The movie The Skeptic movie got horrible, terrible reviews when it was released.
I’ll take a bunch of teenagers terrorized by chain-saw-wielding zombies any day – New York Times
Old-fashioned in the worst sense, Bardwell’s ghost story is heavy on Freud, light on fear – Los Angeles Times
You know you’re in trouble when the most appealing element your film is Tom Arnold. – PopMatters
I think the problem is that they didn’t watch this movie alone with all the lights off in an apartment that has had its share of weird bumps in the night.
Tim Daly plays a guy whose estranged aunt dies and leaves him her house, where he deceides to spend a couple weeks to get away from his clingy wife who wants to see him cry. (Side note: Tim Daly is best known for being the voice of Superman in the latest animated version. His voice is so handsome, it made it a little hard to concentrate on the character.)
The creepiness starts right away as he hears whispers, sees images of a strange woman and hears the sound of someone falling down a flight of stairs. The film reminded me a lot of The Haunting, except The Haunting’s main character wasn’t a total prick who has a great wine celler. Like The Haunting the house is the main character.
Overall, I found The Skeptic completely engaging and really don’t know why there were so many horrible reviews against it… It has an 8% on the Rotten Tomatoes site. That’s only slightly above the Larry The Cable Guy movie. Even the user reviewers panned it and really hated the ending… not to give it away but I found it actually scary and touching. So go figure… don’t watching this with anyone because you probably are going to be mocked for your choices… just chalk this up to a guilty, ghosty pleasure.
Poseidon’s Underground did one of their fascinating posts about an obscure movie… Anyone ever see it? Michael Douglas, Jack Warner, Brenda Vaccaro, screenplay by Rod McKuen (sort of) and directed by Anthony Newley! Crazy
Here are the first eight minutes of The Adding Machine (1969). With Phyllis Diller in a serious (surreal) role.
THE ADDING MACHINE (1969)
Pulitzer Prize winning author Elmer Rice’s 1923 play (here brought to film some 45 years later) is a funny and slightly nightmarish look at advancing technology and its effect on human relationships. The play chronicles the life of Zero, a hapless cog spinning aimlessly in the corporate world, who, after 25 years of service, is replaced by a machine.
Fearmakers (1958) is the second collaboration between Jacques Tourneur and actor Dana Andrews. The first being the great horror classic Curse of the Demon. Fearmakers takes on another demon from 1958, another unseen menace: Communism! And eerily portends the state of American politics today.
The plot in a nutshell, is that Andrews is a POW coming back to work at the PR company he founded, only to find that its just crawling with communists! In fact, everyone that dear Dana meets is a Communist. From the blathering old man on the plane, to a blousey blond running the boarding house, even a nerdy Mel Torme, are all trying to push the communist agendas and destroy America from within.
A Commie nuclear physicist nearly bores Dana Andrews to death
The movie is pretty campy. It looks and feels like a long television episode of a 50’s drama, i.e, Perry Mason. Dana Andrews barely registers an emotion on his face; and his voice is a long drone, to the point where viewers joining me for this Sunday night noir where dozing off for the first half.
If you can’t trust this floozy, who can you trust?
However, the theme of the movie is amazingly timely; almost frighteningly so… The message is heavy handed, delivered in long, long speeches. (The plane ride with the old man clocks in at 7 minutes, lunch with a senator nearly ten!) We, the audience, are warned over and over, that if the same methods that are used to sell soda and cigarettes are used to sell politicians than the American way is doomed. Especially if “the Communists” start putting out false information to change the public minds about political candidates.
Mel tries to see through his coke bottle glasses
As Dana Andrew’s character says, “Most people from main street to Madison avenue will go with the majority…” Is this Karl Rove’s favorite movie? The character of the senator warns about ‘professionally packaged groups lobbying congress with big money behind them to change the laws and distorting the voice of the people’. The Communists are trying to get the U.S to stop making nuclear bombs so they will become a weak nation, so that North Korea can take us over… or something like that.
