Movie Night: Angels in the Outfield (1994).

Review #566: Angels in the Outfield (1994).

Cast
Danny Glover (George Knox), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Roger Bomman), Christopher Lloyd (Al "The Boss" Angel), Tony Danza (Mel Clark), Ben Johnson (Hank Murphy), Brenda Fricker (Maggie Nelson), Jay O. Sanders (Ranch Wilder), Milton Davis Jr. (J.P.), Taylor Negron (David Montagne), Tony Longo (Triscuitt Messmer), Neal McDonough (Whitt Bass), Stoney Jackson (Ray Mitchell), Adrien Brody (Danny Hemmerling), Tim Conlon (Wally), and Matthew McConaughey (Ben Williams) Directed by William Dear.

Review
In honor of Opening Day, I decided to review this movie because...it was easy to find. Of all the teams that deserve to win a pennant, the Angels (Known as the California Angels in this movie, then the Anaheim Angels, now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. And they say sports is always logical) were probably not high up on the list (Do the word Chicago Cubs come to mind?) to win one. This is a remake of the 1951 classic, and the first big change is the focus on the kids rather then the manager of the hapless team, which I guess makes it not just a copy of the original. The movie focuses more on...depressing "child drama", which I guess makes it more 90's. But it makes it less about baseball, and more of a boring drama that probably felt sappy in the 90's, which makes you want to yell "Get on with it!", over and over. At least you get some nice shots of Angels Stadium, with the Big A sign and all.

I find it funny that this was released in 1994, the year with the infamous baseball strike (Vive Le' Expos!), and canceled the playoffs. Talking about this movie is sort of boring when baseball is in the air, real baseball (though having an Opening Series, then an Opening Night before Opening Day is sort of annoying), with real meaning. The cast are sometimes entertaining (I wish Glover would get more screen time), Levitt is effective in portraying...a kid, I suppose. It's not too hard to do that (Unless you're Jake Lloyd), and Davis Jr pairs off well with Levitt. Lloyd isn't bad, but if you blink long enough, you'll forget he's there. The baseball action isn't bad (the effects are fine for the time, as I barely noticed this was made only 20 years ago), but this is a mediocre movie that is only notable because of all the rising stars in this movie (McConaughey, Levitt, and Brody), and for being a remake. I hope you have a fun Opening Day, no matter how the team(s) you root for do tonight.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Zardoz.

Review #565: Zardoz.

Cast
Sean Connery (Zed), Charlotte Rampling (Consuella), Sara Kestelman (May), John Alderton (Friend), Sally Anne Newton (Avalow), and Niall Buggy (Arthur Frayn / Zardoz) Directed by John Boorman.

Review
...This is a hard movie to grade. This is also a hard movie to not make fun of. Is this a movie with a inventive premise, an incomprehensible plot, or just a dated movie that while unique, is really silly? The answer could be either one of the options, all of the options, or even none. Sean Connery is decent, though the same can't be said for his costume, which exceeds uniqueness and branches into hilarious territory. The absurd nature of this movie manages to overrun the plot, for better or for worse. Keeping an open mind would help in order to watch this movie, but much like writing notes on a notepad for this movie, it doesn't really help all that much. The set designs look nice, it certainly showcases itself well, and it is fun to look at. It may be- Sorry, is a weird film, but it works if you're looking for something to think about late at night, whether for the plot or just what led Boorman to making this. The rating given for this movie came after a short period of deliberation (which involved debating over whether to give it a 7 or 5 stars), so I settled on a middle ground that shows one more thing: It can regarded as a decent experiment gone mostly right...or a middling disaster. Take this movie under consideration...with a grain of salt.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Starsky & Hutch.

Review #564: Starsky & Hutch.

Cast
Ben Stiller (David Starsky), Owen Wilson (Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson), Vince Vaughn (Reese Feldman), Snoop Dogg (Huggy Bear Brown), Jason Bateman (Kevin Jutsum), Fred Williamson (Captain Doby), Will Ferrell (Big Earl), Amy Smart (Holly Monk), Carmen Electra (Stacey Haack), and Juliette Lewis (Kitty) Directed by Todd Phillips.

Review
This is a hard movie to rate, the movie does have its moments of highlights, but other times, the movie just falls flat. Stiller and Wilson are at best an okay duo, the movie works best in the first half because by the time the movie ends, it's already worn out its welcome. Vaughn is an okay villain, he doesn't really make much of an impression, but it could've been much more forgettable. I'm actually surprised the original Starsky and Hutch (David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser) made cameos, it doesn't help or hurt the movie, but it is noteworthy. The best character in this movie is played by Snoop Dogg. Why? While his character doesn't have too much screen time, he generates laughs and is a pretty fun guy to watch. The movie isn't awful but it doesn't really rise above mediocrity. It's probably best to rent the movie and make your own conclusions, but it could be worse.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Sugarland Express.

Review #563: The Sugarland Express.

Cast
Goldie Hawn (Lou Jean Poplin), Ben Johnson (Captain Harlin Tanner), Michael Sacks (Patrolman Maxwell Slide), William Atherton (Clovis Michael Poplin), Gregory Walcott (Patrolman Ernie Mashburn), Steve Kanaly (Patrolman Jessup), and Louise Latham (Mrs. Looby) Directed by Steven Spielberg (#126 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind, #168 - Raiders of the Lost Ark, #169 - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, #170 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, #302 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, #351 - Schindler's List, #480 - Jaws)

Review
The Sugarland Express was Spielberg's first feature length movie (Duel was a television movie later released to theaters), he also wrote the story to the movie that is based off the true story of Ila Fae Holiday, filmed in Sugarland, and other locations in Texas. Goldie Hawn does a wonderful performance, entertaining to watch, especially when paired with William Atherton, who is interesting to watch. The movie is not as entertaining as Spielberg's other films, but it is at least interesting enough to check out. The movie is shot well, and it is reasonably paced in the beginning, but it almost sputters near the end, it's hard to explain, maybe it's when the trio go through the parade of citizens, it just feels forced. Whatever the case, the movie has its moments, such as the couple who are stranded on the road the whole movie, which is a good chuckle. Check this one out if you want to start watching Spielberg. Or Amblin'.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: It Happens Every Spring.

Review #562: It Happens Every Spring.

Cast
Ray Milland (Vernon K. Simpson/King Kelly), Jean Peters (Deborah Greenleaf), Paul Douglas (Monk Lanigan), Ed Begley (Edgar Stone), Ted de Corsia (Jimmy Dolan), Ray Collins (Prof. Greenleaf), Jessie Royce Landis (Mrs. Greenleaf), and Alan Hale Jr. (Schmidt) Directed by Lloyd Bacon

Review
It Happens Every Spring was made without the support of Major League Baseball, which is evident immediately, given that all the stadiums are referred to by city (such as Pittsburgh Stadium or Brooklyn Stadium), a practice not really done at the time (Instead, they were referred to by other names, such as Ebbets Field, Forbes Field, Shibe Park, and Sportsman Park (Used by both St. Louis teams for years), though Cleveland Stadium was an exception to the rule that I just mentioned), and all the teams in the movie are referred to by city name in both jerseys and in dialogue. I'd like to think that the team the main character plays for is the St. Louis Browns rather then the Cardinals because the though of having to see the Cardinals win the World Series again even in a movie makes me shudder. So yeah, how is the film itself? If you ignore the fact that the main character essentially cheats to help his team win the pennant and no one bothers to complain, the movie is easy to like. The actors are fine, and Paul Douglas is enjoyable to watch (Douglas also does a good performance in a baseball movie, (#433) Angels in the Outfield), and I guess the movie is alright, even though it's not exactly a great baseball movie. It's certainly a decent movie, and I can see the effort that was done for this movie. Would I recommend it? I'd recommend it along with other baseball movies, such as The Natural, Angels in the Outfield, and Field of Dreams. But oh well.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Diner.

Review #561: Diner.

Cast
Steve Guttenberg (Edward "Eddie" Simmons), Daniel Stern (Laurence "Shrevie" Schreiber), Mickey Rourke (Robert "Boogie" Sheftell), Kevin Bacon (Timothy "Fen" Fenwick Jr), Tim Daly (William "Billy" Howard), Ellen Barkin (Beth Schreiber), Paul Reiser (Modell), Kathryn Dowling (Barbara), and Michael Tucker (Bagel) Directed by Barry Levinson (#383 - The Natural)

Review
Diner was Barry Levinson's directorial debut, and his first set around the city of Baltimore (He would make three others based on the city such as Tin Men, Avalon, and Liberty Heights), this being set on the turn of the 1950's. This is a very fun film to watch, this a movie that doesn't need much of a plot to work, it's a series of events that are pretty funny but also brilliant to watch (I like this one brief scene where Reiser complains over the word nuance. It's a short scene, but it exemplifies how random conversations get between friends, even over the stupidest things) The main five actors are great, they function well with each other, and that's the point of the movie. It's just a bunch of friends reuniting with one another for the wedding of one of them, but it's not about the wedding, it's a collection of moments between friends, a movie that feels natural, a movie that has fun and it's a movie that certainly delivers.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Experiment Alcatraz.

Review #560: Experiment Alcatraz.

