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MARCH 2003
OBITUARIES
Anthony Eisley
Actor Anthony Eisley died in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was
78. Eisley may be best known for his portrayal of Tracy
Steele in the detective series "Hawaiian Eye." Cult-movie
fans will remember him from numerous low-budget genre-films.
He starred in Roger Corman's 1959 "The Wasp Woman" and later
appeared in a number of science-fiction and horror films
throughout the 1960s including "The Navy vs. the Night Monsters,"
"Journey to the Center of Time," "The Witchmaker," "The
Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals," "The Mighty Gorga,"
"Dracula vs. Frankenstein," "Monster" and "Evil Spirits,"
among others.
The stage, screen and TV star (real name: Fred Eisley)
was born in Philadelphia. His father was general sales manager
and "trouble-shooter" for a large company, and his work
kept the family on the move throughout Eisley's youth. At
an early age, Eisley knew that he wanted to be an actor,
but because he lacked show business contacts, he felt nothing
would come of his aspiration. He later took drama courses
at the University of Miami, "not because I thought I could
really be an actor, but because I was taking the easy way
out to get a degree." Finally following up on his longtime
ambition, Eisley landed a job with a stock company in Pennsylvania,
where he worked opposite James Dunn in a stage production
of "A Slight Case of Murder." Later roles in long-running
plays like "Mister Roberts," "Picnic" and "The Desperate
Hours" followed, along with some early movie ("Operation
Pacific," "Fearless Fagan") and television ("Racket Squad")
work. He later went on to TV and exploitation movie stardom.
In 1964, Eisley starred in director Sam Fuller's "The Naked
Kiss," a harsh depiction of small-town prejudice and deviant
sexuality centering on an upstanding citizen with a dark
secret.
In addition to "Hawaiian Eye," Eisley appeared in such
television programs as "The Outer Limits," "The Wild Wild
West," "The Invaders," "The Magician," "Project UFO" and
many others. Eisley wrote several of the "Hawaiian Eye"
episodes, and once rebutted criticism of the show by saying,
"I, too, would like to see more food for thought on television.
I have children whose viewpoints will be largely affected
in certain areas by their many hours gazing at the one-eyed
monster. But our world is solemn enough as it is. I'd hate
to limit them -- or myself -- to a leisure-time diet devoid
of laughter, adventure and romance."
THE B MOVIE MONTH IN REVIEW
A STAR IN HARRYHAUSEN'S FUTURE
Word on the West Coast is that Ray Harryhausen will soon
be honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. While
no official ceremony has yet been scheduled by the local
Chamber of Commerce, sources say that Hollywood heavyweights
including Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are already
angling for a spot at Ray's side when he's awarded his star.
So, Hollywood, what took so doggone long?
WILL "VAN HELSING" BITE?
The buzz of B-movie town is Universal's Web sneak peek at
their forthcoming film "Van Helsing," scheduled to open
May 21, 2004. The official Web site recently previewed some
decidedly shadowy images of the overhauled Universal classic
monsters, as well as the vampire-hunter protagonist. The
ultra-cool pundits and box-office prognosticators have had
time to digest them, but you, the true fans of classic horror
and sci-fi are the final arbiters as far as we're concerned.
First things first; if you haven't seen the new and "improved"
monsters, take a look (we'll stand by while you wait for
the silly and unnecessary Flash animation to load): http://www.vanhelsing.net
Had a look? Ready for our take? The Frankenstein monster
is pretty hard to screw up, though it looks as if they tried
by jolting his electrodes with steroids. The fascination
of "Frankenstein" is the idea that the monster is comprised
of the stolen parts of many men's bodies. All of the cadavers
in this case must have been former WWF stars. The Wolf Man
is likewise a hulking brute more akin to a Frank Frazetta
sketch than Lon Chaney's tortured lycanthrope. (Those familiar
with the very first issue of "Creepy" will bear me out.)
It also recalls artist Bernie Wrightson's early work, which
recalls Frazetta, which -- wait, I think I hear the nerd
police knocking at the door. Then, there's Dracula. What
were they thinking? The suave Transylvanian Count is now
a snarling, hopping harpy? Oy! Finally, there's Van Helsing,
reimagined (I've come to find out that the young Turks in
Hollywood LOVE that word) as a pistol-toting, crossbow-wielding,
sword-slinging Victorian-era "Blade." Naturally, he's done
up in black leather, looking like a cross between Robert
E. Howard's Solomon Kane and the WB's "Angel."
We'll have to defer to the Tinsel Town numbers crunchers.
