Classic & Camp Films - reviews by Billie

Drop Dead Gorgeous

2012-02-15T14:31:00.002-06:00

(1999)

The battle between the good and the bad is bound to get ugly.

"Drop Dead Gorgeous" is a masterpiece of modern dark comedy at its best: hilariously biting satire directed Michael Patrick Jann, with the perfect cast - including Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards, Kirstie Alley, Amy Adams (in her first film role), Ellen Barkin, Allison Janney, Brittany Murphy and Sam McMurray.

It was regarded by some as being "mean-spirited" when it first came out - the very quality that propels it to its level of ingenuity, and it received mixed reviews - people either loved it or did not like it at all.

The mockumentary style film centers around the annual beauty pageant in a small Minnesota town named Mount Rose, and the rivalries, pettiness, and murders that occur over the chance to become the "Mount Rose Teen American Princess", who receives a scholarship from the contest sponsor, Sarah Rose Cosmetics, which enables the winner to leave the tiny town and hopefully become a success. The heroine, sweet and talented Amber Atkins (Dunst), lives in a tiny trailer with her chain-smoking, beer-guzzling, good-hearted mother Annette (Barkin), whose best friend, flirtatious Loretta (Janney) resides a couple of trailers away. As the contest nears, people who might interfere with the Leeman girl winning, or with her emotions, mysteriously and violently die. Amber, after finding a not-so-subtle note in her locker proclaiming "You're next!" wants to pull out of the pageant after her mother is almost killed in an explosion.

Amber practices her tap-dancing while making up the dead in her part-time job at the local morgue, and dreams of becoming like her idol Diane Sawyer. In sharp contrast to Amber is Rebecca Ann Leeman (Richards), her poisonous and wealthy rival, who lives with her parents, one-time Mount Rose pageant winner and stage mother-monster Gladys (Alley), and owner of the local furniture store, abrasive and crass Lester (McMurray).

"Drop Dead Gorgeous" is a masterful exercise in satire, not to be missed by anyone who appreciates the genre.

Christmas movies

2011-12-21T14:00:00.000-06:00

Time for this reviewer to set aside her practically terminal sarcasm, to reflect on favorite Christmas films.

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

This reviewer's all-time favorite Christmas film.
Jimmy Stewart is George Bailey, who, when he is about to commit suicide, is prevented by the sudden appearance and intervention of his "guardian angel", Clarence (Henry Travers). Clarence gives George the chance to see what life would have been like had he never been born. The beautiful Donna Reed is Mary, his wife. The audience sees George's life evolve up to the very point that he becomes desolate and turns to suicide as a last resort, and then as he is taken by his guardian angel through events as they would have occurred had he never existed, how he "really had a wonderful life, wouldn't it be a shame to throw it away?" Lionel Barrymore stars as the town's evil slumlord Mr. Potter, who famously yells at George "Merry Christmas! IN JAIL!"

A commercial flop when it was initially released, although nominated for five Oscars, and often referred to as "Capracorn" at the time, Frank Capra being the director, and because it was considered so "corny", it has since become a much-loved classic. It's also the movie with the most romantic scene of all time: the phone scene. When Jimmy Stewart is listening in on the phone call with Donna Reed, and they end up kissing....the whole buildup to that moment when he grabs her...THE BEST EVER ROMANTIC MOVIE SCENE, bar none, in this reviwer's opinion. However, the part where the audience is shown that Reed's character would have become a dowdy, shy, nearsighted old maid librarian, with bushy eyebrows, no less, if she hadn't met Stewart's character, is ludicrous, not to mention sexist. Sam Wainwright would have married her! ;P

Other recommended Christmas films...

Elf (2003)- funny and creepy and festive...all at the same time

Badder Santa (2003) - great to offset "It's A Wonderful Life"

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - a timeless classic

A Christmas Carol (1951) - Alistair Sim - 'nuff said

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)- perfect story - perfect animation - perfect narration

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)- Tim Burton's strange and wonderful take on the season

Spellbound

2011-11-16T06:30:00.000-06:00

(1945)

Will he kiss me or kill me?

"Spellbound", starring Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Leo G. Carroll, loosely based on the novel "The House of Dr. Edwards", was Alfred Hitchcock's somewhat surreal vision of a film about psychoanalysis.

The story: Peck's character, claiming to be Dr. Anthony Edwardes, appears at the mental hospital where Dr. Constance Peterson (Bergman) works, to replace Dr. Murchison (Carroll) as head of the institution. The young pair immediately fall for each other, but Constance's professional abilities also bring her to face the reality that something is terribly wrong with "Dr. Edwardes". She loves him and tries to help him, while at the same time fearing that he may be a murderer.

"Spellbound" is mostly remarkable for being a visual delight, not only of course due to its master director, but also because the film's famous surreal dream sequence Hitchcock created in collaboration with Salvador Dali. This surreal tone is helped by the inclusion of other heavily symbolic scenes such as the line of seven doors opening when Bergman's frigid character becomes "thawed" by her first kiss with Peck. The heavy-handedness of the sexual symbolism in the door scene (violins start up as the doors begin to open) is a little over-the-top but does fit in with the otherwordly feel of the film.

"Spellbound" will be showing in Raleigh at The North Carolina Museum of Art, at 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Friday, November 18th, at 8 pm. The film is part of the Fall Film Series at the Museum focusing on surrealism. Tickets are $3.50 for Museum members, students, Cinema Inc. and Galaxy Cinema members, and $5 for all others. Tickets may be ordered by phone by calling 919-715-5923, and in person (East Building) during regular hours: Tues.-Thur., Sat.-Sun. 10 am-5pm, Fri. 10 am-9 pm.

Photo credit: Selznick International Pictures

Favorites for Halloween Viewing

2011-10-30T05:45:00.001-05:00

Favorites for Halloween viewing, in no particular order after the first one:

The Haunting (1963)
Psycho (1960)
What Lies Beneath (2000)
Mr. Sardonicus (1961)
Trick 'R Treat (2007)
The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1945)
Westworld (1973)
Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The Evil Dead (1981)
The Exorcist (1973)
Halloween (1978)
Creepshow (1982)
Whatever Happened To Baby Jane (1962)
Phantasm (1979)
Alien (1979)
Trilogy of Terror (1975)
Frailty (2001)
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
The Grudge (2004)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

Creepshow

2011-10-27T05:49:00.000-05:00

(1982)

"Just call me Billie! Everyone does!"

Director George Romero ("Night of the Living Dead", 1968) and author/screenwriter Stephen King teamed up for this collection of 5 gruesomely funny horror tales. Combining comic-book panels, melodramatic lighting/coloring and camera angles, with the linking sequences in between the tales animated in the style of 1950's E.C. comics, the results will also remind many of classic comic books such as "Eerie" and "Creepy".

Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Ted Danson, Leslie Nielsen, Ed Harris, Carrie Nye, Viveca Lindfors, E.G. Marshall, and even Stephen King are in the great cast. The tales are titled: "Father's Day", "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill", "Something to Tide You Over", "The Crate", and "They're Creeping Up on You". They are all top-notch (with the exception of the just plain silly "The Lonesome Death Of Jordy Verrill", which stars King in the lead role).

"The Crate" is this reviewer's personal favorite, not because the name of Adrienne Barbeau's vulgar, coarse character is Billie (in her case, Billie is short for Wilma), although Barbeau raucously blaring "Oh, just call me Billie! Everyone does!" several times does induce outright laughter in this reviewer's home. Hal Holbrook, a very accomplished actor, gives a wry and subtle performance as Billie's beleagured, henpecked husband, and Adrienne Barbeau is spot-on as the trashy, trampy, loudly drunken Billie. And while this segment has the same morbid humor of the rest of the tales, it is also pretty scary at times, with a very satisfying ending.

Personal second favorite is "Father's Day", with the bastard of a father yelling "Bedelia! It's Father's Day! Where's my cake? I want my cake, you bitch!" and there's nothing quite like seeing Ed Harris doing what this reviewer likes to call his little "chicken dance", which is rivaled in hilarity only by Jessica Harper's onstage jig in Brian DePalma's underappreciated cult classic "Phantom of the Paradise" (1974).

"Something To Tide You Over" is third personal favorite ("I can hold my breath a long, long time!"), and "They're Creeping Up on You" is for those who are scared by insects, with the great E.G. Marshall as a mean and reclusive germ-phobic millionaire.

Great campy horror fare from Romero and King, worth re-watching several times a year (especially around Halloween - the beginning shots and music are reminiscent of John Carpenter's classic "Halloween").

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Return Of The Living Dead

(1985)

They're Back From The Grave and Ready To Party!

"The Return Of The Living Dead", written and directed by Dan O'Bannon, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen and Don Calfa performing at their over-the-top best, is one of the prime examples of the no-holds-barred camp zombie movies to date, with laughter-inducing imagery, lines such as "Send...more...paramedics" and "They're rabid weasels" to a soundtrack with tunes by legendary punk rock groups such as The Cramps. The supporting cast includes "Scream Queen" Linnea Quigley as Trash, a red-haired punker with a tendency to take her clothes off on a random and frequent basis and dance on the tombs in the local graveyard.

The plot: at the Uneeda Medical Supply (you have to love the name) warehouse in a small town in Kentucky, foreman Frank (Karen) decides to show the new employee, Freddy, some old military barrels that accidentally ended up in the basement. Containing the leftovers of the botched army experiment that inspired the classic "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), the gas inside the barrels sprays all over when Frank starts fiddling with the containers, putrid zombies break out, and the fun is just beginning as Frank phones his boss Burt (Gulager). Burt rushes over to try and help contain the problem, but of course matters only worsen (split dogs! headless cadavers running amok!), so the two enlist the help of his mortuary friend (Calfa).

Freddy's teenage friends and his squeaky-voiced goody two-shoes girlfriend Tina show up at the supply house to pick him up when he gets off work, and become entangled in the havoc.

"The Return Of The Living Dead" is a truly hilarious camp classic of zombie films, a must-see for first-timers and a must-see-again-and-again for all fans of zombie films. It's screening as part of the Cinema Overdrive series (proudly presenting 35mm for all of their films, and showing classic movie trailers before the show), and will be presented on Wednesday, October 26th, at 8:00pm at The Colony, at 5438 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC. (919) 856-0111. Tickets are $5.50 at the door (The Colony is cash-only).

Photo credit: Orion Pictures Corporation, Fox, MGM

The Haunting (1963)

2011-10-22T13:46:00.000-05:00

The Haunting (1963)

"You may not believe in ghosts but you cannot deny terror."

Based on the classic 1959 novel "The Haunting Of Hill House" by renowned author Shirley Jackson, and starring Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn, masterfully directed by Robert Wise, the original 1963 version of "The Haunting" (don't bother with the hideous 1999 remake) is a true masterpiece of psychological horror.

Dr. John Markway (Johnson) is a psychic researcher who invites a group of people with paranormal experience to help him investigate Hill House - an imposing 90 year-old estate which "had stood for 90 years and might stand for 90 more", feared by the locals because of its lurid and violent history that began with its original owner, Hugh Crain.

Only two of the invitees show up: the emotionally fragile and introverted Eleanor Vance (Harris); and Theo (Bloom, sporting a wardrobe by edgy '60s designer Mary Quant), stylish, outspoken, beautiful, and sexually ambiguous - in direct contrast to the meek Eleanor. Russ Sanderson (Tamblyn) is the skeptical young relative who stands to inherit Hill House, and he tags along to "protect (his) investment."

Early on in the film there is some humor from the group's interactions with the crabby caretaker and his wife, Mrs. Dudley ("No one lives any nearer than town. No one will come any nearer than that. In the night. In the dark."), a creepy, skull-faced woman. After that brief injection of humor (which does of course warn the audience of events to come), the film gets down to business: ghostly voices, a superbly mood-setting soundtrack, stark lighting, off-kilter camera angles and subtle insinuations all meld seamlessly with the skillful casting and direction to create some of the most chilling moments in psychological horror.

A must-see classic of the genre (and the favorite horror film of director Martin Scorsese) "The Haunting" is screening on Tuesday, October 25 at the Koka Booth Ampitheatre in Cary, North Carolina. Gates open at 6pm, and the movie starts at dusk. Admission - $3, kids 12 and under are free. Blankets, chairs and picnics are allowed. Amphitheatre concessions will be open with movie night snacks and beverages available for purchase. Tickets can be purchased at the Amphitheatre Box Office.

A portion of the proceeds from the movie will benefit the Alzheimer's North Carolina Inc. Supporting North Carolina families dealing with Alzheimers Disease. To learn more visit www.alznc.org

Evil Dead 2

2011-10-09T08:19:00.001-05:00

"The Sequel to The Ultimate Experience in Grueling Terror."

(1987)

Directed by Sam Raimi, written by Sam Spiegel, and starring loveable ham Bruce Campbell, "Evil Dead 2" (also known as "Evil Dead 2 - Dead By Dawn") continues Ash Williams' (Campbell) unfortunate saga in a remote cabin in the woods, where a group of evil spirits possess the living, turning them into screeching, gooey, and hilarious monsters, after being summoned by readings from The Book Of The Dead.

If you have seen "The Evil Dead" (1981) then be prepared for even crazier shenanigans as Ash fights for his life, even to the point of cutting off his own arm "It got into my hand and it went bad" then attaching a chainsaw to the stump. Filled with terrific one-liners, and Raimi's trademark directing style utilized to perfect effect, "Evil Dead 2" raises the level of camp at least one big notch up from the first film. "The Evil Dead" was scary and campy, "Evil Dead 2" is pure horror satire.

"GROOVY!" is this particular film's standout catchphrase, and is another one forever linked with Campbell - his collaborations with Sam Raimi have resulted in such classic camp films as the first in the trilogy "The Evil Dead", then "Evil Dead 2","Army Of Darkness" (1992), and have also spawned several video games based on the films, with Campbell lending his voice.

"Evil Dead 2" is screening as part of the Cool Classics series (proudly presenting 35mm for all their films) hosted by The Colony movie theater in Raleigh, NC, and will be showing on Wednesday, October 19th, at 8:00pm at The Colony, at 5438 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC. (919) 856-0111. Classic horror movie trailers shown before the show. Tickets are $5.50 at the door (note: The Colony is cash-only).

2011-10-01T05:10:00.000-05:00

The Innocents

(1961)

A strange new experience in shock

Directed by Jack Clayton, and starring Deborah Kerr, Michael Redgrave, Martin Stephens, and Pamela Franklin, "The Innocents" is a dark and eerily disturbing film of psychological horror. Set in Victorian England, and based on the novella "The Turn Of The Screw" by Henry James, with its Freudian screenplay written by Truman Capote, "The Innocents" has long been a favorite of fans of the genre.

Cinematographer Freddie Francis' skillful lighting and Clayton's direction give the film its eerie atmosphere - the beginning is completely black, with only singing heard (which confused projectionists of the time), for almost a minute, before the credits begin. This sets the tone for the entire film, in the manner of another masterful black and white film of the genre - Robert Wise's "The Haunting" (1963).

The uncle (Redgrave) of orphaned Flora (Franklin, age 11 at the time in this her first film role) and her brother Miles(Martin Stephens, an extremely popular child actor of the 50s and 60s) grants Miss Giddens (Kerr) her first position, as governess. He gives Miss Giddens full rein with them, as he is busy and does not want to be bothered. Her repressed sexuality begins to be evident in her scene with Redgrave, and is brought to the surface more as the film develops, especially in a couple of particulary unsettling scenes with Miles.

Miss Giddens is convinced soon after she moves into the estate (the film takes place on location in a gothic estate in England) that the spirits of the former governess Miss Jessel and valet Peter Quint (Peter Wyngarde- who fans of "The Avengers" TV show will recognize from the most popular episode of the series, "A Touch Of Brimstone", have possessed the children, and she strives to free them of the dead lovers' influence - resulting in unforeseen consequences.

Photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox

The Hunger

2011-09-24T06:09:00.002-05:00

(1983)

"Nothing human lives forever."

"The Hunger", the directorial debut of Tony Scott (Ridley's brother), is a stylish, beautifully directed and sensual film starring Catherine Deneuve as vampire Miriam Blalock, and David Bowie as John, the most recent in her succession of chosen humans she has turned vampire to be her lover and companion. The two live together in a beautiful New York townhouse, private tutors of classical music as their cover. At night they haunt nightclubs, dressed in elegant clothing and sunglasses, hunting prey (look for Ann Magnuson in a bit part as one of their meals).

