I Discuss Dinner For One

What a unique 18 minute short this is: 

Last night I wasn't at 100%-don't worry, nothing serious-I am back to normal now; subsequently, it seemed right to see something that did not require a lot of time. Thus, an 18 minute comedy sketch which most Americans will likely not be familiar with but the main reason why this review is being posted at this hour of the day is for all the Europeans who follow me... this is an institution in Germany and several other countries in Europe.

Until earlier in the month, I had no knowledge of this. It took the Firefox browser and its habit of recommending various random articles to a story several years old on Mental Floss. What a fascinating story it is-this was filmed in 1963 live on what was then West German television, a British sketch-also done by the likes of Red Skelton and Lucille Ball-presented in English (the first two minutes are a German man explaining it in his native language so the German crowd as a general idea as to what's going on) where two old English actors act out a scenario where a 90 year old woman has a birthday tradition of having dinner with four friends-only they are all dead. Henceforth, her butler acts the part of all four deceased men at the dining room table... this requires him to have four glasses each of four different wines presented during the four course meal.

As probably would be obvious, the butler becomes more and more inebriated; the reason why the crowd loved the sketch in a language most likely weren't familiar with: it was filled with physical humor presented in several different running gags, including his continued tripping over a tiger throw rug. This was why I found the sketch to be pretty funny-I typically enjoy pratfalls, visual gags and what have you. It was filler until 1972 when the NDR-the greatly named Norddeutscher Rundfunk-started showing it each New Year's Eve (or Silvester as it's known over there) and the rest was history. In Germany and several other countries on the continent it is a huge deal-as it resonates with many and is shown on the same day each year, that must have been how it became a tradition. Not too bad for random English actors Freddie Fenton and May Warden... actually, both did a marvelous job here-they had done this bit for years so there was no problem nailing it for live television.

It's a fascinating story I was glad to discover. In the United States the holiday tradition (at least for movies during the Christmas season) is It's A Wonderful Life... mainly because back in the day it was public domain-as a kid I remember it being on all the time on different stations, black and white or colorized, and different lengths, meaning of course that some of them were edited. That was eventually fixed yet NBC has shown it each year since 1996 and hopefully that trend never dies. I've read about what else is popular on TV around the world during December, and it's mainly programs I have no knowledge of. Oddly enough, apparently Trading Places-of all movies-is a big thing in Italy during that time of year; who knew?

Santo vs. Frankenstein's Daughter

Santo vs. Frankenstein's Daughter (Santo vs. La Hija De Frankenstein) (1971)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Miguel M. Delgado

Starring: El Santo, Gina Romand, Anel, Roberto Canedo, Carlos Agosti

From: Cinematogrica Calderon S.A.

Better than Jesse James vs. Frankenstein's Daughter.

Late (Saturday) night this played on the El Rey Network; I know that during the Halloween season where I see plenty of horror movies (that will start in a few days) a few will star the legendary masked man. This will be an acceptable entry on one of those lists for those that want to have a campy good time with a movie where much of the action takes place either in the villain's underground lair or the adjacent spooky graveyard.

Frankenstein's daughter and her minions are all ancient in terms of age but due to a serum they all appear to be much younger. She wants Santo's blood because it's special-a nonsense explanation was given... it might as well have been “because his midi-chlorian count was high.” Our hero did not also write the script although no one would be mistaken to think that way... besides him having special blood, he is in his mid 50's yet has a girlfriend who age-wise should play his daughter instead and TWO different women note how handsome he is sans mask. At least he is in great shape for his age.

Anyhow, the girlfriend is kidnapped so he goes to the villain lair and there are two different brutes to deal with: there is a new Frankenstein's monster and in addition, the daughter created a “half-human/half-beast” hybrid that went awry. For me, this was the right kind of cheese as it was never dull & plenty was going on. This includes the daughter proving time and time again how ruthless she was. Also, this had some dark moments-for example, threatened eye gouging. There was plenty of action & entertainment and for whatever it's worth, this is the best of the Santo movies I have viewed thus far. Various critiques (the villainess's hair style obviously changing a few times when all the action takes place in the span of a few hours is an obvious one) can be downplayed as this was a pretty good time.

RIP Chadwick Boseman

Yes, the reason why there wasn't a review yesterday was that Friday night I was in shock over his passing; it's amazing all that he did the last few years of his life when he was suffering from colon cancer. Once I review another of his movies (as Black Panther was the only one I've viewed as of now) I will say more about him... him only being a few years older than me does hit hard.

Casino

Casino (1995)

Runtime: 179 minutes

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Starring: A very nice cast

From: Universal

Until last night, I had only seen this movie once... and that had to be at least 20 years ago. Goodfellas is one of my personal favorites and last year's The Irishman was excellent; it is natural to compare the three movies not just for the obvious Mob plot but rather them all being based on alleged true stories originally told in book form. While this is the lesser of the three, that is no slight as Casino is still very good.

Based on mobster Frank Rosenthal helping the Mob run the Stardust Casino in Las Vegas, this has Robert De Niro as Ace Rothstein running the fictional Tangiers casino; as the hothead that Joe Pesci played was based on real life Mob hothead Tony Spilotro (who really did stick someone's head in a vise and squeezed it until a gross moment occurred) there was no better choice for the role. Various other events from real life were portrayed in the movie, including the Ginger character causing trouble for both men, along with organized crime skimming off the profits from the casino.

Many directors could not have made a 3 hour movie that has constant narration from TWO characters (De Niro and Pesci) and spend the first 40 minutes or so setting up the world and even taking the time to see some of the casino scams that people try to pull; as it is Scorsese, he managed to make it work with its stylish direction, an outstanding soundtrack that has everything from The Rolling Stones (naturally) to blues to lounge music to Devo... and a quality cast full of familiar faces. Of course De Niro and Pesci were unforgettable with their oversized personalities and great 70's clothing, but Sharon Stone as Ginger was also great as a character who had her share of flaws.

It's a Scorsese Mob movie so you should know this is at times brutally violent and is always in your face, with various of the F bomb being dropped on 422 occasions* and the world is filled with scummy characters. Yet at least for me they are always compelling watches seeing the rise and downfall of these reprobates. Besides, Las Vegas has for years been a fascinating town to me due to its unique qualities; the last time I was in the city was years ago... hopefully one day there will be a grand return on my part. Anyhow, the wait should not have been so long to roll the dice and see this a second time.

