Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Margot Kidder passes away
This past Sunday, Margot Kidder, the actress who was the cinematic Lois Lane for Generation X, passed away at the age of 69. Here's a gallery of pictures in her memory.
Monday, May 14, 2018
Musical Monday: Leo's Uptown Metal Funk
Norweigan musical virtuoso Leo Moracchioli has performed and produced dozens upon dozens of creative covers of songs along with amusing and creative videos... with the ones where he dons a bunny suit, uses puppets, or borrows his daughter's toy instruments being among the most amusing. No matter what artist, or whatever the original genre the song he's covering is from, Moracchioli takes the song and makes it his own, usually with a hard rock and/or heavy, heavy metal twist. He usually plays every instrument and he plays every one of them well.
I recently noticed that a few of his videos made in black-and-white, so I'm jumping on the excuse to spotlight him here on the blog, just in case someone out there hasn't discovered this great talent. I'll be posting a new one each Monday for the next few weeks. I hope you enjoy these covers as much as I do.
First up is Leo's version of "Uptown Funk." (For much, much more, visit his YouTube Channel.)
Friday, May 11, 2018
Time's passage may have left 'Lucky Ghost' behind
Lucky Ghost (aka "Lady Luck") 1942
Starring: Mantan Moreland, E.F. Miller, Maceo Bruce Sheffield, Florence O'Brien, Arthur Ray, Jessie Brooks, Nappie Whiting, and Henry Hastings
Director: William Beaudine (as William X. Crowley)
Rating: Five of Ten Stars
Riding an incredible wave of luck in craps games, two vagabonds (Miller and Moreland), have the chance to become set for life when the irritable operator of an illicit club and casino (Sheffield) bets his entire operation against them on a single winner-takes-all die roll. The ghost of the former owner (Hastings) may have other plans, however.
"Lucky Ghost" may be one of those films that's more interesting as a historical artifact than something that modern viewers should seek out for entertainment. It's rife with the common mid-career weaknesses of most William Beaudine-helmed films--like scenes and jokes that could have been impactful or funny but which are padded well-past the point of even being interesting--and a whole lot of race-based humor that will cause the 21st Century Woke Set to suffer strokes before the halfway mark.
That last bit is perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of the film. "Lucky Ghost" is what is termed a 'race picture'--a film made specifically for a black audience during a time when the United States was racially segregated, so there was a market for films to be shown at movie theaters for all-black audiences. Despite this, the all-black line-up of characters in "Lucky Ghost" are almost without fail what today is viewed as racially insensitive and negative stereotypes, far more so than other 'race pictures' I've watched (which, admittedly, aren't very many). Perhaps these caricatures were to the audience back then as stoners or nerds are to viewers of comedies today and were recognized as exaggerations of existing people and not something to get huffy over?
One thing that should still speak just fine to modern audiences, and the best part of the film, is the interplay between stars Mantan Moreland and E.F. Miller. This is one of a handful of films they were teamed in, and they function as a black version of Abbott & Costello, with Miller being the straight man and Moreland providing the antics. I think I've expressed my affection for Moreland in every review of a movie I've seen him in, and it's no different here. All by himself, Moreland brings this film from a Low Four rating to a Low Five... and his presence might have made an even stronger impact if not for some of the scenes where I am certain that Beaudine padded the running time by including all takes on a bit where only one, or two at most, should have been included. Moreland is particularly funny during the gambling scenes, and in a couple of scenes where he is leering at the butts or cleavages of the casino's hostesses and making not-so-subtle innuendos. While the film is labled as having passed the Review Board in the opening credits, one wonders which Hayes Commission censor was sleeping on the job that day!
Another aspect that lifts this film a bit above many other horror-comedies of the period is the nature of ghosts. More often than not, hauntings in these pictures turn out to be hoaxes or misinterpretations of perfectly normal and natural events. No so here; in "Lucky Ghost", the filmmakers go fill-tilt with the phantoms, even treating the audience to what special effects the meager budget could allow. It's a nice change of pace.
Starring: Mantan Moreland, E.F. Miller, Maceo Bruce Sheffield, Florence O'Brien, Arthur Ray, Jessie Brooks, Nappie Whiting, and Henry Hastings
Director: William Beaudine (as William X. Crowley)
Rating: Five of Ten Stars
Riding an incredible wave of luck in craps games, two vagabonds (Miller and Moreland), have the chance to become set for life when the irritable operator of an illicit club and casino (Sheffield) bets his entire operation against them on a single winner-takes-all die roll. The ghost of the former owner (Hastings) may have other plans, however.