Miriam is a centuries-old bisexual vampire dating back to ancient Egypt, who met John in 18th century France, promising him eternal life; unknown to him, she has promised the same to many others before (she alternates the genders of her chosen companions thoughout the ages). The lie begins reveal itself as John starts to have trouble sleeping, then as he abruptly and rapidly ages in the waiting room of Dr. Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon), a researcher of sleep and aging disorders. Miriam looks to Sarah as John's potential successor; Sarah falls under her spell when she goes to the townhouse to find John, and encounters Miriam instead, leading to the scene for which this film is best known.

If you're expecting a fast-paced vampire film showcasing fangs, flying bats, wooden stakes, and the usual trappings, look elsewhere; "The Hunger" is a film of striking imagery and languid elegance, even in its violent scenes, and an all-encompassing sexual atmosphere right up until the shocking and almost surreal ending. The performances of Deneuve and Bowie (Deneuve is the epitome of the classy and distant blonde ala Alfred Hitchcock's preference for his female leads, and Bowie expertly handles his character's transition from young to old, both physically and emotionally) ensure that The Hunger will remain known as the perfect vampire film of the 1980s, and a timeless cult classic in its own right.

The 1981 novel of the same name by Whitley Strieber is a compelling read, and a fitting addition to the bookshelves of anyone who enjoys books by authors such as Anne Rice or Charlaine Harris.

Photo credit: MGM

Brazil

2011-09-22T10:36:00.000-05:00

(1985)

"It's only a state of mind."

"Brazil" is the second feature film by Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame. If you're familiar with Gilliam's extremely off-the-wall animated sequences from his work with the Monty Python Group, and/or have seen his first feature-length film (Time Bandits, from 1981) then you might be able to imagine what sprouts from his creative consciousness in his second full-length film.

Starring Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Michael Palin, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, and Ian Holm, "Brazil" is a sci-fi fantasy and black comedy that defies clear explanation (just as you might expect from Gilliam); rife with visuals and creative lunacies that amuse, fascinate, and horrify.

Bryce stars as Sam Lowry, a bureaucrat in a futuristic world, whose boring life changes after his lovelorn daydreams of a woman he's never met draw him unwittingly into an increasingly surreal world that, since the making of the film over 25 years ago, foreshadows a possible future for us all.

"Brazil" will be showing in Raleigh at The North Carolina Museum of Art, at 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Friday, September 23rd at 8 pm. The film is part of the Fall Film Series at the Museum focusing on surrealism. Tickets are $3.50 for Museum members, students, Cinema Inc. and Galaxy Cinema members, and $5 for all others. Tickets may be ordered by phone by calling 919-715-5923, and in person (East Building) during regular hours: Tues.-Thur., Sat.-Sun. 10 am-5pm, Fri. 10 am-9 pm.Photo credit: Embassy International Pictures

Phantasm

2011-06-08T15:19:00.021-05:00

(1979)

"If this one doesn't scare you...You're Already Dead!"

"I am fascinated and frightened by the American way of death...how a corpse is spirited away by the mortician to some place we are not allowed to go, refabricated by the embalmer, and grandly interred. I knew the subject would make a great horror movie." - Don Coscarelli

Directed, written (in an isolated mountain cabin in an intense three weeks), photographed and edited on a modest $300,000 budget by Don Coscarelli, who was only 24 at the time, and starring Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, and Angus Scrimm, "Phantasm" ranks high on my list of camp classic horror films.

Jody Pearson (Thornbury) is 24 and doing his best to raise his 13-year-old brother Mike (Baldwin) in their small hometown after the deaths of their parents. As a result, Mike exhibits separation anxiety issues, and follows his older brother practically everywhere he goes, including a funeral. After the funeral Mike sees the mortician, a creepy-looking old tall man (Scrimm) easily pick up the coffin under one arm and steal it, including its contents.

This of course triggers his already active curiousity, and along with his brother and their ice-cream vendor and musician friend Reggie (Bannister) he becomes involved in trying to stop the Tall Man, who in addition to his superhuman strength shows a talent for flinging whizzing lethal silver spiked spheres at people's heads. The Tall Man ploddingly pursues Mike while darkly calling out to him, "BOYYYY!" (the most-quoted line in the film, and with good reason).

The bodies pile up (and disappear) as the Tall Man reanimates them to be dwarf slaves in some alternate world...still with me? As ridiculous as this all sounds (and is), combined with the great soundtrack, sometimes unintentionally hilarious dialogue and visuals, and bizarre scenes that don't have any relevance whatsoever to the already convoluted storyline (such as Reggie suddenly whipping out his guitar for an impromptu jam with Jody), and some truly campy and gory special effects (the film was originally rated X for the sphere scenes), it somehow all works, because all this and more make "Phantasm" a prime example of the Camp Horror Classic genre. If you enjoy this genre and have never seen this film, you're in for a treat!

Photo credits: New Breed Productions

Bell Book And Candle

2011-02-14T10:00:00.020-06:00

(1958)

"A bewitching comedy about an enchanting subject!"

"Bell Book And Candle" is a classic romantic comedy starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. The film bears similarities to the 1942 Veronica Lake film, "I Married A Witch", and most likely inspired the hit 1960's TV show "Bewitched", which was produced by Columbia's television division.

Gillian Holroyd (Kim Novak) is a modern-day witch who lives with her Siamese cat familiar, Pyewacket, in a Greenwich Village apartment building where she owns a small gallery that offers primitive art.

Book publisher Shep Henderson (James Stewart) lives upstairs, and when she discovers that Shep is engaged to her old nemesis from college, Merle Kittridge (Janice Rule), Gillian casts a spell to make him be in love with her instead - only to fall in love with him herself.

The predictability of this does nothing to spoil the fun - skillfully directed by Richard Quine, based on the Broadway play written by John Van Druten, screenplay by Daniel Taradash - "Bell Book And Candle" is wonderfully written, full of playfulness and poignancy throughout, in addition to being a visual delight.

Novak at her prime is showcased in outfits designed by Jean Louis, all gorgeous - some of them backless - Novak had a beautiful back, so was often dressed in open-backed clothing in her films. She is first seen in a red jacket over a black pullover and slacks, barefoot, and she moves with a feline fluidity befitting her role and her clothing.

"Bell Book And Candle" boasts a solid co-starring cast: Jack Lemmon as Gillian's brother Nicky Holroyd, a mischievious bongo-playing (Lemmon played the bongos himself) warlock; Elsa Lanchester as Queenie Holroyd, their somewhat addled aunt and fellow witch; Janice Rule as the snooty fiance, Merle Kittredge; Ernie Kovacs as Sidney Redlitch, the boozy author of a book on witchcraft; and Hermione Gingold as Bianca de Passe, another witch.

This was Stewart's last film as a romantic lead, as he felt that at age 50 he was becoming too old to be convincing in that category. He and Novak do however exhibit the same chemistry that was evident in their other on-screen pairing ("Vertigo", one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films, released earlier the same year). "Bell Book And Candle" was originally written as a serious play; however it was revised to a light romantic comedy when audiences kept unexpectedly laughing during try-outs. The revised play, starring Rex Harrison and Lili Palmer, was a Broadway hit. The film "Bell Book And Candle" was honored with two Academy Award Nominations: Art Direction and Costume Design.

Trivia - to stock Gillian's art gallery, $75,000 worth of African and South Seas island primitive art was borrowed from New York's Carlebach Gallery. Also, as the actress spent much of her time barefoot for her role, Columbia hired an attendant whose sole responsibility was to provide blankets for Novak's feet to keep them warm in between takes.

Westworld

2011-02-10T19:28:00.011-06:00

(1973)

"Boy, have we got a vacation for you..."

Westworld is set in the future (as visualized back in 1973 when the film was made; apparently the computers of the future are really, really big, and the monitors are really, really small), where the pampered rich can go to a vacation resort named Delos, and choose one of three worlds to visit and play make-believe-for-grownups in: Medievalworld, Romanworld, and Westworld. Protagonists John Blaine and Peter Martin (James Brolin and Richard Benjamin, respectively) choose Westworld.

John is a Westworld veteran who displays a sauntering confidence; Peter is his friend and first-timer at the resort who, upon getting outfitted for the adventure, utters childlike statements such as "Do we get a real gun? Wow!"

In the various worlds, the guests interact with each other and with anatomically-correct, extremely realistic robots. They are able to *ahem* interact very closely with the female robots, and shoot the gunslinger robots for fun if they wish (the guns they are supplied with will not work on real people). Romanworld is promoted as something of a sex resort, and Medievalworld seems geared towards the romantics.

The film begins with quite a lot of intentional comedy and satire, and starts out very much like it could have been a 1970's TV Movie of the Week, complete with goofy music, but once the robots start to malfunction the rest of the film is a truly creepy western/sci-fi film. It's a western, albeit a sci-fi western. The last half-hour of the film is also essentially a silent movie, as Crichton said he wanted, save for the great soundtrack that kicks in at this point that sounds something like a bow being drawn against piano strings, or a cello. It has the same unsettling effect as the out-of-tune piano in another favorite film of mine, Wait Until Dark (1967).

There have been many films with robots/androids that I have seen and loved. Examples of what I consider to be truly frightening robots in film, besides Westworld, are: The Stepford Wives (1974), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), The Terminator (1984), and The Companion (1995).

Westworld was the first scary robot film I ever experienced, and I have still seen nothing that quite equals Yul Brynner in his role as the robot gunslinger in Westworld.

His performance really makes the movie; Brynner was a very accomplished actor, and used his skill to great effect to bring a frightening and chilling subtlety of expression to this role. When Brynner's robot gunslinger commands "Draw" to Peter at the moment when it's become obvious to him that the robot has malfunctioned, with the slightest twist of a smile at the corner of his mouth, I invariably get chills. The chase is on, with Peter running as the gunslinger robot methodically hunts him down. Even the way Brynner walks and moves has an element to it that is hard to define and very unnerving. When Peter first meets him at the saloon we see that the robot gunslinger's movements are very fluid in a way one doesn't usually see an actor portray a robot, yet the smooth mannerisms somehow serve to further the effect.

What's also interesting about this film is the evolving of the Peter Martin character. He starts out as the inexperienced nerdy sidekick to Brolin's John Blaine, and ends up showing his true mettle as the going gets rough. The formerly milquetoast Peter quickly learns how to survive and fight back, and Richard Benjamin is very sympathetic, likeable, and effective in his portrayal.

This was Sci-Fi writer/director Michael Crichton's first foray into big-screen filmmaking. Crichton has said he made the film in thirty days, under schedule and within the budget. I would expect that finding pre-made sets was fairly easy; there was bound to be at least one western set sitting around the studio lots. Several locations were utilized for the filming of Westworld: the Mojave Desert, part of the gardens of the Harold Lloyd Estate, and various available studio stages.

If you find a DVD of this to rent, and you've never seen the film before, I recommend that you do not watch the trailer first! It's a real spoiler.

Note: Look for Majel Barrett (of Star Trek - Generation, and she was also Gene Roddenberrys' wife) as the whorehouse Madam.

Brynner's part, and his clothing, was a take on his role in the classic 1960 western The Magnificent Seven.

Photo credits: MGM

A Face in the Crowd

2010-08-09T08:28:00.010-05:00

(1957)

"A guitar beats a woman every time!"

The film many (including myself) consider to be Elia Kazan's masterpiece is a searing political drama and satire of commercialism that is still relevant today. "A Face in the Crowd" tells the story of Lonesome Rhodes (Griffith), a charismatic guitar-playing drifter who is discovered by radio executive Marcia Jeffries (the husky-voiced and classy Patricia Neal) while in jail on a public drunk charge.

He catapults to radio and TV stardom under the guise of being an aw-shucks homeboy who loves his fans, while in fact, Lonesome Rhodes is a greedy, egotistical, manipulative womanizer with underhanded political aspirations and nothing but contempt for his gullible audience.

The film was far ahead of its time in its theme and telling, and Andy Griffith, in his pre-Mayberry days, gives a blazing performance. That "A Face In The Crowd" wasn't even nominated for any awards is very surprising.

The stellar supporting cast includes Patricia Neal, who shines in an Oscar-worthy performance, perfectly balancing Griffith's Lonesome Rhodes; Walter Matthau, Tony Franciosa, and a breathtaking Lee Remick in her first film role.

"A Face in the Crowd" is a must-see film, and should eradicate any opinion you may have that Griffith was only capable of his wholesome TV roles of Sheriff Taylor and Ben Matlock. He has said that the part was very difficult for him, depicting such an unsavory character, and he did not want to do another like it...and the rest is TV history.

The DVD of "A Face In The Crowd", released in 2005 (I had been waiting for years for this film to be released on DVD), also features a fascinating documentary about the HUAC (House UnAmerican Activities Committee).

Elmer Gantry

2010-07-10T08:57:00.000-05:00

(1960)

"You're all sinners! You'll all burn in hell!"

"Elmer Gantry" is an amazing film that has lost none of its bite or appeal with the passing of time. Taken from the classic Sinclair Lewis novel of the same name, director Richard Brooks garnered an Oscar for Best Screenplay for his adaptation, and Burt Lancaster won his sole Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Elmer Gantry. Gantry is an over-the-top opportunistic traveling salesman who teams up with evangelist Sister Sharon Falconer (Jean Simmons) to promote religion in 1920's America. Gantry turns out to be the perfect publicity compliment to Sister Sharon, who, unlike him, is a true believer. Where she is quiet and gentle with her manner of preaching, he is all fire and brimstone, literally throwing himself about the audience and inflaming them into repentance.

Burt Lancaster commands the screen: all flashing teeth, athletic energy, charisma, and wild hair, using his own physical prowess to great advantage.

The angelic and lovely Jean Simmons, who had legions of adoring male fans when she was in her ethereal prime, portrays Sister Sharon (loosely based on a well-known real-life revivalist of the early 1920's, Aimee Semple McPherson, about whom I'd heard from my grandmother) in a manner reminiscent of her character in "Spartacus" - she was the perfect choice for this role, as was Lancaster for his.

Shirley Jones was awarded the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her vivacious portrayal of prostitute Lulu Bains, whose past history with Gantry comes back to haunt him - gleefully laughing as she dances about a room full of her fellow prostitutes, she recounts that "He rammed the fear of God into me so fast I never heard my old man's footsteps!"

Burt Lancaster's natural grace and athletic ability in his prime (he was a circus acrobat before he became an actor) helps make his performance truly electrifying. He also manages to believably evolve Elmer Gantry from loud-mouthed salesman to sympathetic and honest human being over the course of the film.

The top-notch supporting cast includes Arthur Kennedy, Patti Page, Dean Jagger, and John McIntire.

Viva

2010-02-01T14:00:00.013-06:00

(2007)

"She was a housewife seeking kicks, in a world of swingers, drugs, playboys and orgies in the lurid '70s!"

Director, writer, artist, and organ-playing independent filmmaker Anna Biller has created a visual feast of a film with "Viva." Set in 1972 Los Angeles, it tells the story of a bored, neglected housewife who decides to find some adventure in life in the midst of the sexual revolution.

"Viva" is a film one might imagine as a campy, comical version of the classic film "Belle De Jour", as it might have been in part envisioned by Russ Meyer (director of such camp classics as "Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!”), with sing and dance numbers, nudity, and a dash of (soft-core) sex thrown into the mix.

What struck me first about "Viva" were the visuals: specifically, the amazing usage of color in every scene, and the authenticity of the decor and clothing. I'm 51, so am of the age to have been a teen in the 1970s. Watching the film has a lot of deja-vu moments for me, in that sense. I have watched it several times and still get caught up completely in Biller's use of color.

Every scene has the colors tied in to each other, in some way, from the colors of the clothing, down to the smallest detail, for instance a loud necktie in one scene is well-coordinated with the wall hanging behind the person wearing it. The colors and sets in films of the 1960s and 1970s had a look and a texture, almost, that is very recognizable, and Biller has gone to great lengths to revisit the look of the time, including a lot of crochet, and other obviously vintage items and clothing from the time. Many of the paintings shown in the movie were painted by Biller and other cast members.

