Gloria

Gloria
1980 - Columbia Pictures
Directed By John Cassavetes



SYNOPSIS

A mob accountant and married man with 2 kids (Buck Henry) starts skimming money from the mob, he knows they'll be after him. When his wife spots mobsters in their apartment building's lobby, he hands over his mob book of finances to his young son (John Adames) and gives him to a neighbor, Gloria (Gena Rowlands.) He implores her to take care of the kid. Gloria and the boy escape before the family is gunned down. The police report that she kidnapped the child. So, the mob knows where to find her... because she's actually one of them. But she remains devoted to the little kid.



MY THOUGHTS

Gena Rowlands is kicking ass and taking names!

Director John Cassavetes seemingly took a break from his usual style of improvisation-over-plot style of films like Faces, Woman Under The Influence or Killing Of A Chinese Bookie for Gloria. His films featured a stable of actors like Ben Gazarra, Seymour Cassel, Peter Falk and others. All of these actors are absent here except Gena Rowlands (aka Mrs. Cassavetes.)
In those films, Rowlands often had a strong presence (especially when she was completely crazy in Woman Under The Influence.) There was no doubt that she could carry a film on her own. That's what she does in Gloria. She plays one of the toughest women ever on screen, willing to take on the mob, in order to save a kid she doesn't even like, simply on moral grounds.

John Adames plays the boy. His performance is less than amazing, but certainly NOT deserving of co-winning the first Razzie award for worst actor. He has one expression on his face the entire film and has problems with his dialogue, but comes across as a normal and realistic 6-year old.

Rowlands clearly is the dominant actor, but never overpowers or out-shines her young co-star. If she did that, it would adversely affect the film, rendering it terrible. Keeping her performance balanced and in-check is the real mark of a great actor.

The plot doesn't offer much new to the gangster genre, but it's still an entertaining ride.

Gloria has much of the same grit that many 1970s films shot in New York did, along with many great shots of the streets of the city and landmarks (like Yankee Stadium) of that era. It also offers little new in that respect.

Gloria does offer one of Gena Rowland's best opportunities to shine as the lead... and she stands out amongst the grit.

Rebirth Of Mothra

Rebirth Of Mothra
1996 - Toho
Directed By Okihiro Yoneda



SYNOPSIS

A logging company accidentally disturbs the underground prison of a mighty three-headed monster Desghidorah, causing the creature to escape and ravage Japan. Mothra falls in battle and only her young larvae can save the day.



MY THOUGHTS

Mothra is back but she should have stayed home.

Kaiju is the name of the almost-always entertaining style of men-in-monster-suits genre of monster movies. Godzilla is the biggest star.

Before she encountered Godzilla for the first time in 1964, Mothra was introduced in her own film in 1961. That film introduced her two tiny singing lady companions who sing her theme song. Those characters and the song are carried over into this film with a few small changes.

The two ladies have a bad sister who controls the villain Desghidorah. That monster is from outer space who sucks the life and energy from every planet it encounters. You're left wondering why the bad sister would ally with something that would certainly bring about her own death. But I've probably thought about this more than anyone involved in the production.

Desghidorah looks remarkably similar (even in name) to Godzilla's three-headed foe King Ghidorah. The film should have come up with something more original.

Like with all the films in the Godzilla series, the film is saddled with dull, formulaic plots featuring humans who either observe or interact with the monsters and/or their wrath.
The Godzilla series usually has multiple human plot-lines going on in the same film. Luckily, we're only forced to sit through the story of one family here... but that includes two VERY annoying kids. The family mostly stands around watching the action and occasionally points at it. Their scenes are dull and lack any character development. No one is more wiser by the end.

The voice dubbing is not good (not that it ever was in these films.)

The special effects are real hit-and-miss. Some shots are amazing (like some shots of the final battle) and would definitely make a highlight reel of Kaiju's best... but most of the shots look horrifically bad.
The battle between the mini-dragon and Fairy, the mini-Mothra look terrible. The way the effects are composited with the live action makes everything look completely phony. During the battle, their movements also appear to violate the laws of physics.

The film carries a strong environmental message with it (like most of Godzilla's films) though at times it feels like we're beaten over the head with it. The entire film takes place in a forest which winds up getting torched. We don't even see one building destroyed.

Ultimately, the film is pulled under by the weight of so much suckiness, much like Mothra's drowning death half-way through the film.

Blu-Ray: Gone With The Wind

Gone With The Wind
1939 - Selznick International Pictures
Directed By Victor Fleming



Blu-Ray Review

For many, many years I had intended to see this masterpiece of film, but hadn't for several reasons. The film's extensive length (just shy of 4 hours) and my dislike of costume dramas and chick flicks kept me from seeing this masterpiece, despite its reputation.

The arrival of the film on Blu-Ray helped me to change my tune.

Most people already know what the film is about and as for critical analysis, many have written books and made documentaries about this film and I feel that I could offer nothing new or original into discussing the film, so I will instead focus on the new disc. Needless to say, I found the movie to be everything great I'd ever heard about it.

I purchased the 'movie only' version of the film.
From the start of the film (following the opening overture) my jaw dropped at the stunningly beautiful transfer of the film. I'd seen bits and pieces of the film through the years on DVD and television, so I knew how beautiful the film looked already... but the amazing clarity that 1080p reveals is unreal. The colors are more vibrant and the shadows are more black than they've ever been (apart from a theatrical showing.)

There's literally never a dust speck or scratch to be seen anywhere in the film.

