This wasn't what I originally planned on reviewing tonight, but that fell through...so I thought I'd try something different. Tonight, we're doing short reviews of two Emmy-winning animated Halloween TV specials with musical overtones. Should these favorites of the small screen be a part of your Halloween rituals, or should they be stranded on a deserted island with pirate ghosts and paraphernalia wagons? Let's go trick-or-treating and find out...
Garfield's Halloween Adventure
CBS/DHX Media, 1985
Voices of Thom Huge, Lorenzo Music, Gregg Berger, and C. Lindsay Workman
Directed by Phil Roman
Music and Lyrics by Ed Bogas and Desiree Goyette
The Story: Garfield and Odie dress as pirates and head out to do a little trick-or-treat plundering, hoping to get lots of free candy. Their night takes a turn for the spooky when they're stranded on a deserted island that turns out to be the home of an old man with a terrifying tale. Pirates once buried their treasure on the island...and every year on Halloween night, they come back to claim it. Garfield and Odie have to dodge the ghosts and find a way to get home.
The Song and Dance: Despite them having been an annual thing when I was a kid and my being a big fan of Garfield and Friends, I wouldn't really get to see any of the holiday specials until much later in the 90's. Unlike a lot of Halloween specials intended for kids, it's got some genuine horror. Those ghost pirates really are frightening, especially when they find Odie and Garfield hiding in the cupboard. The sketchy animation style really works with these skeletal wraiths.
Favorite Number: I mildly prefer Garfield's "What Will I Be?" as we get a montage of him trying on costumes with Odie, but his pirate shanty and "Scaredy Cat" are catchy, too.
What I Don't Like: Uh...why are the ghosts attacking Garfield and Odie? Because they're there? While the ghosts do add a lot of spooky vibes to the second half, unless Garfield and Odie did something to them or their treasure, it's more likely that they'd just leave them alone.
The Big Finale: As much as I like the Christmas special, the ghost pirates and the unusual story give this one a bit of an edge. If you're a fan of Garfield or want to find something fun for elementary school-age kids on Halloween night, you'll want to check this one out.
Home Media: My DVD with all three Garfield holiday specials has been out of print for years, but this was just put out as a solo DVD release this past August and it's on Amazon Prime as a free download.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Halloween Is Grinch Night
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, 1977
Voices of Hans Conried, Henry Gibson, Gary Shapiro, and Hal Smith
Directed by Gerald Baldwin
Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
The Story: The citizens of Whoville know to avoid being outside during a sour-sweet wind. It always stirs up the local animal population, creating enough noise to bring out the Grinch with his "paraphernalia" wagon. If the Grinch gets down Mount Crumpet, he'll use that wagon to spook the entire town. When little Eukeriah Who gets lost in the mountains, he takes it on himself to make sure that the Grinch never makes it to Whoville.
The Song and Dance: "Weird" doesn't begin to describe this one. In fact, it's hard to describe. It's pretty simple until Eukeriah gets into that wagon...and then all hell literally breaks loose. I'd love to know what kind of drugs were floating around De Patie-Freleng in the late 70's to produce this type of psychedelic madness. It's like we entered Marilyn Manson's fever dreams. The wild and surreal animation is incredible, and I suspect it's probably one of the reasons this one won an Emmy.
Favorite Number: In addition to the infamous "Grinch Is Gonna Get 'Cha" in the Wagon, I like the opening number "I Wouldn't Go Out On a Night Like This" that describes what the people of Whoville do before and after the sour-sweet wind arrives. The haunting chorus song "He Is Wandering In the Wind" that plays when Eukeriah gets lost is quite lovely.
What I Don't Like: What is this supposed to be? It has nothing in common with the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Is it a sequel? A prequel? An alternate universe? It also lacks the first special's expressive Chuck Jones animation and its touching script.
The Big Finale: Despite the Emmy win, this one is more bizarre than great. It's worth seeing once, if only for the sequence with the Paraphernalia Wagon.
Home Media: Was just released this past weekend as a triple-bill with How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Grinch Grinches the Cat In the Hat on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Amazon Prime.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Ultimate Edition DVD
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Ultimate Edition Blu-Ray
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Ultimate Edition Amazon Prime
Oh, and I hope all of you have a safe, spooky, and very musical Halloween!
Reviews of musical films, from 1930s black and white to widescreen 21st century extravaganzas.
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Animation Celebration Saturday - The Nightmare Before Christmas
Disney, 1993
Voices of Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, Ken Page, and William Hickey
Directed by Henry Sellick
Music and Lyrics by Danny Elfman
This is probably Disney's most popular contribution to the horror genre. Disney was so concerned with the bizarre results, they released it under their adult Touchstone banner. It was a sleeper hit in October 1993, but frequent showings on cable and re-releases in theaters during October have made it a cult favorite. Does it deserve the attention, or should it be sent to Oogie Boogie's dungeon? Let's head to Halloween Town to find out...
The Story: Jack Pumpkinhead (Sarandon) is the leader of Halloween Town, where the bizarre residents work to scare people out of their wits and make Halloween fun. Jack, however, has been doing this for hundreds of years, and he's bored. The night after Halloween, he goes out wandering and discovers odd-shaped doors that lead to other holidays. He enters Christmas Town, a world of peace on Earth, carols everywhere, Santa, gifts, and snow. The skeleton falls in love with Christmas and thinks this is the perfect thing to relieve his ennui. His patched-together rag doll friend Sally (O'Hara) thinks this is a bad idea. Jack and the citizens of Halloween Town don't know the first thing about Christmas. Jack is too excited with his new idea to pay attention to her worries...until they discover that she was right. The "toys" they give the children scare instead of delight them, and Santa (Ed Ivory) falls into the clutches of the most evil citizen of Halloween Town, Oogie Boogie (Page). Now Jack has to fix his mistake, before Oogie Boogie ends Santa and Sally's holidays for good.
The Animation: Wow. Sellick and his crew did some of the most amazing work of any stop-motion film here. The style, all flourishes, stripes, and curly-cues, is unique and beautifully bizarre. The detail is just incredible. Everything here, from the snow in Christmas Town to the bugs crawling around Oogie Boogie to the stitches on Sally, has been painstakingly crafted and molded. It all moves in perfect time with the music, quite a feat given some of the uptempo numbers here.
The Song and Dance: Between the unique design and the unusual story, no wonder this has picked up a huge following over the years. I like how most of the residents of Halloween Town really aren't bad...er, creatures. They enjoy scaring people, not hurting them. Jack's story is interesting and unusual, as is Sally's odd little side plot with her trying to get out from under the gloved fingers of her mad scientist father (Hickey). Oogie Boogie is one of Disney's funnier and more scary villains, and I really wish we saw more of him.
Favorite Number: While the opening chorus routine "This Is Halloween" that introduces the residents of Halloween Town and what they do and Jack's "What's This?" are probably the best-known songs, the entire score is a delight. This is actually a horror operetta, with more music than speech. Elfman is Jack's singing voice, and I don't think anyone has done "What's This?" or "Poor Jack" better.
What I Don't Like: I'd love to see more of characters like the dog Zero, the mischievous kids Lock, Stock, and Barrel, and Oogie Boogie. The villain isn't introduced until nearly half-way through an 80 minute film. We don't really see much of anyone else in Christmas Town besides Santa, either, and only the Easter Bunny from any of the other holiday lands.
