Charade

Charade (1963) starring Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy. Grant and Hepburn meet, as if by chance, while on holiday in the Alps. When Hepburn returns to Paris, she learns that her husband has been murdered, and that he had stolen $250,000 in gold. Grant arrives in Paris soon afterward and comes to her aid -- or so it seems. Is he a friend, or is he just another thief trying to get his hands on the money? It's practically the very last scene in the movie when we (and Hepburn's character) find out. Truly, this is an excellent movie, mixing suspense, romance and comedy and thoroughly entertaining the audience. (English subtitles for the hearing-impaired are available, but can only be accessed by using the Subtitle key on the remote control.) Grade: A  

And Then There Were None

And Then There Were None (1945) starring Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward. A group of eight people are lured to an isolated island, where they stay in a mansion and are killed off one by one. Based on an Agatha Christie story, this is a pretty good mystery. There's only one problem with this disc. It has no subtitles of any kind, nor does it have closed captions. Makes it pretty rough to watch for the hearing-impaired. Grade: F 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Ida Lupino, Alan Marshal, George Zucco. Holmes' (Rathbone) arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty (Zucco), concocts a convoluted crime to distract Holmes from his real aim, to steal the crown jewels. Despite Moriarty's brilliant plan, Holmes catches on (of course). But the movie is stylishly carried off, with Watson (Bruce) being the object of fun more than once. For 1939, this is a pretty good mystery with lots of atmosphere and a dearth of red herrings. Not bad. (Subtitles in English are included, although closed captions are not.) Grade: B  

Agnes of God

Agnes of God (1985) starring Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, Meg Tilly. A young nun (Tilly) gives birth to a baby in the convent and then, apparently, murders the baby. A court-appointed psychiatrist (Fonda) is sympathetic, but finds no easy answers. Based on a stage play, the film is only partially satisfying, leaving many questions unanswered. Still, three strong performances from the lead actresses make this a movie worth viewing. (English subtitles are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B

After the Thin Man

After the Thin Man (1936) starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart. Sequel to the first Thin Man movie has Nick and Nora Charles (Powell and Loy) journeying to San Francisco, determined to put detective work behind them. But it is not to be as a murder occurs right in their own circle and Nick is called on to solve it. The murder mystery is really just a backdrop for "snappy chatter" between Nick and Nora and the rest of the cast, but it has lost some of its snap in the last 75 years and is only mildly amusing. This is a fairly diverting movie, but nothing to write home about. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B 

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Richard Greene, Wendy Barrie, Lionel Atwill, John Carradine. Sherlock Holmes (Rathbone) investigates a murder on the moor. When an old family legend is revealed (the Hound of the Baskervilles), Holmes is not fooled, and uses his deductive powers to catch the murderer. It's a very atmospheric movie, with lots of mist and howling by the hound. Oddly enough, Rathbone has little actual screen time. Mostly Holmes is in London while Watson (Bruce) is on the moor acting as his eyes and ears. This is not a great film, but is notable for being the first pairing of Rathbone and Bruce as Holmes and Watson in a Sherlock Holmes mystery. (Subtitles in English are available, but not closed captions.) Grade: B  

The Woman in Green

The Woman in Green (1945) starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke, Henry Daniell. Sherlock Holmes (Rathbone) faces off against Professor Moriarty (Daniell) and his female ally (Brooke), who have concocted a scheme which involves hypnotism, blackmail and murder. It's a rather well made movie, but the sticking point for me was the hypnotism aspect, which I found totally hokey. And why the movie is called The Woman in Green makes no sense, since the film is in black and white and no reference is ever made to the color of anyone's clothes. I'm not an aficionado of Holmes movies, but this one definitely falls short. (Subtitles in English are available for the hearing-impaired.) Grade: B-  

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) starring Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Scott Jacoby. Foster stars as a thirteen-year-old named Rynn who lives, apparently, alone in a house in a small town. Sheen plays a surprisingly creepy role as Mr. Hallet, the son of Rynn's landlord -- a young man who takes an overly personal interest in the girl who rents from his mother. What has happened to Rynn's parents, and can Rynn really take care of herself? This is a quirky little film that offers plenty of rewards. Very entertaining. Foster, as always, is very good. (English subtitles and closed captions are both available.) Grade: B+  

Nobody Else But You

Nobody Else But You (2011) starring Jean-Paul Rouve, Sophie Quinton. A local beauty's death is ruled suicide, but detective writer Rousseau (Rouve) suspects a possible homicide. When he starts investigating, he finds his own life in danger. My biggest problem with this movie is that it is in French, and the subtitles are at times impossible to read because they are white against a white background. At any rate, I was not able to become immersed in this film, and my enjoyment of it was vastly reduced. (In French, with English subtitles.) Grade: C

