The Garden of Allah (1936)

 

The star-crossed desert romance of a cloistered woman and a renegade monk. 

Star-cast melodrama in an Oriental setting is slow-going, and the romance is quite absurd, but it's all photographed in glorious color and beautiful settings.

Halliwell**: "Arty old-fashioned romantic star vehicle; great to look at, and marking a genuine advance in colour photography, but dramatically a bit of a drag."

Maltin**: "Flagrantly silly romance...full of ripe dialogue, beauty shots of Marlene...and some wonderful Technicolor scenery...It just isn't very good." 

The Howling (1981)

After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.

The movie has appeal for genre buffs and offers state-of-the-arte special effects, but basically takes too long to get off and really isn't that horrifying.

Halliwell*: "A plethora of werewolves and a glut of in-jokes pale beside a gallery of convincing and horrifying special effects."

Maltin***: "A hip, well-made horror film, brimming with film-buff jokes...and Rob Bottin's amazing wolf transformations. Only complaint: Why set the horror against such a patently bizarre backdrop?"

Evils of the Night (1985)

Sex-hungry teens are kidnapped by auto mechanics, who take them to a rural hospital run by aliens who need their blood as the key to their own longevity.

Ali Baba Goes to Town (1937)

Shock Waves (1977)

Visitors to a remote island discover that a reclusive Nazi commandant has been breeding a group of Zombie soldiers.

Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967)

Country singers on their way to Nashville have car trouble, forcing them to stop at an old haunted mansion.

John Carradine

Satan's Cheerleaders (1977)

The janitor at a local high school is actually the scout for a coven of Satanists on the lookout for a virgin to sacrifice.

Hell's Bloody Devils (1970)

A government agent tries to break a Neo-Fascist group in California.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed.

Much-loved classic Western with a dream cast that leisurely spins a tale self-reflecting the genre and its political implications.

Halliwell***: "Clumsy, obvious Western with the director over-indulging himself but providing some good scenes in comedy vein."

Maltin****: "Panned and patronized upon original release, but now regarded as an American classic; one of the great Westerns."

Johnny Guitar (1954)

A strong-willed female saloon owner is wrongly suspected of murder and bank robbery by a lynch mob, when she helps a wounded gang member.

Fascinating no holds barred Western with the two female leads calling the cards in a confrontation overheated with an otherwordly hatred.

Halliwell*: "Weird Freudian Western notable for a running catfight between its lady protagonists; the title character is decidedly secondary. Not exactly a good movie, butmemorable because it's almost always over the top."

Maltin***1/2: "The screen's great kinky Western...Simply fascinating with symbolism rampant throughout."

Man Hunt (1941)

A British hunter vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gun sight, but he is captured, beaten, left for dead, and escapes back to London where he is hounded by German agents and aided by a young woman.

Les Misérables (1935)

In early 19th Century France an ex-convict who failed to report to parole is relentlessly pursued over a 20 year period by an obsessive policeman.

Nearly perfect Hollywood adaptation of the classic novel, fast-paced and straightforward, with excellence in all departments, especially cast, photography and settings.

Halliwell****: "Solid, telling, intelligent version of a much-filmed classic novel; in adaptation and performance it is hard to see how this film could be bettered."

Maltin***1/2: "Meticulous production..."