* Yes, someone counted; in fact, there is a list on Wikipedia of the movies which use it at least 150 times. Personally, it may help in deciding what NOT to view; this won't be a popular opinion but that word is overused in general and more than one movie on the list I found to be aggressively in your face obnoxious (not all have been reviewed here because not all were viewed since I joined the site). Of course, some of the others are also masterpieces-my point still stands. I'd be happy in general if that word was used less often.

Gamera vs. Jiger

Gamera vs. Jiger (Gamera Tai Daimaju Jiaga) (1970)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Noriaki Yuasa... and Shigeo Tanaka

Starring: Tsutomu Takakuwa, Kelly Varis, Katherine Murphy, Kon Ohmura, Junko Yashiro

From: Daiei

I am glad Gamera is against both colonialism and the theft of cultural artifacts.

To add more variety into my movie-watching, it was time to revisit a Gamera movie for the first time in over 6 months. By this point the series was deep into the juvenile, not only designed for children but having children as the heroes, making the adults look kind of dopey in the process. Like with vs. Viras, a mini-submarine is used by two boys and like with the past few pictures, presumably for the purpose of marketing it to the West a Caucasian boy teams up with a Japanese boy.

In this case, this was an advertisement for Expo '70, where the World's Fair was held in Osaka that year. In fact, a few minutes are spent hard-plugging it as if it was a commercial. For the expo, they decide to take a giant statue from “Wester Island” (yes, in contrast to Easter Island) despite the protest of the natives and even Gamera's attempt to stop this nonsense. Besides how gross it is with modern eyes to see cultural artifacts being taken from those seen as minorities, this statue (known as The Devil's Whistle!) prevents Jiger from rising up and raising hell, using sometimes goofy powers and instruments of destruction. Soon this quadruped monster resembling a cross between an iguana and a triceratops reaches Osaka and our turtle's attempt at stopping this results in him... being injected with larvae and subsequently, the two kids go inside him w/ the mini-sub to discover the larvae is actually a mini version of Jiger??? Silly, this was.

With the caveat that some of it is on the goofy side, the miniatures and kaiju action at least looked fine. But it is ironic that Jiger does not have the moves like Jiger (to steal a line many have used already) and instead sort of lumbers around; in addition, there is a gross film clip-used as stock footage-involving an elephant that caused me to react in abject horror like the characters in the movie did.

I Discuss The Empire Strikes Back, & More

 I've already reviewed the movie before, but yesterday I got to see it in a big way: 

AKA my opportunity to discuss-among other things-my return to cinemas and The Mandalorian.

For the first time since March 1, I was able to see a motion picture at the cinema. There is risk-especially in the United States-of doing this now and no shame on anyone who does not feel comfortable doing this no matter what precautions each chain takes. Personally, as there is some risk even stepping outside, I'll take my chances knowing the dangers. Of course I have seen The Empire Strikes Back many times in my life and reviewed it five years ago At the time I had no idea how badly The Rey Trilogy would turn out... even if this was the version of Empire where George Lucas added some needless crap, at least this had less needless crap than A New Hope or Return of the Jedi.

Not to sound like a broken record but if I reviewed all the Disney Star Wars films again it's almost a certainty they would each receive lower scores. Seeing how well they told their story here only make those movies all the worse... there was no “subverting expectations” that broke the story or made the journey of several characters utterly pointless. No one looked bad because their pals needlessly refused to tell them their big plans to get out of danger... and it was nice seeing Luke Skywalker as a heroic babyface who did make mistakes but learned from them rather than some grumpy old dick or a lead that was infallible... I'll forever be unable to comprehend why so many love The Last Jedi or think they did the Rey character right. The fact that this did not have nonstop stupid “humor” (a huge problem I have with the Disney Star Wars movies and few others seem to care about) and instead only a few amusing one-liners was great. In addition, the practical effects and the legendary John Williams score were a treat to experience theatrically.

Just earlier in the week I finished watching The Mandalorian. I know that Baby Yoda is cute and all but meh. I am not even impossible to please; it was simplistic stories-which was at least preferable to the nonsense The Rey Trilogy devolved into-which unfortunately had weak dialogue, zero surprises and was mostly boring to me as I didn't care about any of the characters. A shame, as it had a quality cast and a pretty cool score. The fact that even this had too much stupid “humor” (the endless meta conversation w/ two Stormtroopers discussing how terrible their aim is... barf) and rambling nonsense are two of the many issues I have with modern filmmaking in general... BTW, my late mom did see the first season before I did (it was when she was staying at the house of one of my sisters) and before she passed she expressed a desire to see season 2. That does make me feel melancholy.

As an aside, modern filmmaking has resulted in a director beloved by most but I feel is an Emperor With No Clothes can keep on releasing pictures where-among such problems as them feeling too hollow and cold-they keep on having major audio issues where dialogue is drowned out! Anyhow, it's fine if most loved this Disney + property; me, it's probably time to just ignore Star Wars like I will ignore Tenet and subsequent films put out by someone who must think that “not being able to properly hear dialogue” is a GOOD artistic choice, as why does it keep on happening? Again, why does everyone else love this guy?

As I don't want the last bite of this review to be a sour one, instead will be the reiteration that it is a good feeling to attend the cinema again, even if there is a little bit of danger and it would be horrible if a screening caused a big outbreak. Various classic movies playing now is neat... most of them I have been lucky in seeing on the big screen years ago and none I need to watch again, but it's still appreciated by me as an opportunity for nostalgia or for “the youth” to see a classic theatrically.

I Discuss Both The Bourne Supremacy & The Bourne Ultimatum

Each review will be in different fonts: 

The reason why this is a first time watch for me in late August 2020 and I waited more than a year to see this after viewing The Bourne Identity? Everything bad I heard about “Paul Greengrass style” and each movie I've seen using that style (the Taken sequels-no surprise that all the cuts and edits used to show Liam Neeson hop a fence resulted in a popular Twitter .gif-Quantum of Solace, A Good Day to Die Hard, Mile 22) was hard to watch when it came to action, nevermind how bad those movies were in general. Finally, last night I took the plunge and... didn't hate the action!? 'Tis true. I did see Captain Phillips on the big screen and apparently it used that style... it was not even noticed by me, to be honest.

