IN SEARCH OF ANCIENT MYSTERIES -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 10/19/14

Some movies can pretty much divide a roomful of people in half. That is, one half will sit in rapt attention while the other half flees the room in all possible haste to escape paralyzing, soul-crushing boredom.

IN SEARCH OF ANCIENT MYSTERIES (1973) is one of those movies. Many viewers will find its dry, pseudo-scholarly tone, glacial pace, and static images of crumbling ruins and desolate landscapes to be the absolute opposite of entertainment.

And yet, those who used to sit fascinated week after week by every episode of the subsequent television series "In Search Of" (1976-1982, hosted by Leonard Nimoy) will most likely be riveted to the screen from beginning to end.

The open-mindedness of this film's producers and writers--which skeptics would no doubt find excessive--is what allows host/narrator Rod "Twilight Zone" Serling to pose baffling questions about ancient civilizations and then offer theories involving alien visitors from outer space and other paranormal phenomena.

Most of the now-familiar subjects are touched upon, from the mysterious lines carved into the vast Nazca plains of Peru--which Serling supposes may have been a landing field for alien aircraft--to the gigantic etchings of people and animals seen here and in England which can only be discerned from the air. Were these created for the benefit of our ancestors from the sky?

The ruins of Inca cities and other wondrous sites such as Troy and Jericho are examined for further evidence of such visitors sharing their advanced knowledge with ancient humans. Serling, along with various scientists, historians, and other experts whose credentials may or may not be impeccable, endeavors to explain why we should suspect an alien influence shaping much of our shared history as citizens of Earth.

In a seemingly stream-of-consciousness manner, Serling whisks us from Peru to the Bermuda Triangle for a quick retelling of the famous tale of disappearing military planes, and then it's off to search for the fabled lost city of Atlantis.

Unexplained artifacts are examined as well, including human skulls that display evidence of successful brain surgery, intricately designed machines created seemingly ahead of their time, and painted or sculpted images that resemble modern-day astronauts or aircraft.

Serling follows all of this up with some NASA-related anecdotes and a tale of unexplained radio waves received from outer space, again told by guest "experts" whose reliability we must either accept or discount. More interstellar speculation wraps things up, unsurprisingly, on an inconclusive note.

The DVD from Film Chest is in full screen (4 x 3) with original mono sound. Running time is 53 minutes. No subtitles or extras. The picture quality varies between okay and "ehh" (some of the stock footage shots in particular look like somebody's home movies) but then again the "In Search Of" shows always looked like that and it never really made that much difference.

While I don't know how every diehard skeptic will react to IN SEARCH OF ANCIENT MYSTERIES, I'm pretty sure the less patient ones would rather skip it altogether. But if you've ever entertained the notion that we've been visited and indeed colonized by aliens throughout history, you may find this documentary's earnest "what if" tone to be both intriguing and fun.

IN SEARCH OF ANCIENT MYSTERIES -- DVD Review by Porfle

World-Class Overacting By Richard Burton As Heathcliff In "Wuthering Heights" (1958)(video)

 

In 1958, DuPont Show Of The Month presented a live TV production of Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights."

But the world may not have been ready for a strapping young Richard Burton in the role of Heathcliff.

His extreme display of robust, mega-hammy overacting in the role is the stuff of legend...

...as seen in these mind-boggling final moments of Heathcliff's shattering despair.


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

 

World-Class Overacting By Richard Burton As Heathcliff In "Wuthering Heights" (1958)(video)

Shocking Effects Of Marijuana On Users: "REEFER MADNESS" (1936) (video)

More vicious...more deadly...

...even than the soul-destroying drugs opium, morphine, and heroin...

...is the menace of marijuana!

The next tragedy may be that of your daughter...or your son...

...or yours...or yours...OR YOURS!


