madahab Reviews

The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

Daffy fun from Ken Russell

[7/10 · 29 June 2022]

For anyone unfamiliar with the work and style of director Ken Russell this is probably not going to win him any new fans. But those of us who are this is a fun and daffy twist on the tired vampire genre. Phallic references abound, even the title can be interpreted as a double entendre. The story is fairly straightforward as it follows a group searching for the parents of one female character who have disappeared,which lead to a ancient snake cult. It's very silly and it's obvious that Russell took none of it seriously, discarding most of the Bram Stoker novel and keeping only the title. I've never read it so I cannot state if any elements from the source material were retained. The fantasy sequences are fun and might offend some more religious types-but Russell identifiedhimself as a Catholic. The cast is good, especially Amanda Donahoe as Lady Slyvia. It's not Russell's best film but it clear he was having fun with the film and it shows. This would make for a good double feature with his other horror related film Gothic. Highly recommended.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters! (1956)

Still a sentimental favourite

[6/10 · 25 June 2022]

I grew up on this version of Godzilla and it would be decades before I had the opportunity to see the original. Of course the Japanese version is the superior of the two but the Americanized version does have a few good moments. I actually prefer the opening of the latter. It begins with that slow tracking shot of Tokyo in ruins and Raymond Burr (as Steve Martin) hints at what caused tbis devastation. Given that this film was released a decade after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki it is this version that drives the theme home that this is more than just a monster movie. We see the survivors being cared for in makeshift hospital space, tested for radiation. These images might just as well be documentary footage of those events which laid to waste two cities. This is more serious than any other monster movie released at this time. Unfortunately it is the clumsily inserted footage of Burr that is the biggest problem. I imagine that to sell this to a wider American audience it was necessary to shoot these new scenes. Watching it now makes one cringe a bit. Burr often looks so out of place as he pretends to be involved with the action, gazing off into the distance whenever Godzilla is sited. Although not intentionally funny they make you chuckle. I cannot bring myself to hate this version as it played such a huge role in my youth.

The Day After (1983 TV Movie)

Terrifying

[6/10 · 25 June 2022]

"I don't know how World War Three will be fought," famously said Albert Einstein , "but I do know that World War Four will be fought with sticks and stones."

the Day After was a television event in 1983 and we watched as the effects of a nuclear war would have a devastating impact on humanity that it is unlikely to recover from for a very long time. It's a little slow to get started as we are introduced to the various characters, but once those bombs detonate it becomes a nightmare, especially when we witness being vaporized where they stood-they are the lucky ones. For those who survive the initial attack it is a hellish world where survival surpasses all other impulses. The film might have been more effective had it not cast so many familiar actors-it becomes very distracting after a while. A year after this film was released came the British version of the same story but it is vastly more frightening. I watched it recently and will never watch it again-that's how freaked out I was and it took days to get over it. The Day After suffers for its big names, big budget, and big effects. But it still has many good aspects and tries to show a world following these events.

Threads (1984 TV Movie)

Once is more than enough

[7/10 · 25 June 2022]

I never want to see this film ever again. It's not that it was bad, just the opposite, it was too effective. Being the British version of The Day After this was the better of the two films. What it lacks in scale, stars, and special effects, it makes up for in the most nightmarish images I've seen outside of a horror film. It actually benefits from having a cast that is unknown-at least here in America ,and it grounds the film in a reality that gets increasingly unbearable as the film progresses. It's focus is more on the breakdown of services once the nuclear attacks happen and whatever plans the government had to confront such an event falls apart quickly. I had to watch the film in increments of about thirty minutes or so and at times I seriously doubted that I wanted to finish it. It is truly terrifying. It's not a Mad Max post apocalyptic scenario but a culture hurled back into a primitive form of living as the effects of the radiation and the nuclear winter makes any attempts to harvest crops impossible. It days for these images to finally fade from my mind and I have absolutely no desire to revisit them.

