HEAVY TRAFFIC (1973)
Article 3384 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-7-2010
Posting Date: 11-19-2010
Directed by Ralph Bakshi
Featuring Joseph Kaufmann, Beverly Hope Atkinson and the voice of Frank DeKova
Country: USA
What it is: Animated underground comix

A cartoonist deals with the trials and tribulations of his life by incorporating the people and incidents in his life into comics.

The two Ralph Bakshi films that I’ve already covered (WIZARDS and THE LORD OF THE RINGS) are ones where the fantastic content is fairly up front. This one is apparently based on underground comix (and I’ll confess right up front that I’m not really familiar with the form), and may be inspired by events in Bakshi’s own life; I have no proof of that last statement, but it certainly has that air about it, and I gather it may be Bakshi’s own favorite movie of his. It’s definitely not for overly sensitive viewers, as it abounds in cartoon nudity, racial stereotypes, religious themes, foul language, extreme violence… you name it, and there’s probably a moment in this movie that features it. Though the basic story is realistic, there’s fantasy all around the edges, especially in some dream sequences and a science fiction cartoon that the main character shows to a dying man. I found it interesting enough; for what it’s worth, I think Bakshi’s animation style lends itself better to this type of project than the other ones I’ve seen of his. I was fascinated by one piece of trivia I read for this one on IMDB; apparently, Bakshi got into a fight with one of his producers, who either fired or planned to fire him and wanted to hire Chuck Jones to complete the project, who declined. Somehow, the idea of Chuck Jones completing a Ralph Bakshi project is truly mind-blowing.

THE HAWKS AND THE SPARROWS (1966)
aka Uccellacci e uccellini
Article 3365 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-18-2010
Posting Date: 10-31-2010
Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini
Featuring Toto, Ninetto Davoli, Femi Benussi
Country: Italy
What it is: Italian political art film comedy

Two men walking down the road of life encounter a talking raven who tells them a fable about a saint intent on converting the hawks and the sparrows to Christianity.

Up until now, all the Toto movies I’ve seen have been in unsubtitled Italian, and though I liked what I’d seen, I can’t really say that I was able to follow them. This is the first time I’ve encountered him with subtitles, but I highly doubt this is a typical movie of his. This is also the first movie I’ve encountered by Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, though I suspect it won’t be the last. The plot description above only covers about the first half of the movie, but I can’t really put into plot terms what happens beyond that; the various comments about it say that it deals with the church, Marxism, ideology, and any other number of subjects. One of the user comments on IMDB made me feel that to properly understand it, I need a strong grounding on the political situation in Italy at the time it was made, and that is most likely true. Still, Toto is a sharp enough comic actor that I was able to find some enjoyment in the various situations, and I think I did at least notice the theme of how ideologies flounder under the attack of human nature. The talking raven is the most prominent fantastic content in the movie, though the fable about the hawks and the sparrows contains other touches. It was an interesting viewing experience and may bear rewatching, but I think there will always be limitations in my being fully able to appreciate it.

HIGHLANDER (1986)
Article 3359 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-11-2010
Posting Date: 10-25-2010
Directed by Russell Mulcahy
Featuring Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown
Country: USA / UK
What it is: Action fantasy

An immortal (who can only die by decapitation) from the Scottish highlands must face off with an ancient foe for the Prize, a gift that will be bestowed on the last surviving immortal.

The opening music features a song by Queen at its most bombastically overbearing (and, as a fan, I need to point out that I don’t think the group’s music is always that way) and the opening scene is a wrestling match. These two items pretty much set up the type of movie that follows; a subtlety-deficient over-the-top action fantasy with lots of sword-wielding violence, warrior philosophy, and mystical/religious overtones. I’m not surprised that the plot and the concept seem a little threadbare, or that the main villain becomes more and more cartoonish as the movie proceeds; after all, the movie’s primary reason for existence is the action sequences, and the reason to make the characters immortals is so they can really make mincemeat of each other and come back for more. It’s no surprise that the emotional component of the story (the relationship between male immortals and female mortals) is lost in the mix. In the final analysis, I’d say the movie is a success; it does what it sets out to do; whether you like it depends on if you like what it sets out to do. Hint: If you like the opening Queen song and the wrestling scene, this movie will suit you just fine.

HERBIE RIDES AGAIN (1974)
Article 3356 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-9-2010
Posting Date: 10-22-2010
Directed by Robert Stevenson
Featuring Helen Hayes, Ken Berry, Stefanie Powers
Country: USA
What it is: Shopping cart movie sequel

Herbie the Love Bug is now in the possession of a kindly old woman who lives in a firehouse. However, the evil Alonzo Hawk wants to tear down the lady’s home so he can build an office building on the spot. Can Herbie save the day?

