Saturday, January 26, 2013

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 360th Edition

Welcome to the 360th Edition of my long running series and the first post of this year's The Madness. Much of my titles will be Halloween related but I am "The King of the Loophole" so we'll see what happens and how close I come to winning. I am now 2-2 in Fantasy Football putting me a game behind in my division so I am hoping for a win to get me closer again.

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994): Neil Jordan directs this adaptation to the Anne Rice novel. Brad Pitt stars as Louis who is a vampire that tells his life story. He tells about his beginnings of when he meets Lestat, played by Tom Cruise, who turns him into a vampire. He talks about the beginnings and how he began to not want to take human blood. He also talks about how him and Lestat turn a little orphan girl named Claudia, played by a very young Kirsten Dunst, into a vampire. It is a very good story that spans the course of about 200 years. This might be the movie that put Brad Pitt more into the mainstream and he is very good in his role. Tom Cruise is someone I favor usually when he does not have his short hair and his more conventional look which applies here and I thought he did a good job. This is probably the best film adaptation to Anne Rice's novels. Christian Slater and Antonio Banderas co-star in this film fitting into the holidays.

Frankenstein: The True Story (1973): This was actually a tv movie which appears to have been a two-part movie. The title is a bit misleading as it is really indicating that is is more like the book adaptation from Mary Shelley. I loved the beginning of it where James Mason, who is also in the movie, explains Mary Shelley's vision for the book and how other movies have been totally different. Leonard Whiting stars as Dr. Victor Frankenstein who experiences death making him obsessed with creating life. He soon is able to create this creature, played by Michael Sarrazin, who finds a very difficult world to adjust to in life. It was interesting in the way the Creature is first a rather good-looking person trying to do good but then through the movie we see his looks deteriorate and people who have a hard time accepting the unknown. Sarrazin played this part very well. Jane Seymour, David McCallum, Agnes Moorhead, and John Gielgud also co-star. There are many things similar to the book but it still did its own things but is an adaptation that has been overlooked when it is a pretty good one. I have seen many version of the classic and was in a theatrical version. One thing that was different in this one was the character of Henry Clervall. In this version, he is the one originally obsessed with death and inspires Victor to do what he did. In both the 1994 Branaugh version and the version I was in, Clervall was an old friend who reluctantly plays a part in creating life. In the 30s, Universal portrays Frankenstein as more of a mad scientist whereas this one, and some from Hammer films portray him as a pretty good person with good intentions which go awry.

Developing Self-Reliance (1950): This is my short film which comes from the Coronet film series which never ceases to provide me entertainment. These are meant to be educational and in this one a high school boy learns that he just cannot always rely on adults for everything so a teacher comes up with ways to become self-reliant. Like all of them, it has bad acting, cheesy narration making them rather entertaining.

Paul (2011): The writing and acting team of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost return where they play sci-fi geeks Graeme and Clive. They start by going to Comic Con and then plan to go to Roswell. They soon meet an alien of the title name, voiced by Seth Rogen. Paul has spent many years at Area 51 and escaped after learning he is a prisoner. Graeme and Clive soon learn that Paul is just like any human and become friends with him. They set out to help Paul get to his mother ship and are later joined by SNL alum Kristen Wiig who is extremely religious but learns to be more open minded after meeting Paul. In their quest to get to the ship, they are pursued by federal agents and a religious zealot father. This is probably my favorite of their films and sci-fi geeks will love this one as it has many sci-fi pop culture references. It is also very funny with Rogen good as the voice of the title character. Jeffery Tambor, Jane Lynch, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Hader, David Koechner, Blythe Danner, and many others co-star. I suppose this is the more comedic version of E.T. so maybe that would make a good double feature.

Of Mice and Men (1939): Lewis Milestone directed this adaptation of the Steinbeck novel. Burgess Meredith stars as George and Lon Chaney Jr. stars as Lennie. They are migrant workers in depression era American. Lennie is very strong but very slow in the mind while George is his guardian who tries to protect him from exploitation. This came out in a year that gave all kinds of big titles where this one probably was not as recognized. The next year, there was an adaptation to Steinbeck's novel THE GRAPES OF WRATH and I liked this one better. Both the leads were great in their performances. Both of these stories by Steinback take place in the depression where the pursuance of the American Dream becomes very difficult. This movie was very well done and ranks up with much of the films of the era but has gone onto become quite underrated.

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): This is part two of my three-part Wes Craven series in a film that started quite a horror franchise. Robert Englund stars as Freddy Krueger who is a child murderer and was killed years ago but invades the dreams of four high school students. Heather Langenkamp stars as Nancy who is the main person he is after and the most resourceful. A very young Johnny Depp makes his film debut as one of the students and Nancy's friend. He has clearly come a long way since this film. They soon come up with a plan looking to bring Freddy out of their dreams to kill him. Horror has never really been one of my favorite genres but I respect it and look to support it when I can. This one is a classic to the genre and one of the best in my opinion. It has a pretty good story, characters, and good murder sequences. This is not for everyone, especially those who do not stomach gore very well but many will love this iconic film to the horror genre and what turned Robert Englund to an icon. I have never seen the remake and I do not believe I have really seen any of the sequels.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959): This is the Hammer Films version of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story. Peter Cushing stars as Sherlock Holmes in this film and Andre Morell plays his partner Doctor Watson. Christopher Lee co-stars as Henry Baskerville who finds he is in danger and is in a home that is said to be cursed. When this happens, Holmes is brought in to investigate at the home. This was one of the lesser successful as Hammer tried to get their own series going, it did not work out as well. This movie was first done in 1939 where Basil Rathbone plays Holmes. Cushing made the most out of his part and Lee was pretty good. It is worth a watch. Personally I think Robert Downey Jr. has surpassed all of the actors to have played that part. There is an interesting scene where there is a tarantula on Christopher Lee who has a fear of spiders so the fear that is seen is very genuine.

