Track the Films You Watch (2008) (1 Viewer)

[Martin Teller]

I felt like the effects completely overwhelmed the film. The whole movie is basically just an orgy of technological gewgaws, heaps of ridiculous machines, and all manner of computer-generated effects, computer-generated carnage, and computer-generated computers. Apparently there's nothing more exciting than watching a motorized suit encase itself around a person, since we get to see it happen about 4 or 5 times. RDJ's performance was the only thing I liked about Iron Man. Other than that, a thoroughly empty and joyless experience.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I didn't really write a proper review for IRON MAN, but I thought it was good, nothing great. I thought that there wasn't enough of Iron Man doing his thing and fighting, or what have you. It's not usually the case where I require only mindless fisticuffs, and I do usually prefer characterization and story in a film, but I thought that for a comic book movie like this, it came up a little short on the action.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I guess we all share a different opinion on this one then. I didn't mind there not being more action because of the story and Downey's performance. I actually thought more people would have hated the film since "Iron Man" really didn't take off until over the hour mark. This is why I also thought the CGI took a back seat since there wasn't any need for it during the "story build up" stuff.



It's a Wonderful Life (1946) :star::star::star::star: Frank Capra

This timeless classic has James Stewart playing George Bailey, a frustrated businessman who gets the chance to see what the world would have been like had he never been born. I've lost count of how many times I've watched this film over the years but it keeps getting better with each new viewing and I can't help but notice new things each time I watch it. There's really nothing I could add that hasn't already been said about this movie but it's certainly one of my all time favorites and I'd argue that it's one of the greatest ever made. This movie has been called timeless by many people but I really can't think of too many movies where this is more true. I can't possibly see how this movie would ever grow old fashioned or out of touch because there's always going to be people who feel like the main character here. The most amazing thing to me is that the film perfectly captures how someone might begin to feel that they're worthless and I can't help but think that anyone who watches this movie will have a better look on life or themselves after watching it. I really can't think of too many movies that contain as much power as this one but I'd say that's why new fans are gained each and every passing year. The greatness of the film is certainly its heart but Stewart also deserves a lot of credit for his marvelous performance, which is certainly one of the best of his career. There are countless scenes in this movie where Stewart just nails it and I'm sure everyone knows the praying in the bar scene but there are many other great ones as well. On this viewing the scene on the bridge when Stewart begs for his life back hit me unlike any other time. There's also the scene in the bank where George has to bargain with the people not to take all of their money. Lionel Barrymore was always great playing bad guys and I can't help but think he's one of the greatest villains in movie history. The evilness that Barrymore is able to get through this character makes it among the actors best work. Donna Reed, Thomas Mitchell and Harry Travers also add great support. Every inch of this movie works flawlessly and that includes the sequences where George gets to see things as if he were never born. I think these moments contain Capra's greatest work as a director as the darkness and atmosphere he creates is so think and depression that it perfectly puts you in the mind frame of George. Then you've got that priceless ending, which ranks right up there with City Lights and Psycho as being the greatest for any movie.

Loews Christmas Greeting (1939) :star::star:1/2 No Director Credited

The Hardy Family (with Lewis Stone and Mickey Rooney on hand) star in this three-minute short, which shows the family coming downstairs on Christmas morning. We see them opening presents and then they gather around to thank the viewer for keeping them coming back. I'm really not sure what the point of this short was but I'm going to guess that since this series was so popular people in the theater might have gotten a kick out of the wishful thankfulness of the family. The thing certainly moves well enough and features Rooney up to his usual antics.

Holiday Greetings 1941 (1941) :star::star:1/2 No Director Credited

MGM short runs just over two-minutes and has Lewis Stone speaking to the camera about his thoughts on Christmas and then makes a special greeting to soldiers stationed throughout the world. This is a rather interesting short not because of what it's about but instead of its history. This was probably shot in the summer, released near Christmas in 1941 and of course that means it was released just after the attack on Pearl Harbor. With that in mind you have to think that the film's message took on a lot stronger of a meaning for those watching it in the theater.

Holiday Pageant at Home, A (1901) :star::star: No Director Credited

Minor film has a family at home where they watch their kids put on a Christmas pageant as the title pretty much tells you. This is an early film that really is only going to be watched by those who enjoy seeing early cinema as most with find this rather dull with not too much going for it. The film certainly isn't bad but there's nothing here that would make you want to tell people to watch it. I think the biggest problem is that whoever directed it wasn't really sure how to tell a story and that translation really gets lost somewhere during the making of the movie. It's somewhat hard trying to figure out what's going on and when you do figure it out there's really nothing impressive to it.

Night Before Christmas, The (1905) :star::star::star: Edwin S. Porter

I believe this was the first version of the famous poem and wouldn't you know it would come from Edison Studios and the forgotten Edwin S. Porter. The movie pretty much shows a group of kids getting ready for bed as Santa gets his reindeers ready for the night's work. While the special effects are obviously fake you can't help but fall victim to the film's charm, which is shining very brightly from start to finish. The movie does a wonderful job of coming off like a fairy tale and this is especially true during all the scenes with Santa. The highlight of the film is a sequence where Santa takes off with his deers and rides over various mountains before going through the air. Again, it's obvious how this scene was shot but that doesn't take away from any of its charm or magic. I don't think the film has lost any of its magic but you can't help but wonder how great this thing would have been in 1905.

Winter Straw Ride, A (1906) :star::star::star: Edwin S. Porter

Edison short has a group of women leaving a church for a straw ride in the snow but during their journey they're involved in a wreck and must walk back. On the way back they decide to have some fun, which includes a snowball fight as well as casual wrestling. This is a pretty fun short that manages to be both charming and funny. It's doubtful any of the women here were trained actors but it's clear they're having a good time playing around in front of the camera. There's certainly nothing new or challenging in the way the movie was filmed but Porter keeps the action moving and it never gets boring.

Trap for Santa, A (1909) :star::star::star: D.W. Griffith

Heavy drama has an out of work father (Henry B. Walthall) losing his job, turning to alcohol and eventually leaving his family when he feels he has let them down. Time passes and the family has money fall into their laps but the kids plan on setting a trap to catch Santa. The father, not knowing the family has gotten the money, breaks into a rich house not realizing it belongs to his family and of course falls into the trap. This is a pretty good film from the legendary filmmaker that captures two of his sides. One is the moral, overly dramatic side and the other is a more cheerful, happy side. The mixture works pretty well with this tale even through its dramatic side. Walthall turns in a pretty good performance as the father and even Mack Sennett is on hand during a few scenes. While this has more in common with Griffith the drama teacher than Christmas, it's still a nice short worth viewing as it contains several of the director's trademarks.

Christmas Carol, A (1910) :star::star::star:1/2 J. Searle Dawley

Early version of the classic Dickens' story has Marc McDermott playing the miser Scrooge who gets a visit from three ghosts who will try and make him change his ways. Even though this film only lasts ten-minutes it packs in all the important details of the story and turns out to be a pretty good movie. For 1910, the special effects are pretty good with the ghost "visions" coming across quite well. McDermott does a very good job in his role even though he can never really dive into it due to the film not really lasting long enough to get to the more adult or scary parts of the story. Charles Ogle plays Bob Cratchit, which was fun seeing as the same year he'd also play the monster in Frankenstein.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

My kinda "film"!

 

[Michael Elliott]

How's that since there aren't any monsters?

 

[Michael Elliott]

Death Race (2008) :star::star: Paul W.S. Anderson

Remake (or reworking if you want) of Roger Corman's cult classic Death Race 2000 has Jason Statham playing a man wrongly convicted of murdering his wife. He's sent to prison where the wicked warden (Joan Allen) offers him his freedom if he can win the "Death Race". As with most modern remakes this one here steals the original's basic storyline but then tries to do something different with it and in this case these changes are rather sad. The original film is certainly far from a good movie but it does have all the elements making it the perfect cult movie. Those elements include the racers getting bonus points for killing innocent pedestrians but that element is taken out of this version. We also can't hate the main guy as this time around they make him the typical "innocent man wrongly thrown in prison" route, which we've seen countless times before in countless other films. This is the type of film that requires you to turn your brain off and on that level this works as a mindless action film but that's about as deep as it gets. The action sequences all look pretty good but I found Anderson's direction to be so bland that not once did I feel any excitement. For the most part I was just watching the film but not really caring about any of the characters. None of them have any chemistry together and worse of all is that I didn't care if Statham got his freedom or not. Statham gives an okay performance as does Tyrese Gibson and Ian McShane. You have to wonder why someone like Allen is in this type of picture and it shows because her performance is rather weak, although the screenplay doesn't offer her anything to do. In the end this film isn't bad but it's not good either.

