Five (Sometimes Obscure) Films to be Thankful For

 Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks.
That and Turkey.
And...Stuffing.
And that weird canned Cranberry Sauce.

How about we give Thanks for Movies that don't get enough praise for what they did?
Let's do that now...

1) Blood and Black Lace (1964)- Creating Slasher Films

Mario Bava's 1964 Classic a Murder Mystery involving Fashion Models being killed by a masked man.  You get stylish stabbing and a general vibe that would inspire a number of Giallo Films.
Those, in turn, would inspire Films like Halloween and...well, you get the rest.

2) The Shadow Strikes (1937)- The First Superhero Film

Marvel and DC are fighting over who can make the most money.  Well, they owe it all to this Film.

Okay, that's probably not true, but it was the first Film in the Genre, so...you're welcome.

3) Nosferatu (1922)- The First Vampire Film

This isn't exactly the most obscure one, but its historical importance is key.
It is the first Vampire Film, beating Vampyr in 1923 and the official adaptation in 1931.

It is also the first 'Mockbuster,' inspiring such Asylum Classics as Atlantic Rim and Snakes on a Train.

4) Westworld (1973)- The first full CGI Shots

While people will usually go right to Young Sherlock Holmes for this, as it features the first fully CGI Character.

That said, you have to learn to walk before you can run and the fully-CGI shots of Brenner's perspective in the Film are very important.

5) The House of the Devil (1896)- The First Horror Film

Melies was a groundbreaker in many ways and Edison stole his glory (and profits)..

Before your Grandparents (or possibly even Great Grandparents) were born, however, he was making this (short) Horror Film before Cinema was truly an Art Form.

There are many, many more Films to highlight and be thankful for.  

Watch yours today.

Holiday Flix: Wild Weed (aka She Shoulda Said 'No!') (1949)

 As we all pretend to be into Weed Culture for a day, let's look at an obscure bit of silliness.  This is 1949's Wild Weed (later re-released under the Title below).  It's time for some Hollywood History, folks!  In 1948, a Drug Sting Operation caught some famous people including Lila Leeds and Robert Mitchum.  Obviously, the latter managed to take it all in stride quite well.  The former, however, had less luck with that hurdle.  As such, she agreed to star in a Marijuana...er, Marihuana Scare Film a year later.  What does it have that others don't?  Well, it's about a Stage Dancer and doesn't have that creepy old (and fake) Doctor from Reefer Madness.  It has a young Lead beside Lila, but...well, I'll get to him.  Aside from Lyla, how about a shout-out for Ed Wood Alumni Lyle Talbot (aka the Original Major Tom)?  He's here playing another Police Chief, seemingly walking straight off of the Batman Serials.  Will Batman catch the Drug Fiends?  Amusingly, this Film actually exploited the Government to make back its Budget, claiming that the Film was sponsored by the US Treasury.  Classic.  Is it a forgotten gem or not much to remember?  To find out, read on...

As always, we get a 'thank you' to the Government and a 'this is about saving kids' text crawl.

Was this required by Law (or just the Hays Code)?

We learn that the real dangers are Tomatoes (and not Mushrooms, like Bob thinks).

Oh right- it's because people apparently-smuggled 'joints' in them.

Figures- the Mexican Tomatoes are the drugs in this picture too.

Lyle here puts his best men on the case.  They'll narrate the next Scene and...then disappear for about 20-30 minutes.

Hard at work, eh?

We meet out heroine in the form of Anne (aka Lila- the one on the left).  She's a Dancer, who's coworker is 'on the pot' and her Dealer wants Anne.

All he needs is literally an hour at a party, it seems...

...as the group uses Peer Pressure to make her take a big toke and apparently get hooked.

Yep, that's all it takes.

She, I guess, stops being as good of a Dancer now that she smokes Pot (citation needed) and gets fired.

Meanwhile, she hides her drug-related dealings (working directly for her Dealer now) from her Brother Bob, who's back from College.

He sees her handing out 'jays' and...promptly kills himself.  What the actual f#$k?!?!?

The Cops enter back into the picture (literally and figuratively) with this and catch her with the others (but not her Dealer).

They try to 'scare her straight' with some people who represent broad, vaguely-possible outcomes for her, but she doesn't squeal on her man.

60 days in Prison (thank you, pre-Rockefeller Law days!) makes her snap, however, as she's taunted by voices calling her a 'kid-killer.'

I guess she's at fault for Bob's death...somehow

She sets up a new deal with her Dealer and his Boss, but it is obviously a trick.

The Police catch the bad guys and our Heroine is just clean from the dangers of Pot forever, I guess.  

As for Lila, this was her second-to-last Role in Film.  She died...50 years later.  The End.

