Homework Movie - Bride of Frankeistein - James Whale

Continuing on the Universal franchise, Bride of Frankenstein follows the monster back into the village to find Doctor Frankenstein in order to create a companion for his original creation so they can live together outside of the regular world's way. Boris Karloff in this movie plays the Monster for his second time of three movies, with only the House of Frankenstein made in 1944 being his only in the series where he's not the monster. I was impressed to see that he was taught to speak in the role this go around, since the first Frankenstein all he did was grunt for the most part.

With only four years separating releases of these titles, the advances in makeup FX was noticeable to me as that's something I look at when watching a horror movie now. The Bride had smaller but still noticeable scarring on her neck where the good doctor operated on her that didn't look fake, but like someone skilled made careful cuts to keep the skin in tact and easily reapplied.

Something that is fascinating to me is that this was a pre-code horror movie, as were much of Universal's films at the time. Horror movies didn't get much Code attention until sound was added because the terrified screams and the chilling soundtrack made the audiences squeamish. The other movies out during this time that showed graphic violence and sexual undertones got more attention up to that point.

Comparing this movie to the clips from class, I reviewed The Island of Lost Souls again at home to get a full feeling of Dr. Moreau's, played extraordinarily creepy by Charles Laughton. Of the two doctors, there was a lot more remorse for his wrongdoings out of Frankenstein in Bride than Moreau had up to his demise. It was only through The Monster's urging did Dr. Frankenstein agree to create another so hideous to keep him company.

I did enjoy both as I could watch them more than once and still find new things in each movie. There wasn't an over stylized or graphic violence to either movie and what violence there was is now considered tame in comparison to today's gore for the sake of gore films. Back in the days of the first screenings of these films, however, the story might have been different.

Homework Movie - Fury - Fritz Lang

At every turn in this movie, it seemed to go from bad to worse in no time at all. The couple start at a separation that was supposed to be temporary that lasted longer due to a misunderstanding. As the movie progressed, so did the game of telephone that was happening between townsfolk and the authorities. It doesn't stop there when the town begins to form the furious mob (Thus the title, Fury). Spencer Tracy plays the wrongfully accused Joe that turns his calm demeanor into a vengeful protagonist when he is suspected of being burned to death by the town that took actions into their own hands for a crime that Joe didn't commit.

What I saw in this movie was a town full of people that wanted nothing more than to busy themselves with other people's business and when that wasn't enough, they took it to extremes and it got out of hand. To make matters worse, the protagonist doesn't even try to make things right for himself with the town after escaping what was supposed to be his death. Instead he gets his two brothers to file a lawsuit with the DA to charge them all with the murder of Joe that never happened.

I enjoyed this movie for the pacing of the action. It didn't really ever stop. There was always something going on that had me actually catching myself trying to keep up. The story was easy to follow, as were most of the films of that day, looking back now. Fritz Lang didn't attempt to use any fancy camera tricks in this movie, not to say that he hadn't before or since. This movie happened to be a more straight forward movie and didn't rely on them for the affect on the audience.

Homework Movie - Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages

There are several sections to the movie Haxan that I understood the first time I watched it. This documentary style movie was made in an age where superstition was related to things from the various religious practices of the time. The film maker even goes to the lengths of describing how people saw the world during medieval times as a flat surface with the stars hanging close by Earth because we happened to be the center of the universe. We know, however, that isn't the case any longer.

Some of the camera exposure techniques for this film were amazing for the time and even hold up still today, albeit in a more sophisticated fashion. The double exposures were a great tool here to trick the audience into believing that there were flying witches. Also, some of the reversing of the film to show things coming back out of the room and other clever segments were a surprise to see in a film from back then. The one thing that stands out to me the most of this film is the pleasant music that scores the piece. It sounds like a happy frolic through the picture, when the subject matter was anything but friendly. It sounds like something taken from a Disney movie.

I did enjoy the transition from medieval times into what would have been modern for the twenties. This brought the "modern medicine" and techniques of the doctors of the time to be able to diagnose for hysteria rather than suspecting people of being witches.

Upon doing a small bit of web searching, I came to find that Christopher Lee, made famous in Hammer Films such as Count Dracula and later on as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings Series, was born the same year as the release of Haxan.

Of the films for this weeks clips in class and our homework, I enjoyed watching Vampyr again at home along with Haxan. Although the two are vastly different in structure, both must have been terrifying for the time. The unknown of the supernatural of those days must have had the audiences screaming up the aisles.

