Rusty Cundieff
1995
Its amazing that Spike Lee attached his company and name to this slice of mid-nineties pop consciousness. This isn't a judgment call by any means, it just seems like the poster child for intelligent, black independent cinema who made "Do the Right Thing" (and the unemployable hack responsible for "She Hate Me") would involve himself with such lowbrow fare.
"Tales From the Hood" is firmly rooted in the tradition of "Tales From the Crypt" in terms of story tone, and comedic horror aesthetics, however Cundieff seems more interested in making pat social commentary than actually scaring the audience.
The structure centers around an appropriately kooky funeral director leading around three ridiculous gangbangers who are trying to snatch a drug stash from a fallen homie. As the mortician leads the kids deeper into his home the picture is punctuated by his tales.....from the hood. The first involves police brutality and the unlawful killing of a community leader who gets revenge as a an invincible zombie. The second takes on domestic violence through the classic "monster under the bed metaphor." This particular episode stars David Allen Greer in a role that's arguably the most interesting of his career. The third centers around an ex-klansman turned anti-affirmative action politician, named Duke (the reference is absurd) who gets his comeuppance at the hands of some ghost slaves. Finally, the last (and best) tale centers around a violent gangsta who undergoes a voluntary behavior alteration program (a la "Clockwork Orange") in the hopes of freeing himself from a life sentence.
The first three stories are far from satisfying. While the monster story is probably the most successful, it suffers from being completely out of step with the rest of the movie's urban, african-american theme. Call me crazy, but I think its a bit ignorant to claim that domestic violence is intrinsically a "hood phenomenon." The klansman/politician story falls completely flat in that big Duke is such a despicable character that there's no tension or interest in his demise.
The last tale, and ensuing, finale (complete with an amazing CG Satan and hell) does a good job of making up for the film's prior mistakes, and make this one worth your time. It'd be great to screen this next to "Clockers," and "Malcolm X."
Review By Brett Scieszka
Monday, April 18, 2005
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Revenge of the Creature
Jack Arnold
1955
Familiar tug boat captain, Lucas, takes another expedition to the black lagoon with a group intent on bringing the ancient gill-man back to civilization. More specifically a marine theme park, where hotdog munching brats and their parents can poke on the glass of the relic's aquarium. Needless to say, a pissed of Creature ends up springing his confines and has a ball tearing up the Florida coastline.
"Revenge of the Creature" is a mediocre sequel at best. Everything great about the original "Creature From the Black Lagoon" seems either weak, watered-down, or tackily overdone. The physical changes made to the creature's makeup design go a long way to make him less frightening and more cartoonish. The underwater photography, a triumph in the original, is boring and uninspired. Most annoying perhaps is the resurrection of the Creature's theme music, a blaring three notes that becomes more grating and comical with each repetition.
This is perhaps one of few Universal horrors where the human interest is more exciting than the monster. Dashing Prof Ferguson (John Agar), blonde-babe student ichthyologist Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson), and intrepid meathead, Joe Hayes (John Bromfield) provide a love triangle cheesy and engaging enough for an Elvis movie.
Let's not forget a young Clint Eastwood's amazingly surreal bit part involving a rat in a labcoat pocket, and three more rodents interned with a docile feline.
Review by Brett Scieszka
1955
Familiar tug boat captain, Lucas, takes another expedition to the black lagoon with a group intent on bringing the ancient gill-man back to civilization. More specifically a marine theme park, where hotdog munching brats and their parents can poke on the glass of the relic's aquarium. Needless to say, a pissed of Creature ends up springing his confines and has a ball tearing up the Florida coastline.
"Revenge of the Creature" is a mediocre sequel at best. Everything great about the original "Creature From the Black Lagoon" seems either weak, watered-down, or tackily overdone. The physical changes made to the creature's makeup design go a long way to make him less frightening and more cartoonish. The underwater photography, a triumph in the original, is boring and uninspired. Most annoying perhaps is the resurrection of the Creature's theme music, a blaring three notes that becomes more grating and comical with each repetition.
This is perhaps one of few Universal horrors where the human interest is more exciting than the monster. Dashing Prof Ferguson (John Agar), blonde-babe student ichthyologist Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson), and intrepid meathead, Joe Hayes (John Bromfield) provide a love triangle cheesy and engaging enough for an Elvis movie.
Let's not forget a young Clint Eastwood's amazingly surreal bit part involving a rat in a labcoat pocket, and three more rodents interned with a docile feline.
Review by Brett Scieszka
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
Roy William Neill
1943
I'm a bit biased in writing this because I've always seen the Wolf Man as the weakest of all Universal monsters. While Lon Chaney Jr. plays a spectacular mummy, as well as an adequate Frankenstein, his signature beast never seemed to have a good enough makeup or an interesting enough story to keep me in it. Despite a few notable elements, "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" fails to live up to the high quality of its predecessors.
