What classics did you see last week ? (30 Sep- 6 Oct 2018)

Yet another week of a mix, some good and some bad:


Style is there, thrills are there, but the ending was a letdown.


Very entertaining feel-good movie, and I don't even like Led Zepelin!!


Enterrtaining French swashbuckling


3:d installment, not bad but budget cuts are too obvios


Not bad, tries hard, but never finds it's right hangle. Great cast though.


Some movies just works


Just under 20 minutes short, for anyone who loves Nat King Cole this is Gold, even if the weak storyline is very simplified.

Murder On A Honeymoon / Lloyd Corrigan (1935). Between 1932 and 1947, RKO released six films based on the novels of mystery writer Stuart Palmer and his series character, retired school teacher Hildegarde Withers. The great Edna Mae Oliver played Withers in the first three. James Gleason appeared as police detective Oscar Piper in all six. This is the final appearance of Oliver as Hildegarde. Based on one of Palmer’s novels, we get a solid Golden Age murder puzzle that passes suspicion from one person to the next. Withers finds herself on a small airplane with five other people and a two man crew on its way to Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles. On board is a talkative bore who everyone tries to ignore. When the plane lands, and everyone deplanes, the bore is dead. When the murdered man turns out to have been a valuable witness in an organized crime case, Piper hurries across the country to help and to trade insults with Oliver’s sarcastically droll amateur sleuth. Later in 1935, Edna Mae Oliver triumphed in one of her signature roles, that of Miss Pross in “A Tale Of Two Cities.”



Footsteps In The Dark / Lloyd Bacon (1941). Errol Flynn plays investment banker Francis Warren who secretly writes mystery novels under the name F.X. Pettijohn, in this comedy murder mystery. No one but Warren’s chauffeur (Allan Jenkins) knows that he is Pettijohn. Eventually, of course, he gets mixed up in a real life murder and decides to solve it himself to show up his buddies on the police force (Alan Hale and William Frawley). Because this requires him to stay out late and spend money on a burlesque queen (Lee Patrick), his wife Rita (Brenda Marshall) and her rich dowager mother (Lucile Watson) become convinced he is cheating. This combo of murder, comic romantic misunderstandings, and farcical dashing about mostly works although the film’s longish run time of about 1:40 requires a little padding. A change of pace for Flynn. He seems to be having a good time in it. Based on a play; actually two plays.



Quiet Please, Murder / John Francis Larkin (1942). George Sanders essays another one of his urbane and witty villains as Jim Fleg. In the opening scene, he calmly discusses a rare book (Richard Burbage’s personal copy of “Hamlet”) with a public library guard before shooting the man to death and stealing the book. Later, he forges several copies of the book to sell as the real thing to collectors who don’t mind receiving stolen goods. He works with his partner, Myra (Gail Patrick) who he greats with bons mots like “How many butterflies have you tortured since lunch.” They run into trouble when Myra sells a fake to a representative of Nazi Germany (Sidney Blackmer). They want their money back – or else! At the same time, another victim of their scam has hired private detective Hal McByrne (Richard Denning), a hard-boiled, fast-talking type who knows the lingo (“Look beautiful, you’re on the well known spot so pull your ears in”) and who has traced the forgery back to Myra. The second half of this thriller returns to the same public library where everyone is on hand to knock each other off and Fleg is using the opportunity for another rare book snatch. The ending is pretty cynical but this is mostly a fun romp. I enjoy movies with scenes in libraries mainly because I retired after a 40 year career as a librarian, 30 of them in customer service and administration of public libraries. I usually have to endure some librarian stereotypes in movies. In “Quiet Please” the head of the reference room is played by Byron Foulger, so you know how that is going to go. But there is also a bright and pleasant library worker played by Lynne Roberts (see also the next movie) who gives Denning a run-down of the Dewey Decimal System and is resourceful during the hostage situation. She’s more like it.



