LADY VENGEANCE -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 1/26/22

 

I first thought LADY VENGEANCE, aka Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005), was going to be another hot-action-babe flick along the lines of MS. 45. So it came as a pleasant surprise to find that it's the most thoughtful, richly artistic and deeply introspective film in Park Chan-wook's notorious "vengence trilogy." It's also the one in which Park Chan-wook seems to express his most heartfelt, poetic, and yes, sympathetic thoughts on the subject.

The story begins with Geum-ja Lee (Yeong-ae Lee) being released from prison after serving 13 years for the kidnap and murder of a little boy, Won-mo. Former cellmates with whom she reunites on the outside are shocked to find that the cheerful and loving "angel" they knew before now appears to be cold and emotionless.

In reality, she's been gaining their allegiance in order to use them to help carry out a plan of revenge against Won-mo's actual killer, Mr. Baek (OLDBOY star Min-sik Choi), a serial child murderer who threatened to kill Geum-ja's infant daughter if she didn't confess to the crime. The fact that she aided in Won-mo's abduction (naively thinking it to be the same sort of "good" kidnapping as described in SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE) makes her desire for atonement and redemption all-consuming.

Geum-ja tracks down her now 14-year-old daughter Jenny (Yea-young Kwon), who thinks that her mother "dumped" her, and desperately tries to reconcile with her. In the meantime, she has found Mr. Baek, still working as a school teacher and preying on children.

She summons the families of several murdered children to an abandoned school, shows them Baek's own videotapes of his gruesome deeds, and reveals to them that he is bound and gagged in the next room. Geum-ja then gives them all a choice--turn him over to the legal system, or deal with him themselves.

Flashbacks of the beatific image Geum-ja projected while in prison are starkly contrasted with her later zombie-like state, which reflects a deep self-loathing. These jarring impressions are often depicted with abrupt editing and off-kilter camera angles.

Only when she reunites with Jenny does she allow her feelings to overwhelm her again, and as the story becomes more emotional Park Chan-wook's direction settles into a more stately and elegant style while remaining fluid and inventive.

This is especially true of the protracted revenge sequence in the abandoned school, as Park lingers on the inner conflict and seething rage of the family members. As the film winds down to a wistful and almost dreamlike denouement, with Geum-ja grasping for a last fleeting chance at redemption, we're left with haunting, delicately-wrought images of serene beauty and sadness.

There are several fascinating closeups of the remarkable Yeong-ae Lee as she runs the gamut of emotions with impressive depth. One that's particularly striking comes near the end, when her face twists into a masklike rictus of mindless, sadistic glee. Hardly the typical action heroine, her anger is expressed in messy, kinetic bursts.

There is one thrilling sequence, however, in which she fights off two attackers hired by Mr. Baek (Ha-kyun Shin and Kang-ho Song of SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE) in a snowy alleyway at night, and for a brief moment is given full cinematic awesomeness by Park Chan-wook.

It's been said that LADY VENGEANCE lapses into the conventional by having a one-dimensional bad guy devoid of the usual shadings. I think it's good that Park ends the trilogy by finally giving us a bastard who clearly and richly deserves his punishment, which serves as an uneasy catharsis for the viewer as well as the story's participants.

Still, their satisfaction is short-lived and brings not happiness, but merely another level of spiritual uncertainty that they must continue to deal with. If Park hadn't touched on this aspect of revenge and explored its consequences, the trilogy begun by SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE and OLDBOY would have been incomplete.

Read our full review of Palisade Tartan Asia Extreme's eight-disc DVD set THE VENGEANCE TRILOGY

Read our review of SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE
Read our review of OLDBOY

LADY VENGEANCE -- Movie Review by Porfle

COLD PREY -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 1/18/09

 

Another throwback to the old stalker-slasher tradition, the Norwegian thriller COLD PREY, aka FRITT VILT (2006) concentrates less on graphic violence and gore than simply trying to keep us on the edge of our seats. It's familiar stuff, and quite predictable, yet it still manages to be a fun and entertaining spookhouse ride.

The gang of young victims-to-be follows the same template as, among other films, both versions of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE. There's the hero couple, Jannicke and Eirik, who are responsible and level-headed; the make-out couple, consisting of cute, immature dude Mikal and dumb-blonde babe Ingunn; and finally, the fifth-wheel loner Morten, who playfully admits to having an intense love affair with his own hand.

While everyone else is crowding into packed ski resorts, Eirik whisks the gang off to a remote mountain location for some snowboarding, despite recent news reports of a rash of skier disappearances in the area (like, around 110). It only takes Morten about a minute to break his leg, and, wouldn't you know it, nobody can get a signal on their cell phones. Jannicke, quickly asserting herself as the most useful member of the group, sets the broken bone herself and then spies an abandoned hotel in the distance where they can hole up for the night. All of this occurs within the first fifteen minutes, so it's clear that this movie is wasting no time moving things right along.

The secluded hotel itself is an awesome actual location that helps to give this familiar story its own unique feel. Made to look old and disused, it has plenty of long, dark hallways, creepy basements, and other cobwebby nooks and crannies that are just right for a mysterious killer to lurk around in. Director Roar Uthaug keeps the tension taut as one by one his hapless characters find themselves alone in various parts of the building, gradually realizing that they're being stalked. When all hell finally breaks loose, an exhilarating level of suspense is maintained to the very end, punctuated by some pretty effective jump scares. And since we don't really care all that much about most of these characters, it's generally a fun experience rather than a dark and disturbing one.

