Rich-99

"The Blair Witch Project" according to some critics is one of the scariest movies ever made. Obviously we are dealing with a very low scare threshhold here as the only thing scary about this film is the sensationalized hype around it. What we basically have is a pretencious student film that thinks that jiggling the camera around and getting disjointed shots of the ground is scary and original. One can see this sort of thing nightly on reruns of America's Funniest Videos. The so called actors are obvious graduates of the MTV Real World School of Acting who feel that attitude and screaming constitutes acting. One could discuss the script if there was one but all appears to be made up as it goes along. The result is really a monumental bore that proves that the Hollywood Hype Machine is still running smoothly. If you want scary "Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein" or reruns of "The Munsters" fit the bill better than this home movie.

After a string of action adventures Mel Gibson made an unusual choice in his first film to direct. Not a big budget action film but a sensitive story of a boy coming to grips with what happened to his father (Stahl) and a disfigured former teacher(Gibson) making peace with his past. The boy seeks out the reclusive teacher in search of a tutor. He finds a no nonsense one whose harsh methods brings forth results while erecting a barrier to keep an inquisitive outside world out. A deep and moving friendship eventually develops while misunderstanding and small town rumor mongering work to bring that friendship to a tragic end. Gibson and Stahl are really quite good as is Gibson's direction. The rest of the cast is made up mostly of actors from local Maine theatre companies (where the film was shot)and they are quite fine. Author Isabelle Holland who wrote the original book opened the story up. She had originally wanted the story to deal with the consequences of someone falsely accused of child molestation but her publisher some 20 years ago was wary of bringing that up in a story originally intended for young readers. In the end this is a story of facing up traumatic pasts and the consequences they create. It is very well told with sensitive and sympathetic acting and some very deft and subtle direction.

"Madame Satan" is one of those movies that is not sure what it is but is having a grand time trying to figure it out. Part bedroom farce (where in pre code days couples sleep in the same bed), romantic comedy, musical and at its climax a disaster film. Its basic plot follows the misadventures of a married couple as they try to relight the spark in their marriage. The climax is a costume ball aboard a zeppelin (the musical production numbers here are pretty spectacular) that eventually ends in the zeppelin's crash in a storm. The effects are all done with miniatures and they really are quite impressive. The cast , especially Roland Young, are quite good though at times hesitant. You get the impression that in this early talkie the actors are not yet comfortable with sound but that is a minor quibble. All in all it is a fun over the top film that rarely has a dull moment.

For over twenty years I have truly loved the original Star Wars trilogy seeing each one at least 3 times in the theatre and endless times on video. Characters of substance whom I cared about blended with marvelous special effects to produce a true classic. That is Star Wars , "The Phantom Menace " is not. There is not a character here one cares for. Scotsman McGregor and Irishman Nessson are forced to adopt British accents for their role as Jedi Knights. Neeson sounds bored and McGregor come off sounding like Sir Hillary Whittittle. With their bored new age platitudes they seem less guardians of the universe than organic tofu salesman. The so called comic relief of Jar Jar is best left forgotten. One would of thought that the civil rights movement had banished such blatant stereotyping. Comments about Anakin Skywalker will be left out lest I be accused of child abuse. The pod race sequence is a rip off of the chariot race from "Ben Hur" right down to John Williams composing a Miklos Rozaish Roman march. The look of the film is spectacular but the core and substance of this film, the thing that made the originals classics, is glaringly hollow. Mr. Lucas has revealed another side of the Force. There is the light, the dark and now the boring. Stick with the originals.

In 1965 the world was worried about the danger of nuclear war. When "The Satan Bug" was released a new and even more terrifying prospect was revealed, biological warfare. Chemical warfare was known from World War I but the idea of a biological weapon was relatively unknown until this film was released. The film is basically a manhunt for two things. A scientist who has disappeared from a biological warfare station and for something invisible, the biological weapon he has developed called the Satan Bug. With crisp no nonsense direction and a script to match the film moves along at a good clip as various persons hunt down the visible man and invisible germ before it can be released in Los Angeles. A pretty good cast of well known actors of the 1960's as well as a few good character actors all turn in good performances.Sturgess' direction is often edge of your seat but it is worth the ride. Very fine score from Jerry Goldsmith (especially over the opening credits) that gives a hint at his later work for "Planet of the Apes"adds to that edgy feeling.

This 1918 film directed by the great Ernst Lubitsch is alleged to be the first mummy horror film although there is a claim of a lost 1905 film. The only problem is that except for the title there is no mummy! The plot, well here goes. An art student in Egypt goes to an Egyptian tomb to find Ma who may possibly be Pola Negri. I say possibly because the player of the lead character is NOT identified in the credits. Ma is being held as a slave by an Arab (beautifully over acted by Emil Jannings) who is beaten up by the student who then liberates Ma and takes her back to Germany. The Arab nearly dies in the desert but is rescued by a German prince to whom he swears to serve for life. He, the Arab, is then also taken to Germany. Ma in the meantime wows them with a hootchie kootchie dance at a party and gets a theatrical contract to perform on stage. The exotic dance is a hoot. Meanwhile Ma's former Arab master comes across her and in a fit of revenge kills her. The end and all in 30 minutes and no mummy. The overacting in terms of gestures common to silent films of the period is quite present. Jannings, in semi black face, is quite effective as the villain. His repertoire of sinister facial expressions is quite large. All in all the film is an historical curiosity that I am sure Lubitsch and Negri tried to forget when they became more well known.

