FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
A biographer (Wallace Shawn) enlists the help of theatrical agent Peggy Ramsay (Vanessa Redgrave) in discovering what led Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina) to kill his lover, playwright Joe Orton (Gary Oldman).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Biopics
• Flashback Films
• Homosexuality
• Jealousy
• Mentors
• Vanessa Redgrave Films
• Writers

Review:
Playwright Joe Orton — author of Entertaining Mr. Sloane and Loot — lived a life nearly as bizarre as the characters in his darkly comedic plays. After a rapid rise from obscurity to fame, he was killed in 1967 by his long-time companion, Kenneth Halliwell; in 1978, John Lahr (son of actor Bert Lahr, the Cowardly Lion) wrote an investigative biography of 34-year-old Orton and his death. This film, directed by Stephen Frears, is based on Lahr’s book, and is — above all else — a fascinating character study of both men.

Because the film opens with Orton’s bloody death, there’s no surprise about the outcome of events; instead the shifting power dynamics in Orton and Halliwell’s evolving relationship is the focus of the screenplay. We’re shown Halliwell’s pathological inability to deal with Orton’s sudden success, and Orton’s refusal to leave Halliwell behind despite his desire to be with other men. (In many ways, Prick Up Your Ears is a post-modern variation on A Star is Born.)

The acting throughout is commendable: Oldman is note-perfect as Orton, showcasing his cockiness and pan-sexuality, and Molina is mostly effective (and appropriately creepy) as Halliwell, though he gradually loses our sympathy. Also notable is the incomparable Vanessa Redgrave, in a small yet pivotal role as the third party left behind to tell the world about Orton and Halliwell’s tragic love story.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Gary Oldman as Orton
  
• Vanessa Redgrave as Peggy Ramsay
  
• A powerful tale of love, jealousy, loyalty, and ambition
  

Must See?
Yes, for Oldman’s remarkable performance.

Categories

• Noteworthy Performance(s)

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Roger Ebert’s Review
• Time Out Review

Synopsis:
When housecats suddenly start attacking their owners after eating Lotus Cat Food (“food for cats who love people”), a doctor (Sean Kenney) and his nurse (Monika Kelly) investigate the pet food company, run by a sociopath (Sanford Mitchell) and his business partner (J. Byron Foster).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Amateur Sleuths
• Black Comedy
• Horror
• Killer Animals

Review:
This hideously bad movie by cult horror director Ted V. Mikels never cashes in on its one-note premise: the use of human corpses for pet food. Instead, we’re subjected to countless badly acted scenes, some meant to titillate (busty women undress gratuitously), and others merely to exploit (there’s a “subplot” about a disturbed woman — played by Ann Noble — who cares for a plastic doll as though it’s her child.) Production values are low — the same shot of brown paste (meant to represent ground human flesh) being squeezed out of a tube in a flimsy contraption is used again and again — and the screenplay is sloppy (why don’t the factory owners remove clothing, hair, and bones before sending the bodies through the grinder?). Naturally, it’s exactly this level of ineptitude that appeals to fans of “bad movies”; but for most viewers, a film this awful needs MST3K spoofing to be rendered enjoyable.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• The laughable meat-grinding machine
  
• Countless pseudo-campy scenes between Dr. Glass (Kenney) and big-haired, big-bosomed Angie (Kelly)
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look simply for its status as a trashy cult hit, and as Mikels’ best-known film. But unless you’re a fan of this kind of garbage, expect to endure it rather than enjoy it.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Video Graveyard Review
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
After her husband is murdered, a woman (Beverly Garland) takes his place as sheriff of Greasewood City. Soon she’s caught up in a nefarious plot involving a greedy dancehall owner (Allison Hayes) and a hitman (John Ireland).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Dick Miller Films
• Hitmen
• John Ireland Films
• Roger Corman Films
• Sheriffs
• Star-Crossed Lovers
• Strong Females
• Westerns

Review:
Roger Corman’s penchant for spending as little time and money as possible while churning out passable entertainment occasionally yielded unexpected cult hits, such as The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) (made in just two days) or A Bucket of Blood (1959). Just as often, however, his films show ample, unfortunate evidence of his slapdash approach — and Gunslinger is one of these instances. Despite a relatively intriguing premise (the idea of a female sheriff in the Old West has promise):

this movie is simply a mish-mash of poor acting, sloppy continuity and editing, and a convoluted storyline. Whatever pathos could have been generated between Garland’s character and the hitman she falls in love with (Ireland) is sublimated into silliness.