It's not my favorite way to shoot such beats yet the car chases were not impossible to comprehend and the other action (and even the editing in general, which I know some have complained about also) was not a shaky blur or nauseating to view. Even a big fight in a house-the most egregious example-was not that incomprehensible to me. My opinion is a surprise to me considering how I feel about such matters as how Olivier Megaton shoots action. In hindsight it is foolish to not have viewed this sooner; this dovetails nicely w/ Identity so thank goodness I still remembered that rather well.

The plot was interesting as Jason Bourne learned more about his mysterious past as someone sets him up as a fall guy to hide dirty dealings. The story always intrigued and Joan Allen was a great addition; what a battle of wills between her and Brian Cox. There are also some nice dramatic moments. The high rating I give this reflects how Supremacy won't be docked points because of the negative impact I feel “Paul Greengrass style” has had on Hollywood and even DTV action... or how the Daniel Craig Bond movies became “heavily inspired” by this series. Of course I may be singing a different tune once I see Ultimatum but me not hating the movie was a giant relief.

Jesus Christ, that's Jason Bourne!

As I viewed Supremacy on Saturday night and it surpassed my expectations, there was no reason for me not to check out Ultimatum this past evening. Even with an implausible moment or two, my enjoyment of the first two sequels was about the same.

An important aspect was that the completion of Jason Bourne's journey to discover his past felt satisfying. It was nice to get answers to questions that were present since Identity-and the end result was not disappointing. Ultimatum had a new aspect in pervasive surveillance and the long-reaching tentacles of an agency being a dangerous obstacle for Bourne. A concern for me was if the action was “worse” for me aesthetically... much to my relief, I still did not hate it even if it is not my favorite. My favorite setpiece of the trilogy was in Tangiers, Morocco; most for the foreign locations in the trilogy was in Europe and they were all nice to visit.

The returning cast of characters were nice to see again, along with the new faces; it's nice to see the likes of Scott Glenn and Albert Finney, although David Strathairn as a big villain got the most time and was great as a real jerk. Another aspect I thought was great was the electronic score through all three movies. While I am a fool for not seeing these movies years ago, at least that has been rectified and the negative assumptions I had over the franchise's unfortunate impact on Hollywood can be forgotten. Hopefully one day that style in general will disappear as I'll never like the imitators but these movies are worthwhile.

It may be years down the road but I imagine that eventually both The Bourne Legacy and Jason Bourne will be viewed; there is knowledge known by me that both have received mixed reviews and the latter had a bad version of Paul Greengrass style... from Greengrass himself.

From Beyond The Grave

From Beyond the Grave (1974)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Kevin Connor

Starring: Peter Cushing, Donald Pleasence & his daughter Angela, David Warner, Lesley-Anne Down, Diana Dors

From: Amicus

TCM played this late (Friday) night and as I have seen the majority of the Amicus horror anthologies, might as well seek out the rest, right? This wasn't my favorite one of theirs and it would have been preferable if more than once I wasn't reminded of something in one segment seeming similar to something in another segment... all of the movies I have seen from Amicus have either been good or pretty good, and that label also applies to From Beyond the Grave.

A little bit different was that Peter Cushing wasn't the host who either told one person several tales of wicked people or talked to a group of individuals and told each one a scary story of their fate, whether or not they engaged in moral turpitude. Rather, he was the proprietor of a pawn shop and various men either rip him off or just engaged in rude behavior. Whatever objects they acquired led to their downfall. The stories range from a haunted mirror and a man lying to avoid his nagging wife to an elemental making its presence known.

It was nice seeing the likes of Lesley-Anne Down, David Warner, old British sexpot Diana Dors and Donald Pleasence (whose daughter in his segment was played by real life daughter Angela; from appearance there was no mistake they were related) in stories which at least were varied in the amount of laughs they had. The most memorable character was the subtly named Madame Orloff... wait until you experience her. There are at least some nasty deaths and more than one surprise along the way. This was the last anthology Amicus made-indeed, the company would be no more a few years later-but at least all the ones I have seen have been worthwhile viewings, whether or not they were during the spooky season.

The Bad Sleep Well

The Bad Sleep Well (Warui Yatsu Hodo Yoku Nemuru) (1960) 

Runtime: 150 minutes

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa

Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Kyoko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Takashi Shimura

From: Toho

This is my first Kurosawa since the excellent Ikiru, something which I imagine I can never watch again. It was viewed back in April while my mom was sick but a few weeks before it was known that she was going to pass away. Considering her illness and the plot of the movie... it probably would be too difficult to view again. This in comparison was easy to watch even if it's a bleak revenge tale which fits the line (heard in Bond movies and elsewhere) of “The first thing you should do if you're looking for revenge is to dig two graves” and in what you typically don't see in this genre, those looking for payback will find that it's a Pyrrhic victory, if not a victory at all.

Without getting into even as much detail as the descriptions on Goggle and here at Letterboxd give, someone is pissed about a scandal involving two companies in Japan (one of which is public-owned) because it resulted in one person committing suicide. This person feels like they have to be ruthless themselves to bring down these reprobates, only to discover he does not like what he himself is turning into. As Scorsese himself once said, the first half hour of this is a masterpiece: it begins at the wedding of Toshiro Mifune to the handicapped daughter of the Vice President of one of the two companies. Rumblings of a scandal resulted in quite a few newspapermen arriving to see if anyone would be arrested there. Besides the main players all being introduced and their characters presented in a concise manner, the press sometimes deliver catty comments that explain the controversy and how it appears that Mifune is only marrying the lady to ascend in the company.

Of course the movie looks great and is filmed spectacularly, with plenty of long takes where the camera is either stationary and allows for multiple characters to be viewed at the same time during exposition or there are minimal camera movements, and cuts are only made to highlight key points. This combines film noir and modifies the Hamlet story-how, I dare not reveal-to create a story that was never dull despite the 2 ½ hour runtime. The ending I know has always been an issue for some; me, it was not too much a detriment & I can say this is very good. Not a masterpiece or one of Kurosawa's best but that is mainly due to how great the director is; this is still worthy of viewing. If nothing else, the movie quickly explains the meaning of its provocative poster.

