The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

I had to watch this movie in two sessions because it's so tense. I fear I held my breath during quite a few intense scenes. Jimmy Stewart plays very well a very unlikable character. The desert amazes in every scene. Such hardship. No spoilers.

Come to the Stable (1949)

I sat through this entire movie because Loretta Young positively glows in a nun's habit. I couldn't take my eyes off her, and she's in almost every scene. No wonder she was nominated for an academy award for this role: her calm and grace definitely take this rather plain story up a notch.

A story about nuns trying to build a children's hospital with no money and some active opposition could have used a few more comic touches. I truly felt bad for the rich neighbor/landlord whose sleep and lifestyle were disrupted by the hustle and bustle of the nuns ringing a bell and hosting a farmer's market to raise money for their cause. Their faith in their project is truly an "irresistible force," as the bishop calls it. Not recommended.

⬆⬆⬆ ... I mean, look at her there on the right: glowing!

Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1937)

This spy adventure flick set in Scotland and England boasts a few social commentary scenes, like when the two antagonists laugh maniacally after discussing that their Peace Movement is only a cover for their global arms dealings. Overall, the plot rambles while the hero bumbles in his attempts to stop the evil arms dealers. The violence and the incessant smoking dismayed me too much to enjoy the comic touches and the surprise ending. Fav line: "I'm gonna learn to dislike you." Fun trivia: tall, handsome actor John [Davis] Lodge, who plays Drummond, later in life was a US ambassador three separate times!

Bonus pics of dreamy John Lodge aka Mr. Ambassador:

Cry Danger (1951)

I love how in really old crime melodramas you can hear the sneer in every character's voice. While some call this flick "film noir," it doesn't fit any particular criteria, relying more on mood to gain that designation. Actor Dick Powell drives the story as the persistent amateur invesigator determined to prove his own innocence while getting back at the people who set him up and sent him up. Guns, dames, and hats ... all in abundance make this movie a classic example of 1950s revenge dramas.

The Black Raven (1943)

I think even in 1943 that the set-up for this short flick was a cliche: random strangers stuck at an inn during a storm and murder breaks out. George Zucco as the innkeeper with a secret (every character has a secret!) is delightful, especially when he is berating the local sheriff for being a dullard at his job. The body count is rather high for only 61 minutes of screen time. Too much rushing around from room to room and stumbling across corpses for me. Not recommended. 

The poster is pretty great though.