Friday, October 4, 2013

Streaming The Yellow Balloon (1953) Online

The Yellow Balloon (1953)The Yellow Balloon (1953)iMDB Rating: 7.1
Date Released : 4 October 1953
Genre : Drama
Stars : Andrew Ray, Kathleen Ryan, Kenneth More, Bernard Lee. One of two young boys accidentally falls to his death when playing in a bombed-out London neighborhood. Frankie, the survivor feels guilty about his friend's death. Len, a petty thief who has just killed a pub owner during a botched robbery, learns of the accident. He poses as Frankie's friend and blackmails the boy into stealing from his parents to finance Len's escape. When Len decides that ..." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

One of two young boys accidentally falls to his death when playing in a bombed-out London neighborhood. Frankie, the survivor feels guilty about his friend's death. Len, a petty thief who has just killed a pub owner during a botched robbery, learns of the accident. He poses as Frankie's friend and blackmails the boy into stealing from his parents to finance Len's escape. When Len decides that Frankie may know enough to connect him with the murder, he decides to silence the boy in a tense "hide and seek" chase through the ruins.

Watch The Yellow Balloon Trailer :

Review :

taught thriller set in a bombed out East End

Very fine, taught thriller set in a bombed out East End. Andrew Ray plays the respectable young lad who comes under the spell of a baddie (William Sylvester) and through whose eyes, unfortunately for me, the film is largely seen through. The kid does well enough but as a consequence, the film is on the edge of sentimentality the whole time. That it does avoid lapsing into paper handkerchief mode is due to the sharp direction and atmospheric cinematography, dark black shadows and all. To be fair this is also helped by the most convincing performance from the young lad who at no time goes for the easy options. Sparkling performance from Hy Hazel towards the end.

Watch The Witch (1952) Online

The Witch (1952)The Witch (1952)iMDB Rating: 6.5
Date Released : 3 October 1952
Genre : Drama, Fantasy
Stars : Mirja Mane, Toivo Mäkelä, Hillevi Lagerstam, Sakari Jurkka. Archaeological team unearths a body of a young woman, who was told to be a witch buried in the bog some 300 years ago. Soon a naked woman appears and drives the men of the village crazy. Everybody is certain that this really is the witch killed in days of yore. At the end the wild happenings during those few days appeared to be a dream of the professor leading the excavations." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Archaeological team unearths a body of a young woman, who was told to be a witch buried in the bog some 300 years ago. Soon a naked woman appears and drives the men of the village crazy. Everybody is certain that this really is the witch killed in days of yore. At the end the wild happenings during those few days appeared to be a dream of the professor leading the excavations.

Watch The Witch Trailer :

Review :

Rare Finnish 'horror'

Made after the Second World War, this film, which would translate to English as 'The Witch returns to life', shows the lack of funding so common in the post-war era in Finland. But yet, to keep people's humor up, the film industry did everything to ease the living of the poor households. The 'horror' part of this film might seem to us now more or less amusing.

The seemingly light subject of the film has underlying social issues: The Second World War had ended just barely seven years ago. The heavy war indemnities forced Finnish industry to boost up its productivity. The agricultural Finland was moving faster and faster towards city-life. Women's rights were still in the developing stage. Especially in the countryside and farms the women were the ones to take care of the household while the men were busy out in the fields to secure the year's crop. 'Unconventially' behaving female was prone to draw negative attention - especially if she was young and attractive. The villager's moods could have easily turned to witch hunt-like persecution.

Mika Waltari (September 19, 1908 – August 26, 1979) is one of the best known writers of Finland. His works have been translated to many languages all over the world. The most famous book is 'Sinuhe - the Egyptian', which made the Bestsellers list in many countries and is translated to 40 languages. 'The Egyptian' - a Hollywood movie was made according to 'Sinuhe' in 1954 (Director Michael Curtiz). The theater play 'Noita palaa elämään' (1947) is one of his 26 plays and was made for film in 1952 - the year Helsinki had the Summer Olympic Games. Altogether 33 books of Waltari have been filmed.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Watch The Square Ring (1953) Online

The Square Ring (1953)The Square Ring (1953)iMDB Rating: 6.6
Date Released : 28 January 1955
Genre : Drama
Stars : Jack Warner, Robert Beatty, Bill Owen, Maxwell Reed
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Boxing drama following the lives of 5 different fighters and their reasons for becoming boxers.

