Tonight's Movie: Mystery Street (1950) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

The excellent film noir/police procedural MYSTERY STREET (1950) has just been released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

I first reviewed the movie here back in 2008, calling my first viewing "a wonderful surprise."

While the movie may no longer be a surprise after all these years, it's still quite wonderful, a compelling 93 minutes with all of the filmmakers at the top of their games.

A Boston "B" girl named Vivian (Jan Sterling), who's clearly "in trouble," disappears from a bar late one night...months later a bird watcher finds bones on Cape Cod which are eventually identified as the missing woman.

Ricardo Montalban plays police detective Peter Moralas, who works on the case with Detective Sharkey (Wally Maher). More significantly, Moralas collaborates with Dr. McAdoo (Bruce Bennett), a forensic specialist at Harvard's Department of Legal Medicine; together they reconstruct not only the victim's identity but that she was pregnant and the method of the killing.

Did hapless Henry Shanway (Marshall Thompson), drunkenly grieving his wife's (Sally Forrest) miscarriage the night Vivian disappeared, commit murder? Or was it someone else?

Vivian's former landlady (Elsa Lanchester) and friend (Betsy Blair) may hold clues...

This is one of a couple early police procedurals produced at MGM; MYSTERY STREET was preceded several years earlier by KID GLOVE KILLER (1942), the first feature film directed by Fred Zinnemann. Both are highly entertaining looks at the state of forensic medicine in the '40s. MYSTERY STREET had the bigger budget of the two films, allowing for extensive location shooting in the Boston area.

Montalban is wonderful, making the viewer wish he'd had similar roles or even a mystery series teamed with Bennett. (A side note: In my prior review I spelled his character's name the way it sounds, Morales, but the film actually has it as Moralas. Glenn Erickson noted issues with the spelling at the end of his own review.) Bennett is likewise pitch perfect as the scientist on the case.

Since first seeing the film I've come to appreciate many more cast members; for instance, in 2008 I knew little about actress-dancer Sally Forrest. Since then I've seen her in several movies, including a trio of good films directed by Ida Lupino. Incidentally, the centennial of Forrest's birth was a few days ago, on May 28th.

Forrest does well in an emotional role, especially in a scene where she's going over receipts from her pregnancy. It's an interesting note that a pair of pregnancies with very different tragic endings are a theme underpinning the film's mystery.

This is one of a couple key roles played by Lanchester in noir films of the era, another being THE BIG CLOCK (1948). In each film she plays two very different characters -- one good, one bad -- yet in each case she provides some amusing comic relief.

Betsy Blair (the offscreen Mrs. Gene Kelly in that era) registers well as a spunky waitress who, in a nice bit of background, has knowledge of guns thanks to having once dated an MP.

In the years since my first viewing I've also come to appreciate familiar character faces such as John Maxwell and Robert Foulk, who play detectives. It was great to recognize them here; their roles are small, yet they add a marvelous touch of "realness" to the background at Moralas's office, as well as the handball court where he works out.

MYSTERY STREET came fairly early in the career of director John Sturges, though he'd directed a few feature films previously, including THE SIGN OF THE RAM (1948) and THE WALKING HILLS (1949). The film's mood and pacing are just right. The film was written by Sydney Boehm and future director Richard Brooks, based on a story by Leonard Spigelgass.

One of the film's key elements is the beautiful cinematography of the great John Alton, much of it done on location in Boston. As is always the case with Alton's films, the movie provides remarkable visuals.

The gleaming black and white Blu-ray print is from a new 1080p HD master from 4K scans of the "best surviving preservation elements."  It's an outstanding print.

Extras consist of the trailer; a commentary track, originally recorded for a 2007 DVD release, by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward; a brief featurette on the film, MURDER AT HARVARD (2007); and a pair of MGM's Tom and Jerry cartoons, LITTLE QUACKER (1950) and TOM AND JERRY IN THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL (1950).

In 2008 I wrote "This is one of those fine little movies you might never have heard of which is out there just waiting to be discovered." I hope more viewers will discover -- or rediscover -- it thanks to this Blu-ray release, which is highly recommended.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Thanks to my friend Constance for making me aware of the book GIANT LOVE: EDNA FERBER, HER BEST-SELLING NOVEL OF TEXAS, AND THE MAKING OF A CLASSIC AMERICAN FILM. It was written by Julie Gilbert and published last December by Pantheon Books (Penguin Random House). I'd add that I read a number of Ferber books at one point in my life, and GIANT was by far by favorite.

