Change Your Image
blairwitch-1
Reviews
The Bubble (1966)
Eerie Flick Deserves to be Released at original 112 min length - SPOILERS
WARNING SPOILERS
I own a 75 minute version taped off-the-air, bearing the alternate title, THE FANTASTIC INVASION OF PLANET EARTH.
This is like an extended TWILIGHT ZONE episode that never gets boring. It continuously keeps you in suspense.
A small prop plane flying through a rainstorm must land because one of the two passengers is about to have a baby.
When the young couple and the pilot put down in the small American town, they find all the townspeople are in a near-catatonic state. The three explore and find fallen Roman columns. They try to drive out of the town but run into an invisible barrier surrounding it. Is there anything left alive on the outside, or is this the last town on Earth? The pilot is plucked from above, is a giant alien collecting specimens? The couple find a small factory producing alien food for the townspeople. Will the baby survive if the food source is destroyed? Is there a limit to the barrier, and can it be surmounted?
Michael Cole turns in an excellent performance as the young newlywed.
I highly recommend this spooky classic.
White Hunter Black Heart (1990)
Double Entendre WARNING SPOILERS
Is this movie a masterpiece or a dog? The other reviews here present a wide range of opinions. It's true that Clint is playing a bastard for the first 100 minutes of the film, and he does talk so much that his character alienates himself from the sympathy of the audience, but that's the point, you're SUPPOSED to hate him! The supporting cast is collectively given the "hero's role" as foil to their tyrannical boss. It's also true that at it's core, this film is about the creative process of a movie director, the John Houston character, who must work himself into a state of self-revulsion before he feels ready to film a work of art. But it is not true that the movie's title is an insult to the director. In the last few moments of the film, Clint's character suffers the loss of one of his native guides. And when the other guides dub him "white hunter, black heart", it is in praise of his soul, not in condemnation. This movie is truly a masterpiece, and probably Clint's highest achievement.
The Deadly Dream (1971)
really scary
WARNING: BIG SPOILER
The old mystical suggestion that our waking life is a dream, and our dreams actually real life, is eclipsed in THE DEADLY DREAM by the subplot of humankind being endangered by the advance of science, and the lengths men could go to prevent progress. In Dr. Jim Hanley's dream (which turns out to be the real world, but it's not our world) scientists are closely monitored, and hunted and executed if they threaten to advance human knowledge. Lloyd Bridges is superlative as the oppressed researcher. For a Made-For-TV movie of the 70's this runs pretty long (90 minutes as opposed to 75). The tale is truly horrific in its downward spiral and ends on a note of terror. May actually be unsuitable viewing for youngsters. Lots of physical violence including some really scary wife abuse. Recommended for adult horror/sci fi fans.
Mr. Terrific (1967)
Pill-Popping Superhero
I also remember this sitcom fondly. I remember the balding man who was the superhero's mentor. That was the man who invented the pill. Mr. Terrific pops a pill, then his face turns one color after another, then he gets super powers. I've always thought the pill was the reason this show got axed. It was a good show! But with all the pill-popping going on during the psychedelic sixties, I would imagine the network caught some blowback.
Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol (1972)
Vietnam Made-For-TV Horror Movies
WELCOME HOME, JOHNNY BRISTOL was one of a wave of creepy movies (e.g., YOU'LL LIKE MY MOTHER, DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK, DYING ROOM ONLY) that were made for U.S. television during the Vietnam war. (Remember the ABC Movie of the Week?) As a genre, the horror in these movies, though at times allegorical, nevertheless was a direct reflection of the evil being perpetrated in Asia by our government. These movies hold up exceedingly well today, but you are not likely to see them, because it seems we are blinded by a forest of waving American flags.
