After spending a couple of days at Disneyland during the Christmas holiday season, I was reminded of this ecological disaster movie from the 1970’s. Witness people packed in to a space like sardines, witness the repeated equipment breakdowns and infrastructure collapse. And the air ain’t that great to breathe. I don’t think I ate anything remotely resembling the type of swill the people in “Soylent Green” are reduced to consuming though. Check it out. Another fine Charlton Heston performance is in store for you. 2024 UPDATE: What I should have commented on back in time, when this post was first [More]
Brief interview with the late Dennis Hopper discussing his troubled time on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now”. Listening to Hopper in this interview, it is amazing how much more lucid he was at the time as compared with his binging days of the Late Seventies/Early Eighties when “Apocalypse” was made. I highly recommend seeking out “Hearts of Darkness”, a documentary on the making of “Apocalypse Now”. “Hearts” includes a longer take of the snippet of Coppola trying to communicate with a seemingly deranged Hopper on the set of “Now” shown at the end of this interview. Coppola [More]
This immortal classic has been making the cable TV rounds this holiday season and “Alien”, for me, still holds up as my favorite science fiction/horror film EVER! I have always been partial to the first part of the film where the crew find out about the strange “distress” signal they are sent to investigate, up until Kane (John Hurt) is brought back to the ship from the surface of the planetoid with a “guest” attached to his face. There is nice cast interaction and an effective depiction of a trek across a rather hostile planet. The rollercoaster ride of horror aboard ship which [More]
Charles Dickens’ classic literary work is converted to silent cinema form by inventor Thomas Edison’s film studios. Rather “stagey” in appearance but that is to be expected from early cinematic works. The language of film had yet to be developed and filmmakers relied on the conventions of the stage (all action taking place in a static location such as a stage set, minimal usage of close up or shot variation , etc.). By today’s standards, the film may seem a bit plodding and “stationary” but the multiple exposure materialization of the ghosts Scrooge encounters are generally effective. Get out the popcorn and [More]
“An American Werewolf in London” gets my vote for the best realized hybrid of the horror and comedy movie genres. But, to be sure, the emphasis is clearly on the horror of the entire situation. Two young Americans are on a backpacking trek across the lonely expanses of Britain when they encounter the completely unexpected. Both are savagely attacked by a giant wolf creature. One is killed but the other unlucky soul lives to experience the nightmare of werewolf transformation. Humor in the style of “Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers” but what would you expect from the director of all three [More]
Interesting action/suspense/monster movie that at first appears to feature the messy handiwork of a werewolf on the loose in New York City. Albert Finney investigates a rash of gruesome murders and has to piece together what is causing all the havoc. Well shot cityscapes and some nice tension inducing scenes played out in some desolate, derelict locations around New York. Curious visual effects are employed here that are supposed to enable us to see the movie namesake’s point of view at various times during the film. Gregory Hines adds a nice turn as a member of the coroner squad. This feature [More]
A rousing, electrified musical number from ’70’s supergroup, Emerson, Lake and Palmer. I always play this song around Christmas time because it just radiates that time of year for me. The song itself is an ode to England and its majesty but ignoring the lyrics and listening to the music itself is a Christmas time treat. If that makes any sense. Swirling organs and flavorful synthesizer phrasings from Keith Emerson. Percussion professor Carl Palmer adds his intricate drum fills. String whiz Greg Lake also provides the shimmering, powerful vocals. A delight. Break out the cordials!
This clip is a masterfully staged study of the shark hunter Quint from Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws”. Quint, played by Robert Shaw, recounts his earlier in life run in with man eating sharks. The profound horror of this life threatening event probably played no small part in his decision to hunt sharks for a living. “Jaws” is still an amazing thrill ride of a movie after all these years. I think it may be Spielburg’s best picture. This scene is eminently creepy and evocative.
I came home wiped out after a lousy day at work and wanted nothing more than to dissolve into bed with a little TV action to numb me. After checking the programming guide, there was nothing on! Figures. One last check and I stumbled upon “Frogs” being shown on Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey Network. Saved! El Rey has been showing some cool movies recently. Call them grindhouse features or exploitation or fantastic cinema films, whatever, you will find a wide range of cinema treats to keep you entertained. So, “Frogs” is a Seventies flick that touches on the theme of [More]
A harrowing account of a collection of dubious characters involved in a drug deal that goes bad. A counsellor, in need of some heavy cash, agrees to go in on a deal with some of his drug connected buddies. Little do they know that they are being set up by a member of their inner circle. Visually stunning work with an equally stunning cast. Ridley Scott directs a cast that includes Michael Fassbender ( who took a turn as a sadistic artificial person in Scott’s “Alien” prequel “Prometheus”), Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, and Javier Bardem. Incidentally, the screenplay [More]
An attempt to bring to the silver screen a work by author Ray Bradbury. Three futuristic stories are “illustrated” through the conduit of a mysterious wanderer whose body is covered in tattoos. Rod Steiger plays the tattooed man who explains the story behind various of his body art. Steiger and Claire Bloom appear in the three episodes playing different characters. Very brooding, dark film that wears it’s ’60’s era influences on its sleeve sometimes not so well. I must say that this is not one of my favorite films and not one I would readily return to. Trippy at times and [More]
A camera set to take photographs at select time intervals catches a strange shape rising out of a lake near Loch Ness. Is it a log, a large fish, a camera aberration? You be the judge. The Internet is just full of such mysterious photos/videos that allegedly show proof of mythic beasts. One day solid proof of such unusual phenomenon may materialize.
“In Search Of” was a documentary series hosted by actor Leonard Nimoy. The show ran in the 1970’s and it’s subject matter covered the mysterious, the supernatural, the uncanny and the just plain weird. Here is a sample episode that pursued the topic of Bigfoot. I remember watching this program religiously on Sunday evenings and enjoying it immensely. A precursor to the vast amount of supernatural/docudrama series which populate the cable TV landscape today. Worth seeking out.
The Joker is certainly one of my favorite comic book characters. Batman’s arch nemesis can be considered among the Top Ten of fictional super villains of any media. But, let’s face the facts. He is totally mad! Sometimes his plans and schemes can get a little out of control. And with the melding of “adult” themes with graphic art forms, The Joker’s naughtiness can basically be allowed to plummet any depth the author of the piece cares to pursue. Here are a few of The Joker’s darkest moments.