An Update

I have the time so I'm doing this now. The past few days have been busier for me than expected so I won't return until tomorrow night with a new review.

Happy Thanksgiving

Right now I'll wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and I won't return until Sunday night. In the meanwhile I will rewatch movies I've reviewed here before but I need to watch again to review for Letterboxd. Until then...

Code Two

Code Two (1953)

Runtime: 69 minutes

Directed by: Fred M. Wilcox

Starring: Ralph Meeker, Robert Horton, Jeff Richards, Elaine Stewart, Keenan Wynn

From: MGM

Thankfully Warner Archive Instant has been fine since its little outage so I was able to see this obscure film, a crime drama about motorcycle cops; I know, awkward with this week's events, but I didn't pick it for that reason; it was more random than you'd think. Anyhow, I'll be back tomorrow night and onto the Letterboxd review:

I decided to watch this random movie tonight (one little seen, at least in this community) as it was on Warner Archive Instant, sounded interesting, and was only 69 minutes long. I do realize that watching a film this week concerning police officers is kind of awkward considering what's currently going on in the United States... but I tried to forget about all that as I saw this random B movie from MGM.

The plot is rather straightforward: we follow a trio of cops who join the police academy at the same time. Russ Hartley is an average dude but Harry Whenlon is a typical buff John Cena-looking guy who you'd imagine as the star quarterback of the local high school football team, while Chuck O'Flair is a cocksure ladies man type. You see them train then pass the academy, only to have menial work to start off. They get bored of that so they sign up to be motorcycle cops, even though it adds a lot more danger to the job. A bad thing happens to one of them while pulling someone over (it involves the theft of cattle, believe it or not) and they're looking for revenge.

The movie-with its brief runtime-moves rather quickly and to me was always interesting from the first half (the training you see the guys do and the little bit of romance that happens with the opposite sex) to the second half, which is the investigative work of tracking down then dealing with the thieves. It was a nice little B movie and I was always amused by Keenan Wynn's character (a Sergeant nicknamed Jumbo) busting O'Flair down to size a few times. There's also a pretty nice action finale. In short, if you enjoy crime movies from the past or even if you just want to see some classic Harley Davidson bikes...

By the way, before anyone asks Code Two is police parlance for an emergency that is non life-threatening and no sirens or lights are to be used, which you do in fact see in the movie.

Warner Archive Instant Was Down Last Night...

and I was ticked by that so I decided not to watch anything last night. The past few days weren't so hot but thankfully today has been good & that service seems to be fine now so I'll be watching something there tonight for a review tomorrow night.

The Prizefighter And The Lady

The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Howard Hawks for a few scenes, but mostly W.S. Van Dyke

Starring: Max Baer, Myrna Loy, Walter Huston, Primo Carnera, Jack Dempsey

From: MGM

This was a late night watch last night, done because I figured it was time to watch something on TCM and it sounded interesting to me. The Letterboxd review is below and I'll be back tomorrow night.

This film was on last night on TCM and as it features several real life boxers/pro wrestlers it sounded interesting to me. As a sport boxing does nothing for me; I don't personally think it's entertaining at all. Yet, I am fine with watching certain boxing films, like the Rocky franchise-which I'll get to watching again one of these years-and what have you.

This featured real life boxer Max Baer, who in the finale of this film fights real-life Heavyweight champion at the time Primo Carnera, playing himself; they fought in real life a year after this came out and Baer won. Of course he then lost to James Braddock in a fight immortalized in Cinderella Man but alas... Baer ended up making quite a few acting appearances and of course his son Max Jr. is best known as Jethro Bodine from The Beverly Hillbillies. Sr. did fine here in his acting debut; he even does a random song and dance number-and a highly wacky one at that-in the middle of the picture and doesn't make an ass out of himself.

Anyhow, the film is about a boxing manager (Walter Huston) who latches on to bartender Steve Morgan after he sees the beer-slinger punch out a few people at his place of employment. He becomes a successful boxer and woos the moll (Myrna Loy) of a bigshot gangster after they literally first meet at a car accident... that she was involved in. They marry but Morgan has a roving eye...

