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#21
Off Topic Discussion / Re: Chainsawmidget Lives!
Last post by Trevor - October 13, 2024, 09:38:19 AMQuote from: chainsaw midget on October 13, 2024, 06:50:24 AMIn case you were wondering about me, I'm doing ... decent enough.
I survive the storms that hit Florida, and the (annoying) lack of power we had the few days afterwards.
Sadly, My place did not make it intact. For the time being, I'm moving back in with my mom until I can save enough to do ... whatever it is I'm going to do. I don't know yet.
Good to hear that you are OK, CSM.
#22
Bad Movies / Re: RECENT VIEWINGS (Bad Movie...
Last post by Dr. Whom - October 13, 2024, 09:38:16 AMVoyage to the planet of prehistoric women (1968)
This is one of the movies where the making of is more interesting than the movie itself. Most of the scenes come from the 1962 Soviet movie Planeta Bur (Planet of Storms). Roger Corman acquired the rights, recut and dubbed the whole thing and added some scenes to produce Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965). Then, he decided that what the movie really needed was more pretty girls, so he re-used the Soviet footage, had Peter Bogdanovich shoot some scenes with Mamie Van Doren and assorted beauties on a beach and voilà, Voyage to the planet of the prehistoric women was created.
This is a dreadful slog. While the Soviet movie provides impressive modelwork and general production values, it would seem to be just as fun as First Spaceship to Venus. The recut/redubbed scenes make little sense, and the whole thing is pitched as a love story, while both protagonists are in different movies altogether.
Avoid.
This is one of the movies where the making of is more interesting than the movie itself. Most of the scenes come from the 1962 Soviet movie Planeta Bur (Planet of Storms). Roger Corman acquired the rights, recut and dubbed the whole thing and added some scenes to produce Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965). Then, he decided that what the movie really needed was more pretty girls, so he re-used the Soviet footage, had Peter Bogdanovich shoot some scenes with Mamie Van Doren and assorted beauties on a beach and voilà, Voyage to the planet of the prehistoric women was created.
This is a dreadful slog. While the Soviet movie provides impressive modelwork and general production values, it would seem to be just as fun as First Spaceship to Venus. The recut/redubbed scenes make little sense, and the whole thing is pitched as a love story, while both protagonists are in different movies altogether.
Avoid.
#23
Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2
Last post by M.10rda - October 13, 2024, 08:27:06 AMABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948):
First time viewing! There's a lot I could criticize about this movie: Bud Abbott is really an unfunny, unpleasant drag and contributes zero laughs to the proceedings; the pace at times is laborious, milking some gags for minutes when seconds could've sufficed (the prelude to Dracula's first appearance is a great example); the film often looks like it was shot in a hurry and recklessly, and the editor either didn't have sufficient coverage to assemble shots in a way that makes sense or the editor had never seen a Hollywood feature film and didn't understand traditional continuity editing (this is particularly true in the first third of the film, where a wide shot will often cut to a medium wide shot where the camera was two feet to the left, etc); Dracula is constantly covering the lower half of his face w/ his cape and walking around like that, which makes one wonder if one is looking at Bela or at a Bela stand-in ala PLAN 9, but on close inspection it usually seems to be Bela, but I want to see his face, dammit, and also the wacky editing is compounded by occasionally cutting from a wide shot of Dracula w/ his face covered to a wide shot of Dracula w/o his face covered....... dammit; the film is titled ABOOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (or actually BUD ABBOTT AND LOU COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN in the opening credits) but most of the monster-centric portions involve Lon Chaney as the Wolfman and Bela as the Count, and the Frankenstein monster does nearly nothing until the final 5 or so minutes; ad infinitum.
.......BUT....... in spite of all that, the flick remains fun and, unlike some "horror comedies" (YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, TRANSYLVANIA 6-5000) this is legitimately a horror movie w/ lots of comedy instead of a comedy w/ goofy monsters in it. I can dig that. Bela returns to his most famous role and, unlike some takes on the 1931 DRACULA and unlike just about any other lead role he played in the 40s, Bela plays Drac here as a completely evil rat bastard... just a bad, bad guy who wants to hurt people and use the Fmonster to conquer the world. Bela is as good of a bad guy as he is a tortured anti-hero. (Bela is and always was The Man.) He's still looking plenty spry in 1948, too. It's a treat to watch him mix it up w/ the Wolfman at the end.
Y'know, I've never seen another Abbott & Costello film iirc - only old loops of "Who's On First?" But Abbott was the luckiest man in the business of show - luckier still for having a last name that started w/ "A" instead of "D". Lou Costello delivers almost all of the laughs in this film, and it's not merely that Abbott is at the disadvantage of often playing the "straight man" or that Costello has more screentime (though both are true). Lou Costello, at least in this film, is a bona fide laugh machine. Lines that are in no way funny on the page get laughs, the way he spins them. He's not just funny, either - he's more simply interesting to watch... even just the way he sits down or crosses a hallway or stands near motionless. He's always making some kind of choice that keeps your attention. He was a seriously gifted performer.
The film ends w/ a quasi-"cameo". It's pretty clever.
3.5/5
Also, the throwaway line "Yours had teeth". Slays when Lou says it, would be funny even if delivered by Rob Schneider.