Inland Empire (2006)

Done

[4/10 · 23 June 2022]

My appreciation for David Lynch had been to sharp decline since Wild at Heart and with the exception of the beautiful Straight Story I was losing my patience with his brand of pop surrealism. The last straw was Inland Empire. It was three hours of tedium and eye-rolling pretentious nonsence. The hipsters might be drawn to the abstract nature of the "story" but it was just a frustrating viewing experience from beginning to end. At the end I just thought: That's three hours of my life wasted. The only parts I liked were the excerpts from his Rabbits series and it had a certain tone similar to Eraserhead. But once it gets into the story of the film being made, an American remake of a Polish film that was allegedly cursed, it becomes a slog to sit through. Even the actors seem bored and confused by what's going on. Needless to say that I had no interest in any future Lynch project-even the return to Twin Peaks stirred no enthusiasm. His early films will remain classics but the rest is forgettable.

Betty Blue (1986)

Love and Madness

[8/10 · 19 June 2022]

I got to see Betty Blue (as it was known in America) at a local art theatre and absolutely loved it. It is a strange love story that gets darker and sadder as the story progresses, ending with a scene that makes me tear up every time I have watched it. Love and madness become inseparable between Betty and Zorg. He is failed writer adrift in life until Betty, a waitress who has just quit her job, pushes him into realising his dream of becoming a published author. She is singularly obsessed with this objective, which leads to funny and dark episodes. The characters are so charming that you genuinely want them to live happily ever after, but there is something deeply wrong with Betty that the film never fully explores and leaves ambiguous. It seems like even her love for Zorg is not enough to sustain her, and sees her sinking rapidly into madness. The third quarter of the film is deeply unnerving and Zorg's anguish at his inability to save Betty is palpable. I highly recommend watching the theatrical release and not the extended director's cut. At two hours it never wears out its premise, however the extended version runs an exhausting three hours, filling it with scenes that add nothing particularly new to the story.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007 TV Movie)

Very disappointing

[5/10 · 9 June 2022]

I had read the Dee Brown book several years ago and found it one of the most heartwrenching experiences. When I heard that it was going to be made into a film I was curious how it would be translated. It was a few years after its initial release that the opportunity presented itself. To say it was disappointing is an understatement. Instead of it being about the atrocities that befell the indigenous population it was a silly drama, with some historical tidbits thrown in periodically. It seemed like the white characters were getting more screen time than the natives. This was terrible. This was wasted opportunity to illustrate this horrible period of American history and the mass extinction of a race of people.

Death in the Seine (1989 TV Movie)

Disturbing and sobering

[8/10 · 9 June 2022]

Most of those who watch this film are going to very disturbed by the amount of nudity, both adult and adolescents, but it is never done in an exploitative nature. It more a sobering look at death and how lives become cold figures on a document at some point of our lives. Here two undertakers catalogue the belongings of each victim found in the famous river Seine and try to deduce from other scant evidence if they were victims of foul play or was it an accident. This one Peter Greenaway's more accessible films. At 43 minutes it never gets too repetitive. There is a tragic quality as each is stripped down to their most essential features. Towards the end the narrator remarks how quickly an individual is forgetten. It is a very sobering thought that no matter what we were in life it will be gone inside of a single generation.

Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition (1999 Video)

A total scam.

[1/10 · 6 June 2022]

I spotted this in a store and was under the impression that footage was being added to the original film. I leapt to the conclusion this was deleted scenes being restored. I couldn't have been more wrong. When I started to watch it and saw this "new" footage I knew that I (and many others)had been duped. What every fan of the George Romero classic have been dying to know is the backstory to the first zombie who attacks Barbara and Johnny in the cemetery. They could even be bothered to match the film stock and the new scenes are jarring. Since the original film has lapsed into the tender mercies of public domain anyone could distribute it, colorize it or anything they want. The new score is dreadful. Whatever flaws the original film has it is still a classic and , in my opinion, the best zombie film ever made. A one star review is far too generous. I cannot recall what I did with my copy- I either sold it or threw it away. Hopefully it has gone out of print and just viewed in disgust by fans of the original.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Initial reservations resolved

[10/10 · 20 May 2022]

