Dillinger (1973).

Review #2382: Dillinger [1973].

Cast: 

Warren Oates (John Dillinger), Ben Johnson (Melvin Purvis), Michelle Phillips (Billie Frechette), Cloris Leachman (Anna Sage), Harry Dean Stanton (Homer Van Meter), Geoffrey Lewis (Harry Pierpont), John Ryan (Charles Mackley), Richard Dreyfuss (Baby Face Nelson), Steve Kanaly (Pretty Boy Floyd), John Martino (Eddie Martin), Roy Jenson (Samuel Cowley), and Read Morgan (Big Jim Wollard) Written and Directed by John Milius (#323 - Conan the Barbarian [1982])

Review: 

"Films are always pretentious. There's nothing more pretentious than a filmmaker. You know, an egotistical filmmaker who thinks that they're doing God's gift to humanity or something – it's just entertainment. It's not really too much different than the carnies."

Sure, let's focus our attention to another writer-turned-director. John Milius loved to read and from a young age, he did his own short stories that he could "write in almost any style" (Hemingway, for example). One of his early loves was surfing (he once called it a religion of his), but he apparently was guided to film when encountering a marathon screening of the films of Akira Kurosawa.  He studied at the USC School of Cinematic Arts (as taught by Irwin Blacker) and persisted studying there even with an attempt at trying to volunteer for the Vietnam War (which did not work out due to asthma); he has stated that his writing style was guided by his favorite works in literature with Moby Dick and On the Road. Milius started writing scripts in 1968, and he soon found a job with commissions and the story department of American International Pictures. He did a few re-writes with The Devil's 8 (1968), for example. 1972 saw the release of two of his scripts into film: The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (he wanted Oates to play the lead instead of Paul Newman) and Jeremiah Johnson. He did uncredited contributions on Dirty Harry (1971) and thus wound up being the first draft writer for the sequel Magnum Force (which was radically changed). By this point, Milius wanted to be a director to have control with his scripts and thus asked AIP if he could direct a film for them, and the result was he chose to do a gangster film over other apparent choices in Blacula or Black Mama, White Mama; the result was Dillinger (1973). Over his career, Milius directed six more movies and wrote a handful of others, whether that was his efforts with the deeply personal Big Wednesday (1978) and Red Dawn (1984).

The real story of Dillinger (once described by Milius as a "pure criminal") goes as such: the Indianapolis native had done a handful of petty thefts before entering and later leaving the United States Navy. He served jailtime for nearly a decade on an assault he did in a botched robbery before becoming a more noted criminal upon his release in 1933 that would include the first of dozens of bank robberies (as done by him and his eleven known co-conspirators in his gang) that saw ten killed and plenty injured; Dillinger was charged with the murder of a cop in that time. The manhunt had agents of the Bureau of Investigation (which soon evolved into the FBI) involved such as Melvin Purvis, since one of Dillinger's crimes was stealing a car and dragging it across state lines. Dillinger was in fact shot and killed on July 22, 1934 after a tip-off. To quibble with the historical accuracy of fact meeting fiction with Dillinger can be researched for oneself (or just look at the "Historical accuracy" page on Wikipedia, I suppose^). Exploits of Dillinger proved an inspiration for various films such as Public Hero #1 (1935), Dillinger (1945; Lawrence Tierney played the title role), Young Dillinger (1965; Nick Adams played the lead), and even later on with Public Enemies (2009; Johnny Depp played the lead)*. Milius was clearly interested in making a folk tale about how people just gravitated to paying attention to a criminal as devastating as Dillinger. In fact, J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the BOI/FBI for over four decades, wrote a statement renouncing gangster films prior to his death (which is read in the credits by Paul Frees): "Dillinger was a rat that the country may consider itself fortunate to be rid of, and I don't sanction any Hollywood glamorization of these vermin. This type of romantic mendacity can only lead young people further astray than they are already, and I want no part of it." In later years, Milius considered the film to be one that is "very crude, but I do find it immensely ambitious", one in which a lack of budget meant being creative with shots and timing.** 