The Rookie

The Rookie (1990)

Runtime: 121 minutes

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Eastwood, Charlie Sheen, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, Lara Flynn Boyle

From: Warner Bros.

Would you believe that a long, long time ago (I can still remember...) in a messageboard thread, there was serious debate concerning this movie? True story. It was either a love it or hate it proposition; of course, when I viewed it-probably early in Obama's first term-my reaction was “meh”, so I was on the fence. My finding of the DVD at a used disc store a few weeks ago inspired me to finally give it a second chance and... I enjoyed the movie more this time around, even if it is goofy and outlandish.

The important thing to note is that while Clint Eastwood played a character not dissimilar to Dirty Harry here (he's a loose cannon cop who doesn't want to team up with a young neophyte cop played by Charlie Sheen) the movie has an undercurrent of humor throughout; Lethal Weapon is a natural comparison to make. Of course, Sheen's character is an uptight rich kid who is by the book and it takes some harsh moments for him to let loose... especially now, it is hilarious to think of Old Charlie playing such a character-in a not so funny note, apparently Sheen had substance abuse issues during filming. They are after Raul Julia and Sonia Braga, somehow both playing racist German A-holes who run a giant auto theft ring.

It's a silly movie which Clint did for Warner Brothers because that's the only way they would allow him to make the prestigious White Hunter, Black Heart... it did play better for me this time. Perhaps it is because I have viewed some awful buddy-cop “comedies” that have been made in the preceding decade, but this at least made me chuckle on quite a few occasions; unlike what we get in comedy now, one-liners are said then they move on instead of this rambling improv crap we get now. Heck, Loose Cannons from the same year... now that is pretty dreadful; at the time they also made some terrible buddy-cop comedies.

Plus, those that enjoy the R-rated action movies of old, the violence is usually entertaining and sometimes is quite impressive... the big example is right in the beginning: a car chase of a vehicle transport truck where the bad guys let loose the automobiles they are hauling as a way to stop Harry... excuse me, “Nick Pulovski.”

There are some outrageous moments and I know not everyone will like that a dog is shot & killed at one point... plus I don't know what to make of the movie's most infamous moment of Braga sexually assaulting Eastwood aside from it being shock value... it at least provided me with enough entertainment value where a good rating can now be applied. Those that will forever not like this, of course I get why; among other things, the storyline of Sheen's character being traumatized because of his brother's death when they were kids is never fully explored. The plan in the upcoming years is to watch more of the serious pictures Eastwood has directed... at least this revisit was not a waste of 2 hours.

National Lampoon's Animal House

National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) 

Runtime: 109 minutes

Directed by: John Landis

Starring: John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, Stephen Furst, John Vernon

From: Universal

I was genuinely curious how this movie would play today after not having seen it for more than a decade; the world is of course different from even earlier this century. What many think is “acceptable” for humor has changed and between viewings, I realized a problematic person in director John Landis begat son Max who is a pretty repugnant individual.

Admittedly, some moments come off as creepy instead of hilarious; even with that and the general loose nature of the plot, Animal House still gave me plenty of laughs. In the past, I have seen some criticisms over this “bad boy” frat house being filled with characters that are detestable-no judgment will be made by me on anyone who feels this way. Personally, they in general belong in the “charming A-hole” category and I've seen more than one Animal House clone (none of which I've reviewed here) where our “heroes” are worthy of being hissed at, nevermind those movies being bad in general. 

It is a nice cast overall but of course the highlight was John Belushi as Bluto; he's a maniac who loves to party and did not pay close enough attention in history class, but he is lovable. Likewise, John Vernon as Dean Wormer is a real jerk about the whole deal even if the actions-and GPA-of the Delta Tau Chi house is worthy of at least complaint, if not condemnation. Another key aspect is the musical selection; it is set in 1962 so there's plenty of songs that I am sure are easy to find on the 50's and 60's music stations on satellite radio. And who can forget Otis Day and the Knights, the fictional band you see perform twice in the movie? DeWayne Jessie (who played Day) managed to have a career performing as Day for years afterwards. Add in a bravura finale and classic moments that still made me laugh in 2020... overall, our different world did not diminish the movie too much for me.

It has to be noted that since I was a kid, I have known that this has been one of my dad's favorite movies-he went to college in the mid to late 60's. A few times he claimed that everyone in the Delta Tau Chi frat house reminded him of people that he knew at university. As long as he wasn't analogous to Bluto, then that's fine with me! In addition, it is a gas to think what happened to the National Lampoon brand after this movie was an unexpected giant hit. It took them a few years to come up with Movie Madness (which I have seen and might be the least funny “comedy” I have ever seen and squanders a quality cast) & Class Reunion, not seen by me but is understood by me to be gross. While I've never looked in-depth into the subject, hearsay tells me that “copious drug consumption” is to be blamed for why Animal House and the first three Vacation movies are a small noteworthy accomplishment among a wide sea of crap motion pictures (whether theatrical or DTV). For a brand that had the magazine, various comedy albums, and even some theater productions, what a shame that something which was popular in the 70's went down the toilet because of copious drug consumption.

Invasion U.S.A.

Invasion U.S.A. (1985)

Runtime: 107 minutes

Directed by: Joseph Zito

Starring: Chuck Norris, Richard Lynch, Melissa Prophet, Alexander Zale, Alex Colon

From: Cannon

Murica, The Movie

OK, that may be a little harsh, even if I am sure a certain demographic loves the film (and think its outlandish scenario is actually plausible) and star Chuck Norris has controversial political opinions if you ever look into them. It's been years since I've seen this and as it was on MGMHD last night, why not? Note that I don't actually subscribe to the channel yet for some reason, earlier this month I started receiving it. It hearkens back to the time when I think back in 2009, I started receiving many of the premium movie channels (including MGMHD) without having paid for them and that lasted for YEARS until it was finally fixed one day. This time around, MGM is the only channel which has been gifted to me.

The movie has former agent Chuck Norris (now living in an Everglades shack) returning to “The Agency” but of course working on his own as he tries to stop an old enemy-played to slimy heights by Richard Lynch-from invading the United States of America and not only blowing s*** up, but also stirring s*** up to where everyone is in a panic and for example make a run on a grocery store. In 2020, I know that wasn't entirely believable as while meat did run out, there was no shortage of toilet paper noted...

