Track the Films You Watch (2009) - Page 28

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

My Ronald Reagan Week comes to an end but I didn't get to any of his more famous "A" or "B" films.

Sergeant Murphy (1938) B. Reeves Eason

Ronald Reagan, in his third film, plays Pvt. Dennis Reilley, a somewhat timid guy who joined the Army to be with his best friend, Sergeant Murphy, who just happens to be a horse. Reilley is about to get out of the Army and he wants his friend to come with him so he must find a way to get the horse kicked out. This "B" picture from Warner really doesn't have anything bad in it but at the same time there's nothing good in it either. I'm sure this film would have been forgotten more than it already is if it weren't for Reagan having the leading role, although one could argue that the film does belong to the horse. At 58-minutes the thing moves fairly quickly but there's not too much that happens at any point. The so-called laughs of Reagan trying to get the horse kicked out of the Army features zero laughs. The second half of the film where he tries to win the girl (Mary Maguire) isn't any better and of course it leads to a very predictable ending. Reagan's performance, like the film, isn't bad but it's not good either. I think he does a fairly good job for his third film and the fact that he didn't have to much to work with. He certainly has a swagger about him but his comic timing isn't quite there.

Accidents Will Happen (1938) William Clemens

Ronald Reagan plays a young insurance adjustor who is slowly working his way up the ladder but not fast enough for his high priced wife (Sheila Bromley). The wife joins a insurance fraud racket, which eventually gets her husband fired from his job but instead of lying down he decides to bring the racket down himself. This is yet another "B" film Reagan did at Warner and this one here actually kept me entertained from start to finish due to the rather interesting story and a nice performance by the young star. The movie is pretty much one note as we see the hot shot get torn down and then we see him built back up as he takes down the bad guys. What I enjoyed most was how we got to see the various scams play out. We see the characters brought into play, we see the wrecks and then we see how the claims are paid off. All of this was rather fascinating even though the movie never goes too deep into things. The film runs just 62-minutes so it's fast paced and right to the point. I really enjoyed Reagan here as he manages to be quite good in his cockiness early on and he is able to show the strength of the character in the second half. Gloria Blondell and Duck Purcell add good support as does Bromley who plays a great villain who you can't help but hate. If you're not a fan of "B" movies than this here will probably be a bit too shallow for your taste but those you do enjoy this type of thing will find themselves entertained throughout.

Girls on Probation (1938) William C. McGann

Extremely silly but highly entertaining crime picture from Warner is "B" movie from start to finish. A good girl (Jane Bryan) gets arrested after her bad girl friend (Sheila Bromley) steals a dress and blames her. The girl gets off due to a insurance inspector (Ronald Reagan) but a little while later is arrested for conspiracy to commit robbery with the same bad girl and her now boyfriend. Once again, innocent but in the wrong place, the girl gets put on probation but soon her past catches up with her as she's now about to marry Reagan's character and is afraid of what he'll think about having a girl on probation. It's amazing how much "story" gets packed into this 65-minute movie but there's quite a bit and it never slows down. I must admit that the movie kept me entertained from start to finish but the biggest reason as to why I can't give this a higher rating is because Bryan's character has got to be the dumbest in screen history. This is coming from someone who watches over a thousand movies a year but this is without question the dumbest character I've seen in any movie. Bryan's character gets herself into so much trouble and it's all because of her doing dumb things and of course all of this blame goes to screenwriter Crane Wilbur who also directed many shorts for Warner. With that said, the performances are all pretty good with Bryan turning in fine work but the picture certainly belongs to Bromley who is perfect as the bad girl. Reagan is fine in his supporting role and early on it's Susan Hayward playing his girlfriend. The ending is downright stupid and brought me to laughs but that's just part of the entertainment to this thing. Fans of "B" movies will certainly want to check it out. Others beware.

Nine Lives Are Not Enough (1941) A. Edward Sutherland

Warner "B" mystery has a millionaire being found dead but it's unclear whether it's suicide or murder. A news reporter (Ronald Reagan) feels it's murder with a local crook behind it but his editor doesn't believe it but the victim's daughter (Joan Perry) does. Soon the two are working together to try and bring justice to her father. This is a fairly entertaining film that mixes the mysteries with the laughs very well, although in the end the story just isn't strong enough to fill the short 63-minute running time. The first forty-minutes are pretty fast paced and we get quite a few laughs with Reagan turning in a fine performance. It's nothing great or ground breaking but it suits the film just fine. Most of the comic relief comes from Peter Whitney who is wonderful in the role of Roy, a dimwitted fool who constantly gets himself in the middle of things. His comic timing is very good as is his way of playing the slow and stupid character. The rest of the cast are decent enough to help the film but none of them really stick out. I grew a little tired during the final act, which really isn't a good thing considering how short the movie is. Fans of "B" movies will want to check this out but others might want to avoid.

Code of the Secret Service (1939) Noel M. Smith

Follow up to SECRET SERVICE OF THE AIR has Lt. Brass Bancroft (Ronald Reagan) trying to track down some counterfeiters. He tracks them to Mexico where they plant a murder wrap on him so Brass must escape the Mexican police while trying to do his job as well. I enjoyed the first film in the series but this one here was pretty bland from start to finish and the 58-minute running time seemed like triple that. According to the Robert Osborne introduction on TCM, Reagan was so worried this film would end his career that he begged Warner not to release it. In a compromise they agreed to release it everywhere except for Los Angeles since Reagan lived there. I don't think the film was that bad but it's still not that good. The biggest problem is that there's just no energy to the film. The first film plays out like a fun serial and this one goes for that effect but it fails because of the rather weak direction. Many films around this era dealt with money laundering and most of them handled it better than this. Eddie Foy, Jr. is certainly the best thing about the movie as he brings a few laughs. Reagan sleepwalks through the role and doesn't bring much to the film. Two more sequels would follow though.