...Another new book I just learned about is ANATOLE LITVAK: THE LIFE AND FILMS, published by McFarland Books in February. It was written by Michelangelo Capua, whose other books include JEAN PETERS: HOLLYWOOD'S MYSTERY GIRL.

...At Classic Movie Hub, Annette Bochenek has written about the background and former homes of one of my favorite child actresses, Marcia Mae Jones.

...This week Glenn Erickson has reviewed the new Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray releases of MGM's MYSTERY STREET (1950) and LILI (1953).

...An upcoming book of interest: This September Taschen will publish WALT DISNEY'S CHILDREN'S CLASSICS, an anthology of stories based on Little Golden Books. It's edited by Charles Solomon, who wrote the 2014 book THE ART OF THE DISNEY GOLDEN BOOKS, published by Disney Editions. (Via Keith Buczak.)

...Attention Southern Californians: On August 2nd UCLA will screen DARK WATERS (1944) in 35mm. It's a relative rarity starring Merle Oberon and Franchot Tone, directed by Andre DeToth. There will also be an interview with Mayukh Sen, author of the recently published LOVE, QUEENIE: MERLE OBERON, HOLLYWOOD'S FIRST SOUTH ASIAN STAR.

...A few days ago I wrote a tribute to actress Kathleen Hughes, who has just passed away. Her friend Alan K. Rode has now written a tribute which was published by Variety.

...Notable Passing: Loretta Swit of M*A*S*H (1972-83) has died at 87. I met her briefly and received her autograph on a memorable occasion: An Academy screening of BLACKBOARD JUNGLE (1955) at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Her TV costar Jamie Farr, who was in the film, was a special guest that night along with another actor from the movie, director Paul Mazursky. It was the last week M*A*S*H was filming, and she and Alan Alda came to be with Farr that evening. The TV show itself admittedly hasn't worn particularly well with me, but I will always remember how gracious she was, particularly as it was clearly an emotional week for Swit and her TV colleagues.

...More Notable Passings: Actress Valerie Mahaffey has passed away at 71. I particularly remember her for her Emmy-winning guest role as Eve on NORTHERN EXPOSURE (1991-95)...James McEachin, a busy working actor for decades, has died at 94. Besides voluminous TV credits, he appeared in four Clint Eastwood movies...Taina Elg, the last surviving cast member of the four main leads from MGM's LES GIRLS (1957), has passed on at 95. Her passing comes less than a year after her costar Mitzi Gaynor's death in October 2024. She's seen here with costar Gene Kelly...Actress Ena Hartman has died at 93. She appeared on TV's DAN AUGUST (1970-71) and was a stewardess in AIRPORT (1970).

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my May 24th column.

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New Western RoundUp Column: Pioneertown

This month's Western RoundUp column at Classic Movie Hub chronicles my visit to Pioneertown earlier this month.

Pioneertown was founded in California's Yucca Valley in 1946 by Roy Rogers, Russell Hayden, Dick Curtis, the Sons of the Pioneers, and more.

It was developed as a hybrid Western filming location and town with modern amenities for those working there. There was even a bowling alley for bowling fan Rogers to use in his off hours.

Among the movies filmed at Pioneertown were many Gene Autry and Cisco Kid films, along with numerous '50s TV Westerns produced by Autry.

Please click over to Classic Movie Hub for photos and more on the town's interesting history, and thanks very much for reading!

Previous Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp Column Links: June 2018; July 2018; August 2018; September 2018; October 2018; November 2018; December 2018; January 2019; February 2019; April 5, 2019; April 30, 2019; May 2019; June 2019; July 2019; August 2019; September 2019; October 2019; November 2019; December 2019; January 2020; February 2020; March 2020; April 2020; May 2020; June 2020; July 2020; August 2020; September 2020; October 2020; November 2020; December 2020; January 2021; February 2021; March 2021; May 2021; June 2021; June 2021 (No. 2); July 2021; August 2021; September 2021; November 2021; December 2021; December 2021 (No. 2); January 2022; February 2022; March 2022; April 2022; May 2022; June 2022; July 2022; August 2022; September 2022; November 2022; November 2022 (No. 2); January 2023 (No. 1); January 2023 (No. 2); March 2023; April 2023; May 2023 (No. 1); May 2023 (No. 2); June 2023; July 2023; September 2023; September 2023 (No. 2); October 2023; November 2023; December 2023; January 2024; February 2024; March 2024; April 2024; May 2024; June 2024; July 2024; August 2024; September 2024; October 2024; November 2024; December 2024; January 2025; February 2025; March 2025; April 2025.

