Track the Films You Watch (2009) - Page 47

What Do You Think? (Number Three) (1938)
 

Jacques Tourneur

Third film in the series has Carey Wilson doing the narrating in the story on whether or not the dead really communicated with the living.  A concert violinist is married to his one love but a year after the wedding he dies from a strange disease.  Before his death he mentions to his wife that a violin's high note could break a glass but not if it has any liquid in it.  Soon after his death the wife decides to kill herself but then something happens.  I won't ruin the surprise but the entire film is pretty much built up for this twist and I personally didn't think it worked as strongly as I'm sure the filmmakers wanted.  This is the first film in this series that I've seen so I can't say how strong or weak it is compared to others but it's a decent time killer and I'm sure fans of the famous director will want to check it out.  There's a lot of stock footage in the film so you won't get to see too much of the directors style but there is one nice sequence where the wife is walking alone after the death where you'll be able to see some of the director's famous touch.  The story itself is decent at best but that's pretty much the same thing that could be said about the entire film.
 

Story of 'The Jonker Diamond', The (1936)
 

Jacques Tourneur
 

Extremely interesting short has Pete Smith telling us about the title diamond, which at the time was the biggest stone ever found.  After word of the large diamond got out, thousands of people went searching for it in Africa but one family finally found the thing after eighteen years of digging.  Once the diamond was sold, a professional cutter had to decide the best way to get a profit out of the thing that was bought for one million dollars.  I love coming across shorts like this that tell a very interesting story and that's the reason why I constantly record them because you never know when you'll get a real gem like this.  I had never heard of this story so perhaps that's why I found it so interesting but I thought the first half of the film, dealing with the digging, was made very well but so was the second half when we learn what it takes to actually cut a diamond.  Director Tourneur using this second half to create a great scene of tension when they go to make the first cut, which, if done wrong, could destroy the diamond.  Fans of his will certainly like seeing this early example from the master but even those not familiar with his work should find plenty to enjoy here.
 

Killer-Dog (1936)
 

Jacques Tourneur
 

Nice short from MGM and Pete Smith has a dog put on trial for the murder of a couple sheep.  It turns out that the dog, Major, has some wolf blood in him and his own father had to be shot for killing sheep.  The dog eventually has to go on trial where he has to be defended by his owner (Ralph Byrd).  This is a pleasant little short that manages to tell a pretty good story that doesn't try to do anything special except to just entertain.  I thought the story was a good one that managed to keep the viewer wondering if the dog was innocent or guilty but I think everyone will know the outcome.  The ending is a pretty good one as Tourneur's dark style is evident in a very good sequence that I won't ruin for anyone reading this.  Byrd is best known for the role in various DICK TRACY movies but he's quite good here even though he doesn't get any speaking lines.  Babs Nelson is also in the cast and she's best remembered for being one of the folks who led their voices to Bambi. 
 

King Without a Crown, The (1937)
 

Jacques Tourneur
 

Another nice entry in MGM's "Historical Mysteries" series with Carey Wilson doing the narration and Tourneur behind the camera.  This time out we hear the mystery surrounding the true identity of a preacher from Wisconsin who claimed to have been the lost Dauphin and perhaps should have been the King of France.  The story goes back to Louis XVI and whether or not he died as a child or was snuck out of the prison he was in, taken to America and left there until he could go back to France and claim his crown.  This series is one of my favorites and this here is yet another example of why the conspiracy theorist in me loves it so much.  I hadn't really heard of the mystery here so I found the entire set up to be a rather interesting one.  At the same time, I can't comment on how true the story was or where the truth actually lied.  I will say that this short does a nice job at giving out the "evidence" surrounding this story and director Tourneur does a good job at bringing it to life.  He made another film in this series, THE MAN IN THE BARN, about John Wilkes Booth, which is a lot better and certainly worth searching out but this too is good. 
 

