Monday, January 22, 2018

Midnite Drive-Ins Movie List

 

 


 

 

This post has been a long time coming.  (Translation:  I've procrastinated doing it for a long time...  Took me 3 hours to do all the initial links!)  Following is a list which I will continually update as new entries are made. This will also appear as a sidebar for yours (and my) convenience.  Yours:  In case you want to find a specific review, and Mine: so I won't end up doing repeats...a distinct possibility as this blog gets larger and my old age makes my memory grow dim...


Random Thoughts:
 
 
Christmas Movies and TV episodes:
(Note: Die Hard is NOT a Christmas movie! Go look under (DEF)!)
 
 
 
 
Hey! I Know That Guy!
 

The Marvel Comics Saga: (All the movies related to Marvel Comics listed here for convenience):

 
The Semiquincentennial Movie Project:
  
In 2026, the United States is celebrating 250 years of existence. The Semiquincentennial Movie Project is a tribute to each of the 50 states (and Washington, D.C.), and each state will have a movie that takes place in its borders to celebrate them. (These are listed in alphabetical order by state, for convenience of the browser looking for their particular state...)


Arkansas: True Grit (1969) 
California: Car Wash (1976) 
Delaware: Hiding Out (1987)
Georgia: Gator (1976)
Maryland: Explorers (1985)
New York: Serpico (1973)
North Carolina: Hero's Island (1962)
North Dakota: Leprechaun (1993) 
South Carolina: D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)
South Dakota: The White Buffalo (1977) 
Washington: Stay Tuned (1992) 
 

Bingeworthy: TV worth watching
 
 
Movies: 

(1-∞)


(ABC)

 
Bubba Ho Tep (2002) 
Bucket of Blood, A (1959)
Bulldog Drummond Trilogy
     - Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)
     - Bulldog Drummond's Revenge (1938)
     - Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1937)
 


(DEF)
 

 

Fly, The (1950's trilogy)
   - The Fly (1958)
   - The Return of the Fly (1959)
   - The Curse of the Fly (1965) 


(GHI) 

 
 


(JKL)
 

James Bond Oeuvre
 
 
 


(MNO) 

 
 

 (PQRS)
 

 
 
 


(TUV) 

 
 


(WXYZ)
 

 

Zombies of the Stratosphere (serial) (1952)

TV Shows, Cartoons, Etc:
 
 
Book Reviews:
 
  
 

  
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Saturday, January 13, 2018

Announcing End of the World Blogathon








It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine
                                                    -REM



The aliens are poised above the Earth with their own versions of Weapons of Mass Destruction.  A renegade terrorist group has just taken the world leaders hostage and threatened to destroy the world with their black market bombs.  Someone has just escaped from a secret military installation with a bio-engineered virus.  A vengeance on a sinful world is about to be enacted by a supernatural deity.  In other words it's time to bend down between your legs  and kiss your ass goodbye.



On the other hand, maybe this scenario has already happened.  Maybe the world already made a mess of itself.  Perhaps the world is being overrun by zombies or vampires or intelligent apes.  Or aliens have successful subjugated the Earth for thousands of years already.  There are many scenarios in which survivors of a post-apocalyptic world are just trying to get by or maybe even trying to figure out just what the hell happened while they were sleeping.  In any case, the potential has been covered by Hollywood countless times, and this is the inspiration for this blogathon.

The blogathon is being brought to you by your truly and Steve at Movie Movie Blog Blog.  

You are encouraged to let your muses run wild in this event.  Any scenario in which the world is trying to prevent the destruction  (or deal with the inevitable destruction) of Earth, or trying to cope with the aftermath of said destruction is fair game.  An incomplete list of acceptable titles can be found here.  But don't feel you are limited to these.  If you have an idea, submit it.  As long as it fits in the theme of the blogathon it is fair game.

Rules are simple:  Pick a movie, let us know about it so we can add you to the roster and then write about it and post it to your blog.  Early submissions are OK, but the dates of the blogathon are Mar. 30-Apr. 1 and you won't see a link on our blogs until then.  Other wise, have fun! (If the End of the World can be said to be fun...)

Only one thing.  Since there are such a wide range of possibilities we ask that you limit one person per movie.  But remakes are separate movies so if one person chose, say. War of the Worlds (the 1953 version) another could write about War of the Worlds (the 2005 version).

Below are several banners from which you might choose to promote our blogathon.  (which you should, otherwise Steve just busted his ass for nothing... :-D Eight of them...))














