Woody Allen's underappreciated homage to early cinematic thrillers

Shadows and Fog (1991)
Starring: Woody Allen, David Ogden Stiers, Mia Farrow, James Rebhorn, Kathy Bates, Donald Pleasance, Lily Tomlin, John Malkovich, John Cusack, Madonna, and Michael Kirby
Director: Woody Allen
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A serial killer is terrorizing a German city and the citizens have formed a vigilante squad to catch him. After being cajoled to join them, Kleinmann (Allen) soon finds himself wandering the dark and foggy streets alone, dodging the killer (Kirby) and being drawn into the lives of other lonely people wandering the night.

I have a weird relationship with Woody Allen movies. The films most people praise, I find irritating and barely watchable. Meanwhile, his flops and failures, I find immensely entertaining.

Like "Shadows and Fog." It's a film that many viewers find confusing and unsatisfying, and by all accounts it was a total bomb at the box office. Myself, I enjoyed it, because I like the movies that Allen was spoofing/giving homage to--the moody, German silent movies from the earliest decades of the 20th century, such as "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari."

Allen and his cinematographer use the black-and-white medium beautifully, using the shadows and fog of the title to their absolute greatest potential. The characters and the world they inhabit also perfectly capture the mood and feeling of a silent-era thriller/horror movie--expect, of course, for Allen's character who wanders through the landscape lost and confused (when he isn't working against his nature and trying to be a heroic gentleman to Mia Farrow's displaced circus performer character. Despite two seemingly strong elements to form a uniting center of the film's plot--Allen's character and the killer on the loose--that center does not exist. Like many of the silent pictures that "Shadows and Fog" draws its inspiration from, the film feels more like a collection of vignettes than a coherent whole.

If the viewer recognizes and appreciates the source material Allen is drawing upon, "Shadows and Fog" is a lot of fun... but I can understand the frustration of those who "aren't in on the joke," so to speak. Those viewers will probably be even more frustrated by the fact that Allen really doesn't bring anything new to the table in that humor or character department that even audiences in 1991 hadn't seen in other films from him. Without seeing the constant wink-and-nods relating to silent movie style and story-telling, this film quite possibly comes across as a meandering, uninspired mess that adds insult to injury with its abrupt ending that leaves almost every single story line unresolved.

I agree with viewers who might find the ending to "Shadows and Fog" weak and unsatisfying. It makes perfect sense within the framework of the film, but I would have liked it to be a bit a punchier than it is. Such a stylish movie that features great performances from every cast member (even Madonna and Woody Allen who I sometimes feel is the worst part of his movies!) should have delivered something that reminded viewers of all those good things rather than making them feel let down.

Dolores O'Riordan passes away

Singer Dolores O'Riordan has died today, at the age of 46. You can read more here.

Best known as the lead singer of The Cranberries, she also released some great solo albums in the early 2000s. She had a remarkable and distinctive voice that will be with us forever. I am saddened by her passing, but grateful for what she has left us.

'Gyo' is nightmarish but not horrific

Gyo (Viz Media, 2015)
Story and Art: Junji Ito
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

While vacationing in Okinawa, young couple Tadashi and Kaori are set upon by bizarre, murderous fish with legs. Soon, all of Japan is under attack by the mysterious creatures from the sea.

Junji Ito has the honor of having written and drawn some of the very few (perhaps the only?) comics that are scary on the level of the pure written word, movies, and live performances, with "Uzumaki" being his masterwork. While 3-8 page comics stories can sometimes come close to competing with other genres with the level of horror they might inspire in readers, so far no other long-form comics I've come across have managed to do so. That includes "Gyo."

"Gyo" was originally published in serialized form in the Japanese anthology title "Big Comics Spirit" during 2001 and 2002. It was Ito's final excursion into horror before taking a decade-long break from the genre (returning to horror by writing and directing a film adaptation of his most famous series, "Tomie" in 2011, and afterwards to comics). The art is as solid as in any of Ito's prior work--with some scenes being every bit as nightmarishly disturbing as the best found in his "Flesh-Colored Horror" anthology. Unfortunately, that's as far as it goes.

There is nothing in "Gyo" that rises to the level of dread, and outright horror that leaped off page after page. The best we get here is creepy transitioning into disgusting, but no actual horror; "nightmarish" is the best way to describe the events of "Gyo", I think. This may stem from the fact that a character we're supposed to feel sympathy for is so annoyingly, repulsively neurotic that the reader is almost delighted when she suffers her predictable fate. (All I could think about while suffering through her hysterically berating her very patient boyfriend over and over and over was, "The sex must be great"--but I'm not sure he getting much of that, so I don't know where their could possibly have been a relationship between these two main characters.)

Art-wise, "Gyo" is up to the high standards of Ito's other works. The illustrations are crisp, and even the most chaotic, bizarre scenes flow clearly and are easily followed by the reader. Further, his style remains a nice bridge between "manga" and more western-looking art, so even those who claim to hate Japanese comics should be able to enjoy his work. (Just know that there are better examples of it.)

