THE AWFUL DR. ORLOFF (1962)
Article #1659 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-29-2005
Posting Date: 2-26-2006
Directed by Jesus Franco
Featuring Howard Vernon, Conrado San Martin, Dina Lorys

Dr. Orloff and his robot-like assistant Morpho are kidnapping and killing young women in an attempt to restore the beauty of Orloff’s daughter. The police investigate the crimes.

How awful is it? Well, the movie IS directed by Jesse Franco….and I feel the need to say right off the bat that that comment is a cheap shot. A large percentage of Franco’s movies are stinkers, but this is one of the exceptions. The worst problem with the movie isn’t even Franco’s fault; I doubt that he’s responsible for the horrible dub job done on this movie. Other than that, the worst problem is that the story line is hardly original, but I’m willing to let that slide, since I’m just glad he bothered to pay attention to the story at all. By just having a story to follow, the movie makes it easier for me to appreciate Franco’s visual inventiveness, which is quite strong here. The character of Morpho is also effectively creepy; Ricardo Valle does a fine job in his performance of the character, but since he never says anything, he has the advantage that his performance isn’t compromised by the dubbing. On a purely visual level, Howard Vernon is fairly scary himself as the title character, and if you can see past the dubbing, the performances do seem solid throughout. Of the movies I’ve seen of Franco’s for this series so far, this is easily the best of the lot, and I bet there are a few other worthy ones out there as well.

THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN (1971)
Article #1658 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-28-2005
Posting Date: 2-25-2006
Directed by Robert Wise
Featuring Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson

When a downed satellite results in the death of all but two of the residents of a small town, a team of scientists is gathered to participate in a top secret project to discover the cause of death.

To give you an idea of how big a gap there is between the writing of these MOTDs and the posting of them, the writing of this one occurred only two weeks after the death of this movie’s director, Robert Wise. I think one of my favorite things about him was that he didn’t turn his back on genre efforts, even after having big hits with his forays into musical territory that resulted in WEST SIDE STORY and THE SOUND OF MUSIC; of his last seven movies, two were Science Fiction and one was Horror. His first directorial work was as one of the directors on THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, and over the years he gave us such genre efforts as THE BODY SNATCHER, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and THE HAUNTING. I dedicate this review to him.

This thriller doesn’t quite rank with his best work, but it is still a very worthy entry into his oeuvre. In particular, I like the fact that he cast his leads with stage actors largely unknown to the movie-going public (the only actor likely to engender immediate recognition is David Wayne); they all give fine performances, especially Kate Reid. In fact, her casting was particularly surprising; how many other movies would feature a rather dumpy middle-aged woman as the female lead, especially considering that some of the scenes feature near nudity? The special effects are top notch, and the movie does an excellent job at making the science in the story understandable. It also builds up to a truly memorable climax. I do have a couple of problems with the movie. One is the length; at 131 minutes, it does strain my attention span a little, but at the same time, I’m not sure what I’d cut. The most obvious choice is the long decontamination sequence, but I find these scenes so amusing and witty that I would really miss them. My other problem is that it overplays the paranoia angle just a bit too much; quite frankly, the story is scary enough that adding extra dollops of paranoia seems unnecessary. Amazingly enough, the movie had a G rating.

ALTERED STATES (1980)
Article #1656 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-26-2005
Posting Date: 2-23-2006
Directed by Ken Russell
Featuring William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban

A scientist experiments with hallucinogenic drugs and isolation chambers, and ends up tapping into primal forces that cause him to alter his body’s physical make-up.

Paddy Chayefsky disowned his screenplay (based on his own novel) for this movie, and it is credited under the pseudonym of Sidney Aaraon. I haven’t read his novel, so I don’t know what his objections were to this adaptation, but given that the most common complaint I’ve heard about this movie is how the ending seems like a cop-out after the ambition and intelligence of the rest of the movie, I’m guessing it has something to do with that. Still, I find the ambition and the intelligence go a long ways towards making this movie a fascinating experience, and Ken Russell’s surreal visuals only add to the fascination; this movie has some of the trippiest sequences this side of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. I’m also fascinated by the fact that the movie strongly touches upon all of the fantastic genres; it alternates between fantasy, science fiction and horror with an amazing ease. For me, the ending is a bit of a problem, but the image that makes for the final scene in the movie is powerful enough that it goes a long ways towards selling the concept to me. For me, the worst problems consist of some fairly clumsy dialogue; it’s rather difficult not to laugh when people are having yelling matches with each other over scientific concepts, and the movie suffers a bad case of what Roger Ebert calls “Mamet Damnit”, that phenomenon by which some movies can have the characters cuss up a blue streak and you can accept it as part of the atmosphere, whereas in other movies, each cuss word grates on your ear. Sadly, this movie has the latter experience. Still, movies that aspire to this level of intelligence are rare enough that I find this one a welcome addition to my collection.

ALI BABA GOES TO TOWN (1937)
Article #1579 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-11-2005
Posting Date: 12-8-2005
Directed by David Butler
Featuring Eddie Cantor, Roland Young, Raymond Scott

A hobo makes it to Hollywood in the hopes of filling up his autograph book. He ends up being hired as an extra in an Arabian Nights movie, but falls asleep in an urn and dreams that he has been transported to the land of the Arabian Nights.