The natural film grain is also present and is not toned down in any way like many Blu-Ray transfers like to do, which tends to make the film look somewhat artificial. Here, it looks just like it was intended to back in the theaters of 1939.
Gone With The Wind looks equal to or better than many modern films released on the format. Warner Brothers (who now owns the film) deserves the highest praise for the transfer.

The audio is also great. The disc offers the film in its original monaural sound track. The dialogue, great music and sound effects are in perfect balance and never drown each other out. You hear the film as it was intended to be heard back in 1939.

The only special feature is a commentary by film historian Rudy Behlmer. I only sampled his commentary but I know of his work and have seen him in many documentaries. He certainly knows his stuff and has a pleasant voice and speaks in a very conversational tone. It's much more pleasant than hearing a film class lecture, but I'm sure it's taxing if you're going to listen for the full 4 hours!

If you're looking to build your film library, Gone With The Wind is certainly an important disc to have... and it's never looked better!



Warner Brothers also released a deluxe version of the film. With Warner's exhaustive approach to the special features of their most prized and beloved classics, I have no doubt this is an amazing package. Included are a brand new documentary called "1939: Hollywood Greatest Year," a TV film "Moviola: The Scarlett O'Hara War," and the excellent 6-hour TV documentary/mini-series "MGM: When the Lion Roars' among the usual making-of documentaries and plenty more.

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
1964 - 20th Century Fox
Directed by Robert Aldrich



SYNOPSIS

Aging southern belle Charlotte (Bette Davis,) accused but never convicted of murder years ago, lives in her family's decaying mansion. Crews intent to knock down the building to make way for a new bridge. Her cousin Miriam (Olivia de Havilland) arrives and fires Charlotte's maid (Agnes Moorehead.) Miriam teams up with Charlotte's doctor (Joseph Cotten) to drive the woman crazy so they can get their hands on her vast family fortune. Miriam also harbors a dark secret about the past.



MY THOUGHTS

A dark, Gothic suspense teams some vets of classic Hollywood.

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte was originally seen as a follow-up to What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? and would re-team Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Their cantankerous relationship forced Crawford to leave the production.
In Crawford's place, Olivia de Havilland is cast against-type and does a remarkable job as the scheming Miriam.

Like in Baby Jane, Bette Davis proves she can play crazy. Here, it's a different kind of crazy and she gives a slightly less over-the-top performance but she's still exciting to watch.

Joseph Cotten and Agnes Moorehead provide solid support. The two were both a part of Orson Welles' Mercury Theater radio series, best known for the infamous War Of The Worlds episode. They later appeared in both of Welles' Mercury Theater films Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons.
The film is also Mary Astor's last film before she retired. She only appears briefly.

Sweet Charlotte was beautifully shot in black and white, which was perfectly suited for the material, mood, and all the stars from Hollywood's golden age present in the film.
The script is solid and keeps the audience guessing if Charlotte really killed her beau that night up until the climax.

Still, the film is a bit long (about 2:15) and could have used a little trimming, especially in the slow moving middle of the film.

The great performances and elements of shock and suspense help to fuel this entertaining film and keep it interesting.

The Comancheros

The Comancheros
1961- 20th Century Fox
Directed By Michael Curtiz



SYNOPSIS

Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) kills a prominent man during a duel and is wanted for murder. Texas Ranger Jake Cutter (John Wayne) arrests him leaving a steamship and the two set out to bring Regret to justice. Regret later escapes. Cutter is then assigned to go under cover trying to sell stolen guns to the dangerous Comanche Indians. He discovers that the Indians are working with white men who call themselves Comancheros. While on the mission, Cutter finds Regret and takes him into custody again. The two join up with some rangers and are ambushed by Comanche. Regret proves himself in battle and he and Cutter resume the mission to find the Comancheros' hidden base.



MY THOUGHTS

A light-hearted adventure full of action and excitement.

The humor in The Comancheros is of the same sort of character-driven laughs that features prominently in John Wayne's films. The film is funny but not a comedy. It takes a back seat to the action and story. The action is pretty standard for a western featuring many gunfights and fistfights, but they are well shot and are all important to the plot of the film.

This was the final film of director Michael Curtiz, who delivered some of cinema's best films Casablanca, Angels With Dirty Faces, Adventures of Robin Hood, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Mildred Pierce and dozens more. He was an amazing talent and should be better known than he is considering his huge and important body of work. The Comancheros doesn't stack up as one of his best, but he does bring a fast breezy pace, filled with many exciting action sequences. His camera is frequently moving as well and he gets great performances from the cast.

The cinematography is beautiful, though is not as stunning as you would find in a John Ford western. Here, it focuses more on the actors and action than any lingering shots of the beautiful surroundings. CinemaScope (wide-screen) is able to show just how wide open the old west was.

The musical score by Elmer Bernstein is excellent and helps tie the film together. It sounds like every western made since owed much to this music, including Bernstein's own music for The Magnificent Seven.

The film depicts Indians in an old-school (offensive) fashion. The only English world they speak is 'whiskey' and are only seen as bloodthirsty savages. That and its questionable historical accuracy (especially many of the costumes, buildings and guns) are some of the weak aspects of the film.

While not either the director's or the star's best film, The Comancheros contains many of the elements that made their work great and it remains a lot of fun.

Shutter Island

Shutter Island
2010 - Paramount Pictures
Directed By Martin Scorsese



Since this film is still in theaters, this review will be spoiler free.

