Hey troops,

Wow, here we are in August already.  2009 is flying by!

Over the last couple weeks, I managed to see six, count ‘em, six films in the cinema, as well as catching up with some Oscar bait from recent years.  And, of course, a return to a bygone era when Conan was a muscle-bound warrior as opposed to a stick-thin talk show host.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Horror:
Collector, The (2009) (1st viewing)
Desperate to repay a debt, an ex-con (Josh Stewart) plots a heist at his new employer’s country home, unaware that someone else has already targeted the property, and rigged it with a series of deadly traps.  The biggest problem with this directing debut from Marcus Dunstan (one half of the writing team behind the Feast series, as well as the last three Saw sequels – Patrick Melton being his co-scribe, as he is here) is that it could have been an enjoyably silly, gore-filled romp, filled with implausible contraptions and paper-thin characters.  But Dunstan's tone throughout is deadly serious, presumably expecting viewers to actually emotionally invest in the bevy of ludicrous (and highly sadistic) booby-trap filled scenarios best described as “Home Alone meets Hostel.”  Our Faceless Villain has no personality, no motivation, nothing to distinguish him from any other masked killer…which may be the point.  Meanwhile, Brandon Cox’s slick, faux-gritty cinematography (in vogue since the 2003 Texas Chainsaw remake) and Jerome Dillion’s astonishingly busy soundscape only amplify the sensation of watching artisans who have learned their craft in the Hollywood machine – all sound and fury with no vision or individuality, just a desire to serve up whatever sells tickets.  Is this is what today’s horror fans really want?  Now, that’s scary.

Hell High (1989) (1st viewing)

This twisted little late ’80s entry combines elements of both the slasher movie and the rape-revenge film.  A group of high school delinquents decide to harass their notoriously frosty biology teacher, oblivious to the fact that as a child she accidentally caused the death of two teenagers and has been a bit unhinged ever since.  They terrorize her, sling mud at her house, drug her, abuse her, and eventually cause her to jump out of a window.  While they’re busy trying to cover up the crime, they discover she’s not dead…and very upset indeed.  The acting is decidedly on the low end and while there are smatterings of female boob shots, one gets the impression that it might have all been performed by the same body double, since we never seen anyone’s face in the frame!   The script by one-off director Douglas Grossman and Leo Evans provides very little in the way of motivation for anyone’s behavior, but serves up plenty of unintentional laughs along the way (the football game “prank” is so lame it’s almost brilliant). 

Orphan (2009) (1st viewing)

“There’s something wrong with Esther,” runs the tagline of this ambitious “killer kid” movie, which is certainly truth in advertising.  A couple (Peter Sarsgaard, Vera Farmiga) that has recently lost a child adopts a 9-year-old girl (Isabelle Fuhrman) who then proceeds to surreptitiously dominate their entire household.  The acting is excellent across the board, with Farmiga returning to terror tyke territory (a mere two years after her worthier-than-the-film-itself turn in 2007’s Joshua) to deliver an admirably layered performance that adds much-needed integrity to some occasionally dicey plotting.  Sarsgaard also does well in his role (with the exception of a late-in-the-day drunk scene which, in his defense, is so bonkers Brando couldn’t have pulled it off).  David Johnson’s script tightly packs a lot of curves and valleys, but could have benefited from more separation between the suspenseful set-ups and their payoffs – oftentimes character information is revealed with the results played out in the scene immediate following.  However, his third-act reveal regarding Fuhrman and her background is a doozy, and buys a lot of good will.  Director Jaume Collet-Sera, who helmed the surprisingly enjoyable (and enjoyably nasty) House of Wax in 2005, likewise delivers several graphic scenes of violence that might catch audiences off guard with their viciousness, and though the film clocks in at over two hours (!), the pacing rarely flags.  Ultimately, it’s a worthy entry in the “Bad Seed” subgenre, provided you’ve brought plenty of suspension of disbelief (and gone to the bathroom beforehand).

Wendigo (2001) (2nd viewing)

Independent NYC director Larry Fessenden follows up his celebrated modern vampire film, Habit, by again portraying real people dealing with unreal circumstances.  En route to a cabin in the Catskills, a well-off urban couple (Jake Weber, Patricia Clarkson) accidentally hits a deer in the road.  They are soon confronted by a group of hunters, the leader of which (John Speredakos) harbors a deeply felt grudge against outsiders and proceeds to antagonize them during their wintry stay.  Meanwhile, the couple’s son (Erik Per Sullivan) meets a Native American ghost who tells him the story of the Wendigo, a mythical beast that protects the forest. Fessenden’s skill as a writer of authentic characters is immediately apparent, as the dialogue between the family members – as well as their antagonists – is sharp and believable.  Likewise, the palpable sense of dread derived from mundane events and locations results an atmosphere that is at once recognizable and foreign, all the while utilizing ordinary cinematic techniques such as time-lapse photography and still-shot editing (as well as one memorable Matrix-like “bullet-time” sequence).   The one place where Fessenden’s low-budget seams unfortunately show is when he puts his monster front and center onscreen, since his deer/man creation is more likely to inspire snickers than shivers.  Even so, this is a complex, intriguing tale about the time-honored clash between city and rural, with the mythological bent lending it a unique flavor.   

