The Devil's Advocate (1997)

In The Devil's Advocate director Taylor Hackford goes way out in left field and likens lawyers to the devil and his minions. Yes the conceit is an obvious one, but its still an interesting film, though your enjoyment of it depends in large part on your ability to buy Keanu Reeves a) as a  lawyer and b) with a southern accent, I personally went back and forth on these. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Andrew Neiderman, The Devil's Advocate is an exploration of moral choices. Keanu is a successful mid-level defense attorney who is brought into a prestigious New York law firm and in short order is saddled with its biggest criminal case in years, one which is going to test his scruples. Charlize Theron is Keanu's much tormented wife and Al Pacino is John Milton the head of the firm. Pacino of course steals the film, its his to mug with and joyfully deliver long monologues. The obvious twist isn't really a twist so they have a secondary twist which is okay. It a good looking film, fine sets, lots of atmosphere and foreboding, and the cast is good. It's satisfying though of course it may cheat a little. I'm glad I saw it, and I could certainly watch it again. ***

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Through the Shattered Lens

Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1975)

A hodge podge of exploitation film types, gangster, hillbilly, vampire, woman in trouble, and with lesbian and pedophilic subtexts no less. The lead character is played by Cheryl Smith, an ill-fated actress later known as Rainbeaux Smith who would become a major starlet in exploitation fair. Smith plays Lila Lee a character who is a suppose to be 13 even though Smith was about twenty when she played her, she does look rather young though, and the makeup and wardrobe choices made for her character add to the effect and are one of many ways in which the film feels kind of dirty. Lila's Lee's father is a notorious gangster in 1920's Georgia, he has just escaped from prison and killed Lola's mother for hooking up with another man while he was in the slammer. Lila doesn't live with her mother however, she has been in the care of a nameless Reverend (played by the films writer and director Richard Blackburn) and has become something of a local celebrity for her beauty and lovely singing voice which she showcases at the Reverends church. Lila is sort of the Reverends pet project and she tries very hard to be good, she is also smitten with the Reverand who knows it and is uncomfortable with it. Lila also doesn't have many friends.

One day Lila receives a letter from a mysterious women named Lemora who tells her that her father is dying and would like to make his peace with her before he goes. In the letter Lemora tells Lila to tell no one and come to a nearby bus station that night to make the trip to the small town of Astaroth, Georgia where her father is staying. Lila stows away in a creepy neighbours car to get to town, then goes to the bus station where the creepy attendant directs her to a creepy old bus and its creepy bus driver. Basically every male Lila meets seems to take a prurient interest in her, they lust but don't act on it. Lila is the only passenger and the bus driver tells her that people rarely go to Astaroth anymore since the town was hit by a mysterious sickness. When they get near town the bus has engine trouble and the driver must stop the vehicle to work on it. He is attacked by vampire, werewolf, zombie things, Lila runs away. She is captured by someone or something and wakes up in something like a small jail, where an old hunch backed women brings her food and tells her to wait. After about a day in there Lila escapes and ends up hiding under the floorboards of a nearby house were she hears her father talking to a mysterious women. This women turns out to be Lemora. Lemora finds Lila and brings her into the house where she lives with the hunch backed women and five young children dressed in pirate costumes. She offers to give Lila a bath before taking her to a ceremony where she will meet her father.

The movie goes on an on in this weird vain, one isn't sure if it really knows where its going is just trying to introduce as many strange and atmospheric plot elements as possible. Lemora is very intersted in Lila and there is a definite lesbian subtext there to go along with the pedophilic air that the male characters seem to extend towards Lila. What happened in the town is never made exactly clear but it appears the Lemora is the queen/leader of a group of vampires who are waring against an infected group of evolutionarily degenerated vampires of whom in the course of the film Lila's father becomes one. While all this is going on the Reverend is desperately trying to find Lila, and it seems he may know something about Astartoth because he ends up there. I was actually pretty impressed with the ending, when the movie starts to show us that its really about a battle in Lila's soul between her Christan aspirations and her baser instincts. The film is low budget, but certainly creative and atmospheric, and there are some great found locations that add to the production value and look of the thing. A strange, creepy, kind of dirty film that stays just this side of the line from being truly debauched. Kind of impressive, but not for everyone. **1/2

Total Film: The Modern Guide to Movies

Abraham Lincoln (1930)

Well this is as close to a cross between the last two film I reviewed as is possible. John Huston plays Abraham Lincoln for director D. W. Griffith. Now I always felt kind of sorry for Griffith (though I've seen little of his work) that he was so successful in silent films and so not successful once talkies came around. Well turns out there is a legitimate reason for this, he's not a very good director of talkies. This film feels antiquated even for a 1930's movie set in the mid 19th century. The sets, especially at the beginning, are barley stage quality. The acting, I'll call it minimal. Huston's the only one in the film with a semblance of spark, and the movie does Mary Lincoln no favors. There is too much material covered, basically the whole of Lincolns life in little vinyets. No depth, little more then hagiography. The movie apparently exists in a number of different cuts, Wikipedia says its 97 minutes but the one I saw was just under 85. It's public domain and you can find it plenty of places online, not that you'd want to. Well as a sleep aid maybe. *1/2

Gabriel Over the White House (1933)

Despite its cloying, Capraesque title, Gabriel Over the White House is in fact one of the more disturbing movies to come out of classic Hollywood. Released in the early days of the Franklin Roosevelt Presidency, and financed by the near fanatic Roosevelt supporter William Randolph Hearst, the film is a sort of plea for an (benevolent) American Dictatorship. Walter Huston plays Judson C. 'Judd' "The Major" Hammond, and opens on his inauguration day. It is the middle of the Great Depression, and President Hammond has made a lot of campaign promises about how he is going to fight it, but in reality he's just an ineffectual, mildly corrupt, partisan hack whose in office merly to serve party and corporate interests. Hammond's long time personal secretary/implied Mistress Pendola Molloy (played by real life leftist/McCarthy victim Karen Morley) appeals to Hammond to use the office he has found himself in to do some real good for the people.Hammond instead carries on in Hoover/Harding mode until he is in a major car accident while teasingly trying to get away from some reporters. Hammond of course survives but is rendered comatose and his long time personal physician Dr. Eastman (Samuel S. Hinds) is sure that he will not pull through. Yet miraculously he does.

Weeks after the accident Hammond comes out of the coma, looks up at a mysterious light only he can see, and becomes a different man. In short order he meets with a group of unemployed veterans he had been putting off before and comes up with a plan to draft them all into a sort of public works corp. His cabinet doesn't like this so he sacks them, Congress doesn't like this so he dissolves them. Hammond also repeals prohibition, but sets up the government as the sole licensed dispenser of alcohol, infuriating organized crime as embodied by the notorious mobster 'Nick Diamond' (C. Henry Gordon), and we haven't even gotten yet to his plan to blackmail the globe into disarmament and world peace. In short Hammond becomes an unstable dictator with delusions (or as the film implies non-delusions) of divine sanction. It was maybe half way through the movie before I was hopping that someone, probably Hammond's personal assistant Hartley "Beek" Beekman (Franchot Tone) would take him out, this of course is not to be.

Gabriel Over the White House is a very strange movie, its Fascism Lite. It made me uncomfortable, and kind of angry. Never the less, I think its worth seeing, if only just to marvel at its oddness. **

You can watch it free here.

Lincoln (2012)

Steven Spielberg's Lincoln is (quit wisely) not an attempt at a life spanning bio-pic of Abe, nor does it focuses on one of the better known episodes from his Presidency, like his handling of the Fort Sumter crises or The Gettysburg Address, rather the film focuses on Lincoln's skills as a politician. Politician here is meant in perhaps its least negative sense, the film which is based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin's Pulitzer Prize winning examination of Lincolns political skill Team of Rivals, focuses on the behind the scenes efforts in January of 1865 that resulted in the passage of the definitively slavery ending 13th Amendment to the US Constitution. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Lincoln ethereal but shrewd, I think a lot can be said for the unique high raspy voice he gives his Abraham.

At the start of the film the war is going so well for the Union that Lincoln fears the Confederacy might sue for peace before the newly elected Republican congress can take there seats in March. Lincoln knows that the people are tired of war, and if the south offers to surrender in return for keeping there slaves the public might just force him to accept that offer, and Lincoln is desperate to get the slavery issue decided once and for all with abolition. There fore Lincoln employs a diverse group of characters, congressman, political operatives, cabinet members, and even his wife in an effort to cajole lam duck Democrats and shoehorn in the amendment before a forthcoming Confederate peace delegation can arrive in Washington. The film is full of interesting, real-life characters who are largely lesser known, and who give a gamut of our greater character actors juicy roles with which to chew. David Stratharin, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, Salley Field, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bruce McGill and many others get to put on that 19th century make up and have a fun time just acting. This is a very talkie movie, very little action per-say, but it's engaging throughout and quite fascinating in being a big budget, all-star vehicle, that one can easily imagine ending up as a stage play adaptation on PBS. Really rather refreshing. ***1/2

The Obscure Hollow- Great Pictures.

