trishjayp Reviews

Vampire Over London (1952)

Lugosi can't save this mess.

[2/10 · 6 October 2007]

I had heard about this film for years, and when it turned up on TCM I decided to catch it. I would have been better off catching a disease.

Now, I wanted to like this film - I really did. But the three words that keep coming to mind are: Pitiful, wretched, unfunny. The worst thing a comedy can be is unfunny.

Actually, Bela Lugosi is the best thing in the film, but that's not saying much. With shoe polish in his hair (and a toupee!), he is Von Housen, a criminal who sleeps in a coffin and has plans for world domination (what else?). He meets his match in Mother Riley, an incredibly annoying character played by actor Arthur Lucan in drag.

The problems with the film are many: mostly, it's just not funny. Lucan is unintelligible half of the time, the slapstick fight scenes are tired and lifeless (everybody seems to be anticipating what happens next), the character of the robot goes nowhere (literally), and, possibly worst of all, we are denied a big payoff as far as what happens with Lugosi's character! Oh yes, there is an absolutely horrendous musical number (!) in Mother Riley's shop at the beginning.

Everything looks as if it were shot in one take - and that was one too many. I felt as if this film ran for hours and hours, instead of 74 minutes. (BTW, the print shown on TCM omits the pre-credits footage with Allan Sherman added for American release; unfortunately, his awful title song remains.) One or two (barely) funny lines and situations cannot sustain this terrible film. Perhaps the Mother Riley series played better to British audiences, but it's so hard to tell using only this film as a yardstick. The other films in the series are not shown here in the US; maybe having Kitty McShane (Arthur Lucan's ex-wife) would have helped.

Bela definitely deserved better.

Chickamauga (1962)

Haunting, even after 40 years

[10/10 · 13 May 2007]

I saw this film in the movie theatres back around 1965 or 1966. The haunting and chilling images have stayed with me to this day.

The black and white photography, the (at times) surrealistic soundtrack, and the scenes of the wounded soldiers are all woven together by director Robert Enrico into a film that you may also find unforgettable.

I'm puzzled as to why Enrico's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is always discussed and this film has been virtually ignored for all these years. Must have something to do with that Twilight Zone airing...

POSSIBLE SPOILER: While I don't want to give away the end of the film, the ending is as horrifying as anything that has gone before, but in a different way. If you've ever read the original Bierce story (the text is available online), you know it was quite gory. Thank heaven it was not filmed that way; it would have been gratuitous. I can't help but think that if it were filmed today, it might turn into a gore fest that would undercut the true meaning of the tale.

It's a shame this film doesn't seem to be widely available. It is a film that deserves be seen - and not just if you appreciate Ambrose Bierce - but be warned: it might just stay with you for a long time.

A Hound for Trouble (1951)

What This Place Needs Is A Floor Show!

[10/10 · 30 August 2006]

Yes, this is definitely the best of the Charlie Dog cartoons.

First off, by today's standards, this cartoon is very politically incorrect. But, who cares? It's funny! There are always little throwaway touches that make Warner Bros. cartoons worth watching over and over - the sign in the restaurant window says "Televish inside", the scene with the fishermen is actually a copy of a Van Gogh painting (!), etc.

Of course, the pizzeria owner speaks in "Italian" that is really just the names of different foods, and then there is Charlie's song: as I said, quite politically incorrect, but just look at the expressions on his face. Chuck Jones was a Master.

Strangely enough, for years the local TV station in NYC that showed this cartoon would remove the entire scene with Charlie Dog and the customer. Thankfully, I was able to finally get an uncut copy.

And yes, the ending is a classic. This one is a definite must-see.

Sh! The Octopus (1937)

Suspend Disbelief and Enjoy It!

[19 June 2006]

Though more than a bit stagebound, this film is silly and enjoyable.

Allen Jenkins and Hugh Herbert are an enjoyable team, and we get to see some nice scenery-chewing by George Rosener (the butler in 1932's "Doctor X") as Captain Hook.

As usual, someone among those gathered at the lighthouse is the master criminal known as The Octopus - but who? It really doesn't matter, because the epilogue takes the film to yet another level!

