Zontar, the Thing from Venus - 1967

Since our first movie was only an hour, I was on the hunt for something else amazing to watch for movie night. The description of this one hooked me. It's a 60s alien monster movie. Let's go!

Keith is a smug little jerk who warns people the first satellite that disappeared wasn't a mystery. It was aliens! He doesn't have any evidence, but he knows!! Fast forward a few months. The new satellite has been working fine, but then it suddenly disappears. Apparently, it's gone to Venus to pick up a friend. It's like Uber in space. His name can't be translated into any earth language, but they call him Zontar.

So Keith has an epic radio setup where he listens to Zontar's noises and responds. After the alien lands in a nearby cave with hot springs (more like his home planet), Keith lets him know who all to "inject-o-pod" so he can take over the town and then...the world!

This movie was pretty funny. It makes you wait a long time for the monster reveal, but it's something to see. In the meantime, you get to watch the flying lobsters seek out the leaders of the town. And their wives of course. Because that makes it easier. When it ended, I was a bit disappointed. I wanted to find out how Curt was going to explain all the dead bodies.

This is one of those movies that's bad, but it's fun with a friend. If I'd been watching by myself, I would have been thinking the whole time about how I'd want to be watching it with someone so we could laugh together. Fun Movie with a Friend!

 

The Raven - 1935

Saturday night! Movie night! Next up in our Universal Monster list is this...gem?

Two big stars Bela and Karloff team up in this movie that has nothing to do with Edgar Allan Poe's tale. There is a stuffed raven and they mention Poe all the time, but it's more shoehorned in there than part of the plot.

Jean was driving in the rain like a maniac and gets into an accident. The only one who can save her is Dr. Violin (it was Vollin, but I call him Violin). He saves her and falls in love with her. He exhibits signs of madness, but people come to his house for a weekend get-together anyway. A criminal on the run wants help to change his face, but Violin doesn't change it for the better.

This movie was crazy. It was an hour long, and it didn't make sense. I guess Dr. Violin just liked to torture people. He did have a pendulum thing, but he also had a bunch of cool stuff that I won't spoil here. I think the catacombs and secret passageways take up more room at the house than the livable portion. When I saw the review that said this movie was "horror for horror's sake" I almost laughed out loud. I laughed so much at this movie.

I had a blast with this movie, but not because it was a good movie. It was ridiculous. I will say, if you have a spare hour and plan to waste it anyway, this movie is a good waste of time. The fiancé's eyes were pretty expressive, and he should have fainted at one point. It would have been less embarrassing than the auto-knockout I witnessed. Anyway, this one gets a Fun Movie! review. Watch with a friend and have some laughs.

Storm Center - 1956

I had a bit of time, so I randomly picked this movie out of a list. I worked in a library (two actually) and was the librarian for my church for a few years. This particular movie deals with the banning of books, but it was in the 1950s.

Bette Davis plays an aged librarian, Mrs. Hull, who is asked to remove a book from her library. It has communist content, and the town council is getting complaints. They know she's stubborn, so they try to bribe her by agreeing to adding her children's wing.

Once it becomes time to actually get rid of the book, Mrs. Hull is unable to get rid of it. She decides to stand on her principles, and they fire her. A child is upset, and when rumors fly the librarian was a communist, the kid goes off the rails.

I really liked this movie. I found it interesting how this movie seemed very familiar. Book bans have been a thing for a long time. When I looked into the background, I found a comment I thought was pretty funny. The review mentioned the town turned on Mrs. Hull too fast. If you've ever been on the internet and read the comments section, you'd know people can turn on each other FAST. No evidence needed.

The kid was a bit disappointing, but he was a kid actor in the 50s, so I wasn't expecting much. The end of this hurt my soul, and I was on the verge of tears when Mrs. Hull was crying about the children. I also saw this was based on an actual woman named Ruth W. Brown, a librarian in Oklahoma. Good Movie!