The Citadel (1938)

Adaptation of the 1937 A. J. Cronin novel of the same name that had an influence on the establishment of Britain's National Health Service. The film stars Robert Donat (a year before achieving cinematic immortality in the title role of Goodbye Mr. Chips) as Dr. Andrew Manson, a Scottish born recent med school graduate taking his first position in a small Welsh coal mining town. While there he brings a still born baby back to life (that part didn't work for me), befriends an alcoholic pharmacy assistant (Ralph Richardson) with whom he blows up a contaminated sewer, and falls in love with the local school teacher (Rosland Russell). The movie follows Dr. Manson's career as he and his new wife leave the small town to work in a medical co-op for a miners, then to a struggling London practice, and then to get success caring for London's rich and powerful. Along the way the earnest, idealistic young doctor finds himself worn to a soft cynicism by early middle age, and it will take tragedy to bring him back to his crusading idealistic ways. The cast here is strong, including Rex Harrison in a small role as one of Manson's med school colleagues. This is a film I'd wanted to see for some time and I found it satisfied my fairly high expectations. Donat is really good at this kind of sympathetic role and I found Russell to be very good in a sympathetic role as well, and of course Richardson can really chew the scenery. Directed by King Vidor. ***1/2

The Hellfire Club (1961)

Hammer-esque British film based around Sir Francis Dashwood's semi-secret 18th century club. The Hellfire Club has been linked to various Satanic and pagan rites, but appears to have been simply an excuse for drunken debautury and mocking blasphemy by a group of well connected 18th century Brit's. The plot concerns "Jason" (Keith Michell) the presumed dead heir to an English lordship who returns from exile in Europe after his fathers death. Jason's cousin Thomas (Peter Arne) has assumed the lordship and doesn't like the idea of being stripped of it, so upon discovering Jason's identity he hunts Jason down kills his cousins longtime guardian Timothy (David Lodge) and has Jason sent to prison. Timothy had run a travailing circus and upon his death and Jason's capture love interest #1 Yvonne (Kai Fischer) and the other cicus folks mount a rescue for Jason. After his escape Thomas and his men kidnap love interest #1, so Jason returns to the family estate to rescue Yvonne, but his cousins mistress love interest #2 Isobel (Adrienne Corri) betrays him to The Hell Fire club whose meetings he had infiltrated posing as a French aristocrat.Yeah its kind of ridiculous, but its fun and not nearly as graphic as I expected. Jason had been an acrobat at the circus so he gets to do a lot of gymnastics in addition to the rather enjoyable sword play we see throughout the film. This movies cast is padded with small roles from the always good  Peter Cushing and Miles Malleson. A really enjoyable romp. ***

You can watch it online for free here.

Threads (1984)

Threads is the British answer to the American anti-nuclear war tele-film The Day After, only its considerable harsher, more depressing, and effective. Done in a quasi-documentary style, the film focuses on two families, as well as one government official in Sheffield England, and how they cope with an impending nuclear war, the attack its self, and the aftermath. A tremendous job is done in building the tension. A mounting foreign policy crises centering on Iran begins as little more then passing news items in the background of the everyday lives of our characters. Gradually things become more and more heightened and uncertain, panic sets in, the government steps up, fear grips the nation and the world. This goes on for roughly the first hour, then we have the attack, and its of course a catastrophic one. It is followed by the long, decaying descent of the aftermath. The world of before has been destroyed, it is never to be again, the government tries but it is no where near up to the task. One of the things that distinguishes this film from its Yankee precursor The Day After, beyond simply its increased harshness and graphicness, is that it doesn't wind down in the immediate aftermath of the nuclear conflict, no it goes much beyond that, almost 15 years, and we get to the see the long term effects this has on civilization. Not only is most of the infrastructurean d production capacity wiped out, and not only do countless millions, the vast majority of the pre-war population die, but those born after the blast suffer from learning disabilities and deformities, they simple are not going to be capable of returning civilization to anything close to what it was before the war. This is a dark and depressing film, and an extremely effective one. It can be hard going at times, and it will stay with you long after you've finished it, but I think sitting through Threads (the title by the why is a reference to the threads that hold society together gradually unwinding) is well worth the time and effort. You can even watch it free online. Mighty impressive. ****

In God We Teach (2011)

Modest but intriguing documentary about a New Jersey high school student who secretly records his history teacher engaged in arguable Christian evangelism in class. The kid released the tape and it caused a local scandal that even managed to get some national television exposure. The kid in question, Matthew LaClair, came for an atheist family, and many in the community thought him to be a trouble maker who set the teacher up. The teacher, David Paszkiewicz, was a popular long time instructor at the school who was also a part time youth minister. The documentary is a no thrills affair, it allows both protagonists to give there take on events, as well as a number of talking heads, and clips from the media. Towards the end of the documentary they add an interesting counterpoint, in effect putting the shoes on other feets by briefly exploring the case of a California high school teacher recorded by one of his students making arguably anti religious statements in class. I thought this last part was very effective, it forces the audience out of there comfort zone by making them face an equivalent situation, and see where there loyalty's actually lie. A nicely compact piece. **1/2.

You can watch it for free here.

Poseidon (2006)

Weak re-make of the great 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure. This film is hardly worth talking about, an unnecessary and unimaginative, occasionally ridicules re-rending of its iconic predecessor. The characters are not that same as in the original film, but they are stock, and worst of all I didn't care about them. The special effects are largely CG, and not top of the line CG at that. I'm sorry but the film can't work with fake water and a fake ship, its the physicality of the original that lent it such verisimilitude. Anyway don't wast your time. *1/2

I Walked With A Zombie (1943)

Another Val Lewton horror film, and one of the more iconic ones. Lewton's second film for RKO is a kind of voodoo version of Jane Eyre. Canadian nurse Betsy Connell (Francis Dee) is hired to care for the sick wife of Paul Holland (Tom Conway, actor George Sanders lesser known brother) at his sugar plantation on the Caribbean island of Saint Sebastian. The British Holland has an American half brother named Wesley Rand (James Ellison) the product of a his mothers (Edith Barretts) second marriage. Mrs. Jessica Holland (Christine Gordon) had been left a kind of high functioning comatose, as in she can walk and respond to basic commands, but can not speak or doing anything proactively. The circumstances under which she arrived at this state are shrouded in mystery, the Holland/Rand family not wanting to talk about it. It becomes pretty clear however that the fate of Mrs. Holland was tied up with a love triangle between her, Paul and Wesley.

Betsy quickly falls for the brooding Mr. Holland and paradoxically desires to cure Mrs. Holland to make him happy (she is not yet aware of the love triangle). Betsy learns of a native voodoo priest who can reportedly work miracles and takes Jessica there one night, the locals in attendance react badly as their rituals indicate that Mrs. Holland is a zombie and must be put down, though they keep another, rather creepy looking zombie around for some reason. Anyway Gothic, melodramatic, voodoo-centric plot ensues. The movie does a great job of creating mood, and even though most of it is obviously filmed on a studio sound stage, it felts like its a hot damp climate there. No standout performances, though Calypso legend Sir Lancelot has a small part as, surprise, a Calypso singer. **1/2

Spine Tingler!: The William Castle Story (2007)

Bio-doc that examines the life and work of producer/director William Castle, who has often been called the poor man's Hitchcock. Castle was born William Schloss to a poor family of German Jewish decent in 1914 New York City. Orphaned by the age of eleven Schloss, who would later anglicanized his last name to Castle, was drawn to the theater and worked on Broadway in everything from acting to set construction. A natural born charmer by 23 Castle was directing films in Hollywood, though he was pigeon holed into b-pictures, often entries in popular thriller series such as The Crime Doctor or The Whistler. Castle was a capable director who brought in film on time and budget, but he wanted more.

Using his own funds, evening mortgaging his house, Castle produced his first low budget independent production Macabre in 1958. Every bit the showman that Hitchcock was the auteur, Castle afraid people wouldn't go to see his movie hit on a gimmick, a $1000 life insurance policy from Lloyd's of London insuring each audience in case they died of fright. The movie, apparently so-so, but the gimmick a hit. Castle would follow Macabre up with more horror films with more gimmicks, An inflatable glow in the dark skeleton,  "Percepto", and "Illusion-O". In Homicidal (probably the artistic standout of these picture) Castle included a 45 second "Fright Break" to allow audience member too frightened to view the films climax to leave the theater.