The undying Larry Talbot is resurrected by a pair of hapless graverobbers only to cut a bloody swathe through England. Talbot seeks out the journals of the deceased doctor Frankenstein, who has the power of 'life over death' and vice versa, in an effort to cure the world of his curse. In his exploration of castle Frankenstein Larry manages to thaw out the infamous monster and stir up trouble with the natives.
This particular Frankenstein portrayal is perhaps the weakest of all the monster's incarnations. Bela Lugosi dons the flat head and prominent brow, a role he once mocked but was forced to take up, due to a drug habit and career trouble. The baroness Elsa Frankenstein (Ilona Massey) lends the picture a nice dose of sex appeal, a factor frequently lacking in the Universal horror dept. The climactic fight between the monster and the wolf man is woefully weak. This bummer of a scuffle is clumsy and passionless, perhaps the greatest disappointment the film has to offer. However, "Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man" does have some excellent mob scenes. When the salt-of-the-earth townsfolk have had enough supernatural falderal they light some torches and get to some good old fashioned monster killing. Too bad the monsters they're chasing aren't really worth the effort.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
1943
I'm a bit biased in writing this because I've always seen the Wolf Man as the weakest of all Universal monsters. While Lon Chaney Jr. plays a spectacular mummy, as well as an adequate Frankenstein, his signature beast never seemed to have a good enough makeup or an interesting enough story to keep me in it. Despite a few notable elements, "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" fails to live up to the high quality of its predecessors.
The undying Larry Talbot is resurrected by a pair of hapless graverobbers only to cut a bloody swathe through England. Talbot seeks out the journals of the deceased doctor Frankenstein, who has the power of 'life over death' and vice versa, in an effort to cure the world of his curse. In his exploration of castle Frankenstein Larry manages to thaw out the infamous monster and stir up trouble with the natives.
This particular Frankenstein portrayal is perhaps the weakest of all the monster's incarnations. Bela Lugosi dons the flat head and prominent brow, a role he once mocked but was forced to take up, due to a drug habit and career trouble. The baroness Elsa Frankenstein (Ilona Massey) lends the picture a nice dose of sex appeal, a factor frequently lacking in the Universal horror dept. The climactic fight between the monster and the wolf man is woefully weak. This bummer of a scuffle is clumsy and passionless, perhaps the greatest disappointment the film has to offer. However, "Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man" does have some excellent mob scenes. When the salt-of-the-earth townsfolk have had enough supernatural falderal they light some torches and get to some good old fashioned monster killing. Too bad the monsters they're chasing aren't really worth the effort.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
Sunday, April 10, 2005
The Man Who Laughs
Paul Leni
1928
Conrad Veidt plays the ultimate sad clown in this spectacular silent. Paul Leni's masterpiece (an adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel) is primarily considered an example of early Universal horror, which is a shame seeing as how the film has so much to offer in its design, pathos, and comedic elements. This also happens to be one of the most risque pre-code pictures around, including a titillating array of hanky-panky from bare-bottomed pool scenes to drunken bouts of lecherous groping at the carnival (it'll take you back to middle school).
Veidt plays Gwynplaine, the exiled child of a murdered noble, whose face has been disfigured into an extreme rictus grin thanks to a gang of gypsies. Left to die by the pirate-like sheisters he wanders through a frozen landscape. Lil' Gwynplaine's journey is possibly the film's most memorable and horrific, including gallows in the background complete with rotting corpses, and a scene where the youth touches the lips of a recently frozen woman. He is saved after pulling a live baby from the dead woman's arms by a kindly man who raises the children and turns them into a band of traveling performers. While Gwynplaine's clownish act and grotesque smile bring joy to nearly everyone around him he's as bummed as can be. Thankfully his beloved co-star is blind and sees past his deformity.
In true 20's fashion this picture aims to entertain all audiences on all levels, and makes good on its promise. The romance between Gwynplaine and Dea (Mary Philpin) is both heart warming and maddening, and there's an equally intense action sequence during the climax. The comic depiction of the royal court is rife with bizarre characters. Lord Dirry-Moire is a near retarded oaf, and his betrothed is an ultra-skanky vixen (Olga Baclanova) who is just as equally at home toying with Gwynplaine's heart as she is carousing about with the common rabble. The real star of the show however is wonder-pooch Homo, (played expertly by Zimbo the dog). This hound blows Air Bud out of the water in every respect. Not only does he lead blind Dea to find Gwynplaine, but he also shows his chops as an attack dog by tearin' out some throats.
Unfortunately, Paul Leni died prematurely of blood poisoning before the advent of sound. It would have been interesting to see if Universal put him on the horror roster once the genre really got going with "Dracula" and "Frankenstein." However its important to keep in mind that this wonderfully versatile director need not be pigeonholed.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
1928
Conrad Veidt plays the ultimate sad clown in this spectacular silent. Paul Leni's masterpiece (an adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel) is primarily considered an example of early Universal horror, which is a shame seeing as how the film has so much to offer in its design, pathos, and comedic elements. This also happens to be one of the most risque pre-code pictures around, including a titillating array of hanky-panky from bare-bottomed pool scenes to drunken bouts of lecherous groping at the carnival (it'll take you back to middle school).
