bgh48 Reviews

Riot on Sunset Strip (1967)

"We must stop the ruination of the Strip by these longhairs!"

[7 March 2007]

I must concur that this is the Reefer Madness of the 60's, only funnier.

The producers are so out of touch that a lot of the hippie culture seems to straddle the beatnik era, with the kids congregating in smoky dives called Pandora's Box, and the bad girl sports black Carolyn Jones-type hair and wears arm bracelets, and she brings to mind Peter Seller's sinister female companion in "Lolita".

And in the annals of memorable screen images, few can compare with Mimsey Farmer's extended Martha Graham modern dance reaction to dropping acid.

All this, plus Mickey Rooney's kid saying "groovy" a lot.

The Absent Minded Professor (1961)

Europe has nothing on us!

[5/10 · 11 February 2007]

In the sixties, France had "Jules and Jim"; Italy had "La Dolce Vita". But really, could they compare to this Disney classic? Could Oscar Werner or Marcello Mastroianni possibly compare with Fred MacMurray, with his toupee, pancaked face, wacky gleam in his eye as the, uh, nutty professor of Medfield College who discovers Flubber?? Could the flying Jesus in "Vita" measure up to Nancy Olson and Fred spooning amid the clouds in the Flubberized Model T? I think not. And forget the menage a trois in "Jules and Jim". I prefer the sexual tension between Fred, Nancy, and Elliot Reid.

And Flubber will finally be put to good use for the benefit of all the civilized nations of the worlds.

I love this movie. You will too. God Bless America. And Fred MacMurray.

Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966)

"Oh God! The vampire test"

[3/10 · 27 January 2007]

This is uttered by Virginia Christine (the alluring Anaka in 1945's THE MUMMY'S CURSE) when Melina Plowman tells her that her "uncle" casts no reflection in the mirror. Another pithy line of dialogue, one you'd never expect the legendary vampire to make, is (to his "niece") "Marry a notorious gunslinger? I won't hear of it!" Carradine as Dracula comes across as merely a crochety, vaguely sinister, eccentric uncle with an elitist attitude against immigrants. The actor frankly seems in his, uh, cups, but do you blame him? On the other hand, Chuck Courtney brings a surprising believablity and bantamweight handsomeness and likability to Billy the Kid; he looks somewhat like Audie Murphy, which also helps. Melinda Plowman as Dracula's object of lust, looks like one of those Noxema girls from the 1960's t.v. ads for that skin cream. The strings on the shlocky flapping rubber bat are clearly visible, oh, what joy! Right from someplace like "Eddie's House of Horrors" on Hollywood Boulevard, probably where they also got that shiny big red bow for Dracula.

Another source of delight is the wide eyed, dopey, open mouthed look of stupefaction and wonder on the young German girl's face as she realizes who Carradine is. The old female doc is played straight, and there is something appealing about the dusty, Hollywood/old Wild West 101 atmosphere, with its pleasantly juvenile shootin', fightin' and ranchin' atmosphere, oddly made more pleasant by the juxtaposition of the silly and cheesy vampire-comes-to-town-to-stir-up-the-locals story. This movie is best enjoyed either in a "matinee" time frame, say around 2 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, or at 2 a.m. that same night.

Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)

Nifty! Creepy! Intentionally funny! Highly recommended!

[8/10 · 28 October 2006]

Having just seen this for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised; this is a solid, well-acted and scripted, somewhat tongue-and-cheek but scary horror/sci-fi film with a premise simutaneously nightmarishly banal/outrageous: a petty American criminal (looking like a cheap burley thug, the kind who would "threaten" George Reeves on the cheap sets on the t.v. Superman) hooks up in Europe with a German (read: Nazi) scientist experimenting with neural stimulation, and uses the doctor to seek revenge on his enemies by having the doctor's lab subjects become zombiefied killing machines, all via t.v. screens and microphones. The scenes of the gangster and the conflicted scientist constantly standing in front of the screens is at once deliberately "boring" and yet so weirdly disturbing. Even more disturbing and nightmarish are the two of them constantly donning radiation suits to crawl through what looks like some sort of embryonic white plastic tunnel to get to the lab and work on the zombies brains. The science fiction is contrasted humorously with the white-picket fence-ish 1950's domesticity of Richard Denning and his little family. Ah, Richard Denning! Golden wavy-haired, stalwart, fine-figured, supremely handsome, serious yet light-hearted, flirting with his wife yet always ready at a moment's notice to follow up any lead as a police doctor. One of the delights of this movie is a sort of spoof of pipe-smoking! Denning and a detective constantly light up so much that the detective offers Richard to "try my special blend". We also get the much used and appreciated staple of 50's sci-fi movies, the educational film strip, although here it is a bare, er, "bones" demonstration, with just a little doggy who has electrodes on his head. (I do NOT recommend this film for children say, under 12 years old!) The climax has a very "modern" Night of the Living Dead feel to it. The plot moves along at a satisfying pace and never lags. The dialog is punchy and clever. The villains are definitely memorable in a strangely "unmemorable" way. (the genius of the movie, I think!) I highly recommend this to all sci-fi/horror film buffs.