It's your classic Melodrama over substance.  This one on its own merits is not great. Lila does her best to elevate this, but it is a cheap, quickie of a Film.  There's no subtlety or nuance.  Reefer Madness managed to beat just as dour and dreary for its current audience, but goofy enough for modern, ironic fans.  This one has a long montage of her being called 'kid killer,' so maybe not so much here.  In Reefer, you get the wacky piano guy.  In this one, you get a piano player who...imagines himself playing like Liberace while actually just noodling on the keys.  The random aside sure added nothing.  What is a nice addition is some juicy Theremin music for dramatic moments.  It really dates the Film in a fun, silly way.  There's not much Plot here, so don't worry about getting lost.  The morals here are interesting as we get the usual 'Pot makes you eventually do heroin/cocaine' thing.  Thanks for ruining it for everyone, Shannon Hoon!  I'd blame Hendrix, but, as you recall, he was killed by the CIA.  There's a weird refrain with the Police talking about how 'they could bring in the users whenever they wanted to.'  Later, we see them try to scare Anne/Lila with people who are 'too far gone.'  Hmm...maybe arrest the people then, dummies!  Wild Weed could be a good time if you like very old-school melodrama, but just isn't as fun (unintentionally) as others.  At least it makes for a neat historical foot-note...

I hope you all did *whatever* on this day.  Looking at the news, it was probably a good time to be 'chill' anyhow.

Sons of Kong?: White Pongo (1945)

After the awkwardly-bad White Gorilla, can you blame me for waiting a bit?  Regardless, I am determined to finish this Set.  Today's Film is White Pongo, the other White Gorilla-type movie in the Set...that is also from 1945.  After this, there was a sad lack of Films like this- at least until The White Shadow.  The Film is about, well, a White Gorilla.  I don't know why it is called Pongo, so don't ask.  After so many of these things, I don't necessarily have alot to say.  These 'Jungle Peril' Film are just...so similar at this point.  If nothing else, this can't be worse than the last one, so...enjoy, I guess...

Somewhere in the Jungle, there lies a rare, white Gorilla.  No, not the one from the last movie!

Some guy saw it while he escaped from *sigh* some Natives.

These people find him and want to be led to where he saw it.  They want to catch this Gorilla!

So...off they go.  Huzzah and what not.

In a B-Plot, the leading lady starts to take a shine to a guy in the crew and not her fiance-to-be.

They get on the Gorilla's trail and try to catch it!

Oh no!  One of the people in the group is actually a bad guy?!?  Gasp.

Pongo gets his hands on the leading lady.  What a shocking(ly obvious) development!

In the Climax, Pongo and a regular-colored Ape (aka the same damn suit in ALL OF THESE) fight!

The bad guy dies and they catch Pongo.  Hurray for captivity!  The End.

Nothing special.  Nothing terrible.  This is...just another Jungle Peril Film.  If you've only seen one or two of them, it will seem better.  If you're slogging through a Film Set full of them, not so much.  Never mind the whole Genre being taken 'to 11' by stuff like Cannibal Ferox or Jungle Holocaust.  Never mind stuff like Cannibal Holocaust flipping the whole thing on its head either.  Some Films are Classics and age pretty gracefully.  Some of these kinds of Films even do alright.  Other Films are mainly showcases for how this kind of stuff used to be made.  This is one of these Films.  There is just nothing unique here.  Animal Stock Footage, Gorillas and Natives- the usual.  The only big positive I can say- it could have been worse.

Next up, I'll try to get to some Screeners sent my way.  The first one has Maynard's approval, so I should be worried, right?  Stay tuned...

Sons of Kong?: The White Gorilla (1945)

Oh boy- this one is a doozy!  Today's Film is The White Gorilla, a 1945 Ape Film.  This is not to be confused with White Pongo, which is also a 1945 Ape Film.  Yes, there are (at least) two.  Yes, they are both in this Set.  Yes, they were both made the same year.  Well, sort of.  To help explain this one, I need to tell you who Ray 'Crash' Corrigan is.  Basically, if you have ever seen a Film where a guy is in an Ape Suit (like I have- alot!), it is often him.  He is most known as a Stunt/Suit Performer, but also did Act as well.  He's basically the Old-School version of Doug Jones.  He's the Star here, which should tell you something.  So...there's no sugar-coating this one.  This is a big, ugly mess- terrible Alpha Video Release quality aside.  The Plot involves a man retelling his harrowing Tale...but there's a catch.  Since I'm a giant tease, you are going to have to wait.  Read fast, but don't cheat!  To find out this Film's deep, dark secret, read on...

A man (Corrigan) arrives at a Depot and has a harrowing tale to tell of his survival.  Cut to...

