wdbasinger's Reviews

House of Evil (1968)

8/10

Actually the BEST of Karloff's Mexican Movies

1 May 2009

This tale based on two Edgar Allen Poe pieces ("The Fall of the House of Usher", "Dance of Death" (poem) ) is actually quite creepy from beginning to end. It is similar to some of the old black-and-white movies about people that meet in an old decrepit house (for example, "The Cat and the Canary", "The Old Dark House", "Night of Terror" and so on). Boris Karloff plays a demented inventor of life-size dolls that terrorize the guests. He dies early in the film (or does he ? ) and the residents of the house are subjected to a number of terrifying experiences. I won't go into too much detail here, but it is definitely a must-see for fans of old dark house mysteries.

Watch it with plenty of popcorn and soda in a darkened room.

Dan Basinger 8/10

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The Invasion of the Vampires (1963)

8/10

One of Best Post-Lugosi Vampire Movies

5 December 2007

I enjoy some of the supernatural thrillers from south of the border. My favorite Mexican movie may be "The Braniac" with Abel Salazar. In any case, this could be my second favorite.

This supernatural thriller has a lot of atmosphere and suspense as a doctor arrives to investigate a series of terror attacks from vampires. The resolution in which a chemical substance is isolated which eliminates the fiends is quite original.

The background music adds to the overall eeriness of the film. Indeed, it is really quite haunting and combined with the special effects, can really scare the viewers.

8/10 Dan Basinger

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The Incredible Petrified World (1959)

8/10

Reasonably Good "B" Science Fiction

4 October 2007

One of my favorite sub-genres in the field of science fiction involves geological or subterranean motifs (I worked in the geological field for 11 years and loved every moment of it). Examples of these could be found in the works of Jules Verne, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Stanton Coblentz as well as other authors. Among SF films, examples of this are "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "The Monolith Monsters", "Unknown World", "The Land Unknown", "The Lost Continent", and others. This film by Jerry Warren is an example of this type of theme. Although the production values are based on a smaller budget than some other films, this is a very entertaining and stimulating film about explorers undertaking and expedition into the ocean depths. Due to circumstances, they end up within a network of subterranean caves with an air pocket. Eventually the party of explorers is rescued.

The film has a lot to offer in terms of speculative fiction about the ocean depths, geology, and subterranean caves. Definitely a must-see.

Dan Basinger 8/10

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World Without End (1956)

10/10

My Favorite of the 1950s "B" Science Fiction Films

12 September 2007

Warning: Spoilers

I saw this film for the first time when I was about 8 years of age and never forgot a lot of the issues raised during the plot. The first 15 minutes or so, the viewer is shown a rocket traveling from Martian orbit which subsequently takes off suddenly at a fantastic undefined velocity. The special effects imply that it is going through some sort of convulsion or warp. The rocket eventually crashes on some planet.

After the astronauts start to explore the "unknown" planet, they encounter some unearthly phenomena such as a surface reading of elevated background radiation that would be uncharacteristic of comparable measurements on earth. Tnen, inside a cave, they encounter a giant spider (a staple of 1950s SF, somewhat hokey here) which would be impossible on the earth that they knew. Sunsequently, they meet a group of savage humanoids that could be throwbacks to a stone age era. Now, the key point which I never forgot - a visit to an abandoned cemetery that contains monuments dating back to at least the 20th century on earth. This shocking detail reveals that they have somehow returned to earth, but not the earth that they knew. Then, they discover the grave of someone who lived from the years 1985 - 2068 !!! (The astronauts went into space around 1957) The concept of time dilation dates back to the Einstein Special Theory of Relativity and I have been fascinated by the possibility ever since. The astronauts try to speculate about the velocity that they actually attained, beyond 100 miles / second - or, was it 1000 miles/second, 10000 miles/second, or faster still (the velocity of light is 186,000 miles/ second at which fundamental physical concepts such as length, mass, and time undergo fantastic values in magnitude). As one approaches the velocity of light, time becomes asymptotic and at actual light speed, time is reduced to 0. According to physicists, light speed is the absolute limit in the universe. That is why concepts such as warps in space-time are being discussed as possible methods of achieving faster than light conditions. In any case, the astronauts discover that sometime between their departure in 1957 and their appearance on earth several centuries later, there was some horrific atomic world war that decimated civilization as they knew it.