Madonna Of The Desert / George Blair (1948). The first title card says that this is a production of The Hollywood Television Service, but it was not a made-for, well, not exactly. Not at this date. The Hollywood Television Service was a unit of Republic Pictures whose job was to produce theatrical films of just under one hour in length (“Madonna” runs 59:46) and to edit existing programmers, especially westerns, down to that length to accommodate the growing TV market which had left networks and local stations desperate for content. That said, “Madonna Of The Desert” is an interesting, well acted, and sometimes even moving story of crime, redemption, and sentimental religion. Criminal con-man Nick Julian (Sheldon Leonard) reads a magazine story about a small statue owned by a California farmer (Don Castle) in a remote town. The article also reports that some believe it to date back to the middle ages and be very valuable. Nick enlists a sometimes partner in crime, a tough as nails dame named Monica Dale (Lynne Roberts), to seduce the farmer and switch out the stature for a plaster fake. Monica is well on her way to succeeding when she experiences what looks like a miracle from the Madonna. Slowly, she begins to question her way of life, but Nick is waiting nearby and expects results. Also featuring Don “Red” Berry as a rival thief. You will not have wasted your time by watching this.

30 Years this week I got my first Movie book. Gary Poole’s MOVIE MONSTERS, a Scholastic book from an Elementary book sale. I was already interested in the macabre via THE MONSTER SQUAD and COUNT DUCKULA, but this book (as well as the Crestwood Movie Monster book series in my library) changed everything and soon led to my interest in Classic Hollywood.

THE DEVIL’S CROWN (1978) “If All The World Was Mine” 40TH ANNIVERSARY this year. BBC TV Serial about the Plantagenets, beginning with Henry II (Brian Cox) courting, marrying (and cheating on) Eleanor of Aquitane (Jane Lapotoire). Knew this Serial only in info for a bit, even got the Novelization THE WARRIOR KINGS. Then Youtube showed a French-titled version with English Audio. It is this media that I am watching the production.

SIR ARTHUR CANON DOYLE’S SHERLOCK HOLMES (1965) “The Hound of the Baskervilles Part One” 50TH ANNIVERSARY. Peter Cushing did two versions of Doyle Novel. This one is a more faithful version (No Tarantula, No femme fatale) shot on Location. This was my first PAL DVD. However, in this case, I am watching it via A&E NTSC DVD.

INSPECTOR GADGET (1983) “Volcano Island (Gadget Goes Hawaiian)”, “The Invasion”, “The Infiltration”, The Curse of the Pharoah (Poot-Ta-Foot’s Curse). 50TH ANNIVERSARY. Speaking of Penny’s VA…

A STUDY IN TERROR (1965) September 30 marks the 130th Anniversary of the Jack the Ripper murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes. On that day I watched the first Sherlock Holmes film dealing with the case (if one ignores WOMAN IN GREEN) with John Neville and Donald Houston as the duo with Anthony Quayle and Frank Finlay (their first Sherlock-Jack film) and a young Judi Dench. The American poster of this UK import cashed-into the Batmania craze, with the tagline “The Original Caped Crusader is Back” and Sound Effects studding the scene (anyone care to post a picture?). There was also an Ellery Queen novelization that covered the case (from Watson’s secret notes) with different results. Columbia Archives DVD.

GREAT BOOKS (1993) “La Morte d’ Arthur” 25TH ANNIVERSARY this month. The first episode of the Donald Sutherland documentary series dealing with Classical Literature. The opener is on Sir Thomas Malory’s Chivalric novel on King Arthur, with interviews from archaeologists, artists, and armor makers. A scene from the cleaned-up Laserdisc of MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (a major Laserdisc release that year) makes an appearance. The Learning Channel VHS.

SUPERMAN (1988) “By the Skin of the Dragon’s Teeth/At the Babysitters” 30TH ANNIVERSARY. Warner DVD.

FRIENDS (1998) “The One With All The Kissing” 20TH ANNIVERSARY. Netflix.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1978) “Episode Two” 40TH ANNIVERSARY The break-up of Catherine and Heathcliff is covered, with the latter wanting revenge. Watching David Robb play Catherine’s long-suffering husband Edgar Linton reminds me of his own marriage (his wife had a long struggle with anorexia that led to her recent suicide). BBC PAL DVD.