No, the sequel isn’t up to the level of the original; the story is much less interesting and is less solidly constructed, and many of the gags are obvious. Still, given that the Disney shopping cart movies were really starting to show their strain by this time, it does have its moments. First of all, I like the presence of both Helen Hayes and John McIntire here; as the feisty old woman and her cattleman beau, they add a real low-key charm to the proceedings that offsets the more blatant slapstick. It’s also nice to see Keenan Wynn reprise his role from the flubber movies. And some of the scenes get extremely wild; the scene where Herbie chases Alonzo Hawk around his office full of soap suds is rather freaky, and Alonzo Hawk’s nightmare (which involves fanged monster Herbies and borrows from KING KONG) is the highlight of the movie. Herbie would appear in two more sequels.

THE HUNCHBACK OF SOHO (1966)
aka Der Bucklige von Soho
Article 3343 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 8-24-2010
Posting Date: 10-9-2010
Directed by Alfred Vohrer
Featuring Gunther Stoll, Pinkas Braun, Monika Peitsch
Country: West Germany
What it is: Krimi… in Color!

Police investigate a series of strangulation murders. These appear to be tied to the disappearance of an heiress and her replacement by a substitute.

This was the first of the German Edgar Wallace movies of the sixties to be shot in color. To my mind, this stripped the series of one of its strengths; the black-and-white photography of the earlier movies gave them a serious, moody ambiance that is missing in this brightly lit movie. Furthermore, though it may be just the dubbing, I do really get the sense that the comic relief has inexplicably taken over the movie; it gives the impression that everyone is playing for laughs which aren’t in the script. On top of that, the score sounds like someone hired an avant-garde jazz composer to write a James Bond-style score with vocals by a black-belt karate expert practicing his kicks; it’s disorientingly strange. Fortunately, the score isn’t used near as much as it might have been, and once you get through the confusing first half of the movie, the plot finally gains momentum and it turns out not half bad. The hunchback strangler is the horror element of this one, which isn’t a giveaway – it’s established before the opening credits. Though some of the later color movies in the series would show a bit more skill in retaining the moodiness, it was starting to be obvious at this point that the series was starting to go downhill.

HERCULES THE AVENGER (1965)
aka The Challenge of the Giant, La sfida dei giganti
Article 3327 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 8-7-2010
Posting Date: 9-23-2010
Directed by Maurizio Lucidi
Featuring Reg Park, Gia Sandri, Giovanni Cianfriglia
Country: Italy
What it is: Sword and Sandal

When his son’s soul is held in bondage after a lion attack, Hercules must go into the underworld and rescue him. Meanwhile, Anteaus, the son of an Earth Goddess, impersonates Hercules and becomes a tyrannical dictator over the kingdom of Syracuse.

You know, given the number of sword and sandal movies that emerged from Italy in the early sixties, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of them borrowed footage from earlier movies to pad out the proceedings. If they did so, however, they did so with restraint. That’s not the case here. My first hint was a sense of deja vu during a visit to a soothsayer. However, once Hercules does battle with an old man who turns into a lizard creature, I knew that this movie was pillaging footage from HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN, and shortly after that, it started pillaging from HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD as well. At any rate, that explains why this one is so bizarrely structured. What original footage exists seems to involve the home life of Hercules and the machinations of Antaeus, and the complicity of a misguided (as in opposition to evil) queen who agrees to his impersonation as a ruse to get rid of unwanted suitors. Though the final scene of the fight between Hercules and Antaeus is new footage, it’s not really all that novel, as I remember the character appearing in HERCULES UNCHAINED, which also used the gimmick that Antaeus could not be defeated while his feet were on the ground. At any rate, this is an unnecessary movie, as its footage is taken from much better sword and sandal movies.

DER HERR IM HAUS (1940)
aka The Gentleman in the House
Article 3275 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 6-7-2010
Posting Date: 8-2-2010
Directed by Heinz Helbig
Featuring Hans Moser, Maria Andergast, Elise Aulinger
Country: Germany
What it is: Comedy

I’m forgoing the usual plot description here for the simple reason that I can’t really piece anything together. I’m watching this one in unsubtitled German, and usually in cases like this, I’m able to pick up some thread to follow, but not in this case. I know it’s a comedy, and it follows the adventures of a man who seems to be either a landlord or a butler. His daughter is involved in a romance with a handsome young man. There’s a big stage production involved. And part of the plot revolves around spiritualism, with one scene in which a medium (who may be a con man; there’s some business about switching necklaces) is trying to summon the spirit of Napoleon Bonaparte. Oddly enough, the main character’s name seems to be Napoleon Bonaparte, but I’m pretty sure we’re not dealing with the historical figure. Almost all of the humor is verbal and tied to various character relationships, which leaves me very little to go on. So I’m marking this one as watched, but until I become really fluent in German, I’m at a loss here.