Changeling (2008) :star::star::star::star: Clint Eastwood

True life story of Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie), a mother whose son is kidnapped in L.A. in 1928. Five months later the LAPD return a kid to her but she claims it's not hers and must fight to try and figure out the mystery along with the help from a Reverend (John Malkovich) who wants to bring down the corrupt police force. Director Eastwood just keeps getting better and better with one great film after another and that trend continues with this haunting and downright dramatic film that has the man doing some of the best work of his career. Once again Eastwood takes his time in telling the story and he plays it out in a rather slow way. I'm not saying slow in a bad way but he does let the screenplay flourish by letting us get to know the central characters and go along with their painful ride. This is certainly true in the case of Jolie's character as we get to see many ups and downs and the actress nails all of them perfectly. Even though she's the biggest "star" in the world there's never a problem watching her as this character as this might be the best thing I've seen her do. She perfectly nails all the emotion scenes and you can constantly look at her eyes and see the sadness in them as she tries to find out what happened to her son. Malkovich is also very strong in the type of role that he does best. The supporting players include great work from Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly and Jason Butler Harner. Eastwood's direction is what really keeps the thing moving because he doesn't take any safe ways out and for the most part he just punches the viewer in the stomach with a honest approach to the material. The subject matter of a kidnapped kid is very ugly as is the big twist that I won't reveal but not once does Eastwood shy away from the material. The ugliness of what happens to Jolie's character also isn't looked away from and this is why Eastwood remains one of the most interesting director's out there. His music score is also very good and adds a lot to the film. Another great thing. Another impressive thing is the film taking place in the late 20's and Eastwood perfectly recaptures this world. All the vintage stuff from the cars to the houses look incredibly well so getting into the atmosphere of the time isn't a problem at all. The film's one problem was the final fifteen-minutes when we get a couple spots, which are set up to be endings, which then turn into another ending. I think the screenplay has a little trouble wrapping everything up but outside of this the film is yet another brilliant and impressive work from its director.

First Blood (1982) :star::star::star:1/2 Ted Kotcheff

Vietnam vet John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) arrives in a small town where the Sheriff (Brian Dennehy) begins messing with him. Soon other cops are abusing him, which forces the vet to break free from the jail and head off into the mountain territory where a war follows. It's somewhat hard to remember because of the sequels and pop cultures jokes but this first film was a serious movie that tried to deliver a serious message about vets returning home with mental issues and fears. This here is certainly the best in the series, although the fourth one works better as pure, wacky camp. What I love most about this are the scenes in the woods where we get to see this expert work his training in order to wipe out an entire army of cops. The cops are perfectly set up as villains so we have no trouble cheering for Rambo to take them out and the mountain settings really give the character a lot to work with in terms of fighting back. Another benefit is that Stallone is just so darn good in the role of Rambo. We really get two types of performances here with the first one being the silent guy who is simply doing what needs to be done to survive. Stallone doesn't get too much dialogue during the action scenes in the woods but he doesn't need any because his body and face perfectly show off what a warrior like this could be like. The second act comes at the end when Rambo finally has his breakdown and I'm sure a good debate could be had but I think Stallone handles this scene quite well even though I think it's too heavily handled. Dennehy is excellent as the cop and comes across as a guy you really love to hate. Richard Crenna is also good in his small role as the Colonel. The blow up scenes at the end of the movie really go against everything we've seen before it and I think it would have been better to end the movie in the woods but that's a minor complaint as for the most part this film delivers a great hero, great villains and a very good entertainment.

 

[Pete York]

I've excerpted this bit for two reasons. One, because I agree with it as it pertains to IaWL. And two, since the notion of re-watching favorites comes up around here from time to time (and I think we've determined it's mostly anathema to this crowd), I use it as a justification, since I do 're-watching'. A great film will reveal new elements with each viewing. What's that they say, you maybe get 50% of the film the first time around?

And here I am watching this film for the umpteenth time the other night and really catching for the first time; a) Beulah Bondi's great scene with Stewart outside the boarding house where she tries to steer George toward a visit with Mary, b) Samuel Hinds, as Pa, in a touching scene at the beginning, where he asks George over dinner about possibly taking over the Building and Loan after college. Just watching these two actors in these scenes was a luxury I could afford to take because I had seen the film a number of times and it was rewarded. Even caught a spontaneous moment, when the drunk Uncle Billy comes out of the house when they're throwing a party for Harry, you can tell Stewart has a real laugh at his antics, which I had to smile at.

 

[Martin Teller]

Chungking Express (rewatch, Blu-Ray) - Well, I kicked off the new year with Chungking Express, and here it is again right at the end. And I'll be selling it for the second time. I don't know why I bought it again, I guess I thought high-definition would make me like it more (a rather unimpressive presentation, actually, although I'm sure it's the best the movie has ever looked). I still think it has quite a bit of charm and some great moments, but it's just not one of those "gotta have it" movies for me. I counted the appearances of "California Dreaming" this time. Eight. That's not scattered through the whole movie, either, those are all concentrated in the last hour. Rating: 8


Le Notti bianche - Maria Schell plays a woman who pines for Jean Marais almost as much as Jean Cocteau did, and Marcello Mastrianni is a man trying to steal her heart. Based on a Dostoyevsky story (which I haven't read, but I'd like to) it's a lovely, dramatic bit of romance. Visconti isn't afraid to his characters' flaws shine through: Natalia is a bit flighty and Mario is a schemer. But we end up liking them anyway. The film, taking place almost entirely as night time, sports some beautifully lit scenes, in the gorgeous sets of city streets. The nightclub/cafe scene was especially memorable. Not as moving or charming as I Fidanzati, but a nice piece of work. Rating: 8

 

[Mario Gauci]

12/21/08: THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (Paul Morrissey, 1978) BOMB

There must be something terribly wrong with a spoof of a famous literary source (that has also managed to rope in a roster of star comedians) if its biggest laughs are provided by the straight actors’ willingness to be embarrassed as they had never been before and, worse still, that these same gags are completely extraneous to the narrative and are even repeated twice in the film! Spoofing Sherlock Holmes was hardly a novel idea in the late 1970s – George C. Scott, Gene Wilder and, to some extent, Nicol Williamson have already tried that (albeit with little success) – so it’s even harder to fathom now what possessed the film-makers here to have another go at that concept. Nevertheless, they did have the good sense to go for Holmes’ most famous case and engage the services of that afore-mentioned impressive cast: Peter Cook (as Holmes), Dudley Moore (as, among others, Dr. Watson), Kenneth Williams (as Sir Henry Baskerville), Terry-Thomas (as Dr. Mortimer), Denholm Elliott (as Stapleton), Joan Greenwood (as Ms. Stapleton), Roy Kinnear (as the escaped convict Selden), Hugh Griffith (as a poacher), Spike Milligan (in an irrelevant cameo as a cop on the moors), etc.

The blame for this dreadful debacle should be laid squarely at the feet of Cook and Moore who, with Andy Warhol’s in-house director Paul Morrissey, concocted the deadly script (described by Williams himself in his personal letters as “a hodgepodge of rubbish”). Morrissey might have seemed like a good choice for director after having given relatively the same irreverent treatment to both Frankenstein and Dracula under the aegis of his enigmatic boss back home but, as a big fan of the horror genre, even I hesitated for the longest time before catching those two and wasn’t won over by them when I eventually did! But this is undoubtedly much worse: in the original story, Sherlock Holmes disappears for a long period of time but here they insist in keeping track of his whereabouts – visits to a massage parlor (given him by three fat and hirsute women) and to his mediumistic mother (also played by Moore!), masquerading in a false beard at an auction, etc. Indeed, Moore (apart from being co-screenwriter and composer) has four distinct roles in the film that also include an irrelevant bit as a one-legged man applying for the position of a “runner” at Holmes’ office and a piano player supposedly accompanying live a screening of the film and being pelted with vegetables by a disapproving audience at the end of it! Well, at least, they were prescient enough to anticipate the right reaction…

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Williams ‘in character’ is totally miscast for the role of Sir Henry and, even if he manages to waive through it with utmost dignity, Terry-Thomas is wasted when playing straight as he does here. Still, the pits are reached with the belated appearance of Elliott and Greenwood: Dr. Watson is repeatedly bathed in cat piss during his interrogation of the former and, later, unknowingly eats from a plate in which the same cat had just done its daily duties. Greenwood, then, was granted the dubious honor of being perhaps the first actress to spoof Linda Blair’s demonic child in THE EXORCIST as she invites Moore to her levitating bed and tickles him with her long, wiggling tongue and, later, doing an array of 360-degree head-spins while sitting at table and, inevitably, showering her guests with the proverbial pea-soup vomit!! Frankly, these sequences were so outrageous and unexpected that I couldn’t help but burst out in spasms of laughter but, the more I think of them now, the less amusing they seem to be.

Apparently, the film is available on a Special Edition DVD which presents the film in a widescreen print of the original 85-minute British theatrical release version and a full-frame edition of the shorter U.S. cut that was trimmed by 11 minutes and, reportedly, made even less sense than before. While I did managed to acquire just the former, my copy was ever so slightly off in terms of lip-synching on my cheap DVD player model so I elected to watch it on my PC monitor which, while solving this problem, severely window box the image!! Truly a case of a hounded (by the way, the ‘monster’ itself is here no bigger than any normal mutt…as if anyone was truly expecting anything fearsome and, rather than attack Sir Henry, it actually befriends him at first sight!) movie through and through.


P.S.Recently, I was stunned to learn that a friend of mine had tried watched Billy Wilder’s ill-fated but nonetheless revered THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1970) and found it “revolting” (and he’s usually a big fan of the director!); I really have to wonder, at this point, just what he’d make of this one!


12/23/08: ROCKET TO THE MOON (Don Sharp, 1967) :star::star:1/2

From exploitation writer-producer Harry Alan Towers comes this curiously upmarket but essentially lowbrow comic adaptation of the Jules Verne adventure “From The Earth To The Moon” – already filmed straight under that title in 1958, and which I also own recorded off TCM U.K. For what it’s worth, both versions managed to attract notable actors to the fold: in this case, it’s Burl Ives (as real-life showman P.T. Barnum – apparently, the role had first been offered to Bing Crosby!), Gert Frobe (amusing as a German explosives expert), Dennis Price, Lionel Jeffries (as a flustered engineer – basically a variation on his role in the superior FIRST MEN IN THE MOON [1964]), Terry-Thomas (as a vindictive financier and Jeffries’ shady partner), not forgetting Troy Donahue (unconvincing as an American scientist and made to don a silly astro-nautical outfit more attuned to dystopian allegories!), Daliah Lavi and Edward de Souza who supply the obligatory (and bland) romantic triangle.