Castle did well by these films, but he wanted more, he wanted respect in the industry. He finally got it when be bought the book rights and produced Rosemary's Baby for Paramount in 1968. Unfortunately Castle was unable to follow up on this cue with any further great successes, and would die of a heart attack in 1977 at the age of 63. From this documentary Castle seemed an endearing  man, but one thing that kept coming up from the talking heads who knew him is that he often seemed scared, he investing o much, in both a literal and psychic sense in his pictures and was just terrified that viewers wouldn't like them, hence his reliance on gimmicks. Castle however was also just a big kid at heart, he truly seemed to love mixing with his often young audiences. Those of my generation, who post date William Castle and his movies, might still be indirectly familiar with him from the 1993 movie Matinee (which I recently re-watched and think still holds up), in which John Goodman plays a lovable, cigar chomping homage to Castle. An interesting guy and an interesting documentary. ***

Bedlam (1946)

The final of producer Val Lewton's trilogy with Karloff, as well as the formers last horror film period. Inspired by the last panel in 18th century artist William Hogarth's 'A Rake's Progress', Bedlam concerns Bedlam, also known as the Bethlem Royal Hospital, a London facility founded in 1247 and the worlds oldest mental hospital. Throughout much of its history Bedlam was known for the poor conditions under which its charges were kept, something aptly illustrated in the Hogarth panel. The story here is an original composition from the time the movie was made, but it plays like its source material was native to the time in which it was set, namely 1761. The dialogue feels fantastically period, and the story one you can imagine coming from a historical novel.

The central figure of the story is Nell Bowen (Anna Lee), an actress who has become the kept women (but because of the production code a chaste one) of the wealthy and rotund Lord Mortimer (Billy House). When an acquaintance of Mortimer's dies trying to escape from Bedlam, which in this movie goes by the fictionalized name of  St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum, the apothecary general Master George Sims (played by Karloff, and a fictionalized version of real Bedlam head physician John Monro) decides to make it up to him by having some of the inmates put on a play for Mortimer and his guests (in real life as in the film, the wealthy could pay money to go inside and "gawk at the loonies"). During the 'play' one of the patients/performers dies as a result of having his whole body covered in sparkling gold makeup. This is too much for Nell, who with the help of a sympathetic Quaker (Richard Fraser) and the real period Whig politician John Wilkes (Leyland Hodgson) trys to reform the asylum. Sims is threatened by this an cooks up a story which allows him to commit Nell to the asylum. Nell is at first horrified, but in time comes to serve her fellow inmates in Florance Nightingale type capacity. Fearing what Nell will do when she is eventually released Sims plots on inflicting a server "treatment" on her, but will the other inmates stand for it.

This is a really good, unusual story, well made and interesting. These characters feel more literary then cinematic, the historical setting is very well pulled off, and the subject matter reasonably enlightening. A strong note for the horror films of Val Lewton to go out on. Also Anna Lee's got a very strong, commanding, but still feminine face that serves her quite well in this role. ***1/2

The Body Snatcher (1945)

Lewton's second movie with Karloff is a much more substantial effort then Isle of the Dead. The Body Snatcher has a heft that the previous film lacked, this is no doubt do to its having a far more substantive source, a short story of the same title by Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson's story in turn was inspired by real events, Edinburgh's famed 'West Port Murders' of 1828, to which this story serves as a sort of fictional sequel. In brief the 'West Port Murders' were staged by two Irish immigrants named William Burke and William Hare who murdered a total of 17 people and sold there bodies for medical dissection. At the time there was a law which stated that only the bodies of executed murderers could be used for medical dissection, and a subsequent tightening of the requirements to actually execute a person lead to a substantial shortage of legal cadavers at UK medical schools. That unmet demand was filled in part by 'Body Snatchers' who either  robbed graves or otherwise absconded with the bodies of the recently deceased. Eventually the pair was caught, Burke was executed, but Hare was spared as part of plea agreement and vanished into such obscurity that there is no record of his death.

In the movie Dr. Wolfe "Toddy" MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) is the fictional former assistant of the real Dr. Robert Knox, the man who bought the bodies from Burke and Hare. MacFarlane is now a respected anatomy teacher in Edinburgh, and when one of his more promising pupils Donald Fettes (Russell Wade) threatens to drop out due to lack of funds MacFarlane takes him on as his personal assistant. While MacFarlane is an often cold man Fettes has a natural bed side manner, which results in his befriending a young widow (Rita Corday) and her crippled daughter (Sharyn Moffett). The widow wants Dr. MacFarlane to perform a potentially risky surgery that could prevent her daughters death and restore her ability to walk, only Dr. MacFarlane won't do it, there are too many unknown variables and he doesn't want his reputation besotted by having a patient die on him. However MacFarlane is pressured into conducting the eventually successfully surgery by Cabman John Gray (Boris Karloff), who had been the one to orignally take the widow and girl to Dr. MacFarlane's. In the story Gray had worked with Burke and Hare for Dr. Knox and had kept MacFarlanes name out of the controversy, largely for the amount of control that would give him over one society deemed to be his better. Gray continued to provide dissectable bodies for the doctor although he never killed any of them, that is until in the course of the movie he murders a young beggar women so that MacFarlane can experiment on her spine prior to performing the surgery on Sharyn Moffett.

In the course of the story MacFarlane and Gray come increasingly at odds, Gray murders MacFarlane's servant Joseph (Bela Lugosi) who tried to blackmail him, and then MacFarlane kills Gray in a struggle. Fettes is likable, but oblivious, a very passive character who occasionally tries to marshal his scruples against MacFarlane, but in the end he always caves, even agreeing to help the doctor to resume grave robbing after Gray's death. So there is not much to the very nominal lead, Daniell is interesting though playing MacFarlane kind of like Alan Rickman's Snape. Karloff is the funnest to watch, he seems to be enjoying himself as he gets to play menacing in a manner very different from his Universal Monster persona. This movie isn't really scary, but its exciting watching the characters try and fail to navigate moral gray areas. I even think the ending works, I'm kind of glad it leaves Fettes fate so open. ***1/2

 

Isle of the Dead (1945)

Taking advantage of a lull in the fighting during the First Balkan War, Greek Gen. Nikolas Pherides (Boris Karloff) and American reporter Oliver Davis (Marc Cramer ) take a nighttime journey to visit the grave of the formers long dead wife on a small island. When the two arrive they find that the tomb has been desecrated and the late Mrs. Pherdies removed. They go to the house of the islands only full time residents, an ex-patriot Swiss art collector named Albretch (Jason Robards Sr) and his native housekeeper  Madame Kyra (Helen Thimig). They find Albretch hosting a number of refuges displaced by the fighting, the British diplomat St. Aubyn (Alan Napier), his sickly wife Mary (Katherine Emery), her native Greek servant Thea (Ellen Drew) and (for some reason) a cockney tin merchant (Skelton Knaggs). Albretch explains that the graves were desecrated 15 years earlier by locals in a rush to sell artifacts, something he regrets having inspired and an a reason why he has stayed on the island to make sure there are no further desecrations. The promise of a warm bed and bath inspires Davis to get convince Gen. Phreides to let them stay the night. The next morning when they are about to depart they find the Knaggs has expired during the night from what they suspect is Plague, there having been recent outbreaks nearby). Somehow a doctor is sent for (Ernest Deutsch) who confirms that Kaggs death was from Plague, and insists that they must all remain in quarantine on the island for the time being.

Later Mr. St. Aubyn and the doctor both die, and Madam Kyra becomes convinced that the deaths are the work of Thea, who she suspects of being a Vrykolaks, a vampire-like undead creature of Greek folklore. Davis, who is falling for Thea, and Albretch think this is ridicules, but Gen Pherides is becoming increasing convinced himself as he starts to succumb to the effects of the Plague. Then Mrs. St. Aubyn dies, and this is were I will end with the plot description.

Isle of the Dead is the first movie made (second released) of a trilogy of films that Boris Karloff made at RKO for famed horror producer Val Lewton. While the pairing of Karloff and horror is an obvious one, these films are significantly diffrent from he kind of movies that Karloff made his name doing over at Universal. You see while the classic Universal horror movies were all about showing you something, Lawton's subtler efforts were mostly about what you were not shown. This started as a kind of necessity owing to the small budgets Lewton was given for his films, but it grew into the producers signature stock and trade. That being said Isle of the Dead is one of Lawton's weaker films, there is not much of a story (the movie was in fact inspired by an Arnold Bo:cklin painting of the same name, which is used in a mat shot of the island). The film has a good little ensemble cast, and certainly Karloff gets to do more then he usually does, though it would be in his next two film's for Lewton that he would really get to shine. Isle of the Dead is a good enough programmer, chiefly notable for being the start of Lewtons successful paring with Karloff. **1/2

The Gorgon (1964)

In Greek mythology a Gorgon was a terrible female creature with snakes for hair and a visage so horrible that to gaze upon it would cause a man (or women) to turn to stone. Medusa of course is the most famous Gorgon, but she had a sister named Megara who according to legend, or at least according to legend in this movie, may have made it as far north as Germany. That it so happens is where this movie is set, rural Germany circa 1910. Over the past five years the village of Vandorf has been the site of a series of bizarre deaths, all occurring during a full moon, in which the deceased is discovered having turned to stone. When his son Bruno is found to have hung himself after his reputed murder of a young women, Professor Jules Heitz (Michael Goodliffe) travels to Vandorf (from Berlin?) in an attempt to clear his child's name. Prof. Heitz finds the populace there highly uncooperative, terrified to even speak the truth about the bizarre goings on.