The film is very funny in general, with campy dialogue and great delivery by the entire cast (Biller has mastered the perfect raised eyebrow/pouty lip expression), including the musical numbers (songs written by Biller), and the appropriately 1970s cheesy elevator music in the background adds to the overall effect. If viewing the film without knowing otherwise, it would be easy to think that "Viva" was filmed in 1972.

"Viva" is an instantly classic camp film, and a creative tour de force - I'm looking forward to seeing more of Biller's work.

Note: this review is of the unrated version of "Viva". I first saw the film in its theatrical version when I rented it. The version I bought is the unrated one. Unless memory fails me, the main difference between the two is that the unrated version has more nudity, specifically in a nudist camp sequence. I don't find the nudity offensive; it fits in with the theme of the time depicted, and in fact is funny at times. I personally find the image of Biller's dressed character sitting primly while a couple of naked men standing behind her sway unself-consciously to music irreverantly hilarious, while at the same time relevant to the depiction of her character. It never fails to amaze me that the public can easily view actual photos of brains blown out and other acts of real and simulated violence on regular TV, much less mainstream films, but nudity and sexual themes still never fail to get the censors in a huff.

Click on the link below to go to Anna Biller's website:
LIFE OF A STAR

It's Halloween Month!

2009-10-01T05:45:00.013-05:00

I consider October to be "Halloween Month", and the prime month to watch scary movies all month long. We own over 700 movies, and half of them are films we categorize under Horror/Sci-Fi/Ghost/Thriller.

Below are my top 20 must-see Halloween month movie picks, not in any particular order. The clickable links in the first group will take you to reviews I've written; the links in the second group will take you to the IMDB page for each film:

Westworld (1973)
When A Stranger Calls (1979)
Whatever Happened To Baby Jane (1962)

Trilogy of Terror (1975)
Psycho (1960)
The Haunting (1963)
Mr. Sardonicus (1961)
The People Under The Stairs (1999)
Trick 'R Treat (2008)
The Evil Dead (1981)
The Exorcist (1973)
Halloween (1978)
Ghost Story (1981)
Phantasm (1979)
Alien (1979)
Frailty (2001)
The Grudge (2004)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1945)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-07-27T08:30:00.015-05:00

(2008)

"In May, the adventure continues."

First off: ponderous title, weak tagline.

I have to agree with many of the reviews I've read...too much CGI, not enough human interest/interactions. The warmth was lacking, and the script too. It seemed forever before Karen Allen came into it (I loved her in the first installment of the series), and she provided the *spark* here, she's still a sassy woman!

And, although Harrison Ford still looks pretty good, and I know he did a lot of his own stunts, he seemed overly grumpy and somewhat humorless this time around. Shia LaBeouf was okay, but his character seemed obviously just thrown in the film to either (1) attract a younger audience or (2) to hint at sequels with him in the title role - let's hope not! I think the series needs to give it up for good now.

There were some great scenes (loved the fight scene in the diner!) and many that seemed to really drag on - the dialogue-driven scenes just weren't written very well, they were...boring. And ALIENS? What a dopey plot twist. I was waiting for someone to say "ET! Phone home!" towards the end.

Actually, my first thought when I saw the plastic uhhhh "crystal skull" was that it looked like it could have been the skull from the monster in "Alien."

A lot of depth in the film was lost in what seemed to be a big push for show-offy CGI. That being said, I really had hoped to see Cate Blanchett's character go out in a more sensational manner, like the guy whose face melted in the first one. She just sort of went *poof* after a lot of buildup. That wouldn't have required any CGI, just a wax melting head like they used in the first one. And it certainly would have been more interesting.

Oh, and Blanchett's accent! I know it's been said but I have to reiterate it, I kept waiting for her to say "MOOSE AND SQUIRREL! MOOSE AND SQUIRREL!" I had trouble keeping from laughing every time she spoke.

As for the installments overall, the original Raiders Of The Lost Ark is still the best, although I do love The Last Crusade. Temple of Doom was truly awful, and not helped by Kate Capshaw's annoying character....a weak, stupid, shallow, whining bimbo. I liked the strong female characters in these films; Capshaw's was an insult to the series. And I won't go into a diatribe about the screechy kid.

Anyway, entertaining enough, but a big letdown I think for most Indy fans.

Films made in high school, circa 1975

2008-04-09T13:42:00.001-05:00

"Mattel Place" - a Super8 movie made in 1975 for Film Class in my senior year of high school, using stop-motion animation with Barbie dolls, a Johnny West doll, a Skipper doll, a Francie doll, and other plastic people and assorted accessories such as my *official* Barbie doll convertible sports car, some fireworks that happened to be handy, and a very small model gun. P.S. My maiden name is listed, in case the credits confuse you.

Filmed in my childhood home's basement using sets made from cardboard boxes; also filmed in various outdoor locations such as the street in front of our house. Created very painstakingly over the course of three weeks. Transferred from the original (degraded, yes, the original footage was much sharper than what you see here) Super8 footage to DVD, with some sound added, in 2004.

It may seem rather crude, but this was filmed in 1975 with rather crude technology, including the dolls themselves, which had an extremely limited range of motion.

This was before computer animation etc, and the dolls I had weren't very "bendy". So I used a Johnny West doll as the man in it, since he had more bendable parts. The mustache is something I drew on with a permanent Sharpie when I was even younger. And unfortunately his "clothes" were permanent. No chest-baring scenes for him!

The title is a take-off on the classic "Peyton Place" which was a book, a movie, and also went on to become the first TV soap opera, starring Mia Farrow.

You can see my Monty Python-esque humor was fully developed at a very young age.

Anyway, enjoy!

...and on a more serious note...
THE IMPLOSION OF THE DURHAM HOTEL, 1975
This is the other film from my high school film class; it was a collaboration with 3 other students/friends. I had the film transferred from its original Super8 film onto DVD at the same time I had the Mattel Place one done. However, with Mattel Place, I had someone else do the credits and add some sound, as I didn't myself have the capability for adding credits and music at that time.

For this film I added the credits at the beginning and end myself in 2006, along with the music (a mix I made from the soundtrack of "To Kill A Mockingbird", my favorite film). The Durham Hotel was a landmark of downtown Durham and held a lot of memories for a lot of people...the day it came down was a sad one. And guess what? A parking lot went up in its place, yippee. Turn your sound on first before clicking to play it, but the music doesn't start until the beginning credits are over, just so you know.

Born To Be Bad

2007-08-15T06:36:00.007-05:00

(1950)

"Baby-faced savage in a jungle of intrigue!"

What a great movie poster! That's almost enough, right there. Why see the film?

But, no, really you should see it - if you can find it. My husband and I were flipping channels recently, and happened upon this film just as it was beginning. Neither of us had seen it before...and within minutes we wished we'd known about it beforehand, and had recorded it (I don't like to record a movie after it's already started). "Born To Be Bad" is basically a really bad variation on the classic Bette Davis film "All About Eve", without the theater background, and it is not a good movie. It's a really bad film in fact, but bad in a great way. It's a cheesy 1950's B-film, hilarious without intending to be - the best kind of classic camp.

"Born To Be Bad" has a surprisingly stellar cast, including Joan Fontaine (in the lead as the conniving Christabel Caine), Zachary Scott, Robert Ryan (at his hunky bad-guy best), Joan Leslie, and Mel Ferrer. The story centers around Christabel Caine, who seems innocent on the outside...but is pure opportunistic bitch on the inside.

That's about all the plot line you need.

Joan Fontaine is her usual melodramatic self, complete with her signature eyebrow antics - her left eyebrow always seemed to have a mind of its own - also apparent in her performances in films such as "Rebecca", "Suspicion" and well, every film she was ever in, come to think of it), but her role in "Born to Be Bad" suits her mannerisms well. She makes a great little sweet-faced bitch. The dialogue is completely over-the-top, and coupled with the melodramatic mannerisms of most of the cast (Robert Ryan and Joan Fontaine's scenes together are some of the best), makes for a very entertaining camp film.

Nicolas Ray (who 5 years later directed the classic "Rebel Without A Cause") has created a total bomb, a classic of camp film that is worthy viewing for lovers of the genre.

A few days late, but....scary movies I recommend

2005-11-06T07:47:00.001-05:00

I should have done this at the beginning of October, which I consider to be "Halloween Month", and the prime month to watch scary movies all month long (which I did), but I've been busy painting and working, plus am having trouble typing for any length of time these days, due to the problems with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in my left hand. *throws self-pity party*

Anyway...these are my top 20 scary movie picks, not in any particular order, except for the first two. The majority were made in the '60's and '70's...this probably has something to do with my age, as many of these were films that scared me in my childhood and teen years, but really I think it's because I have been watching films, especially scary films (my favorite genre) for 40+ years, and most of the newer ones seem to be weak variations on what has come before. Not many newer horror/thriller films surprise me. The standout exceptions to this are "The Grudge" and "Frailty". Anyway here's my list:

Psycho (1960)
The Haunting (1963)
Mr. Sardonicus (1961)
Frenzy (1972)
Night Of The Hunter (1955)
The Evil Dead (1981)
The Exorcist (1973)
Halloween (1978)
When A Stranger Calls (1979)
Jaws (1975)
Whatever Happened To Baby Jane (1962)
Trilogy of Terror (1975, made for TV)
Phantasm (1979)
Alien (1979)
Frailty (2001)
The Grudge (2004)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1945)
Westworld (1973)

The Ring Two (unrated edition)

2005-10-08T07:04:00.001-05:00

(2005)

"Fear comes full circle."

New rentals! We are prone to avoiding the theater and waiting to rent, and I grabbed this sequel, newly avaialable to rent, thinking "Oh, this will be good!"

Well, I'll make this brief and to the point. First off, in order to even begin to understand "The Ring Two", you need to have first seen the original. Which I did, and I thought the original one was scary as hell, and a very good film. But just because you saw the first one that doesn't mean you need to waste your time seeing this boring, un-scary sequel, which suffers most from poor direction and editing.

The plot: Naomi Watts reprises her role from "The Ring", determined to make a new life with her son, but the evil Samara returns. SURPRISE!

I don't know what "chilling new scenes" (as it says on the DVD box) this unrated version contains, but if the unrated version is supposed to be scarier than the rated one, that makes it even worse. This film is just not scary. In fact, my husband and I found ourselves laughing at many of the supposedly-scary scenes.

For instance: in the first film the director wasn't trying to scare the audience with computer-animated deer. And the only thing less scary than deer are computer-animated deer. That whole scene seemed to be just a lame imitation of the final scene from the Hitchcock classic "The Birds". We were laughing the entire time.

And how did Naomi Watts' character keep her (creepy-looking) little boy clean, if he's so damn phobic of tubs, showers, toilets and even faucets? Damn, kid, take a bath and wash your stanky little self! Oh no! Scared of the bath tub too? Well, Mom will just leave you alone in the tub, you'll be fine. What could happen?

This slow, predictable, boring, barely-a-horror-movie movie is long on closeups of Watts' face, and short on scary Samara.

See the original, but skip this one.

Gia (unrated edition)

2005-10-02T14:42:00.001-05:00

(1998)

"Everyone Saw The Beauty, No One Saw The Pain."

"Gia" is based on the real life story of late 1970's supermodel Gia Marie Carangi; starting with her life as a young girl, we see her watch tearfully as her mother (Mercedes Ruehl) leaves her father and her, for another man. We next see her as a spike-haired, pink-haired punk of 18, working in her father's diner, who becomes a model after an impromptu photo shoot one evening. As her fame rises, she falls under the influence of heroin, and dies from AIDS in 1986, aged 26. Gia Carangi was one of the first women in America whose death was attributed to AIDS. Taken from interviews with people who knew her, and her own journals, "Gia" is a film that catapulted Angelina Jolie, in the lead role, into stardom, and for which she earned the Golden Globe Award, and also helped bring to attention the growing epidemic of women with AIDS.

Gia Carangi could possibly be described as the brunette Marilyn Monroe of the modeling world; another woman famous for her beauty, whose emotional vulnerabilities ultimately led to her death. Angelina Jolie is electrifying and completely believable, possibly drawing from her own modeling past, and empathy for the woman she portrays. She almost eerily seems to embody the tragic supermodel - I remember very well the model Gia from her heyday, her ads, her covers, and I had wondered what happened to her - until I saw this film. Her celebrity is illustrated by the fact that supermodel Cindy Crawford, who resembles Gia Carangi, was often referred to as "The Next Gia", and "Baby Gia", when she first started modeling.

This unrated version (I have both) has 5 minutes more footage in it than the rated. I haven't watched my other version in awhile, but there seem to be more drug/needle scenes in this one, and possibly a little more nudity.

Gia starts off as a very sexy film, making Gia's sexuality evident in the earliest scenes - at her first, informal modeling shoot, she shows her preference for women, and later on when asked if she's ever had sex with a man, replies "Yeah, once. I could have done that with a German Shepherd". But the film soon must delve into Gia's downward spiral into drugs and depression, after the death of Wilhelmina Cooper, her first modeling agent and a close friend/mother figure. As Gia says, "People keep going away from me. It hurts."

The film is a study in greys, punctuated with flashes of bright colors, such as red. A mournful Jazz soundtrack for the titles and parts of the film, and classic rock and roll songs of the time contribute greatly to the atmosphere.

With a strong supporting cast, including Mercedes Reuhl as her mother, Elizabeth Mitchell as her lover, Eric Michael Cole as her friend T.J, and Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper, HBO Pictures brought to TV one of the best of the made-for-TV film genre.

Profit - (TV series, complete DVD set)

2005-09-22T06:55:00.004-05:00

(1996)

"Profit - A Name You Can't Trust."

I don't usually review TV shows but I had to make an exception for "Profit".

Recently released for the first time ever, and on DVD, this deliciously evil short-lived series from 1996 was far ahead of its time. Today, in the era of HBO and shows such as "The Sopranos", the then-outrageous TV show "Profit" would fit right in. Lasting a mere season because of the uproar over its subject matter and its in-your-face handling of same (for example, the relationship between Jim Profit and his drug-addled trashy stepmother, wonderfully portrayed by Lisa Blount, sent conservatives into a tailspin), when I first saw the show I was immediately hooked, and was floored when it was cancelled.

My husband had heard me lament the demise of the show (he had never seen it). When he saw in a magazine that it was going to be released, and on DVD - the pilot, the 3 episodes that were aired in the USA, plus the 4 episodes I never got to see, that were released in France - he said "Isn't that the show you're always talking about that was cancelled that you loved so much?" - I looked at the article and literally made a beeline to my computer, credit card in hand. The DVD set includes some great interviews with the different people involved in the creation of the show.

As soon as it arrived, my husband started watching it with me and was even more hooked than I had been, especially at the pilot's amazing ending (I won't spoil it). After the pilot he said "That just makes me want to watch more!" It was everything I remembered: handsome, suave, charismatic, and completely evil Jim Profit (wonderfully portrayed by Adrian Pasdar), a warped product of insane parents and a horrible upbringing (his father made him live and sleep in a carboard box with a hole cut out so that he could just see a TV screen) uses any means in his power to get ahead in his quest to attain ownership of Gracen & Gracen, a powerful corporation. To say much more than this would spoil the story.

Watching the entire series, my husband and I treated it like a miniseries...and as we neared the last episode, I found myself saying, "Soon, there will be no more Profit! We're almost through it all!" I found myself suggesting after it was all over, that they bring the series back...hey, what's Adrian Pasdar doing these days?

Maybe HBO could pick it up, get at least some of the original cast back to participate - they'd have to have Pasdar - and do a "9 years later" and start the ball rolling again with a "9 years later" episode. What's the rest of the original cast up to these days (including Lisa Zane, actor Billy Zane's sister, as Joanne Meltzer, Jim Profit's arch-nemesis)? HBO should get some smarts and grab it up and run with it! FOX was smart enough to snatch it up back then; today it'd be perfect for cable TV.

"Profit" only suffered from its timing, as that there were no cable networks back then such as HBO, and apparently it was just too much for most of mainstream America. Brilliantly written and cast, one of the best TV shows I have ever seen, and as relevant now as it was then, "Profit" is a sheer masterpiece of film noir TV, and there has been nothing like it before or since. Buy it and watch it over and over - two words describe it better than any long review of it could: "Deliciously evil."

Alexander

2005-09-18T08:16:00.002-05:00

(2004)

"Fortune favors the bold."

