Arrow on the CW channel~

My wife asked me to review this new series so here I go.

Arrow is another comic (DC) come to life- a mixture of Batman, the Green Lantern and the old Kung Fu series of the 70’S.  It is of course all modernized with drunks and drugs and the ultra-rich yuppie spawn.

A waste of skin rich guy is lost on a mysterious deserted island and finds a reason to live and wants to right the wrongs of his past and his nar-do-well father. Set in an overly corrupt city (Gothum-esk) whose rich elite are just begging to be corrected for their naughty ways and ARROW is just the man for the job.

Through the occasional flash backs we learn of his time on the island and how he was trained and turned in to the deadly little Arrow that he is. The villains are all asking for it and through his amazing physical feats (and magical powered plant tissue from the island) he cannot be stopped.  I am sure more than a modicum of his (STEPHEN AMELL) appeal comes from his hunkylisiousness or as one of my students said-he’s freakin hot.

As much as I want to riddle this show full of more holes then a good Swiss cheese sandwich I have to admit I don’t hate it. The bad guys get it in the end, the mysterious island sub plot and a show where Kelly Hu is the bad girl can't be all bad! HuHuHu.  Watch with your favorite comic book hero jammys  on and don’t expect too much intellectual material.  Take it for what it is- probably not the worst show on the interesting CW network.

The day the earth stood still (1951)

  The day the earth stood still (1951)

This film has been referred to as “the second coming of Christ”.  A man named Carpenter, all powerful,comes to help man, is killed and resurrected but I don’t get that deep in philosophy.  What I see is a very early masterpiece of cold war science fiction.  This is before my time but I grew up with it.  The acting, setting, effects (especially for that time) and music are great.  No, this is not the Keanu Reeves version; this is Michael Rennie at his finest.  Supported by Patricia Neal (not the best hair I’ve seen) as the chic, Hugh Malowe (veteran of other SciFi classics) and even Aunt Bee (Francis Bavier) make a stop over from Mayberry.  The reporters on the TV and radio are the actual news people of the day and Lock Martin (Gort) a 7’ tall usher from Grumann’s Chinese Theater is one of the best robots of all time.

I have no doubt that some of my love for this movie is nostalgia and colored a bit but the moral after 60 years is STILL valid and it is still fun at the same time.  The plot flows well and blends with the reality of the day.  I love Sam Jaffe (Pro. Branhart) as the Einstein look-a-like as well as the rampant paranoia that I can see actually happening then or now.  All this was done without a single persons head exploding or entrails tossed about like confetti at a New Year’s Eve party.

I really don’t know how this would translate into today’s generation used to movies of mindless viscous, violence, no plot, massive number of CG effects and very little acting but I suspect that those out there that still use a couple of their brain cells will get it and enjoy it, maybe not as much  as I, but still have fun.

All I have to say is KLAATU BARADA NIKTO

 

    

The Uninvited~ 1944 Ray Maland

 unlike the previous movie, which was a trick, this one was a treat...

    I have never seen this one before, and that's saying something. Even as a 9yr old I remember being abused by the family, because I kept saying I'd seen that one. 

The movie is a romp through the ghost filled world of Cornwall, where the rugged sea scape is part of the story line. As much fun as it is to heap abusive jibes onto, shall we say, the weaker films of this genre occasionally a film of quality will need my attention. Ray Maland has an outstanding cast that do justice to the roles. The doctor in this one appears in the 1950's version of Journey to the Center of the Earth. The housekeeper is pure old Irish. Neither of the lead women had good hair in this either. The story is fun, a splash of comedy here and there,which was unexpected, rounds out your stay in this haunted house. I would pay to stay in that house for a weekend, whereas the locals found it a forbidding abode. Only the cat and dog of the newcomers are wise to the invisible inhabitants of the manor.  The plot flows well, including all the expected characters from the overprotective grandfather, to the crazed woman running the insane asylum. The only weakness is forgiven, that being again the effects capable in 1944. The exception being when the woman stands at the edge of the cliff overhanging the wild ocean, and ... that's for you to experience. 

I am now instituting a new rating system, I give this 3 1/2 cobwebs out of 4. 

 

The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake~

With the Halloween season coming up on us the DVR will be running nonstop, generating a collection  of eclectic horror and science fiction films from the past. We recently delved into the interesting film of the four skulls of Jonathan Drake… This movie is for you if; you‘ve had three beers or if you are in desperate need of sleep. The finest part of this movie is the music, reminiscent of the old horror movies when I was 10.

As far as the actors are concerned the female lead though well-dressed was in dire need of better hair. Amazingly she never ran and fell down as is so often the case in these flicks. The male lead whoever he was should have retained his former occupation.  He was incredibly flat, and emoted nearly zero energy. As  is required in a film of this quality the in house doctor was not nearly believable although he did pronounce carare correctly.  The fiend of the movie was all but fiendish, he was monotone and basically incapable of frightening a small child…unless of course he took off his shirt whereupon you would have noticed his supposed European white head attached to  the darkened body of an amazon warrior. The only problem with the premise is the dye job, which looked like a very bad chemical tan. If the film was in color I have no doubt he would have glowed orange. The ghoul, his side kick, even with his mouth knitted shut moved about as if having exaggerated proctological issues.

  The spooky house venue was quite nice. I thoroughly would have enjoyed spending the weekend there, and of course the slow moving retainer had the outstanding name Rogers. The plot was slow, the imagined floating skulls were not quite to the level of avatar. This film would be highly recommended by me, for a large group who have just obtained a fresh supply of  a hearty meade. Don’t forget the popcorn, you will need to do something with your mouth in between the yawns.

 MOVIE IMDB