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

Shocking Effects Of Marijuana On Users: "REEFER MADNESS" (1936) (video)

LET ME IN -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 1/31/11

If you're a fan of the celebrated Swedish vampire flick LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, chances are you greeted the news of this remake with extreme pessimism.  My own feeling was that it would be a pale imitation rushed into production for the simple purpose of selling a copycat product to American audiences who don't like to read subtitles.  Finding out how wrong I was about this is one of the things that makes the mesmerizing LET ME IN (2010) such a pleasure to watch.

The snow-covered desolation of the New Mexico locations provides a suitable replacement for icy Sweden.  From the dramatic opening shot of a distant ambulance and two police cars screaming down a mountain road at night, we get our first hint of how interesting this film is going to look.  Matt Reeves' imaginative direction and visuals are consistently compelling, with a lushly dark color palette that's a refreshing change from the faded bluish tint of so many recent films.

After the opening flash-forward, we meet Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee), an odd, introspective little boy who lives in fear of the bullies who torment him at school.  His parents' divorce has all but made them ghosts in his life, and he yearns for a friend.  Enter Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz), a little girl who just moved into the apartment next door with her sullen father (Richard Jenkins).  Distant at first, she warms up to the smitten Owen and he finds her a sympathetic friend.  What he doesn't know is that she's also a vampire.


 

While her "father" goes about the ghastly task of procuring sustenance for her, Abby's bond with Owen grows stronger.  But when he eventually discovers her secret, their relationship becomes a strange, life-altering experience for the troubled boy.  Meanwhile, his harrassment at school reaches a potentially deadly level as a police detective (Elias Koteas) investigating a rash of violent murders in the area gradually closes in on Abby.

Director Matt Reeves (CLOVERFIELD) describes LET ME IN as a labor of love, and it shows.  His adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist's screenplay (Lindqvist wrote the original novel as well) sticks pretty close to it most of the time but with a number of interesting and well-considered revisions.  Everything from the first movie is reimagined in such interesting ways that I found myself looking forward to seeing how each familiar occurrence would be reinterpreted.

The scenes with Owen's dad are dropped, although a phone conversation in which the desperate boy vainly reaches out to him serves the same purpose.  While the other tenants in his apartment complex are much less developed, the tunnel attack and that horrible hospital scene with the unfortunate Virginia are no less effective.
 

 

The police detective becomes a major player in this version, especially during a crucial moment in Abby's apartment.  The circumstances surrounding the Richard Jenkins character's nightly activities on Abby's behalf have been considerably fleshed-out and come to a dramatic conclusion.  Throughout the film, things that I thought couldn't be redone as well--particularly the climactic swimming pool scene--are artfully handled.

One thing that did disappoint me about the remake is how bad some of the CGI is.  When Abby attacks a jogger in a tunnel beneath a bridge, the movements are jerky and unconvincing.  Later glimpses of a CGI-Abby figure in action are similarly jarring.  Fortunately, though, a reprise of the original film's infamous "cat scene" isn't even attempted.

The juvenile leads are amazingly good.  Both Kodi Smit-McPhee as Owen and Chloë Grace Moretz as Abby have haunting, expressive faces that convey deep feeling.  This isn't just child acting by imitation or rote--they give mature, fully-realized performances.  (Moretz is pretty creepy in her vamp-out makeup, too.)  Also noteworthy is Dylan Minnette as Kenny, the embodiment of the vile schoolyard bully.


 

As Abby's mysterious "father", Richard Jenkins displays his knack for portraying a deeply tragic figure with quiet subtlety.  Elias Koteas is equally good as the police detective, in whom we sense an innate humanity that makes it hard not to root for him.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.  Subtitles are in English and Spanish.  Extras include a director commentary, "From the Inside: A Look at the Making of 'Let Me In'", "The Art of Special Effects", "Car Crash Sequence: Step-By-Step", some interesting deleted scenes (including how Abby became a vampire), green and red-band trailers, and a poster/stills gallery.  Also enclosed is a mini-comic book, "Let Me In: Crossroads", which is #1 in a four-part prelude to the film from Dark Horse Comics.