That last bit is perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of the film. "Lucky Ghost" is what is termed a 'race picture'--a film made specifically for a black audience during a time when the United States was racially segregated, so there was a market for films to be shown at movie theaters for all-black audiences. Despite this, the all-black line-up of characters in "Lucky Ghost" are almost without fail what today is viewed as racially insensitive and negative stereotypes, far more so than other 'race pictures' I've watched (which, admittedly, aren't very many). Perhaps these caricatures were to the audience back then as stoners or nerds are to viewers of comedies today and were recognized as exaggerations of existing people and not something to get huffy over?
One thing that should still speak just fine to modern audiences, and the best part of the film, is the interplay between stars Mantan Moreland and E.F. Miller. This is one of a handful of films they were teamed in, and they function as a black version of Abbott & Costello, with Miller being the straight man and Moreland providing the antics. I think I've expressed my affection for Moreland in every review of a movie I've seen him in, and it's no different here. All by himself, Moreland brings this film from a Low Four rating to a Low Five... and his presence might have made an even stronger impact if not for some of the scenes where I am certain that Beaudine padded the running time by including all takes on a bit where only one, or two at most, should have been included. Moreland is particularly funny during the gambling scenes, and in a couple of scenes where he is leering at the butts or cleavages of the casino's hostesses and making not-so-subtle innuendos. While the film is labled as having passed the Review Board in the opening credits, one wonders which Hayes Commission censor was sleeping on the job that day!
Another aspect that lifts this film a bit above many other horror-comedies of the period is the nature of ghosts. More often than not, hauntings in these pictures turn out to be hoaxes or misinterpretations of perfectly normal and natural events. No so here; in "Lucky Ghost", the filmmakers go fill-tilt with the phantoms, even treating the audience to what special effects the meager budget could allow. It's a nice change of pace.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Milla Jovovich Quarterly: The Fiercest Foe!
Milla Jovovich has destroyed zombies, vampires, interstellar tyrants, and evil mega-corporations... but even she falls victim to the dreaded Bed Head!
Monday, May 7, 2018
'Double Exposure' unfolds at double-time.
Double Exposure (1944)
Starring: Chester Morris, Nancy Kelly, Phillip Terry, Richard Gaines, and Charles Arnt
Director: William Berke
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
The road to romance is rocky for editor Larry Burke (Morris) and photographer Pat Marvin (Kelly), with deception, jealousy, and frame-ups for murder getting in their way.
"Double Exposure" is a fast-moving comedy that mixes up the familiar elements of fast-talking and quick-witted reporters; dodgy and eccentric rich people; romance complicated by social mores and deceptions; and a murder mystery that would be slightly less of a murder mystery if the police weren't lazy. It's a B-movie stew, but it's a tasty one.
This is a movie that hits the ground running and it never slows down, with gags and plot complications flying at the viewer non-stop. As mentioned above, the film is made up of familiar elements and there is nothing here that is terribly original, but what we have is so perfectly deployed that fans of movies from this era can't help but have fun while watching it. In fact, this film is so well put together that some of the things that usually annoy me--such as Insta-Romances between the male and female leads, and One-Suspect Murdery Mysteries--don't bother me here at all.
As a bonus for the modern viewer, the film also has some commentary on the challenges that career-oriented women had to face during the 1940s. The commentary is shallow and breezy, just like the rest of the film, but it adds an interesting dimension that may speak differently to us than it did to those sitting in the theaters in 1944.
The one complaint I have about the film is the soundtrack. I'm used to so-so and often bizarrely inappropriate music over the opening credits of these old B-movies, but it's rare that it shows up during the run-time as wildly inappropriate scoring. During a scene where Burke is trying to confirm his suspicions about who the real murderer is, we're treated to the happy, cheerful music that opened the film. I'm sure someone during editing said, "we can't have a scene this long that's this quiet... what will we do?" but then someone else made the WRONG choice when it came to "fixing" it.
But one "sour note" doesn't come close to ruining the overall experience of this film. It's well worth the time spent watching it!
Starring: Chester Morris, Nancy Kelly, Phillip Terry, Richard Gaines, and Charles Arnt
Director: William Berke
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
The road to romance is rocky for editor Larry Burke (Morris) and photographer Pat Marvin (Kelly), with deception, jealousy, and frame-ups for murder getting in their way.