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Quick Preview of TCM in July

Here's a quick peek ahead at what's coming in July on Turner Classic Movies.

The July Star of the Month will be a "theme" month focused on "Ladies of the '80s" instead of a single star.

Look for films starring actresses such as Kathleen Turner, Goldie Hawn, Melanie Griffith, Jessica Lange, Julia Roberts, and more on Tuesday evenings beginning July 8th.

The TCM Spotlight theme for July will be Greek mythology. The series will feature titles such as DOWN TO EARTH (1947), HELEN OF TROY (1956), JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963), CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981), and more on Wednesdays beginning July 9th.

The July Noir Alley films will be THIS SIDE OF THE LAW (1950), THE GANGSTER (1947), INTRUDER IN THE DUST (1949), and RIFIFI (1955).

It was a pleasant surprise to spot the 20th Century-Fox film DAY-TIME WIFE (1939), starring Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell, on the schedule. It's not a title regularly shown on TCM.

It's also great to see the 20th Century-Fox film DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK (1939) scheduled for Independence Day.  The July 4th schedule will also include (of course) YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942).

July programming themes will include bankers, musicals, the ocean, the Cold War, Washington D.C., murder mysteries, the British monarchy, movies with the word "strange" in the title, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Filmmakers receiving multifilm tributes in July will include Farley Granger, Warren William, Clarence Brown, Christopher Reeve, Robert Montgomery, Leslie Goodwins, William Dieterle, Barbara Stanwyck, Doris Day, Natalie Wood, Audie Murphy, and Gregory Peck.

There will be a memorial tribute for director David Lynch on July 11th.

I'll have more on the July schedule here around July 1st. In the meantime, enjoy Gary Cooper as the Star of the Month in June!

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Tonight's Movie: Donovan's Reef (1963) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Revew

One of my favorite John Wayne films, DONOVAN'S REEF (1963), has just been released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

This is one of a couple early '60s Wayne "hangout" films released by Kino Lorber this year; previously they brought Howard Hawks' HATARI! (1961) to Blu-ray and 4K, and now it's time for John Ford's DONOVAN'S REEF.

DONOVAN'S REEF is a film which makes me smile almost from the moment it starts. As my friend Toby Roan said to me a couple days ago, it's "one of those movies where the joy on the set makes it to the screen." The viewer can't help but feeling a lift watching this movie.

Wayne plays Michael Patrick "Guns" Donovan -- I probably don't need to tell Wayne fans he has sons named Michael and Patrick -- who lives on a tropical island. As the movie begins, Guns' longtime "frenemy," "Boats" Gilhooley (Lee Marvin) shows up on the island just in time for their annual December 7th birthday brawl.

Boats' arrival is soon followed by the arrival of Amelia Dedham (Elizabeth Allen), the Bostonian daughter of the island doctor (Jack Warden). It's a long story, but father and daughter have never met, nor is Amelia aware that after her mother's death her father married an island princess, giving her three half-siblings (Jacqueline Maloof, Cherylene Lee, and Jeffrey Byron).

Young Byron, I'll throw in here, was the son of Ford regular Anna Lee and was Ford's godson.

The doctor is away when Amelia arrives, and his friends are concerned a Bostonian like Amelia won't take to the idea of Polynesian half-siblings, so they pretend the children belong to Guns. Everyone eventually learns that notion was every bit as prejudiced as they expected Amelia would be.

There's not a lot more to the film, which is just a wonderful excuse to spend 109 minutes with the cast, also including Cesar Romero, Dorothy Lamour, and Dick Foran. I pretty much start laughing as soon as Romero and Lamour appear on screen, it's just so much fun having them along for the ride.

Lamour had worked with Ford decades previously, on THE HURRICANE (1937). She may not have the biggest part, but you can tell she cut her comedic chops with Hope and Crosby, as she makes the most of every moment. When Amelia spots Lafleur (Lamour) looking at a wedding gown and asks her if she's "contemplating matrimony," the obviously no-longer-very-young Lafleur replies in deadpan fashion, "What young girl my age doesn't contemplate matrimony?" To which Amelia politely replies, "How true."