Whilst readily conceding that it doesn’t have much of a reputation to begin with, the film itself proved a bit of a let-down for me – especially since, unlike the earlier version, we never even get to go in outer-space!! Besides, the pace is inordinately slow for this type of film; director Sharp was clearly more adept at deploying atmosphere and suspense than at he was at comedy timing. That said, the first half is undeniably pleasant with the amusing trial-and-error experiments of the various people involved (often witnessed by a perpetually unperturbed Queen Victoria) and, later, Frobe’s disastrous attempts to find the correct amount of Bulovite (his own invention) to fire the rocket (Donahue’s design of which is favored over that of the more experienced, and consequently inflamed, Jeffries) all the way to the moon! Alas, the film’s latter stages – involving Jeffries and Terry-Thomas’ attempts to sabotage the launching, Lavi’s determination (after being abducted by them and escaping) to reach Donahue and alert him of their nefarious plan, and which also needlessly throw in a number of other characters (including even more romantic complications!) – tend to fall flat; the finale, though, as the rocket actually does go off with Jeffries, Terry-Tomas and, unbeknownst to them, a Russian spy inside (and which rather than land on the moon as intended takes them all the way to Siberia!), is quite nicely done.

A measure of the film’s overall failure can be gleaned from the fact that it was released in several quarters under a multitude of different titles, including THOSE FANTASTIC FLYING FOOLS in the U.S. where it was marketed as a would-be follow-up to the highly successful epic spoof THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES (1965) which had also starred Terry-Thomas and Gert Frobe. Unfortunately, my viewing of the film was somewhat compromised by the faulty copy I acquired, with the audio being ever so slightly off, while the picture froze – though not the soundtrack! – for about 10 seconds half-way through!!


12/25/08: THOSE DARING YOUNG MEN IN THEIR JAUNTY JALOPIES (Ken Annakin, 1969) :star::star:1/2

The U.S. theatrical release of this follow-up to the highly popular epic comedy THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES (1965) was decidedly ill-timed – coming as it did just three days after that of MIDNIGHT COWBOY! – and must have made an already inferior product (in comparison to the original) seem quaint and redundant. Perhaps this even explains the film’s hacking down to 93 minutes (from an original length of 125!) over there, not to mention its sheer invisibility on TV and home video (in my neck of the woods at least) until now, via Legend Films’ no-frills but full-length DVD – albeit under its more recognizable alternate title rather than the original one of MONTE CARLO OR BUST!

Perhaps inevitably, several of the same cast and crew from the predecessor are involved here as well: producer-director-co-writer Annakin, screenwriter Jack Davies, composer Ron Goodwin, actors Terry-Thomas (in a way, actually reprising his signature role by playing the son of the character he had portrayed in FLYING MACHINES), Eric Sykes (again as the latter’s valet) and Gert Frobe (as, obviously, the German representative), etc. Also like its prototype, several international stars were roped in to fill out the roles of the other contestants: from the USA, Tony Curtis (who, sadly, is a long way from his winsome characterization in THE GREAT RACE [1965]); from Britain, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore (amusing as, respectively, an Army Major-cum-amateur inventor and his sidekick) and, later, Susan Hampshire (who initially tries to detour Curtis but eventually joins him); from Italy, a level-headed Walter Chiari and a typically hot-blooded Lando Buzzanca; from France, a group of three girls (played by Mireille Darc, Marie Dubois and Nicoletta Macchiavelli) who, prior to the start of the race, have a run-in with their compatriot organizer of the Monte Carlo Rally, Bourvil. There are other stars or recognizable faces making guest appearances for no real reason except to add to the fun (and expense): Jack Hawkins and Derren Nesbitt (as jewel thieves that have hid their booty inside one of Frobe’s spare tyres!), Hattie Jacques (as an emancipated lady journalist), Richard Wattis and, according to the IMDb, even Paul Muller (but I didn’t recognize him).

In this talented company and with the lavish budget accorded, there can’t fail to be enjoyable stretches (particularly with every new contraption Cook and Moore come up with after the last one had unsurprisingly failed) and other sundry compensations (not least Jimmy Durante’s grizzled intonation of the title song and the accompanying animated credits sequence); however, as I said earlier, the film is not up to the levels of inspiration that permeated its memorable predecessor. Tony Curtis only had one or two major films left before slipping into TV roles and the occasional big-screen cameo, while Annakin wouldn’t really be allowed to handle another such stellar cast before a decade’s time had elapsed – including the umpteenth cinematic version of “The Man In The Iron Mask” in THE FIFTH MUSKETEER (1979).


12/25/08: IF I HAD A MILLION (James Cruze, H. Bruce Humberstone, Ernst Lubitsch, Norman Z. McLeod, Stephen Roberts, William A. Seiter, Norman Taurog and, uncredited, Lothar Mendes, 1932) :star::star::star:

This is surely among Hollywood’s first and most celebrated all-star compendiums, which also involved a plethora of equally notable writers and directors, but is best-remembered now for Lubitsch’s contribution (it’s actually the briefest episode of the lot!) and the hilarious W.C. Fields segment. The narrative revolves around wealthy but eccentric dying industrialist Richard Bennett (who’s wonderful here, though his only other notable role was a brief dramatic turn in Orson Welles’ THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS [1942]) who, rather than leave his fortune to his “vulture” relatives and collaborators, decides to donate it indiscriminately by randomly choosing the names of eight strangers from the telephone book! Though it’s stylishly handled all the way through, the episodes alternate jarringly between comedy, irony, melodrama and sentimentality – making the whole somewhat patchy.

Besides, a few of them are insubstantial (the Lubitsch/Charles Laughton and Stephen Roberts/Wynne Gibson segments, the latter as a prostitute who celebrates her freedom by sleeping in luxury and alone – making no secret of the girl’s profession, who’s later seen in her underwear and even removing her stockings, was only possible due to the relaxed censorship of the Pre-Code era) as well as repetitive (the immediate reaction of both Laughton and Charlie Ruggles, in a Norman Z. McLeod-directed episode where the star is typically flanked by the overbearing Mary Boland and which even incorporates a surreal nightmare sequence, on receiving the inheritance is to avenge themselves on their respective bosses). For that matter, Fields’ segment (also helmed by McLeod) deals likewise with the sweet taste of revenge – as he and frequent sparring partner Alison Skipworth buy a number of cars simultaneously, after their brand-new vehicle has been destroyed by road-hogs, and spend the rest of the day giving irresponsible drivers they meet along the way a dose of their own medicine – but it’s easily the highlight of the film.

The other episodes include: a prisoner on Death Row, Gene Raymond (directed by James Cruze), whose fortune arrives too late to change his fate; in a somewhat similar situation, the H. Bruce Humberstone-helmed segment has George Raft as a forger who, wanted by the Police, is understandably not given credit by any of his shady associates, even when he presents them with the $1 million figure – it does gain him lodging at a flop-house except that the owner, recognizing the forger from his photo in the papers, instantly turns Raft over to the proper authorities and obliviously uses the cheque to light his cigar! Again, a variation on this misuse of the money is the basis of the Gary Cooper episode (directed by William A. Seiter): he’s one of three marines thrown in the stockade for unruly behavior – receiving Bennett’s cheque on an April Fool’s Day, he believes it all to be a mere prank, and uses it to buy himself and his pals a meal at a hamburger stand; after they all go out with the waitress there to a carnival and end up in another brawl, they’re astonished the next day to see the girl and her employer living it up!

The concluding May Robson/Stephen Roberts segment – residing at a home for old ladies run by a female disciplinarian, she eventually utilizes the money to buy off the property and turn it into a recreation center (to which, ultimately, Bennett himself apparently retires!) – is among the longer episodes but also, obviously, the most sentimental. Norman Taurog, then, presumably directed the millionaire’s scenes in his home and offices i.e. whenever he’s not interacting with the other stars; it’s unclear, however, what exactly constitutes Mendes’ uncredited contribution. Unfortunately, the copy I acquired of this was rather fuzzy (after having longed for years to watch it); for what it’s worth, the film is only currently available on R2 DVD, as part of a W.C. Fields collection: I didn’t spring for the 10-Disc set for the simple reason that I already owned many of the titles included therein – though I’m still missing a few at this point…


12/25/08: SANTA CLAUS (Jeannot Szwarc, 1985) :star::star:1/2

This happens to another one of those films I caught while still a kid as a VHS rental; I recall liking it back then and I did so again now, though the film has over the years somehow acquired an undeserved reputation as a turkey or, conversely, a cult classic! In any case, it proved to be the second box-office bomb in a row produced by The Salkinds after SUPERGIRL (1984) which, ironically, had the same director and had co-starred Peter Cook…while SANTA CLAUS features, of course, his longtime partner Dudley Moore!

