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The Best Films of Bing Crosby

Nov 132017

November 13, 2017

bingcosby Some lists are hard. Some are easy. And some are pretty much repeats. This one is a repeat.

Crosby was primarily a pop/swing/jazz singer. He parlayed that into success in film and TV, but it was always music first. He had enough charisma—and his own staff of writers—to become a solid comedian. His best films were his collaborations with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour: the seven Road pictures. They were loose comedies with a few songs and a lot of patter, which was perfect for Crosby.

His most famous non-musical role was as Father Chuck O’Malley in Going My Way and its slightly superior sequel, The Bells of St. Mary’s. They are reasonably enjoyable in an overly-sweet, simplistic way, but far from the classics they were once thought to be. So what are Crosby’s classics? I’ve got them below, right after this Honorable mention: Road to Rio (1947) which is the one really good Road picture not on the list below.

8 – Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) — The best of the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr.) films, with Crosby taking over Peter Lawford’s part in the group.

7 – Road to Bali (1952) — The 6th of 7 Road pictures, Bali is a return to form as Hope and Crosby go to the South Seas, and toss off a non-stop string of one-liners while breaking the 4th wall. It’s wacky and fun. (Full Review) [Also on the Bob Hope list]

6 – Road to Zanzibar (1941) — The 2nd Road picture has Hope, Crosby, and Lamour spoofing (or just inhabiting) a jungle picture. It is one of the less wild outings, with the 4th wall unbroken. (Full Review) [Also on the Bob Hope list]

5 – Road to Utopia (1945) — The Road pictures were at full steam here as our three are in Alaska during the gold rush, but all that matters are jokes. (Full Review) [Also on the Bob Hope list]

4 – White Christmas (1954) — Is there a better icon of the light, colorful, and joyfully shallow side to Christmas than this bright and shiny musical? Obviously I think not. (Full Review)

3 – Road to Singapore (1940) — The first Road picture with Hope and Crosby playing characters and sticking with a plot. Dorthy Lamour is an Island fantasy, which was her gig at the time. It’s the only Road picture where you might care about something other than the jokes. (Full Review) [Also on the Bob Hope list]

2 – Holiday Inn (1942) — Fred Astaire gets to play the bad guy, messing up Crosby’s love life. This is a perfect holiday movie for pretty much every holiday as it has songs for New Years, Valentine’s Day, Easter, the 4th of July, and Washington’s Birthday, though the black face Lincoln’s Birthday number might be a hard sell. It also includes the song “White Christmas” and it was from this film’s re-recorded sound track that it became a hit. [Also on the Fred Astaire list]

1 – Road to Morocco (1942) — Ah, where to start. Many people claim this is the funniest movie of all time and I wouldn’t argue that. It is absurd, with no concern about the rules of filmmaking. Hope and Crosby talk to the audience, they refer to the last film and their contracts, and its all brilliant. Even the songs are good for a change. (Full Review) [Also on the Bob Hope list]

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The Space Between Us (2017)

Nov 112017

Nathaniel Shepherd’s (Gary Oldman) space company sends the first colonists to Mars in 2018 [maybe not the best year to choose for a movie made in 2017]. After takeoff, the mission commander is found to be pregnant. She gives birth on Mars and promptly dies. Shepherd decides to keep the baby a secret to preserve the company’s reputation. Sixteen years later, the now teen Gardner (Asa Butterfield) gets an OK to go to Earth. Once there, he escapes from quarantine and finds Tulsa (Britt Robertson), the “tough” girl he’d chatted with online. The two go in search of his unknown father, with Shepherd and mother-surrogate astronaut Kendra Wyndham (Carla Gugino) in pursuit.

This is what gives young adult SF a bad name.

Also, this is what gives commercial space ventures a bad name. The film is an unintentional argument against corporations running a space program as they might act like this.

The weakness of the science in this “science fiction” film is a minor thing, but it’s hard for me to ignore. Somethings are simply wrong, such as instantaneous communication with Mars. Others stretch credibility beyond breaking, such as missing a second-or-so trimester pregnancy in an astronaut’s physical exams. And a few need explanation, such as how they fed a newborn on Mars. And best not to think about how the filmmakers think gravity works.