As others have said, Steve Morgan isn't the most sympathetic guy. To use a pro wrestling term he wasn't the most likable babyface. Besides the fact that he starts getting drunk often and sneaks around and sees other women behind his wife's back (only to usually get caught by said wife), one way he originally wins her heart is by basically stalking her and de facto breaking into her house. Somehow that works but I won't get into the creepiness of that whole plot point. As also said by others, her old gangster ex seems more of a decent guy; at least you never get any hint that he cheats on her and he allows her to have her old job back, as an entertainer at a nightclub. Sure, at the end he acts like a jerk himself but before then...

Still, the movie is fine; it's not great but it's a fine watch and while the experienced pros give the best performances (I was amused by Huston profusely swearing and being an absolute nervous wreck during the main event), Baer wasn't bad at all; it was interesting to see a flawed hero like Steve Morgan. The other non-actors who appear either literally in brief walk-on roles (like Jess Willard and old pro wrestler Ed “Stranger” Lewis”) or the acting they have to do isn't too long or complex, like famed boxer Jack Dempsey and boxer turned wrestler Carnera. The final fight... it's a typical fight, really; even there you see plenty of clinching. The more things change... at least it was decent and as far as I know the fighters remained professional and didn't let a fake fight turn into a real one.

Like I said the film is fine and was a pleasant diversion on a late Saturday night.

The Yakuza

The Yakuza (1974)

Runtime: 112 minutes

Directed by: Sydney Pollack

Starring: Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura, Brian Keith, Herb Edelman, James Shigeta

From: Warner Brothers/Toei

I'll let the Letterboxd review below explain everything. I will return Sunday night.

I watched this film (Wednesday) night for a few reasons. I had known about it for a long time but I hadn't checked it out yet. It is currently on Warner Archive Instant. The pedigree involved with this is real nice. And, it features a pair of actors who unfortunately passed away in the past few months: James Shigeta and Ken Takakura. This is more than enough motivation to give it a viewing.

The movie is a serious mature tale about a private detective known as Harry Kilmer (Robert Mitchum) who is asked by friend Harry Tanner (Brian Keith) to go to Japan to rescue his daughter, who was kidnapped by some members of the Yakuza in a shady business deal gone wrong. It also allows Harry to visit old love Eiko, who he loved back when he was a soldier in post World War II Japan but they hadn't seen each other in years. Harry and Eiko's brother Ken (Takakura) don't get along due to events of the past, but Ken and his brother Goto (Shigeta) have to get involved with the situation.

This isn't an action-packed extravaganza but rather it's a deliberately paced drama where time is spent to explain Japanese traditions and how the Yakuza operates. This is not only done as presumably most Westerners were unfamiliar with such things 40 years ago but that's the key component of the film. It's not about the action (when you get it, it's violent and memorable), it's about relationships, following what is basically an old samurai code and people coming to acknowledge and respect each others different lifestyles.

There is an air of authenticity; the movie doesn't seem implausible or ridiculous. It turns out that Leonard Schrader (Paul's brother) came up with the story when he fled to avoid being drafted in the Vietnam war and he spent time in Japan hanging out with Yakuza characters. Paul Schrader and Robert Towne expanded the story and not surprisingly given their talents made it a quality script.

Along with the twists and turns (I was pretty surprised more than once by certain plot reveals) this is a film that likely should be better known given the talent involved and the great respect it gives to Japan and its culture. The fact that it's a co-production between Warner Brothers and Japan's Toei Studios was a key reason why but I now wish I would have seen this much sooner, as it's another 70's gem.

I'll Return Tomorrow Afternoon

Things happened and the review I wanted to post now... it'll have to wait until tomorrow afternoon. Sorry.

RIP Ken Takakura

No review tonight; instead I'll talk about how early last week an old actor passed away, and the news just came out last night. If you don't recognize the name, you can get all the important details here.