Even MST3K’s spoofing can’t (doesn’t) turn this clunker into enjoyable viewing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• The (unintentionally) humorous final shoot-out
  

Must See?
No. This is definitely one of Corman’s less successful low-budget outings, and isn’t worth spending time on.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Combustible Celluloid Review

Synopsis:
An obsessive teenager (Keir Dullea) who fears being touched goes to stay at a mental institution, where he’s treated by Dr. Swinford (Howard Da Silva). He soon makes friends with a disturbed girl named Lisa (Janet Margolin), who speaks only in rhymes.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Character Arc
• Friendship
• Janet Margolin Films
• Keir Dullea Films
• Misfits
• Psychotherapy

Review:
Based on a novel by psychiatrist Theodore Isaac Rubin, this heartfelt story of two troubled teens who find unexpected friendship and support in one another remains remarkably uncloying, thanks in large part to the convincing performances by the two leads. In her film debut, Janet Margolin brings humanity to a role which could easily have become a caricature; and Keir Dullea, as noted in DVD Savant’s review (see link below), is “understandably mannered” in a performance which eventually grows on you. Equally impressive are Howard Da Silva and Clifton James as caring staff members with saintly patience; they make it easy to forgive the film’s overly idealistic portrait of life in a mental institution (see the more recent Manic for a hyper-realistic glimpse at such settings).

While many have expressed frustration with the story’s dated implication that David’s mother (nicely played by Neva Patterson) and father (Richard McMurray) are at least partially responsible for his illness, I found this fairly easy to forgive, given that even individuals with clinically-diagnosed OCD occasionally come from troubled backgrounds. And the fact that Lisa gradually opens up to David doesn’t imply that his friendship has cured her — it’s simply brought her one step closer along the path to wellness. Ultimately, David and Lisa should be seen as a gentle character study rather than a treatise on mental illness; and, as such, it works.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Keir Dullea in perhaps his best role
  
• Janet Margolin as Lisa
  
• Howard Da Silva as David’s caring doctor
  
• David’s father, in a heartbreaking sequence, trying desperately to communicate with his son
  
• Leonard Hirschfield’s b&w cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, simply for its status as a beloved Oscar nominee. It’s listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

• IMDb entry
• All Movie Guide Review
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
When the greedy new alcalde of Los Angeles (Ron Leibman) demands exorbitant taxes from local peasants, Don Diego Vega (George Hamilton) decides to wear his late father’s Zorro outfit and save the day. When he hurts his ankle jumping from a ledge, his long-lost effeminate twin brother, Bunny Wigglesworth (also Hamilton), conveniently arrives from Britain and takes over the role of Zorro — adding his own unique, flamboyant touch.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Comedy
• Folk Heroes
• George Hamilton Films
• Mistaken or Hidden Identities
• Satires and Spoofs
• Twins

Review:
After the success of his vampire spoof, Love at First Bite (1979), George Hamilton produced and starred in this affectionate homage to the masked avenger of pulp fiction lore. It’s a surprisingly enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek romp, thanks in large part to Hamilton’s portrayal as both Don Diego and Bunny — he’s convincing enough in these dual roles to make you forget he’s really just one actor. The script is clever, with plenty of juvenile yet amusing one-liners, and the action moves at a quick pace. As with all broad comedies, Zorro may not be for all tastes, but I think it’s a delightfully innocuous diversion.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• George Hamilton, endearingly campy in his multiple roles
  
• Ron Leibman’s over-the-top performance as the Alcalde (though his yelling eventually becomes tedious)
  
• Brenda Vaccaro as the Alcalde’s sexually rapacious wife, Florinda
  
• Bunny’s flamboyant outfits
  
• The Alcalde trying to get Don Diego to “act like a sissy”
  
• Many giggle-inducing lines: “What do the people need roads for? They never go anywhere.”

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended. Listed as a Sleeper in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Latin America on Screen
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
When her child’s nanny (Odetta) is put on trial for murder, the daughter (Lee Remick) of a southern governor (Howard St. John) decides to tell her father why she’s really the one to blame.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Bootlegging
• Deep South
• Flashback Films
• Lee Remick Films
• Tony Richardson Films

Review:
In 1931, William Faulkner decided to write a potboiler that would actually sell copies in the bookstore; the result was this tale of a privileged southern girl named Temple Drake who is raped by a ruthless bootlegger named Popeye, becomes smitten with him, and lives a life of wild gaiety until the day he dies in a car chase, when she returns home with her tail between her legs. The novel was first filmed the year it came out (in 1931), as The Story of Temple Drake, then remade under its original title by British director Tony Richardson in 1961.

Since I’ve neither read the novel nor seen the previous film, I can’t make any comparisons; on its own, however, Richardson’s version (scripted by Ruth Ford and James Poe) seems to suffer from the same fate befalling so many cinematic translations of literary works — namely, an egregious lapse in motivational logic. The crux of the narrative — Temple’s radical change of heart, post-rape — simply doesn’t ring true, and no time is spent trying to explain it. As noted in the New York Times original review, this transformation “makes for purple melodrama but not much psychological sense”.

This is too bad, given that beautiful Lee Remick turns in a sympathetic performance in the lead role — it’s not her fault that her character is so poorly written.

Also effective is blues singer Odetta in a pivotal role as the woman who first tries to warn Temple against the bootlegger (renamed Candy); one wishes she’d been given more screen time.

