cinemalover: Confessions of a Video Junkie

[cinemalover]

Yeah, I know, I know, it's another western. What can I say, I love a good western and this one qualifies...

Date watched: 9/23/2007
Title: The Culpepper Cattle Co. Made: 1972
Genre: Western Studio: 20th Century Fox
Format: DVD Extras: FS/WS, Production stills, Photo gallery.
Number of times viewed: 2

Stars:
Gary Grimes--Ben Mockridge
Billy Green Bush--Frank Culpepper
Luke Askew--Luke
Bo Hopkins--Dixie Brick
Geoffrey lewis--Ross
Wayne Sutherlin--Missoula
John McLiam--Thornton Pierce
Matt Clark--Pete
Raymond Guth--Cook
Anthony James--Nathaniel
Charles Martin Smith--Tim Slater
Larry Finley--Mr. Slater
Bob Morgan--Old John
Jan Burrell--Mrs. Mockridge
Hal Needhan--Burgess

Tagline: How many men do you have to kill to be the great American cowboy?

Plot: This is a coming of age tale as young Ben Mockridge (Grimes) dreams of becoming a real man, a cowboy! He has even secretly acquired a six shooter which he shows off to his friend and practices with. Frank Culpepper (Bush) is a cattle owner who is putting a large drive together. Ben sets his mind to joining the drive and beginning his journey to manhood.

Ben has to do some fast talking, "I want to go with you Mr. Culpepper. I ride real good and I can do a lot of things. I mean, I'll work at almost anything, Mr. Culpepper. I really want to go!"
Mr. Culpepper, "Why?"
Ben, "Because I want to be a cowboy more than anything Mr. Culpepper!"
Culpepper (sarcastically), "Well...that's one hell of an ambition, boy!"

Mr. Culpepper agrees to take him on as the cook's helper, a position that is always referred to as Little Mary.

The group of driver's is filled with outrageous personalities and Ben tries to get to know these "cowboys".

Ben, "Sure is a beautiful horse. What's its name?"
Luke (Askew as one of the drivers), "You don't wanna name something you might have to eat"

Ben does his best to do all the scrub work and not get underfoot. Things are going well until one night when he is on watch a group of horse thieves mug him and steal the horses before the sleeping drivers can respond. Culpepper takes Ben for medical attention to the nearest town with some of the drivers who will buy some new horses.

As they're arriving Culpepper tells Luke, "While you're in there (inside the general store) get the kid a ticket on the next stage!"
Luke, "Where to?"
Culpepper, "I don't give a damn so long as we get rid of him!"

But Culpepper's plans to send Ben away get interrupted by rich land-owner Thornton Pierce (McLiam) who decides that he's going to charge a large toll for Culpepper's cattle to cross his land. If Culpepper chooses not to pay Thornton will just have his men take the cattle. While Culpepper's men are itching for a shoot out to put this son of a gun in his place Culpepper decides to give Thornton the money to avoid a fight. The drivers take this as an insult to their gunslingin' abilities.

Russ to Culpepper, "You want to eat the old man's (Thornton) dirt, you do it! But don't ask me to swallow it for you!"

Ben to Culpepper, "Some things are more important to man than cattle Mr. Culpepper."
Culpepper, "Not to me!"

The cattle drive proceeds until they cross paths with a group of religious settlers who have home-steaded on Thornton's land. This leads to the climatic finale in which the drivers must each decide if they want to help the homesteaders or follow Mr. Culpepper who refuses to get involved. At the close of the movie Ben symbolically removes the six shooter that he has so proudly worn and walks away.

The movie presents a bleak view of the cowboy lifestyle where every day presents a new challenge to their attempt to survive. The film was filmed almost entirely outside, filling it with a natural beauty that fits perfectly with the story. The film is loaded with memorable characters, including a bartender that keeps a rattlesnake in a jar. He wins money by betting his patrons that they can't keep their hand on the outside of the jar when the snake strikes against the inside.

