A Criterion Holiday: Picnic at Hanging Rock

At last, a Valentine's Day Film without rape, on-screen murder and/or Necrophilia.  Hurray!  Today's film is Picnic at Hanging Rock, a movie recommended to me by Maynard (of his titular Horror Movie Diary).  For once, he didn't lead me to something horrific.  It's about time, right?  This Film comes to us from Peter Weir, a man who's work I haven't featured before.  That's not to say that I haven't watched one of his works, because I have.  Awhile back, I rented and planned to review The Last Wave.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be too good for me to really get anything out of, so I skipped it.  I wish I had that problem more often.  This Film is also quite good and I was on the fence about it...but why not cover something good on purpose?  It only seems fair.  The Film tells the tale of some girls who go missing on a class outing and the effect it has on a small town.  It is quite visually-striking and dream-like at times.  I can't complain too much, so let's just dive right in...

Hey movie- no SPOILERS.  I kid, I kid.

At a prestigious School, the girls prepare for a trip to Hanging Rock on the Day of St. Valentine.

After awhile, some weird stuff starts to happen.  Everyone's pocket watches stop and four girls go up the Rock...never to return!

It becomes a big issue which gets the attention of the whole area, country and even the World!  This confounds the Police and upsets the natural order of the Elites.

Two young men who saw the missing girls and Teacher before they vanished keep looking long after others have stopped.  One takes it very personally, as you can see.

Lots of personal problems arise at the School as the Head Mistress starts to break down, the French Teacher tries to keep things straight and one Student- absent from the trip- continues to offend the Mistress for no clear reason.

Things get better and worse when one of the girls reappears after more than a week...but has no memory of what happened.  Needless to say, the other Students don't act happy about this!

As thing continue to spiral downhill, the Head Mistress actually kills the girl she's had problems with...

...and commits suicide at Hanging Rock.  The mystery...is unresolved.  The End.

A nice, pretty and bleak Film.  I will say this: this is an absolutely well-made Film.  It is easy to see why it is part of the Criterion Collection.  Armageddon- not so much!  The Film has a unique feel to it, capturing that dream-like quality which is harder to achieve than people think.  Weir absolutely nails it here!  The Acting is quite genuine and natural as well.  The Film is so chock full of nature footage that it actually credits a guy for just shooting that stuff!  You want classy Music?  This actually features a tune by Zamfir!  I can't complain about the quality of the film one bit.  So why don't I love this alot?  Well, it is bleak.  It is quite unique to not give an answer to the mystery...but that also means that you get no closure.  I suppose that's the point.  I kind of want to know though.  Is that so wrong?  I don't think so.  The Story is a bit slow-paced, but never really boring.  The darker and darker turns that it takes make it one of those Films that I respect more than I like.  Is it weird that I find things to like about trashy Films and reasons not to like good Films?  I guess.  That's just how I'm wired, I guess.  I can't take anything away from this Film- I just don't love it.  It is absolutely well-made, well-acted and pretty to look at though.  In contrast, here's an obviously fake mustache...

Next up, I cover a Rifftrax movie so goofy that I can't help but cover it.  What has Aliens, Rednecks and a Whip Master?  Stay tuned...

1950s Class: The Blob (1958)

Who am I to disagree with History?  Today's film is The Blob, the 1958 Version that is.  Sci-Fi Fans know it and love it.  People that barely tolerate Star Wars know it and love it.  It is a Classic.  The DVD Version (yes, there is a Blu-Ray, but I can't get Caps from them yet) is from the Criterion Collection.  The last one I watched from them was Repo Man- weird, right?  Do I need to say what this film is about?  Well, if you somehow don't know, the Film is about a bit of alien goo that arrives on Earth and causes havoc.  It's nothing special on the surface.  The parts of what makes the film so special are a bit more complicated.  Some of them are intentional, while others just sort of worked out that way.  Obviously the biggest thing is its Star: Steve McQueen.  He certainly became the biggest Star out of this whole Film.  The question on your mind (if you still haven't seen this Film) is this: is the movie really a Classic or just so famous that it is one by default?  To find out the gooey truth, read on...