Smashing the Money Ring (1939) Terry O. Morse

Third film in Warner's Brass Bancroft series once again features Ronald Reagan going up against counterfeiters. This time out he puts himself in prison to keep his eye on a suspect who might not only be passing fake money but also calling shots on people. This third film in the series manages to be the best that I've seen so far and it's fast pace makes for a very entertaining 57-minutes. If you're a fan of Warner prison movies then you'll want to check this out even though it's certainly not the best that the genre has to offer up. The movie has plenty of nice laughs, great fights and it never slows down to take a breathe. Fans of "B" movies will also find this one entertaining even though nothing too original happens. What I enjoyed most was that the movie never slowed down as it starts off dealing with counterfeits and then jumps into racketeers and then it turns into a semi-horror film with a couple murders in the prison done by a man in shadows. All of this adds up to a fun time if you have a hour to kill. Reagan is pretty good in his role, although he's not too believable as a tough guy. His Cagney impression is at times laughable but there is a certain charm to it. Margot Stevenson, Eddie Foy, Jr. and Joe Downing round out the fun supporting cast. George Reeves, the future Superman, can be seen in the courtroom scene if you look closely. The idea of running a counterfeiting ring inside a prison is laughable but that too just adds to the "B" charm of the film.

Murder in the Air (1940) Lewis Seiler

Fourth and final film in Warner's Brass Bancroft series with Ronald Reagan in the lead. This time out enemy agents are destroying various sites and now they have their eyes on destroying the entire country. Reagan goes undercover and gets inside the gang to try and stop them before more damage is done. This is probably the second best in the series (behind the third film) and fans of "B" movies will certainly have enough here to keep them entertained. The film, running just 55-minutes, makes for some nice entertainment because it throws pretty much everything in except for the kitchen sink but then again that might have ended up on the cutting room floor. The entire movie goes at a very fast pace and it leads up to a very good ending set on a Dirigible, which of course has to crash into the ocean. I wish this sequence would have gone on longer but what's here is nice. Reagan is very comfortable in the role and manages to turn in his best performance of the series. His tough act is a lot more believable here than in the previous three films and Eddie Foy, Jr. is back for comic relief. John Litel and James Stephenson co-star.

Bad Man, The (1941) Richard Thorpe

OK, try to follow this and I'll try to make sense out of it. A rancher (Ronald Reagan) and his uncle (Lionel Barrymore) are about to lose their ranch to a greedy banker (Henry Travers) after a bandit, Pancho Lopez (Wallace Beery) steals their cattle. The bandit soon learns that the rancher is the one who saved his life years earlier so he wants to do good and that includes hooking him up with the woman (Laraine Day) he loves but who is married to another man (Tom Conway). This western/comedy is rather hard to judge because it tries to do so much in its short running time but by the end of the movie the laughs had turned dry and I found myself getting rather bored. When you've got two scene chewers like Beery and Barrymore you'd expect something more and in the end this film just didn't deliver enough. I found the best thing to be Barrymore who is a hoot in his role, which really seems to have influenced Yosemite Sam. I'm not sure if the Looney Tune character was based on Barrymore's work here but it really seems like it. The two act very much the same way, use similar words and even have close to the same accent. Barrymore is downright hammy, in a good way, and you can't help but laugh at him constantly embarrassing and poking fun at Reagan. Reagan, Day and Conway add nice support but they have a hard time breaking through all the scene chewing by the two other leads. I was somewhat disappointed in Beery and his bad Mexican outfit even though I haven't seen VIVA VILLA!, which apparently this is somewhat spoofing. This was the fourth version of this film, including a 1937 version with Boris Karloff but it didn't impress me too much. The great cast will have people turning in to watch but to me only Barrymore was worth it.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

I Am an American (1944) Crane Wilbur

Propaganda piece is certainly flag-waiving but you have to consider that it was made during WW2. The film tells the story of two Polish immigrants who come to America and end up walking to Ohio where they start their family. The husband eventually loses an arm in the Civil War and every future war the family sends men off to fight for the land they love. This leads up to WW2 where more men must go and fight. This is certainly a very entertaining and uplifting film but I must throw in a nitpick because the movies main goal is to discuss how immigrants and great people come from all over the world yet the movie then overlooks blacks in this country who of course would have to deal with all sorts of negativity for the next few decades. For the film to preach yet leave out a group says quite a bit. With that said, this is a very good movie that certainly makes you feel patriotic, which was the entire point. Danny Kaye, Humphrey Bogart, Joan Leslie, Dennis Morgan and Knute Rockne are all seen in the film as well.

Wagon Wheels West (1943) B. Reeves Eason

Routine Western short has U.S. Marshall Frank Wilson (Robert Shayne) seeking vengeance against the man who he saw kill his father as a child. The Marshall rides into town just to bust the man but gets a lot more than that. If you've seen at least one Western in your lifetime then you're not going to see anything new here but I was still entertained by the short, which featured a couple good performances and a nice ending. Shayne was very good in his role and made his character someone you wanted to root for. Nina Foch, who is best remembered for her roles in such horror titles as THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE and CRY OF THE WEREWOLF, makes her screen debut here. What really makes up for the routine nature of the film is the wonderful ending, which includes a chase as well as a wreck down a giant hill. The way things play out were very exciting and makes the twenty-minutes worth it.

Sons of Liberty (1939) Michael Curtiz

Oscar-winning short film from Warner takes place during the American Revolution as Claude Rains leads the group known as "Sons of Liberty" as they use their influence to battle anti-Semitism in the United States. This is a pretty impressive short and you can't help but notice how important this story must have been to Jack Warner for him to use a top-notch director like Curtiz and surround him with some great talent. Rains is terrific in his role and he is perfectly matched by Gale Sondergaard, Henry O'Neill, James Stephenson and Donald Crisp. The story itself is pretty bland but that doesn't take away any of the power, which was to be religiously strong as well as patriotic. Those things are what the film went for and it certainly got them. The Technicolor is perfectly used here and looks terrific. I just love seeing this early color tech and seeing how beautiful fires look using it.