When I heard a fourth Mad Max film was being made I was sceptical about Mel Gibson being replaced with Tom Hardy made me less enthusiastic about the film. Despite the former's fall from grace over the last decade he was still an iconic figure in the series. When the film played at the theatre where I worked I didn't give it much more than a passing glance and thought that it was obnoxiously loud. It would be over two years later when I caught a clip of the black and chrome version and was stunned by how beautiful it looked. I gave it a try. Despite my initial hesitancy to accept Hardy as Max those concerns quickly faded; he's fine in the role. But it was Charlize Theron as Furiosa that won me over. She says very little but the emotions play so vividly on her face and eyes. We are given very little about her origins,especially how she lost her arm but it's not necessary. Some who are going to be disappointed that Max is not much more than a secondary character in the film, which leads me to the question: Have you not seen the last two films. Max is only part of a larger story, much like The Man With No Name from the Sergio Leone Italian spaghetti films. There are scenes that are truly remarkable,especially one in which we see people on long stilts crossing a swamp. In the black and chrome version it resembles an illustration from any prog rock album cover of the 70's. I'm still unsure if this has surpassed The Road Warrior as my favourite action film.

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Grotesque

[4/10 · 11 April 2022]

I seldom get swept away by the hype surrounding a film but this is among those rare occasions. Sitting in a very packed movie theatre I watched the film with an open mind. In the late 80's I was genuinely moved by the Martin Scorsese film The Last Temptation of Christ and not even my own differing beliefs diminished its power.

The novelty that The Passion of the Christ was going to be spoken in language of that region and period intrigued me. It didn't take long before I understood the film's agenda and purpose, namely to revel in the torture and less on any positive messages. I thought the filming was very cheap looking at times and resembled one of those historical reinactments you would see on the History Channel,especially the final scene which almost caused me to burst out laughing.

Throughout the story Satan makes various appearances and I swear I thought that it was Madonna playing the part. Finally, I thought, they had found a role suitable to her limited acting range. Seeing barbed hooks tearing flesh was gruesome to an excessive level. Whether this is what actually transpired is irrelevant; there was no need to show this in such graphic detail and in close-up. But this was its sick objective. It felt like a great portion of its running time was spent dwelling morbidly upon the punishment being inflicted. Whether you are a believer or secular in your views watching a man being brutalized for a length of time as we see here it becomes sadistic. But it moved many to strengthen their faith, seeing the horrors their saviour endured in order to save humanity. Objective or neutral viewers might see it differently. I am in the latter group. Having grown up on horror films this was a brutal experience. Apart from the authenticity of the language and costumes I got very little from the experience. I recall a very tacky item being sold in association with the film in the form of a pendant shaped as a nail which had a bible verse on the back side. I imagine many bought it.

Welcome to L.A. (1976)

Boring, meandering, and pointless

[3/10 · 6 April 2022]

This feels like a film by someone trying to imitate Robert Altman and failing spectacularly. This was a struggle to finish and had to turn the sound down whenever one of those horrible songs played. It was ear bleeding drek that I was not sure was intended to be a parody of this "style" of music that stank up music world or if it was supposed to be good. I hated every single character, except for Sissy Spacek who is always a charming presence. She drifts in out of this "story". About midway through I just gave up. These were hopelessly boring and vapid people who were never interesting enough to carry a film. I am familiar with Alan Rudolph's films and found them vastly better than this one. Apart from a briefly topless Sissy Spacek it is a wholly forgettable film. Three stars is a generous rating. It is a film of its time and now looks pretentious and to enamoured with it's quirky nature.

ABC Afterschool Specials: It Must Be Love, 'Cause I Feel So Dumb (1975) Season 4, Episode 1

A lot of drama packed into thirty minutes

[8/10 · 15 March 2022]

This is one those programmes that left an indelible impression on me when I first saw it in '75. I was (depending upon the time it aired) was about 11 and connected with the character's awkwardness,especially when it came to girls. I was very happy to find it on YouTube and how well it still holds up. Alfred Lutter had a rather short acting career ,but he was quite good here as well as the Bad News Bears films as well as playing a young Woody Allen in the film Love and Death and was in the pilot episode of Alice, playing the character he plays in the Martin Scorsese film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

There is a particularly funny moment when he has invited a girl he has a crush on to a party but doesn't know how to dance, and takes a lesson. When the rest of the kids are dancing in a modern day style he begins a sort of ballroom dancing with the girl. It feels like something out of a Woody Allen film.