A Meteor crashes into the Earth and a homeless man stumbles across the debris.  Some pink goo gets on his hand.  He runs across our hero (McQueen) and his girlfriend.  It can't be that bad, can it?

On second thought, you may want to get that looked at.

The problem is that the 'teens' like McQueen don't get along with the small town Authorities- especially the Sheriff and his Deputy.  They just don't 'get' these young 28 year-old teenagers.

Therein lies the biggest appeal of the film: a look at the youth of the 1950s starting to rebel against the hierarchy (see Rebel Without A Cause).  While not alone in this look, it does foreshadow the counter-culture movement to come in the 1960s.

Oh and there is a freaky reddish-pink Blob eating people.  Interestingly, it does NONE of this on-camera.

Naturally, the Adults don't see the creature and doubt the whole story.   You'll learn...you'll learn.

With no help, they take matters into their own hands.  They draw the town's attention, since they must face it together.  Speaking of which...

The titular Blob attacks a Movie Theater, which I'm sure was not made as a bonus Gimmick for those actually seeing this in Theaters.

As far as Gimmicks go, 1953's The Tingler is still far sillier (and Meta).

The Blob gets a bit more aggressive and grows much bigger.  Not the Diner!  Where will I get a Malt and a Cheeseburger now?!?

The Blob meets his/its ultimate weakness: cold air (and CO2).  Can you imagine if Godzilla went down like this?

The frozen remains are shipped to Antarctica, where it stays forever...until Beware! The Blob anyways.  The End.

I can't complain really.  Is The Blob a Classic?  Of course.  Does it deserve to be?  Yes.  It is not the most complex Film ever made, but it does what it aims to do.  On the surface, it is your basic tale of an alien invader/monster disrupting life in a small Town.  What makes it feel special is just how genuine the whole thing feels- all thing considered.  The fairly-subtle conflict between the Youths and the Elders feels real.  Alot of times you see this kind of thing and it just feels forced.  While the Teens are actually in their 20s, they do their best to make me believe this.  Another thing that works in the film's favor is how selectively you see the creature.  Given technological limitations of the day- pretty much just trick photography, models and rear projection-, it was a wise choice.  Implied Scenes like the Nurse being devoured/absorbed by The Blob would probably look pretty bad.  What they did then was not show it to you, allowing you to make your own Special Effects.  The key is to give the Viewer enough of a visual to make them not feel cheated.  I'm looking at you 1981's Scream and 2009's Agyaat: The Unknown!  The bottom line: the film holds up, even 50+ years later.  If you want to see a more gory and violent version of the tale, just you wait.  Take us away, sad example of Sales Inflation...

Next up, a look at the 1980s Remake.  It has more blood, more guts and...the chick from Saw?!?  Stay tuned...

Meeting My Criterion: Repo Man

Alex, you sly dog.  

Today's film is Repo Man, a film that was a lot harder to get my hands on than the sort-of sequel- Repo Chick.  I say 'sort-of sequel' since Cox wasn't legally allowed to make a sequel.  

As such, he made a film that felt like a follow-up.  That's all well and good, but how did it all start?  Well, the number of people who don't know about this movie appears to be shrinking every day.  A cult hit back in 1984, it has slowly but surely grown a larger fan-base. 

The film has lucked out by getting a proper Criterion Collection Release, expanding its fan-base all the more.  I

'm not sure if Netflix's version is said Criterion release- it's not listed as such- but it is a nice, pristine transfer.  The film's biggest appeal is its Punk Rock Soundtrack, which still holds up quite well.  

Mind you, I'm not exactly a Punk guy (shocking- I know), so that says alot.  