The Return of the Vampire (1943)

Lugosi's best '40's film

[5/10 · 20 October 2006]

This has got to be one of Bela's most underrated performances, a bright spot among the dreariness of Monogram potboilers. Columbia allows him to both reference Dracula while at the same time expanding the definition of vampirism by having him play Dr. Armand Tessla, the "depraved Roumanian scientist" who is so obsessed with evil that he actually becomes a bloodsucker. (there is also a nifty sketch of Lugosi drawn in a book about his character) Lugosi is alternately sinister, avuncular, lovestruck, arrogant, and commanding. His voice, usually cause for laughter at its ripe indelibility, is used extremely effectively as a whisper when he is calling Nina Foch into the graveyard. ("Just a little bit further--further--further!") This is actually quite eerie. His exchanges with Matt Willis are atmospheric and believable, in that someone undead would naturally have supernatural acolytes surrounding him. (so what if they sprout facial hair; that just gives the acolyte more "texture") I have to disagree with viewers who think Willis is ridiculous as a talking wolf; I happen to think he's the best thing in the film. Willis' natural speaking voice is kind of strange, half Southern, half something..and when he's the werewolf with those teeth his line readings are really creepy. My favorite is when he's saying "as if they could tell what happened!" and then he chuckles. He is really effective. The whole production is sort of tongue in cheek and the Britishness at its height. (Frieda Inescort: "The Gerries have rather taken things out of your hands") The WWII element adds more interest, and Lugosi has a droll line that he is going out of his hotel but, "whether I can be reached is another matter." A jarring note is Foch's boyfriend, who has "Lady Jane" as his mother and yet speaks with a German or Dutch accent. All in all, a must for Lugosi fans and all other horror film fans interested in how Columbia does this kind of movie as opposed to Universal.

Fatal Attraction (1987)

Highly manipulative and with 2 great dogs - Close & the family pet

[6/10 · 17 October 2006]

The "brilliance" of the film, I suppose, is that Glenn Close is such an unattractive woman (great actress, but a real dog with virtually no sex appeal) and the wife, Anne Archer, is so warmly beautiful. This is the point: a man will irrationally have a fling, not based on the looks of the lover. (although we are given subtle hints that his wife treats him like a little boy, and it seems the "honeymoon" portion of their marriage was over when they had the child. The director gives us a lot of symbolism, especially the use of the family dog, to represent domestic stability, and it's a great dog, with the best tail-wagging ever. Closes' name, "Forrest" represents the tangled, hidden depths of her sick personality. The movie is slick and cunning; every camera angle telegraphs it's unsubtle subtlety. It's ripe for parody as it has been. Douglas has never been sexier (even when he coos at the doggie for doing "good business") and Close is a revelation, truly frightening.

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

"and we'll put ANTS in their JAP-ANTS!"

[7/10 · 15 October 2006]

Remember, New York Boomers? This one was played on Million Dollar Movie, Channel 9 all the time (as well as King Kong, always during the holidays; and, as a chaser, Son of Kong. Ah, the good old days...) Cagney always referred to himself as a song and dance man before anything else, so here in YDD he is in spades, and you'll love it! Forget "biography" or "truth" and just watch for the vignettes: Jimmy stomping on his wig in front of Joan Leslie ("got it!"; S.Z. Zakall ("vimmen, vimmen, leetle rose petals!"; "Stix nix hix pix"; Cagney on top of tables singing the politically incorrect kick-em-in-the-ass lyrics of the "I'd Rather Be Right" play; his meeting with Fay Templeton, who lives only 45 minutes from Broadway; the birthday and deathbed scenes with Walter Huston; dancing down the stairs -- what else have I left out for you to enjoy? Of course, the rest of the musical numbers and the orgy of patriotism (would fit in nicely today IMHO...) By the way, if you want to see an impression of Cagney by Joan Leslie, get a copy of "Thank Your Lucky Stars", where Joan also does Ida Lupino in "They Drive By Night" ("the doors made me do it!) Film buffs will enjoy!

