The Mummy (1932) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: The Mummy
Year: 1932
Director: Karl Freund
Country: US
Language: English

Boris Karloff was virtually unknown just two years prior, but with the release of 1931's Frankenstein he had become a household name. So known was he, that all Universal had to advertise was "KARLOFF....'The Mummy'." Originally The Mummy had no connection to Egypt at all, but screenwriter John L. Balderston used his experiences in Egypt and love of ancient history, to influenced a change in the setting and plot of the film. 

A living mummy (Boris Karloff) stalks the beautiful woman (Zita Johann) he believes is the reincarnation of his lover

Made during the right place and right time, The Mummy was released soon after discovery of Pharaoh Tutankahmen's tomb, when the rest of the world was curious about what kind of ancient curse it might contain. With little more than dry-looking make-up, a doleful stare, and that wonderful, lisping voice, Karloff created a monster that will endure for generations. The Mummy is a menacing, yet has enough human motivations to keep him from becoming one-dimensional. The make-up design by Jack Pierce make-up was considered so outstanding at the time that "Hollywood Filmograph" journal honored him with a special award which was presented at a ceremony by Karloff himself.

Less a typical horror film than a Gothic romance with an Egyptian setting, The Mummy relies primarily upon atmosphere for impact--and this it has in abundance. The film posses a darkly romantic dream-like quality that will slowly soak in your mind throughout its run-time. Similar to Frankenstein, this picture has remarkable sets, excellent cinematography, an intriguing score and a consistent pace. It might be slower than your average film, but it's certainly purposeful.

The Mummy may not be the best film that Universal Horror has to offer, but it's no spring chicken either. It's quite engaging, making it difficult to turn away from even during scenes when the monster doesn't appear. The film flows naturally and inevitably, with every scene building upon the one before it. It is worth seeing at least once. 

The Invisible Man (1933) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: The Invisible Man
Year: 1933
Director: James Whale
Country: US
Language: English

Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) had been Universal's original choice for the role of the Invisible Man. He turned it down because he would not be seen on screen until the end. Although his character would be onscreen for 95% of the picture, the actor would not. Director James Whale wanted someone with more of an "intellectual" voice than Karloff. He selected Claude Rains after accidentally hearing Rains' screen test being played in another room. Rains proved to be a great choice.

In this Universal horror, a scientist (Claude Rains) finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane. 

Rains does an amazing job taking a role that doesn’t require him to be on-screen, and creating a character you believe you can feel and visualize. He takes his extensive theater acting (this was his first sound film) and applies that here with grace and ease. The role requires his clear, eloquent voice and broad theatrical gestures. Rains mannerisms make certain scenes utterly disturbing.  Case in point, the moment where he reveals himself to the inhabitants of the inn is unsettling as he rapidly rips off the bandages while maniacally laughing.

The allusions to big brother and George Orwell's 1984 are quite apparent here; there are always invisible eyes watching over us and manipulating our moves. Though World War Two was years away, Invisible Man makes great attempt at getting over an anti-war message its audience. The movie does have a few plot points that are a bit troublesome (since when does invisibility mean super strength? or the ability to walk in the rain undetected?) but overall it's quite fascinating. 

A chilling tale based on the imagination of H.G. Wells, Invisible Man works thanks to the ingenious direction of James Whale and the remarkable acting of Claude Rains. Add a dash of witty dialogue and some remarkable practical special effects and you've got quite the evening!

Cat People (1942) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Cat People
Year: 1942
Director: Jacques Tourneur
Country: US
Language: English

R.K.O gave Producer Val Lewton only $150,000 to make the film, resulting in "creative" producing. This forced many of the scenes requiring special effects to be done in shadows which many believe increased the suspense of the film. Hired by the studio to make low budget flicks Lewton would use Cat People to create a memorable film technique called the "Lewton bus". Essentially it describes slowly building tension to a jarring shock which turns out to be something completely harmless and benign.

An American man (Kent Smith) marries a Serbian immigrant (Simone Simon) who fears that she will turn into the cat person of her homeland's fables if they are intimate together

Filmed in only 18 days, the heads of RKO studios were puzzled by the finished attraction. Its themes were far too subtle; they feared it wasn't overt enough for their audiences to "get" the picture. Luckily, Cat People was a resounding commercial and critical success. It played in theatres so long that critics who weren't receptive to the picture would see it again and change their minds. Despite being a "B" picture, it seemed to gain more attention that most prominent films of the time.

Playing on fears of foreign “invasion” via marriage and feminine sexuality, Cat People is quite a remarkable psychological horror for its time. The film explores not just a woman who theorizes that an ancient curse has passed to her, but also a bride struggling to understand the sexual politics of marriage.  The strongest theories about this film come in the way it views sexuality, that if Irena were to engage in sexual stimulation it would let out an uncontrollable, animalistic side to her.

Cat People is far more than a monster movie, rather it is Hitchocockian in its complex approach to suspense. The atmosphere is also quite troubling; from the beginning we are engulfed into a world of uncertainty and dread.Soaked in mystery, the central plot - which handles themes of lust, aggression and not being able to subdue certain emotions, will always be relevant to whoever is viewing the film. The film is certainly worth multiple viewings. 

