Point Blank - 1967

I saw an article about this movie a while back and finally got the chance to watch it last night. It stars Lee Marvin, an actor I've seen around a fair bit, and is based on a novel called The Hunter.

Alcatraz is the location of a heist where Walker (Marvin) and his partner take some money from criminals. Then, Walker is betrayed, and his partner shoots him and leaves him to die. Later, Walker somehow makes it back and tracks down his wife and eventually the partner. Walker wants his money. He's not really concerned about who he uses and takes down in the meantime. There's also a man offering to assist Walker in his revenge murder spree.

There are a few things in this movie that struck me. Our "hero" wasn't a nice guy, so rooting for him wasn't really an option. I hated the way he used his wife's sister, and I'm not sure why she was putting up with it. The flashbacks were strange and confusing. When naked man fell off the roof, that was pretty hilarious.

The end was irritating. So, we ended up at Alcatraz to get Walker his dang money, but he just stands in the shadows. There was a twist to the plot, but it didn't hit me. I didn't care about Walker or his money. And then it just ended. What about Chris? Apparently, we don't care. And that's where we leave it. And that's where I'm going to leave this review. I was glad when this hour and a half was over. I still like Lee Marvin, I think he did a good job, he just wasn't a nice character.

The Monster and the Girl - 1941

Next up in our "monster" movie list was this film. There are times during movie night when we end up asking, "Who put together this list?" We did that for about half of this one.

We start with a trial. Or rather, we start with a woman approaching through the mist claiming responsibility for the following events. Her brother is on trial for murder. She tries to save him but fails. While he's awaiting execution, a doctor approaches and asks for his brain.

That's when it gets crazy. His brain gets put into a gorilla, and he escapes to exact revenge. Somehow he kills these men sin a way that breaks all their bones but leaves no mark. We thought maybe he was squeezing them or something, but when they showed him kill someone, it just looked like he gave them a quick hug. The end was super weird. RIP Scott.

For some reason, I was focused on the brain thing. I was thinking gorillas had smaller brain cavities, and upon doing a bit of research, it looks like humans have a brain 3x the size of a gorilla's. So I was wondering if they shaved down Scott's brain to fit it into the gorilla. 

Anyway, the people in this thing were weird, and my favorite had to be the coroner. He'd just come into the room and declare the man dead. The cops would be asking him how, and he would say, "that's your job." Lovely! He would casually mention all the bones were broken and out he'd go. Then the reporters rushed in to take pictures. CSI would've flipped out. My very favorite character of the movie had to be Skipper the dog. He was the bestest boy! He would bring Scott his hat, and he was even a pro at tracking scuzzy men. He was a good lookout and was even sad at the end.

The movie was weird. It was more tolerable than some of the others, but I'm not sure it was good enough to make it a Good Movie. It was only a little over an hour, and the first half was flashbacks and a trial. The "attacks" weren't satisfying, and we didn't get to see all of them. And did they do anything to the doctor? Oh well. Thanks, Skipper for making this movie tolerable!

The Invisible Woman - 1940

Another strange entry into the Universal Monster movie list is this...film. Sure, it has "invisible" in the title, but that's about all it has to recommend it.

A scatterbrained scientist has been sponging off a rich playboy for quite some time now, but he's finally made a breakthrough! He's made a cat invisible for a brief period of time, so he's ready for a human subject. He puts an ad in the paper and waits for a volunteer.

Kitty wants revenge on her employer, so being invisible sounds great. She lets the Wicked Witch of the West lead her into the screen where she undresses and waits for the machine to "tickle" her. It was strange. How did the scientist know it tickled? Did the cat tell him?

Anyway, there's a subplot with this strange multilingual Hitler-like mobster who has been exiled to Mexico. He has various accents and a bunch of minions. Also, alcohol makes the invisibility unstable (and apparently genetic?).

I knew something was up when the credits popped up on the screen. Shemp Howard (Three Stooges and my mom's favorite) was a major clue. Then Major Applegate (Bringing Up Baby) was the butler who immediately tripped on the evidence of the playboy's party and fell down the stairs. The music was never scary.

