Month: August 2018

Rollerball (1975)

ROLLERBALL (1975)
Article 2817 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-23-2009
Posting Date: 4-30-2009
Directed by Norman Jewison
Featuring James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams
Country: UK

In the future, the world is controlled by a cartel of corporations who sponsor a sporting event called Rollerball, a violent variation of roller derby. The reigning star of the sport, a man known as Jonathan E., is being urged to retire from the sport, and seeks to find out why.

I remember that there was quite a controversy about this movie when it came out due to the violent content and the perceived glorification of that violence. However, there is a difference between the glorification of violence and the use of it in a way that is essential to the story. The violence is necessary here, as the story has no meaning without it. Still, I can understand the concern; the hero of the movie is one of the most violent players of the game, and the movie does pander a bit when he takes revenge for the near-killing of a teammate.

Overall, I quite like the movie with a few reservations. I think it runs on a bit too long, and I’m never quite satisfied with the vagueness surrounding the corporate view of the game and their desire to force Jonathan E. to retire. But I do like the creative vision of the future. Certain sequences stand out; I love the way the opening game gives us a clear understanding of the sport and how it is played. I also love a sequence where a drunken group of partyers use a gun to decimate trees. I also love Ralph Richardson’s scene-stealing performance as a somewhat dotty librarian, even though the scene seems strangely out of place in the movie. But I remember seeing bits and pieces of this one many years ago, and the final moment has always stood out strongly in my mind. I do wonder somewhat about the choice of music; though the use of Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” is interesting, it feels really weird in this context.

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The Airship Destroyer (1909)

THE AIRSHIP DESTROYER (1909)
Article 2816 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-22-2009
Posting Date: 4-29-2009
Directed by Walter R. Booth
Cast Unknown
Country: UK

An inventor is denied the hand of his true love by her father. However, he comes to the rescue when the country is invaded by attackers who drop bombs from zeppelins.

The special effects in this early silent aren’t convincing, but they are ambitious and fun. I especially love a sequence in which a biplane takes on the zeppelin in a dogfight, which features some very odd camera tricks. The story itself is pretty standard, but that hardly matters; it’s the special effects that really make this one a treat. It’s another movie I found on YouTube, which is proving to be a great place to find some of these old silent shorts.

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Picnic on the Grass (1959)

PICNIC ON THE GRASS (1959)
aka Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe
Article 2815 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-21-2009
Posting Date: 4-28-2009
Directed by Jean Renoir
Featuring Paul Meurisse, Charles Blavette, Catherine Rouvel
Country: France

A candidate for the presidency of Europe advocates artificial insemination as a replacement for sex. While on a picnic to promote his views, he is separated from his party and ends up meeting a country girl who makes him question his dedication to science.

To say that this is a sex comedy runs the risk of making it sound racier and tackier than it is, but that’s exactly what it is; it’s a comedy that explores sex and, on a wider scale, the whole issue of science versus nature. Given this theme, it is perhaps appropriate that the movie manages to be both science fiction and fantasy at the same time; the prospect a man being so popular that he manages to unite the European nations in such a way that he is capable of forming a scientific dictatorship certainly moves it into the realm of science fiction, whereas the presence of a pipe-playing farmer (with his pet goat) who can bring on a windstorm with his playing is a fantasy element. It’s an odd but quite amusing comedy, with a wealth of interesting characters (particularly in the scientist’s entourage), and it explores the science versus nature theme very well indeed. The look of the film was inspired by the paintings of the impressionists, particularly Manet’s “Le Dejeuner sur L’Herbe”, thus inspiring the title; unfortunately, my print of the movie was somewhat faded, so it was a little difficult for me to enjoy it completely on that level. All in all, this is an enjoyable and interesting French comedy.

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The Robot (1932)

THE ROBOT (1932)
Animated Cartoon
Article 2814 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-20-2009
Posting Date: 4-27-2009
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Voice cast unknown

Bimbo wants to marry his girlfriend, but she won’t accept him unless he wins a round with a boxer called One Round Mike. When it becomes obvious to him that he is outclassed by the boxer, he transforms his car into a robot to help him fight.