What a mean-spirited movie this is; it opens with Cuban immigrants on a boat being gunned down by faux U.S. Coast Guard members and not only has Lynch shooting two people in the dick, a random woman snorting coke w/ a coke straw receives The Pencil Trick from The Dark Knight then is thrown out the window. In addition, innocent people are gunned down and random houses in a neighborhood are blown up with a rocket launcher... which proves to be a weapon seen often in the movie. That and how stump-dumb Invasion is might sink this for me; thankfully, the movie has some positives in its favor. Occasional badass dialogue, plenty of explosions, big & exciting action scenes (Joseph Zito as the director was for certain an asset), and a sleazy turn from Richard Lynch as the bad guy... something he did so well and not just because that was the backbone of his prolific career.

No surprise that such a product of its time (80's excess, fear of “foreigners” invading the country) has received all sorts of ratings on Letterboxd; me, the ugly tone is thankfully not a deal-killer due to how excessive it is, how bombastic the finale is and such wacky details as the Christmas setting-I know from experience it is not the same in the South as it was in the Midwest when I was a kid-do provide plenty of entertainment.

Santo vs. The Riders Of Terror

Santo vs. The Riders of Terror (1970)

Runtime: 80 minutes

Directed by: Rene Cardona

Starring: Santo, Armando Silvestre, Julio Aldama, Mary Montiel, Gregorio Casal

From: Cinematografrica Calderon S.A.

Santo as a cowboy in a period Western!

Via the El Rey Network I saw another Santo movie; each late Saturday night they now show a pair of Mexican movies involving professional wrestlers, whether or not they have the man with the silver mask. I was only able to see the ending of the first movie (Santo and the Treasure of Dracula), which has two different versions; the cut they showed was an R-rated one which has a lot of nudity. It's hilarious to me that the legendary wrestler once appeared in a vulgar motion picture.

Anyhow, this is a period Western and much to my delight, Santo does wear an appropriate shirt; he does not don a cowboy hat but I imagine it would be more difficult to wear one if you are masked. In addition, he does ride a white horse throughout. The plot is that lepers are let loose from a hospital and that creates a lot of fear in a small town. Turns out, nefarious bad guys are responsible for that as they use them to commit crimes; creative, admittedly. Much to my relief, this movie is usually not horribly inaccurate when it comes to leprosy. The disease has always caused fear due to the scary-looking lesions it gives those afflicted and the belief that it is contagious, which it is not. It's even less so than COVID-19, actually; of course you're in trouble if someone w/ leprosy coughs or sneezes on you but otherwise it's not an airborne transmission and even touch is not a 100% guaranteed transmission. Thankfully the movie did not create a whole load of poppycock concerning a real life disease that has been around for thousands of years... nor demonize those with leprosy.

Sure, Santo does not appear until more than 20 minutes into the 80 minute movie but it is in essence a standard Western and it is watchable. The fight scenes perhaps go on a touch too long, yet that did not bother me too much. Some moments did bring me much delight... for example, Santo wields a rifle at one point, and uses it to great effect. Also, they managed to find a way to include a wrestling sequence. It was done at a carnival event where (and this was actually done way back in the day) a “shooter” would be in a ring to challenge those in a crowd to come in the right and fight them for a cash prize. In this case, a trio of nuns at an orphanage (!) ask our masked hero to stop the bully in the ring, which he does. Of course Santo gives the money to the nuns. It's hard to hate a movie with such an earnest moment, you know.

White Woman

White Woman (1933)

Runtime: 68 minutes

Directed by: Stuart Walker

Starring: Carole Lombard, Charles Laughton, Charles Bickford, Kent Taylor, Percy Kilbride

From: Paramount

The matter of fact title and its implications are not its only issues.

Until a few days ago this was a movie I had zero knowledge of. Someone liked a review I did on Letterboxd so as I typically do, I returned the favor by looking for something on his page to give a thumbs up to. That was where I saw his review of a random Carole Lombard/Charles Laughton movie done at Paramount. The plot description will probably remind you of 1932's Red Dust but this is no Red Dust. Something else concerning this movie captured my attention but I'll explain that at the very end.

Like with Red Dust this concerns people at a rubber plantation in Southeast Asia; for the former it was Indochina, the latter it was what was known back then as Malaya. Laughton runs said plantation and he hooks up with Lombard, who is stranded on that random South Seas island as a singer at a “native cafe.” She basically cuckolds him by openly hooking up with other men. Meanwhile, to steal a cliché, “The natives are restless.” If only this was more exciting instead of feeling more flat than a can of stale soda opened a few days ago.

The one highlight is Laughton's performance; he devours the scenery. Laughton-sporting a huge fake mustache and Cockney accent-was allowed to be amazingly over the top and Lombard did not even try to match him-at times it seemed like she did not want to be there. Charles Bickford at least played a bold character and was fine in his role... but he only shows up in the second half of the picture. As this is Pre-Code there are some explicit moments and themes yet even that does not lift things out of the doldrums. The Paramount sets are reasonably convincing and it's only 68 minutes long... it doesn't make up for the expected negative stereotypes and several in the cast obviously having brown shoe polish all over their white skin to portray the Malay people.

Then again, this is a movie which has a shocking plot description on Letterboxd-which was taken from what's said about it on Google. It reads, “Gong beaters turn on a ruthless jungle trader and the well-dressed blonde who travels with him.” GONG BEATERS. That is a term new to me, but it sounds like a terrible insult against any native of Southeast Asia. Was it copy written in the early 1930's advertising the film's release? If you ever want to do a double bill with this and Red Dust, make sure to see this first as Red Dust is the superior motion picture.

The Shallows

The Shallows (2016)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra

Starring: Blake Lively, some random people and STEVEN SEAGULL (a seagull was billed in the credits, yes)

From: Columbia

Featuring STEVEN SEAGULL

As mentioned the day before, modern movies haven't been watched too often by me this summer; I just haven't felt like it. As this week is Shark Week (bleegh! I won't get into why I have a strong distaste for that series of programs) it only made sense to see something related at this time.