This good-looking film is slickly directed and photographed and has plenty of chilly, gloomy atmosphere but surprisingly little gore. The cast is capable, especially Ingrid Bolsø Berdal as Jannicke, whom I'd definitely want to have along if I were in a similar predicament. Her character is brave and resourceful--she coolly Super-Glues the gaping wound on Morten's leg shut--while at one point allowing herself a rather stunning act of cowardice that somehow makes her a bit more believable. As Ingunn, Viktoria Winge lends the film what little sex appeal it has as she runs around in her skimpies while avoiding the killer's pickaxe. Among the male leads, Rolf Kristian Larsen is the most noteworthy as Morten. The killer himself is pretty generic, and is most effective when off-camera.

The DVD image is 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, with Dolby Surround 5.1 for the Norwegian soundtrack and 2.0 for the English one. You'll probably want to listen to the Norwegian soundtrack with subtitles after getting a load of the bad English dubbing, which sounds kind of like the Disney version of a Miyazaki cartoon. Somehow I don't think Norwegian translates very well to English, or at least not in this case.

A generous helping of extras includes: an alternate ending with shots from the movie augmented by storyboards; a making-of featurette; brief looks at the visual FX, sound design, and other aspects of the production; the evolution of the opening car scene, from rehearsal to final editing; eight minutes of bloopers (some of which lose a little in translation); two short films; a music video; and trailers and TV spots.

COLD PREY doesn't really offer anything new to those of us who have seen our share of slasher movies, and, lacking any real emotional depth or memorable moments, is soon forgotten after the fadeout. But with its atmospheric setting, likable characters, and frantic pace, it holds up well as a crisply-executed and chillingly suspenseful thriller.

 

COLD PREY -- DVD Review by Porfle

THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 Originally posted 8/20/2018

 

When actor-turned-filmmaker Del Tenney made a deal to direct some drive-in fodder for the teen crowd, one of the all-time trash classics he fooled around and came up with was the delirious THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH (1964).

Though made in the 60s, it contains surefire elements from the biggest teen hits of the 50s--rock and roll, monsters, hot rods, teen angst, and bad comedy--and mixes them with then-current stuff like bikini beach scenes and even a good deal of H. G. Lewis-style gore a la "Blood Feast."

Done in an amateurish yet freewheeling, dumb-fun style that packs in as much of the above elements as it will hold and, unlike many grade-Z flicks, doesn't let up for a minute, the result is a movie that's often funny, creepy, and refreshingly entertaining in spite of itself.

The very first minute of the film features drag racing and motorcycles--courtesy of an actual local bike gang--along with the first of six goofy rock and roll songs by the Del-Aires (in what was billed as "the first horror monster musical.")

We see Hank (John Scott) arguing with his girlfriend Tina (Marilyn Clarke) as they pull into the parking lot of the local beach, where Tina is intent on living it up while Hank insists they begin to act their age. The beach party sequence is real "poor man's" Frankie and Annette stuff, filmed in dreary black and white on a beach in Connecticut and interspersed with some of the worst comedy dialogue exchanges ever.

Meanwhile, fast-chick Tina goes nuts, bumping and grinding to "The Zombie Stomp" with a greasy-haired biker amidst the bikini-clad onlookers and prompting Hank to release his violent side as a big poorly-choreographed fight breaks out.

When Tina runs off into the ocean to escape Hank's disdain, she's attacked and ripped to pieces (and splattered liberally with Bosco chocolate syrup) by a horrific amphibian creature that has recently been created when some radioactive waste carelessly dumped into the water got mixed up with the sodden bodies of recently-drowned sailors.

These monsters (they grow in number with every scene) are real lulus of bad creature design, looking like poor relations of the Black Lagoon creature with ping-pong-ball eyes and what appear to be big bundles of hot dogs sticking out of their mouths.  But just the fact that such relatively elaborate costumes were made for this low-budget flick is impressive.

The rest of THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH becomes a series of monster attacks in the nearby small town with Dr. Gavin (Allan Laurel), his apprentice Hank, and his daughter Elaine (Alice Lyon), now Hank's prospective girlfriend after the untimely death of Tina, applying all their scientific skills to helping the local cops find a way to track down and destroy the creature menace.

This allows Tenney and company to stage a progression of delightful creature carnage sequences which include an all-girl slumber party massacre, three girls on their way to New York getting tragically sidetracked (the wisecracking blonde in this segment is actually quite funny), and a couple of drunks stumbling their way into the path of the monsters.  (One of the drunks is actor Wayne Tippit of "JFK" and "Nurse Betty", perhaps the only recognizable face in the film.) These scenes include not only lots of fake blood but some nicely-done gore makeup.

While all this is going on, we're treated to the high-jinx of Dr. Gavin's matronly black maid Eulabelle (Eulabelle Moore--yes, that was her real name) going around fretting "It's the voodoo, that's what it is!", and an increasingly ridiculous scientific investigation that results in the good guys hurling handfuls of sodium at the finny fiends.  (The resulting fish-fry pyrotechnics are pretty well done.)

The Severin Blu-ray itself is a 2k scan from the original negative and, needless to say, looks way, way better than I've ever seen it before. (And probably way more uncut, too.)