Private Screenings: Norman Jewison (2007) Sean Cameron

This episode in the Turner Classic Movies series was the first and so far only one to be filmed in front of a live audience. Robert Osborne and Norman Jewison sit down in front of a crowd at the Sarasota Film Festival where they talk about many films including THE CINCINNATI KID, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, A SOLDIER'S STORY, MOONSTRUCK and THE HURRICANE. We get some nice discussion on Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Denzel Washington, Sidney Poitier, Faye Dunaway and more. This is a pretty good episode, although I must admit that I was wanting to hear more stories about many of the stars. There's a great one dealing with Robinson but at one point the director talks about McQueen being scared of him but it really doesn't go any further. The talk about Poitier nervous about where they'd shoot IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT was a great story as well.


Greta, The Mad Butcher (1977) Jess Franco

aka Ilsa: The Wicked Warden

Jess Franco's wicked women in prison film was released in America as an unofficial entry in the Ilsa series but outside the leading actress that's the only connection to the series. This time out a woman goes undercover in a mental hospital to try and prove that the warden (Dyanne Thorne) is a psychotic maniac who uses torture to keep her woman under control. It's easy seeing this film to tell that it was never meant to be an Ilsa movie and the biggest difference is that this film is actually fun to watch. The two previous, and official, Ilsa movies were just mean spirited exploitation but in Franco's hands this turns into a fun exploitation movie that has plenty of naked women, weird sex scenes and even more bizarre torture sequences. The most memorable thing about the movie is of course Thorne who still looked great at this point in her career and you can tell she's having a lot of fun going through the routines of the wicked warden. The supporting cast is full of Franco regulars including the director himself, Lina Roman and Eric Fauk. While Thorne plays is pretty straight-forward, Romay on the other hand gets to go all out and deliver a campy, funny performance. She's off the wall in her ability to be abused as well as to abuse others and adds a lot of fun to the film. The movie isn't among Franco's best WIP films, that honor belongs to BARBED WIRE DOLLS, but this here remains fun for what it is.

Red Badge of Courage, The (1951) John Huston

Adaptation of Stephen Crane's novel has a Civil War soldier (Audie Murphy) running away from battle because he's scared but after wondering around for a bit he begins to become a man and prepares for his next battle. It's rather amazing to read about the history of this movie, which was pretty much a huge battle between director Huston and the studio. MGM would eventually take the film away from the director and cut a two-hour movie down to 69-minutes and with that in mind it's amazing at how well the film still holds up. I'm not sure what all was cut out but I'd love to see that version, which is apparently missing. That's a real shame considering both Huston and Murphy tried to buy the uncut version of the film back from the studio only to learn the additional footage had been thrown out. As for what's left, this is a very impressive little movie that I'm guessing was meant to show the fine line between being a hero and a coward and how circumstance can change a person. I thought the movie was extremely powerful in its message even though it never preaches or being over dramatic. The movie contains some wonderful battle scenes, which are among some of the best on ground footage since THE BIRTH OF A NATION. The battle scenes are certainly masterfully directed but so are the quieter scenes with the men marching and talking. Hearing them talk about various subjects including death was perfectly handled by the director. There's some terrific cinematography including a couple wonderful scenes showing the sun shining through some trees. Murphy gives a very strong performance as does the rest of the cast. Andy Devine has a small but important role in the film as well.

Let There Be Light (1946) John Huston

John Huston's third and final documentary for the U.S. Army was another controversial one, which was originally banned for over thirty years as it didn't get shown to the public until 1980. It's easy to see why the film was banned because had people watched this at the end of WW2 it's doubtful very many would want to enlist. The film centers on a group of men who are psychologically scared from their time in the war. One man can't talk, one can't walk and various other psychological problems occur. A psychiatrist is used to try and cure the men as they go through a program at the Mason General Hospital in Long Island. Walter Huston does a nice job narrating the story but for the most part the patients and the doctor are the ones talking. The documentary is a very interesting one because it gives us a view of American soldiers coming back from WW2. On that ground alone this film is worth checking out but Huston does his typical nice work and really digs in deep into the material. I'm not sure how well the practice used here would hold up today but the theories being discussed are interesting to hear about. This early look at "battle shock" is certainly a nice history lesson that fans of the director will want to check out.

Nightmare Honeymoon (1973) Elliot Silverstein

Low budget drama about newlyweds David (Dack Rambo) and Jill (Rebecca Dianna Smith) who witness a mob hit and then the real terror begins. David is knocked out by Jill is raped by one of the men. Ashamed, she refuses to go to the cops so David decides to track the men down himself and kill them. OK, this is being sold as a horror film so it's fair warning to let you know that it isn't. The murders, rape and everything else happen off screen so if you're buying into the rape/revenge thing then you're going to be disappointed. The film is pretty much a straight drama that plays it way too safe to really work. There's nothing really bad here but at the same time there's nothing really good either. One thing that didn't work was the direction, which was just too laid back and it was to the point where it really slowed the movie down. There are countless scenes that just go on and on and in the end these too slow the film down. I'm not sure what it is but we also have the same conversations throughout the movie as the characters can't make their minds up on what they want to do. You could say this is realistic but it doesn't work on film here. The same conversations get very boring after a while. Both Rambo and Smith are decent enough in the film with character actors John Beck, Pat Hingle and Jay Robinson offering up support. One really annoying thing about this movie is its soundtrack, which is just overbearing at times because of how high they turn in up to try a show when danger is about to happen. After a while it gets tiresome. Apparently Nicolas Roeg (DON'T LOOK NOW) started directing this but dropped out after the first week and I'm curious to know if he shot the scenes at the hamburger joint because there are a couple stylish camera moves here that look like his and don't match anything else in the movie.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Yeah, I personally didn't find anything mean in this Franco film. BARBED WIRE DOLLS is better but it too had more charm than anything else. SADOMANIA is the women in prison film that goes for brutality and you should check it out if you enjoyed this one.