I cannot recall any other After School Special but I'm sure I watched them when they had an interesting . This one hit home and the passing of time did nothing to diminish the emotions. It their way they prepared me for adulthood and stated that it would not be easy but also offered hope as well. Within thirty minutes our young hero must confront some harsh realities. This was truly wonderful.

American Pop (1981)

A family epic

[8/10 · 2 March 2022]

This story could not have been told in a live-action format. The animation (or rotoscope style) enhances every aspect of the story and characters that live-action would just fail to achieve. There are many films I wish I could have seen in a proper cinema, American Pop is among them. It has the epic quality of The Godfather part 2, but set amongst a family whose male lineage is thwarted by one circumstance or another from realising their dream of success in the music industry. We are given just enough time with each character where we know them and are engaged in their respective stories before moving on to the next generation. Real and fictional characters blend at various points in American history. Some of the characters are more likable than others but they are always interesting. There is one sequence that, no matter how many times I have watched it still makes me tear up, is inspired by Janis Joplin and is set to her rendition of Summertime. This is "adult animation" at it's best. Ralph Bakshi took a form that was designed and targeted towards children and turned it into something more. Just writing about it makes me want to see the film again. There are too few of these films.

Eraserhead (1977)

The most original American film ever made

[10/10 · 7 February 2022]

On its surface the story of Eraserhead is reasonably simple. It takes us into the world of Henry who is on vacation from his job in printing (never going into any further details) and becomes aware that his girlfriend Mary has had a child despite such a short span of time. They marry (off screen) and she moves into his apartment with the "baby". It a horribly deformed creature that evokes both disgust and pity, resembling ET if it's limbs had been removed. The effect is quite stunning and has been a secret kept by Lynch and his crew these many decades. He has only stated that it was "born nearby". Married life does not suit Henry, nor being the father of a deformed child and begins to have adverse effects on both himself and his wife. Unable to tolerate the incessant crying Mary lives so that she can get a good night's sleep, leaving Henry and the baby. When it becomes ill Henry tends to it like a dutiful father. He had fantasies about a seductive woman who lives across the hall from him, even taking her into his apartment when has locked herself out of her own apartment. The baby watches as the two sink slowly into a milky pit in the middle of the bed. Henry is now trapped in the apartment. If he makes any attempt to leave the baby begins to howl. Soon he can no longer stand it and cuts open the bandages wrapped around its body and it unravels before his eyes. Henry is reunited with the woman who lives on a small stage behind the radiator. The screen goes white.

It is open to interpretation what any of this means. David Lynch has never offered any interpretation of his own and preferred that each viewer draw his/her own . He has been very coy and evasive whenever asked about the film and has only offered anecdotes about the filming but never reveals anything. I'm glad that he has never given his interpretation, saying only that it was "his most religious film" and that one bible passage he happened across tied the film together. Naturally he refuses to say what passage this was.

I had read about Eraserhead in various books about cult films but in an era before affordable home recording devices and streaming services it was difficult to find a way to actually watch it. Finally in the late 80's I was able to watch a VHS copy of the film. It was dark and a lot of details are difficult to see. It wouldn't be until decades later when Lynch released the film.on his own website that it became a very different experience. One can see the attention to detail Lynch put into creating this world. It took his four years to complete, having to periodically stop when money ran out. The crew were dedicated to seeing the project finished,especially actor Jack Nance sho sported that bizarre hairstyle for the duration.