7* (out of 10) Gritty and down to earth, a young man discovers that cowboys aren't as glamorous as they appeared from afar.

[cinemalover]

And now back to an episode of one of my all-time favorite television shows....

Date watched: 9/24/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 18 Original Air Date: 1/20/1967
The Night of the Gypsy Peril

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Ruta Lee--Zoe Zagora
Ronald Long--Sultan of Ramapur
Mark Slade--Hillard
Arthur Batanides--Scullon
Johnny Seven--Mikolik
Charles Horvath--Gombal

Jim and Arte are assigned to safeguard the Sultan of Ramapur (Long) as he travels from San Francisco to Washington on the Wanderer (Jim's personal train) for a diplomatic mission. One small complication, the Sultan insists on bringing a sacred white baby elephant, Akbar, with him to present to the President as a goodwill gift. Shortly after departed S.F. the train has to stop due to a rockslide on the track. As soon as they stop they are boarded by a gang of outlaws looking for an easy score. That score will include the elephant.

Hillard (Slade), the gang-leader, "We're taking it with us!"
The Kid, "Why?"
Hillard, "Because elephants are worth money....lots of it!"

The gang takes the elephant and asks for one million dollars in ransom. The Sultan is outraged. He demands that the U.S. government pays the ransom or he will call off negotiations and imprison all American citizens that are in Ramapur. Hillard orders the kid to take the elephant off into the woods and kill him because he knows he can get the ransom with or without the elephant.

The kid is too soft to shoot Akbar, so he figures to take the elephant far enough away that Hillard won't know. The kid meets gypsy Zoe Zagora (Lee) who leads a traveling gypsy circus. She offers to buy the elephant for her circus and offers to read the kid's future as well. While reading his future she uses gas to knock him out, steals the elephant and his wallet too.

Meanwhile Jim is captured by Hillard and the gang while trying to get the elephant back. Arte has to come to his rescue, signaling him with a coyote call before saving him.
Arte, "How'd you like my coyote call?"
Jim, "That was a coyote?"
Arte (bragging), "I had three answering calls from females proposing marriage!"

As always the chemistry between the two stars is one of the strongest and most entertaining points of the show.

Jim runs off to track down Akbar and stumbles upon the gypsy camp in the middle of the night. As he's snooping he walks right into the barrel of a large hand-gun , held by Zoe.
Jim, "You wouldn't shoot anyone with that cannon, would you?"
Zoe, "Only thing that holds me back, there is nothing more irritable than a band of gypsies woken out of a sound sleep!"
Jim, "Oh, well...that's simple. If you'll drop the gun I'll leave very, very quietly."

When asked what he's doing sneaking around the camp...
Zoe, "Speak up. I don't want to shoot a handsome thief" (flirt, flirt)

Jim uses the excuse that he's on the run from the law and wants to join the circus as an acrobat.
Jim, "Do you think you could get me an audition with the head man?"
Zoe, "I am the head man!"
Jim, "That's a GREAT disguise!" (flirt, flirt right back at ya')

Arte soon joins the troop dressed as Zumo, the peddling man. He's a loud, obnoxious salesman. Together Jim and Arte have to figure out how to smuggle out Akbar.
Arte teasing Jim, "Why haven't you taken Akbar back?"
Jim, "Because I can't run very fast with an elephant on my back!"

Once Jim and Arte get an opportunity to closely inspect Akbar they realize things are not all that they seem. Now they must solve the mystery of who is really behind the ransom scheme.

9* (out of 10) For this incredible series.
7* (out of 10) For this episode. It is not quite up to the high standards of the series. Too much silliness and no strong central villain for Jim to play off of. There is a lot of banter between the boys, but they can't be at their sharpest without being challenged by a solid, over-the-top nemesis.