Terminator, The (1984) James Cameron

Everyone knows the story to this action classic so there's no point in going over it again but you really can't blame any of the stories you've heard about how hard it was for Cameron to get this made. It's quite well known that this movie barely got made and if you hear the story you might see why a producer or studio might pass on making it. There's no doubt in my mind that in lesser hands this film would have turned out to be a disaster but Cameron really makes it what it is. The fact that he found someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger to play the killing Terminator is never a bad thing but Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn also fill their roles quite nicely. What works best for the film is its dark tone, which Cameron never comes away from. Even the "softer" moments of the film, those inside the motel between Hamilton and Biehn's characters, are quite dark and the overall tone and atmosphere is what really makes it stand out. There are numerous great moments but the highlight has to be the scene where the Terminator does an operation on itself. The police station massacre has always been an uneasy scene to watch but that's a good thing. The movie has non-stop action from start to finish and you throw in the fine performances and that makes this a classic for the genre. The special effects are top notch as is the score so there's no doubt that this film deserves its reputation.

Terminator 2 (1991) James Cameron

It's not often a sequel is better than the original but that's the case here. I'll go a step further and say this here is one of the greatest science-fiction movies ever made. It's funny but I still have vivid memories of watching this on opening night even though I was only eleven-years-old. I remember the buzz going into the movie. I remember who I watched it with and I can even remember what part of the theater I was sitting in. At the time I don't think I fully realized how special the film I was watching was because I only saw it as something extremely cool with ground breaking effects. Today I see the film as a complete masterpiece of filmmaking even though one might find a few logical issues but then again this is science fiction so the logic could be overlooked anyways. I think it goes without saying but the story is the best thing going on here. The plot is a very simple one: the prevention of Judgment Day so what else do you need? The movie has Arnold Schwarzenegger returning and giving the greatest performance of his career. Linda Hamilton is also back and the way she transformed her character from the first film is pretty remarkable. Edward Furlong makes for a very good John Connor and Robert Patrick is terrific as the villain. The special effects were ground breaking in 1991 and I might say they haven't been topped in all the years since. Sure, CGI has come along but they can't hold up to anything in this movie. The liquid metal is pure genius and all the effects are masterfully done. You could pick any single one of them and hold it up as being some of the best ever created. Whereas the first film was extremely dark, this one here allows for the Terminator to have more character development and I think this was a great thing to do. Just as it was great to have Frankenstein's monster speak in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, I think it's great to show a more humor Terminator. The jokes work perfectly and you can't help but find the ending very touching. No matter which version you watch (I prefer the theatrical) this is a marvelous film that has perfectly stood the test of time and delivers itself as one of the greatest of its type.

Terminator 3 (2003) Jonathan Mostow

With Judgment Day looming, another Terminator (again played by Schwarzenegger) is sent back in time to protect John Connor (Nick Stahl) who is now a pill taking junkie. The two must also protect another woman (Claire Danes) from a new form of killer in the T-X. This third film in the series gets mostly mixed reviews but I found it to be the perfect way to end the original series and a great way to start up the battle of the future. The movie has some flaws in it but overall this is everything a summer blockbuster should be. We get some nice characters, good laughs and plenty of non-stop action but we also get a good story thrown in as well. I do think the story is a step down from the previous film but then again so is everything in this movie. It certainly doesn't live up to the previous film but not too many can so that's not a reason to bash this one. In terms of action this thing is a homerun as we get one great sequence after another. The highlight of the movie has to be the crane sequence where Schwarzenegger gets attached to it and they make for some great damage. This entire sequence is jaw dropping and really packs a terrific punch in terms of action. I also loved what they did with the ending. I certainly won't ruin what happens but I thought it was handled in a very good way and didnt pull any strings. The one flaw in the movie is Stahl and Danes. Both are fine actors and both are fine here but to me we needed people a little stronger or perhaps their characters should have just been written better. Schwarzenegger is in good form and has plenty of nice one-liners as well. I'm not sure if this will ever gain the classic status of the previous two films but it's a good way to end the original series and we'll just have to see what the future films, taking place in the future, holds.

Terminator Salvation (2009) McG

Fourth film in the series is a crashing halt due to some rather bland direction and an even blander vision of a screenplay. This time the film takes place in 2018, after Judgment Day, and it appears the machines are about to destroy the human race. John Connor (Christian Bale) is still battling the machines as a mysterious man (Sam Worthington) tries to help the young Kyle Reese reach safety. I know a lot of people were going into this film with low expectations but I actually had high ones but they were pretty much letdown by the twenty-minute mark and things really didn't get any better. I would personally argue against the PG-13 rating and I wasn't too thrilled with a certain star not being involved but the biggest problem here was the rather lackluster direction by McG. The entire vision of the post-Judgment Day came as a major disappointment. After hearing about these events in the first three movies I couldn't help but have a "that's it?" feeling while watching this movie. Yes, the effects are bigger and there are some newer creations but none of them had a Judgment Day feel to them. You might say the events here are just leading for a bigger fifth film but that doesn't make this one here any better. I found the action scenes to be over the top but to me they were just a bunch of noise without any emotion or punch to them. The only thing that saved this film from being a complete bomb was the final thirty-minutes after a certain twist in the story that I won't ruin. I thought the twist was the first time anything smart actually happened and it's one of the few scenes where it appears some thought and character development was going on. I always enjoy watching Bale but found him to be another disappointment here. I didn't mind his dark and gloomy voice in the two Batman movies but I found it rather annoying here. Sam Worthington is the one who really steals the film here and at times I couldn't help but wish he was playing Connor. Helena Bonham Carter is wasted in her role. There's a cameo here, which was certainly meant to make you cheer but I found it to be very stupid and rather corny. Will I go watch a fifth film? I certainly will but I really hope it's a major improvement over this one.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

The more I think about it the more it's bothering me. I went to watch it at a 10:30 showing after I got off work since it was "Bargain Tuesday" and there were probably about twenty other people in there. I swear to God, for a "loud" movie I had never heard so many people yawning, including myself. Everyone was sitting rather close together in this theater and it was really shocking to see that no one was into the movie. After the movie a couple people started booing and a few walked out during the movie. While I was walking out there were a couple talking who liked it but I wasn't about to jump in their conversation and question him.