Cast
John Howard (Dr. Ross Williams), Joan Dixon (Lt. Joan McKenna), Walter Kingsford (Dr. J.P. Finley), Lynne Carter (Ethel Ganz), Robert Shayne (Barry Morgan), Kim Spalding (Duke Shaw), Sam Scar (Eddie Ganz), and Kenneth MacDonald (Col. Harris) Directed by Edward L. Cahn (#331 - It! The Terror From Beyond Space)

Review
Experiment Alcatraz was one of the many B-movies made by Edward L. Cahn, also notable for directing Our Gang shorts in the late 1930s. So how is this B-movie? For all of its limitations, this is a pretty okay film. My expectations weren't high, it's a b-movie about injecting radiation into prisoners that turns into a mystery. The actors are alright, they keep the movie going without much flaws. The action is okay, not too bad, typical, but you get what you want. The plot is not that bad, it has a few twists along the way, and the movie runs okay, it runs about an hour, so it's a real easy breeze, a mostly typical b-movie good enough to pass the time.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Grand Prix.

Review #559: Grand Prix.

Cast
James Garner (Pete Aron), Eva Marie Saint (Louise Frederickson), Yves Montand (Jean-Pierre Sarti), Toshiro Mifune (Izo Yamura), Brian Bedford (Scott Stoddard), Jessica Walter (Pat Stoddard), Antonio Sabàto (Nino Barlini), Françoise Hardy (Lisa), Adolfo Celi (Agostini Manetta), and Claude Dauphin (Hugo Simon) Directed by John Frankenheimer.

Review

Grand Prix was filmed in Super Panavision 70 and the cinematography by Saul Bass and Lionel Lindon, directed by first timer on Movie Night, John Frankenheimer (most known for directing the original The Manchurian Candidate, French Connection II...and the Island of Dr. Moreau), with a blend of actors from all around the world, all for a grand epic that many people call the best racing movie ever. The cinematography is beautiful to look at, seeing the perspective of the cars racing at times is incredible to watch, even the crashes are spectacular to watch in all the spectacle. This movie captures the passion, the mood, and the excitement of racing effectively. The plot isn't exactly as developed, but at least the actors are good, especially James Garner (Fun fact: He did his own racing in this film while the other three only did close up shots), who is fun to watch. This is a movie full of fun that doesn't feel like 3 hours, it feels like a good ol' trip to the grandstand, crashes and all.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Scream.

Review #558: Scream.

Cast

Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), David Arquette (Dewey Riley), Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), Matthew Lillard (Stuart), Skeet Ulrich (Billy), Rose McGowan (Tatum), Jamie Kennedy (Randy), Henry Winkler (Himbry), Roger Jackson (Phone Voice), and Drew Barrymore (Casey Becker) Directed by Wes Craven (#474 - A Nightmare on Elm Street)

Review

Scream essentially gave new life to the horror genre, with a self aware nature and much success that would lead to three sequels. But enough about the history, let's get to the film itself. The actors are all fun to watch (my favorite to watch is Henry Winkler, who while having only a small cameo, manages to make me laugh. There's a scene where Winkler's character is playing with a Ghostface mask he confiscated, acting like the killer, silly faces and all, which is pretty amusing to me), and Neve Campbell certainly does a great job, especially at the end. Drew Barrymore (who I know for co-hosting TCM's The Essentials, which she does a good job co-hosting, BTW.) may be just an extended cameo, but her scene (the opening scene, rather) is a really memorable scene because it's more than just the intro to a horror film. I like how the movie ends, it's kind of clever and I like how the motive isn't precisely revealed, it leaves you guessing (Or you could just go onto IMDb forums and find answers for yourself, but that's another story), and Craven does an excellent job directing (Especially the horror, which is pretty good, not overblown in blood, a bit subtle), this is a good movie to watch.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Jaws: The Revenge.

Review #557: Jaws: The Revenge.

Cast
Lorraine Gary (Ellen Brody), Lance Guest (Michael Brody), Mario Van Peebles (Jake), Karen Young (Carla Brody), Michael Caine (Hoagie Newcombe), Judith Barsi (Thea Brody), Lynn Whitfield (Louisa), and Mitchell Anderson (Sean Brody) Directed by Joseph Sargent.

Review
Who's getting revenge? How did the filmmakers get Michael Caine to star? How can a shark travel from cold water Amity to the warm water Bahamas? How can sharks get revenge? Why is it that the actors who play the Brody children in these film are never consistent? All these questions and more will not be answered by the time you finish this movie. Lorraine Gary returns to star, and she does a decent job, in a film as illogical as this. So yeah, how are the shark effects? Pretty bad, but my "favorite" scene is at the end, where the shark explodes. Why? Because without knowing what's going on beforehand, the climatic ending is incomprehensible to watch. It's hard to tell what's going on because flashbacks from Jaws are cut into the climax, and suddenly a stick goes into the shark, and it explodes for some reason. This is a movie that make little sense, that makes Jaws 3-D look tolerable, and most importantly, puts the final nail in the coffin for the Jaws franchise. I do wonder if Jaws 19 will come out next year like Back to the Future Part II predicted. I guess I'll find out on my hover board (I'd love to see the Cubs win the World Series, though), as it can't be as lame as this movie is.

Overall, I give it 2 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Jaws 3-D.

Review #556: Jaws 3-D.

Cast
Dennis Quaid (Michael Brody), Bess Armstrong (Kathryn Morgan), Simon MacCorkindale (Philip FitzRoyce), Louis Gossett, Jr. (Calvin Bouchard), John Putch (Sean Brody), Lea Thompson (Kelly Ann Bukowski), Harry Grant (Shelby Overman), and P. H. Moriarty (Jack Tate) Directed by Joe Alves.

Review
After making a sequel that was mostly inferior to the original, making a third movie was...a given? The original idea for this movie was devised by the producers of the first two films (David Brown and Richard Zanuck), which would've been a spoof film, called Jaws 3, People 0. The idea of a spoof didn't appeal to the studio, who apparently thought it would've been a mistake, like "fouling in your own nest". So yeah, why is the movie called Jaws 3-D? Due to the revival of films using 3D (Amityville 3D, Friday the 13th Part III), 3D was used, with in-disposable polarized glasses given to the audience to give the impression of elements penetrating the screen, with examples being the opening titles (which look tacky, but make sense), the shark going through the window...and the shark's jaws coming for the screen after explosion. However, when watching on television, the titles are fixed to not be so phoned in, with a title of "Jaws III" and consequently , the resolution is a bit poor to look at. But how is the film itself? Pretty terrible. The actors (save for Louis Gossett, who at least looks like he cares about how he acts in the movie) aren't really anything special, mostly harmless, mostly bland. The effects are pretty awful, it doesn't take long for the movie to "showcase" itself, with the remains of a fish lingering on screen for several seconds, obviously trying to look like it's coming towards the screen, but it just feels like padding. The shark apparently moves like a whack-a-mole, and it's really hard to build up tension when the shark moves s-l-o-w-l-y to break the glass, with the broken grass going towards the camera. The ending is about as silly as it gets, with the guts exploding towards the screen. Oh and the dolphins survive. People die, but oh happy day that the dolphins survive. The movie quite literally jumps the shark with this sequel, but there's still one more sequel to go.

Overall, I give it 3 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Jaws 2.

Review #555: Jaws 2.

Cast
Roy Scheider (Martin Brody), Lorraine Gary (Ellen Brody), Murray Hamilton (Mayor Larry Vaughn), Joseph Mascolo (Len Peterson), Jeffrey Kramer (Deputy Jeff Hendricks), Collin Wilcox (Dr. Lureen Elkins), Ann Dusenberry (Tina Wilcox), Mark Gruner (Michael Brody), Barry Coe (Tom Andrews), Susan French (Grace Witherspoon), Gary Springer (Andy Nicholas), Donna Wilkes (Jackie Peters), and Gary Dubin (Eddie Marchand) Directed by Jeannot Szwarc.

Review
It figues that even though the first movie wrapped itself up nicely and leaving no doubt that the shark was dead, the studio wanted a sequel. Scheider is back at least, along with Gary and Hamilton, which is alright (a shame there's no Dreyfuss though), but let's get to the point, the movie doesn't have much chance of replicating the scare of the original movie, and the movie acknowledges that by revealing the shark many times throughout the film. So yeah, how is the film? It's pretty mediocre. Scheider does his best, and to the film's credit, most of the cast do a pretty fine job...except the teens. After a while, you start rooting for the shark. I think the thing that irritates me the most is the fact that once again nobody agrees with Brody that there's a shark attacking. The original script made more sense for why they don't believe him, as the Mayor and Peterson are apparently in debt to the Mafia (don't ask), borrowing money from them to build resorts to help restore Amity after the shark attacks devastated the town's economy in the first movie (I wouldn't want to go to a place with shark attacks either), thus explaining why the two "disbelieve" him. But instead, due to rewrites, there's now no reason for the two to not believe Brody, the man who's hunted down a shark before. At least the shark effects look decent. The tagline "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." is really clever and invites you with such an irresistible line. The movie is okay, but compared to the first film, it's a inferior sequel. But...what about the sequels? Well, we-I mean I am going to find out.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Sleepless in Seattle.

Review #554: Sleepless in Seattle.

Cast
Tom Hanks (Sam Baldwin), Meg Ryan (Annie Reed), Bill Pullman (Walter), Ross Malinger (Jonah Baldwin), Rosie O'Donnell (Becky), Gaby Hoffmann (Jessica), Victor Garber (Greg), Rita Wilson (Suzy), Barbara Garrick (Victoria), and Carey Lowell (Maggie Baldwin) Directed by Nora Ephron.

