Movie Review: Scarlet Street (1945) directed by Fritz Lang It’s 1934, well into the Great Depression, but at least Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) has a job. Indeed, there’s a party tonight celebrating his 25th year as a cashier for the J.J. Hogarth (Russell Hicks) upscale menswear concern. In commemoration, the boss presents him with an… Continue reading Movie Review: Scarlet Street
Tag: con artists
Movie Review: The Case of the Lucky Legs
Movie Review: The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935) directed by Archie Mayo Frank Patton (Craig Reynolds) has a pretty neat scam going. He poses as the representative of a major hosiery company who’s come to a small city to hold a “Lucky Legs” beauty contest. Patton gets local businessmen to front all the expenses for… Continue reading Movie Review: The Case of the Lucky Legs
Movie Review: Lady Snowblood
Movie Review: Lady Snowblood (1973) directed by Toshiya Fujita Yuki (Meiko Kaji) was born in prison, the result of her mother Sayo (Miyoko Akaza) seducing multiple guards in order to get pregnant. Sayo’s husband and son had been murdered, and herself raped and tortured, by four criminals as a byproduct of the criminals’ scheme to defraud… Continue reading Movie Review: Lady Snowblood
Book Review: Star Bridge
Book Review: Star Bridge by Jack Williamson and James E. Gunn It is considerable time into the future, and humanity has gone to the stars. At first they crawled out and scattered, because the lightspeed limit meant it took forever to get anywhere interesting and there was no way to establish meaningful ties between worlds.… Continue reading Book Review: Star Bridge
Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957)
Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957) edited by Gideon Marcus As the introduction by Janice L. Newman points out, women have written science fiction all along. The percentage of them getting published at any given time in the magazines and books waxed and waned, but they were always there. In the… Continue reading Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957)
TV Review: The Avengers ’68 Set 5
TV Review: The Avengers ’68 Set 5 In 1961, a new show hit the airwaves in Britain, The Avengers. The main character was Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) whose wife had been murdered. He’s recruited by spy John Steed (Patrick McNee) to be an expert consultant in exchange for help avenging his spouse. After the… Continue reading TV Review: The Avengers ’68 Set 5
Manga Review: The Trial of Kitaro
Manga Review: The Trial of Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki This is the final volume in Drawn & Quarterly’s reprints of selected Gegege no Kitaro stories. The history section wraps up with Mizuki dealing with the pressures of fame by taking a long trip to Rabaul, where he had been stationed in World War Two, and… Continue reading Manga Review: The Trial of Kitaro
Movie Review: The Amazing Mr. X
Movie Review: The Amazing Mr. X (1948) directed by Bernard Vorhaus (aka The Spiritualist) Christine Faber (Lynn Bari) is not dealing well with the death of her husband Paul (Donald Curtis). He died in an automobile accident two years ago, burnt so badly that the corpse was unidentifiable. It seems impossible that he’s really gone, and… Continue reading Movie Review: The Amazing Mr. X
Comic Strip Review: Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon 1948
Comic Strip Review: Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon 1948 by Milton Caniff Prior to World War Two, Milton Caniff’s primary claim to fame had been his popular adventure comic strip, Terry and the Pirates. Due to recurring phlebitis, Mr. Caniff was rejected from military service, and while having his characters joint the war effort, he also… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon 1948
Movie Review: Legend of the Red Dragon
Movie Review: Legend of the Red Dragon (1994) directed by Jing Wong Hung Hei Kwun (Jet Li) and his fellow villagers oppose the oppressive Manchu government. One night, Hung returns from a journey to find that the village has been massacred. As it happens, the only survivor is his toddler son Ting (Miu Tse). Hung allows… Continue reading Movie Review: Legend of the Red Dragon