DAILY CALL SHEET: JULY 2, 2018

Vicious Lips (1986) Space rockers' rocket gets marooned with a mutated madman aboard. Not headliner material, but maybe a good opener act for The Hong Kong Cavaliers TIL: Many philosophers believe good music disposes man to virtue whereas bad music... well, you figure it out.

Your daily dose of culture courtesy of Hot Rod Girl (1956) - "People who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness." - John Wanamaker

Don Verdean (2015)

As a fan of Sam Rockwell, I decided to check out Don Verdean. The fact that I hadn't heard of the film before seeing it on Rockwell's filmography and that it is considerably new had me thinking that I'd grant myself one and a half hour of suffering. And I was right. 

The film follows Don Verdean (Sam Rockwell), a self-proclaimed Biblical Archaeologist that hunts down religious artefacts to prove that the stories from the Bible are true. When he is hired by a pastor, Lazarus (Danny McBride), to find sacred relics in order to bring more people to his church, Verdean is forced to get creative.

The plot is one of the major problems with Don Verdean. It is far from being interesting and engaging, it doesn't make a lot of sense, it has several uninteresting romantic subplots, and the ending, if you could call it that, is incredibly contrived. It seems like the writers knew they had to end the story but didn't know how and they just wrote something random that makes as much sense as everything else.

The characters too are the result of lazy writing. The film is filled with odd and bizarre characters but unfortunately, the writers didn't make the most of their potential. Their personalities never take over, they aren't as compelling as they should have been and. most importantly, they are not a bit funny.

Neither the cast can fix that as they all give pretty bland performances. Sam Rockwell looks bored from start to finish, hidden behind a beard and terrible clothes. The others are just as bland, Danny McBride and Will Forte being the most disappointing as they fail to make laugh consistently. There's a good chemistry between Rockwell and McBride but it feels like the director, Jared Hess, was not able to capture it.

Lionsgate Premiere

As you probably guessed, Don Verdean is not that funny of a movie and calling it comedy should be a crime. The jokes, a blend of biblical and adolescent jokes, fall flat most of the film, and when they don't they barely make you chuckle.

Unless you really love one of the actors in, whether it's Sam Rockwell, Amy Ryan, Jemaine Clement, Leslie Bob, Will Forte or Danny McBride, my suggestion is that you stay the hell away from this film.

Hereditary Movie Review

Hereditary (2018)

Watch the trailer
Written by: Ari Aster
Directed by: Ari Aster
Starring: Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne
Rated: R

Plot
After Ellen passes away, her daughter's family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences as they unravel dark secrets about their ancestry and the sinister fate they've inherited.

Verdict
It's certainly unsettling but not so much scary. The meandering first half left me skeptical, but the last half manages to fulfill the promise as the intensity ramps until the final scene. I wondered was this a haunted house tale, a story of possession, or some kind of cult. You're left wondering almost until the end, and I liked the conclusion. At first you may wonder if it answers all the question presented, it does even if you think it didn't.
Watch it.

Review
I love the way this starts with an obituary. It sets a directly morbid tone. I like the directing, using very deliberate movements, though at times it becomes a bit distracting when you notice the camera snaking around a scene.
It's a horror movie, but well made. Horror movies have had a resurgence lately of being good instead of just a lazy gore fest. The biggest question is what kind of horror movie is this. I wondered if we'd get a haunting from grandma or if she would some how possess one of the family members. It's neither, but this keeps you guessing.

One of the scale models Annie built.

While it's intense and unsettling, this isn't as scary as I was expecting. Half way in not a lot had happened. It's a lot of set up, and I wasn't sure it could deliver. With this kind of set up the ending makes it or breaks it. From the half way mark to the end this ramps up without stopping. The ending delivers. As an elderly woman sitting a few rows in front of me in the theater commented to her husband, "This is a weird one, innit it?"
There are some really neat scenes. I won't spoil them, but this avoids jump scares. We were told earlier about how the mom poured paint thinner on the son in a sleep walk trance. In a scene she's arguing with him at night, cutting back and forth, and then they're wet, you make the connection that it's paint thinner and wonder if it's a dream. It's so quick, but really slick. I imagine a few people missed it.