There's a fascination to watching a remake that's so good that it doesn't constantly draw unfavorable comparisons to the first film.  Dark and richly atmospheric, LET ME IN never feels like an imitation, nor does it self-consciously try to be different.  It's a remake that feels like an original.

LET ME IN -- DVD Review by Porfle

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 3/7/09

 

One of the topic titles on the IMDb forum for this movie dismisses it as "FRIGHT NIGHT + MY GIRL." Which, superficially, is a fairly accurate way to describe the Swedish film LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, aka Låt den rätte komma in (2008). It isn't strictly a horror film, although it's filled with horrific elements, nor does it try to be particularly scary even though certain moments are rather chilling. What makes it so affecting is the way it explores a visual and emotional territory that your typical horror flick rarely bothers with.

Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a troubled 12-year-old boy who is terrorized daily by bullies at school and spends most nights in an empty apartment while his mother works. Preoccupied with sensational newspaper stories of murder and mayhem, he fantasizes about slashing his schoolyard tormentors with the knife he carries about. One night, an older man and a little girl move into the apartment next door. As Oskar and Eli (Lina Leandersson) gradually get to know each other during their nightly encounters in the snow-covered courtyard of the building, he's glad to find that she is also lonely and troubled, and their friendship grows. But there's something very mysterious and strange about her.

People in the area start to turn up violently murdered, and we find that Eli's guardian, Håkan (Per Ragnar), is killing them and collecting their blood in large containers. When he's captured by the police, Eli is forced to go on the prowl herself, and as we see her attacking and killing people with little effort, it becomes clear that she is, in fact, a vampire. As Oskar realizes this, his initial reticence is overcome by his feelings for her, and in turn she begins to help him gain the confidence he needs to fight back against his cruel schoolmates. But as their hostility toward him reaches lethal proportions, Eli's secret is discovered and she must flee just when Oskar needs her help the most.

When I started watching what the Washington Examiner calls the "Best. Vampire Movie. Ever" (I wouldn't go quite that far), I had no idea that it was going to be a sensitive, contemplative love story filled with moments of haunting beauty. Oskar is so alone--his parents are divorced so he rarely sees his father, and none of the adults in his life can help him anyway--that we can feel the enormously uplifting effect Eli has on him. And being that Eli is even more alone in the world, the fact that she has a friend her own physical age (we never know how old she really is), who comes to accept her for what she is, gives some meaning to her useless life.

At times we see them merely lying together, holding hands--this simple contact makes each feel more substantial and alive. In a deleted scene, Oskar playfully hisses at her and she hisses back at him, gently mocking the image of the traditional screen vampire. Even the fact that Eli isn't quite what she appears to be ("I'm not a girl," she cryptically tells him at one point) ultimately doesn't matter to Oskar.

In a way, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is almost like a blood-drenched version of those somber made-for-TV children's films I used to watch when I was growing up, about two lonely misfits who find each other. In those films, the story was about two kids, or a kid and a dog, or a kid and a cat, or a kid and an understanding old person. Here, it's about a human kid and a vampire, but the slow, thoughtful story development and heartfelt empathy for the lead characters are the same. And within this framework, the matter-of-fact way that the shocking horrors are presented makes them all the more unsettling.

Eli's guardian, Håkan (is he her father, or an older version of Oskar?), prepares for his night's work as though he's going to any other routine job, calmly abducting people off the street and hanging them upside-down to drain their blood. His eventual fate is suitably grim, leaving Eli to fend for herself in a series of violent nocturnal attacks. Virginia (Ika Nord), a woman in Oskar's building who survives an encounter with Eli, enters the apartment of a cat-loving friend and is viciously mauled by his enraged felines, then later deals with the problem of her impending vampirism in a spectacular manner.

