The Ox-Bow Incident (DVD)

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) starring Henry Fonda, Harry Morgan, Frank Conroy, Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn. Well told story of a lynch mob in the old West, pursuing three men who have the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Only a few in the mob (including Fonda) have the courage to stand up to the majority and oppose a hanging without a trial. The story is very economically told in 75 minutes. The subtitles are pretty good. Grade: A

The Pajama Game (DVD)

The Pajama Game (1957) starring Doris Day, John Raitt. Old-fashioned musical has its charms, but the disc fails to deliver since it has no subtitles, not even closed captions. Furthermore, the DVD is not indexed -- you can't stop it to take a break and return to the spot where you stopped. This is a disc of the very poorest quality. Grade: F

Over the Edge (DVD)

Over the Edge (1979) starring Michael Kramer, Pamela Ludwig, Matt Dillon, Vincent Spano. Disaffected teenagers plus incompetent cops adds up to trouble in this distinctly period drama. Alcohol and drugs flow freely for these kids -- and then one of them turns up with a gun. You just know no good can come of that. When all the parents meet at the high school "cafetorium" to discuss the problem, the kids' reaction is unexpectedly violent and chaotic. Unfortunately, the movie has a kind of cartoonish apocalypse for a climax. Not the most effective ending, although the film's prologue claims it's based on actual events. Good subtitles. Grade: B-

Owning Mahowny (DVD)

Owning Mahowny (2003) starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Maury Chaykin, John Hurt. Dan Mahowny (Hoffman) is a successful bank manager who also happens to be a compulsive gambler. When he wins a large account at the bank, he starts embezzling big chunks of money (starting with $100,000) to support his gambling habit. His supportive and loyal girlfriend Belinda (Driver) has figured out that he has a problem, but she doesn't know how deep in it he is. Meanwhile, the police have a wiretap on Mahowny's bookie. The movie is made more interesting by the fact that it is based on true events, although Mahowny's name has probably been changed. The disc has absolutely no subtitles, but is saved by the closed captions, which are quite good. Grade: A-

Out of the Past (DVD)

Out of the Past (1947) starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming. Mitchum plays a former private detective who is trying to escape his past. Greer fills the femme fatale role as Kathie, the dame who keeps pulling him back into danger -- and who has a bad habit of shooting men who get in her way. The dialogue is snappy and the action is pretty much non-stop -- and everybody, especially Mitchum, drinks freely and smokes like a chimney. The plot of this movie is really a little too complicated to be enjoyed, but it makes up for it with atmosphere. It's the quintessential noir for film students. The subtitles are good. Grade: B

East of Eden (DVD)

East of Eden (1955) starring James Dean, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Jo Van Fleet, Burl Ives. Dean plays Cal, "bad" son to his father Adam (Massey), in this drama set in 1917 in California. When Adam loses all his money in a scheme to sell refrigerated lettuce, Cal resolves to earn the money back by raising beans to sell in the coming war. Meanwhile, Cal and his brother, Aron, compete for the love of a young woman (Harris) -- and for the love of their father. Cal uncovers a dark family secret, which sets the plot in motion. The obvious parallel is to the biblical story of Cain and Abel. The film, based on a John Steinbeck novel, packs a real emotional punch. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and won one (Supporting Actress for Van Fleet). The subtitles are good. Grade: A

Avatar (DVD)

Avatar (2009) starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez. Written and directed by James Cameron. Evil, corporate humans and their military minions try to destroy the natives on the alien moon Pandora -- all to get at a big deposit of a valuable mineral called unobtanium. A human wearing an alien body (Worthington) turns out to be the fly in the ointment when he falls in love with the Na'vi people and with one female named Neytiri (Saldana) in particular. There are many elements in Avatar that are derivative, but it's still a big thrill-ride of a movie, and I can only imagine what it must have been like to see it in 3D. The special effects are phenomenal. The subtitles are excellent. Grade: A-

Crazy Heart (DVD)