The Crawling Eye (1958)

Memorable, atmospheric British sci-fi/horror

[7/10 · 14 October 2006]

This used to run all the time in New York in the '60's and it always stuck in my memory; I've never forgotten the tenseness and suspense and eerieness of the buildup to the monsters (the nervous mountaineers in the cabin; Janet Munro's psychic visions ("They're climbing up the mountain...!"; the cable cars snapping in the cold; the "aurora" surrounding the cloud; "Hans" saying how cold he is....) As I got older, I appreciated Warren Mitchell's hamminess as Dr. Kravat (the line I always remember from him is, "The man vass dead--dere vas NO DOUBT!") And of course Forrest Tucker was added to give some good old American "manliness" and box office appeal for wider distribution, but I always wondered if the British were insulted that Lawrence Payne was made to look like such a wimp next to Forrest: Payne is English and nervous and wiry, and at one point Tucker carries him in his arms! I remember the tentacles and being disappointed at the appearance of the eye, thinking it was better left unseen. I highly recommend "The Crawling Eye for its "Britishness"; its tight direction, the enjoyable Warren Mitchell, the ominous music, the psychic element, the nifty combo of horror and sci-fi elements.

A Patch of Blue (1965)

Highlly overrated unrealistic mishmash

[3/10 · 28 September 2006]

Take three family members with different accents (Shelly Winters with her New "Yawk" accent; Wallace Ford with his natural New England accent; and Elizabeth Hartman with her Southern accent -- these people are supposed to be related??) Put them living in some unrecognizable town or city; there is no sense of place; are they in a big city or a suburb? There seems to be a deli and an awful lot of people crossing the street. Where are we?? Throw in goody-goody Sidney (his brother however is believably played by Ivan Dixon) Shelly Winters' Oscar is so misplaced here; she should have won it for "Lolita". Winter's character is just too unbelievable; she treats "Serena" like something out of a Victorian Dickens novel. (even Sidney's character refers to this but the script isn't as self-aware as he is!) Throw in some message about tolerance and the people who are really blind in this world and you have a very strange film that for me never comes together. All the actors have been far better in other films.

D.O.A. (1949)

'Yeah, you got it, Bigelow!"

[9/10 · 25 September 2006]

My favorite Edmund O'Brien film. What makes him so enjoyable in this is that you can tell he really enjoys acting; he just puts his heart and soul into every part he ever played; the passion and emotion are always there. He loves his craft. I don't think D.O.A. is film noir, as it seems to be almost a parody of film noir (notice how deliberately hard-boiled all the characters are (well, except loving, loyal, sweet Pamela Britton as his true love, though he doesn't know it yet) and call O'Brien's character always by his last name, Bigelow, even the less than diplomatic doctor who, coming out of his lab to confirm luminous poisoning and holding up the vial, says, "Yeah, you got it, Bigelow". So much for bedside manner. I love Luther Adler here; he really is menacing in that Mad Magazine way; remember, fellow Boomers, when Mad ran that piece about how movie villains are somehow always polite and the hero is always rude and hostile? Well, here Adler does that perfectly; after giving him to "Chester", he intones, "Forgive me". Memorable B-movie in every respect; great location shooting, great use of sound.

Jules and Jim (1962)

; Mandatory for film class

[7/10 · 22 September 2006]

Jles and Jim is alternately fey, elegiac, childlike, autumnal, poetic, depressing, creepy (cremation and its allusions to Nazi Germany), melancholic, sophomoric, and very French (i.e. in the midst of all the emotional turmoil, Moreau doesn't forget to cleanse her makeup off before going to bed with Jim, and Truffaut lingers on the image) One perhaps may be more predisposed to its Gallic charm if viewed when younger in college, at an art house theater, then when introduced to it later in life. Much like "It's a Small World Afterall", its hard to get Catherine's song out of your head (not sure if this is a plus or not), and the score in general really gives the film its alternate currents of sadness and joy, and is very haunting and even ominous. The three leads are good.

Jupiter's Wife (1995)

This Woman Needs Help

[20 September 2006]

Maggie Cogan is certainly more charming and "lucid" than many of the schizophrenic homeless, and yet I was frustrated with the fact that she was "enabled", partly by the filmmaker but more annoyingly by the upper West Side "friend" (wife of actor Astin Pendleton) to continue her weary existence as some sort of free independent spirit rather than as a woman suffering from a disease that should at the very least require her to be on medication to allow her to live with some semblance of "normalcy". Maggie seems to understand this enabling, even making a remark about a better class of garbage on the Upper West Side, but schizophrenia as far as I understand it does not affect intelligence. One hopes Maggie gets to live on her horse farm.