Once Gardner gets to Earth, we have a typical teens-on-the-run romance between a twenty-year-old actor who could pass for eighteen and a twenty-seven-year-old actress who can pull off twenty-seven but not a year younger. Their speeches (they speak only in speeches) and adventures are clichéd material, but the best part of the film. It’s silly even for a YA romance—I had no idea stealing cars was so easy—but then I’m not the target audience. Unfortunately The Space Between Us then tries to be deep (we even get a “meaningful” montage…) and this is a not a film that can handle deep. Butterfield’s giving a soliloquy on love is kinda cute; doing the same thing on the meaning of life… Not so much.

When we aren’t with the twenty-plus-year-old teens, we are with an over-acting Oldman, who expresses all emotions by banging his fists, crying out to the sky, and pacing. It does have the odd effect of making the teens look reasonable.

The Space Between Us hits a few of the requisite emotional beats. A majority of the characters aren’t annoying and the film is passably made. There’s no reason to see it, but no reason to avoid it either. If you are a tween girl, add a reel.

Science Fiction Tagged with: One Reel

The Best Films of Spencer Tracy

Nov 092017

November 9, 2017

SpencerTracy With his no-nonsense, man’s man persona and natural style, Spencer Tracy was successful in both dramas and comedies. Although he was an alcoholic, he was known for his professionalism. It was with that understanding of addiction that he helped a broken Montgomery Clift give his great performance in Judgment at Nuremberg.

Tracy often worked with director Stanley Kramer, mostly on the powerful, political/ethical films that Kramer was known for. He frequently co-stared with Katherine Hepburn (their semi-secret affair lasted nearly thirty years), making nine films together.

Before mentioning the good, I’d feel lax if I didn’t give a dishonorable mention to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), where his poor performance matched the films confused sexuality and drab dialog.

An Honorable mention goes to Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1963), which is more important than good, and to It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), which is fun if not terribly good, and to Boys Town (1938), which works for a family film provided you have a couple kids under ten watching.

Now the eight best:

8 – Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) — A wartime propaganda film that is both exciting and supposedly accurate, at least militarily.

7 – Pat and Mike (1952) — The second Hepburn/Tracy film, it tries to wave a feminist flag, but in 2017, it feels like it does the opposite. Still, it has some funny moments. [Also on the Katherine Hepburn list]

6 – Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) — A strange noir/western hybrid set in 1945. It’s tense, showing the worst of humanity—including a nod at racism—in a nowhere town of miserable people. It’s a little too nihilistic to be fun, but it’s interesting.

5 – Adam’s Rib (1949) — Another Hepburn/Tracy film, this one setting them as competing lawyers. The best bits come from a young Judy Holliday as the defendant who shoots her unfaithful husband. [Also on the Katherine Hepburn list]

4 – Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) — The first of two Stanley Kramer films on this list (of four if you count the Honorable mentions). This one deals with a trial of Nazi war criminals and has lost none of its relevancy.

3 – Desk Set (1957) — A romantic comedy with middle-aged characters for a change. It’s Hepburn and Tracy again. This time she’s a genius and he’s an eccentric tech guru. It’s a Christmas movie and delightful. [Also on the Katherine Hepburn list]

2 – Libeled Lady (1936) — A four-way romantic comedy with Tracy, Jean Harlow, William Powell, and Myrna Loy. Powell is hired by Tracy to stop Loy from suing a newspaper for libel, any way he can. [Also on both the William Powell list and the Myrna Loy list]

1 – Inherit the Wind (1960) – The second Stanley Kramer film on this list. A fictitious take on the Monkey Trial, with amazing work by Tracy and Fredric Marsh in the greatest court battle ever on screen.

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Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Nov 082017

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is captured by Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) on a gladiatorial planet ruled over by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). In order to win his freedom, he must fight the champion, the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). And he must escape quickly as back on Asgard, his sister, Hela-Godess of Death (Cate Blanchett), has taken over, with only the trepidatious Skurge (Karl Ubran) at her side, and she plans a bloody conquest of the universe.

Marvel can’t fail. At least for their theatrical films, it seems they can do no wrong. Every one of the now seventeen MCU films is a winner and in this case, I’m sure not tired of the winning. And this one wins big. It is the brightest, fastest paced entry. It’s one of the best, and for pure joy, it is the best

Thor: Ragnarok is unusual in a franchise that, more and more, is allowing itself a bit of freedom. The biggest difference is the editing. There is no wasted time. There are no pauses for you (or the characters) to dwell on things, or pout, or gaze off at nothing particular (making this THE anti-Bats v Supes film). There are no travelogues. Thor says we’re going to Earth, and we are immediately on Earth. Hela hears a summons in the throne room, and she is immediately in the throne room. This allows for a great deal of story in two hours. If Ragnarok was cut like other MCU films, it would be four hour long. If it was cut like your typical indie drama, it would be around ten. This has lead some to say that it isn’t an emotional a movie, but that’s wrong. It has the emotional beats; it just doesn’t lay there, sinking slowly into them. It squeezes as much emotion—and as much action and humor and meaning and plot and sheer fun—as possible into two hours.