I found myself trying to remember the name of the Eddie Cantor movie I’d seen previously for this series. Once I remembered it was ROMAN SCANDALS, I immediately knew why the premise of this one seemed so familiar; in both movies, Cantor falls asleep and finds himself in another world. I also knew what was missing from this one; the stunning musical choreography of Busby Berkeley is sorely missed, and this post-code movie simply lacks the daring and the darkness of the earlier movie. To compensate, we have Roland Young as a sultan, and John Carradine in three different roles (as a studio exec trying to get Cantor to sign a release form after he suffers an accident, as a scheming Arab, and as himself). As for Cantor, he’s not bad, but as a comedian, a little of his perky brightness goes a long way with me. The musical numbers are good, but it’s here I miss Berkeley the most as well. The satire is more cute than pointed, and much of it is fairly dated anymore. Still, the end of the movie has the best moments; there’s a stunning sequence involving a ride on a flying carpet that is the high point of the movie, and the final scene in which the Hobo attends a Hollywood movie premiere features lots of entertaining cameos, and sets up the best joke in the movie when the REAL Eddie Cantor shows up. Another good moment has Cantor trying to figure out the native language of a group of African musicians and discovers that they speak Cab Calloway.

ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL (1941)
(Serial)
Article #1555 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 6-17-2005
Posting Date: 11-14-2005
Directed by John English and William Witney
Featuring Tom Tyler, Frank Coghlan Jr., William ‘Billy’ Benedict

When an scorpion relic is discovered in an ancient tomb, a man is given the ability to turn into a superhero to prevent its use for evil purposes.

This serial is often considered one of the best ones ever made, and I think it earns its plaudits. I think it may be the only time that Republic actually gave its central hero super powers rather than just a cool costume, and it has an interesting effect in that it cuts down on the lengthy fight scenes; when the hero can dispatch the villains with a single punch, it has a way of streamlining the fights. It also does a number of things right; the comic relief character, though he plays a major part in the proceedings, is used for comic purposes only sparingly, and he totally avoids being annoying. The Scorpion is a very effective villain, each episode is very well done and makes good use of Captain Marvel’s powers, and it avoids lame cliffhangers. This serial manages to be equally fun throughout its length; it may be the only time when, after watching the final episode, that I wished it had gone on for a few more.

THE AZTEC MUMMY (1957)
(a.k.a. LA MOMIA / LA MOMIA AZTECA)
Article #1535 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 5-28-2005
Posting Date: 10-25-2005
Directed by Rafael Portillo
Featuring Ramon Gay, Rosa Arenas, Luis Aceves Castaneda

An experiment in hypnosis and past lives leads a scientist to search for proof of his theories in an Aztec tomb. There he awakens the wrath of Popoca, the Aztec Mummy.

When I reached the point where my hunt list consisted of one thousand movies, none of which were immediately available to me for viewing, I was going to take up the slack of this series by engaging in coverage of those movies that had been on my list the longest but which I had never been able to find. I honestly thought that I would have reached that point by now, but such is not the case. Had I indeed reached that point, one of the first movies I would have covered would have been THE AZTEC MUMMY, which, if considered as a separate entity from Jerry Warren’s atrocity ATTACK OF THE MAYAN MUMMY, had seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. Fortunately, such is not the case.

The movie recently popped up for sale, and I was able to snag a copy. It’s undubbed and unsubtitled, but I have been fortunate enough to acquire a translation of the dialogue (special thanks to Rich Wannen for this). Yet I’m not sure even that was necessary. Anybody familiar with the other Aztec Mummy movies already have the necessary plot elements in hand, and the movie is pretty much a full-length recreation of the first twenty minutes of the ‘story-so-far’ section of THE ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY. Still, it is nice to see it at its appropriate pace and original music, and it’s probably the strongest of the three movies. Those not familiar with the other entries in the series may have a tougher time with it, but I still think it can be generally understood.

AN AMERICAN CHRISTMAS CAROL (1979)
Article #1494 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 4-17-2005
Posting Date: 9-14-2005
Directed by Eric Till
Featuring Henry Winkler, R.H. Thomson, Susan Hogan

Benedict Slade, after spending the day before Christmas repossessing various pieces of merchandise and firing his assistant, is visited by the ghost of his former partner, and then by spirits to teach him the true meaning of Christmas.

The idea of updating the Dickens classic to take place in America has something of the air of gimmick, and had the script been written with only this in mind, it would have been disastrous. However, the script does a fine job with the idea. By setting the action during the great depression, it manages to capture something deeply American while still holding on somewhat to the ambiance of the original settings of the story. It also does a fine job with filling the story with the proper details to maintain interest, and after awhile you find yourself watching just to see the kinds of inventions the movie will use to adapt the story to its setting. And somehow, it all remains quite true to the source in spirit.