Tomas Alfredson, who has directed this film with impressive skill and restraint, saves the best for last in the climactic sequence. In a placid and almost silent underwater environment, we suddenly witness several violent killings without actually seeing them, in a shot that's so cleverly conceived that it comes as a delightful surprise. I had to watch it two or three times before I could get over what a visually imaginative piece of storytelling it is. (The behind-the-scenes featurette shows the filming of this shot in detail.) There are other interesting touches throughout the film, such as a glimpse of Eli climbing up the side of a building in the far background, or the pivotal scene in which Oskar, torn between feelings of love and loathing, demands to know what will happen to Eli if she enters his apartment without being invited. I also like the way Alfredson often slowly moves his camera around until something unexpected enters the frame.

The adult actors are all good but it's the juvenile leads who carry the film. As Oskar and Eli, Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson couldn't be better as each gives a performance that is complex and moving. The film itself has the cold, icy look of a Swedish winter but is warmed by their affection and concern for one another. Every aspect of the production is similarly well-done. I've never read John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel, but his screenplay adaptation is fine. As for the ending, I'm still wondering whether or not it's a happy one (Alfredson contends that it is). It's definitely thought-provoking.

The DVD from Magnolia Home Entertainment is 2.35:1 widescreen with Dolby Digital sound, both of which are good, and the soundtrack comes in the original Swedish or an English dub with subtitles. Bonus features include four deleted scenes, a "making of" featurette, a photo gallery, and a theatrical poster gallery. There are also trailers for this and other features in the Six Shooter Film Series.

Viewers looking for a fast-moving succession of shocks and visceral thrills will likely be disappointed in LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. But most people who can appreciate extremely compelling filmmaking--even those who may have trouble getting past the fact that it's a "vampire" movie--will be glad that they let this one in. The most famous screen vampire, Bela Lugosi's DRACULA, unknowingly gave this worthy successor a fitting recommendation way back in 1931: "Listen to them...children of the night. What music they make."


Read our review of the remake LET ME IN

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN -- DVD Review by Porfle

The Spoken Words That Caused A Sensation In "The Jazz Singer" (1927)(video)

 

When Warner Brothers made "The Jazz Singer" in 1927, it was a silent film like the others of its era.

Except that the songs performed by star Al Jolson would be done using their new Vitaphone sound process.

But it wasn't hearing the songs that astounded audiences at the time.
It was the spoken patter ad-libbed by Jolson between the songs. 

Later in the film, when Jolson's character entertains his adoring mother...
...his off-the-cuff remarks during the songs charmed and delighted viewers, making them want more. 

The first all-spoken film was yet to come. But because of Jolson's chatty ad-libs...

..."The Jazz Singer" is still often regarded as the first "talkie."

I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

(Read our review of THE JAZZ SINGER)

The Spoken Words That Caused A Sensation In "The Jazz Singer" (1927)(video)

Amazing World-Class Bad Acting! ("BLOOD FEAST", 1963) (video)

 

Herschell Gordon Lewis' "Blood Feast" was the first major "gore" film.

Although Bill Kerwin is the only decent actor...

...the other actors are encouraged to emote wildly.

Thus giving us some truly, impressively bad performances...

...including that of Playboy Playmate of the Month (June 1963) Connie Mason.


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

Amazing World-Class Bad Acting! ("BLOOD FEAST", 1963) (video)

DRAGNET (1954) -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

(Originally posted on 7/1/21)

 

 

Currently re-watching: DRAGNET (1954), the feature-length theatrical version of the classic 1950s TV series in its original incarnation.

It's all the stuff I love about the TV show, but grittier and more hardboiled and violent. (A dark-haired Dub Taylor gets two blasts from a double-barrelled shotgun in the first scene! "They killed him twice," Joe Friday remarks later.) There's a very downbeat, melancholy ending too.

Jack Webb stars as the iconic Sgt. Joe Friday, a dedicated, no-nonsense cop who's still fairly young yet made prematurely sober and even somewhat cynical by his experiences. Ben Alexander is Friday's dependable partner and friend, Frank Smith. 

 

 

In addition to his beautifully measured performance, I love the way Webb's often innovative direction combines some imaginative touches with extreme economy and a briskly efficient shooting style.

