I Just Watched...

[EricJ]

"It Came From Outer Space" (1953)--Starring Richard Carlson and Barbara Rush.  Directed by Jack Arnold.

The movie was one of Universal's entries in the 3-D craze of the early 1950's.

 

Just watching it now in its pristine 50's-3D form on Blu3D.  (Yeah, remember when we said 4K was going to "replace" 3D?)

Universal tried to avoid paying out the license for the established 3D system in '53, invented their own, and came up with arguably a better system for "Came" and the Creature trilogy.

 

Lots of good disk commentary on how Jack Arnold (also of the Creature trilogy) was Universal's best B-scifi director of the post-Monsters 50's.

But I kept thinking "Where have I seen Richard Carlson before (aside from constantly mistaking him for Darren McGavin)?"

 

And then I remembered:  Frank "Dr. Research" Baxter's partner on the old Bell Lab films!  

How could I have forgotten "Hemo the Magnificent"?

[LornaHansonForbes]

The film is very intelligent science fiction. Joseph Gershenson gets screen credit for music supervision of these Universal flicks, but at least part of this score was composed by Herman Stein. Gershenson was lucky to have some up and coming composers under his wing, including a guy named Henry Mancini who did pretty well for himself (and also composed the score for Tarantula).

 

this is why i love this site, yes, the GERSHENSON name on something pretty much means it's a pastiche of other composers' work, usually a needle drop on some THIS ISLAND EARTH or CREATURE music or something from a Sirk film. 

[scsu1975]

Just watching it now in its pristine 50's-3D form on Blu3D.  (Yeah, remember when we said 4K was going to "replace" 3D?)

Universal tried to avoid paying out the license for the established 3D system in '53, invented their own, and came up with arguably a better system for "Came" and the Creature trilogy.

 

Lots of good disk commentary on how Jack Arnold (also of the Creature trilogy) was Universal's best B-scifi director of the post-Monsters 50's.

But I kept thinking "Where have I seen Richard Carlson before (aside from constantly mistaking him for Darren McGavin)?"

 

And then I remembered:  Frank "Dr. Research" Baxter's partner on the old Bell Lab films!  

How could I have forgotten "Hemo the Magnificent"?

Baxter also gives the opening "monologue" to The Mole People. The guy was an English professor ... what did he know about moles?

[TomJH]

The Ipcress File (1965) & Funeral In Berlin (1966) - Michael Caine plays Harry Palmer, a more down-to-earth British spy than contemporary James Bond, in these first 2 films in a series based on the novels of Len Deighton. These were produced by Harry Saltzman, one half of the team responsible for the Bond films, and many of the Bond film crew worked on these as well.

 

In The Ipcress File, Palmer is reassigned to a new department to help solve a series of kidnappings and murders of leading scientists. It leads to a conspiracy to create brainwashed killers. Nigel Green, Gordon Jackson, Sue Lloyd and Guy Doleman round out the cast. I was disappointed in this first entry, as I felt there wasn't much to the story. There's a double agent, of course, but his/her identity should be evident to most viewers fairly early. There's also little in the way of character development, and if it wasn't for Caine's easy, natural charm, even Palmer would see like a cardboard cut-out. The film also looks dreary, although this may be due to the condition of the print TCM aired. Sidney J. Furie directed.

 

Funeral In Berlin finds Palmer sent to West Berlin to help facilitate the defection of a major East Berlin security official (Oskar Homolka, hamming it up as always). Throw in a beautiful Israeli (Eva Renzi), a lighter comic touch, and the usual cross/double-cross spy shenanigans, and you have a more engaging film. The print shown was pristine, as well, so the visuals were more appealing. Guy Hamilton directed.

 

The Ipcress File 6/10  and  Funeral In Berlin 7/10

 

I watched the third film in the series, 1967's Billion Dollar Brain, sometime last year, so I didn't rewatch it during the Palmer marathon. I gave that one a 7/10, too.