The roster:

The Midnite Drive-In:  On the Beach (1959)  and 12 Monkeys (1995)

Movie Movie Blog Blog:  Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) and Strange Brew (1983)


Caftan Woman: When Worlds Collide (1951)

Crítica Retrô:  H. G. Wells' Things to Come (1936)

Diary of a Movie Maniac:  End of the World (1916)

The Dream Book Blog:  Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Maddylovesherclaassicfilms: Deep Impact (1998)

Moon in Gemini: War Games (1983)

Movierob: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), I Am Legend (2007)


Old Hollywood Films:  Panic in the Year Zero! (1962)

Once Upon a Screen:   Fail Safe (1964)

Open Letters to Film:   V for Vendetta (2005)

portraitsbyjenni: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 and 1978)

Realwweegiemidget Reviews:  Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

Silver Screenings:  1984 (1956)

Seeker of Truth:  The Story of Mankind (1957)

Speakeasy:  Five (1951), This is Not a Test (1962)

Thoughts All Sorts: Sunshine (2007)





Quiggy
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Friday, January 5, 2018

Time Waits for No Man


 


 

I have stated before that one of my favorite science-fiction tropes is the concept of time travel.  With the proper machinery, or spell in some cases, or even a map showing holes in the fabric of the universe, one can travel back in time to witness or even interact with events that occurred years or centuries ago.

Want to witness the birth of Jesus Christ (or prove that it didn't happen, depending on your perspective)?  Want to see the signing of the American Declaration of Independence?  Or that red letter day when Dr. Emmett Brown conceived of the flux capacitor?  All could be achieved if you had the proper equipment.  And it doesn't even have to be a souped up DeLorean.

Depending on your concept of the theme, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of potential viewing possibilities that cover the concept of time travel and the potential dangers therein.  "Dangers?" you ask.  Well, of course.  The classic Grandfather Paradox is an example.  Suppose you went back in time and accidentally (or intentionally, if you were so minded...)  killed your grandfather before he met your grandmother.  You would therefore not have been born and thus could not have gone back in time to commit the deed in the first place.

You could create even greater havoc if you chose to eliminate a prominent historical figure like, say, Adolph Hitler.  While you might think that would be a good thing, it may not necessarily be so.  Some theoretical historians believe that without Hitler's influence the Nazis could have won WWII.

An IMdB poster, with apparently a lot of time on his hands created a list that runs up to (so far) 587 titles that cover the concept of time travel.  Admittedly some are a stretch, and some (he includes It's A Wonderful Life)  don't really fit in my opinion, but that is still a fairly exhaustive list.  I haven't seen nearly as many of them as I would like.  In previous blog entries I have discussed the Bill and Ted Movies,  The Final Countdown, Time Bandits, and a couple of TV show episodes, one from The Twilight Zone and two from Star Trek.

Future entries will include more.  Later this year I am planning an entire week dedicated to H. G. Wells, whose output included a classic in the genre, The Time Machine.  I am considering comparing and contrasting the two theatrical versions, with maybe some references to an equally interesting movie along the same lines, Time After Time. The Back to the Future trilogy is also on the horizon for an entry. I also owe some long time readers a piece on Twelve Monkeys which I was forced to leave out of the Monty Python Blogathon last year due to unforeseen circumstances.

I am, however, interested in your ideas, dear reader.  Do you have any favorite time travel movies?  Leave your comments, and I assure you I will at least TRY to track them down.

Quiggy



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Monday, January 1, 2018

In Like "Thin"






This is my entry in the Bill and Myrna New Year's Blogathon hosted by Phyllis Loves Classic Movies and The Flapper Dame.







The comedy/mystery The Thin Man was the first to feature Dashiell Hammett's characters, and the success and popularity of the booze guzzling high society pair spawned no less than 5 sequels.  All of the sequels featured a variation on "The Thin Man" even though the original thin man was only a character in the first movie.  But you could be forgiven if you thought that the title character was referring to Nick Charles.

Nick and Nora Charles are a parody in and  of themselves.  Before I ever saw The Thin Man, I saw Neil Simon's Murder by Death, which featured parodies of several famous detectives, but in particular was a parody of the Nick and Nora duo, with David Niven and Maggie Smith playing Dick and Dora Charleston.  It wasn't until I saw the original characters that I realized just how exquisite Niven and Smith's parody of them was.

Dashiell Hammett's  main claim to fame was undoubtedly the character of Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon, but I would think that the Charles duo would be a close second.   And much of that is due to the excellent efforts of Powell and Loy in the film roles.  In fact, to quote Roger Ebert in a review he did of this same film "William Powell is to dialogue as Fred Astaire is to dance."