In short the 83 year old was a famous and greatly respected actor in his native Japan who made a few American films, including Mr. Baseball, Sydney Pollack's The Yakuza and most famously, Ridley Scott's Black Rain, which I reviewed a few years ago here and tonight I'll watch again for Letterboxd. Thus, I'll return Thursday afternoon with a review of something new.

The Sell Out

The Sell Out (1976)

Runtime: 101 minutes

Directed by: Peter Collinson

Starring: Richard Widmark, Oliver Reed, Gayle Hunnicutt, Sam Wanamaker, Vladek Sheybal

From: Several companies but it was released in the United States by Warner Brothers

As this is a little later than expected (among other things I had to update my iPod Touch) let me cut to the chase and copy & paste my Letterboxd review below, after explaining that I'll return tomorrow night.

If you're wondering how I came across such a random film likely no one has heard of before, it's on Warner Archive Instant and after looking at its plot I figured it'd be of interest to some people I know on a movie messageboard so for my interest and theirs I checked it out.

It is a standard spy movie filmed in a non-standard location (Israel) about a double agent (Oliver Reed) who defects from the KGB and ends up in the country. Various people want him silenced so he goes to his old mentor (Richard Widmark), who he has a contentious relationship with and oh yeah there's a young woman who has a history with both. A lot of it is what you'd expect: fears of double crossing, intrigue, random moments of violence, arguing, etc.

The movie is not a must-see, an undiscovered classic waiting for new appreciation. But, it's not terrible either. It's a fine and entertaining film and if you are a fan of either lead you'll likely want to see it as both of their performances are good. Fans of spy films will likely be interested in it even if not much new is brought to the table.

The director is Richard Collinson, best known for being at the helm of the original The Italian Job, so it's no surprise there's car chase action; it also shows that a reason why Checker cabs used to be the choice of taxi in New York City in that they are indestructible, or at least that's what the movie wants us to believe. Also, it should not be a surprise to hear that there's a scene where Reed's character gets drunk.

A nice asset is that the score (from two random dudes with few credits between them) is nicely done. When it is at its usual it is fine; when something big happens and it gets all funky, it's awesome.

The Terminator

The Terminator (1984)

Runtime: 107 minutes

Directed by: James Cameron

Starring: Arnold, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Winfield

From: Hemdale

Like I promised recently, I started to dive into the Blu-ray set of the Terminator films. Of course I started at the beginning and that is what I saw last night. Onto the Letterboxd review, but not before I mention that I'll be back Monday afternoon.

For awhile now I've had the Blu-ray set of all the four Terminator films (which I am glad was put together considering all the different companies that released the films and how some have been long defunct) and I figured last night was a good time to revisit this, as the last viewing was way too long ago.

I don't need to recap the plot of man (and woman) vs. machine as everyone should know it by now. It is a brutally simple tale and the movie doesn't waste a minute telling it, a time travel tale that isn't too confused or complex, and you instead focus on how Arnold is tremendous and is made to look tremendous as an unstoppable force of nature as he tries to murder what seems like a random woman and a soldier from the future tries to protect her... along with teaching her how to survive in the future.

The film is a blast from beginning to end. There are great action scenes throughout but what makes it great is that there is always a feeling of dread, whether it's during the daytime or all the nighttime scenes in the present or the future of 2029. Describing it as TechNoir (a wacky 80's nightclub in the film) seems apropos. The scenes from 2029, those aren't dated at all; that world looks rather bleak and painful, with it always being dark, the ruble and skulls all about, how everyone and everything is dirty, etc.

The movie definitely screams 1980's, from the tremendous fashion and hair to the silly 80's-riffic songs. That's part of the charm, though. The synth score from Brad Feidel is pretty tremendous. Some of the greenscreen stuff looks not so hot if seen in Blu but otherwise I think the special effects are still effective. Stan Winston and Fantasy II did a fantastic job with that.

