What classics did you see last week ? (21 Oct -27 Oct 2018)

 8/10

 9/10


 6/10

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

6/10

Salome (1953)

4/10

Night Monster (1942)

5/10

American Animals (2018)

6/10

The Hurricane Heist (2018)

3/10

Quiet Place, A (2018)

7/10

Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)

6/10

The Whispering Shadow / Colbert Clark and Albert Herman (1933). A lively and engaging early sound 12-chapter cliffhanger serial from Poverty Row studio Mascot. A mysterious gang leader known only as The Shadow is after the Czar’s Jewels. The Shadow only appears to his gang as a, well, shadow on the wall but he knows everything everyone is doing. Who is The Shadow? There are several likely candidates and no one can act more suspiciously that Bela Lugosi, who is the prime suspect. Silent film action star Malcolm MacGregor is the compact Cagney-like fireplug of a scrapper who does hero duties and appears to be killed at the end of each chapter. The action rarely slows down. This was the last film work for Danish-born Karl Dane (The Big Parade, The Scarlet Letter) whose sad life ended the next year.

Legendary stunt man Yakima Canutt (doubling for Malcolm MacGregor) leaps off a stairway onto one of the Shadow’s henchmen


A car goes off the road on the Mulholland Drive of 1933


The Hidden Hand / Benjamin Stoloff (1942). At an asylum for the criminally insane, an inmate (Milton Parsons) has escaped by slipping into the trunk of a sheriff’s car and letting law enforcement drive him away. Returning to his family’s Old Dark House, he is welcomed by his sister (Cecil Cunningham), a rich lady whose nephews and their wives all covet her fortune. She has a plan to test them and then get rid of them. This combo of horror, murder, and dark comedy put me much in mind of the hijinks that William Castle would get up to two decades later. The young couple we are supposed to root for are played by Craig Stevens (Peter Gunn) and Elizabeth Fraser. There is also Willie Best, doing his usual shtick of slow talking and bulging eyes – yet, he is not only credited but billed fourth behind only Stevens, Fraser, and Julie Bishop.



Seven Keys To Baldpate / Lew Landers (1947). This is about the sixth go-round for this film based on a 1913 play by George M. Cohen which was, in turn, based on a novel from that same year by Earl Derr Biggers. Mystery writer Kenneth Magee (Phillip Terry) has made a bet with the owner of the Baldpate Hotel that he can write a story in 24 hours. The owner has given him a key to the Hotel, closed for the winter, so he can work in peace. When he gets there, though, there is already a sinister looking person in residence and, during the evening more and more people show up. There seems to be something dangerous cooking. Terry’s performance is probably a little too comical in tone but everybody else is perfect. You can also find well known faces like
Eduardo Ciannelli, Margaret Lindsay, Arthur Shields, and Jason Robards, Sr. creeping around the dark interior of the hotel and into secret passageways. Enjoyable, but light as a feather.



The Hunted / Jack Bernhard (1948). This film introduces to me a new woman actor whose movie roles only total five where she wasn’t performing as herself or as an unnamed dancer/ice skater. She went by the single name Belita but was born Maria Belita Jepson-Turner in England. A dancing-ice skating-intellectual prodigy, she represented the U.K. in figure skating at the 1936 Olympics at age 12. I think I love her. “The Hunted” is the third of three noirs she made for Monogram. As the movie opens, Laura Mead (Belita) is returning to Los Angeles on parole after serving four years for robbery. Police Lieutenant Johnny Saxon (Preston Foster) had been her lover until she was accused. Johnny was the one who arrested her and gathered the evidence against her. At her sentencing she had threatened Johnny and her lawyer with death. When Johnny contacts her, she claims to be innocent of the charge but he doesn’t believe her. Eventually, he comes around and starts to trust in her innocence. Then, the lawyer is murdered and the clues point to Laura. Has she been framed or is she a mad killer? I ain’t gonna tell. Excellent film. A little gem that has been restored by Eddie Muller’s Noir Foundation.

Belita and Preston Foster in a posed publicity photo for The Hunted



And now for something completely different: for those who like to spot location shots in classic films and track down what the place looks like today.

The Polar Palace on Van Ess just south of Melrose (613 North Van Ness Avenue) in Los Angeles (current site of the Raleigh Studio campus) in a screen grab from The Hunted


The Polar Palace goes down in flames in 1963 after 35 years at the same spot


Colette / Wash Westmoreland (2018). This biopic of the famous French author is distinguished by a fine performance by Keira Knightley. As a naïve country girl, the woman who grew up to be “Colette” was dazzled by and finally married to the famous author who wrote under the single name “Willie” (Dominic West). But Willie did not do any writing. He was a brand name. He hired other younger writers to turn out magazine stories, essays, and music reviews under the name of Willie. When material ran short, he had his new wife pen some of the stories she had told him of her girlhood. These novels made Willie rich but he frittered away the money as fast as it come to him. He then took to forcing his wife to write, sometimes locking her in a room and not letting her out until a number of pages had been produced. Knightly expertly takes us through Colette’s growing idea of independence and the need for acknowledgment of her achievements. This was a better movie than I thought it would be, thanks to Keira.




