'70s TV: Daschell Hammett's The Dain Curse (Part 1 of 3)

 *** This DVD is going to finally get its due after sitting on a shelf for like 2 years.  In my defense, the Box tells me that the Feature is 5 hours long.

Thankfully, upon further inspection, it is a TV Mini-Series broken into 3 Parts.  This way I can break into said Parts and not lose- let's be honest- about half of my day on this Film.  ***

This is 1978's The Dain Curse, based on a Story by Daschell Hammett.  I feel like that name doesn't hold the same gravitas in 2024 as it did back when this was made.  That's a shame.

He created The Thin Man- a very popular Series in its day- and, oh yeah, wrote The Maltese Falcon.  Too bad he was blacklisted for 'being a Communist.'  Damn!

The Plot involves Hamilton Nash- who's not the Lead in the Book- trying to solve a case of robbery that turns into murder and so much more.

The Cast includes James Coburn as Nash, as well as Jason Miller, Hector Elizando, Beatrice Straight and Jean Simmons.  It's very '70s and I love it.

How does it start?  Let's find out...

Hamilton Nash- Coburn- is a Private Detective who works for an Agency.

He just broke a big case, but will get no credit.
If you think that this Plot Point matters, you're wrong.

He's hired to look into the theft of some Diamonds at a Scientist's House.  The Insurance Company just wants him to sign off on it, but he's not that easy to fool.

He finds a diamond on the lawn, realizing that this is a setup...but for what?

Working the case leads to the Daughter- who's viewed as very eccentric- going missing.

She's found at, well, a Cult.

They're...clearly up to no good.

He brings her home, but right in time to find out that her Father was dead!

They claim that it is suicide and she's...happy?

Oh boy- exposition dump time....

The Scientist leaves behind a note admitting to killing his Wife (and the Mother of his Daughter) long ago and being in trouble.

However, Nash believes that this was not a suicide.

Stepmom says that the Daughter killed her Mom due to The Dain Curse.

When accused of the murder...

She grabs a gun and tries to get away.

She accidentally shoots herself and dies.

The Daughter ends up back with the Cult a bit later and Nash is hired to watch her.

While there, the Leader is conspiring in some way with a rich lady.

Meanwhile, someone gasses Nash, explaining this face.

He's able to stay away from too much gas (tee hee), but is still affected quite a bit.

One of the Cops shows up and, along with Nash, finds the Daughter with a knife and she's confessing to murder!

The End...of Part 1.

A good start, even if it does have to do all of the boring stuff that the beginnings of Trilogies do.

Imagine being able to just begin a Trilogy with the action.  No Story to worry about it.  It would make no sense, but it would be exciting!

The Story here is good and it really nails the feel of a Hammett Story.  Even though Nash is a composite character (and designed to look like the Author), he just feels right.

He's just smart and sly enough for realism, but also able to be surprised by the facts as they unfold.  Making a smart, but vulnerable Hero in these is hard to do.  

Make things too surprising or uneven and they look like a dope.  Make them too prepared and there's no drama.

Coburn, as you could guess, is great in the role.  He's not alone, as everyone does a pretty darn good job here.  You've got '70s Character Actors coming out of the woodwork, so you'd hope that it would be great.

Casting-wise, it is fun as a Horror Fan to see Jason Miller post-The Exorcist and Beatrice Straight Pre-Poltergeist.  It's just a sweet spot timing-wise.

I will say that the Title does not play too much into the Plot so far, but would it shock you to learn that it matters a whole lot in Parts 2 and 3?

I guess so.

Anyways, keep an eye out for Part 2 soon...

Shudder-day: Creepshow- 'Something Borrowed, Something Blue/Doodles'

 Another Week and we're now 1 Episode away from the Finale.

Let's look at two more Segments on...

In Something Borrowed, Something Blue, an old man (Tom Atkins) tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (after 15 years).

She wants nothing to do with him though.

He explains to her Fiancée that they will inherit everything upon his death...but he has a very strange task that he must do.

He agrees...but can he go through with it?

Of course, it is Creepshow, so it is not that simple.

What else will happen?