Crazy Heart (2009) starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall. Bridges stars as a washed-up, alcoholic country music star named Bad Blake, who has been reduced to playing bowling alleys and bars in small towns to make ends meet. Gyllenhaal plays Jean, a small-town journalist who interviews him -- and sleeps with him. Blake sees a chance for salvation in Jean, who cares about him; but when he is entrusted with the care of her young son, Buddy, he pulls the boneheaded move of stopping for a drink and losing the boy. This film isn't a tragedy, of course -- nothing bad happens to Buddy. But after that point the movie just kind of fizzles out. It's still interesting, but it lacks some sort of creative spark that would make it really shine. Bridges did win a Best Actor Oscar for his performance, but that's about the only reason to see the movie. The subtitles are very good. Grade: B

The Blind Side (DVD)

The Blind Side (2009) starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Kathy Bates. Bullock won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance as Leigh Anne Tuohy, an affluent Memphis mom who takes a homeless African American teen under her wing. The teen in question is Michael Oher (Aaron), who goes on to become a football player in the NFL. It's a pretty entertaining movie. The subtitles are OK. Grade: B+

The Messenger (DVD)

The Messenger (2009) starring Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone. The Messenger is an intense, emotionally charged movie about two soldiers (Harrelson and Foster) who are assigned notification duty. It is their job to inform the next of kin of fallen comrades who have been killed in the line of duty. It's a tough job, and it takes an emotional toll on the pair. This is a somber film, but an oddly upbeat one, especially towards the end. Morton and Malone provide the romantic interests. The subtitles are very good. Grade: B+

Our Town (DVD)

Our Town (1940) starring William Holden, Martha Scott. Based on Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. The picture is of poor quality, the sound is muddy, and there are no subtitles for the hearing-impaired -- not even closed captions. Grade: F

Orlando (DVD)

Orlando (1993) starring Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane. Swinton plays the title character, who lives for 400 years, first as an English nobleman, then as a woman. That's right, he/she changes sex halfway through the film. And there's no real mechanism for the change, it just happens one day. This movie is a real oddity, and if you like that sort of thing, it might be for you. The subtitles are fine. Grade: B-

Ordinary People (DVD)

Ordinary People (1980) starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton, M. Emmet Walsh, Elizabeth McGovern. Directed by Robert Redford. Now thirty years old, this movie has lost none of its power to move me. The conflict is timeless, as an American middle-class family struggles to deal with the death of one of two sons. The surviving son (Hutton) has to overcome feelings of guilt about living through the boating accident that killed his brother. His father (Sutherland) worries about him, and his mother (Moore) resents him. The film won four well-deserved Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The acting is good all around. It's McGovern's screen debut. The subtitles are quite good. Grade: A

The Hurt Locker (DVD)

The Hurt Locker (2008) starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Guy Pearce. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. This is another of those annoying rental DVDs that force you to sit through ten or 15 minutes of previews before you can access the movie. When you press the "menu" button, you get a little symbol in the top right corner of the picture that says "ah-ah-ah, you can't do that." It's extremely aggravating. ... In "The Hurt Locker," an Army bomb disposal squad in Iraq struggles with the conditions of the war and with each other. The movie captures the chaos of war as the men count down the days until they can go home. The film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. But overall, it left me feeling dissatisfied. The subtitles are good. Grade: B

Ordet (DVD)

Ordet (1955) starring Henrik Malberg, Emil Hass Christensen, Cay Kristiansen, Preben Lerdorff Rye. Danish film set in 1925 about two families with differing religious beliefs, who must deal with the love between two of their children. Even though both families are Christian, they believe in different flavors of Christianity. When one father turns down an offer of marriage for his daughter, the other father comes to his house to argue with him about theology. Every crisis is discussed in terms of faith. The ending is quite a surprise. This film won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film in 1956. The subtitles are ... necessary. Grade: B

Operation Petticoat (DVD)

Operation Petticoat (1959) starring Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Dina Merrill. Grant stars as the World War II captain of a crippled submarine who is determined to make it seaworthy again. Curtis plays his "creative" supply officer. Unfortunately, this DVD has no subtitles for the hearing-impaired, not even closed captions. What a shame. Grade: F

The Sound of Music (DVD)