SYNOPSIS

A U.S. Marshall (Leonardo DiCaprio) heads to a federal treatment center for the criminally insane located on an island off the Massachusetts coast. A woman accused of murdering her children escaped and cannot be found. He teams up with another Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and tries to find her, unravel the mysteries of the place, and whether the doctors may be trying to keep him captive on the island.



MY THOUGHTS

It's been a fruitful team-up of director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and Shutter Island may be their best film yet.

To try and explain the plot would totally destroy the film for someone who has not seen it, so I won't. Needless there's many twists and turns. The mystery aspect of the story is intriguing and for every revelation, more questions arise.

Martin Scorsese is a master filmmaker and Shutter Island shows his remarkable storytelling ability coupled with his intricate sense of detail and amazing camerawork.

Some of the dream sequences evoke the work of David Lynch, though here they are intricately tied into the plot and don't come across as self-indulgent. Like Lynch's work (Mulholland Drive comes to mind,) there are many twists and sharp turns in the storyline. Unlike Lynch, Scorsese successfully navigates us through the turns and we're not left crashed into a ditch holding our heads wondering what happened (like with a Lynch film.)

Leonardo DiCaprio delivers one of his best performances in years. He definitely gives an intricate, multi-layered performance and excels on every level.

It's a shame Paramount released this film in February due to financial problems. If it has been released in December as originally announced, it would clearly be one of this year's Oscar nominees, and DiCaprio would be nominated as well.

Shutter Island is certainly one of the best thinking-man's-type films in recent years and will surely spark many conversations upon leaving the theater.

Zombieland

Zombieland
2008 - Columbia Pictures
Directed By Ruben Fleischer



SYNOPSIS

A bad-ass (Woody Harrelson) and a neurotic wimp (Jesse Eisenberg) team up as some of the only humans left in the world after a plague turns everyone into zombies. Along their travels, they meet up with two sisters (Emma Stone + Abigail Breslin.) The crew heads to California. After some infighting, the girls leave. They head to an amusement park that's supposed to be devoid of zombies but after they get there, they find the place is crawling with them! Now it's the guys' turn to save the day.



MY THOUGHTS

Over the past decade or so, the horror genre has floundered. The only type of horror film that has been consistently interesting and exciting is the zombie film.
The return of Director George Romero to the genre, films like 28 Days Later (and it's sequel,) and the comedy Shaun Of The Dead are the main highlights of the resurgent sub-genre.
Zombieland belongs with them.

Zombieland lacks the social commentary and other deeper meanings that fuel much of those films. It's all about kicking ass and trying to have a good time in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
The film is pure fun. The humor is fresh and there's many laugh-out-loud moments and instantly quotable lines.
There's an amazing cameo in the film, but I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but it's one of the highlights of the film.

The humor, action and scares all take a backseat to the main characters. The four leads are uniformly excellent. The characters they create seem real and help ground the story in this unreal environment. The way they react and interact with each other is remarkable, especially in the horror genre. So many horror films lack this and you never get emotionally invested in the characters and don't care if they die. Thankfully, in Zombieland you do feel for these people.

Zombieland is a character study, and one of the few that completely lacks any pretentiousness.
It's a fun and hilarious ride from start to finish and will certainly become a classic of the genre.

I'm No Angel

I'm No Angel
1933 - Paramount Pictures
Directed By Wesley Ruggles



SYNOPSIS

Tira (Mae West) is a singer/lion tamer in a small time circus. She moves to the big time when she develops a new act where she puts her head in a lion's mouth. The act brings her a lot more money and a higher class of gentleman callers. She catches the eye and is showered with gifts from an already engaged millionaire (Kent Taylor.) When his rich cousin (Cary Grant) implores Tira to break it off, they fall in love... but their relationship becomes tangled in a legal mess.



MY THOUGHTS

The brassy Mae West hits the big screen again and delivers one of the funniest comedies of the early 1930's.

This bawdy pre-code film is filled with so many risque one-liners and double entendres, it's amazing it made it into theaters!
"I don't show my good points to strangers!"
"When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad, I'm better."
Fortune teller: "I see a change of position." Tira: "Sitting... or reclining? "
"She'd make a wiggling worm become paralyzed!"

Some of the lines would likely even make Groucho Marx blush.

In addition to starring, Mae West scripted the film. It's well paced, loaded with humor and blends in some musical numbers and a bit of drama. The film moves like a runaway truck going down a mountain road. It starts off at a fast pace and continues to pick up speed as it rolls along.

Still, it takes 50 minutes to introduce Cary Grant into the film. He isn't given much to do but be charming and make Tira interested in him. He made a splash earlier in 1933, in West's She Done Him Wrong and this was the only other film he appeared in with her.



Despite Grant and the other solid supporting roles, there's no mistaking who the star is here.

In this day and age, Mae West comes off as beyond over-the-top with her confidence, her sauntering walk and not-so-subtle dialogue delivery. But she does it so well, you fall under her spell like every man in the film! She's one of a kind.
West sings a handful of musical numbers throughout the film and they're just as enjoyable as her saucy one-liners.
The court scenes where she questions several of her former flings is a delight. It takes what could have been the 'standard cliche court ending' we've seen countless times in film and television and turns it on its ear and is by far the highlight of this great film.

It was rare in the 1930's to show a woman play such a strong (and overtly sexual) character on the big screen and no one could do it better than Mae West!