Sure, one might think about Bonnie and Clyde (1967) in terms of sheer audacity, but Dillinger is a movie with quite the punch in crude mayhem that does not wish to sympathize with its main focus but instead just shows the chaos and appeal that could come with a man ready to rob the time he lived in. Oates was a regular in countless Western TV shows and movies and clearly was a pro when given material to actually work with, and this is a pretty neat highlight for his timing here. He has this energy to him that grabs your attention with a certain type of charm that comes with cocksure attitude that knows who to have eating out of the palm of his hand. Johnson actually was quite older than the actual Purvis***, but he is such a pro at this that one wouldn't even think about it because he just has that understated type of charm that might as well be playing in a Western to give it his efforts. It probably works best to see him in the scene where he questions a youth about their perceptions of Dillinger when compared to the government-men chasing him that might as well be a shadow in the eyes of the public that could only have wonder at an outlaw bucking the system (at least, up to a point, this isn't Robin Hood). The rest of the cast make a relatively fine ensemble in the bits and pieces you see them when interacting with, well, the larger-than-life Oates, whether that involves the worthwhile time observing Stanton or even seeing the soon-to-be-prominent Dreyfuss. It is an interesting type of folk tale of mayhem and the nature of idols that come from the meanest and leanest of sources held together by commitment from Milius and Oates to really make it a tale worthy of the drive-in and beyond.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

^Truth vs. Fiction: The Bank-Robbing Style of Warren Oates as Dillinger » BAMF Style. Also, if you like a different insight: Experience of my famous uncle, Melvin Purvis, with Hoover's jealousy and with Nazi Hermann Göring - PMC

*Incidentally, Roger Corman's New World Pictures was behind a semi-related Dillinger film with The Lady in Red (1979). He later produced the 1995 TV "speculative fiction" movie Dillinger and Capone that had Martin Sheen as Dillinger and F. Murray Abraham as Al Capone!

** One year after the release of the film, a television movie was written by Milius (albeit co-written by William F. Nolan) called Melvin Purvis: G-Man. It had Dale Robertson play the title role in the pursuit of Machine Gun Kelly. Dan Curtis directed it along with another TV movie involving Robertson as Purvis with The Kansas City Massacre (1975), although Milius was only involved with the first of the two (and didn't even like making it).

***Purvis was born in 1903, for example. He really did have a strange life when you consider that in the three decades after he left the Bureau, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II and even rose to colonel, bought out a person to solely own a radio station, and, well, dying in 1960 by the gun that his fellow agents gave to him when he left the Bureau. Compared to Hoover, Purvis sounds like a neat person. Also, before I forget, *Academy Award winning actor* Ben Johnson.

Kiss Me Deadly.

Review #1389: Kiss Me Deadly.

Cast: 
Ralph Meeker (Mike Hammer), Albert Dekker (Dr. G.E. Soberin), Paul Stewart (Carl Evello), Juano Hernandez (Eddie Yeager), Wesley Addy (Lt. Pat Murphy), Maxine Cooper (Velda), Cloris Leachman (Christina Bailey), Gaby Rodgers (Gabrielle/Lilly Carver), Nick Dennis (Nick), Jack Lambert (Sugar Smallhouse), and Jack Elam (Charlie Max) Produced and Directed by Robert Aldrich (#105 - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and #778 - The Longest Yard, and #1014 - The Dirty Dozen)

Review: 
"The power is for the director to do what he wants to do. To achieve that he needs his own cutter, he needs his cameraman, he needs his own assistant and a strong voice in his choice of writer; a very, very strong voice on who's the actor. He needs the power not to be interfered with and the power to make the movie as he sees it."

A director can come from anywhere if their heart is set on it. The descendant of prominent family members of wealth and society, Robert Aldrich found himself with plenty of pressure to succeed in the line of other Aldriches before him, with his father being a newspaper publisher while others had served in office or in war. He attended both Yale and the University of Virginia, but he found himself at odds with his family when it came to his beliefs that were less focused on wealth and money than his family was, particularly with the advent of the New Deal in lieu of the Great Depression. He dropped out of studying economics for a chance at working at RKO Radio Pictures as a production clerk at the age of 23, which resulted in him being disinherited. From this, he would work his way up to positions higher up such as associate directing and producing to writing and directing for television (which he viewed as a crash course for directors in terms of rushed schedules). He worked for a variety of directors for a decade such as Lewis Milestone, Robert Rossen, Charlie Chaplin, and Jean Renoir, learning from their strengths and weaknesses about the fundamentals of filmmaking. In 1953, at the age of 35, Aldrich made his directorial feature debut with Big Leaguer, a low-budget baseball movie that he felt was good, but not what he wanted to express in the film medium. Aldrich found his next effort more to his interest with World for Ransom the following year, and he soon found himself hired by Burt Lancaster for two Westerns in Apache and Vera Cruz (1954), with the relative success of those films helping in him forming his own company in The Associates and Aldrich. In total, the fiercely independent and rambunctious Aldrich would direct 29 total films before his death in 1983 at the age of 65, having a rapid work pace that was equaled with his constant use of crew members like editor Michael Luciano or composer Frank De Vol for several of his films.