The astronauts are chased into a cave by the savages in another encounter where they meet descendants of survivors of the atomic war living underground. At this point, the plot starts to focus on human interactions and the various behavioral passions and characteristics (including human frailties and weaknesses such as mistrust and jealousy) that seem to be universals in any era of the history of mankind, from ancient times to the present, to the future time of the year 2508. The girls in the movie are all knockouts (especially the bare-legged ones) which are a staple of 1950s SF (such as in "Missile to the Moon", "Queen of Outer Space", and others). After a number of debates followed by an act of treachery by one of the men from the future, the astronauts finally convince the subterranean people to let them fight their way to the surface, fight off the savages, and establish a base upon which the underground people can rebuild civilization.

As the future men and women from the year 2508 rebuild civilization, would they be able to control their negative passions in order to create a world at peace? Or once re-established on the surface, would new kingdoms, principalities, and nations take root again followed by the usual cycles of peace and war ? The saga of human history is marked by cycles of rise and fall and then subsequent rise and fall. Is this all we humans can do ? Or can we do better ? Can the human race rise above the flaws and frailties that made the atomic war (and all of the wars before it) possible ? Or can we learn to put intellect above violence and put an end to war forever ? Would this imply that Homo Sapiens would really learn to live up to its name. The term "Homo Sapiens" means "wise man". How "wise" are men who slaughter each other in cycles of wars that have come close to destroying entire segments of the population ? How "wise" would we actually be to destroy the earth and us with it ? There is nothing "wise" about taking another human life. Wars have plagued us humans from ancient times to the present. Can we eventually learn to control our lower instincts and passions in order to make war impossible? Can we truly create a civilized human order at peace with itself? These are questions that function as the subtext of the movie.

10/10

Dan Basinger

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Bowery at Midnight (1942)

7/10

Interesting Monogram Thriller

24 August 2006

Next to "Invisible Ghost" and "The Corpse Vanishes", this is probably the best of the old Monogram series. ("The Devil Bat", my number one favorite of the "Poverty Row" thrillers was not Monogram, but PRC). Bela Lugosi plays a mad psychologist who moonlights in the dark of night as a master criminal who uses a charity mission as a front. In this film, Lugosi demonstrates not one, but three different personalities. Moreover, the plot gets slightly convoluted compressed into a quick 62 minute running time. Some scenes such as the basement graveyard and the undead zombie attack during the film's climax are very hair-raising indeed.

7/10.

Dan Basinger

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Spooks Run Wild (1941)

8/10

My Favorite East Side Kids Movie

23 August 2006

Being a fan of old "B" moves from the 1930s and 1940s, this is a real gem from one of the so-called Poverty Row studios, in this case, Monogram Studios. Some of these so-called Poverty Row films have a charm all their own. I am a fan of both Bela Lugosi on one hand and The East Side Kids on the other. The East Side Kids started off as a group called the Dead End Kids from Warner Studios and I prefer their films that they made for Monogram. Other good movies of the series are "Ghosts on the Loose" (also with Bela Lugosi as well as a young actress named Ava Gardner), "Bowery Blitzkrieg", and "Mr. Wise Guy".

Anyway, "Spooks Run Wild" is the best of the lot with fine old fashioned atmosphere (great cemetery scenes and a creepy old house), great wisecracks, and hold-on-to-your-seat suspense with a misanthropic villain called the "Monster Killer".

Great film for Holloween.

Dan Basinger

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The Cat Creeps (1946)

Neat Little "B" Programmer

21 August 2006

I am a fan of the old Universal, Columbia, Monogram, PRC, etc. supernatural, suspense, and mystery thrillers from the 1930s and 1940s. I was wondering when or if this little "B" ( or "C" ) mystery was going to be on VHS and so I found it via Sinister Cinema.

This little thriller is worth watching to see due to the fact that it is a murder mystery with supernatural overtones. I first saw this at the age of 12 (when I started to become a fan of this genre) and found some scenes hair-raising. I think this is due to some of the acting and the way some of the action occurs, especially when Mrs. Williams talks about the creeping cat. Overall, it is not a bad film to have in one's collection and I recommend for other fans of Universal mystery and suspense.

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Goonland (1938)

10/10

My VERY FAVORITE Popeye cartoon

10 August 2006

This has the best cartoon art in the series. This is one of the finest things to come out of Fleischer studios. The Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons are classic.