Charge Of The Light Brigade

Charge Of The Light Brigade
1936 - Warner Brothers
Directed By Michael Curtiz



SYNOPSIS

Years after British Major Vickers (Errol Flynn) saves the life of Indian leader Surat Khan (C. Henry Gordon,) Khan massacres the town where Vickers' regiment is based (but away on maneuvers.) Khan later allies himself with the Russians. War later breaks out between Britain and Russia. Vickers defies orders and leads his regiment into battle to get revenge on Khan. Vickers also orders his brother (Patric Knowles) away from the battlefield so he can be with the woman he loves (Olivia de Havilland.)



MY THOUGHTS

Alfred, Lord Tennyson's classic poem comes to vivid life, but it takes way too long to get there.

Charge Of The Light Brigade is not historically accurate at all, but we're told this upfront.

Everything leading up to the stunning conclusion is a bunch of fluff.

There's an entire segment of the film where we follow Errol Flynn on a mission to acquire horses. This adds little to nothing to the film except several minutes of screen time.

The love triangle aspect of the story is woefully weak. It takes up so little time in the story, it seems tacked-on at the last minute in order to please some female viewers. It's done so poorly, it pleases no one. The scenes slow the film down to a snail's crawl.
Knowles and de Havilland's characters are like all the characters in the film.... two-dimensional. We know he loves de Havilland and he's in the military and has a brother. She's the daughter of a colonel engaged to Errol Flynn and she loves Knowles. This is all we know of them. We are as emotionally invested in them as a passing couple on a street.
This was the second of the nine parings of Warner Brothers top romantic team of Flynn and de Havilland, though they have little romance here.

Errol Flynn is heroic (as usual) as the lead and also does many of his own stunts. Vickers is charismatic and in the end noble. Flynn is able to take this two-dimensional character and work with it and flesh it out. If he was unable to do this, it would have sunk the film and his fledgling Hollywood career.

The film features plenty of beautiful outdoor cinematography... various locations all over California standing in perfectly for India.

The highlight of the film is the titular charge. The combination of quick editing, great cinematography (with moving cameras,) a great musical score (Max Steiner scores again) and very violent imagery makes for quite a spectacle.
The screen is filled with hundreds of soldiers and horses, guns and cannons blazing. It's hard to believe in this day and age to realize, this is not CGI, everything here is real.... and it's spectacular.

A stuntman and more than 200 horses were killed during the making of the film and you can easily see why. The horses fall hard left and right during the battle (mostly due to trip wires.) They were hurt so badly they were put down. Following the film, Congress and the ASPCA stepped in to help protect animals used in films.

The stupendous close of the film certainly makes up for the dull first hour and a half.

A Place In The Sun

A Place In The Sun
1951 - Paramount Pictures
Directed By George Stevens



SYNOPSIS

George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) accepts a job in his rich uncle's business. He begins a romance with co-worker Alice (Shelley Winters) even though fraternizing among employees is forbidden. George meets a young, wealthy socialite (Elizabeth Taylor) and falls deeply in love. But when Alice becomes pregnant, George tries to find a way out of the relationship. He can't shake the horrifying thought of drowning Alice in a lake.



MY THOUGHTS

Doomed love makes for an ominous, tragic story and a amazing film.

Director George Stevens starts off the story a bit slow but builds an foreboding tone that builds and comes to a head with George and Alice on the lake and maintains that tone for the rest of the film.
The tremendous flow of the film is augmented by scenes superimposed on each other and slowly fading out of one and into the other. This usually conveys the differences of the characters (social classes, emotional states, etc.) and is very effective without ever being pretentious.

The film is daring and edgy (for it's day) in it's depicting sex and unwed pregnancies. They were both taboo and are less frank than they would be depicted now, thanks to the Production Code, but they are still present in the film.

'Place' also has a bleak comment on the legal system. As the audience, we see what happened on the lake. Though George was intending to kill Alice, he did not. He did not come to her aid, which might have given him a lesser charge and would have avoided the chair.
The prosecution did not prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, yet the jury found George guilty and he was still sentenced to die. The prosecutor's tyrannical approach had a much greater affect on the jury than George's heartfelt honesty on the stand.

Montgomery Clift gives on of his best performances of his all-too-short career as George. He is able to pull off a less-than heroic character and make him very sympathetic despite his many faults. We know little of this soft-spoken character and his back-story, but Clift is able to convey so much just through his eyes. We know exactly what he's thinking without hearing a word. His inner emotions seemingly die after Alice dies. George lost both women that day and the glamorous life he wanted to lead, so he was dead inside.... and resigned to his fate.



His chemistry with Elizabeth Taylor is unmistakable. Taylor is also outstanding, especially since this was one of her first roles in more adult-oriented films.

A Place In The Sun is a definite masterpiece.

Book Review: Hollywood's Made To Order Punks

Hollywood's Made To Order Punks: The Complete Film History Of The Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids and Bowery Boys
By Richard Roat, 2009



I bet no one involved in the making of the 90+ films in the Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys/East Side Kids/Bowery Boys series figured that people would still be enjoying these films 50-70 years after they were made... let alone writing books about them!

The two previous books written on the subject "The Films Of The Bowery Boys" by David Hayes and Brent Walker (1984) and "From Broadway To The Bowery" by Leonard Getz (2006) both kept the films front-and-center. They gave detailed info on the 90+ films and some criticism. Tacked on at the end, were a few biographies of the actors who made those roles famous.

Author Richard Roat turns the table on that format and features the biographies up-front. Since he became a fan in the 1960s, he ran the Bowery Boys fan club and sought out many of those actors and formed friendships with them via letters, phone calls and in-person meetings.
Who better to present them as people rather than as film characters?
From all six original Dead End Kids to guys who played an East Side Kid just once... everyone is given a space and their life story is told.