It probably isn't a surprise that certain types of people felt this film was a menace to juveniles in terms of delinquency, which was the case of one government commission. Of course the material the film was adapted from attracted its own kind of attention for its violent content (which led to trouble in adapting the generally cold-blooded killer detective to the screen acceptable for the standards of the time) for its hardboiled character of Mike Hammer, which Mickey Spillane featured in thirteen novels over the course of 49 years. The film was an adaptation of the novel of the same name, which was the sixth of thirteen novels (with the series continuing after the author's death in 2006). This was the second of three Spillane novels to be turned into a film in this decade (the other two being I, the Jury and My Gun is Quick). The writing for the film was done by A.I. Bezzerides, who changed the novel's adversary of Mafia gangsters while also adding the nuclear suitcase aspect (as opposed to the pursuit of certain substances in the book) along with changing the occupation of the private eye to divorce case P.I, with Bezzerides noting that he wrote the script with contempt and quickness, which apparently did not sit well with Spillane. In any case, this is a wonderful film noir, filled with plenty of intrigue and tension with a dynamite cast and execution from Aldrich and cinematographer Ernest Laszlo. Meeker leads the film with cynical conviction, a blunt instrument of macho nature that fits the film's maze of brutality. The rest of the cast follow along in varying levels of principle that range from the cleverly understated Rodgers to the hard-line authority in Addy to the careful menace of Dekker. Of note is the debut of Broadway-turned-television actress Cloris Leachman, who appears for the first couple of minutes in a key role that sticks out in panic. In any case, one finds themselves swept up in the film in its path, whether that means having our lead break a record or hurt someone's fingers or even when it comes to explaining the mysterious glowing whatsit. By the time one has spent 106 minutes with the film, you will find yourself electrified by a film that lands most of its punches with precision and paranoia that makes for an explosive climax, which has thankfully been restored in recent years (for decades, the film abruptly ended on a shot of the burning house that made it look like the lead had died looking around the house as opposed to ending on the beach). On the whole, this is a fine gem in Aldrich's body of work that stands today as a neat noir for a prime decade of thrills and paranoia for audiences to gaze upon.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Review #1289: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Cast: 
Paul Newman (Butch Cassidy), Robert Redford (the Sundance Kid), Katharine Ross (Etta Place), Strother Martin (Percy Garris), Henry Jones (Bike Salesman), Jeff Corey (Sheriff Bledsoe), George Furth (Woodcock), Cloris Leachman (Agnes), and Ted Cassidy (Harvey Logan) Directed by George Roy Hill (#962 - A Little Romance and #1178 - Slap Shot)

