All posts by scottmet99

1972 Films, Gore, Horror, Horror-Camp, Independent, Independent Horror

The Gore, Gore Girls-1972

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The Gore, Gore Girls-1972

Director H.G. Lewis

Starring Frank Kress, Amy Farrell

Scott’s Review #12

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Reviewed May 14, 2014

Grade: B+

The Gore Gore Girls (1972) is a fun, late-night, campy horror film by the “Godfather of Gore”, H.G. Lewis.

An unknown assailant is hacking strippers to bits using very unusual methods. An investigator is hired to find out whodunit.

It’s an entertaining experience, and I love the way the whodunit is mixed with horror. I enjoyed the reveal of the killer.

Influenced by John Waters (even the music seems identical!), it’s a hearty viewing of wildness, merriment, and debauchery.

Comedian Henny Youngman appears, though he later denied being in the film.

The strippers are over-the-top and unique, and the investigator (sort of a Sherlock Holmes type) is wonderful to watch.

Quite a low budget, with the audio tough to hear at times and the video fuzzy, but this only enhances the fun.

Continuity errors for miles, but it hardly matters.

1970 Films, British, British Horror, Horror, Horror-Camp, Independent, Independent Horror, Slasher

Girly-1970

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Girly-1970

Director Freddie Francis

Starring Vanessa Howard, Michael Bryant

Scott’s Review #11

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Reviewed June 14, 2014

Grade: B-

Girly (1970) is an unusual British horror film about an affluent, clearly deranged family who kidnaps victims and forces them to become “members” of the family by participating in game-playing escapades for their delight.

The premise of the film is appealing and intriguing, and it’s unclear how it will play out. The family members (Mumsy, Nanny, Girly, and Sonny) are played with gusto by the cast but are never over the top.

My favorite is “Mumsy”, wickedly played by British actress Ursula Howells.

The film itself has a fairy-tale quality, with the sets of the house they share. The primary victim (a male gigolo) is a miscast (too old, not sexy enough). It begins a cat-and-mouse game of trickery, plotting the family against one another until the inevitable bodies pile up.

The film loses steam midway through, and its ending is unsatisfying.

Why are the victims not able to escape the vast property, which is weak (a 7-foot-tall flimsy fence??)?

“Curious” film that becomes a tad boring towards the conclusion.

1967 Films, Gore, Horror, Horror-Camp, Horror-Comedy

The Gruesome Twosome-1967

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The Gruesome Twosome-1967

Director H.G. Lewis

Starring Elizabeth Davis, Gretchen Wells

Scott’s Review #8

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Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: B+

The Gruesome Twosome (1967) is an offbeat treat, an extraordinary, super-low-budget horror film from influential director H.G. Lewis.

This film is an enjoyable, campy, midnight-movie type of experience. The acting is completely over-the-top and played for laughs, purposely.

It felt like watching a horror version of a John Waters film, and the atmosphere and acting style undoubtedly influenced Waters.

Shots were added to fill the running time to warrant a film release. KFC and Michelob products are featured, and one favorite scene is a sorority-type slumber party where the girls dance while eating KFC.

The seven-minute intro of the talking foam heads is wonderfully strange and not to be missed.

While campy, there is one intensely gruesome scene towards the beginning of The Gruesome Twosome (1967), and it is a must-see for cult horror and/or late-night film fans.

1960 Films, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Best Picture-Comedy or Musical Golden Globe Winners, Comedy, Drama, New York City, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Drama

The Apartment-1960

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The Apartment-1960

Director Billy Wilder

Starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine

Scott’s Review #7

Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: A-

The Apartment (1960) is another gem by Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard-1950, The Lost Weekend-1946).

This one is set in 1959 New York City, a setting and period I adore.

The black-and-white images effectively portray the loneliness and bleakness of the characters, who are all friendless, sad, and starved for love.

It questions social morality and getting ahead in the corporate world but goes from drama to romantic comedy with no sappiness.