I Walked with a Zombie - 1943

We were at the airport super early, but when the flight crew got delayed, I tried to find something that would fill the time. The first thing I saw within the time frame was this movie. I didn't really pay attention to anything about it other than the runtime.

A woman is hired to take care of the wife of a plantation owner. It's on an island where voodoo is  prominent. The wife acts strange. She walks around in a daze but will follow orders. Betsy wants to help the wife, especially since she's fallen in love with the husband. We also have the half-brother of Paul (the husband) wandering around brooding. Wes is in love with Jessica (the wife) and wanted to run away with her.

When Betsy takes Jessica to the voodoo witchdoctor, she's shocked to find a familiar face there. While she's inside talking, the natives perform a test on Jessica and discover she's a zombie. After that, the natives are super obsessed with getting Jessica into their camp for some reason. They were happy when she died, so actual death solved their problem I suppose.

Ok, this movie was strange. I was supposed to be happy that Paul and Betsy got together, but I wasn't. She was irritating, and I don't see why Paul was so wonderful. Wes and Jessica had my sympathy even though one was a zombie. I can't imagine what acting that role would've been like. Anyway, at the end, they were the ones I cared about.

Creepiness abounds in this movie. Why in the world did they keep the creepy figurehead with arrows in it and make it into a fountain? The thing was terrifying, but I suppose it served its purpose in the end. Also, Carrefour was the creepiest dude. He was tall, skinny and lit crazy at night. He shuffled his feet and didn't speak.

The movie itself made the time pass faster than it would have without the movie, but I wouldn't recommend it. It was just strange and creepy. The hero/heroine were not great people, and I wasn't happy for them at the end. Pass.

The Picture of Dorian Gray - 1945

I read this book a while back and remember the story pretty well. I also have plans to try and read it again in the near future. While hanging out in the hotel room one day, I sifted through Tubi and saw this movie. It has George Sanders, who is becoming a common name for me, and Angela Lansbury.

Dorian has a portrait made, and an unusual thought enters his mind. What if the portrait could take all the ravages of time and the consequences of his actions while he remains the same? He wants for that to happen so badly, and his wish comes true. Eventually, everything catches up to him. Dorian doesn't escape his actions forever.

I really appreciated a few things this particular film did. This is the first version of the film I've seen, but I know there are others. I saw one with a familiar face that I definitely plan on watching. One of the things I liked was in the credits at the beginning. They gave the artists of the actual paintings the credit they deserve. I liked the reflection picture a bit more since it took imagination, but I thought it was nice they got credit in general. The other thing that struck me was the use of color. I don't want to say too much, but the way they chose to use color in this movie was really good.

I only have one qualm, and that's how vague they were about Dorian's offenses. Some were mentioned, others were hinted at. He didn't seem like a likeable person, but little G liked him. When she grew up, she loved him, but I wonder if it was more loving the idea of him.

I really enjoyed the movie. I see they really pushed George Sanders' involvement in the film, but he wasn't the main character. RIP to Basil. He just wanted to help his friend. The story is tense without being too scary, which is something that appeals to my sensitive nature. Good Movie!

 

Werewolf of London - 1935

It was a double feature of craziness last night! It's the next movie in our Universal Monsters list.

So, again we have some botanists in Tibet. It reminded me of The Snow Creature with the whole "let's go find a rare plant" but in this case, they find the plant. The one guy finds a werewolf as well, but he just shakes off the whole getting bit thing. It also seems like they were attacked by something invisible. His partner somehow disappeared, and I'm not sure if the young man they showed later was his lost partner or not. The movie doesn't address it.

Back in London, the doctor is secretly performing experiments on the plant. He has a minion, Hawkins, that wears a straw boater hat indoors for some reason. It just bothered me. He treats his wife like trash, so when an old love shows up, he decides to get jealous.

In the meantime, he's approached by a guy who tells him there's going to be murders by a werewolf. He wants the blooms from the plant since they prevent a werewolf from turning during the full moon.