Stock Footage!  Seriously, this one is 80-85% Stock Footage from a Film made by the same Director- in 1927!

They put a Silent Film, added in Audio and mixed it in with barely-good Footage to make this crap.  Can you imagine?!?

For once we agree, Mantan.

In this Film's defense (this one time!), they have some new Footage involving the White Ape.  He doesn't fit in with the others.  Oh and he's also played by Corrigan- double duty for 'Crash!'

Three major problems here...

1) The Footage is obviously of lower-quality (since it is a 1927 Silent Serial Film).
2) The Films were Shot at different Speeds!  As such, they speed up the Silent Film- absurdly-so!
3) Even if you bought this, the people are made-up and act like they're from a Silent Film!

I should also mention that since 'Crash' wasn't in that Silent Serial Film, his role in the 'Story' is to be just outside of the events and explain why he didn't act.  Our so-called-Hero!

The Climax involves the two Apes fighting and one winning.  Do you really care who?  The End.

Even with my low standards by now, this one...dear god!  It is just so bad.  So, so bad.  It makes you yearn for some stock Jungle Peril to watch that is at least the right Film Speed!  Did they really think that this would fool anyone?  Did it?  Would anyone admit to seeing this and NOT figuring out the trick?  It is just awful.  It is also lazy.  It is also insulting.  It is also terrible.  On the plus side, I breezed through this one and barely had to stop.  Could I have watched all 60 minutes?  Yes.  Did I?  No.  It took me five minutes (TOPS) to see that something was weird and use IMDB to explain it.  Just...just damn!  This could make for some mild amusement to real Bad Movie Buffs- provided they know what they are getting.  The Story itself involves a Jungle Boy, a White Ape and some terribly-silly Peril, so there is something there.  Going into this without knowing the truth is a rude awakening.  Watch it if you want- just know what you are getting.  As a bonus, watch the Director not Credit the Original Cast by lumping them together as...

Next up, I prepare to watch The Avengers 2 this weekend by looking at work by the Actors.  First up, let's see 'Hawkeye' straight up kill and rape folks!  Stay tuned...

Super Old-School Cinema: The Walking Dead

You didn't really think that I was going to review the TV Show did you?  Honestly now- you're so gullible!  All kidding aside, I do have an actual film to review.  The film is 1936's The Walking Dead, a film featuring Boris Karloff.  How many bad Karloff films are there?  He certainly has a better good/bad record than his arch-rival Bela Lugosi.  Sorry, you dead Hungarian Legend.  This film casts Karloff in a riff on his most famous role: The Creature from Frankenstein.  Ironically, this film is bundled on a DVD with Frankenstein 1970, a film I reviewed in 2010.  Yes, I could have watched this film then, but...well, I didn't.  The same thing happened with Prom Night 3 & 4, so go figure.  In that film, Karloff played a descendant of the famous Doctor.  In this film, he essentially becomes a different version of the Creature.  The plot involves a Judge, a murder and a man getting indirect revenge for his unjust punishment.  I forewarn you that this film is very much a creature of its time.  Even so, there's some interesting stuff going on here that's worth mentioning.  To find out just how much the dead walk (and if it's the Thriller Walk), read on...

A Judge doesn't listen to a threat made against him and convicts a Mobster all the same.  They plan to kill him, but need a patsy to pin it on (since they make obvious suspects).

Hey, Patsy...I mean, Karloff.  He plays a guy who they hire to 'watch the Judge for his wife.'  This is just to make him look guilty when they off the guy.

Oh and this same Judge sent him to Prison for 2 years.  That helps/hurts here.

In what feels like a side-plot, this guy and his fiancee are working for a Doctor of...um, Medicine, I guess.  It's never explained who he really is or why he has a direct line to the Governor (more on that later).

The two story tangents collide when the pair see the body being dumped in Karloff's car, but say nothing.  He gets convicted- via the old timey Spinning Newspaper Shot- and gets rushed to Death Row.

Unfortunately for Karloff, the Innocence Project wouldn't be invented for several decades.

Quick shout-out to the film for using a Dutch Angle before it became 'cool.'  It wasn't the first film by a long-shot, but it was still a bit rare.

The Doctor apparently has enough 'sway' to get the Prison to turn Karloff's body turned over to him!  They let him do an experiment on him to see if they can bring him back.

Unlike Silent Rage, he comes back...well, less invulnerable and bad-ass.  Oh.

Karloff uses his new lease on life to go over to the people behind his false conviction and...um, talk to them.  Yeah, he just kind of approaches them- since a barely-mobile Karloff = Solid Snake- and they accidentally kill themselves.

One guy backs out an open window, while another manages to back in front of a moving train!  Seriously, that happens!!!