Fearmakers is not a good film by any means, but I’d highly recommend it for its camp moments and historical value. It feels like filmmaker Jacques Tourneur was trying to warn us about the culture of the media/public relations today. If you tell people a lie enough times they’ll believe it, get enough people to believe it then you have everyone else going along with the majority. Trust no one… not even Mel Torme!
Growing up in Chicago in the 70’s, we were blessed with having some of the best local television stations in the country. At the top of the list was WGN; Cubs baseball, classic television shows, and lots and lots of movies. Every Sunday morning, if there wasn’t a baseball game, there were movies from 11 AM until 3. 11:00 – Charlie Chan. 1:00 – A comedy. Mostly Abbott and Costello movies. I don’t think I missed one. I can’t even say that I was a fan, but they were always on; I took them for granted.
That’s why I was surprised to run across one of their movies that I’d never heard of, The Noose Hangs High. An awkward title for an independently produced feature they did in 1947. So independent that Lou Costello’s mother was one of the producers!
I won’t go into details of the plot because it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is if you are going to watch one A&C film, this would be the one I would show people. They pulled out all of their old comedy routines for this film. Word confusion, getting dressed then undressed, and best of all ‘the Mustard sketch’.
Lou Costello, yet another man/child character, is funny, but the marvel when I saw this scene is Bud Abbott. Groucho Marx called him the best straight man that there ever was… and it’s true. He makes nonsense sound logical.
The full movie can also be watched on Hulu.com. But with commercials.
Not really a group watch movie, but it sure was nice to see the boys again.
Several years ago when Netflix started streaming some of their content via the Internet I would occasionally. It was only available to me on my computer and sitting in my office chair watching a movie seemed uncomfortable and awkward. Then about a year ago, I purchased a Roku which allowed instant viewing of the Netflix library through my projector system and to my television. Also at this same time, Netflix started adding the mother load of movies. Things that haven’t seen the light of day in decades, movies that had never nor would ever have a chance of being released on DVD.
There are so many movies that are on there now that I thought it might be helpful to start sorting through them for future group movie nights. Some are truly buried treasures, and some should have remained buried.
Last night I came upon something that I thought I’d never see… a Jerry Lewis movie I’d never heard of: It’s Only Money.
Combining two of my guilty pleasures, Film Noir and Jerry Lewis! Even though I completely see why people would hate Jerry Lewis, his boy/man character, Borscht Belt humor, gags that are so predictable you can see them coming a mile away… But he stil makes me laugh; especially his work with the wonderful director Frank Tashlin. Tashlin was an animator before a director and this film in particular brings the exaggerated styling of a Warner Brothers cartoon to life. Mix that with some dark and stunning cinematography, some brilliant characters like Jack Weston, Jessie White and Mae (Olive Oil) Questel, and you have a classic comedy that seems to have slipped through the cracks.
(One odd moment was that although I didn’t remember anything about this film; I did recall the horrifying lawnmowers featured in the climax. Monstrous machines with large grinding teeth that chase everyone around. I remembered the feeling of being terrified of them; but nothing else about the film. The lawnmowers are out a Stephen King novel. And made me wonder if he recalled them when he wrote his short story, The Mangler about a killer machine.)
Granted this film might not be for a group if you have people who hate Lewis, because Jerry is as Jerry as you can get. I gave up counting the number of times he did his ‘Hey Lady’ routine or made his Jerry-Lewis-being-funny face. But if you grew up with these slightly innocent romps they don’t disappoint.
A Chicago Mom gives her reviews of this summer’s kids movies.
I hate this summer. I have never been good with heat, I still lack central air, and in this period of 30-plus 90-degree days (usual yearly average: 17 days: hello, global warming), I have been taking a lot of refuge in the air-cooled movie theater. Since I have small children with me, that means I have cornered the market on anything remotely family friendly. If it wasn’t drawn or computer-generated by someone, I probably didn’t see it. Since I don’t want to feel like this summer was a total waste, and because some of you parents may benefit from my advice (see headline), here are my thumbnail reviews of this summer’s bumper crop of kid films:
When picking movies for people to see I always try to go with something fast paced, with lots of good lines that people can remember afterwards, and at least one gasp worthy moment. Detour, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer in 1945 hits the mark every time. This film has floated around in the public domain for years. You can see it for free on YouTube, pick it up at the local dollar store, or stumble across a dusty VHS at any garage sale. It’s one of those movies that once you’ve seen it you’ll never forget it.