Ok, so this movie was weird. The thought process of the second werewolf guy was weird. He was the one who infected Wilfred/Rupert in the first place. I kept hearing his wife call him both names, but I think his name was actually Wilfred. Anyway, there are two blooms, and they only work for one night. What is the point of destroying the flower? There are more than 2 nights of the full moon, and it's not like the full moon is a once every five years. The thought process was just weird. And why do werewolves want to attack the person they love the most?

Beside that, I did enjoy some of the effects. He actually changed while moving on screen and it looked pretty good. Other times, it looked like he had a pig nose. I wanted to see him climb up a wall or something, but I was robbed of that glory. I guess this was the frustrating one for me (see the review for Terror Squad for Mom's frustrating movie). I just couldn't understand what the master plan was. The whole "let's destroy the one plant that could provide an antidote" does NOT make any sense. Oh, and someone should have killed that lady singing at the concert. I'm on the fence with this one.

Terror Squad - 1987

So, I found out about this one from a YouTube video. In this house, we're suckers for bad movies. Only the ones we find entertaining, of course.

The plot of this movie is insane. Some terrorists want to take revenge on America, so they decide to cross over from Canada and land in...Indiana! That's just the tip of the iceberg with the absurdity in this movie. Then, they try to take over a nuclear power plant (their plan sucks) and then there's a super long car chase. Eventually, they end up at a high school and take hostages. For some reason they don't want to kill them, even though they've straight murdered tons of innocents up until now. Add to this an incompetent chief of police (he's got to be the worst chief in history), and we have the perfect combination for excitement!

I LOVED this movie. Mom, on the other hand, was incredibly frustrated at the ineptitude on display, and also the portrayal of her beloved Rifleman (Chuck Connors), that she claimed it to be the worst thing she'd ever seen. I'm not fooled, she was laughing too...

The explosions were amazing. It wasn't just one thing, either. Everything in this town was full of nitroglycerin or something. Even the water tower and the people. The end was also just great. What happened to the last student from the Breakfast Club? (dating myself here) You're not supposed to ask. And where are the police? There were 1,000 of them earlier, but at the epic climax of the movie (just make sure you're paying attention to the buses), there is not one policeman - not even Chuck (I don't remember his character name, we just kept shouting, "don't let Chuck help" and "Chuck, NOOOO!").

Anyway, I love ridiculous movies with explosions. I still think Chuck was either in league with the terrorists or he secretly wanted to join them. I had a blast with this one! Great Movie!

Why would you choose to cross the Canadian border this way!?

Scandal Sheet - 1952

I had some free time and decided to pick something from Tubi's leaving soon list. I'm a sucker for these noir films and put this on.

Mark is the editor of a newspaper. His protégé, Steve, has helped to make the once respectable paper into a tabloid. He shows up at crime scenes and does the annoying newspaperman thing. A young woman in the office is the voice of reason, and by far the most sane person there.

When the paper gives a Lonely Hearts Ball, Mark is spotted by his ex-wife. He's changed his name, but his past hasn't escaped him. According to the poster, I guess he was in the mob? They never really address that in the film, though. Or maybe I missed it. Anyway, Mark accidentally kills his ex and tries to cover it up. It's a problem because now Steve is looking for the killer, and Mark knows he won't give up.

Eventually, a former journalist stumbles onto the answer and tries to tell people. Since he has the reputation of being a drunk, and he's calling from a bar where one of his fellow patrons is singing at the top of his lungs, the message doesn't have the weight it needs. Charlie decides to head to a rival paper, and that's where Mark catches up with him. RIP Charlie.

I liked this movie. It had the tension I enjoy, and it wasn't too boring. There were moments in there, but overall it was entertaining enough. I thought the end was a bit strange. I know Mark wasn't willing to shoot Steve, but I'm not sure suicide by cop was the way to go either. I like how the romance took a backseat to the mystery. This movie is based on The Dark Page by Samuel Fuller. I'd be interested in reading it, but the only copy I saw was $70, and I'm not paying that, so that might not happen. Good Movie!