Review: 
It never proves to be a bad idea to do watch a Western, especially when you have a dynamite trio of actors and a capable director willing to have some fun with a genre as familiar as this one. The 1960s certainly could turn a film genre on its head a bit, as was the case with The Wild Bunch - which was a violent shocking take on the genre released the same year. Really the best representation of this film and its vision of a Western could be the scene involving the sheriff and his attempts at rounding people up to apprehend the two leads, which leads to a salesman trying to push bicycles as the new way to get around instead of horses. William Goldman was inspired by the exploits of the real-life duo of robbers in part because of the fact that they had a second act (running off to Bolivia after their pursuit by the "superposse"); he wrote it as a screenplay between 1965-66, but it initially did not receive interest in part because of the departure to South America by the characters, and numerous actors rejected being the stars such as Steve McQueen, Warren Beatty, and Jack Lemmon. In any case, adapting an Old West legend into its own little tale isn't exactly a new thing, but this is a film that is fairly clever in its approach, being good-natured with where it wants to go without pushing its audience too hard in any one direction, having a bit of fun alongside other moments that make this a worthy Western for anyone. Both Newman and Redford are fun to be around with, with the former having plenty of charm and a sense of humor, which sticks out in most scenes, such as him riding a bicycle with Ross while "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (which ended up winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song for its writers, Burt Bacharach and Hal David) plays in the background. Redford is just as dynamic when it comes to garnering a sardonic moment in a role that helped boost him to full-fledged stardom - for good reason. Ross proves interesting as well, making for a fine spark within a trio that holds the ship well. There isn't a big bad like one sees with other Westerns, but the film doesn't really need one to really drive things, where little moments with others work just as fine in giving the film something to tell an interesting yarn that doesn't need all the facts to be a capable Western. The 110 minute run-time proves alright, with its surrounding first and latter halves holding a bit more steady than its middle involving the departure to Bolivia. The action does work out pretty nicely, including one amusing moment with a train and its clerk. It stands out well with its good sense of humor and timing, a pleaser for the crowds that stands just as tall today as it did a half century ago.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Beerfest.

Review #1122: Beerfest.

Cast: 
Jay Chandrasekhar (Barry Badrinath), Kevin Heffernan (Phil "Landfill" Krundle / Gil "Landfill" Krundle), Steve Lemme (Steve "Fink" Finkelstein), Paul Soter (Jan Wolfhouse), Erik Stolhanske (Todd Wolfhouse / Young Baron Ludwig), Nat Faxon (Rolf), Will Forte (Otto), Ralf Möller (Hammacher), Mo'Nique (Cherry), Eric Christian Olsen (Gunther), Jürgen Prochnow (Baron Wolfgang von Wolfhausen), Cloris Leachman (Great Gam Gam Wolfhouse), Donald Sutherland (Johann von Wolfhaus), Blanchard Ryan (Krista Krundle), and Gunter Schlierkamp (Schlemmer) Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar (#1121 - Super Troopers)

Review: 
Beerfest is the fourth film from Broken Lizard, released two years after Club Dread (2004), with the inspiration for this movie being a chugging contest at a beer garden in Australia that the group had. Admittedly, this is a film that does have the standards of a mediocre sports movie, just piled with a bunch of gags throughout an 110 minute run-time. The main five do manage to create a fair bit of laughs, for the most part. Soter and Stolhanske serve as the leads for the bare story that accompanies the film, each doing okay with what's given. Chandrasekhar carries this character of talented pathetic nature with competence. Heffernan is fairly entertaining at times. Lemme does okay, although some of the gags with him prove a bit too obvious. Leachman provides some warmth for brief but welcome times. The other members of the cast have their moments of amusement, although nothing too particularly greatly funny. The adversaries (highlighted by Forte) do prove serviceable, silly in their toughness that can be appreciated. For me, I felt that while the first third worked fine with its setups, the other parts come off a bit sluggish, with the pacing not working particularly well with what probably could've been a shorter experience. By the time it gets to the climax with its competition, it's more of a stagger than a sprint. The competition is fine, having a fair amount of amusement (and things you'd expect) that make it fairly worth it, I suppose, and it ends neatly enough without being too forced. Thinking back to Super Troopers (which was seven minutes shorter) reminded me that while it wasn't always a consistent film to go with, it seemed to gel better with its gags and pace that seemed a bit less tiring overall. For people looking for something wild and silly, this may prove up your alley well enough, particularly if you are in the right flavor/mood for something like this. For me, I thought it was an okay venture, but it isn't consistent enough to really think of it as a clearheaded winner.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

History of the World, Part I.

Review #1120: History of the World, Part I.