And Myrna Loy is no slouch either, although she is at her best when she makes those cute little faces at Powell rather than a witty response.



 

But despite all this, the real star of the film is Skippy, the terrier who plays Asta, their pooch.  This dog is a scene stealer from the get-go. This mutt is a bigger camera hog than his contemporary, Terry, who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz.








There you go.  Now that you have been introduced to the stars of the show, on with the show.






The Thin Man (1934):

Dorothy Wynant (Maureen O'Sullivan) comes to her father's workshop to announce her engagement and impending wedding to Tommy (Henry Wadsworth).  Her father, Clyde (Edward Ellis) is an eccentric inventor who works in a laboratory designing new devices.  Dorothy learns that Clyde is on his way out of town but she exhorts him to be back in time for her wedding, which has been scheduled to occur in 3 months.

Within the first 15 minutes of the movie we discover that not only does Clyde's secretary have a secret lover on the side, but that she has been trying to bilk Clyde out of money for her own security.  Not only that, but Clyde's ex-wife, Mimi (Minna Gombell) wants more money than she got from the divorce.  She has a gold-digger husband (played by Caesar Romero in an early role) who also lurks at the fringe wanting more money.  There is a lot of skullduggery going on early in the film, and a lot of red herrings are thrown at the audience, but it's all in fun, because the real stars haven't come on the scene yet.

 Enter Nick Charles (William Powell), who in his first appearance is trying to show the bartender how to mix drinks.  His style is to mix them, based on the contents, to a rhythm of a dance number.  (Wonder if James Bond knows about this...)  Nora (Myrna Loy) shows up with Asta and the repartee begins.  One of the first funny bits is when Nora asks Nick how many martinis he's already had.  When he replies 6, Nora tells the bartender to line up 5 more for her.  These are two lushes who are competing with each other, but instead of doing it for superior ranking in ability to hold their liquor, they are doing it out of love.  (Whether that's a good thing or not is debatable...)

Dorothy, whose father it turns out was an old client of Nick's from his days as a professional private detective, approaches him to find out what has happened to her father.  It seems he has not been seen since that meeting 3 months earlier and no one seems to know what has happened to him.  But circumstances crop up almost immediately.  His secretary/mistress turns up dead and the guilty finger seems to point at Clyde.  She had been sponging money off him for some time.  Which didn't set too well with the ex because she wanted to keep dipping her finger in the pie.  In fact, it was she who discovered the body of the mistress.... hmmm...

 The suspicions abound as to who is more deeply involved in the affair than they are letting on, but police lieutenant John Guild (Nat Pendleton) is convinced that Clyde is the culprit and is intent on locating him.  When another dead body turns up, the fingers still point primarily to Clyde, but Nick is convinced of his innocence, enough so that he constantly presents a 2 to 1 bet with Lt. Guild that Clyde is innocent and that someone else will eventually come to the fore as the guilty party.

At Clyde's laboratory a secret basement is discovered where a skeleton is discovered.  Due to the clothes that cover the skeleton, it is deduced by Lt. Guild that the body is that of a man that had been blackmailing Wynant, the same case that Nick had been working on for Wynant several months back.  And once again, the outcry is that Wynant is the guilty party.  All except for nick who still insists that Wynant is innocent.


The finale of the case is revealed in the quite Agatha Christie-ish like fashion, all of the suspects are gathered at a dinner party where Nick finally solves the case.  Of course, it's probably no surprise to any one familiar with these types of movies, but Nick is correct in his prediction that Wynant is innocent of any of the murders.  What is surprising is the details of where and what Wynant had been doing in the preceding 3 months.  No spoiler alerts here; watch it for yourself.  If nothing else for the comic parts.  As a detective story it is lacking, in my opinion, but the comedy makes it worth a view.



 Well, the martinis are calling, so I'll be off.  Drive home safely, folks.


Quiggy
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Saturday, December 30, 2017

NYE in NYC





This is my entry in the Happy New Year Blogathon hosted by Movie Movie Blog Blog






It's New Year's Eve in 1981 in New York City.  We look in on the lives of a dozen or so shallow people, all seemingly unrelated to each other, except that all of them have been invited to the same New Year's Eve party, being hosted by one of the most neurotic and insecure women to ever come down the pike.

Was I this shallow in 1981?  I don't honestly remember.  Looking back from a position 36 years later, however, I can honestly say I wouldn't want to spend more than 15-20 minutes with the females in this movie, and not any time at all with any of the guys.  This must be the most self-obsessed  entourage of folks I've ever seen in one place.

