempts a rape to escape…

The original Puppetoon movie is back!  In 1987 Arnold Leibovit helped secure the legacy of producer George Pal with a feature-length tribute; 40 years later, his film has been remastered in 4K and enlarged into a new Director’s Cut. The extra gallery of additonal Puppetoons is icing on the cake: it’s an impressive introduction to…

Luis Buñuel’s top roost as a world-class filmmaker remains undisturbed: as an exile in Mexico, his commercial work continued at a high creative pitch, staying true to his surrealist principles. Invited back to fascist Spain to make a movie, he generated a masterpiece guaranteed to become an international scandal. The cinematic slap to Generalissimo Franco…

Gee, now what year was this film released?  Paramount’s comic radio variety extravaganza is enlivened by big-scale W.C. Fields comedy scenes, crazy antics from Martha Raye, and the film debut of Bob Hope. Not to mention the science fiction premise that holds it all together: a trans-Atlantic race between giant high-speed ocean liners. Mitchell Leisen…

Yet again, Deaf Crocodile opens doors to cinematic fantasy once blocked by politics and the vagaries of international film markets. This Estonian film is all but unknown here, despite coming from the reknowned authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Detective Glebsky is trapped in a snowbound ski resort with a group of eccentrics that might have…

Director Claude Lelouch applied the Art Film format to a story of an intimate romantic encounter, and captured a world-wide audience. Star Anouk Aimée is a radiant presence, and Jean-Louis Trintignant found his footing here as a top-rank leading man. The film’s loose photogenic look caught on, and not just for shampoo commercials. Its auto…

Two of Warners favorite thriller actors worked together nine times in just a few years. This mystery tale is their last pairing, and also the first feature film directed by Don Siegel. Victorian sleuth Sydney Greenstreet gets an assist from his artist friend Peter Lorre when a murder victim is found in a room locked…

Prime-era Stephen King never loses its appeal! Director Tobe Hooper delivers some strong visuals in this TV movie version of King’s All-American vampire tale. Reggie Nalder channels his inner Max Schreck, and James Mason provides a top class-act horror performance. Of the supporting cast we favor Bonnie Bedelia, Elisha Cook Jr. and Marie Windsor over…

Martin Scorsese’s epic (and epic length!) adaptation of David Grann’s eye-opening novel is great filmmaking with impressive performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro and a marvelous showcase for Lily Gladstone, who provides the heart within a heartless tangle of utterly loathsome villains. It’s a true story, unsensationalized yet carrying an unspoken message —…

A fresh 4K encoding reveals a finer visual texture on Ivan Passer’s highly-respected film, which features career-best performances by its stars. Disaffected 20-somethings in Santa Barbara investigate a murder and then try to blackmail a corporate CEO; it’s a superb coda to the ’60s counterculture generation. John Heard is the maimed, one-eyed veteran already judged…

In what some consider the best classic crime film to come from France, writer-director Claude Sautet and writer José Giovanni give star Lino Ventura the role of Abel Davos, a convicted crook in a squeeze play. When he tries to return to Paris, he’s forced to abandon his wife and boys as both the law…