Veidt plays Gwynplaine, the exiled child of a murdered noble, whose face has been disfigured into an extreme rictus grin thanks to a gang of gypsies. Left to die by the pirate-like sheisters he wanders through a frozen landscape. Lil' Gwynplaine's journey is possibly the film's most memorable and horrific, including gallows in the background complete with rotting corpses, and a scene where the youth touches the lips of a recently frozen woman. He is saved after pulling a live baby from the dead woman's arms by a kindly man who raises the children and turns them into a band of traveling performers. While Gwynplaine's clownish act and grotesque smile bring joy to nearly everyone around him he's as bummed as can be. Thankfully his beloved co-star is blind and sees past his deformity.
In true 20's fashion this picture aims to entertain all audiences on all levels, and makes good on its promise. The romance between Gwynplaine and Dea (Mary Philpin) is both heart warming and maddening, and there's an equally intense action sequence during the climax. The comic depiction of the royal court is rife with bizarre characters. Lord Dirry-Moire is a near retarded oaf, and his betrothed is an ultra-skanky vixen (Olga Baclanova) who is just as equally at home toying with Gwynplaine's heart as she is carousing about with the common rabble. The real star of the show however is wonder-pooch Homo, (played expertly by Zimbo the dog). This hound blows Air Bud out of the water in every respect. Not only does he lead blind Dea to find Gwynplaine, but he also shows his chops as an attack dog by tearin' out some throats.
Unfortunately, Paul Leni died prematurely of blood poisoning before the advent of sound. It would have been interesting to see if Universal put him on the horror roster once the genre really got going with "Dracula" and "Frankenstein." However its important to keep in mind that this wonderfully versatile director need not be pigeonholed.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
Monday, April 04, 2005
Creature From the Black Lagoon
Jack Arnold
1954
Not since Frankenstein has a Universal monster been so misunderstood. The excellent "big bang" sequence that opens the picture explains it all before the story even gets rolling: we're dealing with a creature unknown to man. Unlike the Frankenstein monster however, this beast came from nature, undetected in its Black Lagoon since the birth of man.
In the spirit of discovery a team of ichthyologists plans to investigate the remains of a bizarro humanoid fossil found in the inhospitable jungles of South America. Their desire to advance science and strike it rich with a new discovery leads them straight into the stinking guts of the Amazon. Inevitably the impetuous, pipe-smoking interlopers get more than they bargain when they disrupt the ancient fishman's tropical idyll.
Purely based on its underwater photography this film is worth its weight in gold. The dopey line delivery and hackneyed themes are silenced below the surface, leaving only graceful motion, beautiful environments, elevated drama, and woman/fishman romance. The sharky blonde businessman's utter greed makes him a great asshole in contrast to the noble scientists. This speargun-toting trainwreck is so devoid of common sense and humanity that he makes the creature look like a prince. As for the creature, like Derek Zoolander he's only got "one look," but seeing as how he can get pig-stuck with several spears and still raise hell his inexpressiveness is forgiven.
By this point the gothic horror cycle had ended and science fiction was all the rage. Universal made good with this classic by taking its tried and true monster ethic and applying it to the genre zeitgeist. The result is a film that feels like a Universal horror film but with a vibrant, intriguing monster that runs circles around a musty, castle-bound Dracula.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
1954
Not since Frankenstein has a Universal monster been so misunderstood. The excellent "big bang" sequence that opens the picture explains it all before the story even gets rolling: we're dealing with a creature unknown to man. Unlike the Frankenstein monster however, this beast came from nature, undetected in its Black Lagoon since the birth of man.
In the spirit of discovery a team of ichthyologists plans to investigate the remains of a bizarro humanoid fossil found in the inhospitable jungles of South America. Their desire to advance science and strike it rich with a new discovery leads them straight into the stinking guts of the Amazon. Inevitably the impetuous, pipe-smoking interlopers get more than they bargain when they disrupt the ancient fishman's tropical idyll.
Purely based on its underwater photography this film is worth its weight in gold. The dopey line delivery and hackneyed themes are silenced below the surface, leaving only graceful motion, beautiful environments, elevated drama, and woman/fishman romance. The sharky blonde businessman's utter greed makes him a great asshole in contrast to the noble scientists. This speargun-toting trainwreck is so devoid of common sense and humanity that he makes the creature look like a prince. As for the creature, like Derek Zoolander he's only got "one look," but seeing as how he can get pig-stuck with several spears and still raise hell his inexpressiveness is forgiven.
By this point the gothic horror cycle had ended and science fiction was all the rage. Universal made good with this classic by taking its tried and true monster ethic and applying it to the genre zeitgeist. The result is a film that feels like a Universal horror film but with a vibrant, intriguing monster that runs circles around a musty, castle-bound Dracula.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
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