I'm sure they've calculated that blood, guts and stupid
sardonic humor are what put butts in theater seats. But,
gosh, I would loved to have seen Universal's classic monster's
done justice. Sadly, none of the underlying humanity that
audiences once connected with is evident in these "Van Helsing"
images. Remember the Karloff Monster's first child-like
exposure to light? Remember Lugosi's plaintive, "to be really
dead ... that must be glorious?" Even Chaney Jr., opinions
of his acting skills notwithstanding, conveyed desperation
in his search for a cure. Nowadays, it's all "extreme,"
balls-to-the-wall mayhem, devoid of empathy. Perhaps this
film will be the exception. (At least, I hope it will.)
But it looks as though our monsters have been robbed of
the humanity that made them great.
A PRUDE AND PROUD OF IT
At a pre-release press conference, Ben Affleck defended
the dark, nihilistic tone of "Daredevil," in which he stars
as the eponymous comic book hero. First off, we keep fairly
close tabs on such things, and we weren't aware that anyone
had publicly attacked the film. Were Affleck's comments
a pre-emptive strike? In the film, the superhero is portrayed
as a very dark, tortured, violent figure. He sadistically
allows an opponent to die, pops pills and, in an act of
true machismo, yanks out one of his own teeth following
a brutal encounter. Affleck told reporters, "I know that
the really hardcore fans, myself included -- and I think
probably even Marvel -- felt that was stepping over a line
in a way." In a way? What way? The "it's okay to show a
heroic figure committing foul acts" way? Affleck explained
that the dark elements were necessary, "for the sake of
giving the character an arc [Editor's note: That's moviespeak
for 'learning'] letting him go from a guy who is seeking
ultimate vengeance to a guy who understands the difference
between that and justice ..."
When I was a kid, I liked Daredevil because he overcame a terrific handicap to become a hero imbued with unique powers
-- he was resourceful, courageous and strong in the face
of great adversity. Booorrring! What a lousy movie THAT
would make! Now, if he were a pain-killer-popping vigilante
in a kinky leather costume ... BOFFO! In comparing the comic
to the movie, Affleck pointed out that "it's a little grittier,
a little bit more realistic ... in this comic-book, superhero
universe, when a guy gets hit or is stabbed, he bleeds,
and there are consequences to it. I think that speaks to
the violence issue ..." Well, then, why not have Daredevil
ritually slaughtering puppies in an orphanage? That should
hammer home your point. Look, guys, isn't there enough corruption
and pain in the world? Isn't that why we HAVE a "comic-book,
superhero universe?" Is there no room in the movies for
an exemplary character inherently able to differentiate
between right and wrong, virtue and apathy? Does it ALWAYS
have to be about an embittered, world-weary cynic? Even
in the case of "Spider-Man" (a film we liked) the character
was depicted as a VICTIM of his superpowers, as well as
a beneficiary. Seriously, pick up a newspaper or switch
on the evening news and then tell me why our culture must
endure another dose of nasty movie cynicism. Aren't these
filmmakers the same people who recently signed a peace petition?
THE COST OF SCI-FI FAME
Coming to Pasadena, Calif., on March 28-30 is -- deep breath
-- "Creation's 11th Annual Grand Slam Convention: The Sci-Fi
Summit' featuring 'Star Trek,' 'Star Wars' and 'Buffy.'
" Whew! That's right, dang-near any actor who had anything
to do with any of those shows will be in attendance at the
Pasadena Center. And fortunate fans can purchase a three-day
"Gold Weekend Package" for just -- another deep breath --
$389.00! On top of that, you still gotta get a room and
pay for travel! This begs the question: How much do you
really want to see Garrick Hagon in the flesh? Once you
have proximity to the actor (who had tiny parts in lots
of movies including "Star Wars") you STILL have to pay for
an autograph. We don't mean to pick on Mr. Hagon, we just
chose one name out of the many we're unfamiliar with. Creation
Entertainment points out that the "Gold" status affords
patrons "the best reserved seats, yours ... for all three
days of the event ... one 'Trek Treat Card' offering special
gifts at various booths throughout the event ... and complimentary
autographs from Carrie Fisher, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn,
James Marsters, Armin Shimerman, Gina Torres, Alan Ruck,
Jennifer Lien, Tim Russ, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips
and Andy Hallet." Not to mention, "first crack at souvenirs
on Thursday night if you can make our pre-registration!"
