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#4581
10-08-2023, 03:52 AM
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Time for the old Universal monster movies!
Currently watching Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) Happy spooky season! EDIT: now watching Them!
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Last edited by hammerfan; 10-08-2023 at 06:13 AM. 
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#4582
10-12-2023, 10:26 AM
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Quote:
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#4583
10-15-2023, 04:04 AM
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Quote:
   .HANG EM' HIGH (1968). An almost continuation of the Spaghetti Western's Clint Eastwood had become famous for, this could almost be considered the same, but with more familiar actors-and a whole slew of them are in here and half the fun is picking them out. Jeb (Eastwood) is accused of rustling by a group who after being Judge, Jury and executioner Lynch him and ride away. Moments after they depart, Jeb is cut down and after being found innocent of the crime He was thought to have committed, He becomes Deputy Marshall to help the Town Judge (Pat Hingle) clean up the territory to ensure statehood and while carrying out his duties, He also finds the time to search for the group who strung him up. While there are some long stretches here and there, this is a solid little film and check it out if You haven't seen it. ***1/2
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#4584
10-26-2023, 10:44 PM
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WEST OF ZANZIBAR (1928). Very sleazy story of an embittered stage magician (Lon Chaney) seeking revenge on the man who stole his wife and in an ensuing fracas left him crippled. The ruination of a young woman may also be a factor here, but things are not always what they seem....
The wife and I saw this this (and THE UNKNOWN) on the big screen accompanied by a live keyboardist last week and once again, Chaney just amazes by how versatile He was. His maneuvering around by only using his arms and hands is astounding. Also, despite the (sometimes well deserved) bashing Tod Browning gets for his sound films (mainly DRACULA and MARK OF THE VAMPIRE), He truly did excel in silent films, although a lot of his films truly had a decadent bent to them. He probably never got the hang of the talkies and I find his sound films are most effective without dialogue. Of course, being Pre-Code, there is some racism/sexism in here so be prepared. If You get a chance, try going WTZ. ***1/2
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#4585
10-29-2023, 12:53 AM
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THE MAD MAGICIAN (1954). Decent little flick with Vincent Price who uses all the tricks in his arsenal to get even with those who wronged him.
Not much of plot to be honest and there are a lot of elements from the previous years HOUSE OF WAX thrown as well as an outright steal from 1945's HANGOVER SQUARE (also directed by John Brahm). But...it's Vincent Price  and it's worth seeing TMM so You can see him do his thing. ***
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#4586
11-03-2023, 02:05 AM
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THE SHUTTERED ROOM (1967).>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Very loosely based on a Lovecraft story, TSR involving a young woman (Carol Lynley) returning to the old homestead located on a a rather primitive and hardscrabble island. She comes with her (much) older husband (Gig Young, who was at least 20 years older than Carol) and they discover there's a reason why the locals avoid the place..... This REALLY had such potential; the cinema photography is very good and definitely an air of unease, mostly involving the island residents. We're talking pre STRAW DOGS type louts, exemplified by Oliver Reed, whose biggest motivation appears to be raping Carol. Oddly enough, when She calls his bluff, He all but folds up. There is a jazzy, very inappropriate score that doesn't help either. The oddest thing here is how polite the couple are to the residents even after the less than pleasant encounters. Not bad, but really could have better. **1/2
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#4587
11-20-2023, 12:46 AM
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THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1921). Douglas Fairbanks, all happy smile and nonstop physicality, is pretty good as the young lad who wants to join the security team of the king. He proves his worth despite the challenges of intrigue and subterfuge, mostly caused by the manipulative conniving Cardinal Richelieu. ***
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#4588
11-21-2023, 01:24 AM
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THE PROWLER (1951). Pretty good noir that runs out of gas before a pretty decent wrap-up. A disgruntled Policeman (Van Heflin) investigates a call from rich lovely lonely wife of a radio performer concerning a prowler peeping in while she is about to shower. He falls for her (more so after finding out about Hubby's insurance policy),pitches woo and begins an affair. The husband is killed and they are free to be together, which is where things begin to get tricky.
Most of the noir elements are here-shadowy locations and characters, violence and best laid plans not always making the grade. Worth a look. ***
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#4589
11-22-2023, 01:54 AM
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THE MOB (1951). A Police Detective screws up in the line of duty and goes undercover as a Dock worker to discovers who is running the crime syndicate in NYC area. Broderick Crawfod is pretty good as the honest yet jocular flatfoot who has to stay on his toes ; but he does get some good zingers out...lots of hard boiled dialogue here. Also a pretty good cast of many actors in the early parts of their careers....Ernest Borgnine, Richard Kiley (his first film, I believe), John Marley (although He has the dark hair, He still talks like Mr Wolz from THE GODFATHER), Neville Brand and a very young and even then craggy Charles Bronson. ***
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#4590
11-28-2023, 08:17 PM
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The Hound of the Baskervilles 1939 ★★★★
This adaptation of perhaps the best known Sherlock Holmes story assembles a fine cast with the stars of the era like Lionell Atwill, Wendy Barrie and most notably Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. Rathbone, fresh of an Oscar nod for If I were king, would spend a good chunk of the fourties portraying the mythical detective. And based on this performance, I look forward to check out the other Holmes movies. He makes Holmes cocky and arrogant, but also plays him thus to command a natural authority. Which makes me curious to compare this to RDJ's take. Also: For some reason, I would now like to see Ryan Reyolds as Holmes. What do you think? The focus is more on the mistery and the thriller. It has your classic whodunnit structure with the necessary red herrings. While Letterboxd classifies this as horror, there is very little of that in here. Apart from maybe the moment where the titular hound attacks Sir Henry. Good acting, decent pace and build up, good action set pieces. Solid across the board. The 80 minutes flew by. Four stars well deserved. Check it out. The Blob 1958 ★★★½ I have often seen the remake with Shawnee Smith and Kevin Dillon, but for some reason the fifties original has always eluded me. Luckily, I managed to get a hold of the DVD and and seized the opportunity to watch it. It's a fun little fifties horror romp in that we do not get many special effects. That's one domain where eighties horror benefited from better and more credible special effects (as incredible as the premise is). The story and the characters had a bit of a Happy Days-ish vibe over them (minus Tom Bosley and The Fonz) and the funny thing is that thr original blob does not instill a sense of urgency until it eats the doctor, and even thing, there is still a sense of fifties cosiness to the proceedings. Now, now,... now then, now then... now,... calm down... calm down now. To be honest, the only scary scenes are when the leads are stuck in the diner. Which reminds me: I like the diea of the insect being dropped in the Arctic. That matter of fact ish solutions adds an unwanted bit of camp to the story and makes you think of climate change. Also also: Maybe it's me, but Steve McQueen seemed like an old looking 28 year old. 3.5 stars. Fun watch for fifties horror fans. The Death Kiss 1932 ★★★ This 1932 flick has a nice little opener. A man gets kissed by an apparently strange woman and then oops, shot. Turns out this was just the set of a crime movie and oops. This guy is really dead. The cops bumble their way through the investigation, but David Manners takes manners into his hands and the most useful leads come from his work and the help of a studio janitor like type. Manners is very good as the cheeky hero and lead detective. Meanwhile, Bela Lugosi lurks in the back as a stern producer. Three stars. Fun little watch for fans of Lugosi and, by extension, vintage films.
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