Sport Slants #3 (1931)
 

A rather bland short from Vitaphone features famous radio broadcaster Ted Husing as he discusses sports that most people might not know too much about.  This time out we take a look at cricket and polo.  I must admit that there's some minor entertainment to be had here as we get to see actual footage of these games being played back in the day and it is mildly entertaining to see how the sports have changed over the years.  Outside of that this thing here is pretty bland from start to finish.  Husing has a great voice but it really doesn't do any good here as the dialogue written for him is so confusing that those who do understand the sports will probably find themselves getting confused at what is being said.  We really don't learn a single thing about any of the sports and the narration doesn't try to spoof them either so I'm not sure what the point was.
 

Believe It or Not #12 (1931)
 

Mildly entertaining entry in Robert L. Ripley's long-running series.  This time out he takes us to Africa where we're told many bizarre stories including a town made out of tin cans, the Meeting Place of the Dead and perhaps best of all, a jail for nagging wives.  The stories this time out aren't as interesting as some of the previous films but there are still a few good ones here.  I found the jail for the nagging wives to be the most interesting one.  Apparently, in the past they would just have the wife's head cut off but now, for eight cents a day, they throw her in jail.  The Meeting Place of the Dead is another interesting one as it was originally where runaway slaves were killed but today it's one of the biggest meeting places in the country.  We also get some other minor stories about farmers eating the grasshoppers who eat their plants but these aren't nearly as interesting. 

Black Cats and Broomsticks (1955)
 

RKO/Pathe Screenliner short is perhaps the best I've seen from them.  The short deals with the topic of superstitions and how times really haven't changed much since the days of black magic, witchery and various other forms of dark mysteries.  The short talks about walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat, the "dead man's hand" in cards and of course everyone's favorite day, Friday 13th.  We also hear about people who die yearly because they take the advice of a "wizard" instead of that of a doctor.  This film has a lot in common with another short, WHO'S SUPERSTITIOUS?, which was a pretty good Pete Smith short made nearly a decade earlier.  This film takes a serious and spoof like look at the subject and really manages to be fun throughout the running time.  The best stuff deals with the way farmers might search for a place to put a hex on another farmer's cattle.
 

Law and the Lab, The (1956)
 

Mildly entertaining short from RKO/Pathe has a woman being found dead inside her car so the police have to go to work without any suspects or witnesses.  The short then tells how the crime scene unit must gather small bits of evidence, which can then point the police in the right direction to catch the killer.  Considering MGM's Crime Does Not Pay series told countless stories like this, this short here really doesn't offer anything new or overly original.  The storyline is extremely out of date when compared to today's science but I'm not so sure this stuff wasn't out of date when the film was first released.  We really don't get too learn very much about the stuff being used as the short runs a quick 9-minutes and the majority of that time has the narrator simply telling us what's going on but never really saying how any of it is being done.  The movie at least moves at a nice pace and the action is pretty good considering what's going on. 

Larry Clinton and His Orchestra (1938)
 

Lloyd French
 

Larry Clinton might be forgotten today but apparently he was pretty big back in his day, which is why I always enjoy this musical shorts when they pop up on Turner Classic Movies as it's a nice little history lesson.  'College Humor', 'Stop and Reconsider' and 'Military Madcap' are the three numbers performed by Clinton and his orchestra.  Carol Bruce joins the band for a couple songs including the first one 'College Humor', which is a mildly entertaining one in a campy sort of way.  The lyrics are quite silly but they're simple enough to be enjoyable.  Carol's voice certainly mixes in well with the bad and she's really delightful with her constant smile and dancing.  Clinton's music wasn't the greatest I've heard through these old shorts as he isn't quite in the same league as someone like Vincent Lopez. 
 