I'll probably watch the "Extended Cut" if there's really 30+ minutes worth of "character development". As for the cameo, I thought it was really, really stupid. I knew the day would come when they'd use CGI to put an actor into a movie and I really hope this doesn't start happening more. I don't want to see a CGI Bogart or Lugosi pop up in some movie.

I watched the first three movies in a row the other day with plans to watch the fourth one at the movies that day. I didn't get that done but even the weakest sequences in any of the first three movies were still better than the best stuff in part 4. It was just too "pretty" for me as it appears Judgment Day isn't all that bad.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Skull Murder Mystery, The (1932) Joseph Henabery

Eleventh and final entry in the series, which was based around the writings of S.S. Van Dine. This time out Dr. Crabtree (Donald Crisp) and Inspector Carr (John Hamilton) investigate a skeleton, which is found buried behind a Chinese man's property. There are many suspects but the focus seems to be going towards a deranged doctor. This is the first film in the series that I've seen and I really do hope it's the worst because this movie was pretty dreadful from start to finish. The horror or mystery genre is certainly my favorite but I found very little to enjoy in this movie. The skeleton being discovered the attic scene towards the end were effective but the rest of the film was boring and bland. The direction was what really struck out as being poor because I couldn't tell anyone was leading the cast. Crisp has always been an actor I like to see in movies but he too doesn't offer anything here. Fans of the genre might want to check it out just for a curiosity thing but the rest should avoid.

Week End Mystery, The (1932) Arthur Hurley

Eighth film in the series finds Dr. Crabtree (Donald Crisp) and Inspector Carr (John Hamilton) called to an old dark house on a stormy night. There they discover the body of the home owner who was shot as he left a poker game where he had some weekend guests over. This entry in the series manages to have a couple nice sequences even though the story itself isn't anything too special. This was the second film I've seen in the series and I'm sure the original work of S.S. Van Dine had to have been popular for the studio to make them into movies but I'm also wondering how much plot had to be cut out to fit the story into a 17-minute short. What does work this time out is the atmosphere, which is pretty good. The rain effects are very noticeable as is the fake lightening but it works. Another added bonus is that Hamilton and Crisp actually bring some energy to the film and makes it move a lot better than it would have without them. Harry McNaughton is also quite good in the role of the Butler. While this movie isn't ground break or a work of art, it manages to be mildly entertaining for what it is.

Murder in the Pullman (1932) Joseph Henabery

Sixth film in the series has a gold digging wife (Wanda Lyon) murdered on a train during her honeymoon. It looks like it could be her old boyfriend (Donald Douglas) or perhaps her husband (Edward Arnold) but it's up to Crabtree (Donald Meek) and Carr (John Hamilton) to figure it out. From what I've seen to date this here is certainly the best film in the series as it features a wonderful supporting cast and a pretty good mystery. As the film plays out it's rather obvious who the killer is going to be but that really doesn't take away from the fun. What works best here is that Crabtree and Carr are thrown in the background as supporting players and the film belongs to Arnold and Douglas. The two men deliver fine performances and especially Arnold who many will remember from MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON or EYES IN THE NIGHT. He easily steals the film and makes his character someone you care for and can't help but feel for due to what his wife is doing to him. Meek and Hamilton are in fine form in their roles but they are mainly just in the background. Fans of mysteries from the early 30's will certainly want to check this film out even if they didn't care for some of the others in the series.

Studio Murder Mystery, The (1932) Joseph Henabery

Fifth film in the S.S. Van Dine series has an actress filming a murder scene when someone shows up with a real knife killing her. Dr. Crabtree (Donald Meek) and Inspector Carr (John Hamilton) arrive on the scene where the suspects appear to be the woman's rival or perhaps her boyfriend (Robert Middlemass). This is a pretty good entry in the series that manages to have some charming moments, some funny one and these save the movie because the actual mystery isn't the greatest. The best scene in the movie happens right after the murder when the director is unhappy saying the scene wasn't realistic enough and then he finds out that the actress really is dead. The actual mystery of the film is fairly simple to solve but it's rather interesting that two key points in the film are now real life issues with certain cases. The "gloves must fit the killer" is of course from O.J. and we also got chloroform playing a part in the film, which is from the more recent Casey Anthony case. With that said, this short has enough going for it to make it worth checking out especially if you're a fan of these early mysteries. Both Meek and Hamilton are fun this time out and the supporting players aren't so bad either.

Wall Street Mystery, The (1931) Joseph Henabery

Third film in the S.S. Van Dine series has a couple men murdered inside an office on Wall Street. Insp. Carr (John Hamilton) believes he has the case solved but Dr. Crabtree (Donald Meek) has a theory that might lead to a major twist. This is another pretty good entry in the series but I must admit that the way the mystery plays out is somewhat weak. The twist in the movie is downright great and you won't see it coming but at the same time you can't help but role you eyes and feel you've been cheated in some ways. The ending didn't make me mad and I did get a smile out of it but it pretty much comes out of no where. Hamilton plays his character a lot tougher than some of the future shorts that I've seen from the series. We also get a touch of humor thrown in with a joke about Sherlock Holmes as well as a black elevator man calling himself "Amos Andy", after the radio show of course.