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957) 200TH FRANKENSTEIN ANNIVERSARY This year marks the Bicentennial of the Publication of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel, so I decided for October to watch the Frankenstein films in my library. First is the influential Hammer adaptation that made stars out of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee and set the record right of who Frankenstein is (the Hammer series is about the Creator, not the Monster...oh, excuse me, Creature; Universal Studios copyright). Warner DVD.

COUNT DUCKULA (1988) “No Sax Please, I’m an Egyptian,” “Vampire Vacation” This was another favorite of my childhood back in early 1988 (I don’t care what IMDb or Wikipedia says; this did not premiere in September 1988. My first-ever VHS recording was an episode of this series in June 1988!). Introduced me to the Thames Television OP. I remember doodling Castle Duckula and its residents at Elementary (I always liked the background drawings of the castle). Even as a kid, I noticed similarities with its source series DANGER MOUSE (The first episode, set in Egypt, shares that previous series’ confusion jokes about Anubis/Nudist and the gender identity of a Mummy). Capital Entertainment DVD.

LITTLE WOMEN (1978) 40TH ANNIVERSARY. Laurie Partridge, Q, Elyse Keaton, Jan Brady, Jim Anderson, Mrs. Miniver, and Captain Kirk...in the same show!? Yessir, or more accurately their actors in this 2-part NBC Miniseries of the Alcott novel, which led to a short-lived TV Series. First got this production on DVD for Christmas 2007. Whenever I am in a LITTLE WOMEN mood, I would watch this show. Koch Vision DVD.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN (2011) “Storage” Viz Media DVD.

THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1958) 200TH FRANKENSTEIN ANNIVERSARY (as well as 60TH ANNIVERSARY this year). Direct Sequel to CURSE, set at the end of that film, and probably one of the first Horror films with a trick ending. First saw this on Cinemax in Spring 1989 (part of a marathon of Frank: GOTHIC, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, and FRANKENSTEIN THE TRUE STORY). Last saw it back-to-back with CURSE on Halloween 2007. Columbia Tri-Star DVD.

THE CLEOPATRAS (1983) “Episode Two” 35TH ANNIVERSARY this year. Today’s episode deals with the resolution of last episode’s civil war between Mother, daughter, and their husband (Mom’s brother) with a subplot on another daughter Cleopatra Thea (Caroline Mortimer), and her struggle to maintain control as Queen of Syria with disastrous consequences. YouTube.

THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (1964) 200TH FRANKENSTEIN ANNIVERSARY. The third of the Hammer Frankenstein series, with many attributes from the Universal Series (A monster designed after Jack Pierce, a Strickfadden Laboratory, the mob, etc.). Universal DVD.

THE CAESARS (1968) “Tiberius” 50TH ANNIVERSARY The third episode deals with the struggle of power between Tiberius and his heir Germanicus, culminating in the latter’s death. Network DVD.

A DIFFERENT WORLD (1988) “Dr. War is Hell” 30TH ANNIVERSARY. Cree Summer is known for many voices (INSPECTOR GADGET, TINY TOON ADVENTURES, RUGRATS, BATMAN BEYOND), but her best-known performance in person is as free-spirit Freddie in this NBC sitcom set in an African-American College. Her debut is the second-season opener. Originally a COSBY SHOW spinoff for Lisa Bonet’s Denise Huxtable, the actress’ pregnancy led to her departure after one season, meaning a change in position (Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy are moved up to the leads, with Daryl Bell and Sinbad getting increased roles) and new characters from Glynn Turman, Charlene Brown, and Summer which will be the status quo for the remainder of the series (plus a new OP from the late Aretha Franklin). This is from a TV One Channel VHS recording.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1998) “Dead Man’s Party” 20TH ANNIVERSARY Buffy returns to Sunnydale and deals with the consequences of her actions via her betrayed friends. Rather fond of this episode and its one-liners (“It hates the room, Mom. It wants the room to suffer.”/”Like my mask? Isn’t it pretty? It raises the Dead! Americans…”/”Put yourself in her shoes…” “Cordy! Get off my shoes!”). Fox Video DVD.