It is a truly remarkable film. My banner of it being "the most original American film ever made" may be a bit hyperbolic but I have never seen anything like it. I have seen films by Surrealists like Luis Bunuel but in America Lynch is ( at the time) a true original. I eagerly anticipated each new film but in recent decades have found his works disappointing. I doubt that a modern audience will have the same reaction. It is a culture steeped in gore and extreme horror and Eraserhead might come across as quaint and perhaps even boring. Every so often I want to revisit this world of nightmares. Unfortunately it is the principle of diminishing returns that makes each viewing less special.

Lynch tells an anecdote about about how Stanley Kubrick gathered a bunch of people over to his house to watch his favourite film: Eraserhead.

The Walking Dead (2010–2022)

Meh

[5/10 · 21 January 2022]

I binge watched the entire first season in a single sitting and found it interesting but far from ground-breaking. It really adds nothing particularly new to the zombie genre that we haven't seen before. They're still slow-moving flesh-eaters with no potential than to follow the pattern set by the George Romero zombies in Night of the Living Dead, which I found far scarier than those in the series. The zombie make-up is better than the average zombie flick but the CGI blood splats when a zombie is shot in the head is embarrassingly bad and looks as if their heads are filled with motor oil. The cast is fine for the most part, but I never cared whether they lived or died, failing to engage me in their survival. When they got to the farm in season two I lost interest and stopped watching. There is one scene involving a zombie in a well that is exceptionally grotesque and, if you think about the scene itself, is quite ridiculous since the water is already contaminated and undrinkable whether they get the zombie out or not.

Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977)

Beyond stupid

[2/10 · 9 January 2022]

This might have made an amusing SNL skit as a parody trailer but even at five minutes the premise would have exhausted itself. Taking the central idea of a bed that consumes anyone who happens to sit upon it and expanding it to feature film length is an endurance test. As most people who heard about this from comedian Patton Oswald and when the opportunity arose to see this I couldn't pass it. To describe it as "the worst film ever made" is too much of an honour . It is insulting in its stupidity. What one wonders while watching this is the intention of the director (who had forgotten he even made this) was to make a serious horror film or was it supposed to be a comedy. It fails on both efforts. It is a tedious slog to get through and one viewing was more than enough. It doesn't even qualify as a so-bad-it's-good film. It's not hard to understand why this faded away into obscurity and was only released recently. Film preservation is a serious endeavour but in the case of Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (a serious contender for dumbest title ever) it should have allowed to rot away and never be seen again. This is not some hidden gem that never found its audience. We can only hope that the director never made anything after this.

Waking Life (2001)

The iguana bites those who do not dream

[8/10 · 5 January 2022]

There are only a handful of films that have evoked a WOW!! Reaction out of me and Waking Life is on that short list. It is a stunning experience for both the eyes and mind. Apart from two scenes it is a very positive film, which makes those two scenes out of place. The rotoscoped animation varies from sequence to sequence and some might find it (especially if they have issues with motion sickness) a little uneasy to watch. I was more absorbed in the topics of conversation and ideas that are rich throughout the film. Some may find the lack of a linear story or any sort of resolution a little frustrating but I think it would have diminished the film greatly if anything was explained. It is only tainted by the appearance of Alex Jones, yep, that Alex Jones. At the time of seeing in 2001 I had no idea who he was. Years later I was watching it and now the voice was very familiar. I read the credits and confirmed that it was him. This is my favourite sequence. In it he plays a variation of the "character" we've come to know on his show but here there is hopeful nature to his rantings. Despite this Waking Life is still a film that ignites my imagination. On the d DVD copy it has a feature which text appears on the screen when they characters are talking about a book or specific philosopher. I hope the Criterion Collection releases a blu-ray version.

The Snowman (1982 TV Short)

An instant holiday classic

[9/10 · 23 December 2021]

I saw this when it initially aired on HBO in 1982 and it immediately took its place among the classics of the Christmas season. I've seen both versions and the one with David Bowie will forever be the favourite. Even though the story takes place in England during an unspecified period of time it has a timelessness quality that can be appreciated regardless of one's own geographical location. Some may find the lack of any spoken dialogue (apart from the opening introduction) rather annoying but it requires no dialogue and the story is told wonderfully through its visuals. I have seen The Snowman many times over the subsequent decades and it still has lost none of its magic. The animation is stunning, especially the flying sequence, accompanied by the song Walking in the Air. The single most beautiful moment is when a whale is seen gliding beneath the surface of the ocean. After 40 years it still captures the imagination of this 57 year old kid.