First time viewing! There's a lot I could criticize about this movie: Bud Abbott is really an unfunny, unpleasant drag and contributes zero laughs to the proceedings; the pace at times is laborious, milking some gags for minutes when seconds could've sufficed (the prelude to Dracula's first appearance is a great example); the film often looks like it was shot in a hurry and recklessly, and the editor either didn't have sufficient coverage to assemble shots in a way that makes sense or the editor had never seen a Hollywood feature film and didn't understand traditional continuity editing (this is particularly true in the first third of the film, where a wide shot will often cut to a medium wide shot where the camera was two feet to the left, etc); Dracula is constantly covering the lower half of his face w/ his cape and walking around like that, which makes one wonder if one is looking at Bela or at a Bela stand-in ala PLAN 9, but on close inspection it usually seems to be Bela, but I want to see his face, dammit, and also the wacky editing is compounded by occasionally cutting from a wide shot of Dracula w/ his face covered to a wide shot of Dracula w/o his face covered....... dammit; the film is titled ABOOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (or actually BUD ABBOTT AND LOU COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN in the opening credits) but most of the monster-centric portions involve Lon Chaney as the Wolfman and Bela as the Count, and the Frankenstein monster does nearly nothing until the final 5 or so minutes; ad infinitum.
.......BUT....... in spite of all that, the flick remains fun and, unlike some "horror comedies" (YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, TRANSYLVANIA 6-5000) this is legitimately a horror movie w/ lots of comedy instead of a comedy w/ goofy monsters in it. I can dig that. Bela returns to his most famous role and, unlike some takes on the 1931 DRACULA and unlike just about any other lead role he played in the 40s, Bela plays Drac here as a completely evil rat bastard... just a bad, bad guy who wants to hurt people and use the Fmonster to conquer the world. Bela is as good of a bad guy as he is a tortured anti-hero. (Bela is and always was The Man.) He's still looking plenty spry in 1948, too. It's a treat to watch him mix it up w/ the Wolfman at the end.
Y'know, I've never seen another Abbott & Costello film iirc - only old loops of "Who's On First?" But Abbott was the luckiest man in the business of show - luckier still for having a last name that started w/ "A" instead of "D". Lou Costello delivers almost all of the laughs in this film, and it's not merely that Abbott is at the disadvantage of often playing the "straight man" or that Costello has more screentime (though both are true). Lou Costello, at least in this film, is a bona fide laugh machine. Lines that are in no way funny on the page get laughs, the way he spins them. He's not just funny, either - he's more simply interesting to watch... even just the way he sits down or crosses a hallway or stands near motionless. He's always making some kind of choice that keeps your attention. He was a seriously gifted performer.
The film ends w/ a quasi-"cameo". It's pretty clever.
3.5/5
Also, the throwaway line "Yours had teeth". Slays when Lou says it, would be funny even if delivered by Rob Schneider.
#24
Off Topic Discussion / Re: Chainsawmidget Lives!
Last post by indianasmith - October 13, 2024, 07:49:32 AMSorry to hear you lost your home, but I am glad you have a place to go.
Things can be replaced; people can't.
Things can be replaced; people can't.
#25
Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2
Last post by FatFreddysCat - October 13, 2024, 06:54:36 AM"Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die"
(aka "Operation Paradise" and "Our Man in Rio," 1966)
American secret agent Kelly (Mike Connors, later of TV's "Mannix") is stationed in Rio to keep an eye on a shady industrialist. Teaming up with a lovely British agent, the pair soon learn that the madman is plotting to sterilize the entire planet from a satellite (!) and re-populate the earth single-handedly from his own hand-picked harem of freeze-dried women. Yikes!
...a cheap, cheesy James Bond knock off which can't seem to decide if it's a "real" spy thriller or a spoof. It started off strong with an impressive stunt piece set at Rio's massive Christ the Redeemer statue, but in spite of the lush Brazilian scenery and lots of pretty girls, the movie runs out of steam well before the end. There are certainly worse "Eurospy" flicks out there, but I'll never sit thru this one again.
(aka "Operation Paradise" and "Our Man in Rio," 1966)
American secret agent Kelly (Mike Connors, later of TV's "Mannix") is stationed in Rio to keep an eye on a shady industrialist. Teaming up with a lovely British agent, the pair soon learn that the madman is plotting to sterilize the entire planet from a satellite (!) and re-populate the earth single-handedly from his own hand-picked harem of freeze-dried women. Yikes!
...a cheap, cheesy James Bond knock off which can't seem to decide if it's a "real" spy thriller or a spoof. It started off strong with an impressive stunt piece set at Rio's massive Christ the Redeemer statue, but in spite of the lush Brazilian scenery and lots of pretty girls, the movie runs out of steam well before the end. There are certainly worse "Eurospy" flicks out there, but I'll never sit thru this one again.
#26
Off Topic Discussion / Chainsawmidget Lives!
Last post by chainsaw midget - October 13, 2024, 06:50:24 AMIn case you were wondering about me, I'm doing ... decent enough.
I survive the storms that hit Florida, and the (annoying) lack of power we had the few days afterwards.
Sadly, My place did not make it intact. For the time being, I'm moving back in with my mom until I can save enough to do ... whatever it is I'm going to do. I don't know yet.
#27
Off Topic Discussion / Re: Memes n' stuff of the day
Last post by Trevor - October 13, 2024, 02:40:24 AM
#28
Bad Movies / Re: Invent A Bad Movie Title P...
Last post by Trevor - October 12, 2024, 09:56:46 PMQuote from: lester1/2jr on October 10, 2024, 09:52:14 PMMega Python vs Monty Python
😆😃😀😄😄
#29
Off Topic Discussion / Re: Memes n' stuff of the day
Last post by LilCerberus - October 12, 2024, 03:28:24 PM
#30
Bad Movies / Re: Invent A Bad Movie Title P...
Last post by LilCerberus - October 12, 2024, 12:42:59 PMTransfarmers