The latter, apparently, had turned down the lead role in SPLASH! (1984) to do this film – thus granting Tom Hanks free passage to stardom, while his own career subsequently never totally recovered! Even so, the film is an enjoyable ride (pardon the pun) and succeeds best in the technical departments where the impressive art direction truly brings to life the Polar abode of Santa Claus and his toy-making factory, while the special effects make the magical sleigh-rides (and amiable reindeers) as convincing as Superman’s flights had been. Although not a star name, David Huddleston is well-cast as the benign, bearded titular figure, Dudley Moore is ideal as the elf with the ambitious projects who, inadvertently, nearly brings the downfall of his idol thanks to his misjudged collaboration with ruthlessly greedy toy magnate John Lithgow (also good). Burgess Meredith has a nice cameo as the long-bearded elf patriarch and the music score (highlighted by a couple of Leslie Bricusse-Henry Mancini and Sheena Easton songs) is also very adequate under the circumstances.

Initially, I had feared that the film might not hold up all too well after all these years as I generally balk at the 20th century updating of age-old legends but, thankfully, they are harmlessly integrated here in the story of a beat-up street urchin ‘adopted’ by Santa Claus to help him distribute the presents every Christmas Eve. As befits a “cult classic”, Anchor Bay rose to the occasion in providing an exhaustive Special Edition DVD with an audio commentary from director Szwarc, a lengthy documentary and a host of international trailers…although, given my busy Christmas schedule, I didn’t have time to delve into the more time-consuming ones.


12/26/08: ALICE IN WONDERLAND (Norman Z. McLeod, 1933) :star::star::star:

To begin with, this is another title I’d always read about but, frankly, had little hope of ever catching; though its reputation stands more on imposing credentials rather than actual artistic merit, I have to say that I was generally impressed with the results (special mention goes to the beautiful sets). That said, even at a mere 76 minutes (actually reduced from the 90-minute original), the film slightly overstays its welcome following Gary Cooper’s belated appearance as the quixotic White Knight. At this stage, I ought to catalogue the other versions I’ve watched of the Lewis Carroll perennial: 1903 Silent short, 1951 animated Disney feature, 1966 all-star British TV-movie, 1972 musical (with another fine cast) and, soon after the film under review, Jan Svankmajer’s celebrated 1988 surreal reworking (review coming up).

Charlotte Henry is O.K. in the title role – incidentally, she’d follow this adaptation of a children’s classic with the heroine role in another popular fantasy, the Laurel & Hardy version of BABES IN TOYLAND (1934). Here, too, the array of weird characters Alice meets in her dreamworld are played by a roster of Paramount stars from the early Talkie era, a few of whom are forgotten today – most are, in any case, largely obscured by masks. The most notable, of course, are Cary Grant (who even gets to sing and bawl a lot!) – positively weird as the heartbroken Mock Turtle (really a cow in a tortoise shell!), W.C. Fields – grandiose and pompous as ever, thus making for a great Humpty-Dumpty, and Gary Cooper – his trademark handsome features and heroic persona are hidden behind an ageing, balding make-up and an amusingly gawky countenance. Other stars include: Richard Arlen as The Cheshire Cat(!), Sterling Holloway – interestingly, he played The Frog here while providing the voice for The Cheshire Cat itself in the subsequent Disney adaptation, Edward Everett Horton – an ideal Mad Hatter, Roscoe Karns and Jack Oakie as Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-Dum, May Robson as The Queen Of Hearts, Charlie Ruggles as The March Hare, and Alison Skipworth as The Duchess. It’s worth noting that, along with director McLeod and co-scriptwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the film has some nine cast and crew members in common with the famous (and equally rare) compendium IF I HAD A MILLION (1932) and which I actually watched a day previously!

Curiously enough, this version of Carroll’s children’s classic also proved distinguished production designer and occasional director William Cameron Menzies’ sole screenwriting credit; actually, it combines elements from both “Alice In Wonderland” and “Through The Looking-Glass”: for instance, the appearance of the White Rabbit (which introduces the fantasy element in most versions of the tale is moved forward into the narrative here, preferring to use a mirror as passageway into the dreamworld – this change may well have been influenced by Jean Cocteau’s THE BLOOD OF A POET [1930]); similarly, the climactic trial is replaced by a wacky banquet scene. By the way, the cartoon story-within-a-story which appears during the Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum scenes were reportedly made by the Fleischer studio; equally nice are the effects by which Alice is made to shrink (and then grow back) in size in order to get through a very small door – even if the follow-up scene, set inside one of the houses in Wonderland, involving such a device is missing from this particular version. The DivX copy I acquired regrettably suffered from lip-synch problems, so that I had to rewind the film every so often to get it back on track (despite the sheer amount of rare stuff I’m getting via this format, the frustration that goes with it is so great that I’m seriously contemplating giving it up for good…especially since I’ve still got heaps of these titles to check out).


12/26/08: THE NEVERENDING STORY (Wolfgang Petersen, 1984) :star::star::star:

During the 1980s, my father used to have a part-time job in one of Malta’s leading nightclubs every Saturday night so, to keep his four boys busy and off of their mum’s back, he made sure of renting a bunch of movies on VHS every week. Therefore, child-like fantasies like this one – and which, conveniently, were all the rage at the time – basically proved the order of the day as I was growing up and, consequently, I still have a fondness for the genre and its 1980s entries in particular. In fact, I have enjoyed this one again so much that I might well decide to spend the Saturday nights of 2009 in the same nostalgic mood by revisiting contemporary movies from my childhood!

Anyway, this West German/Hollywood co-production was quite popular in its day in the shorter international version (running for 94 minutes rather than the full 102 of the German cut) that produced a hit title song (composed by Giorgio Moroder) and two lesser sequels (which I don’t think I’ve seen). The striking visuals (courtesy of cinematographer Jost Vacano), production design (Rolf Zehetbauer), make-up and special effects all deftly combine to vividly recreate the mythical land of Fantasia that is described in the titular book being read by put-upon student Barret Oliver who takes refuge in the school attic from the persecution of three bullying classmates.

Although there have been many similar movies before or since, this more than holds its own thanks to well-rounded characters (the modern-day boy Bastian himself, warrior boy Atreyu, the lethargic giant turtle, the benign dragon Falkor, the gnomic astronomer Engywook, the villainous yet philosophical G’mork) and consistent inventiveness (the Swamp of Sadness, etc). Apparently, the source novel is much more elaborate (the film ends halfway through the book, Atreyu had a greenish skin, etc.) but, given my averse reaction to Peter Jackson’s hopelessly overwhelming THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy of films, I’m grateful for the film-makers’ decision here to tone it down where the introduction of characters and the preponderance of interminable action set-pieces are concerned.

Wolfgang Petersen moved to Hollywood permanently after this one but, apart from a couple of interesting projects (ENEMY MINE [1985], TROY [2004; which happens to be the only official Maltese co-production in existence!]) and good action flicks (IN THE LINE OF FIRE [1993], AIR FORCE ONE [1997]), his career completely lost the momentum it had initially obtained with the arthouse circuit hit, DAS BOOT (1981), which had even landed him an Oscar nomination. By the way, the executive producer of this one – ex-movie star Mark Damon – had spoken of his second career behind-the-camera while at the 2004 Venice Film Festival which my twin brother and I attended and where he had introduced one of his own favorite films as an actor, Vittorio Cottafavi’s superb picaresque epic THE HUNDRED HORSEMEN (1964).

 

[Michael Elliott]

Frost/Nixon (2008) :star::star::star::star: Ron Howard

Intense and extremely well-acted account of the four interviews between British talk show host David Frost (Michael Sheen) and disgraced former President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). This film doesn't seem to be ripping up at the box office, which is a real shame because Howard has created an incredibly well-made film that has plenty of wonderful drama as well as some of the best acting seen in recent years. I'm sure many will be familiar with the story being told but being 28 I wasn't. I knew of the interviews and I knew what happened to Nixon but all the behind the scenes stuff really grabbed me as did the actual interviews. I'm sure those who are familiar with the story will also be hooked into the movie just going by the reactions of some of the older folks walking out of the theater with me. The movie features some of the best acting in recent years but the performances by Langella is one of the ages. Whenever a figure like Nixon is shown you can't help but thing back to the actual person and I did that here but it only lasted a few seconds because after that I couldn't help but think I was actually seeing Nixon and not a performance. Langella takes ahold of Nixon's speech patterns, facial gestures and everything else so perfectly that you can't help but think you seeing the actual man. I'm not sure if it was Langella's plan or perhaps the film's plan but I started to feel a lot of sympathy for Nixon as the film moved along. Perhaps if I lived when this stuff took place I'd feel differently but the loneliness of Nixon's admissions and what he'd have to live with for the rest of his life was rather sad. His best moment, and perhaps the film's best moment, is a phone call the night before the big and final interview. Sheen also does a wonderful job and perfectly allows himself to be vulnerable during the first three interviews when Nixon is walking over him. How Sheen transforms in that fourth interview was great fun to watch. Kevin Bacon turns in some of his best work in years as does Oliver Platt and Rebecca Hall. Patty McCormack doesn't have too many scenes as Pat Nixon but she's terrific when she's on. Howard does a wonderful job at building up the suspense of the situation as we grow closer to the fourth and final interview with so much riding on the answers that Nixon will give. The interviews are directed in a wonderful fashion to where the viewer will be holding his breathe waiting for the answers to come. The intense performances, strong direction and smart screenplay makes for one of the better political dramas in many years. A real triumph of a film but Langella is the true masterpiece with his performance.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Not enough monsters in it for me to watch "FROST/NIXON".

No, seriously - I am just not into politics, so here's an example of a film I'd never have the desire to see. But I just wanted to say that from the commercials I've seen, Langella looks nothing like Nixon and seems to be trying too hard to put over the "Nixon voice".

