Stephen King films you missed...

The Halloween season is upon us once again, and you know what that means – it’s time once again to resume my annual tradition of posting a bunch of bunch of reviews of movies in the spirit of the season.

If we accept that Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft were primarily known for their short stories, then the most successful American horror novelist would have to be Stephen King.

Following the smash success of Brian DePalma’s adaptation of Carrie in 1976, nearly every available King property was being snapped up for the big screen treatment. By the early 80s they were flooding into theaters. 1983 alone saw the release of no less than 3 feature films and a few shorts based on King stories.

While Carrie and The Shining are justifiably considered classics, let’s take a look at a couple of the lesser known & discussed King films from that time.

One problem in discussing ‘horror’ films of this era is that we don’t really think of these things as horror movies anymore. Boris Karloff thought that the name ‘terror film’ was more appropriate for the genre since the goal isn’t always to horrify (today’s ‘horror’ movies heavy reliance on shock value aside) but to terrify. The horror genre changes from decade to decade, and while gore and startling scares may be the norm now, there are other types of horror films…

Take, for example, The Dead Zone.

This is an understated, low budget, haunting film that catches King, director David Cronenberg, and actor Christopher Walken all at the top of their games. Walken plays a teacher who develops precognition. But, far from being a blessing, he finds the power is a curse as his life slowly disintegrates. By today's standards, this low budget film would probably be relegated to Movie of the Week status, but that doesn't diminish its power. Definitely worth checking out if you are interested in something that is more thought provoking than the average horror movie.

At the other end of the spectrum from the thoughtful and introspective The Dead Zone is John Carpenter’s Christine.

This is a deliberate non-thinking movie. But, with a tagline like, ‘Body by Plymouth, soul by Satan!’ you pretty much know what you’re in for. It’s a popcorn film, pure and simple. We’ll have no complaints from the peanut gallery about the hows or whys – look, it’s an evil car that kills people, that’s all you need to know. Expect incredible cheese. Expect that everyone’s attempt to escape the killer car involves running down streets and alleys, never into buildings, through the woods, or even just up a flight of stairs, and you’ll not be disappointed. Toss in a fun, loveable rock and roll soundtrack, and the always-awesome Harry Dean Stanton in a minor role, and you have a movie custom made for six packs and drive-ins.

Before you go see 'Let Me In'...

Let me just say I expect this will be like 'Quarantine' was to '[REC]' - like 'The Ring' was to 'Ringu', what 'The Grudge' was to 'Ju-On', etc. etc.



Which is basically to say that Hollywood doesn't get that what makes these movies great has a lot to do with the [i]culture[/i] they are set in.



Seriously, this remaking of foreign films because Americans are too lazy to read subtitles is even worse than the 'we must make everything 3D' trend.



SO... for those of you EVEN THINKING about seeing 'Let Me In' - you had better have already SEEN 'Let the Right One In', or you're going to be ruining a fantastic experience.



For those who missed it - my review of the original Låt den rätte komma:



A tender little coming of age story about first love ...and the vampire next door!



Since the beginning of film history, every decade has one or two really good vampire films that stand out. But the genre seemed to peak in the 1980s and has been on a steep downward slide ever since. The 90s produced only a few, and just when it looked like we were going to get all the way through the 2000s without any really standout candidates... along comes 'Let the Right One In'...



Oskar is an introverted school kid, bullied by his classmates, and misunderstood by adults. One night he meets Eli, his next door neighbor who is also a bit of a misfit. Slowly they begin to understand each other on a level that no one else ever has. Alternately through scenes both gentle and horrific, the film lets us know that putting trust in just anyone can be fatal, but when trust is earned... when you let the right one in... your life can change forever.



Despite all the media hoopla about last year's blockbuster 'Twilight', the creators of that film could learn a truckload about love, adolescent angst, and vampires from this film. 'Let the Right One In' eschews all the slick polish and prettiness of Hollywood films like 'Twilight' and 'Underworld' in favor of an honest real looking world full of human frailty. In some ways it does for the vampire story what 'Ginger Snaps' did for the werewolf tale.



'Let the Right One In' is a great reminder that it's what's on the inside that counts. Especially if what's inside contains the RDA of hemoglobin!



Highly recommended.

The Trials of Henry Kissinger

The Trials of Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger is by far one of the most interesting political figures of the 20th Century. Much like former President Richard Nixon, under whom he served, Kissinger is both a brilliant political strategist, but in addition to that – or perhaps because of it – inhabited throughout his career many morally grey areas.

The Trials of Henry Kissinger is a documentary that examines recent charges that the former Secretary of State engaged in activities that would be considered war crimes under international law.

Eugene Jarecki’s documentary was inspired by, and takes its name from the book ‘The Trial of Henry Kissinger’ by Christopher Hitchins. Not having read that book, I cannot comment on it. I will however say the film itself both includes interviews with Hitchins as well has his detractors, so bias is no greater than any other documentary. The film lets the viewer make up their own mind about the situation, including interviews with those who support Kissinger’s policies. It’s pretty clear that while the majority of the film speaks toward the premise of Kissinger as war criminal, that is mostly because Kissinger himself has had the minutes of the majority of his meetings concerning the primary incidents either destroyed or sealed until 5 years after his death.