Instead of his opinion on each film, Roat obtained permission from Variety Magazine, to use their reviews. It's an interesting (and often humorously unkind!) look back at how the films were viewed by critics of their day.

The book is amply illustrated with photos from Mr. Roat's collection. Most I'd never even seen before.

My only criticism is the book features several grammatical and spelling errors that a good editor should have noticed. A few minor (insignificant) factual errors are also present.

This book helped me to understand these actors more as people, which is what the two previous books lacked... and it is exactly what I was left wanting after reading those books.

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?
1962 - Warner Brothers
Directed By Robert Aldrich



SYNOPSIS

Baby Jane is the darling of the vaudeville scene during the World War I era. Her sister Blanche becomes a big Hollywood star in the 1930's while Jane's career flounders. Blanche is paralyzed in a car accident, leaving Jane to care for her. By the early 1960's, both women share the same home and psychologically torment each other. Jane (Bette Davis) is crazy and tries to feed her sister dead rats and parakeets and totally isolates her from the outside world. Blanche (Joan Crawford) is driven paranoid by her Jane. Their feud flares after others try to intervene.



MY THOUGHTS

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? is an unusual thriller that teamed two great rivals for the only time.

The film has as much shock and suspense as any horror film, yet it's no horror film.... it's more of a psychological drama. It also shows the dark side of fame, much like Sunset Boulevard but in an entirely different manner.
There is little action most of the suspense comes from dialogue. The black and white photography is beautiful and creepy at the same time.



The key to Baby Jane's success lies in it's leads.
It was brave on Joan Crawford and Bette Davis' parts to make a film where they appear horrible looking and acting... far from their glamorous roles of the past. They make a great screen pair... despite the fact they loathed each other in real life... and tormented each other on set.

Bette Davis' makeup may appear a little overdone at times (so much so that she practically looks like a silent film actor at some points) but that's the eccentric role she's playing. Her character's fragile and unbalanced mental state causes her personality to turn on a dime. Davis is able to navigate the character without losing believability. This is what netted her an Oscar nomination.

Joan Crawford plays the 'victim' well. She's certainly more understated than Davis and is totally believable as a crippled woman. You can see the anguish and torment in her eyes. She doesn't have to say anything or use any other part of her body to convey this.

It's unclear who the real villain of the story is, both Blanche and Jane are in the end, equally bad. They are very unsettling characters both equally horrible and pathetic.
Their lives are like a train wreck, you can't look away.

Book Review: The Lost One - A Life Of Peter Lorre

The Lost One - A Life Of Peter Lorre
By Stephen D. Youngkin, 2005



Youngkin delivers an extremely detailed biography of the always-great character actor Peter Lorre.

His life is traced from his early days to his theater work with Bertolt Brecht to M. Lorre escaped the Nazis and did two films with Alfred Hitchcock before settling in America, where he quickly found work and got fame as Mr. Moto. He moved to Warner Brothers and got parts in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca among others... and later found parts in noir films and late in his career... in films like 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

Lorre was known for playing menacing characters on the screen.. but was a prankster and a true artist (as well as a drug addict) in real life. This book delves into both his on-screen and off-screen lives equally.

The book is exquisitely detailed. Most of his films are covered in detail... even the most forgettable. Seemingly anyone he worked with who offered an opinion about Lorre in the press or in interviews with the author is featured.

An extensive (150+ pages) appendix is included detailing his stage/film/television credits, a bibliography, notes, list of interviews and an index. Dozens of rare photos are also featured.

This is clearly something that took the author decades to put together and it comes across as a labor of love.

If you're a fan of Peter Lorre or want to know more about the golden age of Hollywood... I recommend this heartily.

Comic Book Confidential

Comic Book Confidential
1988
Directed By Ron Mann



SYNOPSIS

The history of the comic book is tackled by this documentary... from its roots in the 1930's, to the juvenile delinquency scares of the 50's... to the 60's underground scene and beyond.

MY THOUGHTS

Comic Book Confidential is about making a case for the comic book as a true and respected art-form... and it succeeds.

The film does feel incomplete... but how can you fit every little detail from 50+ years (at the time of the film's release) of history into under 90 minutes?

The early days of comics are glossed over somewhat. The creators of Superman and Batman were still alive in the late 1980's and would have been great to see interviewed, but are not.

The segment on EC Comics and their struggles with the censors in the 1950's was covered much better and more in-depth in Tales From The Crypt: From Comic Books To Television.

The film focused much of its energy on the underground scene from the 60's to the 80's. I knew much of the "above-ground" history of comic books, so it was great to see and learn about the underground., which I knew little of apart from some people like Robert Crumb and Harvey Pekar.

'Confidential' has writers/creators from all eras read some of their work aloud, accompanied with some limited animation. This is unique, and it's great to see legends like Will Eisner and Stan Lee reading their work but after the 6th or 7th time it gets old... especially from some underground artists I've never heard of and will likely never read.

The history of comic books would probably be better suited to a Ken Burns-style long form documentary... but Comic Book Confidential gives a brief and entertaining look at several highlights through the years.

Skippy

Skippy
1931 - Paramount
Directed By Norman Taurog



SYNOPSIS

Skippy (Jackie Cooper) is a privledged young boy who would rather play in the nearby shanty town than with the kids in his neighborhood. There, he meets Sooky (Robert Coogan) and his beloved dog, Penny. When the dog catcher gets Penny, the two boys scramble to get the 3 dollars needed to get the dog a license and bail him out.