Cast: 
Mel Brooks (Moses / Comicus / Torquemada / Jacques / King Louis XVI), Dom DeLuise (Emperor Nero), Madeline Kahn (Empress Nympho), Harvey Korman (Count de Monet), Cloris Leachman (Madame Defarge), Ron Carey (Swiftus), Gregory Hines (Josephus), Pamela Stephenson (Mademoiselle Rimbaud), Shecky Greene (Marcus Vindictus), Sid Caesar (Chief Caveman), Mary-Margaret Humes (Miriam), Rudy De Luca (Prehistoric Man / Captain Mucus - The Roman Empire), with Orson Welles (Narrator) Directed by Mel Brooks (#061 - Blazing Saddles, #198 - Spaceballs, #248 - Robin Hood: Men in Tights, #361 - The Producers, #364 - High Anxiety, #623 - Silent Movie, and #655 - Young Frankenstein)

Review: 
History of the World, Part I was the seventh film directed and written by Brooks, with this being an anthology film based around numerous moments in history such as the Stone Age or Rome, making fun of the epics and dramas involving sword and sandals and period costumes. It's easy to say that this is one of his weaker films, particularly when compared to his other parodies such as Blazing Saddles for Westerns or High Anxiety for suspense films. However, this film does have its moments that work despite a disjointed feel in part because of the jokes that get thrown out through its 92 minute run-time. In a sense, it is like a greasy burger (or if you're a vegetarian, a salad I suppose) at a fast-food joint: it's probably not great for you, but it will serve its purpose handy enough and it has some flavor. The film revels in its crude nature and its puns while messing around with the historical situations that it presents, with Welles providing a narration that proves effective each time he is heard on screen. Brooks does a fine job handling himself in playing multiple roles, making each one have their moments of amusement without becoming too much of a caricature. DeLuise has brief time on screen, but he certainly plays off things fine enough. Kahn proves amusing with her expressions and eccentric nature in her third and final collaboration with Brooks. Korman and Leachman also do fine in their brief time on screen. Hines, a dancer-singer in his film debut, does fairly well with his role, eliciting a fine bit of charm. The other actors do fine with what they need to do, with a few cameo appearances from actors such as Bea Arthur and Jackie Mason among others that work out fine. Of the numerous segments of the film, "The Spanish Inquisition" one, involving a song-and-dance number along with stylings of torture devices and aquatic ballet that certainly feels absurd enough for its intent, shines fairly enough. The meat of the movie comes through the segments involving Rome and France, although the former lasts a bit better with its jokes throughout its time. The other segments and bits covered do okay, although the consistency does vary. It is safe to say that this is a movie that can be hit and miss, but it will serve well for anyone in the mindset for something with shades of amusement that won't dull all the senses by the time it is finished.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Bad Santa.

Review #1030: Bad Santa.

Cast: 
Billy Bob Thornton (Willie T. Soke), Tony Cox (Marcus Skidmore), Lauren Graham (Sue), Brett Kelly (Thurman Merman), Lauren Tom (Lois Skidmore), John Ritter (Bob Chipeska), Bernie Mac (Gin Slagel), Cloris Leachman (Granny), and Octavia Spencer (Opal) Directed by Terry Zwigoff.

Review: 
Admittedly, this is a movie that is not for everyone, but then again how many Christmas films need to be cheerful? This is a movie that basks itself in being cheerful in its rudeness and cynicism, and it sure does a fine job at keeping itself together with laughs. Thornton does a pretty good job in the main role, having a crude kind of soul with this character that keeps itself consistent with the film while never springing towards any kind of force sentimentality. He reflects the movie pretty well in that if you like his performance (or get some sort of kick out of it), you'll probably find the movie pretty enjoyable as a black comedy. The film's tone may seem like a novelty for some, but it definitely has a good share of amusing moments along with some fairly amusing performances. Cox proves to be a fairly entertaining partner as well, being fairly sharp. Kelly proves to be a fairly amusing kid, with a degree of intensity that you don't really see in other movies with kids in films like these. There is just something about how he acts around Thornton that makes for some particularly good scenes. Graham and Tom each don't have too much time on screen, but they do decent jobs. Ritter (in his last live-action role) does a fine job with what it given, staid but useful. Mac is also pretty amusing in an adversarial role that serves for a few odd moments that work well. This is a film with a bunch of oddballs for characters, and it is a movie that takes the risks head on and has a ball with all of its rude but amusing moments. Naturally, there exist numerous versions of the film, with one called "Badder Santa", which has a few more scenes added to it (for a movie that was already only 91 minutes long), and a director's cut that is three minutes shorter than the original release. No matter which version one picks, I'm sure that the film will work for anybody in the mood for some dark but fairly entertaining fare, whether around the holidays or not.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

The Last Picture Show.

