How to Make a Monster (1958).

Review #2274: How to Make a Monster.

Cast: 

Robert H. Harris (Pete Dumond), Gary Conway (Tony Mantell / the Teenage Frankenstein), Gary Clarke (Larry Drake / the Teenage Werewolf), Paul Brinegar (Rivero), Malcolm Atterbury (Security Guard Richards), Dennis Cross (Security Guard Monahan), Morris Ankrum (Police Capt. Hancock), Walter Reed (Detective Thompson), and Paul Maxwell (Jeffrey Clayton) Directed by Herbert L. Strock (#2097 - Blood of Dracula and #2098 - I Was a Teenage Frankenstein)

Review: 

It is pretty interesting to get to a film that is technically related to other movies. 1957 had seen the release of a handful of features dedicated to teenagers and monsters. It started with I Was a Teenage Werewolf, which came out in the summer before the release of I Was a Teenage Frankenstein and Blood of Dracula as a double feature in November 1957. Each one saw a teen turned into a monster due to the efforts of adults for some sort of weird purpose. Now, with this film (released in July of 1958) we have another film about monsters and nefarious purposes as directed by Herbert L. Strock, who had directed two of those aforementioned films. As was before with the other films, the screenplay was written by Herman Cohen and Aben Kandel while Cohen served as a producer. Supposedly, as claimed by Ed Wood, the film was a rip-off of a script he had sent to AIP (involving a killer actor), although the idea of Wood crying foul at a rip-off of his stuff is actually amusing to me. Strock would direct just three more features after this one, spending most of his time doing television along with editing and producing. The last couple of minutes, as one might have already seen from promotional stuff, does show some masks in color (the same trick as done in I Was a Teenage Frankenstein), which were designed by Paul Blaisdell for previous films such as It Conquered the World (1956), Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957), and The She-Creature (1956). Conway, who had played the title threat in the Frankenstein film, is the one other link to the films here, as done by American International Pictures.

Really this is just a backstage murder procedural that happens to have a lead-in that you'll get to see a few masks. One wonders just if Jack Pierce came to mind when it comes to the script or the performance of Harris for an underappreciated effects man as the lead character. It is the kind of movie that has a clear appreciation for cheap horror and the people who obsessed over the craft. It is amusing to see a justification of John Ashley (a sometimes regular at AIP) do a song as part of "the times changing", because AIP ended up doing their own music-themed films to go with chasing other trends. Anyway, here's a movie involving special makeup cream that can leave one to the power of suggestion while people are dressed up and you have a guy calling his masks his "children". Honestly, I dug it, particularly from Harris, who seems to be having quite the time in fruitful obsession that believes going from fired to murder is totally normal, and he sure sells that nuttiness on point. It is the portrait of a man in delusion of the starkest kind: their craft. Conway and Clarke might not get much to do beside be in makeup, but they make worthy puppets to sell the idea of being ready for suggestion. It is a bit funny to see the ones who get wrapped up as targets for the monsters, because one of them gets the boot mostly because they are too savvy in crime cliches. Trhe climax works out well for those who like to gawk for curiosity at masks and silly souped-up resolutions (the AIP way). In general, this is about on par for decent AIP entertainment in giving you what you expect: silly young folks, a few decent makeup shots, and a neat little climax. It exceeds those "Teenage" films on the basis of having the commitment to have a lead performance worth writing more than two bits about for solid average fare. 

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Thunderbirds Are Go.

Review #1118: Thunderbirds Are Go.

Cast: 
Sylvia Anderson (Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward), Ray Barrett (John Tracy / The Hood), Alexander Davion (Space Captain Greg Martin), Peter Dyneley (Jeff Tracy), Christine Finn (Tin-Tin Kyrano), David Graham (Gordon Tracy / Brains / Parker), Paul Maxwell (Captain Paul Travers), Neil McCallum (Dr. Ray Pierce), Bob Monkhouse (Space Navigator Brad Newman / Swinging Star Compere), Shane Rimmer (Scott Tracy), Bud Tingwell (Dr. Tony Grant / Angry Young Man / Public Relations Officer), Jeremy Wilkin (Virgil Tracy / Space Exploration Center President), and Matt Zimmerman (Alan Tracy / Messenger), with Cliff Richard and The Shadows (Themselves) Directed by David Lane (#512 - Thunderbird 6)

Review: 
Nearly five years ago, I encountered Thunderbird 6, the second of two movies based on the series. At the time, I did the film on a lark - with strange results. Needless to say, it was not a film that I had too much enjoyment with, although finding it at a store for $1.86 made it somewhat worth it. I never thought I would encounter Thunderbirds Are Go, the first film based on the series - and yet here we are, so I am obligated to close the loop, even if my experience with the show is nonexistent. Hopefully this review will still prove satisfactory to the standards I try to hold regardless of such fact.

Thunderbirds was a British science-fiction series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson that went from 1964 to 1966, with 32 episodes produced and distributed by ITC Entertainment during that span, each lasting 50 minutes. It was made in Supermarionation, which is a blend of the words "super", "marionette" and "animation", with this process having been used before by the Andersons in prior shows such as Four Feather Falls (1960) and used in later shows such as Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967). This film was released on December 12, 1966, thirteen days before the last episode of the series; the show ended production due to attempts at selling the show for American networks by show financier Lew Grade failing, which meant that the second series had only aired six episodes by its end, in contrast to the 26 aired in the first series. In any case, both films made off the show were not financial successes, although I can't say that either film is too terrible to watch. I also will say that neither are particularly "good" films, but I can see the appeal.

Perhaps it is my unfamiliarity with the show that hinders my ability to view the movie through its lens, but it's not like I had that problem with other films based off television shows such as the Star Trek films or Maverick (1994). Perhaps this material works best as a show than a movie. The special effects pieces are done under the supervision of Derek Meddings, who would later do special effects work on films such as the first three Superman films and numerous James Bond films such as Live and Let Die. The effects are certainly interesting to look at times, with the destruction moments holding up for the most part. While I can appreciate the ingenuity it takes to make everything work at times, I feel that the movie suffers from pacing and inconsistency in excitement. The dialogue isn't terrible by any means, but it feels very standard and not as inviting as you would probably expect for an adventure like this, having a dryness that never really kicks into full gear. The actors do fine in delivering the expository nature of the dialogue, but no one besides Anderson really stands out. She has a fair bit of charm to her that sticks out fairly well any time she is on screen. The movie lingers between mild feelings of excitement and boredom, with the strangest moment being a dream sequence involving Cliff Richard and The Shadows. It's a ridiculous moment that is too silly to work on any level, but it sure inspires laughs even if it has no real importance. The film runs at 93 minutes, but the pacing can make it feel longer, particularly when focusing on model sequences. The climax is fine for what it is, and there isn't anything that will prove terrible for kids, but on the whole I can't say that this is something that works for me. It has a look that is fine at times, but it can't quite fulfill all of its expectations.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.