What classics did you see last week ? (21 Apr - 27 Apr 2019)

The Enchanted Cottage (1945) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0037671/reference

You're driftwood, floating underwater.

The Enchanted Cottage is directed by John Cromwell and adapted to the screen by Herman Mankiewicz and DeWItt Bodeen from the play of the same name by Arthur Wing Pinero. It stars Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young, Herbert Marshall and Mildred Natwick. Music is by Roy Webb and cinematography by Ted Tetzlaff.

Once a play it had been adapted to the silent screen previously in 1924, latterly it would also be adapted to radio plays and remade on the big screen in 2016. Pinero's literate leanings for message fantastical is ripe for transference to the visual form, and thus with a slight itch about moral standpoints, this filmic version is a pure heart warming delight.

Story finds McGuire as a homely house maid type and Young as a disfigured and disabled GI, who meet at the cottage where McGuire works and in spite of their perceived ugliness see only beauty in each other. Could the romantic spirit of the cottage really make them see what others do not?

Lets get over that itch to scratch first and foremost. Without doubt this is morally dubious when McGuire's character is believed to have a self-conscious handicap because she's dowdy? Really? Of course the daft irony is no matter how they dress her - clothes and hair - or how they light her (Tetzlaff does great work in this), McGuire is still beautiful. So you have to forgive this out dated piece of nonsense. That aside though...

The story sells itself, pure of heart in pitching two people on a course of love, all set to a dreamy back drop of the quaint cottage which appears to have a magical glow to it. As the romantic majesty of Webb's musical score floats elegantly over the tale, we are given a story that's fantastical to the point where it could have ended up as a Twilight Zone episode later on down the line - which is definitely meant as a high compliment.

This is escapist beauty, a pic for those who have ever loved, or in search of love, lost love and etc, but mainly for those who don't quite have the hope for human company to lift the spirits, those who feel for whatever reason they don't fit in society. This is wistful magic that's superbly performed by the four principal actors, each guided with skilled hands by Cromwell (The Prisoner of Zenda). Enchanting is in the title and that's exactly what this film is, so get in the right frame of mind and fall under its spell. 9/10

The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0053925/reference

Fissures of concrete and of the mind... 

Phillip Winthrop has been searching for his missing fiancée, Madeline Usher. Tracking her down to the Usher family castle, he finds that Madeline is held strangely under the spell of her brother Roderick. The house itself also seems to be laden heavy with a mystical sense of dread and impending death. Can Phillip persuade Madeline to leave this crumbling abode? will he himself be at the mercy of Roderick and the Usher curse?

Filmed in glorious CinemaScope with vivid colour photography from Floyd Crosby, based on a story from dark master writer Edgar Allen Poe, boasting Vincent Price in the lead role, and directed by Roger Corman with a budget worthy of his vision, House Of Usher (The Fall Of) is a highly eerie Gothic piece of work.

Delightfully weird, the film covers a myriad of things to unease the watching public, curses, incest, burial alive, paranoia and sadistic intentions all sit together with Corman and Richard Matheson's Gothic leanings. In fact a huge amount of credit for the pic's subsequent success at the box office must go to Matheson, who took Poe's skeleton story and cloaked it with the previous mentioned strands to fully flesh out the piece.

On the surface the picture probably shouldn't have worked, basically it's just four characters moping around talking grimly and waiting for the inevitable, but it's the house itself that is the story's major player. Corman utilising his widescreen trait to make the house disjointed and creepy in every frame, with the use of sounds also helping to keep the pervading sense of doom a very real threat - the house does in fact become the monster of the piece.

All is not well in the House Of Usher, I hope you feel it as well. Amen. 8/10

Waterworld (1995) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0114898/reference

You're a fool to believe in something you've never seen. 

Waterworld is directed by Kevin Reynolds and jointly written by David Twohy, Peter Rader and Joss Whedon. It stars Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino, Michael Jeter and Gerard Murphy. Music is scored by James Newton Howard and cinematography by Dean Semler.

It's the future and the polar ice caps have melted and the Earth is practically covered by the sea. As civilisation is forced to live on the water, their only hope is to one day find the fabled place known as Dryland. A Mariner drifter may hold the key to Dryland's whereabouts...

It was by definition a troubled shoot, with sackings, difference of opinions, cost overruns, production set backs (hurricane destroying a hugely expensive set) and bad word of mouth generated by a film press intent on giving Kevin Costner a good kicking. Facts are, now that all the water has evaporated over the years, Waterworld is neither the flop or the bad film that many believed it to be. Should it be a better movie considering the gargantuan amounts of cash spent on it? Absolutely, without question! But Waterworld turned a decent profit in spite of its problems and mixed reviews, and now it firmly has a fan base willing to love it for the great sci-fi escapism that it is. Now readily available in 3 cuts (Theatrical, TV Edit and Ulysses), you can sample each to find the pros and cons of home format film tampering.

