Movies I watched in October 2009

Cover of Carnival Of Souls (1962 Film)

I watched a lot of documentaries about horror movies to not disturb my housemates.  It was a satisfying experiment, I think.  I might try it again next year.  I was most pleased by Heroes of Horror which was on Peter Lorre and Vincent Price.  I plan to get the first volume in the series.  I also enjoyed Fantastic Flesh which was on film makeup in various movies.  Dark Dreamers was poorly constructed and dull.

The spooky movies I watched were Trick r Treat, Kakurenbo, and Carnival of Souls.  Kakurenbo looked beautiful but the story was too thin for me.  I could only watch Trick r Treat in short bursts and while I liked it, I want to watch it again in one piece next time.  Carnival was surprisingly entertaining though it fell apart at the very end.  Beautiful location shot of carnival/spa and lovely black and white photography.

I’m watching a number of TV series:  No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is pure pleasure.  Cadfael was not to my taste.  Castle is enjoyable fluff.  I enjoyed MST3K’s version of Touch of Satan but Zombie Nightmare was less enjoyable.

Laura’s Star and Kakurenbo were well-animated.  Laura’s Star was especially beautiful, and worth seeing for the visuals alone.  Both movies had rather thin stories.

Finally saw Trip to the Moon in its entirety.

1. No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency 1:1
2. Laura’s Star (2004)
3. Help! (1965)
4. Haunted History of Halloween (1997)
5. Kakurenbo: Hide and Seek (2005)
6. Cadfael: One Corpse too Many (1994)
7. Dark Dreamers 1:1
8. Trip to the Moon (1902)
9. Heroes of Horror 2
10. Twitches (2005)
11. No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency 1:2
12. Trick r Treat (2009)
13. Harryhausen Chronicles (1998)
14. Bride of Monster Mania (2000)
15. Bloodsucking Cinema (2007)
16. MST3K: Touch of Satan (1971)
17. Fantastic Flesh (2008)
18. Carnival of Souls (1962)
    
19. Labyrinth (1986)
    
20. Monster Mania (1997)
    
21. MST3K: Zombie Nightmare (1986)

The final days of Edgar Allan Poe

Image via Wikipedia

Here’s an interesting theory as to Poe’s final days.  It is depressing but fascinating.

13 Feminine Horror Movies

Christine Spines wrote an article for Entertainment Weekly on men watching horror movies in their teens and women continuing to watch them into their 30s. After that, I read posts and comments to effect of “heaven forbid, not more Twilight!”

I disagree with categorizing Twilight as a horror film: it fits better in the family of the Gothic romance. Gothic romance defined as, “Weird place! Is my boyfriend going to kill me?” Examples might be Rebecca, Jane Eyre, Beauty and the Beast and so on.

After mulling this over, I decided to make a list of horror movies that I considered “feminine.”   They feature women protagonists dealing with issues such as childbirth, menstruation, sisters, and romantic relationships. I didn’t put the women from Alien/Resident Evil/Silence of the Lambs on the list because I was selecting characters who fit the type of the “angel in the house”or “fairy tale princess.”

Disclaimer: This is not suggest that any person of any gender should feel included or excluded from identifying with the issues raised or the characters depicted in these movies.

My list doesn’t include movies I haven’t seen. Or, Dark Water.

Here is the list:

• Cat People (1942)
• It’s Alive (1973)
• Carrie (1976)
• Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• Heathers (1989)
• Perfect Blue (1992)
• Boxing Helena (1993)
• The Craft (1996)
• Practical Magic (1998)
• Ginger Snaps (2000)
• The Others (2001)
• The Ring (2002) and Ringu (1998)
• The Orphanage (2007)

The Orphanage. My review is in an earlier post. Feminine Themes: motherhood, losing a child, inquisitive women (women are actively discouraged from trying to learn things.)

The Ring. Feminine Themes: motherhood, inquisitive women. Ringu. (1998) Feminine Themes: motherhood, magical female power.