Severin, as usual, comes through with the bonus features as well, including archival footage of Del Tenney himself discussing his career in general and this film in particular.  "Return to Party Beach" is an informative retrospective documentary, while another featurette offers two of the Del-Aires with an interview and a live performance of "The Zombie Stomp."  In "Shock and Roll", filmaker Tim Sullivan discusses rock and roll horror movies.  The film's trailer is also included.

There are a lot of "so bad it's good" movies out there, with some of them being only passably entertaining with brief moments of fun amidst long stretches of boredom.  THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH, on the other hand, has a kind of magically bad quality that makes it total, almost giddy fun from start to finish.  This one's got everything and lots of it, and watching it makes me feel like a kid at the drive-in again.


Buy Blu-ray or DVD from Severin Films

THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

THE SHADE SHEPHERD -- Movie Review by Porfle

I just got played. Big time. By a movie. A movie that I didn't think was going to be all that great, so I underestimated it, and let my guard down. And now, all I can say is...bravo.

Jack Ables (co-writer Jordon Hodges, SAND CASTLES, THE DARK KNIGHT) is a respected doctor whose wife Stacey (Caroline Newton, A PLACE IN HELL) is about to have a baby. Their relationship isn't perfect, but maybe with time they'll work things out.

Trouble is, Jack doesn't have that time right now, because his ne'er-do-well big brother Pike (Randy Spence, "Halt and Catch Fire", "Turn: Washington's Spies"), a heroin addict who's always in and out of trouble with the law, just woke up with a murder charge hanging over his head. He doesn't remember what happened, but chances are that won't matter much to the police.

THE SHADE SHEPHERD (Indican Pictures, 2019) is about Jack's decision to risk everything--his reputation, his marriage, his freedom, maybe even his life--by helping the luckless and now hunted brother escape to Canada.

Director Chris Faulisi (A PROPER VIOLENCE, SHIFT), handles the lean, tautly-suspenseful, and emotionally harrowing script he co-wrote with Hodges with just the right touch at every turn.

He's lucky to have a wonderful cast to work with, especially Randy Spence who plays Pike to the hilt as a frantic heroin addict going cold turkey, freaking out over every noise and shadow and wracked with guilt for what he's doing to his straight-arrow brother. 

As Jack, Hodges reminds me of a young Joe Pantoliano and is every bit as intense, putting us right there in his place as we feel the desperation of a man who must venture onto the way, way wrong side of the law for the love of his brother while also having to put his survival skills to the ultimate test as they flee cross-country with nothing but Jack's archery skills to sustain them.

All this sounds good, just right for some passable entertainment if handled as well as it is here.  And indeed that was going to be the gist of my review--an okay movie that you won't mind devoting some time to, with what I assumed would be a fairly satisfying ending.

And then, that "fairly satisfying ending" turns out to be like one of those carnival rides where you spin around real fast inside a big wheel before the bottom suddenly falls out and you're stuck to the wall wondering what just happened.

That's all I'm going to say about THE SHADE SHEPHERD.  I'd love to talk more about it, but let's wait until you've seen it too. I don't know if the twist ending is as good as the one in THE SIXTH SENSE, but right now, for however long it lasts, it sorta feels like it.


Buy it from Indican Pictures

TECH SPECS

Runtime: 90 minutes
Format: 1:78 HD
Sound: Dolby Sr.
Country: USA
Language: English

THE SHADE SHEPHERD -- Movie Review by Porfle

The Burning Orphanage Scene From "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" (1949) (video)

(spoilers)

Jill Young (Terry Moore) and her friend Gregg (Ben Johnson) are fleeing from the law...

...after a judge orders that her beloved pet gorilla Joe be shot to death.

But a burning orphanage causes them to cut short their escape.

Excellent stop-motion animation by Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen...

...make this is one of the most thrilling sequences ever filmed.


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

The Burning Orphanage Scene From "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" (1949) (video)

MORE Lesser Known Stop-Motion Animation Monsters (video)

The most famous stop-motion animators are Willis O'Brien (KING KONG)…

...and Ray Harryhausen (JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS).

But other animators have given us their own interesting creations throughout the years...

The Lost Continent (1951)
The Black Scorpion (Willis O'Brien, 1957)
The Giant Behemoth (Willis O'Brien, 1959)
Dinosaurus! (1960)
Planet of Dinosaurs (1978)
Caveman (1981)


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

MORE Lesser Known Stop-Motion Animation Monsters (video)

Lesser Known Stop-Motion Animation Monsters (video)

The most famous stop-motion animators are Willis O'Brien (KING KONG)…

...and Ray Harryhausen (7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD).

But other animators have given us their own interesting creations throughout the years...

Three Ages (Buster Keaton, 1923)
Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)
Monster From Green Hell (1957)
Jack the Giant Killer (1962)
Equinox (1970)
The Crater Lake Monster (1977)


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

Lesser Known Stop-Motion Animation Monsters (video)

Kong Undresses Ann in (Censored!) Scene From KING KONG (1933) (video)

When "King Kong" (1933) was re-released in 1938, several violent shots which violated the Production Code were removed.

Along with these went a scene considered much too risque' in which a curious Kong peels off some of Ann Darrow's clothing.

The new edit cut away just as Kong was getting started.

Here's the original, restored version...


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

Kong Undresses Ann in (Censored!) Scene From KING KONG (1933) (video)

Extra Flips His Wig in "KING KONG" (RKO, 1933) (video)

When King Kong invades the native village looking for Ann Darrow, pandemonium ensues.

And for one unfortunate extra...it's truly a hair-raising experience.
 