The story starts with Popeye heading toward a mysterious island in search of his pappy. We get an idea of Popeye's age when he states that his pappy was missing for forty years. The island upon which he arrives is atmospheric, mysterious, and downright spooky.

The goons are brilliantly hideous, comparable to the kind like the characters from the classic thriller "Island of Lost Souls" (1932).

The goon is another brilliant Segar character. From the comics, I remember a neat character called "Alice the Goon".

Now we are finally introduced to "Poop-Deck" Pappy, a great character in his own way and obnoxious as can be, but he shows his true meddle by eating the can of spinach and breaking out of the prison in order to save his son Popeye's life in a thrilling climax. (I won't reveal it here, but the ending is just great.)

10/10

Dan Basinger

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The Devil Bat (1940)

10/10

The VERY BEST of the "Poverty Row" Thrillers

26 July 2006

This is the very best of the old PRC-Monogram type thrillers. It is difficult to distinguish one studio from the other. They all seem to be cut out of the same production crew with identical sound tracks and values. I am not sure whether Monogram was combined earlier with another studio called Republic Pictures and then re-established again as a new studio, but the PRC and Monograms thrillers from the late 1930s and early 1940s are great fun. From the studio called "Monogram", my favorite film is "Invisible Ghost" followed by "The Corpse Vanishes". From PRC, I especially liked "Hitler - Beast of Berlin" (a well-produced story about the German anti-Nazi resistance), "The Black Raven" and "Dead Men Walk". But the best of the PRC films was "The Devil Bat". Indeed,if one considers all of these "B" film quickies, the best by far is "The devil Bat".

Instead of being the vampire, Bela Lugosi is the "vampire maker", a mad chemist who has a vendetta against his employers. He creates a giant vampire bat and sends it to kill members of the Morton-Heath families. After a number of attacks, the mad chemist is destroyed by his creation. (There is a moral here). Good old fashioned monster movie with a neat cast of characters. And of course Susan Kaaren is great eye candy throughout. And of course that exotic French maid cutie!!!

Watch it with popcorn and soda.

10 out of 10.

Dan Basinger

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The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: The Jar (1964)

Season 2, Episode 17

10/10

Probably My Favorite of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour Series

27 June 2006

This is a classic piece of Ray Bradbury about a country man who buys a mysterious jar from a carnival and becomes a sensation in his small town as a result.

Night after night, a group of citizens meet at his house to discuss the jar and its contents and to try to discover what it it is. each of the citizens ventures a guess, some very complicated like Grandma's explanation, and some very simple like the young girl who thinks that the contents is "the boogieman". Like most of Alfred Hitchcock's hair raisers, this segment has a surprise ending. In addition, in this particular segment, it has a very gruesome ending at that.

Dan Basinger

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The Outer Limits: The Sixth Finger (1963)

Season 1, Episode 5

10/10

The VERY Best of the Outer Limits Series

19 June 2006

Warning: Spoilers

I am an avid fan of the original Outer Limits program from the 1960s. Many episodes such as "Speciman - Unknown", "Moonstone", and "The Human Factor" will always leave one with a sense of awe.

"The Sixth Finger" will always leave me with a feeling of awe and fascination. The plot deals with a scientist's efforts to project a human being thousands of years, indeed, even a million years into the biological future. This has always been a very interesting premise and based on what we currently know about molecular genetics, perhaps a potentially plausible one as well. Since I worked in geology and geochemistry (mostly from the standpoint of applications software) for 11 years, with a strong interest in historical geology and paleobiology, this program particularly sparked my interest.

In addition, to a strong, well-structured plot, the characterizations in the show are also planned well. Everyone in this show is three-dimensional, including the futuristic being played by David McCallum who subconsciously wants to maintain his humanity on one hand, and continue to go further "to infinity" leaving his humanity behind on the other. Even though the main character has artificially evolved into a being of superior intelligence, he shows that he still possesses the basic weaknesses and foibles that are found in all people. One of these foibles is a tendency toward emotional immaturity despite his superior intelligence. The David McCallum character remains human in all stages of his evolutionary advance.

I read that there were several possible endings planned for this particular segment. One is where the futuristic human succeeds in shedding the flesh and becoming "all mind and no matter". Another is when he retreats back to primitive life-forms, indeed, even toward the protozoa. The ending on which they finally decided is the situation in which the David McCallum character returns to his original self via the transmission machine thanks to Cathy's efforts and love. This is probably the best choice.