The Big Finale: By far the best of Disney's non-canon animated films. I really regret having put off seeing this for so long. It might be a little too spooky for the youngest kids, but for everyone else, I can't recommend it enough.
Home Media: Out of print on DVD, but it was just re-released on Blu-Ray last month, and it's on Amazon Prime.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Voices of Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, Ken Page, and William Hickey
Directed by Henry Sellick
Music and Lyrics by Danny Elfman
This is probably Disney's most popular contribution to the horror genre. Disney was so concerned with the bizarre results, they released it under their adult Touchstone banner. It was a sleeper hit in October 1993, but frequent showings on cable and re-releases in theaters during October have made it a cult favorite. Does it deserve the attention, or should it be sent to Oogie Boogie's dungeon? Let's head to Halloween Town to find out...
The Story: Jack Pumpkinhead (Sarandon) is the leader of Halloween Town, where the bizarre residents work to scare people out of their wits and make Halloween fun. Jack, however, has been doing this for hundreds of years, and he's bored. The night after Halloween, he goes out wandering and discovers odd-shaped doors that lead to other holidays. He enters Christmas Town, a world of peace on Earth, carols everywhere, Santa, gifts, and snow. The skeleton falls in love with Christmas and thinks this is the perfect thing to relieve his ennui. His patched-together rag doll friend Sally (O'Hara) thinks this is a bad idea. Jack and the citizens of Halloween Town don't know the first thing about Christmas. Jack is too excited with his new idea to pay attention to her worries...until they discover that she was right. The "toys" they give the children scare instead of delight them, and Santa (Ed Ivory) falls into the clutches of the most evil citizen of Halloween Town, Oogie Boogie (Page). Now Jack has to fix his mistake, before Oogie Boogie ends Santa and Sally's holidays for good.
The Animation: Wow. Sellick and his crew did some of the most amazing work of any stop-motion film here. The style, all flourishes, stripes, and curly-cues, is unique and beautifully bizarre. The detail is just incredible. Everything here, from the snow in Christmas Town to the bugs crawling around Oogie Boogie to the stitches on Sally, has been painstakingly crafted and molded. It all moves in perfect time with the music, quite a feat given some of the uptempo numbers here.
The Song and Dance: Between the unique design and the unusual story, no wonder this has picked up a huge following over the years. I like how most of the residents of Halloween Town really aren't bad...er, creatures. They enjoy scaring people, not hurting them. Jack's story is interesting and unusual, as is Sally's odd little side plot with her trying to get out from under the gloved fingers of her mad scientist father (Hickey). Oogie Boogie is one of Disney's funnier and more scary villains, and I really wish we saw more of him.
Favorite Number: While the opening chorus routine "This Is Halloween" that introduces the residents of Halloween Town and what they do and Jack's "What's This?" are probably the best-known songs, the entire score is a delight. This is actually a horror operetta, with more music than speech. Elfman is Jack's singing voice, and I don't think anyone has done "What's This?" or "Poor Jack" better.
What I Don't Like: I'd love to see more of characters like the dog Zero, the mischievous kids Lock, Stock, and Barrel, and Oogie Boogie. The villain isn't introduced until nearly half-way through an 80 minute film. We don't really see much of anyone else in Christmas Town besides Santa, either, and only the Easter Bunny from any of the other holiday lands.
The Big Finale: By far the best of Disney's non-canon animated films. I really regret having put off seeing this for so long. It might be a little too spooky for the youngest kids, but for everyone else, I can't recommend it enough.
Home Media: Out of print on DVD, but it was just re-released on Blu-Ray last month, and it's on Amazon Prime.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Cult Flops - Mad Monster Party?
Embassy Pictures, 1967
Voices of Boris Karloff, Phyllis Diller, Allan Swift, and Gale Garnett
Directed by Jules Bass
Music and Lyrics by Maury Laws and Jules Bass
Rankin-Bass is well-known for beloved holiday specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Year Without a Santa Claus. They also made feature films between TV work, most of which aren't as familiar. Take this stop-motion monster musical from 1967, the first of two we're going to examine this weekend. It's the last of three stop-motion movies Rankin-Bass made in the 60's. The Universal horror movies had just started to turn up on late-night TV by this point and were wildly popular, as were horror-themed sitcoms like The Addams Family and The Munsters and camp-fests like Horror of Party Beach. Is this as much fun as those other projects, or should "It" toss it to the crocodiles? Let's take a barge over to the Isle of Evil and find out...
The Story: Baron Boris Von Frankenstein (Karloff) has just created a formula for destroying all matter. He sends invitations to all the most famous monsters of the land, announcing his new invention and his imminent retirement. He intends to leave all his creations to his nephew, nerdy pharmacist Felix Flanken (Swift, who voices the other male characters as well). Felix has no idea what his uncle does for a living and goes to the Isle of Evil expecting a seaside vacation and a convention party. The monsters are none-too-happy about him being there, especially Francesca (Garnett), the Baron's comely assistant. She initially bands together with Dracula to eliminate Felix, but ends up falling for him instead. Meanwhile, the monster's mate (Diller) wants the formula for herself and her husband and will do anything to keep Felix or Francesca from getting it.
The Animation: The detail here is several steps above their TV work, especially on the Isle of Evil. There's always something neat to look at in every frame. From Chef Machiavelli's kitchen with it's unusual dishes to Francesca and Felix's outing in the swamp, you can spend a viewing alone taking it all in. The monsters themselves have really neat designs, especially Quasimodo, Jeckyl and Hyde, and the werewolf. I love how the choreography is done; the dances look pretty real here.
The Song and Dance: Just as campy as Party Beach and Incredibly Strange Creatures, but with a better script and more of a budget than either of them. If you love monster puns, they have them by the bucketful here, along with enough sight gags to shake a mummy bone at. Some funny lines, too, especially from sassy Francesca, uber-nebbish Felix, and Yetch, the Baron's Peter Lorre-esque zombie assistant. This was one of Boris Karloff's last roles, and he's a lot of fun as the tired scientist who wants to pass on the family tradition.
Favorite Number: Francesca's "It's Our Time to Shine" with Dracula is my favorite here; their little dance routine is actually quite good. Diller gets to show off with "You're Different," as the monster's lady describes her very odd mate. Francesca has a nice ballad later on the island as well, "There Never Was a Love Like Mine." The opening credits song by Ethel Ennis sets up the campy-spooky atmosphere.
What I Don't Like: When Phyllis Diller is the least-strange thing on-screen, you know a movie is bizarre. Most of the story doesn't make a lot of sense, including the plot twist at the end with what Francesca really turns out to be. Other than Dracula, the Frakenstein monster, and the Werewolf, most of the other monsters don't have that much to do, especially when the plot switches to focus on Francesca and Felix in the second half. The entire scene with Chef Machiavelli was literally added to pad out the plot and adds nothing to the rest of the film.
The Big Finale: This flopped in 1967, eventually ending up on double-bills at children's matinees. Ironically, while kids would probably enjoy the puns and the monsters, I think it might actually work better with young teens on up. If you can sell them on an animated film and they're already big horror fans, they might pick up on the slightly more adult jokes and references to famous creature features.