Review #1000: The Last Picture Show.

Cast: 
Timothy Bottoms (Sonny Crawford), Jeff Bridges (Duane Jackson), Cybill Shepherd (Jacy Farrow), Ben Johnson (Sam the Lion), Cloris Leachman (Ruth Popper), Ellen Burstyn (Lois Farrow), Eileen Brennan (Genevieve), Clu Gulager (Abilene), Sam Bottoms (Billy), Randy Quaid (Lester Marlow), Gary Brockette (Bobby Sheen), Sharon Taggart (Charlene Duggs), Barc Doyle (Joe Bob Blanton), Bill Thurman (Coach Mr. Popper), Jessie Lee Fulton (Miss Mosey), Joe Heathcock (Town Sheriff), John Hillerman (English Teacher), and Frank Marshall (Tommy Logan) Directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

Review: 
Here it is. The big one. I hope to satisfy you folks with the review of this film, which I had been longing to do for quite some time, so what better way than now? It also happens to be a film set and shot in my home state of Texas. Enjoy the show.

It sometimes feels hard to explain the benefits or the highlights of the town you live in, especially if you live in a small city. What does it have that another city doesn't have? Is there much to having civic pride? Based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry, The Last Picture Show is an interesting look into what makes up a dying little town such as this, and the characters that live in it. Bottoms and Bridges are a fairly effective duo, each having an interesting quality to them that stands out, such as Bottoms' eyes and Bridges' charm, and they both do tremendous jobs that stick out in a cavalcade of stand-out performances. Shepherd (in her debut role) does a spirited job, managing to be interesting along with alluring. Near the halfway point of the film, Johnson's character reminisces about the time spent in a prairie, and the way that he talks about old memories seem like something you could hear from someone in your neck of the woods if you gave a listen. He doesn't have too many lines (in fact he is in the film for nine minutes), but it is the way that he expresses them that makes him an enduring figure in the film, as if he was the soul of the town. Leachman also pulls a capable job, particularly during the climax. The rest of the cast stick out in their own little ways. This film was nominated for six Academy Awards, with Johnson and Leachman winning for supporting roles. These are characters worth watching because these are characters that we can see with fair honesty. They don't suddenly become comic characters for no reason, nor do they become melodramatic, and that serves to be a key highlight and something worth striving for in film today. Is it a bleak film? At times it is, but it also manages to be moving along with enduring, and Bogdanovich is the one responsible for making a movie as put together and complete as this one is.

The city's flatness and empty nature is perfectly captured by the cinematography by Robert Surtees, in part because of how he arranges the shots; the fact that it is shot in black-and-white (decided by Bogdanovich through a conversation with Orson Welles) also helps in showing this town (and its people) with a certain aesthetic that proves fitting for the movie. Everything from the music (with songs from artists such as Hank Williams) to even the clip of the "last picture show" (from the ending of Red River) is planned out in an effective manner. The film proved to be a success upon release, and a Special Edition Director's cut was released in 1992 that added seven minutes to the run-time (making it 127 minutes) that adds a bit to the film's stature. It's a coming-of-age film, but it also is an honest movie that never seems to break its mood nor its intentions. This is a movie worth watching in part because of how it captures the essence of the time it portrays along with its town that seem fresh even after over 40 years since its release.

I just wanted to give a word of thanks to any and all viewers of Movie Night over the past one thousand reviews. It has been a pleasure doing so many reviews in nearly seven years, and I will be the first to say that they have improved in quality over time - but having at least a few people read them (and share appreciation on occasion) feels nice. I do not know what is in store for the next batch of reviews, but I hope that you will enjoy them. Thank you. 

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Attached is a compilation of various celebratory landmarks over the past few years, from the 50th all the way to now. Enjoy:

Movie Night: Young Frankenstein.

Review #655: Young Frankenstein.