Oh, well--hair today, gone tomorrow!


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

Extra Flips His Wig in "KING KONG" (RKO, 1933) (video)

KING KONG (1933) -- DVD Review by Porfle

(NOTE: This review was written upon the DVD's initial release in 2005.)

Before CGI, before summer blockbuster films like JAWS, before "giant-monster-on-the-loose" movies of any kind, there was...KING KONG. Depression audiences who barely had two coins to scrape together jammed theaters in 1933 to witness this thrilling pinnacle of pure escapism and marvel at the sight of a giant gorilla battling dinosaurs, wrestling elevated trains, and swatting biplanes from his lofty perch atop the towering Empire State Building. Up to that time, KING KONG was the most spectacular, jaw-dropping adventure film ever made, and few films since, if any, have even come close to topping it.

The first forty minutes or so consist of careful, methodical build-up as flamboyant movie producer Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) sets sail for Skull Island with the crew of a merchant ship called The Venture. He's heard stories of a giant monster called Kong who lives on the island, and plans to capture the beast on film. Along for the ride are the beautiful Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) to provide the "love interest" for his movie, and first mate Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) to provide the love interest for Ann.

When they arrive, they witness a tribe of natives preparing to sacrifice a young girl to Kong. But one look at Ann, whom they call "the golden woman", convinces them that she would make a much more unique bride for the beast. ("Well, blondes are scarce around here," Denham notes.) They steal onto the ship that night and kidnap Ann, then open the massive doors of the huge protective wall that separates them from the rest of the island and bind her to an altar. As the crew of The Venture discover Ann's absence and race to the rescue, the natives wait atop the wall in awed silence for the arrival of the fearsome Kong. Suddenly there are loud, echoing footsteps...the trees are torn aside...and there stands King Kong, the greatest of all movie monsters.

 
All necessary exposition is laid out for us so that when Kong makes his appearance at this point, the rest of the film is a non-stop rollercoaster ride of action. Kong takes Ann in hand and disappears into the dense jungle, with Denham, Driscoll, and most of the Venture crew in hot pursuit. But it doesn't take long for these hunters to become the hunted, when they suddenly find themselves on the run from an array of ill-tempered prehistoric beasts ("from the dinosaur family!", Denham informs us). In one horrific scene, the sailors are trapped on a log over a deep chasm as the enraged Kong shakes them off into the pit below. Having dispatched his pursuers, Kong takes Ann to his lair at the top of Skull Mountain, engaging in awesome battles with various other giant creatures along the way.

But Driscoll, who managed to avoid plunging into the pit, rescues Ann and returns her to the native village. An angry Kong arrives moments later, pounds his way through the door of the great wall, and goes on a rampage in which he chews and stomps several unfortunate villagers. Denham, however, is prepared for such an eventuality, and hurls a gas bomb which knocks Kong unconscious. Realizing that the giant ape himself is worth more than any motion picture, Denham arranges to have a giant raft built to transport Kong back to New York, where he will be put on display for paying customers. "We're millionaires, boys!" he cries to the surviving sailors. "I'll share it with all of you!"

We all know, of course, that once Kong is taken to the Big Apple, he escapes and goes on a rampage of destruction that climaxes at the top of the Empire State Building, where he must fight off attacking biplanes amidst a hail of machine gun bullets -- one of the most enduring images in movie history and popular culture. 

KING KONG continues to astound all but the most jaded viewers even today, which is a tribute to the imagination and ingenuity of its makers. Special effects wizard Willis O'Brien laid the groundwork for all future effects-laden "event" movies as he created ways of bringing the most outrageous visions to the screen, many of which are still used today. His meticulous frame-by-frame stop-motion animation of Kong and the various dinosaurs never fails to impress, especially in the spectacular battle between Kong and the Tyrannosaurus Rex. 

Murray Spivack's sound design was an amazing feat considering that sound itself had only existed in movies for a few years before KING KONG. And the musical score by Max Steiner, with its beautiful descriptive passages and themes for various characters, is a masterpiece that showed all film composers to come how it should be done.

Upon its re-release in 1938, several of the more violent scenes were censored, including Kong popping various Skull Islanders and New Yorkers into his mouth and chewing on them, or stomping them underfoot. And the scene in which Kong curiously peels off bits of Fay Wray's clothing and sniffs them was deemed inappropriate as well, and out it went. The film was also darkened considerably to disguise much of the blood that flows during the battle scenes. For many years, this was the only version of the film available, until finally the excised scenes were rediscovered and restored in the early 70s.

 
Now, with Warner Brothers' current release of KING KONG on DVD, the film is restored, uncensored, and better-looking than ever before, with special features that will delight fans of the film. There is a commentary featuring stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen (SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS) and special-effects veteran Ken Ralston that is fun to listen to since the men are such devoted Kong fans. 

A documentary on the life of Kong producer Merian C. Cooper (upon whom the character of Carl Denham is based) is a fascinating look at a man whose exploits rival those of Indiana Jones. And the seven-part documentary "RKO Production 601:The Making Of Kong, Eighth Wonder Of The World" is packed with fascinating details about the film and comments from well-known filmmakers who have been influenced by it.

LORD OF THE RINGS director Peter Jackson, whose KONG remake hits theaters in December 2005, went to great lengths to help make this DVD a special event, including assembling his special-effects artists to recreate the legendary lost "Spider Pit Sequence" which was originally removed from the film due to its intensity ("It stopped the show!", as Merian C. Cooper put it). Jackson also created a new Kong scene using the same equipment and methods employed by Willis O'Brien, simply to give us an idea of how the effects for KONG were done since there is so little behind-the-scenes documentation of the original work. 