This is a prime example of bad filmmaking that needn't have been...Oliver Stone was way out of his element/genre directing this kind of film, and Colin Farrell was a poor choice for the lead; I like him well enough but he just couldn't carry this role, and with the blonde mullet he sports in it I just kept thinking, "Fabio! Fabio!"

A lot of great actors in the cast: Angelina Jolie, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Hopkins...all underused. Rosario Dawson is great too...and her performance was spicy! Jared Leto just wandered around with his big blue eyes, looking like a puppy, and Val Kilmer was, as usual, a complete ham. Jolie is in her element here as Alexander's vixen mother (yes, mother), playing with snakes, her black kohl-rimmed eyes brimming with mischief, although I must say that I found her use of a Russian accent a bit perplexing. Expanding Jolie's and Dawson's roles would have helped the film immensely; those two were the only really interesting characters.

Basically, this film suffers from (1) poor direction and (2) poor choice of leading man and (3) bad acting. That's a lot of major problems, isn't it? And if battle scenes are flat-out boring....! Good choice of narrator though - Anthony Hopkins has a great voice. And it's a good thing someone does narrate, because the film often needs explanation.

Watching this dud just made me want to re-watch really good epics such as "Lawrence of Arabia", "Gladiator", or "Ben-Hur".

Raising Arizona

2005-08-23T15:38:00.002-05:00

(1987)

"A comedy beyond belief."

"Raising Arizona" is one of what I consider to be the five instantly classic films by the team of Ethan and Joel Coen, the others being "Blood Simple", "Fargo", "Oh Brother Where Are Thou", and "The Big Lebowski".

But "Raising Arizona" is my personal favorite, and one the most quotable films I have ever seen, with some of the best dialogue ever written for film.

I usually watch "Raising Arizona" at least once a year, and was just about in the mood to see it again when I happened to be waiting in a very slowly-moving line at my cell phone provider's store, and out of the blue, a man behind me asked me if I'd ever been to Green Bay. I replied "No, why?" He said I looked exactly like someone he knew there. I replied, "No, never been. But in the late 1980's a lot of people told me I looked like Holly Hunter in "Raising Arizona". (I am almost the same height, age, frame of build, somewhat similar facial features and general mannerisms, I also wore my hair like hers back then, and she's from Georgia and I'm from North Carolina, so we have similar accents.) His face lit up at the mention of the film, and he said to me:

"They've got a name for people like you. That name is 'Recidivism.'"

To which I immediately retorted: "That ain't me any more, no sir".
and the exchange went on...
"You're not just telling us what we want to hear?"
"No, sir, no way."
"Cause we just want to hear the truth."
"Well, then I guess I am telling you what you want to hear."
"Boy, didn't we just tell you not to do that?"
"Yes, sir."
"Okay, then."

We continued our "Raising Arizona" quotefest with each other, as I spouted out lines such as "Ah'm BARREN!!" (with the appropriate Holly Hunter facial expression) and "Yew go back in there and git me a youngun! They GOT more than they can handle!" While he came back with lines such as "Why are you lookin' for my son in the one place I know he ain't AT?!?"

...as the other people in line just looked at us as if we were crazy, except for one woman who daintily stepped forward and asked us "Uhm, I need to see a really funny movie. What's that one?"

In unison: "Raising Arizona!"

The story in brief: H.I. (Nicholas Cage) and "Ed" (Holly Hunter, in one of my favorite roles of hers) portray, respectively, an ex-con and a cop who meet when he keeps getting arrested for robbing convenience stores. They fall in love, get married, decide that "there is just too much love" between them, and they need a "critter to share it with". Upon finding that "Edwina's insides were a rocky place" where H.I.'s "seed could find no purchase", they try to adopt, but are turned down because of H.I.'s record. Then they read in the newspaper about local unpainted furniture storeowner Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson), owner of "Unpainted Arizona", and his wife having quintuplets as a result of fertility pills, and who joke that "They got more than they can handle". The couple hatch a plan to take one of the babies and raise it as their own.

What results is an ongoing, fast-paced, hilarious set of misadventures, complicated by the appearance of a ruthless, heartless outlaw named Leonard Smalls (Randall "Tex" Cobb) Nathan Arizona hires to find the missing baby, and two felon friends from H.I.'s past (John Goodman and William Forsythe), who make a childbirth-like escape from prison. Sam McMurray (the smarmy dad in "Drop Dead Gorgeous") is H.I.'s....smarmy boss, Glen. Frances McDormand (real-life spouse of Joel Coen, and star of other Coen films such as "Blood Simple" and "Fargo") is his excitable wife Dot. M. Emmet Walsh ("Blood Simple") has a scenery-chewing cameo role as H.I.'s talkative co-worker.

When Ed finally opens up her 5'2" can of Southern-fried whup-ass, throwing her badge to the dirt, striding towards Leonard Smalls as she bellows with all her might, "Gimme back that baby, you warthog from HELL!!!" I always fling my arms up and shout "You go girl! Kick his ass!"

And the way Hunter cries is hilarious.

Holly Hunter was great in this role, as one would expect. She's a very talented actress, in both serious and comedic roles.

Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter made a great onscreen couple, Cage with his hair standing out in every direction, looking like a hapless, browbeaten puppy half of the time, and Hunter as his diminuitive firecracker of a wife who loves him and tries to keep him honest (oh yeah except for that little kidnapping excursion).

I could go on and on about this film but suffice to say that so far I haven't met anyone who didn't find "Raising Arizona" hilarious. And as any great Coen brothers film, it has a certain mythic quality that's hard to describe, but is present all of of the brothers' best efforts. When I was single, I often used Coen brothers films as a barometer of sorts for prospective boyfriends. For instance, I remember seeing "Fargo" on a first date, and when we came out of the theater, the guy (whose name I have since forgotten anyway) remarked "Huh, I didn't think much of that", while I was thinking how blown away I was by the film! I immediately thought to myself "So much for him! This relationship won't last long."

For more great Coen comedy, check out "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" (2000), which is loosely based on Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey". Another great Coen comedy is "The Big Lebowski" (1998), which also includes my favorite singer/songwriter Aimee Mann in a brief cameo, and boasts a cult following that has resulted in an annual "Lebowskifest" for fans of the film.

"Blood Simple" (1984) is probably my favorite film noir modern-day classic tale of lust and betrayal, and is my personal second-favorite Coen brothers film. "Fargo" (1996), which won the Screenwriting Oscar, and an Oscar for Frances McDormand, is another must-see Coen classic.

Psycho Beach Party

2005-08-21T08:02:00.001-05:00

(2001)

"Party 'til you drop. Dead."

"Psycho Beach Party" is a parody of teen slasher horror films, taking place in the 1960's. It's a combination of beach movie, horror film, and camp. It's really not a very good movie for the general public, but as a cheesy camp flick it has its appeal, and it's worth at least a rent, at least for people who like this kind of John Waters-esque camp. My main complaint is that it seems to try a bit too hard. But it's a great movie if you're in a certain kind of relaxed mood. Anyway, we have a copy of it in our collection, and re-watched it yesterday.

Florence "Chicklet" Forrest (Lauren Ambrose, of "Six Feet Under") is the highlight of the whole movie, and makes the film worthwhile just on her merits alone. Her character has multiple personalites, the main two being the nice, peppy Florence, but the hilarious one is her alter-ego "Anne Bowen", a dominiatrix minx. Ambrose switches back and forth seamlessly and hilariously between these two personalities (and a minor third one).

The story: Florence and her best friend Berdine (Danni Wheeler) get involved in a series of murders after Florence starts hanging out with the all-male surfers' club, wanting to be part of the group. Captain Monica Stark (played by writer, actor and novelist Charles Busch, who for some reason saw fit to be cast in this female part - he is not really funny, and the character is treated as if she were really female, instead of a obvious man in drag) is the officer in charge of the case. Add to the mix a sequestered B-horror film actress, Bettina Barnes (Kimberley Davies), Florence's picture-perfect mother, Ruth (Beth Broderick), psychology major dropout Starcat (Nicholas Brendon, of the TV series "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"), the catty Marvel Ann (Amy Adams, of "Drop Dead Gorgeous"), Swedish exchange student, Lars (Matt Kessler), Kathleen Robertson as the bitchy, wheelchair-bound Rhonda, whom you really just want to literally push out of her chair, and the supposedly omnipotent Kanaka (Thomas Gibson), a great soundtrack, and you've got a completely silly, fun film for lovers of the cheesy camp genre.

The Avengers - The Emma Peel Megaset

2005-08-17T18:28:00.004-05:00

1965-1967

(TV Series)

This is supposed to be just a movie review blog, but I can't resist adding this one TV show. I watched The Avengers when it was originally aired, but I hadn't seen any of the episodes since then until about a year ago, when I felt a sudden nostalgic yearning to own copies of the episodes that featured Diana Rigg as Emma Peel. I found out this set was available, and pulled out my charge card.

I didn't remember the show very well except for Emma Peel, having been a child when the episodes first aired. But I sure remembered Mrs. Peel - I wanted to grow up to be Emma Peel! She karate-chopped, sword-fought, out-smarted her foes, solved mysteries and crimes, wore great 60's clothes, had the perfect flip hairstyle, and saved her male partner John Steed from certain death as often as he saved her! All with a wry sense of humor, collected, the epitome of classy, and beautiful.

The episodes with Emma Peel comprised only a 2-year time frame of the series, but what a memorable time! The Megaset also includes galleries of rare, high-quality production stills from the archives of The Avengers. All the Avengers episodes ever made featuring Diana Rigg as Mrs. Emma Peel are in the set. I've been trying to watch them in sequence, but my husband prefers to pull out his personal favorites to watch, such as "The Queen of Sin", "The Winged Avenger", and "The Cybernauts".

Playful, stylish, classy, campy...and visually, these digitally remastered epsiodes are amazing. The black and white ones are very clear, and the color ones are extremely rich, lush in color. The beautiful and captivating theme music was some of the best of the times in TV shows. As for the scripts, as an adult, I can actually understand and appreciate the tongue-in-cheek humor inherent in the show! What a fun show. And with Patrick MacNee as the suave, jovial and warm John Steed, her partner in crime-solving, MacNee and Rigg - who had wonderful chemistry on-screen - made for some of the best years of "The Avengers."

Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?

2005-08-17T16:47:00.002-05:00

(1962)

"Sister, sister, oh so fair, why is there blood all over your hair?"

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford portray sisters with a history of competitiveness with each other: Davis is Jane Hudson, or "Baby Jane" Hudson, as she was known when she was a child vaudeville star. Crawford is her sister Blanche, who became famous as an acclaimed actress while Jane's star went down. Jane, who was bratty and selfish as a child star, makes an even worse adult, much less a drunken, nasty, kabuki-makeup wearing, slovenly, crazy old woman.

Having suffered a mysterious car accident years before, Blanche's career as an actress was ended, and Jane takes care of her. Well, not really.

Blanche: (calmly) You wouldn't be able to do these awful things to me if I weren't still in this chair.
Jane: (screeching) But ya AAH, Blanche! Ya AAH in that chair!

A melodramatic combination of dark comedy, camp, and thriller, "Whatever Happened To baby Jane" is one of the all-time classics of camp horror.

The legendary hatred and competitiveness between the two stars is well-documented, and the film used it well, also rejuvenating the careers of both stars. Crawford insisted that a doll be used as a stand-in for the scene were Davis kicks her. Crawford's hatred of Davis was not lessened by Davis' nomination for Best Actress for her role (her 10th nomination). The image of the aged and horrific "Baby Jane" dressed in a childlike dress, performing "I've Written A Letter To Daddy" is probably one of the creepiest images in film. Footage from one of Davis' own early film flops is shown in a scene meant to illustrate how lousy an actress "Baby Jane" becomes as an adult.

Maidie Norman as maid/helper Elvira gives a great performance in a supporting role, and the classy Anna Lee (best known in later years as Lila Quartermaine on the TV soap "General Hospital"} portrays the sisters' gracious and inquisitive neightbor.

The film received five Academy Award nominations including Best Actress (Bette Davis), Best Supporting Actor (Victor Buono, in his screen debut), Best B/W Cinematography, and Best Sound, with one win for Best B/W Costume Design.

Giant

2005-08-12T16:16:00.002-05:00

(1956)

"The legendary epic that's as big as Texas!"

The plot: Texas ranch owner Bick Benedict (Rock Hudson) travels to purchase a prize horse, but falls in love at first sight with the owner's pampered daughter Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor). He woos and wins her quickly, they marry, then travel back to his isolated ranch.

Leslie, after a rough start, proves herself quite the force of nature.

Ranch hand Jett Rink (James Dean) falls into unrequited love with Leslie -

Uttering, in the shot above, one of my favorite lines in the film, it goes something like, "Mrs. Benedict, you sure do look right good enough to eat, yeah, good enough to eat...." (voice trails off and he looks like he's going to lick his lips) - and then when he strikes it rich with oil, he takes his bitterness out in several ways.

With a stellar supporting cast including Mercedes McCambridge, Sal Mineo, Carroll Baker, and Dennis Hopper, "Giant" is the original miniseries before anyone knew what a miniseries even was...except this is of course a classic film of the big screen, not a TV movie.

Directed by George Stevens, the sprawling epic (201 minutes, but it goes fast, believe me) beautifully covers two generations of family and a variety of issues, including marriage, family, childraising, social snobbery and racism, the latter two being covered especially well. When in the mood for a well-paced, involved, alternately funny, sad, heartwarming, and emotionally fulfilling epic, "Giant" always fits the bill for me.

The Pride Of The Yankees

2005-08-01T15:35:00.001-05:00

(1942)

"It's the Great American Story!"

First off, my favorite actor of all time is Gary Cooper. I love his acting, and the gawkiness he often used in his screen roles, in addition of course to the fact that I thought he was absolutely gorgeous in his prime. Cooper's appeal is only enhanced for me by the distance of his onscreen persona from his real-life one...he was quite the ladies' man in real life, not awkward with women as the characters he often portrayed onscreen, and his smoldering sexuality shows from his piercing blue eyes. His lively offscreen affairs with stars such as Clara Bow (who famously declared "He's hung like a horse and he can go all night!"), Lupe Velez aka "The Mexican Spitfire", and of course Patricia Neal, are the stuff of old Hollywood legend.

Kevin Costner and Ralph Fiennes in their primes had nothin' on Coop. He was the man. Cooper, who started off wanting to be an artist, fell into acting instead, first as a stunt man in westerns, but quickly getting leading roles. He continued to do most of his own riding and stunts even into his later years, carving himself quite a name as a star of westerns, including the western classic "High Noon" (1952), but my favorite films of his were films such as "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" (1936), "Meet John Doe" (1941), "Ball Of Fire" (1941), "Sargeant York" (1941), and of course "The Pride Of The Yankees". My husband understands my adoration of Gary Cooper; and/but we had this brief discussion before we watched my recently purchased DVD of the film (I'd seen it before, but didn't own a copy of it):

Husband: "I don't mind watching it with you as long as you don't make those noises you always make when you watch a Gary Cooper movie."

Me: "What noises?"

Husband: "Those noises like the ones Homer Simpson makes when he looks at a stick of butter...'Mmmmmmmm'...."

Me: "What? I didn't know I did that. Okay, I won't make any weird noises while we watch it."

So I was quiet (except for of course choking up in tears when Cooper delivers Gehrig's legendary "Today, I consider myself to be the luckiest man on the face of the earth" farewell speech) -

- Gehrig's retirement speech helped immortalize him as a hero and an all-American role model.

"The Pride of the Yankees" is the blueprint for the sports biopic, and is generally considered to be the best movie about baseball ever made. Teresa Wright stars as his wife Eleanor. Wright, who just passed away this March, was an excellent actress, and a beautiful woman. The last film I saw her in was in a small part in "Somewhere In Time", and she had aged wonderfully. She and Cooper had great chemistry onscreen, holding her own ground as he towered over her petite 5'3" frame.

Walter Brennan, a frequent Cooper co-star and real-life friend, and Babe Ruth as himself (shown below with Cooper) are two other co-stars who contribute much to the film.

The film traces the rags-to-riches story of Gehrig, as his childhood dream comes true when he's signed to the New York Yankees, and his untimely retirement when he is stricken with the fatal, neurological disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) which was afterwards simply called "Lou Gehrig's Disease". Cooper, although a bit of an odd choice for the part (one reason being his height, he was about 6'4"), gives an endearing, heartfelt, dignified performance, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Gehrig was left-handed, Cooper right-handed, which was further complicated by the fact that Cooper himself wasn't a capable baseball player. For the filming, his uniform had "New York" printed backwards on it, he ran to third base when he hit a ball, and then the print was reversed.