There are so many delightful little bits, from Romero's constant scheming to the Christmas Eve pageant to Amelia's Christmas gifts to Boats and Lafleur (a model train set and a wedding gown, naturally!).

And the music! I think of the melody as the "C&H Sugar" jingle, but every time the islanders launch into song when greeting a boat, my eyes mist up happily. Those moments simply definite "feel good movie" for me.

The entire cast, especially Wayne, is in peak form. And Foran, in what I think of as the "Ward Bond" part (Bond had died in 1960), even gets to sing a few bars.

I feel the only thing that would have made the film more perfect was Maureen O'Hara as the female lead; this was released soon after she played a proper Bostonian in THE PARENT TRAP (1961). But as Toby also pointed out to me, Allen is actually quite good. She's just not Maureen.

Mike Mazurki plays a role which once upon a time would have been played by Victor McLaglen; McLaglen had died in 1959. The cast also includes Marcel Dalio, Patrick Wayne, Edgar Buchanan, and Jon Fong. If one looks closely Ford regulars such as John Qualen and Mae Marsh can be spotted.

The movie was filmed in Technicolor by William H. Clothier. The screenplay by Frank Nugent and James Edward Grant was inspired by stories by James Michener and Edmund Beloin

Kino Lorber's beautiful print is a new HD master from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative.

This is presented as Kino Lorber Special Edition with a cardboard slipcase. There are two separate new commentary tracks, one by Ford historian Joseph McBride and one by Lee Marvin biographer Dwayne Epstein. There's also a 21-minute short, THE GROWLER STORY (1957), directed by Ford, featuring Ward Bond and Ken Curtis, narrated by Dan Dailey. The disc is rounded out by the movie trailer plus a gallery of six additional trailers.

Kino Lorber has also released DONOVAN'S REEF in a 4K edition.

I love and recommend this film, especially in this beautiful print. Enjoy!

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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Book Review: The Art of Classic Crime and Mystery Movies

One of the most beautiful books I've had the pleasure to read in the last few years is THE ART OF CLASSIC CRIME AND MYSTERY MOVIES.

This brand-new book, releasing from Schiffer Publishing on May 28th, 2025, was written and edited by film historian Ed Hulse.

I've had the pleasure of seeing Hulse speak at the Lone Pine Film Festival, so when I learned about the subject matter of his new book I was immediately interested.

The front cover advertises "The Genre in 800 Eye-Popping Posters," and that's certainly an accurate description. The book is a work of great visual beauty, thanks to all the posters in contains, but it's much more than that.

The book is divided into 12 chapters, ranging from "The Silent Era" to "Sherlock on the Silver Screen" to "The Emergence of Film Noir." Most of the films are from what I would define as the classic era, from the early years of film and up through the '60s, but there are also a few posters for '70s movies. A small handful of even later posters accompany the author's afterword.

Along with an introduction at the beginning of the book, each chapter has a thorough intro by Hulse, as well as shorter sidebars throughout the book on a variety of topics, such as "Sleuthing Spouses," "Those Dizzy Detecting Dames," "Cornell Woolrich," and "Formative Noir."

Hulse presents solid history, with his own critical insights scattered throughout; for instance, I loved his mention that THE PREVIEW MURDERY MYSTERY (1936), which has become a real favorite of mine, was "directed with great panache by Robert Florey."

As that mention hints, many of the posters included are for relatively lesser-known but highly enjoyable films such as GIRL MISSING (1933), DANGEROUS TO KNOW (1938), HAUNTED HONEYMOON (1940), and DANGEROUS BLONDES (1943). I also found myself jotting down some unfamiliar titles I'd like to track down thanks to some of the posters!

Of course, posters for well-known classics of all kinds are included as well. The book is an excellent mixture of the familiar and the more obscure; the knowledgeable commentary on a wide variety of films, combined with beautiful art, makes the book a winner for film fans with any level of knowledge on the subject.

This title is also perfect to serve as a literal coffee table book; perhaps some of those who pick it up to thumb through it will find themselves intrigued and start down the path of the watching the movies seen in glorious color in the book's pages.

THE ART OF CLASSIC CRIME AND MYSTERY MOVIES is 320 pages including index. It contains 800 color and black and white photos printed on glossy paper. It has a foreword by Glenn Kenny.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Schiffer Publishing for providing a review copy of this book.