 

Source: TCM

 

I enjoyed The Ipcress File quite a lot. The opening scene, dealing with the mundane minutiae that goes with Harry Palmer stumbling out of bed in the morning and making his coffee, tells you immediately that this will not be another James Bond clone spy drama.

 

Unlike yourself, Lawrence, I couldn't tell who would be the double agent early in the film, though I did get a kick out of the stiff upper lip cold as iceberg Brit spy bosses played by Nigel Green and Guy Doleman. Caine was excellent (no surprise). I never did figure out exactly what the ipcress file itself was (another McGuffin?) but I didn't much care either.

 

I look forward to viewing Funeral in Berlin, which I recorded off TCM. Glad to hear it was a nice looking print.

[LornaHansonForbes]

Baxter also gives the opening "monologue" to The Mole People. The guy was an English professor ... what did he know about moles?

 

 

That to find them, one has to go

 

down

       down

down...

[TomJH]

"Robinson Crusoe On Mars" (1964)--Starring Paul Mantee, Vic Lundin, and Adam West, directed by Byron Haskin.

 

 Some shots are obviously on a soundstage. 

 

Personally I'm looking forward to the time when a film about Mars will actually be filmed there.

 

Flash Gordon serial fans, in particular, will be interested to know if there actually are Clay people there waiting to greet the film crew.

 

 

"Any need for extras?"

[LawrenceA]

I enjoyed The Ipcress File quite a lot. The opening scene, dealing with the mundane minutiae that goes with Harry Palmer stumbling out of bed in the morning and making his coffee, tells you immediately that this will not be another James Bond clone spy drama.

 

Unlike yourself, Lawrence, I couldn't tell who would be the double agent early in the film, though I did get a kick out of the stiff upper lip cold as iceberg Brit spy bosses played by Nigel Green and Guy Doleman. Caine was excellent (no surprise). I never did figure out exactly what the ipcress file itself was (another McGuffin?) but I didn't much care either.

 

I look forward to viewing Funeral in Berlin, which I recorded off TCM. Glad to hear it was a nice looking print.

 

Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood for The Ipcress File. I wasn't expecting a Bond-style romp, but I was bored with it all the same. I laughed during the "torturous" brainwashing scene, featuring pulsing abstract images projected on a wall accompanied by bizarre electronic noise. I used to willingly do that myself while enjoying some hallucinogens back in my younger days!

 

My favorite scene was probably the conversation between Palmer and his boss while in the supermarket. Some good dialogue, and seeing the can of "prawn curry" was nauseating/humorous.

 

"Beefaroni? Extraordinary!"

[TomJH]

Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood for The Ipcress File. I wasn't expecting a Bond-style romp, but I was bored with it all the same. I laughed during the "torturous" brainwashing scene, featuring pulsing abstract images projected on a wall accompanied by bizarre electronic noise. I used to willingly do that myself while enjoying some hallucinogens back in my younger days!

 

My favorite scene was probably the conversation between Palmer and his boss while in the supermarket. Some good dialogue, and seeing the can of "prawn curry" was nauseating/humorous.

 

"Beefaroni? Extraordinary!"

 

I thought the torture scene was technically the most dated part of the film, nor did I find it frightening at all. Caine helped to keep the film together for me.

[scsu1975]

That to find them, one has to go

 

down

       down

down...

“What’s inside this globe? What is there beneath our feet as we stand on the earth? No one knows, of course. Primitive man, going into caves, reaching back and back and down and down wondered what lay beyond, and in terror he fled out. Dante, the great Dante, saw a great cone-like cavity stretching down into the very center of the earth … strange, strange, questing mind of man that tries to find answers to things that he can’t understand.”

[Fedya]

But I kept thinking "Where have I seen Richard Carlson before (aside from constantly mistaking him for Darren McGavin)?"

