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Reviews
The Keep (1983)
May never see what Mann had in mind for THE KEEP
At times, THE KEEP is very atmospheric, foreboding and suspenseful, with solid acting by Ian McKellen and Jurgen Prochnow. Unfortunately, THE KEEP was a troubled production (its story should emerge in a KEEP documentary to be released in 2017). In short, weather conditions were difficult, Mann kept re-visualizing the film (especially its primary villain) during production, and worst of all, his head Effects expert, Wally Veevers, died during early post-production, leaving a number of key effect scenes unfinished. Paramount then refused further production monies, time for proper sound mixing, and edited the rough film's 210 minutes down to a "theater-friendly" 96 minutes, resulting in numerous plot holes. Paramount's brief theater release was followed by home video on VHS, but in part due to rights issues over the music (a moody yet haunting score by Tangerine Dream) has kept THE KEEP from an official Paramount DVD release. In recent interviews (also part of the upcoming documentary), Michael Mann showed little interest in revitalizing this film.
Milroy: Santa's Misfit Mutt (1987)
Interesting Buddy Ebsen and Ruth Buzzi curiosity
As I worked on the production, here's a little info: this production, in work for a number of years as apparently a personal project, was finished at a small startup company, Allied Visual Artists, located near Paramount studios and early SPUMCO in Hollywood. AVA did all the rostrum camera work using an Oxberry single column stand, 3-tube video camera, industrial 3/4" video tape, small video switcher, and a modified INOVION paint box system for creating a short digitally image sequence of a flashlight: the computer's cursor's in the left hand margins of that scene. Production lasted approximately 6 weeks and completed near the end of the 1980's. IMHO Buddy and Ruth did a good job with their voice work, and there's a certain amount of charm in this now obscure production.
200 Motels (1971)
Worthwhile for Frank's fans
Tony Palmer Films has reissued 200 MOTELS on DVD in "restored" form, with an interesting audio commentary from Tony that expands on how the film was produced and dispels some of the film's long standing rumors (ex: "the master tapes were destroyed" - Tony claims he still has them intact.).
Unfortunately, the film print used, while having decent color, suffers from restoration artifacts and is often dirty and scratched (why the video tapes themselves were not used to make a new print is unknown). The 2 channel mono audio's muddy and occasionally drops out on one side or the other. Occasional splices obliterate short sections of the film, including Ringo Starr's description of how he, as "Larry the Dwarf", attracts women.
Definitely worthwhile for Frank's fans who will again have access to this relatively obscure work.
The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! (2010)
Fans may like this, Newcomers probably won't.
This Movie expects the viewer to be familiar with DRAWN TOGETHER, otherwise most characters and interactions won't be obvious or at times make much sense. Technically the movie's as proficient as the original series, though at times FLASH animation shortcuts and/or use of After Effects stock effects are blatantly obvious. Rating-wise, an NC-17 or at very least a hard R seems appropriate. Story-wise, the movie tries to cram many gross acts and foul language between plot turns and a few genuinely clever comments or satires on other movies and/or characters. Tasteless and pointless were Captain Hero's sex acts with a dead woman, the "S__t in my mouth" monster, and the "crush" scene where the cast stamps out puppies and kittens (mostly but not always out of view). The commentaries add some interest, while the few deleted scenes show very little was cut from the finished product. The original series was sharper and funnier than this weak series wrap-up, which this viewer bought used and on the cheap.
Sabaka (1954)
Interesting if uneven example of Karloffs later work
Sabaka is the story of a young elephant trainer, Gunga Ram, who avenges the death of his family with the help of his elephant and tiger friends. In fact, the tiger, sent back to the jungle by Gungas' Maharajah mentor, is responsible for later saving Gunga from Sabaka (the fire god) worshipers. The film feels as if it were an Indian documentary (made mostly from stock footage) with the story hastily shot and grafted on top of it. While June Foray gets a fair bit of screen time as the evil Sabaka priestess, Karloff gets very little to do, and in most cases there's scant depth or subtleties to the characters. Worth one look for June's work and the stock palace shots (some of which are quite attractive despite the poor film quality). As a side note, the DVD packaging shows some stills which were apparently publicity photos, as the photos either do not appear in the film or are shot from an entirely different angle.
Cool World (1992)
Unfinished, but entertaining in places
This was one of Ralph Bakshi's final features, and done for a modest $28 million (peanuts compared to Disney and Bluth shows of the '90s). Though uneven and unfinished, it's worth checking out for its contemporary attitude and some good character interactions.
CW's plot concept is thoughtful at times, but has glaring holes (why does Frank Harris become a CW cop? How does he and Nails manage to miss Deebs going up to Hollie's room? etc.). Its secondary animations range from clever (fading "toons", a dancing hippo smoke cloud, bouncing bouncer, etc.) to gross (Slash using a cartoon cops' car as a urinal) to tiresome repetition (how many anvils/ax chases/fist fights were going on in the background? I lost count!). The main characters and their voice work range from touching (Frank, Lonnet and Nails in particular) to comic (Slash and entourage) to annoying (mostly Hollie Would). CWs' Music fits in quite well with the different moods of the movie.
Technically, COOL WORLD (CW) is very uneven (visible safety ropes on Brad Pitt/Frank Harris, badly aligned/out of sequence mattes, odd set changes (cars go from solid to flat painting and back again)). Some backgrounds are stunning (particularly Deebs first decent into CW) but are repeated Hanna-Barbara style in some pans. Some voice work is inconsistent (Nails, in particular). Some music's not synchronized well to action (the "slash club" where Hollie first makes her appearance).
Then again, compared to many (but not all) contemporary 2D animation works (2006 - 2016), CW looks pretty lavish, especially the ending sequence with Deebs becoming a superhero.
Be warned that CW's PG-13 is for crude language (no "f" word, though), suggestive themes, and cartoon violence. There is no nudity.
Rocketship X-M (1950)
Pioneering Film is no longer what it was visually
Although hampered by rushed production and low budget, Rocketship X-M remains a pioneering work that touches on important topics such as the danger of nuclear war.
Unfortunately, we can't seen the movie as originally filmed, for its current owner, Wade Williams, decided to add new effects sequences replacing the V-2 footage used for the original release. Fortunately, the new effects do not detract from the story, but make the film more seamless.
Also, the handling of the woman (referred to as a "girl" in the promotional material) dates the movie by mirroring the 50's era when the movie was made.
Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse (2001)
classic oldies, slapdash binder makes an uneven show
MICKEYS MAGICAL Christmas's nice bits are the classic DISNEYS' XMAS CAROL, an older short featuring Chip and Dale, a new sequence based on the classic Nutcracker Ballet (Ludrig Von Drake's a peppy spoiler), and a Donald Duck and Nephews "Holiday on Ice". The vocals for all sequences work well, and the music is tuneful and energetic.
Unfortunately, the overseas-produced animation for the scenes binding the shorts together is extremely uneven. Baby-boomer's will be surprised by the Princess's screen bits being some of the weaker animation Disney has released.
Fine for little children's holiday entertainment, but baby-boomer's may encounter some disappointments.