THE HOUSE OF SEVEN CORPSES (1974)
Article 3262 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 5-25-2010
Posting Date: 7-20-2010
Directed by Paul Harrison
Featuring John Ireland, Faith Domergue, John Carradine
Country: USA
What it is: Scary house/zombie flick

A horror film is being shot in a creaky old mansion that was the site of occult-related murders many years ago. When the director decides to add authenticity by borrowing chants from a book of the occult found on the premises, he unwittingly unleashes great evil…

The cast is pretty good in this one, and it’s nice to see John Carradine with a role that takes up more than a minute of screen time. In fact, the opening scenes gave me some hope for the movie. The problem is that the movie takes its own sweet time to get things moving, so we’re treated to an hour of the cast and crew making the movie and yelling at each other or at the caretaker, and this gets old very fast. Things pick up a little when the zombie shows up, but his rampage and the events surrounding it are more than a little confusing. Still, I have to admit to a little fondness for a moment towards the end of the movie when the director, surrounded by all the carnage caused by the zombie, discovers the REAL tragedy. No, the movie isn’t very good, but it does have its moments, and I’ll give it credit for that.

THE HORRIBLE SEXY VAMPIRE (1970)
aka El vampiro de la autopista
Article 3239 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 5-2-2010
Posting Date: 6-27-2010
Directed by Jose Luis Madrid
Featuring Val Davis, Barta Barri, Anastasio Campoy
Country: Spain
What it is: Horrible sexy vampire movie

A vampire is loose strangling topless women. The police think it’s a non-supernatural sadist. The only male descendant of the vampire takes residence in his ancestor’s castle to learn the truth.

Given the title, I wasn’t expecting much, and my expectations were met. Still, I can be grateful that it wasn’t any worse than it was. The vampire has some differences about him; he strangles his victims instead of biting them. I’m not sure how he gets the blood out of them, but giving the marks on the necks afterward, I’m guessing he uses a vacuum cleaner hose. The vampire also turns invisible, which means that some of the attack scenes are rather silly-looking. The plot does seem rather thrown-together, but there’s some odd touches here as well; the vampire hunter is a heavy drinker who is generally considered by others to need a psychiatrist, and there’s an odd but interesting ironic note to the ending. Oh, and did I mention there’s a lot of topless women? These somewhat compensate for the uninspired direction and the hangdog feel of the whole affair, as well as a wealth of time-wasting scenes; if you can find a point for the gas station sequence near the end of the movie, you caught something a lot subtler than I was able to see. In the final analysis, I’d say it’s dumb but harmless, but not necessarily unlikably so.

HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (1970)
Article 3224 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 4-16-2010
Posting Date: 6-12-2010
Directed by Dan Curtis
Featuring Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, Kathryn Leigh Scott
Country: USA
What it is: Theatrical adaptation of supernatural soap opera

A seeker after a hidden fortune releases a vampire from captivity, who returns to his native home. The vampire eventually falls in love with a woman who resembles his bride-to-be from 200 years ago, but what will the future hold for them?

I remember trying to get home in time to see “Dark Shadows” on TV when I was a kid, but I rarely did and only caught the show sporadically. I remember Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins, and a few of the other actors and actresses, but for the life of me, I can’t remember a single story line. So I can’t say if this movie adaptation was modeled off of specific story lines from the show, but the story line is somewhat fractured and a little meandering, and this does give me the feeling that it did adapt some of the story lines from the TV series. I thought the movie was a little too coy in keeping us from seeing the face of Barnabas Collins for as long as it does; since I suspect that the movie was mostly geared for fans of show who were expecting to see Frid and knew what he looked like, it hardly seemed necessary. The movie has some good things and some not so good things; of the latter, the music is repetitive and tiresome and the characters sometimes feel inadequately developed. Still, the acting is solid (especially from Frid, Thayer David and Grayson Hall), there are a few pleasant surprises (for example, when the policemen show up to do battle with a vampirized Carolyn, they actually are armed with crosses and know how to use them), and you’re never quite sure who will prove to be the ultimate hero. I still think it’s a bit of a shame that the next movie didn’t feature Barnabas Collins; the charismatic Jonathan Frid was really the center of attention here, and the sequel suffered for his absence.