Regardless of the outcome of his policies (and totally leaving aside for a moment their legality), one can see that they were clearly shaped by a profoundly logical mind; and herein lies the challenge in analyzing and passing judgment on him. There is no question that Henry Kissinger was Machiavellian in his approach to international relations, but isn’t that what’s called for in a National Security Advisor? Is it also what’s called for in a Secretary of State? Is it even extricable from politics itself?

see the trailer

The problem with Machiavellian types is that they tend to apply the same techniques toward consolidating their own power for themselves as they do in their work as Civil Servants for the people. An idea which at it’s very core is un-American, and which for one such as Nixon proved more disastrous as his own personal paranoia grew. But for Kissinger, who managed to keep his wits about him through his work for multiple administrations (and perhaps in his post political lobbying career) it has allowed him to keep doing the work – some would say damage – he has been doing for most of his life. Or maybe he was just better at not getting caught. There is no question that Kissinger was a corrupting influence within the Nixon Administration, but as with all presidents, we expect them to weigh the advice of their advisors and act responsibly regardless of the advice of their advisors.

To this day there has never been a successful prosecution of a head of state anywhere in the world for war crimes. Nuremburg succeeded merely in providing relatively minor sentences to minor players in the Holocaust, but none of the major architects of the genocide ever saw their day in court. Likewise, from Pol Pot to Idi Amin, from Bosnia to Rwanda – the leaders of these massacres have never been brought to justice, despite the best attempts of the International community. It has been 65 years since the end of WWII and not a single head of state has ever been executed for war crimes by an international court (why do you think Saddam Hussein was tried in Iraq and not the Haig?).

Why is that? The Trials of Henry Kissinger may provide some answers.

Echoing Nixon himself, who said in the famous Frost interview regarding the Huston Plan, ‘but when the President does it, it is not illegal’, Kissinger has come out against the very idea of war crimes trials saying that ‘heads of state often have to choose between two evils’.

The Trials of Henry Kissinger is a thought-provoking documentary, which while focused on the career of one individual raises questions about power and responsibility in general. A must see for anyone interested in global politics.

Keep posting?

I was out of the country for awhile, but I'm back now and wondering if I should pick up where I left off.

Movie reviews in a blog was a bit of an experiment.
I got lots of readers in various other places - Amazon, imdb, Netflix, Facebook, etc.

This seems to get the least traffic, but I like that it's just devoted to the reviews.

But do you guys care?
Are you still interested?

I have many more obscure and mainstream titles that I've reviewed, I'd be happy to post them, if there's anyone out there who actually cares.

So let me know - if even 1 person is still reading

Alice in Wonderland - the Versions You've Never Seen

Alice



Czech animator Jan Svankmajer’s trippy Alice, may only claim to be “inspired” by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but it’s actually closer to the text than you might think if all you’ve ever seen are stills photos of this obscure gem. While this stuff is nightmare fuel to be sure, when you get down to the brass tacks and marmalade, it’s actually more faithful to the absurdity and dark wit of the original than the sugary-sweet Disney version and it’s imitators.
Highly recommended.

Phoebe in Wonderland




Here’s a great Alice in Wonderland inspired tale that was nominated for a few minor festival awards, but never won any. Which is a shame, because Elle Fanning gives an Oscar-worthy performance as the title character a little girl who has difficulty following the rules - but why? That’s the mystery at the heart of the story. But it’s not just Phoebe’s story, it’s also the story of her parents (Felicity Huffman and Bill Pullman), who are embattled by Phoebe’s problems, and the baffled school administrators and counselors who try to deal with this problem child. But one misfit drama teacher (Patricia Clarkson) may hold the key, in the form of a school play – Alice in Wonderland.

Probing the line between creativity and mental illness, with seamless blurring of fantasy and reality ala The Fisher King, this movie is a masterpiece. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Religion on Film

Religion on Film

Someone once said, atheists make the best religious films, and there may be some truth to that. The problem with most religious films made by the faithful is that they are either church-lady style “fast track” to heaven films where the filmmaker lionizes some religious figure, totally whitewashing any possible misdeeds and creates a boring, one dimensional, 3 hour sermon on celluloid. Or, they create a film made to appeal to a religious market with all the edicts of that market – anything controversial avoided (safe for the kiddies) – and/or based on religious tenets that make no sense to outsiders.

Here are a couple religious films that I think do a good job.




The Jesus of Montreal

A group of actors put on a Passion Play in Montreal. But not being religious himself, the director relies on historical sources and archaeological data for his script. The play grows enormously in popularity, but also angers church and city officials. Ultimately, through his play and through his life, he does a better job of representing Christ’s teachings that the hypocritical powers-that-be.





The Message

This film about the birth of Islam is a grand epic in the vein of The Ten Commandments. It was made in accordance with Islamic law, so Mohammad is never shown – but the filmmakers do a very good job of telling the story without showing the prophet.

Anthony Quinn does a great job as Hamza, one of the leaders of the new sect. It also features some of the best large-scale desert battle scenes since Lawrence of Arabia.

Old Fashioned Serial Killer Films

We tend to think of serial killers as a fairly modern thing. I tend to think of the 1970s, the time when Robert Ressler coined the term “serial killer”, and the period during which many of the most famous (Bundy, Gacy, Son of Sam, Zodiac, etc.) were most active.

But of course serial killers probably predate civilization itself. Someone asked me to recommend some classic films (movies from the pre color era) that involved serial killers.

So, here are a few choices:

Sweeney Todd




No, I’m not talking about the recent film with Johnny Depp, nor am I referring to the Stephen Sondheim musical. This is the original 1936 version of the film made in the UK; it has an authentic cockney flavour to it – and best of all, no cheesy songs.

Bluebeard




This atmospheric thriller from 1944 features the talents of the great John Carradine as an artist who kills his subjects.

The Lodger



Also made in 1944, this film is about a Lodger (of course) who may just be Jack the Ripper; very moody and atmospheric. There was also a very good silent version of this made in 1927 that is also free to watch online: http://www.archive.org/details/AHtheLodger

Bloodlust!



This is a “B” movie from 1961. Essentially a version of The Most Dangerous Game, despite it’s limited budget it’s actually pretty good. Best of all, you can watch this one for free online too: http://www.archive.org/details/Bloodlust.mpeg