First Aid (1943)
 

Will Jason
 

Pete Smith short has the dimwitted Mr. Krumb (Dave O'Brien) always hurting himself around the house so he, along with his wife, go to a first aid class where they try to learn how to treat cuts, wounds and various other issues.  These Smith shorts often take a humorous look at their subjects but that's not really the case here as one can't help but think the majority of what's being trained here is the same type of things folks in 1943 were learning because of what was going on throughout the world then.  The middle segments of this short take the subject pretty serious as we get to learn where pressure should be made for various injuries as well as learning how to make a stretcher or warm the body whenever there's no fire.  Even though the subject is handled in a serious fashion, there's still some time to play around and O'Brien once again shines as the dimwit who can never stay out of trouble.  His flirting with a girl in his class gets one of the best jokes when he realizes that his wife is watching the entire thing.  Another nice sequence is at the end when we see what type of injuries can be avoided.  Smith's narration is good as usual so fans of his will certainly want to check this one out. 
 

Wrong Way Out, The (1938)
 

Gustav Machaty
 

The twentieth episode in MGM's Crime Does Not Pay series is one of the weakest I've seen but there's still enough that works here for fans.  In the film, young adults Wendy (Kenneth Howell) and Ann (Linda Perry) want to get married but their parents refuse so they decide to elope.  Once out on their own they realize it's not easy to make a living and soon they are forced into a life of crime.  A lot of reviewers call this series over dramatic but I've never agreed with that except for right here.  The entire "warning" this film offers is against eloping and having too much of an ego to return home to your parents.  The film takes that and turns out two teens into a Bonnie and Clyde type, which is a tad bit over the top as the film never gives them any real motivation in doing what eventually happens here.  I also find it rather funny that both sets of parents are shown as good people yet they too are actually rather mean spirited when the kids first come to them for advice.  The parents turn their backs and then they wonder why, later in the film, the kids don't come back to them for help.  The over the top antics of the film would make me recommend newcomers to the series to start somewhere else but I think fans will still want to check it out.  The performances are all rather mixed with Howell coming off rather lame as the good turned bad guy.  The scene with the drunk singing "Happy Days Are Here Again" gets a mild laugh as does the ending that goes way too far.
 

Last Installment, The (1945)
 

Walter Hart

Small time criminal Clyde Peeler (Cameron Mitchell) is set to be released from prison the following day when his cell mate offers him a job in his gang.  Peeler says he'll think about it but he finally accepts the job after reading about the life of a famous gangster in a magazine.  What Peeler doesn't know is how that story ends but the warden is going to tell him.  This is yet another good entry in MGM's Crime Does Not Pay series and once again we learn the downside of being bad.  This episode is a little different from some earlier ones as there isn't any introduction at the start of the film and the majority of the film is a flashback.  The main guy, Mitchell's character, is only briefly seen, although he ends up doing the narration from start to finish.  The movie has a pretty good story, although I do think the gangsters could have been built up a little better.  We do have some good scenes with the two different sides doing battle over the West Side and this includes a couple shootings.  The moral of the film is pretty easy to swallow here and the way the ending is handled was pretty good and effective. 
 

To the Coast of Devon (1950)
 

Pleasant entry in the TravelTalks series has James A. FitzPatrick traveling to the British Isle where we get a great look at the village of Bath, which was discovered by the Romans as they would use it thanks to the hot springs, which they'd eventually turn into a resort.  We learn that in 1770 is when they start to let residents into the village and then we see various other things including the buggy they used for transportation as well as the Abby Church.  We also see a rather amazing ladder that was created with angels trying to climb their way to the top.  This is another entertaining entry in the series that once again benefits largely from the Technicolor that really shows off the sea here as well as a couple other beautiful resorts that we see.  One of the most interesting things here comes towards the end where we see the shores, which, at the time of filming, had just had some fences taken down from WW2 and protection against an invasion. 
 