Against the wishes of the locals, especially the head of the local hospital Dr. Nameroff (Peter Cushing), Prof. Heitz stays on after the inquest to investigate. One night Prof. Heitz encounters the Gorgan, fortunately its petrifying effects are not instant, so he is able to dash off an explanatory letter to his other son Paul (Richard Pasco) before turning to stone. Paul travels to Vandorf, attempts to learn the truth about the deaths of his father and brother, and catches the eye of Dr. Hameroff's fetching young assistant Carla (Barbara Shelley). Paul and Carla fall in love, she begs him to take her and flee the village at once, but he insists on staying on until he has solved the mystery, he even induces his colleague Prof. Meister (Christopher Lee) to come and help with the investigation. And if you don't pick up early on that the attractive red-headed Carla is inextricably linked to the the Gorgon then you've not a very astute movie watcher. The explanation of course is silly, Carla is possessed by the spirit of Megara and on the full moon is transformed into her, only she of course can't remember any of this, and love struck Dr. Nameroff is at the head of a hospital wide conspiracy to keep this truth from her.

This movie has been billed as the first re-teaming of Cushing and Lee since there previous Hammer movie The Mummy, but they are both really secondary characters to Paul, Carla, and Professor Heitz. In fact aside from one brief cameo appearance about half way through the film Lee isn't really part of this movie until the last third, though in the end he is the hero, kinda, as none of our primarily leads remain alive. Not nearly as good as there earlier Hammer efforts, kudus for trying something different though. **

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

So last Wednesday, October 24th, I went to a see a double feature showing of the old Universal Pictures Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. Now I had seen Frankenstein before while in high school, I actually saw it in my high school, in math class for some reason, but Bride of Frankenstein I had not seen. Now while Frankenstein takes its self more or less seriously, Bride of Frankenstein decidedly does not. I was aware that the "Universal Monster" series eventually got quite out there, I'd seen some of the "monster rally" films, I just didn't realize they go so wacky so quickly.

Anyway the movie starts with a little prologue in which Percy Bysshe Shelly, Lord Byron, and Mary Shelley converse in a parlor one stormy evening, where Mary Shelley proceeds to expand on her monster tale for the amusement of the other two. We then cut to just after the end of the previous Frankenstein movie, we see the old windmill burn down, Frankenstein is apparently destroyed, some villages stay around to make sure, and a couple of them get killed because Frankenstein wasn't really destroyed. The Monster (Karloff) escapes the ruined structure and then proceeds to wander around in the wilderness for a time, before he comes across an old blind hermit (O.P. Heggie in a career defining role), who is kind to him and teaches him rudimentary speech.

In the movies other plot Henry Frankenstein (again played by Colin Clive) is recovering from injuries sustained in the previous film, and has come to renounce his wicked monster making ways. He is all set to marry his fiance Elizabeth (played by Valerie Hobson because the previous Elizabeth, Mae Clarke, was ill at the time of shooting), when he is visited by his old mentor Doctor Septimus Pretorius (a scene stealing Ernest Thesiger). Dr. Pretorius has heard of Frankensteins creation of the monster and its now well known subsequent escape, he desires that his former pupil team up with him to continue there work. While Pretorious has been successful at "growing" about a half-dozen "homonucli", six inch creatures he keeps in glass jars and dresses in arch-typical clothing, he hasn't been able to master size yet. Pretorius wants Dr. Frankenstein to create a female body for which he will grow a brain as a mate for the monster. Dr. Frankenstein refuses and goes on to marry Elizabeth.

Well things are going pretty well for The Monster at this point, he's actually not a bad guy, but he is recognized by some traveling hunters who stop by the old hermits house. Frankenstein flees their guns, fire, and subsequent hunting parties and ends up hiding out in an underground crypt. In the crypt The Monster comes upon Pretorious on a corpse hunting expedition, the manipulative doctor convinces the simple creature the he is his friend, and gets him to kidnap Elizabeth. With his wife abducted Dr. Frankenstein agrees to work with Pretorius on the condition that when there work is completed he let Elizabeth go. 'The Bride' they create (Elsa Lanchester) turns out to herself be afraid of Frankenstein, The Monster doesn't take this well, and the proceedings end in fire.

This movies rather odd, at first I didn't care for it but it really grew on me. It has a decidedly camp sensibility that has lent the film to 'gay readings', especially with the Pretorius character. The film is over the top, full of weird visual effects, like the "homonucli", and bizarre comic moments and characters, like Una O'Conner as Frankenstein's screechy voiced  housekeeper Minnie. I was a bit surprised how little of 'the Bride of Frankenstein' we see in Bride of Frankenstein, Lanchester is on screen for all of five minutes, maybe  three of which as 'the bride'. This is a unique picture, distinct in tone both from what came before and what would follow it, I am glad I got to see it on the big screen. ***1/2

The Mummy (1959)

So you've done Frankenstein and you've done Dracula, I suppose logically next on the list would be The Mummy. In 1895 a team of British archaeologist dare disturb the tomb of the princess Anaka, which is guarded by the cursed remains of her would be lover Kharis (Christopher Lee). Alone in the tomb Dr. Stephen Banning (Felix Aylmer) is attacked by the Mummy and left a mumbling basket case. His son John Banning (Peter Cushing) and brother-in-law Joseph Whipple (Raymond Huntley) both archaeologist finish up the dig, they take away all the treasures from the tomb, and then for some reason blow it up. All this much to the consternation of an Egyptian man named Mehemet Bey (George Pastell) who had warned the group not to open the tomb. You see Mehemt is a secret worshiper of the ancient Egyptian God Karnak, and vows to avenge the desecration of the tomb (I mean they didn't have to blow it up, that's just spiteful). Anyway it takes Mehemet three years to dig the mummy out, then transport it to England where he has rented a country house near the Banning's (yes he's independently wealthy for some reason).

Anyway once the Mummy gets to England he sicks it on the senior Banning and Whipple in short order, both are killed. This leaves the younger Banning to be dealt with, luckily he's a clever enough fellow and his wife (Yvonne Furneaux) just happens to look like the late princess Anaka, whom she plays in flash backs. Cushing and Pastell have a fun conversation/argument in Pastell's rented house, and I love how the former antagonizes the later by dissing Karnak as only a minor Deity. Yvonne's visage saves Cushing from the wrath of The Mummy, but then it abducts the films only female for amours reasons? Anyway its not as good as the Dracula or Frankenstein, but a decent ending to this little trilogy. **1/2

The Curse of Frankenstien (1957)

This is the film that started Hammer's famous horror cycle, and basically made the studio. This adaption of Frankenstein focuses mostly on the doctor, and gives hims more back story, and frankly makes him more interesting then he's ever been before. This is in large part do to the top notch performance of Peter Cushing, whose far to old to play the part, but still (Sorry Colin Clive). Anyway the story is set in Switzerland (which is interesting in its self, so for things are set in Switzerland), during what from the costume designs I guesstimate to be the 1830's or 40's. Upon the death of his mother a young Baron Frankenstein (played in flashback by Melvyn Hayes) agrees to continue to take care of a destitute distant cousin and her daughter, and highers for himself an expert tutor Dr. Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart), whose really the hero of the piece. Kempe and Frankenstein get along swimmingly, and the tutor pupal relationship quickly evolves into a collegial one with the two working on all sorts of experiments, including successfully bringing a puppy back to like. Krempe thinks they should go ahead and publish there findings, but the Baron wants to hold back, he has become obsessed with he idea of creating life, and at first Paul reluctantly goes along with him. Around this time the distant cousins daughter (Elizabeth) from earlier having grown up and become Hazel Court, travels to Victor's to become the Barons wife, which Frankenstein's maid and mistress (Valerie Gaunt) is none to pleased about. Paul now refuses to help Frankenstein with his monster (Christopher Lee) and tries to get Elizabeth to leave for her own safety, without explaining why, which of course she will not do. Valerie Gaunt tries to find some way to blackmail the Baron into marrying her, she finds the monster, and Frankie lets it kill her. The monster later gets out, Dr. Paul agrees to help Frankenstein capture and kill it, and satisfied that the monster is no more leaves for greener pastures, but then Peter Cushing just digs the thing up an keeps working on it. The whole thing ends with the monster burnt, Frankenstein's head on the chopping block, Paul and Elizabeth an item, and a local priest slightly confused. An enjoyable expansion on the story of Frankenstein largely made by Cushings performance. ***

The Horror of Dracula (1958)