The difference with Ragnarok that everyone notices is that it is a comedy. That doesn’t put it too outside the norm as it is standing close to Guardians of the Galaxy in tone. But this is the first time that I’d call an MCU movie a comedy first, and an action picture second. The humor alone is enough to make this a great time, but the jokes serve the characters as well. Thor has always been pompous, both as a character and as how he is presented. He speaks like he’s a stand-in at a Renaissance faire and he’s accompanied by dramatic music. His arc has been that of an ass, who was completely full of himself, learning humility. But he only learned so much. Thor: Ragnarok takes him down several pegs. Time after time, as he tries to show how awesome he is (or where the previous films would have focused on his power and majesty), he’s tripped, zapped, and made to look like a fool. It’s hysterical, and does a great job of taking him further in his arc.

Director Taika Waititi, known for his indie comedies, pushed the actors to improvise, and has said that 80% of the end dialog was invented while filming. It’s no surprise that Tom Hiddleston is a riot or that Jeff Goldblum is a good time doing basically the Jeff Goldblum shtick. I’m a bit surprised how funny Cate Blanchett can be. But the revelation is Chris Hemsworth. Sure, he’s had some good light moments before, but now I’m ready for the Hemsworth Standup Comedy Tour.

So Thor: Ragnarok is funny. But doesn’t that leave it wanting in action and drama and power? Nope, because after “comedy” the word I’d use to describe this film is “METAL.” And I don’t mean hair METAL or even Metallica METAL. I’m talking Dethklok METAL. This is the most METAL movie ever made. Ground zero is Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song—present in the trailers, but far more powerful in the film. The phrase “Hammer of the Gods” is used literally. Ragnarok then adds the imagery from a metal-head’s dreams. This is gods and monsters and trolls and devils. Shot after shot could be pulled for an ‘80s album cover. This is head-banging, devil-horn signaling METAL. That means that this is epic in a beautifully over-the-top fashion and isn’t embarrassed about it. The battles aren’t introspective narratives; they are heroic poems of mystic legends. The genius of Ragnarok is its ability to weave the self-deprecating comedy with a larger than life, legendary saga.

And I haven’t mentioned half of the reasons to see this film: Mark Ruffalo and Hulk give you everything you’ve ever wanted from the green rage monster. Tessa Thompson brings a sorely needed powerful female hero into the MCU with the hard-drinking Valkyrie. Benedict Cumberbatch’s long cameo as Doctor Strange is better than the entire Doctor Strange movie (and leads me to believe that perhaps the Sorcerer Supreme is best used in a supporting role). Anthony Hopkins makes Odin his most sympathetic. Taika Waititi put himself into the film, doing the voice of Korg, the rock gladiator; he is a full clown character that elicited roars of laughter from the audience. Only Idris Elba’s Heimdall doesn’t give us anything interesting or fun, but I suppose someone had to make sure the plot moved along.

Karl Urban’s Skurge demonstrates how brilliantly crafted this film is. He doesn’t get that much screen time, yet he has a meaningful and satisfying arc. In only minutes, he becomes a wholly realized character, and one I will remember.

Thor: Ragnarok even has thematic elements dealing with the past and how that creates personal and cultural identity, sometimes for the good, sometimes not, but it can never be ignored. So yes, this is a smarter film than most reviews realize, but I’ll agree with others that depth isn’t what captured me: It’s comedy and METAL. Thor: Ragnarok is a great addition to the MCU and the best film I’ve seen this year.

(Thor: Ragnarok Trailer, but see the film first–the trailer(s) give away too much)

Reviews, Space Opera, Superhero Tagged with: Five Reels

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Nov 062017

On a paradise planet, the members of the species known as Pearl live perfect lives until Armageddon comes from the skies. Thirty years later, agents Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are sent to the Alpha Station—where millions of creatures from many species interact—and assigned to guard suspicious-acting Commander Filitt (Clive Owen). A radioactive zone has appeared on the station and no one sent to investigate it has returned. If the zone continues to expand unchecked, it could kill everyone on the station. But Commander Filitt knows more than he is telling, and somehow this is related to the genocide of the Pearl. Before Valerian and Laureline can solve the mystery, they will encounter Jolly the Pimp (Ethan Hawke) and shape-shifting Bubble (Rihanna).