PYGMALION (1938) 80TH ANNIVERSARY. First film production of George Bernard Shaw’s play (which would be musicalized into MY FAIR LADY). I saw LADY first, and then saw clips of this film on a Play-documentary series (hosted by Maya Angelou) which revealed to me the original ending! Then I saw the full film at my Academic Sports League class. Janus Films DVD.

DRAGON BALL SUPER (2017) “Goku Must Pay! The Warrior of Justice Top Barges In!” English Premiere on Cartoon Network.

@juliekohler

Julie - Do you have any comments about The Children Act? I saw it reviewed on the Ebert site and at once put in on my Nexflix queue. I have been head over heels for Emma Thompson since way back in '93 and Much Ado About Nothing. Love her in everything I have seen.

So my Halloween viewing is in full swing.


First was
SCREAM OF FEAR 1960 -- I think the Hammer suspense films blur together since Jimmy Sangster was the writer for most of them and they do tend to have a certain formula (although I don't think of it while watching). When you compare this to say, THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE, the idea of a neurotic central character with a disability who is under threat is played up--but then they twist your expectations completely. Yet I can hardly remember this film after I watch it, despite some creepifying scenes. A problem I have with it is that the characterization is based on a trick which I am not sure is entirely convincing (someone pretending to be someone else-even when they are being frightened).
As suspense films go, I think Paranoiac is more memorable in story as a Psycho clone.

A BLACK VEIL FOR LISA 1968 - John Mills is a police official with a wife who was involved in some criminal scandal and he is obsessed with her cheating on him. There is a murderer running around killing off criminals. Interesting although more a crime film than horror.

THE MUMMY 1932 - well I finally watched this. How many decades it took...My verdict is that Karl Freund should have directed Dracula-it would have been a more interesting affair although David Manners is still bland.


CAT PEOPLE 1942 - Another one I finally got around to watching. Surprised to see Jane Randolph in this (and the most important jump scare) as I only knew her from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Looks like I need to check out the sequel too.


TARGETS 1968 - One of my favorites--a compelling study of a serial killer superbly played by Tim O "Kelly who was Matt Damon before Matt Damon. Karloff is obviously great in a role loosely based on himself.

Hi all,this week I got into the Halloween season:

The Babysitter (2017) 7



Filmed in 2015 but left sitting on the shelf for years, the delay actually now works to the advantage of the movie, due to it now joining the run of Horrors inspired by 1980's flicks. Finding a genre where his flashy styling actually fits, director McG & cinematographer Shane Hurlbut charge up a bubblegum Power-Pop atmosphere of gliding shots round Cole's house, and covering the screen in candy colour yellows, pinks and reds that gives the satanic cult an animated baddies appearance. Cutting away Bee's cuteness, McG is surprisingly giddy in going full-on for the splatter, which is wonderfully slanted towards the comedic, as the home alone kid Cole creates explosive plans to get the gang out of the house.

Keeping Bee's devilish plans out of sight for the opening 30 minutes, the screenplay by Brian Duffield (whose films all have a woman as the lead) sweetly builds the puppy love Cole has for Bee. Stabbing Cole's romance dreams out, Duffield gives Bee and each of her pals a punky bite, springing from high school cheerleader drama queen Allison and psychotic jock Max, to the one-line spitting, shot-gun welding Bee. Catching Cole (and the viewers) eyes, sexy Samara Weaving gives a delicious performance as Bee, whose cheerful, happy go lucky look Weaving hilariously turns into a blood-thirsty psycho. Starring in fellow 80's Horror tribute Summer of 84 (2018), Judah Lewis gives a very good turning in expressing the innocent love Cole has for Bee,which Lewis twists into jumpy fear, as Cole tries to run away from the babysitter.