The story is about disaffected youth- mainly Emilio Estevez- trying to find a place in 'Reagan's America.'  There is a bigger plot involving a mysterious car being hunted down by the Government and our titular Repo Man, but it's mostly there to move things along.  

Will it be less polarizing and silly than Chick?  

To find out whether the film ages better than Vinyl, read on...

In the film's cold open, a Cop pulls over a man.  What happens when he opens the trunk is...interesting, so I won't SPOIL it for you.

Emilio is our hero, a guy who just didn't fit in.  

In quick succession, he loses his job and his girlfriend.  Mondays, right?

This guy in the HAZMAT suit is either looking for the car from the beginning or E.T.  

It was 1984, after all.

Our hero sort of slips into being a Repo Man.  

After a few jobs, he comes across a lady who talks about an Government conspiracy involving aliens and has a picture of...whatever this is.

The girl is working with the guy from the beginning, who has the car with..whatever it is that's in there.  

The Government is out to get them and is a bit aggressive about it.  

If you didn't think so at first, at the destroyed phone booth about two minutes after this.

Many of the film's random sub-plots collide in this Mini-Mart.  

People will be shot and people will die.

So, in summary, it's like most experiences people will have in a Mini-Mart.

The whole things come to a head in the Repo Yard.  

What's so strange that it could make this guy react like this?

Well, this may have something to do with it.  

What happens next is...well, I won't SPOIL that either.  

The End.

I was honestly expecting to be a little bit disappointed.  

When a film comes with this much build-up, I expect something to be wrong with it.  Surprisingly, there isn't.  Repo Man is the film that everyone sells it is.  

Color me happily surprised!  It speaks to the experiences of its time and does so in a way that holds up.  You could argue that many great films from the '80s don't age as well as we like to think that they do.  Fashion aside, many of them feel very dated.  

This film is done in such a way that it works as well in 2013 as it did in 1984.  

If you've heard of the film, but never 'taken the plunge,' then I encourage you to do so.  

I was wary too, but it was definitely worth it.  

If you've never heard of the film, well, you have now.  

If nothing else, it gave us the early prototype of 'Napoleon Dynamite...'

Up next, another Rare Flick that finally has a U.S. DVD release.  Is this non-sequel worth 1/8 of my $5 or  one ugly Bud.  Stay tuned...

A Review in Pictures: House aka Hausu (1977)

I'll get into why you're not reading about Abbot White here in a separate post.  For now, enjoy this special review of the psychedelic classic Hausu (aka House) from Japan.  It is weird, wild and pretty much nothing can really prepare you for it, not even this lead-in sentence...

Basically, a group of girls go out to the woodland home of one of the girls' aunts when their vacation plans go awry.  The trip there is not that simple though...

When they get there, they discover that the titular house has some weird powers and causes some freaky things to happen.  Stuff like, well,  this...

When they try to escape and/or fight back, the house does not take it lightly.  Our heroines- who have nicknames like Mac, Gorgeous and Kung-Fu- run afoul of some freaky effects and feelings.

This is weird, but not pretty...

This movie is weird as hell!  Nothing is taken seriously and no amount of reality seems to exist.  Even simple things like retelling the past of the aunt is played as a bizarre joke.  While the girl explains the events, the movie turns into an old-time slideshow...which the girls all see.  How do...why does...aw, screw it!  The movie is fun and campy, playing it all for laughs.  The effects are decent at times and really good at others.  Obviously, digital effects from 1972 are not going to be on par with stuff from today.  If you can accept that, the movie is so damn creative with them that obvious effects can be forgiven.  You have to be in a weird state of mind for this film and it's certainly not for everyone.  While I was weirded out (consider that for a moment, won't you?) the whole time, I had fun with it.  I can't say that it makes sense, but it is quite fun.  Add in a good transfer and you've got a worthy DVD rental/purchase for all of you weirdos.

Up next, a film that narrowly was cut from the field for Dracula Week shows up here.  Was it worth the wait or will I simply hate the Count even more?  Stay tuned...