Civilian Mini-Views:
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The (2007) (1st viewing)
Beautifully shot and mounted…with some serious pacing issues.  All the actors (including Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Jeremy Renner and Sam Shepard) are fine, but no one seems to be in a big hurry to do much of anything.  Ever.

Atonement (2007) (1st viewing)
Bravura camerawork, sharp screenplay and terrific performances elevate what could have been a sudsy soap opera into something more.  Did it deserve all those Oscar nominations?  Maybe not, but I’m not going to hold a grudge against them.

Conan the Barbarian (1982) (2nd viewing)

“What is best in life?”  “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.”  Hells, yeah.  Basil Pouledouris’ musical score is as muscular and twice as deep as Ah-nuld in his big breakout starring role.  Great, goofy stuff that inspired a wealth of early ’80s imitators.

Finding Neverland (2004) (1st viewing)

Johnny Depp turns in a lovely performance as J.M. Barrie, inspired by ailing Kate Winslet’s brood of spirited moppets to write the tale of Peter Pan.  A little on the sentimental side at times, but not overly syrupy. 

Frida (2002) (1st viewing)

Salma Hayek delivers a memorable star turn as the fiery Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, leaving vanity (and often her clothes) behind in service of the story and character.  Director Julie Taymor (Broadway’s The Lion King) mixes dizzying fantasy visual with clean, emotionally truthful scenes.

Hurt Locker, The (2008) (1st viewing)
An elite U.S. military bomb-defusing unit stationed in Iraq faces death every day in a variety of forms – this alone would make for fascinating cinema.  But director Kathryn Bigelow also examines the subtle shades of brotherhood and loyalty, as well as the diverse methods of coping with fear and trauma, resulting in a brilliantly textured film that deserves all its kudos.

Perfect Getaway, A (2009) (1st viewing)
Inexplicably receiving a theatrical release, this cornball thriller has “straight-to-DVD” written all over it, and I mean that in the best way.  A couple honeymooning in Hawaii begins to suspect that they are being stalked by a vicious pair of psychopaths, with writer/director David Twohy unveiling gorgeous scenery, enjoyable action sequences, zippy dialogue…all wrapped in one seriously boneheaded plot.  Luckily, his seasoned and game cast (Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich among them) are clearly enjoying themselves, and silly as it all is, no one ever asks to be taken too seriously, so it almost kinda works.  Still a renter, though.

Film Noir Double Feature (courtesy of Chicago’s Music Box):
Double Indemnity (1944) (3rd viewing)

Billy Wilder (who also directed) and Raymond Chandler adapt James M. Cain’s novel into a firecracker script filled with endlessly quotable lines, ever more so when spoken from the lips of the estimable trio of Fred MacMurry, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson.  A classic that deserves its reputation, still entertaining audiences 65 years later.

Prowler, The (1951) (1st viewing)

Patrol cop Van Heflin becomes infatuated with married woman Evelyn Keyes, eventually plotting to murder her husband and claim her himself.  Directed by Joseph Losey, this is hard boiled stuff, notable in particular for Heflin’s completely irredeemable characterization – whining, sulking and bullying his way through the entire picture – while still retaining a modicum of audience sympathy. 

2009 Totals: 279 films, 193 1st time views, 145 horror, 21 cinema

Hey kids,

Back in the saddle and finally caught up, although we’ll see how long that lasts.  Over the past few weeks, I’ve gotten in a variety of Views, from new films (BAGHEAD, THE BROKEN) to a couple off the beaten track chillers (DEVIL TIMES FIVE, WITHOUT WARNING) as well as revisiting a couple of classics (PET SEMATARY, PIRANHA) with DVD commentary.  On the civilian side, we tuned in to an underrated classic thriller, a unexpectedly entertaining Hollywood comedy and continued our love affair with Hal Hartley. How’s that for mixing it up? 

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.  

Enjoy!

HORROR:

Baghead (2008) (1st viewing)
The creative team of brothers Jay and Mark Duplass manage to turn a potentially groan-worthy navel-gazing scenario (a quartet of disenchanted no-budget filmmakers head out to a deserted cabin to write a horror film, only to find themselves caught up in one) into a clever coup of low-budget filmmaking.  Despite some overly manicured handheld camerawork – replete with superfluous micro-zooms and jitters – the enterprise coasts breezily along on the likeability of its four-person cast who handle their natural-sounding dialogue with assuredness and bravado.  Granted, the horror elements don’t take center stage until well after the characters and setting have been established and there’s a lot more chitchat than overall bloodshed, the Duplass duo clearly know how to skillfully deliver the creepy moments when called for.  Though the concept is ultimately pretty thin and runs the risk of overstaying its welcome, it’s hard not to admire an indie horror venture that entertains its viewers with honest craft over crassness.