Even 30 years after the fact is is easy to understand why both Arnold and James Cameron became huge stars after this was released. He was perfect in the direction and script and the T-800 became an iconic figure. The cast and crew all did pretty well (the veterans like Lance Henriksen and Paul Winfield are nice assets) but those two stand out. It reminded me that I should not have waited so long to watch this for another time.

Smart Money

Smart Money (1931)

Runtime: 81 minutes

Directed by: Alfred E. Green

Starring: Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Evalyn Knapp, Ralf Harolde, Noel Francis

From: Warner Brothers

My apologies for this going up so late. Things happened...

I went real old-school here via Warner Archive Instant. I saw this pretty late last night and I enjoyed it. Here's my Letterboxd review and note that I'll return Saturday afternoon.

Last night I returned to Warner Archive Instant and this time I went way back to 1931 and from that year was this film, most notable as the only time that Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney appeared in the same film together, although Cagney is a co-star and the real focus is on Robinson.

The tale is simple: Edward G. and James are brothers, and both work together in a barber shop. Robinson is a master gambler in the small town they live in and he is encouraged to go to “the city” to really earn a lot of cash. He experiences a variety of problems but eventually does hit the big time. But like Hitchcock he has an obvious thing for blondes (which tend to look a lot alike) and will that be his downfall?

The movie isn't complex yet it is still quite enjoyable, due to how the story has various twists & turns and there is a poignant ending. Robinson shows off his star power and makes it clear why he was popular at the time, but Cagney also holds his own playing-shock of shocks-a tough guy whenever he's able to be on screen, and the chemistry is nice between the two leads. The rest of the cast performs admirably and not only is it the first film for prolific actor of the time Charles Lane but before he became famous as Frankenstein's monster, Boris Karloff has a bit part.

Also, whether or not that's the intention the film serves as a nice reminder some of the dangers of gambling but not in an overdramatic fashion. The film's a light and easy watch with two famous faces doing well.

My Tuesday Wasn't Good...

So, I didn't watch anything last night as the day didn't go well and I had a headache from being exhausted and I plan on being away for a bit this evening so I'll have to wait until tomorrow night for a proper review. But, I'll be watching Hausu again to give it a better review for Letterboxd (you can read the review for that here) and I'll watch something else for the first time also.

Interstellar

Interstellar (2014)

Runtime: 169 minutes

Directed by: My favorite director, Christopher Nolan

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Mackenzie Foy

From: Paramount/Warner Brothers

There is a story of how I got to see this movie in a unique manner and it was a day trip, but worth it. I'll explain it all in the long Letterboxd review I did, included below. I'll return tomorrow night with a shorter review.

(I apologize for the length of this review but I wanted to give a backstory so I can explain how I saw this in a unique fashion and also explain what I think of the director and how I really did try to go into this with an open mind. I hope this isn't a “lol, too long, didn't read” sort of thing for most people)

I went on a journey to see this film, not like the trip Cooper went on but still a longer one than I usually take to see something on the big screen. Before that, though, I need to mention how I feel about director Christopher Nolan and his films; I certainly haven't seen them all but the ones I have, there have been more misses than hits.

Maybe it's the whole comic book thing and how I don't read them and I rarely see comic book movies but I think that Batman Begins (which I rated as 2 stars) and The Dark Knight Rises (at the time 2 ½ stars but if I could stomach another viewing I know I'd rate it lower) are both not good and even though I enjoy The Dark Knight its general plot and Heath Ledger's performance are big reasons for that and even I can acknowledge all three movies have badly filmed action scenes, more plot holes than a wheel of Swiss cheese and a lot of illogical moments. He also makes the same sorts of mistakes that "lesser" filmmakers get crap for and yet he somehow always is immune to him being spotlighted for those sins.

Yet most people love him to the point that they'd have his babies if they could! I don't get it. I don't want to say “Emperor with no clothes” as it sounds like I am giving a middle finger in particular to my followers who think he's God's Gift to Cinema, but it is an apt analogy.

