Watermelon Man (1970)

Jeff Gerber (Godfrey Cambridge) was your average white, middle-class American man. Well, he had his quirks such as his early morning exercise regimen and racing the bus to the bus stop. But other than that he had a good job as an insurance salesman and a happy home life with his wife and kids (including a very young Erin Moran). However one day this all changed when Jeff woke up to find that he was now a black man. At first he thought it was too much sunlamp. But as he and his wife (Estelle Parsons) found out, it was permanent.

Being a Melvin Van Peebles film, this black comedy obviously makes comments on the race issue of United States at the time. It also has a typical Van Pebbles soundtrack that is great but also does include Melvin's singing.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Battletruck (1982)

In the desolate countryside after the Oil Wars, a group of ruthless bandits are outfitted with a massive truck that doesn't back down to anyone. A young woman named Corlie (Annie McEnroe) has just escaped from these outlaws and finds herself at a peaceful community where she hopes to make a new start. Her tranquility doesn't last long however, as the marauders soon show up to destroy the commune and basically make the residents (including John Ratzenberger of "Cheers") their slaves. Corlie escapes and finds refuge with Hunter (Michael Beck of "The Warriors"), a dirt-bike driving, self-sufficient loner. Hunter takes up the challenge to destroy these desperadoes and their Battletruck.

Alternate Titles: Warlords Of The 21st Century

Available: Amazon

Mosquito Squadron (1969)

David McCallum stars as Quint Munroe, a newly appointed British WWII Squadron Leader. He acquired that title after the former leader, his best friend Scotty (David Buck), was shot down by Nazis while they were performing a bombing run trying to knock out V-1 missile ramps in France. 

The new mission for the squadron is a tricky one. They must get a bomb into an underground tunnel where they believe the Germans are developing an even more sinister missile. They have only a short time to practice with the new bouncing bombs to achieve this goal. Things get complicated when the military find out that the Nazis are holding Allied POWs captive in the complex that they plan on destroying.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

The Ring (1927)

This silent film written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock opens at a carnival. A crowd is gathering around a tent where a barker is looking for challengers to fight their boxers. One man spends more of his time making eyes at the ticket booth girl than paying attention to the announcer. When he finds out that she is the girlfriend of "One-Round" Jack Sander (Carl Brisson), he decides to take the challenge and fight him. Unfortunately for Sander, the man is Bob Corby (Ian Hunter), the Australian boxing champion. However, Corby and his promoter give the boxer a chance to become a sparring partner. Sander is excited to finally be fighting professionally but discovers that his girl is spending too much time with Corby. Sanders works hard to move up the ladder so that he can finally get in the ring with Corby and fight to win back his wife.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Deathsport (1978)

This is producer Roger Corman's follow-up to Deathrace 2000. Again, the star is David Carradine. This time he is Kaz Oshay, a Range Guide who has been captured with others like him to partake in the state-run "Deathsport". I guess this is kind of like gladiators fighting to the death, except they ride motorcycles (or as they like to call them in the future "Death Machines").

Kaz escapes with a female Guide (Claudia Jennings) but they are hotly pursued by Ankar Moor (Richard Lynch), a real baddie who was once also a Guide. There are some run-ins with mutants, fights with giant perspex swords, impressive explosions and a bit too much of Kaz's crotch in that loincloth.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

The Wagons Roll At Night (1941)

I was disappointed in this film. I thought a film starring Humphrey Bogart and set in a circus would definitely be worth watching. This is the second time that a potentially good circus film let me down.

Bogart stars as Nick Coster the owner of a circus carnival. While the outfit is doing good, it is not doing great. And some of that blame lays with the drunk lion tamer (Sig Ruman) who cannot stay sober. When one of the lions escapes, young general store employee Matt Varney (Eddie Albert) is able to trap him. Varney then joins the circus, eventually taking over as lion tamer. However, when Varney becomes interested in Nick's sister (Joan Leslie) trouble comes a-calling.

Available: Amazon

Number Seventeen (1935)

This thriller is an early sound film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In fact, there is no sync sound for the first ten minutes or so.

It starts off with a man entering an abandoned house in which he sees shadows. He ends up running into a tramp named Ben (Leon M. Lion) after they both unexpectedly discover a dead body on the landing of the stairs. Soon other people show up (including a woman falling from the ceiling), all seemingly connected to a diamond necklace. When the necklace itself appears, it changes hands many times as the crooks make their escape on a train. But fear not, our hero is in hot pursuit after he hijacks a bus full of people. I'm still a little confused as to who everyone was.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Rasputin, The Mad Monk (1966)

Britain's Hammer Films takes on Russian history with this movie. Christopher Lee stars as the hypnotic madman who worms his way into the Czar's family eventually influencing almost all the decisions the ruler makes.