Also included are scenes from Willis O'Brien's aborted dinosaur project CREATION, which are so well-restored that they look as though they might have been filmed yesterday. And rounding out the special features on the disc are trailers from KING KONG, SON OF KONG, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (Willis O'Brien's three great "Giant Ape" movies), and other Cooper productions.

If you're a fan of KING KONG, or you just want to see what all the fuss is about, there's never been a better time to watch this film in all its glory. The passage of time, and the advancement of special-effects technology, have not dimmed its power. It is still one of the greatest -- perhaps the greatest -- adventure films ever made.

Read our review of the 2005 Peter Jackson remake

Read our review of SON OF KONG

KING KONG (1933) -- DVD Review by Porfle

MY TOP 20 FAVORITE STOP-MOTION ANIMATION MOVIES! by Porfle

These aren't movies that are entirely stop-motion, such as A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS or a Wallace and Gromit movie, but ones featuring stop-motion monsters or other creatures.  With hats off, of course, to the greats--Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen.

Read our review of  KING KONG (1933)

Read our review of  SON OF KONG

MY TOP 20 FAVORITE STOP-MOTION ANIMATION MOVIES! by Porfle

SON OF KONG -- Movie Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 10/25/15

(Caution: the last couple of paragraphs contain spoilers.)

 

I watched SON OF KONG (1933) again last night, and this toned-down sequel affected me just the same as ever. Most of the ingredients of KING KONG are there, but mixed together in such a different way as to explore whole new areas of cinematic enchantment.

The opening titles are reminiscent of KONG at first, but then they go into a cast montage and the music shifts dramatically to the jaunty but melancholy "Runaway Blues", and darned if that alone doesn't make me start to get misty-eyed. 

The stop-motion creatures are great as usual (although with little participation from special effects wizard Willis O'Brien, who was disillusioned with the project), and there's an exciting climax which anyone who saw this as a kid should vividly recall.

 

After the disaster of Kong's opening night in New York, showman Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) is forced to flee lawsuits and creditors by going into the shipping business with Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher) in the South Seas. 

Along the way he meets a sweet young down-on-her-luck woman named Hilda (Helen Mack), loses his ship to mutineers, and ends up back on Skull Island, where he and the rest encounter a baby Kong who protects them from danger as they search for a fabled island treasure. 

There's considerably less tension in this laidback sequel--the nightmare of KONG is over, and despite the hardships it caused this seems to have been cathartic for Denham as a person. He's no longer so manic and driven, content now to be Englehorn's business partner, and can enjoy little things in life like a two-bit tent show with dancing monkeys and an adorable young girl (Hilda) playing the ukelele.

 

The romance between Denham and Helen Mack's plucky, lovable Hilda is low-key and very sweet, more so because of the recurring "Runaway Blues" theme. The trip to the island and their adventures on it aren't dark and heavy as in the previous film, but KONG had already been done. Rather than trying to do it over again or continue its nightmarish tone, SON OF KONG gives us a fairytale ending.

It's not as much a sequel as it is a prolonged denouement--a long sigh of relief after the horrors that ended when Kong hit the pavement. All the sexual tension and Freudian complexities of KING KONG have been resolved, leaving Denham free to lead a simpler life with Hilda and, we assume, a happy ending. 

And then, of course there's little Kong (known by many as "Kiko") himself.  Some viewers fault the film for being too comedic, and indeed, this 12-foot albino ape is quite the clown.  Still, his interactions with Denham and Hilda are fascinating to watch, as are several furious battles between him and a variety of giant island creatures.  While rushed into production the same year as its predecessor, SON OF KONG still boasts some amazing special effects.

 

The grand finale is a terrifying earthquake which threatens to destroy the island, with Denham, Hilda, and Englehorn scrambling to escape in a rickety rowboat.  In the film's most heartbreaking moment, little Kong's foot is caught in a crevice as the island begins to sink beneath the waves, and as he wails in distress you can clearly make out the words: "Mom-my!  Mom-my!" 

Seeing Denham and Hilda at the rail of a rescue ship in their robes, as it begins to sink in that they're really in love and "Runaway Blues" creeps in one last time, still plucks the old heartstrings.  (It's here that Denham the "no funny business" mug finally cracks up and goes sappy.)  More than anything, SON OF KONG is, to me, a lovely fairytale adventure that gets a little more magical every time I see it.

Read our review of KING KONG

"The Runaway Blues" -- instrumental

SON OF KONG -- Movie Review by Porfle

"WIZARD OF OZ" Blooper: Dorothy's Ruby Slippers Disappear (MGM, 1939)

Glinda the Good Witch warns Dorothy to never remove her magic ruby slippers.

But in the scene with the talking apple trees, there's a brief moment in which Dorothy is wearing...her regular black shoes.

Don't let the Wicked Witch catch you without those ruby slippers, Dorothy!


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

"WIZARD OF OZ" Blooper: Dorothy's Ruby Slippers Disappear (MGM, 1939)

THE WIZARD OF OZ 3D: 75TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Blu-ray 3D/ Blu-ray/ Digital HD) -- Review by Porfle

 (Originally posted in 2013)

 

When I was a kid, the annual airing of the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz" on network primetime TV was almost as highly-anticipated a yearly tradition as Halloween or even Christmas.  Kids such as myself would scramble to get all their worldly affairs in order and move heaven and earth to make sure they were securely situated in front of a TV set, with no distractions, when that MGM lion roared and Oscar-winning composer Herb Stothart's familiar fanfare blared forth in all its glory.