I found this cartoon on a Betty Boop collection, though, strictly speaking, this isn’t a Betty Boop cartoon; it’s a Bimbo cartoon. The girlfriend may be a prototype of Betty Boop, but not a close one. This one is a little disappointing, especially as it follows BIMBO’S INITIATION on the same tape, which is not only a surreal classic, but contains a much clearer early version of Betty. This one is amusing, but the gags are nowhere near as inventive as the Fleischer cartoons at their best, and the robot almost comes off as largely a piece of armor most of the time. It’s a little bit racy, too; Bimbo ends up peeking in on his girlfriend while she’s taking a bath, something that could only have flown in the precode days. All in all, a minor entry in the series.

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Evocation spirite (1899)

EVOCATION SPIRITE (1899)
aka Summoning the Spirits
Article 2813 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-19-2009
Posting Date: 4-26-2009
Directed by Georges Melies
Cast unknown
Country: France

A magician summons up people (and demons) in a magic wreath.

I found this one lurking around on YouTube, as it is one of those that was not included in the recent Melies set. It’s a pretty standard Melies short; he hangs up a wreath and makes spirits appear, beginning with a demon which he quickly banishes. Of course, the final twist is that he makes himself appear in the wreath. All in all, a fairly standard entry in his oeuvre.

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Night of Dark Shadows (1971)

NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS (1971)
Article 2812 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-18-2009
Posting Date: 4-25-2009
Directed by Dan Curtis
Featuring David Selby, Grayson Hall,Kate Jackson
Country: USA

Quentin Collins returns to Collinwood with his new wife. Unfortunately, the ghost of the witch Angelique plans to claim Quentin for her own…

I was of the age that tried to rush home every day after school to catch the latest episode of “Dark Shadows” on TV; I rarely made it, but sometimes I did. I was also of the age to see the ads for this movie on afternoon TV and found myself wondering where Barnabas Collins was. Of course, he’s not in this one, and I went into this viewing (for the first time) of the movie with the intent of giving it every chance, despite the fact that it lacked the character I really wanted to see. I still emerged from it unsatisfied. To me, it seems written as if it was still a daytime soap rather than a feature length movie, so much of the dialogue is overly melodramatic. It also tries too hard to be atmospheric and scary, from the overabundance of tilted camera shots, the overuse of echo in the first nightmare sequence, a score that thinks it’s the scariest movie ever made and seeks to remind you of it, the protracted twist ending in which you know exactly what the twist is but the movie goes on and on pretending that it’s some big surprise, and the overuse of that camera trick in which the focus gets fuzzy around the edges. The story, though utterly conventional, is also a bit of a mess, but this may be due to Dan Curtis having been forced to cut thirty minutes from it at the last minute. Still, in my heart, I wanted Barnabas, and though I can fully understand Curtis wanting to have a franchise that just wasn’t a series of vampire movies, the movie just wasn’t satisfying without Barnabas.

I’ll just have to wait until I finally get a chance to see HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS.

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The Unknown Terror (1957)

THE UNKNOWN TERROR (1957)
Article 2811 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-17-2009
Posting Date: 4-24-2009
Directed by Charles Marquis Warren
Featuring John Howard, Mala Powers, Paul Richards
Country: USA

An expedition goes out on a search for a missing explorer who is believed to have disappeared in a cave near a jungle village. The expedition members encounter restless natives, a secretive scientist, and killer fungus.

Since it’s the science fiction films of the fifties that really drew me back to fantastic films in my adult life to begin with, I’m always glad when another one of them pops up on my hunt list; I just wish this one was more rewarding. It’s not a double-stuffed Safari-O (it actually spends very little time on the safari), but that doesn’t mean it’s not mired in routine. We get the standard issue romantic triangle coupled with “the-natives-have-a-secret-and-are-restless” setup and enhanced by the “scientist-with-a-secret” plotline. Throw in a particularly disappointing monster that is only scary if the Scrubbing Bubbles terrify you, and you have an exercise in utterly routine science fiction/horror. For years, I would confuse this one with SPACE MASTER X-7, but not anymore; that one at least generates a decent amount of suspense and throws in Moe Howard to remember it by. Still, this one has former Bulldog Drummond John Howard, and features a performance from Sir Lancelot, singing another calypso song which provides clues for the whereabouts of the missing explorer.