As usual, dialogue delivery is very terse. I wonder if the actors are reading their lines from cue cards and/or teleprompters (did they have those then?) as they did on the TV series, or if the longer schedule gave them time to actually memorize their lines. (I suspect the former.)

Ann Robinson (WAR OF THE WORLDS) plays an undercover police woman and Richard Boone is the captain in charge of the case. The movie also features Virginia Gregg, Dennis Weaver, Vic Perrin (the "Outer Limits" control voice), Olan Soule, James Griffith, and Virginia Christine.

Friday is tougher and more doggedly relentless than ever as he and Frank try to wear down an arrogant, seemingly untouchable suspect (Stacy Harris as "Max Troy") and pin the murder on him and his thug cohorts. 

 

 

One scene even erupts in a rare fistfight that's full of action and leaves the two detectives bandaged and bloodied.

Friday gets his usual allotment of sharply-delivered cutdowns, telling one punk "Unless you're growing, sit down!" and countering an insult against his mother with "I'll bet your mother had a loud bark."

DRAGNET the movie is as sharply-folded and tightly-wound as the TV series, yet somehow there's just more of everything and it all has an irresistible noirish quality that blends in a very satisfying way with the show's inherent realism.

And as the laconic Joe Friday, lanky in his rumpled suit and observing it all from beneath the wide brim of his fedora, Jack Webb is better than ever.

 

DRAGNET (1954) -- Movie Review by Porfle

QUANTUM OF SOLACE -- Movie Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 6/4/16

 

First things first--much of the editing in QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008) is horrible.  I mean, it's shockingly bad.  Sometimes damn near incomprehensible, in fact.

If you're going to stage elaborate and expensive action setpieces, you don't chop the footage into confetti and blast it at the audience with a salad shooter.  Imagine the best scenes in CASINO ROYALE done in this style.  It would've been a jumbled mess, too, instead of a generally recognized success.

I'd love to see the raw footage of this film given over to someone who knows what to do with it. Imagine it in the hands of original Bond editor Peter Hunt, who helped create the series' style.

 

Fun stuff like Bond's womanizing and sexual innuendos have been toned down.  (At the time I feared this was because everyone was afraid of offending Barbara Broccoli.) He doesn't even score with the main "Bond girl" of the film, Camille, well played by Olga Kurylenko ("Magic City") as an emotionally-damaged survivor out for revenge.

Bond does have a quick fling with MI6 field agent Miss Fields (Gemma Arterton, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED).  We never learn her first name, but being that she's a redhead and this is a Bond film, it isn't hard to imagine. 

At any rate, subsequent viewings of QUANTUM OF SOLACE, during which I no longer have to spend all my time figuring out what's going on, have caused me to grow increasingly fond of it.

 

Not only is there a whole lot of action, but the continuation of the previous film's storyline relating to Vesper Lind and the mysterious "Quantum" organization is quite satisfying to me, as is its resolution, which is like something right out of a bonafide spy thriller. (Shades of DR. NO and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.)

Some sequences, such as the airplane setpiece, the various hotel scenes, and the explosive desert finale, are quite well done.  There's a nice scene between Bond and his CIA friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) in a seedy bar, and a reunion with Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini, HANNIBAL) from CASINO ROYALE which is sublime.

We get what may be the first "breaking the fourth wall" moment in an Eon Bond film [not counting the one in the pre-titles sequence for ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE] when 007 is pulled over by Bolivian cops and ordered to open his trunk.  Bond glances right at us for half a tick and mutters aloud, "Now why would he want me to do that?"

 

The evil megalomaniac Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) isn't the best Bond bad guy of all time, but this neurotic, narcissistic flake isn't the worst either. And his scheme to control all the precious water rights in an entire South American country is plausible enough, even if it isn't all that exciting.  (It's just a McGuffin anyway.)
    
