Frozen River
The frozen reaches of upstate New York, a Mohawk reservation, the Canadian border, people living on the margins and just subsisting, things we're not accustomed to seeing in film. Two woman, one a mother of two whose husbands abandoned the family leaving not enough money to pay for their new trailer home, the other an American Indian widow whose young son has been taken from her by her mother-in-law, at first they have an adversarial relationship but grow to be partners in crime and friends. Strong performances anchored by one of our best under used actresses Melissa Leo. Moving and in its way inspiring.
Grade: A
White Zombie
Considered to be the first zombie movie. Rushed into production at the height of Universals early talkie horror cycle, this film uses left over sets from Frankenstein and Dracula, and of course Bela Lugosi. These are not the zombies your used to from contemporary films, they are the old Haitian voodoo school, people brought back from near death to work as mindless slave labour. Lugosi is the owner of a mill who is recruited by a neighbouring plantation owner (Robert Frazer) to help him win the girl of his dreams. At first the love struck landowner hopped to detain the girls fiance long enough to win her over, but Lugosi convinces him that he could not accomplish this and instead offers to turn her into his zombie love slave, this Lugosi does. Only having a zombie love slave ain't that fulfilling on a relationship level, Frazer asks Lugosi to bring her back to her normal self, instead he makes the remorseful lover a zombie as well. Lugosi, zombies, the girls true love (John Harron), and a Christian missionary (Joseph Cawthorn) end the film in a final confrontation. Also there's a vulture. "Do you have a light?"
Grade: C-
No Way to Treat a Lady
No relationship to the Linda Ronstadt song, this is the story of an actor with a mother complex who uses his makeup skills to disguise himself and kill a series of widowed old women. Rod Steiger is very versatile, he does a great job as the villain and his various alter-egos (though those are mainly very stereotyped performances they are still fun), he's a serial killer worthy of a Dexter antagonist. George Segal is the Jewish detective (complete with over the top nagging mother) investigating the murders and who Steiger torments by phone. Lee Remick and her beautiful blue eyes are a potential witness and love interest for Segal. A satisfying crime thriller.
Grade: B
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