Review
This is a hard movie to grade because I really don't know if this a movie that's heartwarming and also slightly funny, or a movie that's a tad overrated. Hanks is a good actor, he seems bring a certain level of charm to this movie. Heck, every actor (even Rosie O'Donnell) are certainly warming enough for this movie, and they are entertaining to watch, and it is funny when Hanks and Victor Garber's characters talk about crying at the end of The Dirty Dozen. But does this movie have a flaw? Probably. It's not the acting, not the comedy, it's just...Walter. Pullman does a great job playing this mostly perfect character (, and...he's dumped by Ryan for someone she barely knows after being lured to the Empire State Building while on a date with Walter. So basically, if you listen to a radio show and hear some lonely guy/girl talk, go out and try and find them, nothing can go wrong, it's all supposed to happen due to "magic" and such. That makes sense, doesn't it? I'd like to add that both genders can be characterized as either insensitive jerks (the men) and "weepy romantics who cry at the end of An Affair to Remember (seriously, every woman in this movie cry to it, even a little girl. Is this normal to cry at An Affair to Remember? You might as well cry at the end of Old Yeller), and let's not forget that Ryan's character hired a private investigator to take pics of Hanks, follows him to Seattle and only says "hi" to him. I'd like to point out the kid doesn't like the girl Hanks asked beforehand out (Barbara Garrick's character, who doesn't do anything as insane as Ryan's, yet still gets dumped anyway) because the kid selected someone else for Hanks to meet. The whole movie seems sweet and fun, but if you look into the movie more, it seems to have a secret layer of unintentional lunacy. Whether that breaks the movie or not, watch this at your own risk.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Strangers on a Train.

Review #553: Strangers on a Train.

Cast
Farley Granger (Guy Haines), Ruth Roman (Anne Morton), Robert Walker (Bruno Anthony), Leo G. Carroll (Senator Morton), Patricia Hitchcock (Barbara Morton), Laura Elliott (Miriam Joyce Haines), Marion Lorne (Mrs. Anthony), Jonathan Hale (Mr. Anthony), Norma Varden (Mrs. Cunningham), and John Brown (Professor Collins) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock (#219 - Rope, #223 - North by Northwest, #446 - Spellbound, #447 - Psycho, #450 - Vertigo, and #455 - Rear Window)

Review
Once again I'm covering a Hitchcock film, which by this point in my show, has become a recurring theme. But Hitchcock once again entertains and shows his worth as a master of cinema. The movie has many tense moments, but the one moment many (including myself) remember is the scene where Walker's character strangles Elliot's, with the murder being seen through a reflection of Elliot's glasses, a unusual shot, but unique. The actors are excellent, Granger and Walker work well together, they play off well with each other and Roman, also Walker (who would sadly die two months after this film was released) is entertaining to watch interact with everyone. The fight scene at the end is excellent, it's fast paced (literally), it's mostly devoid of dialogue, and it manages to deliver suspense. This is a really excellent movie with many excellent scenes.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Pacifier.

Review #552: The Pacifier.

Cast
Vin Diesel (Shane Wolfe), Lauren Graham (Claire Fletcher), Faith Ford (Julie Plummer), Brittany Snow (Zoe Plummer), Max Thieriot (Seth Plummer), Morgan York (Lulu Plummer), Chris Potter (Bill Fawcett), and Brad Garrett (Dwayne Murney) Directed by Adam Shankman.

Review

As I sat inside at a Wendy's tonight, I tried to think of sentences for this movie. Was it awful? No. Was it any good? Not really. As it turned out, eating the Son of Baconator at that Wendy's was better than the movie, as I finally came up with words for this movie. So where do I begin? Let's start with the "comedy" of the movie. Comedy can be fun to watch, it just depends on the enthusiasm of the comedy, and the level of watchability. The Pacifier doesn't have much of either. The comedy feels phoned in at times, and while Diesel may try his best, he can't save the movie. The action is alright, nothing too special, though Diesel has done better scenes then this in better movies. The plot is mediocre at best, and the two "villains" are really easy to tell in retrospect given that it's the only couple in the movie, that and who else could it have been? The movie might have some nostalgia with others, but for me, this is just a mediocre movie that can't escape its flaws.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Kids Are All Right.

Review #551: The Kids Are All Right.

Cast
Annette Bening (Nicole Allgood), Julianne Moore (Jules Allgood), Mark Ruffalo (Paul Hatfield), Mia Wasikowska (Joni Allgood), Josh Hutcherson (Laser Allgood), and Yaya DaCosta (Tanya) Directed by Lisa Cholodenko.

Review
In honor of International Women's Day today, I decided this a movie that sounded like a conventional family flick that turned into a non conventional film (If that makes sense), and the movie makes it work really well. The movie might seem like a drama first, comedy second, but the movie still blends the two seamlessly, not letting one get overboard, and managing to be an entertaining, heartfelt movie that manages to use the great chemistry everyone has with each other and make the movie even better. The characters undergo changes (especially Ruffalo's character) throughout the movie, and it's nice to see transition, to see good character development. This is a movie that has a good range of emotions, it can be tense, it can be fun, and it can be engaging, and when the movie's over, you miss watching it, but you do feel whole, and it's a movie that contains itself, and it seals itself up nicely.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Graduate.

Review #550: The Graduate.

Cast
Anne Bancroft (Mrs. Robinson), Dustin Hoffman (Benjamin Braddock), Katharine Ross (Elaine Robinson), William Daniels (Mr. Braddock), Murray Hamilton (Mr. Robinson), and Elizabeth Wilson (Mrs. Braddock) Directed by Mike Nichols (#175 - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)

Review
The Graduate is a cornerstone of the 1960's, a representation of the good and the bad of that era, a movie timelessly stuck in that era. But is the movie itself as great as some like to call it? Not quite. While it is a well made movie, the movie has one sad flaw that still would've happened with or without Hoffman: The flaw is Braddock himself. It is hard to care about this character, about what he does, or in this case, doesn't. Mrs. Robinson is both a timeless character and the best character to watch in the movie because her story is more interesting to watch, she's a character who basically represents someone who settled for someone she didn't love, and how it's too late for her, stuck in a loveless marriage, and that's where Ben enters the picture. He...is hard to care about due to his insecurities, the fact he stalks a girl all the way to college...and the fact his "I don't know what to do" is not exactly compelling as compared to Bancroft's character. Are the actors any good? Yea, they are. They are perfectly cast in their roles, and they work well together, even the supporting actors. The ending to the movie is both ironic yet poignant, with these two one-date characters together, not knowing of their future, and also stuck, much like Bancroft. Is this a classic? It could be argued that it is a classic, it certainly is entertaining at times (Especially with that soundtrack by Simon & Garfunkel), and the actors are good. It all depends on what you want, which I hope isn't plastics.

EDITORIAL: I'd like to note that this is the 550th review, which wasn't given the whole Countdown like other landmark reviews. You might be wondering why. I simply didn't care enough to want to do the whole Countdown stuff again, not after all I tried to do with the Metropolis (#500) stuff. I haven't had as much energy to care about doing countdowns, though my energy for this show is somewhat there, I feel like I'm doing this more for myself then for others, like I'm talking to an empty audience, and the lack of care for a Countdown was just my laziness. Am I taking a break from reviewing? No, though it wouldn't hurt to try and stop and think about why I do this show. It's not like I've been bogged down with little to review, I actually do have a backlog of films I want to watch and review, I just don't feel like these reviews have had much interest from anyone other then just me. Am I right, or am I just slightly delusional after watching a depressing film such as The Graduate? Is this just for my own enjoyment, or is do any of you readers enjoy these reviews? I'm not considering ending this show, I just feel that I wanted to ask this question, a little musing of mine. If you actually do read this and care, I'd like to see a comment or two, just so my musing proves incorrect.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Oscar.

Review #549: The Oscar.

Cast
Stephen Boyd (Frankie Fane), Elke Sommer (Kay Bergdahl), Milton Berle (Alfred Kapstetter), Eleanor Parker (Sophie Cantaro), Joseph Cotten (Kenneth H. Regan), Jill St. John (Laurel Scott), Tony Bennett (Kelly), Edie Adams (Trina Yale), and Ernest Borgnine (Barney Yale) Directed by Russell Rouse.

Review
In honor of the 86th Academy Awards this Sunday, I decided to review a movie with many stars (some of which who won Oscars before this movie), many cameos...and a big ego. The movie is billed as a drama, when it really is an unintentional comedy that goes so over the top in trying to be a drama, that it becomes laughable. The main problem of the movie is the unlikable characters. Aside from the main character, there are no characters to root for, none to actually feel for nor care about, and while it could be argued that there are films with unlikable characters that are actually good, this is not one of them. This is a movie that decays from beginning to end, a movie that tries to disguise its faults with cameos, basically trying to plug a hole with a band-aid. Tony Bennett is bad (one might say inept is a better term, but let's be fair, this was his film debut and consequently his only dramatic role), but with the lines (Example: "I was running out of numbers! He used 'em like Kleenex! Once, and threw 'em away!") he has to say, I can't blame him. The movie is bloated in length, self-indulgent in style, and an overall mess that almost is so bad, it's good, until it goes back into so bad, it's bad. I'd stick to the "The Nobel" by SCTV instead. Whatever you may think of the Oscars, this is a definite skip it.

Overall, I give it 3 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Predator 2.

Review #548: Predator 2.

Cast
Danny Glover (Mike Harrigan), Kevin Peter Hall (The Predator), Gary Busey (Peter Keyes), Ruben Blades (Danny Archuleta), María Conchita Alonso (Leona Cantrell), Bill Paxton (Jerry Lambert), and Robert Davi (Phil Heinemann) Directed by Stephen Hopkins.