Quite the contrary, as the film has dark moments of despair and angst.

The film influenced the television series “Mad Men”. As with most Billy Wilder films, there is a darkness of humanity, which is fascinating to watch.

Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are terrific, but their chemistry is lacking. Despite this, the film is still excellent.

The Apartment (1960) won the Best Picture Oscar.

Oscar Nominations: 5 wins-Best Motion Picture (won), Best Director-Billy Wilder (won), Best Actor-Jack Lemmon, Best Actress-Shirley MacLaine, Best Supporting Actor-Jack Kruschen, Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (won), Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Black-and-White (won), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Film Editing (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: 3 wins-Best Picture-Comedy (won), Best Director-Billy Wilder, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy-Jack Lemmon (won), Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role-Musical or Comedy-Shirley MacLaine (won)

1957 Films, Drama, Melodrama

Peyton Place-1957

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Peyton Place-1957

Director Mark Robson

Starring Lana Turner, Lee Phillips

Scott’s Review #6

Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: B+

Peyton Place (1957) is a scandalous soap opera, but it was made well.

The sleepy, seemingly wholesome, quiet New England town is captured well, but secrets lie within its white picket fences (don’t they always).

Topics such as adultery, rape, murder, and suicide are tackled.

I’m not entirely sure I agree with the slew of Oscar nominations it received that year (1957), but Hope Lange was the standout actor for me.

It reminded me of the syrupy prime-time soaps of the 1980s, but better written and acted than they were.

This is not intended to demean the film, as it is interesting, engaging, and dramatic, with good characterization. However, when analyzed, it is fluff—just good fluff.

Oscar Nominations: Best Motion Picture, Best Director-Mark Robson, Best Actress-Lana Turner, Best Supporting Actor-Arthur Kennedy, Russ Tamblyn, Best Supporting Actress-Hope Lange, Diane Varsi, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Cinematography

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture-Hope Lange, Mildred Dunnock, New Star of the Year-Diane Varsi

1953 Films, War

Stalag 17-1953

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Stalag 17-1953

Director Billy Wilder

Starring William Holden, Don Taylor

Scott’s Review #5

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Reviewed June 16, 2014

Grade: B

Stalag 17 (1953), a film by famed director Billy Wilder, tackles the theme of POWs during World War II.

This film reminds me of the acclaimed television show M*A*S*H (1972-1983) in that the comedy elements are similar (men in drag, a light subplot of one soldier’s obsession with Betty Grable).

However, this film is heavy on the drama side and a deep cynicism that network television shows cannot match.

A group of American soldiers is held in a POW camp by Germans. Somehow, the Germans realized an escape plan. A whodunit ensues to find out who the mole is and his motivations. Liberties are taken- I doubt the real German soldiers would be as lovely as the film depicts.

William Holden stars as the cynic of the camp and the likely suspect, but is he the culprit?

This film is a hybrid of other Wilder films- the cross-dressing theme in Some Like it Hot (1959) is depicted, and shades of the darkness of Sunset Boulevard (1950) (also starring Holden) appear.

The black and white are effective in eliciting the confinement of the camp.

It’s a quality film, though a predictable “seen this all before” element nagged throughout.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Director-Billy Wilder, Best Actor-William Holden (won), Best Supporting Actor-Robert Strauss

2013 Films, Adventure, Drama, Independent, Independent Adventure, Independent Drama

All is Lost-2013

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All is Lost-2013

Director J.C. Chandor

Starring Robert Redford

Scott’s Review #4

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Reviewed June 16, 2014

Grade: D

The accolades heaped on All Is Lost from 2013 escape me.

Some felt that this was Robert Redford’s late-in-life masterpiece.

I’ve never found him a great actor, and while he’s not horrible in this film, it is not the Oscar-worthy performance being bandied about.

Many actors would play this role better- Tom Hanks and Sean Penn come to mind.

Beyond the performance, the film leaves facets unexplained. How did he become shipwrecked? Why did ships pass by not noticing him? Who is he?