Vertigo

Vertigo (1958) starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Stewart stars as a retired San Francisco police detective who suffers from a severe fear of heights. He is hired by an old friend to spy on the friend's wife, and of course ends up falling in love with her -- and she with him. This is one of Hitchcock's most twisty-turny thriller-mysteries, and has been beautifully restored. I won't give away any more of the  plot, but I definitely recommend this film. (Subtitles for the hearing-impaired are provided, but not closed captions.) Grade: A-

The Thin Man

The Thin Man (1934) starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan. Nick and Nora Charles (Powell and Loy) get involved in a murder case, but they don't allow the investigation to come between them and their drinking. This was the first in a highly successful series of movies teaming up Powell and Loy, and it features some snappy dialogue and comedy along with the mystery, which is actually of secondary interest. (English subtitles are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara. This version was pretty good, but I liked the Swedish version better; and I liked the book better than that. Good subtitles. Grade: B+

Shadow of a Doubt

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) starring Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Young Charlie (Wright) becomes suspicious when her Uncle Charlie (Cotten) comes to town to visit. (Yes, they're both named Charlie.) Could her beloved Uncle Charlie be the Merry Widow Killer, a serial killer sought by authorities from back East? Turns out he could. This movie has little in the way of suspense, and it's not very convincing the way young Charlie turns against her uncle and seems to have no regrets. Then again, he does try to kill her. I found the acting performances winning -- all except for Cotten, whose role seemed a bit over-written. Still, Hitchcock can always make a movie interesting. This one had the usual good photography and macabre touches. The disc offers subtitles for the hearing impaired, although they are a little hard to read. There are no closed captions. Grade: B

Sea of Love

Sea of Love (1989) starring Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman. Pacino plays a Manhattan detective named Frank Keller with his 20 years in who catches a case of a serial killer. The twist: The killer is a woman who meets her victims through the singles ads, and kills them while a 45-rpm record of "Sea of Love" plays on the turntable. Barkin plays the chief suspect, Helen, and Goodman is a detective who gets teamed up with Pacino on the investigation. Trouble arises when Frank falls in lust with Helen. This is a real thriller with enough twists thrown in to keep any viewer involved. The whole cast does a fine job with their acting assignments, and Pacino and Barkin have great chemistry on screen. The only problem I had with the movie was the ending, which I felt didn't quite follow from what went before. But it wasn't enough to spoil my enjoyment of the movie. The subtitles that come with the disc are unobtrusive. Closed captions are not offered. Grade: A-

Scoop

Scoop (2006) starring Woody Allen, Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Ian McShane. Written and directed by Woody Allen. A recently deceased reporter (McShane) comes back as a ghost to tell college journalism student Sondra Pransky (Johansson) about a serial killer. She recruits a magician who calls himself the Great Splendini (Allen) to help her pursue the suspected killer, Peter Lyman (Jackman). Naturally, Sondra falls in love with Peter, and someone else soon confesses to the serial killings. But -- the plot thickens. This movie is pretty typical Woody Allen fare from recent years. There are a few funny moments, but the plot has holes you could drive a truck through, and it's generally only mildly satisfying fare. It seems mainly designed as a vehicle for Johansson, who Allen clearly has a thing for, but no harm is done. The subtitles included with the movie are pretty good. Grade: B

The Scarlet Claw

The Scarlet Claw (1944) starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce. Sherlock Holmes (Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Bruce) investigate a mysterious murder in a French-Canadian village. The killing is preceded by a lot of supernatural mumbo-jumbo which Holmes, of course, doesn't buy. The famous detective is, however, surprisingly quick to employ a gun when he spies a suspect in the fog. Much to my disappointment, Holmes does not wear a deerstalker hat. The subtitles are at best adequate, with frequent misspellings and mistakes in grammar. Closed captions are not available. Grade: B

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (DVD)

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) starring Robert Stephens, Colin Blakeley, Genevieve Page. Directed by Billy Wilder. Sherlock Holmes (Stephens) shoots cocaine when he becomes bored between cases, and is very tight-lipped about his relationships with women. Women, he says, are "wholly unreliable, and not to be trusted." But that doesn't stop him from taking the case of a Madame Valladon (Page), from Belgium. She shows up at his door one night, and claims to have forgotten who she is and how she got there. Holmes and Watson (Blakeley) end up traveling with her to Scotland to try to solve the mystery of her identity and her missing husband. The mystery ends up involving Holmes' brother Mycroft, the Loch Ness Monster, and German spies. It all adds up to a mildly diverting entertainment. The subtitles are good. Grade: B

Murder Ahoy (DVD)

Murder Ahoy (1964) starring Margaret Rutherford, Lionel Jefferies. Miss Marple (Rutherford) investigates murder aboard a training ship. Based on the books by Agatha Christie. It's all rather silly, and I found myself marveling that anyone thought it was worth making a movie about. The subtitles are barely adequate. Grade: C+