Raging Bull (1980)

Brilliant but unpleasant

[9/10 · 20 December 2021]

The common logic in a film is that there is a character in which the audience can sympathise with and/or relate to, but as in many Martin Scorsese films we are given characters that are not very likeable, sometimes psychotic, and in the case of Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull a thug who is rotten to everyone in his orbit, including himself. It is a brutal story. Since we are never given any insights into his early life we don't know how he got yo such a place. He is a goon, but there a moments when you cannot help but feel sorry for him,especially after he takes a dive for a fighter of a lesser stature than himself, and then subsequently loses his boxing licence for a period of time. We feel his grief at haven taken this deal. Robert DeNiro does a brilliant job creating this character. We sympathize with his wife, played by Cathy Moriarty, as she absorbs a lot of his anger and frustration. But it is Joe Pesci as his long suffering brother stands out as being the voice of reason throughout the film, weathering his brother's wild fluctuations in behaviour. It is not a film that I watch very often but give it a viewing at least once a decade. It is stunningly beautiful and reminds me how much I wish there were more black and white films being made.

Oh, God! (1977)

Charming

[8/10 · 12 December 2021]

Even though I don't share the theological beliefs as the film it does not prevent from enjoying it whenever I watch it.

It was only recently that I finally read the source novel. Apart from changing the main character's occupation from a newspaper reporter to a manager of a supermarket the film is a faithful adaptation, with large portions of the dialogue lifted from the novel. However the god of the novel does not have the infectious charm of George Burns' interpretation. He steals every scene he is in, but John Denver holds his own and is quite good. I don't know why country singers make such natural actors. His scenes with George Burns never fail to put a smile on my face and are the highlights of the film.

The film will never be highly regarded for its cinematic quality and is shot in a very flat and dull style and oftentimes resembles a tv sitcom rather than a big-screen film. This is a minor quibble as it is really about the characters and the message our behaviour is leading us down a destructive path. Sadly this is a message unheeded by the faithful and the secular, each believing that something will save us at the the last minute. But god tells Jerry that he is in it "only in the big picture" and the details would disrupt the natural order of things. Jerry (and the audience) cannot understand why he cannot just toss out a few miracles. For a comedy is has some very heady questions that we are still struggling with.

I don't know what a modern audience would make of Oh, God! But I hope they give it a shot. It is certainly a product of its time period but is still quite funny.

Big Eyes (I) (2014)

Watchable

[6/10 · 5 December 2021]

First things first: The paintings of Margaret Keane are terrible. I understand that art is very subjective and this type of kitch art is not for me. But this is a serious detriment of the film to really engage me. Whether she has real talent is a matter of debate. I imagine some enjoy it and I was not on her side when a prominent New York Times art critic ripped her work to shreds. I agreed with him.

Had I not know otherwise I wouldn't have guessed that this was directed by Tim Burton. It his least "Tim Burton" film. This is both refreshing and its biggest drawback. It is as superficial as the paintings the film is highlighting. Apart from a fleeting moment when Margaret Keane is in a supermarket and sees several customers sporting her iconic "big lies" in a fantasy sequence it is very conservative in its style.

But with all that being said I kind of enjoyed the film. It's highly unlikely that I will ever see it again but I was never bored. It was primarily due to the performance of Amy Adams as Margaret Keane. Even though her character is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier there is a genuine quality to her passion for painting that keeps us invested. But then there is Christoph Waltz as Walter Keane, essentially the film's villain. I understand that films play fast and free with "true stories" but I cannot believe anyone would not see through this obvious con man. He plays the character like a silent film villain --all that was missing a comically large moustache to twirl and give an occasional exaggerated chuckle. There is really no nuances to either main character and we don't get much insight into their livrs apart from a very surface level. Madeleine Arthur as Margaret Keane 's daughter looks like a Keane painting come to life. Had this film been made about twenty years ago I imagine Christina Ricci would have been ideal casting.