I Married a Monster From Outer Space (1958) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: I Married a Monster From Outer Space
Year: 1958
Director: Gene Fowler Jr.
Country: US
Language: English

I Married a Monster From Outer Space is a little misleading, because we're not dealing with monster here...but aliens! Released at the peak of the sci-fi craze in the 50's, this picture has the usual archetypes and formula but uniquely tells its story from a female perspective. The heart of the movie lies in Bill’s change post-wedding (he’s been turned before their wedding, but Marge is unaware until after they’ve walked down the aisle). The implication is marriage changes men, turning them into automatons whose sole purpose is breeding and the continuation of their lineage.

The plot is simple; aliens invade Earth through taking over the body of husbands and townsfolk. The intention? To repopulate their species of course! 

I enjoy that this film pokes fun of pop culture stereotypes regarding men and marriage. Even in 2016 many television shows propagate the belief that they’re saddled with one woman forever; that they’ll be changed to please their ladies and thus lose their identity and masculinity. As a society we fear that women have too much dominance in the relationship, and that marriage is the ultimate loss of control for a man. 

The pop culture nonsense regarding men losing their masculinity through marriage was/is completely fictitious. If anybody suffers from being married in North America, statistics have shown that is it most definitely women. In addition to remarkable social commentary and hilarious satire, I Married a Monster also had the cheesy effects we know and love. 

The move skirts the Production Code boundaries in its exploration of marriage. While sex is never discussed in a frank manner, it's not too difficult to read between the lines. If you can get past the sub-par acting (which is in most sci-fi films of this era) you can definitely have a good time with this picture. 

 

The Thing From Another World (1951) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: The Thing From Another World
Year: 1951
Director: Christian Nyby
Country: US
Language: English

There is something strange with seeing Howard Hawks name attached to the production of The Thing From Another World. You'd think we would never see the name of a Director associated with classic screwball comedies and manly westerns on a science fiction B-movie yet there it is. Although John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) is considered a better remake, I feel Hawks picture is just a little bit more insightful.

In this film, scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a blood-thirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.

The script focuses on a group of people who share warmth and camaraderie with each other, and there’s the typical Hawks humor in the script. Amongst the horror and fear are cathartic moments of levity that allow the audience, and the characters to take a minute and find something worth living for. Most 50's sci-fi thematically connects to the fear of communism, but this film also tells us to fear science run amuck. 

The creature in question can be best described as an intergalactic vampire. It is far more advanced than the humans it is hunting down - and the scientists wish to keep the creature alive to learn more from it. Ford-ism, which focused on the need to believe scientific theory as the gospel truth, was a huge deal during the 1950s and it’s safe to say a lot of paranoia was born from it. Only six years previous did we use our advanced science to nuke entire cities in Japan, so skepticism wasn't exactly bred out of ignorance. 

While The Thing From Another World is smarter and more alienating than its remake, it doesn't evoke the same feeling of dread, doom, and gloom. The monster isn't as terrifying as other movie monsters mad before or after the film and the atmosphere just isn't that tense. If you're viewing the picture as "horror" it fails on many levels, but if you view from a more sociological perspective it is quite 
satisfactory. 

Star 80 (1983) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Star 80
Year: 1983
Director: Bob Fosse
Country: US
Language: English

Acclaimed choreographer and director Bob Fosse's last film, Star 80 is a a bleak tale of obsession, both for fame and romance, swathed in questions regarding public persona and the exploitation of women. It is relevant, which perhaps makes it even more depressing, because it reflects our society's current and past desire to consume the nude bodies of young women. 

Star 80 documents the life and tragic death of Playboy centerfold Dorothy Stratten (Mariel Hemingway) at the hands of her obsessive ex-husband, Paul Snider (Eric Roberts).

 1979’s All That Jazz was a testament to Fosse’s life and career, along with the doubts and guilt he felt about getting older. Star 80 continues that “What if…” element of his career, albeit with absolutely nothing positive or cathartic present. It has a completely different feel from the rest of his filmography yet touches on the same themes regarding destructive masculinity and torturous relationships. 

Eric Roberts plays the insidious Paul Snider; a man who is obsessed with fame and whose charm always feels fake. He’s the spider setting the web for the innocent fly, in this case, Dorothy. He isn’t just chilling but there’s an added layer of fear for his portrayal of an emotionally manipulative and abusive husband.Though the story is about Dorothy's life, we never get a sense that she is an agent of free-will. Fosse presents us a toxic relationship that is all too present in our society. It is emotionally gripping because this abuse isn't far-fetched, it has happened to at least a couple of people we all know. 

Fosse never tells us what we should do with this revealing information. There are countless Paul Snider’s out there in the world. How do we rid this destructive masculinity? How do we cease a society that treats women's bodies as a consumption for male pleasure? The social commentary is welcoming, especially since this could have easily been made into a straight-forward biography. Star 80 is difficult to watch, but very intriguing. 

