tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.comments2024-02-16T10:27:42.320-08:00Krell LaboratoriesVulnavia Morbiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04722740955194993451noreply@blogger.comBlogger1631125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-24419345725103878072024-02-03T10:08:11.039-08:002024-02-03T10:08:11.039-08:00This is a great analysis of a very special "m...This is a great analysis of a very special "monster" movie that is character-driven and humanistic. I especially appreciated your comparison of the camera's perspective during Godzilla's rampage with the film's larger theme of democracy (and caring) from the bottom up. <br /><br />I have been a Godzilla fan for many years, but I've lost patience with the recent American versions, which keep upping the CGI effects ante to the point that, for all the action going on, they are incredibly boring. <br /><br />Godzilla Minus One is a revelation, and yet another indicator that the best fantasy filmmaking will continue to come from outside of Hollywood. Brian Schuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08463833554200343247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-63877055409945483032023-12-30T20:25:27.658-08:002023-12-30T20:25:27.658-08:00It is small type. I forget sometimes because I usu...It is small type. I forget sometimes because I usually blow my page up to 133% or so. Control plus-sign is your friend. I probably ought to comb through the code of my theme to see about blowing it up. <br /><br /><i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i> isn't the only play whose movie version was blocked during its run. It was a common requirement when plays were sold to movie studios during the classic era. <i>See How They Run</i> factually notes that there is no movie version of <i>The Mousetrap</i> because it never closed. Just, never. (Well, it did close for the pandemic, but it reopened the next year). Vulnavia Morbiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04722740955194993451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-84807389804228719972023-12-30T18:39:56.777-08:002023-12-30T18:39:56.777-08:00I wonder if this movie was the inspiration for the...I wonder if this movie was the inspiration for the recent "See How They Run" where there was a similar setup where the movie couldn't be filmed until the play ended, only in that someone tries to murder people to get things going.<br /><br />Anyway, I tried to read the whole thing but that tiny white font on black background is hard on my bad eyes.PT Dillowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-78404131306477479312023-10-31T12:29:43.053-07:002023-10-31T12:29:43.053-07:00Asenath Waite is a female in the original story. S...Asenath Waite is a female in the original story. So some gender fluidity (her inhabited by her father’s life-force) was there from the beginning.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-53295886892022096192023-10-26T02:47:05.484-07:002023-10-26T02:47:05.484-07:00My GOD, this is a great review. Thank you for shar...My GOD, this is a great review. Thank you for sharing your insights and your skills in articulating them. Your synopsis alone is devastatingly on point. Honored to know you, honored to read you.Dr. AC https://www.blogger.com/profile/00222795645885007090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-36301211169434369612023-08-24T10:26:06.285-07:002023-08-24T10:26:06.285-07:00I was initially intrigued by the trailer and thoug...I was initially intrigued by the trailer and thought an entire movie based on this one episode (especially knowing how it ends) was an audacious gamble. But then, the CGI creature was off-putting. For me, the great thing about vampires is that they can mix with us humans and strike when we least expect it. (Of course, there's such a thing as going too far with vampire integration into human society, Twilight's sparkly, romantic teen vampires being a good example.) I would take this concept and have the Demeter crew joined at the last minute by a mysterious, aristocratic stranger who buys his way onto the voyage -- and who knows, maybe he's a red herring and the real Dracula is disguised as one of the crew. And that would be a real box office failure! :)<br /> You're spot on about pretty much every horror offering these days being made with an eye to franchise building, which can tie you up creatively in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. The best thing that can happen to the Universal monsters is for the current mega-corporation to keep failing in trying to build its Dark Universe. Brian Schuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08463833554200343247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-79277034041375567842023-08-10T12:14:28.419-07:002023-08-10T12:14:28.419-07:00Yeah. The self-aware horror movie has kind of run ...Yeah. The self-aware horror movie has kind of run its course (R.I.P. Wes Craven). Teens making bad