Trans-Atlantic Mystery, The (1932) Joseph Henabery

Tenth and next to last in the S.S. Van Dine series. This time out the story starts off in London as some famous jewels have been stolen. The criminal is double crossed and killed making room for his partner to jump on a ship to New York City. Soon he too is murdered and this is when Dr. Crabtree (Donald Meek) and Insp. Carr (John Hamilton) are brought in. This is another winning entry in the series even though the ending is pretty predictable. It's not too hard to figure out who the killer is even though only two red herrings are brought on. The movie features Meek and Hamilton turning in good performance, although their characters aren't brought in until the half-way point of the film. The direction is pretty bland from start to finish and there certainly isn't any technical brilliance to be spotted but the movie goes along at a good pace and fans of crime films will want to check it out.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Mario hasn't updated his postings since the 8th so I hope everything is alright with him.


Hidden Fortress, The (1958) Akira Kurosawa

Original title: Kakushi-toride no san-akunin

Two dimwitted fools (Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara), with lust for gold, agree to help a soldier (Toshiro Mifune) and a woman (Misa Uehara) across the border but what they don't know is that the woman is their Princess trying to reach safety so that she can restart her mission. This film is probably best known for being a huge influence on STAR WARS but the movie deserve more attention than just that. The mixture of comedy and adventure is perfectly brought together by director Kurosawa and I must admit that I really didn't expect this type of film from him. I read that he was repaying Toho by doing this more mainstream film to show his appreciation for letting him do more risky projects. If so this is certainly right up his alley and he makes the material all his own. What I enjoyed most were the performances, which are downright masterful from beginning to end. The comic bantering between Chiaki and Fujiwara was downright hysterical and their chemistry jumped right off the screen from the time they walked on. The opening argument between the two is very funny and perfectly sets up everything that's going to follow. Mifune delivers yet another great performance and Uehara is also very good in her role. The four of them together really work well and deliver everything they should. Another wonderful thing was the cinematography, which mixed with the direction, makes for some great atmosphere. I think the film did start to run out of steam towards the end and a little editing down the running time would have helped but this is still a highly effective little gem that has plenty of laughs as well as great action.

Jungle Jim (1948) William Berke

After growing too old for Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller headed over to Columbia where he started the Jungle Jim series with this one being the first of sixteen movies. This time out Jim is leading a female scientist (Virginia Grey) through the jungles looking for a poison that might just be the cure for polio. I had heard this was an extremely goofy and at times rather poor series but this here was my first venture into it and I will go along with the goofy part. There are so many logical plot holes here that you could drive a semi through them but the biggest problem is th best thing going for the film. The problem is that this thing is 100% camp and that's where the entertainment value comes from. You can tell this was an extremely low-budget movie because there's so much stock footage edited in that after a while you actually get a headache from it. The majority of the animal footage is all stock footage but the film's greatest scene is one where Grey isn't paying attention when a crocodile sneaks up on her. As far as Weissmuller goes, he's pretty bad. As a visual level it's certainly easy to watch him but his line delivery is just so incredibly bad that there were a couple times where I had to laugh at him. It was fun watching him but the performance just adds more camp value. Lita Baron plays a jungle girl who adds a lot of sex appeal to the film. George Reeves plays the bad guy here and does a very good job, nearly stealing the film. The film is clearly modeled after a Tarzan movie from start to finish and this includes a swimming scene clearly trying to impersonate the one from TARZAN AND HIS MATE. Even at only 71-minutes the film seems a tad bit long but if you like goofy fun then you'll certainly want to check it out.

Jungle Manhunt (1951) Lew Landers

Seventh film in the popular series has a football star (real football player Bob Waterfield) going missing in the jungle so a reporter (Sheila Ryan) hires Jungle Jim (Johnny Weissmuller) to go searching for him. Soon they find a wild skeleton man tribe as well as various dinosaurs. I wasn't expecting too much going into this film but I was still left disappointed because I've become of a fan of director Landers who is probably best remembered for the Karloff/Lugosi film THE RAVEN. The director has also directed films in series such as Boston Blackie, The Whistler and various other "B" movies. He can usually turn trash into good fun but that's not the case here. This is only my second film in the series and I'm already starting to get bored with it. There are still many campy moments here including one very embarrassing goof that happens towards the start of the film. After Jim rescues the reporter she goes to look at his profile and tells him to turn his head to the right but he ends up turning it to the left. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed for ol' Johnny and this scene almost made you forget his bad but campy performance. Waterfield isn't too bad in his role and we've also got camp favorite Lyle Talbot playing a mad scientist. The dinosaur sequence, lifted from ONE MILLION B.C., is extremely silly as is another scene, lifted from yet another movie, where an octopus and shark fight in the middle of the jungle!

Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land (1952) Lew Landers

Insane entry in the series has Jungle Jim (Johnny Weissmuller) given "truth serum", which makes him give away the location of the "giant people", a wolf man like tribe, which lives deep in the jungle. A group of mean people want to use them to locate some elephants so that they can be killed for their ivory. This eighth film in the series is only the third one that I've viewed but I'd be really scared if any of the others were as crazy and goofy as this one. I'm really not sure why they didn't call this JUNGLE JIM MEETS THE WOLF MAN because that's pretty much what it is. The "giant people" are more like missing link creatures but you can't help but look at them as werewolves in the sun. The creature make up is actually pretty good and a lot more believable than what we saw in Columbia's THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE, which was also directed by Landers. We also get several other outrageous scenes including one where Jim fights a hippo at the bottom of a river. The hippo is incredibly fake looking but this adds to some of the goofy charm. The funniest sequence is the one where Jim must fight a black panther, which features the worst stuffed animal I've ever seen. Stock footage is added in of course but this just makes the stuffed creature look even worse and seeing Weissmuller fight it was just hilarious. In the end this is a pretty bad movie but it's just so crazy that you can't help but find yourself entertained.