This episode has many great facets, including the Bach music that the David McCallum character plays. (I think his real-life father was a professional violinist.) Also the different philosophical discussions in the show pertaining to the nature of man, creativity, and the ultimate future of the human race made this segment one of the best of the Outer Limits Series. Also all of the women in this program, Cathy, Gert, and Mrs. Ives remain eye candy as well for all fans.

For me, this is my all-time favorite of The Outer Limits, a series which remains, my all-time favorite for all time.

Hugo-Award winning material throughout.

10 out of 10.

Dan Basinger

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Jeepers Creepers (II) (1939)

10/10

One of The Best Loony Tunes Funnies

29 March 2006

No collection of old time cartoons would be complete without this one. If I were going to select my all-time favorite Warner Brother Loony Tunes cartoon, it would be a tie between this nutty ghost story and the nuttier "Porky in Wackyland" (1939) aka "Dough for the Do-Do". I first saw these as a small kid at the age of 4 or 5 and have been a fan of these old cartoons on into adulthood. The ones created in the 1930s and 1940s have always been the best.

Anyway, this nutty ghost story holds your attention from beginning to end. Imagine sitting in a police cruiser (Porky is an policeman in this one.) and being told to "investigate strange noises in an old, abandoned house. And to be careful - THERE MIGHT BE GHOSTS!!!!". Porky stops for a minute and thinks to himself "Did he say ghosts?" And the radio responds "Yes - you know those white things that go "BRAHH AH AH AHHH!". Great fun.

At the house there is a rambunctious, but overall seemingly harmless ghost with the voice of the great Pinto Colvig and a bizarre sense of humor (I can relate to that) that enjoys scaring people. And he does a great job on Porky once he arrives. (I won't reveal everything here.) And the disembodied "walking shoe" prank is hysterical. (I would love to a pull a gag like that.)

Great fun throughout.

10/10 Dan Basinger

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The Ruff & Reddy Show (1957–1962)

Does Anyone Know Where to Get These on VHS or DVD

28 March 2006

I remember watching this series as a young boy of 7 and 8 and I was astounded by the cliffhanger approach of the plots. Captain Greedy was a cartoon version of Peter Lorre. I don't know who Salt Water Daffy was modeled after, but both if these were very original villains.

My favorite stores were those when Ruff and Reddy were battling villains in outer space. There were actually two such stories. One in which they somehow get to "a very strange planet" by getting aboard a runaway rocket.

The second story is when they are captured by robot aliens and taken to a planet called Munimula ("Aluminum" spelled backwards). To a young boy of 7, this was a very eerie adventure and as I remember, my favorite of the whole series. I think this is the first one to feature the eccentric "Professor Gizmo".

It is incredible that here I am at the age of 54 and I still remember with a great deal of fondness these Saturday morning thrillers.

Does anyone know where I could purchase this on either VHS or DMD ?

Dan Basinger

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Dead Poets Society (1989)

1/10

Worst Robin Williams Movie

7 March 2006

This movie could have been an interesting cultural and social statement about students attempting to study literature and to be creative in their own individual ways. But that is not what happens in the movie. Based on my observations of the teacher's attitudes and techniques, everything starts on the wrong foot.

Now, the teacher played by Robin Williams proclaims to the students that one should be free-spirited and to be a seeker after art and truth. That is one of the purposes of poetry. There is nothing wrong with that at all. However, that is not what happens in the movie. The teacher played by Robin Williams encourages students to tear out part of a textbook because he disagrees with the author's comments. When I was a student, there were things that I disagreed with in some books, but I would never tear out the pages. How does tearing out pages of a book with which one disagrees encourage creativity and learning ? Moreover, how does such an action teach a student to respect the views of other people, whether you agree with them or not? This type of action tends to foster intolerance rather than creativity. In addition, in the film, the students are encouraged to "find their own space" by wandering around or by standing on top of their desks? This seems to have some value in a psychology experiment, but may have dubious value in a course of English literature.

There is a difference between being "free-spirited" on one hand and rebellious on the other. Being "free-spirited" implies a desire to explore the unknown and to seek truth and beauty. This does not happen in the movie. Rather, the students decide to use some of the comments that they heard in the class to rebel against and provoke the administration. In once case, one student gets paddled. And for what purpose ?