Welcome to 2018!

May your 2018 be filled with smiles!

The Milla Jovovich Quarterly

I've been a huge fan of Milla Jovovich since I first became aware of her, probably in "The Fifth Element." For a while, I was doing "The Milla Jovovich Quarterly" here at Shades of Grey, but I started to run low on interesting black-and-white pictures, so I stopped.

I now resume scheduled Milla Jovovich appearances with a post every year on her birthday! Here's hoping her 41st birthday is a happy one!

Happy Thanksgiving to All Americans!

Someone won't be having their turkey dinner, but friendship is a beautiful thing!

Halloween is Coming!

Here's Debbie Reynolds, wearing a Sexy French Maid costume and hugging a pumpkin. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever, so this is an all-in-one Trick-or-Treat?

No matter what, though, she seems like she's ready for Halloween! How about you?

Picture Perfect Wednesday: Halloween is Almost Here!

Myrna Loy is checking the cards. She thinks they are foretelling a frightfully fun Halloween for you and your friends! Are you ready?

Meanwhile, lots of preparations and rushing on brooms is taking place here at Shades of Gray! Like Anne Jeffreys, we're counting down the minutes to the Big Day!

Halloween is coming, and here's something to help get you in the mood!

For the past several years, over at the Terror Titans blog, I have posted a short horror film every day in October. While preparing this year's line-up, I came across "Revestriction," a short film that won awards at the Cannes Film Festival in 1990.

Seeing that it's in black-and-white and a fabulous pastiche of the low-budget horror films from the 1950s and 1960s--many of which you'll find reviewed here--I thought this was the best place to share it with all of you.

Revestriction (1990)
Starring: Bernadette Coqueret
Director:Barthelemy Bompard
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

I'll be posting more Halloween treats randomly throughout this month, but you can get a regular dose of horror by stopping by Terror Titans every day after 4:44pm (Pacific Time) from now until the Big Day on October 31!

There are 30 Days to Halloween...

... and Nancy Carroll is slightly annoyed that the Spirit of Halloween is already bugging her for candy.

Are you getting ready for Halloween?

NUELOW Games has just released another royalty-free art pack

If you're a small publisher looking for royalty-free art to round out your book, or a lover of black-and-white line art with a pulp-fiction flavor, the latest art pack from NUELOW Games might be just what you're looking for.

Cover for NUELOW Stock Art Collection #18. Illo by Lee Elias

This set contains more nudity and graphic violence than previous collections (as the title might hit at), so it has been put behind the "adult content" wall in accordance with NUELOW Games's distributor's policy. I'm posting a few samples of the 42 included drawings here. You can preview the entire set at the listing page either at DriveThruRPG. The very liberal usage license included with purchase can also be read in full there. (Basically, the illustrations can be used in just about any fashion you can think of, except for inclusion in other clip art packages.)

By Rais

By Xavier Villamonte

By Rod Ruth

For more previews, or to get your copy of NUELOW Stock Art Collection #18: Sex and Violence, click here.

It's the Fourth of July!

Happy Independence Day, America, from Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Elaine Stewart and Shades of Gray!

The Milla Jovovich Quarterly

Milla is trying on her new summer outfit--one that's perfect for this Age of Global Warming.

Wonder Woman Wednesday!

In anticipation of the forthcoming Wonder Woman film, here are some portraits of everyone's favorite Amazon Princess!

By John Byrne

By Sergio Xantos

By Oliver Nome

By Alex Ogle

By H.G. Peter, the first artist to draw Wonder Woman

Picture Perfect Wednesday: Ariana Grande

Until earlier this week, I had never heard of Ariana Grande. Then some sub-human creature decided to go to one of her concerts and blow himself up with a bomb designed to kill and maim as many innocent bystanders as possible. This disgusting excuse for a human being managed to murder more than 20 young adults and children while injuring scores more. He will burn in Hell for what he did.

Ariana Grande is a pop singer who got her start as a child actreess on broadway and a pair of TV series that aired on the kids-oriented network Nickelodeon. She launched her singing career in 2011 and has released three solo albums since. She also continues to act, with guest appearances on "Scream Queen" and other shows. The show in Manchester that was attacked was the suicide bomber--who was affiliated with the religiously motivated psychopaths of ISIS--was part a tour in support of her latest album, "Dangerous Woman."

Here's a music video for one of Grande's singles.



Easter is coming!

Adele Jergens is out and about with the Easter Bunny and his assistants hiding eggs everywhere. How many of them will you find?

The Milla Jovovich Quarterly: Milla Meets the Mandroids

In this installment of "The Milla Jovovich Quarterly" we've got something a little different in the form of greatly expanded textual goofiness to go with the interesting pictures of Shades of Gray's favorite actress/model: The usual couple of sentences have been expanded into a supplement for ROLF! from NUELOW Games, co-written by the game's creator, as inspired by the photos in this post.