I don't know what to say about this one. It's definitely not a monster movie. It was a bit creepy, but not in the way you would think. When one of the guys was reaching out for the invisible woman, I'm wondering what they're going to grab and cringing. The effects were okay I suppose, but I definitely saw the wire a few times. I purposely don't look for those things, so seeing it was funny. I also wasn't a fan of the playboy caring what she looked like so much. She put on stockings and was showing off her legs. Eww. 

The slapstick was strange. When you're expecting to watch a monster movie, the comedy comes out of left field. I mean, it was enjoyable enough, but I remember The Invisible Man. He had side effects from being invisible, and they weren't good. He went insane. Hers just made her an alcoholic? Weird...

The Mummy's Hand - 1940

Next up in the Universal Monster list is this movie. I haven't been doing research into these beforehand, so I didn't know anything about it.

Some guy that works in a museum finds a broken vase in the markets of Cairo. He has a comedic sidekick, and they team up with a magician to find the lost tomb of Ananka. Once the bad guy drips some tea into the fleshy mummy, it comes alive and starts choking people. The bad guy has his beggar minion plant small vials of the life-giving liquid in people's tents so the mummy knows who to choke. It's a good thing he takes people by surprise because he is slow and has a bad arm and leg. The liquid was supposed to help him, but it never seemed to do much.

So, I really enjoyed this one. For context, I think I had more fun because I love The Mummy (1999). If you know the plot of that movie, you'll find MANY similarities between the two movies, especially in the beginning. I'm not going to spoil it, but just as an example, the vase equates to the map in the more recent movie.

There weren't any of the big names in this one, but that was okay. We were rooting for the woman at first, since she was smart and knew how to shoot a gun. Then she let us down. She went on a fainting spree and refused to free her arms from loose restraints. The unlikely hero became Babe. He was on par to be an irritant, but he really pulled it out in the end! Still not much of a fan of "Poopsie."

I would 100% recommend this film for fans of The Mummy. You're going to enjoy predicting what comes next, and when you're right, you cheer. When you're wrong? Boy, are you wrong! The end was crazy, and I loved it. My daughter said, "This movie walked so The Mummy could run." An appropriate description. It's only slightly over an hour, so it doesn't stick around too long. It's fun either way! Good Movie!

The Wrong Man - 1956

I'm pretty sure I heard about this one through an article. It's an Alfred Hitchcock film based on a true story.

Chistopher "Manny" Balestrero wants to borrow against his wife's insurance policy. She needs some dental work done, and the family isn't swimming in money. Little does he know, Manny's decision to walking into the office will change his life.

He's mistaken for a man who held up the office (twice) and gets tracked down by the police. Then, he's paraded through a couple stores and charged with the crime. After that, we get to watch his experience with the justice system in excruciating detail. Granted, he did look guilty with the evidence, but the policemen seemed a bit close-minded.

Okay, the first thing that bugged me was the opening. Hitchcock's ghost or silhouette tells me this is a true story, but then I get the obligatory "THE STORY, ALL NAMES, CHARACTERS AND INCIDENTS PORTRAYED IN THIS PRODUCTION ARE FICTITIOUS." Well? Fortunately, I was able to find a news article that lined up most of the events with the film. The differences were minimal.

The other thing that bugged me was the drawn-out scenes. These things dragged on for way too long. I understand he's going through it, but I was getting a bit frustrated the story wouldn't move forward. I was saddened by Rose's reaction to the events but knowing she had at least a partial recovery was something. I know the movie made it sound like she was fine, but I saw references that she never fully recovered (including a quote from her son). I believe that. That kind of experience would change your life.

Anyway, the movie itself was okay. I got more interested in the story behind the movie than the movie itself, so I don't think I'd watch it again. I'm glad I heard the story, but I'm still a bit confused how so many people could mistake the two men. In the article I found, it shows both men, and they look nothing alike.

Seriously?