Next, the film could have been an interesting experiment in synthesizing the different approaches to pedagogy when comparing the "old school" structured techniques of the school dean with the "free spirited" techniques of the teacher played by Robin Williams, but once again, this does not happen in the movie. Rather, a full-blown adversary relationship develops which ends tragically. As mentioned earlier, the two points of view and systems can be brought together in harmony, but a meeting of the minds does not happen in the film. A vicious spirit of intolerance develops among the protagonists on both sides, not just with the school dean, but among the students as well.

What later develops in the film is a total disaster as the two systems of pedagogy remain at enmity with each other as Robin Williams is eventually forced out of his position at the school. (One reviewer of this movie stated that the Robin Williams character was trying to use the students as "cannon fodder" in order to wage some sort of battle with the conservative administration for reason that were unclear. Somehow, I did not pick up on that. If true, then the Robin Williams character deserved to be terminated.) Worst of all still, death becomes a reality when one of the students commits suicide, something which should never have entered the plot. The student commits suicide because of his father's objections over his extracurricular thespian activities. Here, one could have come to some sort of common ground between the "old school" attitudes of the father vis-a-vis the "free spirited" lifestyle of his son. But, once again, this does not happen in the movie. Instead, the son kill himself, a cowardly act to be sure, something which should never have happened. From here, the plot degenerates at an accelerated rate. The film at this point becomes totally unwatchable.

The teacher played by Robin Williams is not the direct cause of the suicide, but his approach to unrestrained, unstructured pedagogy that borders on nihilism is a factor that leads up to the events that precede the plot's tragedy. I would like to think that the teacher portrayed by Robin Williams had good intentions that went wrong.

Robin Williams has been in better films such as "Patch Adams" and "Goog Morning, Vietnam". But this film represents his cinematic nadir.

I rated this film 1 out of 10. I would have rated it a total 0 because of the direction of the plot. However, I think 0 out of 10 would still be too generous.

Dan Basinger

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The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Great Science Fiction - Hope that it Remains Fiction

1 December 2005

One of Roland Emmerich's best films. The first thing I would like to say that this does not fall under the category of a "disaster" movie. Most of the disaster movies from the 1970s seem designed to scintillate the viewer for the sake of entertainment. This film should be considered science fiction and although it is scintillating, it does not do so for the mere sake of entertainment alone, but rather, to deliver a message about the inherent consequences of damaging the various components of earth's ecosystem. Hence, it is an example of speculative fiction that discusses a possible outcome of global warming as it affects the overall weather mechanisms, in this case, an example of a possible ecological and meteorological consequence if the delicate balance (in this case, in terms of oceanic freshwater and salinity ratios)within the ocean currents is drastically changed (in this case, by excessive polar ice melting) altering the heat capacity of the North Atlantic current as a result. The probability of this happening is very remote, if not totally nonexistent. However, phenomena such as this still remains a subject for further research due to the fact that much of the supporting data is brand new. Climatologists and other earth system scientists have generated a number of different Global Circulation Models (GCM) in order to explain the subtle patterns underlying earth's climate and much remains under study. Before the 1980s, no one was aware of the ongoing destruction of the ozone layer in the stratosphere represented by the "hole" over Antarctica. . The ozone layer in the stratosphere is critical to life on earth's surface because it filters out excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Before the work of Crutzen, Molina and other specialists, atmospheric scientists were at a loss for understanding how this could be happening in the stratosphere. As it turns out, a vortex effect underlies the transport of halogenated hydrocarbons to Antarctica where it is dark six months out of the year. The release of halogens occurs when incoming sunlight reacts with the compounds releasing the halogens to react with molecular ozone to generate gaseous oxygen. Now, with the banning of CFCs, there seems to be a chance that the overall ozone can be restored to its normal level. Once again, this is still subject to further research.

Again, the film's premise is wildly fantastic and probably far-fetched. However, it provides an excellent speculative example of what could possibly happen if we ignore the danger signs that we can witness from changes in the weather. Many scientists believe that the deadly hurricanes hitting the American South (such as New Orleans) are the result of warmer ocean water which could also be the consequence of global warming. We need to think about this very carefully. If we choose to ignore these danger signs, we do so at our peril.