The plot is rather simplistic and also predictable-although that is alright with me-in that Blake Lively is a dumb gringo in Mexico who does some foolish things and ends up stranded on a rock because a Great White Shark is in the vicinity. Sure, there's an explanation as to why she is on a secluded Mexican beach or why she's alone, but it was one of a few times throughout I scoffed. Thank goodness then that Lively does a quality job considering that most of the time it's just her and a seagull she calls Steven Seagull and there are exciting moments throughout. The shark isn't seen too often until the finale, which is probably the right move both for suspense reasons and the CG sometimes looking dodgey

It is a movie which has lovely scenery (I mean the Australian cove that substituted for Mexico and not Lively in a bikini, although...), a refreshing simplicity that was nice to see considering how overdone most shark movies are-especially the shite ones you used to see on the SyFy Channel-and some brutal moments meant that it was worth it to see the movie not just to see a seagull with a tremendous name.

A Bridge Too Far

 A Bridge Too Far (1977)

Runtime: 176 minutes

Directed by: Richard Attenborough

Starring: An incredible cast

From: United Artists

More than a movie with an incredible cast, it is a combat picture set during World War II that tells an incredible true story-and by film standards was rather accurate when it comes to the important details-involving a daring mission in 1944 where the Allied Forces want to take over some key positions-including bridges-that would allow them to cross over into Germany and hopefully end the war by Christmas. Those that don't know the story, they can read about Operation Market Garden after seeing the film so nothing gets spoiled... I'll just say that the war against Germany did not end until May of 1945.

A Bridge Too Far has an incredible cast: Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, Robert Redford, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Liv Ullmann, James Caan, Sean Connery, Dirk Bogarde, Ryan O'Neal, Denholm Elliott, Elliott Gould, Hardy Kruger, Maximilian Schell... what a murderer's row of talent. Of course, even in a 3 hour film some of the talent does not have substantial roles. Also note that Hackman plays a Polish character, and his accent.... it was something else. While the action was not spectacular, it was fun to watch and as the story is so compelling as many characters are placed in precarious predicaments, I was always invested in the story. I naturally enjoy these sorts of tales so as always, YMMV.

Director Richard Attenborough managed to juggle multiple plotlines-as the mission was divided into several sections-and present everything in a manner where even if you know nothing of the story, it shouldn't take too long to comprehend everything. It was epic in scope, accurately showcasing just what a huge operation this mission was. Also of interest is that a share of badass moments are shown throughout as they occurred in real life. Let's just say that some individuals and groups of people were forced to do incredibly brave things to try and save or help their comrades. The highest compliment I can give to a movie of this length is that it did not seem as long as its runtime. Those that like World War II pictures, this should definitely be viewed.

Pink Floyd-The Wall

Pink Floyd-The Wall (1982)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Alan Parker (RIP)

Starring: Bob Geldorf, Christine Hargreaves, Jenny Wright, Bob Hoskins, Eleanor David

From: MGM

This is not only me tipping my cap to the late Alan Parker (who directed a wide variety of motion pictures for decades) but also my acknowledgment that when I was back in the Midwest for a few days late last week, on the classic rock radio stations I listened to while in the car, several songs from The Wall were heard on the radio. That includes Mother; that did not bring me down-the mom in that melancholy song is not like my late mother and Wish You Were Here would be a sadder tune for me at the moment anyhow. I am not like Pink anyhow... my father is still alive, for example and I definitely do not have fascist fantasies-although at times I do build a metaphorical wall around myself.

Pink Floyd was pretty awesome from The Dark Side of the Moon to The Wall. Those two albums along with Wish You Were Here are tremendous, and even the forgotten Animals was pretty good even if it's several very long songs about the stereotypes associated with a few different creatures. Presumably most are familiar with this album but just in case... The Wall is a rock opera about a singer named Pink who is rather troubled; he is depressed for a number of reasons. His life is examined which explains why he has walled himself away from everyone else. His dad died in World War II when he was an infant, his mom was overprotective, he had troubles in school, etc. The movie deals with plenty of metaphors and for certain, is the opposite of subtle. It was based on the life of Pink Floyd leader Roger Waters (who at the time felt alienated from his audience as the band become incredibly popular; due to this he wanted to create an incredibly personal look at himself) along with former bandmate Syd Barrett, who was not in the band long due to mental health issues that likely were exacerbated by heavy drug use. 

The production of this was troubled as Parker, Waters, and animator Gerald Scarfe (who created the tremendous and trippy cartoon sequences) constantly clashed. Thankfully, this weird product-which has minimal dialogue and plenty of odd & unforgettable imagery-has since become a cult favorite due to its uniqueness and the album being beloved by millions since it was released in late 1979. Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2), Young Lust, Comfortably Numb and Run Like Hell are still radio staples today-although not all are heard by me on Central Florida radio stations... then again the stations down here have become rather bad in the past 15 years, but that's another rant for another time-although I do enjoy most of the songs on the 81 minute double LP album. What you hear in the movie are mainly remixes of the album tracks, along with some new tunes. 

While something this bold won't naturally be for all tastes, if you love the album and somehow haven't seen this... the movie has plenty of unforgettable moments-whether live-action or animated-and at least for me will always be a compelling journey as many men can relate to the idea of them needing to create a hard exterior... to list but one example. One last thing: I have to bring up the infamous Channel Awesome. IMO, they were rightfully canceled by many after their appalling behavior become public knowledge and all those people who used to be a member of that conglomerate had those horror stories. Well, almost a year ago The Nostalgic Critic released what presumably was his magnum opus, a 40 minute thing concerning this movie. I've never watched it myself as what little Nostalgic Critic I have watched, it's a bunch of obnoxious yelling and unfunny critiques, along with low-rent parodies of what he is reviewing. With that magnum opus, I only needed to watch several YouTube videos which people dunked on him to know that creation was atrocious. Each critique of the critique had footage from the NC video and it just seemed... so... bad. It was a terrible re-creation of the movie which mocks the movie throughout through parody songs yet he claims he loves the album and the movie... I don't get it either. The fact that Doug Walker appeared to not fully understand the source material and the production quality was so cheap, the entire thing would make me cringe so hard if I ever had the nerve to see the 40 minute fiasco for myself.

All that said, there have to be better YouTube reviews of the movie and like I said, for Floyd fans this is a must.