SO, WHAT’S ON TV?

Highway Patrol S. 1, Ep. 7 “Desert Town” November 14, 1955. Matthews (Broderick Crawford) stops at a small town cafe to get a bite to eat but is told the stove doesn’t work. Looking around he finds the only other two businesses are also closed. Is something up? It is easy to see why this half-hour police drama was a success and still remembered.



Doctor Who: Classic Era S.17, Ep. 1 “Destiny Of The Daleks” September 1 to September 22, 1979 (4 weekly parts). I really enjoy the current revival series of this BBC classic with its more modern filming methods and larger budgets, but that makes it easy to forget how great the classic series (1963-1989) could be, especially with Tom Baker as The Doctor and a good script. This was, if fact, my first Dalek story, way back in 1983. Even though viewers were expected to know who the Daleks were and though it depends in great measure on a previous adventure, I really had no trouble getting into it. This was also the first story for Lala Ward as the Time Lord Lady, Romana. Quite wonderful.



Doctor Who: New Series S. 11, Ep 3 “Rosa” October 21, 2018. The latest episode of the current season. Jodi Whittaker as The Doctor discovers someone tampering with Time. A bigot criminal from the future is trying to do everything he can to stop Rosa Parks from catching that bus home on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama – the day everything changed.

Vinette Robinson and Jodi Whittaker

I continued with my Horror marathon.

Let's see.
Monday was
THE DEMON - 1963 --a quasi documentary about a demon-possessed girl in Italy.. Or was she possessed? Is it all in her mind? Starring Daliah Lavi--impressive performance. I had seen her in a few things but nothing as dramatic as this. I had heard the Exorcist was likely inspired by this film--and there is some parallel. The desolate-looking Italian mountains reminds one of Iraq--and she has some bed freak outs with cuts appearing on her body. But most of all, she does a spider walk--an extremely creepy sequence.

TALES OF TERROR 1962 -- The first story is kind of a depressing buzzkill--seems like a rapid retelling of House of Usher combined with Ligeia. The middle story with Price and Peter Lorre is my favorite, especially with the wine tasting contest.

CASTLE OF BLOOD 1964--somewhat atmospheric creepy haunted house film which has Edgar Allen Poe involved in someone's bet to spend a night in the house. Remade in 1971. Both films cut a live snake in half. I can't stand that kind of realism.

AN EVENING OF EDGAR ALLEN POE 1970 (watched on the 25th anniversary of Price's death)-- one of the best things Vincent Price ever did IMO--a tour de force acting showcase with him alone (except for some rats) telling 4 Poe tales. Hard to picture many other actors even attempting to do it.

HALLOWEEN 1978 - (watched on the 40th anniversary of its release). I still like it. One has to appreciate how skillful Jamie Lee Curtis' acting is when she is being attacked-especially in the closet. A weaker performance would have drastically undercut the effectiveness of such a sequence. I do feel that Carpenter made a blunder by showing the child's face at the start and removing the mask at the end. Would have been better to have the kid facing the house and backing up from him with the knife in hand. Especially since Dr Loomis is so detailed in describing the child's face as devil-like.

THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD 1971 - "I am afraid I do not patronize the kinema." A great collection of spooky stories with Cushing, Lee, and others. I have the dvd and try to watch it every year or so.
"That's what's wrong with the present day horror films. There's no realism. Not like the old ones, the great ones. Frankenstein. Phantom of the Opera. Dracula - the one with Bela Lugosi of course, not this new fellow."

THE MONSTER SQUAD 1987 -- Been decades since I watched it even though I remember it well. The story is ok, sentimental to extremes but I was sucked in, however the highlight is the monsters themselves. I think if the cast had been adults with a little more finesse like FRIGHT NIGHT it would be better remembered. Some of the 80s lingo really dates it.

More Horror Movies, October Halloween Celebrations Continue...

hitchcockthelegend

Well, Inside (2007) was the bloodiest, goriest, most shocking and surprising horror movie I'd seen in awhile. I had heard about it for some time, and it does NOT hold back anything, whoa! The remake was pretty tame in comparison. Nice twist at the end, which they completely avoided in the remake.

The Uninvited (1944) was another movie I'd heard about for some time. It was a glossy ghost story with atmosphere galore, it really pioneered the moody ghost story movie, we owe it a lot.

THE DEVIL’S CROWN (1978) "Before Dark" 40TH ANNIVERSARY this year. The conclusion of Henry II, as he deals with the deaths and betrayals of his children (one of them Kevin McNally, who was also shared a similar Imperial son fate in I, CLAUDIUS; at least here his last vision of life isn't Patrick Stewart groping his wife's breast). YouTube

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1978) “Frank Zappa” 40TH ANNIVERSARY From what I've read, Zappa joined the rank of Louise Lasser and Milton Berle in worst hosts of the original seasons. Universal DVD

INSPECTOR GADGET (1983) “Arabian Nights, Clear Case, The Great Divide, Eyes of the Dragon” 35TH ANNIVERSARY

CHARMED (1998) “Thank You For Not Morphing” 20TH ANNIVERSARY The first appearance of Brian Kruase's Leo, as well as the first appearance of the sisters' father Victor (Tony Denison, although James Read will play him for the remainder of the series). It was watching the climax of the episode on syndication that led to a more serious viewing of the series. Paramount DVD.

TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN (1977) 200TH FRANKENSTEIN ANNIVERSARY Initially planned as a documentary, this Swiss-Irish production became the first attempt to faithfully adapt the novel (although it omits the part of the Monster setting up Justine Mortiz to her wrongful fate). GeniusEntertainment DVD

SUPERMAN (1988) “Play it Up/The Circus” 30TH ANNIVERSARY The Prankster runs foul at baseball. Warner DVD

WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1978) “Part Five” 40TH ANNIVERSARY The Real conclusion of the Emily Bronte novel. BBC VIDEO DVD

JANE EYRE (1983) “Episode Three” 35TH ANNIVERSARY Jane goes to Thornfield Hall and meets her employer Mr. Rochester. BBC VIDEO DVD

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 “Mitchell” 25TH ANNIVERSARY And with that, Joel Hodgson ends his role as host of the series (with the first appearance of successor Mike Nelson). I remember watching this episode on its premiere 25 years ago, saying a goodbye to Joel during the closing credits. I never really warmed to Mike (although I did like several of his episodes like SANTA CLAUS), so I conclude my anniversary watching of the Fifth Season. Shout Factory DVD.

FRANKENSTEIN THE TRUE STORY (1974) “Part Two” The story adds liberties to its 'true story' with James Mason's Polidori blackmailing Victor into help creating a new woman (Jane Seymour) much to the consternation of the creature (Michael Sarrazin) and Elizabeth (Nicola Pagett). Missed much of this part on my original viewing on Cinemax 1989, watching it later on the SciFi Channel in 1995 filled me on spots I felt confusion earlier (Like why the Creature decapitates a woman for no reason). Guest Star John Gielgud would later play the Blind Man in the 1984 Carrie Fisher version (no, she doesn't play doctor or creation, that went to Robert Powell and David Warner). I got fed up with my defective DVD that I ordered a new one. Universal DVD.

THE CLEOPATRAS (1983) “Episode Five” 35th ANNIVERSARY This Year. The BBC TV Serial reaches its turning point; the story's focal character Princess Cleopatra (Michelle Newell), who was informed about her ancestors in the previous episodes, finally enters the story (as well as first appearances of Robert Hardy's Caesar and Christopher Neame's Antony). Youtube.

THE LOST BOYS (1978) “An Awfully Big Adventure” 40TH ANNIVERSARY. Further tragedies attack Barrie and the Davies Boys. a rather different course for anyone who thought FINDING NEVERLAND led to happier things for the cast, especially Peter (Uh...No). A sad parallel is that Andrew Birkin, who wrote the serial (and wrote a history about Barrie and the Davies) would lose his son to an accident. Koch Entertainment DVD

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) 200TH FRANKENSTEIN ANNIVERSARY. Aside from SPACEBALLS, this is my Favorite Mel Brooks movie. My mother rented the film for me back in 1989, I loved it, and when the film came to Cinemax (where I was introduced to REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN and FRANKENSTEIN THE TRUE STORY), I tried to find any chance to see it (it was my awaiting one of these broadcasts on the clock that made me discover that an hour was sixty minutes). I videotaped one of these broadcasts, and I wouldn't get an official version until this FoxVideo BluRay last year.

THE CAESARS (1968) "Claudius" 50TH ANNIVERSARY. Ralph Bates' Caligula continues his depravity (I forgot to note that last episode had Bates kissing a man, a taboo back in the day), but it appears enough is enough. John Paul, who plays Caligula's assassin Cassius Chaarea, would later play Caligula's grandfather Agrippa in I, CLAUDIUS. Network PAL DVD.

SHOULDER ARMS (1918) 100TH ANNIVERSARY This Month. Chaplin's WW1 Comedy, released a month before the war's end (Chaplin disguising himself as a Toothbrush-mustachioed German officer is rather ironic). First saw this on a rental of THE CHAPLIN REVUE. It was this version of which I viewed the Centennial Anniversary a week after its actual release (I thought IMDb had the correct date. Nuts.). KeyVideo VHS.

BORUTO: NEXT GENERATION (2017) "The Mysterious Transfer Student". I admit omitting my viewing of two previous episodes ("Metal Lee Goes Wild" and "A Ninjitsu Battle of the Sexes") on the previous Saturdays on Cartoon Network.

DRAGON BALL SUPER (2017) "The Universes Go Into Action- Each With Their Motives." English Premiere on Cartoon Network Saturday Night.

Pyewacket, what you think? I liked it, but I do like a slow burn approach to horror films so that helps. Thought the lead actress, Nicole Muñoz, was very assured.

I liked it better than the average horror/thriller offering, which are often forgettable these days. I might see it again someday.

Was the ending supposed to be a shock revelation? If so I suspect most viewers were ahead of the plot.

Personal Shopper from this week was another slow supernatural thriller from the art-film end of the spectrum.