Home Media: This is another one where the cult following has assured that it can easily be found on most formats, often for under ten dollars.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Voices of Boris Karloff, Phyllis Diller, Allan Swift, and Gale Garnett
Directed by Jules Bass
Music and Lyrics by Maury Laws and Jules Bass
Rankin-Bass is well-known for beloved holiday specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Year Without a Santa Claus. They also made feature films between TV work, most of which aren't as familiar. Take this stop-motion monster musical from 1967, the first of two we're going to examine this weekend. It's the last of three stop-motion movies Rankin-Bass made in the 60's. The Universal horror movies had just started to turn up on late-night TV by this point and were wildly popular, as were horror-themed sitcoms like The Addams Family and The Munsters and camp-fests like Horror of Party Beach. Is this as much fun as those other projects, or should "It" toss it to the crocodiles? Let's take a barge over to the Isle of Evil and find out...
The Story: Baron Boris Von Frankenstein (Karloff) has just created a formula for destroying all matter. He sends invitations to all the most famous monsters of the land, announcing his new invention and his imminent retirement. He intends to leave all his creations to his nephew, nerdy pharmacist Felix Flanken (Swift, who voices the other male characters as well). Felix has no idea what his uncle does for a living and goes to the Isle of Evil expecting a seaside vacation and a convention party. The monsters are none-too-happy about him being there, especially Francesca (Garnett), the Baron's comely assistant. She initially bands together with Dracula to eliminate Felix, but ends up falling for him instead. Meanwhile, the monster's mate (Diller) wants the formula for herself and her husband and will do anything to keep Felix or Francesca from getting it.
The Animation: The detail here is several steps above their TV work, especially on the Isle of Evil. There's always something neat to look at in every frame. From Chef Machiavelli's kitchen with it's unusual dishes to Francesca and Felix's outing in the swamp, you can spend a viewing alone taking it all in. The monsters themselves have really neat designs, especially Quasimodo, Jeckyl and Hyde, and the werewolf. I love how the choreography is done; the dances look pretty real here.
The Song and Dance: Just as campy as Party Beach and Incredibly Strange Creatures, but with a better script and more of a budget than either of them. If you love monster puns, they have them by the bucketful here, along with enough sight gags to shake a mummy bone at. Some funny lines, too, especially from sassy Francesca, uber-nebbish Felix, and Yetch, the Baron's Peter Lorre-esque zombie assistant. This was one of Boris Karloff's last roles, and he's a lot of fun as the tired scientist who wants to pass on the family tradition.
Favorite Number: Francesca's "It's Our Time to Shine" with Dracula is my favorite here; their little dance routine is actually quite good. Diller gets to show off with "You're Different," as the monster's lady describes her very odd mate. Francesca has a nice ballad later on the island as well, "There Never Was a Love Like Mine." The opening credits song by Ethel Ennis sets up the campy-spooky atmosphere.
What I Don't Like: When Phyllis Diller is the least-strange thing on-screen, you know a movie is bizarre. Most of the story doesn't make a lot of sense, including the plot twist at the end with what Francesca really turns out to be. Other than Dracula, the Frakenstein monster, and the Werewolf, most of the other monsters don't have that much to do, especially when the plot switches to focus on Francesca and Felix in the second half. The entire scene with Chef Machiavelli was literally added to pad out the plot and adds nothing to the rest of the film.
The Big Finale: This flopped in 1967, eventually ending up on double-bills at children's matinees. Ironically, while kids would probably enjoy the puns and the monsters, I think it might actually work better with young teens on up. If you can sell them on an animated film and they're already big horror fans, they might pick up on the slightly more adult jokes and references to famous creature features.
Home Media: This is another one where the cult following has assured that it can easily be found on most formats, often for under ten dollars.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Musical Nightmares Double Feature - The Incredibly Strange Creatures... and Horror of Party Beach
We're going to dig very deep into the vaults - with a little help from the wisecracking robots and their human pal at Mystery Science Theater 3000 - for tonight's entries. These two horror semi-musicals are examples of the typical "B movie" fare of the 60's, the kind of thing the real-life teen audiences would have watched while making out in their car at the drive-in. Are these small-scale scare fests worth their weight in pop culture jokes, or should they be tossed into the endless reaches of space? Let's find out....
The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies
Fairway-International Pictures, 1964
Starring Ray Dennis Steckler (Cash Flagg), Sharon Walsh, Atlas King, Brett O'Hara
Directed by Ray Dennis Steckler
Music by Andre Brummer and Libby Quinn
The Story: California teens Jerry (Steckler), Angela (Walsh), and Harold (King) take off for the local amusement park for the day, despite the disapproval of Angela's mother. After enjoying most of the day, Angela insists on checking out the fortune teller Madame Estrella (Brett O'Hara). She tells the girl that someone close to her will die near water. Jerry waves this off, but Angela is disturbed. She's understandably even less happy when he insists on going to the girlie show and stomps off in a huff. He stays for the show and catches the eye of Estrella's sister Carmelita (Erina Enyo), who lures him back to the fortune teller. Estrella hypnotizes him into murdering a dancer (Carolyn Brandt) who had discovered her secret - Estrella is poisoning and disfiguring customers who have discovered her zombie "pets" in the back room of her booth. Jerry can't seem to shake the conditioning, leading to even more death...and some seriously strange musical numbers
The Song and Dance: Well...you can't say the title's a cheat. This is one seriously strange movie. O'Hara's my favorite thing here. Even with the bad accent, she's clearly having a great time slathering on the cheese spread as the fortune teller who's got more on her mind than telling kids they're going to have long lives. Walsh isn't bad for someone who was yanked from the chorus line and dumped in front of the camera. The film has an odd but unique style, especially the swirling colors of the fair contrasting with the more natural tones in the suburban street and on the beach.
Favorite Number: "Shook Out of Shape" is the best of a bad lot. The number has mildly decent choreography and attractive showgirl costumes. Nothing else is even remotely memorable. The Leslie Gore-esque blues solos towards the end are especially bland. The duets between the two dancers who are later killed are terrible, but that does tie into the plot - she's been drinking, and it's effecting her performance. (Not to mention, these are all supposed to be low-level carnival acts. You can almost kind of forgive the bad routines.)
What I Don't Like: This is about as low-budget as low-budget can get. Steckler was so low on money, that was his family's station wagon he was driving in some scenes. The decent cinematography can only do so much to redeem a bizarre story, bad writing, and weird or dull performances from everyone else. Steckler acts like he was hypnotized before he was hypnotized. While the costumes are passable, the hair and make-up is mid-60's insane. Every single woman has hair that defies gravity in ways they wouldn't even manage in the height of the 80's perm craze.
Despite it being billed as a horror film and a musical, we don't see any numbers until nearly a half-hour in, and we don't see the zombies until the last 10 minutes...and when we do, they're just people in Halloween masks you could get off the rack at Party Fair.
The Big Finale: If you love B movie schlock, you can't get much cheesier than this. It's so bad-it's-one-of-a-kind. For true bad-movie aficionados and lovers of Steckler's other soft-core work.
Home Media: Along with the MST3K episode, this is available in a 41st anniversary edition DVD on Amazon.