[cinemalover]

Last night was my favorite Friday Family Night. After a cold soccer practice (you can sure feel fall in the air up here already), and a quick bite to eat, we circled our wagons around the boob-tube for an evening of family viewing. Once again the kids both wanted to watch some episodes of Smallville instead of a movie. We have waded through the first two seasons and are just starting the third. We were able to watch three episodes last night before the kids zonked out. This continues to be a quality show that is fun on different levels for the entire family.

In about an hour Jeremy's got his soccer game under threatening skies that look anxious to rain on our soccer parade. Good luck to us!

[cinemalover]

Well the boys made me very proud today. Crossfire was down 3-1 at halftime and roared back in the second half to manage a 4-4 tie and both teams went home happy after a hard fought battle. Jeremy scored 2 of the 4 goals and played his little heart out. The rains held off until 20 minutes after the conclusion of the game so it was a win-win situation for everyone!

[mrsl]

GO, JEREMY AND CROSSFIRE - Maybe they could help my Bears???

Anne

[ken123]

mrsl - I'm afraid that nothing can help Da Bears - GO CUBS

[cinemalover]

Anne,
Jeremy and Crossfire thank you for your well wishes! Jeremy and I are sorry about the Bears (again today) and will wish them better fortunes in the future. Jeremy is a die-hard Seahawk fan. For the last four years (before this season) I have taken him to Seahawk training camp at Cheney, Washington (a true podunk town on the east side of the state). So he has had the opportunity to meet many of the players, get pictures and autographs and fall in love with the team.

[cinemalover]

It is getting closer to Halloween and it's time to check out some horror-ible Ed Wood films....

This is from The Ed Wood Collection: A Salute to Incompetence
It is a two disc collection that includes the following movies:
Glen or Glenda 1953
Jailbait 1954
Bride of the Monster 1955
The Violent Years 1956
Night of the Ghouls !959
Plan 9 From Outer Space 1959

Date watched: 9/29/2007
Title: Plan 9 From Outer Space Made: 1959
Genre: Horror/Sci-fi Studio: Reynolds Pictures
Format: DVD Extras: The Ed Wood Story Doc.
Number of times viewed: 3

Directed, written, produced: Ed Wood
Stars:
Criswell--Himself/Narrator
Tor Johnson--Inspector Dan Clay
Vampira--Vampire Zombie
Tom Keene--Col. Tom Edwards
Gregory Walcott--Jeff Trent
Dudley Manlove--Eros
Mona McKinnon--Paula Trent
Duke Moore--Lt. John Harper
Bela Lugosi--The Ghoul
John Breckinridge--The Ruler
Lyle Talbot--General Roberts

Taglines:
Aliens resurrect the dead! Flying saucers over Hollywood!

Unspeakable horrors from outer space paralyze the living and resurrect the dead!

Plot: Opening shot: Onscreen title: "Criswell predicts". And then he speaks, "Greetings, my friends. We are all interested in the future for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember, my friends, future events such as these...will affect you in the future!"
What the heck is he talking about? And what does it have to do with the movie? Don't worry, nothing makes sense in this movie that many have nominated as one of the worst movies ever made.

We have aliens, we have flying saucers (wobbly pie-tins), we have zombies resurrected from the graveyard.

The soldiers discuss why they have been ordered to fire at the flying saucers:
Soldier #1, "We haven't always fired at them."
Soldier #2, "Oh?"
Soldier #1, "For a time, we tried to contact them by radio, but no response. They attacked a town, a small town I'll admit, but never the less a town of people. People who died."

The aliens are tired of dealing with the stupid humans and discuss their strategy for dealing with them:
The Ruler (Breckinridge), "What plan will you follow now?"
Eros (Manlove), "Plan 9. It's been absolutely impossible to work through these earth creatures. Their soul is too controlled."
The Ruler, "Plan 9. Ah, yes....Plan 9 deals with the resurrection of the dead."

Later Eros to another alien colleague, "You know, it's an interesting thing when you consider. The Earth people who can think are so frightened by those who cannot...the dead."

