What Horror and Sc-Fi films have you seen lately?

[MikeBSG]

Stanley Tucci is very much in evidence in "Catching Fire." He is the "Howard Cosell" of the Hunger Games, the TV announcer. I think you were thinking of the "game master" who designs the TV spectacle of the Hunger Games.

As I understand it, while the "game master" is the same in the books "Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire," in the movies they got rid of the guy at the end of "Hunger Games" and Philip Seymour Hoffman is the new "game master" who was just in the book "Mockingjay," but has been introduced in the movie "Catching Fire."

I hope that is clear. But Tucci, with his weird haircut, is very much present in "Catching Fire."

[JackFavell]

Thanks, Mike, he's very much a favorite character actor.

[MikeBSG]

Yesterday, my son and I watched "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" (1926) the first animated feature film, made in Germany.

Actually, my son liked this Arabian Nights-style adventure more than I did. The animation in the movie is of silhouettes, not drawings. Consequently, I guess, there are no closeups and no real "faces" either. Characterization is one's body shape. Prince Achmed wears a turban. Aladdin is bareheaded. That is how you tell the two heroes apart. I really couldn't tell the two heroines apart. The villain was skinny and had a beard, while the caliph was plump and had a beard.

Some scenes were very magical, like the battle with a hydra. But I'd have to say that this one was largely a misfire for me.

Now that I think about it, I don't really like either silent animation or Arabian Nights fantasies. (With the exception of Harryhausen's Sinbad movies.) So "Adventures of Prince Achmed" started with two strikes against it in my book. Maybe I'm not being fair to it.

[MikeBSG]

Today I watched "Die, Monster, Die!" (1965), directed by Daniel Haller.

It was a letdown. I briefly entertained hopes, seeing that the script was by Jerry Sohl, who was a friend of Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson, but the script was a lame copy of the AIP Poe movies with some Fifties sci-fi cliches ladled in. The movie felt like it was put together from bits and pieces with no connecting flow through the scenes. (Honestly, the wheelchair-bound Karloff seemed to get through the house faster than Nick Adams.)

Nick Adams really gave me a pain as the "hero" of this movie. He came across as a big jerk.

There were a couple of scares in the atmospheric scenes, but that vanished whenever the characters started to talk.

So the movie made a hash of adapting one of H. P. Lovecraft's best short stories, and it basically wasted Karloff's talents.

[Western Guy]

Mike, I'm a huge Karloff fan but with the exception of the two Corman projects in which he appeared: THE RAVEN and COMEDY OF TERRORS (forgetting THE TERROR)- and of course the brilliant TARGETS, the 60s were really a career downturn for that master of the macabre. I'd dare say it was his television appearances during the decade that helped to maintain his professional dignity. Karloff, bless him, remained adamant about not retiring but I still wish he had forgone those horrible Mexi-movies and left us with TARGETS as his swan song.

[RedRiver]

I believe I attempted DIE, MONSTER, DIE once and turned it off halfway through. Unless there's another "Nick Adams visits lonely estate and finds Boris" movie! Pretty dull.

[MikeBSG]

Yes, that was "Die, Monster, Die!"

One of my favorite Karloff performances of the Sixties is in "Black Sabbath" (1964) directed by Mario Bava. It is called "The Wurdulak," and Karloff plays a Balkan vampire who preys upon his own family. That has always been my favorite part of "Black Sabbath."

[Western Guy]

You're absolutely right, Mike. BLACK SABBATH is a goody. Still creepily effective after all these years and a perfect fright film to watch with the lights turned off on a dark and (perferably) stormy night.

I have the subtitled version on DVD, which I prefer over the English dubbed presentation, although it is quite jarring to hear another actor (who sounds nothing like Karloff) speak the actor's dialogue in Italian.

But the presentation is more effective on the subtitled disc as it gets the weakest tale out of the way first so you can settle down to real horror with "The Wurdalak" and "The Drop of Water".

Yet after all the chills that final shot in the movie has got to be seen to be believed!

[MikeBSG]

Today, my son and I saw "The Lego Movie."

It was good, and we had a good time. I don't think the movie is as wonderful as the critics had led me to believe. I found the main hero rather bland (although that may have been the point.) The movie picked up a lot for me when Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) showed up. He probably saved the movie for me, although I have to say that "The Lego Movie" is very cunningly plotted and the overall story moved the film into the plus category for me.

I don't want to say more to avoid spoilers.

The film looks great, and the Lego World idea is very cleverly done. It is an enjoyable movie.

[Rita Hayworth]

IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE(1958)

D: Edward L. Cahn. Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran, Dabbs Greer. The second spaceship to Mars heads for Earth with the sole survivor of the first expedition, accused of murdering his crewmates--but the real killer is a Martian monster (Ray "Crash'' Corrigan), which has crept aboard the returning ship. ALIEN owes a lot to this tidy, suspenseful, but underproduced movie, scripted by sci-fi writer Jerome Bixby.

[youtube][/youtube]

I really enjoyed this movie and it's pretty entertaining and Marshall Thompson, Dabbs Greer, Shawn Smith, and others did a great job making it real and suspenseful. It's one of the films that I feel it's holds up and as long that we've ALIEN fans around this movie will be great film to watch on a lazy afternoon at home.

[RedRiver]

This sounds like delightful, no budget fun! That Marshall Thompson was in some of the strangest movies!

[RedRiver]

Have we discussed Nicholas Meyer's wonderful TIME AFTER TIME? I haven't seen it lately, but I was thinking about it. This fun, clever, imaginative adventure is pure delight, from the opening scene in Victorian London to the very last moment. H. G. Wells, as presented by Malcolm McDowell, really invents a time machine and pursues Jack the Ripper to 1979 San Francisco. "Eight hours off!" Wells meets banker Mary Steenburgen, confronts the notorious slasher, and entertains the living hell out of the viewer!

This extremely creative thriller is cute, romantic and exciting. I remember telling somebody at the time that I liked it as much as any of the "serious movies" I saw that year! This is superlative storytelling.

[Rita Hayworth]

Count me as a fan of that movie Red River ... I loved that movie ... TIME AFTER TIME, it's a great story telling movie and rightly so.

[Brian McFadden]

This sounds like delightful, no budget fun! That Marshall Thompson was in some of the strangest movies!

Real fun movie, but you are so right Red about "No Budget!" Take a very close look at the film's "monster" below.
The suit was made for a small person to wear, but the role went to very tall (and by 1958, very fat) former Republic cowboy star Ray "Crash" Corrigan. The producers couldn't afford to have another suit made, but when Corrigan got into it his chin stuck out of the mouth. Now, again, look very closely. They simply painted his chin red and passed it off as a tongue. Ya' have to admit these low budget producers were pretty resourceful!

Taking it on the chin.

the amazing chin monster.jpg (219 KiB) Viewed 4212 times

[Rita Hayworth]

Godzilla - King of the Monsters - Raymond Burr

[youtube][/youtube]

It was on TCM this morning and I got up in time to watch this movie while doing a couple loads of wash today. I watched this movie pretty much on a yearly basis just like Wizard of Oz, Sounds of Music, Gilda, and couple other films as well. I know everyone here knows the story of this 1956 film that marked the beginning of countless sequels that delights fans across the world.

Now, there is a Godzilla Movie is coming out this year and I just amazed the longevity of one of the most recognized big screen monster of our times and its been around for nearly 60 years.