Review
The first Predator was a fun action packed thriller that had a good setting, fun atmosphere that soon changes, and good action sequences. Then came the sequel. No Arnold Schwarzenegger, no jungle setting, the only thing linking the two is Kevin Peter Hall as the Predator. But at least Danny Glover tries his best, he certainly is an entertaining person to watch in a movie as mediocre as this. It's hard to define the biggest problem of the movie. Is it the okay action? The non memorable characters? The idea to move the Predator to the city? It's probably all three, given that while the movie doesn't do anything too awful, it also doesn't do anything good either. At least Hall does a good performance in the suit, though Busey is probably more entertaining with his interactions with Glover. The rest of the cast isn't bad, Paxton is mildly entertaining. While the movie could've been much worse, it isn't that bad, and if you want to skip it over for Predators, you're not missing too much, I suppose.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Superman (1978).

Review #547: Superman.

Cast
Marlon Brando (Jor-El), Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor), Christopher Reeve (Clark Kent/Superman), Margot Kidder (Lois Lane), Ned Beatty (Otis), Jackie Cooper (Perry White), Glenn Ford (Jonathan Kent), Valerie Perrine (Eve Teschmacher), Phyllis Thaxter (Martha Kent), Trevor Howard (First Elder), Maria Schell (Vond-Ah), and Terence Stamp (General Zod) Directed by Richard Donner (#075 - Scrooged, #355 - Lethal Weapon, and #356 - Lethal Weapon 2)

Review
Of all the comic book movies I've done on this...show, I suppose, the one glaring omission has been the Superman franchise. Superman was the first major superhero feature movie made (Side note here: There had been three serials made before this movie, such as Superman (1948), Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), and Superman and the Mole Men (1951), along with animated shorts made by Fleischer Studios, a radio and television series), and the movie's success would lead to more superhero films. But anyway, how is the film itself? Let's start with the actors. Brando does well for the small amount of time he has, and his speech to his newborn son is effective, but also powerful. Hackman is a decent villain, he does pair well with Beatty, who isn't half bad in a supporting role. Christopher Reeve is just perfect in both roles, managing to act well enough to make these two personalities stand out effectively. Kidder is good, she pairs off well with Reeve, and the scene where Superman takes Lane on a flight is a really good scene that only shows the emotion the movie has. The movie has excellent effects and manages to tell a good story with only a few bumps along the way. The ending either makes Superman's character fully defined...or a cop out that is actually more confusing in how it works then infuriating. I think it's more of both, it defines that Clark/Superman is here for a reason, a point mentioned by Kent's adoptive father, in contrast to Jor-El's warning about changing history. Superman finds his destiny, and it does make sense, though the time traveling part boggles my mind. Endings aside, the movie is a fine epic that succeeds in nearly everyway possible.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Cinderella Man.

Review #546: Cinderella Man.

Cast
Russell Crowe (James J. Braddock), Renée Zellweger (Mae Braddock), Paul Giamatti (Joe Gould), Bruce McGill (James Johnston), Craig Bierko (Max Baer), Paddy Considine (Mike Wilson), David Huband (Ford Bond), Connor Price (Jay Braddock), Ariel Waller (Rosemarie Braddock), Patrick Louis (Howard Braddock), Rosemarie DeWitt (Sara Wilson), and Linda Kash (Mrs. Gould) Directed by Ron Howard (#301 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas)

Review
Damon Runyon once described the life of James J. Braddock in one quote: "In all the history of the boxing game, you'll find no human interest story to compare with the life narrative of James J. Braddock." The movie attempts to make a winner of that story, and it succeeds. It's taken over 500 reviews, but I finally reviewed a move that has Russell Crowe, and he does a good job, he dominates the movie, but he does let the other two in the main trio of main actors shine, Zellweger does well, especially in the scenes with Crowe, and Giamatti is memorable, along with really talented. The boxing action is good, it certainly looks like a match, and the interior scenes look good along with it. The movie has an old fashioned feel that certainly looks good on film. The movie may have good boxing, but it also focuses on the downturns of the Great Depression and Braddock's family, and the scenes make the movie more whole, it doesn't bring the film down, it just gives it a new voice to keep on going. This is a good film that manages to be both entertaining and warming.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Shaft (2000).

Review #545: Shaft (2000).

Cast
Samuel L. Jackson (John Shaft), Vanessa Williams (Carmen Vasquez), Jeffrey Wright (Peoples Hernandez), Christian Bale (Walter Wade, Jr), Richard Roundtree (Uncle John), Busta Rhymes (Rasaan), Toni Collette (Diane Palmieri), Pat Hingle (Dennis Bradford), Dan Hedaya (Jack Roselli), Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jimmy Groves), Josef Sommer (Curt Flemming), and Lynne Thigpen (Carla Howard) Directed by John Singleton.

Review
Shaft is strangely not a remake of the notable 1971 film, instead a sequel (The 1990's/2000's/2010's were a hotbed for remakes of films, in fact, there's a RoboCop remake in theaters right now, remakes of films 20-80 years old are common), and hey, the original star from the '71 film (Roundtree) even makes an appearance. For those who don't know, Shaft was a franchise in the 1970's (originally based off the novel of the same name by Ernest Tidyman), consisting of three films: Shaft (1971), Shaft's Big Score, and Shaft in Africa, along with a television series. So after all that history (or whatever), how is the film itself? It has its moments of good action, and Jackson does a wonderful job. But what makes the movie stand out is its (unintentional) hilarity that I sometimes received from the movie. Some of the scenes were effective, but they were also hilarious because of how over the top it could get, the way that the characters react to the action made me laugh. It's funny how Christian Bale went from this film to Batman in only 5 years, just shows that anyone can be Batman (Isn't that right, Daredevil-I mean Ben Affleck?), given the circumstances. The movie has a good deal of style and the right amount of charm (I do like the scenes with Jackson and Roundtree, from...nephew to uncle. I guess Shaft had a brother who named his son in honor of John) to make for a fun film.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: In the Heat of the Night.

Review #544: In the Heat of the Night.

Cast
Sidney Poitier (Virgil Tibbs), Rod Steiger (Bill Gillespie), Warren Oates (Sam Wood), Lee Grant (Leslie Colbert), Larry Gates (Eric Endicott), James Patterson (Lloyd Purdy), William Schallert (Webb Schubert), Beah Richards (Mama Caleba/Mrs. Bellamy), Peter Whitney (George Courtney), Kermit Murdock (H.E. Henderson), Larry D. Mann (Watkins), Quentin Dean (Delores Purdy), and Anthony James (Ralph Henshaw) Directed by Norman Jewison (#127 - Rollerball and #273 - The Cincinnati Kid)

Review

The movie has two notable moments, a quote: "They call me MISTER Tibbs" (Which would also be used as the title for the sequel), and when Tibbs slaps Endicott back, eliciting shock. The movie has other brilliant moments as well, such as when Steiger and Poitier share a scene inside Steiger's character's house, which turns from the two drinking to them talking about loneliness, which is a poignant scene just for the two and their interactions in that and their other scenes in the movie. The actors are good, especially Poitier and Steiger. They have a good deal of tension in their performances, and the supporting cast is fitting for a film with tension like this. The last scenes may end the movie maybe too quick, but the movie still has tension, and a good deal of entertainment value to it. In the Heat of the Night is such an influential film when it all boils down to it, and this is a really slick but classic film.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Valentine.

Review #543: Valentine.

Cast
David Boreanaz (Adam Carr), Denise Richards (Paige Prescott), Marley Shelton (Kate Davies), Jessica Capshaw (Dorothy Wheeler), Jessica Cauffiel (Lily Voigh), Katherine Heigl (Shelley Fisher), Hedy Burress (Ruthie Walker), Fulvio Cecere (Detective Leon Vaughn), Daniel Cosgrove (Campbell Morris), and Johnny Whitworth (Max Raimi) Directed by Jamie Blanks.

Review
So yeah, I hope everyone had a decent Friday, regardless of the harbinger of annoyance, Valentine's Day. So in (dis) honor of the so called holiday, I'm reviewing a movie...called Valentine. At least I'm not reviewing Valentine's Day (or My Bloody Valentine), so there's that. So yeah, a slasher film that has some relation with a holiday, clearly such an original concept (Except for some other films with holiday relation like Black Christmas, April Fool's Day, Thanksgiving (A trailer, but still), Halloween, etc.), too bad the movie stinks. The cast don't work well with each other, and they aren't interesting to watch, since what's the point when it's certain that all of them have a 99-100% of dying. The characters themselves are stale, unlikable (except for Shelton's character, but still not enough to save the movie), and disposable. The movie might've been better if their were comedic elements, but now I'm just thinking of Scream. The killer himself isn't really threatening, he just trudges around, wearing a mask that while I know is a Cupid's mask (real clever), isn't really scary, just laughable. Boreanaz is probably the only notable actor (Unless of course you've never watched Angel or Bones, like me, in that case the only notable actor is Denise Richards, for The World Is Not Enough), and he actually does try in this film, though it's not enough. The movie is never scary, given that since it's easily predictable where the killer is and when the characters will die, there's no suspense. You'd think I'd care that the killer actually gets away with the murders, but given the dull nature of the movie and its lack of surprises of who the killer was, it's best to forget the movie, but not before trashing it.

Overall, I give it 3 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: World War Z.

Review #542: World War Z.