So the aliens raise an army to fight the Earthlings by resurrecting their dead to fight against them. If that's plan 9 I wonder if Plan 8 involved resurrecting any sort of script for the movie.

The movie contains so many blunders that you would run out of fingers trying to track them. One of the more entertaining ones is a view of two pilots in the cabin of an airplane (that looks more like a breakfast nook than an airplane) who are flashed with a bright light to represent the passing of a flying saucer. The light is flashed at an angle that clearly shows the shadow of the overhead mike on the wall behind the pilot. Later in the movie as the police are chasing zombies in the graveyard, alternating scenes go from day to night and back again several times.

Everyone in the movie speaks their lines very deliberately and, oh so dramatically. Kind of what you'd expect at a grade school play. The plot is a complete jumbled mess that makes no sense at all. The best scene is one of the humongous Tor Johnson climbing up out of an open grave with the only source of light coming up from the bottom of the grave. Ed was apparently capable of stumbling across a quality scene to sandwich in between the rest of the nonsense.

2* (out of 10) You know going in that it is a terrible movie from any normal standard of measure. But it is just so unique and goofy that you have to keep watching it to see how bad it can get. It may be a 2 in my book, but it’s the most entertaining 2, in a warped way, that you’ll ever see.

[jdb1]

Chris, I can't wait to read your report on Glen or Glenda. Have you seen it before? It's virtually impossible to categorize, but it's one of those really ghastly and pretentious Wood concoctions that you watch with your mouth hanging open.

The funny thing is - Johnny Depp looked cute in his girlfriend's angora sweater. The real Ed Wood, playing Glen, looks - well, something quite different.

After watching Plan 9 last week, I watched The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, which might have been what Ed Wood could have produced, if he had possessed a sense of humor about his work.

[cinemalover]

So, how was The Lost Skeleton...? I've read some good things about it but have resisted the temptation so far.

It has been many years since I've seen Glen or Glenda, and even then I'm not sure I stayed with it for the entire film. I don't remember that it was nearly as much fun as Plan 9. It will take me awhile to get to them all, but I will watch the entire set. I know that I've never seen Jail Bait (and I may long for these days after viewing).

[jdb1]

So, how was The Lost Skeleton...? I've read some good things about it but have resisted the temptation so far.

It has been many years since I've seen Glen or Glenda, and even then I'm not sure I stayed with it for the entire film. I don't remember that it was nearly as much fun as Plan 9. It will take me awhile to get to them all, but I will watch the entire set. I know that I've never seen Jail Bait (and I may long for these days after viewing).

What??? You've never seen Lost Skeleton??? My dear Chris, you must, post haste. It is a virtually perfect send-up of the schlock scifi/horror we grew up on.

What has become of its maker, Larry Blamire? Is he a one-trick pony, or has he come up with anything else like Lost Skeleton?

I don't think you can call Glen or Glenda a "fun" movie, except that it is so excruciatingly sententious/pretentious/Ed Wood-ish. To me, it's a movie that most people won't believe isn't a joke. One problem with the movie Ed Wood is that it gives a humorous cast to Wood's work that Wood himself never intended. You can take G or G as a joke, but it was not intended as such, and if you don't know that, you are missing an important part of the movie's heart.

[cinemalover]

I will put Lost Skeleton on my "must acquire" list, immediately, if not sooner!

[cinemalover]

Another entry from The Ed Wood Collection: A Salute to Incompetence
It is a two disc collection that includes the following movies:
Glen or Glenda 1953
Jailbait 1954
Bride of the Monster 1955
The Violent Years 1956
Night of the Ghouls !959
Plan 9 From Outer Space 1959

Date watched: 9/30/2007
Title: Night of the Ghouls Made: 1959
Genre: Horror/Sci-fi Studio: Wade Williams Productions
Format: DVD Extras: The Ed Wood Story Doc.
Number of times viewed: 2

Directed, written, produced: Ed Wood
Stars:
Criswell--Himself/Narrator
Kenne Duncan--Dr. Acula
Duke Moore--Police Lt. Daniel Bradford
Valda Hansen--The White Ghost
Tor Johnson--Lobo
John Carpenter--Police Captain Robbins
Paul Marco--Patrolman Kelton
Don Nagel--Sgt. Crandel
Jeannie Stevens--The Black Ghost
Bud Osborne--Mr. Darmoor
Harvey B. Dunn--Henry

Tag: The dead of night is alive with the dead!