DVD
Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVD
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazon Prime
Horror of Party Beach
20th Century Fox, 1964
Starring John Scott, Alice Lyon, Eulabelle Moore, and Allan Laurel
Directed by Del Tenney
Music by Edward Earle Marsh and others
The Story: We head across the country to Connecticut for our next fright-fest. A group of teenagers are dancin' and groovin' on the title beach when one girl who went out for a swim (Marilyn Clarke) is found dead, murdered by terrifying fish creatures who walk like men and drink blood. Her boyfriend Hank (Scott), who just defended her honor from a motorcycle gang, is distraught. Elaine (Lyon) is worried about him. She has a huge crush on him, but hasn't been able to say so with Tina in the picture.
Meanwhile, the monsters have gone on a rampage, killing everyone from drunks to stranded women to girls at a slumber party. Elaine's dad Dr. Gavin (Laurel) is at a loss on how to destroy them, even after they manage to find the arm of one creature. His maid Eulabelle (Moore) inadvertantly discovers the answer when she drops salt on the arm, and it dissolves. These are creatures of the sea, who were turned into mutants when radioactive waste was thrown into the water. Salt will get rid of them. Elaine is determined to find them herself, but she may not be able to deal with these creeps from beneath the deep when her leg is caught in a rock...
The Song and Dance: Part of a series of "Beach Party" movies made to fill double-bills at drive-in movies in the early and mid-60's. Oddly, unlike those movies or Incredibly Strange Creatures, this one was filmed in black and white. Between the ridiculously clean-cut "teens" and the shadowy cinematography, I thought this was from the mid-late 50's until I looked the movie up on Wikipedia. While the editing isn't as shaky or wild as in Creatures, it's still really good, with some nice shots of the monsters in the shadows and at the beach. I especially like Marsh's haunting background score.
Favorite Number: Unlike Creatures, this one doesn't stint on the music, putting most of it's songs right in the beginning. However, the music doesn't really bring much more to the table than it did in the previous movie. The songs - and the performances of them by the Del-Airs - sound all alike. The choreography is mostly a matter of filming women's rear ends wriggling in skimpy bikinis.
What I Don't Like: The teens in Creatures may not have been the best actors in the universe, but at least they somewhat looked their ages. All of the so-called "teens" here appear to be middle-aged. As the robots in MST3K joked, Elaine looks at least 40. And what was with the motorcycle gang who suddenly showed up at the beach in the opening? They came. One fought with Hank over Tina. Then, they left and were never heard from or spoken of again. Moore's character is a dated example of the kind of black stereotype that many movies of this time period were just starting to challenge.
The worst part is the monsters themselves. I've seen kids at Halloween who had better mutant costumes. They were supposedly created at a sculpting studio in Stamford, but they look more like they were pulled off the rack at Wal Mart. Their lumbering around looks more like men in fish costumes with dysentria than anything scary. The build-up to them is more frightening than the actual thing.
The Big Finale: Scarier than Creatures and better-made, but not as unique...or, frankly, as much fun. If you want some actual scares with your B-schlock, you'll want to give this one a look once.
Home Media: Along with the MST3K episode, this one has made it to Blu-Ray, along with a 2-pack that includes the movie it was originally doubled-billed with in theaters, The Curse of the Living Corpse.
DVD
Blu-Ray
2-Pack with The Curse of the Living Corpse DVD
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazon Prime
The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies
Fairway-International Pictures, 1964
Starring Ray Dennis Steckler (Cash Flagg), Sharon Walsh, Atlas King, Brett O'Hara
Directed by Ray Dennis Steckler
Music by Andre Brummer and Libby Quinn
The Story: California teens Jerry (Steckler), Angela (Walsh), and Harold (King) take off for the local amusement park for the day, despite the disapproval of Angela's mother. After enjoying most of the day, Angela insists on checking out the fortune teller Madame Estrella (Brett O'Hara). She tells the girl that someone close to her will die near water. Jerry waves this off, but Angela is disturbed. She's understandably even less happy when he insists on going to the girlie show and stomps off in a huff. He stays for the show and catches the eye of Estrella's sister Carmelita (Erina Enyo), who lures him back to the fortune teller. Estrella hypnotizes him into murdering a dancer (Carolyn Brandt) who had discovered her secret - Estrella is poisoning and disfiguring customers who have discovered her zombie "pets" in the back room of her booth. Jerry can't seem to shake the conditioning, leading to even more death...and some seriously strange musical numbers
The Song and Dance: Well...you can't say the title's a cheat. This is one seriously strange movie. O'Hara's my favorite thing here. Even with the bad accent, she's clearly having a great time slathering on the cheese spread as the fortune teller who's got more on her mind than telling kids they're going to have long lives. Walsh isn't bad for someone who was yanked from the chorus line and dumped in front of the camera. The film has an odd but unique style, especially the swirling colors of the fair contrasting with the more natural tones in the suburban street and on the beach.
Favorite Number: "Shook Out of Shape" is the best of a bad lot. The number has mildly decent choreography and attractive showgirl costumes. Nothing else is even remotely memorable. The Leslie Gore-esque blues solos towards the end are especially bland. The duets between the two dancers who are later killed are terrible, but that does tie into the plot - she's been drinking, and it's effecting her performance. (Not to mention, these are all supposed to be low-level carnival acts. You can almost kind of forgive the bad routines.)
What I Don't Like: This is about as low-budget as low-budget can get. Steckler was so low on money, that was his family's station wagon he was driving in some scenes. The decent cinematography can only do so much to redeem a bizarre story, bad writing, and weird or dull performances from everyone else. Steckler acts like he was hypnotized before he was hypnotized. While the costumes are passable, the hair and make-up is mid-60's insane. Every single woman has hair that defies gravity in ways they wouldn't even manage in the height of the 80's perm craze.
Despite it being billed as a horror film and a musical, we don't see any numbers until nearly a half-hour in, and we don't see the zombies until the last 10 minutes...and when we do, they're just people in Halloween masks you could get off the rack at Party Fair.
The Big Finale: If you love B movie schlock, you can't get much cheesier than this. It's so bad-it's-one-of-a-kind. For true bad-movie aficionados and lovers of Steckler's other soft-core work.
Home Media: Along with the MST3K episode, this is available in a 41st anniversary edition DVD on Amazon.
DVD
Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVD
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazon Prime
Horror of Party Beach
20th Century Fox, 1964
Starring John Scott, Alice Lyon, Eulabelle Moore, and Allan Laurel
Directed by Del Tenney
Music by Edward Earle Marsh and others
The Story: We head across the country to Connecticut for our next fright-fest. A group of teenagers are dancin' and groovin' on the title beach when one girl who went out for a swim (Marilyn Clarke) is found dead, murdered by terrifying fish creatures who walk like men and drink blood. Her boyfriend Hank (Scott), who just defended her honor from a motorcycle gang, is distraught. Elaine (Lyon) is worried about him. She has a huge crush on him, but hasn't been able to say so with Tina in the picture.
Meanwhile, the monsters have gone on a rampage, killing everyone from drunks to stranded women to girls at a slumber party. Elaine's dad Dr. Gavin (Laurel) is at a loss on how to destroy them, even after they manage to find the arm of one creature. His maid Eulabelle (Moore) inadvertantly discovers the answer when she drops salt on the arm, and it dissolves. These are creatures of the sea, who were turned into mutants when radioactive waste was thrown into the water. Salt will get rid of them. Elaine is determined to find them herself, but she may not be able to deal with these creeps from beneath the deep when her leg is caught in a rock...
