Radio – Suspense – “You’ll Never See Me Again” (1944) ***1/2 (warning: spoilers)

Joseph Cotten is excellent in a very good ep of this series, as a man looking for his wife after an argument. Suspense had many stories about marriages which lead to murder, but this is one of the best with a great double twist - the step dad isn't the real step dad and Cotten was in on it all along!

Movie review – “Reform School Girls” (1957) **1/2

Some decent names on this 50s AIP girl JD film – Luana Andrews, Yvette Vickers, Ed Byrnes, Sally Kellerman (!), which was written and directed by Edward Bernds, who makes a fair fist of it. It's great trashy fun – Gloria Castillo is sexually assaulted by her uncle, called a tramp by her aunt, hangs out with juvenile delinquents (including Byrnes) in a hot car, is cracked on to by her boyfriend’s friend (Byrnes), then arrested for being in a hot car, but don’t squeal for fear of Byrnes and winds up in reform school. 

There’s a great cross-section of clichés – dopey pregnant girl waiting for her boyfriend, firecracker Vickers, Byrnes’ no-good girlfriend, the keen matriarchal woman who runs the reform school. There is a dull shrink who tries to get through to the kids (but not in a romantic way - which would have kicked the story up) and a bland nice love interest for Castillio. 

There are a couple of cat fights, Castillo is falsely accused of being a squealer. Castillo isn’t much in a good role but Vickers is great value; Byrne’s performance is full of nervous method ticks but is great fun.

Movie review – “Piranha 2: The Spawning” (1981) ** (warning: spoilers)

The famous skeleton in James Cameron’s cinematic closet is actually a decent enough horror film. Yes there are some flaws – the comic relief is fairly hideous (nerdy guys with glasses persued by fortune hunting women, man with stutter falls in water, horny honeymooning couple), any attack by the flying piranhas looks kind of hokey. 

 

But it’s polished enough and has a decent amount of imagination – for instance the couple at beginning trying to have sex underwater in a wreck when they are attacked, the third act reveal that the love interest for the lead woman is actually a government scientist. And the finale is impressive, with them trying to blow up the piranhas and the son appearing on a boat and the ex-husband trying to rescue them all.

 

Cameron fans will be able to spot themes that appeared in later movies – there’s a tough female lead (Tricia O’Neil), who has a son and an ex-husband with whom she has a good relationship; the women are strong and sexual aggressors (even an elderly man eater and some topless bimbos); Lance Henrickson has a role; there’s a scene where a piranha bursts out of a dead person’s stomach Alien-style. The acting by the leads is pretty good; that by the supporting cast is pretty poor. All the black people with speaking parts wind up dead – I think there’s only three of them (I liked the dynamiting guy, he seemed liked a good bloke – it’s a shame they had to kill him off).

Movie review – “The Naked Kiss” (1964) ***

One of the great openings of American cinema – Constance Towers beating up a man, who rips off her wig to reveal she’s bald. She’s a hooker and he’s her pimp and the writer/director is Sam Fuller so there’s no punches pulled. She moves to a small town and after banging a tough-but-not-unsympathetic cop (Anthony Eisley in a good performance) she decides to turn her life around and become a nurse. She gets the towns richest man (Michael Dante) to fall in love with her but then finds out he’s a sex pervert, in another big jolt scene, and she kills him. The film comes out and names names – prostitute, pimp, slut, molestation. Fuller loves to use jarring close ups for shock, even when they don’t logically cut from one to another (try figuring out the choreography of the busted molesting scene). Towers is great – tough, imposing, compassionate. Dante looks creepy from the get go. You can’t figure out if Fuller is talking the piss with the schmaltz – the kids singing "Blue Bird of Happiness" – but you know something, the schmaltz does work.