Cast
Brad Pitt (Gerry Lane), Mireille Enos (Karin Lane), Daniella Kertesz (Segen), James Badge Dale (Captain Speke), Ludi Boeken (Jurgen Warmbrunn), Matthew Fox (Parajumper), Fana Mokoena (Thierry Umutoni), David Morse (Ex-CIA Agent), Elyes Gabel (Andrew Fassbach), and Peter Capaldi (W.H.O. Doctor) Directed by Marc Forster (#384 - Quantum of Solace)

Review

Talking about the book the movie was "adapted" from is pointless, only because it apparently took only the name of the book, with no relation to the book's plot, thus the way the movie adapted the book means nothing in the rating of this film. World War Z has an interesting premise, a war between humans and zombies...at least I thought it was that before watching it. In reality, it's a thriller that sometimes has action, but maybe not enough action. Pitt is at least entertaining, and the cast isn't bad (*insert your Peter Capaldi is the 12th Doctor joke here*), the movie isn't undercut by the cast, it's just not always interesting. It's an okay film, and the zombie attack on the plane is at least interesting to watch, but the zombies to me, while at least quick (slow zombies could be killed really easily), seem to growl really silly, which sometimes undercuts the terror. I'm still wondering why there were no tanks around, but I probably missed that reason for a vehicle that could crush the zombies. The "twist" ending is sort of clever, though admittedly, it could be regarded a plot hole as well. SPOILER ALERT: Sick people are apparently immune to zombies. Why? Zombies don't even have brains, why are they so selective? Regardless, the movie isn't bad, it's just underwhelming, and the ending feels sort of rushed, but I digress. It's an okay movie, but there are probably better zombie movies around. 

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: A Hard Day's Night.

Review #541: A Hard Day's Night.

Cast
The Beatles [John Lennon • Paul McCartney • George Harrison • Ringo Starr], with Wilfrid Brambell (Grandfather), Norman Rossington (Norm), John Junkin (Shake), Victor Spinetti (T.V. Director), and Anna Quayle (Millie) Directed by Richard Lester.

Review (since modified - editorial, 2023)
This was the third feature effort from Richard Lester, who had been born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and had studied and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Clinical Psychology. He got involved in the television industry in 1950 and later moved to England in the decade. One of the main attractions of Lester for the Beatles was his work on a short film called The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1959). He directed his first feature film with the musical act film in It's Trad, Dad! (1962). The movie was a hit before it even came out (owing to pre-sales), but there was always a plan to do more than one Beatles film. He would follow up this Beatles film with Help! (1965). 

Ah yes, the Beatles. Fifty years ago on this day, The Beatles made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, and in honor of that, I'm reviewing this film. I don't know exactly what I expected from a film like this, but I was nevertheless surprised at the result. This is a strange, but clever movie that is extremely entertaining to watch and to listen to. The Beatles themselves are entertaining as entertainers but also as people, and the screenplay seems really natural, really in touch with the film's tone. The music is good, it flows well, and it adds a depth of style to the movie without just seeming like one of those 1950s rock music of acts and little else. The supporting cast is entertaining (especially Brambell), and the comedy is pretty nice, fun to watch all the antics in the film. Lester does a good job directing and the movie has a good pace along with a good heart. This is truly a classic and fun for anyone wanting more of the Beatles, or just for a good ol' musical with a great deal of fun.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Lego Movie.

Review #540: The Lego Movie.

Cast
Chris Pratt (Emmet Brickowski), Will Ferrell (Lord Business and "The Man Upstairs"), Elizabeth Banks (Wyldstyle), Will Arnett (Batman), Nick Offerman (Metal Beard), Alison Brie (Uni-Kitty), Charlie Day (Benny), Liam Neeson (Bad Cop/Good Cop and Pa Cop), Morgan Freeman (Vitruvius), Channing Tatum (Superman), Jonah Hill (Green Lantern), Cobie Smulders (Wonder Woman), Craig Berry (Blake), David Burrows (Octan Robot), and Jadon Sand (Finn) Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

Review
I grew up with LEGOs. I loved how even though it seemed to simple to build with, it was actually a complex but still excellent system, and I do still have them in my house somewhere. So naturally, I went to go see the movie based on them. Movies based off toys don't have the best track record here (#057-#058 Transformers 1-2, #201 - G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, #442 - The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, though #190 - The Transformers: The Movie wasn't half bad), but I went to the theater to see if the movie could break that trend. People who go to theaters have their traditions such as making noise, stealing discarded popcorn from people who've left the movie after it ends, commentating on the film, etc, etc. One of my traditions is to notice the amount of people waiting with me in line for a film...an hour before being allowed to go enter the theater, which either teaches the lesson to forever hate lines...or realize how big hype can be. And this film certainly does live up to the hype. The animation is beautifully done, meshing computer and the minifigure mannerisms that make Lego half of what is excellently. The cast is really excellent, Pratt does a fine job for such a normal but still special character. Ferrell is fun to hear, and the live action scenes he shares with Jadon Sand are touching and really effective. The movie has many moments of comedy, along with many moments of brilliance, and of course many moments of action, all three aspects make for a supreme combo of fun.The things that happen in this film really do bring me back to my younger days, hearing about the danger of gluing bricks together, having an average man be a hero, even the idea of a Lego Movie sounds like what I and probably others always wanted to do when we were younger. We probably didn't actually film these movies (Always hide your tracks in case it becomes an Old Shame years later), but yeah. The movie's greatest strength is the love and care the filmmakers have for the subject matter, and combined with the multitudes of people at my theater laughing and loving this movie, The Lego Movie is a great experience to watch, and is a delightful surprise for young and old. I may heap a high rating for this film, but in this case, I don't mind.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: A Bug's Life.

Review #539: A Bug's Life.

Cast
Dave Foley (Flik), Kevin Spacey (Hopper), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Princess Atta), Hayden Panettiere (Princess Dot), Phyllis Diller (the Queen), Richard Kind (Molt), David Hyde Pierce (Slim), Joe Ranft (Heimlich), Denis Leary (Francis), Jonathan Harris (Manny), Madeline Kahn (Gypsy), Bonnie Hunt (Rosie), Mike McShane (Tuck and Roll), John Ratzenberger (P. T. Flea), and Brad Garrett (Dim) Directed by John Lasseter (#440 - Toy Story and #441 - Toy Story 2) and Andrew Stanton (#155 - Finding Nemo and #222 - WALL-E)

Review
Comparisons to Antz (#254) aside, A Bug's Life is a fairly decent film to watch with everyone. Is is better than Antz? That depends on what exactly you want. Antz seems to spring to darker themes, but is still a decent flick that works for the most part. A Bug's Life seems to be more bright, but it also has a charm to it, it may not be the best Pixar film, but like other Pixar films, it leaves an impression on you, it's a film that is certainly entertaining. The cast is good, Foley works well, eccentric, but he does a good job. The rest of the cast is good, Spacey is a fine villain, and the cast interacts well with each other. The animation is good (The fact this was made only 16 years ago makes me feel slightly older), and the movie is certainly entertaining enough. So yeah, don't pick Antz or A Bug's Life, pick both movies, and take this film for what it's worth.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Arthur 2: On the Rocks.

Review #538: Arthur 2: On the Rocks.

Cast
Dudley Moore (Arthur Bach), Liza Minnelli (Linda Marolla Bach), John Gielgud (Hobson), Geraldine Fitzgerald (Martha Bach), Kathy Bates (Mrs. Canby), Paul Benedict (Fairchild), Stephen Elliott (Bert Johnson), Cynthia Sikes (Susan Johnson), Ted Ross (Bitterman), and Barney Martin (Ralph Marolla) Directed by Bud Yorkin.

Review
I have reviewed this particular character before, with the remake (#203) which while I may have given a bit too much credit, wasn't awful. I then reviewed the original Arthur (#206), and...yeah, I have a confession to make. After watching the original Arthur once more just recently before doing the sequel, I realized that the first one is actually better then what I first thought. Moore does a very entertaining performance. He of course can be hilarious to himself and others, but the scenes he shares with Gielgud are brilliant and showcases Moore at his best. And Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) is a really good song, especially for a film like that. Steve Gordon did such a good job in sadly the only film he directed. So yeah, I will change my ranking for Arthur, all because of my regret.  And then there's this sequel. Make no mistake, I won't ever revoke my thoughts on a film like Arthur 2: On the Rocks. A seven year wait, and all you get...is a lemon of a sequel. Does it have its moments? Sure, even really awful movies have their brief moments (Except for of course, #442 - The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, which has no merit because that would require me to let out my repressed memories of that film), and the beginning of this film at least tries to make an effort. Then...Arthur goes broke.

After that, the movie segues into even more mediocre quality, until of course it reaches the last possible trick it has, John Gielgud...who appears an hour into the movie (as a drunken hallucination, mind you), and leaves after eight or so minutes. Is he funny? Sort of, but by then, the movie has sunk to a depressive quality that makes you wonder why was this even made. And yes of course Arthur gets his money back, if he didn't, the movie would end with him (and the audience to a lesser extent) doomed. Arthur doomed because the light at the end of the tunnel turned out to be an oncoming train, and the audience, who just realized their time was just wasted. It's all too predictable, half the time you're just waiting for him to get his money back because seeing him try to make the best of his...drunken state, while a novel attempt at trying to twist things up, is not very entertaining. Minnelli is okay, I suppose. At least Stephen Elliott (who is okay, delusional, but okay) returns, though his daughter played by Jill Eikenberry in the original didn't. Sikes is okay, though she can't save the movie. Moore seems more aged, seemingly tired of this role, he even disowned the film after it was released. The movie seems to have a few subplots: An adoption subplot, Bach's attempts to get his money subplot, and Bach's alcoholism struggle, none of the subplots are great, the movie tries so hard, and yet it falls so flat. This is a sad movie when it all comes down to it, it's not awful, it's just a disappointment. If you want to see more of Arthur, I'd recommend it. If you want to see more sequels to movies that were probably forgotten after they were watched, I'd suggest Staying Alive, Grease 2, or Airplane II: The Sequel.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Bride of the Monster.