The Song and Dance: Part of a series of "Beach Party" movies made to fill double-bills at drive-in movies in the early and mid-60's. Oddly, unlike those movies or Incredibly Strange Creatures, this one was filmed in black and white. Between the ridiculously clean-cut "teens" and the shadowy cinematography, I thought this was from the mid-late 50's until I looked the movie up on Wikipedia. While the editing isn't as shaky or wild as in Creatures, it's still really good, with some nice shots of the monsters in the shadows and at the beach. I especially like Marsh's haunting background score.
Favorite Number: Unlike Creatures, this one doesn't stint on the music, putting most of it's songs right in the beginning. However, the music doesn't really bring much more to the table than it did in the previous movie. The songs - and the performances of them by the Del-Airs - sound all alike. The choreography is mostly a matter of filming women's rear ends wriggling in skimpy bikinis.
What I Don't Like: The teens in Creatures may not have been the best actors in the universe, but at least they somewhat looked their ages. All of the so-called "teens" here appear to be middle-aged. As the robots in MST3K joked, Elaine looks at least 40. And what was with the motorcycle gang who suddenly showed up at the beach in the opening? They came. One fought with Hank over Tina. Then, they left and were never heard from or spoken of again. Moore's character is a dated example of the kind of black stereotype that many movies of this time period were just starting to challenge.
The worst part is the monsters themselves. I've seen kids at Halloween who had better mutant costumes. They were supposedly created at a sculpting studio in Stamford, but they look more like they were pulled off the rack at Wal Mart. Their lumbering around looks more like men in fish costumes with dysentria than anything scary. The build-up to them is more frightening than the actual thing.
The Big Finale: Scarier than Creatures and better-made, but not as unique...or, frankly, as much fun. If you want some actual scares with your B-schlock, you'll want to give this one a look once.
Home Media: Along with the MST3K episode, this one has made it to Blu-Ray, along with a 2-pack that includes the movie it was originally doubled-billed with in theaters, The Curse of the Living Corpse.
DVD
Blu-Ray
2-Pack with The Curse of the Living Corpse DVD
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazon Prime
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Animation Celebration Saturday - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Disney, 1949
Voices of Bing Crosby, Basil Rathbone, Eric Blore, and J. Pat O'Malley
Directed by Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, and James Algar
Music by Gene De Paul; Lyrics by Don Raye
This is the last of the six "package" films Disney made in the 1940's when they were short on funds. This one came about less because of a lack of money, and more because the stories were too thin to stretch into full-length movies. Is this anthology of two adaptations of literary classics worth the effort, or should they be chased off a bridge by the Headless Horseman? Let's go the library and see...
The Story: The "Mr. Toad" segment is based after the beloved kids' novel The Wind and the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and is narrated by Basil Rathbone. Mr. Toad (Blore) is forever obsessed with one form of transportation or another. His friends Rat (Claude Allister), Mole (Colin Campbell), and MacBadger (Campbell Grant) are becoming more and more concerned about him and his finances. If he keeps going through his money like water, he may have to sell his estate Toad Hall. Ratty and Mole try to steer him away from his newest interest, gypsy carts. He does drop it...but only after he sees a car for the first time and falls in love. Toad seriously regrets this passion when he's accused of stealing a car and winds up in jail. With the help of his horse Cyril (O'Malley), he escapes to the others. They discover that Toad traded the deed to Toad Hall to a group of weasels who now live there. It's up to the four to retrieve the deed and clear Toad's name.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, is a spookier tale. Bing Crosby takes us back to Colonial America, where Ichabod Crane is the new school teacher. He's also has an eye for the ladies, including the lovely Katrina Van Tassel. Her father is a wealthy farmer, and she herself is quite a catch. Local favorite Brom Bones is also smitten with Katrina, and he does everything he can to make sure Ichabod doesn't win her favor. Brom finally gets his goat at Van Tassel's big town Halloween party. Ichabod is very superstitious, and Sleepy Hollow is full of ghost stories. Brom's tale of the Headless Horseman who lives on the covered bridge does frighten him, but he laughs it off...until he and his own horse have a late-night encounter with none other than the terrifying, pumpkin-headed Horseman of legend!
The Animation: It's not the best Disney's ever done, but it's far from the worst, either. Really par for the course for their 40's work. The finale of the "Ichbod" segment in particular is beautifully done. The build-up and suspense here is aptly conveyed by shadowy blues and blacks and a soft soundtrack. The Horseman himself is awesome when he arrives, especially when he and his black and red horse make that incredible leap into the air, with his head flaming against the dark background.
The Song and Dance: My favorite part of "Mr. Toad" is the relationship between the animals. Ratty, Mole, MacBadger, and even Cyril are true friends, watching over Toad, helping him out, encouraging him when he's down after escaping jail, and even testifying at his trial. I'm glad Toad learns to appreciate them, even if he can't quite give up his manias in the end.
As much fun as the animals and their caper are in "Mr. Toad," the real winner is "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." This is possibly the most accurate adaptation of literature Disney has ever done. Katrina is a silly flirt, Brom a bully, and Ichabod a gold-digger out for Katrina's money, which is a perfect reflection of the original story. The final ten minutes are among the most terrifying sequences in any Disney animated film, ever. Bing Crosby's perfect as the narrator. His crooning of several songs, including a jazzy number about the Headless Horseman for Brom at the party, adds to the fun.
Favorite Number: While "Mr. Toad" does have a good song in "Merrily On Our Way," Toad's traveling number as he and Cyril are bumping across England in the gypsy cart, most of the best numbers are in "Legend." Brom Bones' "The Headless Horseman," as he relates the tale of the infamous pumpkin-headed rider, is by far the catchiest and most memorable number in the film. "Ichabod Crane," the opening number from "Legend," is also good.
Trivia: The Wind and the Willows had been earmarked for a feature-length film since the release of Snow White in 1938, but the war brought development to a halt. Work began on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in 1946, after the war ended and Disney decided to return to feature-length animation. Beset by strikes and money woes, Disney never did figure out how to extend the thin stories to feature length and finally opted to release them together.
What I Don't Like: The "thrown-together" thing becomes painfully obvious when you realize how little the two stories have in common, besides being adaptations of classic literature. Even the narrators are entirely different. Critics tend to be rougher on the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" segment to this day, possibly due to some slightly out of place slapstick with Brom picking on Ichabod during the middle part. I personally wish more of the original Wind In the Willows could have been used; the animals are rather out-of-character, too. (In the book, Ratty's the laid-back one.)
The Big Finale: My personal favorite of the Disney "package" films of the 40's along with The Three Cabelleros. While I prefer Ichabod a little bit over Mr. Toad, both are worth a look for fans of Disney animation or the classic "golden age" animation of the 30's and 40's.
Home Media: Thankfully, this is not one of the Disney movies that gets tossed into the "Vault" from time to time. It's easily found on most formats, both as separate shorts and a feature-length movie.
Disney Animation Collection Volume 5: The Wind and the Willows DVD
DVD
Blu-Ray
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Crane/Fun and Fancy Free 2-Pack Blu-Ray/DVD
Amazon Prime
Voices of Bing Crosby, Basil Rathbone, Eric Blore, and J. Pat O'Malley
Directed by Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, and James Algar
Music by Gene De Paul; Lyrics by Don Raye
This is the last of the six "package" films Disney made in the 1940's when they were short on funds. This one came about less because of a lack of money, and more because the stories were too thin to stretch into full-length movies. Is this anthology of two adaptations of literary classics worth the effort, or should they be chased off a bridge by the Headless Horseman? Let's go the library and see...
