chrisP-10 Reviews

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

finally a letter-boxed print

[28 November 2004]

alpha video just put this film out in a letter-boxed print. the quality is very good though the transfer is a little pixelly. but seeing this film in a letterbox print was a revelation similar to that i felt when i first saw the corman films in good

letter-boxed prints (when they came out on laser disc).

i loved this movie as a kid on TV. when i bought a public domain full-screen print of it on video, i wondered why i like it so much. seeing the film letter-boxed on DVD, i appreciate its power, as it did when i was younger.

the powerful desolation and bleakness of the first ten or so minutes of the film are multiplied by the widescreen depiction of empty streets with a few bodies strewn around. the vastness of the empty landscape is overwhelming.

there is a real artistry about the static compositions and the stark black and white photography. for example the shot of the mutant army slaughtering the

vampires while hunting for Vincent price really made me shiver in its

understatement, reminding me of war footage.

overall the understatement (no gore) of the movie creates an effectively tense atmosphere.

Vincent price (always a favorite of mine) is simply wonderful.

i give this nine out of ten stars.

Bride of the Monster (1955)

TWILIGHT OF A GOD

[13 November 2004]

AS others have commented on, BOTM is indeed a competent B-movie. After

seeing it on public domain video I was glad to buy the Image DVD which has

very good image quality. You can see the movie the way Ed Wood intended it.

The lighting is competent; the camera work is competent.

But what elevates BOTM to film nirvana is Bela Lugosi's performance as Dr. Eric Vornoff (sp?). To those who say that Ed Wood exploited Bela (including Bela Jr), I say, at least he didn't put Bela in white plastic go-go boots and give him no dialogue, like the director of The Black Sleep did.

Without exception Bela's performances are hypnotic. His strange intonation, his deliberate facial gesture, his gravitas -- he is always the magnetic center of his films. And BOTM gives a summary of his career -- the Dracula hands, the White Zombie hands -- and the pathos of his "I have no home" speech -- give his

performance a dimension most of his roles (though check out "Invisible Ghost" for another excellent role) lacked.

"Nuff said. I enjoy the delirium of Glen or Glenda? and Plan 9, but Bride of the Monster is Bela's show ALL THE WAY.

Cruel Intentions (1999)

THE FUNNIEST DANGEROUS LIAISONS EVER!

[13 September 1999]

I thought this movie was wickedly funny. I was pleasantly surprised by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Philippe, both of whom I consider marginally talented. Gellar was an evil delight; and Philippe's limitations as an actor (his monotone delivery and stiffness) seemed to suit the character well. Overall I thought it was a very effective adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons and a hoot to boot.