MY THOUGHTS

Skippy is based off of a now-forgotten comic strip that was popular at the time... and made a successful transition into 3 dimensions.

It's a film that sometimes feels like a feature-length Our Gang/Little Rascals short and sometimes like something a little deeper.

Jackie Cooper made this shortly after his time as a Little Rascal and shortly before his triumph in The Champ. This film netted him a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Compared to other young child actors before and since, Cooper gives a three-dimensional and real performance and is light-years ahead of any other kids. He was better in The Champ, but he's strong and likable here.

Compared to Robert Coogan, Cooper is the greatest actor of all time. Robert, younger brother of Jackie Coogan, is horrible. The kid clearly doesn't know any of his lines and has more 'dramatic pauses' than the most over-the-top William Shatner impression. When he does remember, the dialogue is mumbled or slurred.

The film is pleasant and good-natured until the kids finally get the money and return to the dog catcher only to find out the dog was put down. This is a big downer and most likely sent audiences reaching for their hankies. Skippy was nominated for best picture and screenplay, probably on the strength of that scene.... making it very memorable to audiences.

Norman Taurog won the film's only Oscar, for Best Director. Taurog had a long career... starting with some silent comedy shorts in the 20's and wound up his career making several of Elvis Presley's films. Skippy could have easily become very hammy and maudlin... but Taurog keeps everything in check.

It's some good innocent fun that's probably best for really young kids, before cynicism sets in. They may actually learn something about friendship and loyalty.

The film is not available on DVD.

Underworld U.S.A.

Underworld U.S.A.
1961- Columbia Pictures
Directed by Samuel Fuller



SYNOPSIS

14 year old Tolly Devlin watches his father beaten to death in an alley by 4 men. He recognized one man but refuses to tell the cops. Twenty years later, Tolly (Cliff Robertson) is still vowing revenge. During his latest stint in prison, he watched the one man he knew die in the prison hospital. On his deathbed, the killer reveals the names of the three others. They are now the head syndicate leaders. Tolly worms his way into their mob and waits for the right time to strike.



MY THOUGHTS

Film Noir petered out as a film style in the mid-50's, so Underworld U.S.A. is a little late to the party, but it is fashionably late.

The astoundingly stylish lighting and camera angles add as much to the tension as the tight direction of Samuel Fuller and a strong script (also by Fuller.) The gritty story moves at a fast pace and rarely comes up for air. There is a love story that at times feels tacked on, but winds up intricately tied into the main plot of the film.

Samuel Fuller's work, though always respected, has been rediscovered and examined closer in the last several years thanks to a few DVD box sets of his early work, like the one that features Underworld U.S.A. He almost exclusively made westerns, war films and noir during this era. This is one of his best films.

The 'hero' of the film is superbly played by Cliff Robertson. Like many a noir protagonist, Tolly Devlin is a man we simply cannot root for, yet he's better than the villains. Robertson makes Devlin totally believable. We don't see an actor playing a part. Robertson IS Devlin... and somehow almost makes Devlin sympathetic, but thankfully does not.

Underworld U.S.A. is a taught and exciting film from start to close.

Framed

Framed
1975 - Paramount
Directed By Phil Karlson



SYNOPSIS

Southern gambler and bar owner Ron (Joe Don Baker) is convicted sent to prison for killing a sheriff's deputy, though it was a case of self defense. In prison he meets a hit man named Vince (Gabriel Dell) and the powerful Sal (John Marley,) who helps get him out. Once released, Ron goes about finding out who framed him and why. Then Vince shows up and tells Ron someone hired him to kill him.



MY THOUGHTS

A violent revenge tale delivers an action-packed punch!

Framed far exceeds Joe Don Baker's infamous film Mitchell, released just a month later, in every conceivable way. Baker is much more believable here as the greedy, seedy country boy. His role echos many of the wrongly accused protagonists in many of Alfred Hitchcock's films, though the character lives in much more of a gray area and is not much of a hero. This makes him more of a film noir protagonist.

The film is directed by Phil Karlson, who created several noir classics like Kansas City Confidential along with some Bowery Boys films and even Elvis Presley's Kid Galahad. This was the last film he directed.

Gabriell Dell brings much to what would be a throw-away thug role for anyone else. He became a highly talented and much in demand stage actor after quitting the Dead End Kids/East Side Kids/Bowery Boys series and studying method acting at the Actor's Studio in New York. He made few films after devoting his life to the stage, but he shines in all of them.

Brock Peters is also great as the one cop who is allied with Joe Don Baker's character. Karlson is clearly making a statement against racism. This film was intended for a southern audience, which was still racially charged in the mid 1970's. Peters' black officer is the only rational cop in the whole department.

Framed is a film that definitely fits in perfectly with many of the small, gritty action films of the 1970's.

Live Free Or Die Hard

Live Free Or Die Hard
2007 - 20th Century Fox
Directed By Len Wiseman



SYNOPSIS

An organization launches a major terrorist attack on the U.S. infrastructure via the Internet. They seize control, crippling the nation on the 4th of July holiday. Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) and a computer hacker (Justin Long) are all that stand in their way. The terrorist group then snags McClane's daughter (Mary Elisabeth Winstead) and threatens to kill her if McClane doesn't give up.



MY THOUGHTS

Live Free Or Die Hard is chock full of fights, chases and non-stop action but is ultimately a flawed film.

The appeal of John McClane in Die Hard was that he was just an ordinary man who happened to be a cop. He relied on just his wits and luck. He eventually triumphed over the much better equipped villains by sheer force of will.

