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