The Others. Feminine Themes: motherhood, single parenting, running a household.

Ginger Snaps. Feminine Themes: sisterhood, puberty, menses, female sexuality.

Practical Magic. Feminine Themes: widowhood, sisterhood, abusive relationships, being stalked and threatened, magical female power, healthy female bonding.

The Craft. Feminine Themes: magical female power, toxic female bonding, puberty.

Boxing Helena. Feminine Themes: abusive relationships.

Perfect Blue. Feminine Themes: self image, career choices, being stalked and threatened.

Heathers. Feminine Themes: self image, toxic female bonding, abusive relationships.

Nightmare on Elm Street: Feminine Themes: being stalked and threatened, female craftiness, mother/daughter relationships.

Carrie: Feminine Themes: puberty, menses, magical female power, mother/daughter relationships, toxic female bonding .

It’s Alive. Feminine Themes: pregnancy, giving birth, motherhood.

Cat People. My description here. Feminine Themes: female sexuality, being stalked and threatened.

Haunted Houses – fictional

Cover of Hell House

As a follow up to my haunted house attraction post, here is a list of haunted house books and movies.  I was surprised that it was difficult to find a list of haunted house books to jog my memory.  My final list is short which makes me want to read a bunch more.  There is a nice list on Wikipedia for haunted house movies.

Haunted House books & short stories

• The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898)
• The Open Window by Saki (1911)
• Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959)
• Hell House by Richard Matheson (1971)
• The Shining by Stephen King (1977)
• The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons (1978)
• Homebody by Orson Scott Card (1998)

Of these, Haunting of Hill House and Hell House were the most satisfying to me.  I think they both owe quite a bit to James’ governess.  Both feature psychic investigators who visit an allegedly haunted house and confront their own psyches as much as any supernatural force in the house.  Matheson’s book removes any doubt as to the supernatural events but manages to be just as disturbing I think.

A minor story concerning The Shining. Many years ago I moved into an isolated old farmhouse.  Not long after, I was on the second floor, sitting up with a sick child.  It was a dark and stormy night.  Or, at least it was raining hard and the house was creaking in the wind.  Once the child had fallen to sleep, I decided to read to keep myself alert and naturally I chose The Shining.  It didn’t make me sleepy.  By the time I reached the bit about the bathtub, I had to put it down and find something else.  Very quickly. I had to finish the book in the daylight hours.

Horror Movie Short: Mockingbird

From FEWDIO – this one is my favorite of their short horror flicks.

No gore but not for the sensitive.

Movies I watched in September 2009

The Losers:

Push I did not like.  It had an interesting premise:  youth with psi powers fight against a shadowy international organization that wishes to enhance their skills and use them as special agents or warriors.  However, the plot threads were left hanging about a third of the way through.  The finale was thoroughly unsatisfying.

Nights in Rodanthe was unwatchable and maudlin.  Schultze Gets the Blues – was somewhere described as a rollicking comedy but failed in both respects. The volume of My Name is Earl had less humor than usual.  Primer was a disappointment – such potential squandered.   Lost in Austen annoyed me.The anime The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was lovely but one viewer renamed it ‘the girl who crawled through time’ as it was a bit slow moving.

The Winners:

Very much enjoying Lie to Me and Tim Roth’s performance.  It’s apparently based on real studies.  The real people images that pop up to demonstrate emotions are the best part.  I don’t how it holds up as the seasons wear on but that was a good beginning.

Castle of Cagliostro was a delightful caper movie.  It’s a bit old fashioned in the animation style but still light years ahead in sophistication.  A real treat for caper fans or animation fans.

Death Note is a live action Japanese film based on a manga.  It was a nice puzzle and I’ve rented the sequel.    Waitress was charming/disturbing and I’ve long been distressed by story of the director Adrienne Shelly’s murder. I’d seen Cry-Baby before but it was a treat to watch it again.  The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer was cute and one of the few Cary Grant movies I haven’t seen.  Roman Holiday lived up to its reputation.  King of Kong gave an interesting look at the arcade gaming subculture, although  I’ve read reviews that state it was biased.   I liked The Prestige a lot and plan to review it for my science fiction project.