Midnight Mary (1934) William A. Wellman

Famous Pre-Code has Loretta Young playing the title character, a woman who always finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. After a stint inside a reform school she winds up on the streets without a job but is taken under the wing of a gangster (Ricardo Cortez). She eventually tries to go straight with the help of a lawyer (Franchot Tone) but soon the gangster wants him dead. Young is one of my favorite actresses and there's no question this here is one of her most famous films but to me the story is really lacking and not too original. It really seems like MGM wanted to throw Young into the sex/vamp role but they didn't put too much thought into the screenplay. The movie certainly isn't bad but at the same time it's not the greatest that it could have been. The biggest issue with Young's vamp here is that she never does anything wrong. She's a good girl from head to toe so there's no point in trying to push her off as the vamp. What makes this film work so well are the incredibly strong performances from the three leads. Young is very sexy and believable in her role. Cortez even manages to deliver a strong performance but the scene stealer has to be Tone. Andy Devine and Una Merkel have supporting roles. To me this film works best as a love story because in heart that's exactly what it is. Throw in the sexy wardrobes of Young mixed with Wellman's direction and you've got a pretty good film that's worth watching.

Drag Me to Hell (2009) Sam Raimi

A loan officer (Alison Lohman) is wanting a promotion so her boss advises her to play it tough in her decisions on the job. In walks a gypsy (Lorna Raver) needing an extension on her house but the officer turns her down, which gets a curse put on her. Soon the officer finds her life turning upside down as she slowly becomes possessed by a demon. The horror community went nuts when they learned that Raimi was coming back to the genre but I had mixed feelings walking into the film because of the PG-13 rating. As I walked out I still had mixed feelings on the film because some of it was downright brilliant while some of it needed some work. One thing I will say is that the movie has a very similar plot to THINNER and in some ways the two films follow the same path including a couple twists in the story. What does work in the film are the performances by Lohman and Raver. Both women are very strong in their roles and they make us care about them. You can't help but feel bad for the gypsy woman when she's begging for her home but then you can't help but hate her with the evil she turns on. Lohman makes for a good victim and you can't help but feeling for her. The visual look of the film was quite impressive and you can tell you're watching a Raimi film. The director does a great job at building some suspense and that includes an early scene in the garage, which is perhaps one of the better moments in a horror film from recent memory. The early possession scenes are also extremely well done. What I had mixed emotions on are some over the top CGI effects with one coming in the form of two eyes, which you'll know when you see. Another issue is at times there seems to be too much comic approach. The film certainly doesn't go for laughs but it does like to play a childish gross out factor including slime, worms and various other things being thrown up. It looks fake and it takes away from the suspense that was otherwise trying to be built up. There are about three different endings in the film and I didn't get for the middle one. I'm not going to spoil anything but you'll know what I mean after watching the film. The twist at the end is something I saw coming but it's good to see Raimi stick to it and not try to cheapen it. All in all I was happy to see the movie but a second and perhaps third viewing will be needed. There's some slapstick thrown in via EVIL DEAD 2 style but then there are some dark and evil moments like something from THE EVIL DEAD. I don't think the film is a complete masterpiece but it's still very impressive and I'm sure Mr. Raimi will find himself starting up a new book for future genre films to follow.

Lady of the Night (1925) Monta Bell

Norma Shearer plays dual roles in this film, which was out of the public eye for many years until eventually being rescued by Turner Classic Movies in 2006. They remastered the film and added a wonderful musical score by Jon Mirsalis. In the film Shearer plays Molly, a girl who grew up in a reform school after he father was sent to prison when she was born. Florence, also played by Shearer, is a rich girl who grew up with everything she needed. As adults the two women remain strangers but they both end up falling in love with an inventor (Malcolm McGregor) and soon will have to face another another. Okay, there was a review of this movie in the San Francisco Examiner, which called this movie a masterpiece and one of the all-time greats and this got expectations high for many, many people but then many were letdown when they actually got to see the film. I would be one of them because while the performances are good the story itself was a complete mess. Not only was the story completely unoriginal, it's also very lazy and it really doesn't try to do anything special. The IMDB lists a 70-minute running time but the edition prepared by TCM ran 64-minutes. I'm curious if the film originally ran longer because there are several plot gaps throughout the film including any type of backstory explaining why Molly was in a reform school. Shearer is very good in both of her roles but I prefer her as Florence. I think she brings a lot of heart and soul to both women but at times Molly rubbed me the wrong way. It's also worth noting that Joan Crawford was the body double used here so whenever you see Shearer from behind you're actually seeing Crawford. In the end, silent buffs will want to watch this early production from MGM but it's doubtful others will find too much entertainment here.

In the Heat of the Night: Grow Old Along with Me (1995) Winrich Kolbe

An ex-police officer marries a rich woman and soon has an old flame trying to blackmail him. Unwilling to pay the money, his new wife comes up with a plan to destroy the blackmailers life but soon two kids are dead and all three are wrap up in a secret from the past. I never watched the television show when I was a kid but I do recall seeing bits and pieces from my grandfather watching it. I had always been a fan of Carroll O'Connor so I decided to check out this made-for-TV film and it turned out pretty good as a way to kill time. The movie has all the elements of a made-for-TV movie including the cliffhanger segments as well as rather lackluster direction but the story here isn't too bad. It really seemed like a message as trying to be given on the effects of drunk driving but it never got too preachy. Carl Weathers is pretty good in his role but he doesn't get too much to do here. O'Connor is neglected to several brief scenes, which was a tad bit disappointing because he really didn't have much to do. His son Hugh also has a part here and apparently this was shown just a few weeks after his suicide. Again, I've never watched a full episode of the TV show but this movie did feel like an extended version of what I'm guessing the show was like. The writing was good but nothing great and the same is true with the pay off to the crime.






Help (1916) Sidney Drew

Sidney Drew plays a man of high class who gets kicked out of the family after he marries a poor American woman (Mrs. Sidney Drew). The two then move to America where they get work in a rich hotel where you just know things are going to go wrong. I'm really not sure what the history behind this film is but Turner Classic Movies prepared it for showing and gave it a new music score. Why they did that is beyond me because the film really isn't that funny especially when you consider what type of movies this would have been going against back in 1916. He was the uncle of John, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore so perhaps that had something to do with it. It appears Mr. Drew was in nearly two-hundred films so apparently he had something working but it doesn't show here. There really doesn't appear to be any attempt at humor as everything is played pretty straight, which again is strange considering the films this would have been shown against. I would certainly be open to checking out more of his work but I do hope it's better than this.