Broken, The (2008) (1st viewing)

Exceedingly thin and derivative material (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Invaders from Mars) that never bothers to explain itself, electing instead to ladle out doom-and-gloom atmosphere by the truckload.  Lena Headey’s radiologist gets into a serious car accident after seeing a clone of herself; as she recovers, she begins to suspect that her family and lover are not the people they once were.  With repetition and tedium the order of the day, writer/director Sean Ellis explores the theme of the doppelganger via a long-winded journey through strange territory (with the cryptic slow-motion automobile accident played ad infinitum from various angles), but unfortunately we are so far ahead of the story and its characters that the leaps in narrative logic and the leaden pacing only call attention to themselves.  Moody, but empty.

Delirium (1987) (1st viewing)

Deferring from the splatterific approach of his mid-80s hits Demons and its sequel, Lamberto Bava returns to the giallo format while infusing it with a pop culture sensibility that never really challenges its audience but manages to entertain through its own excesses.  Taking a page from 1964’s classic Blood and Black Lace – directed by Bava’s father Mario – the plot concerns the owner of a prominent men’s magazine (busty Serena Grandi, the “Italian Dolly Parton”) haunted by an unseen deviant offing her stable of fashion models, then sending grotesque photographs of the lifeless victims posed before a gigantic glamour portrait of Ms. Grandi.  In addition to the abundance of fertile female flesh on display, Italian horror fans will joy to see genre veterans George Eastman and Daria Nicolodi making brief appearances in supporting roles.  Certainly the most notable element is the movie’s inspired use of the killer’s POV, who sees his/her victims through a hallucinogenic haze, distorting their features into giant eyeballs and insect heads.  Not a great giallo, but one with its share of memorable, if goofy, moments while managing to keep its whodunnit under wraps until the final reel. 

Devil Times Five (1974) (1st viewing)

Five children (including a young, pre-superstardom Leif Garrett) survive a road accident on a slippery highway and trek their way toward rich honcho Gene Evan’s isolated winter hideaway.  Unfortunately for Evans and his disgruntled hanger-on family and underling employees, the youngsters are refugees from the local mental institution and have more than cookies and milk on their minds…  Unfortunately, under Sean MacGregor’s lackluster direction, this is a far less classy “killer kids” than, say, Village of the Damned, with the cheese factor pretty high.  One gets the impression that MacGregor had some interesting ideas (as with the extreme slo-mo sequence where the kids bludgeon their van driver to death or the fact that Garrett’s character exhibits symptoms of travestitism) but was incapable of capturing the truly creepy offbeat vibe required. Additionally, the performances from both ends of the age spectrum range from thoroughly inept to overly broad to merely lazy.  Much more effective in capturing the chilling underlying theme of childhood’s presumed innocence (and the false sense of trust it instills) is Narcisco Ibanez Serrador’s Who Can Kill a Child?, produced two years later in Spain.

Pet Sematary (1989) (3rd viewing)

Stephen King adapts his own novel (a thinly disguised version of W.W. Jacobs’ “The Monkey’s Paw”) for the screen with the resulting film, directed by Mary Lambert, one of the more faithful in spirit and word.  Dale Midkiff and Denise Crosby move into a Maine country house with their two small children, alongside which runs a road that plays host to numerous thundering tractor trailers, and neighbor Fred Gwynne warns them that “the damned road” has claimed so many family pets that there is a animal graveyard in the forest established to house the dead.  However, after tragedy inevitably strikes, it is revealed that deeper in the woods there lurks another cemetery, one possessing powers of reanimation.  But as we all know, such powers come with a price…  The performances are middling at best (although Gwynne is great fun to watch and listen to, with his exaggerated Maine dialect), but Lambert finds some lovely textures throughout, spotlighting creepy supporting characters such as Brad Greenquist’s gentle/gory ghost and Crosby’s meningitis-afflicted sister Zelda (played by a male actor, Andrew Hubatsek).  Dark, foreboding and deeply pessimistic, there’s a good deal of fun to be had here for fans.

Piranha (1978) (3rd viewing)

“Lost River Lake.  Terror.  Horror.  Death.  Film at Eleven.”  Under the Roger Corman umbrella, Joe Dante’s career was launched with this spoof/ripoff of Jaws, featuring lots of bubbles, fish puppets, and gallons of fake blood.  When an abandoned military experiment dubbed “Operation Razor Teeth” is accidentally released into a Texas stream, it’s up to chipper tracker Heather Menzies and grumpy mountain man Bradford Dillman to save the day.  Despite its miniscule budget, these killer guppies deliver as many screams as laughs with a terrific knowing script by first-timer John Sayles and zippy direction by Dante.  They are aided by a groovy supporting cast of screen veterans on hand to give their blessing (and flesh) to the cause, including Kevin McCarthy, Keenan Wynn, Paul Bartel, Dick Miller and a tired-looking Barbara Steele.  Phil Tippet provided the not-bad-at-all creature effects with assistance from seventeen-year-old Rob Bottin on makeup detail.  How can you not love a flick that actually sics a school of piranha on a summer camp of kids?  Sick and wrong, and loads of fun. 

Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993) (2nd viewing)

While it never quite matches Dan O’Bannon’s original in balancing both comedy and horror, director/co-producer Brian Yuzna does an admirable job of maintaining an unrelenting pace and highlighting the raison d’etregore effects (courtesy of Steve Johnson).  J. Trevor Howard and Mindy Clarke play a young rebellious couple who spy on Howard’s military father (Adam 12’s Kent McCord, stiff and stolid as ever) at his secret government experimental base, where the powers that be are focused on harnessing the properties of the reanimating gas, Trioxin, to create a master army.  But when Clarke is accidentally killed in a motorcycle accident, Howard brings her back to life…only to find that she now harbors an insatiable appetite for flesh that can only be stifled through graphic acts of self-mutilation.  On the run from the military, they encounter numerous urban lowlifes (John Penney’s script is not the most politically correct one on the shelf) over the course of the evening, who more often than not become a snack for the recently revived.  Clarke gives her all in a go-for-broke performance that runs neck and bloody neck with Linnea Quigley’s memorable star turn from the 1985 original.

Without Warning (1980) (1st viewing)

A don’t-go-in-the-woods thriller that swaps the requisite blade-swinging psycho with a melon-headed space alien given to flinging blood-sucking parasites at myriad hapless victims.  Director Greydon Clark scores big-time in the lower tier celebrity cameo department, landing such memorable mugs as Cameron Mitchell, Ralph Meeker, Larry Storch and Neville Brand, while headliners Martin Landau and Jack Palance are given much more screen time to joust in their own private overacting grudge match.  (A young David Caruso also pops up in his second screen appearance, sporting some wicked short shorts.)  While hardly a classic in its own right, this is undeniably entertaining cheese for lovers of low-grade monster flicks, and to be fair, the makeup and effects work (by Greg Cannom and Joe Quinlivan) are memorably impressive.  Often cited as a predecessor to 1987’s high-tech blockbuster Predator (in which 7’2” Kevin Peter Hall plays the alien hunter, which he does here as well.  Talk about your typecasting!)

CIVILIAN:

Bunny Lake is Missing (1965) (1st viewing)
Superb thriller from director Otto Preminger that follows the disappearance of an American girl from a British school on her first day.  Carol Lynley is wonderful as the panicked young mother, matched by Keir Dullea as her forceful younger brother.  Laurence Olivier turns in a remarkably restrained performance as the head police inspector, one of his finest.

Knocked Up (2007) (1st viewing)
Having not been overly impressed with Judd Apatow’s output thus far, I certainly didn’t expect much when this showed up on HBO’s schedule during a recent hotel stay.  But having caught bits and pieces of it here and there and not having been totally put off, I decided to give it a whirl.  Surprise, surprise, it’s a genuinely funny and affectionate film with sharp comic performances all around.  When Katherine Heigel finds herself in the family way by way of a drunken coupling with avuncular pothead Seth Rogen, the usual tropes of morning sickness, weight gain and misguided encounters with the medical profession are adroitly broken up with wicked banter from the two stars and their separate (oh so very separate) circles of friends.

HAL HARTLEY DOUBLE FEATURE:

Amateur (1994) (1st viewing)

Simple Men (1992) (1st viewing)

New York indie filmmaker Hal Hartley knows how to spin poetry from the most absurd situations and creates characters that are at once bizarre and foreign while also immediately recognizable and human.  Quirky and unique without being off-putting, trying to describe his scenarios is almost beside the point – it’s more about the jazz that plays when he brings together his amazing ensembles and turns them loose on each other. Peopled with performers that I constantly find myself saying, “Why isn’t that guy/girl working more?” who truly know how to handle Hartley’s dialogue, which is as mannered as David Mamet’s minus the repitition.  Thus far, in addition to the pair seen this week, I’ve seen four other of his features and each has yielded rich rewards.  I gotta say, I’m a fan, and I wish him a wider audience outside the art house. 

2009 Totals: 266 films, 183 1st time views, 141 horror, 15 cinema

Hey kids,

Ha! What was that about getting this batch of Views up in a day or two? Two weeks later...

However, this did end up being sort of a "theme week", with double features starring Donald Sutherland and Dee Wallace, as well as a triple feature of films based on the works of popular British horror novelist Dennis Wheatley. All around, it was a mighty fine birthday week. Yes, I've still got another week to go before I'm caught up, but hopefully we'll see that happen in the next few days. No promises, though...

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth in the comments below - we'll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!!

HORROR:

Deadgirl (2008) (1st viewing)

Two high school lads (Shiloh Fernandez, Noah Segan) find a mostly deceased young woman (Jenny Spain) strapped to a table in the basement of an abandoned asylum.  This already disturbing scenario takes an even darker turn when Segan decides, against Fernandez’s protests, that he would like to keep her tied up to use as his personal sex slave…and maybe even invite others to enjoy the “fun.”  What with screenwriter Trent Haaga being a graduate from the Troma stable and the concept potentially lending itself to thoroughly juvenile grotesqueries, ultimately the most intriguing and challenging (in the best possible way) aspect of the film is how seriously it handles its given circumstances.   Everyone on hand invests themselves fully in their roles, with nary a wink, blink or pratfall to lighten the ever-darkening mood.  Applause must be given to all involved for tackling such squirrelly material in a straightforward fashion, as the approach pays off in spades, refusing to let audiences off the hook – instead we are forced to wonder how we would handle the situation ourselves.  A terrific story of friendship, romance, shifting alliances and coming-of-age, all seen through a twisted supernatural lens.  While certainly not for all tastes, Haaga – along with directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel – has created an original, uncompromising indie horror flick that cannot be forgotten nor easily dismissed.

