Argoman the Fantastic Superman - 1967

I was hunting for a new superhero to add to our universe, so I turned on Tubi and searched for superheroes. This movie popped up, and I felt like it might be a candidate.

 A man has "superpowers" and uses them to do things. I spent an hour and a half watching this, and I'm not entirely sure what I saw. I'll try to explain the plot. The Queen of the World steals the Royal Crown as a show of her power. Scotland Yard tries to hire our guy to hunt down the woman. Little do they know, he's already "seen" her. Eventually, he tracks her down and defeats her. 

This movie is wild. At first, I was a bit worried. He has the strangest house where a good chunk of the furniture is hanging from the ceiling. While that looks fun, it's just weird. He also wanders around in his robe. I understood why when he put on his "I'm at home" clothes. He had on a really awful ascot. It was just a hint of his taste in clothes, however.

Argoman has questionable morals. He steals things, crashes people's cars and is kind of a putz. He's sleazy to women, and he has a dude just hanging out next to a car behind a door in his house. When he changes into Argoman, his "superpowers" are not amazing. He wears a cape, but he can only leap about so I'm not sure what the point of it is. He also moves around in just a strange way, and sometimes he'll just laugh, "ha HA!"

The costumes in this movie are insane, and after the first half hour, it was pretty good. Up to that point, it was still interesting, but I'm not sure it would meet our high standards. The other thing is, this man definitely doesn't meet the qualifications for our heroes. At best he's an antihero, but I'm leaning toward villain. I need more input on that. But regarding the movie itself, I think it was pretty fun. I mean, when you start out with the knowledge that when this guy has sex he loses his superpowers for six hours, I immediately have questions. I think he'll be in the universe - we just have to find the right place for him. Good Movie!

Song of the South - 1946

This is one of the few older Disney movies I've never seen. I thought I had, but after watching it, the only thing I know is "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."

A little boy is visiting his grandmother's plantation when he makes a couple new friends. He also finds a couple bullies. To deal with his problems, Uncle Remus tells Johnny stories of Br'er Rabbit. Johnny's mom thinks these are bad for him, but they are actually helpful. 

I liked this movie. I have to say I was more fond of the live action parts than the Br'er stories. I can't really narrow down why, I just was more involved with the relationships going on with Johnny, Uncle Remus, Toby, and Ginny. And Teenchy. I loved Teenchy. Uncle Remus (James Baskett) did a wonderful job on screen. He sang and acted really well, and I was always looking forward to scenes with him in it.

I'll briefly address the controversy about the movie itself. The portrayal of African Americans in this movie has caused a lot of tension over the years. The setting was a plantation for a reason. Uncle Remus is a character that tells stories from that era, and he is a freedman. What I saw was a kind older man helping a lonely boy. Johnny also found friends his own age from the area that could have been seen as questionable at the time, but no mention was made of who Johnny played with. It didn't matter if they were black or white, rich or poor. It was just kids playing together. 

Overall, I thought the story was sweet. Yes, there is child acting in this. I don't know how old Johnny's actor was, but sometimes he could pull off crying, and other times not so much. I enjoyed James Baskett the most in this movie (if we ignore the puppy). He really stole the show! Good Movie!

Murder by Death - 1976

I saw an article about this movie, saw some of the cast, and immediately tracked it down.

This movie is poking fun at 5 of the most famous detectives of fiction. Represented are Nick and Nora (David Niven and Maggie Smith), Charlie Chan (Peter Sellers), Sam Spade (Peter Falk), Miss Marple (Elsa Lanchester), and Hercule Poirot (James Coco). I'm not as familiar with the last two actors as I am with the others.

Truman Capote also appears in this, and there's a blind butler that brings a physical comedy to the movie that hits and misses. The whole movie is full of those to be honest. Looking at the movie through today's eyes, there's a lot people could get offended by (Peter Sellers playing the Chinese/Hawaiian detective for instance). BUT, if you're familiar with the detectives, you could get a few chuckles out of this movie. I did.

I liked the movie. Did all the jokes hit? No. But I was familiar with most of the detectives, so the pokes at them were funny. The only one I wasn't super familiar with was Sam Spade, but I knew a bit about him. He's the age of noir, and you can tell. The end was pretty funny, even though the cackling went on a bit too long. I'm giving it a Good Movie! review, but if you aren't familiar with the detectives being spoofed, I'm not sure you'd agree with me.

Skyscraper - 2018

My husband and I settled in to watch this movie. I knew a little bit about it, but he hadn't seen it.

A skyscraper (!) is making sure their safety procedures are adequate so they can be insured. They've hired the small company The Rock runs (because that's what happens), and they give him all access to the digital security measures. The tablet that runs everything is connected to facial recognition, so when the betrayal by his "brother" happens, they just have to shove the tablet in his face and viola! 

Screwing with the bad guys' plans are Rock's family. They were supposed to be seeing the pandas, but Timmy (I can't remember his name) ate a "weird candy," and so they're back early. Bad guys set a fire on the floor below the family's, turn off fire suppression and CHAOS!

There were so many crazy things that happened in this movie. It reminded me of San Andreas on the reality scale (meaning there's very little reality). I think the end cracked me up the most. This man, who through the entire movie has worked with little to nothing to solve problems, decides to sit on the floor, rocking back and forth and burn to death. Never mind the dead guys with frickin' parachutes or anything. I guess he ran out of duct tape...