Plus, we finally get to see what all the hostility between Bond and M (Judi Dench) has been leading up to.  With her faith in everyone else around her eroding, and the supposed good guys making Faustian deals with the bad guys left and right (this is the most politically pessimistic of all the Bond films), M realizes that Bond is the one person she can depend on because he's the only one who doggedly insists on actually trying to do the right thing.

"He's my agent," she tells her aide Tanner, "and I trust him."  And Bond proves that he's been worthy of this trust all along. It's a cathartic moment, one of the most important of the entire Daniel Craig era.

But best of all...we finally get to see the return of NUDE SILHOUETTE BABES in the title sequence!

Not all that crazy about the theme song, though.  Here's one I came up with, which I think is much more Bond-like:

GREENE FINGER (to the tune of "Goldfinger" by John Barry, Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley)

Greene Finger
He's the man, the man with Polanski's puss
An evil wuss

Thus, a mean finger
Buying up, the stuff that's worth more than gold
His water's cold

H2O he will pour up your nose
And no telling what else, I suppose
For an oily girl, knows when he's dipped her
It's the dip of death, from mister

Greene Finger
Beckons you to jump in his lake of sin
But don't dive in

Stay away from his desert abode
If you go there, you just might explode
When he catches you, trying to sneak out
He will grab an axe, and freak out

Greene Finger
Pretty girls, you're not what excites him so
It's H2O

He loves H2O, H2O
He loves H2O, H2O
H2 OOOOOOOOOOOOOH

QUANTUM OF SOLACE -- Movie Review by Porfle

JAMES BOND: Breaking the Fourth Wall (video)

Sure, he's always shooting at us through that gun barrel. 

But how many times has James Bond really broken the 4th wall and acknowledged our presence? And maybe even talked to us?

I count three, and here they are... 

 

I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

JAMES BOND: Breaking the Fourth Wall (video)

James Bond's "Man With The Golden Gun" Corkscrew Car Jump With NO Slide Whistle! (video)

 

 

The Roger Moore "James Bond" era played fast and loose with 007's serious image...

...even during some of its best and most impressive stunts.

A key example is the infamous corkscrew car jump from "The Man With The Golden Gun", which, although thrilling on its own, is ruined by a cartoony slide-whistle sound effect.

But what if, instead of that silly whistle, we got to hear the fabulous James Bond theme in all of its glory?

As we can see and hear in this video, it makes quite a difference.

 

Video by Porfle Popnecker. I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for listening!

 

James Bond's "Man With The Golden Gun" Corkscrew Car Jump With NO Slide Whistle! (video)

JAMES BOND AND THE TIPSY TOURIST (video)

On three separate occasions, James Bond's incredible escapades are witnessed by the same hapless tourist. 

Wherever in the wide world this poor guy goes on vacation...he can't get away from Bond.

And the wilder Bond's antics, the more this guy wonders what the heck's in his drink.

THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977) Sardinia
MOONRAKER (1979) Venice
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981) The Alps

Hopefully, his next vacation will be blissfully Bond-free. But one thing's for sure...

This guy needs a new travel agent! 


Tipsy Tourist: Victor Tourjansky

I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

JAMES BOND AND THE TIPSY TOURIST (video)

Bond Girl Falls Flat in "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" (1974) (video)

Britt Eklund signed on to the ninth Bond picture as a featured actress, not a stuntwoman.

Yet during the traditional "exploding of the bad guy's base" finale...

...she takes a rather impressive (and unscripted) header.

And Bond comes tumbling after.

Flat on their coup de grâce!


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

Bond Girl Falls Flat in "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" (1974) (video)

Why "OCTOPUSSY" Is The WORST James Bond Movie (video)

There are more reasons why OCTOPUSSY is the worst James Bond movie ever, but these are the most egregious. 

Gags, gags, and more gags--all of them bad.

And culminating in our having to see James Bond 007 not only reduced to wearing a gorilla suit, but to being literally turned into a clown.


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

Why "OCTOPUSSY" Is The WORST James Bond Movie (video)

"What'd He Say?": A Great 3 Stooges Running Gag (video)

When somebody mumbles something hard to understand...