Judgement at Nuremberg (1963) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Judgement at Nuremberg
Year: 1963
Director: Stanley Kramer
Country: US
Language: English

Director Stanley Kramer’s never shied away from difficult subject matter in his directing; many events he captured in his lens as they were happening (Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? was made at the height of the civil right's movement) He never made films for the sake of mindless entertainment or pure escapism, rather he made “message pictures,” although the messages are always meant to appeal to the uninformed.

Released 13 years after the real-life Nuremberg trials, the film has an overall tone of anger,  frustration, and general puzzlement. How could the German people continue to deny their knowledge of what happened in places like Auschwitz? Could the Germans ever prove they weren’t “all monsters?” Where did the US stand on this issue? Kramer prepares to criticize all parties. He condemns the Germans, while being frustrated at the allies for their leniency as a political strategy (they had hoped Germany would join them against Russia)

We must not forget that these trials were not simplistic by any means; not every high ranking nazi was sentenced to death, some like Dr.Schacht (German banker) had been acquitted. The courtroom acts as both court of public opinion and the literal interpretation of the law. Several characters question the legitimacy of the trials themselves, a worthwhile proposition. Why is the US the one leading this court? Why is this not an international effort? While the audience knows who to “root” for, with all the characters flawed in their own ways there’s no true guilt or innocence; no one’s hands are completely clean.

The Nuremberg trials bring up questions of justice, peace, equality and order. Judgment at Nuremberg is a rather complex film with no easy answers; it will have you thinking about the subject matter for months after the initial viewing.  It is a great picture to watch over and over again. Each time you will find something new to reflect about. 

The Monster That Challenged the World (1957) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: The Monster that Challenged the World
Year: 1957
Director: Arnold Laven
Country: US
Language: English

Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (MST3K) has taken on several of these 1950's science fiction classics throughout their history (1988-???) Essentially The Monster That Challenged the World is a glorious B-picture that is still entertaining to this day. It's story is zany enough that you could get quite a laugh from it, but also smart enough that you could take it seriously. The name alone is enough to put some butts in the seats.

The plot revolves around an underwater earthquake in the Salton Sea which unearths monstrous giant mollusks. A Naval base and its crew will have to stop them before they overtake the world.

Director Arnold Lavan was better known as a prolific director of television, he emphasized character above all else because, according to him, how else can you identity with the protagonist if you don't know them? Western star Tim Holt plays our hero, Lt. Comdr. John Twillinger, while Audrey Dalton plays love interest Gail MacKenzie. All our actors play their part straight, and aside from some brief moments of cheesy dialogue "No! No! No!" We are meant to take this flick very seriously. 

Unlike most cold-war sci-fi pictures, this film's themes aren't exactly apparent. It isn't about communism, capitalism, war or conformity. I suppose it is critical of bureaucracy, but that is a very minor plot point of the picture. Similar to B-movies of that era, The Monster that Challenged the World is full of archetypes. We've seen the bold hero, the damsel in distress and the kooky scientist many times before. Small plot deviations keep this from completely formulaic.

The practical effects throughout the picture does give Monster an air of tangibility. These characters are interacting with something, even if it's got the realism of Barney the dinosaur.  The actual creature doesn't look as menacing as many Japanese kaiju of the time, but it does work to a great extent. Keeping a good pace, I never felt a second of boredom throughout the run-time. The Monster that Challenged the World is a remarkable gem that fans of monster movies must see. 

 

The Rescuers (1977) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: The Rescuers
Year: 1977
Director: John Lounsberry
Country: US
Language: English

The Rescuers would signal a turning point for Walt Disney Pictures. The film would be the last hit for Disney until 1989, and would signal the close of the longest “golden age” in Disney history; spanning 30 years from the time of Cinderella.  This would also be the last animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award (Best Original Song for “Someone’s Waiting for You”) until 1989’s The Little Mermaid. With a more sombre dramatic feel, The Rescuers would define the tone of Disney throughout the late 70's and well into the 80's.

In this picture, two mice of the Rescue Aid Society search for a little girl kidnapped by unscrupulous treasure hunters.

Considering The Rescuers broke the record for the longest box office gain on opening weekend, I'd say this is a very underrated film in the Disney cannon. The characters are remarkably colourful and fleshed out. Our main heroes, Bernard and Bianca, are fairly easy to sympathize with as they feel more human than most human characters in other animated flicks. Madame Medusa is a Cruela De Ville-esque villain who can be over the top in her nefarious deeds, but is ultimately grounded in some form of reality. This makes her a legitimate threat and adds to the tension throughout the run-time.

The animation shows the xerography process has great potential. The animators utilized color inks for the first time, so the characters aren’t lined in dark blacks, but lighter colored blacks. The opening credits are painted and the paper background creates a beautiful contrast to the watercolors on top. The score is well done; Shelby Flint's melodious beats reinforce the strong plot. Perhaps not worthy enough to win the Oscar it was nominated for, the songs are quite nice and don't delay the narrative in any way.

The Rescuers is a very strong film with an impressive story. I doubt future generations will favor this over more popular Disney animation like Lion King or Aladdin, but it does deserve to be seen in the same light as those from the 90's Renaissance. I would certainly revisit this flick.