"Double Exposure" is a fast-moving comedy that mixes up the familiar elements of fast-talking and quick-witted reporters; dodgy and eccentric rich people; romance complicated by social mores and deceptions; and a murder mystery that would be slightly less of a murder mystery if the police weren't lazy. It's a B-movie stew, but it's a tasty one.
This is a movie that hits the ground running and it never slows down, with gags and plot complications flying at the viewer non-stop. As mentioned above, the film is made up of familiar elements and there is nothing here that is terribly original, but what we have is so perfectly deployed that fans of movies from this era can't help but have fun while watching it. In fact, this film is so well put together that some of the things that usually annoy me--such as Insta-Romances between the male and female leads, and One-Suspect Murdery Mysteries--don't bother me here at all.
As a bonus for the modern viewer, the film also has some commentary on the challenges that career-oriented women had to face during the 1940s. The commentary is shallow and breezy, just like the rest of the film, but it adds an interesting dimension that may speak differently to us than it did to those sitting in the theaters in 1944.
The one complaint I have about the film is the soundtrack. I'm used to so-so and often bizarrely inappropriate music over the opening credits of these old B-movies, but it's rare that it shows up during the run-time as wildly inappropriate scoring. During a scene where Burke is trying to confirm his suspicions about who the real murderer is, we're treated to the happy, cheerful music that opened the film. I'm sure someone during editing said, "we can't have a scene this long that's this quiet... what will we do?" but then someone else made the WRONG choice when it came to "fixing" it.
But one "sour note" doesn't come close to ruining the overall experience of this film. It's well worth the time spent watching it!
Saturday, May 5, 2018
It's Cinco de Mayo!
For a few days now, I've been seeing posts in my Facebook feed designed to instruct me on the True Meaning of Cinco de Mayo (or lack there-of). Well, those posts convinced me that I had to do a Cinco de Mayo post of my own this year--the third one in the decade or so that this blog has been around.
I have made an effort to be faithful to the wishes of those who took it upon themselves to preach to unwashed masses. Cinco de Mayo is a commemoration of a battle that helped put an end to France's imperial ambitions in the Americas, and this post is here to remind the world about that.
PREPARING TO FIGHT THE TROOPS OF NAPOLEON III!
CELEBRATING THE VICTORY OVER THE TROOPS OF NAPOLEON III!
I have made an effort to be faithful to the wishes of those who took it upon themselves to preach to unwashed masses. Cinco de Mayo is a commemoration of a battle that helped put an end to France's imperial ambitions in the Americas, and this post is here to remind the world about that.
PREPARING TO FIGHT THE TROOPS OF NAPOLEON III!
CELEBRATING THE VICTORY OVER THE TROOPS OF NAPOLEON III!
Friday, May 4, 2018
The Moonshiner's Daughter: Cute but not a 10
The Moonshiner's Daughter, or Abroad in Old Kentucky (1933)
Starring: Russell Hopton, Lucile Browne, Russell Simpson, Frank McGlynn Jr., Mary Carr, and Mitchell Lewis
Director: Al Ray
Rating: Six of Ten Stars
When Pa Catfield (Simpson) killed the last Ratfield, it seemed the generational feud that had bathed Wolf Mountain in blood for so long was finally over. But when a Revenuer (Hopton) turns out to be a Ratfield AND becomes romantically involved with the lovely Emmy Catfield (Browne), a whole new feud begins.
Produced as a fund-raiser by the Masquers, which was a social club for comedians in Hollywood, "The Moonshiner's Daughter" is a mildly amusing comedy that's packed full of one-liners and slapstick from beginning to end. There aren't any laugh-out-loud moments--although the baby has some moments that come close--but there aren't any dull ones either. It's a competently staged spoof, but that's about it.
That said, one of the things I found the funniest about the film is the fact that the government agent is clearly wearing his badge on his coat for the entire film, even when he's telling the mountain-folk that he's not a revenuer, no sir. I am also very fond of the second title, being the lover of bad puns that I am.
The best moments in the film are when there's interaction between Russell Hopton and Lucile Browne. The two play well off each other, and it's a shame that they do not appear to be done any other films together. One wonders what might have been if they'd been paired in something more than a quickie short film.
Trivia: There were at least three other short films titled "The Moonshiner's Daughter" prior to this one (four if you count one titled "The Mountaineer's Daughter" that had it as an alternate title. They were all silent films (from 1910, 1912, and 1914 respectively). Although the ones information is available on had plots very different than this one, it could be that this was a wide enough sub-genre back then that audiences in the early '30s were amused by elements in this film that are muted today.