Toni Collette plays Annie.

This is a lot of things and you're never sure what exactly it is until the end. At that point you can go back and think about this. I wasn't sure if this answered all the questions, but it does while generating many more.
How much of what Annie did was of her own will and how much was a controlling force? Her family has experienced a lot of tragedy, and the how/why has big implications. Her brother died, and I'm willing to bet there is more to it. Annie states she kept her son away from her mother, but gave her mom the daughter. She commented how her mother insisted on feeding the daughter. That seems innocuous enough, but in one of the dioramas Annie built, it looks like the grandmother is baring a breast ready to feed a baby. Is that the daughter, cause that's just weird but it fits with what happened.
It's an interesting thing, the mother making scale models of her life and of different things. I really thought the movie would leverage that more to be creepy.

While this throws a lot at you, it's more making you guess than hoping something sticks. Collette is amazing, as is Alex Wolff who plays her son. The ending reminded me a little bit of The Witch (read my review), in the way it ramps up and ends in a flash. Of course Hereditary didn't have a talking goat.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JULY 1, 2018

Killer Crocodile (1989) Young conservationists learn the hard way that some animals just need to die. Also, if you look like Lee Van Cleef, you're pretty much indestructible. TIL: A disordered use of nature, i.e. dumping toxic waste in swamps, shows contempt for the Creator.

Your daily dose of culture courtesy of The Wasp Woman (1959) - “All the honey a bee gathers during its lifetime doesn't sweeten its sting” - Italian Proverb

The Dark Mirror (1946)

 

Twins! One who loves, and one who loves to kill!

That's one of the taglines used for The Dark Mirror starring Olivia de Havilland, Lew Ayres, and Thomas Mitchell. The film was, to me, reminiscent of Gaslight (1944), where Charles Boyer slowly drives his wife, Ingrid Bergman, to insanity. In this case however, one twin is slowly driving the other twin crazy. I found this film particularly intriguing as one is not used to seeing the sweet Olivia de Havilland acting so evil and ruthless.

The ink blot test plays a big part in the film.

She plays twins Terry and Ruth Collins. One of them murdered someone. Both have perfect alibis. One is psycho. The other is slowly being made psycho. There are several scenes involving psychology, as the film was made in a time where psychoanalysis was a new field. There are several scenes involving the Rorschach ink blot test and it is even used in the opening credits. The twins are told this is for a twin personality study, but really they are trying to determine which one is the killer.

Terry and Ruth wear lots of personalized jewelry to help others tell them apart. The pieces from the film, which were created by Joseff of Hollywood, were auctioned off last year and can be seen in the catalog pages below.

Meanwhile, the evil twin (Terry) is driving the good twin (Ruth) out of her mind slowly. She plays music on a record during the night and pretends not to hear it or remind her of things that one of them said that she doesn't remember. This causes the Ruth to start to lose her grip and wonder if  she maybe didn't commit the murder after all. She also begins to rely on sleeping pills to get a good night's rest, taking more than she needs at her sister's suggestion.

Ayres plays Dr. Scott Elliot. While conducting the tests on the twins, he falls in love with Ruth. After he has completed the tests, he knows which one is the killer and sets a trap. He invites Terry up to his apartment to tell her something "important" (the identity of the killer). He makes Terry believe that he thinks she is Ruth. When Terry comes to his apartment, he confronts her and tells her that he knows she's Terry and that she did it. She still tries to blame it on Ruth. They are interrupted by a call that Ruth has committed suicide. They rush to the apartment and Scott goes into the bedroom to confirm the death. Terry, thinking that Ruth is dead, now pretends that she is Ruth and that she was trying to help cover up Terry's crime. As she talks, she becomes more and more into her lie. Suddenly, the real Ruth's reflection appears in the mirror. Terry throws an object at the mirror and completely breaks down. After she is taken away, Scott explains why the had to pretend she was dead and comforts her.

You can watch the full movie here on YouTube.

