don-355 Reviews

Fangs of the Living Dead (1969)

A relic from a forgotten part of the drive-in theater era

[4/10 · 23 January 2006]

Worthwhile as a drive-in theater relic only. You can also find "Fangs of the Living Dead" included on a horror/zombie compilation for about $9. I forget the name of the compilation, but I've seen it recently at several Sam Goody and SunCoast video stores in the New York metropolitan area. It's either in the bargain bin or the horror section. A clerk could probably find it for you. Of note to extreme trivia fans, the flick was included on a triple feature with "Revenge of the Living Dead" and "Curse of The Living Dead" that played mostly the drive-in theater circuit around August of 1973. During this period, you found many of these euro-trash horror pictures, i.e. She Beast, Terror Creatures from the Grave, Terror in the Wax Museum, Devil's Nightmare, etc. etc. either at the bottom of triple bills playing at drive-ins or packaged together on a triple-bill. The promoters likely acted on the thought that people would not pay to see a single bad movie with the usual badly-synchronized English dubbing. The media promotion for the triple zombie feature involved a man in a strait jacket who allegedly went insane upon sitting through the "triple avalanche of grisly horror!" "Can you survive this orgy of the living dead!" The television ad can be found on various Something Weird video compilations. I still have a fading yellow original Big Sky drive-in theater ad that appeared in a Madison, Wisconsin newspaper as part of my movie advertisement collection saved from childhood.

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

You could not find a more entertaining film -- anywhere

[10/10 · 25 April 2005]

I feel like I do not need to see another fight or action scene in a movie ever again. Nothing could top this! Not the Matrix, not Star Wars, not Spielberg not even the most expensive Hollywood "block buster." But there's a BIG difference in the originality, creativity and subliminal nature of this action in a story with lots of heart and humanity at its center. I am amazed "Kung Fu Hustle" didn't do better on its opening weekend in wide syndication in the U.S. It took fifth place, even behind new Ashton Kutchner dribble. But I think word-of-mouth will build and this one will be around for awhile in theaters. People will eventually get over going to a subtitled Asian film to recognize they could not find a more entertaining movie -- anywhere. There are scenes, jaw-dropping and breathtaking in their sheer magnificence. They build and build and build until a majestic climax. I saw this in a theater in Queens, N.Y. where the crowd laughed throughout and stood up and applauded at the end. I am also shocked at the R-rating. Beyond a few bloody scenes, mostly at the beginning, there is nothing at all to offend the kids. Most of the violence is cartoonish, fun and with a few exceptions no one actually gets hurt. They could edit out the few lessor violent scenes in order to expose this to a wider audience, especially kids who should open their mind to the real potential of film beyond the stale, clichéd, forgettable Hollywood tripe sure to infiltrate the multiplexes this summer.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Sure to be a contender for the Academy's Best Picture of the Year

[16 December 2004]

Saw "Million Dollar Baby" in Manhattan last night. Clint Eastwood, one of the all-time most famous actors -- and directors -- has more than enough money where he could choose to pull the strings on block-buster, mindless action pictures, ala Jerry Bruckheimer, or comic books. Or, hell, in his twilight years he could just lay back and enjoy his millions. But no. He has chosen instead to make quieter, lower-budget, heart-felt, character driven films like "The Unforgiven" "True Crime" "Mystic River" and now Million Dollar Baby. And the world is a better place for it. Eastwood uses his multiple talents to make films that have something valuable to say. In the emotionally powerful, Million Dollar Baby, he tells an allegorical tale of boxing to subtly express themes of hope, redemption, sacrifice, persistence, and belief in one's self. The movie emphasizes that failure is a more honorable and personally fulfilling trait than never having tried, while also frowning upon laziness and leeching off others. But see the movie and judge for yourself. I personally consider great films as the ones where I leave the theater with a better understanding of human nature, or a desire to improve the world by even a little bit. Eastwood's latest more than succeeds on those counts.

The Polar Express (2004)

The greatest movie of any holiday season

[30 November 2004]

Instead of giving a retread of the story, I will give the impression left by this remarkable achievement. This movie and the animation has a haunting, magical wondrous quality, the stuff of dreams. Even the music is memorably haunting. At least two of the original compositions, the Josh Groban-sung tune and "When Christmas Comes to Town" are as good if not better than any of those overplayed Christmas classics you hear on the radio during the Xmas season. Yes, sections of the film are on the dark side and, based on some of the other reviews, has scared a few young viewers. But this "dark aspect" is true of all family classics, such as The Wizard of Oz, the Disney animated films, i.e. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, etc.

Like life itself, classic literature and film chooses not to be all fluff and happiness. And like life itself, the darkness is necessary to ultimately support the overriding positive themes. The Polar Express' powerful, overwhelming sense of wonder forces adults to recognize what they have sorrily missed since childhood. Children will be left awe-struck, their imagination left stretched to unlimited bounds. The message of the film: the importance of retaining throughout our lives the hope, belief and optimism once sensed at childhood -- even after it all has worn away upon having moved into cynical adulthood --hauntingly lingers long after leaving the theater. These kinds of powerful impressions can only be accomplished by the greatest of movies. To add to the magic, see, as I did, the IMAX version.