Despite his bizarre literary output Franz Kafka lived a fairly mundane and normal life. "Kafka" is not a biography but a psychological thriller that puts Kafka in a real nightmare not unlike something he might have concocted. In brief people, miners from a particular town, are dying and their families paid insurance money. But have they died? If not what happened to them? This is the central mystery around which circulate anarchists, a sinister police inspector (brilliantly portrayed by Mueller Stahl), lost loves, totally different identical twins and a philosopher grave digger who knows more about less than anyone else. Snippets of situations from Kafka's novels are also ingeniously used in places. For reasons that will become apparent the film is in black and white and for a brief period in color. While it is a drama the tongue is delightfully in cheek for most of the film. Even if you do not know Kafka's writings you can enjoy the film on its own as a thriller. One of the more ingenious films of recent years that not only makes you think but provides a good time along the way.

The theft of art during the Second World War is a problem we still live with over 50 years later. "The Train" details one of the most incredible attempts and how it was thwarted. As the Allies approached Paris in 1944 the Nazi's decided to pack the modern paintings (degenerate art to them) of the Jeune de Palme museum and take them to Germany. They might not like them but they appreciated their monetary value. A stand out cast headed by Lancaster and Scoffield under the tight and edge of your seat direction of John Frankenheimer make this a superb film. Through out the question of the value of human life over paintings is brought up. The director provides no easy answer and his closing scene presents the consequences of both sides and leaves it to your conscience to decide.

"Them" is among the better of the giant insect radiation mutation monster movies of the 1950's. The cast is quite fine and for once in a film of this type they have a good script to work with. The special effects are really quite good combining not just the visual of giant ants but the bone chilling sound they make. Also of interest are various bit part actors who quickly flash by. Catch the soldier at the teletype or sailor at the typewriter and try to guess who.

"The Thing" without a doubt is one of the finest science fiction films ever made. A group of scientists and air force officers at an Arctic station discover something in the ice and that something sees them as dinner. The battle goes on in the claustrophobic station in a scenario that without a doubt was the model for the original "Aliens". The cast is a very fine ensemble and the direction is crisp and on the edge. Conversations overlap and at times runs simultaneously but the direction is so good that you miss nothing. Best of all is that this is one of those films where what you don't see is what scares you. There is no splatter or graphic detail but tantalizing hints that lets your mind conjure up your worst nightmare. A great one for a dark and stormy night.

"Experiment in Terror" is a superb example of how to scare the hell out of you without a trace of gore, blood or gratuitous violence. For all intents and purposes this is a police procedural where the aim is to track down a stalker/blackmailer/murderer. Filmed in black and white the film revels in darkness and uses it to create its more unsettling moments. Imagining what we are barely seeing in the dark and letting our imaginations run wild is scarier than seeing a graphic depiction. Ford and Remmick turn in excellent performances under Blake Edwards' deft direction. Best of all is Ross Martin as the world champion heavy breather. Martin is generally known for more lighter roles but his rather sinister turn here is very fine. Stark photography, often at night, and a subtle yet unsettling score by Henry Mancini are icing on the cake. To be watched with the lights out.

The siege of Khartoum and its loss under General Charles "Chinese" Gordon is one of those epic tales the Victorians loved. Gordon was such a flamboyant character that even Hollywood could not match him. "Khartoum" gives us the Victorian Epic while at the same time the seedier backroom Victorian politics that essentially sent Gordon to his death along with the citizens of Khartoum. Charleton Heston is quite good as Gordon ably giving us the many enigmatic facets of the real man's character. But even that falls short as I think Gordon is too complex a character for any actor. Olivier in black face as the Mahdi may offend the political correctness crowd but his performance is excellent, fair and avoids lapsing into carricature. The physical production is quite impressive with 2nd unit director Yakima Canut staging some very impressive battle scenes. If you want a sequel to this film than I would recommend the original 1930's version of "The Four Feathers" (which stared a very young John Gielgud) which takes place some 10 years after the events of "Khartoum" and centers on the retaking of the Sudan. Interesting to have a "sequel" come 30 years before. There is a TV remake of "The Four Feathers". Avoid it like the plague!

Whatever the subject of their films one always knows that the results will be special when Powell and Pressburger are involved. Set in war time England the story follows 4 characters (2 soldiers, a woman and a local magistrate) as they eventually make a modern day pilgrimage to Canterbury. Each has their own personal problem and worry mostly brought on by the war. Their stories intertwine with each other as they become acquainted on their journey. The end results are quite special. The end results were probably dictated by the need for an uplifting movie during the War but the results are neither maudlin or contrived and hold up very well after 50 years. One is tempted to single out individual cast members but this is really an ensemble effort and all, from major to minor roles, are quite simply superb. A real gem.

"Stargate" the movie is one of those Saturday afternoon adventure movies you went to as a kid. It's not Shakespeare but it is entertaining. The original release had a few gaps in the plot (why send the bomb for example) which the slightly expanded video release corrects by restoring about 10 minutes of cuts. Well photographed and good effects.

"Stargate" the tv series is another story. While the film's premise was acceptable once the visit a new world a week series strains it. Production values are also a bit tacky

There are probably more Sherlock Holmes stories not written by Conan Doyle than were written by him. Some are quite bad but every now and then a good one comes along. "Young Sherlock Holmes"is one of the better ones and works on the premise that Holmes and Watson did not meet as adults in "A Study In Scarlett" but in boarding school. Of course they are in London where the young Holmes detects a link between a series of bizarre murders (depicted in some lively and imaginative special effects). The game is afoot and along the way (with a slight tongue in cheek) we learn where Holmes picked up some of his more famous trademarks and most infamous nemesis. A well written script, fine cast of actors and a physical production that recreates late 19th century London in grand fashion. A film to sit back and enjoy.