Watch The Square Ring Trailer :

Review :

Clinches and clichés, not classic Ealing

Based on the stage play by Ralph W.Peterson, THE SQUARE RING hardly ventures outside its theatrical roots but is one of the very few British films about the 'Noble Art'. It contains every single cliché known to boxing movies: the nervous novice, the washed up ex-champ looking for one more shot at the 'big time', the anxious wife who threatens to leave if he doesn't quit, the behind the scenes 'fix', camera close ups of ringsiders screaming for blood and of course the rows of spectators throwing imaginary punches during the fight scenes. Unfortunately THE SQUARE RING has the worst impersonation of a 'punch drunk' boxer in celluloid history. George Rose narrows his eyes into slits, screws his mouth sideways and ends up resembling a grumbling grotesque gargoyle. His repetitious rendering of the line "first, first ...I'll show 'em" in a strange, gravelly groaning whine is deeply embarrassing. It's a terrible performance from Rose. Almost as bad is Bill Travers as a morose heavyweight in a permanent state of idiocy, reading a juvenile comic and only answering questions in a monosyllabic, moronic fashion. These two wouldn't pass the stringent medical examinations of todays Boxing Board of Control. On the plus side THE SQUARE RING has an excellent performance from Bill Owen, who bounces into the dressing room full of vitality and spouts out lines like "look at the nose son, not a dent in it". He moves like a confident fit boxer even when he's not in the ring. Real life man and wife Maxwell Reed and Joan Collins share a few scenes, your enjoyment of these scenes will be enhanced if you read her autobiography before viewing the film. Ronald Lewis makes his film debut as a clean cut, shy, Welsh amateur having his first professional fight, who learns the hard way that the pro ranks aren't "fair". Look out for the stiff way he moves towards the centre of the ring when the first bell goes, it's unintentionally hilarious. If he moved like that in a real fight he wouldn't last 20 seconds. Also, watch out for the ending of his bruising battle, he literally sees stars (and so do we!). The climatic encounter between Kid Curtis (Robert Beatty) and the unbeaten prospect Barney Deakon (Alf Hines) contains some excellent camera work and is quite realistic. Robert Beatty, 44 at the time, looks too mature to be sporting the ring moniker "Kid". His opponent was played by the former light-heavyweight from West Ham, Alf Hines, a good club fighter who fought at the Albert Hall, Wembley and Earls Court and had just retired from the ring. He played a boxer in another Joan Collins movie THE GOOD DIE YOUNG, boxing historians should find it interesting that the world famous gym owner, Joe Bloom, was the referee in both these movies. On 2 June, 1958, a TV version with Sean Connery playing Rick Martell and a very young Alan Bates was broadcast on the ITV Play of the Week. THE SQUARE RING's technical adviser was Dave Crowley, the former British Lightweight Champion, it's not a bad little movie and is well worth watching. Fans of CARRY ON comedies will enjoy the early performances of Sid James and Joan Sims.

Watch Violetas imperiales (1952) Online

Violetas imperiales (1952)Violetas imperiales (1952)iMDB Rating: 6.1
Date Released : 12 December 1952
Genre : Comedy, Musical
Stars : Luis Mariano, Carmen Sevilla, Simone Valère, Marie Sabouret." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Watch Violetas imperiales Trailer :

Review :

Old-fashioned but still enjoyable

Violeta, a gipsy girl, reads Eugenia de Montijo's hand and foretells that she will become an empress. When Eugenia marries Napoleon she calls the girl to the court. Both in Granada and in Paris, Violeta must suffer the attentions of Juan (Eugenia's cousin) who has fallen in love with her and wants to set her up as his mistress. The movie is a musical and Carmen Sevilla has a beautiful voice. I only wish something have been done about the male singer; his voice grates on my nerves.

Streaming Torpedo Alley Online

Torpedo Alley (1952)Torpedo Alley (1952)iMDB Rating: 5.9
Date Released : 25 January 1953
Genre : Drama
Stars : Mark Stevens, Dorothy Malone, Charles Winninger, Bill Williams. Carrier pilot Lieutenant Bob Bingham (Mark Stevens) is rescued at sea by a submarine after he freezes at the controls and crashes, killing his two crewmen. He returns to civilian life but soon afterwards, looking for redemption, applies for submarine duty. At the New London, Conn., training base he renews acquaintance with Commander Heywood (James Millican) and Lieutenant Gates (Douglas Kennedy),..." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Carrier pilot Lieutenant Bob Bingham (Mark Stevens) is rescued at sea by a submarine after he freezes at the controls and crashes, killing his two crewmen. He returns to civilian life but soon afterwards, looking for redemption, applies for submarine duty. At the New London, Conn., training base he renews acquaintance with Commander Heywood (James Millican) and Lieutenant Gates (Douglas Kennedy), the skipper and engineering officers of the sub that rescued him at sea. Bingham falls in love with Navy nurse Lieutenant Susan Peabody (Dorothy Malone), daughter of Warrant Officer Peabody (Charles Winninger) and the steady girl friend of Gates. Heywood gets a submarine command at the outbreak of the Korean "police action" and Bingham and his friend, Lieutenant Graham (Bill Williams), are part of the officer's group on Heywood's sub.