In Doodles, a young woman in Seattle is trying to make it big as a Cartoonist.

However, fate (and people) seem to be against her.

A drawing she makes seems to correlate to the death of a person who wronged her.

Is it a coincidence or something more?

What will she do with this information?

To find out, stream the Episode now.

*

A pair of pretty simple, but good Segments.  Not much to complain about, yet again.  I know people tend to prefer angry, ranting Reviews...but I don't have one here.

The first Segment has Tom Atkins and it doesn't feature Robots made by Druids-5 Stars.  Joking aside, he does a good job of being sincere at some points, stern at others and kind of evil at others still.  It is the kind of subtle range you get when you cast someone with his level of experience.

The rest of the Cast does a good job too.  At most I'll complain about how the Budget doesn't really allow for you to see the creature which the Story relates to.  I'm sure others will be happy with the tease alone and that's fine too.

Doodles is also fun, if a bit one-note.  It is one of those 'Who is the good guy' Stories (which admittedly, comes up a bit in the last one too) that I'm not always fond of.  Our Heroine is definitely in the wrong by the end...but she was also wronged too.

I definitely have questions about how this all works in regards to her drawings.  This kind of short is obviously NOT the place you are going to get it.  I understand- even if I have so many, MANY questions.

In summary, two good Segments.  Have a drink now to celebrate!

One final Episode to go.  Will they go out strong?

Tubi Thursday: Firepower (1979)

 After watching some James Coburn for a main Review, I needed more.

I got it- and more!

A bunch of deaths happen in a short amount of time.

A Scientist is bombed.
His Brother shoots some mafioso and is killed himself.

The FBI goes to protect his Wife.

This means recruiting Fanon- since all good Spies/Agents have mononyms.

Coburn goes out to a fancy Island (an excuse to shoot there, naturally) and tries to find a man named Stegner, an elusive Billionaire Criminal hiding out.

I guess if he is captured, he'll die in Prison and you'll all obsess over it, won't you?

He recruits a man named Catlett- played by OJ Simpson!- to help him find out where Stegner is and who he is, as there are no pictures of him.

Loren- the Wife- keeps hanging around and helping.

I mean, if she wanted to hang out with you in 1979, would you turn her down?

Can the group work together to find the unfindable man?

Will they run into more old Character Actors- like Elli Wallach, Billy Barty, etc.- along the way?

Either way, Loren will always find a Mature man.

That's a pun for my Readers over 60.  Enjoy.

A big, loud Film that does try to be deeper than you think.

Does it succeed?

Eh...maybe, I guess.  It's not high art.  It doesn't contain tons of massive twists and turns.  It tries to seem really clever.

The Plot is pretty simple, but it does build up nicely.  They slowly but surely give you the clues to figure out who Stegner is.

There are two draws here (besides Loren)- Coburn and the Action Scenes.

Coburn is, as always, naturally cool and hip.  Even at the end when he's dressed like Johnny Quest (black turtleneck and jeans), I'm on board.  He's always a crack shot, which seems statistically impossible, but f**k it.

The Action (punctuated with great Direction by Winner and a good Soundtrack) is nice here, with shoot-outs mostly and big explosions.  Lots of collateral damage.  Lots of car flips for no reason.  Lots of horse tripping, which is not cool.

The Film is called Firepower and it delivers.  That said, in Plot, who are these guys?

A fun Film that builds up nicely and delivers the Action you'd expect from Winner.  Just maybe don't think about OJ Simpson being a Hero.

Streaming Standard: Marvel's Echo (2024)

 After delays and a general feeling of 'Marvel is trying to do too much' from Critics, how did this one turn out?

It's a spin-off of Hawkeye and Daredevil, which people both love.

What could possibly bother people about...

It helps if you are familiar with the Daredevil Show (or the Character in general) and Hawkeye's Show.

If not, the Show does recap it pretty well.

In short, Maya was partially raised by Kingpin as a hired gun, but she learned that he sold out her Dad and she, well, you can see what she did here.

After that, she rushes home to Oklahoma.

However, it is not that simple of a reunion, since she hasn't seen her Cousin (who's like her Sister) or Grandparents in about 20 years.