Nominated for 11 Academy Awards in all, and receiving 1 (for Film Editing), "The Pride Of The Yankees" still stands as a must-see film for baseball fans and fans of classic cinema alike.

Some Like It Hot

2005-07-24T15:22:00.006-05:00

(1959)

"The movie too HOT for words!"

I recently picked up a special edition DVD of the classic "Some Like It Hot", and upon arriving home with it, tossed out my old battered fullscreen VHS version. I watched this film again last night, with the added bonus of seeing it for the first time in widescreen, and was immediately struck once again by how perfect a movie it is.

You've got a Billy Wilder film with female impersonators played by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe with a screen name that reeks of porn and/or strippers - "Sugar Cane". What more could you ask for? This wondrous mix combined to make one of the greatest comedies in the history of film.

Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon portray down-and-out musicians who accidently witness a mob massacre and immediately flee from the mob, as George Raft's character says, "I don't like no loose ends." In desperation, they disguise themselves as women -

- Curtis as "Josephine", and Lemmon as "Daphne", in order to join an all-girl band and leave town.

Once "Sugar Cane" (Monroe) sashays past the pair on the way to the train they're about to board, all bets are off. Staring after her as she walks away, Lemmon, as "Daphne" exclaims, "Would you look at that...that's just like jello on springs!"

I'll omit the rest of the plot summary. What I will remark on is how really filthy this movie is for its time. And very gay! The innuendos and double-entendres are priceless. Jack Lemmon, who had one of the most expressive faces in film, gives an amazing performance. Tony Curtis looks scarily convincing as a woman (Lemmon just looks really ugly), and Marilyn Monroe is hypnotically beautiful and funny at the same time.

Marilyn Monroe - a woman whom the camera truly loved. Pregnant during the making of the film, she looks just slightly more voluptuous than usual for the time - in fact gorgeous - and in closeups, ethereal, vulnerable, and breathtaking in a way that almost brings tears to the eyes.

Joe E. Brown gives a hilarious performance as "Daphne's" suitor -

- and Tony Curtis gets to give his (passable, but still very funny) Cary Grant impression. Side note: There has been the legendary rumor for years that Curtis said that "Kissing Marilyn Monroe was like kissing Hitler" because of problems on the set with her erratic behavior. In recent years Curtis has claimed that he never made that statement. Whatever the truth, the pair do exhibit really wonderful chemistry in their love scene together, and the skin-colored/sequined dress Marilyn Monroe wears for that sequence is absolutely perfect. Here she is shown in between takes in it; she couldn't sit down well in it, so a special board/rest was set up for her:

This is a film that still stands the test of time; a true ten-star classic.

Jaws

2005-06-16T16:35:00.002-05:00

(1975)
(30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD)

"You'll never go in the water again!"

This is the movie that really reminds me of high school; it came out the summer before I started my senior year, the summer I turned 18.

"Jaws" was the "Psycho" of my generation. I don't apply this term to "Halloween", another equally scary film of the '70's involving pointy things that can kill you, because "Jaws" and "Psycho" have too very important elements in common with each other, and "Halloween" somehow seems to fall into a different horror genre.

Both "Psycho" and "Jaws" are about ordinary people doing something ordinary and enjoyable, two activities one would normally never find dangerous: showering, and splashing about in the shallows of the ocean.

I don't remember, but I can't imagine that this movie made people very happy whose livelihood depended on beach tourism, as it was released in the early summer.

Seeing "Psycho" made many people afraid to take showers (including actress Janet Leigh, who starred in it and claimed she never took another shower afterwards), and "Jaws" made many people afraid to swim in the ocean. It scared the hell out of us teenagers and made for endless pranks at the beach that summer (hey, I was 17 when it came out in the theater, what can I say)? Two of my friends would take turns pretending to be an approaching shark in the water, using his hand as a fin, while humming the classic "Jaws" soundtrack, or pretending to be the first victim in the film (minus the screaming, which upset the lifeguards), thrashing and flailing about in the waves as if being attacked and dragged underwater.

"Jaws" was also Steven Spielberg's first (and I think best) blockbuster. It could only help boost the careers of the 3 lead male actors in the film: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss (this was the role that made Dreyfuss a star). It spawned one of the most classic and oft-quoted lines in film history: "You're gonna need a bigger boat." It was also technically a very innovative film, with a mechanical shark that by all accounts was a great deal of trouble.

I hadn't seen this film in several years, having seen it umpteen times when it first came out, and several times on VHS, as I owned an old VHS copy of it. But I recently got the 30th Anniversary Edition, and saw it again last night, in the dark, in widescreen, through the stereo (gone is the full-screen only old tape).

Suffice to say that when the head pops out of the boat...I still jump just as much as I did the first time I saw it in the theater.

The ultimate, and best, of the "Scary Summer Movie" genre.

This "Special Edition 30th Anniversary Edition" (widescreen, of course) of the film includes some great special features such as deleted scenes and outtakes, a never-before-available interview with Spielberg, archives, and a two-hour documentary of the making of the film. The deleted scenes and outtakes are a riot; I can certainly see why the shot of Robert Shaw's clog-sheathed foot stepping out of a big black car with the words "QUINT" in white and a white outline drawing of a shark on its door were cut! Shaft! We never knew ya!

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

2005-06-10T19:26:00.001-05:00

(2005)

My husband and I just got back from seeing "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", which opened in theaters today. Normally I don't review current-run films, much less on the day they premiere, but I had planned beforehand to review this one. I knew I was going to enjoy it. Aside from and in spite of all the media speculation about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, I had a feeling it was going to be a fun film. I like Angelina Jolie and I especially like to watch her in action roles (yes I love and own the two Tomb Raider films). Seeing her run around with a big gun, kicking butt, is FUN. She's as great in this kind of role as Diana Rigg was as TV's Emma Peel! A perfect fit. And Brad Pitt is an underrated actor, he is really very good, and he is funny in this movie! He has great comedic timing.

The plot is simple. Two professional assassins find out that they've been hired to kill the other. The plot is only barely complicated by the facts that (1) they are married to each other, and (2) they did not know until this point of the story the other's true occupation.

The "eye candy" factor is high: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, often scantily dressed, heavily breathing lines such as "Who's your Daddy now?"

It's also an action-packed movie, with good dialogue, great chemistry between Pitt and Jolie, and plenty of (not too bloody) violence. It's much more tongue-in-cheek than the trailers indicate. And Pitt and Jolie get some great one-liners.

All in all, a highly entertaining "popcorn" movie; great summer flick. As we walked to the car I said "It's sort of a mix of 'True Lies', 'Tomb Raider', 'The Avengers' (the old TV show, not that lousy movie), with a pinch of 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' thrown in. I really enjoyed it."

And look for a "Fight Club" reference, in the form of a t-shirt.

Dead Ringer

2005-06-05T18:52:00.001-05:00

(1964)

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest twin of all?"

Nobody in film has yet portrayed evil bitch, and sometimes crazy evil bitch, as well and as often as the late great Bette Davis, as evidenced by such films as "Of Human Bondage", "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane", and "The Nanny", just to name a few that come immediately to mind. Capable of spitting out lines such as "Ah'd luv tuh kiss yuh, but ah jus' washed mah hair" (from "Cabin In the Cotton", 1932), "Every time you kissed me, I had to wipe my mouth! Wipe my mouth!" (from "Of Human Bondage", 1934) to "But Blanche, yuh ahhh in that chair, yuh ahhhhhhh!" (from "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane", 1962), Bette Davis made a lucrative living with her hip-swinging sashaying stride and her mannerisms that still make her a favorite of drag queens everywhere.

In "Dead Ringer", Bette was once again cast in the dual role of good sister/bad sister (Edith Phillips/Margaret DeLorca) similar to her dual roles in "A Stolen Life" (1946, with Glenn Ford). Paul Henreid, her co-star in "Now Voyager" (1942) - remember him in the classic scene that involved his lighting two cigarettes and handing Davis's character one of them - directs. "Dead Ringer"'s premise is simple: good sister impulsively tries to step into shoes of deceased bad sister in an ill-conceived move to improve her own quality of life, without thinking of the inherent consequences. In this case, as in the case of "A Stolen Life", Davis's character inherits the dead bad sister's myriad mix of self-imposed problems, but with worse consequences.

And as veteran filmgoers have realized for many years, the family dog and the butler always knows who's who.

Karl Malden, as Davis' earnest boyfriend (and cop) Sgt. Jim Hobbson is basically re-enacting his earnest boyfriend characterization from "A Streetcar Named Desire", and Peter Lawford, who was a real-life playboy and drunk, (in addition to allegedly acting as a bit of a pimp for the Kennedys, circa the Marilyn Monroe/John F. Kennedy/Robert Kennedy liasons era), plays Tony Collins...the drunken playboy boyfriend of the dead bad sister, Margaret DeLorca.

"Dead Ringer" was made in an era of more rudimentary special effects, so Davis's two characters interacting almost face-to-face in some scenes was quite innovative for the time, well-done (better than the obvious stand-in used for some scenes) and still holds up well.

Fun times ensue for all. Classic Bette melodrama.

Office Space

2005-06-03T06:10:00.001-05:00

(1999)

"Could you do that? That'd be greaaaaaaat."

Always on my list of "films to take along on the yearly beach trip in case it rains". Anyone who's ever had to work in an office environment (I have, many times) will find something to love, as will anyone who's ever waitressed in a restaurant such as "T.G.I. Friday's" (ditto), that makes the employees wear idiotic uniforms involving wearing decorations such as buttons (called "flair" in this film).

Mike Judge (creator of Beavis and Butthead, and he also has a cameo as the annoying supervisor at the restaurant) hits every right note in the film that really displayed Gary Cole's ("Fatal Vision") comedic ability, and proved Jennifer Aniston, as Joanna, Peter's love interest, to be capable of much more than just being a TV "Friend". Her performance in "Office Space" resulted in her getting another ground-breaking part for her, in "The Good Girl". Ron Livingston (Peter Gibbons) is dead-on as the deadpanned, put-upon office worker who finally breaks free. Diedrich Bader (of The Drew Carey Show) in a small but notable part as Peter's construction-worker friend and neighbor is wonderfully funny, and almost unrecognizable under the long hair and drawl. Stephen Root ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?") is the Swingline-stapler loving underfoot underdog.

All the smaller parts are fleshed out well and are hilarious in their own right, and each aspect of the film, while exaggerating the possible goings-on in the office world, exposes the inherent idiocies. This is one of those films that has spun out classic quotable lines from the first day it premiered.

Did you get the memo?

Somewhere In Time

2005-05-28T20:04:00.003-05:00

(1980)

"Is it you?"

The ultimate modern-day four-hankie chick-flick, "Somewhere In Time", starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, Christopher Plummer, and Teresa Wright (in a bit part) is an unabashedly sentimental, romantic, beautiful film that never fails to bring me to tears.

Reeve portrays Richard Collier, a young Chicago playwright, who, on the opening night of his first play, is approached by an elderly woman who pleads with him to "Come back to me" as she presses an antique watch into his hands. Intrigued, he starts to do some research and discovers that the woman was, in her youth, a beautiful and popular stage actress named Elise McKenna. He travels to a resort where she had performed, and becomes obsessed with a photographic portrait he sees on display there. (Next comes the really fantasy part) He decides he has to learn how he can travel back in time so that he may meet her, and by self-hypnosis, combined with other methods/props, they meet and fall in love. But trouble rears its ugly head in the form of Elise's overbearing and overprotective manager (Plummer).

Christopher Reeve is at his handsome prime here, and his performance is wonderfully Gary Cooperish-tall-awkward-naive-in love. Jane Seymour is at her most patrician, slyly feline best (her other best performance, IMO, has been in the TV remake of "East of Eden", which is actually a very fine film in its own right). Their performances, along with Christopher Plummer's, the beautiful soundtrack by John Barry, which is almost better than the film itself, and the costumes combine to make a great tearjerker along the lines of the old classics.

Official website: http://www.somewhereintime.tv/

To Die For

2005-05-14T11:08:00.001-05:00

(1995)

"All she wanted was a little attention..."

If you would like to see a truly great and lesser-known performance by Nicole Kidman, check out "To Die For". Directed by Gus Van Sant, screenplay by Buck Henry from the book by Joyce Maynard (both Henry and Maynard have bit parts in the film), "To Die For" is a wicked little gem of a film.

Kidman won the Golden Globe award for Best Actress for her performance, and frankly I thought she should have gotten the Academy Award (unless I remember incorrectly, I don't think she was even nominated for an Academy Award for it). But she is absolutely brilliant in it: chilling, funny, scary, sexy, and horrifically evil.

Kidman portrays Suzanne Stone-Maretto: a devious, calculating, self-centered woman who manipulates Larry Maretto (a very sympathetic performance by Matt Dillon) into marrying her, quickly tires of him when he tries to stand in her way of her greatest ambition in life, which is to be the next Diane Sawyer, and soon convinces her teenage lover to kill him for her. Sound familiar? "To Die For" was loosely based on the real-life story of Pamela Smart, who seduced her 15-year old lover into murdering her husband.

Joaquin Phoenix is Jimmy Emmett, the hapless student who becomes Suzanne's lover; Lydia Mertz is Alison Follard, a young girl who idolizes her; and Casey Affleck is Russel Hines, another student who gets caught up in the scheme. Illeana Douglas is great as Larry's acidic, loving sister Janice, who also gets one of the best lines in the film, and at the very beginning, no less; and Dan Hedaya is Larry's father, Joe Maretto. Dan Hedaya is a master of the "Believe me, you don't want to see me mad" performance, with obvious menace just under a calm surface. The casting is great, and the performances are all right on target.

Look for uncredited cameos by George Segal as a conference speaker, and David Cronenberg as...you'll just have to see it.

Fahrenheit 451

2005-05-11T16:25:00.001-05:00

(1966)

"What if you had no right to read?"

"Fahrenheit 451" is a strange, quirky, flawed film - but one I've always loved. No director could or would have interpreted the classic Bradbury novel in the same bizarre, fascinating manner as Francois Truffaut. It's a book, and a film, about freedom, choices, individuality, and intellectual repression in a future where books are forbidden; where Firemen are men who start fires...fires in which they burn books.

It was also the first color film directed by Truffaut. Although he by all accounts was not happy about making a color film and found it a bit unsettling, color is used to great effect here; sparingly, except for the extreme shade of red that is seen throughout.

"Fahrenheit 451" is supposed to be the temperature at which book paper catches fire, as the protagonist Guy Montag (Oskar Werner) explains in a scene at the beginning. Guy is a Fireman who seems happy enough with his life until he is approached by a young woman named Clarisse (Julie Christie) on his way home from work one day. She starts up a conversation with him, and the two become friendly. She bewilders him but challenges him to think and feel....and read. And when he arrives home we see his wife (also played by Julie Christie, with long hair), sedated and watching the wallscreen (TV of sorts)...we see what his life is really like, although he had told Clarisse he was "happy"...he is not.

As his friendship with Clarisse grows, he starts to secretly take home, hoard, and read some of the books he finds in the course of his daily work, and as he reads, he becomes obsessed with the books. They become his mistress, and are what finally make him feel affection and warmth. And when he starts to feel and care, so do we.

The two single best scenes are a passionate one involving an old woman who refuses to leave her books, her "children" as she calls them; and the wonderful ending of the film. The countless, painful closeups of books as they are being burned are beautifully done, and difficult to watch.

The gossip and trivia surrounding the making of the film are almost more interesting than the film itself. For instance, Truffaut and Werner had previously made the classic "Jules and Jim" together, and had been friends. However, after the huge success of "Jules and Jim", Werner had by all accounts become a bit...difficult. For example: when Werner and Christie met for the first time in real life, instead of Werner saying something like "I'm so looking forward to our working together", he immediately launched into a lecture to Christie about how he thought she should play her part. By the end of the film Truffaut and Werner detested each other (Christie was said to be a wonderful actress to work with). He used Werner as little as possible as filming progressed and their antagonism towards each other grew. For a scene in which the audience sees what is supposed to be Montag's hand pulling a tarp over himself, Truffaut purposely found the crew member with the worst nicotine-stained fingers to stand-in Werner's hands. He was forced to use a body double in several scenes, as Werner was extremely uncomfortable around fire, which made filming more difficult than expected. Werner famously got a major haircut right before the final scenes were shot, to try to disturb the film's continuity.