Movie review – “The She Beast” (1966) **

The first full-length feature directed by Michael Reeves was a low budget horror flick done in Italy. It’s got a good, solid, if familiar sort of plot- in the 18^th century a really really ugly witch (I suspect played by a man in a wig) is put to death by some townsfolk; before she dies she curses them. In the present day a holidaying couple travel through the area; an accident sees Barbara Steele reincarnated as the witch who goes on a rampage. Actually it’s not much of a rampage; far more problems are provided by local communist police who keep trying to grab the monster meaning Van Helsing (a descendant of the famous doctor) can’t perform an exorcism on the witch necessary to bring Steele back.

The film is full of comedy – mostly involving incompetent communist police and officials. This is typical of Charles Griffith, who directed second unit and a hand in the script, more so than Reeves’ other two films (although Reeves did like comedies so you never know). More typical of Reeves is quite a sexy love scene where Ogilvy is about to take a topless Steele from behind when they’re interrupted by a pervert, an unpleasant rape scene involving Mel Welles (Corman alumni who brought Griffith on to the project) and a pretty girl who seems to wander in and out of the film for that purpose, and a chase sequence at the end. Steele is striking, although it’s a shame her part isn’t bigger (she had to shoot it all in one very long day); Ogilvy’s inexperience shows at times but he’s effective and John Karlsen is excellent. Not sensational but enjoyable, and a must for Reeves fans.

Movie review - “Battle Beyond the Sun” (1962) *

Francis Ford Coppola’s early film career stands as a shining example for other emerging directors. It’s underlying theme: just make something. He wrote his own scripts, directed some “nudies”, and worked for Roger Corman doing a whole bunch of things, of which this was one. Corman bought a Soviet science fiction film and had Coppola recut it. I think all aspiring directors at film school should have to recut a foreign film into English. (Coppola is credited as “associate producer” and his dad is down as composer – the other credits have been Americanised”.) 

 

This is set in a post-World War Three society where the world has been divided into North and South Hemisphere. Astronauts from one country get into trouble so ones from another go to help. I think there were other plots along the way but to be honest I kind of zoned out – it was a little dull. When they land at the planet at the end there’s a real good old fashioned crappy late 50s AIP style monster cut into the film – it does look like an angry vagina with teeth as the urban legend says.

Movie review – "The Beast from the Haunted Cave" (1959) **

One of two films made at the same time in South (or was it North?) Dakota – the other was Ski Troop Attack – for Roger Corman’s Filmgroup. Like that, it stars Michael Forest and was written by the legendary Charles B. Griffith. The script is a remake of an earlier Griffith/Corman work, Thunder Over Hawaii, about a group of criminals who pull off a heist and flee to an exotic, distant location. In Thunder it was the islands, in this one it’s a ski resort. The latter factor gives this overtones of High Sierra; of course the Key Largo influence is obvious too.

 

It’s not a bad script, better than Ski Troop Attack, with interesting characters. The group of criminals include the head gangster's moll who is attracted to the dull but decent stick who leads the group across country on skis, not knowing they are criminals. (The baddy’s girl falling for the goodie was used in Atlas). 

 

This starts our fairly interestingly – some neat dynamics among the gangsters, the threat of the creature (which turns people into webs), there is movement going from hotel to skiing. But then it gets bogged down with lots of chat the characters don’t really develop and not enough monster stuff. As for monster action, the idea of people being trapped in webs is creepy and effective, actually quite low budget scary (the creature itself isn’t scary, it’s a man with a lot of hair). A promising debut from director Monte Hellman.

Movie review – “Angel Face” (1952) ***

At one stage Bob Mitchum was the only decent male star under contract to RKO, who, unable to afford big vehicles, cast him in a series of film noirs, which remain entertaining today. This is one of them, directed by Otto Preminger with a decent cast: Jean Simmons is the angelic little rich girl, daughter of writer Herbert Marshall, who hires ambulance driver Mitchum as a chauffeur. It soon becomes clear Simmons wants to knock off her step mum.