Dawn of the Dead (2004): Zack Snyder directed this remake to the 1978 classic from George Romero. A few people take refuge in a shopping mall during the rise of flesh-eating zombies. Sarah Polley stars as a nurse Ana who witnesses her husband become a zombie in the beginning and ends up joining other survivors at the mall. Ving Rhames plays a police officer who tries to keep everything together. This is not as good as the original but is a pretty good remake and has some good gore. I also liked some of the dialogue in the film of everyone trying to co-exist but having a hard time even in some of the worst times. This is another that is not for everyone if you do not have a stomach for gore but fans of the zombie genre will probably like this one.

War of the Gargantuas (1968): This is my Japanese monster movie for the week brought from Toho and directed by Ishiro Honda. This one features giant animals called gargantuas just like in the title. One of them was raised in a lab by some good scientists and is suspected of some killings but turns out to be an evil one and they battle throughout Japan. I don't believe these creatures are featured as much but this one was still good for its genre and available on Instant Netflix.

Wolf (1994): I end this week with this werewolf film directed by Mike Nichols. Jack Nicholson stars as publisher Will Randall. He is already trying to fight for his job and his wife and to make things worse, he gets bitten by the wrong kind of wolf and becomes a werewolf. James Spader plays his business rival, Stewart, who has taken everything from him. Michelle Pfeiffer plays the boss's daughter Laura, who takes a liking to Will even after learning of what he has become. It was interesting to see Nicholson play a werewolf. Nichols has made much better movies and there are better werewolf movies but this one was not bad in my opinion. It was better than Benicio Del Toro's version of THE WOLFMAN I liked that it was more of a corporate story with the werewolf aspect added into it.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you hate and stay tuned until next week which so far includes Lloyd Kaufman, Cate Blanchett, more Wes Craven, Greta Garbo, Anthony Hopkins, Kenneth Branaugh, Gregory Peck, and many others. Keep on reading though as I have more movie selections for the Madness.

THE MADNESS: Week 1

So it's time for our annual contest. I will be listing everything in alphabetical order and will rate these movies and shows by having up to four 6's.

The Corpse Vanishes (1942, 64 minutes, 66): I watched this through MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000. (3 points)
-Bonus point: MST3K

Dawn of the Dead (2004, 101 minutes, 666): Now I bring some zombies into the madness in this remake of the Romero classic. Love the baby scene. (2 points)

Deep Red (1975, 126 minutes, 666 1/2): This Giallo slasher from Dario Argento should have no problem qualifying. (2 points)

Frankenstein (1910, 12 minutes 66 1/2): I'm using a silent short and to my knowledge the first adaptation to the Mary Shelley classic. Some parts show a good transfer but some don't. Charles Ogle plays the creature in this one. (7 points)
-Bonus point: Golum

Frankenstein: The True Story (1973, 185 minutes, 666 1/2): This is a very overlooked adaptation of the Shelley classic and just a reminder that Frankenstein is Dr. Frankenstein, not the monster. (5 points)
-Bonus point: The creature is a golum

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964, 92 minutes, 666): This is a classic Japanese monster film with the first appearance of King Ghidorah also features Mothra, Godzilla, and Rodan who must all team up to destroy Ghidorah. (4 points)
-Bonus point: The monsters destroy much of Tokyo.
-Bonus point: FX monsters fighting each other

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001, 152 minutes, 666): Plenty of witches and wizards to qualify this one. (3 points)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959, 87, 666): This is a loophole through Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Hammer Films. (3 points)
-Bonus point: Made in 1959

Interview With the Vampire (1994, 123 minutes, 666): No explanation needed here since the title indicates the theme. (3 points)
-Bonus point: Vampire

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001, 178 minutes, 666): It counts either way but Christopher Lee makes it qualify 100%. I admit, I'm not as big of fan as some but will watch it every once in a while. (3.5 points)

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, 91 minutes 666 1/2): Not much explanation needed for this iconic slasher film. (2 points)

Of Mice and Men (1939, 115 minutes, 666 1/2): This adaptation to the Steinbeck novel counts because of Lon Chaney Jr. (3 points)
-Bonus point: Put out before 1959

Paul (2011, 104 minutes, 666 1/2): This year any sci-fi counts so this alien comedy gives me a loophole. (2 points)

Pinocchio (1940, 88 minutes, 666): This Disney classic qualifies due to the Blue Fairy and Golem. (4 points)
-Bonus point: Pinocchio is a golum.
-Bonus point: Movie is before 1959.

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988, 88 minutes, 666): This Wes Craven film deals a lot in voodoo and witch doctory. This contest has made me a pretty big fan of Wes Craven. (2 points)

War of the Gargantuas (1968, 77 minutes, 66 1/2): This is another Japanese monster movie featuring some Gargantuas. (4 points)
-Bonus point: Puppet FX fighting
-Bonus point: Destroying much of Tokyo


Wolf (1994, 125 points, 666): Not much explanation here for my werewolf selection for the contest. (4 points)
-Bonus point: werewolf
-Bonus point: man to animal

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910, 13 minutes, 66 1/2): This is a very early version of the Baum classic and has some witches and is an early one-reel short. It was interesting the use of THE NUTCRACKER music to go along with the story. There were a lot of people dressed as animals. Some of it goes along with the 1939 version we all know today. (6 points) 
 
Total: 58.5 points. I could be wrong and if I am Elizabeth will let me know.

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