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Reviews
La tempesta (1958)
A ten because of Heflin
I am and have always been a fan of Van Heflin's work but the first time I saw this film back in the 70s I didn't even recognize him at first. Perhaps the only other actor that could have done justice to this role of Pugachev would have been Orson Welles but I don't even think Welles could have topped Van Heflin's work here. Heflin was an incredible actor with a diverse body of work, that he could pull off a role like this really underscores what a skilled actor he truly was.
The film is not bad and I recommend it but what drives it home is Van Heflin.
When Worlds Collide (1951)
Compelling, fast paced but oddly not somber for the magnitude of doomsday.
Okay the celestial mechanics and physics to this film are preposterous but the earnestness of the acting and overall production and pace keeps you glued. I saw this film on late night television in the early 70s and have been hooked on it ever since. I own it and watch often. The montage of the disaster the earth suffers as the planet Zyra passes was state of the art for its time and still looks good. There are a couple of scenes like New York after the disaster and the end of the film on the new world where they are obvious paintings and George Pal was disappointed that Paramount wouldn't part with the money to build a set to show the new world based on his drawings and instead used the test matte painting and released.
One staggering effect that I still can't figure to this day is how they did the helicopter scenes. When Derr and Hanson spot a small boy tied on to a roof and they move in to rescue the helicopter appears to be right there and there is no way a real helicopter would have been that close to the actors particularly a child. Well done.
A real enjoyable ride despite the gravity of the subject. Anyone a fan of vintage scifi will enjoy.
The Venture Bros. (2003)
Funniest cartoon on television
The Venture Brothers , part of the Cartoon Networks' Adult Swim programming may feature some of the wittiest and tightest writing currently on television. It's discipline probably due in large part to it's sustained parody of Jonny Quest and the Tom Swift Jr. series of books. Ever wonder what Jonny or Tom Swift Jr. would grow up to be like? Well the answer here is a desiccated , pill popping , washed up super scientist , unable and unwilling to capture his past glories as a wunderkind but still living off the government tit building weapons of mass destruction. Thaddeus Venture is brilliantly realized as is his bodyguard , Brock Samson , an unbelievably destructive government agent assigned to protect Dr. Venture and his dimwitted sons Hank and Dean. The brothers themselves seem to have stepped out of nineteen fifties sitcoms and are oblivious to almost everything that has happened in the last fifty years. Add to this , ridiculous super villains - arch-nemesis , including the significant other of one such villain called Dr. Girlfriend who looks like Jacqueline Kennedy but talks in a deep gruff masculine voice and you have a delightful stable of characters around which the writing develops. The creator's master stroke here is to have each story as a full length half hour episode.The formula works. The parodic elements keep the narrative moving along but the dark humor has subtlety and nuance not seen in any other cartoon program.Or much other current programming for that matter. You may have to sit down and actually watch and listen to what's going on here and you may have to watch more than one episode but once you do , you're very likely to get hooked. Go Team Venture!!!
The Wide World of Mystery: Frankenstein: Part 1 (1973)
The only faithful version of Shelly's classic
The production values are not great and Foxworth is a barely capable actor but Svenson is remarkable. Despite claims to the contrary neither the 70s TV extravaganza with Michael Sarrazin nor Kenneth Branagh's adaptation even come close to the Frankenstein novel. This modest little adaptation is completely faithful to it's source material. It's a pity that's it is not available on tape or DVD. I saw this on late night television in the early seventies and since I was familiar with the novel I enjoyed seeing it and was surprised by how effective Svenson was as the monster. Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows) who produced and adapted this also did a wonderful version of Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde with Jack Palance. I'd like to see that again as well.