 

I didn't like this as much as its reputation (which is very strong about film buffs) but it's still fun with good work from Mitchum as a sap, and Jean Simmons as a different sort of bad girl - she genuinely looks sweet and innocent. 

 

There are great bits like the wedding in the prison hospital and the great finale. It gets bogged down a bit in the trial although Leon Ames is very good as the defence attorney (Jim Backus is the prosecutor).

Radio review – Lux – “Come and Get It” (1937) ***

Fun adaptation of the Howard Hawks film – I remember the first act of the film more vividly than the second and third, with it’s timber footage and fine old brawls in taverns involving Edward Arnold, Frances Farmer and Walter Brennan (the two guys re-appear with Anne Shirley standing in for Farmer). But actually on radio the second half holds up still pretty good too – I forgot the moving character of Arnold’s wife, who he married for money, and what a bitch the Farmer/Shirley daughter character became. The story deals with one of the great archetype themes – the regret that you married the wrong person. De Mille gives the Edward Arnold life story at the beginning - I had no idea he had such a tough up-bringing.

Book review – “The Fast and the Furious: History of AIP” by Mark McGee

Highly entertaining and informative look at the famous movie company, written with passion and insight from McGee. Sometimes he assumes knowledge on the part of the reader which the reader mightn’t have – for instance, starting with a “controversial” quote from Charles B. Griffith that Arkoff was nicer than Nicholson – only strong AIP buffs would have known that Nicholson had the more ethical reputation. But it’s a lot of fun, and and a great read – I wish the book was twice as long. In particular, I wish there was more on AIP in the 70s, and more talk about other key executives (there is some on Louis Heyward, who ran AIP England in the late 60s, but not enough; there is nothing on Larry Gordon, who was in charge in the early 70s).

I’m griping. Among the many positives are it well evokes all the colourful characters who worked there: Sidney Pink with his dodgy Danish films, sfx master (kind of) Bert I Gordon, hack Edward Cahn, film buff Alex Gordon, the under-appreciated Herman Cohen. Of course there’s Roger Corman, the man who really got AIP going, and helped them kick up a notch (although he had nothing to do with their breakthrough film, I Was a Teenage Werewolf - that was Cohen).

The AIP history breaks neatly into several categories.

(1) Early days – starting out as ARC, forming the relationship with Roger Corman, finding it’s feet (a lot of Westerns were made). 

(2) The late 50s double bill glory days – they had their big smash in Werewolf, and created a series of double bills still beloved by buffs, especially the JD and sci-fi films. 

(3) Stepping up in the early 60s. AIP cleaned house in the late 50s and decided to step up with the Poe pictures. This kicked off a big cycle for them, as did the Beach Party movies – they also became skilled at exporting from overseas, particularly Italy. 

(4) Late 60s – increasing respectability, with more and more films made in England and Europe. There was a second Poe cycle, Louis Heyward became more involved, Nicholson lost equal footing in the company after his divorce, Roger Corman’s films were more popular although he was becoming increasingly annoyed with the company. This period ended with AIP going public. 

(5) The 70s - Corman left to set up New World, becoming AIP’s most effective competition, then so did Nicholson to work at Fox (he died soon after), but AIP still went quite strongly, enjoying success with blaxploitation, car movies, thrillers. That decade saw them having their biggest flops (The Wild Party, A Matter of Time, Meteor) and their biggest hits (The Amityville Horror, Love at First Bite, Dressed to Kill, Walking Tall). Then Arkoff made the mistake of selling the company to Filmways - he soon quit and AIP was wound up.

Lots of great anecdotes - Sidney Pink making a film with everyone speaking in Danish, the cheap methods of the early days. (McGee includes the story of making The Intruder - was this an AIP film?) My favourite involved making a horror film in Spain, being worried about censors so they tell the local censors they'll made Abe Lincoln in Illinois and having an actor dress as Abe Lincoln hang around the set!