 

[Michael Elliott]

Ouch, I thought for certain you'd be going to see that highly praised film. I'm rather shocked that you said you're not going to.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Don't go by the commercials. I lived through both of Nixon's terms in office, and I've seen Langella perform the role both on stage and on screen. He looks nothing like Nixon and sounds like him only superficially. But he is Nixon so convincingly that it's eerie: equal parts repellent and fascinating. He brings the guy I remember to life on screen. I have no idea how Langella does it; that's the mystery of great acting.

The movie isn't about politics in the conventional sense, and neither were the Frost interviews. It's about the modern equivalent of a gladiatorial match between two public personalities, each of whom desperately needed a publicity coup. (I suppose it could be argued that's what politics is these days, but that's another subject.) It's the clash of outsize personalities (and their colorful assistants) that makes it fascinating to watch.

 

[Mario Gauci]

Unlike Michael, I’m not surprised about Joe’s “no viewing” stance re: FROST/NIXON (2008) since I know first hand that his indifference to politics was primarily what kept him away from CITIZEN KANE (1941) for so long!

Although I freely admit to being a person who only becomes political once every five years (on Election year), I have to say that I’m thoroughly fascinated by political movies: MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939), ALL THE KING’S MEN (1949), THE LAST HURRAH (1958), ADVISE AND CONSENT (1962), THE BEST MAN (1964), DR. STRANGELOVE (1964), FAIL-SAFE (1964), SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (1964), Z (1969), THE PARALLAX VIEW (1974), THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975), ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976) and GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK (2005) – to mention some of the best and most popular. I could perhaps suggest that Joe should try admiring the acting and the craftsmanship therein or try to (at least) enjoy some of these as thrillers or comedies (which they are besides) but I’ve been to that place already in the past and don’t really seek to be again real fast

!

I haven’t watched FROST/NIXON myself yet but I’d like here to fully second Michael Reuben’s comments on Frank Langella: I was lucky enough to catch the play on London’s West End in January 2007 and both actors were superb and the play itself riveting but I agree that Langella was outstanding (despite his lack of physical resemblance to the real Nixon). Since Langella was a veteran of at least 3 fantasy films – DRACULA (1979; which I didn’t like), MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE (1987) and Roman Polanski’s THE NINTH GATE (1999) – I was particularly keen to catch his performance and, as I said, he was masterful; incidentally, I’ve been impressed by him again recently in a very early major role in Mel Brooks’ THE TWELVE CHAIRS (1970).

By the way, if one thinks that Langella is no Nixon lookalike, neither was Anthony Hopkins [in NIXON (1995)] or Philip Baker Hall (in SECRET HONOR [1984]), after all, and I really hope that Langella walks away with an Oscar next February.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Which is the important thing. I think way too many actors try to mimic the true-life characters they're playing instead of becoming the person. There wasn't a single second where Langella wasn't Nixon.

I was being somewhat sarcastic in my reply to Joe but I think a lot of people are going to agree with him and stay away from this film. It's a real shame because of how great the movie and performances are but then again great films are often overlooked in favor of junk at the theaters. Movies are rarely made for adults anymore and when they are they usually sink at the box office in favor of kids or teenage stuff.

With THE READER, GRAN TORINO, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, MILK, DOUBT, THE WRESTLER and various others on my to-see list over the next few weeks, this time of the year is my favorite as movies for adults are in full swing.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Have Faith in Our Children (1954) :star::star:1/2 No Director Credited

The Variety Club of Northern California produced this short that tries to make money for blind children. Glenn Ford and his wife Eleanor Powell ask movie viewers to donate as much money as they can so that blind children might one day be cured. There were quite a few of these types of shorts made back in the day and this one here isn't really any better or worse than the others. It's always nice seeing Ford on screen no matter what he's doing. The one weird thing that stuck out is that Powell spends time bringing up her MGM past by saying she isn't going to talk about her MGM past, which is clearly a promo no matter what she tries to say.

Famous Movie Dogs (1940) :star::star::star: Del Frazier

John Deering narrates this rather interesting short that shows how dogs are cast in movies. We start off with a director needing two dogs and then go into the auditions, training and eventual filming of a scene. Asta (The Thin Man), Corky, Rex the Dog, Peggy and Whiskers are among the dog's featured and they make for a nice short, which will probably appeal to people of all ages. I've seen quite a few shorts but I believe this was my first to deal with how dogs were cast in movies. The behind the scenes footage of the picking of the animals was the most interesting thing as were the scenes showing the animals being trained to fit certain scenes in movies.

Personalities (1942) :star::star::star: No Director Credited

MGM short made to highlight some of their up and coming stars. The film starts off talking about how personality is what actors must have and we see a few clips from the likes of Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. We then go into future stars with Donna Reed, Van Johnson, Lucille Norman and Susan Peters being called "people to keep your eyes on". Another nice section is a screen test for an Andy Hardy movie where Frances Rafferty, Carole Gallagher and Ester Williams compete for the role. The role would eventually go to Williams and it's nice seeing the tests that the director would have to pick from. All in all this is a pretty entertaining short that states its case in the ten-minute running time.

Where Is Jane Doe? (1956) :star::star: Larry O'Reilly

RKO-Pathe short has the NYPD finding some clothes on a bridge so they naturally think they're dealing with suicide. A detective from the Missing Persons Bureau begins to investigate and finds that there might be more to the story. This crime short is a long way from MGM's wonderful "Crime Does Not Pay" series. Even though this film runs under 9-minutes you can't help but feel the story is rushed to the point where you just have to roll your eyes. There are countless silly scenes here including the detective pretty much breaking the case when it turns out the victim was too ugly to be doing what she wanted. The entire film is silent with just the narration telling us what we can see with our own eyes and some of the written dialogue is just downright silly. Fans of camp will probably get a few laughs out of this thing though.

House in the Middle, The (1954) :star::star: No Director Credited

The National Clean Up- Paint Up- Fix Up Bureau produced this documentary teaching people how to save their houses if an atomic blast was to take place. The Nevada Test Site is the setting for the short that shows various houses and how well they take an atomic blast. I'm really not sure how true the details provided in this short are but we're told that if you clean and paint your house then it won't be destroyed by an atomic blast. If you leave newspapers around your living room or trash bags by your house then you're going to die when the blast comes. Again, I'm not sure how true this research is but the short comes off as a neat freak trying to use an atomic scare to get his neighbors to clean up the yard. The film is rather boring in all of its tests but those who enjoy the atomic scare films should get a few laughs. Telling someone to mow their lawn before an atomic blast is pretty funny in its own right.

Poetry of Nature (1939) :star::star: Mervy Freeman

Pete Smith short takes a look at the wildlife that lives in the California redwoods but focuses in on a black crow who is constantly trying to steal eggs for breakfast. With Smith's narration we see the crow trying to feast on bird and chicken eggs as well as a bear going after some eggs. I'm really not sure what the point of this short was as it doesn't try to teach the viewer anything and it really appears that the studio just gathered up some stock footage and told Smith to talk over it. Director Freeman also served as the cinematographer and that there is certainly the highlight of the film as we get some nice shots of the woods. I really didn't find any of the dialogue funny, which is certainly why I found this short to be rather boring.

My Old Town (1948) :star::star::star: No Director Credited

Part of John Nesbitt's Passing Parade, this short has the narrator talking about his love for his hometown even though the exact city is never named. After reading the description to this film I was rather worried even though it only ran 10-minutes but it turns out that the movie is actually a lot more entertaining than it should have been. Nesbitt's narration is right on the mark as he talks about nostalgia and he really captures the mood of an adult looking back over his life. We get to see what he remembers as a young kid, like the July 4th parties and then what he remembers as an adult, like dating, his first cigarette and so on. The film does a very good job at what it tries to do and that is look back at something from our past that sticks with us as adults.

Rocky Mountain Grandeur (1937) :star::star: James H. Smith

Another entry in James A. FitzPatrick's TravelTalk series from MGM. This Technicolor short takes a look at the Rocky Mountains and its various wildlife, trees and people. I've reviewed several of these TravelTalk shorts over the years and I think each one of them feature me saying that I'm sure these were very valuable back when they were released as people got to see how other parts of the world worked but today they come off rather bland and boring. There's not too much to learn in this short but I did enjoy the Technicolor, which really showed off the woods and various horses that are shown throughout. The narration is pretty straight forward like a documentary would be.

Chicago the Beautiful (1948) :star::star:1/2 No Director Credited

MGM's TravelTalk entry taking a look at the various landmarks in Chicago with James A. FitzPatrick once again doing the narration. Having been to Chicago a few times for some concerts, I was a bit more interested in this short since you get to see how the city was so many years ago. This one also stands out a bit more because of the countless gangster movies that took place in Chicago so we can see some of the actual locations. This short does a good job at showing off all the historic stuff in the city from various skyscrapers to some of the more famous hotels. We also get a look at some of the smaller stuff that includes all the fisherman off Lake Michigan and I must admit that I was shocked to see how clear the water was back then. Another nice sequence shows us what survived the 1871 fire.

Mighty Manhattan, New York's Wonder City (1949) :star::star:1/2 James H. Smith

MGM's TravelTalk short takes a look at various landmarks in Manhattan including Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and the streets of Chinatown. Once again the Technicolor is certainly the highlight of this film, which has the city jumping off the screen. Once again there have been many better documents of the city but I'm sure this thing served its purpose back when it was originally released when there wasn't an internet or even color television to see such things. The most interesting thing is that the United Nations building hadn't yet been completed and we get to see it in its early stages of construction.