I didn't hate the film despite all that I have written. It is primarily watchable for Amy Adams. I don't know what reaction the film got upon its initial release but I imagine that Amy Adams was singled out as being its best aspect. Emotions plays so subtly on her faces and eyes. It's admirable that Tim Burton attempted to branch out from his usual brand of films, away from terrible remakes and try something in the vein of Ed Wood (my favourite of his films), however the story is so underwhelming and doesn't have charm of Ed Wood that made us root for him despite a complete lack of talent.

Christmas Vacation (1989)

Disappointing

[2/10 · 3 December 2021]

My mother loves this film but I had no real interest in seeing it until it was available on YouTube and decided to give it a try. Disappointing is an understatement. I love the original Vacation film and have a very tenuous affection for the sequel, but this feels like something you'd see as a made-for-tv movie. Every sight gag is painfully obvious,especially one in which involves Clark lubricating the underside of a metal sled which then shoots across an absurd stretch of land. It is like something out of a bad cartoon. I doubt that it evoked a single laugh. It does have one genuinely moving moment between Clark and one of Cousin Eddie's children. It was sweet and sad and its emotions were sincere without having to be sappy or cheap manipulation on the audience. Had there been more of these heartfelt moments it might have been a better film. But we just get tired jokes at the expense of old people and sequences that are ridiculous. The original Vacation film had its silly moments but everything was grounded in some degree of reality. Being now a year since seeing Christmas Vacation I have very little memory of it and it didn't inspire me to want to see it again. My mother probably had her own personal reasons for enjoying the film but as an objective viewer it did little for me.

Fail Safe (1964)

Chilling

[7/10 · 23 November 2021]

It is hard not to compare Fail Safe with the Stanley Kubrick film Dr. Strangelove as they both address the same topic, namely the possibility that some event might trigger a nuclear war between the United States and Russia. In Strangelove is it a conspiracy nut and it Fail Safe it is a technical malfunction. But the similarities end there and they both take greatly different paths to illustrate the outcome were such an event to happen. Although Strangelove did begin as a straightforward drama it evolved into a dark satire about the failings of humanity to see the destructive power they possessed. Fail Safe is a straight drama and oftentimes feels like a filmed play. It rests on the performances of its ensemble cast, especially Henry Fonda as the president who must make very tough decisions and trying to keep the Russian government from retaliating. It has a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere, building steadily. Fonda and the entire cast give outstanding performances, but between the two films I think Strangelove is more effective in how it presents the situation and jabs at the callous and buffoonish behaviour of the various players and feels more true to life. Fail Safe feels a little stilted at times but holds up well . Given that this was released not long after the Cuban missile crisis it must have been a chilling revisiting to a time when we didn't know if there was going to be a tomorrow.

Targets (1968)

Chilling and relevant

[8/10 · 23 November 2021]

Some films have a timeless quality, capturing an aspect of the American character that linger long after their release. Targets, sadly, is still very much with us as it showcases the American addiction to guns and horror films. Here we have two storylines: One being an actor who knows that he is a relic of the padt and cannot compete with the real-life horrors, and the other being a young man who by all outward appearance looks like the kid next door but is in reality a ticking time bomb ready to go off and perhaps inspired by Charles Whitman. Each story is given equal time to give us a glimpse into their respective lives. Boris Karloff gives a great performance as Byron Orlock, weary of the Hollywood system and wants to return to England. This causes much anxiety with the studio and the director (played by Peter Bogdonovic) who has a new project for him. Knowing that this is among his final films and his declining health adds a layer to his character, looking very tired and fragile. I shan't spoil the story for anyone curious about seeing the film but in light of recent events all that transpires with the second story might send a chill down your spine. Not much has changed since '68 and this problem is very much with us. It had a very satisfying ending. This is a neglected gem that should be rediscovered. Being 53 years old has not diminished its power.