The Valley of Gwangi

The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Jim O'Connolly

Starring: James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith, Frida Jackson

From: Warner Bros. 

“A Western featuring dinosaurs” will immediately capture my attention; so will “effects from Ray Harryhausen.” Ultimately, it was a Twitter post from a few months ago that praised the film & its aesthetics-especially the finale-which made me happy that TCM recently played Gwangi-the DVR was used.

The setting: “South of the Rio Grande, at the turn of the century.” James Franciscus-named TUCK KIRBY-literally rides into town; he works for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The town has its own stunt show and Kirby’s ex naturally is a participant. Hidden away is a tiny horse from the prehistoric era; I mean “tiny” as in “the size of a small dog.” They and other colorful characters (including some stereotypes that were known then as Gypsies but I know they prefer the term “Romani” instead) discover that a valley is full of dinosaurs-the spotlight dino is the titular Gwangi… NOT a T-Rex as is the common misconception but rather an Allosaurus. That is captured & this turns out as well as you’d expect.

The first half establishes the characters & setting; the second half is when the dino action occurs, and it’s a blast due to the always-incredible stop-motion effects from Harryhausen. The movie is reminiscent of better efforts from the past, chiefly King Kong. That is appropriate; Ray’s mentor Willis O’Brien (who of course created the effects for Kong) wanted to make Gwangi for years but he passed away. His protégé provided the stop-motion instead.

Are there better Harryhausen movies? Indeed. That does not mean that The Valley of Gwangi isn’t a fun time nor is there a lack of fun to be had from Gwangi vs. an old elephant or Gwangi being lassoed by multiple cowboys on horses. This likely entertained audiences in ’69 & thankfully entertained me as a wacky B-movie in 2026.

 

Rain

Rain (1932)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: Lewis Milestone

Starring: Joan Crawford, Walter Huston, Matt Moore, Guy Kibbee, Beulah Bondi

From: United Artists 

It’s been over a month since I’ve seen any Pre-Code movies from the 30’s, and quite awhile since one that chiefly was a drama. Rain was DVR’ed from a recent TCM showing; the cast and premise intrigued-this was the right choice to DVR, especially knowing that the channel used the new restoration print of the movie. Concerning Joan Crawford, those Mommie Dearest rumors are just that to me, allegations from a source that apparently is unreliable.

I was happy to see her play a fiery prostitute-whose opening scene was legendary-stuck w/ others in Pago Pago (the capital of what is now American Samoa); their ship was grounded due to fears of cholera. She eventually falls under the spell of a charismatic missionary portrayed by Walter Huston. He offers salvation but his Alfred Davidson represents the worst, the most devious stereotypes of religion. He schemes to control her and is overall a bad human being, who does a vile act late in the movie. His religious zealotry was a mask, a façade that hid his most base instincts.

It was easy to loathe Alfred Davidson, while it was easy to feel sympathy for Crawford’s Sadie Thompson & how she was manipulated due to her past and insecurities. The film features acres of interesting dialogue in a suffocating atmosphere-the film accurately portrays American Samoa as an area of constant precipitation; that detail is not just for metaphor purposes-shot well by director Lewis Milestone and cinematographer Oliver T. Marsh. Sound is key; the rain and native drums heard in the final act are great when the two leads have an important conversation w/ each other then he is impassioned & performs that vile act.

The cast delivered, whether familiar to me or not; it is always nice seeing Beulah Bondi & Guy Kibbee. This was a very interesting, compelling drama concerning religious hypocrisy-the type of movie you only could have witnessed in the Pre-Code era. One wild moment occurred in the final act-Kibbie’s character was a favorite, and not just because he had a fuller-figured Samoan wife and ran the town’s bar. A brief scene showed him reading aloud passages from a book written by Nietzsche. He goes outside on the porch during a rainfall-disappearing from camera view-but it definitely sounded like he… urinated! It would explain the telltale sigh he made.

I should never be surprised by the wild moments that are discovered in Pre-Code cinema.

The International

The International (2009)

Runtime: 118 minutes

Directed by: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Ulrich Thomsen, Brian F. O'Byrne

From: Columbia/Relativity Media

I shouldn’t have listened to the naysayers & watched The International much sooner. Ever since its release 17 (!) years ago, plenty of static has been heard over the movie having one great scene-and it was a great action scene-but the rest was a “dull” thriller that was flawed. Yes, International has its flaws & that one segment eclipses everything else—I was still enthralled with the movie.

Interpol agent Clive Owen & assistant New York DA Naomi Watts investigate a European bank based in Luxembourg that engages in many shady activities (money laundering, arms trading, and the like) but are untouchable due to their connections. The movie is methodically paced as the villains use clandestine activities to silence whistleblowers while the heroes use various tricks to track down associates of the evil bastards at the bank. The film doesn’t have much action aside from the one big scene (a famous NYC building that was recreated in Germany for the film) but there’s plenty of intrigue and thrilling moments.