Witchcraft (1964) (1st viewing)
Dripping with atmospheric shots of foggy cemeteries and ghostly apparitions, this underrated occult thriller is worth watching for Arthur Lavis’ gorgeous black-and-white cinematography alone.  A long-standing feud between two English families comes to a terrifying head when the construction of a housing development accidentally disturbs the tomb of accused witch Yvette Rees, releasing her vengeful spirit from the grave.  Hot off his success with Hammer’sKiss of the Vampire the previous year, director Don Sharp crafts a superbly moody and suspenseful tale, ably supported by Jack Hedley and Lon Chaney, Jr. as the two opposing patriarchs.  Screenwriter Harry Spalding would go on to pen several other intriguing, if flawed, genre efforts, including Curse of the Fly (1965) and Disney’s The Watcher in the Woods (1980).  Available from MGM as a “Midnight Movies” double feature DVD release (with 1965’s Devils of Darkness).

SUTHERLAND IN THE 70S DOUBLE FEATURE

Don’t Look Now (1973) (3rd viewing)
Superb direction by Nicholas Roeg and terrific performances help this strange little adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s story succeed on several levels, deepening with subsequent viewings.  Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie play a married couple reeling from the recent death of their daughter, dramatically played out in the first few minutes.  When Sutherland’s work as a restoration expert takes them to Venice to work on a cathedral, they encounter a pair of bizarre middle-aged English sisters, one of whom tells Christie that she has “seen” their daughter.  This leads to an unsettling séance where Sutherland is warned to leave Italy, with stranger events unfolding from there.  Roeg keeps his audience off-balance through extensive use of cross-cutting between scenes and flashbacks, and the terrific use of Venice’s blind alleys and waterways only accentuates the disorientation.  Not a fast-paced thriller, with a dream-like atmosphere of dread and unpredictability pervading throughout.  The “are they really doing it?” sex scene between the leads was trimmed for American distribution, but remains sexy and emotionally visceral.  The final scenes will certainly surprise first time viewers; whether they satisfy or not is a matter of taste.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) (4th viewing)
Director Philip Kaufman’s worthy updating of the 1956 sci-fi masterpiece is quirkier and more graphic, with oogey scenes of PG-rated violence and stellar acting all around.  This revamped version of Jack Finney’s novel, by W. D. Richter, relocates the setting from that of a small town to that of the equally isolatory existence within a bustling metropolis (San Francisco, in this case), where individuals’ relationships with one another are often so tenuous and surface that we might not initially notice if our neighbors had been “replaced.”  Donald Sutherland stars as a SF health inspector who, along with Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright, begins to suspect that their fellow citizens are being taken over by pod people from space.  Kaufman cultivates a marvelous sense of dread and suspense, with numerous striking scenes and elements (the iconic “shriek”, the man/dog combo) – as well as one of the more truly haunting and unsettling endings to be found anywhere.  As if to give his stamp of approval, Kevin McCarthy (star of the original film) appears in a memorable cameo.

DEE GOES TO THE DOGS (AND WOLVES)

Cujo (1983) (2nd viewing)
Though perhaps not the finest screen adaptation of a Stephen King novel, this arguably ranks as one of the more powerful and frightening on a purely visceral level.  On the surface, the high-concept plot of a rabid St. Bernard trapping a mother (Dee Wallace) and son (Danny Pintauro) in a broken-down car might not generate much of a shiver.  But director Lewis Teague – who had already proven his chops in the potentially silly “killer animal” arena with 1980’sAlligator – manages to generate a surprising amount of terror and suspense, as well as genuine empathy for his flawed characters.  But it is Wallace who deserves highest marks – her utterly credible central performance is the film’s anchor and because viewers emotionally invest in her plight, the increasingly frantic canine attacks come off as genuinely harrowing.  The imaginative camera movement is realized by rising talent (and soon-to-be big-time Hollywood cinematographer and director) Jan de Bont.

Howling, The (1981) (5th viewing)

Female news reporter Dee Wallace is sent to Patrick Macnee’s strange California encounter-group community to recover from a sexually deviant murderer’s attack, unaware that virtually everyone there is a werewolf.  Joe Dante’s sexy, hip, well-made horror flick brims with genre-buff in-jokes (nearly a dozen characters are named after werewolf film directors) and amusing cameos from Forrest Ackerman and Roger Corman, but the real highlights come courtesy of f/x wunderkind Rob Bottin’s amazing man (and woman)-to-wolf transformation sequences.  Co-scriptwriters John Sayles and Terence H. Winkles jettison much of Gary Brandner’s oft-maligned source novel (which really isn’t all that bad, folks) in favor of a zippier, more streamlined narrative, while Dante balances the cast with fresh-faced talent and B-movie stalwarts (Kenneth Tobey, John Carradine, Slim Pickins).  A thoroughly entertaining flick, marred only slightlyby the uber-cute woof-woof ending.  Followed by a seemingly endless stream of in-name-only “sequels.” 