Review #537: Bride of the Monster.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (Dr. Eric Vornoff), Tor Johnson (Lobo), Tony McCoy (Lt. Dick Craig), Loretta King (Janet Lawton), Harvey B. Dunn (Capt. Robbins), George Becwar (Prof. Strowski), Paul Marco (Kelton), and Don Nagel (Martin) Directed by Ed Wood (#183 - Plan 9 from Outer Space and #536 - Glen or Glenda)

Review

Oh how the mighty have fallen. From Dracula to...mad scientist, Bride of the Monster was Bela Lugosi's last speaking role (With silent roles in his last two films afterwards, which were The Black Sleep and Plan 9, respectively), and he goes out with a film that is merely a whimper. Plan 9 was actually more entertaining then this, while Glen or Glenda was at least trying to convey a subject. This is just another mad scientist film that only succeeds in having laughable moments. I think my favorite moment is when the octopus (that is rubber when interacting with the actors, but stock footage when not, which is so jarring when compared as the two have little to no resemblance) attacks Lugosi's character. Not only is the octopus not moving (The actors move the thing to make it look like it's flailing its arms), a lightning bolt strikes the two...causing a nuclear explosion. Lugosi certainly hams it up, especially when he talks about making a perfect race of "atomic super men", while having a little laugh afterwards. It's sad to see him in this role, doing really silly "threatening" faces to the camera when only 20 or so years ago, he was a creepy, but great Dracula. The title doesn't make any sense, I get the Bride part, but Lugosi only turns into the monster with about 10 minutes left in the film. Maybe they mean Lobo, but that doesn't really make any sense either. Wood directs a typical 50's film that only survives from the bounds of obscurity due to it's awful making. And so ends Bela Lugosi Week. What have I learned from this week? That even if the films were awful (Only two of the films I reviewed turned out to be any good, though it's arguable to add Glen or Glenda for its awfulness), Lugosi always made an effort and was usually the best or the most memorable part of the movie, no matter what it was. I hope you enjoyed this Week, I promise at least one theme week in the upcoming months.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Glen or Glenda.

Review #536: Glen or Glenda.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (The Scientist), Timothy Farrell (Narrator/Dr. Alton), Ed Wood (Glen/Glenda), Dolores Fuller (Barbara), Lyle Talbot (Inspector Warren), Charlie Crafts (Johnny), and Conrad Brooks (Banker / Reporter / Pickup Artist / Bearded Drag) Directed by Ed Wood (#183 - Plan 9 from Outer Space)

Review

Glen or Glenda was Ed Wood's first film that he directed, and boy, it is a real weird one. Inspired by the story of Christine Jorgenson, producer George Weiss decided to exploit it for a film of his own, sans Jorgenson. Wood was recruited to star and direct this film, the only one he did not also produce, also recruiting Bela Lugosi (in the last stages of his career) to star as...a scientist with the most bizarre dialogue ever written for a non narrator, and the way he says "Beware! Beware of the big green dragon that sits on your doorstep. He eats little boys... Puppy dog tails, and BIG FAT SNAILS... Beware... Take care... Beware!" makes me laugh. Lugosi may ham it up (Did I mention at one point he says "Pull the Strings" over footage of buffalo over and over?), but he at least looks like he's having some fun. Or maybe it's the money he was paid that made him satisfied. Lugosi is not the narrator though, that goes to Timothy Farrell, who doesn't fare any better. The dream sequence is either brilliant in its own way for trying to portray the subject matter, or idiotic because it only pads the movie even longer, and I guess in a way it's both brilliant and idiotic, but oh well. Wood (starring under the fake name Daniel Davis) isn't awful, though his technique of making people disappear wouldn't garner any praise from anyone. So which Wood film is better (a subjective word in this case), this or Plan 9? They both are inherently terrible, but Plan 9 is ultimately a smudge better, even if it is for it's mind blowing stupidity that works over Glen or Glenda's valiant, but failed attempt at drama. There is just one more film left for this week, and yes, it is another Ed Wood film. Stay tuned, folks.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.

Review #535: Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (Dr. Zabor), Duke Mitchell (Himself), Sammy Petrillo (Himself), Charlita (Nona), Muriel Landers (Saloma), Al Kikume (Chief Rakos), Mickey Simpson (Chula), and Cheeta (Ramona the Chimp) Directed by William Beaudine (#463 - Billy the Kid versus Dracula)

Review
The title alone tells all you need to know about the film. Lugosi's in it, and there's a gorilla, though the only one from Brooklyn is actually one of the main characters who just happened to be from Brooklyn who is transformed into a gorilla half way through. The title came because the producer decided it would be foolish not to exploit Bela Lugosi's appearance in the film. When the only way to attract people to watch your movie is by shamelessly put the actor's name in the title, there isn't much hope. The only other reason this film was made was take advantage of the success of Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis films at the time, made (of course) on a cheap budget. Is the movie funny? Laughable to look at, but not really funny. Lugosi looks tired, though maybe he's tired of Petrillo's screaming, or the fact that he agreed to a movie with a gorilla in it. Maybe it's Petrillo's voice that bugs me so much, because it always sounds like wailing, which gets tiresome quickly. It is sad to see Lugosi be in a film as low as this, in a film that feels so soulless and so rushed. There are many words you could use to describe this movie: Stupid, rushed, idiotic, campy, non-funny, insolvent, irrelevant, but my favorite one is: Bad. While it may be easy to find, it's hard to tell if you want to find it. Take this film...forget it, you don't want to take the risk. The movie won't get a 0 because I do have some pity for Bela Lugosi. The only question you can ask about this movie is which is better, the next film on this week, or this film? What is the next film, you ask? Glen or Glenda. Stay tuned.

Overall, I give 1 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Scared to Death.

Review #534: Scared to Death.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (Prof. Leonide), George Zucco (Dr. Joseph Van Ee), Nat Pendleton (Bill Raymond), Molly Lamont (Laura Van Ee / Laurette La Valle), Joyce Compton (Jane Cornell), Gladys Blake (Lilybeth), Roland Varno (Ward Van Ee), and Douglas Fowley (Terry Lee) Directed by Christy Cabanne.

Review
The movie claims to be filmed in "natural color", and while it may seem utterly ridiculous to market especially in the title card, the movie doesn't look that bad, though even if it was in black in white, this would still be a mediocre film. The movie has a premise that could either be seen as creative or entirely useless. And what's the premise? The character that was scared to death narrates (I put that one loosely, given that all is speaking brief lines while just lying on the table) over the film, complete with really silly screamy music that occurs every time the corpse narrates (The narration lasting about 30 seconds)...and after it ends, which makes me wonder why didn't they just have narration over the film itself, and not these stupid interruptions that aren't long enough to be called interruptions. Lugosi is hamming up to the max, and hey, he's not the villain here, though he does have a short sidekick, which is really bizarre because it doesn't really add anything to this shoe string plot. The actors look like they don't care, and the film's plot is so ludicrous that you'll be begging for it to end by the half way mark. It's a strange, but ultimately useless film that shows its age, and it's lack of scares. It actually would work better as a comedy, but even that sounds too generous. For the next film on Bela Lugosi Week, we'll be dwelling into...the 1950's.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Devil Bat.

Review #533: The Devil Bat.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (Paul Carruthers), Suzanne Kaaren (Mary Heath), Dave O'Brien (Johnny Layden), Guy Usher (Henry Morton), Yolande Donlan (Maxine), Donald Kerr (One-Shot McGuire), Edward Mortimer (Martin Heath), Gene O'Donnell (Don Morton), Alan Baldwin (Tommy Heath), and John Ellis (Roy Heath) Directed by Jean Yarbrough.

Review
The Devil Bat isn't much to marvel at, but it entertains cheaply and effectively, getting the job done, I suppose. Lugosi is the villain once again, and while it may feel familiar at this point, he certainly seems to be enjoy the role, and I like his performance, over-the-top, yet satisfying. The rest of the cast do an alright job, they work well with Lugosi at times. The direction is decent, given that this is a film about a killer bat that kills people who are sprayed with a "special scent", so as long as the movie doesn't veer off the sane rails, it works. And yes, this is another film available due to it falling into the public domain. A fun fact is that this was released by Producers Releasing Corporation, a small, but busy studio that made films fast and cheap, and they seemed to put care into this film, with satisfactory horror that's enough to entertain for a hour and such. Lugosi does a fine job and is one of the reasons to watch this film, along with the mild, but decent scares. For our next film on Bela Lugosi Week, it's another from the 1940s...

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Death Kiss.

Review #532: The Death Kiss.

Cast
David Manners (Franklyn Drew), Adrienne Ames (Marcia Lane), Bela Lugosi (Joseph Steiner), John Wray (Detective Lieutenant Sheehan), Vince Barnett (Officer Gulliver), Alexander Carr (Leon A. Grossmith), Edward Van Sloan (Tom Avery), Harold Minjir (Howell), and Barbara Bedford (Script Girl) Directed by Edwin L. Marin (#503 - A Christmas Carol (1938))

Review
The point of this week is not just to review Lugosi, but also to give some of his films a bit more recognition, such as this public domain film from 1932. The movie starts out okay, not too shabby. It quickly sets the plot up, essentially a murder mystery, with an interesting tile sequence hat may be the best scene in a short movie. Lugosi doesn't really have much screen time, more of a supporting role that lets Manners take over, which is sort of disappointing, because Lugosi was a distinct actor even when he didn't speak. Bela Lugosi, David Manners (John Harker) and Edward Van Sloan (Van Helsing) are reunited, one year after all three were in Dracula (#071), and while they may not have much interaction, it is  at least interesting enough to be a fun fact to note. And if you're wondering, no the movie is not a horror film. As much as the title sounds like one, it's really just the title of the film within the film in which the murder happens. The movie itself flows okay, it veers between mystery thriller and comedic idiocy. It just feels standardized and not exactly exciting. It does have some moments of brilliancy, such as the idea of having the film revolve around a studio and the film projector being mysteriously filled with acid just as the murderer is about to be revealed but it doesn't save the movie. The film isn't awful, it's just not that good, and if you came for Lugosi, you will be disappointed. Next time, I will be delving into the 1940s for Part Three of Bela Lugosi Week.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Murders in the Rue Morgue.