As an aside, the film has a nice cast; Owen and Watts are both actors I still haven’t seen enough of. There are also some That Guy actors who have familiar faces. In addition, Armin Mueller-Stahl is still alive at the age of 95-I definitely haven’t seen enough of his work but that’s an issue I’d like to fix. I’ll give him props while he’s still alive-he and Owen had the best non-action scene and it was simply them having a serious conversation w/ each other.

Now, there are regrets that the movie wasn’t watched theatrically way back when-or at least sometime at home before last night. A film like this w/ a methodical pace that was nicely-done by director Tom Tykwer that had a nice score and shot in various locations across Europe (including a far better usage of Istanbul’s rooftops than the foolishness Taken 2 presented!-this is my sort of jam that aligns well w/ my tastes, even with valid criticisms that can be made, such as the decreasing presence of Watts & her character in the back half of the picture.

Thankfully there are resources I can use to find similar movies that should be viewed one day by myself.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: John Hughes

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Jeffrey Jones, Jennifer Grey

From: Paramount

Getting to see this film on the big screen was a delight. Yeah, I’ve viewed Ferris Bueller’s Day Off before-as a kid, meaning “decades ago” by this point. I was happy that several cinema chains are playing the film once a day for the upcoming week; this beats the pants off of the modern “comedies” that are releasing soon, at least judging by the trailers that played beforehand-more on that at the end.

Of course, for years I’ve known the belief that some find Bueller to be a “sociopath” or a similar negative presence who causes havoc & is annoying, especially to his hypochondriac friend Cameron. Yes, he’s a slacker teen who has a truancy problem & I do get why his sister and even his Principal-Ed Rooney-would be irritated by his antics.

Yet, character growth occurs and Ferris matures as he engages in those wacky antics in Chicago; more importantly, throughout the film you see that not only does he care about his girlfriend Sloane, he especially cares for Cameron & is willing to take the rap for him after a bad moment occurs in the final act. Likewise, Cameron matures and decides to be more assertive in his personal life.

The film is still quite funny 40 years after the fact; the lead trio are amusing as they engage in their antics across Chicago-everywhere from Wrigley Field to the Art Museum. Ferris & his constant 4th wall breaking as if he was Bugs Bunny-to steal a line from elsewhere-helped make this feel fresh even in 2026. Rooney made for a great foil; Jeffrey Jones is IRL a bad person-don’t ask me to explain why if you don’t know-but he was a highlight. Even the small parts from the likes of Ben Stein and Edie McClurg were unforgettable themselves, for different reasons.

As someone who lived about an hour and a half Northwest of Chicago in the 80’s and 90’s during my childhood, it was a delight to hear the music of that period and see the Chicago of 1985. Even now, several lines of dialogue and moments are iconic, including the unforgettable parade dance number done to a Beatles song. The film made me realize that John Hughes is still missed.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off looks even better compared to the modern “comedy” trailers that played beforehand. I Swear is award-winning & finally will play in the United States soon. Guy Ritchie’s new movie I hope will be fine, although the trailer didn’t entirely convince me. Otherwise, it was various degrees of atrocious, the nadir was something that looked like a bad Tubi film! It was a spoof film starring RuPaul & several other drag performers.

I hate to state that it probably made something like Epic Movie look tolerable, but a huge issue was that it undoubtedly was the worst trailer I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t just unprofessional and something that was worse than what one of us could have made… I don’t believe the trailer ever showed or stated what the TITLE OF THE MOVIE WAS! I swear this is true. No wonder I never view modern “comedies.”

Hickey & Boggs

Hickey & Boggs (1972)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Robert Culp

Starring: Culp, Bill Cosby, Rosalind Cash, Vincent Gardenia, Carmen

From: United Artists

Finally, I checked out a movie that’s been on my figurative watchlist for years. As it’s a 70’s crime drama involving private investigators, there shouldn’t have been this long a delay, even if the lead is… ahem, Bill Cosby. Even with him, I can separate the art from the artist.

He and Robert Culp (who also directed) are Los Angeles private eyes who investigate the case of a missing woman, which of course is far more complicated than it first appears. A recent mutual on Letterboxd could write about this far better than I, but the script (from Walter Hill!) wasn’t written to have the pair be Black and white.

Cosby’s character was the focus, and it was refreshing for an early 70’s movie for him to not be presented differently due to skin color. He was an average Joe (or Al, in this case) who smoked stogies, ate chili dogs, had a fractured relationship w/ his girl-the same as his partner-and was an equal. There’s also a subplot involving a Black Power group; in addition, there are several “Chicanos,” to use the nomenclature present in the end credits.

I never saw the 60’s show I Spy-starring the two leads of this film-even in reruns as a little kid in the 80’s yet I understand the show was light in tone-in contrast, Hickey & Boggs was gritty and dark at times. Hill’s script was naturally changed for the film and he wasn’t entirely satisfied. Me, I enjoyed the movie for what it was.