To be sure, it's a star-studded affair, that is, if your
idea of a studdable star is the guy who played Bruno in
"Moonbase 3" (that's right, Garrick Hagon!) Okay, we'll
admit the big guns will be there -- Shatner, Nimoy, George
Takei, James Doohan -- and SFX magazine readers recently
named attendee James Marsters' Spike character the second
greatest in sci-fi history. Promoters know the fans will
turn out for such a lineup, no matter what the cost. And
how does that cost per celeb break down? As we mentioned,
$389 gets you in the door for three days, a single day is
57 bucks. THEN you have to purchase an autograph ticket,
get in line, and pray to God Robert Beltran doesn't run
out of steam -- or his pen out of ink -- before you get
to him. So, to make it easier for you to budget your autograph
money, we provide the following cost comparison. Keep in
mind, this is not sarcasm, this is legit:
William Shatner: $60
Leonard Nimoy: $60
James Doohan: $70 ("extremely limited, please order quickly")
G
eorge Takei: $35
Nichelle Nichols: $35
Walter Koenig: $35
Michael Dorn: $25
Marina Sirtis: $25
Robert Beltran: $40
Tim Russ: $20
Robert Picardo: $20
Ethan Phillips: $20
Armin Shimerman: $20
James Marsters: $35
Nicholas Brendon: $35
Juliet Landau: $20
Andy Hallet: $20
Gina Torres: $20
Carrie Fisher: $55 (includes complimentary photo)
David Prowse: $20 (includes complimentary photo)
Peter Mayhew: $20 (includes complimentary photo)
Kenny Baker: $20 (includes complimentary photo) J
eremy Bulloch: $20 (includes complimentary photo)
Silas Carson: $20 (includes complimentary photo)
Scotty gets top dollar? That'll make Shatner flip his
wig. And Takei only gets $35? I'd rather have TWO Takei's
than a Nimoy (but keep your mitts off my Doohan!) One interesting
note on the convention Web site: "Michael Dorn on occasion
has been unwilling to sign certain items." That set my imagination
racing. What has this guy been asked to sign in the past?
I guess it isn't easy being Worf.
THE BRITISH ARE "CON"-ING!
Meanwhile, in the U.K., an outfit called Sci Fi Shows is
perpetually busy packaging various genre-themed cons, one
of which is sure to appeal to your geek streak. Perhaps
the most interesting to B Monster readers is Chillerfest,
which "will offer fans the chance to meet great guests from
the world of horror, sci-fi and movies, along with authors
and behind the scenes personnel. Over the course of the
weekend there will be dealers selling different items from
books & videos to T-shirts & DVD's right through
to those hard to get collectibles, photograph sessions and
much, much more!" (I'm particularly struck by the fact that
they draw a distinction between "sci-fi" and "movies.")
Anyhoo, among the guests converging on London's Radisson
Edwardian Hotel are:
Hammer glamour queen and former Bond girl Caroline Munro
Ingrid "Countess Dracula" Pitt Doug "Pinhead" Bradley Warwick
"Leprechaun" Davis Carel (really, really tall guy) Struycken
The collective ladies of "The Evil Dead," Betsy Baker, Ellen
Sandweiss and Sarah York Makeup and effects ace Tom Savini
and more.
Promoters invite attendees to, "stay for the whole weekend
and enjoy the Saturday night when there will be a party
with costume competitions, disco and a chance just to relax
in a great atmosphere." Just imagine, you can gratify your
twin yearnings for science fiction AND disco in ONE place!
Why hasn't anyone thought of combining the two before now?
It happens March 22-23. To find out more, visit: http://www.chillerfest.com
Then there's Jedicon 8, which happens Sunday, April 13
at the Basildon Sports Centre, Nethermayne Basildon, Essex.