Perhaps you saw him romancing Lucille Ball in Too Many Girls or dancing with a young Lana Turner in Dancing Co-Ed?

[Hibi]

Or All About Eve or The Little Foxes..........

[film lover 293]

"Conquest of Space" (1955)--Produced by George Pal, directed by Byron Haskin.

 

Took me four tries to make it through this muddled space opera.

 

Nice special effects by Pal, and a good musical score by Van Cleave don't save this mess of a movie.  Films' script insists it's mans' duty to explore space, then turns on a dime and says it's a sacrilege to explore space.  The clip that's from "Bring On the Girls" (1953) just made me wish I had watched a different film.  Movie is just about a massive collective case of cabin fever and who will crack up first.  

 

When you've seen everything else Pal produced, check this out.  2.3/4  

[Janet0312]

"Conquest of Space" (1955)--Produced by George Pal, directed by Byron Haskin.

 

Took me four tries to make it through this muddled space opera.

 

Nice special effects by Pal, and a good musical score by Van Cleave don't save this mess of a movie.  Films' script insists it's mans' duty to explore space, then turns on a dime and says it's a sacrilege to explore space.  The clip that's from "Bring On the Girls" (1953) just made me wish I had watched a different film.  Movie is just about a massive collective case of cabin fever and who will crack up first.  

 

When you've seen everything else Pal produced, check this out.  2.3/4

This one always makes me laugh, especially Phil Foster calling out, "ROSIE!" and the dial indicating "Space Speed". Gotta love it.

[film lover 293]

"The Swimmer" (1968)--Starring Burt Lancaster, Marge Champion, and Janice Rule.

 

Allegorical film based on the John Cheever short story has Ned Merrill (Lancaster) swimming his way home through a series of neighbors pools in suburban Connecticut.  At each pool, the viewer learns something bad or good about Merrill and his past, and what brought him to his current state.

 

Cinematographer David Quaid (he also shot 1968's "Pretty Poison") sets the mood of the film.  At the beginning, all is sunny and the pool is bright and clear.  As the viewer learns about Merrills' past, the photography grows darker and darker. There are two shots that are almost exactly the same; the one near the films beginning makes Lancaster look about twenty; the one toward the end of the film makes him look about seventy.

 

Lancaster acts without seeming to act, if that makes sense.  He is very good.  Janice Rule, as a past mistress of his, is excellent.

 

Marvin Hamlisch contributes an emotional, lush score for one of his first credits.  Look for Joan Rivers and Kim Hunter.

 

Unusual film is very much worth a watch.  3/4.

 

Source--archive.org.  Search "ThSwmr1968".

[TomJH]

"The Swimmer" (1968)--Starring Burt Lancaster, Marge Champion, and Janice Rule.

 

It's been years since I saw The Swimmer but I recall becoming increasingly intrigued by this man's swimming pool journey as that trip started to turn darker. Burt is excellent in the lead and, at age 52, in the kind of physical condition most of us dream of being in when we're 30. The ending of the film haunted me for some time.

 

I have this film on DVD somewhere. Your review makes me think it's time to start digging and hunt it down, film lover.

 

[NipkowDisc]

It's been years since I saw The Swimmer but I recall becoming increasingly intrigued by this man's swimming pool journey as that trip started to turn darker. Burt is excellent in the lead and, at age 52, in the kind of physical condition most of us dream of being in when we're 30. The ending of the film haunted me for some time.

was he a time traveler who mentally regressed back in time one sunday afternoon?

[NipkowDisc]

Umberto D, a very sad film but does he ever find a cheap flat for him and his dog flike?

[cigarjoe]

Lona (1964)

 

 

Director Russ Meyer (Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970). At 20 he served during World War II as a U.S. Army combat cameraman for the 166th Signal Photo Company. After the war, he started out making industrial films, much like Herk Harvey (Carnival Of Souls (1962). Meyers also freelanced as a still photographer and became a well known glamour photographer doing some of the first spreads for Playboy magazine. Meyer is now well known for writing and directing a series of very successful sexploitation films that featured campy humor, sly satire and ridiculously large-breasted women. To quote wikipedia... 