Starring: Russell Hopton, Lucile Browne, Russell Simpson, Frank McGlynn Jr., Mary Carr, and Mitchell Lewis
Director: Al Ray
Rating: Six of Ten Stars
When Pa Catfield (Simpson) killed the last Ratfield, it seemed the generational feud that had bathed Wolf Mountain in blood for so long was finally over. But when a Revenuer (Hopton) turns out to be a Ratfield AND becomes romantically involved with the lovely Emmy Catfield (Browne), a whole new feud begins.
Produced as a fund-raiser by the Masquers, which was a social club for comedians in Hollywood, "The Moonshiner's Daughter" is a mildly amusing comedy that's packed full of one-liners and slapstick from beginning to end. There aren't any laugh-out-loud moments--although the baby has some moments that come close--but there aren't any dull ones either. It's a competently staged spoof, but that's about it.
That said, one of the things I found the funniest about the film is the fact that the government agent is clearly wearing his badge on his coat for the entire film, even when he's telling the mountain-folk that he's not a revenuer, no sir. I am also very fond of the second title, being the lover of bad puns that I am.
The best moments in the film are when there's interaction between Russell Hopton and Lucile Browne. The two play well off each other, and it's a shame that they do not appear to be done any other films together. One wonders what might have been if they'd been paired in something more than a quickie short film.
May the Fourth...
It's a pun that makes fun of speech impediments and an excuse to post some Star Wars art, so May the Fourth Be Wif You!
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| By Tony Harris |
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| By Al Williamson |
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| By Sordet Romain |
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Princesses of Mars, Part 24
It's time for another of our ocassional trips to Barsoom to visit with the beautiful and deadly Princesses of Mars!
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| By Frank Frazetta |
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| By Tom Yeates |
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| By Scott Fischer |
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| By Dawn McTiegue |
Monday, April 30, 2018
'Horror Island' is atmospheric but the script is lacking
Horror Island (1941)
Starring: Dick Foran, Leo Carillo, Peggy Moran, Hobart Cavanaugh, and Foy Van Dolsen
Director: George Waggner
Rating: Six of Ten Stars
A struggling businessman (Foran) organizes a "mystery weekend" excursion to an old, supposedly haunted pirate hideout as part of a new tourism venture. He and his customers are soon haunted by a very real killer.
This is a minor horror film from Universal that's more spoof than horror, poking fun at the style of mystery/thriller films where a cast of characters are stuck in a creepy house and stalked by a killer. The film is amusing enough, especially once the action moves to the island, but it would have been a stronger film if a little more time had been spent on the mystery/thriller aspect of the film. Instead of trying to come up with a decent story, the writers instead seem like they were simply trying to cram as many movie mystery cliches into the story whether they belong or not. For example, a gangster on the run with his gun moll go on the tour of the island, but they are neither effective red herrings nor particularly sympathetic so we don't really care if they live or die. All they do is waste space and film running time.
"Horror Island" does manage to present a villain that is both amusing and creepy, as well as provide a third act twist that comes as a genuine surprise. The cast is also universally good, even if some of them are just wastes of space in the film and story. The sets and cinematography are all solid and add to the film's atmosphere. Aside from the weak script, everything else is solid enough... not spectacular but good enough.
Starring: Dick Foran, Leo Carillo, Peggy Moran, Hobart Cavanaugh, and Foy Van Dolsen
Director: George Waggner
Rating: Six of Ten Stars
A struggling businessman (Foran) organizes a "mystery weekend" excursion to an old, supposedly haunted pirate hideout as part of a new tourism venture. He and his customers are soon haunted by a very real killer.
This is a minor horror film from Universal that's more spoof than horror, poking fun at the style of mystery/thriller films where a cast of characters are stuck in a creepy house and stalked by a killer. The film is amusing enough, especially once the action moves to the island, but it would have been a stronger film if a little more time had been spent on the mystery/thriller aspect of the film. Instead of trying to come up with a decent story, the writers instead seem like they were simply trying to cram as many movie mystery cliches into the story whether they belong or not. For example, a gangster on the run with his gun moll go on the tour of the island, but they are neither effective red herrings nor particularly sympathetic so we don't really care if they live or die. All they do is waste space and film running time.
"Horror Island" does manage to present a villain that is both amusing and creepy, as well as provide a third act twist that comes as a genuine surprise. The cast is also universally good, even if some of them are just wastes of space in the film and story. The sets and cinematography are all solid and add to the film's atmosphere. Aside from the weak script, everything else is solid enough... not spectacular but good enough.
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