Even in its theatrical form the film is still a rollicking water based adventure, full of spectacular stunts (oh my those jet-skis rock), amazing sets (whoosh, the sci-fi grandeur of the floating atoll) and blood pumping scenes (the eerie journey and subsequent revelation of a city under water). Sure it's far from flawless as the pace is uneven at times and as plot narratives go it's pretty thin, but Reynolds and Costner have crafted an impressive world submerged by water. The cast, too, are delivering knowing performances. Costner's Mariner is indeed one note, unsympathetic and moody, this guy is a loner and a mutation after all, his sombre persona neatly playing against Hopper's cartoonish, satirical and maniacal villain. Tripplehorn (a porn star name if ever there was one!) beautifully shines in a film populated predominantly by males (there's another flaw for you), Michael Jeter scores favourably as a highly strung elder, while young Majorino is suitably winsome, neatly playing it as a device to mellow the Mariner's cold fishy heart. Take that and fill it out with the detail of the definitive cut (Ulysses) which showcases Reynolds' vision and it's fan nirvana all around.

If it was meant to be a serious picture in the first place, a sermon on topical destroying of the Earth, then it fails a touch because the characterisations are bound by cliché manacles. Yet collectively the inhabitants of this Waterworld share a common goal of survival, played out to the backdrop of Reynolds' excellent futuristic setting. When thrust together to make a good versus evil action movie, the characterisations work handsomely within that framework. That is ultimately the best way to enjoy Waterworld, let it wash over you (hrr hrr hrr) in a wave (hrr, OK I'll stop now) of water based action and heroics. It's a world where soil is currency and smoking is a marker for being a bad guy. From the opening shot of the Universal World logo becoming submerged in water, to the bittersweet finale, yes! Waterworld is indeed escapism in its purest cinematic form and becomes a high definition must in the process. 8/10

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0111161/reference

Some birds aren't meant to be caged. 

The Shawshank Redemption is written and directed by Frank Darabont. It is an adaptation of the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. Starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, the film portrays the story of Andy Dufresne (Robbins), a banker who is sentenced to two life sentences at Shawshank State Prison for apparently murdering his wife and her lover. Andy finds it tough going but finds solace in the friendship he forms with fellow inmate Ellis "Red" Redding (Freeman). While things start to pick up when the warden finds Andy a prison job more befitting his talents as a banker. However, the arrival of another inmate is going to vastly change things for all of them.

There was no fanfare or bunting put out for the release of the film back in 94, with a title that didn't give much inkling to anyone about what it was about, and with Columbia Pictures unsure how to market it, Shawshank Redemption barely registered at the box office. However, come Academy Award time the film received several nominations, and although it won none, it stirred up interest in the film for its home entertainment release. The rest, as they say, is history. For the film finally found an audience that saw the film propelled to almost mythical proportions as an endearing modern day classic. Something that has delighted its fans, whilst simultaneously baffling its detractors. One thing is for sure, though, is that which ever side of the Shawshank fence you sit on, the film continues to gather new fans and simply will never go away or loose that mythical status.

It's possibly the simplicity of it all that sends some haters of the film into cinematic spasms. The implausible plot and an apparent sentimental edge that makes a nonsense of prison life, are but two chief complaints from those that dislike the film with a passion. Yet when characters are this richly drawn, and so movingly performed, it strikes me as churlish to do down a human drama that's dealing in hope, friendship and faith. The sentimental aspect is indeed there, but that acts as a counterpoint to the suffering, degradation and shattering of the soul involving our protagonist. Cosy prison life you say? No chance. The need for human connection is never more needed than during incarceration, surely? And given the quite terrific performances of Robbins (never better) & Freeman (sublimely making it easy), it's the easiest thing in the world to warm to Andy and Red.

Those in support aren't faring too bad either. Bob Gunton is coiled spring smarm as Warden Norton, James Whitmore is heart achingly great as the "Birdman Of Shawshank," Clancy Brown is menacing as antagonist Capt. Byron Hadley, William Sadler amusing as Heywood & Mark Rolston is impressively vile as Bogs Diamond. Then there's Roger Deakins' lush cinematography as the camera gracefully glides in and out of the prison offering almost ethereal hope to our characters (yes, they are ours). The music pings in conjunction with the emotional flow of the movie too. Thomas Newman's score is mostly piano based, dovetailing neatly with Andy's state of mind, while the excellently selected soundtrack ranges from the likes of Hank Williams to the gorgeous Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart.