DENNIS WHEATLEY/HAMMER TRIPLE FEATURE

Devil Rides Out, The (aka The Devil's Bride) (1968) (2nd viewing)

Armed with excellent production values and a top-caliber cast, this remains one of the shining (if lesser known) jewels in the Hammer crown.  Christopher Lee plays against type, heroically leading a small band of friends against Charles Gray’s nefarious cult of devil worshippers.  Richard Matheson’s crisp screenplay condenses Wheatley’s novel of black magic while remaining admirably faithful to the source material, both in word and tone.  Terence Fisher’s direction is fluid and atmospheric, and while some of the effects are dated today, the committed cast manage to generate a palpable sense of dread and tension, particularly during the scenes in which they attempt to fend off the powers of evil from within a chalked-out pentagram.  Both the film and the novel come highly recommended.

Lost Continent, The (1968) (2nd viewing)

The wildly inappropriate, belted-out opening theme song heralds the start of one of Hammer’s most patently bizarre productions.  The first hour focuses upon the adventures of a leaky ocean freighter en route to Caracas filled with a dangerous explosive cargo, five desperate passengers with checkered pasts, Eric Porter’s troubled, cynical captain and a mutinous crew.  But it’s when the straightforward (if soggy) soap opera machinations give way to encounters with carnivorous seaweed, buxom babes with balloon boots, religious blood-sacrificing cults and trap-flapping mollusk beasties on wheels that the whole enterprise goes well and truly off the rails in the best possible way.  As strange, screwy, and wonderful as it sounds, and never, ever dull.  With Suzannah Leigh and Michael Ripper.

To the Devil a Daughter (1976) (2nd viewing)
Being the last genre film produced by the legendary British studio, Daughter is often condemned as “the film that killed Hammer,” an unfortunate and unjustified reputation for a supernatural thriller that, in spite of a few stumbles, manages to acquit itself quite ably.  Defrocked priest Christopher Lee earmarks waifish Nastassja Kinski as the Devil’s future daughter/bride/mother, while her distraught father Denholm Elliot enlists the help of expert occultist Richard Widmark to protect her.  The troubled production suffered from a lack of funds (witness the rushed and unsatisfying ending) as well as comparisons to The Exorcist and The Omen, but Christopher Wicking’s adaptation of Wheatley’s novel delivers numerous shocks and Peter Sykes directs with energetic flair.  Lee and Widmark both turn in formidable performances while the 16-year-old Kinski exudes an unnerving amount of sex appeal.

CIVILIAN MINI-VIEWS:
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) (3rd viewing)

“This is my happening and it freaks me out!”  Exploitation guru Russ Meyer is given the keys to the Hollywood kingdom and delivers the goods, thanks to a wildly subversive screenplay by Roger Ebert (yes, that Roger Ebert), a supremely game cast and a wealth of genuinely enjoyable musical numbers.  Along with Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, this is a great gateway to Meyer’s oeuvre.

Brave One, The (2007) (1st viewing)
A wannabe-thoughtful-but-ultimately-stupid thriller about a rambling female radio personality who, after being brutally attacked by thugs, goes all Chuck Bronson-vigilante on the bad guys…yeah, all of them.  What the hell are Jodie Foster and director Neil Jordan doing here again?  Lame, even with a Larry Fessenden cameo.

Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The (2007) (1st viewing)

Julian Schnabel’s imaginatively filmed biopic of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Almaric), trapped within his paralyzed body following a stroke.  Only able to flicker his left eye, Bauby and his therapists struggle to find means of communication.  Both haunting and deeply affecting. 

Filth and the Fury, The (2000) (1st viewing)

Documentarian Julien Temple provides a solid overview of the of pioneer punk rock group The Sex Pistols, although fans may desire a deeper examination of the players and circumstances surrounding their rapid rise and just as rapid descent.  A fine companion piece to Alex Cox’s Sid and Nancy.

Lars and the Real Girl (2007) (1st viewing)

Considering its Farrelly Brothers-worthy premise (a mentally disturbed young man sends away for an internet sex doll, falls in love with it, then insists that everyone in his small town deal with his new “girlfriend” as though she were flesh and blood), what is most surprising is how emotionally true and affecting the film ends up being.  Hats off to Craig Gillespie’s sensitive direction and Nancy Oliver’s grounded script, as well as Ryan Gosling and Patricia Clarkson who lead a terrific cast that humanizes a community of potentially laughable characters. 