Cast
Gene Wilder (Frederick Frankenstein), Marty Feldman (Igor), Peter Boyle (The Monster), Teri Garr (Inga), Cloris Leachman (Frau Blücher), Madeline Kahn (Elizabeth), Kenneth Mars (Inspector Kemp), and Gene Hackman (Harold, the Blind Man) Directed by Mel Brooks (#061 - Blazing Saddles, #198 - Spaceballs, #248 - Robin Hood: Men in Tights, #361 - The Producers, #364 - High Anxiety, and #623 - Silent Movie)

Review
Yeah, I guess at this point I had to cover this movie, and I have three reasons why: The 40th Anniversary of the movie's release is coming up very soon, It's October, for Pete's (or in this case, Rob's) sake, and...It's been long overdue. Seriously, I should've reviewed this last year, but I just forgot (Of course last October I reviewed 20 films in 31 days, but who's counting?), so I am now rectifying a mistake (Though I know I will undoubtedly make another mistake in the future). The movie is a wonderful parody of the classic Universal Horror films, especially Frankenstein (#072), right down to the black and white shooting. In fact, Kenneth Strickfaden, who made the electrical equipment for the lab scenes for the Universal films (and still had it with him), let them use the equipment for this film, which is highlighted by his name on the credits. But let's get to the part of the review where I just say the movie's really funny because that is the next part, isn't it? Every major actor in this movie has or is involved in a funny scene, especially Marty Feldman (What hump?), who is just so fun to watch move around and gaze upon. I especially like Peter Boyle in this film because his movements and way of speaking as the Monster (especially while singing "Puttin' on the Ritz") is just so charming. The movie flows really well and never misses a beat when it comes to being funny, it has so much atmosphere and so much charm, and that is just perfect for October, or for any month in particular. I urge anyone, if not everyone to go see it, you just have to look.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Beavis and Butt-head Do America.

Review #570: Beavis and Butt-head Do America.

Cast
Mike Judge (Beavis, Butt-head, Tom Anderson, Principal McVicker, and Mr. Van Driessen), Demi Moore (Dallas Grimes), Bruce Willis (Muddy Grimes), Robert Stack (ATF Agent Flemming), Cloris Leachman (Old woman), Richard Linklater (Tour bus driver), Dale Reeves (President Bill Clinton), and Greg Kinnear (ATF Agent Bork) Directed by Mike Judge.

Review
To be honest, I never really watched this show (Of course not being alive when this show first aired helps), and while I know about the two characters, I watched this in the morning with a mostly open mind. It should be noted that following Gone with the Wind is a tough challenge, but at least this didn't last over 3 hours. So how is the film? For all of its weirdness, the movie is pretty funny. This is a rambunctious, wild, and out of control movie that is perfect for these two (no point in lying) dummies. The cast is enjoyable, all of the randomness and bizarre nature make for a movie with much enjoyment. The animation is silly but fun to watch, even during the hallucination sequence, which is as random as it gets. You want a movie that sums up the 1990s? This is for you.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: High Anxiety.

Review #364: High Anxiety.

Cast
Mel Brooks (Richard Thorndyke), Madeline Kahn (Victoria Brisbane), Ron Carey (Brophy), Cloris Leachman (Nurse Diesel), Harvey Korman (Dr. Montague), Howard Morris (Professor Lilloman), Albert Whitlock (Arthur Brisbane), and Rudy De Luca (Braces) Directed by Mel Brooks (#061 - Blazing Saddles, #198 - Spaceballs, #248 - Robin Hood: Men In Tights, #361 - The Producers)

Review
Mel Brooks keeps popping up here, and this is the fifth review reviewing a film directed by him (sixth with him, #087 - Robots), and the track record of his films are fine, ranging from a 7 to a 10, so could this keep the track record going? Yeah, pretty much. The film is a parody of suspense films by Alfred Hitchcock (most notably Vertigo), and the parody for the most part works out well. It doesn't shred Hitchcock (in fact, Hitchcock gave Brooks some wine after the film was released), it instead embraces it, and yet still has some good gags. Brooks is alright, not a bad lead. Kahn and Carey are okay, but what I find the best are Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman, who do a fine job (being the villains, spoilers, but yeah.), and make this worthwhile. Admittedly some of the jokes don't hold up as well, but at least I had some fun while watching. Trust me when I say this, this won't be the last time a Mel Brooks film will be reviewed here. While this film isn't as good as say, Blazing Saddles or The Producers, it is at least a decent Mel Brooks film, and that's usually enough.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.