Watch Torpedo Alley Trailer :

Review :

Good, but not great

While not in the class of "Run Silent, Run Deep", "The Enemy Below", "U-571", "Das Boot", "Up Periscope" or "Crash Dive" this is still a very watchable sub film. There are no really gripping battle sequences, though the ones that do occur are well done and at least 35% of the film is devoted to the training of submariners which, while interesting, does make the story slow down. Where many war movies concentrate on battle, here there is more character development, romantic entanglements and inter-character friction and interaction than combat. I enjoyed the movie but I felt it was somewhat plodding in spots and I had trouble really caring about the characters. The actors all did very well with what they had, but there is no major conflict to tie it all together. Perhaps because it revolves around the Korean War era it does not have the urgency found in most of the WW2 movies. A good movie but, in my opinion, not a great one.

Streaming Mutiny (1952) Online

Mutiny (1952)Mutiny (1952)iMDB Rating: 5.1
Date Released : 19 March 1952
Genre : Adventure
Stars : Mark Stevens, Angela Lansbury, Patric Knowles, Gene Evans. Early in the War of 1812, Captain James Marshall is commissioned to run the British blockade and fetch an unofficial war loan from France. As first mate, Marshall recruits Ben Waldridge, a cashiered former British Navy captain. Waldridge brings his former gun crew...who begin plotting mutiny as soon as they learn there'll be gold aboard. The gold duly arrives, and with it Waldridge's former ..." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

Early in the War of 1812, Captain James Marshall is commissioned to run the British blockade and fetch an unofficial war loan from France. As first mate, Marshall recruits Ben Waldridge, a cashiered former British Navy captain. Waldridge brings his former gun crew...who begin plotting mutiny as soon as they learn there'll be gold aboard. The gold duly arrives, and with it Waldridge's former sweetheart Leslie, who's fond of a bit of gold herself. Which side is Waldridge really on?

Watch Mutiny Trailer :

Review :

A wasted opportunity

Where to begin with this bottom of the barrel adventure? Dmytryk was always an inconsistent director able to produce fine films like "The Caine Mutiny" and "Broken Lance" as well as high gloss trash such as "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Where Love Has Gone" and slug like this. Strictly paying the rent actors give lackluster performances. Angela looks great and gives the film's best performance but why oh why is she wearing a 1950's evening dress on a warship in 1812? Painfully obvious that this was filmed on the cheap in a studio tank with low lighting to cover the sets shortcomings. A shame since there are not a lot a films about this time period so a wasted opportunity like this is doubly disappointing.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Watch Lucrèce Borgia (1953) Online

Lucrèce Borgia (1953)Lucrèce Borgia (1953)iMDB Rating: 5.6
Date Released : 23 October 1953
Genre : Drama, History
Stars : Martine Carol, Pedro Armendáriz, Valentine Tessier, Arnoldo Foà. In the early 16th century, Italy is ruled by the powerful Borgia family, led by César Borgia and his sister Lucrètè. In a ruthless power play, César plots to have his sister's husband murdered. But without her brother's knowledge, Lucrècè has taken a strong lover who will challenge the Borgias." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

In the early 16th century, Italy is ruled by the powerful Borgia family, led by César Borgia and his sister Lucrètè. In a ruthless power play, César plots to have his sister's husband murdered. But without her brother's knowledge, Lucrècè has taken a strong lover who will challenge the Borgias.

Watch Lucrèce Borgia Trailer :

Review :

Handsome production--and leading actress

I just saw a French-language (w/subtitles) DVD of this film, which is/was famous for Martine Carol's bathing au naturelle. That is not the film's only nudity, and the film was probably thus censored upon release in the USA. Otherwise, the costumes and overall production values were impressive for the era, considering that European cinema didn't have Hollywood's finances. Martine Carol played the part adequately while showing a good figure for someone past the age of thirty (we could all do as well). I'm not sure if Pedro Armendariz spoke French, but he plays the part of Lucrezia's brother César credibly. This film is condensed and probably filtered history, though it is possible that the Borgias, especially Lucrezia, may suffer from a bad press. They had many enemies, some deserved, who may have exaggerated their deeds into misdeeds.