It's billed as "The U.K.'s Number 1 'Star Wars' Event" and
features autograph sessions, photograph sessions, guest
Q&As, "giant screen" movies, a "fancy dress & costume
competition," and the opportunity to "meet characters such
as Stormtroopers." (Egad! You'd think the last thing a Brit
would want to meet is a Stormtrooper. I thought we'd dispatched
the last of them 50 years ago!) Scheduled guests include:
Hassani Shapi
Tim Dry
Gerald Home
Sean Crawford
Michael Sheard
Okay, we're not familiar with them, but they played such
characters as Eeth Koth, Whipid, Squid Head and Yak Face
in various "Star Wars" pictures. Promoters call it "an event
NOT to be missed if you are a TRUE Star Wars fan!" For more
info, check out: http://www.scifishows.com/jedicon/index.htm
The Sci FI Shows crew also recently staged the Basildon
Show featuring "the UK's TOP dealers selling everything
to do with sci fi, movies, trading cards, toys, autographs,
posters, models, figures, PLUS A WHOLE LOAD MORE!" Not sure
what was in the rest of "the load," but the featured guest
was none other than ... Garrick Hagon! (More power to you,
Garrick!) And last November saw the "License To Thrill"
convention, (geez, they've got their finger in every cult-film
pie!) a Bond-related happening with the usual dealers, guests
and memorabilia. Perhaps most ambitious is this May's London
Expo, "bringing a new concept in shows to the UK. This is
not just another show but an event which will be both interactive
and fun." The show will be composed of "zones" (an "Actor
Zone," a "Game Zone," a "Comic Zone," etc.). More on the
"concept" as details develop. So, the cult-nerd phenomenon
is not unique to Yanks. Does that make you feel better or
worse?
ARE YOU TRIPPIN'?
From the "This is not a joke" file: The Sydney Morning Herald
reports that scads of tourists have actually been trying
to book passage to Middle Earth, fictional setting of J.R.R.
Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings." According to the staff at
the Yahoo! Travel Web site, imaginary locations such as
Mordor and Rivendell have become popular search entries.
Inspired by director Peter Jackson's elephantine movie adaptations
of the Tolkien canon, and no doubt confusing Frodo with
the renowned Fodor's travel books, eager tourists may be
disappointed to learn that the films were shot entirely
in Jackson's native New Zealand. "I'd never want to go to
Mordor," Yahoo travel maven Morgan Williams told the Herald.
"The film's real location, New Zealand, on the other hand,
is a truly magical place." The B Monster was personally
distressed by the exorbitant airfares to Lilliput, and disappointed
that Shangri-La is still a political football in that whole
Tibet-China controversy. Our plans for a cruise to Atlantis
fell through, and our fear of heights prevents us from crossing
the Rainbow Bridge to Aasgard, so it looks like another
summer in Sumeria with the Mole People.
DRACULAND HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE
After a year of mudslinging and axe-grinding, it looks as
though the dust may finally be settling on the final site
for Romania's Dracula theme park. According to reports from
the AP and the BBC, the Romanian government has announced
that the park will be built near Bucharest and not in Sighisoara
located in Vlad the Impaler's native Transylvania. In the
end, it wasn't protests from Greenpeace, native Sighisoaraians,
the local clergy and assorted environmentalists (even Prince
Charles got into the act stating he was against the park
on environmental grounds -- no pun intended) that swayed
officials.The international consultancy firm hired by the
Romanian government, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, told them
that building the park closer to the nation's capital would
attract more tourists. According to the number-crunchers,
the Bucharest site will draw a million tourists per year
compared to the 600,000 who were expected to visit Sighisoara
annually. The government maintains that the $30 million
theme park, which will be adjacent to Lake Snagov, a ritzy
resort 25 miles north of Bucharest, will create 3,000 jobs
and boost Romania's tourism industry. Legend has it that
Vlad's body is buried in a monastery located on an island
in the lake. It may be just a legend, but it's sure to be
good for business. The park is expected to open by the end
of 2004.