Rasputin makes a name for himself by magically healing the sick. When driven out of town for having his way with the tavern owner's daughter, he goes to St. Petersburg where he meets the Czarina's lady-in-waiting, Sonia (Barbara Shelley). He can control Sonia with his mind and has her do as he wishes, eventually gaining the trust of the Czarina. However, Sonia's family realize that he is up to no good and make plans to kill him.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Marwencol (2010)

In 2000, Mark Hogancamp was attacked and beaten nearly to death outside of a bar in upstate New York. Though he survived, he had to learn how to do simple things like writing and walking all over again. Even now, he still has brain damage that keeps him on disability.

To cope with all this and as therapy for himself, Mark created a world out of dolls. It is a town called Marwencol and is set during WWII. There are intricate story lines that he conceives and then poses the dolls and photographs them. He has characters that are based on people he knows. And he keeps this all to himself until one day, a photographer discovers him and suggests that he share this universe with the world.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Along Came Jones (1945)

Gary Cooper plays innocent cowpoke Melody Jones who along with his friend George (William Demarest) travel across the countryside. After making a wrong turn at an intersection they end up in Paynesville where the townsfolk mistaken Melody for outlaw Monte Jarrad (Dan Duryea). Jarrad is wanted for robbing the stagecoach and killing a man. Jarrad's girlfriend Cherry (Loretta Young) tries to get the posse to keep believing Melody is Jarrad so that they are thrown off the track, giving Jarrad a chance to escape. However Melody and Cherry end up falling for each other which doesn't sit well with Jarrad.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Scarlet Street (1945)

Edward G. Robinson plays Christopher Cross, a middle-aged banker living and working in New York City. After an anniversary dinner in his honor for 25 years of faithful service, he rescues Kitty (Joan Bennett) from what he thinks is a mugger. In fact, it is her scamming boyfriend Johnny (Dan Duryea). Chris falls for Kitty and she milks him for money thinking that he is a rich artist. However, fortune comes their way when a Greenwich Village art critic sees Chris' paintings and is eager to show them. Kitty takes credit for the works, but Chris doesn't mind until he finds out that Johnny is actively in the picture.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

The Other Guys (2010)

This cop buddy film stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as the losers of the NYPD. To be honest, that is not saying much since all the police are pretty stupid and don't really know what they are doing (including their captain played by Michael Keaton). The duo decide to make a name for themselves and go after a banker (Steve Coogan) who has not applied for the proper building permits. However, they end being involved in something huge after the money man is kidnapped away from them. Seems that he owes a huge amount of money to investors and is planning something big to swindle the money away from someone else.

This movie definitely has its funny moments. There are lots of little clever bits going on. Unfortunately they don't work stuck all together in a movie that seems a bit disjointed and schizophrenic.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Doubting Thomas (1935)

Mrs. Pampinelli (Alison Skipworth), the town matron, is putting on a theater production. However, one of the actresses has just become a widow and she needs a quick replacement. Mrs. Brown (Billie Burke) has acting experience and is more than delighted to take part in the local play. Conveniently her husband, Thomas Brown the sausage king (Will Rogers), is out of town, otherwise he would strictly forbid her to be involved. However he does get wind of the fiasco and concocts a plan to prevent her from pursuing any ideas of an acting career.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

They Made Me A Fugitive (1947)

This is a British film noir that was released in America under the title "I Became A Criminal".

It stars Trevor Howard as Clem Morgan, a former RAF pilot who is basically a good guy but has become bitter. He ends up geting involved with Narcy (Griffith Jones), a gangster that deals in smuggling and the black market. Narcy sets up Morgan by leaving him to take the blame for the death of a policemen by their getaway car. Although Morgan is sentenced to 15 years in prison, he escapes and makes his way back to London to seek revenge and clear his name.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

The Sandpiper (1965)

This movie was directed by Vincente Minnelli and stars Elizabeth Taylor as a free-spirited artist who is raising her illegitimate son on her own. They live in beautiful house on the beach of Big Sur in California. Unfortunately, the local judge doesn't think that the boy is being raised properly and legally requires that he be enrolled in the local religious boarding school. That school is run by Richard Burton and his wife Eva Marie Saint. After only a few short visit's to Taylor's artist's haven, Burton falls in love with her. Of course that is going to cause some problems and not just with his wife and the community, but also Taylor's beatnik friends (which include a young Charles Bronson).

Available: Netflix, Amazon