decisions is such a backbone of horror movies I don't know whether you can do without it. See also Evil Dead Rise (which coincidentally also employs a trans/non-binary actor from Australia as its teenage dumbass). Vulnavia Morbiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04722740955194993451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-36640734033646098192023-08-10T10:23:42.280-07:002023-08-10T10:23:42.280-07:00The set-up of the severed medium's hand is ver...The set-up of the severed medium's hand is very creepy, and that alone is enough to grab my attention. The independent horror from the last few years that I've sampled is certainly a mixed bag, but as you say, the genre is holding its own against the grim corporatization of "content." I for one am grateful that these characters live in a universe where there are no horror tropes to learn from, and they always make dreadfully bad decisions. ;-)Brian Schuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08463833554200343247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-90234355483583729912023-07-14T21:11:42.263-07:002023-07-14T21:11:42.263-07:00Always good to hear an extended chat on anything K...Always good to hear an extended chat on anything Kneale-related.El Rob Hubbardhttp://mimezine.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-58444484909525707572023-06-29T13:10:55.345-07:002023-06-29T13:10:55.345-07:00This is the best take on this film that I've e...This is the best take on this film that I've encountered so far...ElRobHubbardhttp://mimezine.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-51856181010287248412023-05-02T10:28:43.656-07:002023-05-02T10:28:43.656-07:00Hi, Jamaica. I like Walken and I like The Dead Zon...Hi, Jamaica. I like Walken and I like The Dead Zone well enough. Vulnavia Morbiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04722740955194993451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-91196454795186421992023-05-02T01:06:13.583-07:002023-05-02T01:06:13.583-07:00Wow! I'm so thrilled to see someone else who ...Wow! I'm so thrilled to see someone else who liked "Spider Forest," as much as I do (and unlike me, can articulate so intelligently, exactly why). I saw this film 12 years ago, and it kick-started my fascinating for Korean films, and huge interest in Kam Woo-Sung's work. Jamaicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07977145901594031757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-80750773092035615462023-05-02T00:50:16.981-07:002023-05-02T00:50:16.981-07:00Cronenberg cast Christopher Walken in "The De...Cronenberg cast Christopher Walken in "The Dead Zone." That was three or four years before "The Fly." Walken's an amazing actor, and "The Dead Zone" is one of his finest performances. (Maybe you didn't like his work in the film?)Jamaicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07977145901594031757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-44845265112308486192023-04-07T01:37:35.900-07:002023-04-07T01:37:35.900-07:00Great review! Marie Windsor looks a little bit lik...Great review! Marie Windsor looks a little bit like Loretta Young.Rebecca Denistonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07505297430024467869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-49856408545295712522023-04-04T19:53:37.276-07:002023-04-04T19:53:37.276-07:00Great article about an intriguing sounding film. ...Great article about an intriguing sounding film. The backstory about how it was made is very interesting. Robert Mitchum in the lead would have been something to see but I agree that you shouldn't try to mess with a good thing when you have it. It is probably a good thing that Hughes forgot about this film for two years. Otherwise, this version may have never seen the light of day.<br /><br />P.S. Love the nom de plume. Two of my favourite films (I assume).MichaelWDenneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08385982366116957705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-12704939805716163042023-04-02T15:50:42.028-07:002023-04-02T15:50:42.028-07:00Thank you for this wonderful tribute to Windsor an...Thank you for this wonderful tribute to Windsor and McGraw and the Narrow Margin! I love your turns of phrase, which themselves seem like they could have been lifted from a classic noir: "...Anne Archer was never a 60-cent plate of anything. It played the notes but missed the music." I had forgotten about the remake. Fans always cringe at big effects, big budget remakes of classics, but they do serve the purpose of reminding us what was so good about the original.