Important News (1936) :star::star::star: Edwin Lawrence

James Stewart has a supporting role in this MGM short. A small town editor (Charles 'Chic' Sale) must decide, which story to put on the front page of his newspaper. One story is a famous gangster being shot down in front of his eyes, which would get attention across the country. The second story is a frost warning that would only help those few people in his city that don't have a radio. This is certainly a short meant to tell a morals story and on that level it works even though one-reel doesn't give it too much time for a stronger story. The message is pretty much cut and dry but Sale gives a pretty good performance that makes the film watchable. The young Stewart, in his sixth film, also does a pretty good job and manages to get a few laughs. There's certainly nothing great or ground breaking about this film but it is fun for what it is. This was Lawrence's only film as director.

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

I had planned on closing out the year of 2008 by watching a Lord of the Rings Extended Edition marathon yesterday. However, the dog in the apartment below me whining loudly during the first 45 minutes aggravated me enough that I had to turn it off and postpone it for another time. Has this sort of thing happened to anyone else?

 

[Mario Gauci]

12/26/08: THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER [Reconstruction] (Richard Williams, 1968/1995) :star::star::star:

Famously ill-fated animated feature by the renowned Richard Williams, which remains uncompleted despite his having worked on it for almost 30 years!; the film was eventually released in two bastardized versions under the titles of THE PRINCESS AND THE COBBLER (1993) and ARABIAN KNIGHT, while bootlegs – actually a workprint – closer to Williams’ original vision have also surfaced (which is the edition I acquired).

It’s a typical Arabian Nights fantasy and it’s no secret that the Disney Studios ‘borrowed’ some of its ideas for their hugely successful ALADDIN (1992). Of course, we have a hero (the Cobbler), a heroine (the Princess), a comic-relief sidekick (the Thief) and a villain (the Grand Vizier); the latter is recognizably voiced by the late great Vincent Price (running the whole gamut of emotions in the process), while one of the more interesting aspects of the film is that the titular figures are given no dialogue (except for one silly line by the Cobbler at the very end). Both also have other weird characteristics: the Cobbler’s mouth is shaped like two nails set side by side with their points meeting, while the Thief is constantly being followed by a swarm of buzzing flies!

The plot basically revolves around three golden balls atop the King’s (shouldn’t that be Caliph?!) palace which, if removed, would bring disaster upon the land – and, sure enough, the Thief is after them. Needless to say, the Grand Vizier called Zig-Zag (with faithful vulture companion Phido in tow) not only craves power for himself but the Princess’ hand, too, and he secretly connives with a warring people intent on conquering Arabia to this end. As expected, the visual design is extremely colorful and amazingly detailed (especially effective is Williams’ clever use of perspective) – though it’s hardly rendered justice by the fuzzy quality of the copy under review (to check out the film as mangled by other hands is clearly out of the question for me).

At 96 minutes, THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER – with its slight plot and even thinner characters – does tend to drag a bit (especially during the climax and the Thief’s protracted hair-raising stunts to survive a conflagration), but the latter’s amiable antics throughout and Price’s agreeably hammy rendition more than make up for any such deficiencies. For the record, many other notable actors were roped in for the project over the years – with sometimes more than one person being engaged for the same role (the King, for instance, was voiced by both Anthony Quayle and Clive Revill and the narrator was either Felix Aylmer or Ralph Richardson)!


12/27/08: THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU (Basil Dearden, 1969) :star::star::star:

Typical 1960s big-budget all-star entertainment with an unlikely but intriguing backdrop (the political turmoil in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century) and agreeably treated as black comedy. As can be surmised, the titular organization – headed by Oliver Reed and numbering among its members Telly Savalas, Curt Jurgens, Philippe Noiret, Clive Revill and Kenneth Griffith – disposes of people it deems criminal but which the law apparently can’t reach…until some of them start to get too big for their boots, while Reed accepts lady journalist Diana Rigg’s offer of a contract on himself!

Stylish and colorful (shot on a variety of stunning European locations and with great care given to sets, costumes and props), the film is vastly entertaining along the way – gleefully poking fun at politics and murder at every turn. Reed and Rigg make a very appealing couple, while Savalas, Jurgens et al have fun sending up their respective images; of course, Rigg and Savalas would be re-teamed that same year for the James Bond outing ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE.

The script, therefore, delivers plenty of suspense and surprise (including numerous disguises and near-escapes for the hero) and is capped by a spectacular climax in which a bomb attack via zeppelin – targeting a castle where all the rulers of Europe have convened for a peace conference – is thwarted.


12/27/08: ALICE (Jan Svankmajer, 1988) :star::star::star:

This is possibly the best-regarded of the myriad film versions of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice In Wonderland”, a relatively recent undertaking but a distinctly individualistic one by famed Czech animator/puppeteer Svankmajer (and which actually served as my introduction to his work). Knowing of its reputation, I had long desired to watch the film; however, having done so, I can’t help feeling slightly let down – not because it’s not as good as I expected, or as weird as I had been led to believe but, rather, because of the liberties it takes with Carroll’s original.

God knows there are enough bizarre characters, situations and dialogue in the perennial children’s classic (popularized by previous film and TV adaptations, both live-action and animated); however, Svankmajer opts to drop many of these (we’re left with an awful lot of the White Rabbit, The Frog, The Fish, The Duchess and the Baby-turned-Pig, the members of the eccentric Tea Party, the Croquet game, etc.) for his own creations. It’s not so much that I’m a purist where such things are concerned but, to me, what novelties we get in this version are not only unnecessary (though they sure make for some arresting, to say nothing of far from kiddie, visuals and occasionally amusing – such as the fact that the White Rabbit’s interior consists of sawdust which it also eats[!] or The Mouse building a fire and setting up tent on Alice’s scalp) but, frankly, no match for what Carroll himself had envisaged to begin with. Consequently, the author’s absurdist but essentially innocent viewpoint doesn’t jell with the film-maker’s outbursts of savage surrealism – so that one has a hard time believing at the end that it was all a little girl’s fantasy!

With this in mind, the heroine here is perhaps the only one I’ve seen who’s anywhere near the right age for the character (incidentally, Alice is replaced by a doll when she shrinks in size!); even so, Svankmajer’s decision to have her provide constant narration – often of the most elementary kind, thus rendering it somewhat monotonous – is baffling to say the least!


12/27/08: DARKNESS, LIGHT, DARKNESS (Jan Svankmajer, 1989) :star::star::star:

An inventive, even witty Svankmajer short (lasting 6 minutes) which basically sees the various disembodied components of the human body converging inside a low-ceilinged house(!) on their way to assembling the whole. Sometimes, though, it seems they’re not quite sure how it’s all supposed to turn out – as ever more organs knock at the door demanding entry; the biggest laugh unsurprisingly involves male genitalia as a very loud thud is heard prior to its (unimpressive) appearance! The claymation effects, naturally, are splendid and the results are delightful and striking enough (even at this modest scale, compared to the feature-length ALICE [1988], to which it’s been attached on DVD) to definitely make me interested in checking out more of this celebrated animator’s work.


12/27/08: STAR OF INDIA (Arthur Lubin, 1954) :star::star:1/2

I acquired this via a recording off a foreign Cable-TV channel named “Movies 4 Men”. It’s an infrequent U.S.-Italian co-production for the time (another, and equally rare, is the minor Errol Flynn vehicle CROSSED SWORDS [1954]); this stars Cornel Wilde – flanked, as was his custom, by wife Jean Wallace.

From the title, I was expecting an African adventure a` la “The Four Feathers” but this is actually an unusual swashbuckler set in France and revolving around the hunt for the titular jewel. Wallace, a Dutch aristocrat, wants to restore the Star Of India to the people who worshipped it and enrolls the aid of ousted lord Wilde to do so. Actually, it’s in possession of a public official (typically dastardly Herbert Lom) and which he jealously guards; incidentally, this is yet another film where, in spite of doing creditable work, the athletic lead is upstaged by a formidable actor playing the brooding villain!

Several complications arise out of this situation, not least (or least predictable) of which is the fact that, amid much surface disdain – Wallace has been living in Wilde’s confiscated estate while he was off to war – the two fall in love. Eventually, the hero gains hospitality at Lom’s mansion, thus allowing him free rein to search for the jewel (he had earlier secured the statue in which it’s kept but, unaware of a hidden panel within the structure, had returned the apparently worthless artifact to its master!), which happens to coincide with an extended visit by the king (Basil Sydney) and his consort (Yvonne Sanson); the former himself makes no secret of the fact that he wishes to acquire the Star Of India merely to donate it to the latter! Anyway, much standard action (chase, torture, duel, etc.) ensues – making for a pacy outing providing 90 minutes’ worth of unassuming entertainment that’s perfect fare for this time of year.


12/28/08: THE ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD (Robert Stevenson, 1974) :star::star::star:

This is one of the better-regarded of the Disney studio’s live-action efforts, particularly among those made following Walt’s death. It’s a fantasy adventure on Jules Verne lines; actually, the film coincided with the somewhat similar (and equally good) THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1974). We have a handful of people embarking on an expedition to the Arctic via airship in search of the leader (Donald Sinden)’s son – the others are David Hartman (young but expert explorer), Jacques Marin (French captain of the vessel) and Mako (the Eskimo who last saw the boy alive). Eventually, half-way through the proceedings to be exact, they find him – along with a lost Viking civilization (which speaks in its native tongue) and the location of a fabled whale graveyard!