1. Lie to Me 1:1
2. Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
3. Push (2009)
4. Nights in Rodanthe (2008)
5. Schultze Gets the Blues (2003)
6. Lie to Me 1:2
7. Death Note (2006)
8. My Name is Earl 3:3
9. Waitress (2007)
10. Cry-Baby (1990)
11. Primer (2004)
12. Lost in Austen (2008)
13. Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer (1947)
14. Roman Holiday (1953)
15. King of Kong (2007)
16. The Prestige (2006)
17. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

Lost in Austen (2008)

There are tons of reviews finding the TV series Lost in Austen witty and light and fun.  I wish I’d seen the same show.  I championed the revisionist 1999 Mansfield Park to my friends but now I feel like a waspish Austen purist.

The story is this: Amanda Price, 21st Century devotee of Pride and Prejudice is offered the chance to enter the world of her favorite book. Chaos ensues.

SPOILERS
Proceed at your own risk.

things to come (maybe)

I had a lovely birthday. Many family members came to watch DVDs with me. One young woman heroically watched all six of them.
The films were:
Roman Holiday
The Prestige
King of Kong
Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer
Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Lost in Austen

I will try to write about all of them. I’ve been working on Lost in Austen but my dislike for it is compelling to add more and more to the post.

But Halloween is on its way as I’ve mentioned before. I’ve been working on my movie list and have found a lot of interesting movies and trivia to blog about. I’m looking forward to the next month.

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Not the man in the white suit

I tried watching Alec Guiness in The Man in the White Suit (1951) for my science fiction movie project a few days ago. It’s much more a satire on economics than it is a science fiction film. The movie is short – about an hour and 25 minute but I didn’t make it to the end.

I replaced it with Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – which I haven’t seen but I am assured is a very good movie. I’m looking forward to it.

Dr. Renault’s Secret (1942)

Young Dr. Larry Forbes (John Shepperd) is traveling to his his fiancée’s home in France.  He is delayed by bad weather and stops in an inn before he reaches the villa.  He switches rooms with another drunken guest and later the guest is found murdered.

Rather than a science fiction story, this is more of a mystery.  The suspects include a slow-witted assistant Noel (J. Carol Nash), an unctuous butler, and a truculent gardener Rogell (Mike Mazurki).  And not least, her reticent father Dr. Renault (George Zucco).

Noel behaves in suspicious and odd ways.  When the murdered guest is said to have been strangled by “fingers of steel,” Noel quickly hides his hands.  (This was funny enough that we began referring to the movie as “Fingers of Steel.”) Noel is acutely sensitive to the presence of dogs but drifts off readily and has difficulty with simple conversations.

Larry would rather ignore the sinister events and focus on being reunited with fiancée Madelon (Lynne Roberts).  His fiancée is a piece of work.

She states that she is kind to Noel but nothing she says or does proves this. She insists that he drive back to town  to pick up something trivial that he forgot.  She’s unfailingly condescending to him in her speech and body language.  She even is furious with him for trying to protect himself when a stray dog savages his arm.  The dog was not the bitch in the movie.

It’s pretty obvious what the titular secret is but it takes some time for anyone to figure it out.  In the meantime, there are corpses piling up.

The sets were of high quality and gave me hope that the story would be a little more sophisticated that it ultimately proved to be.  The finale is so abrupt that my viewing partner and I started laughing.  On the other hand, it didn’t outstay its welcome.  I don’t recommend it.

highlight for spoiler–Nash works hard at his characterization of the ape man, how he moves and holds his body.  He is sympathetic and intriguing as a sinned against beast.–end

The featurette, with critics and film historians such as Kim Newman, was twice as entertaining as the movie.

DVD Talk review

Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy review

Pop Matters review

PWI Pop review

Fantastic Movie Musings & Ramblings review

Mike Mazurki

…

Rogell