Director Luc Besson has an eye for art design. His crime/spy dramas Léon: The Professional and La Femme Nikita looked fantastic, but were nothing compared to what he did when allowed the freedom of science fiction. His 1997 film, The Fifth Element, is gorgeous from beginning to end. The cityscapes, space ships, and aliens are all beautiful, richly colored, and fully realized. And as he based some of those designs on the comic Valerian and Laureline, it was a given that when he made a film directly from that source, it would be glorious eye candy. And it is. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is everything you could ask for and more in terms of cinematography, art direction, and world building. I could have happily spent two hours watching the Pearl frolic on their strange and wonderful planet. The beginning montage is a great short film on its own (watch it here on Youtube), showing humanity meeting species after species.

And then Dane DeHaan opens his mouth and it all goes to Hell.

Story-wise, what we have is a 1930s-era colonialist adventure. And that makes sense when looking at the comic, where Valerian is a square-jawed, time-traveling, by-the-book agent, and Laureline is an 11th century peasant girl. Her desires are a bit old fashioned, and he is a good natured chauvinist who learns a lesson over the course of the story. That’s how the script is written, but that’s not how it is played out. My guess is that Besson is not an actor’s director, simply letting the actors do what they do. So Clive Owen plays his part as he’s played multiple others before, and its fitting. Rihanna essentially is in a music video, dancing around a pole and changing outfits. And Ethen Hawke slips into his zany mode. That works. But DeHaan has no knowledge of ‘30s adventure flicks, or of parodies of those, so just gives us the same modernist (for 2017), smart-ass, weaselly character he took on in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and A Cure For Wellness, which is wrong for this film. It makes every line either non-nonsensical, uncomfortable, or just out of place. Valerian says he always follows the rules, but DeHaan’s performance says otherwise. Valerian repeatedly tells Laureline to stay back in dangerous situations in what is clearly meant to show his over-protective nature, but DeHann plays it in some weird, arrogant, misogynist mode. Every scene where he speaks is unpleasant.

Cara Delevingne (Enchantress in Suicide Squad) is miscast as well, as her part required an older actress with a stronger presence, but she could have been passable with a different lead. And a re-write of all the dialog—which is simplistic and uninspired—would have helped, but the difference between the disaster Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is, and the pleasing spectacle it could have been is DeHaan. With a mans-man, tough guy actor, we’d have ended up with that somewhat sexist ‘30s film. For this century, a far better choice would have been to play up the silliness of that square-jawed hero. Paul Iutzi suggested Patrick Warburton—maybe a ten-year-younger Patrick Warburton; he would have been perfect. Those same lines coming from him, as the wide-shouldered, heart-of-gold, rule-following, socially-backward, a bit ridiculous hero would have elevated the film from pleasing to great, and reversed the sexism. Or Chris Hemsworth, just repeating Thor, would have done the trick. But we got DeHaan, who looks too young, lacks the physical attributes, but most importantly, didn’t understand the character.

Watching Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets made me angry. It is a wasted opportunity. Watch the opening scene, and then the next few minutes of CGI wonder on the Pearl planet, once someone posts that online, but as for the rest of the film: Skip it.

Reviews, Science Fiction, Space Opera Tagged with: One Reel

It (2017)

Nov 012017

A group of teens, each defined by one attribute (the Jewish one, the fat one, the black one, the girl, etc.), who are bullied and have terrible parents, are set upon by an evil clown (Bill Skarsgård).

Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, It removes the half of the book—the weird “cosmic” parts (no doubt saved for the sequel) as well as the infamous teen gang-bang—leaving some kids verses an evil clown. It is well filmed, with a reasonable level of tension. The kids are not realistic in myriad ways (and shift from being quite cowardly to insanely brave from scene to scene pretty much randomly), nor are the parents, and many decisions don’t make much sense, but the acting of these questionable characters is good.

This is a well-made film. It just isn’t about much. There’s no explanation for anything (that was in the removed sections). It’s abused kids vs evil clown. That’s it. If you are thinking, “I would like to see some teens beaten up,” then this movie has a lot of moments for you. If you like teens fighting an evil clown, then again, you are in luck. The clown isn’t actually scary, or interesting, with a particularly bland voice; shouldn’t an evil clown have a dramatic or intense voice? But it is an evil clown, if you like that sort of thing.