I would like to add that one of the most moving scenes in the whole movie was when one of the refugees was embracing and protecting a Gutenberg Bible inside the library. As the refugee comments, one of the turning points in the history of civilization was the creation of the first book which was critical for the development of the Age of Reason. Imagine holding a copy of the first book ever printed !!! I personally don't know how I would react if I came in contact with something like a Gutenberg Bible, but I would probably be moved to tears and treat it reverently. Being a Christian believer, the Gutenberg Bible would probably hold me in awe. But in the movie, in the course of trying to keep warm under incredibly dire circumstances, sometimes by burning books at random, it was still possible to maintain a sense of one's own humanity, spirituality, courage, and reason in trying to preserve the most precious creation of the past millennium and indeed, a hallmark of Western Civilization.

Movie Rating 10/10.

Dan Basinger

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The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966)

9/10

One of the Best of the 1960s AIP Beach/Supernatural Pictures

28 September 2005

Maybe I am crazy in the head (If I am, I enjoy every minute if it - heh heh), but I thought "Ghost in the Invisible Bikini" was the perfect synthesis of the earlier AIP beach and supernatural movies. With actors and actresses from hits like "Beach Party", "Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine", "Die, Monster, Die" and so on, we end up with a highly campy, yet enjoyable plot. Boris Karloff is great as Hiram Stokely, the "corpse". Susan Hart playing the "Ghost" is great eye candy as she was in the original "Doctor Goldfoot" film, and the scenes in the graveyard and the chamber of horrors conjure up memories of the fine AIP supernatural/Poe films. And of course, with the rock and rollers including Nancy Sinatra conjuring up the earlier AIP beach movies - who can ask for more. Great camp - great fun throughout. 9/10.

Dan Basinger

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Behind the Mask (1932)

7/10

Creepy Columbia Potboiler

22 September 2005

A macabre mystery with many elements of the supernatural/shudder scientific genres.

Boris Karloff plays a lead henchman in the service of a mysterious Mr. X. His performance does not suggest a red herring role, but he is sinister enough as a grim-faced gangster to keep one's interest throughout the picture. Early on, it seems possible that the sinister Dr. Steiner played by Edward van Sloan may seem to be a more likely candidate for Mr. X., but his performance raises enough doubts to keep the viewer in a constant state of suspense.

A very fine "B" feature for the night owl crowd.

7/10.

Dan Basinger

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Planeta bur (1962)

9/10

Excellent Russian Science fiction Film

3 June 2005

If one wants to learn some Russian (which I would like to do if I could find the time), then this film would give some insights.

I bought the version from Sinister Cinema which seems to be missing the first half and so it starts with the cosmonauts discussing a tragic collision in space as they prepare to embark on a trip to Venus. It is in Russian with English subtitles and the special effects and the background music are both awesome. The story is pretty straight forward about a Russian expedition to the planet Venus, their encounter with dinosaurs and other strange life forms, philosophical discussions about the role of man in space, speculation about extraterrestrial intelligent life, and an ironic ending in which intelligent humanoid life is shown to exist on Venus, yet there is no contact between them and earth-born humans. Perhaps the writers intended a sequel.

Just like a lot of the German films from the 1930s, there is very little or no ideological propaganda, even though there is one reference to the Communist Party, Government, and the Soviet Union (thankfully a thing of the past). But aside from that single sentence, there is no reference to anything political. The story centers around a group of cosmonauts that represent not just Russia, but all of humanity as a whole as the crew embarks on an exploratory mission of the planet Venus. Recommended highly.

Dan Basinger

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First Spaceship on Venus (1960)

10/10

Better than "B" Science Fiction

31 May 2005

If I were going to list my favorite 10 science fiction films, this would be one of them. It is too bad that the original German language version is not available (as far as I know), but even though the American release version has some missing footage, the remaining film still is first-rate.

The film features an international cast led by Japanese actress Yoko Tani (good eye candy) and actors/actresses from Germany, Africa, Russia, Czechoslovakia, and France. The special effects from the start of the movie to its end are excellent. The effects as they explore the surface of Venus are particularly eerie and thought-provoking. But, best of all, are the philosophical speculations about the role of space flight in the future of mankind. In addition, the film makes a stern warning against the misuse of science and technology in the pursuit of war and aggression and pleads with all men to apply advances in nuclear and space technology to foster world peace.