Favorite "Underrated" Movie - The House of Yes

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to baste the Turkey and hide the kitchen knives." - Mrs. Pascal

One of my favorite movies has to be House of Yes, starring Parker Posey in what I think is one of her breakout performances in the late 90's that never caught on. I was working in a Record/Video store when House of Yes first came out. I was becoming a fan of Posey's and so I decided to give it a try even though the synopsis on the VHS cover didn't speak to me as a movie I'd like. Not being of the generation, I didn't have an interest in the JFK assignation no matter the relevance or cultural significance. Nowhere on the cover told that the movie was based on a play that was written and performed seven years earlier than the movie was made. Looking back now, that makes sense that there are only five characters in a single location.

Having been a play adaptation, the films Writer/Director Mark Waters co-wrote the script with the original playwright Wendy MacLeod. Filmed with a modest budget of $1.5 Million dollars, it starred Posey, Josh Hamilton, Freddie Prinze Jr., Tori Spelling, and Genevieve Bujold as the matriarch of the Pascal home. . A relatively new actress played old video footage of a young Jackie-O, Rachael Leigh Cook. Released by Miramax Films with the copyright being held by Spelling Films Inc., it's no wonder Tori Spelling was in the movie. It was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 1997 and wasn't a wide release until October of the same year, released opposite Boogie Nights and Most Wanted. It ran for six weeks in the theater just ending before the Thanksgiving week. The Movie came out on VHS first in 1998 and took three years to make it to DVD. This was at the beginning stages of the DVD transfer.

One reason I feel this movie deserves another look is the brilliant acting by the very small cast. There is a large challenge to bring plays to the big screen, no matter what the subject is. Looking for reviews of this movie, I came to the master of all movie reviewers, Roger Ebert to find that he didn't overly enjoy the movie, but was, "not bored." There were a few mis-quoted areas in his review suggesting that he only watched it once and was done with the movie. I have watched it with different audiences at different times in my life. This movie clearly didn't get the chance it deserves to be a really funny look at the characters and how they react to their own issues.

In Theater Viewing - Suck

After a long day of classes, I took my mountain bike up Geary in SF to the 4 Star Theater to watch a movie I'd only seen a trailer for on Facebook. It was a Vampire movie about a band that didn't play very well until their band started to become Vampires. One by one they turned. It was a funny movie, so there were lots of heckles from the audience. When I had first gotten to the theater it looked like it was going to be an intimate evening with only 6 of us in the auditorium. That's what happens when you get to the theater over an hour early. When it got closer to show time, however, the red tiled ceiling dimmed down to about 30+ vampire fans eager to see how this mix of actors and musicians turned movie "stars" would work. It was a very tame movie with little blood splatter and no skin. For a vampire movie, even a comedy, it was pretty tame. The story was cool, some of the actors has some good one liners, and the stop motion "driving scenes" were pretty cool. Rob Stefaniuk wrote/directed & acted in his film that was released last year.

Extra Credit - Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

Hot Tub Time Machine was written by Josh Heald, John Morris, and Sean Sanders and directed by Steve Pink. This story takes three friends back in time to when their lives changed forever. The movie started in the present with the three friends going in very separate directions with their lives. But a sudden change of plans is in order when one friend tries to commit suicide, very unsuccessfully. Since his family doesn’t even like him, his friends are charged by the hospital to take care of him for the next few days. Off these friends go to a cabin in the woods where they used to frequent back when they were young and had their lives completely ahead of themselves.

This simple trip turns out to be just what they all needed. Not only does their trip take them to a place that is familiar to them, but also the time is back 30 years in the 80’s when the three friends lives changed for the worst. John Cusack’s character was brought back to the 80’s to correct mistakes with his girlfriend, (as he does in most of his movies). Craig Robinson was sent back to become the musical legend he wanted to be. As for Rob Courddry’s character, Lou, he was a complete looser ever since the 80’s and his life hadn’t been much to speak of. The whole reason they even went up to the cabin was to keep an eye on him for a suicide watch. Because they all realized what they could do while back in time, the three friends banded together to change their futures to help go down a better path for themselves. There were plenty of references to other movies including The Shining and some of Cusack’s earlier films.

Homework Movie - The Godfather (1972)

One of the most watched gangster movies of all time, The Godfather was first a novel by Mario Puzo who also wrote the screenplay with Francis Ford Coppola in the early 70's. This wasn't the first movie that Al Pachino was in, but it certainly put him on the map as a talented actor. The cinematographer was Gordon Willis, who os know for his work on the Godfather series with Coppola. Willis also worked along side some other great directors including Woody Allen and Alan J. Pakula.

The movie is lit in a warm tone with a lot of the lights being used are from practical lights in the rooms. The characters are generally backlit with the light hitting one side of their faces creating a shadow on the opposite side, especially when they are talking about "family business." The movies brightest moments are the outside scenes between Don Vito Corleone and Michael, played by Marlon Brando and Al Pachino respectively. Once Michael completely takes over the business, the lighting looks more of a cool blue indoors showing a new regime is in place.