MILLA MEETS THE MANDROIDS

A Battle Scenario for ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game

Design and Editing: L.L. Hundal & Steve Miller

The Abduction...
Milla remembered driving down the lonely California backroad, heading toward home in the deepest, darkest night. She remembered a bright light suddenly slicing through the darkness, blinding her... and then she woke up here. Where was here?  She didn't know. But it was a rocky landscape... under a brilliantly green sky. And it was cold. She put her arms around herself and shivered, and... and then the sharp white light blinded her again.

The Confrontation...
When Milla was again aware of herself and her surroundings, she was no longer cold. She was no longer in a rocky wilderness under a strange sky. Instead, she found herself standing in a room furnished with long couches and glass tables, with the carpets and furnishings all being off-white and various shades of gray. Then she noticed her clothes had changed, from the dress she had been wearing to a curious, skintight outfit made of a semi-transparent fabric laced with faintly glowing threads that connected to tiny sequins that were glowed slightly brighter.
    "The subject is once again self-aware."
    The toneless voice came from behind her, and Milla whirled about, stepping backwards and dropping into a half-crouch, fists raised. On a long couch sat two men, dressed entirely in black. Each wore a helmet and hid his face behind a shiny black visor. They remained seated as Milla spoke to them.
   "Who are you? How did I get here?"
   "We are Mandroids from the 57th Dimension," the pair replied in unison, their voices so perfectly toneless and identical they truly sounded like one. "We have been sent to your plane to study humans, to learn about their strengths and weaknesses, so that our Queen may conquer your world. You must battle us with human body and mind, so that every aspect of your being can be recorded and sent to the Queen for analysis. If you are victorious, you will be returned to your world."
   "What if I don't want to be your lab rat and refused to play your game?"
   "Then you will die. We will attack you whether you wish to fight us or not."
   Milla shuddered, thinking of her husband, her children. She had to defeat these creatures if she was to see them again. But what if she didn't defeat them?
   "What if I lose? What happens to me then?"
   "You will be sent to the 57th Dimension for further study and eventual conversion into a weapon for use in our invasion. You will be a testament to our Queen's glory. What you may initially view as a defeat, you will come to see as the first step in attaining the ultimate honor."
   Ultimate honor my ass, Milla thought. She wasn't going to lose. When this was over, these Mandroids would be broken at her feet--or they would be coming back to Earth with her, so they could be turned into weapons against their Queen.
   "You have chosen to fight," the Mandroids stated, rising to their feet. "As you humans say, 'Come at me, bro.'"
   "That doesn't apply here," Milla said with a frown. "But okay..."
   "Fight with all you have. Let us experience all that a human warrior has to offer."
   As the Mandroids advanced toward her, Milla's mind raced. What the best way to defeat these creatures--and possibly even bend them to her will?!
The Battle Scenario
Milla vs. the Mandroids is a ROLF! scenario for two gamers. One player controls Milla, the other controls the Mandroids. Stats for the characters are provided at the bottom of this post. Any combat maneuvers and traits not found in the basic ROLF! game are described in "ROLF!: Rise of the Trouser Snakes".
   (While the pictures in this post imply that Milla relies heavily on her Seduce battle maneuver, the player controlling her may use any means at her disposal to defeat the Mandroids.)

The Characters
MILLA JOVOVICH (Female)
Brawn 14, Body 14, Brains 7
   Traits: Improv Master, Nimble, Too Sexy for My Shirt
   Combat Maneuvers: Backflip, Basic Attack, Dodge, Seduce, Signature Move, Strike Pose, Yodel
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Alien Clothing from the 57th Dimension (Armor, absorbs 3 points of damage).

MANDROIDS (Robots)
Brawn 11, Body 13, Brains 6
   Traits: Robot
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Bitch Slap, Debate Philosophy, Dodge, Pimp Slap, Seduce
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Nothing

Ending the Battle
The battle continues until Milla or both Mandroids are defeated. If Milla loses, she is sent to the 57th Dimension where she faces further battles to regain her freedom and to save Earth from the oncoming invasion. If Milla wins, she gains the Mandroids as her loyal servants (if she hasn't totally demolished them by beating on them). Whether she takes them back to Earth or takes the fight to Queen of the 57th Dimension... that's a story for another day.

(The photos are actually of Jovovich posing with the musical duo Daft Punk, for those of you who, unlike us, care about things like facts.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

To the Irish (and everyone who pretends to be Irish on this day, so they can drink like they're Irish), may you barely remember the fun you have on this St. Patrick's Day!

Picture Perfect Wednesday with Krysta Rodriquez

Meet Krysta Rodriquez, a regular on the new NBC mockumentary series "Trial and Error." At 33, she's already a veteran stage and TV actress (with recurring roles on several NBC series under her belt), as well as a lady who has fought cancer and won.

"Trail and Error" airs Thursdays on NBC. It's a mockumentary about a young lawyer struggling to prove his client innocent of murder in a Southern town full of crazies. Krysta plays the daughter of the accused murderer.

WELCOME TO 2017!

I salute all of you who are ringing in the New Year!

(Your guess is as good as mine.)