Yet, I still made a drive to Tampa (about an hour and a half from where I live) to see the movie in 70mm IMAX*, as this was my virgin experience seeing a feature film in that legendary format, and to be frank that was more a factor in me wanting to see the movie than the actual film, despite it getting a lot of (not unanimous) praise for its greatness from the few dozen of the people I follow having already seen it.

That is why I spent an afternoon and evening and into the late night driving there and back to see it on a giant “real” IMAX screen at the city's museum. It was actually a dome IMAX setup, meaning the screening was in a dome structure and the image was projected on half of the dome, with everyone seated at an angle to see the massive view. It may sound odd but it works quite well and needless to say the picture and the sound were both tremendous.

As for why I gave this movie the rating I did (lower than what most people here have given it), let me explain. I am not going to fault the film for trying to be super ambitious, telling an epic story involving a future Earth that sad to say isn't so far-fetched in my eyes. I have no idea what exactly happened that caused the ecological disaster in this world presented in the movie but maybe that wasn't important aside from saying that “Earth is f*****”.

By the way, I prefer something with big ideas like that rather than the offal and utter garbage that litters major cinema this day, with corporate BS and pointless reboots/remakes that I generally avoid on general principle, not to mention atrocities such as The Transformers franchise. Lord knows I SHOULD enjoy it that a guy is able to make big budget movies that aren't mindless crap but instead try to be intelligent, and tries to be practical instead of solely relying on CGI. Unfortunately...

The movie certainly is filmed well, and it wasn't even done with Nolan's usual cinematographer. I won't fault the actors for the material they were given; all do at least a fine job, with Matthew McConaughey being the highlight. You can tell he put a lot into the role, one that required many different emotions, and acting-wise he was the highlight, but little girl Mackenzie Foy as the 10 year daughter known as Murph (as in Murphy; is Nolan a big RoboCop fan?) also did a swell job. The musical score from Hans Zimmer wasn't like anything I had heard from him before. I saw someone else describe it as being Philip Glass and I'll go with that for comparison's sake. I did enjoy it and it was an asset for the film.

Unfortunately, what I didn't like about the film was its story, which is a huge problem. In short, it left me cold; that's an issue when it's supposed to be an epic about how several people are bravely risking their lives and leaving their families behind in order to try and save humanity. Sure, the relationship between Cooper and Murph was nice and all; other than that, the movie was just cold to me, and there being plotholes and ridiculous contrivance after ridiculous contrivance that don't seem realistic at all, it turned me off.

Another issue was the dialogue and it does what Nolan always does, and instead of sounding natural it is EPIC PROCLAMATION after EPIC PROCLAMATION and I have hated that crap for years now. There's also at least one big speech that's supposed to be profound but it's more “guffaw-inducing” and “eye-rolling” than anything else. Then there's the ending... I heard it described beforehand as a deus ex machina, and I probably would have thought of it on my own had I not heard it. I also groaned when it happened, but now I can laugh that this big movie ended in such a goofy contrived way.

So, seeing it in such a fashion was a cool experience. I just wish that I could be over the moon with it like most other people are, instead of wondering if I'll ever see a film from its director ever again, as obviously he doesn't make motion pictures for me. If most others love it, great. I just don't get it and from my viewpoint, Christopher Nolan is still naked.

* By the way I am glad that at least the film's website has a great breakdown of which theatre is showing the film in which format. That is how I discovered this showing.

Armored Car Robbery

Armored Car Robbery (1950)

Runtime: 68 minutes

Directed by: Richard Fleischer

Starring: Charles McGraw, Adele Jergens, William Talman, Douglas Fowley

From: RKO

Here is another film noir seen by me, and another one I rate pretty highly (4 stars in this case). Onto the Letterboxd review, and I'll be back early Tuesday night with something special:

This film was watched by me today for a few reasons. I had heard of it before as being another film noir from the director and star of The Narrow Margin. Its straightforward title was amusing to me. I was glad it was only barely more than an hour long. And, it's available on Warner Archive Instant. Thus, this day was perfect for me to check it out.