Bairokêshon (2013) 8




Gathering Takamura round the table with the other victims of Bilocations ( lookalike ghosts), writer/director Mari Asato & cinematographer Yûta Tsukinaga take the most lingering elements of J-Horror, (long takes of blurred, ghostly figures walking in the background, ghosts fading into black smoke) and gives them an eerie sting, stuck by symmetrical shots of the victims (unknowingly) being in step with their Bilocations a floor below,and the use of mirrors to catch reflections drilling the anxiety of the blurred double getting nearer. Allowing the ghosts to take on a partly solid form,Asato uses the outbreak of short,sharp,shock moments of violence from the Bilocations to their real versions to pull open the wounds of misery of the people who are haunted live.

Mirroring Haruka Hôjô's novel is his adaptation, Asato threads Takamura's discovery of the Bilocation with a cerebral Sci-Fi edge, held by the ghost/Bilocation invading/ subtly seeping in to infect and gain control of the victims family, and the "support" group Takamura attends being a shadowy secret society. Piecing together Takamura's fight to peel off her Bilocation in the first hour, Asato brilliantly opens up left-field revelations in the final hour, that chillingly alter the perspective of what has gone before. After making it clear how all in the group must use mirrors to recognise the ghosts,Asato gets to the twists by sadly taking a mis-step and having everyone randomly forget this established rule at a crucial moment. Haunted by this new embodiment, Asami Mizukawa gives an outstanding performance of layering Takamura in gradual alterations which make the twists spark when Takamura faces her Bilocation.

The Phantom (1931) 4



Spanning just 61 minutes, the screenplay by writer/director Alan James avoids the plodding mood other low-rent movies from the era have by keeping the mystery moving at a snappy pace, as occasional appearances from The Phantom pulls more guests to the old dark house. Pre-dating Scobby Doo with the silly unmasking of The Phantom,James also offers up some risqué Pre-Code asides in the exchanges of the house guests. Staying firmly stage-bound for this early talkie, James & cinematographer Jack Draper give the Old Dark House a nice creepy, creaking appearance, which stretches with the very melodramatic performances of the cast in search of The Phantom.



Shut In (2015) 5

In the opening set-up, writers David White & T.J. Cimfel hint at the minimalist menace that Mike Flanagan would bring to the Home Invasion genre with the nail-biting horror Hush (2016),with the writers offering POV glimpses into Anna's agoraphobia, and keeping the thieves nameless and threatening. Giving the non-wealthy Anna countless panic rooms/pre-made traps, the writers quickly take the movie off the boil, by giving Anna the advantage early on,and making the robbers look like pushovers.

Unlocking Anna's past, the writers aim to give a depth to the reasoning behind Anna's revenge attacks, (filmed with blood and camera moves seeping across the house by editor/director Adam Schindler and cinematographer Eric Leach) which instead cuts the film with an ill-fitting mean atmosphere, due to the change of Anna from innocent to an unlikeable avenger being given no time to subtly build-up. Entering with "creep" stamped on his forehead, Rory Culkin gives a slithering performance as invader Dan Cooper, whilst Beth Riesgraf cuts Anna with a merciless, frosty edge to take on the intruders.

2018 October Horror Challenge


Running Totals - First Time Views 7 - Revisits 5



1. Trilogy of Terror (1975) - Revisit - 8/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt0073820/reference

2. The Mummy's Hand (1940) - FTV - 6/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt0032818/reference

3. They Came from Beyond Space (1967) - FTV - 3/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt0062360/reference

4. The Thing (2011) - Revisit - 7/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt0905372/reference

5. Jaws (1975) - Revisit - 10/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/reference

6. Piranha Part Two: The Spawning (1981) - FTV - 3/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt0082910/reference

7. The Last Key (2018) - FTV - 5/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt5726086/reference

8. Cult of Chucky (2017) - FTV - 7/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt3280262/reference

9. Screamers (1995) - FTV - 6/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt0114367/reference

10. The Cabin in the Woods (2012) - Revisit - 7/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt1259521/reference

11. Revenge of the Creature (1955) - FTV - 6/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt0048554/reference

12. Piranha 3D (2010) - Revisit - 7/10 - www.imdb.com/title/tt0464154/reference

October is Horror Month for me, so here we go...

No, I haven't read the book.