Yves Montand as Candy gives the worst performance in the film — he seems to be walking through his scenes, and is badly cast.

Once again, however, we know so little about his character that it’s hard to get a sense of what makes him tick. By the end of the film, we feel like we’ve only been given a glimpse of a much bigger, potentially intriguing world.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Lee Remick as Temple Drake
  
• Odetta as Nancy
  

Must See?
No, though Remick makes it worth watching once.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review (spoilers alert)
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
While defending a man (Paul Lukas) who has just killed his adulterous wife (Gloria Stuart), a lawyer (Frank Morgan) begins to suspect his own wife (Nancy Carroll) of infidelity.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Courtroom Drama
• Infidelity
• James Whale Films
• Paul Lukas Films
• Play Adaptations

Review:
While director James Whale is primarily known for the stylish horror movies (Bride of Frankenstein, The Old Dark House) he made for Universal Studios in the early ’30s, this film is generally considered to be one of his finest non-horror entries. The story starts out rather slowly, but picks up speed and interest once Morgan comes on the scene. The parallels between Morgan’s marriage and that of his defendant (an annoyingly overwrought Paul Lukas) are too convenient, but make for a nifty psychological thriller, as we wonder just how far Morgan’s jealousy will take him.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Frank Morgan as the jealous lawyer
  
• Nancy Carroll as Morgan’s wife
  
• Karl Freund’s cinematography
  
• William Anthony McGuire’s taut script

Must See?
Yes, simply to see one of James Whale’s non-horror films. But I also highly recommend Whale’s earlier Waterloo Bridge (1931), which isn’t listed in Peary’s book.

Categories

• Important Director

Links:

• IMDb entry
• All Movie Review

Synopsis:
During the Civil War, Union Captain John Hayes (Randolph Scott) is asked to set up a stagecoach delivery route to transport much-needed gold from California. He receives help from wounded soldier Rod Miller (Michael Dante) and Rod’s wife, Jeanie (Karen Steele), but must fight back against a group of strident pro-Confederates.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Budd Boetticher Films
• Civil War
• Randolph Scott Films
• Veterans
• Virginia Mayo Films
• Westerns

Review:
Westbound is generally considered to be one of the “lesser” collaborations between director Budd Boetticher and actor Randolph Scott, who made seven westerns together in just four years. While based on an interesting premise, the script is hampered by a dull, underdeveloped sideplot involving Scott’s former love interest (played by Virginia Mayo), who has married the town’s insipid bigwig (Andrew Duggan). Much more compelling are Karen Steele (Boetticher’s real-life wife) and Michael Dante as newlyweds trying to cope with Dante’s crippling war injury; this story is really theirs.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• The touching homecoming scene between Rod and Jeanie
  
• Michael Dante as the one-armed veteran
  
• Karen Steele as Jeanie
  
• A rare ’50s film to explicitly posit Confederates as evil and Unionists as just
  

Must See?
No, but it’s certainly recommended for Boetticher fans.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
Baron von Munchausen (Milos Kopecky) and an astronaut (Rudolf Jelanek) travel around the world, rescuing an imprisoned princess (Jana Brejchova) along the way.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Eastern European Films
• Fantasy
• Love Triangle

Review:
Czechoslovakian director Karel Zeman was responsible for some of the most visually innovative fantasies in cinematic history. His unique blend of live action and animation — including the use of Gustave Dore’s intricate illustrations as backdrops — is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before (except, perhaps, in Monty Python films, given that Terry Gilliam is an enormous fan of Zeman’s). It’s impossible to describe the sheer wealth of visual enjoyment Munchausen has to offer; see the stills below for a tasty sampling. The narrative basically consists of one bizarre, humanly impossible adventure after the other, and is written with a droll sense of humor. A love triangle is also woven seamlessly into the proceedings, as Munchausen — who fancies himself quite the ladies’ man — finds himself unable to convince beautiful Princess Bianca (Brejchova) to choose him over the Moon Man. In the end, however, Munchausen remains unperturbed, and ready to take on whatever escapade awaits him next.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• The traveling duo’s improbable journey through space, back to the Earth
  
• A court dancer frolicking with an enormous bunch of grapes
  
• Munchausen swimming on his webbed-feet horse
  
• A snake emerging from a tapestry to bother the Moon Man and Princess Bianca as they canoodle
  
• Countless surreal images, blending live-action with animation, and reality with fantasy
  
• Many humorous moments — as when the Moon Man discovers the trick behind the Sultan’s protective swords
  
• Munchausen’s hilariously self-aggrandizing monologues: “At the time I had a tremendous appetite, kept busy night and day as I was by one after the other lovely lady, who succumbed to the charm of my manly eloquence…”
  
• Zdenek Liska’s delightful musical score

Must See?
Yes. This inventive fantasy film deserves a much wider audience. It’s listed as both a Cult Movie and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Foreign Gem
• Important Director

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Movie Rapture Review