The Story: The "Mr. Toad" segment is based after the beloved kids' novel The Wind and the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and is narrated by Basil Rathbone. Mr. Toad (Blore) is forever obsessed with one form of transportation or another. His friends Rat (Claude Allister), Mole (Colin Campbell), and MacBadger (Campbell Grant) are becoming more and more concerned about him and his finances. If he keeps going through his money like water, he may have to sell his estate Toad Hall. Ratty and Mole try to steer him away from his newest interest, gypsy carts. He does drop it...but only after he sees a car for the first time and falls in love. Toad seriously regrets this passion when he's accused of stealing a car and winds up in jail. With the help of his horse Cyril (O'Malley), he escapes to the others. They discover that Toad traded the deed to Toad Hall to a group of weasels who now live there. It's up to the four to retrieve the deed and clear Toad's name.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, is a spookier tale. Bing Crosby takes us back to Colonial America, where Ichabod Crane is the new school teacher. He's also has an eye for the ladies, including the lovely Katrina Van Tassel. Her father is a wealthy farmer, and she herself is quite a catch. Local favorite Brom Bones is also smitten with Katrina, and he does everything he can to make sure Ichabod doesn't win her favor. Brom finally gets his goat at Van Tassel's big town Halloween party. Ichabod is very superstitious, and Sleepy Hollow is full of ghost stories. Brom's tale of the Headless Horseman who lives on the covered bridge does frighten him, but he laughs it off...until he and his own horse have a late-night encounter with none other than the terrifying, pumpkin-headed Horseman of legend!
The Animation: It's not the best Disney's ever done, but it's far from the worst, either. Really par for the course for their 40's work. The finale of the "Ichbod" segment in particular is beautifully done. The build-up and suspense here is aptly conveyed by shadowy blues and blacks and a soft soundtrack. The Horseman himself is awesome when he arrives, especially when he and his black and red horse make that incredible leap into the air, with his head flaming against the dark background.
The Song and Dance: My favorite part of "Mr. Toad" is the relationship between the animals. Ratty, Mole, MacBadger, and even Cyril are true friends, watching over Toad, helping him out, encouraging him when he's down after escaping jail, and even testifying at his trial. I'm glad Toad learns to appreciate them, even if he can't quite give up his manias in the end.
As much fun as the animals and their caper are in "Mr. Toad," the real winner is "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." This is possibly the most accurate adaptation of literature Disney has ever done. Katrina is a silly flirt, Brom a bully, and Ichabod a gold-digger out for Katrina's money, which is a perfect reflection of the original story. The final ten minutes are among the most terrifying sequences in any Disney animated film, ever. Bing Crosby's perfect as the narrator. His crooning of several songs, including a jazzy number about the Headless Horseman for Brom at the party, adds to the fun.
Favorite Number: While "Mr. Toad" does have a good song in "Merrily On Our Way," Toad's traveling number as he and Cyril are bumping across England in the gypsy cart, most of the best numbers are in "Legend." Brom Bones' "The Headless Horseman," as he relates the tale of the infamous pumpkin-headed rider, is by far the catchiest and most memorable number in the film. "Ichabod Crane," the opening number from "Legend," is also good.
Trivia: The Wind and the Willows had been earmarked for a feature-length film since the release of Snow White in 1938, but the war brought development to a halt. Work began on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in 1946, after the war ended and Disney decided to return to feature-length animation. Beset by strikes and money woes, Disney never did figure out how to extend the thin stories to feature length and finally opted to release them together.
What I Don't Like: The "thrown-together" thing becomes painfully obvious when you realize how little the two stories have in common, besides being adaptations of classic literature. Even the narrators are entirely different. Critics tend to be rougher on the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" segment to this day, possibly due to some slightly out of place slapstick with Brom picking on Ichabod during the middle part. I personally wish more of the original Wind In the Willows could have been used; the animals are rather out-of-character, too. (In the book, Ratty's the laid-back one.)
The Big Finale: My personal favorite of the Disney "package" films of the 40's along with The Three Cabelleros. While I prefer Ichabod a little bit over Mr. Toad, both are worth a look for fans of Disney animation or the classic "golden age" animation of the 30's and 40's.
Home Media: Thankfully, this is not one of the Disney movies that gets tossed into the "Vault" from time to time. It's easily found on most formats, both as separate shorts and a feature-length movie.
Disney Animation Collection Volume 5: The Wind and the Willows DVD
DVD
Blu-Ray
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Crane/Fun and Fancy Free 2-Pack Blu-Ray/DVD
Amazon Prime
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Cult Flops - The Phantom of the Opera
Warner Bros, 2004
Starring Gerald Butler, Emily Rossum, Patrick Wilson, and Minnie Driver
Directed by Joel Schumaker
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe
From today through the day before Halloween, we're going to be celebrating the spookiest time of year with some truly terrifying horror musicals. Some you may not have heard of; others are classics, or at least cult favorites. Take this one from the early 2000's. This adaptation of the beloved still-running (at press time) Broadway operetta was a major flop on first release. It's become more popular over the years with romantics, fans of Schumaker's other movies, and young women who enjoy the spectacle and crush on the unfortunate title character. Let's dive deep below the stage of the Paris Opera to see if this dark tale is worthy of it's stage predecessor...or if it deserves to have a ten-ton chandelier dropped on it.
The Story: After a brief prologue at an auction in 1919, we travel back to 1870 at the Paris Opera. The resident diva Carlotta (Driver) refuses to go on before a performance of a major show. The infamous "ghost" who supposedly resides in the catacombs below the building has been tormenting her. The new managers Firmin (Ciaran Hinds) and Andre (Simon Callow) put on her understudy, sweet and naive Christine Daae (Rossum) on the suggestion of ballet director Madame Giry (Miranda Richardson).
Christine insists that she has an "Angel of Music" who has been teaching her. The opera's new patron and her former childhood friend Raoul (Wilson) thinks she's making it all up, but it turns out to be no mere fancy. She's being coached by the infamous Phantom (Butler) himself, who is obsessed with her. He wants her to sing the lead in the next opera, but she doesn't have the experience. The managers go with Carlotta...until the Phantom sabotages her performance and Christine finishes. Trouble is, Christine is also in love with Raoul. The Phantom is wildly jealous. It only gets worse when the duo announce their engagement during a New Year's masquerade ball, and later when Raoul defeats the Phantom in a duel near Christine's father's grave.
The Phantom wants his Don Juan opera performed, with Christine as the star. The managers and Raoul go through with it in the hopes of trapping him. But the Phantom still has one more ace up his sleeve. He is determined that the curtain will rise on his magnum opus...and the chandelier will fall on those who scorned him and his music.
The Song and Dance: Say what you will about Schumaker and his work, but this is a director who knows how to handle spectacle. While some of the CGI is obvious today, most of it sparkles with color and vibrancy. The Oscar-nominated art direction and cinematography shows off the Paris Opera and the cemetery where the Phantom and Raoul have their encounter in all their plush glory.