If you love Shawshank then it's a love that lasts a lifetime. Every viewing brings the same array of emotions - anger - revilement - happiness - sadness - inspiration and a warmth that can reduce the most hardened into misty eyed wonderment. Above all else, though, Shawshank offers hope - not just for characters in a movie - but for a better life and a better world for all of us. 10/10

Skyscraper (2018) - www.imdb.com/title/tt5758778/reference

It's an ultimate frame of mind movie.

It is what it is, it's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the hero of the tale who has to achieve the impossible when the world's tallest building catches fire. His family is trapped in said building inferno and there's bad guys running around creating trouble.

So sit down and get ready for fantastically high energy action scenes and hold your breath peril sequences. You have to be in the right frame of mind for this type of entertainment, to understand it's a blockbusting popcorn piece made to take you out of the real world, it does not have cranial splendours or social commentary.

It's great to have Neve Campbell back kicking butt, rising above just being a female token waiting to be saved by her heroic husband. And of course if you can't smile at the makers having Johnson being handicapped with an artificial leg - and still turning into Usain Bolt for various scenes - then this isn't the film for you.

Some way short of the classy verve of The Towering Inferno or the brutal brilliance of Die Hard, this does its job handsomely enough for the like minded souls after some escapist carnage. 6/10

Done.

Apr 27, 2019 21:07:59 GMT teleadm said:

Here is the weak week of the Tele:




Some memories should never be revisited, seeing it again, it's a horrible cheap satire.
Just to be fair, I thought it was a cool movie when I was a teen.


Old fashioned spooky house movie, and I liked it.
Why the poster shows a skeleton is beyond me, there are no skeletons in the movie and there isn't dripping blood either.

Death Race 2000. Yeah I kinda feel the same way, I had pictures of the cars on my bedroom wall back in the dead part of the 70s. I do own it but rarely have I watched it again since last viewing a few years back. It is smart, sort of, especially for the time it was made, but yeah it's a but too trashy to be true.

The Legend of Hell House. I'm a fan, loved it when it scared me back in the day and still get a real kick out of it on revisits.

May you find the answer that you seek. It is here, I promise you. 

The Legend of Hell House is directed by John Hough and adapted to screenplay by Richard Matheson from his own novel Hell House. It stars Roddy McDowall, Pamela Franklin, Clive Revill and Gayle Hunnicutt. Music is by Electrophon Ltd and cinematography by Alan Hume.

The Belasco Mansion, the Mount Everest of Haunted Houses, a place where many have stayed and never made it out alive or escaped with sanity in tact. Now four more people are challenged to enter it and investigate if survival after death exists...

In many ways it is a film that has been unlucky over the years, for it has consistently been dogged with association with Robert Wise's similar themed, and excellent, The Haunting from 1963. Not only that but it was also released in the same year as The Exorcist, William Friedkin's behemoth that continues to cast a shadow over many a supernatural based horror movie. While the fact that it was "toned down sexually" from the book has proved to be irksome to some fans of Matheson's page turner. Oh definitely John Hough's film has a sturdy fan base and reputation, but it still comes under fire from first time viewers who will not judge it on its own terms. A shame because although it may indeed not be in the same league as The Haunting, or as sexually charged as the book, it does sit worthily in the top draw of haunted house pictures.

The back story to the house sets the scene. It was run as a place of complete debauchery, a sort of Buck Whaley and the Hellfire Club type of place, the master of ceremonies was the owner Emeric Balasco, a man with a fearsome reputation, that of a roaring giant. When one day the sins and violence overspill, all inside are finalised from the planet, only Belasco was never found, and ever since that day the house is believed to be haunted by numerous spirits. Enter our four protagonists (a physicist and his wife, a mental medium and a physical medium who was the sole survivor of the last Hell House carnage), who under a financially dangled carrot set about unearthing the truth. They are opposites in beliefs, and for the next 90 minutes they will be haunted whilst having their respective fears, desires and repressions born out.

What unfolds is a lesson in how to get the maximum scary atmosphere with so little to hand. Following the brilliant example set by Robert Wise back in 63, special effects are kept to an absolute minimum as Hough lets our minds eye fill in the blanks. We don't need to see the horror up front, it's better when we can just feel or hear it. Little incidents help fuel the fire, a mad cat, a séance, ectoplasm (put a specimen in the jar please, ooh Matron), suspicious noises, eroticism and a little possession. The mansion itself is suitably eerie (exteriors are the wonderfully Gothic designed Wykehurst Place in Bolney, West Sussex) and drifting in and out of the story is Electrophon Ltd's rumbling sinister score. The direction is tight, the cast work exceptionally well to bear out the interpersonal conflicts before the final battle against the paranormal kills or defines them?

Working well as a haunted house spooker of some considerable substance, and intelligent and interesting with its themes of paranormal psychology and investigation of such, The Legend of Hell House is a classical supernatural thriller. 8/10