As the series went on, the situations became more outrageous and McClane became less of that ordinary man and more superhero. By this, the fourth film in the series, the laws of physics are violated nearly as often as in Batman & Robin.

This 'ordinary man' takes out a helicopter by crashing a car and having it carom in the air and strike the craft. He gets shot twice and punched more times than Rocky and is slammed through windows and into walls repeatedly... and falls several stories. He never loses consciousness.
He dodges flames, fights off a fighter plane, and escapes from an SUV plunging down an elevator shaft (!?!) All of that would even slow Superman down a little.

Bruce Willis still plays McClane with the same wit and enthusiasm, despite the superpowers.

He's joined by Justin Long. His weenie, dweebie hacker provides a good contrast to McLaine's rough edges. (Oh and yes, Justin Long hacks using a Mac.)

Like the other sequels, the villains in this film don't come anywhere close to the greatness of Alan Rickman in the original. Timothy Olyphant plays the main baddie and whines more than he ever appears menacing.
One major flaw: we aren't clued into why the villains have enacted their plans until about 75 minutes into the film. When the reason is revealed, it seems weak. Somehow, the government would let a mentally unstable man, somehow, get so high up in power, only to let him leave... to then come back and ruin them? Really?

The complete takeover of the U.S.'s computer systems is a frightening possibility in this post 9/11 world. I'm not sure it could be done as easily as depicted in the film but it's still a chilling thought. It's a much more engaging concept than Die Hard: With A Vengeance's cliche gold heist.

Despite its flaws, Live Free Or Die Hard is still a fun and entertaining film if you turn your brain off and enjoy the ride.

Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Steamboat Bill, Jr.
1928
Directed By Charles Reisner



SYNOPSIS

Steamboat Bill (Ernest Torrance) is upset his steamboat is been supplanted by a new bigger boat owned by the powerful John James King (Tom McGuire.) On a break from college, Bill's son Willie (Buster Keaton) comes to visit. The two haven't seen each other since Willie was little. Willie also runs into a girl from school who just happens to be King's daughter (Marion Byron.) Willie's dad tries to teach him the ropes of running a steamboat but Bill soon winds up in jail. When a major storm hits, King's ship sinks with him on-board, the jail is thrown into the water, and King's daughter is left clinging to a home floating away in the river. Only one man can save them all!



MY THOUGHTS

A masterpiece of comedy and stunt-work.
This just might be Buster Keaton's perfect blend of life-threatening stunts and silly slapstick.
Keaton's stunt-work here rivals The General in terms of its daring and epic-quality. The comedy is also on par with his best works.

The Great Stone Face's role is essentially the same inept, hapless character he always played. Anything that can he run into head-first or fall off of, is!

The film is structured better than most all silent comedies. The humorous moments in the film build and build. They start out small, like Willie's 'makeover,' where his father tries to buy him a new hat to replace his effeminate beret. The comedy builds and becomes bigger and bigger as the action moves to the steamboat and then a failed escape plan after his father has been jailed. This culminates in one of the biggest storms in Hollywood history.

The storm effects are still amazing to watch even 80 years later and are remarkably realistic. One of the highlights is this famous scene:



Real buildings are tossed about and crumble all over the place as Keaton runs among the flying debris.

Among the jokes and action is a love story. It resembles Romeo And Juliet, but of course the only tragedy here is the hero's incessant clumsiness!

This was Buster Keaton's last comedy before he signed with MGM and lost his total creative freedom... and his later films suffered. But this is one hell of a way to go out.

The Misfits

The Misfits
1961 - United Artists
Directed by John Huston



SYNOPSIS

The recently divorced Roslyn (Marilyn Monroe) meets mechanic Guido (Eli Wallach) and cowboy Gay (Clark Gable.) She leaves Reno and heads into the country with them. Both men fall for the beautiful but fragile woman. When they hire another cowboy (Montgomery Clift,) to go rustle some wild horses, he also falls in love. But the men's harsh lifestyle clashes with Roslyn's idealistic beliefs and she then clashes with them.



MY THOUGHTS

Death and doom set the tone for The Misfits.

Marilyn Monroe's character is fixated on death. Anytime anyone does anything remotely dangerous, she freaks out and chides them. She speaks of death often.

Gable, Clift, and Wallach's characters cling to a dying profession. Their world of the old west is dying and transforming around them.

Once, herds of hundreds of horses roamed the land, now only 6. They used to be caught for riding... now they become dog food.

The film is beautifully shot in black and white, which by 1961, was also dying in mainstream film.

The death motif also is evident off screen. Clark Gable died shortly after filming and Marilyn Monroe would be gone within a year. This would be their final (complete) screen appearances.

Clark Gable is excellent. On the surface, the character seems to be the usual tough guy role Gable played with style throughout his career. Though this man is deeper and has a bitter pain of lost chances and regrets.

Marilyn Monroe's character was a sort-of lost soul who eventually found herself after giving up everything and living out in the rugged country. Her role also proved to be deeper than what she was used to playing and she shines.

The script by Monroe's husband Arthur Miller sets an ominous tone and never lets up.

This is by no means a feel-good picture, but it is a dynamic showcase for several powerful performances under the direction of one of the all-time great misfits, John Huston.