Holiday Inn (1942)

Christmas Perennial

[8/10 · 19 September 2006]

Both cozy and sophisticated holiday classic, with Crosby and Reynolds supplying the former and Astaire and Dale supplying the latter. The idealized, warm, 1940's farmhouse contrasts perfectly with the snap and elegance of the nightclub scenes; can anyone NOT watch this during Chritmas?? Marjorie Reynolds has got to be one of the pleasantest actresses ever; she just exudes likability and ease. (she's at her charming best in "The Time of Their Lives") Tip: watch for the exploding bottle scene, where Crosby's apparent ad-libs seem to really crack Astaire up; you can see Fred trying to suppress real laughter when they're behind the chair in the dressing room.

Ghost Story (1981)

Dance With Me, You Little Toad!

[4/10 · 18 September 2006]

Ghost Story has an interesting feminist revenge tale premise, A-list veteran actors, colorful flashbacks with nifty look-a-like youthful counterparts of the old men. scary staccato music heralding the approaching horrors, atmospheric New England winter weather, and an excellent charismatic actress in the title role. Ghost Story could have been much more effective in black and white and in eliminating some of the more lurid special effects, and to presenting a more cogent screenplay (we should not have to be wondering about why the two trailer-parkish acolytes are in the script) The biggest detriment of the film is Craig Wassan (definitely separated at birth from Bill Maher) who from perhaps editing or just bad acting, is totally ineffective. He seems to "specialize" in wide-eyed, wide-mouthed reaction shots; not a lot of personality here. The revelation however is Alice Krige, pale-faced, enigmatic, terrifying underneath the placid exterior. However, her Eva Galli is creepy even before she meets her fate; I mean, a young woman who says things like "I'd like to take a bite out of you" or "Dance with me, you little toad!" is already not in the land of the living. Ghost Story would have been much better in a low-key, Val Lewton mode. The overdone special effects completely undercut the chill factor.

Married to the Mob (1988)

Too hip for its own good?

[6/10 · 17 September 2006]

Many people miss the point of Married to the Mob, viewing it in conventional comedy terms, when in actuality it's a deadpan "downtown" film (in the way of say "Desperately Seeking Susan" is a "downtown" movie). It has a hip sensibility; I call it a punk fairytale, with Pfeiffer as the 80's Italian princess. Mercedes Ruehl is memorable as the possessive, queen-bee wife of Stockwell. All the characters are deliberate stereotypes and played straight, but everything is skewed with Demme's hipster outlook. Pfeiffer, by the way, does an excellent job with the Long Island accent. I'm from New York City, and her dialog coach really had her nail the word "short". (as she's getting a haircut)

Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)

"Barnswallow!"

[5/10 · 16 September 2006]

"Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" is the best of the 60's Jimmy Stewarwt family father doesn't know best films, much more palatable than the creepy and antiquated "Take Her, She's Mine", where Jimmy worries more than is healthy about Sandra Dee's virginity and where insipid folk songs are considered raunchy and subversive. "Hobbs" will appeal to everyone, from Baby Boomers nostalgic about their childhood, to the greatest generation, who will enjoy Stewart and O'Hara as famous actors, and Gen X's and Y's, if they're hip enough, will appreciate how "cool" Jimmy is. For some inexplicable and annoying reason O'Hara calls her husband "Rog" in that Madison Avenue shorthand way, as though she were a W.A.S.P. executive telling him he's just been fired. Marie Wilson and John McGiver as the eccentric couple are priceless; their scenes with Stewart are hilarious. And for an unexpected poignant moment, the scene in the boat with Stewart and his son is lovely. After watching an eclipse, the son says they should watch the next one together in about 30 years. The expression on Stewart's face, with it's intimations of mortality, is just beautiful. Fabian of course is thrown in for the demographic, but can be tolerated, though I couldn't stand the actress who played the daughter Katey. I recommend "Hobbs" for inclusion in a Jimmy Stewart collection, if only for that boat scene.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Anglophile Americans will love it

[16 September 2006]

What makes the film work is a calculated (in a good way) mix of political correctness, bawdy "carry-on" English humor and wit, and knowledge of what Anglophile Americans want to see in British characters. Charles comments about a stag party "We didn't think it necessary in this day and age", the assorted idiosyncratic characters like the deaf brother, the misfit Scarlet, etc. all play on our wish that the "cold" Brits are really very human and lovable, but all the while feeding our "romantic" notions of the English as witty (which they are) and quaint. My favorite humorous moment is very throwaway; Grant frustratingly hits his head on a tree, then without missing a beat says, "Oh, hi, hello" to a passing elderly woman at the outdoor reception.