Truffaut was a well-known disciple of Alfred Hitchcock's films, so when Hitchcock fired his long-time music collaborator Bernard Herrmann, during the filming of "Torn Curtain", Truffaut was thrilled to acquire his talents for his own film. The score for "F451" is beautiful, and the film would not be nearly as effective without it.

Writer/producer/director Frank Darabont ("The Green Mile", "The Shawshank Redemption", to name my favorites of his) is working on a new film of "Fahrenheit 451" this year. He says it won't be a remake of the original film. I love the 1966 version, but I have to admit that I will be very interested to see how Darabont will interpret this Bradbury classic.

The Haunting (1999 remake)

2005-05-08T19:49:00.001-05:00

(1999 remake)

Here's a sample "this took me 5 minutes to write" review, although that's more than this movie deserves anyway.

A lousy remake of a great movie from an even greater novel by Shirley Jackson (the novel was titled "The Haunting of Hill House").

This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen, and not even bad in a funny way, so it wouldn't even qualify as "camp" entertainment. Despite a cast including Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Lili Taylor, the overdone special-effects alone crush this film under their weight. Do yourself a favor, go rent or buy the 1963 original starring Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. THAT film is one of my very favorite ghost movies of all time, is in my personal DVD collection, and a movie I would highly recommend to anyone who loves ghost/horror, especially the older films where subtlety, a great soundtrack, and the viewer's own imagination and fears are employed to great effect.

The Philadelphia Story

2005-04-30T08:42:00.001-05:00

(1940)

"You're slipping, Red. I used to be afraid of that look -
the withering glance of the goddess."

Since Katharine Hepburn is my favorite actress, it's about time I paid homage to one of her films.

The movie begins with one of the most classic scenes in film history. The audience does not know who the characters are in the first scene, and no dialogue is used. We see Cary Grant angrily slam the front door of a mansion and stalk towards a car parked out front. A moment later, Katharine Hepburn, dressed in a nightgown, follows him out, carrying a bag of golf clubs. After removing one club, she contemptuously throws the bag filled with the rest at him, haughtily breaks the one club over her knee, throws the halves at him, and stomps back towards the open doorway. Grant follows her, taps her on the shoulder...and when she wheels around, he pulls his fist back as if to punch her, but instead mashes her face in the palm of his hand, shoving her backward through the open doorway, where we next see her rubbing her neck as she sits up. The scene ends.

Cut to "Two Years Later" as the title informs the audience; the day before Philadelphian blue-blood Tracy Lord's (Katharine Hepburn) second wedding. The audience also realize that the mashee in the opening scene and the masher were formally husband and wife: Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) and C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant). Soon Dexter has makes a surprise visit to the Lord household on the eve of the wedding. Tracy is about to marry George Kittredge (John Howard), her stuffy and rather chauvinistic well-to-do fiance. What Tracy doesn't know at first is that Dexter, perhaps seeking revenge on Tracy, has arranged for Mike Connor (James Stewart), a writer for a tabloid-like magazine named "Spy", and Liz Imbrie (Ruth Hussey), a "Spy" photographer, to do a story on the wedding under the guise of being friends of a friend of the family. Once Tracy is informed by Dexter that she must either allow the story to be written or her father's ongoing illicit affair with a dancer will be the big story instead she consents, but Connor and Imbrie do not know that she knows who their real identities and purpose...and she plots to "really give them something to write about...we'll set them on their ears!"

The first scene where Tracy meets Mike Connor and Liz Imbrie, and practically interviews them sets the tone for the rest of the film.

To reveal more of the story would spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen the film. But in the next twenty-four hours Tracy and the others find their lives turned upside-down in an alternately hilarious and touching series of events.

Katharine Hepburn made the extremely wise move on the advise of Howard Hughes, whom she was dating at the time, of buying the film rights to Philip Barry's play - she had been a hit onstage in the role, which was written for her. Recently having been labeled "box-office poison", even being offered a role in a film tentatively entitled "Mother Carey's Chickens", it was the only way to guarantee her the role in any filming of the play. She had spent a year on Broadway in the film version, and interrupted the tour of the play to film it for MGM. For the film, she had wanted Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy for the roles of Haven and Connor. She got Grant and Stewart - hardly shabby! And better choices anyway, IMHO. Donald Ogdent Stewart took over for the screenplay adaptation, as Barry had apparently requested too much money. The dialogue is some of the best of any film of its time, and Hepburn, at her most radiant, is beautifully costumed by designer Adrian. She is at times "lit from within", as Stewart's character Mike tells her, and at other times "made of bronze" (as her father, played by John Halliday) asserts. Dinah, Tracy's young sister, is portrayed to hilarious effect by child actress Virginia Weidler, who makes her appearance to the reporter duo in ballet toe shoes, spewing French and finishing her introduction to them by manically playing and singing a lusty dance-hall song on the piano. Pinch-prone Uncle Willie (Roland Young) adds great spice and fun with his smaller part.

Side note: In the scene where Mike arrives drunk at Dexter's house late one evening, Stewart purposely hiccups to try to crack Grant's straight-faced resolve - and it works.

"The Philadelphia Story" won six Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Stewart), Best Actress (Hepburn), Best Supporting Actress (Hussey), Best Screenplay (Donald Ogden Stewart), and Best Director (George Cukor). James Stewart and Donald Ogden Stewart won their nominations (Stewart's sole Oscar win), and although Katharine Hepburn did not win for this role (she lost to Ginger Rogers for her performance in "Kitty Foyle"), she received the New York Film Critics' Award. The film revived her professional reputation, was a huge success, is of course considered to be one of the all-time classics of romantic comedy, and my personal favorite of Hepburn's films of this genre.

A Boy And His Dog

2005-04-23T11:04:00.001-05:00

(1975)

"A rather kinky tale of survival."

"A Boy And His Dog" is definately a cult classic, but defies being more neatly categorized beyond that genre. It's been labeled alternately and collectively as being "misogynistic", "the greatest Science Fiction movie ever made", "black comedy", and as a "cross between George Orwell and Mel Brooks" (the last description is my personal favorite), to list a few. Although it is true that the film is rather misogynistic, I don't find this a fault; the film is supposed to be portraying a terrible, possible future reality. And it may not be nice, folks.

"A Boy And His Dog" was directed by L.Q. Jones, a character bit actor favored by Sam Peckinpah for his westerns, and is based on the novella of the same name by Sci-Fi legend Harlan Ellison (who by all accounts loved the film version).

It takes place in the year 2024, after WWIV has ravaged the earth's civilization, rendering it into a post-apocalyptic desert where humans have become complete scavengers. A very young, relatively unknown Don Johnson (way before his days in TV's "Miami Vice") stars as Vic, a young "solo" as the loners are called, trying to stay alive in this post-atomic desert of a world. Veteran actor Jason Robards appears in a small part as a favor to Jones. Vic's companion, friend, and mentor is a sheepdog named Blood. The dog, named Tiger in real life, was a very popular animal actor of the times, in addition to being an extremely well-trained and appealing performer, and also was the family dog on the TV show "The Brady Bunch."

Vic and Blood share a special bond, and the two communicate telepathically.

Don't laugh at that last remark; it's done very well in the film.

An element that could have ruined the film if not done carefully is, however, handled perfectly. Although it was suggested that animation be used to make it appear as if the dog's mouth is moving, thankfully none was used, and Tiger's masterful performance, combined with his scruffy, gravelly, world-weary, old-west voice, provided by Tim McIntire, makes for some of the best acting in the film, and also some of the best lines. Blood literally sniffs out women for Vic to have sex with, helps Vic be on the lookout for other packs of scavengers trying to kill him and each other in the ongoing fight over food and women, and Vic does the shooting and the foraging for food. In addition the two are best friends, with Blood being the most intelligent by far. It seems that in the future, people have become the real animals.

The elements of caustically dark humor and dry dialogue (the dog gets the best lines) helps carry the film. And while this is in no way "the best Science Fiction movie ever made", in my opinion, it's certainly a great one, along with others of its time such as "Soylent Green". There are practically no special effects; the scenery and sets are cheap and minimalist, letting the characters and script tell the story, for the most part. This isn't a happy-happy-joy-joy overly-laden with special effects film like many of the ones made these days.

In case this whole scenario seems reminiscent of another film, "Mad Max", it's true that "A Boy And His Dog" inspired "Mad Max". I myself find this film to be superior, even if and possibly in spite of the fact that it is far less politically correct.

When Vic conveniently meets a young (and suspiciously clean and friendly) woman named Quilla June (portrayed by Susanne Benton), she pulls him in and the lure of frequent sex with her blinds him to Blood's warnings. So when Quilla June disappears Vic follows her to her underground community of Topeka, where he finds a warped reality of futuristic country living, combined with creepy clown makeup and aw-shucks country clothing. Its trio of self-anointed rulers is called The Committee, (this is where Jason Robards comes in), and they have a plan in mind for the young, able-bodied Vic. This all makes for a riveting scenario that's part "Stepford Wives", part "Hee-Haw", and more than a pinch of "The Twilight Zone". Beyond this, I will say no more except that the ending of the film is one of the best parts of the entire movie.

Ball Of Fire

2005-03-16T15:48:00.002-05:00

(1941)

"Here's yum...here's the other yum...and here's yum-yum."

"Ball Of Fire" is one my favorite screwball romantic comedies. It was made towards the end of a golden era of this genre of films, which also includes such better-known classics as "The Philadelphia Story" (1940), "His Girl Friday" (1940) and "Bringing Up Baby" (1938). Directed by Howard Hawks, the master of rapid-fire comedic dialogue, it tells the story of nerdy language scholar Bertram Potts (Gary Cooper, in one of his best "aw-shucks" performances, along with "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town") who lives in a house with seven other stodgy, albeit older bachelor scholars, all of whom are working on an encyclopedia.

Upon discovering that his knowledge of slang is outdated, Potts bravely ventures forth into the real world, where he discovers flashy (literally, as the dress she is first seen in is sequined and purposely lit so as to momentarily "blind" Potts when she shows up at his house in it) nightclub singer Katherine "Sugar Puss" O'Shea (Barbara Stanwyck). He is taken in by O'Shea's gusty performance of "Drum Boogie", (Stanwyck did her own singing and is accompanied by the famous drummer Gene Krupa, who reminds me onstage a bit of "The Who" drummer Keith Moon), and her lively banter, and asks her to help him with his slang research. She takes him up on his invitation very abruptly by showing up at his home that same night, claiming to be arriving to help, when in fact she's trying to hide. The resulting storyline is predictable, fast-paced, extremely well-written, thoroughly dated, and filled with 1940's slang...in other words, to anyone who is a fan of this genre...completely captivating and charming.

With this in mind, and taken as a movie of the times, it's a comedic gem. Gary Cooper (my all-time personal favorite actor) is absolutely sexy here, believe it or not, and Barbara Stanwyck is perfect as the title's sassy little "Ball Of Fire", with her brash, streetwise exterior but ultimately soft heart, climbing onto a stack of books to reach the 6'4" Potts so she can show him the meaning of "yum-yum". Also, the above-mentioned dress she first wears, which is featured in most of the ads for the film is amazing; it's something Bob Mackie might have designed for Cher, and she looks gorgeous in it. The outstanding supporting parts are interesting, clever, and except for the gangster parts, individually well-fleshed. Veteran character actors such as Oskar Homolka (the servant in "Mr. Sardonicus") and Henry Travers (the angel in "It's Wonderful Life") help lend charm to the story. Dana Andrews ("Laura") and Dan Duryea ("The Little Foxes"), are effective, if somewhat wasted, in small parts as typical sterotypical 1940's mobsters.

You'd have to enjoy these kind of old screwball, dated comedies of the '40's to love this one...and I do.

Side note: the roles of the seven professors (excluding Cooper's) were inspired by Disney's dwarfs from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".

When A Stranger Calls

2005-02-27T16:34:00.001-05:00

(1979)

"Every babysitter's nightmare becomes real..."

"When A Stranger Calls" came out the year after the original "Halloween", and although it is not as widely acclaimed or known, it's just as scary, if not scarier, in a much more subtle manner.

The film starts off with Jill (Carol Kane), a young babysitter minding two small children for the evening, the children having already been put to bed for the night by the parents before they leave. She begins to receive anonymous, frightening phone calls with the caller ominously asking, "Have you checked the children?" and "Why haven't you checked the children?" then hanging up. Scared, she calls the police, who at first tell her to calm down, then instruct her to try to keep the caller on the line if he calls again, so the call can be traced. When she obliges and they trace the call, the real terror starts. I remember when I first saw this film, and my reaction to this revelation was unparalleled by any film I had seen at that time.

I am trying not to give away too much - if you haven't seen this film, be careful of other online reviews; I came across several that were real spoilers, and without any forewarning.

The first part of "When A Stranger Calls" is very fast-paced, then the middle part takes the audience seven years ahead; Jill is now a married mother. The film slows and becomes more of a psychological study; the criminal from the beginning sequence has escaped from the asylum. Along his wanderings he comes across Tracy (Colleen Dewhurst), a tough barfly he fixates upon. John Clifford (Charles Durning), who was the police detective investigating the original case, re-enters the scenario to try to track down the escaped madman, Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley).

This part of the movie is slower but much more interesting, in my opinion, and shows how scary a film can be without any real gore factor. Tony Beckley (in his last role) is very convincing as a murderous madman; his careful and understated portrayal make the character Curt Duncan even more terrifying. Colleen Dewhurst's performance as Tracy helps this part of the film move very well (she was always an extremely good actress) and she makes Tracy's toughness, vulnerability, and smarts very believable. Charles Durning as Detective Clifford is a typical part for him, and he handles it well, with his usual street-savvy tough-guy exterior aplomb.

The direction by Fred Walton, and the subtle, creepy soundtrack help push this film beyond the realm of being just another standard 1970's scream-inducing shock flick.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962 & 2004)

2005-02-21T20:41:00.001-05:00

(1962, 2004)

"Why don't you pass the time by playing a little solitaire?"

This is a review and comparison of the 1962 and 2004 film versions of "The Manchurian Candidate".

The 1962 film features Frank Sinatra as Cpt. Bennett Marco, Laurence Harvey as Sgt. Raymond Shaw, and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Iselin, in the three lead roles.

The 1962 version: "The Manchurian Candidate" is based upon the 1959 book by Richard Condon, which was an immediate success. The film, however, was a flop at the time it was released, and after the assassination of John F. Kennedy the following year, was withheld from the public until the late 1980's by Frank Sinatra, who had purchased the rights to it.

The story in brief: Raymond Shaw is an ex-prisoner of war (and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient) who, as it turns out, was brainwashed with the rest of his infantrymen while captured in North Korea. He, however, has been programmed to kill, unlike the rest, who were merely made to believe (and recount, when queried) that "Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life", who saved their lives. After two years back home, though, Cpt. Marco and some of the others have started having nightmares in which glimpses of the truth come through. Cpt. Marco cannot reconcile the dreams with what he feels in his heart, and starts to search for the truth.

The brainwashing sequences are chilling, using as one technique 360-degree camera rotations to pan the room in a circle, as one long shot, to show what at first seems to be a garden party of elderly ladies talking about "Fun With Hydrangeas" (with the soldiers inexplicably on the podium as guests), until the camera rotates back around...and the elderly ladies have become an assortment of Russians and Chinese officials. This scene in itself involved quite a lot of filming, as the same shots and angles had to be used for many of the juxtapositions of the characters.

Angela Lansbury is Mrs. Iselin, married to Raymond's stepfather (obviously a characterization of the real-life Senator McCarthy). The plan is for Raymond to assassinate the presidential nominee at a certain pivotal moment, so that Senator Iselin can further his career and the advance of the Communist Party infiltration into the US government. This is also with the help and control of his manipulative, controlling wife. Angela Lansbury was masterful in her role as one of the greatest female villains in the history of film. In real life she was only a couple of years older than Laurence Harvey, yet she plays his mother in the film. She is completely believable, however, and without the use of any aging makeup. Frank Sinatra, known for insisting on only doing one take because he believed in spontaneity, gives what is possibly his finest film performace. Laurence Harvey brings a great deal of complexity to the part of Shaw, making the character of Raymond Shaw sympathetic and warm in addition to his mostly cold persona.