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Tonight's TV: Cheyenne (1955-1963) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

The Warner Archive Collection has a real winner with its Blu-ray boxed set release of the complete run of the Warner Bros. Western TV series CHEYENNE (1955-63).

CHEYENNE was previously released on DVD by the Warner Archive in seven single-season sets put out from 2006 through 2013.

This new Blu-ray set contains 107 episodes on a whopping 30 discs attractively packaged by season. The number of episodes per season vary from as few as 13 to as many as 20.

The show aired in hour-long slots, with the episodes running anywhere from 40 to 53 minutes without commercials; the shorter episodes date from the first season, when CHEYENNE was part of the rotating series shown on WARNERS BROS. PRESENTS. The other series shown under that banner were KINGS ROW (1955-56) and CASABLANCA (1955-56). After the first season the other two WARNER BROS. PRESENTS series came to an end and CHEYENNE received its own solo time slot.

The basic premise of CHEYENNE, a cowboy wandering from place to place in the post Civil War era, is somewhat like my all-time favorite TV show from the same studio, MAVERICK (1957-62). Being made at the same studio, the shows shared similar guest casts, but the lead characters were quite different.

Instead of MAVERICK's sarcastic gamblers, Cheyenne is a more noble sort. He's kind and mild-mannered, but if provoked he uses his imposing strength (Walker was 6' 6") and frontier knowledge to help those in need.

Pretty much everyone who guest-starred on MAVERICK appears here, along with some different faces; just a few of the guests seen on CHEYENNE are Kathleen Crowley, Diane Brewster, Leo Gordon, Peter Brown, Adele Mara, Peggie Castle, Mala Powers, Peter Breck, Joanna Barnes, Merry Anders, Pat Crowley, Lisa Gaye, Lee Van Cleef, Phil Carey, Audrey Totter, Faith Domergue, James Coburn, and many, many more.

The first CHEYENNE episode, "Mountain Fortress" (1955), evocatively filmed on location at Vasquez Rocks by Carl Guthrie, is pure pleasure. Robert J. Wilke, a classic Western villain, threatens Ann Robinson, who is caught between Indians and robbers on her way to join her soldier fiance -- James Garner! -- at a fort. It's a good show, directed by Richard L. Bare.

Wilke returns opposite Marie Windsor in the Season 3 episode "The Mutton Puncher" (1957), directed by Franklin Adreon and filmed by Harold E. Stine. I skipped ahead to this episode out of viewing order as it was particularly recommended by my late father not long before he passed, and it did not disappoint. Windsor plays a sheep rancher who falls for Wilke, an ornery cattleman.

Obviously it's impossible for me to watch all 107 episodes quickly enough for a timely review, but I skipped around and watched several more to verify both series and disc quality. (It had been a long time since I'd seen an episode of CHEYENNE!) This is one of the era's top Western TV series, and the episodes, as seen on these Blu-rays, look great. I'm very much looking forward to continuing to watch the entire set over the coming weeks.

The prints are of outstanding quality, complete and uncut, remastered from 4K scans of original 35mm camera negatives. Where possible little extras such as commercial "bumpers" and station logos were included.

The lone substantive extra is an interview with Clint Walker, THE LONELY GUNFIGHTER - THE LEGACY OF CHEYENNE, which carries over from the 2006 Season One DVD release of nearly two decades ago.

I've collected the entire MAVERICK series thanks to Warner Archive DVDs but after seeing the high caliber of this set, I'm hoping that we may see MAVERICK in a similar Blu-ray set one day.

For those interested in other Warner Bros. Western releases of the era, I've previously reviewed the Warner Archive Blu-ray collections featuring THE ALASKANS (1959-60) and COLT .45 (1957-60).

In addition to MAVERICK DVDs, I also reviewed the first two seasons of LAWMAN (1958-62) when it was released on DVD.

CHEYENNE is recommended.

Thanks to the Warner Archive and Allied Vaughn for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Tonight's Movie: Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)

After nearly three decades, the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movie series has (probably) come to a conclusion with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING (2025).

THE FINAL RECKONING proved to be a worthy, if somewhat exhausting, finale to a grand eight-film series.

Our time with the two hour, 49-minute movie began with a welcome to the audience from Tom Cruise. I really appreciate these messages, emphasizing the importance of the theatrical experience and that the entire production team has worked hard for us, the viewers. Both those points were amply illustrated by THE FINAL RECKONING.