"BRAIN" AND "BLANCAS" ON THE MARCH "THRILL BILL" M
ore retro revels in the San Francisco Bayside domain of
cocktail totin' Will "The Thrill" ViIharo. "I'm especially
excited about the March Thrill-bill," says the self-made
lounge lizard and retro-movie maven, referring to upcoming
stage shows featuring crisp 35mm prints of "two of my favorite
'50s monster classics, 'The Brain From Planet Arous' and
'The Monster of Piedras Blancas.' " In addition, Vilharo
will be screening a 35mm print of the original pilot episode
of "The Abbott & Costello Show." For the inexcusably
uninformed, Will hosts live "spook show"- style screenings
of vintage films at the Bay Area's beloved Parkway Theater
-- that is when he's not taking his sultry sidekick, Monica,
"Tiki Goddess," on the road for live bookings. Will explains
his access to a veritable treasure trove of vintage movie
prints: "Bill Longen is my source for vintage trailers and
a lot of obscure prints. He grew up in the theater exhibition
business back in Philly, and worked as a TV editor for years.
I believe he even won an Emmy for work on a news program.
He edited 'Creature Features' when [horror movie host] John
Stanley was hosting the show. I met him through John. He's
a good friend." So, if you can possibly make your way to
the Bay this month, complete details and scheduling can
be found at: http://www.thrillville.net
Inform "The Thrill" that the B Monster hepped you to his
swingin' scene!
ATOMIC ARCADE
Amid the proliferation of aggressive video games that encourage
kids to bloodily dispatch adversaries or decapitate hookers
to score points, there emerges "I Was an Atomic Mutant,"
a new monster-themed game you can play on your PC. Canopy
Games executive producer Michael Berglund says, "I've been
a lifelong fan of horror, fantasy and monster movies in
general. My childhood was spent in the pages of Famous Monsters,
and watching Ray Harryhausen and classic Universal monsters."
The game's companion Web site is a hoot; a well-designed,
easily navigable chronicle of the life of Anton Slavski,
the "giant monster film auteur" upon whose work the game
is supposedly based. You can download movie trailers, screenshots
and a game demo. "It's an homage to 1950's B-Movie monsters,"
says Berglund. "It's a fun arcade-type game full of mayhem,
action, and humor. In the game, YOU play a giant atomic
mutant!" Sorry, no decapitated hookers, just dino-style
stomping and snarling. Major retailers including Target,
WalMart, BestBuy and Circuit City will be selling the game
for $19.95. To learn more, check out:
http://www.atomicmutant.com
And, of course, tell 'em the B Monster sent you!
MIDMAR: MARCH AND BEYOND
The friendly folks at Midnight Marquee Press recently provided
an update regarding their April 11-13 Son of Fanex get-together.
In addition to Hammer leading man Edward DeSouza (making
his first trip stateside, incidentally) you can meet and
greet Susan Gordon, daughter of drive-in titan Bert I. Gordon
("The Amazing Colossal Man," "Beginning of the End"). Ms.
Gordon appeared in Dad's "Attack of the Puppet People" and
"Tormented," not to mention mainstream fare such as the
Danny Kaye vehicle, "The Five Pennies." On the publishing
front, Midmar will soon unveil Steve Haberman's first book
in his "Chronicles of Terror" series, "Silent Screams,"
and the long-awaited "Forgotten Horrors 3" by Michael H.
Price and John Wooley. Also on the horizon is "Fantastic
Journeys" showcasing transcriptions of talks given by past
FANEX attendees including John Agar, Jeff Morrow, Ray Harryhausen,
Robert Wise and others. Also interesting is the news that
Midmar is "in talks to begin offering a line of rare horror/sci-fi
television shows" on DVD. Even more significant is their
announcement that "we are working with The Chesapeake Arts
Center on a major film festival to be held in Baltimore
October 30-Nov. 1 2003. 'The Maryland Fantastique Film Fest'
will screen genre-film entries and award the Laemmle Award
to the winners." Midmar has once again enticed Christopher
Lee to attend and serve as "Grand Marshall Judge" of the
films.
For more info, keep watching http://www.midmar.com
And by all means, tell 'em the B Monster sent you!
A FEST FOR FIRST-TIMERS
Are you a budding filmmaker with a penchant for the macabre?