Film That Was Lost, The (1942) Sammy Lee

Part of John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series, this entry takes a look at early film preservation. The movie takes a look at what MOMA must do in order to make sure so many parts of history are not lost forever. We get several examples of the films they're trying to save, which including many Edison films from the late 1890s and early 1900s. As someone who loves watching those type of films, this movie offered up a nice glimpse of how those films were looked at in 1942. It was rather funny hearing Nesbitt talking with great wonder about how those movies are still available for viewing and it make me smile considering the work done back then makes these movies available to view today. Footage of Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, Woodrow Wilson, King George V and Stalin is available here as well.

Old Spanish Custom, An (1932)

No, this isn't the Buster Keaton film of the same name. This here is a documentary short from MGM that goes over everything you'd want to know about bullfighting, or at least I'm sure that's what the producers wanted. In the film we learn about what the bull does the day of the fight and we also get to see plenty of action inside the ring. This is an interesting film for a few reasons with one being that MGM let a couple of their Spanish directors make the film. It's also interesting to note that MGM didn't use any of their normal shorts narrators and instead went with a Spanish one who I'm sure people had never heard of. Those two things are certainly out of the norm but in the end there's not enough here to make this a complete winner. I did enjoy the bullfighting scenes but in all honesty I really don't know anything more about the sport after watching this.

How to Be a Detective (1936) Felix E. Feist

Entry in Robert Benchley's "How to..." series this time, as the title says, tells us how to be a good detective. With Benchley playing the role of the detective you just know he's not going to do a good job and that's what we get as he messes up one thing after another. This short from MGM is 100% routine but there are still a couple good laughs to be found. One happens at the end and I won't spoil that one for you. There's one earlier on where Benchley goes to take the bad guy down but ends up getting tied up because of something else. Benchley's impersonation of a hard-hitting police chief is pretty funny. The routine nature of everything means we're not going to get any major laughs but fans of the comedian should find this entertaining.

Angel of Mercy (1939) Edward L. Cahn

Part of MGM's Passing Parade series with John Nesbitt, this film takes a look at Clara Barton (Sara Haden) who would become known for starting the Red Cross. The film starts off talking about how it's a "man's world" and how women don't belong in wars. This leads up to the Civil War where many men are killed because there wasn't anyone there to take care of them. This leads Haden to try and help and although it does take years, the Red Cross becomes a symbol known around the world. This is another winning entry in the series, which always manages to tell interesting stories about famous things that some people might not know about. I personally didn't know how the Red Cross was founded so this led to me finding this short extremely entertaining from start to finish. Seeing the U.S. want to stay out of the program for so long was a real head-scratcher but the film remains entertaining.

Goofy Movies Number One (1933) Jules White

Early Pete Smith series is a spoof of going to the movies with the main gag being the narration over silent films. The first part of the film is a fake news reel where we see "footage" of a Harvard/Yale rowing event. The second part is a fake movie called "Minnie the Pretzel Twister" with Cynthia Goosefeather. The film tells the story of a pretzel twister who hopes to find love. I'm a major fan of silent movies and I'm sure some might find this film offensive but I thought it was rather neat. Not all of the jokes work but for the most part I think the film contains some fine laughs even if the 8-minute running time seems too long. I enjoyed the first part of the film the most as the fake newsreel had many great gags about fans and those who would watch rowing.

Music in Your Hair (1934) Charley Chase

Hal Roach short has comedian Chase stepping behind the camera and delivering a nice little film. Billy Gilbert and Billy Bletcher play neighbors who go to a speak easy to see Gilbert's son perform. Neither men are really sure what to expect but they end up going for some music. The plot of this film is as small as you can get but both men turn in very funny performances and make this worth watching. Most people will remember Gilbert from countless Laurel and Hardy films including THE MUSIC BOX. He's extremely funny here especially a scene where his son tells him he's going to work in a speak easy and Gilbert takes that as his son telling him to lower his voice. Another good scene is one where Gilbert isn't allowed into the club and the doorman keeps punching him through the door. The payoff to this sequence is extremely funny. Chase handles all the material fairly well even though there's nothing too spectacular going on.

Dancing on the Ceiling (1937) Murray Roth

Minor musical short from MGM has got to have one of the silliest set ups in film history. A man with a loose tooth walks into a dentist office and sees that the dentist is a woman as is all of her assistance. They give him some gas and then it's off to the music as a big dance hall breaks out. The entire gimmick is that the songs and dance moves are built around what you would see or do at a dentist office. This includes teeth pulling items, gas and various other goodies. This film certainly isn't any good because the direction of the musical numbers are rather bland and the songs are weak but at the same time I couldn't take my eyes off the screen because you never knew what was going to happen next. This isn't a film you should seek out but if you come across it on TCM and have nine-minutes to kill you might want to give it a quick peak.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Well that's certainly good to hear Mario.

I've got the majority of Kurosawa's filmmography sitting here but I just need to find the right time to fit it in. I had to cancel my Star/Director of the month thing to get my DVR cut down because it had gotten to 86% full. It's now down to 44% so that was a big month to cut down.

I'm going to do Lorre and Hitchcock next month so hopefully I can get all the Moto stuff done as well as rewatching Hitch's early British work, which I haven't seen in 15+ years.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, THE VERDICT, ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN and THREE STRANGERS are the Lorre titles I have on my DVR to go next month. I looked for THE LOST ONE but never came across it. I've read that the film is in public domain yet none of the normal PD companies have released it. I also tried locating a copy of the remake of M but came up empty.


For those in the U.S. who want to get see a Tourneur short via TCM:

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

8:37am ET/5:37am PT Short Film: One Reel Wonders: Man In The Barn, The (1937)