The plot is as to the point as its title; four nefarious characters (led by a man calling himself Purvis, played by William Talman) get together to perform the title act. Of course, one of them does it for a dame and she plays a bigger role in the story than you'd expect. They pull off the heist and kill a copper; his partner Lt. Cordell (the hardest of hard-boiled, played by Charles McGraw, who was great at it) is quite determined to capture them, w/ the help of his new wet behind his ears partner.

The movie is no-nonsense and you get nothing but how the criminals get together to pull off the robbery that happens right outside a baseball stadium during a game, the criminal act itself then its ramifications, including in-fighting among the crooks and the cops working the case trying to crack it, and you get to see them go step by step through the clues and they are aided by some mistakes from the bad guys.

I enjoyed how things were no-nonsense and they got down to brass tacks and you saw 68 minutes of the case from the beginning up to its memorable conclusion. McGraw and Talman are great as the lead face and heel and the rest of the cast does admirably.

It has the standard hallmarks you'd expect in a film noir so if you enjoy the genre and/or rate The Narrow Margin highly you really should watch this. Plus, I am sure it's leagues better than the 2009 Nimrod Antal film Armored!

The Hatchet Man

The Hatchet Man (1932)

Runtime: 74 minutes

Directed by: William Wellman

Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, Dudley Digges, Leslie Fenton, Edmund Breese

From: First National Pictures

This movie was able to be watched by me due to the usage of a service I am trying out for the first time, and that'll be a source of at least a few of the films I see this month. This motion picture right here is unique and I'll explain why it stands out (not to mention which service I am referring to) in the Letterboxd review, which is below:

Here's another film I decided to watch at this time as it was recently seen and reviewed by someone I follow. It was something I have heard of before; it came recently when it was shown late at night on Turner Classic Movies and I wasn't able to see it. However, thanks to Warner Archive Instant (I am trying it out for a month; the lineup is appealing to me) I could now see the film.

It has to be noted that before it showed on TCM I did look at its cast listing on IMDb and knew there'd be trouble when I saw stereotypical Asian character names like “Wong Low Get”, “Sun Toya San”, and Harry En Hai” and saw that they were attached to obvious Caucasian actors. Yep, this is a movie that rather blatantly yellowfaces it up, with there not being too many in the picture that are actually Asian.

The plot revolves around the world of the Tongs in San Francisco and the title character Wong (Edward G. Robinson! For the most part he doesn't even try to look or act Chinese, which at least helped with the cringe factor) is ordered to kill his best friend, which he does. Before that best friend dies, he gives Wong his possessions... and his daughter, who he is to marry when she's legal. Yeah, weird, and insert your own Woody Allen jokes if you wish. They do marry years later and Wong is now a powerful figure who tries to act “more American”, but complications happen, including a love triangle.

The story was rather interesting, it was nicely directed by William Wellman, the set/production design was pretty good and aside from some bad performances it was well acted, especially from Robinson. It's just unfortunate that times were what they were back then and you had the casting and racism going on, with some actors being rather obviously not Asian.

That said, if you can get past that, the film is pretty entertaining and is nice as something different from the usual early 1930's norm, although Edward G. delivers a typical gangster performance from him that is quite similar to something like Little Caesar.

I'll return Sunday night.

Hot Potato

Hot Potato (1976)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Oscar Williams

Starring: Jim Kelly, George Memmoli, Geoffrey Binney, Irene Tsu

From: Warner Brothers

I was stumped as to what I should watch today; I had some ideas in mind. Then, I noticed a DVD I had and as I'll explain in the Letterboxd review I picked that one to see, and I heard it was bad. Spoiler warning: it is bad. Sure, characters known as Johnny Chicago and White Rhino was amusing, but there aren't too many laughs to be had. Onto the review:

For awhile now I have had the DVD 4-pack of “Urban Action Collection” from Warner Brothers, which is the blaxploitation films Black Belt Jones, Black Samson, Three the Hard Way and what is technically a sequel to BBJ (it's from the same producers and Jim Kelly's in it & he's known as “Jones”), an action/comedy filmed in Thailand known as Hot Potato that actually isn't blaxploitation at all. Although, maybe it should be “comedy” instead of comedy.