It’s the quintessential Film Noir, with economical cinematography, dark shadows, impressionistic set pieces, and a story of a man caught up in situations that drive him deeper and deeper into a web of lies that he can never get out. As he says: Yes. Fate, or some mysterious force, can put the finger on you or me for no good
reason at all.
Tom Neal plays Al, the down on his luck piano player who tries to hitchhike across the country to see his girl. Ann Savage, plays the pick-up whose seen it all and who is looking for the quick way out of her terrible life. “Life’s like a ball game. You gotta take a swing at whatever comes along before you find it’s the ninth inning.”
Detour is one of the quickest 68 minutes that I’ve ever seen. Like its name it starts out on the straight and narrow like a B-movie romance and quickly turns off into a dangerous side road filled with twists, turns and a lot of bumps. Add to the film’s history that Tom Neal ended up shooting his own wife in the head, and his son played the same role in a 1992 remake, and you have a true Noir classic that defines the genre.
“What’d you do, kiss him with a wrench?”
In addition, the extreme close-ups, and odd angles of the film look fantastic when projected. Just try to find a good copy. I recommend the Alpha Video version. It seems to be the most complete.
Detour is the perfect 2nd feature for any movie night.
For a film lover this is a must see. Filmmaker Virgil Widrich spent years compiling and copying famous movie scenes to paper, where they were then cut, spindled and mutilated to create a bizarre chase scene of epic proportions.
I’ve seen this short 14 minute film about ten times, and I’m always finding something new in it. It is the perfect blend of Bond, Hitchcock and classic suspense. Enjoy.
Recently I wrote about a great double feature movie night when I showed Night of the Lepus and The Thing with Two Heads. However, there is a flip side to being a host of a movie night; when everything you’ve planned somehow turns out to be the wrong decision.
I had one of these nights a few years ago. It all started when a friend of mine, the famous Cynthia Plaster Caster, was asked by Tribeca Films to be a ‘Style Setter.” This is an ingenious idea where they find people in major cities who are either well known or well connected and they give them advance copies of an upcoming film; they are then expected to have a party where the film is shown, guests are asked to post comments on their social media pages, take photos of the festivities at the home screenings, thereby generating a buzz for people to see the film. Cynthia asked me if we could use my home living theatre to have a screening of the film “The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia.”
The word from people who had seen the film at art house screenings was that it was hysterical. It’s a documentary about an Appalachian family related to the famous mountain dancer Jesco White, the star of the short film “The Dancing Outlaw.” I’ve seen that short film and it is very funny. Jesco, in-between fighting with his wife outside their trailer, dances on pieces of wood, drinks moonshine. But he is dedicated to a rare and unique form of dancing that was born and has been passed down through generations in the White family.
Cynthia had her list of people who she wanted to come see the film, some of which had never been to a video night at my house. One of the guests was bringing her sister whom we were all warned was very uptight and conservative. We all needed to be on our best behavior, no talking about sex, try not to swear, etc. Already it was going to be a stress filled evening.
I usually show two films when it’s a Saturday night, plus a couple people were coming later so I thought something to fill an hour or so would be good. Recently, my friend Dan gave me for my birthday a copy of Connie Steven’s 1974 TV movie The Sex Symbol. In it Connie plays a thinly disguised Marilyn Monroe. Rumor has it that she was so proud of this performance that she tried to get it submitted as a contender for an Academy Award. Connie tears the scenery to bits as she stumbles around drunk, sleeps with man after man; all the while Shelley Winters as a thinly disgusted Luella Parsons trashes her on her TV show. I’d only watched the first ten minutes of the movie and it was non-stop camp. I thought, this is going to be perfect. Plus, I had been having a series of TV movie nights, all of which were pretty successful. The TV movie is its own style of filmmaking and it lends itself to group watching.
People arrived, drinks flowed. I got the first group of people to settle down and I started by showing a vintage Soundee, called Satan Is a Woman.