West Point on the Hudson (1942)
 

James A. FitzPatrick
 

Another entry in MGM's TravelTalks series, this one taking a look at West Point.  We get to learn the history behind the military site, which began as an important factor in the Revolutionary War as both sides knew the importance of its location on the Hudson River.  We also learn about various famous people who have lived there including Robert Lee.  At the time this short was shot, a new group of recruits were entering the location so we get to see what they have in store on their first day.  This is a pretty good entry in the series as its important to remember that this was shot shortly before the U.S. would enter the second World War.  While watching all the young men you can't help but wonder how many might have given their life during the war.  We do get to learn quite a bit about the place and some of the visuals are quite beautiful in all the Technicolor glory. 

Flicker Memories (1941)
 

George Sidney
 

Pretty poor short from the one and only Pete Smith is perhaps the worst I've seen from him.  The film has Smith narrating a "fake" story on top of a silent movie, which is given the title of PASSIONS OF THE HORSE-PISTOL PETE.  That's pretty much all there is to say in terms of the story as the film has a man abusing his wife and he eventually has to save her life.  The added narration and sound effects by Smith are extremely poorly written and that's the main reason this turns out to be the worst short I've seen from him.  He's usually quite reliable but that's certainly not true here because the film is a complete misfire from start to finish.  The entire "screenplay" of "jokes" for Smith to tell are all very badly written and for the life of me I can't see what Smith or anyone else would have found funny in them.  Just listen to the joke about the Academy Awards and you'll hear the perfect example of bad writing.
 

I started watching some of the 30 for 30 documentaries a few nights ago.  I've been impressed so far but I missed out on the Levinson episode.  I had it recorded and went to watch it but the dumb NASCAR event before hand ran over so I'm going to have to look online to see if I can find it. 


Night Patrol (1984)
 

Jackie Kong
 

Tasteless junk is how many people talk about this POLICE ACADEMY rip off and that might be fair, although this is certainly trash of the highest level in terms of bad movies from the 80s.  The movie has a dorky police man (Murray Langston) getting put on night patrol with a new partner (Pat Paulson).  The dork not only has the desk girl (Linda Blair) wanting him but he also has the secret of being The Unknown Comic.  Okay, this movie is a complete disaster from start to finish but after about thirty-minutes your brain will go numb and this here will allow you to laugh at some of the incredibly stupid jokes.  The film starts off with Langston getting abused by an escaped homosexual and then moves on to him having birds poop on him, stepping in dog crap and then having that dog pee on him.  This all happens within the first five minutes so you know what type of film this is going to be.  The jokes from here on out include a midget Captain who is constantly farting and telling lies.  We've got countless jokes at various stereotype groups including lesbians wearing hard hats and playing pool without balls (get it?), gay men and various racial jokes including a Japanese man shooting up a neighborhood because he can't find a sushi bar.  It's funny that something like POLICE ACADEMY, a movie I like, could get countless rips but this one here must be one of the worse.  As I said, after a while your brain will finally lose all control and you'll probably find yourself laughing at some of the dumbness, which at times is so dumb you really have to give POLICE ACADEMY credit for staying under control.  The performance are all a mixed bag but Langston gets a few mild laughs as does Paulson as the sex addict partner.  Blair, showing off some nudity again, is decent but doesn't get to do too much.  The supporting cast includes Pat Morita, Sydney Lassick (ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST) and Andrew Dice Clay in an early role.  This film seems to have gotten a notorious reputation and cult following over the years, which is pretty easy to understand once you've seen the film.  The movie is a complete disaster but it's a rather fascinating one but the majority of people will certainly want to skip it.

I Promise to Pay (1937)
 