The movie picks up from MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING (2023), formerly known as MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE.

Things have become much more serious since the previous film, as the world is on the brink of nuclear annihilation due to the AI system "The Entity."

Evil Gabriel (Esai Morales) has obtained possession of a "poison pill," capable of killing off The Entity, which was designed by Luther (Ving Rhames), one of the key longtime members of the team led by Ethan Hunt (Cruise).

In order to end the threat from The Entity, Ethan and the rest of his team (Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, and Greg Tarzan Davis) must obtain not only the poison pill, but the "Podkova" cartridge from the Russian submarine which was attacked by The Entity at the beginning of the previous film. Neither job will be easy...especially as the submarine is at an unknown location at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean.

While I think DEAD RECKONING remains my favorite film in the series, as I loved its humor, redemption themes, and particular action set pieces, the weightier and more serious FINAL RECKONING is also excellent moviemaking, and I was satisfied when it came to its end.

Yes, the film's pair of impressive big action set pieces -- one in the ocean, one in the skies -- perhaps go on a bit too long this time around; one suspects so much effort and expense went into those sequences that they didn't want to trim them down, and in a sense it's easy to understand that. Certainly, everything Cruise and his production team had to give is left on the screen.

I've seen complaints from some quarters that there was too much in the way of flashbacks and exposition in the movie's first hour, but I didn't have any issues with that aspect and indeed, appreciated some reminders from past films.  We're talking about three decades of story here!

Vanessa Kirby's White Widow is missed this time around, but that's offset by wonderful new additions. Just as DEAD RECKONING brought back Henry Czerny's Kittredge from the very first film, this movie also makes brilliant use of another character from the 1996 movie. It may take just a second to register the familiar face, but when the viewer does, well, it's absolute genius, and I loved he became a key player.

I also loved Trammell Tillman as gutsy Captain Bledsoe, the perfect person to team with Ethan in the buildup to his improbable underwater mission. (Yes, much about the film is improbable, actually; but hey, the series is called MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, right? And, as Ethan's team members are fond of saying, they'll "figure it out.")

The development of previous characters is outstanding, starting with Ethan himself; over the years he's developed from relatively cocky, daring young man to an equally daring but emotionally drained rescuer who has lost some of those he loves along the way and carries the literal weight of the world on his shoulders, in ways big and small. He's determined to protect his friends but he's also got a world to save. Cruise brings dramatic heft to the role, even providing impressive acting along with stunt work while he's hanging on for dear life in the skies.

I also love the maturation of Benji (Pegg) over time, remembering his beginnings early on in the series; his genius and experienced confidence, having essentially become Ethan's co-leader by this point, is rather moving. Benji's team works in parallel with Ethan's journey; if one team succeeds but the other fails, all is lost.

Klementieff's assassin Paris, whose character was a key aspect of the previous film's redemption theme, is marvelous here as a newly recruited member of Ethan's team; she's determined to kill Gabriel and also provides needed humor at the moments of peak drama. The moment when Benji asks if she has any medical experience and she shrugs and responds "I kill people" got one of the biggest laughs in the movie, as did Benji's response ("I can work with that").

There's also some delightfully black humor before the opening credits, as Ethan rescues my favorite character of the last two films, pickpocket Grace (Atwell), by brutally doing away with her intended killer. The entire killing is played off camera, entirely told by Grace's reactions and facial expressions. It's very funny, and the moment provides a great lead-in to Lalo Schifrin's thrilling MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE theme.

This chapter in the series also features Angela Bassett as the President, Hannah Waddingham as a Navy admiral, and Janet McTeer, Holt McCallany, Nick Offerman, Shea Wigham, Cary Elwes, Rolf Saxon, and Lucy Tulugarjuk.

Director Christopher McQuarrie does his usual excellent job. There's also outstanding editing by Eddie Hamilton mixing together what's happening in multiple places, and we may never know how cinematographer Fraser Taggart and aerial director of photography Phil Arntz accomplished all of their impressive shots.

When the movie came to its conclusion and the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE theme music began as the credits rolled, the audience at my sold-out screening burst into loud applause. I experience that regularly at classic film screenings, but it's a rarity when I see new movies.  It was well deserved, not simply for the film but the entire series.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13. It's the usual non-gory violence seen in previous entries, balanced by positive themes such as teamwork, dedication to protecting others, and love of "found family."

