Design for Living (1933)

This disc came with Peter Ibbetson, which I skipped because I hadn't allotted enough time, it isn't the more popular of the two, and chasing a comedy immediately with a drama didn't feel right. Having a "double feature" on one DVD seems unpromising for the quality of both movies, but DfL is pretty highly rated and has several famous names attached, including director-producer Ernst Lubitsch.

George (Gary Cooper) and Tom (Fredric March) are friends and struggling artists -- a painter and playwright, respectively -- who nevertheless take a trip to Paris, where they happen to make the acquaintance of fellow American Gilda (Miriam Hopkins), an advertising artist with ideas to improve both men's works. Before long from the perspective of a 91-minute runtime, each man finds out that the other has been seeing Gilda on the sly. Neither wants to let her go, and she doesn't want to let either go, so the trio makes a "gentleman's agreement" to be a circle of platonic friends. This agreement becomes harder to keep when Tom finds enough success to take him out of the city....

Okja (2017)

This pre-Parasite Bong Joon Ho hit had been sitting on my list for some time. Every once in a while, someone would either praise it or, less often, diss it. Neither the title nor the poster appealed to me, but eventually, I decided to know for sure how to feel about it.

The fictitious Mirando Corporation, under new CEO Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton), has been breeding "super pigs" larger in adulthood than hippos and with exceptionally efficient metabolism. The plan, of course, is to combat human hunger. A rural South Korean farmer (Byun Hee-bong) has raised reputedly the most magnificent super pig, Okja. But But Mija (Seo-hyun Ahn), his early teen granddaughter, has grown too attached and doesn't want her taken to Mirando HQ in New York City. Being more headstrong than smart, Mija sets out for the Mirando station in Seoul without a plan....

Road to Perdition (2002)

This is one of those rare times that I allow myself to review a re-viewing because I'd mostly forgotten the first viewing. I have a friend (also a bit relevantly forgetful) to thank for convincing me to give it another go, as well as for helping me understand and appreciate what was happening.

In peak Al Capone-era Chicago, 12-year-old Michael Sullivan, Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) knows that his father, Mike (Tom Hanks), has a dangerous job but gets curious about the unstated details, so he stows away in the car one night. Mike turns out to be a debt collector for the Irish Mob under John Rooney (Paul Newman), and Michael sees John's hotheaded son Connor (Daniel Craig, attempting a U.S. accent again) commit a murder even John wouldn't approve. Fearing that Michael won't keep his promise not to talk and resentful of Mike winning John's favor, Connor attempts to kill, directly or indirectly, the entire local Sullivan family, ironically missing only the two most important targets. Mike plans to take Michael to a relative in the fictitious town of Perdition, Michigan (modeled after Hell, Michigan?), but first he wants to neutralize the Rooneys' pursuing threat, possibly with Capone's aid via the one other real gangster mentioned, Frank Nitti (Stanley Tucci).

Revanche (2008)

Despite the title, I don't recall hearing a word of French in the whole 122 minutes. It's set in Austria, so most of the dialogue is in German. Be warned: The first several lines do not get subtitles. I suspect they're in Ukrainian, given the recent immigration of one character.

Brothel bouncer Alex (Johannes Krisch) is so taken with prostitute Tamara (Irina Potapenko) that he robs a bank to pay off her debts. He's pretty cautious as solo robbers go, but his illegal parking draws the attention of policeman Robert (Andreas Lust). In the ensuing chaos, Alex escapes, but Robert accidentally kills Tamara (at least he doesn't try to hide his culpability), causing Alex's interest in revanche.

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

No, this has nothing to do with the Shel Silverstein poem collection of the same name. Nor does the end of the sidewalk actually come into play plotwise. Somebody just tacked the title on to convey the genre of film noir.

NYPD Det. Mark Dixon (Dana Andrews) has a record of excessive roughness against suspects, but he brushes off warnings from Lt. Thomas (Karl Malden) -- until he accidentally kills a cantankerous hood, Ken Paine (Craig Stevens). Dixon tries to make it look like Paine fled town. When the body is discovered, he tries to frame master criminal Tommy Scalise (Gary Merrill), who had likely framed Paine in the first place and whom Dixon has long wanted to put away. But Thomas instead follows the trail to Paine's hostile father-in-law, Jiggs Taylor (Tom Tully). Not only would Dixon hate to have an innocent man take the fall, but he's growing fond of Taylor's daughter, Martha (Ruth Donnelly).