Review #531: Murders in the Rue Morgue.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (Doctor Mirakle), Sidney Fox (Mademoiselle Camille L'Espanaye), Leon Ames (Pierre Dupin), Bert Roach (Paul), Betty Ross Clarke (Mademoiselle L'Espanaye), Brandon Hurst (Prefect of Police), D'Arcy Corrigan (Morgue Keeper), Noble Johnson (Janos), and Arlene Francis (Streetwalker) Directed by Robert Florey.

Review
I'm very familiar with Bela Lugosi already, with his work in (#071) Dracula, (#183) Plan 9 from Outer Space, (#260) The Wolf Man, (#274) White Zombie, and (#470) Mark of the Vampire. A theme week is 7 reviews of a subject in 7 days (Such as Robot Week with #086-#092, Harry Potter Week with 8 reviews from #117-#124, and the last one until this, Dreamworks Animation Week, from #160-#166), and I'm starting with the earliest Lugosi film I could find on short notice, and end...with his last speaking role. Murders in the Rue Morgue was (loosely) based off a short story by Edgar Allen Poe (notable for being the first detective story), with a few more of his works being adapted by Universal in the following years as part of their Universal Monsters line. Lugosi doesn't do that bad of a job, he certainly has a level of lunacy for this character, and it works well. The rest of the cast do fine and all, they aren't too overdramatic, and while Lugosi nearly steals the show, the cast don't do that bad. This film was sadly butchered upon original release from 80 minutes to 61 minutes by the studio, the deleted scenes apparently being cut due to being deemed too disturbing, and while the film does feel hacked off, the camera angles and the way of filming make up for it just enough. This is a disturbing, but entertaining film that lets Lugosi have his moment. Tune in next time for another one of Lugosi's films from 1932.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Alien.

Review #530: Alien.

Cast
Tom Skerritt (Dallas), Sigourney Weaver (Ripley), Veronica Cartwright (Lambert), Harry Dean Stanton (Brett), John Hurt (Kane), Ian Holm (Ash), Yaphet Kotto (Parker), and Bolaji Badejo (The Alien) Directed by Ridley Scott (#100 - Blade Runner)

Review

Alien has its shares of influences such as (#519) The Thing from Another World or (#331) It! The Terror from Beyond Space, but beneath all that is a wonderfully dark masterpiece. The set design by Ron Cobb and Chris Foss is really well done, it doesn't distract from the movie, but it is wonderful. The alien (and other accompanying elements) by H. R. Giger works so well because the design doesn't look like a suit for somebody to be in, it's a big and long suit that is so unconventional and yet so cool looking. Ridley Scott does a good job directing, his best decision in this film is not showing all of the Alien throughout most of the film, which keeps the suspense and terror of the Alien intact. The actors (insert your John Hurt as the War Doctor reference here, which I won't do out of choice in the name of peace and sanity...oops.) are well suited for a film like this, especially Sigourney Weaver, who certainly can act with terror all around her. Even Bolaji Badejo does a good job, his movements of the Alien from inside the suit are more natural looking and menacing. This is a tense and effective horror film that would later have three sequels and a...film in the same universe as Alien but not a prequel. Whatever the case, Alien is still a terror to behold 35 years later.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Mildred Pierce.

Review #529: Mildred Pierce.

Cast
Joan Crawford (Mildred Pierce Beragon), Jack Carson (Wally Fay), Zachary Scott (Monte Beragon), Eve Arden (Ida Corwin), Ann Blyth (Veda Pierce Forrester), Butterfly McQueen (Lottie), Bruce Bennett (Albert Pierce), Lee Patrick (Maggie Biederhof), and Moroni Olsen (Inspector Peterson) Directed by Michael Curtiz (#125 - Casablanca and #416 - Yankee Doodle Dandy, and #505 - The Adventures of Robin Hood)

Review
Mildred Pierce is a classic film noir (Which is why this film is in the National Film Registry, along with other films such as The Maltese Falcon, D.O.A, and other various films) that also manages to be a very gripping drama. Joan Crawford has a powerful performance as Pierce, she makes the movie whole, and she gives her all to make this more then just a film noir. The other actors are good, they certainly work well with Crawford, and they are also fun to watch. Ann Blyth is really effective at her acting in this film, especially with a character so brutal. Curtiz does a fine job directing and the film itself never has a bump or a sluggish moment in it, and the ending is certainly satisfying.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Bright Road.

Review #528: Bright Road.

Cast
Dorothy Dandridge (Jane Richards), Philip Hepburn (C.T. Young), Harry Belafonte (School Principal), Barbara Randolph (Tanya), Maidie Norman (Tanya's Mother), Rene Beard (Booker T. Jones), Howard McNeeley (Boyd), and Robert McNeeley (Lloyd) Directed by Gerald Mayer.

Review
While only lasting 69 minutes, Bright Road manages to strike a chord and makes a big impression with such a small budget that some big budget films can't even do. The actors consist of mostly kids, but Dorothy Dandridge does a fine job in a lead role, and Hepburn does an alright job in what seems to be (according to IMDb) his only film role. Belafonte has a good ballad song that stands out and the film has a good deal of passion for its subject and it certainly is a fine film to watch, not too shabby all in all.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer.

Review #527: The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer.

Cast
Cary Grant (Richard Nugent), Myrna Loy (Margaret Turner), Shirley Temple (Susan Turner), Rudy Vallee (Tommy Chamberlain), Ray Collins (Dr. Matt Beemish), Harry Davenport (Thaddeus Turner), Johnny Sands (Jerry White), and Don Beddoe (Joey) Directed by Irving Reis.

Review
The title certainly got me interested in this film, trying to figure out what exactly a Bobby-Soxer was. Apparently it (according to Wikipedia) is a 1940s sociological coinage describing the often very zealous fans of Swing music, often young adults, or in this movie, Shirley Temple. If your like me, you probably didn't know Shirley Temple made films in her teenage years (that or like me you didn't watch any of her films prior to this and only know her due to commercials trying to sell her films to people watching at home), and she doesn't do a bad job, and while her character could be regarded as annoying at times, she is okay either way. Cary Grant is charming and is certainly very entertaining, and Myrna Loy works well with Grant as well. The rest of the cast do well, and there are good laughs with this film, it has a clever way with fun, and this is a film that while unusual with its pairing, is a good film.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

Review #526: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

Cast
Will Ferrell (Ron Burgundy), Christina Applegate (Veronica Corningstone), Paul Rudd (Brian Fantana), Steve Carell (Brick Tamland), David Koechner (Champ Kind), Fred Willard (Edward Harken), Vince Vaughn (Wes Mantooth), Chris Parnell (Garth Holliday), Fred Armisen (Tino), and Kathryn Hahn (Helen) Directed by Adam McKay.

Review
This film never seems to miss a beat and never stops in a relentless, but fun loving approach for comedy. Ferrell does a fine job, never letting go on trying to make us laugh, and his look (especially that bushy mustache) only seems to contribute to a over the top, but domineering performance. Applegate and Ferrell seem to go well together and have some chemistry, even when they fight each other. The rest of the cast do a good job, and Carell makes an impression even when he isn't talking. It's a decently crafted film that never seems to stop going on its approach, making more than missing on attempts at comedy, and it (unlike films like...#525 - Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls) is enjoyable to watch, in all of its bizarre, but coherent manner. It's a silly, but memorable film that seems to be quoted from even to this day. Stay classy, San Diego.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.

Review #525: Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.

Cast
Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura), Ian McNeice (Fulton Greenwall), Simon Callow (Vincent Cadby), Maynard Eziashi (Ouda), Bob Gunton (Burton Quinn), Damon Standifer (Wachati Chief), and Sophie Okonedo (Wachati Princess) Directed by Steve Oedekerk.

Review
I thought the first film (#148 - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) wasn't all too bad. It had its moments that worked and while of course it could have been better, it wasn't that bad. The sequel though, just stinks. Ventura was mildly enjoyable in the first, but in this film, the patience and level of joy wears thin, really, really fast. It seems that the movie itself thinks its pretty funny, it laughs at its own jokes, but if you ever were wondering why this is the only sequel to a film starring Carrey in which Carrey reprised his role, this is why. Carrey seems to just be trapped in the role, and while he certainly seems to be trying, the movie can't make up for being so tiresome, yet so short. The cast isn't awful, but they seem to want to watch Carrey act as Ventura then make an impression. It doesn't have much of the spark, if any of the original, and it is somewhat forgettable. Maybe it's better for others who have better patience then I do, but I just didn't find much to enjoy.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: D.O.A. (1950).

Review #524: D.O.A.

Cast
Edmond O'Brien (Frank Bigelow), Pamela Britton (Paula Gibson), Luther Adler (Majak), Lynn Baggett (Mrs. Phillips), William Ching (Halliday), Henry Hart (Stanley Phillips), Beverly Garland (Miss Foster), and Neville Brand (Chester) Directed by Rudolph Maté.