Night Of The Demon

Night Of The Demon (AKA Curse Of The Demon - U.S. Release)
1957 - Sabre Films
Directed By Jacques Tourneur



SYNOPSIS

Psychologist Dr. John Holden (Dana Andrews) heads to England for a conference designed to further debunk paranormal activity. When a colleague/ friend dies under peculiar circumstances, Holden takes over his research into a satanic cult led by Karswell (Niall McGinnis.) Holden has some assistance from the deceased's niece (Peggy Cummins) Karswell slips Holden a parchment which is a death curse and he has only a few days to live. Holden dismisses the supernatural mumbo-jumbo but a series of strange events begin to change his mind as the hours tick ever closer.



MY THOUGHTS

This somewhat obscure horror gem needs to be seen by more people!

Night of the Demon was made with a small budget, but all it needed was a great director to make look
Director Jacques Tourneur weaves a tight, tense plot among the atmospheric visuals. Tourneur uses light and shadow so well, he makes most artistic shots in noir films look like garbage. He makes the beautiful English countryside look like a nightmare. With a mix of lighting and editing, he creates a great ominous sense of dread and tension. And some genuine scares!
Already accomplished as a director of moody horror films and some noir, this has to be his masterwork.



A usual horror villain in a low budget film like this would almost always be over the top and too silly to be menacing. Niall McGinnis plays Karswell as charming, down to earth, and likable. The fact that he's not menacing at all, makes him more mysterious and unsettling than a standard portrayal.
He is likable, but we never side with him since we see supernatural happenings from the start of the film.
We are meant to side with Dana Andrews' Dr. Holden. Andrews usually played tough guys and Holden fits the bill. A solid, but not remarkable, performance.



The titular demon looks a little corny to modern audiences. There are some great smoke special effects added around it to diffuse the cheesiness, which are very effective at great distances (see above.)
The only fault with the film is they revealed the demon (in a close up) so early in the film, so when it returns at the end, it lacks the punch to the story.

Night Of The Demon is one of the best horror films of the 1950s.

The film was released in America, shortened by 13 minutes, and under the title Curse Of The Demon (both versions are available together on 1 DVD.)

Force Of Evil

Force Of Evil
1948 - MGM
Directed By Abraham Polonsky



SYNOPSIS

Joe Morse (John Garfield) is the lawyer for a major gangster in the numbers racket. His brother Leo (Thomas Gomez) runs a smaller racket. When Joe's boss Ben Tucker (Roy Roberts) hatches a plan to make himself the sole numbers man in town... and that will make Joe rich. Joe tries to force Leo out of the business in order to save him from financial ruin, but Leo will have none of it. But Joe must step in to save his brother... with deadly consequences.



MY THOUGHTS

A masterful and gripping film noir that's as dark plot-wise as its shadows.

Visually, Force of Evil is a perfect example of how a noir should look. Amazing use of shadow and light along with some unique camera angles make the film a real treat for the eyes. Practically every frame looks like art.



John Garfield is charming and as the shyster lawyer. He delivers a very intelligent, believable performance and you believe his screwy logic in his head that makes him think what he's doing is legit.
Beatrice Pearson plays Doris, the former secretary of Leo, turned love interest of Joe. Her scenes with Garfield are very limited and their whole relationship seems to be an afterthought tacked on to the rather short story to pad it out.

The film carries a bleak message that in order to get ahead, you must lead a corrupt life - a big jab at capitalism. The film's short run-time means this message rules practically every scene, with little room for fluff.

That could be why the Joe/Doris scenes are so sparse.... and the complete lack of humor.

I wish this moody film were longer with more subplots. Ben Tucker's wife also seems to have a relationship (or trying to start one) with Joe. This also barely appears and is never really made clear. It would be a great subplot to expand upon.

Still in its 80 minutes, Force Of Evil delivers a compelling story that is amazingly well shot and should be wider known that it is.

Gaslight

Gaslight
1944 - MGM
Directed by George Cukor



SYNOPSIS

A young girl leaves her London home after her famous singing aunt/caretaker is murdered. 10 years later, Paula (Ingrid Bergman) returns to live in the home with her new husband (Charles Boyer.) Her husband increasingly isolates her from the world... but is it because she's going crazy... or being driven crazy? A detective from Scotland Yard (Joseph Cotten) who was a fan of Paula's aunt, believes something is amiss in the home.



MY THOUGHTS

An atmospheric classic that delivers in every possible way!

I loved the way during the first hour it was somewhat ambiguous whether Bergman's character was really going crazy and Boyer was sheltering her... or he was the one trying to driver her crazy. This made the reveal that much more powerful.

Gaslight may be even more atmospheric than any Universal horror film. the Oscar-winning set design offers a claustrophobic feel to the interiors of the home. They're so cluttered with furniture, knick-knacks and pictures. The exteriors are flooded with fog at night lit only by the gaslights of the title.
Mostly only gas-lit lights also illuminate the interiors, giving it a practically noir-ish feel with heavy shadows and many dark corners.
These visuals give the film a dark and bleak... but beautiful look... and a perfect setting for some great performances.

Ingrid Bergman won her first of three Oscars for her performance. She wasn't even nominated the year before for Casablanca (though she was for another film,) but this award wasn't a consolation prize. She is amazing and even light-years better. You really feel she's going nuts.

Charles Boyer mixes nice guy with sinister so well that he makes the ambiguous-ness of the first hour possible. He was nominated.

In her first film, Angela Lansbury was also singled out by Oscar for her role as the cockney, slutty housekeeper, but didn't win. She turned 18 while making this film.

Joseph Cotten gives an understated by great performance as the detective who becomes a hero.

Gaslight was also nominated for Best Picture and it remains a stylish, atmospheric, exciting film to this day.