Straw Dogs (1971) (4th viewing)

Sam Peckinpah’s breathtaking exercise in violence and moral ambiguity, with Dustin Hoffman as an ex-pat U.S. mathematician taking refuge with bride Susan George in her English hometown.  While the climactic scenes often result in it being referred to purely in terms of being one of the great “siege” movies, it’s the passive aggressive push-pull relationships that ratchet up the tension throughout:  Between Hoffman and George, between Hoffman and the coarse menfolk doing repair work on the property, between George and her former beau Peter Vaughan, between the roustabout ruffians and T.P. McKenna’s major, between the community and David Warner’s mentally retarded village idiot…when the final explosions of violence come, they are as necessary as they are inevitable.  What continues to surprise, even after numerous viewings, is how skillfully Peckinpah avoids easy conventions:  Hoffman defends “his” home (it is really George’s) against the interlopers, but for reasons that deny him being perceived in purely heroic fashion.  George is raped by Vaughan, but refuses to tell her husband and later denies him assistance in his defense against her assailants.  Hoffman protects Warner from the angry mob, even though the simpleton is actually guilty of the crime they accuse him of.  When all is said and done, with Hoffman emerging “victorious,” there is not the satisfaction of having seen justice visited upon the unrighteous, but rather the despair of seeing civilized man fall among the savages – having learned nothing.  While perhaps not an easy film to like, I consider this Peckinpah’s masterpiece, deserving the attention of film aficionados everywhere.

2009 Totals: 254 films, 174 1st time views, 133 horror, 15 cinema

Hey kids,

Still picking 'em up and putting 'em down.  I'm hoping to have last week's Views up and ready in the next day or so, in order to be up to date before I head out of town next week.  Fingers crossed.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth in the comments below - we'll make sure you get some change back.  

Enjoy!

HORROR:

Alone in the Dark (1982) (2nd viewing)

Why settle for just one crazed killer when you can have three or four?  During a citywide blackout, inmates of an asylum for the criminally insane liberate themselves and proceed to have a high old time in the outside world. Top-billed Jack Palance and Martin Landau are two of the merry murderers, and Donald Pleasance plays a head therapist as bonkers as his patients.  A bespectacled Dwight Schultz (later of TV’s A-Team fame) holds the movie together as best he can as the new psychiatrist in town, struggling to keep his family (a handful in and of themselves) safe.  Writer/director Jack Sholder’s dialogue is not the sharpest, nor does he do anything creative behind the camera, choosing instead to simply give his cast of veterans the freedom to chew the scenery to their hearts’ content.  There are a few worthwhile scenes, including an under-the-bed menacing of the nubile babysitter and a final showdown at the family home, á la Straw Dogs.  Sadly, much of the suspense is sucked out of the abundant array of “creative” deaths by a heavy-handed musical score, which consistently tips us off much too far in advance. Producer Robert Shaye would quickly go onto much bigger things as producer of the Nightmare on Elm Street film series.

Devil Hunter (1980) (1st viewing)

The nastiest aspect about this particular “video nasty” is how long it takes to get from the starting credits to the closing ones.  Jess Franco is in the director’s chair for this ridiculous adventure/horror story that intertwines the kidnapping of vapid Hollywood starlet Ursula Fellner with the legend of a legendary tribal creature.  It’s a time-honored narrative, dating back to 1933’s King Kong, but in this case, our “monster” is nothing more than a tall dark-skinned native with glued-on bulging eyes and an endlessly looped growl that reverberates on the soundtrack every time he comes within 50 miles of the onscreen action.  The dialogue is hilariously inept, with characters often contradicting themselves within the same sentence!  As far as the flesh and blood departments go, there are certainly samplings of both, but you can find better examples in far less exhausting pictures.

Frightmare (aka The Horror Star) (1983) (1st viewing)

This lame send-up features the device of an aging hammy horror star (Ferdy Mayne) who returns from the grave to wreak vengeance upon the group of thrill-seeking college students (members of the Horror Appreciation Society, no less) who’ve stolen his body from the morgue. Despite featuring Jeffrey Combs in an early role two years before his breakout performance in Re-Animator, there isn’t much to recommend writer/director Norman Thaddeus Dane’s efforts here:  The dry ice and colored lights come off as tired rather than inspired, and while there are a few imaginative offings, nothing makes a whole lot of sense.  Ultimately, it was all done a decade earlier and better in the 1973 Vincent Price romp, Theatre of Blood.

Homecoming (2009) (1st viewing)

Imagine a young adult version of Stephen King’s Misery as seen through the eyes of the Lifetime Channel and you’ve got a pretty good idea what’s in store with this new thriller from director Morgan J. Freeman.  When former high school football star Matt Long returns to his hometown with new girlfriend Jessica Stroup, former flame Mischa Barton goes off her rocker – then through a wild twist of fate, ends up holding the perceived interloper hostage in her home.  Despite some decent performances (Barton is unsettlingly good) and production values, the biggest flaws lie with Katie L. Fetting’s muddled sceenwriting devices.  Logic is frequently thrown to the winds in favor of soap opera confrontations and forehead-slapping plot twists, and only in the last ten minutes does the film deliver anything that could remotely be considered horrific.  Fans might recognize Barton from her early spooky turn as the wandering spirit that confronts Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense.