You can ply your wares at the upcoming Screamfest 3000 to
be held in Los Angeles from October 11-19, 2003 -- that
is if you can swing the entry fee (ranging from $25 - $40)
and you've recently completed a film that falls into one
of the following categories:
Horror Feature Horror Short
Horror Super Short (under 10 minutes)
Horror Comedy
Documentary (haunt- or horror-related)
Horror Animation
Horror Animation Short
Horror Animation Super Short
Student Horror Feature Film
Student Horror Short
Student Horror Super Short
We get the impression they're looking for horror-related
fare. Aspiring screenwriters can enter their scripts for
$30. For an extra $30, the Screamfest panel of judges (comprised
in part, say promoters, of literary agents and development
executives) will give it "consideration and script coverage."
(I wish I could tell you what that means.) According to
festival hype, "films are judged on all aspects including
cinematography, editing, make-up and special effects." Deadline
for submissions is July 15 so you've got plenty of time
to polish your pitch and finesse your maiden film. You can
find out more at: http://www.screamfestla.com
SOUNDS OF SOVIET CINEMA
Two more esoteric and enticing film scores have been restored
under the auspices of Marco Polo Music. Dimitry Shostakovich's
grandiloquent orchestrations are showcased in new restorations
of his scores for "The Fall of Berlin," (1949) and "The
Unforgettable Year 1919" (1951). There are 16 cues from
director Mikheil Chiaureli's Russian WWII epic, and an additional
seven more from "Unforgettable Year," also directed by Chiaureli.
Now, the B Monster can't pretend to be a hardcore Soviet
film scholar, but movies featuring characters of such overwhelming
historical importance as Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Churchill
and Woodrow Wilson would HAVE to feature scores of complimentary
audacity. Shostakovich's work, as performed here by the
Moscow Symphony Orchestra with Adriano conducting, measures
up to the import of the subject matter.
For more info check out http://www.naxos.com
And, da, tell 'em the B Monster sent you!
NEW ON DVD
THE RING
Ordinarily, when you bring up the subject of remakes we
get cranky; especially remakes of foreign hits, which invariably
turn out to be embarrassments to the American remakers.
(Okay, we'll give you "The Magnificent Seven," but even
money says Tom Hanks is planning on buying up every print
of "The Man With One Red Shoe.") With that off our chest,
we'll tell you that "The Ring" is an effective, artfully
produced thriller. Based on the Japanese film hit, "Ringu,"
(also debuting on DVD this month), which in turn was based
on a novel by Kôji Suzuki, it's got a nifty hook and
a soggy, sinister feel that is largely the work of cinematographer
Bojan Bazelli and designer Tom Duffield. Watery symbolism
abounds, and the film has a drenched and appropriately dreary
look. The aforementioned hook concerns an apparently cursed
videotape. After watching it, viewers receive a mysterious
phone call and within 24 hours -- whammo -- dead!
The reason for the tape's ongoing and unstoppable circulation
and the unearthly source of its deadly power are revealed
by the dogged research of a reporter whose niece was a victim
of the home video homicide. The initially cynical journalist
is played by Naomi Watts, the lovely, underrated Australian
actress who made such a splash in David Lynch's creepy (I
suppose that's redundant) "Mulholland Drive." In fact, convincing
performances help anchor some of the film's outlandish diversions.
For instance, the movie goes on a tad too long (bit of a
spoiler coming here) with one of those "just when you thought
it was safe" climaxes. But that's acceptable, provided you
still care about the characters and believe they're in danger.
Such a contrivance is routine in slasher films (the audience
knows the killer won't stay dead!), but the makers of "The
Ring" handle it more adroitly than anything from Jason's
played-out genre. Directed by Gore Verbinski, who wrangled
the rampaging "Mouse Hunt," "The Ring" does no disservice
to the Japanese original, and was the very definition of
a "sleeper" hit taking in a tidy $127.5 million with minimal
pre-release fanfare.
DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
What's left to say about this one? We've written glowingly
of it on many occasions, and it's one of the very few sci-fi
films unanimously applauded by genre buffs and mainstream
film lovers alike. It's one of the first movies devotees
point to as their example of how good a science-fiction
flick can be. Sure, it's an obvious parable. Sure, it has
a more ambitious agenda than your run-of-the-mill shocker.
Sure, there's a pacifist message and overt symbolism. But
some of it is scary as heck.