Harvey's performance is what ultimately makes Shaw's character, and the film, succeed, in my opinion. Shaw's love interest Jocelyn (played by Leslie Parrish) helps flesh out his portrayal of Raymond, as we get to really see what he could have been had he been able to live on with Jocelyn and the warmth with which he was welcomed into her family. The rounding out of his character adds a great deal to the tragedy and horror of his murdering her, and her father, while he is under control of the brainwashing. In the original film, I am always struck by how Laurence Harvey steps over her body on the floor, on his way out, and he starts to walk as if his knees are buckling...and then on the way out you see tears streaming down his face. He's still in brainwash-mode, but something's coming through; Harvey's performance was absolutely great in this movie; he is alternately chilly, condescending, terrifying, warm, boyish, and "loveable". But he ultimately commands sympathy and empathy...a beautiful performance that never fails to move me upon each re-viewing of this mesmerizing film.

The only complaint of characters I have is of Rosie (Janet Leigh), who seems completely unnecessary, but in those days it was often common to have a love interest for the protagonist, whether or not her presence furthered the story at all. But whereas the character of Jocelyn is completely needed for Shaw, Rosie seems rather arbitrary.

I have the Special Edition DVD release of the original; I definately won't be buying the remake.

The 2004 version/comparison of the two films: I rented and watched the remake recently, out of curiousity, in addition to an attempt on my part to be open-minded (for once, lol) about a remake of a classic. Well, once again I was disappointed with a modern remake of an old Hollywood classic. And to compare them makes the remake look even worse.

For instance, the first five minutes of the 2004 version look like a VH1 ad, of course. Viacom = Paramount = VH1.

The characters aren't developed enough to make the audience particularly care about them; especially Liev Shreiber as Raymond Shaw. In the original, there was a lot of background on Shaw's relationship with Jocelyn, and you actually developed sympathy for him; but mainly, Laurence Harvey was an outstanding actor. The heartfelt love between Raymond and Jocelyn was expanded upon much more, in addition to the warmth Raymond shared with her father, Senator Jordan. As a reseult, the girl's and her father's murders in the 1962 version was much more horrifying. In the remake, there's no underlying emotion when he kills them. As a result, we, as the audience, really don't care.

"Why don't you pass the time by playing a little Solitaire?" to trigger the brainwashing "spells" is a lot creepier and more ominous (especially as it would come at inopportune times, in the original, such as when Shaw would be sitting in a bar) than the person's name just being repeated, in full, to incite the brainwashing. Also, in the remake, they saw fit to have some kind of silly pale "aura" every time the influence of the brainwashing came to the surface. In the original, Harvey would get a really peaceful expression on his face, and that was enough, and it was much creepier. Uhm, you know, as in acting to create the feeling? Remember acting, instead of just special effects? Liev Shreiber tries his best to emulate Laurence Harvey in the original; it's apparent that he studied the 1962 version. But trying to mimic another actor's performance usually isn't a good technique, and this is no exception. Whereas Harvey was able to be sympathetic and expressive, in addition to being cold, Shreiber is just plain cold. He's just not a good enough actor; at the very least, he's not in Laurence Harvey's league. His characterization makes Shaw completely uninteresting and stiff, and a lot of what made the original film work so well is the overwhelming empathy the audience cannot help but have for Shaw.

Sinatra's performance was much better, and much more sympathetic, than Denzel Washington's. Denzel Washington mostly just clenched his jaw, and I usually like his performances.

Also, in the original, it seems more believable that Rosie would let a strange man into her apartment, in those days. Sinatra's character comes across as actually ill, and in need of sympathy, instead of just crazy. In the remake, Rosie basically just comes on to Captain Marco when he's on the train. Sure, invite him on over, girl! It was obvious right then and there that she was in on it somehow, in the remake.

Meryl Streep as Mrs. Iselin in the 2004 version seems to be re-running her same exact mannerisms and characterizations as for her role in "Death Becomes Her", and just only slightly toned down. It seems evident that she drew on her own past performance in another movie, and a comedy no less, for this.

In the scene where she gets ready to kiss Shaw on the mouth, I wondered, "In the original, she kissed him, what's she going to do in this one?" Well, she just kisses him, thankfully, but the camera cuts away right as the kiss starts. In the original, Lansbury's character kisses Shaw full on the mouth, which of course makes your skin crawl, even in black and white, and even though Lansbury had her hand over their mouths, it was obvious she was full-on kissing him. In the remake they brushed over it and really avoided the intensity that scene had in the original. And the level of evil and menace Lansbury brought to the role isn't even touched by Streep's over-the-top perfomance.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, as the saying goes. Forget the remake. See the original if you haven't already done so, and add it to your collection.

A Place in the Sun

2005-02-09T16:42:00.001-05:00

(1951)

"A Place in the Sun" tells the story of George Eastman, a poor relation who goes to work in his rich uncle's factory. He starts at the bottom level, working the production line, and gets involved romantically and sexually with co-worker Alice Tripp, all the while yearning for the unattainable - the gorgeous Angela Vickers. However, by the time he is able to finally be with Angela, his relationship with Alice interferes with his plans.

The film is based on the novel "An American Tragedy", written by Theodore Dreiser in 1925. Elizabeth Taylor, who was only 17 at the time, was cast as Angela Vickers, the beautiful and rich love interest of George Eastman (Montgomery Clift). Shelley Winters is Alice Tripp, the woman who becomes a burden to Eastman; an obstacle to his love for Angela and her way of life. Stevens was reticent at first to cast Winters in the dowdy role; at the time she was known for portraying glamorous types or sexpots. She convinced Stevens to cast her by showing up in his office for her appointment with him dressed for the part, including a mousy hair color, rather than her usual platinum blonde, sitting silently when he came out and didn't recognize her for several minutes as he glanced around his outer office at the actresses waiting to see him.

Raymond Burr, best known for his TV role as Perry Mason, plays a Perry Mason of sorts in the film: the prosecuting attorney, Frank Marlowe.

This was the first of three films that Taylor and Clift made together; and they became instant friends upon meeting for the first time for the making of "A Place in the Sun". The chemistry between the two is evident, although Clift was homosexual in real life. They remained close friends until his death in 1966, at age 45, from a heart attack. Taylor has remarked that her first kiss with Clift in the film was the second time she had ever been actually kissed - the first time was two weeks before filming started.

Director Stevens decided to take the story and set it in post-war times instead of in the 1920's, when the novel takes place, to take the atmosphere of wartime out of the feel of the story. The lushly filmed lake scenes have the look of an Ansel Adams photograph - color would have been superfluous. The masterful use of shadows is evident throughout, and Stevens' several excruciatingly tight closeups of Taylor and Clift together serve to highlight her beauty and the chemistry between the two lead actors, heightening the sense of danger and romance.

"A Place in the Sun" was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning six, including Best Director for George Stevens. It's a gripping, beautiful film, albeit a highly romanticized Hollywood version of the true story.

Dreiser's novel was based on an actual murder case of 1906 - the case of Chester Gillette. Below is a link to a story about it:

Crime Library - The Chester Gillette Case

Belle de Jour

2005-02-07T13:31:00.002-05:00

(1967)

"Belle de Jour" is generally considered to be director Luis Bunuel's masterpiece; a surprisingly revealing and seemingly personal venture into the world of eroticism and its deviances. It's a truly surrealistic exercise in ambiguity, fantasy, and reality. The line that separates them is blurred so much that the famously mysterious ending has had critics arguing for decades over its meaning.

The gorgeous Catherine Deneuve, resplendent in her icy prime, portrays Severine Sevigny, the middle-class wife of Pierre, a doctor. She is frigid, virginal, yet seemingly happy enough in her bourgeoisie life and its trappings. However, upon hearing about a local clandestine brothel from a friend, she pays a visit to the madame, and becomes a prostitute, going by the name of "Belle de Jour", as she can only work in the afternoons. She apparently fully realizes and enjoys her sexuality, despite her guilty conscience, exclaiming that she "can't help it".

She certainly doesn't need the money. She's bored with her life and her marriage, needing a "firm hand" to lead her; a need which the madame, Anais, who is obviously attracted to her, almost immediately recognizes. Her sweet and conventional husband is unaware, treating her much like a child, and the audience cannot help but believe that even if he knew of her true nature, he would not understand or empathize. She keeps her two worlds neatly separate until a patron of hers (whom she herself enjoys) becomes obsessed with her, and all is threatened.

The fantasy sequences are usually signalled by the sound of carriage bells, but by the end of the film the viewer is no longer able to differentiate between what is another one of Severine's fantasies and what is reality. Even Bunuel admitted to not knowing himself. He said that "by the end, the real and imaginary fuse; for me they form the same thing."

That Alfred Hithcock in particular admired this film comes as no surprise; Deneuve would have been the perfect Hitchcock heroine: an icy blonde who becomes "a whore in the bedroom", as Hitchock was fond of saying he preferred in his leading ladies. But this remark is not meant to simplify the story, its telling, or Deneuve's remarkable performance, which is what truly draws the viewer into the film.

"Belle de Jour" was Bunuel's first foray into the use of color, and he employed it to great effect. From the fall colors displayed in the landscape scenes, to the subtle shades in Deneuve's clothing, the contrasts are set. While the world around her explodes in glorious hues, Deneuve's character is defined by her couture, if staid, wardrobe of tan, black, and white.

"Belle de Jour" was unreleased for many years due to copyright problems, but finally re-released in 1995 through the efforts of director Martin Scorcese, and released on DVD in 2003. I've watched it twice in the past week and am still at a loss to describe it very well; suffice to say that I am in awe. It's an amazingly erotic film without any explicitness, and one that I expect hasn't lost any of its effect over the years. As the subject matter is handled very tactfully and without any actual sex scenes; a great deal is left to the viewer's imagination - which only serves the heighten the mysteries inherent at every turn in the film. The viewer is however drawn into the sense of feeling to be a voyeur into Severine's secret life; the careful choreography of scenes and camera angles contribute to the uncomfortable sense of intrusion by us, the viewers.

There are many sub-stories and small mysteries in the film; for instance one of the most widely debated upon by critics is the mystery of "what is in the Asian client's little box?" that he presents first to one prostitute, who quickly refuses, then to Severine, who tentatively agrees. All the audience know is that it's something with a insect-like noise, and when the client leaves, Severine is sprawled face-down upon the bed, the sheets thrown about, and obviously pleased with whatever took place in the interim.

"Belle de Jour" was awarded the Golden Lion at the 1967 Venice Film Festival, as well as the award for Best Foreign Film in 1968 from the New York Film Critics Circle.

Interesting side notes: Bunuel himself had a shoe fetish, which helps explain the numerous shots of Deneuve's beautifully clad feet throughout the film, and the fact that every time she goes shopping, she buys shoes, and seems to enjoy taking them out of their box to admire. Bunuel also appears in the film in a cameo as a cafe patron, and in another scene his hands are shown loading a gun.

Cat Ballou

2005-01-13T18:13:00.001-05:00

(1965)

Cat Ballou is a movie spoof unlike any other, and a great parody of the Western film genre. Jane Fonda appears in one of her most playful film roles ("Barbarella" is another light and funny Fonda classic), and Lee Marvin gives one of his finest film performances (he won his Oscar for his dual roles). Add to this mix a wondrous soundtrack, with Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye as minstrels of sorts who stroll and sing throughout, making the film almost seem like a musical; an outstanding supporting cast including Michael Callan (who later appeared on TV's "One Life to Live"), and Dwayne Hickman (TV's Dobie Gillis), and the result is this hilarious, thoroughly entertaining film that was nominated for five Academy Awards (Marvin was the sole winner).

Catherine Ballou (Fonda) is a recently graduated-from-training schoolteacher returning home to live with her father on his ranch, but he is gunned down upon her arrival. She enlists the help of a loyal ranch-hand, a couple of outlaws, and most notably, a has-been alcoholic gunman by the name of Kid Sheleen (Marvin) to help her get revenge. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable film that still stands up today, and Lee Marvin stealing the entire film in his amazing dual role performance as both Tim Strong and Kid Sheleen. Lee Marvin alone makes the film well worth seeing.

The dialogue is great. Take this exchange as an example:

Jackson Two-Bears: "Kid, Kid, what a time to fall off the wagon. Look at your eyes."
Kid Sheleen: "What's wrong with my eyes?"
Jackson Two-Bears: "Well they're red; bloodshot."
Kid Sheleen: "You ought to see 'em from my side."

I was thrilled when the widescreen special edition of this long-time favorite of mine came out in 2003, and on DVD. I have the soundtrack on vinyl, but I have always wished that it would come out on CD; Nat King Cole is one of my all-time favorite singers, and his rendition of "They'll Never Make Me Cry" always makes me...anyway. This film still hasn't lost any of its humor or fun with the passing of time, and stays on my personal "top ten list" of great comedies.

I Married A Monster From Outer Space

2005-01-11T18:35:00.007-05:00

(1958)

"The bride wore terror!"

The Fifties were a noteable decade for Sci-Fi films. The Cold War was on, and there was rampant paranoia about Communism; a generalized paranoia that was fueled in large part by McCarthy and his "House Un-American Activities Committee". Personal example of the time: I was born in the same year as this film was made, and I grew up in a house that had been built to my parents' specifications to include a real bomb shelter in its basement. Movies such as the classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", and "I Married a Monster From Outer Space" played on this theme, as translated into Sci-Fi films.

The sensationalist title belies the quality of the film and its well-told storyline. Although I am also fond of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", which has a similar theme, it lacks the heart of the subject of this review, in my opinion.

Marge (Gloria Talbott) and Bill (Tom Tryon) are getting married, but Marge doesn't realize at first that the night before the wedding her groom's body was taken over by an alien being. She notices the differences in his personality but brushes them aside. She soon comes to realize the true nature of what she has married, and of course tries to warn everyone, and stop the invasion of aliens...aliens who are taking over the menfolk of her town in the hopes of breeding with the women and establishing a colony on Earth. The theme is: "They look just like us....but they aren't! And they'll take over!" This is Communism as represented by the Sci-Fi genre, and it was very popular in the Fifties. The movie industry was feverishly pumping out lots of low-budget films meant to distract the American public at the local drive-in theatre. However, "I Married a Monster From Outer Space" seems to be one of the accidental gems.

Tom Tryon makes for a very likeable alien. He's tall, handsome, and manages to make his character very sympathetic as the film progresses. He starts to understand and appreciate Earth, its culture, and his beautiful wife Marge, as she simultaneously pulls away upon discovering that what she is living (and sleeping) with isn't really her husband. And as always in Sci-Fi, the dogs always know who's the alien and who's the human. Marge's present of a dog to Bill results in an episode that jolts her into realizing that something is truly wrong.

Subtle performances by both Tryon and Talbott help immensely. Both were highly respected and capable actors of the time, and Tryon in particular manages to go from gentle and kind to menacing with a very subtle and believable ease in this film. Tryon was in several well-known films, and received especially good critical reviews for his role in the film "The Cardinal". Interesting bit of trivia: he was also considered by Alfred Hitchcock for the role of Sam Loomis in "Psycho."

There are the typical Sci-Fi low-budget special effects, but what makes the film really work is the telling of the story in a manner that pulls you into all of the characters, despite the obvious shortcomings of the budget.

Note: Tom Tryon retired from acting in the late 1960's and became a successful novelist, publishing as Thomas Tryon; my mother had some of his books, such as the bestselling "The Other", "Harvest Home", and "Crowned Heads", all of which I thoroughly enjoyed and inherited.

The Beguiled

2004-12-31T14:08:00.001-05:00

(1971)

"The Beguiled" is one of my favorite Clint Eastwood films, and a departure from his typical early roles. Directed by Don Siegel, with whom Eastwood collaborated on several films, it was made a year before Eastwood's directorial debut with "Play Misty For Me". An alternate title considered for the film was "Pussy-Footing Down At The Old Plantation", which thankfully was not used, otherwise I am sure raunchy jokes about the fact that it takes place at a girls' school would be difficult to avoid. I first saw this movie in one of my college film classes in the mid-1970's, and was immediately taken with it. I only had an old battered VHS tape of it until I recently purchased the widescreen DVD, which also includes the hilarious, awful trailer that makes the film come across as a "Peyton Place" soap opera, and conveys none of its creepiness.