Wicked, Wicked (1973) (1st viewing)

Shot in “Duo-Vision,” this high-spirited psycho killer movie employs the split-screen technique (used to great effect in Brian De Palma’s films, among others) not for a few simple scenes, but for the entire running time!  In a seacoast hotel, someone is running around in a rubber mask knocking off and dismembering all the blonde babes in sight.  Enter singer Tiffany Bolling (between her Candy Snatchers and Kingdom of the Spiders gigs) who just happens to wear a blonde wig for her loungier-than-usual lounge act, making her the killer’s next target.  All the while, on a pipe organ whose location is never quite made clear, an old biddy plays the score from the original Lon Chaney Phantom of the Opera.  Campy and energetic, this is not exactly a good movie by any stretch, but it’s an awful lot of fun and never boring.  Well worth tracking down (occasionally shows up on Turner Classic Movies) and watching with friends.

Zombie Strippers (2008) (1st viewing)

It’s hard to critique a movie that so clearly has no intention of being taken seriously – from its campy “concept” title onward, writer/director Jay Lee has little on his mind but delivering copious amounts of boobs, blood and juvenile laffs.  He definitely scores in all three departments, and further shores up chances for success with two casting coups in leading roles:  horror icon Robert Englund and porn’s most famous girl next door, Jenna Jameson. Unlike many adult film stars gone “legit,” Jameson clearly has no issues with flaunting the assets that made her famous, and Englund is clearly having a good time as a sleazy strip club manager happy to look the other way when his pole dancing ensemble start turning up undead.  Pick this up and get exactly what you expect:  hot chicks, splattery gore and dumb-dumb-dumb jokes.  No false advertising, but somehow it was never quite as much fun as I’d have liked.

CIVILIAN:

Easy Rider (1969) (4th viewing)

The counter-culture classic.  Books have been written about its cinematic and social significance – what might surprise you is how watchable and relevant it remains 40 years later.

Mr. No Legs (1979) (1st viewing)

A great exploitation title that comes up a little…short.  The Creature from the Black Lagoon himself, Ricou Browning, directs this standard “underworld vs. the law” highlighted by the titular novelty character: a badass double amputee who serves as an enforcer for a drug lord.  Yes, armed with machine guns in his wheelchair and a black belt round his waist, real life disabled karate Grand Master Ted Vollrath beats down his opponents with panache.  Problem is, the fight scenes are clumsily staged, the plot and dialogue are sub-standard and the requisite car chases go on far too long.  Still, needs to be seen to be believed.

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) (1st viewing)

Tennessee Williams’ daring and haunting stage play finds its way to the silver screen, albeit in a slightly sanitized fashion (courtesy of Gore Vidal).  Katharine Hepburn is extraordinary as a powerful matriarch determined to have Elizabeth Taylor lobotomized before the girl can reveal the sordid truth about Hepburn’s son, both how he lived and how he died.  Montgomery Clift is equally terrific as the conflicted doctor.  Joseph L. Mankiewicz directs with shadowy flair.  Often comes close to crossing the line into horror territory, with a macabre and thoroughly surprising final scene.

WOODY ALLEN DOUBLE FEATURE:

Celebrity (1998) (1st viewing)

Kenneth Branagh stars (while delivering a very passable Woody impression) as a writer struggling to come to terms with a mid-life crisis that affects his marriage and career.  While certainly more sad and pathetic than laugh-out-loud funny, Allen’s writing and direction are sharp and revealing, and his savvy casting elevates the material even further.  Judy Davis is especially wonderful as Branagh’s ex, with smart turns by Joe Mantegna, Charlize Theron and Leonardo Di Caprio.

Hollywood Ending (2002) (2nd viewing)

Allen appears in front of the camera as well here as a washed-up film director given one last chance to redeem himself, thanks to ex-wife/now-Hollywood producer Tea Leoni.  When he goes hysterically blind the night before first day of shooting, farcical (and all-too-predictable) hi-jinks ensue.  Not bad, but not great either.

 

Hey kids,

As a result of the "15 books" fever that's going around Facebook these days, last night I sat down and came up with a list of seminal fright films that started me down the path of horror fandom to make me into the kind of fan I am today. Love to hear yours as well.

First ten (or so) Horror Films/Monster Movies seen as a kid:

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957)

TARANTULA (1955)

GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER (1971)

GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (1973)

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948)

THE WOLF MAN (1941)

THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1974)

TALES OF TERROR (1963)

THE RAVEN (1963)

FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED (1969)

THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1957)

FOOD OF THE GODS (1976)

Movies that legitimately SCARED me as a kid:

THE BLACK CAT (1934)

HALLOWEEN (1978)

ALIEN (1979)

THE EXORCIST (1973)

FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER (1984)

GHOST STORY (1981)

TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE (1984)

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)

WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (1979)

Movies that I discovered as an adult that blew me away, i.e. lived up to their "classic" reputation:

THE HAUNTING (1963)

CURSE OF THE DEMON (aka NIGHT OF THE DEMON) (1957)

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)

THE WICKER MAN (1973)

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)

CAT PEOPLE (1942) (all the Val Lewtons, really)

LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1971)

Showed you mine, now show me yours... *winkgrin*