There’s scenic SoCal locations, the usage of two iconic sporting venues (LA Memorial Coliseum, Dodger Stadium), shootouts, familiar faces in supporting parts-everyone from Isabel Sanford and Rosalind Cash to (briefly) Ed Lauter and James Woods-speaking of separating the art from the artist. If Cosby isn’t a deterrent to you watching the film, you’ll see that he did a rather good job in a dramatic role where he had to be mean & looking for revenge in the final act after a calamitous moment. Otherwise, this is the sort of 70’s movie I dig and should have tackled years ago.

Shanghai Surprise

Shanghai Surprise (1986)

Runtime: 97 excruciating minutes

Directed by: Jim Goddard

Starring: Sean Penn, Madonna, and other actors who presumably were embarrassed to appear in this trash

From: MGM/HandMade Films

A movie I’ve actually seen before… but will never view again. A mutual’s recent review of the film reminded me that this was seen long before joining Letterboxd. If nothing else, checking out a crummy film at least once in awhile adds variety plus possibly will be entertaining for those that like bad motion pictures being roasted.

This film is indeed bad, a de facto honeymoon for then-newlyweds Madonna & Sean Penn in Hong Kong where they weren’t the right choices for the parts of a 30’s-style adventure where Penn was a con-man (who looked like he hadn’t slept for about a week during his opening scene… which might have been method acting) who teamed up w/ missionary (!) Madonna in a wacky tale involving opium… but the details aren’t important. 

Penn was trolled to constantly lash out at paparazzi and they both acted like Ugly Americans; the production was a disaster for this and many other reasons. The current most popular review for the film on Letterboxd is from a Mr. Mark Cunliffe; he explained the problems quite well, based on a book about HandMade Films, the production company co-founded by George Harrison & Denis O’Brien. Those echoed the stories I heard about this film elsewhere. Penn was the keystone reason why this production turned sour. His review explains why quite well. 

The plot is an incoherent mess and perhaps it isn’t a surprise that the leads did not stay married given their lack of chemistry on-screen. Yes, I do know the horrifying allegations concerning Penn’s behavior towards his then-wife… Lord I hope they aren’t true but who knows. He wasn’t committed to this role and while Madonna isn’t always poor as an actress, she was out of her element here, & definitely not helped by her listening to her husband rather than director Jim Goddard-a veteran British TV director-when it came to acting tips & characterization. 

This is not all terrible; Maurice Binder styled the opening credits, the production design was fine and George Harrison sang a few new songs. Unfortunately, judging by their lyrics alone, I can only assume Harrison was high on opium when he wrote them! I hate to bash an ex-Beatle but My Sweet Lord and What is Life, those tunes weren’t. Then again, perhaps I shouldn’t be so harsh; the nightmare of this production caused him to increasingly become involved and started the riff w/ O’Brien that ended their reign at the company & caused it to be subsequently owned by some random entities for a few more decades, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels by far the sterling moment there.

Point is, Shanghai Surprise is another flick where the behind-the-scenes brouhaha is far more enthralling than what appeared on screen. Not even the presence of familiar faces in supporting roles-Professor Toru Tanaka, Victor Wong, Clyde Kusatsu, Paul Freeman, Richard Griffiths-could alleviate the pain, the confusion of this motion picture. Shanghai Surprise can be skipped by even bad movie fans—IMO, this disaster is a miserable sort of putrid rather than a funny putrid experience.

The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism

The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel) (1967)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Harald Reinl

Starring: Lex Barker, Karin Dor, Christopher Lee, Carl Lange, Christiane Rucker

From: Constantin Film

Yes, I watched this movie as it’s called The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism. This West German production I’ve known of for years; nevermind how, but I found a copy 83-minutes long rather than the 80-minute cut that is usually found on platforms like YouTube. The plot is loosely based on The Pit and the Pendulum.

In 18th century Germany, Count Regula (Christopher Lee!) murdered 12 maidens in a failed attempt to achieve immortality; he’s captured, then drawn and quartered. Around 35 years later, Regula resurrects to seek vengeance on the children of those responsible for his demise. For those that love the Gothic vibes of 50’s and 60’s horror movies-especially those from Europe-you may be delighted by this also.

There’s fog, buildings in ruins, a charming little village, spooky scenes set at night, creepy images, riders clad in black cloaks on black horses, an old castle that’s an absolute delight, etc. There is also in fact a torture chamber and a pendulum in the castle. This does not rise to the heights of more familiar Gothic favorites yet was still a good time. After the opening, Lee does not resurrect until the final 25 minutes; that was alright w/ me considering the presence of several wacky side characters, along with the leads-Lex Barker and the always-lovely Karin Dor.

While not a must-see, I was happy to have finally tackled this after years on my figurative watchlist. The sets and atmosphere alone made the journey on the horse-drawn carriage worth it.