Sometimes I think I should read Bram Stoker's Dracula, if just for a point of reference on the departures taken by subsequent film versions. In this the first of nine Dracula films made by the UK's Hammer Studios, there is no Renfield character, instead our Johnathan Harker (John Van Eyseen) is neither solicitor or estate agent, but a 'librarian' whom Dracula has hired to catalogue his extensive collection of books. Harker is not English either, rather he lives in the Austro-Hungarian Empire of the 1880's, and his librarian duties are a cover for his working with Doctor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) to flush out and killer Dracula. Unfortunately for Harker he is made a vampire before he has a chance to kill to Dracula, this is because of the amature mistake of trying to kill Dracula's mate (Valerie Gaunt) before killing Dracula. Well Dracula is pretty upset that his mate was killed, so he decides to take Harker's fiance (Carol Marsh) as her replacement. Van Helsing is eventually able to convince Marsh's skeptical brother Michael Gough (whose usually so good with a Batmen) to let him intervene. In double revenge Dracula decides that he will now take Gough's wife Melissa Stribling as his own. In the end Dracula is of course vanquished, seemingly into dust, but we know clever screenwriters would later find ways of resurrecting him. This is an enjoyable Dracula, for me have the fun comes half from the great character actors, including Christopher Lee as Dracula, and the other half from the distinctive Hammer color palate and production design. ***

The Crime Doctor's Diary (1949)

The 10th and final Crime Doctor movie is a silly business about a silly business. Like many Crime Doctor films the plot is strangely complicated, suffice it to say the story is about a man (Stephen Dunne) sent to prison for arson, who upon his release attempts to clear his name by finding the real arsonist. This is all set against the back drop of the cut-throat music industry, the famed, by which I mean non existent, rivalry between the jukebox syndicate and the "wired music" business. The concept of "wired music" seems to have been invented for the film, the idea is that there are these booths connected to the phone lines where for a small fee you can order up nearly any musical selection from a central office and they will play that music for over the phone lines and through the booths speakers. It's a kind of proto itunes, though I can't imagine the music quality's that good coming through 1940's Ma Bell. Anyway, this is a strangely competitive business and when you add a love quadrangle, well things can happen. An odd, yet strangely fitting final gasp for the franchise. *1/2

The Descendants (2011)

The Descendants is about some of the descendants of Princes Margret Kaʻiulani of Hawaii and her Caucasian husband Edward King. Now these two may actually be real historical figures, though I have not been able to verify that, I do however know that a King family in Hawaii are famous for there sweet rolls. The Kings in this film are fictional characters, though very well realized ones. Matt King (George Clooney) is for all intents and purposes head of the large King clan, owing to his late fathers having made him the head of their family trust, which controls 25,000 acres of pristine land on the island of Kaua'i. A change in local law relating to the rule against perpetuities necessitates the King family selling that land within seven years. While Matt King is self sufficient in his practice as a real estate attorney, other members of his extended family are hot to get a share of the money that would come from selling the land to comercial developers. Matt as sole trustee has the final say as to what the family will do with the land, but has agreed to abide by the majority vote of the family, which is to be held within a couple weeks of the start of the movie. Matt King however has other things on his mind.

Mrs. Elizabeth King (Patricia Hastie) had been a racing boat accident roughly a month before and sense that time has been in a coma on life support in a local hospital, leaving Matt to care for there ten year old daughter Scottie (Amara Miller), something which the workaholic Matt has not really done since she was three. At a meeting with Elizabeth's doctor Matt is informed that there is nothing left they can do for her and that she will never come out of the coma, and according to her living will they are required to take her off life support in the very near future. Wanting to bring his family together to say there good byes Matt and Scottie travel to a neighbouring island to pick up his other daughter, 17 year old Alex (Shailene Woodley) from the boarding school she has been attending. Alex is the first person Matt tells that Elizabeth is going to die, and he is dismayed at his daughters negative attitude towards her mother continuing in this time of family crises. Matt tells Alex that whatever she and her mother had been fighting about over Christmas isn't important and needs to be let go, it is then that Alex informs her father that what she had been arguing with her mother about was the fact that she had discovered that Elizabeth was cheating on him. This needless to say knocks Matt for a loop.

Matt confronts some friends of the family with this information and it is soon confirmed, he even learns the name of the man Elizabeth was seeing (Brian Speer played by Matthew Lillard) and that she planed and divorcing Matt for him. Matt now must deal with this new information while at the same time tending to his business and family responsibilities and letting all the people who loved Elizabeth know that she is going to die so that they will have a chance to say there goodbyes. But does this mean he should tell Brian Spear? Matt. his daughters, and Alex's spaced-out kind of boyfriend Sid (Nick Krause, note perfect) set out to tell family (including Elizabeth's Matt-hating father Robert Forster) and friends of the impending death, as well as search for Brian Spear who Matt conflictingly feels he must tell about Elizabeth.

Director Alexander Payne's return to directors chair for the first time since Sideways in 2004, this is by far the autors most mature work. It has less of the awkward, juvenile comedy of his previous films, and the characters, even the children, act a lot more adult. This is similar territory to About Schmidt, but its remarkably not played for irony. This is an earnest, good hearted film about coping, conflicted relationships, and trying to sort out what really matters. Clooney gives another Oscar caliber performance, and Shaliene Woodley is quite good, as are a number of the side characters. This is an effecting work, enhances but an a-typical setting, and one of the better main stream movies to come out in the last couple of years. I found The Descendants to be a quite, fulfilling work, with a good deal of both pathos and humor. ****  

Blood on Satan's Claw (1970)

It was through looking into this movie on the Internet that I learned there is a name to a sub-genera of horror that I like, 'Folk Horror'. Other examples of this canonically limited sub-genera include (of course) The Wicker Man, The Witchfinder General, and I would say the Devil Rides Out. More on what constitutes 'Folk Horror', and there is no single definition, can be found here and here. I'm also going to do something I rarely if ever do here, I'm going to post a link to a review of this film because it says a lot of what I want to say about it.

Like Chris Vs. Cinema I agree: "I like this idea of something ancient and innate, it sounds vaguely Lovecraftian in some respects, the notion of something so primal it defies our understanding and has a unique and incomprehensible power over us."

I certainly felt some of that with The Wicker Man, and that movie was a partial inspiration for my recent trip to Scotland. There is something haunting and fascinating about the ancient ruins and the land there, a sort of spiritual majesty that can feel rather dwarfing. I too am fascinated by that religious transition from Pagan to Christian, which I think was certainly a trade off, and The Wicker Man does a great job of communicating that too. The Blood on Satan's Claw takes a rather conservative, Christian view of this subject matter, or at least as conservative and Christian as your likely to find in an exploitation movie. Here the un-Christian, the pagan is explicatedly connected to Satan, and no doubt 'The Fiend' in this film is evil, but that is also exactly how you would expect the Christian to view the Pagan, the competitor for acolytes or souls, as evil, as the devil. Also the fact that this 'evil' does have an appeal, well that's disconcerting to the 'Christian' soul.

Putting aside the thematic and aesthetic aspects and socio-cultural subtexts that I find so fascinating in 'Folk Horror', the film its self is kind of hypnotic. The original ambitions for the film were greater then what eventually ended up on screen and you can see how the films three stories are somewhat clumsily weaved together, and an entire major character (the preacher) is dropped just at the moment of his vindication. Whether the film makers truly held these views or not the films story certainly comes from a conservative, classiest angle. It is the Protestant judge, who starts out the film kind of weaselly and flees just as things start getting bad, who comes back from London to restore order and the establishment from the rapidly degenerating plebeian youth. It can even be said that this movie is something of an allegory for the conservative establishment suspicion of the youth culture at the time the film was made, even as the film is obviously geared for a younger audience. Anyway this is kind of a fascinating film, but certainly too raw in a lot of ways to be for everybody. ***

The Crime Doctor's Gamble (1947)

Dr. Ordway travels to Paris to lecture at a conference and visit his friend the Prefecture of Police (back story implies they meet in the States 9 years before while Ordway was studying for his degree). The Prefecture takes Ordway out for a night on the town and makes sure they stop at a little bistro to watch a professional knife thrower. The Prefecture comes clean and explains to Ordway that he brought him to see the knife thrower because he views him as a potential suspect in a murder (stabbing via letter opener). The murder was that of a rich man whose son the Prefecture had served three years with in a German POW camp. This same young man had spent six months after the war in a French mental institution, and even thinks he was the one who killed his father but he can't really remember. So anyway the young man is in police custody. The young man is also engaged to the daughter of the knife thrower, but the knife thrower hates the man's father (more back story that I have frankly forgotten) and would prefer his daughter to marry a neighbour who is skilled at duplicating famous works of art. Also the dead man's lawyer is a character of some import, as is a comic relief art dealer. Another complicated Crime Doctor plot, though this one felt more grounded then a lot of them. Anyway the change to a foreign location helped to pump a little novelty into this the 9th Crime Doctor movie. **1/2

Crime Doctors Manhunt (1946)

Dr. Ordway is approached by yet another young man suffering from instances of missing time. Philip Armstrong (Myron Healey) is a recently returned war vet who has found himself periodically coming too at a carnival in a part of town he doesn't remembers visiting before. In following up on his case Ordway sees two men carrying a dead Armstrong from a boarding house, he gets in touch with the police. The Police assign Fred Mertz to the case, who has Ordway accompany him as they go to interview the various Dragnet character occupants of the house. In time it is somehow discovered that Armstorng was murdered with a gun that belonged to a boarding house resident who also operates a booth at the carnival, but she insists that the gun was stolen and Ordway believes her.