I love this song with it’s over the top male baritone singing about the woman who did him wrong, but for some reason no one else thought it was anything special. After it was over, dead silence. I can’t remember what I put on after that, but it equally fell flat on the floor where people poked at it with their shoes. You’re batting a thousand with these clips…” was one comment.
I thought I better get the first feature on. So I started “The Sex Symbol.” The first ten minutes were great. Connie throws a screaming tantrum, her assistant calls her a drunk and a vodka bottle gets thrown through Shelley Winters’ image on the TV. The famous composer Francis Lai (A Man and a Woman, Love Story) wrote the theme which actually gives the beginning the feel of a big budget movie, however the overall quality of the production is up there with a Marshall Owen, Counselor at Law episode.
Everyone was engaged as Connie (aka, faux Marilyn) sleeps her way up the celebrity ladder. However, after a half hour it really started to drag like a Ford Pinto trying to get up a hill hauling a trailer full of bowling balls. I looked over at the timer on the DVD player and it was at 40 minutes. Usually TV movies time out around 72 minutes. ‘This opus couldn’t possibility be over in a half hour…” I thought. Connie was just rolling around on bed after bed, spilling vodka all over the silk sheets and (gasp) showing her breasts. Yikes, and the uptight sister that we all supposed to be on our best behavior for was sitting front and center. Then it dawned on me; this wasn’t the TV movie but the theatrical version Connie was trying to get into the running for the Academy Awards. Running Time 120 minutes! We brave souls trudged on but the rumblings started to get louder and louder… Finally, when I went to the kitchen to fortify myself with another glass of wine, Paul and Chris followed me in there and cornered me. “ You’ve got to shut this movie off… everyone wants The Wild Whites…!” “I know, but Cynthia made me promise to wait for a couple people…” I said trying to save face. I knew this was a disaster. I went in to the room and said, ‘…there’s been a consensus to shut this off…” Many signs of relief, but a couple people said, ‘Oh, I want to see the whole thing…’ This movie might have been good with a couple people who really wanted to see Connie try really, really hard to be a dramatic actress, but everyone else was bored silly.
Even though some of the special guests hadn’t arrived I started the “TheWild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia.” Now it was time for some wacky hysterical, hillbilly hilarity. Bring on the drunks! I was looking forward to seeing some real domestic screaming from the White family. And we did… and then some.
The family is a mess: drug addicts, incest, broken homes, a meth making grandmother doing smack in her rocking chair. Their casual talk about robbing grocery stores and doing drugs starts out as amusing in that gonzo sort of way. The thing was as this movie went on it became less and less funny; it was just really sad. One of my guests got up after a few minutes and apologized because she had to leave. She explained her brother had so many of the similar drug problems she didn’t think it was funny and she didn’t want to watch it. “Usually I show fun movies. Come back again…” I said.
Each one of the Whites goes deeper down the hole of despair. This wasn’t your parents Beverly Hillbillies, these people had generational issues of poverty and substance abuse that were killing them one by one and destroying he people around them. Hysterical right… I longed for Connie rolling around on the silk sheets again.
That’s not saying that the documentary wasn’t well made and fascinating, but the subject matter was so bleak and depressing, but it was advertised as a ‘crazy’ wild romp from the producers of “Jackass”; people living on the edge. Woo-hoo cool. I felt like I wanted to take a shower right afterwards. I guess I wasn’t cut out to be a Trend Setter. Because I didn’t have much to say about it afterwards; I felt a little embarrassed that I hadn’t known how intense the documentary was going to be. Everyone left soon after the film was over. Although some people were enthusiastic about the film making, overall it was a soul crushing downer of an evening.
So lesson learned: Always watch or at least preview your movies beforehand.
In the last couple weeks we’ve lost three of the best character actors: Ernest Borgnine, Andy Griffith and now Celeste Holm. Ironically, Ernest and Celeste were both 95.
Celeste Holm was one of those actresses that lit up the screen when ever she appeared. She was the archetypal best friend or favorite aunt. Never the leading lady, but what would All About Eve have been without Celeste’s witty and touching performance? She held her own with being a buddy to Frank Sinatra in High Society, and was the voice of reason in Gentlemen’s Agreement (for which she won an Academy Award). Actresses like her are few and far between.