In 1981, I would have been just about the same age as the majority of the characters in this film.  Granted I spent NYE 1981 in a town that would hardly register as a pimple on the nose of NYC.  (I grew up in a town of only 700, and the nearest town in which there was a bar to ring in the new year  had only about 25,000.)  Whether there were people like this in the bar where I welcomed 1982, I couldn't say.  But then I never really cared about relationships as much as I cared about just getting drunk and staying up til midnight. If you want to term that as "shallow", go ahead, but at least I wasn't trying to hook up for a one-night stand in the offing...  And that's exactly what these characters are trying to do.  None of them seem to have a handle on anything but living for the immediate moment, and then only in how it can help benefit themselves, regardless of who they are traveling with in their evening's journey.

The only really good part of the movie is the soundtrack.  I loved the soundtrack to Dazed and Confused because it reminded me of my days in high school and I like the soundtrack to this movie because it reminds me of my young adult days when I used to frequent the nightclubs and dance halls.  "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow runs during the opening credits, and with rarely a miss, hits some pretty good heights with its music.  Additionally there is some pretty good accompanying music written by the Mothersbaugh brothers from Devo.

As I did in my review of the aforementioned Dazed and Confused movie,  I have decided to address each of the main characters individually, as trying to make sense heads or tails of the actual plot is somewhat fruitless. 





200 Cigarettes (1999):  

Monica (Martha Plimpton) has plans for a great New Year's Eve party.  But she sits alone with her friend, Hillary (Catherine Kellner), bemoaning the fact that time is going by and no one has yet to show for the party she has planned.  She becomes obsessed with the fact that the party will have no one show up and will be failure.


Hillary and Monica




Two teenagers from the Long Island suburb of Ronkonkoma, Val (Christina Ricci) and Stephie (Gaby Hoffman), both of whom are underage, wander around the district lost, unable to remember where the party is being held.  Val is a cousin to Monica and refuses to call anyone because a) she doesn't have her cousin's number and b) her mother thinks she is spending the night at Stephie's house in Ronkonkoma.


Val and Stephie


Lucy (Courtney Love) and Kevin (Paul Rudd) are old friends.  Kevin has been having a series of bad relationships, the most recent of which was with Ellie (Janeane Garofalo), and is down on the holiday, which also just happens to be his birthday.  Why Lucy puts up with Kevin is a mystery, because his negativity grates on her, but she is determined to force him to have a good time.

Lucy and Kevin



Ellie

Cindy (Kate Hudson), a ditzy blonde, has just had a one-night stand with Jack (Jay Mohr) and finds herself falling in love with him.  Jack, for his part, puts up with Cindy, although he is at loss to know why she has become so enamored with him.


Cindy and Jack


Bridget (Nicole Parker) and Caitlyn (Angela Featherstone) attempt to ditch Eric (Brian McCardie), Bridget's current boyfriend with whom she is no longer interested.  The excuse being that Eric is a bad lover.  Eric, coincidentally, has also been a former boyfriend of Monica, who also ditched him because of the same lack of performance as a lover.

 
Bridget and Caitlyn
Eric



In the midst of all this is a Bartender, played by Ben Affleck, who by circumstances ends up interacting with all these characters.  He is a pretty goofy character himself, so he manages to fit right in with the rest of the characters, and of course he gets invited to the same party.


The Bartender


The movie is sort of held together by the frequent appearance of a character called "Disco Cabbie" (Dave Chappelle), who dispenses advice on love and life and acts as a sort of narrator to the movie.  He may be the most centered character in the film, and that's saying something, since he has the same thing on his mind that the rest of these slackers do.  But at least he is grounded in the fact that he has a job to do and does it well.


Disco Cabbie




Most of these people do end up fulfilling their New Year's Eve goals.  But, really, the cast of characters seem to have no redeeming qualities.  It's a wonder how all these people ended up together in the same boat. But then after watching them, you may decide they deserve each other after all.  Personally I began to wonder how they all survived the 80's into today.  One can only hope they eventually found happiness and success at some point, but the first goal would have had to have been to have found some maturity.

I honestly gave my best effort to like this movie, but as I said earlier, it was hard because I never really knew these kinds of people on an intimate basis.  The main reason I wanted to have a rapport with it was because of the nostalgic factor, since I would have been the same age at the same time of the century as these characters.  But unlike the aforementioned Dazed and Confused, I could not identify with any of the characters.  Even Eric, whom I liked because he seems to have the same kind of hard luck with women that I did in the 80's is pretty unappealing.

Hope you all have a pleasant evening tomorrow night, whether you go to a party or just enjoy ringing the coming new year in the privacy of your own home.  Happy New Year!

Quiggy






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