Much of the movie drags, and a feeling of having seen this film many times before kept gnawing at me. I do give the film credit for containing only one cast member.

But castaway and shipwreck movies have been around since the beginning. They all have the standard plot developments- broken equipment, sharks, and storms- which makes it quite contrived.

Fail.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Feature, Best Director-J.C. Chandor, Best Male Lead-Robert Redford, Best Cinematography

2014 Films, Adventure, Drama, Epic, Religious

Noah-2014

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Noah-2014

Director Darren Aronofsky

Starring Russell Crowe

Scott’s Review #3

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Reviewed June 16, 2014

Grade: B+

Learning that Darren Aronofsky, a very dark director (Black Swan-2011, Requiem for a Dream-2000, and The Wrestler-2008), would be tackling a religious film piqued my curiosity.

Those expecting an uplifting, happy film about “god” will be disappointed.

This film is generating controversy from the religious folks, which I find interesting, but nobody wants me to go off on a tangent.

The film tells the story of the biblical figure Noah and his quest to do God’s will through the signs he is given.

It takes incredible talent to make a film like this not seem silly, and Aronofsky, Russell Crowe, and Jennifer Connelly pull it off.

The film is quite dark, and at times Noah comes off as more of a madman than a savior.

The visual effects and the musical score are wonderfully effective.

Noah (2014) has a few plot holes but is a nice fantasy/apocalypse-type film.

2014 Films, Action, Adventure, Blockbuster, Super Hero

The Amazing Spider-Man 2-2014

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2-2014

Director Marc Webb

Starring Andrew Garfield

Scott’s Review #2

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Reviewed June 16, 2014

Grade: B+

Superhero movies aren’t my top genre (though, admittedly, I see many of them).

They are fun, popcorn-type films not to be over-analyzed or taken too seriously.

One thing that confuses me is the seemingly constant rebooting of the Spider-Man franchise and the forgetting of previous installments.

Wasn’t this series just made with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst not too long ago?

That said, the strongest part of this film is the undeniable chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, which is great to watch.

Sally Field adds life to anything she appears in.

The film’s most “human” parts are the best.

The special effects/CGI are admirable. I enjoyed how one “villain” is a close friend of Peter Parker’s, wonderfully played by Dane DeHaan. His character has many nuances.

The other villain, Electro, played by Jamie Foxx, is silly, and his story almost seems botched. His motivations are weak.

He hates Spider-Man and wants to destroy the city because of a contrived misunderstanding.

I don’t want to overanalyze The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014); it’s a fun, enjoyable summer film.

2013 Films, Action, Adventure

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire-2013

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The Hunger Games: Catching Fire-2013

Director Francis Lawrence

Starring Jennifer Lawrence

Scott’s Review #1

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Reviewed June 16, 2014

Grade: B-

I confess I haven’t read any of the Hunger Games books, so I am critiquing the film on its own merits only, with no knowledge of the books.

Interestingly, I graded the first Hunger Games (2012) film a B-, and I am giving this one almost the same grade for the same reason.

The first hour sets up the second hour, but it drags on unnecessarily. At times it’s slightly dull.

The meat of the film then takes off, and it’s quite good, though it still doesn’t completely hold my attention throughout.

First and foremost, Jennifer Lawrence is the best part. She has the charisma and likability to carry it off.

The chemistry between the two leads (Lawrence and Hutcherson) is there, so the couple is worth rooting for.

The third part of the triangle is weak (Liam Hemsworth has far too little screen time to make him a viable rooting factor).

Donald Sutherland is wonderful as the evil President, but Philip Seymour Hoffman seems to phone it in, and the character isn’t all that intriguing.

The mood of the film and visuals (fog, train sequences) are great because there is modern darkness, and the premise and wondering who will die next during the games are interesting.

The somewhat twist at the end was effective.

To summarize: nice characters/acting, great-looking film, mediocre story, and slow pacing in the first act.