...Moe asks one of the other Stooges "What'd he say?"

...and the Stooge responds by imitating the mumble exactly. (ThreeStooges.net)


"Hold That Lion" (1947) Footage later reused in "Loose Loot" (1953)
"Jerks Of All Trades" (TV, 1949)
"Scrambled Brains" (1951)
"Outer Space Jitters" (1957)


I don't own or claim any rights to any of these materials--just having a little fun with them. Thanks for watching!

"What'd He Say?": A Great 3 Stooges Running Gag (video)

Shemp Howard Meets John Wayne! ("Pittsburgh", 1942) (video)

Shemp Howard enjoyed a successful solo career in movies...

 
...before returning to the Three Stooges to replace ailing brother Curly.

Here he shares the screen with fellow Hollywood icon John Wayne...

...as well as Marlene Dietrich and Randolph Scott.

Shemp could hold his own with anyone on the screen.


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!
 

Shemp Howard Meets John Wayne! ("Pittsburgh", 1942) (video)

Wyatt Earp and "The Walk" To The OK Corral ("Tombstone", etc.) (video)

Just about any story of Wyatt Earp and the gunfight at the OK Corral must feature "The Walk."

"My Darling Clementine" (1946)
"Stories of the Century: Doc Holliday" (TV, 1954)
"Gunfight at the OK Corral" (1957)
"Hour of the Gun" (1967)
"Star Trek: Spectre of the Gun" (TV, 1968)
"Wyatt Earp" (1994)
"Tombstone" (1993)

I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

Wyatt Earp and "The Walk" To The OK Corral ("Tombstone", etc.) (video)

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE -- Movie Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 8/25/20

 

Currently rewatching: ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1969).

This was the first Bond movie I was allowed to go see at the theater as a kid. I remember it being rated "M" (recommended for mature audiences), the forerunner to "GP" and then "PG."

George Lazenby's performance has aged well over the years, and Diana Rigg is great, especially for us "Avengers" fans. As the troubled countess Tracy, she is perhaps the best Bond girl of all, and certainly one of the best actresses ever to fill that role.

And then there's Lazenby, who had the unenviable task of stepping into Sean Connery's shoes as Bond. He used to strike me as a bit of an "aw, shucks" doofus at times, but I've learned to enjoy his approach to the character, which can go from boyish and casual to hard-edged and tense.

Lazenby also has the ability to convey not only the usual bravado but also genuine fear, which raises the stakes during some of the more suspenseful scenes.

This is especially true during the frantic chase in which Bond is almost captured by Blofeld's henchmen before being rescued by Tracy (this leads to one of the best Bond action sequences ever as the resulting car chase spills over into a stock car rally).

Oddly, however, Lazenby's at his best while under the guise of foppish, kilted genealogist Sir Hilary Bray, hired to help Blofeld trace his family roots. It's during this lengthy sequence that the actor's likability and sense of humor really shine.

The fact that the screenplay sticks closely to Ian Fleming's book makes it a tense, relatively realistic spy thriller, although it does have its share of the usual Bond movie excess--enough, in fact, to make it one of the most thrill-packed of all the Bond films.

This includes a real avalanche with tons of snow thundering down toward Bond as he skis frantically away from it, a spectacular final battle at scenic Piz Gloria, the mountaintop lair of evil mastermind Blofeld (Telly Savalas), and a hair-raising toboggan chase.

Dramatically, the story is given considerable gravitas by its portrayal of what is doubtless the most important, and ultimately devastating, event in Bond's life, and the film handles it perfectly. The ending is still powerful after all these years.

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE -- Movie Review by Porfle

The True Measure Of A Man: William S. Hart, "Wagon Tracks" (1919) (video)

Western legend William S. Hart plays a heroic yet humble wagon train leader.

The people and animals are consumed with thirst, the nearest water miles away.

Yet he shares what precious water he is given...

...a noble sacrifice for which he asks no reward.