D. Ross Lederman
 

A ripped from the headlines drama from Columbia has Chester Morris playing a working class man who wants his family to get out of the heat on his week of vacation.  He decides to borrow $50 from some loan sharks but he doesn't realize that they expect him to pay 1000% interest.  Soon he can't afford to pay them and they decide to turn to violence.  A couple years after this film, the MGM series "Crime Does Not Pay" would do a film on the same subject (MONEY TO LOAN) and while it was overall the better movie, this one here manages to be quite entertaining due to the nice performance by Morris.  The subject matter was certainly ripped from the headlines because I'm sure many people were blindly going to these loan sharks considering the shape that the country was in at the time.  I can't help but this a moral story like this one was meant to make people a tad bit wiser but also give them the courage to stand up and fight.  Morris is the main reason to watch this film as he once again turns in a strong performance.  James Stewart always gets credit for being that "guy next door" type but Morris was also very good at this and he perfectly captures the spirit of his character.  Whenever his character is scared Morris makes you feel it.  Whenever he's had enough and is determined to fight you can feel it too.  Leo Carrillo is pretty good as the shark leader and Helen Mack is nice as the wife.  Thomas Mitchell (Uncle Billy in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE) turns in a nice performance as well as the District Attorney.  The film runs a short 68-minutes, which flies by for the most part even though some of the pacing isn't as good as it could have been.  Director Lederman does a nice job at keeping the film moving and building some nice suspense at the end, which is all you can ask for in a "B" picture like this.  Fans of Morris will certainly want to check this film out but fans of the low budget picture will also want to.

 

From Kino's Gaumont Treasures Disc 1: The Films of Alice Guy

Fisherman at the Stream, The (1897)
Bathing in a Stream (1897)
Serpentine Dance by Mme. Bob Walter (1897)
 

Three early films from Gaumont Studios and director Alice Guy.  The first film, THE FISHERMAN AT THE STREAM has a group of boys playing a prank on a fisherman by pushing him into the water.  BATHING IN A STREAM, apparently shot at the same time as our first film, has the boys taking a bath in that stream while SERPENTINE DANCE BY MME. BOB WALTER, running the longest at 107-seconds, is pretty much a direct remake of ANNABELLE SERPENTINE DANCE from Edison.  Out of the three films from this year in Kino's collection, the first one is probably the best but none of them really feature Guy breaking out onto her own as all three seem to "borrow" a lot of previous films from Melies and Edison.  The third film is probably the weakest of the bunch as we've seen in from various studios and it has probably already grown quite tiresome even in this early part of cinema, although people back then were obviously eating it up. 
 

Turn-of-the-Century Blind Man, The (1898)
At the Hypnotists (1898)
Burglars, The (1898)
Disappearing Act (1898)
Surprise Attack on a House at Daybreak (1898)
 

Five more films from Alice Guy from the Gaumont Treasures box set from Kino.  THE TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY BLIND MAN is a pretty simple and straight-forward prank film as a homeless man is pushed off a park bench by a police officer.  The poor man then puts his outfit on a rich man sleeping in that same chair just to see the officer go after him.  AT THE HYPNOTISTS has pretty much what you'd expect from a film with its title as a hypnotist makes a man do various funny things.  THE BURGLARS takes place on a rather obvious but funny set as two crooks try to break into a house as a couple cops come after them.  DISAPPEARING ACT is a poor man's Melies wannabe as a magician makes a woman turn into a devil then turns it back into a man.  The final film, SURPRISE ATTACK ON A HOUSE AT DAYBREAK is without question the most impressive of this group as soldiers close in on another group of soldiers held up in a house.  This short, running a brief 50-seconds, is without question the highlight here as we get a pretty good battle sequence that was years before the work of Griffith would come into play.  Guy handles the material quite well and manages to make the film feel a lot bigger than it actually is.  The other four films are all a mixed bag as the middle three come off as lesser copies of films we've seen from both Edison and Melies.  The first film also doesn't come off very original and only works as a mild interest to those who enjoy these early films.
 

At the Club (1899)
Wonderful Absinthe (1899)
 

Two more early films from Alice Guy and the Gaumont Studios.  AT THE CLUB features a group of men sitting around a table playing a game when a fight breaks out.  WONDERFUL ABSINTHE has a drunk getting bumped from behind when, sure enough, a fight breaks out.  The best of these two films is certainly AT THE CLUB as there's an all around innocent feel to it that really comes off as if Guy is having some fun showing what she perceives to be what happens to men at these clubs they go to.  On that level the film is pretty funny as nothing much happens but the way the fight breaks out makes for a nice laugh.  The second of the two films is pretty bland and I have to wonder if it was a one-shot production because it appears a lot of the action takes place off camera.  While watching the film I wondered if this is what Guy wanted or if the actors simply missed their mark and did their thing off the frame. 
 