10/10 Dan Basinger

P.S. One of the other critics stated that this was the first German science fiction film since "Frau I'm Mond" (1929). This may be the first space film from that country since 1929, but there were other films from Germany that would be considered science fiction. One of these was "Gold" (1934) that dealt with atomic power plants in the transmutation of metals to gold. Some of the footage from "Gold" appeared in the science fiction film "The Magnetic Monster" (1953).

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A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

2/10

One of the worst Spielberg Movies

18 May 2005

Steven Spielberg has written some great movies in the past such as Close Encounters and Schindler's List, but this is not one of them. I never came out of a movie feeling so depressed as I did from this one since I saw "Soylent Green" (one of the sickest SF films I have ever seen) a couple of decades ago. Even the terrible "Soldier" with Kurt Russell wasn't this bad. And I am a die-hard SF fan !!

Spielberg can't seem to go beyond the cliché characterizations of adults being totally dysfunctional in their relationships with each other, and with their environment. For example, fathers are always irresponsible, absent, or distant. The children always seem to be in some dream world existence (e.g. "Poltergeist", "E.T."). (By the way, I thought "E.T." was a great movie). One could possibly consider "A.I" to be some synthesis of Pinnochio with E.T. Beyond that, there seems to be nothing to redeem this film, because as things turn out, people in the film seem to be totally unredeemable.

On the subject of machine intelligence, "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Android", "Collosus: The Forbin Project", "Star Wars", and "Creation of the Humanoids", (all top-notch, excellent movies) treat the subject with much more sophistication and, well, intelligence. This movie "A.I" has no real scientific foundation at all. The story of a thinking, feeling android searching for love through the centuries never finding it leaves one with a deep feeling of sadness, if not depression.

The only redeeming aspect of this movie is Osment's acting.

Dan Basinger

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Night Monster (1942)

Nightmare Monster

1 April 2005

Universal made a great hit with this one due to the way the story is put together. This had to be one of the best "spooky house" films. The use of atmosphere in terms of foggy nights, shadows on the wall, creepy facial expressions (this is why "The Ring" was such a hit), creaky doors, puddles of blood, a skeleton materializing in a room, Bela Lugosi looking mysterious, frogs/crickets coming to a sudden silence, sinister residents of "The Towers" and more, make this one of the best shockers of the 1940s.

Ever spook yourself in a darkened room ? (Great fun!) Ever get spooked by inanimate objects in a room based on their shadows on the wall? (I used to have nightmares as a child (about 5 years of age) due to the wood patterns on a dresser that looked like ghoulish figures. My mother told me that I used to run high fevers as a child and this may account for it.) Not being a psychologist, I am not familiar with a lot of the theory underlying why this sort of thing happens, perhaps it is based on subliminal reactions to the unknown, but it is very simple to scare oneself by associating objects,shapes or shadows with some sort of subconscious fear. In any case, this movie does the same thing to an extent by creating an atmosphere of overwhelming dread by tuning to the subconscious anxieties (such as the proverbial "things that go bump in the night" ) which exist in all of us.

I am a great Bela Lugosi fan and even though he plays a red herring butler in this film, through the use of creepy facial expressions, he adds to the nightmare quality of this film. Some fans think he would have been better off in the Angar Singh role (as he played in another great film, "Night of Terror" 1933), but he is fine as the sinister butler this time. Lionel Atwill is also fun to watch. The ladies Fay Helm and Irene Harvey are great eye candy. In the last reel of the film, people are knocked off one by one until the film reaches a ghoulish climax (I won't give the ending away).

The film is similar to "Night of Terror" (1933) (one of my B-movie favorites) which is equally creepy and equally fun. The difference is that in "Night Monster", a supernatural element is added.

10/10.

Dan Basinger

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Mark of the Vampire (1935)

One of the Best Supernatural Films

28 March 2005

This was one of the best vampire films of the classic black-and-white era. Essentially a composite remake of "Dracula" and an earlier film called "London After Midnight" with some bizarre twists, in terms of ghoulish settings and atmosphere, particularly the cemetery scenes, and Lugosi and Borland wandering in the night, this film is second to none. There is no doubt that Bela Lugosi was the classic Dracula of the early sound period. If I were to make a list of his best 10 films, this would be one of them along with the 1931 "Dracula", the 1943 "Return of the Vampire", the 1940 "The Devil Bat" and others. Carol Borland's role as "Luna"sets the standard for "Vampira" of the 1950s and "Elvira" of the 1980s as well as "Morticia" of the Addams Family on TV. She does an excellent job in the role of a "creature of the night". And of course, Bela Lugosi as Count Mora is without peer. The entire cast including Lionel Barrymore, Lionel Atwill, Elizabeth Allen, Jean Hersholt, and others do an excellent job.