Of course, we had to watch it right then and there because that was our only chance, and we knew it wouldn't come around for another year.  Now, however, you ungrateful young whippersnappers have the luxury of popping in Warner Brothers' snazzy new Blu-Ray 3D/ Blu-Ray/ Digital HD combo set THE WIZARD OF OZ 3D: 75TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION.   It even has a pulse-poundin' 3D cover pic and everything! 

But aside from how brand spanking new it looks and sounds in this latest Blu-Ray edition (which it does) or how cool it must look in 3D for you luckies who have 3D players (which I don't), the film itself is still the main prize.   Arguably the most beloved motion picture ever made, "The Wizard of Oz" set the Technicolor standard for opulent film musicals that has yet to be surpassed.  Some describe it as "the perfect movie"--indeed, it's practically beyond criticism no matter how many IMDb trolls snipe about how "boring" or "dated" they imagine any classic from the 1900s to be.  Few films are still this delightfully fresh and downright stunning almost 75 years after their initial release.  

The 16-year-old Judy Garland is extraordinarily endearing in her sincere, earnest  performance as Kansas farmgirl Dorothy Gale, who,  threatened by hateful neighbor Miss Gulch (Margaret Hamilton) to have her beloved dog Toto destroyed, runs away from the home where she lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.  After a kindly traveling fortune teller named Professor Marvel (Frank Morgan) persuades her to return home, she does so just in time to encounter a raging tornado that knocks her unconscious, sending her on a dream journey over the rainbow to the fairytale land of Oz.

Despite the many wonders she finds there, Dorothy's only wish is to get back home.  A good witch named Glinda (Billie Burke) advises her to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City,  where the wonderful Wizard of Oz may be able to help her.  Along  the way she makes friends with a scarecrow who wishes for a brain, a tin man who desires a heart, and a cowardly lion seeking the courage he lacks.  But before granting their wishes, the Wizard demands that they prove their worthiness by bringing him the broomstick of the dreaded Wicked Witch of the West, the most evil and fearsome creature in all of Oz.

The bleak and moody depictions of a flat gray Kansas landscape (its evocative, almost impressionistic interior sets are all dusty plains and miles of wire fences and telephone poles) immediately get "The Wizard of Oz" off to a heady start visually.  Dorothy gains our sympathy by being a typical teen who yearns to experience life but is all but ignored by the adults around her.  Her song, "Over the Rainbow", is both an amazing display of the youthful Judy Garland's mature vocal talent and an emotional highpoint for the film's misty-eyed fans.

Before we've even gotten out of Kansas comes one of the most thrilling special effects sequences of all time.   They made a whole movie filled with CGI tornadoes back in 1996 but not one of them could match the awe-inspiring sight of that one monstrous cyclone bearing down on Dorothy's tiny farmhouse as she scrambles for shelter.  Indeed, this segment of the film rivals 1933's "King Kong" as a breathtaking tour-de-force of sheer special-effects audacity.

After a dazzling switch-over from sepia to Technicolor, what follows in the "Oz" scenes is a succession of musical setpieces that are among the most whimsical and enchanting ever conceived for the screen.  Dorothy's encounter with the Munchkins (played by the Singer Midgets) is a delight, as are her encounters with the Scarecrow (rubber-limbed dancer Ray Bolger),  the Tin Woodsman (Jack Haley, Jr.), and the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), and their joyous arrival in the Emerald City--all carried along by the infinitely memorable songs of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg.

The visuals exude a richly atmospheric fairytale quality which, just like the illustrations in the original L. Frank Baum books, is inspired by the old European tales but with a distinctly American flavor.  (This is reflected also in Bert Lahr's very Brooklynesque lion with his amusingly lowbrow vaudevillian schtick.)  A combination of colorful painted backdrops, sumptuous matte paintings, and elaborate sets, the backdrops for Dorothy's adventures are always a feast for the eyes.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the climactic sequence in the foreboding mountaintop castle of the Wicked Witch of the West.  If "The Wizard of Oz" is a journey through Dorothy's subconscious mind, then this segment of the film must surely be, from a child's point of view, the most terrifying Freudian nightmare ever filmed. 

Captured by the Witch's bizarre army of  flying monkeys (another impressive practical effect), Dorothy's life is first measured by the sands of an hourglass ("See that?  That's how long you've got to be alive!  And it isn't long, my pretty--it isn't long!") and then by one of the most potent threats ever leveled in a children's film: "The last to go will see the first three go before her...and her mangy little dog, too!"  A considerable amount of suspense and excitement are generated in this sequence as Dorothy's three reluctant friends conquer their imagined inadequacies and attempt to rescue her.

Here, Margaret Hamilton plays her part to the hilt and is the quintessential wicked witch in one of the movie's two (at least) Oscar-level performances.  The other, of course, is that of Judy Garland,  who did receive an honorary Oscar that year for her body of work up to and including "The Wizard of Oz."  Judy is wonderfully natural and appealing in the role, and much more realistic than Shirley Temple, whom MGM originally wanted,  would have been.  It's easy for kids to identify with her because of this natural quality,  while Temple's more artificial cuteness appeals mainly to adults.