Carry On Regardless

Carry On Regardless (1961)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Gerald Thomas... and also apparently Ralph Thomas

Starring: The typical Carry On crew

From: The same studio that always released the Carry On movies

Yesterday, I returned home from being back in the Midwest (where I was born and grew up before moving to Florida as a 23 year old) for a few days; yes, it was related to my mother being buried. A sad time, although it was nice to visit some people and places I haven't seen in a long time... as in years. It was nice being around family & friends during this time and it was nice to do something different for a brief amount of time. Now that I have returned to Florida there should be reviews most every night. Next time should be something more prestigious but last night I felt like seeing something light in tone; thus, it was something from the venerable Carry On series.

As a number of new followers have appeared in recent months (it's been awhile since I've covered this franchise) it was something never popular in the United States although apparently at least one of them did receive some sort of theatrical release in the U.S. Regardless, even though this series is full of the same actors typically playing archetypal characters, the movies are always funny as they do inspire laughs; this comes from wordplay, slapstick, physical humor, playing with or against stereotype... not sophisticated yet they are amusing to me.

Here, the plot barely exists due to the conceit. Sid James runs a private employment agency and seven people join it at the same time. This loosely ties together a bunch of different sketches where the characters are in a number of situations... a spy spoof on a train, babysitting, modeling lingerie, a mix-up involving the wrong people going to a strip club as a bouncer and caring for dozens of birds at a crazy lady's house, a chimpanzee is walked throughout London, a boxing match where due to circumstances the fey Charles Hawtrey steps in the ring against a big brute... one scene seemed to set up a running storyline, but that is dropped and the only one that happens throughout involves an old man who speaks gibberish.

Normally I might complain about the lack of a strong plot; it is preferable seeing these characters doing a single job throughout (cops or taxi cab drivers, for example) or see them spoof one topic throughout (whether it be 007 films or Cleopatra). Thankfully for me, there were enough laughs from beginning to end where I can say this was fine. Just note that there were better entries in the series that I've already seen... and as of now less than a quarter of the franchise has been checked out by me.

Topaz

Topaz (1969)

Runtime: 143 minutes

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, John Vernon, Karin Dor, Michel Piccoli, Philippe Noiret

From: Universal

In my last review until early next week-as starting on Thursday I'll be out of state for a few days and I need to prepare for the journey-I will reveal why this movie was more enjoyable to me than apparently many other people. Many people at the time did not care for this serious version of a spy adventure and there are plenty of film fans today who feel the same way. Me, I thought this was pretty good.

Simply, it was an interesting story-to me-concerning French spy Andre Devereaux getting wrapped up in the Cuban Missile Crises of 1962 between the United States and Soviet Union. The movie explains it in a cursory manner for those not familiar with it... as I understand it was explained in X-Men: First Class and I know it was discussed in the 2000 movie Thirteen Days, the details won't be elaborated upon here... except that World War III came uncomfortably close to happening before cooler heads prevailed. Real life inspired this tale where a Soviet official defects to the West and the end result is that Devereaux has more to deal with than assisting the United States in Cuba.

It is an unglamorous look at the life of a spy. Sure, Andre gets to go around the world and sometimes visit beautiful tropical climates... but he does some things that the viewers probably won't approve of and his relationship with his family is not great; a key theme is the negative impact his line of work has on everyone in his immediate family, along with his inner circle. Admittedly, in 2020 it does not look great to have German actress Karin Dor and Canadian actor of Central European heritage John Vernon in prominent roles as Cubans but at least they were solid with their performances. The cast only has a few faces that people in general would recognize (unless they were familiar with 60's and 70's European movies) although it was also nice to see the likes of Roscoe Lee Browne & John Forsythe.

It did not seem like it was 2 ½ hours (the version Hitchcock preferred, although not the theatrical cut. This full cut did not come out until 1999) as I was always intrigued by this story and all the intrigue concerning this mysterious world. It did not always seem like a Hitch movie, although of course it was still filmed quite well and it has some great moments. The fact that they could never find an ending everyone was happy with-they filmed three and the one that is in the 143 minute version was not the first one shot. That said, it did not ruin the entire experience for me. Even on Letterboxd there will be many who think this is “boring” or wish there was a big star of the time; myself, it was a relief that this was a pleasant surprise and not a long dull slog. Knowing this isn't one of Hitch's many masterpieces and understanding its themes may help others appreciate this once they do give it a shot in the future.

Torn Curtain

Torn Curtain (1966)

Runtime: 128 minutes

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: Paul Newman, Julie Andrews, Lila Kedrova, Hansjorg Felmy, Tamara Toumanova

From: Universal

Hot Dog!

The past several years I have not watched much in the way of Hitchcock. I just haven't felt like it for the most part even though there are some big movies in his filmography I haven't seen before or haven't seen in many years thus it was not reviewed here. Yesterday I saw two movies from Hitch (both among the last he did in his career) mainly because both were on DVD so it was convenient for me. This and what I'll discuss in a few hours were new to me so I was intrigued if they were as “lesser Hitch” as most portray them as being.

The idea of the plot is interesting: how would the significant other of a defector react to such news not being told to them beforehand? In this case, Paul Newman and Julie Andrews are both scientists who are engaged; Newman defects to East Germany to share his knowledge... only he is actually undercover to acquire information from behind the Iron Curtain; it's a classic MacGuffin. They try to explain why Old Paul doesn't explain the full story to his lady until deep in the story but to me it's more frustrating than anything else.

Thankfully this had least had its classic Hitch moments, even if his longtime cinematographer and editor both died between Marnie and this... and he had a famous blowup with longtime composer Bernard Herrmann, which is why they never worked together again. The score present here is fine but it's just not the same. Me, what makes this story fine despite its various flaws-many of which I won't spoil here but some scenes are too long-includes filming in Europe and not in the overused London or Paris (instead it was Denmark and Germany), some colorful supporting characters I enjoyed more than the two leads-such as Gerhard, Kuchinska and especially Gromek-& a few quality scenes, especially a great one involving three characters in a confined space.

I know Hitch was not a fan of how this film turned out or its production. Naturally, people do expect more from one of history's greatest directors-this was still good and some directors have trouble even reaching that level.

Santo And The Vengeance Of The Mummy

Santo and the Vengeance of the Mummy (Santo En La Venganza De La Momia) (1971)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Rene Cardona

Starring: El Santo, Eric del Castillo, Mary Montiel, Cesar del Campo, El Hijo del Santo

From: Several Mexican companies

I viewed this late last night on the El Rey Network and I can confirm that the prints they have of these movies involving Mexican wrestlers all look great. Obviously, the parties involved (including VCI Entertainment) either scanned them in 2K or 4K as it is of a much higher quality than any random Santo movie you can find on YouTube. The content of this motion picture was not great but at least I can say this is OK. It had decent production values & the story's pacing wasn't too bad.