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

The True Measure Of A Man: William S. Hart, "Wagon Tracks" (1919) (video)

URBAN JUSTICE -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 1/2/11

 

Steven Seagal...a generic action-movie title...you pretty much know what to expect going into URBAN JUSTICE (2007).  But the big surprise for me is that it delivers it so well. 

The plot is simple: a young cop is murdered for getting too close to some shady dealings between his crooked boss, Det. Frank Shaw (Kirk B.R. Woller) and the East Side Gangstas, headed by Tony Montana wannabe Armand Tucker (well-played by Eddie Griffin).  The dead cop's dad happens to be Steven Seagal, who blows into town looking for--you guessed it--revenge. 

And you know what you're in for with this set-up: a lot of cocky, smart-mouthed gangbangers and other sleazy characters getting the ever-livin' crap beaten out of them or shot to pieces for the rest of the movie.  In other words--it's popcorn time!

Now, Steve's hair-and-makeup job in this movie is a bit startling at first.  After his initial closeup, I thought, "Omigod, Dracula just gained 50 pounds, fell asleep in a tanning booth, and joined the Mafia."  But I got used to it after awhile.  His acting, as usual, consists mainly of mumbling while maintaining a steely-eyed glare, but his dialogue isn't all that important as long as you can make out key phrases like "I'm gonna kill the muh-fuggah that killed my son."


We all know that, by now, Steven Seagal is past his physical prime, so most of the time he hides his somewhat substantial spare tire under big, thick jackets--he often appears to have been cocooned.  And when he drives his sports car, it almost looks like he's wearing it, too.  The fight scenes are edited so that all he has to do is stand in one spot waving his hands around in a series of quick closeups, and the stunt guys go flying. 

Thing is, though, the hits look and sound bone-crushingly hard, and when people get shot, squibs spew like geysers.  This movie is filled with several intense scenes that pay off in a big way, even if the main character isn't quite as dynamic as he used to be.

But heck, he's Steven Seagal.  If you're making a Steven Seagal movie, you don't hire a good actor who can leap and twirl like Baryshnikov, you hire Steven Seagal.  He may not be able to move very fast anymore, or display "ooh-ahh" acting skills, but when he goes into kickass mode, he's still da man.

There's a cool car chase that's filmed the old fashioned way--no zippity-doo-dah camerawork or fancy editing, just a couple of cars zooming through various locations at high speed with the occupants blasting away at each other, and ending with a satisfying crash.
 

This goes for the rest of the film too, which is refreshingly free of the pointless, distracting visual nonsense that many current films are stuffed with.  I have to hand it to director Don E. Fauntleroy for being a straight-ahead action director who isn't interested in stringing a bunch of half-assed MTV videos together and calling it a movie.

Besides Eddie Griffin, the capable supporting cast includes Danny Trejo as Chivo, the leader of a Latino gang that Steve initially suspects may have offed his son, and Carmen Serano as a liquor store owner who rents Steve the crummy apartment out back.  It looks as though she may be a romantic interest too, but this doesn't go anywhere.  At one point, though, her character does get to give Steve the old revenge-never-solved-anything routine with the line "You're just as bad as they are", to which he coolly replies: "No, I'm a lot...fuggin'...worse."

There's a rousingly good shoot-out between Steve and a whole bunch of East Siders that could serve as the finale for a lot of straight-to-video action flicks.  But this is topped by the climactic battle, in which Steve goes it alone against the rest of the gangstas and the crooked LA cops, too.  Lots of bad guys get killed real bad, and the fake blood goes flying in all directions.  I won't give away the outcome, but one thing's for sure--you don't want to be the guy who gunned down Steven Seagal's son.  You don't want to work for him, either.  Hell, you don't even want to know the muh-fuggah.

URBAN JUSTICE is a kickass action movie.  The ending's cool as hell.  And, for now anyway, I'm a Steven Seagal fan again.

URBAN JUSTICE -- Movie Review by Porfle