The film may take a typically juvenile viewpoint, but it’s no less engaging for all that – of course, we also get humor (including Sinden’s traditionally Victorian haughtiness), romance (between his boy and a local lass) and a variety of thrills (the party having to fend themselves against not just standard human villainy but a rather intense attack by killer whales) along the way. The production design of the mythic landscape is attractive (as is the widescreen photography) and, while dated, the special effects (notably the eruption of a volcano and the climactic explosion of the airship – it’s purely coincidental that I watched this only a day after THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU [1969]; see my review for that film) are quite nicely done.


12/28/08: ZARAK (Terence Young, 1956) :star::star:1/2

This desert-set adventure flick exemplifies the subtle difference between Hokum and Camp: recently, I had watched its star, Victor Mature, in THE VEILS OF BAGDAD (1953) – spirited, tongue-in-cheek and generally exuding an air of unpretentious low-budget professionalism, it falls firmly into the former category; ZARAK, on the other hand, tries to be serious (with its religious/political undertones and calling into question familial/patriotic loyalties at times of stress) but is so relentlessly high-strung as to emerge a fount of virtually uninterrupted (but clearly unintended) hilarity!

These are too numerous to cite and most have, in any case already subsided in my memory, but I can’t fail to mention Mature’s irrepressible resourcefulness – though very obviously doubled at times – when aroused (including high-kicking his opponents and vigorously hacking away at a rope-bridge on which his arch-nemesis Michael Wilding is hanging for dear life), stoicism in the face of torture and impending death and, particularly, his wallowing in self-pity (and hysterically funny subsequent haunting) after unwittingly bludgeoning to death the current Mullah of the mosque – who had actually interceded for Mature during a public flogging and does the same, much to the latter’s evident chagrin, for the British Major at the aforementioned bridge sequence! That is not to say ZARAK is a bad film in the strict sense of the word: for one thing, there’s plenty of action throughout (some of it actually borrowed from the classic Alexander Korda production of THE FOUR FEATHERS [1939]!) – but, to be sure, the narrative is inordinately muddled for this type of film (not only in delineating the plot or the hero’s motivations, but also by having such a prominent character as that of Bernard Miles vanish altogether halfway through)!

This was the second of six British-made actioners featuring Hollywood hunk Mature, filmed virtually back-to-back and after which his career would slowly grind to a stand-still; for the record, the others – none of which I’ve watched – were SAFARI (1956), INTERPOL (1957; also with co-star Anita Ekberg), THE LONG HAUL (1957), NO TIME TO DIE (1958) and the somewhat similar THE BANDIT OF ZHOBE (1959; actually directed by the co-story writer of this one, John Gilling). Sexy in scantily-clad attire, Ekberg even gets to perform a sultry exotic dance but is otherwise underused here; Wilding is as ineffectual playing the stiff-upper-lipped cavalry officer after Mature as the latter is wooden in Afghan tinge and garb(!), Miles appears as the star’s one-eyed comic relief sidekick (at one point drooling over the heroine’s writhing and to which he’s vainly attempting to draw his brooding partner’s attention), while Finlay Currie is – what else? – the earnest but ill-fated Holy Man. Apart from these, the supporting cast includes: Bonar Colleano (as one of Zarak’s treacherous younger siblings), Frederick Valk (in his last role as his tyrannical father), Eunice Gayson (best-known for first eliciting the celebrated trademark response of “Bond, James Bond” – in DR. NO [1962], of course – is here Wilding’s ingenuous bride) and Patrick McGoohan (youthful but already imposing in what is presumably his first sizeable part in a film as Wilding’s aide). The behind-the-scenes credits are similarly notable – several of whom would soon prove instrumental in cementing the 007 image into the public consciousness.


12/29/08: KLONDIKE ANNIE (Raoul Walsh, 1936) :star::star:1/2

This is another middling Mae West vehicle: though there’s something approximating a plot in its case (involving her taking up the guise of a missionary!), this has the unfortunate effect of producing unwarranted sentimentality – consequently, the star’s trademark sauciness gets downplayed – which, frankly, doesn’t suit her in the least…or convince us for a second! At least, director Walsh vividly renders the turn-of-the-century atmosphere and changes of locale: we start in Chinatown, where Mae’s the kept woman of an Oriental establishment owner, then spend a good deal of time aboard ship with rowdy captain Victor McLaglen – during which the real (and elderly) Sister Annie perishes from a heart attack – and, finally, settle in the titular gold-mining region – where the heroine above all turns the head of a young Mountie (actually after West for the death of her Asian master that occurs off-screen!) even if he believes her to be a pious woman.

Needless to say, West’s bubbly personality and smart business sense (acquired via her former capacity of world-renowned torch singer) turns around the mission’s formerly pitiful fortunes – which even come to threaten the takings at the local saloon (especially since she’s recruited many of the performers there to liven up her own “joint”)! I was under the impression that KLONDIKE ANNIE was something like 80 minutes long (the Leslie Halliwell Film Guide even gives the running-time as 83), so that I was surprised when it abruptly ended – by having the star forsake the young career man for experienced lout McLaglen – at a little over 73 minutes in PAL mode (with a bit of research, I was able to determine that Image’s presumably long out-of-print R1 DVD actually only ran for 76 minutes).

 

[Michael Elliott]

I rarely try marathons anymore because it's hard to devote that much time without something going wrong. The past three years I wanted to watch all the HALLOWEEN films for the Horror Challenge on Halloween but failed. I thought about doing all five DIRTY HARRY films next month but I'm not sure where I'd get to time to watch them in one sitting since the girlfriend and her kids would be in and out of the house.



Ron Howard: 50 Years in Film (2008) :star::star::star: Richard Schickel

The title "50 Years in Film" makes you blink when you think about it but Ron Howard has been around that long with his start in the film The Journey then moving to The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days before hitting it big as an Oscar-winning director. If you've seen Schickel's previous documentaries like Woody Allen: A Life in Film or Spielberg on Spielberg then you should know what to expect as the director doesn't get historians to comment on the subject but instead has the subject talking about the subject. In what's basically an interview, Howard talks about how his father got him his earlier role and how this led to other TV shows before he became a house hold name on Andy Griffith. Not too much time is devoted to his TV career, which to me is a good thing since there are countless documentaries out there with them as the subject. Howard's directorial debut, Grand Theft Auto, gets some nice talk as Howard explains what it was like to work with Roger Corman. Bette Davis also gets mentioned as the two worked together on Skyward. Other films talked about are Night Shift, Willow, Parenthood, Backdraft, Far and Away, Cinderella Man, The Da Vinci Code and the recently released Frost/Nixon. Director projects like The Missing, Cocoon and How the Grinch Stole Christmas are not mentioned and neither are rather famous acting projects like American Graffiti and The Shootist, which had Howard working with John Wayne and James Stewart. I'm not sure why certain admissions were made by Schickel, although a couple are clearly left out before they weren't critical successes. In the end, this is a pleasant documentary/interview with Howard.

Age of Believing, The: The Disney Live Action Classics (2008) :star::star::star: Peter Fitzgerald

Angela Lansbury narrates this documentary that takes a look at the live action films coming from Disney after Walt determined they'd be easier to make and would keep cash flowing into the studios while they also worked on their more difficult animated productions. Film critics Leonard Maltin and Richard Schickel are interviewed as well as actors Kurt Russell, Dean Jones, Dick Van Dyke, Hayley Mills, Tommy Kirk, Michele Lee and James MacArthur among others. Director Fitzgerald does a very good job at keeping the film moving and I was fascinated with the stories of Disney and why he decided to enter the live action pictures. I must admit that I haven't seen too many of the film discussed here so on that level this worked perfectly at spiking my interest in certain films. We see clips from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Parent Trap, Pollyanna, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, Old Yeller and many more but I guess it's worth noting that Song of the South is never mentioned.

Escort Girl (1941) :star::star: Edward E. Kaye

Ruth (Betty Compson) and her partner Gregory (Wheeler Oakman) run an escort service in Hollywood but Ruth's life is turned upside down when her daughter (Margaret Marquis) comes to visit. The daughter doesn't know mommy's real profession and it doesn't help when her boyfriend turns out to be working with the D.A. to bring down escort services. Fans of campy or bad cinema will certainly want to check this thing out but others should stay far away even though the film does feature an Oscar nominated actress in Compson. The actress was a big player in the silent era and acted in some well remembered films in the 30's but I guess you can tell how far she had fallen when she was seen in something like this. The exploitation factor is off the charts as we get all sorts of "naughty" moments including some brief nudity with a striptease (although the nipples are covered). The storyline is rather dirty but this wasn't the only film to deal with escorts as I'm sure the original producer's tried to pass this off as a "warning" or "message" film. The film is pretty straight forward for the first forty-minutes but the final twenty is where things really go crazy. When the daughter finds out the truth behind mommy's business I couldn't help but laugh at her breakdown. Also hilarious is her scenes where she's drunk because this ranks as some of the worst acting I've seen. Compson turns in a pretty good performance as does Oakman who would go onto appear in several Bela Lugosi films including The Ape Man and Ghosts on the Loose. In the end this film isn't going to appeal to very many except for fans of camp and those wanting a few unintentional laughs would be wise to check out this quickie.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Apologies.....