It's the ladies who really carry the day here. Driver was dubbed for some numbers, but she's otherwise perfect as the hilarious diva Carlotta. Rossum is appropriately sweet and winsome as Christine, and has an angelic voice to match. Richardson does well as the quiet and mysterious Madame Giry, who knows a lot more than she's telling about the Phantom and why he haunts the Opera House.
Favorite Number: The big ensemble songs "Masquerade" and "Prima Donna" were as colorful and swirling as one could wish, with some nice choreography in the latter. I also liked the delicate "Think of Me" early-on, as Raoul realizes how much Christine has grown. Driver actually gets to sing the new credits song "Learn to Be Lonely," which was also nominated for an Oscar.
Trivia: The movie had been in production since the late 80's, and apparently, Andrew Lloyd Webber had always wanted Schumaker to direct. Original stars Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman were set to reprise their roles as Christine and the Phantom, at least until Brightman's divorce from Webber put everything on hold. Other women considered for Christine included Anne Hathaway and Katie Holmes; other Phantoms auditioned included Hugh Jackman.
What I Don't Like: Butler's the biggest problem. While his macho action-star prowess does come in handy in some of the more swashbuckling sequences like the duel, he's waaaaayyyy out of his league with the music and the heavier dramatics. No amount of lessons could change the fact that he simply can't sing. He's flat-out painful in duets with the far-better Rossum and in numbers where he's called on to be all dark and tragic, like "The Music of the Night." Wilson is a decent singer, but despite having Broadway experience, he's flat and dull as Raoul and has no chemistry whatsoever with Rossum. It makes you wonder what she sees in either man.
The spectacle mostly does still work today...but some of the early 2000's CGI is very obvious, especially in dimly-lit scenes like the cemetery duel. The makeup work on Butler could have been a lot better, too. He doesn't look scary. He looks a little red and wrinkled, too pretty-boy to strike terror into the hearts of the entire cast of an opera house.
The Big Finale: It's not great, but it's definitely better than I thought it would be from the critical response. If you're a fan of the stage show, Schumaker's other movies, or Driver and can live with miscasting of the title character, it's worth checking out once.
Home Media: As one of the newer movies I've reviewed, this one is pretty easily found in most formats. The one to watch out for is the two-disc special edition DVD, which includes two documentaries on the movie and stage show and a cut song for the Phantom, "No One Would Listen."
2-Disc Collector's DVD
Collector's Edition Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Gerald Butler, Emily Rossum, Patrick Wilson, and Minnie Driver
Directed by Joel Schumaker
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe
From today through the day before Halloween, we're going to be celebrating the spookiest time of year with some truly terrifying horror musicals. Some you may not have heard of; others are classics, or at least cult favorites. Take this one from the early 2000's. This adaptation of the beloved still-running (at press time) Broadway operetta was a major flop on first release. It's become more popular over the years with romantics, fans of Schumaker's other movies, and young women who enjoy the spectacle and crush on the unfortunate title character. Let's dive deep below the stage of the Paris Opera to see if this dark tale is worthy of it's stage predecessor...or if it deserves to have a ten-ton chandelier dropped on it.
The Story: After a brief prologue at an auction in 1919, we travel back to 1870 at the Paris Opera. The resident diva Carlotta (Driver) refuses to go on before a performance of a major show. The infamous "ghost" who supposedly resides in the catacombs below the building has been tormenting her. The new managers Firmin (Ciaran Hinds) and Andre (Simon Callow) put on her understudy, sweet and naive Christine Daae (Rossum) on the suggestion of ballet director Madame Giry (Miranda Richardson).
Christine insists that she has an "Angel of Music" who has been teaching her. The opera's new patron and her former childhood friend Raoul (Wilson) thinks she's making it all up, but it turns out to be no mere fancy. She's being coached by the infamous Phantom (Butler) himself, who is obsessed with her. He wants her to sing the lead in the next opera, but she doesn't have the experience. The managers go with Carlotta...until the Phantom sabotages her performance and Christine finishes. Trouble is, Christine is also in love with Raoul. The Phantom is wildly jealous. It only gets worse when the duo announce their engagement during a New Year's masquerade ball, and later when Raoul defeats the Phantom in a duel near Christine's father's grave.
The Phantom wants his Don Juan opera performed, with Christine as the star. The managers and Raoul go through with it in the hopes of trapping him. But the Phantom still has one more ace up his sleeve. He is determined that the curtain will rise on his magnum opus...and the chandelier will fall on those who scorned him and his music.
The Song and Dance: Say what you will about Schumaker and his work, but this is a director who knows how to handle spectacle. While some of the CGI is obvious today, most of it sparkles with color and vibrancy. The Oscar-nominated art direction and cinematography shows off the Paris Opera and the cemetery where the Phantom and Raoul have their encounter in all their plush glory.
It's the ladies who really carry the day here. Driver was dubbed for some numbers, but she's otherwise perfect as the hilarious diva Carlotta. Rossum is appropriately sweet and winsome as Christine, and has an angelic voice to match. Richardson does well as the quiet and mysterious Madame Giry, who knows a lot more than she's telling about the Phantom and why he haunts the Opera House.
Favorite Number: The big ensemble songs "Masquerade" and "Prima Donna" were as colorful and swirling as one could wish, with some nice choreography in the latter. I also liked the delicate "Think of Me" early-on, as Raoul realizes how much Christine has grown. Driver actually gets to sing the new credits song "Learn to Be Lonely," which was also nominated for an Oscar.
Trivia: The movie had been in production since the late 80's, and apparently, Andrew Lloyd Webber had always wanted Schumaker to direct. Original stars Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman were set to reprise their roles as Christine and the Phantom, at least until Brightman's divorce from Webber put everything on hold. Other women considered for Christine included Anne Hathaway and Katie Holmes; other Phantoms auditioned included Hugh Jackman.
What I Don't Like: Butler's the biggest problem. While his macho action-star prowess does come in handy in some of the more swashbuckling sequences like the duel, he's waaaaayyyy out of his league with the music and the heavier dramatics. No amount of lessons could change the fact that he simply can't sing. He's flat-out painful in duets with the far-better Rossum and in numbers where he's called on to be all dark and tragic, like "The Music of the Night." Wilson is a decent singer, but despite having Broadway experience, he's flat and dull as Raoul and has no chemistry whatsoever with Rossum. It makes you wonder what she sees in either man.
The spectacle mostly does still work today...but some of the early 2000's CGI is very obvious, especially in dimly-lit scenes like the cemetery duel. The makeup work on Butler could have been a lot better, too. He doesn't look scary. He looks a little red and wrinkled, too pretty-boy to strike terror into the hearts of the entire cast of an opera house.
The Big Finale: It's not great, but it's definitely better than I thought it would be from the critical response. If you're a fan of the stage show, Schumaker's other movies, or Driver and can live with miscasting of the title character, it's worth checking out once.
Home Media: As one of the newer movies I've reviewed, this one is pretty easily found in most formats. The one to watch out for is the two-disc special edition DVD, which includes two documentaries on the movie and stage show and a cut song for the Phantom, "No One Would Listen."