In the meantime Armstrong's long-time fiance Ellen Drew is becoming a bit unhinged, especially when she discovers from the gardener at her fathers estate that some hired goon type guys were around the place looking for her sister. Now Ellen hasn't seen her sister in years, ever since her father banished her for her strong opposition to Ellen and Armstrong's engagement, now we have a suspect. An APB is put out on Ellen's sister, this gets the attention of a man claiming to be said sisters husband, only he says that she died six months ago.

Spoiler: Since this is a Crime Doctor movie it would not be surprising if the crime is eventually explained by some sort of psychotic illusion, and this one sure is. You see Ellen Drew is her own sister, she developed a split personality and as her sister plotted her fiances death, with the right brain being unaware of what the left brain was doing. Yes Castle directed this film as well. I don't remember Armstrong's missing time ever being adequately explained. *1/2

I finally figured out there is a name to a certin sub-genra of horror that I like, as well as a blog devoted to it: Folk Horror Review

Extended Cut: Simon Abrams's Film Journal

The Cooler

The Crime Doctors Warning (1945)

This, the fourth Crime Doctor picture was directed by a pre-celebrity William Castle, and yes you can see his taste for the odd twist on display, though here it makes even less sense then usual. The Crime Doctor (Warner Baxter) is brought in to help the police investigate the death of a young model just arrived in town. On his way out of the crime scene Dr. Ordway is a approached by a young man who quickly runs away when the doctor attempts to speak to him. The next day this same young man arrives at the crime doctors office, he explains that he has been experiencing periods of "missing time" lately and is concerned what he might be doing. As the young man says he can usually sense when one of his spells is coming on Dr. Ordway advises that he be called the next time this looks like it is going to happen, day or night.

The young man is a struggling artist living in the same bohemian complex as the murdered girl, he is also dating/engaged to one of his models. While painting her the lad starts to feel one of his episodes coming on and phones the doctor accordingly, the model leaves at around this time. When Ordway arrives at the mans residence he finds a party going on, celebrating the recent sale of the one of the kids paintings. He tells Ordway that the moment passed but thanks him for coming anyway, then someone discovers the dead model under a trundle bed. Everything points to the young mans guilt, but the Crime Doctor isn't so sure, which is appropriate because it would be to obvious for the logical suspect to actually be the murder in one of these movies.

Now I'm going to spoil it for you, the murder turns out to be a middle aged man who has been making a living as an artist model since he was a little boy, he will pose in all sorts of getup and costume makeup and have his portrait painted as a sea captain, ect. Anyway this man is just kind of struggling along in his profession at this point, and he blames all the beautiful women that painters prefer to paint, so of course he starts killing them. Makes sense, no? The women he murdered had all once posed for the same painting, and the struggling artist protagonist has a disapproving, rich wheelchair bound mother, and on an on. No doesn't make much sense, but the fact that its odd makes it tolerable. **

The Crime Doctor's Courage (1945)

In my review of Crime Doctor's Strangest Case I said " The writing and Baxter's presence ground the film, it doesn't become comic like a Bulldog Drummond film or over the top like a Dick Tracy." I'm afraid that with The Crime Doctor's Courage I am going to have to walk that statement back some, because you see in this film for a time it is seriously floated that the murder might have been committed by a pair of  Spanish vampires. The movie starts out promisingly enough, there's this guy whose first two wives died within days of their marriage, and despite suspicion he didn't murder either of them, though indirectly he did cause the death of one of them. Now this could be interesting, exploring the effects of these deaths on the mans psyche, especially as he takes a third wife, but on the night of that marriage he himself is murdered. But by who, his new wife, his mechanically inclined father-in-law, the bitter brother of his first wife, the visiting novelist, his new wife's long time male friend, or two Spanish dancers who are only ever seen at night and thus might be vampires? Well it wasn't the vampires, there are no vampires, only disposed Spanish aristocracy. This movie dosen't make a ton of sense, and its oddly meandering in its story structre, but it is entertaining. One can only wonder what further weirdness lies ahead in the future adventures of The Camp Doctor. **

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Final instalment in director Christopher Nolan's much lauded Batman trilogy. The expectations for this were huge, and after an incredible second entry with The Dark Knight I had my doubts weather Nolan could pull this off, but he succeeded. It is often the case with superhero trilogies where the second outing is the strongest, like in the X-Men or Sam Rami's Spider-Man movies, but  The Dark Knight Rises is an excellent culmination of all that came before and is the first time I am aware of in which a Batman saga is actually given a proper ending.

The events of the Aura Colorado theater shooting can not be ignored, certainly the shooter drew inspiration from the previous film and this film has plenty of disturbing imagery of its own, and should not be viewed by young children, like some who were in the theater that night. However the violence in the film is not a celebration, its meant to terrify. Nolan has credited Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities as a source of inspiration for the plot of the film, and its nightmare scenario of class warfare has relevance in the current economic/political climate. There is a depth to Nolan's film making that feels unusual for such a commercially successful director, the Wachowski's aspired to depth in an ironically surfacy way, but I think its Chris Nolan who actually reaches it.

The Dark Knight Rises is a very exciting film that plays with political, philosophical, and just plan dramatic ideas in an interesting way, it follows through on much of what was introduced in the previous two films. This is a movie that actually takes into account the physical and psychological impact of being Batman in a fairly realistic manner. It continues to pound home the apocalyptic, city on the brink motif that was present throughout the last two films. It examines the tenuousness of contemporary civilisation, it explores moral complexities and internal conflicts, but also highlights moral absolutes and self sacrifice. This movie takes us to a dark place, but also tells us why its important to go there, and though its the most wish fulfilment part of the movie, that yes there can be something good on the other side. The Dark Knight Rises is a film to both be experienced and contemplated, and surely the standout of the summer. ****

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornest Nest (2010)

Final entry in the Swedish film adaption of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. This is the 'court room drama' episode of the trilogy, even though very little of it takes place in a courtroom, its mostly preparing for Lisbeth's trial. It really works as the conclusion to a trilogy, even though Larsson is reported to have planned writing this series more or less indefinitely prior to his early death. The plot threads of the previous films are wrapped up nicely, there's closure, but with out definitively ending everything. Again this has to be viewed as part of a whole, if your not familiar with the first two installments watching this would seem rather pointless. ***1/2

Gilda (1946)

This film is famous as a showcase for actress Rita Hayworth, or rather the figure and face of Rita Hayworth in images that run from the sultry to the cheesecake. The plot concerns her characters strained relationship with an ex-beau/future husband played by Glenn Ford. There is also a syndicate run by George Macready and involving ex-patriot Germans, the film is set in South America, and largely in a casino. As much melodrama and noir as is packed in here there is still time to give Rita a few musical numbers, it's hard to classify this film. It's good, it works, even though I never felt all that invested in the proceedings, again this is a showcase for Rita. I don't know if this deserves all the praise it got, maybe its just a matter of having been the right film at the right time. ***

The Crime Doctor's Strangest Case (1943)

The second film in a series adapted from the popular radio serial. 'The Crime Doctor' is  Dr. Robert J. Ordway played by William Baxter. Ordway was taken to the hospital after having been found thrown from a moving car, when he came to he had amnesia and eventually decided to become a psychologist, taking his name form the hospital wing where he recovered. Ordway's back story is covered in the first Crime Doctor film, which I saw years ago, this second outing concerns the death of a retired pharmaceutical magnet and it is indeed a strange case. The rich old man was killed, poisoned in his home, there where about half a dozen people on the premises when it happened, each with motive, and each acting rather odd, or should we say strange. The writing and Baxter's presence ground the film, it doesn't become comic like a Bulldog Drummond film or over the top like a Dick Tracy. The story none the less proves rather tangled owing to the presence of five red herring characters. Lloyd Bridges is in this in an early role. **1/2

The Terror of Tiny Town (1938)

"The worlds only musical western with an all-midget cast." Yet its surprisingly dull. The little people are put into a stock musical western, with stock sets that are not to scale, and stock characters who are not interesting. A novelty film whose novelty can't sustain a film, this should have been a short if it were to be made at all. Not so good. *1/2

The BFG (1989)

Animated adaptation of Rolad Dahl children's book about a big friendly giant. I had this book read to me in 3rd grade, and have found memories of it which this movie certainly stirred. I remember it as a talkie book though, which is a little awkward in the adaption, especially in the first half. The sequences with the Queen are interesting in part because they are really trying to do an animated Elizabeth II, it looks vaguely rotoscoped and slightly awkward. The film unfortunately does not leave much of an impression, its not bad, its just kind of there. My nephew really liked it though. **

Batman: Year One (2011)

I hadn't seen any of these comic book direct to DVD adaptations that have become so common over the last decade or so, I thought I'd give this one a try. Pretty straightforward really, a telling of Bruce Wayne's first year as Batman, based on the 1987 Frank Miller comic series (I like how this film seems to be set in the mid 1980's). Story told mostly from the point of view of a youngish Lt. Gordon, freshly transferred to Gotham, and quietly battling the city's corrupt police department. James Gordon can actually be a pretty interesting character when given the screen time, as proved by the recent Dark Knight Films. Story standard corruption/organized crime stuff, no super villain to speak of, save a nascent Catwoman, who is given her own, rather violent animated short as a special feature on the DVD. I'd be interested to see them continue this series with a Batman: Year Two ect. I doubt that happens though. **1/2