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Unearthly Stranger (1963)

UNEARTHLY STRANGER (1963)
Article 2810 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-16-2009
Posting Date: 4-23-2009
Directed by John Krish
Featuring John Neville, Gabriella Licudi, Philip Stone
Country: UK

Scientists on a secret space project (involving travel through space using thought projection) are mysteriously dying one by one by unusual methods. The man in security believes they may have been murdered by Russians, and he suspects the wife of the new director, especially after it is discovered that there is no record of her existence. However, the wife is from somewhere else entirely…

This is a fairly obscure British science fiction thriller that has developed a reputation as a sleeper, and is slowly becoming better known. It definitely deserves more attention; though it does have a fair amount of flaws (such as occasional lapses into hokey melodrama), it’s also unique and suspenseful. It’s very well acted by all concerned, and there are some great moments of sharp direction and clever editing; I particularly like the sequence where the new director tells his boss about how he met his new wife because of its clever blending of present day action and flashback. In some ways, it reminds me of the Quatermass movies, though it doesn’t quite have the same sense of scope. The ending is curious and even a little ambiguous, but it’s quite effective. This one is well worth searching out.

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Trilogy of Terror (1975)

TRILOGY OF TERROR (1975)
TV-Movie
Article 2809 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-15-2009
Posting Date: 4-22-2009
Directed by Dan Curtis
Featuring Karen Black, Robert Burton, John Karlen
Country: USA

Three tales of terror are presented. In the first, a student uses blackmail to seduce a teacher, but discovers a surprising fact. In the second, a prim woman seeks to murder her libertine sister. In the third, a Zuni fetish doll comes to life and terrorizes a woman.

If you’re a big Karen Black fan and also love TV-Movie horror anthologies, this is for you; she plays four different roles in three stories, and is pretty much the only significant acting presence in the movie. The movie seems to have a certain amount of popularity, given its 7.0 rating on IMDB. I’m afraid I’m less taken with it. I’m not a big Karen Black fan nor a TV-Movie fan, and as far as I’m concerned, only the third story works. The first one plays mostly like a soap opera, and though it does have an interesting twist, it’s quite dull. The second I found blatantly obvious; it’s one of those stories that probably works a lot better in print than brought to life on the TV tube. It almost seems as if only the third story is even trying to be scary, and despite the fact that it has its problems (the woman’s opening conversation with her mother goes on forever), it does get you on the edge of your seat. I suspect that this movie’s reputation lies with this segment; it looks like all the artwork I’ve seen for it prominently feature the doll. All three are based on Richard Matheson stories, but Matheson worked on the screenplay himself only on the third one. Incidentally, the French vampire film at the drive-in is actually THE NIGHT STALKER.

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Torso (1973)

TORSO (1973)
aka I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale
Article 2808 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-14-2009
Posting Date: 4-21-2009
Directed by Sergio Martino
Featuring Suzy Kendall, Tina Aumont, Luc Merenda
Country: Italy

A strangler is on the loose killing college girls in Rome.

Of the giallos I’ve seen to date, this is the one that most resembles an American slasher movie, especially during the first two murders. It’s also one of the sleazier giallos I’ve seen, as well as one of the bloodiest. Yet, I must admit that I found it overall to be fairly uninspired as far as giallos go; I didn’t find it compellingly stylistic, and the revelations at the end about the causes of the killer’s psychosis seem very weak. Still, it does manage to work up a decent amount of suspense in the final third of the movie, when the killer sets about disposing of several bodies in a house while being unaware that there is still one other person on the premises who knows she’s in danger but is unable to escape; in some ways, this plot element reminds me of a similar one in the SEE NO EVIL. There’s lots of nudity here and the usual (almost obligatory for a giallo) lesbian encounters. This one is so-so.

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