Movie review – “The Vengeance of She” (1967) **

Although H Rider Haggard wrote a an acceptable sequel to She, Ayesha, Hammer decided to come up with their own sequel to their 1965 film, although it re-uses several characters. This one is set in the present day an actually starts quite eerily with Olinka Berova someone walking along a deserted road – then promptly gets silly with a truck driver trying to rape her, but said truck driver is run over by his truck. The girl winds up on the French Riviera on a yacht owned by rich dissolute Colin Blakely, and including his wife and psychiatrist (Edward Judd)! Berova jumps off the ship and Blakely has a heart attack rescuing her. She takes off in North Africa and Judd decides to follow her.

This isn’t much of a set up. The girl is driven by visions in her head but isn’t that keen to find whatever is driving her. (The jazz longue music score doesn’t help). The shrink takes off after her but not until around 40 minutes in (he’s accompanied by the ship’s captain) – and we’ve never really established that he’s obsessed with her. (When the girl falls out of the water its Blakely not Judd who rescues her.)

It’s so unexotic – Judd’s a shrink for God’s sake. He goes looking for her in a jeep –that’s not adventurous (where are the camels, the feeling of being cut off from civilisation). And it’s set in the present day. (NB It also feels as though some scenes have been cut out around this point). I always remembered Edward Judd’s performance from this film as a prime example of the not-really-attractive-enough-too-old-British-leading-man – there’s a bunch of them in British cinema, including Ian Hendry in Theatre of Blood. His character isn’t very likeable – why is it so great Berova goes off with Judd, who manipulates her mind, instead of Richardson? They’re both brainwashers. (Richardson looks old and tired here, much more so than the previous film even though this was only made a few years later.)

On the sunny side Berova is very attractive, genuinely looks like she could be a reincarnation of Andress, and frequently walks around with not much on. And some of the supporting players are fine. But the whole film is a great opportunity missed.

Movie review - Invictus (2009) ***

A film that would have been better had it been crappier. It's made with taste, care and intelligence but to be honest you don't always need those things in an inspirational sports movie - you want plenty of action and for the emotions to be stirred. Clint Eastwood presumably stayed away from cliches like a commentator giving exposition for the games, and supportive women subplots and comic relief players because they were cliches (and the fact it's based on a true story) - but these things are missed.
It takes too long and is too lethargic - why that scene of Nelson Mandela dancing and the South African players drinking beer the night before the game? There are too many scenes involving the bodyguards which repeat the same story beat.
 Morgan Freeman is excellent though as Mandela and Matt Damon very convincing as the South African captain - it's impossible to imagine what other stars could have played these parts. And there are some great moments, like the black children mobbing the one black player and the finale.

Radio review – Lux – “The Corn is Green” (1950) *** (warning: spoilers)

Years before Billy Elliot, Emlyn Williams had a big hit on stage with his play about a hard-drinking miner from a tough Welsh community whose academic talent is spotted by a spinster teacher - here played by Olivia de Havilland, who isn't that convincing to be honest (her performance is good as ever I think she's just miscast - you never really buy her as a driven spinster). Richard Basehart is effective as the miner and I think that's Nigel Bruce as the squire. This is surprisingly "free market" - de Havilland doesn't really seem to care about any of the other students, only her one smart one (this isn't a big ad for education for all); at the end when a woman comes along claiming Basehart has impregnated her (the third act twist), they arrange it so that de Havilland raises the kid so Basehart doesn't have to. Margaret Thatcher would have been proud!

Radio review – Lux – “The Browning Version” (1953) **

Ronald Colman and wife Benita Hume frequently acted together on radio so they much have seen ideal for this version of the famous Terence Rattigan play, but both are miscast. Colman is too dashing, romantic and wet to play the great failure, Croker-Harris, and Hume simply isn’t up to her role as the bitchy, frustrated cheating wife. Robert Douglas plays the teacher replacing Colman with whom Hume is having an affair. The piece still has the power to move, but when Douglas asks to go work for Colman at the end you really have to scratch your head - it's like they're having an affair.