SPOILER ALERT: As far as the on-camera "unmasking" of the villain, here is how they did it: A very exaggerated makeup was painted on the performer's face (and a couple of teeth, too) using nothing but red makeup. This person was photographed with a red filter over the camera lens at the start of the scene, rendering the red painted makeup invisible to the camera's eye. As the "transformation" took place, the filter was slowly switched to a green one, and now the lines and shadows on the culprit's face suddenly appeared as a very dark tone. The very same technique was also used in 1932 for the earliest transformations of Frederic March in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". (This trick does not work in color films, though, only black and white.)

Anyway, sit back and enjoy the mystery. It gets a bit convoluted, but it's still fun and runs less than an hour. Just don't take it too seriously.

The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True (1995 TV Movie)

Overall, a Disappointment

[3/10 · 14 July 2005]

First off, I am absolutely not a fan of "concert" versions of musicals. Take the time, spend the money, and do it right. When you have the talent that this production assembled, it seems a sin to do a half-baked version of the classic musical.

The only way I can recommend this production is to tell everyone reading this: close your eyes. That's right, just close your eyes and imagine how great it would have been if the visuals came close to matching what you hear. This story just can't be done properly in "concert". It cries out for full staging.

The performers are quite accomplished (with one exception), and it is always a treat to hear the Jitterbug number (cut from the 1939 film) and those extra bits of dialogue and lyrics that never made it into the earlier version.

However...

For me, this version was made almost unwatchable by Jewel. Just about every song she sang was butchered and horribly mangled by her vocal "style". I've never heard those classic songs destroyed the way she destroyed them. It was jaw-dropping and excruciating to watch and hear. Someone should have stepped in (maybe the director?), forced her to look at the original score, and made her sing the songs as they were written. Awful. Just plain awful.

So, close your eyes, enjoy the moments you can, and - above all - Beware of Jewel.

Another Nice Mess (1972)

I've wanted to see this for YEARS!

[22 August 2004]

I'm glad this film finally has been listed! I thought that it was locked away in a vault, unseen, and was lost forever.

The only thing I ever knew about this film was that, sometime around 1972, Rich Little appeared on the Tonight Show and told Johnny Carson a little bit about the making of the film. He also told how, as a gag, he, in full makeup, was in the back seat of a limo that pulled into a gas station for refueling. Mimicking Nixon's voice, Little then threw a mock temper tantrum much to the amazement of the gas station attendant.

I never, ever heard of Another Nice Mess having any release whatsoever. I remember, also, that I'd swear Little referred to the film's title as Another FINE Mess. Maybe there was a last-minute title change?

Anyway, I'm hoping for an eventual DVD release.

The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! (1972)

Sick Garbage, and Poorly Made.

[19 August 2004]

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***

This "film" was probably the worst piece of garbage I ever wasted video rental money on. I saw it many years ago, and it still leaves a foul taste whenever I think about it. I could barely get through this swill. Someone else referred to this as "cinematic feces" and I agree wholeheartedly. The close-up sequence involving the mouse clinched it for me that Milligan was one sick b*****d who should have been arrested for animal cruelty.

There is nothing whatsoever worthwhile or redeeming about this pile of junk. What a waste of film stock. I couldn't believe there could actually be something worse than BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS, but here it is, folks. When I want a film that's "so bad it's good", I'll haul out something by Ed Wood or Larry Buchanan.

Cries & Whispers (1972)

Overrated, to say the least

[1/10 · 21 January 2004]

This film repelled me. Excruciatingly boring, and at times just disgusting, I fail to see what all the fuss is about. It is a self indulgent joke, which the director seems to be playing on the audience. The film was as agonizing to sit through as the situations the onscreen characters are playing out for us. Tedious, pretentious, and an ordeal to endure. What was all the fuss about? There is far less here than meets the eye (the photography notwithstanding). The Emperor is definitely Naked.

The Golem (1914)

This is NOT the 1920 version!

[7 December 2003]

Reviewers of this film seem to be confusing it with Wegener's "The Golem - How He Came Into The World" (1920). Let's clarify:

In 1914, "Der Golem" was filmed. This movie dealt with the resurrection of the Golem in modern times. Known in the USA as "The Monster of Fate", it is considered a lost film. Only about a minute or so survives, somewhere in Germany. Rumors have circulated for years of a single, surviving print - but this seems to be untrue.

The 1920 film was actually Wegener's "prequel" - a film set totally in period, dealing with the creation of the clay being by Rabbi Loew, and how it is brought to life.

The 1920 film is, in my opinion, a must-see; the earlier film is pretty much lost. It is important, however, that we not confuse these two motion pictures.