Avenue de l’Opéra (1900)
Automated Hat-Maker and Sausage Grinder (1900)
At the Photographer's (1900)
Dance of the Seasons: Winter, Snow Dance (1900)
Landlady, The (1900)
 

AVENUE DE L'OPERA is a nicely done gimmick film that shows up a busy street but the film is played backwards, which gives the illusion of everything moving backwards.  AUTOMATED HAT-MAKER AND SAUSAGE-GRINDER comes off as something Melies would do as two men crank their machine to deliver what the title offers.  AT THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S is a decent little comedy as a man getting his picture taken but he can't sit still long enough for the thing to be taken.  DANCE OF THE SEASON is a rather "adult" film for 1900 as a woman does a little dance while (fake) snow falls on her.  THE LANDLADY has a group of kids ringing the bell of a landlady then running off.  Then a man comes up and rings it but this time the landlady has some water for him.  This group of films once again feature a mixed bag from director Guy as we get some items that were clearly meant to copy other films from other studios.  AVENUE DE L'OPERA is pretty good in terms of these gimmick films that everyone was releasing back then.  The entire gimmick of running the film backwards was certainly a lot more entertaining back then than it is today but it's still nice.  AUTOMATED HAT-MAKER is a straight comedy but one can't help but see more magic would have been worked by someone like Melies.  AT THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S is a decent comedy for its time as we get the annoying man constantly messes up the plans of the photographer.  DANCE OF THE SEASONS is perhaps the most interesting film here as there's a brief sequence where someone, using a stick, holds out an attempt at a copyright notice but who knows how well this worked back in the day.  The woman's dress is also hiked up pretty high, which I'm sure didn't sit well with many people back then you felt the movies were dirty entertainment.  THE LANDLADY is yet another comedy that really didn't feature that big of a pay off or enough of a laugh. 
 

Turn-of-the-Century Surgery (1900)
Pierrette’s Escapades (1900)
At the Floral Ball (1900)
Cabbage-Patch Fairy, The (1900)
 

This group of films from Alice Guy takes a pretty big step up from her previous features as not only the running times go up (to a whopping two-minutes each) but they also features more attempts at actual story telling.  TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY SURGERY is in the same mode as the films of Georges Melies, although I don't recall seeing anything this graphic from him.  We see a doctor use a large knife and a saw to remove the arm and leg of a patient.  They then put him into a wheelchair only to have him jump up and dance around.  The scenes of the doctor sawing into the body parts is certainly something I haven't seen in any other movie from this era but the tricks at the end, done with editing, are certainly inspired by the work of Melies.  PIERRETTE'S ESCAPADES is a nice attempt at hand tinting, which doesn't tell much of a story but we see two women getting ready for something and eventually dancing around.  The real reason to watch this short is for the hand tinting, which is pretty ugly by today's standards but I always love watching films that used this early technique.  The film ends with the two women kissing on the lips, which might be another first for this type of film.  AT THE FLORAL BALL is another hand tinted short, which features two women dancing at what appears to be, as the title says, a ball.  THE CABBAGE-PATCH FAIRY will put a smile on the face of anyone who has heard of this tale or in later times seen the actual Cabbage Patch dolls.  A fairy, in her cabbage patch, picks a few babies out from the weeds and sits then on the steps in front of her.  I'm not sure how good it was to put the babies on the ground the way they did here but this is a pleasant little film that will certainly make you smile. 