The plot isn't terribly complex: the daughter of a U.S. Senator is kidnapped in a fictional Southeast Asian country by some bad guys who want her dad to withdraw something that would be to their disadvantage. Several people rescue her, including Jones, a white dude named Johnny Chicago, a lady who's a member of local law enforcement and a big fat slob known as White Rhino.

Someone else here on Letterboxd described the movie as if Hanna-Barbera made a live action cartoon, except that it sucked, and that was true. It has a lot of humor; problem is, most of it is incredibly juvenile and not amusing in the least. You're annoyed instead of entertained by the constant bickering between Mr. Chicago and Mr. Rhino, for example. The plot doesn't make a lot of logical sense and not even most of the action stuff is worth seeing. It's painful, painfully unfunny and a slog more than anything else. Maybe if you're a 6 year old it'd be great, but I wouldn't even have them watch this when there's much better options out there for those tykes.

The only compliments I can give it is that the Thai scenery (a lot of it is rural) is rather scenic and much of the cast was Thai people instead of other Asians cast to be the natives of a country that not supposed to be Thailand but actually is. While it's not a plus as derogatory terms were used, but apparently even back then the concept of “ladyboys” was known in the Western world, so I learned something today; other than that, never see this movie and watch Black Belt Jones instead as it will be a much better 90 minutes spent.

I'll return tomorrow night.

The Wildcat

The Wildcat (Die Bergkatze) (1921)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Directed by: Ernst Lubistch

Starring: Pola Negri, Victor Janson, Paul Heidemann, Wilhelm Diegelmann

From: Projektions-AG Union

This is another silent film I saw on TCM. This one is German and from a famed director, although this is different from his best-known Hollywood films, that is for sure. If you love the silent comedies, though... here's my Letterboxd review:

The Wildcat is another film I was able to watch last night via Turner Classic Movies. To be frank I hadn't even heard of it before I saw it was on the schedule. I looked here on Letterboxd and saw some real strong reviews and what was said appealed to me; plus, it's from legendary German director Ernst Lubistch and stars the wild silent film star known as Pola Negri, who plays a wild character here and is the best part of the movie with how she goes all-out with her role.

The film was done on location in Bavaria and deals with a remote military post up in the mountains. A lothario gets transferred to that station due to how many female lovers he's acquired wherever he goes. He is romanced both by the daughter of the post's leader and the main lady (Negri) of a throng of bandits, who you know are villains not just for them looking like barbarians but also them wearing a skull & crossbones logo.

Above all else this is a screwball madcap comedy, with many visual gags. The set and art direction are both great, making the film a constant visual treat between the sets (German Expressionist to the max), cool setpieces and the natural scenery of the Bavarian mountains. Aside from that much of the humor still works today, from the physical slapstick stuff to the lampooning of military life. I heard it described as being similar to both Monty Python and early Woody Allen. Yeah, I can see both. The score I saw it with was also pretty nice and it fit the film well.

The film is not hard to find online (you didn't hear that from me, though) so if you enjoy the silent comedies then this is a must-see.

I'll return Thursday night.

The Poor Little Rich Girl

The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917)

Runtime: 78 minutes

Directed by: Maurice Tourneur

Starring: Mary Pickford, Madlaine Traverse, Charles Wellesey, Gladys Fairbanks

From: Artcraft Pictures Corporation

Yes, tonight I watched a film from almost 100 years ago. I'll explain why in the Letterboxd review, which begins... now. I'll be back tomorrow night with a review of another silent film.

This month on Turner Classic Movies they're showing silent movies each Monday night so I figured that is a great opportunity for me to explore a particular type of film I haven't really dived into. I decided to watch this one as there's an element which is wacky and I HAD to write about, and it's the oldest film I've ever watched also.