The Fly (1986)
If You've Never Seen It, SEE IT NOW (warning: spoilers)
Don't get me started on Cronenberg. The director is a genius. The first film of his I saw was VIDEODROME. Cronenberg's real talent, which has always been the mark of excellent creators of science fiction, is the ability to mix contemporary experience with original fiction. In Videodrome, an example of this are the pirate television broadcasts of sexual torture. He mixed the idea of, say, a pirate radio broadcast, with a broadcast product which had I daresay heretofore never been thought of. I will probably never again watch 1986's THE FLY, which I saw in a theater. But that doesn't mean I didn't like it at the time. At the time, and to this day, I think it's the best filmed realization of the theme, and to date 5 movies have been filmed with this theme, where teleportation mixes man and fly. Unfortunately I have mellowed with age and no longer crave violent cinema. Very early in The Fly, I knew I would love it, when Cronenberg provides the reason behind the invention of teleportation. The reason is the inventor, the scientist Brundle, suffers a chronic motion sickness which makes any other form of travel, even riding in a car, excruciatingly painful. I loved the love story. Who couldn't fall in love with Geena Davis? I was horrified as Brundle's slow transformation gradually tore his romance apart. The gross-out scenes are highly realistic (another Cronenberg trademark) and also truly horrifying. The fact that it takes so long for Brundle to realize his lot is tragic and truly horrific. The third character (John Getz, the guy who play's Geena's confidant) has a truly horrible character, way beyond hateful, you just want to kick him in the teeth, and eventually The Fly does just that. I consider this Jeff Goldblum's breakthrough film, this is the movie that made him a star, and you get the quintessential Goldblum here, which sometimes seems only reiterated in all his later films. You get the wit, the sexual repartee, his acting with his hands and fingers and his eyes and all the muscles in his face, god he's like an acrobat with his face, and his slow burns slower than any other actor except perhaps Charles Grodin. So you may decide never again to see The Fly, like I did, but you should see it once, like I did, and you WILL be impressed, like I am.
The Chairman (1969)
Excellent Political Action Thriller (spoilers follow)
Keep in mind "The Chairman" was released (1969) while America was in the middle of the Vietnam War. Every government type in the movie hates Communism (so much that the assassination of Chairman Mao is considered) but Peck's character reserves judgment. Peck also has his doubts about, and questions, the Chinese system. In this manner he plays an "anti-establishment" role against both systems, the East and the West. The excitement of this movie is bolstered in no small way by the superlative musical score of Jerry Goldsmith. Goldsmith listened to oriental music samples before composing this score, and it is one of Goldsmith's finest (even better than his score for the original Star Trek movie). This film introduced me to the concept of the "Little Red Book", Mao's collection of sayings distributed to every school child. The movie was made when the Chinese were being recognized as the best ping pong players in the world, so Peck even gets a chance to play table tennis with Mao himself. Every great film has its unforgettable moments, and this has a good share of them too. I haven't seen this movie in maybe a decade but I still remember several scenes vividly: In China, the public beating of Peck's scientist colleague. Peck's attempt to get into the armored projection chamber which holds the secret to unlimited food production for the world's starving masses. His border crossing while being chased by the Chinese Army. And Peck's reaction when he observes the detonation of the bomb he didn't know he was carrying (once surgically implanted in his skull). If you like Gregory Peck, you will love this action treat.
Amerika (1987)
Eerie TV classic miniseries bears re-watching
We (my Dad and I) taped the AMERIKA miniseries on its premiere air dates and I'm so glad we did. I've read a couple reviews here at IMdB that claim this milestone is boring. I believe they are misinterpreting the decided communist slant of this production. The production seems off-kilter because of it is presented through "a weary and wintry Russian eye", which might be compared to the powerless angst of the Russian characters of the Dr. Zhivago film. The characters are all doomed to communism and it's fascinating to view their ways of coping. Kristofferson and Urich are both powerhouses in this vein. My favorite theme is the outlawing of sentimental media, my favorite scene when Mariel Hemingway attends the illegal performance of "The Fantasticks". Shades of George Orwell's "1984", about a communist state where things that are illegal for the masses are allowed (but not admittedly) for the elite party members. So I say "God Bless AMERIKA". I think I'll watch it again next week.