The Sound of Music (1965) starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Peggy Wood. Utterly captivating fictionalization of the story of the true-life von Trapp family, who fled Austria in 1938 to escape the Nazis. The whole movie is buoyed by the infectious charm and lovely voice of Andrews, who stars as Maria, the postulant who fails as a nun and becomes the governess for the von Trapp children. The songs are practically all winners, and some have gone on to become standards. While the real story of the von Trapp family has been altered and sanitized for dramatic effect, the movie is nevertheless a grand entertainment. It won five Oscars, including Best Picture. The subtitles are very good. Grade: A-

On the Waterfront (DVD)

On the Waterfront (1954) starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, Eva Marie Saint. The Longshoreman's Union is dominated by the mob in New York. Terry Malloy (Brando), a has-been boxer, works on the docks and becomes involved in the murder of a "cheese eater." When he becomes involved with the victim's sister (Saint), he begins to have a change of heart. The film won eight Oscars, including Best Picture. The subtitles are excellent. Grade: A

On the Town (DVD)

On the Town (1949) starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Vera-Ellen, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller. Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. Musical in which three sailors have 24 hours to explore New York City on shore leave. Their primary goal, of course, is to pick up some good-looking young ladies -- and to break out in song and dance every few minutes. This movie is extremely short on plot, long on music and choreography -- but it's surprisingly entertaining. Highlight is rousing "New York, New York." Unfortunately, the last 10 or 15 minutes devolve into silliness. The subtitles are very good. Grade: B

On the Beach (DVD)

On the Beach (1959) starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins. Directed by Stanley Kramer. American submarine, captained by Dwight Towers (Peck), docks in Australia in the aftermath of a nuclear war. Australia has been spared from the bombs, but a radioactive cloud is believed to be five months away. Gardner plays Moira, Captain Towers' love interest. Astaire plays Julian, a scientist who wrestles with guilt, and Perkins plays a young Navy lieutenant who's worried about what to do when the end nears. Everyone deals with the end of the world in his or her own way. Some go mad, some turn to religion, some commit suicide. The movie gets a little preachy toward the end, but still puts in a good effort in dealing with a somber subject. No subtitles, but does have closed captions. Grade: B+

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (DVD)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) starring George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas. Lazenby takes over the role of James Bond, Agent 007, for one film. Some 007 fans are said to believe that this is the best of the Bond films, but I can't see it. It's mostly chase scenes, sometimes in cars, sometimes on skis, and ultimately in bobsleds. The script is bland and so is Lazenby. The DVD has no subtitles, except for closed captions, which are adequate. Grade: C

One, Two, Three (DVD)

One, Two, Three (1961) starring James Cagney, Arlene Francis, Horst Buchholtz, Pamela Tiffin. Directed by Billy Wilder. Dumb Cold-War comedy has Cagney playing a Coca-Cola executive in 1961 in West Berlin. Assigned to baby-sit his boss' wild 17-year-old daughter (Tiffin), he is dismayed to discover she has secretly married an East Berlin Communist (Buchholtz). Some of the situations and jokes are good for a smile or a chuckle, but basically the whole thing seems awfully dated. Cagney, born in 1899, seems a little old for his role, and I don't find him especially funny. The subtitles are very good. Grade: C+

Blood Simple (DVD)

Blood Simple (1984) starring John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, Samm-Art Williams, M. Emmet Walsh. Directed by Joel Coen. Cuckolded bar owner Marty (Hedaya) hires slimy private eye Loren (Walsh) to kill his wife Abby (McDormand) and her lover Ray (Getz). And that's in the first 20 minutes. From that point on the movie takes numerous bizarre twists and turns, some of which knocked me out, others of which left me confused. I've seen this movie before, and I seem to remember it as being better than this. The final showdown between Abby and Loren is still great, though. This film marks McDormand's cinema debut. The subtitles are a big help. Grade: B+

Out of Sight (DVD)

Out of Sight (1998) starring George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez. Bank robber Jack Foley (Clooney) and federal marshal Karen Sisco (Lopez) meet in the trunk of a getaway car. Although they are on opposite sides of the law, there is no denying that there is a mutual attraction between them. They are soon separated by circumstances, but they keep running into each other -- since she is part of the FBI task force pursuing him. The film ends as it has to end, but I found the denouement a little disappointing. Good subtitles for the hearing-impaired. Grade: B