Dreamy Dud. He Resolves Not to Smoke (1915) :star::star:1/2 Wallace A. Carlson

Dud, a young boy, and his dog are out playing when the boy steals a man's pipe and decides to smoke it. Soon the "Spirit of Smoke" grabs him and takes him on a trip to teach him a lesson. This early animated film isn't anything great or ground breaking but it does have a small amount of charm that makes it worth viewing for fans of early animation. Carlson does a very nice job with the direction and I'd say the story is pretty well told. The opening sequence with the boy playing with the dog isn't too funny but things start to pick up once the pipe smoking begins. The animation is a bit rough but you have to remember this is 1915.

Phable of a Busted Romance, The (1915) :star:1/2 Raoul Barre, Tom E. Powers

Animated short has the dim but brutish looking Dennis O'Shay seeing a woman drop her purse so he picks it up and hands it back to her even though it contains $10,000. How will the woman repay him? We see various ways the woman could repay him but in the end I'm really not sure what the filmmakers were going for and I must admit that this movie had my scratching my head throughout its 2-minute running time. The animation doesn't look too pretty but I can overlook this for being 1915 but the story is just downright confusing as is the closing line, which I suppose was suppose to be some sort of moral message but what exactly was that message? I know smoking pot to decipher movies was very popular at one time so perhaps that trend could come back and someone find the meaning to this one.

Phable of the Phat Woman, The (1916) :star::star: Rauol Barre, Tom E. Powers

A pretty simple, one-joke film has an overweight woman doing everything she can to lose weight. She jogs, works out, goes into the steam box and even does construction. Three months later she weights herself and....she's gained weight. The entire film follows a predictable storyline but it was rather funny seeing the weight issue being told in 1916. The movie's animation is pretty rough but this does add a bit of charm as does the female character who is the butt of many jokes. I'm sure some might find the film offensive but I personally didn't take it too serious and got a few laughs out of it. The scene where the woman stands on her head and the aftermath is the highlight.

Krazy Kat Goes A-Wooing (1916) :star::star::star: No Director Credited

Silent animated short has Krazy Kat jumping into his plane and flying to his girlfriend's house but he has a surprise coming to him. This runs a very quick two-minutes so you can't expect too much of a story but the entire film is just a set up for the final act, which I found to be quite funny. The entire film has a cute element to it and I also found the animation to be quite nice. Those seeking a historic element will probably find this more entertaining than your normal animation fans but you can look at this and see a connection to future cat films like Felix and Tom and Jerry.

Krazy Kat, Bugologist (1916) :star::star:1/2 No Director Credited

Animated short has Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse going into the woods to study bugs but soon an angry bee and crazy elephant show up. Fans of early animation are going to benefit the most from this thing so if you're expecting 2008 animation then you might as well stay away. The animation here is pretty well done and to my eyes looks a lot better than many of the animation titles from around this period. The film doesn't have too many laughs in it but the ending with the mouse and the elephant worked very well. The film only lasts three-minutes but the problem is that not much happens in that time. The two characters walk around the woods and that's pretty much it.

Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse at the Circus (1916) :star::star::star: No Director Credited

Krazy Kat and Ignatz are at the circus when a dog friend of the cat shows up wanting to eat a mouse. The mouse hides in fear so Krazy Kat makes him prove he's not a coward by harassing a woman. This is a rather strange but very funny cartoon and I'd say it's the best out of the three I've watched from the series. I found the ironic twist of the dog and cat being friends a nice touch and I found the dialogue written for the dog to be rather hilarious. Hearing the dog explain what type of mouse he's looking for was very funny as was the bravery test at the end when Krazy Kat gets more than he expected. The animation is quite cute for its time even though the title is pretty much a fake one since the circus doesn't play much of a part.

Screen Test: Bob Dylan (1965) NR Andy Warhol

You can't really rate this film since it runs merely fourteen-seconds but it does have its historic value for Dylan and Warhol fans. I guess the truth will never be known but to make a long story short, the two never got along due to their relationship with model Edie Sedgwick. The controversy surrounding this threesome lasted over forty-years as Dylan sued the filmmakers of Factory Girl, a 2006 movie that tried to tell the story, one that Dylan denied ever happened. I doubt too many people will be searching out this movie, or the hundreds of others that fit into Warhol's "Screen Test" series but it would be nice to one day get the complete story of what all happened and the true story behind this film.

Arrival of the Mail Train, The (1896) :star::star::star::star: Auguste & Louis Lumiere

Even though this film is over one-hundred years ago you can't help but remember that it contains one of the most famous shots and perhaps the first movie myth. The film, running under a minute, features the camera pointing at a train as it arrives in a station and then we see people getting off it. According to legend, the first time this film was shown in theaters people were in such fear that they were going to be hit by the train that they ran out of there in a near riot mode. Whether or not this is true is something we'll never really know but it's fun to believe it. The film certainly doesn't offer up anything in terms of entertainment but as a history lesson there's not too many bigger.

Morning Bath (1896) :star::star::star: James H. White

This film is certainly dated by today's standards and is somewhat controversial but I find the thing to be fairly harmless. We see a black mother washing her child in a bucket with soap all over him. That's it but some view this as showing black folks in a negative way but I'm not sure why. To me the film is rather innocent and it appears the mother is having fun showing off in front of the camera, although at the same time it's easy to see the baby doesn't appear to like taking baths. I think this film is important for several reasons including the fact that we see actual black people and not white actors in blackface. There aren't too many films like that from this era so that should be kept in mind.

Watermelon Contest (1896) :star::star:1/2 James H. White

When people talk about bad racial stereotypes in films this one here has thankfully been forgotten and doesn't get too much attention. That's certainly a good thing because if more people seen it they'd probably have a stroke. The film, running just over 14-seconds, features four black men sitting in front of the camera and racing to get their slices of watermelon eaten. This film, believe it or not, was actually remade a couple times in the next six years but it's hard to imagine too many films being more offensive than this one. Having a watermelon contest to begin with would start controversy but actually seeing how the men are portrayed here is rather shocking. Keep an eye on the man in front, closest to the camera, who is actually spitting the water on himself and violently attacking the fruit making himself look like some sort of wild animal. This is certainly an important film from a historic standpoint but it's ugly as well.

Dancing Darkey Boy (1897) :star::star: No Director Credited

Another controversial one from Edison features a black boy dancing at a horse show with (white) people standing around watching and cheering him on. Outside the offensive title, this one here isn't as bad as you might think. I'm still not sure if there was a racist point to it but it seems to be just another one of those early, "point the camera there and film" things. I'm sure many will be offended by what they see but to my eyes nothing mean spirited is happened to the point who appears to be having fun shaking around the table. Of course, being 1897 might say something else.

Dance (1894) :star::star::star: No Director Credited

Charles Hoyt's "The Milk White Flag" is the basis for this 25-second short, which features three men dancing. Apparently this was a vaudeville act in New York City that was very popular when Edison invited the men over to NJ to film this. Considering how short it is, it's hard to get a grasp on what the full show would have been like but I found the film to be rather entertaining on a historical level since there isn't too much footage of this stuff available.

Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze (1894) :star::star::star::star: William K.L. Dickson

If entertainment is what you're seeking then don't take my four-star review meaning a great movie. The word entertainment might not fit too well with these early films but on a historical level this here is one of the all time greats. Running just five seconds we see a man sneeze. Yes, that's all there is to it. This is famous for many reasons including it being one of the earliest films made by Edison. According to records it was filmed on January 7th, 1894 and became the first movie to have a copyright two days later.

Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, The (1895) :star::star::star:1/2 Alfred Clark

This Edison short was one of the first movies to deal with a real event and the payoff is actually very good. Mary Stuart is taken to the chopping block where she puts her head down and has it hacked off. The special effects in the film are very well done but I'm not sure if the edit is done in a good fashion or if we just can't see it because the print quality is so shaky. Either way this is nicely done and shows that there were some violent films being made back in the day. I've read that this film was pulled from various places because people actually believed that the woman gave her life for the movie. You can't help but think what these folks would feel about certain violent movies of today.

Burning Stable, The (1896) :star::star::star: James H. White

Edison short running just over twenty-seconds has firemen showing up to a barn that is on fire. They open up the doors, save four horses and then pull out the wagon, which is on fire. This is an early example of a dramatic film and believe it or not the thing still holds up pretty well after all these years. You have to question yourself why they were risking the lives of these horses who were clearly inside a burning barn but this adds to the drama. The film does a pretty good (and smart for the time) job at building the suspense as the firemen have to keep entering the barn.

Kiss, The (1896) :star::star::star::star: William Heise

Once again I wouldn't call this film "entertaining" but it is very important on a historic level. Also known as The May Irwin Kiss or The Rice-Irwin Kiss, this Edison short is the first movie to feature a kiss. Not only is this film interesting for being the first kiss but it's also worth noting that many protests were held towards this film as various religious groups felt that kissing on camera was a major sin and just more proof of how dirty and evil these moving pictures were. It's funny to think that this would garner so much hatred at the time but today this is a very charming film. I've seen it four or five times now and each viewing puts a smile on my face as the two actors just appear to be having fun. Neither are all that attractive but that makes the film seem more real to me.

Kiss, The (1900) :star::star::star: No Director Credited

Edison remake of their 1896 film has a younger couple holding one another and smiling as they kiss for just under fifty-seconds. I'm not sure if this was the first remake or not but it's interesting to compare the two versions. From what I've read this film was released without any controversy, which is rather funny as this one is a lot dirtier than the original, which was banned in countless cities. The biggest difference is that the couple here are a lot younger and do a whole lot more kissing and cuddling up. On its own there's nothing too special about this film but it does remain interesting when viewed and compared with the original. Fred Ott, from Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze appears.