Interesting notes: Eastwood and Siegel had to battle with Universal Pictures to keep the original ending, and they won out; and, the film was billed as a standard Eastwood western, which it certainly is not. It is a gothic tale of deception and horror set in the time of the Civil War, with an underlying tone of eroticism and sexual tension running throughout.

I'm not putting any spoilers in this review, and if you want to see the film as it should be seen, then be careful of looking it up on the internet, as spoiler reviews of it do abound.

Clint Eastwood is John McBurney, a Union soldier shot on Confederate ground and discovered by a young girl from a nearby girls' school. She rescues him and takes him back to the school, but instead of notifying the local patrol of his presence so that he will be taken to prison, the headmistress, Miss Martha (Geraldine Page), her assistant Edwina (Elizabeth Hartman), their black servant Hallie (Mae Mercer), and the mostly teenage girls take him in, start to heal him, and fall under his spell. The atmosphere of gothic horror starts from the titles, real battleground shots from the war are shown, and Eastwood's voice is heard quietly singing a funereal song of the time.

The opening scene of his encounter with the little girl who saves him sets the tone of his character, and the tone of the entire movie. To say any more than that would spoil the surprises in that first scene. To say much more about the film itself might ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it...if you are into creepy, gothic tales, find it and rent it. Eastwood is excellent, and it's interesting to see him in an early role, or any role, where he portrays a character that is for the most part very unsympathetic.

Geraldine Page had a plum role as the headmistress, and I cannot imagine another actress of the time being as good in the role; a long shot could have been Piper Laurie, but I don't think Laurie could have embodied it in the same manner as Geraldine Page.

Elizabeth Hartman (whose wonderful performance in the film "A Patch of Blue" as a blind girl who falls in love with Sidney Poiter's character is another high point in her short career) is at her prime here, delicate and masterful at the same time. Unfortunately, her delicacy on film was also a part of her real life; she committed suicide at age 45.

I end this review with this observation: one manipulative, lying Yankee man is no match for a houseful of deceptive and libidinous Southern belles.

Harvey

2004-12-16T16:28:00.001-05:00

(1950)

"I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it."

Jimmy Stewart, in one of his personal favorite film and stage roles, portrays Elwood P. Dowd, a gentle philosopher and harmless alcoholic who, after his mother's death, befriends an imaginary - or is he? - 6'3.5" white rabbit; a "Pooka" who goes by the name of Harvey. Unfortunately, Harvey is invisible to just about everyone but Elwood. Elwood wanders through life perfectly happy, harming no one, but alienating his family and many of the townspeople with his "friend".

Josephine Hull, (who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the film; she also played the part on stage) portrays his sister Veta Louise Simmons, and she steals the film, IMO; her facial expressions and gestures are priceless (she also played one of the aunts in "Arsenic and Old Lace", 1944).

Jimmy Stewart found himself personally identified with the role for many years, much to his delight, remarking in interviews how strangers would sometimes stop him in the street and seriously ask him if Harvey were with him, only to be kindly told, "No, he's at home today, with a slight cold" or some other humoring excuse for the lack of his invisible friend.

The pacing is fast and furious, and the dialogue alternately hilarious and touching in this whimsical, bittersweet tale of illusions and realities. Of course the movie is dated and implausible today in several respects; however it still holds a gentle, childlike appeal that transcends time. It's a great, simply-told "feel-good" movie to start off the holiday season.

The Night of the Hunter

2004-12-08T07:39:00.002-05:00

(1955)

Trying to explain "The Night of the Hunter" to anyone is difficult. It's not the story that matters so much as how it's told, as directed by Charles Laughton in his one (credited) directorial effort. It is said he never directed again because the reviews of "The Night of the Hunter" discouraged him so much.

Robert Mitchum is "Reverend" Harry Powell, a self-appointed preacher who preys upon lonely widows - "What'll it be now, Lord? Another widow?" - killing them for their money as he believes the Lord has instructed him, and then moving on to the next victim. While in prison briefly on a car-theft rap, he shares a cell with Ben Harper (Peter Graves, best known for his role on the old TV show "Mission Impossible").

He tries to worm the location of the money from Harper before the execution. When he is released from his brief prison stay, he heads straight for Willa Harper (Shelley Winters); Ben's weak, sweet, sexually frustrated, somewhat dense widow, and her two kids.

There is just so much going on in this film: biblical references and symbolism; Freudian symbolism (Powell's knife brandished in a couple of scenes as a warped version of a phallic symbol); Mitchum's and Gish's amazing performances; various other, interesting, smaller storylines; a scene reminiscent of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1919); Powell's tattoos of "Love" and "Hate" on his knuckles; and the dream-like, surreal riverboat escape sequence. The children, played by Billy Chapin (John Harper) and Sally Jane Bruce (Pearl Harper) give effective performances. There's also the over-the-top campiness in some of Mitchum's acting, which fits in perfectly with the stylized direction of the film; the sexual undercurrent and its repression that runs throughout (and no one played whiny, sexual frustration in those days better than Shelley Winters, as evidenced by this and other roles such as the mother in "Lolita" (1962): "Harrrrrry! I'm lonnnnnnnely!" and her role as the cast-aside pregnant girlfriend in "A Place in the Sun" (1951).

Lillian Gish is wonderful in her portrayal, standing up to the evil Harry Powell, and Robert Mitchum is perfectly cast in what some see as his best film role; his charismatic, handsome, oily, smooth portrayal of the serial killer Harry Powell surely must stand as a study guide for today's actors. Mitchum seemed to reprise much of his technique for this performance for his subsequent role in "Cape Fear" (1962).

I really can't say much more without going on and on for pages. Each scene could be written about and analyzed in detail; each scene is lit and photographed and told in a manner that has a director's hand prints all over it. It's a true artist's film, and we will never know what other wonders Charles Laughton could have directed. I have read of some viwers who laughed through much of this movie, which is unfortunate. I find it difficult to comprehend that reaction from any intelligent viewer who was really paying attention. I guess you either "get it", or you don't, which may have something to do with the film's dismal success when it was released.

This under-appreciated film is a ghoulish twist on a classic story, directed (and mostly written, it is said, by Laughton, after his arguing with James Agee over the rendition of the screenplay) in a masterful manner by a man best known for his own portrayals of classic film characters such as Captain Bligh in "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935), and Quasimodo in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1939).

The hymn "Everlasting Arms" recurs throughout, and could never sound the same again after this film.

Go. Go at least to rent this movie, or better yet, buy it. It's a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, IMO.

Phantom of the Paradise

2004-11-27T09:54:00.010-05:00

(1974)

Favorite quote: "There really is a phantom! He was just in my shower!"

This is one of the few films where Brian DePalma's sometimes stilted and melodramatic directorial methods (screen wipes, split screens, etc) are used to perfect effect. This satirical, extremely funny rock opera is an adaption of the original "Phantom of the Opera", with some Faust and a bit of "The Picture of Dorian Grey" thrown into the mix.

Paul Williams portrays Swan, a devilish music producer who steals composer Winslow Leach's original rock cantata score. Leach (William Finley) is disfigured while trying to wreak revenge on Swan, then succumbs to Swan's invitation to re-write the cantata if Phoenix (Jessica Harper) is allowed to perform it. The music alone is worth having, as Paul Williams is an excellent songwriter, with serious songs such as the haunting "Old Souls" (beautifully performed by Jessica Harper) included along with the campier fare. It's well worth watching over and over, played through your stereo, LOUD!

Several scenes and characters stand out: Beef, portrayed by Gerrit Graham, is my favorite: a mixture of the ridiculous "glitter rock" musicians of the time, with an ultra-effiminate side. Jessica Harper, in her first screen role, is sweet, pretty, an excellent singer, and her little dance around the stage as she auditions (I call it her "chicken dance") for Swan never fails to make me laugh out loud. Paul Williams is kind of creepy-looking on a good day, and is perfect for this part.

This is as good a movie, if not better, than "Rocky Horror Picture Show", but it has not as yet attained the level of popularity it deserves.

Of Human Bondage

2004-11-26T09:36:00.003-05:00

(1934)

Bette Davis became a star with her role in this first and best film adaptation of the Somerset Maugham novel of the same name (well worth a read). This was her first nomination for an Academy Award, for her portrayal of Mildred Rogers; a tawdry, sluttish, cockney waitress who bewitches hapless Philip Carey (Leslie Howard, best known for his role as Ashley Wilkes in "Gone With the Wind"). She lost the award, receiving it for her role the following year for "Dangerous", which is generally viewed as a consolation prize.

The supporting cast includes Reginald Denny, Alan Hale Sr. (father of Alan Hale Jr., who was the skipper on the TV series "Gilligan's Isle"), and an angelicly beautiful Frances Dee.

The film starts out with Philip, a failed art student with a clubfoot (about which he is highly sensitive), turning to the study of medicine after facing that he has no artistic talent. Shortly thereafter he meets and quickly becomes obsessed with Mildred, despite her sneering and obvious disdain for him because of his deformity. Her standard response to his affectionate overtures is a chilly "I don't mind." In his dreams Mildred is sweet and kind to him; during real time she uses him, well aware of his affection for her, leaving him for other men and returning when she is down on her luck, ruining his chance for having a career or a normal life with another woman; but he finds himself inexorably drawn to her, even after his love for her has waned, until the day she finally pushes him too far, and he says, "You disgust me."

With those words, the camera turns fully to Mildred, and her facial expression flickers, then shifts from supplication to shock to full-on bitch in a matter of seconds, as she reacts to Philip's statement with a barrage of blood-curdling insults. Bette Davis as Mildred never fails to raise the hair on the back of my neck and arms with her performance, especially in this particular scene.

"Of Human Bondage" remains one of my all-time favorite Davis films along with others such as "The Little Foxes", "The Letter", and "All About Eve".

The Brain That Wouldn't Die

2004-11-25T14:42:00.001-05:00

(1962)

"Alive... without a body... fed by an unspeakable horror from hell!"

So reads the tagline for this laughter-inducing horror film.

Dr. Bill Cortner is an egotistical and arrogant physician who likes to experiment with bodies in his spare time. In the first scene, after exclaiming, "He's dead! I can't do any harm!" and "Sure! I've made a few mistakes, but I've learned from them! Learned!" he is allowed by his physician father to take over in the operating room when a patient dies on the table.

Good Dr. Bill is next seen recklessly driving himself and his sweet, horny fiance Jan out to his country house; the car crashes, he salvages Jan's head from the burning wreckage, wraps his prize in his jacket, and runs the rest of the way with it like he's going for a touchdown during a football game. Once he gets to his lab, he sets her all up and presto! It's "Jan in a pan!" as I have heard this film referred to in the past.

Almost immediately his once-sweet lady (well, her head anyway) becomes a screeching shrew hoarsely calling out such lines as "Revenge! I hate him for what he's done to me!" as the desperate doctor goes on the hunt for a suitable body to use for restoring his girl back into something more, uhm, fully functional. His search takes him to strip joints and a beauty contest, to name two avenues he tries before he finds someone he believes to be a suitable candidate, telling her, "I'm going to cut your face off and give away your body, ah ha ha!" as she innocently laughs along.

To add to the fun, there is of course the wretched assistant with a mangled arm; one of the doctor's earlier "mistakes", and the "thing" locked in a closet in the lab. There's also the continual soundtrack of horns and sleazy stripper-like music. As far as the gore factor, this movie is actually pretty gruesome for its time, although the blood seems to be rather conveniently spilled (downstairs, but not upstairs, for instance), and "Jan in a Pan" laughs more maniacally as the movie progresses.

It's never explained how the head can speak without lungs or a body, although it must be the *new and improved* "Adreno-serum" as it's called that's being pumped into Jan's head, but then again who cares? Continuity flubs abound and serve to add to the camp factor. And look for the ending credits, which list the movie as "The Head That Wouldn't Die".

You can find this movie on Amazon.com in a DVD version that has the original film by itself, and also the film as part of an episode of Mystery Science Fiction Theatre 3000, the now-defunct hit TV show. Well, all I had to review this film with was my raggedy old videotape that appears to be degrading, so after watching it again, I gave into temptation and ordered the Amazon DVD of it. It'll be worth having a really good version of this so-bad-it's-funny bomb.

Just a "Teaser" review here...

2004-11-21T06:29:00.000-05:00

(1954 and 1955)

I will write something something slightly more substantial next time, but I couldn't resist doing a short blurb on two camp classics I received in the mail and viewed a couple of days ago: "Varietease" and "Teaserama" - 1954 and 1955 short burlesque-type films featuring clips of beautiful '50s pinup icon Bettie Page.

Bettie loses some "coolness points" when she dances, but if you go into frame-by-frame mode on your DVD player it's obvious that each frame of her dancing would have made a great still shot in and of itself. Proof that she was a great poser, and a lousy dancer, but as she has said herself, she was "far from being a professional dancer". She is very appealing despite the fact that neither my husband nor myself could contain our raucous laughter during her dance scenes. Her sparkle and sense of fun are evident throughout, she is in great shape, and her ever-changing and playful facial expressions are absolute treats to see.

Plus! You get to "Hear Bettie speak!" in addition to seeing her jump around - uhhm I mean dance.

The best part of the DVD is a silent, black and white arcade film loop of Bettie created for those old-time coin-activated peep-show viewers....Bettie gyrates up to a point, then the screen is suddenly blocked out with a caption telling the viewer to insert coins to see more of the film. This of course occurs at a regular basis during this particular short, as it did when those types of films were originally shown. Classic camp!

There are also appearances by a rather famous, albeit scary-looking drag queen from the time, and some professional strippers who could have passed for drag queens...but I bought these really just for the Bettie Page segments; these two DVD's are a must-have for Bettie Page fans.

Hello and Welcome (Introduction)

2004-11-18T05:19:00.001-05:00

When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time sitting on the floor, two feet away from the TV, watching old movies with my mother while she sat curled up in bed behind me. We had the best time. We watched all the classic silver screen films she grew up with and loved, and we also loved any and all horror movies. We would both be warning some teenager about to get sliced up, "No! Don't go in there! You'll be sorry! Watch out! Look behind you!" as my father would wander into the room and mutter, "What are you two watching now?"

On Saturday nights I'd try to stay up all night to watch an all-night horror feature show called "Shock Theatre." This I would do in my father's study, in front of a small, old, black and white TV brought in from the kitchen, and I'd wear little earphones that worked with the TV so as not to disturb the rest of the family as they slept. My father took the above photo of me before I could even look up from the TV, as I was watching "Shock Theatre" late one night.

My love of films has continued throughout my life. My affection for the older ones prevails, and I have along the way also acquired a love of the campy B horror films such as the ones by William Castle and George Romero. However, my favorite director has been and will always be Alfred Hitchcock.

In college I majored in Commercial Art, and double-minored in Film Criticism, and Creative Writing. For the film minor I had to constantly write papers over the course of the four years of college, reviewing the films we were shown. Some that I remember watching and writing papers on were "Lawrence of Arabia", "The Haunting", "Play Misty for Me", and "The Silent Partner". I also remember writing one entire paper just on the music in "Psycho." To me all of this was like getting paid to rob a candy store.

What has bothered me more and more over the years since has been what seems to be a waning interest in older films, and this includes films that were made just 20 years ago (which isn't even old, but many people seem to think so). I whine a lot to friends about all the lousy remakes of classics that keep getting spewed out. The first two that come to mind are the remakes of "The Stepford Wives" and "The Manchurian Candidate". Blasphemy!

Recently a friend of mine suggested I start a movie review website. My reply was, "Why? I'd just be mostly whining about how movies today suck compared to the older ones, and I'd be telling people which older films to go see. I wouldn't review any of the new dumb movies, I'd be saying, "HEY! Go rent the original 'The Manchurian Candidate' or "HEY! Go rent 'All About Eve!'", ad nauseum.

Well, actually, maybe this isn't such a bad idea. Maybe some people who never would have done so will check out some of these oldies but goodies and enjoy them. Or not.

It helps if you understand up front that my taste in movies includes dark humor, politically incorrect situations, British humor, horror, and camp, in addition to my swooning over long-gone hunks of the silver screen such as my all-time favorite, Gary Cooper.

But no, this is not a movie review. Not yet. Don't be hatin'.