Are you getting the point? There is no meat here. I almost feel I should put a spoiler warning around the phrase, “teens verses evil clown” because that tells you the entire film. There is nothing else, so don’t come looking. Yes, I could dig into additional details, and no doubt other reviewers have, but why? There’s nothing else. Nothing else matters.

If you’ve already watched Killer Klowns From Outer Space and House of 1000 Corpses and feel you need one more evil clown feature before bedtime, It will do. Otherwise, there’s no point.

Horror, Reviews Tagged with: Two Reels

The Best Films of Rex Harrison

Oct 302017

October 30, 2017

rex-harrison I think of Rex Harrison as one of the great actors, yet “great” is not a word I use with his most famous films. Doctor Dolittle, Anna and the King of Siam, The Agony and the Ecstasy, The Yellow Rolls-Royce, and Cleopatra are all fine, watchable flicks, but no masterpieces, and I normally don’t even call them good without some kind of qualification. (My Fair Lady is a level up, but I still qualify any compliments I give it.)

Not that he isn’t in some great films—or I wouldn’t be making a list for him—simply that they tend to be less known. His finest films are indeed great works in need of viewing.

The top 8:

8 – The Constant Husband (1955) – By the writing/directing/producing team of Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder, which is always a good thing. Harrison is an amnesiac who finds that he may not have been a kindly guy.

7 – My Fair Lady (1964) – Audrey Hepburn is lovely. Harrison is fun. And the music is wonderful. It suffers from dubbing and the same flaw as the Broadway musical–the tacked on and in every way wrong “happy ending.” [Also on the Audrey Hepburn list]

6 – Storm in a Teacup (1937) – A political satire, that seems to be about a small affair being blown out of proportion, but is a look at how fascism works and needs to be fought. A brilliant film with a sadly weak ending.

5 – Unfaithfully Yours (1948) – A dark comedy by Preston Sturges, who made a career out of not fitting Hollywood expectations. This one has Harrison daydreaming how to kill his assumed-to-be unfaithful wife.

4 – Night Train to Munich (1940) – A WWII spy thriller set in the world of The Lady Vanishes. It leans more on fun than tension.

3 – Major Barbara (1941) – Harrison in another film based on a Shaw play, with a co-star who was in the movie of Pygmalion. A thoughtful movie, with a few moments which work better on stage.

2 – Blithe Spirit (1945) – A séance has the unfortunate effect of summoning the ghost of an author’s first wife. Witty English humor based on a play.

1 – The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) – A widow, escaping her in-laws, rents a sea-side cottage that is haunted by a sea captain. It’s charming and a bit sad.

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The Best Films of Edward G. Robinson

Oct 272017

October 27, 2017

edwardrobinson Edward G. Robinson was one of the kings of early gangster cinema (along with Jimmy Cagney, George Raft, and their second banana, Humphrey Bogart).Things changed in a decade, with old-style crime movies fading, replaced by war movies and Film Noir, and elevating Bogart over the other three. But most of Robinson’s best films came after his biggest fame. His gangster roles quickly became clichés and many of his early performances barely varied from the impersonator’s over-the-top imitations. By the end of the ’30s Robinson was using his persona in comedies or to give a meta meaning to his parts, and that worked. Of his top 8 films, only 1 is a straight ’30s gangster film.

I expect big fans of Robinson (and I wonder how many of those are reading this) will be displeased with my top 8 as it doesn’t include either of the Fritz Lang Noirs, The Woman in the Window and Scarlet Street. Both have great casts, good dialog, interesting characters, meaningful themes, and generally good plots. But both are unsatisfying due to poor (and in the case of the first, horrible) endings. The production code-sanctified ending for Scarlet Street saps the strength from the film. And the ending for The Woman in the Window… It takes effort to so efficiently destroy a film in only a few minutes.

An honorable mention for his cameo in Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964)—good enough to make the list, but I require more than a few seconds of screen time.

8 – The Sea Wolf (1941) – As 8th favorite I’d go with Brother Orchid, but The Sea Wolf is a more weighty film, that takes Jack London’s philosophical work and uses it as metaphor for the fascism taking over Europe.

7 – Little Caesar (1931) – A good film, but it is so over the top, so over-acted, that it is impossible for me to take seriously. Still, it is a must-see as one of THE gangster movies of the 1930s.

6 – The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938) – Robinson stars with Bogart with a script by John Huston in a light comedy that has Robinson playing a scientist who wants to study crime, so becomes a crime lord.