 

"His first feature, the nudist comedy The Immoral Mr. Teas (1959), cost $24,000 to produce and eventually grossed more than $1 million on the independent/exploitation circuit, ensconcing Meyer as "King of the Nudies."" 

 

Hey these ex GI's went through the hell of WWII, if they got their kicks making sexplotaion films after the war they earned the right to do it. 

 

What brings us to Russ Meyer is the film Lorna, his first feature to abandon the "nudie cutie" formulaic style, for more serious fare with a dramatic storyline and some very stylistically Noir sequences. Meyers referred to this film as part of his "rural gothic" period. Meyer described the film as "a brutal examination of the important realities of power, prophecy, freedom and justice in our society against a background of violence and lust, where simplicity is only a facade." Yea all that and a femme fatale with a rack like the front end of a '56 Caddy. ;-) 

 

Fuller review here in Film Noir/Gangster board and with some NSFW screencaps from the Something Wild DVD here: http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2016/12/lorna-1964-big-****-noir.html

[scsu1975]

The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933)

 

Ok entertainment, but cornball ending.

 

Myrna Loy is absolutely radiant in this, as the main squeeze of gangster Otto Kruger. Max Baer plays a bouncer who chases after Loy, and catches her. Walter Huston plays a has-been boxing manager who eventually gets Baer a title shot against Primo Carnera. Some former boxers have cameos.

 

Along the way, there are trials and tribulations as Baer cheats on Loy. How long will she put up with this? That’s the gist of the film.

 

Huston is quite good, although during the climactic boxing match, he looks like he is suffering from reefer madness. Kruger is also very good, when he is not trying to talk out of the side of his mouth like a tough guy. Baer is okay, likable at times, but a bit stiff here and there.

 

Lowlight of the film occurs when Baer, surrounded on stage by a bevy of beauties, sings “Lucky Fella,” and does some kind of workout/musical number which goes on forever. The only thing missing was The Village People.

 

Best line of the film occurs when the radio announcer mentions all the celebrities in attendance at the fight, and notes that “Kate Smith is occupying seats one, two, and three.”

 

 

This is what really goes on in a ring corner.

[scsu1975]

 

Night World (1932) youtube

 

Quickie pre-code, without much of a plot, but still entertaining in a bizarre way.

 

Boris Karloff runs a nightclub, unaware that his wife and one of his employees keep ducking into a closet for some reason … wink wink, nod nod. Lew Ayres plays a drunken customer; his mother (Hedda Hopper) killed his father because she thought he was fooling around. Mae Clarke, who sings/dances at the nightclub, takes a shine to Ayres, which ticks off her current suitor (George Raft). There is a running gag involving the doorman (Clarence Muse) trying to phone his wife, who has been hospitalized.

 

This is essentially it. The film takes place over a few nights, so don’t expect a soap opera. Jack LaRue shows up as a torpedo, Robert Emmett O’Connor plays a cop for the one millionth time, Byron Foulger plays a really, really, really gay customer, and Louise Beavers is onscreen for all of about five seconds.

 

It’s interesting that the New York State censor board ordered some dialogue and scenes removed (notably at the climax), but the lines and scenes were intact in the version I saw.

 

Clarke is perky, adorable, and looks very cute in shorts. Muse comes off best as the most tragic figure in the film. The ending is crazy. Worth a look.

 

[TomJH]

The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933)

 

 

What is of unique historic interest about this film is that it ends with a fight for the heavyweight crown between Max Baer and Primo Carnera. The year after this fight was made the same two men would fight for real, with Carnera putting his heavyweight title on the line (and losing it) to Baer.