Review
D.O.A. is certainly unique in its approach and also relatively easy to find due to it being in the public domain (Examples of movies in the public domain being Night of the Living Dead, Carnival of Souls and most notably, It's a Wonderful Life), and also being short to watch that also makes it a hidden gem. The actors do a fine job in a film noir that takes its own approach to entertain and bewilder, the mystery isn't inherently obvious nor overly complicated, it stands in the middle and it pays off relatively well. O'Brien stands out well, and Mate directs nicely enough. The movie has moments of brilliance (Such as O'Brien's character going to the Police station and reporting his own murder or when he finds out why he is even involved in this), and it certainly does not die on arrival.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: It Happened at the World's Fair.

Review #523: It Happened at the World's Fair.

Cast
Elvis Presley (Mike Edwards), Joan O'Brien (Diane Warren), Gary Lockwood (Danny Burke), Vicky Tiu (Sue-Lin), Yvonne Craig (Dorothy Johnson), H. M. Wynant (Vince Bradley), and Kam Tong (Walter Ling) Directed by Norman Taurog.

Review
To begin with, today is what would've been Elvis Presley's 79th Birthday, so I decided to watch one of his movies. And...here it is. It's hard to say much about this film. Why? It's just not...interesting to talk about. Granted, the fact it was filmed in Seattle on the site of the Century 21 Exposition is certainly noteworthy (to me anyways), and the film at least takes some of its time to show off Seattle (Such as the Seattle Center, the Monorail and my favorite, the Space Needle), which is nice. Then...there's the film itself. The story isn't really interesting and while Elvis tries to spruce up the film, he can't save the movie, neither can his supporting cast. It's a mediocre film that seems to distract you more with Elvis' singing (and Elvis does at least try to sing well) then entertain with story. Is it a bad film? No, but it isn't any good either. If you really want to see some Elvis films, I'd probably stick to Jailhouse Rock (#327) instead. Happy Birthday, Elvis.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Muppets.

Review #522: The Muppets.

Cast
Jason Segel (Gary), Amy Adams (Mary), Chris Cooper (Tex Richman), Steve Whitmire (Kermit the Frog/Beaket/Statler/Rizzo the Rat/Link Hogthrob/The Muppet Newsman/Lips), Eric Jacobson (Miss Piggy/Fozzie Bear/Animal/Sam the Eagle/Marvin Suggs), Dave Goelz (Gonzo/Dr. Bunsen Honeydew/Zoot, Beauregard/Waldorf/Kermit Moopet), Bill Barretta (Rowlf the Dog/The Swedish Chef/Dr. Teeth/Pepe the King Prawn/Bobo the Bear/Beautiful Day Monster/Mahna Mahna/Behemoth/Fozzie Moope/Muppet Gary/Whatnot Hobo), Peter Linz (Walter), David Rudman (Scooter/Janice/Miss Poogy/Wayne, Nigel the Conductor/Bobby Benson), Matt Vogel (Floyd Pepper/Camilla the Chicken/Sweetums/'80s Robot, Lew Zealand/Uncle Deadly/Crazy Harry/Rowlf Moopet), Rashida Jones (Veronica), Jack Black (Himself), Alan Arkin (Muppet Studios Tour Guide), Bill Cobbs (Grandfather), Zach Galifianakis (Hobo Joe), and Jim Parsons (Human Walter) Directed by James Bobin.

Review
It had 12 years since the release of Muppets From Space (#377), and in that span the Muppets were confined to television specials only (Okay, okay, I admit to watching A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa when I was younger, it wasn't bad, but I don't remember watching any other special), until this film. I wanted to end this so called Muppet Trilogy of mine with this film because the first part of the trilogy began with the first, and so it only made sense to finish with the most recent (Muppets Most Wanted hasn't been released..yet.), and...this is a good Muppet film. It has its moments of fun, and Walter is a welcome addition for the Muppets, the human cast is interesting because Segel and Adams work alright together, and Cooper is pretty funny, and "Man or Muppet" is probably the most memorable song of the film along with being a really fitting one for a film like this. The Muppets are fine as usual and while not every joke works, the film still has enough passion for its subject to work. I hope you like this trilogy of Muppet films, as I enjoyed watching these films, and I hope you do as well.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Review #521: The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Cast
Jim Henson (Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, The Swedish Chef, The Muppet Newsman, Waldorf, Baby Kermit, Baby Rowlf, Ernie), Frank Oz (Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, Baby Piggy, Baby Fozzie, Bert, Cookie Monster), Jerry Nelson (Floyd Pepper, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Pops, Lew Zealand, Bear), Richard Hunt (Scooter, Janice, Statler, Baby Scooter), Dave Goelz (Gonzo the Great, Chester the Rat, Bill the Frog, Zoot, Penguin, Jim the Dog, Baby Gonzo), Steve Whitmire (Rizzo the Rat, Gill the Frog), Louis Zorich (Pete), Juliana Donald (Jenny), Lonny Price (Ronnie Crawford), and Art Carney (Bernard Crawford) Directed by Frank Oz.

Review

While The Muppets Take Manhattan may not be as magical as The Muppet Movie, it certainly has enough gas to chug to the finish line and it does have its moments of shine. The Muppets, as usual, are entertaining. They sing well and they mesh well with each other and the human cast. It has its standard fare of cameos (Such Art Carney, Liza Minnelli, John Landis), but I suppose at this point it makes perfect sense. The movie's plot is not exactly original (A group (or a person, take your pick) trying to make it big on Broadway), but the Muppets manage to make the most of it, the songs are nicely done and there is never a dull moment in the film. It's not great, but this film does have enough Muppet power (whatever that means) to drudge along just fine.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Muppet Movie.

Review #520: The Muppet Movie.

Cast
Jim Henson (Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Waldorf, and the Swedish Chef), Frank Oz (Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, and Marvin Suggs), Jerry Nelson (Sgt. Floyd Pepper, Crazy Harry, Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand, Camilla the Chicken and Blue Frackle), Richard Hunt (Scooter, Statler, Janice, Sweetums and Beaker), Dave Goelz (Gonzo the Great, Zoot, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Nigel the Conductor, and Doglion), Charles Durning (Doc Hopper), Austin Pendleton (Max), and Scott Walker (Snake Walker) Directed by James Frawley.

Review
Ah yes, the movie that started the Muppet film franchise, which has had 7 films released in a 35 years span, with an 8th coming this year. Usually I'd ask if this a good flick to watch, but I think we both know the answer: Yes, of course. The Muppets are entertaining, especially when they sing. The puppetry is good and all, but the real show stoppers are the many voices and characters the Muppets bring to the table. But that's not all the movie has, it also seems to have endless cameos (Bob Hope, Edgar Bergen, Mel Brooks, Dom Deluise and last but not least, Orson Welles), good songs (such as Rainbow Connection) and a good deal of imagination with fun, there is never a dull moment to get in the way of the pace and it always keeps itself fresh and well. It's no wonder why there were more Muppet movies after this, and I'm going to continue that with another Muppet film soon.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Thing from Another World.

Review #519: The Thing from Another World.

Cast
Margaret Sheridan (Nikki Nicholson), Kenneth Tobey (Captain Patrick Hendry), Robert Cornthwaite (Dr. Arthur Carrington), Douglas Spencer (Ned Scott), James Young (Lt. Eddie Dykes), Dewey Martin (Crew Chief Bob), Robert Nichols (Lt. Ken 'Mac' MacPherson), James Arness (The Thing), and William Self (Corporal Barnes) Directed by Christian Nyby.

Review
The movie (produced under Howard Hawks' Winchester Pictures Corporation) shows promise and it lives up to it. The title sequence is excellent, because it has a certain interest in mind and intrigues you in. The actors do fine, and James Arness does impressive as the Thing's body (I do wonder how scary the movie would be with Thing from The Addams Family), and the movie itself doesn't have too many hokey moments, it has its moments of tension and suspense, such as the end sequence, and the last line is slightly chilling. The movie (I guess it's a cliche to remake movies over 40 years old I suppose) has been remade, one by John Carpenter in 1982, and the other in 2011, but this on its own is a decent movie.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Hang 'Em High.

Review #518: Hang 'Em High.

Cast
Clint Eastwood (Jed Cooper), Inger Stevens (Rachel Warren), Ed Begley (Captain Wilson), Pat Hingle (Judge Adam Fenton), Ben Johnson (Dave Bliss), Charles McGraw (Ray Calhoun), Ruth White (Peaches Sophie), Bruce Dern (Miller), Alan Hale Jr. (Matt Stone), Arlene Golonka (Jennifer), James Westerfield (Prisoner), and Dennis Hopper (The Prophet) Directed by Ted Post.

Review
I had reviewed the Dollars Trilogy that starred Clint Eastwood and directed by Sergio Leone (#015 - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, #017 - A Fistful of Dollars, #019 - For a Few Dollars More), and the success of the trilogy led to this film, one that Eastwood's business manager (Irving Leonard) described as a cross between Rawhide and Leone's westerns, and I can see why. But how is the film? It's okay. Eastwood is raw but intriguing, and Stevens delivers a contrast despite not having too many scenes, only near the end does she get her chance to shine. Begley and Hingle are good, but it seems the one who is really memorable despite having once scene is Dennis Hopper, he sticks out and rambles, and he certainly made an impression on me for his one scene. The film is raw at times and somewhat interesting and while it may take its time, it's an alright film and it is a film you could watch if you're still reeling from Leone's masterful Trilogy, take this for what it's worth.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.