<br /><br />I was also intrigued by the original production's history. The gods smiled down on The Narrow Margin, somehow distracted Hughes, and it emerged unscathed. How miraculous is that? :-)Brian Schuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08463833554200343247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-21079488305258755192023-04-02T11:54:28.354-07:002023-04-02T11:54:28.354-07:00You're right, this film is SOOOO good, it'...You're right, this film is SOOOO good, it's even hard to think of it as a B movie, it's so well done. Interesting point about Marie Windsor and her character, how the woman's "slippery" persona made her too elusive for Windsor to gain stardom via this role. But she and Charles McGraw crackle together onscreen. In its own way, The Narrow Margin is about as perfect a film as there is !grandoldmovieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10773085288675763855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-86788924315262483842023-04-02T11:00:35.788-07:002023-04-02T11:00:35.788-07:00It always shocked me that The Narrow Margin sat fo...It always shocked me that The Narrow Margin sat for two years. While I Can understand Howard Hughes wanting to remake it with Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell, I don't see how even they could have been as good as Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor. It is a remarkable film, and one that I really don't think could have been improved upon. I think "chaos of appearances" describes it quite well! Terence Towles Canotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18397088843628331615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-71048342378035629642023-04-01T16:19:41.259-07:002023-04-01T16:19:41.259-07:00Love, absolutely love your review. It's smart ...Love, absolutely love your review. It's smart and insightful, and you'e got me thinking I need to see this film again TONIGHT.Silver Screeningshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04955048716754142299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-8735576773775084952023-04-01T06:01:36.923-07:002023-04-01T06:01:36.923-07:00I've never heard of the narrow margin, but I&#...I've never heard of the narrow margin, but I'm definitely curious to see it now. From your description, I think I will definitely skip the remake. John L. Harmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15356443071657836985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-38162245448463755572023-03-31T20:48:22.591-07:002023-03-31T20:48:22.591-07:00This is an excellent review! I love this film so m...This is an excellent review! I love this film so much. Even though Robert Mitchum is my favorite actor, I wouldn't replace Charles McGraw. And Marie Windsor is perfect. I haven't seen this in quite a while. Time to take it down from the shelf and get back on that train.Mike's Movie Roomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15839320118431543221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-20238507610454931192023-03-31T19:22:15.001-07:002023-03-31T19:22:15.001-07:00Marie Windsor reminds me of another noir bad girl,...Marie Windsor reminds me of another noir bad girl, Lizabeth Scott—you know when you first see her in a movie, she’s gonna be bad news for the protagonist. I remember the NARROW MARGIN remake, but I never saw the original. Your description makes it sound very enticing.Richhttp://byrichwatson.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-33641906715177773672023-01-19T08:35:16.235-08:002023-01-19T08:35:16.235-08:00Wonderful background on the moral panic that usher...Wonderful background on the moral panic that ushered in the Hays code, using G-Man as an example. Loved the quote from Al Capone who was so worried about the effects of gangster films on the impressionable youth of America! Of course, Al and J. Edgar were brothers in spirit. "Copaganda" (somehow I hadn't run across that term until now) is currently in an expansion phase, with practically every scripted show on network TV sporting some sort of government law enforcement acronym - FBI, NCIS, CSI. Of course, the shows completely ignore the overreach and frequent brutality of these gov't agencies.Brian Schuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08463833554200343247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-11488881997498391732022-10-30T12:06:14.823-07:002022-10-30T12:06:14.823-07:00Great analysis! Flaws and all, I've always bee...Great analysis! Flaws and all, I've always been partial to the Wolf Man, who is a tragic figure, a victim, forced to confront a darkness in himself that the rest of society takes great pains to ignore. As you say, Lon Chaney Jr. was not a great actor, but he rose to the occasion with this role, even lending gravitas to the monster rallies of the later '40s. But I hear you about the overuse of the rhyme -- the last time I watched The Wolf Man, I was talking back to the TV: "Okay, we get it!" :-)Brian Schuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08463833554200343247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-79424492596181266252022-06-05T17:41:05.687-07:002022-06-05T17:41:05.687-07:00Superlative write-up. I may just have to bust out ...Superlative write-up. I may just have to bust out my copy tonight.Dr. AC https://www.blogger.com/profile/00222795645885007090noreply@blogger.com