Plus, people are looking for her after, well, you know.

She decides to be proactive and target Kingpin's Empire, although she's under the impression that the man himself is dead.

I mean, it's not a SPOILER that he's alive, right?

He's literally on the Poster.

Trouble follows her home, of course.

Can she keep her family- including famous That Guy Actor Graham Greene- safe?

Or is she too close to Kingpin already to break away for a life of peace?

Will a connection to her home and ancestors play a part?

To find out, stream the 5-Part Show now.

A good Show.  It feels to be in the minority of people online saying that.

Speaking of minorities, the Show is built around them.  Maya is Deaf and an Indigenous Person.  Her Family- as you'd guess- is also part of the Choctaw Nation.

Does that bother you?  If so, ask yourself why.

As far as the actual content, they give Maya a good Arc, Kingpin really delivers, the Action is good and it gives focus to things you don't normally see in a Show.

The Acting is good.
The Soundtrack is great.
The Writing is good.

It's all good.  I have no notes.

If you're into the darker (mostly violence) Shows and want something different, give it a look.  I'm here for more Maya Lopez in the MCU.

A good Show from Marvel that- yet again- feels different from the other Shows.  I still haven't finished watching Loki- Season 2, but I committed to this one.

2023 Catch-Up: Transformers- Rise of the Beasts (2023)

 Is it more than meets the eye?
Is there a more original joke to use?

Let's see how this Sequel to the Reboot (I guess) turns out...

On a distant Planet, a new evil robot working for a bigger, also different evil robot is attacking a Planet full of different, good robots.

This one is for you, Beast Wars fans.
Let's break a Billion!

On Earth, it is 1994.
Missed a chance to make it 1996 (the year that Beast Wars came out).  Oh well.

Anyhow, our Hero is a down on his luck young man with a sick, younger brother who is just trying to get a job.

Through a series of events, he ends up inside of Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson) and dragged into the conflict.

You see...

This other lady stumbles across an artifact that Unicron (who is no longer the Earth in this continuity) needs to come to Earth to destroy it.

Why Earth?

That's where the Film is set- duh!

The Transformers- which now includes Arcee- battle the new robots to get the key.

They EVENTUALLY run across the titular Beasts (who feature Ron Perlman and Michele Yeoh doing voices) and join forces.

Can they save the Earth?
Do they have The Touch?

To find out, rent or stream it now.

A decent Film that perhaps tries to do too much in too little of time.

The Transformers Films should be fun, popcorn Films with hopefully a deeper message and story.  They should be accessible to anyone.

This one includes an entirely new Lead, his family, 2 new Transformers, all of the Beast Wars Characters, a new Villain and a new bunch of Villain Henchman.

Can they do it in 2 hours?

Yes, but at the expense of many things.

Some things- like Optimus' Arc- work pretty well.  They really spell it out for the 'dummies' out there though, so don't look for subtext.  Other things- like Mirage being protective- are not that interesting, although they do try.

Poor Arcee and most of the Beasts just kind of exist.  Likewise, the Villain is just evil threat and his henchman is Robot Who Collects Trophies.

They turned Unicron into Galactus here...and then gave him a blatantly evil, no depth Silver Surfer.

The Film still kind of works, but I don't know if it can jump start the franchise.  Car pun!

On the plus side, this is a far better performance by Peter Dinklage playing a Robot than in Destiny.

*****

Fans of the Cartoon- original and Beast Wars- will get something out of this.  Sadly, it is more like when the Dinobots were in a previous Film- too little, too late.

Tubi Thursday: DNA (1996)

 In 2024, there's all sorts of talk about DNA and how it can be 'changed.'

Instead of that, here's a combo Jurassic Park/Predator/Alien rip-off from 1996.

A Doctor- Mark Dacascos- is approached by another Doctor- Jurgen Prochnov- about his work with rare beetles to cure, well, everything.

This leads them to a cave with some ancient creature's bones.

Prochnov is, of course, the Bad Guy and betrays everyone.

8 years later, Mark learns that he's alive (he faked his death) and working with said bones still.

A Plot Device/Love Interest/Character leads him and a young boy to find him.