A trailer is here.

The entire 30-year MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE film series has brought me many hours of top-notch entertainment and is very highly recommended.

Previously: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996), MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II (2000), MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III (2006), MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (2011), MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION (2015), MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT (2018), and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE (2023).

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On Memorial Day

Remembering with deepest gratitude the brave men and women who gave their all for our nation and our freedom.

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The 2025 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Review

One of my favorite events of the year is the annual Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival. I've been attending the festival for a decade now, and this year's festival was wonderful as always.

This year's festival opened on Thursday evening, May 8th, and ran through Sunday, May 11th. The festival took place in its longtime home, the Palm Springs Cultural Center, also known as the Camelot Theatres.

Festival producer and host Alan K. Rode is seen above along with regular festival guests Victoria Mature and Steven C. Smith.

As always, Rode's Film Noir Foundation colleague Eddie Muller joined him in introducing films this weekend (seen below). Muller is seen in the above photo signing copies of his new book, the revised and expanded edition of DARK CITY DAMES, alongside Jeffrey Mantor of Hollywood's Larry Edmunds Bookshop.

A dozen films were screened between Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon, including a number of rarities. The festival featured a mixture of 35mm and digital prints, including the digital theatrical premieres of PAID IN FULL (1950) and UNMASKED (1950).

Half the films shown at the festival were new to me; I wanted to get reviews up while they were fresh in my mind and have reviewed four of the films thus far, linked near the end of this post.

Opening night featured Errol Flynn and Barbara Stanwyck in CRY WOLF (1947), a film I really enjoy. The poster seen here is from the collection of Brian Light; photos of additional posters from his collection are seen below.

Errol Flynn's daughter Rory joined us prior to the movie to sign her book THE BARON OF MULHOLLAND: A DAUGHTER REMEMBERS ERROL FLYNN.

She later joined Alan Rode in the theater for an interview:

Opening night concluded with a reception under the stars in front of the theater. The festival was very well attended throughout the entire weekend.

Three out of the four films shown on Friday were new to me: SWELL GUY (1946), LUST FOR GOLD (1949), and PAID IN FULL (1950), which were shown along with an all-time favorite, JOHNNY O'CLOCK (1947).

Two of Saturday's films, UNMASKED (1950) and THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (1973), were also first-time watches for me. They were screened along with ANGEL FACE (1953) and THE UNSEEN (1945).

I'll add that it was 108 in Palm Springs that Saturday, so we were glad to be in a dark, air-conditioned theater!

Joel McCrea's grandson Wyatt McCrea was interviewed by Alan Rode at the Saturday night screening of THE UNSEEN. It's always wonderful to hear him share stories about his grandfather, not to mention his grandmother, Frances Dee.

Wyatt is seen after the screening with Victoria Mature and Alan Rode:

Sunday morning was one of my favorite films of the festival, the new-to-me KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE (1950).

Alan Rode introducing a movie during the festival:

We had to leave Palm Springs a bit earlier than usual this year and thus missed the Sunday afternoon screenings of the great films ACT OF VIOLENCE (1948) and ON THE WATERFRONT (1954). We had an absolutely marvelous time at the festival and can't wait till next year!

For those able to stay in Palm Springs through Sunday evening, there was the added bonus of a special screening of a black-and-white edition of NIGHTMARE ALLEY (2021) with director Guillermo del Toro present for an interview along with his wife and co-screenwriter, Kim Morgan.

Previously reviewed films seen at the 2025 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival: CRY WOLF (1947) (also here), JOHNNY O'CLOCK (1947), ANGEL FACE (1952), and THE UNSEEN (1945).

New-to-me films reviewed following this year's festival: SWELL GUY (1946), LUST FOR GOLD (1949), UNMASKED (1950), and KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE (1950). We also saw PAID IN FULL (1950) and THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (1973) which I hope to review in the future.

On our way to the festival we made a stop at Pioneertown, a movie location dating from 1946. Look for an article on it coming soon to my Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp column.  (Update: Here is the direct link to my article on Pioneertown, which has a fascinating history. I've included numerous photos.)

Previously: The 2025 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival Schedule.

Coverage of previous Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festivals: The 2015 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Review; The 2017 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Review; The 2018 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Review; The 2019 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Review; The 2021 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Review; The 2022 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Review; The 2023 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Review; The 2024 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Review.

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