The Blu-ray 3D/ Blu-ray/ Digital HD combo from Warner Brothers is in 16x9 widescreen with 5.1 Dolby sound and original mono.  There's an entertaining and informative new documentary,  "The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz", that lasts over an hour, plus original and re-release trailers, various radio programs (one is an adaptation of the film itself), extensive photo galleries, and a "jukebox" containing songs and musical cues including alternate and interrupted takes. 

Reappearing from the earlier 70th Anniversary Edition is a commentary track hosted by Sydney Pollack and featuring Oz historian John Fricke along with archival cast and crew comments, an animated storybook condensation of Baum's original book narrated by Angela Lansbury,  a brief biographical sketch of each of the leads (Toto, too!) entitled "We Haven't Really Met Properly",  a music and effects track, and a sing-along song menu.

Like "Star Wars", the later watershed film classic that it partially inspired, THE WIZARD OF OZ remains a marvel of thrilling special-effects wizardry and all-around cinematic creativity that no amount of CGI could ever surpass.  More importantly, though, it's one of the most engaging, heartfelt, and purely sentimental adventures to ever grace the silver screen.  With a simple beauty that still evokes tears of joy in its fans, this beloved classic demonstrates that not only is there "no place like home", but that in each of us lies wisdom, compassion,  and courage if we but look for it. 

THE WIZARD OF OZ 3D: 75TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Blu-ray 3D/ Blu-ray/ Digital HD) -- Review by Porfle

THE WITCHES OF OZ -- DVD review by porfle

 

Originally posted on 4/8/12

 

Fans of L. Frank Baum's celebrated Oz series never know what they're going to get in the way of screen adaptations.  They're either bright and whimsical with some deliciously dark touches (like the 1939 classic THE WIZARD OF OZ) or they play up the more bizarre and nightmarish aspects of the books (as in RETURN TO OZ).  Or, in the case of THE WITCHES OF OZ (2011), you get a confusing mish-mash of both styles along with various other fantasy and comic book elements.

This rambling saga (originally televised in two parts) starts out with a LORD OF THE RINGS-style prologue which gives the impression that we're in for a more solemn, Hobbity type of myth-fantasy than the chintzy, cartoonish fairytale that follows.  I think that may be what writer-director Leigh Scott was partially aiming for here, but aside from the scenes with Lance Henriksen as Uncle Henry and Jeffrey Combs as L. Frank Baum--two actors not known for their lighthearted frivolity--it's just too goofy to take that seriously.

Paulie Rojas' Dorothy is like an even more girly and saccharine version of Marlo Thomas' "That Girl" with traces of Didi Conn and Pee Wee Herman.  Wide-eyed and wincingly naive, Dorothy moves from Kansas to New York at the request of gorgeous literary agent Billie Westbrook (Eliza Swenson, who also co-produced and, bless her heart, composed the music) in order to publish her "Oz" stories which were begun by her grandfather "Frank."  But Billie turns out to be the Wicked Witch of the West, and Dorothy's Oz fantasies are really repressed memories of actual experiences that the witch wants to mine for information about a certain key to open a certain very powerful book of spells.

Much of the New York stuff is an awkward attempt to mix kid-friendly fantasy with real-world decadence, with references to "ass-kissing" and "sexing it up a little", terms such as "S.O.B.", and Dorothy being both leered at by a cabbie while changing clothes in the backseat and practically raped by a mugger.  At times, the effect of this clash of sensibilities is not unlike sipping on a bourbon and Kool-Aid cocktail.

During the first hour or so, Dorothy orients herself to big-city life and acquires a love interest--LOTR's Billy Boyd as funny-Scottish flake "Nick Chopper"--while Billie and her cohorts scheme to get the key from her.  With her flowing black hair, knockout bod, and what could only be described as a serious "legs" thing, Eliza Swenson owns the role and gives us an idea of what the '39 film might have been like if they'd gone ahead and cast Gale Sondergaard as the Witch instead of Margaret Hamilton (although Hamilton's likeness and acting style are closely imitated whenever Billie witches out).  The now-MILFy Mia Sara of FERRIS BUELLER fame is a hoot as Billie's wickedly cute but not-too-smart toady Princess Langwidere, who collects heads to wear the way other women collect shoes.

The story is at its best when it maintains a consistent tone for awhile, such as in the extended Kansas sequence that comes about halfway.  Here, we learn some interesting surprises about Dorothy's past as the film quits being tinny and insipid for awhile and comes closest to having an actual heart.  There's a recreation of Dorothy's journey to Oz inside the cyclone which, aside from proving that the '39 film's effects are still better than crappy CGI, finally lets us see the Wicked Witch of the East get crushed by that house while she and a Valkyrie-like Glinda the Good Witch (Noel Thurman) are trading magical destructo beams like a couple of Marvel superheroines.

A lot happens during the chaotic final hour when the Wicked Witch unleashes her evil minions, including some Flying Gorillas and, oddly, Lewis Carroll's Jabberwock, in an all-out war on New York City.  Some of it marginally cool, with the rest of the familiar Oz characters such as Scarecrow, Lion, and Tin Man losing their human fascades and regaining their true personas in order to engage the forces of evil in battle. 