Movie is pretty ridiculous, but it wasn't boring. I'm not going to give it a good review, for the sole purpose that I really didn't care about anyone, and I kept waiting for Timmy to fall into the fire (which he technically should have done a few times). I mean, the weak child (character, not actor) could sometimes barely breathe and other times was fine. Then he had the superhuman ability to hold onto his mom's back as she slowly (I think molasses moves faster) tightroped her way across that bridge and then tripped. I did learn the valuable life lesson of whenever something isn't working, all you have to do is turn it off and turn it back on - works every time!

 

Elysium - 2013

My husband and I were searching for something to watch together. He's not into movies without color, and he doesn't appreciate movies that are bad in a good way. We scrolled for a while until we came across this movie. We had no idea what to expect when we put it on.

In the future, the world is gross. It's polluted, overpopulated and all the poor people live on it. The rich people are floating on a huge space station (Elysium), which actually looks pretty cool. It's also able to be seen from Earth. Max is trying to work and keep his head down when an accident gives him five days to live. With nothing left to lose, he risks it all to get on Elysium where he can be healed. They have these things where people can lay in them and magically be healed. The poor people on Earth are just out of luck.

I thought the movie was pretty good for being a blind pick. There were a few things that I didn't understand, but whatever. I think of the weirdest stuff. Like when Max got the "armor," I was stuck on the fact he was stuck wearing that shirt forever now. The end was supposed to be happy I guess, but I think they just made the overpopulation problem worse. But woohoo! People are healed!! Anyway, if I don't stare at the plot too closely, I'll give this one a Good Movie! review for entertainment value.

The Spirit - 1987

I was on the hunt for more superheroes to add to our theoretical cinematic universe, and I noticed this movie. I put it on and waited to make my final decision. So far, we have The Pumaman and Supersonic Man.

A man's friend gets blown up and wants to be avenged. He thinks he's found a lead, but then he gets shot and falls in some water at the docks. He raises like a zombie at the weirdest cemetery I've ever seen and scares some kids. He takes one under his wing as his "Robin." After he recovers (which he did quickly - good job invisible doctor!), he pulls a tiny mask out of a drawer, and The Spirit is born.

This movie was weird. And I'm not talking about weird in a good way. The beginning was strong. Spirit's friend was dead, got blown up, then he stumbled out of the house to talk to his friend before dying again. The tone of the movie struck me as intentionally campy, which is the worst kind. I did get a couple of chuckles out of the movie, but all my joy was coming from the police commissioner. And he wasn't in it near enough to save this movie.

The Spirit doesn't make the cut. We have high standards for our cinematic universe!

Midnight Lace - 1960

This movie came on my radar partly due to the subject and partly due to the actors. I'm a fan of Rex Harrison, so I looked forward to watching it.

Kit Preston is a recently married American heiress living in London. In a thick fog, she hears a strange voice threatening to kill her. She rushes home and tells her husband, who brushes it off as a prank. When it happens again, it isn't something she's ready to push aside, but it's becoming hard for people to believe her. The inspector at Scotland Yard thinks it's a scheme by a neglected wife, and no one else has ever heard the voice.

There were hints early on that my man Rex was going to be a nefarious soul. The main one was that they introduced a character I would consider an alternate love interest. I just didn't want it to be Rex. Oh well. We can't have everything. Doris Day played the wife, and she irritated me a bit. I know he was messing with her mind, but for goodness' sake, if you're in the apartment alone (or watching a struggle), pick up a fireplace poker or something.

I suppose if I didn't like Rex so much, I would've enjoyed it more. If I try to put that aside, I guess the twists were well done. The "other man" was a bit shoehorned in there and a bit unnecessary. If he hadn't been in there, I don't think I would've figured things out as much as I did. Admittedly, I never had some of the details figured out ahead of time, so the movie gets credit for that. I'll give it a Good Movie! review for the enjoyment factor, but I'm so sad Rex was a villain...

Supersonic Man - 1979

This little gem has been watched a few times, but I shared it with the family over the weekend.

Speedo man is flying through space when he's told the earth needs him. He gets an epic sparkly outfit and proceeds to fly to earth (to the best theme song ever). When he gets there, he protects a woman who has the personality of a sheet of paper. When needed, he talks to his watch and turns into Supersonic Man. This superhero has TONS of neat little powers. The more you watch, the more you discover. 

Paper woman's father has been abducted for some reason, and Supersonic Man has to save the day. Honestly, I'm not really sure what the main McGuffin was in this one, I was just having fun watching things explode. The end is weird, but what else did I expect?

This movie made me want a crossover or a cinematic universe with Supersonic Man and Pumaman. And the craziest part? The Pumaman is actually mentioned on the Wikipedia page for Supersonic Man as similar! That cracked me up. Some of the family thought this one was better than Pumaman, but I think they each have their own charm. I think my youngest probably would lean towards Pumaman, only because she would cringe every time the theme song began to play. As a trumpet player, the music was giving her physical pain.

I would definitely watch this again. The ineptness of the men in the car tailing the daughter - hilarious. My favorite part is when Supersonic Man saves the daughter as she's being chased. But there are so many good parts, I can't list them all. If you liked Pumaman, I think you'd like this one. If they both sound insane and they never should've been made, you might want to pass. If you do want to watch it, I recommend watching it with friends. Laughing is more fun when you do it with friends! Good Movie!

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?