Strait-Jacket (1964)

Most William Castle movies have a gimmick, like the 'Fright Break' in Homicidal; Strait-Jacket on the other hand doesn't have a gimmick, it doesn't need one, it has Joan Crawford. Joan Crawford giving her all in this movie about a mother released from an asylum twenty years after murdering her husband and his girlfriend whom she had found together in her bed. The begining of the film with a "young" Joan Crawford is embarrassing because she was nearly sixty and playing maybe thirty. In fact Crawford is kind of awkward throughout, but she's suppose to be, she just got out of the asylum, and is she really cured? Anyway the twist in this is pretty good, I didn't see it coming, but it's still a silly one, but hey its William Castle. Notable for the presence of pre-star George Kennedy and Lee Majors. **1/2

Homicidal (1961)

William Castle's 1961 thriller owes a lot to Psycho, in fact it wouldn't have existed without it. The homages are everywhere, the lead actress (Joan Marshall, though billed as Jean Arless) looks like Janet Leigh, she checks into a hotel, uses the shower, and catches the eye of an employ there. There's also an isolated house, mommy issues, stabbings and one heck of a twist. In fact I can't say much about this movie because I don't want to spoil the twist, it really got me and I just did not see it coming, and I can't believe that I didn't see it coming now that I've seen it. Suffice it to say I had to watch the movie a second time just to experience it knowing, and see just how well it was constructed. A worth while experince, a surprisingly clever, sneaky movie. ***

The Island of Lost Souls (1932)

The first film adaptation of H. G. Wells novel The Island of Dr. Moreau. Our rather generic protagonist (Richard Arlen) is shipwrecked in the south sea's, he is rescued by a boat taking a shipment of exotic animals to the remote island laboratory of the mysterious Dr. Moreau, a disgraced scientist with exotic theories now in exile. Arlen makes an inadvertent enemy of the captain who thusly refuses to take him to Tahiti, or whatever island it was he was too meet his finance (Leila Hyams) on. Arlen is dropped off along Moreau's assistant (Arthur Hohl), the animals, and some vaguely deformed looking natives on the doctors island. There he finds more natives, all male and deformed except for the exotic Lota (played by Kathleen Burke, who was a Chicago dental assistant before winning a talent contest with Paramount).

In time Arlen learns the Lota and the rest of the natives are in fact heavily vivisected animals made into human form by the mad Dr. Moreau. Moreau has an interest in trying to mate Arlen to 'the Panther Women' but turns out that he's not into bestiality in any form, plus he's engaged. Eventually the fiance and a sympathetic captain come to the island to rescue Arlen, just in time for the natives to mount a rebellion against there cruel overlord, this is the movie where the phrase "the natives are restless tonight" actually comes from.

Smarter then most of the horror films of the era this movie does succeed at conveying and uneasy aura, and Charles Laughton's Dr. Moreau is wonderfully creepy without being all that over the top. Dracula himself, Bela Lugosi, has a small part as a dog faced 'native' known as the "Sayer Of The Law", chief expositor of the moral code Moreau has given his creations to live by. Only an hour and a half long the movie is carried by the moode it evokes and by Laughton's performance, and is far superior to the 1996 remake. ***

Cimarron (1960)

Re-make of the 1931 Oscar best picture winner of the same title, I think this movie was probably made chiefly as a delayed reaction to the tremendous success of another Ferber novel based film, Giant. Here we have the opportunity for wide screen color, it would have been neat to have this actually filmed in Oklahoma, but much of the movie is obviously a set. The story follows the basic contours of the original film but there are significant enough differences in that it makes me curious how the original novel read. I however will not be reading the original novel because I still find the story to be boring, just as I did with the original film. There is not enough energy in this film, Glenn Ford, as was the case with Four Horseman of the Apocalypse two years later is too old for his part, and Maria Schell is just not capable of the holding the thing together. The movie touches upon some of the Faber social consciousness aspects that are done so well in Giant, and the basic story structure is sound enough, but it just doesn't succeed in making things interesting. Also what's up with Arthur O'Connell's arc, it looked like they were going to turn Tom Wyatt into something of a bad guy towards the end of the film, and then chickened out. The whole movie feels diluted like a watered down cola, very below director Anthony Mann's usual standards. Tepid. **

Dark Shadows (2012)

Tim Burton, a very hit or miss director, I believe I've mentioned this. Previous Burton adaptations of existing properties like the Planet of the Apes or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, well, they failed, so my expectations for Dark Shadows where modest ones. I'm pleased to say that Dark Shadows was a success, one of Burton's hits, but I think it benefited a lot from being less ambitious then the other adaptive efforts I mentioned earlier. First off Dark Shadows, a campy, cult-classic soap opera that aired on American television from 1966-1971, is a lesser known property to begin with. Secondly, it just naturally suits Burton's sensibility, creepy old mansion, eccentric relatives, vampires. Or rather one vampire, Johnny Depp as Baranbas Collins, the glue that holds the film together, a great deadpan preformance. Depp is perfect as an 18th Century aristocrat who has been turned into a vampire and held captive in a chained casket for 196 years. Freed from his prison by construction workers building a McDonald's in 1972, Barnabas, a family oriented man, immediately sets out in search of living kin. He finds them, a total of 4, residing in the family's decaying Maine estate, he also finds that the romantically obsessive witch (Eva Green) whom he'd spurned, and who turned him into a vampire two centuries ago, is alive and well and running the Collins families chief rival in the fishing industry.

Baranbas seeks to turn his families fortunes around, he manages to convince family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) of his true identity, and she passes him off as visiting distant relative from England, one with a skin condition. Barnabas is friendly with the rest of the family, and falls in love with their new nanny (Bella Heathcote) who looks just like the women that Baranbas loved in the past. The witch Angelique Bouchard finds that she has missed Baranbas and offers to resend the curse that has now plagued his family for generations, if he will consent to be her lover, but Barnabas refuses, hence much of the story.

I always enjoy seeing the 1970's portrayed in film, in fact I thinks it probably my favorite decade to look at, and its displayed here in all its gaudy glory and without feeling too overdone. I suspect Burton really enjoyed lacing the soundtrack with early 70's tunes, I loved the use of Karen Carpenter, I tolerated the use of  Alice Cooper. The cast is good and diverse, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloe Grace Mortez, and of course Helena Bonham Carter. The film plays lose and feels free, there are a surprising number of odd plot threads introduced late in the movie, but it works because Dark Shadows was a soap opera, the fact that much of it is never satisfactorily explained or resolved seems appropriate. A fun, low impact film, that satisfies, even if it doesn't have many memorable moments. ***

Kickassia (2010?)

Six part online movie made by Channel Awesome and featuring the characters from the That Guy With The Glasses website. This movie is basically an in-joke, if you know and like the characters from the website you'll probably enjoy it, if you know nothing of them, then I'd be interested in knowing why you watched the movie. The plot concerns the efforts of The Nostalgia Critic and his fellow reviewers to take over the micro-nation of Molossia, and the infighting that ensues once they do. Does make a ton of sense, but there are some funny moments, I especially liked how late in the film the story is interrupted to explain how you play the game of Risk. Anyway I liked. This one's hard to rate I'll go **1/2.

I Remember Mama (1948)

Film adapted from the play, adapted from the fictionalized memoir by Kathryn Forbes (it also later became a successful early television series). The story focuses on the Hanson family, an ideal, loving family of two Norwegian immigrants and their four children living in San Francisco circa 1910. Sweet family drama, very much in the same school as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The 'Mama' ,Marta Hanson (played by Irene Dunne) is a perfect archetype of the dedicated mother, that is not to say she is with out character, she has one, and its not all stock, I can see her as a real person. The plot is a lose one, really just a series of events in the life of the Hanson family over roughly a four to six year period. There is the death of an eccentric uncle (Oskar Homolka in a scene stealing role), the hospitalization of the youngest girl, and various concerns over school, career and status, family life stuff. It is a thoroughly pleasant and endearing work, fittingly loved by many. ****

A Dangerous Method (2011)

A Dangerous Method is a 2011 historical film directed by David Cronenberg and starring Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, and Vincent Cassel. The screenplay was adapted by writer Christopher Hampton from his 2002 stage play The Talking Cure, which was based on the 1993 non-fiction book by John Kerr, A Most Dangerous Method: The story of Jung, Freud, and Sabina Spielrein.- From Wikepida.

I took an introductory Psych coarse in college, but really know very little about the field beyond what's common knowledge. I was aware however of the famous rift between one time collaborators, and the true giants of the filed, Karl Jung and Sigmund Freud. Freud was the father of modern psychology, while Jung was the favored acolyte who rebelled. Freudianism has over time slipped into some disrepute, no doubt due to its near exclusive focus on sexuality, and a very male dominated sexuality at that (i.e. penis envy is not politically correct, and gross). Jung's influence on the other hand has permeated in a wide range of fields, from psychology, to the study of religion, the self-help movement, abstract expressionism, and Fellini movies, too name a few.