He's cloned and rebirthed the creature from DNA found in the bones.  He's even get a Black Scientist (aka the voice of Achilles in the Assassin's Creed Games) a la JP to help him.

Said creature was made by an FX team that includes Greg Nicotero.
Enjoy this shot- you don't see any of him until about an hour in.

The bulk of the Film is pretty stock, involving shootouts, a boat chase, explosions and POV Monster action.

The stock music- which feels borrowed from many Films- doesn't help.

On the plus side, it got oddly topical at one point...

Thankfully, things pick up when Dacascos goes full-Predator to fight the creature in the finale.

A bit late, but thanks.

A decent enough Film, but just set your expectations at the right level.

Is this Film original?  No.
Is this Film inspired?  No.
Is this the kind of Film you'd watch on a Saturday afternoon before Netflix existed?  Yes- very yes.

I'd like to say that we watch better Films now, but does anyone remember Red Notice?  I thought not.

Like I said before, the Film is very stock.  The music is familiar and cliche. The Plot is nothing unique.  Hell, even the Sets feel like they are part of a Corman Film.

The appeal here, in theory, is the creature.
Once you get to finally see it, the thing is basically a modified Xenomorph that can turn invisible a la The Predator.

Would it have killed them to try anything new?

If you want predictable, nothing special entertainment made for the Cable/early Video Market, you could do far worse.

One question though- who is this guy on the Poster below?!?

Even if you haven't seen this Film before, you kind of already have.  Do check out the IMDB Trivia though- it is full of nonsense.

The Price is Right: Cry of the Banshee (1970)

 Sorry to all of you fans of Screaming Irish Ladies- it is just another Witch Hunter Movie.

This is Cry of the Banshee, a 1970 Film by Gordon Hessler.  It's part of a Vincent Price Anthology Set, which is a must have for me.

Like Witchfinder General, this deals with a Witch Hunter, although this one is in England.  Crikey!

The Plot involves Price brutalizing a small Town to his own gain.  However, he runs afoul of an actual Witch who can turn the tables on him.

This was Price's final Gothic Horror, so let's see if he went out with a bang...

Price is the evil Lord Whitman (of Clan Sampler) who makes his money by finding Witches.  This is different than him in Witchfinder General, as he just does so to consolidate and hold power.

He's not a true believer, but he is a bit of a bastard.

The Film is full of him (and most others in the Film) torturing, abusing and often killing women.

Naturally, Tarantino picked this for his first Film Festival.

His Family is all back in town, which spells doom for them.
I mean, you've seen a Horror Film before, right?

Great.

Him and his men break up a Coven and kill many, but leave the Leader- Oona- alive.

This is a mistake.

This leads to the title event happening, which is an Irish lore about said creature signaling imminent death.

The actual creature here is, basically, a Werewolf.  
Does this have anything to do with the mysterious guy with a connection to animals and his mysterious amulet?

All sorts of chaos is going to down in Act 3.

Torture.
Creature attacks.
A man yelling 'bullyman' repeatedly.

It's a doozy, but no SPOILERS this time.

It is unfortunately not his best Films, but it does have some positives.

Price, as always, delivers.  He's an eviler guy than in Witchfinder, as, again, that guy was a true believer.  This guy is just awful to everyone and thankfully gets what he deserves!

The Film, for better or worse, is full of excess.  Lots of pointless nudity, implied torture and violence.  It's not a 'fun' Film by any stretch of the imagination.

I will mention that I saw the Director's Cut, as that is the preset version on the Disc.  For some odd reason, you have to go to Special Features to see the AIP Cut.

People were probably expecting more of a Creature Feature here and something Poe-related.  Alas, you don't get much of either.  They work in a random Poe line (like with General) to connect it and, again, there's no real Banshee.

This is a different kind of Price Film and I certainly don't hate it.  I also don't hate that this Cut has the Intro Credits restored- the ones that were animated by Terry Gilliam!

Next up, I go to one of the oldest DVDs in my pile that I haven't gotten to yet.  It is hard-boiled, full of Stars and probably a 2-parter.  Stay tuned...