10/10.

Dan Basinger

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Die Koffer des Herrn O.F. (1931)

10/10

Fascinating Comedy

14 March 2005

This is one wacky, off-the-wall comedy. It starts off with a mysterious set of luggage with the initials "O.F." that arrive at a hotel in some little town in Germany The residents somehow get the idea that some distinguished bigshot will be arriving soon. The hotel is refurnished, the streets are made spick and span, people invest in new clothes, the town gets a new facelift with a new theater, city hall, sports center, cabaret, and so on. In addition, people decide to get married in droves and as a result of this bizarre chain of events, the whole sleepy, little town experiences a huge economic boom while recession/depression occurs everywhere else. A committee of economic analysts are puzzled over the changes in this small town and can't figure out what the driving force is. In short, because of the arrival of 13 pieces of baggage, a sleepy little German village becomes modernized virtually overnight. Who is the mysterious "O.F." ? How does this resolve itself ? I won't spoil the ending, but this is a must-see for all who enjoy innovative, zany comedy.

Great performances from Alfred Abel (who played the overlord of Metropolis in the Fritz Lang classic of the same name, next to "2001:A Space Odyssey", the best Science Fiction film of the twentieth century). One would have to look closely in order to recognize Alfred Abel in the role of the town Burgermeister. Also Peter Lorre is hysterically funny as the opportunistic newspaper editor "Stix" who randomly and falsely identifies "O.F" as "Oskar Flaut, the millionaire". Hedy Kiesler who became Hedy Lamarr in later years plays the role of the burgermeister's daughter. Harald Paulsen, a distinguished German actor also is prominently featured. Due to the presence of these performers in the film, this is a historically as well hysterically important film.

Dan Basinger

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The Haunted Strangler (1958)

Bizarre Version of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde Legend

11 February 2005

Some people have asked why Boris Karloff never played a serious version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" . Well, here it is, even though it is in the form of some "Dr. Tennant / Hyde-like strangler" duality. Once again, Boris Karloff plays the "monster" and like Mr. Hyde in the previous films, he plays a man who degenerates to a rampaging animal which lives to kill. Also like Mr. Hyde, the transformations to the lower form seem to be based on some sort of sexual repression that bursts out in the form of savage attacks on women. In addition, like the "beast" in the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" films, whether one is watching Fredric March, Spencer Tracy, or John Barrymore, the transformation from man to the lower animal state gets uglier with each change. Another thing, the graveyard scenes in the movie are really creepy - kind of a throwback to films such as "Frankenstein", "Bride of Frankenstein", "Return of the Vampire", and "The Body Snatcher". Even though the plot has some strange twists, this is one of the best post-Universal thrillers starring Boris Karloff - one of the last in which he plays both the monster ("Mr. Hyde") and the mad doctor (Tennant). (Karloff did the same thing in "Frankenstein 1970" in which he played both creator and created.) Great hair-raiser.

Watch it in the dark.

Dan Basinger

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The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)

Best of the Mr. Wong Series

29 December 2004

Although this is a typical "B" movie from the 1930s, it is way above the average suspense flick from that period. It has a lot of interesting elements such as the presence of a valuable gem sapphire called "The Daughter of the Moon", a gunshot out of nowhere, a creepy old house, and a gathering of sinister characters in which all would have motives to commit murder.

Karloff may seem superficially miscast seeming to look just passably Chinese with the makeup used, but one must consider the premise that Mr. Wong is supposed to be raised in England and educated at Heidelberg, Germany and Oxford, England which would account for his heavy British accent.

The film continues at a fine pace throughout the film with the various characters functioning as red herrings (love triangles, attempts to reclaim the gem, another murder, an attempt on Mr. Wong's life) until the true murderer is revealed at the end of the film (which I won't reveal here).

Worthy to be mentioned along with the best of the "Charlie Chan" and "Mr. Wong" series from the same period.

10/10.

Dan Basinger

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