Movie review – “Cat Girl” (1957) **

AIP are best known for their Italian co-productions but from time to time they picked up an English film, including this low budget horror flick. It's a cheerful rip off of Cat People, starring Barbara Shelley as a newly-married woman who is called to her ancestral home and informed she’s bound to suffer from a curse – she’ll turn into a leopard. People start being killed as if by leopards; Shelley’s convinced it’s her. Just like in Cat People there’s a psychiatrist character – only here he’s a goodie (very dull). There’s also a girl that the main lead wants to kill so she can have her man, a climax where the creature comes alive.

A bit racy in spots – Shelley gets out of bed and we see her bare back (this is repeated later in hospital). Shelley gives a good performance – she’s pretty, flashing a lot of shoulders, and handles a difficult part well. Some effective moments – windswept mansions, dark alley ways, tormented Shelley - but not really any great shakes and a long way from a hidden classic.

Movie review – “The Viking Queen” (1967) **1/2 (warning: spoilers)

One of the least well known Hammer Glamours, this is nonetheless lots of fun. It’s set in the time of Nero with Romans occupying Britain; a local king has given over his kingdom tobe ruled after his death by one of his daughters (someone called Carita) and the Romans (as personified by Don Murray!). It’s a program for disaster, with neither hardline Romans or Britons happy with it, nor are the merchants.

The attitude towards the Roman Empire is interesting – it’s sort of good with bad bits, like local British culture. We are so used to seeing Briths actors playing Romans who occupy Americans, it’s odd to see them occupy Britain. It’s a decent story – though it’s a mystery why Hammer didn’t just call the Viking Queen Bodeicia, and take advantage of name recognition. I liked the different factions and the tragedy of the romance – although they probably should have had Carita duel Murray at the end and throw herself on Murray’s sword rather than some random Roman’s.

The film badly lacks star power: Murray isn’t very believable as a Roman as first glance but he does suit the armour; Carita is pretty but isn’t strong enough to play a viking queen (this is especially so at the ed when she’s leading the troops into battle in a chariot and wielding a sword). The support cast is better: Andrew Keir is very good as his Murray’s line second in command and there are strong turns from Donald Houston and Patrick Troughton. But it needed someone like Raquel Welch or Ursula Andress to really fly.

Plenty of plunging necklines; Keir is confronted with a topless woman on a horse; there’s a “wet toga” scene involving Carita (when she does it in a river with Murray); Carita is publically whipped by Keir. There’s also a fair bit of action and stabbings – the guerrilla warfare stuff (ambushes etc) are more effective than the pitched battle at the end, where the low budget hurts.

Radio review – Lux – “Barrets of Wimpole Street” (1946) **

The famous true life forbidden romance brought to life in gushy style by Loretta Young and Brian Ahern, both of whom sound too old for their roles – Ahern especially (he could have played the father). Lester Matthews is the father with possibly incestuous designs on his own daughter, the most interesting thing about the production. It’s a decent story but it just feels old fashioned the way its done here – as the makers of the 1957 version found out.

Movie review – Hercules #1 - “Hercules” (1957) **

The film that kicked off the late 50s/60s peplum cycle, and made a fortune for producer Joe Levine, who earned millions from his aggressive marketing of the film. Steve Reeves has a great star entrance – pulling up a tree and throwing it in front of a runaway chariot containing a pretty princess (whose skirt always seems to be about to blow up.)

The plot borrows cheerfully from the Jason and the Argonauts saga – there are a heap of subplots involving Laertes, Ulysses, Jason. Of course there are also Amazons. Indeed sometimes Hercules really gets shunted to the side. But it’s not hard in hindsight to see why this was popular with kids (though it is striking to imagine how popular it was) – there is heaps of action, colourful locations (ancient ruins, waterfalls, underground caverns, etc), scantily clad men and women, even a dinosaur type creature. No one looks very Italian.