Serpentine Dance by Lina Esbrard (1902)
Midwife to the Upper Class (1902)
An Untimely Intrusion (1902)
Miss Dundee and Her Performing Dogs (1902)
 

Four more early works from female director Alice Guy from the recent Kino's collection of Gaumont Studio shorts.  SERPENTINE DANCE BY LINA ESBRARD features the lady doing a dance, which really isn't too different than the countless other serpentine dances being done by various studios as well as an earlier one by Guy herself.  MIDWIFE TO THE UPPER CLASS is a "spoof" of rich people as a couple (with the man being played by a woman) visits a cabbage patch to buy a kid.  This comedy doesn't really feature any true laughs but it remains fun thanks in large part to the sets, which are quite creative in their own way.  It's also worth noting that the film has two different settings, which might not seem like much today but back in 1902 this was something rather new (and refreshing).  The movie has a rather typical and racist joke where the couple are shown a black baby but they turn their heads in disgust so the sensitive types should be warned.  AN UNTIMELY INTRUSION is another comedy about a husband and wife fighting in their room when their landlady walks in just as the husband throws something across the room.  Of course, it nails the landlady and soon there's an even bigger fight.  This one here actually does manage to get a rather nice laugh as all the action, in the tight 55-seconds, manages to be rather violent and quite funny.  The print from Kino is missing several frames and it appears that some footage is slightly missing.  MISS DUNDEE AND HER PERFORMING DOGS is exactly what the title says.  Dog lovers will certainly get a kick out of this short but so will those not overly friendly with the animals.  This films runs just under four-minutes and features around twelve dogs doing all sorts of jumping tricks but the highlight is when one dog plays dead while another, dressed as a nun, kneels down besides him and says a prayer.
 

How Monsieur Takes His Bath (1903)
Faust and Mephistopheles (1903)
 

These two films from Alice Guy feature her obviously trying to capture the joy and spirit of a George Melies film but neither one really lives up to being anything overly special.  HOW MONSIEUR TAKES HIS BATH is one big gimmick as a man keeps trying to take his clothes off for a bath but each time he gets a piece off another takes its place.  This here is actually a remake of a 1900 Melies film called GOING TO BED UNDER DIFFICULTIES, which featured a man trying to get his clothes off to go to bed but having them replaced by more clothes.  This Guy film really doesn't capture any of the spirit of that Melies film, which in my opinion is one of his best.  This film contains a few nice effects but there's just no heart or soul in anything we see so you'd have to ask yourself why would you bother when you could simply watch the Melies film.  FAUST AND MEPHISTOPHELES is yet another version of the Faust story with this time it being told in the same fashion of Melies as the man signs the contract and soon Faust has various demons taking shape.  This short is decent but once again you really have to wonder why you'd spend time with it considering Melies was doing the same time of work and making the films much more enjoyable.  The effects here are fairly good but the overall feel of the film just can't compare to that other French master.
 

30 at 30: King's Ransom (2009)
 

Peter Berg
 

The first film in ESPN's series has director Peter Berg taking a look at the 1988 trade that sent Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings.  This trade is considered to be the biggest in sports history as the Edmonton owner got around $15 million in cash and sent the entire face of hockey packing bags, which causes him countless death threats from the people in Edmonton.  The documentary takes a look at both sides of the trade and shows what impact it had on  the cities moving forward.  Gretzky is in the film and gives his thoughts and feelings on the trade years after it all went down and it's interesting to hear him say he wouldn't change a thing considering he wouldn't win another Stanley Cut but the team he left would win another two years after the trade.  No one will ever question the greatness of Gretzky but I do wonder if he's telling the truth here when he said he wouldn't do anything over.  The two owners are also interviewed and you can't help but understand why the trade was done even though fans are still going to cry foul.  Berg does a very nice job at getting all the details out there and this includes new interviews as well as the original news conference as well as other footage from various stations covering the event. 