Today it would appear that we "are all Jung at heart" and thusly what I knew of 'the rift' was from a decidedly Jungian prespecitve. Jung was freer then Freud, he took more things into account and cast a larger net, which is generally regarded as a good thing when trying to understand psychologically complex human beings. I did not know how large a net it was however, and that Jung's interests included mysticism, and alchemy, and how big his influence on New Age spirituality has been.

While both sides are given air time in this movie, I'd say that it comes down more on Freud's then on Jung's. This is in no small part do to the fact that Sabina Spierlrein (played by Knightly in an often mugging, Oscar-bate fashion) who had been a close associate of both men, and long time lover to Jung, seemed to side more with Freud. Jung came very unhinged, Freud notably did not. Also Freud, despite inventing 'the talking cure' had a very rigged respect for boundaries, Jung had an interest in obscuring them.

A Dangerous Method works as top flight drama, it brings you in, though I can't vouch for how accurate it is historically, no doubt it should be taken with a grain of salt. All three primary actors give strong performances, perhaps Fassbender especially. Also isn't it weird how Mortensen's become Cronenberg's muse, and that he actually works as Freud? A strong film, and not for family viewing. ***1/2

American Grindhouse (2010)

Documentary on the history of American Grindhouse cinema. First, what is grindhouse? Well its actually a little hard to define, as the genera is amorphous, changes over time, and includes so many sub-genera's. Originally the term grindhouse was a reference to burlesque shows and theater, but the term has come to refer mostly to low budget exploitation films. What's an exploitation film? Well an exploitation film is just that, a film that attempts to gain financel success (however limited) by exploiting something, particularly something lurid or niche. Hence a grindhouse film can cover anything from porn, to horror, to Kong Fu. As of late a fair amount of tribute films to the genera have been made, such as Hobo With A Shotgun and Drive Angry. Anyway if its out of the main stream and the Hayes Office would have frowned on it, its probably a grindhouse movie. The documentary covers grindhouse film making from the silent days up to say the early 1980's, when the rise of cable networks and home video killed off most of the remaining grindhouse theaters in the country. This is a survey course film, you get introduced to a lot of significant grindhouse films and its array of talking heads contains many of the 'big names' from the genera, a surprising amount of whom would go on to some success in more mainstream Hollywood. Anyway I enjoyed it, but be aware its not family viewing, nor should it be. Interesting. **1/2

See also: Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2005)

In Bruges (2008)

I remember when I first saw a trailer for this movie, it depicted the murder of a priest at a confessional, and that immediately left a bad taste in my mouth. So I was at first ill disposed to this movie, but then I started to hear its praise as a black comedy, and that it was unusually well written, critics liked, Colin Farrell was apparently tolerable. So when I finally got around to seeing it last week I was much better disposed toward this film then I had been at first, though ultimately its not what I expected. Well a fair portion of it was kind of like what I expected, but the ending, things really went in an unexpected direction in the second half.

The story concerns two hit men played by Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell. Farrell's hit on the priest from the trailer went bad and he accidentally killed a little boy in the process. The two's mysterious boss, later found to be Ralph Fiennes, sends them out of England to lie low for a time and await further instructions, there place of exile, Bruge. For those who don't know Bruge is a town in Belgium, famous for its abundance of well maintained medieval architecture, and thus a low level tourist mecca. While Gleeson likes Bruge just fine, Farrell goes a little stir crazy there, and stricks up a sort of friendship with a 'midget' American actor ( Jordan Prentice) and finds a love interest in a production assistant/small time drug dealer played by Clémence Poésy. Plot point: you see a movie is conveniently being filmed in Bruge.

Anyway eventually Gleeson receives the long awaited call from Fiennes, only to find that his instructions are to kill Farrell for killing the kid. Gleeson reluctantly goes to do this, but when he comes on Farrell in a park he finds Farrell about to kill himself. Gleeson prevents Farrell's suicide, they have a long talk, and Gleeson sends Farrell off on a train to parts unknown for his own good. Finnes is upset when Glesson tells him that he did not kill Farrell but let him go, and so he travel to Bruge himself to deal with the situation. Farrell meanwhile is forced back to Bruge when he is arrested on the train for beating up a couple of Canadian tourist some nights before.

So they all end up in Bruge for what is sure to be a violent confrontation, and it is. Things go in different directions here, there's black comedy, and an unexpected amount of pathos, and the movie proves to be not so much the joke on violence I had  expected (ala Shoot 'Em Up) but quite the indictment of it. I was surprised, made to think a little, but much of the movie still feels directionless, and you can only take so much of Colin Farrell. It's got me curious to experince more of director Martin McDonagh's work, to bad there doesn't seem to be a lot of it. **1/2

Day of the Dead (1985)

Third film in Romero's 'Dead' series, this is a very talkie zombie movie. Most of the film is set in a bunker where a small group of scientists, solders, and private contractors carry on, ostensibly trying to find a solution to the zombie plague, but mostly just infighting. Much weaker then its two predecessors, the ending is satisfactorily exciting, but much of the film is slow and full of people gripping. The characters are pretty week, and ironically the most dynamic among them is probably a zombie named Bud. Worth seeing for completeness sake. **

The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009)

The second in the series of Swedish film adaptations of Steig Larsson's "Millennium Series." I have not read the books so this is new material for me, though having seen the first film it was neat to come in grounded enough to notice how the series opens up and gets more personal, to see the form that the arc will take. There are a lot of characters in these, and you know your just getting the tip of them, but its nice having confidence that there is substance there, even brief characters can speak to Larsson's evident skill in this area. The cast is solid and interest is kept, though I didn't feel it was quite as stricking as the orignal. I'm looking forward to seeing the last one and getting the resolution. ***

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World picks up where your average asteroid threatens the planet movie leaves off, or rather where it would leave off if the heroic last ditch effort to save the Earth had failed. The movie begins with a grave radio broadcast reporting on the loss of the Deliverance, the shuttle and its crew blew up in space and with them so did mankind's last hope of diverting the impending impact of 'Matilda'. "Matilda" is the common name given to the  massive piece of space rock whose collision with the Earth will wipe out all human life in a mear three weeks time, but at least the radio stations promises to keep playing your favorite oldies right up until the end. This sets the tone for the movie, the varied, often ridicules ways mankind copes with impending extension.

The movies lead character Dodge Petersen is played by Steve Carrell, he's the sort of sad sack, endearing, semi-looser you'd expect from Carrell, and not only is his world literaly ending, but his wife's just left him. Dodge is one of the last people to continue to show up for his job at an insurance company, a pointless exercise, much like the time he continues to spend in the company gym. He attends a party with some friends, one of whom (the cleavage bearing Connie Britton) wants to set him up with a needy friend played by Melanie Lynskey. Dodge is not interested, he has no desire to spend his remaining weeks getting to know someone new, that is until he meets Penny, played by Kira Knightly.

Steve Carrell and Kira Knightly, not a naturally credible pair, but it works, because the end of the world is the sort of situation in which people seem likely to keep a very open mind dating wise. Carrell and Knightly actually have good chemistry, and she's quite the charmer in this, she doesn't usually get to play comedy. Penny insists on taking Dodge on a final quest to reunite with his old high school sweetheart, she feels she owes him this do to her failure to deliver a letter sent to Carrell from his ex months earlier when it was delivered to her apartment by mistake. The two embark on a road trip, meeting interesting cameo's along the way, including a suicidal William Peterson, a survivalist Derek Luke, and a very friendly waitress played by Gillian Jacobs.

It's dark comedy, and it's also a rather sweet love story, and it does both well, but it can't help but awkwardly mesh. If anything could use reworking it would have to be the last act, but I don't know if any ending to a story like this could really find the right tone, though this one feels increadably close. Seeking a Friend is a likable movie, though it left me rather melancholy, an admirable and worthwhile effort to make something rather different, more people should really see it. ***

The Alphabet Murders (1965)

Lose adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel the A.B.C. Murders. The movie starts rather strangely, and I'm not referring to the murder of the diving clown, but rather to the introduction of the protagonist Hercule Poirot, in which the actor Tony Randall comes on screen as himself at a sound stage and tells you he is going to play Poirot, and then flash he's Poirot on a street in London. It's an odd, pointless introduction, for what proves to be an odd and rather pointless movie. You get the sense that the producers were not so much interested in making an Agatha Christie film, despite the little cameo of Miss Marple, but rather wanted to turn Poirot into something like a more competent Inspector Clouseau. The film emphasise is on comedy, though it largely fails to be funny, in fact I don't think I laughed once. They brought Robert Morley into the thing to be an oft humiliated comic foil for Randell, but in the end I just felt sorry for Morely having to play this undercooked part. Anita Ekberg's also in this, so there's that. Anyway a waste. *1/2