5 – Larceny, Inc. (1942) – The second crime comedy on this list, but this one is less crime, more comedy. Robinson and his gang take over a luggage store in order to tunnel into the bank next door and turn out way more successful than planned at selling luggage.

4 – Key Largo (1948) – A movie given extra power from its casting. Robinson plays a washed up gangster, trying to return. Bogart is a man broken by life and Lauren Bacall is the young, clever beauty who could give him a reason to live. It’s incredibly meta. The best performance goes to Claire Tevor as the aging, alcoholic moll. [Also on the Humphrey Bogart List]

3 – The Ten Commandments (1956) – It is all loud and colorful, and for that you need actors who are louder and more colorful than life. Robinson fits that. He’s 5th or 6th banana in a cast of loud, colorful stars and it’s all good. Sometimes you want subtlety. Sometimes you don’t. This is bluster as art. [Also on both the Vincent Price List and the Charlton Heston list]

2 – Double Indemnity (1944) – A masterpiece. One of the top Film Noirs and a strangely comedic bit of pure cynicism. Fred MacMurry and Barbara Stanwyck are the stars, but Robinson is superb as the closest thing the world of Double Indemnity has to a good man. (Full review) [Also on the Barbara Stanwyck list]

1 – Soylent Green (1973) – A film where the ending has eclipsed the fame of the movie in general, and that’s sad as there’s so much good in Soylent Green. The relationship between Charlton Heston’s Thorn and Robinson’s Sol is the heart of the film, and gives us both actors’ finest performances. This is one of the great science fiction films that doesn’t get the credit it deserves. [Also on the Charlton Heston list]

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The Best Films of Vincent Price

Oct 252017

October 25, 2017

VincentPrice The 4th of the Big Three horror icons (of sound films), like Karloff before him, Vincent Price had a liquid-jeweled voice and range. Price’s early work was more often in Film Noirs, comedies, and a few adventure films. Except for brief sojourns, he didn’t switch to horror until 1953’s House of Wax, but once there, he was stuck for life. The shame wasn’t that he spent decades only able to make horror pictures, but that they were never A pictures. Still, he made many enjoyable B films and seemed happy.

Before the Best list, a few more honorable mentions than normal: An Honorable Mention for Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)—his part is too small to consider the film for his list. Then an honorable mention to The Invisible Man Returns (1940), which lacks in story, but Price talking to the scarecrow was a fantastic moment. Also an Honorable mention goes to His Kind of Woman (1951), which overall doesn’t quite work, but Price is wonderful in it. And a shout out to Witchfinder General (1968), which would be #9 below.

Finally, a group Honorable mention to a whole line of B horror films that are a lot of fun and a touch silly, including: House of Wax (1953), The Mad Magician (1954), House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Tingler (1959), The Diary of a Madman (1963), The Haunted Palace (1963), The Raven (1963), The Oblong Box (1969), and Theater of Blood (1973)

Which brings me to his best 8 films:

8 – The Last Man on Earth (1964) – The first and most accurate version of the novel “I Am Legend,” about a lone man fighting a world filled with vampires. Price and the theme makes this a must see.

7 – Tower of London (1939) – A horror-tinged version of the story of Richard III. Price is in a supporting role as the peevish Duke of Clarence who ends up on the wrong side of Basil Rathbone’s Richard and Boris Karloff’s Mord. (My Review) [Also on the Boris Karloff List]

6 – The Fly (1958) – THE mad scientist film of the ‘50s. Unlike the remake, this isn’t a monster movie, but a tragedy. The main character isn’t the genus inventor nor his brother (Price), but the none-too-clever wife. Her emotional strain is beautifully played. (My Review)

5 – The Masque of the Red Death (1964) – I don’t normally connect Roger Corman with deep themes but then he never made another film like this. It’s surreal and epic. Price is an evil prince who thinks Satan will protect him from Death.

4 – Champagne for Caesar (1950) – The hardest to find film on this list. In this zany comedy, Ronald Colman plays a brilliant man who decides to bankrupt an arrogant businessman by winning a quiz show. Price is the businessman. [Also on the Ronald Colman list]

3 – The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) – There aren’t enough art-deco horror films. And there are few that are anywhere near this witty. It’s elegant and violent with Price as a deranged musician out for revenge.