The plot isn't too complicated: a 10 year old rich girl gets ignored by her parents-who are too busy with their own lives to pay attention to her-and is not treated well by her teachers or other adults so the fun-loving girl is miserable having to deal with that and other lousy people. An accident happens and suddenly people notice her as you see the bizarre dream she has.

The thing is, the 10 year old was played by 25 year old Mary Pickford, the biggest female silent star there was and among other things, was one of the founders of United Artists. She wasn't the tallest woman but that doesn't mean the casting wasn't a little absurd, and she did this several times in her career. They did various tricks to try and make you believe that she was a child-including building larger sets-and sad to say I was reminded of the Martin Short bomb Clifford, a film I've seen clips of and well, I'd rather not be reminded of that movie!

Anyhow, you see that the parents experience some troubles but most of the focus is on Gwen and the predicaments the title character gets herself involved with, mainly involving the kids of the neighborhood. Then, things happen and she experiences a health crisis and that's where you get a lot of trippiness. There's a guy in a donkey suit who walks on all fours, a serpent with a woman's face, and other wacky moments. It's the best part of the picture, I say.

This was different than the norm for me but for what it was, it was fine; I was entertained, even through a slow stretch or two. There were some nice comedic moments and some important life lessons, too.

Note: do not confuse this with the Shirley Temple film of the same name... and you really shouldn't confuse it with the Warhol movie.

Nightmare City

Nightmare City (Incubo Sulla Citta Contaminata) (1980)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Umberto Lenzi

Starring: Hugo Stiglitz, Laura Trotter, Maria Rosaria Omaggio, Francisco Rabal, Sonia Viviani

From: Several different companies, as this was an Italian/Spanish/Mexican co-production

I've actually had a copy of this film for a good amount of time but as I am me, I did not watch it until last night, Halloween night. It's a movie many people say was an obvious inspiration for the Planet Terror part of the film Grindhouse and that is definitely true. The IMDb plot description (note this is taken verbatim) then the Letterboxd review:

“An airplane exposed to radiation lands, and blood drinking zombies emerge armed with knives, guns and teeth! They go on a rampage slicing, dicing, and biting their way across the Italian countryside.”

I close out the month of watching horror films by checking out this Italian/Spanish/Mexican production. Hold your socks on, but this is actually the first time I have ever seen this movie, despite knowing about it for years and how it was an obvious inspiration (or rip-off, if you prefer) for Planet Terror. After viewing it, that was the case, between the hospital stuff and the military plot. I figured Halloween night was the perfect time to give it a viewing.

If you don't know, the film is about how an airplane full of people who experience a massive dose of radiation and they changed into unstoppable creatures that many refer to as zombies but that's not entirely accurate; they can move fast, use weapons, have to drink blood to survive, and can even do things like cut telephone wires and drive cars; it takes more than be unstoppable except for shooting them in the head to be considered a zombie. They're more infected and mutated human beings than anything else.

I've seen several films from Umberto Lenzi in the past, so I knew to expect both sleaze and trash here, and that's certainly what I got, with plenty of female nudity and gore. Things start off rather quickly and the pace rarely lets up, making the film a never dull affair, which actually has some digs against war and nuclear energy. There's also a nicely done effect of despair and dread when you see how widespread the pandemic is. The score from Stelvio Cipriani is pretty great and it's a big asset for the film.

It has to be noted, though, that things become ridiculous and it doesn't always make a lot of sense. The ending does explain that away... I agree it comes out of nowhere and I understand why many wouldn't be happy with it. Me, I laughed at the movie a few times by the time that happened, so I laughed again. This was also the first time I got to see Hugo Stiglitz in action; it wasn't until Inglourious Basterds that I had even heard the name. I am sure I'll come across more of his films in the future.

I'll return on Monday night; I can spend Sunday putting up more than one list on Letterboxd.