Bride of Frankenstein - 1935

Our experiment with the Universal Monsters continues with Bride of Frankenstein. Last we saw, the monster was torched in the mill.

We begin the film at the site of the fire. The overly confident burgomaster declares the scene to be safe and disperses the crowd. It turns out that was a bad idea, since there's a flooded basement under the mill, and the monster is hanging out down there. He kills the parents of the girl from the original film and then heads off.

While he's out learning English with a religious, musical hermit, another doctor is doing his best to recreate Frankenstein's experiment. So far, the doctor has had success on a "smaller" scale. He's made tiny people. Why? I really don't know. Frankenstein is fine somehow after taking that header off the top of the mill, and the new doctor is not above using blackmail to make Frankenstein help him create life.

This movie was bad. I hated it for a number of reasons. There were so many unanswered questions that bother me. On the plus side, I enjoyed Karloff's performance. Again, I'm on the side of the monster, and he gets the short end of the stick again. Also, we were robbed of the bride. By that I mean they spent all that time hyping her up, and we saw her for like three minutes. And Frankenstein was a whiny man. Am I supposed to root for him? Nope. And again, the monster dies.

I'm going to add some of my questions under the poster. There was so much weird stuff, and I would like these more if the monster would get some justice.

How did Dr. Frankenstein live after falling off the top of the mill?

Why did Dr. Pretorius make a bunch of small people? And how did he grow them? He mentioned seeds, but then the movie just moved on. I didn't!

What was the purpose of the small people? And why did he make so many? He made an archbishop, but there's no flock for him. And why make a dancer and put her in a jar?

Why didn't they address the fact that the murders around the village were actually Dr. Pretorius and not the monster?

Why does the bride move her head like a bird?

Is there a reason they couldn't give these two some time to "get to know each other"?

Why do they keep killing the monster?! He's the best part! 

*I had a lot more questions, but these were the ones that irritated me the most.

Lawrence of Arabia - 1962

I've had this one sitting on the shelf for quite a while. It's not that I haven't been wanting to see it, but the 3 hour and 42 minute runtime is a bit intimidating. A few years ago, I tried to read Pillars of Wisdom, Lawrence's book, but I was reading it at a time when it wasn't keeping my interest. Maybe I'll try again in the future.

This is a well-known epic. Lawrence was a British officer who brought Arab tribes together to fight the Turks during WWI. Lawrence becomes one of them but not deep down. He has an ego the size of the trains he's derailing, and he's got the courage to back it up.

I was a bit bored at the beginning. After Lawrence made it to the tribe, it became more enjoyable. The landscapes were beautiful and forbidding. A lot of camels and horses were used during the film, and I didn't see much that made me cringe for their safety.

The characters certainly had time to develop, and they did. I saw there was some controversy on the portrayal of Lawrence's character. As I said, I haven't read the book, so I can't weigh in on the matter, and I'm keeping my mind open. The other characters were likeable, and when I saw some of them die, I was upset. I didn't cry or anything, but there was enough of a connection to care.

I liked this movie, but it doesn't climb to my favorite of all time. I see why it's popular. It's a grand spectacle, the music is amazing, and the acting was good. I would definitely put it on again and feel it deserves a Good Movie! review.

The Black Cat - 1934

For movie night, we have a new theme: the Universal Monster series. Some of the movies don't have a typical monster, but we'll see what happens. Also, we're not watching a few of the ones listed. Abbott and Costello irritate me, so we aren't watching those. I'd be rooting for the monster to kill them, and I doubt that happens...

This movie is "suggested by the immortal Edgar Allan Poe classic." It has two icons of this genre, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. For the purpose of this review, I'm going to call them Boris and Bela. They had complex names in the film, and I wasn't paying much attention to whatever their names were.