This post is for The Third Annual Olivia de Havilland Blogathon hosted by myself and In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood. Please check out the other posts and come back next year to celebrate the lovely Olivia!

Robin Hood (1973)

Robin Hood is another of those Disney movies I never cared much about as a kid. Why I can't say since I love animals --all the characters here are portrayed as animals-- and Robin Hood is pretty much doing the right thing by doing what he does.

Just like the classic tale, Disney's film follows Robin Hood (voiced by Brian Bedford) and his companion Little John (voiced by Phil Harris) as they steal from the rich and give to the poor. The riches happen to be the immature and greedy Prince John (voiced by Peter Ustinov) who has the corrupt Sherif of Nottingham (voiced by Pat Buttram) collect crushing taxes from poor citizens. Which is why the Sherif of Nottingham is out to catch them. Being wanted by Prince John, however, won't stop Robin Hood from entering an archery contest to win the hand of Maid Marion (voiced by Monica Evans).

Because Robin Hood tells a story we already know, the plot is very predictable. It also occasionally wanders and loses its focus and yet it manages to keep you interested and engaged.

That happens only because Disney found a way to make the classic story more original by using anthropomorphic animal characters --Robin Hood is a fox, Little John is a bear, Prince John is a lion, the Sherif of Nottingham is a wolf, Maid Marion is a vixen, and let's not forget about Prince John's right hand, Sir Hiss, a snake (voiced by Terry-Thomas). There's something charming and creative about it and makes the characters so much more lovable and funny. Even some of the villains, especially Prince John as he's being portrayed as a spoiled little brat who cries when things don't go his way. Some of the characters though are basically characters from another Disney film, The Jungle Book. It's indeed more than obvious than Little John is Baloo and Sir Hiss is Kaa. The Sherif of Nottingham is by far the least likeable character which is why he makes a great villain. The solid voice work from the cast helps too.

Buena Vista Distribution

The songs are nice too. They aren't as catchy or memorable as songs from other Disney movies, The Jungle Book or The Lion King to name a few, but they are still enjoyable. The animation, on the other hand, isn't that great. Actually, it's terrible as it looks pretty amateurish and very cheap. You can even see pencil marks at times!

The Third Annual Olivia de Havilland Blogathon is Here!!!

It's here!! The Third Annual Olivia de Havilland Blogathon is here!!! It's smaller than the previous two celebrations but that doesn't make it any less special. Crystal and I are excited to be hosting this event again and can't wait to read all the entries celebrating the amazing and beautiful Dame Olivia!!!

THE POSTS

"I do hope people don't think I'm really like this..."

The Wonderful World of Cinema kicks things off with The Snake Pit (1948).

"I wonder if there will be a remake of this...?"

The Stop Button gives us an analysis of what does and doesn't work in My Cousin Rachel (1952).

"Don't be so angry, Bette. There's an annual blogathon for you too!"

Musings of a Classic Film Addict discovers In This Our Life (1942).

"So wait.. which one of us is real?"

I cover Olivia's duel role in The Dark Mirror (1946).

"I don't always make TV movies, but when I do I still look fabulous."

Realweegiemidget Reviews takes a look at one of Olivia's TV Movies, Murder is Easy (1982).

"I'm no angel?"

The Dream Book Blog finds Olivia to be no angel as famous author Charlotte Bronte in Devotion (1946).

"Next years' blogathon seems so far away!"

Caftan Woman sees Olivia de Havilland come full circle from her early Westerns in The Proud Rebel (1958).

"Just because you don't get the guy doesn't mean you can't look fabulous!"

Pure Entertainment Preservation Society looks at The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) from a historical and code perspective.

"I just love blogathons, don't you?"

Taking Up Room discovers a different side of  Olivia in It's Love I'm After (1937).

"Hello? 2018?"

Critica Retro finds Hold Back the Dawn (1941) to be a timely film.

"I'm not always window dressing!"

Movies Meet Their Match finds a deeper meaning in Santa Fe Trail (1940).

Old Hollywood Films wraps things up with The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936).

A huge thank you to all who helped celebrate and to Crystal for once again co-hosting this event with me!!! I hope to see you all again next year!!