Director Robert Wise brought conviction and, some would
say, legitimacy to a genre that, following a gangbusters
1951 rollout that included "The Man From Planet X" and "The
Thing From Another World," was soon to be scoffed at by
the uninitiated. Star Patricia Neal has spoken somewhat
disparagingly of "Day the Earth Stood Still" in the past,
making it sound like something of a lark for her to have
appeared in a science-fiction film. Be that as it may, she's
plenty convincing in those eerily-lit spaceship scenes,
delivering Klaatu's (Michael Rennie) classic, cryptic message
to Gort, one of filmdom's most imposing (that is to say
coolest) robots. Michael Rennie is good. Sam Jaffe is good.
Patricia Neal is good. The script is good. We won't belabor
it. It's a damn good movie. It's on DVD. You should watch
it.
RAIDERS OF THE LIVING DEAD
We love Sam Sherman, one of the patron saints of drive-in
cinema who fought to keep the institution alive even as
movie multiplexes spread like kudzu across the American
landscape. This garbled 1985 effort might be charitably
viewed as something of a last hurrah on Sam's part. We just
wish there were more to "hurrah" about. It ain't very good.
Continuity is such that the viewer is forced to do WAY too
much work keeping track of who is doing what to whom and
when in the continuum of the plot they are doing it. (That
muddled sentence alone should give you some idea of how
the storyline befuddled us.) Nonetheless, this package entertains
if viewed as a history lesson. The two disk "collector's
set" affords us an interesting peek behind the curtain covering
the B-movie biz. Three versions of ostensibly the same film,
all included in this set, were eventually molded by many
hands into the hodge-podge that is "Raiders of the Living
Dead."
Filmmaker Brett Piper shot a short, amateur shocker called
"Dying Day," for $17,000. He then sold it to Sherman's Independent
International company for $35,000. Sherman couldn't theatrically
distribute a 60-minute film, and owing to a bit of nudity,
he couldn't distribute it to television. Sherman took it
upon himself to shoot additional footage into which he shoehorned
pieces of "Dying Day." The end result he called "Dark Night."
Feeling it was still not up to snuff, Sherman raised a bit
more money, and shot still more footage incorporating plot
elements involving a boy inventor and his zombie-dispatching
laser ray. Positioning himself to cash in on "Indiana Jones'
" popularity, prevalent teen adventures such as "The Goonies"
and zombie films in general, he then came up with what was
historically the most important part of any Independent
International package -- an "exploitable" title. Sherman
maintains that 80% of the finished film was shot by him,
with little of Piper's "Dying Day" left in the mix. When
the film eventually turned up on cable, Piper dismissed
the final result as "hilarious" and "an awful movie." In
fairness, "Dying Day," though amateurish, did feature an
innovative shot or two, and "Raiders" is nothing if not
desperate to entertain. But neither of these pots should
be calling the kettle black. Sherman's "salvage" job may
have made back it's nut, but it's just plain bad.
As is often the case with such films, God may not be in
the details, but that's generally where we find the most
entertaining elements. For instance, Sherman cast Bob Allen,
star of numerous B Westerns (and a featured player in the
underrated 1935 Karloff thriller, "The Black Room,") as
the wiz kid's grandfather. And Zita Johann, co-star of the
1932 Karloff "Mummy," turns up in a smallish role as a librarian.
Young Scott Scwartz, who had appeared in the Jackie Gleason-Richard
Pryor comedy, "The Toy," stars as the boy inventor. Schwartz
went on to an abbreviated career in the adult film industry.
Sherman points out in the DVD's audio commentary that Schwartz
now works with his father in their baseball card and movie
memorabilia shop in Westlake Village, Calif.
http://www.image-entertainment.com
LAST MAN ON EARTH
This is the first filming of author Richard Matheson's classic
"I Am Legend." It is handily directed by Sidney Salkow,
a B-movie workman with an extensive resume dating back to
the 1930s. Salkow directed several in the "Lone Wolf" and
"Bulldog Drummond" detective series and worked prolifically
in television helming episodes of "Maverick," "77 Sunset
Strip," "The Addams Family" and others. Genre-film buffs
may recognize him as the director of the 1963 thriller anthology,
"Twice Told Tales."