Bela has been in prison for 15 years. Now that he's out, he's tracked down Boris to the place where the betrayal that resulted in his imprisonment happened. The man responsible, Boris, has built a strange house on the site. Unfortunately, a young couple is also on the trip due to a car accident. Side note: I'm a bit bummed no one decided to go back and retrieve the bus driver. Poor man.

Anyway, Bela is looking for his wife and daughter. Boris has a weird collection of women hanging in his dungeon (by their hair?) and one of them is the wife. Boris has married the daughter, but he's hiding her from the rest of the house and especially Bela.

The movie was maddening. Everyone in it was terrible. The best character was Peter. He was one half of the young couple and the best part. He only had the one moment when he was overpowered by the minion, but I'm going to attribute that to recovering from being knocked out. He even escaped from the circle room by himself.

His wife was one of those fainting, screaming women that annoy the crud out of me. Also, she 100% could have saved someone near the end but waited until he'd already been shot to clarify the victim had been trying to help. Boris's character was icky and evil. Bela was borderline. I feel like he could do some helpful things, and I'm not sure why he was hinging letting the couple go on a chess game.

Overall, I had a good time with this one. I know Bela had a phobia of cats, but I'm not sure why he had no issues stabbing one cat but not shooting another one. The way he reacted seemed a bit over-the-top, but I got some good laughs. There were some "eww" moments for sure, so the horror existed, too. It's not gory horror, and I had more laughs than uncomfortable moments. Pretty sure I'm not supposed to be laughing, but if I'm having a good time, what else is there to say? Good Movie!

Autumn Leaves - 1956

This was a random one that popped up on my feed, and I was interested in the synopsis.

A lonely woman meets a man and takes things way too fast. She tries to break it off because she's too old for him, and it feels like he just needs her because he's lonely, but after a month they find each other and get married. At the wedding in Mexico, she notices his birth place doesn't match up with what he told her before. Another lie is caught later, and she's wondering what she's gotten herself into.

I was intrigued by this movie. At first, I thought it was going to be one of those movies where everything would have been fine if people would use their brains and get to know someone before starting a serious relationship. But it's not that simple. Burt has issues that run deep, and he needs help. There is a serious stigma to mental health at this time, and the methods used can be extremely questionable.

Overall, I really liked this movie because of the different spin on the whole "I got married too fast" trope. I appreciated how she had choices to make, but they weren't black and white. Crawford had her usual "horror" face for a lot of it, but the story itself made up for that. Good Movie!

They Were Expendable - 1945

This is one of those famous WWII movies I've been meaning to watch for quite a while and just haven't. It stars John Wayne, and I was shocked to see he wasn't listed first! The main actor was Robert Montgomery.

PT Boats were somewhat new and needed to prove themselves. At first, when the United States joined the war, the boats were used more for taking messages back and forth. The movie focuses on these boats and their role in the war up to the surrender of Bataan - around April 1942. There's a romance subplot in there, but it's not that important.

Okay, so the movie itself was pretty decent. The romance was stupid and didn't need to be in there. There isn't a resolution to it, and it didn't add anything particularly important to the story. Also, the end was...weird. The two main leads are stuffed into an airplane and sent back to the States to make the PT boats a more vital part of the war effort. I believe this was due to the book being written in 1942, when the war was still in full swing. The movie came out in December 1945, so I was a bit confused why it was quoting MacArthur saying they'd be back when the war was over by that time. Again, I believe that's related to the release of the book.

I'm going to remain neutral about this one. The strange ending and useless romance brought it down a bit, but I liked the attention to detail with the PT boats. Robert Montgomery had actually commanded a PT boat and took over directing for a time when John Ford broke his leg during production. Montgomery ended up doing more acting and eventually transitioned from being an actor to directing his own films. That's pretty cool! Overall, I'm just staying on the fence. I want to like it, but there was just some weirdly placed comedic moments and the other things I mentioned that keep it from being a good movie.