30 for 30: Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? (2009)
 

Michael Tollin
 

Fun filled and sometimes heated documentary about who killed the USFL, the springtime football league, which seemed to be doing decent until Donald Trump bought a team and soon, after three seasons, the league was no more.  It's interesting to note that director Tollin was actually working for the USFL when they started up so he's certainly got some insight as to what was going on and I think for the most part this documentary is quite open and honest about the events that would bring the league down.  It's also worth noting that everyone interviewed blames Trump.  What was most fascinating about this documentary, for someone not too familiar with it, is how many legends of the NFL started their careers in this "under" league.  Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Herschel Walker and Reggie White are just a few of the people who started in the league and coaches Jim Mora, Lee Corso, Rick Neuheisel and Keith Jackson were also working there.  All of these folks are interviewed here and again, they all blame Trump.  The old hair piece Trump is also on hand here and it shouldn't shock anyone that he doesn't take a bit of the blame.  It's clear he isn't too fond about this story and eventually ends the interview without offering too much up.  It's pretty funny to see what a great villain he makes here especially with a former player, still highly upset, talking about how many people lost their job over his greed.  There's plenty of footage from the old games as well as original news reports of various games, stories and of course that infamous court case where the league went after the NFL. 

30 for 30: Muhammad and Larry (2009)
 

Albert Maysles
 

Legendary documentary director Maysles (GIMME SHELTER, THE BEATLES: FIRST U.S. VISIT) dives head first into this episode of ESPN's series and ends up delivering one of the best of its kind.  The film takes a look at the 1980 fight between friends Larry Holmes and Muhammad Ali, which ended with Ali being beaten to a pulp and many thinking it ended up putting him where he is today in terms of his health.  This is a rather remarkable documentary that should have been given a theatrical release as it's that good and I might go even further and call it one of the best boxing documentaries I've ever seen.  The amazing thing to hear happens right at the start of the film when Maysles says that all of the footage we're going to see was actually shot in 1980 as both boxers were getting ready for the match but no one wanted to released the footage until now.  The documentary does a masterful job at showing the disaster that happened inside the ring but it also captures everything that was going on with the two fighters leading up to their match.  Early in the film someone calls the fight a Greek tragedy and that's pretty much how it plays out as we learn right from the start that Ali gets massacred in the ring.  We then flash to their story with all the footage that was shot in 1980.  It's funny to see no one surrounding the champion Holmes but at the Ali camp, everyone is there daily to check him out.  This old footage includes Ali playing with children, signing things for them, doing card tricks and just shows why so many people loved it.  It also features several scenes of his famous mouth running.  The film contains a lot of funny moments but it also turns deadly serious when it comes time to show the fight, the beating Ali took and what effect it might have had on his current health situation.  Seeing Holmes crying after the fight and thinking about what happened really makes one think and want to point fingers for Ali's corner not stopping the fight a lot earlier.  Maysles has several great films under his belt and you can add this one to the list.  Boxing fans will certainly love it but I think the film is great enough to appeal to those who don't know the sport or like the sport.

30 for 30: Without Bias (2009)
 

Kirk Fraser
 

Documentary covering the quick rise and quicker death of Maryland star Len Bias who would see his dreams come true when drafted by the Boston Celtics only to die of a cocaine overdose soon after wards.  It seems the death of Bias has been told from every angle and that's somewhat true here, although this documentary takes it a step further and looks at the fall out that would follow his death as well as the tragedy that would strike his family four years later when his brother would be shot to death.  As one of the talking heads says in the film, people always want to punish someone for a death and the documentary does a great job at showing what happened to the school, head coach "Lefty" Driesell and various other players including the man who brought the cocaine to the party.  There's a question brought up on how these kids got a hold of pure cocaine but this is never really followed through on but I do think the film itself doesn't point the finger at Bias enough.  It gets the greatness right.  It gets the tragedy surrounding his death right.  I think the film should have been a tad bit tougher in blaming his death on no one but himself.  Various reporters, players and coaches are interviewed and all tell wonderful stories and really bring to life Bias' and his tragic life.  I think it gets summed up pretty well when someone says that everyone deserves a second chance in life but Bias didn't get that and in the end one mistake took everything away.