Much of it, however, is just frenetic, confusing, and, finally, long-winded--especially when Dorothy attempts to "Oprah Winfrey" the Wicked Witch into turning away from the dark side.  Some of the more slapdash battle footage look
s like outtakes from a bad superhero flick like Shaqille O'Neal's STEEL, with the Tin Man resembling a cross between a robot and the original Iron Man.  There's even some mild gore as one of Princess Langwidere's interchangable heads explodes and another gets run over by a truck, and one mano-a-mano encounter ends, strangely enough, with a beheading that recalls the knife-to-the-chest scene in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN! 

Christopher Lloyd plays the Wizard like he's doing dinner theater for an easy-to-please audience, while Lance Henriksen's Uncle Henry comes across like an anvil on a trampoline.  Top honors go to Swenson and Sara for their wickedly winsome witches, along with Sasha Jackson as one of Princess Langwidere's alter egos.  Sean Astin and Ethan Embry earn a few laughs as the diminutive Muckadoos, ordered by Langwidere to bedevil Dorothy but more interested in raiding her refrigerator.  Billy Boyd is at his "I'm Scottish!" cutest here--whether or not that's a good thing is up to you. 

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 1.78:1 widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Extras consist of a trailer and a trailer-length "behind the scenes" featurette.

While somewhat fun to watch if you can manage to settle into its goofball vibe, THE WITCHES OF OZ is "magical" in a curdled, insincere sort of way that makes it too distasteful for kids and too sickly-sweet for adults.  Oz fans who have to watch everything Oz-related will probably have to watch this, but there's a snowball's chance in Hell of it making a dent in their undying affection for a certain Judy Garland vehicle.

THE WITCHES OF OZ -- DVD review by porfle

THE STEAM ENGINES OF OZ -- Blu-ray/DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 5/31/18

 

THE STEAM ENGINES OF OZ (Cinedigm, 2018) is one of those dystopian Oz tales in which L. Frank Baum's wonderful fairytale land has gone to pot and needs someone to restore the magic.

And much like writer-director Sean Patrick O'Reilly's HOWARD LOVECRAFT AND THE FROZEN KINGDOM, it's also one of those modestly-rendered digital cartoons that will probably look decidedly low-tech to someone who's more used to lush, polished Disney and Pixar product.  (Although, ironically, it would've looked amazingly cutting-edge back in the "dawn of CGI" days of the 80s.)

As such, the character/background design and execution are of uneven quality throughout, with the underground and city sequences looking the best and the forest/battle scenes often having a somewhat unfinished look.  Not surprisingly, the film's steampunk angle is one of its most appealing elements.

The story begins in the vast subterranean world beneath the Emerald City, where a plucky young "Mary Sue" type named Victoria, whose job it is to help keep the city's massive steam engines running, is chosen by good witch Locasta and her flying monkeys to help defeat the city's tyrannical ruler and restore order to Oz.

Surprisingly, this dreaded tyrant is none other than the Tin Man, who rules with an iron fist (so to speak) in his quest to abolish magic and spread his steam-engine technology throughout the land to the detriment of the environment (giving the story an ecological slant).

A flashback in black-and-white motion-comic form--one of the film's best-looking sequences--explains Tin Man's motives (he's doing it all for love) but that doesn't lessen the image of him as a snarling metal monster (more of a sinister, hulking Doctor Doom than the benevolent little tin fellow we're used to) trying his best to chop the good-guy characters to pieces with his massive axe during the big battle sequence that occurs about halfway through the story. 

The film doesn't hold back on such imagery, portraying Tin Man's armies as goose-stepping fascists wielding lethal weapons (indeed, in one scene a likable main character is melodramatically shot to death with a lightning-bolt rifle).

Leading up to all of this, Victoria emerges "topside" for the first time in her life so that she can escape the Emerald City and seek out the help of the Munchkins as well as that of the fabled Wizard of Oz (here voiced by none other than William Shatner). 

Accompanied by her friends Mr. Digg and a comical Munchkin named Gromit, whom she freed from their dungeon cells as "honored guests" of the Tin Man, Victoria enlists the aid of Magnus, son of the Cowardly Lion, and the rest of his pack in what will eventually lead to the aforementioned battle with Tin Man's forces as THE STEAM ENGINES OF OZ becomes a bonafide war movie.

During all this we'll recognize obvious callbacks to various other action movies such as THE MATRIX, 300, and KILL BILL.  At one point, one of the Munchkin leaders exhorts his troops with the phrase, "Let's go, Munchspendables!"

Later, Victoria and company return to the Emerald City, entering Tin Man's dreaded steam engine chamber in search of the imprisoned Scarecrow and resuming the film's "quest" theme, which will eventually be resolved in a "love conquers all" ending.

I'm not sure how little kids will respond to THE STEAM ENGINES OF OZ, since it seems aimed mainly at those who read the graphic novel and/or prefer their Oz stories with a hefty dose of adult grit and grime.  I spent most of its running time reacting to it rather than actually enjoying it, my assessment varying as wildly as the gauges on one of Tin Man's smoldering steam engines. 


CAST
Ron Perlman ("Sons of Anarchy," Hellboy)
William Shatner ("Star Trek," Miss Congeniality)
Julianne Hough ("Dancing with the Stars," Footloose)

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Format: BD+DVD / Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu and more)
SRP: BD+DVD:$19.97
Running Time: 75 mins.
Genre: Animation/Family
Audio: Dolby 5.1
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 (1.78:1)
Subtitles: English
Extras: none
Street Date: June 5, 2018

THE STEAM ENGINES OF OZ -- Blu-ray/DVD Review by Porfle