The story on this film is that it sat at the lab for 20-some years because Ed Wood couldn't afford to pay his lab bill. So 20+ years later Wade Williams acquired the rights from Ed's wife and bought it from the lab. If you thought Plan 9 was a messy film, it looks like Shakespeare next to this. You should have let this one decompose on the lab shelf, Wade!

Opening scene: Criswell sits up from a coffin to warn viewers that the film they are about to see may cause you to faint. I think he meant that it would definitely put you to sleep.

Kenne Duncan plays Dr. Acula (oh, what a clever, clever name!) is a phony medium who is assisted by Valda Hansen playing the White Ghost. The large lummox that is Tor Johnson also assists in the part of Lobo. Dr. Acula pays the bills by pretending to communicate with and revive the dead for relatives willing to pay for the chance to talk to their deceased loved ones. But what would happen if he really summoned the dead? It wouldn't turn out well for Dr. Acula, as he soon finds out.

Lt. Bradford (Moore) and Patrolman Kelton (Marco) are sent to investigate when a couple reports spotting a ghost near Dr. Acula's place. That's about the extent of sense that one can make out of this scrambled disaster. Clips are cobbled together from other films and from a television show, and no matter how it is edited it still adds up to nothing.

While this one is just as bizarre as Plan 9, with many of the same actors, it just doesn't have the same sense of fun. There aren't as many unintentional giggles which make its 69 minute run time feel much longer. The scariest part in the movie is the one that runs down the side of Criswell's lopsided hair-do.

1* (out of 10) Too bad to even be good in a back-handed way. Skip this one on your Halloween list and watch Plan 9 if you must have a dose of Ed Wood, or just give your kids a video camera for a couple of hours. Their results will be more entertaining.

[cinemalover]

Karie and I had a chance to sit down and watch a movie that has been on my need to watch list for quite a while...

Date watched: 9/30/2007
Title: The Prestige Made: 2006
Genre: Drama Studio: Touchstone
Format: DVD Extras: Anamorphic WS, Featurettes.
Number of times viewed: First

Stars:
Hugh Jackman--Robert Angier
Christian Bale--Alfred Borden
Michael Caine--Cutter
Scarlett Johansson--Olivia Wenscombe
David Bowie--Tesla
Piper Perabo--Julia McCullough
Rebecca Hall--Sarah
Samantha Mahurin--Jess
Andy Serkis--Alley
Daniel Davis--Judge

Taglines:
A friendship that became a rivalry...A rivalry that became a battle.

There are three parts to every magic trick...1) the pledge...2) the turn...and 3) the Prestige!

Plot: Alfred Borden (Bale), Robert Angier (Jackman) and his wife, Julia (Perabo), all work for Milton the Magician. Alfred and Robert are magician wannabes who work as plants in the audience while Julia is the beautiful assistant. When Julia accidentally dies in the water tank trick Robert blames Alfred (who tied the knots on Julia's wrists).

Robert sinks into a deep depression following Julia's death.
Robert, "I never thought I'd find an answer at the bottom of a pint glass."
Cutter (Caine, playing the man who helps the magicians by creating the mechanics of some of their best illusions), "Hasn't stopped you from looking, has it?"

Julia's death sets off an intense rivalry between Robert and Alfred as each of them embark on their own magic careers. They go out of their way to embarrass each other on stage and steal each others' tricks. When Alfred introduces an incredible trick to his act Robert will stop at nothing to discover the secret.