2 – The Ten Commandments (1956) – There are thoughtful and spiritual religious films. This isn’t one. This is the Bible via Lord of the Rings and Mad Max. And Price is capable of bombast with the best of them. (My Review) [Also on both the Edward G. Robinson list and the Charlton Heston list]

1 – Laura (1944) – And as with Lugosi, this horror icon’s best film isn’t horror. It is one of the great Film Noirs, with Price as a playboy gigolo. (My Critique)

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The Best Films of Boris Karloff

Oct 242017

October 24, 2017

Boriskarloff The second of the Big Three horror icons (Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr.), Boris Karloff found stardom with Frankenstein after struggling in silent films. He was grateful for his success and never minded being typecast, and typecast he was. If he wasn’t a monster, a monstrous servant, or a crazed killer, he was a mad doctor. His résumé includes dozens of roles that had “Dr” as part of the name.

As he has so many films that are worth seeing, but not absolutely essential, I have a greater number of honorable mentions than usual. One goes to the enjoyable The Raven (1963), and another to the incredible set design for The Black Cat (1934), and yet another to The Ghoul (1933), the first British horror film; it’s a solid old dark house film and Karloff is excellent. Also an honorable mention to Scarface (1932), which is an important film, but flawed—and Karloff is poor in it. And one more for The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), which has multiple problems, but Karloff and Myrna Loy are amazing, and if “best” meant “favorite,” it would be on the list below. And a final mention for Five Star Final (1931), a look at the evils of yellow journalism starring Edward G. Robinson. Karloff plays a drunken and particularly sleazy agent of the paper who dresses as a priest to get information, which makes him not only the best supporting actor for that year (from #2 below), but also the second best.

A list of Karloff’s best performances would include his marvelous narration for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a film which would take third on the list below, but I’m keeping it off the list for entirely arbitrary reasons. Karloff’s best list is solid all the way through, but it is top heavy.

His top films, starting at #8:

8 – Isle of the Dead (1945) – One of three collaborations with Val Lewton. A complicated character piece with a simple plot: a plague sweeping an island.

7 – The Old Dark House (1932) – A quirky film—part horror, part comedy, but not a horror comedy, directed by James Whale. A group of odd characters are stranded in a mysterious house. (My review)

6 – The Mummy (1932) – A retread of Dracula—a bit slow, but Karloff is wonderful as his second great monster. The first few minutes make it all worthwhile. (My review)

5 – Tower of London (1931) – A horror-tinged version of the story of Richard III. Karloff plays Mord,the executioner, who is Richard’s right hand man. and is essentially Richard’s darker aspect taken human form. It is another fantastic performance by Karloff, as well as star Basil Rathbone and a young Vincent Price. (My Review) [Also on the Vincent Price List]

4 – The Body Snatcher (1945) – There are more Victorian body snatcher movies than there were Victorian body snatchers, and this is the best. Karloff rules the film, with Bela Lugosi in a lesser part as a servant. [Also on the Bela Lugosi List]

3 – Son of Frankenstein (1939) – A surprisingly good third entry in the franchise. It is seeped in German expressionism. Karloff gets a reduced role; Basil Rathbone is the lead, but Lugosi steals the film as Ygor. (My review) [Also on the Bela Lugosi List]

2 – Frankenstein (1931) – Does Frankenstein need an explanation? (My Review)

1 – Bride of Frankenstein (1935) – Arguably the greatest horror film of all time, and the greatest sequel of all time. It is (without argument) Karloff’s best performance. (My review)

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The Best Films of Bela Lugosi

Oct 232017

October 23, 2017

bela_lugosi_headshot_a_p Lugosi had a presence, a charisma, that shaped scenes and entire films. Was he a good actor? It’s hard to say. He wasn’t really given a chance. With his thick accent and less-than-perfect English, his roles were going to be limited. Add in the tendency to pigeonhole horror actors and his own poor choices, and he ended up with a troubled career. But he had a few moments, and those have made him an icon.

For these “best of” lists for actors, I am not considering the actor’s best performances, but best movies. Nor am I worried about if the actor was the lead. Only when the actor has nothing but a brief cameo have I shifted great films into the “Honorable Mention” category (such as Audrey Hepburn’s few seconds in The Lavender Hill Mob). If it is more than one short scene, the film counts for that actor’s list. So, for Lugosi, I’ve ended up with three of my eight choices having him barely in the films. But even in those cases, he does make an impression.

An Honorable mention to Mark of the Vampire (1935) for the art design, cinematography, and for the iconic vampire pair of Lugosi and Carol Borland. And another honorable mention to the incredible set design for The Black Cat (1934).

