The Thaw (2009)

The Thaw is surprisingly creepy with bugs crawling out of people's skin, hypodermic needles and hatchet amputations. It's also an involving treatise on global warming offering a good and plausible story. It's also really creepy.

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Berserk! (1967)

A 64 year old Joan Crawford boards a hunky, 30 years young Ty Hardin in Berserk!, a murder mystery set in the world of a British circus troupe. Crawford looks phenomenal (as does Mr. Hardin) and there are some good supporting players (including a To Sir With Love-era Judy Geeson) that add to the camp value initiated by the lines that Crawford delivers. Circus fans might like the extended scenes (filmed in 1967) of real circus elephant and dog acts through which I fast forwarded.




Check out this
more informative review of Berserk! on Black Hole.

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The Children's Hour (1961)

The Children's Hour is Lillian Hellman's heart-breaking tale of two women and the gossip that destroys them. Audrey Hepburn and (especially) Shirley MacLaine are mesmerizing as the women and Miriam Hopkins turns the table by appearing as the gossipmonger (as opposed to the Shirley MacLaine role she played in the first filmization, These Three in 1936). Kudos to all involved for keeping the gossip as it was written.

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Arizona (1940)

I'm not a fan of westerns but Arizona is a a high-falutin', scootin', rootin', tootin shoot 'em up with an involving plot about civilizing the Tucson territory and two excellent performances by Jean Arthur and her very young (1940!) and very handsome love interest, William Holden. The black and white photography (shot on desert locations) is stunning and the action scenes (including wagon train attacks and a cattle stampede) are thrilling. And the lead character (Phoebe Titus as portrayed by Ms. Arthur) who uses her wits to build her businesses (and the territory) surely makes this the first post-modern feminist western - years before Johnny Guitar.


Download this out-of-print movie
with the instructions provided here;
the content was not uploaded by me.

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