Filmed in Italy in 1964, "Last Man" stars Vincent Price
as the titular survivor of a horrific plague that's turned
much of the human race into zombies. (Unless you're a diehard
Euro-film devotee, it's likely you're not familiar with
anyone else in the Italian cast.) The movie has rather a
seedy look that works to its advantage. The forlorn Price
wanders a barren, broken, cost-efficient landscape. He makes
his rounds by day, staking the sleeping hordes of blood
drinkers one by one, returning to his battered abode by
nightfall, after which throngs of the undead begin hammering
at his barricaded doors and windows and calling his name:
"Morgan! Morgan!" If these elements sound at all familiar,
bear in mind "Last Man" preceded Romero's "Night of the
Living Dead" by four years. Many elements in Matheson's
story were appropriated and distorted (okay, "tweaked")
by subsequent filmmakers, right up to and including the
likes of "Buffy," "Blade" and "Angel." The whole "undead
among us" canard is pretty played today, but one can imagine
it was a fairly unnerving concept "back in the day." Which
is not to say that "Last Man" is a real bell ringer of a
film. It isn't, and doesn't really aspire to be. But viewed
on its on inauspicious terms it works -- and, c'mon, Vincent
Price is in it.
Matheson's story was notoriously remade in 1971 as "The
Omega Man" with Charlton Heston in the Price part. It's
contrived and nowhere near as effective, undermined by a
truly incongruous "Shaft"-like soundtrack, but it added
another, much-imitated layer to the vampire-hunter mythos
that's been extrapolated to death: Heston bloodily dispatches
vamps and zombies with the aid of machine guns and sports
cars. An "Omega" remake has been discussed for nearly a
decade with Arnold Schwarzenegger often attached to the
rumors.
BEGINNING OF THE END
Yeah, it's pretty bad. But we're reluctant to disparage
any film that features BOTH Morris Ankrum AND Thomas Browne
Henry (who -- SURPRISE -- play a General and a Colonel!).
Which is not to slight the presence of Peter Graves, Peggie
Castle and hundreds of vicious grasshoppers. Graves? Castle?
Vicious grasshoppers? Directed by Bert I. Gordon? Hey, wait
a minute. This is a GREAT movie! Okay, we're being just
a little facetious, but I confess to a grudging -- make
that GENUINE -- admiration for the folks involved in making
this film. With Chicago under attack by giant grasshoppers
-- that are VERY obviously regulation-size grasshoppers
crawling over picture postcards of Chicago's skyline --
this determined troop has at the material with the same
steely conviction they'd apply to Shakespeare. The plot
involves Department of Agriculture experiments with radiation
(what else?) gone awry (does it go any other way?). Graves
and Castle play a scientist and a reporter respectively,
who uncover the terrible truth about the horrible horde
devouring America's heartland. This package qualifies as
a "special edition" owing to the fact that it's been crisply
transferred from the original negative, and features an
audio commentary from the director's daughter, Susan.
Bert I. Gordon was the uncrowned king of drive-in gigantism
("The Amazing Colossal Man," "The Cyclops," "Village of
the Giants" "Earth vs. the Spider," you get the idea), and
"Beginning of the End" is nothing if not ambitious. I mean,
with 12 bucks in your pocket you attempt to make it look
like rampaging hordes of grasshoppers are devouring Chicago?
Let's charitably cut Gordon some slack. There are talky
patches and padding aplenty, and Bert's big bugs are far
from cinema's most imposing, but I'm willing to look more
favorably upon Gordon's motives and resulting movie than,
say, the nasty, jingoistic "Starship Troopers," which, admittedly,
had the most convincing big bugs money could buy (doing
battle with actors whose faces usually grace the cover of
"Tiger Beat."). But Gordon, like Ed Wood, Phil Tucker, et
al., is an easy target for today's "teddibly sophisticated"
bad film connoisseurs. Can't these people remember what
it was like to be 11 years old? God bless Peter Graves.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Michael F. Blake, whose books are available through Vestal
Press or at http://www.amazon.com
Joe Dante
Scott Essman http://www.jackpierce.com
Harris Lentz III, whose books are available at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com
Bob Madison, whose books are available at http://www.amazon.com
Bryan Senn, whose books are available at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com
and at http://www.midmar.com/books.html
Tom Weaver, whose books are available at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com
and at http://www.midmar.com/books.html
PARTING BLURB
"The newest in terror-tainment!" -- Billy the Kid vs.
Dracula
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