8 – Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) – Not a great film, but as the best of the Universal monster-mashups, it is fun. Lugosi’s performance is not good, but then his lines were cut in post. (My review)

7 – The Body Snatcher (1945) – There are more Victorian body snatcher movies than there were Victorian body snatchers, and this is the best. It is Boris Karloff that rules the film, with Lugosi in a lesser part as a servant. [Also on the Boris Karloff list]

6 – Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) – Perhaps the best horror comedy of all time. It stands out for many reasons, including treating the monsters respectfully. It was Lugosi’s second best outing as a vampire (which point toward Universal not using Lugosi as they should have).

5 – Son of Frankenstein (1939) – A surprisingly good third entry in the franchise. It is seeped in German expressionism. Karloff gets a reduced role; Basil Rathbone is the lead, but Lugosi steals the film in what is probably his best performance as Ygor. (My review) [Also on the Basil Rathbone list and the Boris Karloff list]

4 – Island of Lost Souls (1932) – A powerful, thoughtful film with Charles Laughton as the evil scientist. Lugosi portrays a beast-man, a small but memorable part. (My review)

3 – Dracula (1931) – One of the greatest and most important horror films, Lugosi is stunning as Count Dracula. (My review)

2 – The Wolf Man (1941) – My personal favorite of the Universal monster movies. Lon Chaney, Claude Rains, and Evelyn Ankers are fantastic in this masterpiece. Lugosi has a small part as the initial werewolf. (My review)

1 – Ninotchka (1939) – Yes, the best film of the first horror icon of talking pictures is a comedy, but then it is one of the greatest comedies. Lugosi plays the Commissar that sends Greta Garbo’s Ninotchka to Paris where she meets the playboy count. [Also on the Great Directors list for Billy Wilder]

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The Best Films of Barbara Stanwyck

Oct 202017

October 20, 2017

StanwyckBarbara When I was a child in the ‘60s, Stanwyck was known primarily as a television Western star. But time is not kind to TV shows in general and particularly not to Westerns, so that work is fading from cultural memory, which is for the best in this case as she should be remembered first as a film actress.

Stanwyck rarely played the damsel or proper doting wife. Her roles were of tough women, often from harsh backgrounds, making their own way. They could be heroes, but were often morally complex, and she had her share of steely villains.

An honorable mention goes to Meet John Doe (1941). It is certainly the best of Frank Capra’s social/political morality trilogy (the others being Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and Stanwyck is excellent in it, but like its two cousins, it is too preachy and far too saccharine.

My top 8 films of Barbara Stanwyck:

#8 – The Mad Miss Manton (1938) — The first of her three films with Henry Fonda and one of two on this list, it puts Stanwyck in one of her rare silver spoon roles. She’s a rich young woman who comes upon a murder and no one believes her. She’s stared in moves that took this same premise seriously years later.

#7 – Baby Face (1933) — I’m not sure this movie would be as much fun if made now as it is the taboo nature of it that’s such a riot. The story is of a woman, sold as a prostitute by her father since she was 14, sleeping her way to the top. It was way ahead of its time on racial and gender issues. It loses a bit from a tacked on ending—and I’m only talking about the pre-release version. This is one of the films that got the production code going and the theatrical version is a mess, with most of the sex gone and changes to the philosophy. Luckily, the pre-release version is available now.

#6 – Ball of Fire (1941) — A screwball comedy normally in the shadow of her more famous one (coming further up the list), this one stars Cary Cooper as a hopelessly naïve professor researching slang and Stanwyck as a showgirl in need of a place to hide.

#5 – Remember the Night (1940) — A romance, and perhaps even a weepie, with some comic touches, filmed like a Noir, and set at Christmas, this is an unusual film. Stanwyck is a shoplifter and Fred MacMurray is the prosecutor who takes her home for the holiday.

#4 – The Lady Eve (1941) — Her best known comedy, Stanwyck is a conwoman and Henry Fonda is her hopelessly naïve target.

#3 – The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) — A Film Noir with a good dose of the gothic, it has Stanwyck at her most steely. If you are looking for the worst in humanity, here’s the place to look. It was Kirk Douglas’s first role and he’s as good as she is, and she’s fantastic. (Full Review)

#2 – Christmas in Connecticut (1945) — A delight in every way (and as far from the two films surrounding it on this list as you can get), this film has been an Xmas tradition for me for fifty years. Romantic, funny and joyful.

#1 – Double Indemnity (1944) — The quintessential Film Noir. In a meaningless world, two jaded people, one a sleazy insurance salesman (Fred MacMurray), the other a sociopathic trophy wife, decide to commit murder. It’s brilliant. (Full Review) [Also on the Edward G. Robinson list]

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