Growing up in the 60’s I knew her best for playing Cinderella‘s fairy godmother. It was probably the first color program I recall seeing and most likely my first organized group viewing. I remember the excitement of going to my Uncle Jim and Aunt Tootie’s house to watch it with my sister and cousins on their Spanish Modern design twenty-five inch console (of which my parents soon bought one that was more elaborate, so as not to be outdone). Sitting on the pea green colored, stain resistant carpet, I watched Celeste sing,
“But the world is full of zanies and fools who don’t believe in sensible rules and won’t believe what sensible people say…and because these daft and dewey eyed dopes keep building up impossible hopes impossible things are happening every day!” I wanted her to be my fairy godmother.
Celeste Holm in Cinderella
Through the years she was always popping up like an old friend on my favorite shows, “Colombo“, “Fantasy Island“, “The Love Boat“. A few years ago I saw one of her last movies, “Still Breathing” which is a lovely indie romance story. She plays Brandon Fraser’s wise old grandmother telling him to listen to his heart to find his true love. A lovely later role. I highly suggest seeing her in it.
Miss Holm lived a full and rich life and leaves behind a fine and varied body of work. I think it’s less sad that she passed away, but it’s as if with her passing the last of the old Hollywood is finally sinking into the sunset.
I’d like to remember her this way, as she is on What’s My Line. You can see why she stole the show every night in Oklahoma. She’s funny, playful and everyone’s best friend.
One of the best film group nights I had was several years ago when I first got my projection system. The odd thing about showing movies to large groups is that you have to hit a middle ground that everyone can somehow relate too. I’ve had movie nights where I’d shown classic movies that are on the AFC Best Movies Lists and they were received with just tepid responses. Recently, at an outdoor movie night I showed The Thin Man. A movie that I’d not seen recently, but remembered liking at a revival showing. It wasn’t a total bomb, but by the middle of the film people were restless, constantly getting up to change seats, getting drinks, a ten-year old gave up half way through to go to sleep in the house, and another attendee told me afterwards, “You know, no matter how many times I see that movie I’ve no idea what the hell is going on…”
This was not the case with my double feature of The Night of Lepus and The Thing With Two Heads. The Night of the Lepus was an early 70’s MGM Horror movie starring Janet Leigh and Stewart Whitman. Remember the horror of the giant bug movies of the 50’s, such as Them or Tarantula? Now think of one of those movies, except with bunnies!
Director William F. Claxton was mainly a television director, so maybe that’s why this film has the feel of a TV movie. It’s quick and snappy and totally ridiculous.
The 2nd feature of the evening, The Thing With Two Heads is a what my mother would have called ‘a hoot’.
Directed by one of the most talented exploitation cinema directors, Lee Front, The Thing with Two Heads has Oscar-winning actor Ray Milland as a bigoted millionaire who has his head grafted on the body of a death row inmate played by NFL star Rosie Grier. This movie is what I like to call a camptacular. It has everything; 70’s blaxploitation meets Sci-Fi, over the top acting by Milland, and a message of why-can’t-we-all-get-along. The film rolls like a runaway train that has jumped the tracks. It really isn’t going anywhere, but you can’t take your eyes off of it because you want to see the crash. And it’s extremely fun!
So the next time you are having a movie night and trying to decide between How Green Was My Valley and The Maltese Falcon, why not try these instead?
It’s sad to report that Emi Ito has died at the age of 71. Her and her twin sister were the singing group The Peanuts. Better known to American audiences as the fairies called Shobijin who wake up Mothra in the 1964 camp classic.
Mothra vs. Godzilla.
The twins unique sound relied on their blending of their almost identical voices into a wall of vocal sound.
Fame from the Godzilla films gave them a chance to show off their talents on the Ed Sullivan Show. They retired from performing in 1974.
In honor of one of the most unsung actors. Although he was mostly known for his television work. His 1957 role is one that I wish more people would see. A devastating portrait of a man consumed by fame and his huge ego.
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