2-Disc Collector's DVD
Collector's Edition Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
The Kissing Bandit
MGM, 1949
Starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, J. Carrol Naish, and Mildred Natwick
Directed by Laslo Benedek
Music by Nacio Herb Brown; Lyrics by Earl Brent and Edward Heyman
If you've never heard of this Frank Sinatra vehicle, you're in good company. The only place I'd ever seen it before I found the DVD for rent at a local library was the "Dance of Fury" showing up in That's Entertainment III. Evidently, it was obscure even when it was new. According to Wikipedia, it was a massive flop in January 1949 and would become one of the least-successful musicals of MGM's 40's and 50's golden age. Does this tale of a shy young bandito deserve to ride off into the sunset, or should it be trampled under the feet of those fiery flamenco dancers? Let's find out...
The Story: We're in California in the 1850's. Ricardo (Sinatra) is called back from Boston by his late father's former partner Chico (Naish) to take over as the Kissing Bandit, a legendary thief who steals from the ladies, then kisses them before taking off. Ricardo is tall, skinny, shy, can't ride a horse, and is awkward around girls. He's never kissed a girl in his life! He'd rather return to Boston, but he's more-or-less forced into it. On his first raid, he falls head-over-heels for feisty Teresa (Grayson), the beautiful daughter of the Governor Don Jose (Mikhail Rasumny). His sister Isabella (Natwick) is her guardian and confidante. He wants to tell her how he feels, but not only does she think he's the Bandit, he's just too shy.
Meanwhile, he and Chico discover that a rude man who visits their inn (Carleton G. Young) and his fat general (Billy Gilbert) are tax collectors who intend to bilk the government out of the money. They pass themselves off as the nobleman and his general to get their hands on the gold themselves. While it works with Don Jose and Isabella, Teresa knows better. Ricardo can't bring himself to hurt her, no matter what Chico wants, even it means playing the Bandit for real and stopping the nobleman from doing any real harm.
The Song and Dance: The character actors and stunning Technicolor costumes and sets carry the day. Southern California of the 1850's is a rainbow of lime greens, flame oranges, and sunset golds, with everyone costumed in the most elaborate finery this side of the Cisco Kid. We even get some actual outdoor scenery in the beginning, during the raid. Naish and Natwick are particularly fun as Ricardo's sidekick and the one who keeps him from running off and Teresa's strong-willed aunt.
Favorite Number: As mentioned above, the movie is best known for "The Dance of Fury," performed at the fiesta towards the end of the film. Ricardo Montalban finds himself dealing with two of MGM's best dancers, Cyd Charisse and Ann Miller, who definitely don't want to share him! It's a blaze of color and fancy footwork that stands out in the dull surroundings. Broadway dancer Sono Osato also gets a nifty solo with a whip about half-way through. Sinatra's "Siesta" is actually kind of funny, and is much better than the attempts at ballads earlier.
What I Don't Like: Sinatra and Grayson were pretty much forced into this movie. Neither thought they were suited for it, and it wound up being among their least-favorite of their films. I'm afraid they were right. While Grayson isn't bad as the lovely senorita, Sinatra is totally at sea as the timid young scholar who would rather be studying in Boston than stealing from pretty women. The two have no chemistry; their romance is stiff and dull. Like Bing Crosby, Sinatra just wasn't made for period films.
The two amazing dances make up somewhat for the music being bland. Neither Sinatra nor Grayson's big ballads register, and the differences in their instruments mean there's no duets.
The Big Finale: Unless you're a really huge fan of Sinatra, Grayson, or MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's, I'd look up "The Dance of Fury" online or in That's Entertainment III and skip the rest.
Home Media: While it is easy to find solo on DVD and on Amazon Prime, your best bet may be to pick this up with a collection of other lesser-known Sinatra vehicles from the 40's, Frank Sinatra: The Early Years.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Frank Sinatra: The Early Years DVD set
Starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, J. Carrol Naish, and Mildred Natwick
Directed by Laslo Benedek
Music by Nacio Herb Brown; Lyrics by Earl Brent and Edward Heyman
If you've never heard of this Frank Sinatra vehicle, you're in good company. The only place I'd ever seen it before I found the DVD for rent at a local library was the "Dance of Fury" showing up in That's Entertainment III. Evidently, it was obscure even when it was new. According to Wikipedia, it was a massive flop in January 1949 and would become one of the least-successful musicals of MGM's 40's and 50's golden age. Does this tale of a shy young bandito deserve to ride off into the sunset, or should it be trampled under the feet of those fiery flamenco dancers? Let's find out...
The Story: We're in California in the 1850's. Ricardo (Sinatra) is called back from Boston by his late father's former partner Chico (Naish) to take over as the Kissing Bandit, a legendary thief who steals from the ladies, then kisses them before taking off. Ricardo is tall, skinny, shy, can't ride a horse, and is awkward around girls. He's never kissed a girl in his life! He'd rather return to Boston, but he's more-or-less forced into it. On his first raid, he falls head-over-heels for feisty Teresa (Grayson), the beautiful daughter of the Governor Don Jose (Mikhail Rasumny). His sister Isabella (Natwick) is her guardian and confidante. He wants to tell her how he feels, but not only does she think he's the Bandit, he's just too shy.
Meanwhile, he and Chico discover that a rude man who visits their inn (Carleton G. Young) and his fat general (Billy Gilbert) are tax collectors who intend to bilk the government out of the money. They pass themselves off as the nobleman and his general to get their hands on the gold themselves. While it works with Don Jose and Isabella, Teresa knows better. Ricardo can't bring himself to hurt her, no matter what Chico wants, even it means playing the Bandit for real and stopping the nobleman from doing any real harm.
The Song and Dance: The character actors and stunning Technicolor costumes and sets carry the day. Southern California of the 1850's is a rainbow of lime greens, flame oranges, and sunset golds, with everyone costumed in the most elaborate finery this side of the Cisco Kid. We even get some actual outdoor scenery in the beginning, during the raid. Naish and Natwick are particularly fun as Ricardo's sidekick and the one who keeps him from running off and Teresa's strong-willed aunt.
Favorite Number: As mentioned above, the movie is best known for "The Dance of Fury," performed at the fiesta towards the end of the film. Ricardo Montalban finds himself dealing with two of MGM's best dancers, Cyd Charisse and Ann Miller, who definitely don't want to share him! It's a blaze of color and fancy footwork that stands out in the dull surroundings. Broadway dancer Sono Osato also gets a nifty solo with a whip about half-way through. Sinatra's "Siesta" is actually kind of funny, and is much better than the attempts at ballads earlier.
What I Don't Like: Sinatra and Grayson were pretty much forced into this movie. Neither thought they were suited for it, and it wound up being among their least-favorite of their films. I'm afraid they were right. While Grayson isn't bad as the lovely senorita, Sinatra is totally at sea as the timid young scholar who would rather be studying in Boston than stealing from pretty women. The two have no chemistry; their romance is stiff and dull. Like Bing Crosby, Sinatra just wasn't made for period films.
The two amazing dances make up somewhat for the music being bland. Neither Sinatra nor Grayson's big ballads register, and the differences in their instruments mean there's no duets.
The Big Finale: Unless you're a really huge fan of Sinatra, Grayson, or MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's, I'd look up "The Dance of Fury" online or in That's Entertainment III and skip the rest.
Home Media: While it is easy to find solo on DVD and on Amazon Prime, your best bet may be to pick this up with a collection of other lesser-known Sinatra vehicles from the 40's, Frank Sinatra: The Early Years.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Frank Sinatra: The Early Years DVD set
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