 

[scsu1975]

What is of unique historic interest about this film is that it ends with a fight for the heavyweight crown between Max Baer and Primo Carnera. The year after this fight was made the same two men would fight for real, with Carnera putting his heavyweight title on the line (and losing it) to Baer.

 

That was a pretty well staged onscreen fight ... up until Baer starting yelling "Yo, Adrian!"

[cigarjoe]

Too Late (2015) A "Tarantinian" Neo Noir

 

 

Neo Noir is alive and doing well.

 

Too Late is a surprisingly brilliant addition to the Private Eye & Neo Noir Pantheon. This film passed well under practically everyone's "noir-dar" when it was debuted on March 18, 2016 in Los Angeles, California, followed on the 25th in New York City. With all the current zeitgeist going towards blockbusters, "celebrities" and oscar bait, and this having an extremely limited release, hardly anyone has seen much less heard of this fantastic modern take on Noir.

 

The film was directed and sharpley written by Dennis Hauck, the cinematography was by Bill Fernandez, and has an eclectic smorgasbord of music by Robert Allaire. Upon first viewing you'll see obvious nods to Sergio Leone's narrative style from Once Upon A Time In America that Tarantino homaged in Pulp Fiction. This is coupled with some intelligent and, if you pay attention, clue filled dialog vis-à-vis again, Tarantino. It also uses split screen in some sequences (Marlowe (1969)) and is loaded with other subtle noir and film references, i.e., an interesting off beat quote from Altman's Short Cuts (1993). There are probably more. The film was shot not only in 35mm Techniscope, but also in five Acts, twenty-two minute individual takes, with no hidden cuts or other editing.

 

Too Late is at the moment available on Netflix streaming. If I have to point out any minuses I would say it could have used a bit more outdoor location footage, but that's me. A thinking man's Noir 9/10. 

 

Full review with some screencaps here on Film Noir/Gangster board.

[film lover 293]

"Parnell" (1937)--Starring Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, and Edna May Oliver.

 

Historical biography of Irish leader Charles Parnell (Gable) and his affair with Katie O'Shea (Loy) is destroyed by overly solemn pacing by director John Stahl and a tentative performance by Gable. 

 

A minor example of the pacing:  in one scene, Loy plays a duet from Don Juan at the piano--a light, flirtatious piece that Kathryn Grayson and Frank Sinatra later sang in "It Happened In Brooklyn" (1947).  The pace at which Loy plays it, it might as well be a funeral dirge.

 

Gable seems to be moving through molasses, his personality smothered in deference to his part.  He is miscast/misdirected/both.  My guess is both.  Loy does as well as possible: she makes the film watchable.  The minor battles between Edna May Oliver, as Aunt Ben, and Billie Burke, as Clara, are delights and are the best things in the film.  Look for George Zucco.

 

One of the 50 worst films of all time?  No.  A missed opportunity?  Yes.  1.8/4.

[LornaHansonForbes]

"Parnell" (1937)--Starring Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, and Edna May Oliver.

 

Historical biography of Irish leader Charles Parnell (Gable) and his affair with Katie O'Shea (Loy) is destroyed by overly solemn pacing by director John Stahl and a tentative performance by Gable.

 

A minor example of the pacing: in one scene, Loy plays a duet from Don Juan at the piano--a light, flirtatious piece that Kathryn Grayson and Frank Sinatra later sang in "It Happened In Brooklyn" (1947). The pace at which Loy plays it, it might as well be a funeral dirge.

 

Gable seems to be moving through molasses, his personality smothered in deference to his part. He is miscast/misdirected/both. My guess is both. Loy does as well as possible: she makes the film watchable. The minor battles between Edna May Oliver, as Aunt Ben, and Billie Burke, as Clara, are delights and are the best things in the film. Look for George Zucco.

 

One of the 50 worst films of all time? No. A missed opportunity? Yes. 1.8/4.

 

You made it through the whole thing? Keeripes! make sure you stay away from sharp objects and don't operate any heavy machinery for the rest of the weekend.