There are many twists and turns in the storyline as the two magicians try to outmaneuver each other. Robert travels to America to meet electrical wizard Tesla (Bowie) to convince him built Robert a trick that will surpass Alfred's. Robert asks Tesla if it's possible to create what he wants:
Tesla, "Nothing is impossible, Mr. Angier. What you want is simply expensive!"

There are too many surprises to be able to discuss the plot in any more depth, some of them will catch you blind while others may seem much more obvious if you're watching the details. An intricate tale enriched with period detail. Bale's performance really stands out with layered depth as Jackman's tends to fall flat. Johannson was little more than pretty window dressing in an undemanding role. Bowie was very intriguing as the outcast scientist and Caine is wonderful in anything. Here he adds depth to a confusing cast of characters.

Karie-meter 9* (out of 10) Karie absolutely loved this film. She found the plot twists to be excellent and clever. She enjoyed Bale and thinks he is one heck of an actor.

7* (out of 10) The movie held me spellbound about 90% of the way through. My thoughts turned cold as the "twist" ending was a severe disappointment for me. Sometimes a movie tries to be too clever when a simpler approach would have had a deeper meaning. A very good movie that fell apart at the very end for me. Still a worthwhile watch. Obviously, Karie liked it more than I did and wasn’t let down by the climax, so maybe it’s just me.

[cinemalover]

Back to the grindhouse.....

Date watched:10/1/2007
Title: Violent Professionals (Milano Trema--La Polizia Vuole Giustizia) Made: 1973
Genre: Action Studio: Champion
Format: DVD Extras: Part of The Grindhouse Experience, a set of 5 DVDs with 20 movies of dubious quality, Fullscreen, Dubbed.
Number of times viewed: First

Stars:
Luc Merenda--Lt.Giorgio Caneparo
Richard Conte--Padulo
Silvano Tranquilli--Viviani
Carlo Alighiero--Commissioner Nicastro
Martine Brochard--Maria
Luciano Bartoli--Giacomo
Lia Tanzi--Prostitute
Bruno Corazzari--Anarchist

Tagline: One man against the syndicate--within the law or without!

Plot: When Milano police lt. Giorgio's (Merenda) boss is murdered by a syndicate hit Giorgio swears to avenge his death.

Giorgio to the widow, "All I want is to avenge him!"
Widow, "He felt you had a great career ahead and he liked you, even though...."
Giorgio, "....Even though he said "Give Giorgio a free hand and he'd kick the hell out of half of humanity and put a slug in the rest!""

So, Giorgio goes undercover as a thug to work his way closer to Padulo, the man who ordered the hit. He begins by busting heads and breaking into barroom operations and making himself known as a tough guy. He then takes over a prostitution ring (yes, in his mind the ends justify any means). Finally he creates enough of a buzz around his name that he gets hired as a driver for Padulo and his gang, though they don't completely trust him. When Giorgio is eventually revealed as an undercover cop, Padulo sicks his gang on him.

Padulo to his boys, "Now you got guns, they're not just to make you look tough. If you gotta use 'em, use 'em good!"

This is an entry in the Italian police thriller genre that was inspired by American hits like Dirty Harry 1972. They feature cops who are willing to take the law into their own hands and go to any lengths to punish those that they know are guilty, but have been unable to prove it. There is a high quota of violence, car chases and dead bodies.

The print has some audio reel noise and warble, just like you were watching it at a cheap grindhouse theatre on some dubious backstreet.

4* (out of 10) Not bad, but the fullscreen (with minimal effort to pan and scan) makes it feel claustrophobic and gives it the look of a TV show more than a big screen film. I'm sure it would play better in a nice, restored, widescreen print. As is, it's a curiosity from a genre that has only recently been receiving much exposure on these shores in the DVD market.

Boy, have I got the sniffles this morning. It poured a river on us last night at Jeremy's soccer practice, but since rain is forecast for the game on Saturday the boys needed some practice under those conditions. If they all get sick I guess they can blame the coach.