Santo accompanies a group of people on an expedition to open a tomb containing a mummy. Of course the natives are against this and of course the mummy in question has a tragic backstory and of course it rises to attack the expedition... as an aside, the old legend of King Tut and the curse that occurred once his tomb was opened in the 1920's... that is all poppycock. You see, a London newspaper had an exclusive on the tomb story and a competitor did not, so they created a backdoor way to discuss it by concocting a story of an evil curse; that newspaper... THE DAILY MAIL. Yes, some Americans are like me and know that paper is a rag... apparently they have always been crap!

Anyhow, the mummy (with a bow and arrow! That is a first) starts attacking the camp and some see him in action; of course some in the party do not believe them... wash rinse and repeat. Parts of the movie are rather tiresome, especially with the presence of TWO buffoons: a professor who is supposed to have poor eyesight yet acts like he is mentally handicapped and the camp's chef is also a goofball. Despite those demerits, this was still alright. The mummy had a nice look and moved rather well for a member of the undead. This is bookended by Santo matches and that is nice if you love lucha libre of that vintage. The finale battle involved torches (and I don't mean flashlights) & at times they got awfully close to the fire... there was legitimate danger, in other words. Plus, I shouldn't be so serious with this: at times there are screen transitions that look straight out of the 1960's Batman television show; also, I was reminded of Scooby Doo, because reasons.

Santo is like a superhero, so that is how in this world it is normal for a man to constantly walk around wearing wrestling tights, boots, and matching mask. The best look he served in this movie: a safari jacket over a light brown shirt and a lime green ascot! A final note: it wasn't until after the movie that I discovered the one kid in the party (the son of someone who is killed early) was played by none other than Santo's real life son, who an an adult would become a legend in his own right as the appropriately-named El Hijo del Santo.

Santo vs. The Vampire Women

Santo vs. the VampireWomen (Santo vs. Las Muerjas Vampiro) (1962)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Alfonso Corona Blake

Starring: El Santo, Lorena Velazquez, Maria Duval, Jaime Fernandez, Augusto Benedico

From: Several Mexican companies

This was something I've seen before, but this was the first time it was in English without the MST3K treatment. Recently, the El Rey Network started showing old Mexican movie starring wrestlers... not just El Santo. Henceforth, last night I saw this and the Santo movie they played at midnight; the latter will go up in a few hours. To briefly explain Santo, he was the biggest star in the history of lucha libre (Mexican wrestling); his popularity transcended wrestling, and they take it much more seriously there anyhow. He starred in more than 50 movies, had a comic book that existed for decades and when he passed away in 1984, it was one of the largest funerals in the history of the country.

I saw the American dub from back in the 60's done by the infamous K. Gordon Murray where he was known as Samson. The content was otherwise the same, including the two wrestling matches where hilariously the latter has Santo wrestling a masked man who is soon revealed to be a werewolf. What an odd case of lycanthropy as only his head was changed... then again it then turns into a bat so... this is a movie where the hero always wears his wrestling tights and sparkly robe, including while driving a MG A convertible; too much thought being put into this would be in error. Both the werewolf and a masked man in a convertible are great visuals.

The plot concerns the titular vampire women and some henchmen rising up after 200 years to find the descendant of a woman who eluded their grasp all that time ago. That descendant is needed for a ritual, you see. That's really all you need to know. While I wish there could have been more Santo, this at least is alright and has plenty of campy charm... especially with its English dub. Credit will be given to the spooky house the villains resided in; it had cobwebs and the other accouterments you'd expect of such a setting. Who knows how many movies I'll see starring the lucha libre legend, or even if all will be in English-note that I hardly know any Spanish... not that the dialogue will likely ever be that critical-but there should be some in the near and far future.

Captain Blood

Captain Blood (1935)

Runtime: 119 minutes

Directed by: Michael Curtiz

Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland (RIP), Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone, Ross Alexander

From: Warner Bros.

Errol Flynn: actually a Hemsworth relative?

OK, I know that's not true (even though Flynn was born in Tasmania); it was just a flippant comment I said to myself early on due to his appearance here. Of course the main reasons for watching this was for me to tip my cap to the late Olivia de Havilland. It was great that we still had one big name from the Golden Age of Hollywood still alive until last weekend. My mom liked several Errol movies, including this one; she also commented in the past that she was glad de Havilland was still alive. I was able to watch this without being tremendously sad due to recent events.

This is a swashbuckling adventure that was a lot of fun throughout. Sure, it takes some time until Flynn and crew are on the high seas but that is important as time is needed to set up the story. Peter Blood-who I will refer to as Pete as it allows for less snickering at his name-is a doctor in late 17th century Britain (real life events play into the plot; that is the Monmouth Rebellion and the Glorious Revolution; that is the attempt then successful overthrow of King James II, who was replaced by King William III) who is falsely accused of being a traitor so he is sent to the Caribbean as a slave. He ends up on a plantation and most of the people in power there are real louts so it is quite easy to root for our hero and the other slaves. Of course, Olivia-the niece of one of the louts-was actually a nice person-and of course at first the relationship between the two leads was rather rocky until it changes. Note that once Pete and his pals becomes pirates, Pete makes it clear that they can't do some of the vile things that pirates actually did throughout history. This included “doing bad things to women,” to paraphrase.

It is a fun adventure which had memorable characters, an engaging story, nice action beats (besides the expected ship battles, there is a duel not done with swords, but instead fencing epees; the ending sequence was quite impressive for the time period) and was more thrilling as a pirate movie than any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. That series focusing on the supernatural was one of its many issues... but there are also the Byzantine plots that are just unnecessary, villains that are loathsome in the worst ways, not knowing what to do with Captain Jack Sparrow after he unexpectedly became a huge hit, and totally screwing up the romance between Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan.

Anyhow, it was a good idea to see something my late mother enjoyed so much. The two leads were the best aspects of the movie, especially when they were together. Despite appearing in a few movies together, their relationship was allegedly only platonic. No matter the case, I wish they still made motion pictures like this.