However, there are problems. From a story perspective, the movie fumbles the “Ghost of Christmas Present” section somewhat; by emphasizing the hardships that the Thatcher family (the equivalent to the Cratchits) are enduring, it feels too much like a guilt trip is being placed on Slade (the Scrooge character). Instead, it should be emphasizing the fact that somehow, through all the hardships, the Thatchers are still finding the strength to celebrate a joyous Christmas. Another problem is Henry Winkler’s performance, which is half a success and half a failure. Winkler manages to come up with a unique and interesting take on the Scrooge character, but he fails to make us believe he’s really the age of his character; his voice sounds too young, and he moves too swiftly and assuredly for a man of his supposed age. This problem is compounded by his rather unconvincing make-up, which also makes him look too old and obscures his eyes, and his hands and the lower part of his neck look much too young. Though these are problems, they’re not fatal; overall, the movie works quite well. Still, it’s no replacement for some of the classic earlier versions of the story.

ALIENS FROM SPACESHIP EARTH (1977)
Article #1493 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 4-16-2005
Posting Date: 9-13-2005
Directed by Don Como
Featuring Lynda Day George, Donovan, Leigh Taylor-Young

A documentary about spirituality, Eastern religions and higher consciousness.

I got this title from John Stanley’s “Creature Features Movie Guide Strikes Again” book. He describes the movie as being about alien visitations and features recreations of close encounters. Though the book definitely has its uses, the fact of the matter is that he didn’t see every movie listed, and every once in a while this shows in his plot descriptions. Furthermore, IMDB gives a plot outline that claims that the movie “tries to prove that all great men of the past were actually aliens”. If there are two movies of this title, than IMDB has them merged into one; the director and cast listed do match that of the movie I’ve seen (as far as they go, anyway; the cast listed are just playing themselves in the movie).

At any rate, my copy of the movie ALIENS FROM SPACESHIP EARTH has no speculation about visitations from outer space nor great men in history really being aliens. It’s a documentary about spirituality, higher planes of consciousness, and the place of Eastern religions in the Western world. Those expecting anything else will be extremely disappointed. For those interested in the subject it does discuss, it has its uses; if you’re searching for spiritual guidance and would like to explore the options offered by Eastern faiths, this movie could serve as an introductory guide to some of the options. Though it’s main area of speculation (that man is on the verge of a spiritual breakthrough in this time of crisis) doesn’t seem to have panned out (to these eyes, anyway), I found it nonetheless to be quite interesting. Whether it properly falls into the genre areas of this survey, however, is another question, though the mystic and the fantastic do intertwine. However, don’t expect anything about alien visitiations.

ALIEN LOVER (1975)
Article #1491 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 4-14-2005
Posting Date: 9-11-2005
Directed by Lela Swift
Featuring Kate Mulgrew, Pernell Roberts, Susan Brown

A teenaged girl moves in with relatives after being released from a sanitarium. She thinks she is going crazy again when she begins to hear voices, but it turns out that an alien from another dimension is trying to communicate with her from a strange TV set in the attic. Is the alien benevolent or sinister?

This is an under-rehearsed soap-opera style TV movie shot on videotape. Some people feel that movies shot in this style seem more “real” than movies with higher production values, and maybe it is for them; for me, when I see a movie like this, all I can think about is that it’s an under-rehearsed soap-opera style TV-Movie shot on videotape. In order to have that “real” quality, you need a script that captures that sense, and the script for this one fails utterly on this level. The movie never achieves any intimacy; all the characters are distant, unlikable and/or obviously insincere, and it’s hard to care about them or what happens to them. I also dislike the ending; though some people feel that ending the story at the point it does lends a great deal of ambiguity to the movie; me, since I find very little ambiguity in the alien’s intentions, I just feel that they ended it where they do because taking the story any further would have required more of a budget that they had. And as far as movies about sinister TV sets go, I’d rather watch THE TWONKY again than this one.

ALIAS NICK BEAL (1949)
Article #1490 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 4-13-2005
Posting Date: 9-10-2005
Directed by John Farrow
Featuring Ray Milland, Audrey Totter, Thomas Mitchell

A crusading District Attorney hooks up with a mysterious figure who helps him put a public menace behind bars by tempting him into performing an illegal act. The D.A. then finds himself running for governor, only to find that his action has repercussions and that the mysterious stranger has sinister motives.

Though it may not be clear from the above plot description, this is a variation on the “deal-with-the-devil” story line, and it’s a good one; it manages to effectively combine both horror and film noir, a combination that rarely occurs. It’s anchored by two excellent performances; Thomas Mitchell is memorable as the District Attorney who finds himself being tempted, and Ray Milland gives one of his finest performances as the eerie and unsettling Nick Beal, whose plan to trap the soul of the District Attorney is subtle and fiendish. The movie is also peopled with some other familiar faces; fans of Universal science fiction movies of the fifties will no doubt recognize Nestor Paiva as a bartender, Fred Clark (from DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE and CURSE OF THE MUMMY’S TOMB) is on hand as a the head of a corrupt political machine, and Douglas Spencer (Scotty in THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD) has a small but memorable role as a man named Finch. Interestingly, perennial villain George Macready plays a force for good this time, as the reverend who rightly figures out what Nick Beal is really up to. As far as “deal-with-the-devil” stories go, this one is subtle, convincing and haunting. Highly recommended.