The remaining men decide to, you know, shoot Karloff and this eventually kills them.  The Doctor wants to find out what happens when you die- since Karloff did that earlier, you know-, but gets none of that.

As for the villains, they crash into a light pole and die due to no doing of anyone.  Seriously, these morons just crash.  The End.

Not alot happens, but it is well-made.  It's hard to really explain this movie.  Actually, that's kind of a lie.  The film- if viewed from a modern perspective- is often painfully-simple.  Men commit crime.  Man gets blamed.  Man is brought back to life and seeks revenge.  The interesting parts involve how the story plays out for its time versus how it would play out today.  It's weird to see the guy brought back and not turn into some kind of mutant/monster.  It's weird to see him not go around murdering the people.  It's also weird to consider all of the lapses in logic that were just kind of accepted.  The Doctor has a line right to the District Attorney?  The District Attorney doesn't have a direct line to the Prison?  There are zero appeals for a man convicted of a Capital Crime?  The process doesn't take years?  So yeah, you have to live with all of that.  Regardless, The Walking Dead is a neat little film...but not much else.  It's not the classic of the Universal works, but far better than any of that Poverty Row business.  Since my original Stinger is missing, enjoy this chance to read the non-plot headlines on this fake Newspaper...

Up next, I begin Project Terrible right...with a film that has no business being talked about.  Sweet Jesus!  Stay tuned...

Because I Watched It: Super Old-School Oz

With Oz: The Great and Powerful (short review- pretty, but so-so overall) out, I thought it might be important to remind people that Oz films go back to before the classic 1939 film.

Yes, it's pretty and great.  This one came out much earlier though...

Considering when it was made, the Effects and Production Values are quite nice.

As a bonus, here's the last film Produced by L. Frank Baum himself...

It's important to remember that Baum worked on most of the adaptations while he was alive, even forming a Production Company to do so.

So, while Oz: The Great and Powerful is the latest film in the series, it's important to remember where it all started...

Because I Watched It: Dr. Caligari and Frakenstein (1910)

As you may know, I love films from all countries, decades and genres.  To that end, I've seen a ton of it- much of it being Public Domain.  Thanks to YouTube, most of that stuff is available for Streaming.

To begin with, one of my favorite horror films.  It's the originator of stylish horror and the grandfather of the twist ending.  It's the almighty Cabinet of Dr. Caligari!

As a bonus, the *original* version of Frankenstein.  If you can forgive how much of a money-grubbing dick he was in the infancy of the Film Industry, you'll get a kick out of Thomas Edison's 1910 version...

There's plenty more Public Domain horror out there.  If you have some you really want me to showcase, leave a comment.  Otherwise, I'll just keep doing what I do.

1,400th Post Celebration: The Patchwork Girl of Oz

Seriously, I need a new hobby! To celebrate 1,400 posts at Mondo Bizarro, I'm bringing you an obscure movie from nearly 100 years ago. Seems par for the course, huh? Let's step back in our Delorean to the year 1914 and meet a writer named L. Frank Baum. To my younger readers (not like I'm that old, but whatever) or those that don't know classic literature, Baum is the Writer of the 'Oz' series of books. Yes, it is a series- despite only the first one being super-famous. In fact, 1939's The Wizard of Oz is so famous- thank you, Ted Turner- that people fail to realize that about a half-dozen films precede it! The oldest known film is 1910's Wizard of Oz, which is a Silent Film adaptation that has more to do with Baum's Musical adaptation of the story. Another fact many don't realize is that Baum was not just a Writer of books/short stories. No, Baum Produced Musicals and Plays to promote his tales, not leaving it to others. Today's film is not the first one- obviously- but it is the oldest one I could find that is not a version of the most often done story. This Silent Film is a version of another tale in Oz, not even featuring Dorothy! In fact, only one of the characters most associated with Oz stories shows up here. Thanks to the folks over at Kino Films (the source for Super-Old-School Films), I can bring this to you today. Let's sew up our relationship with...

Due to the format, this tale is a bit hard to follow. Stick with me though. A young boy (who looks like a girl, thanks to the outfit and over-done make-up of the Silent Era) goes off with his father in search of food.

Meanwhile, a pair of young lovers are celebrating, well, their young love. Further meanwhile, we see a horse causing mischief. Due to different standards, this bit looks much creepier than intended. Cue Silent Film Chase Scene!

In yet another location, a scientist has just finished up six years of work making a potion to give life to inanimate objects. Animated objects in an Oz tale- get out! The wife chooses a bunch of patchwork quilt material to animate, making the titular girl. You get some Super-Old-School Stop-Motion Animation to boot.

The Patchwork Girl is originally made without brains (to be a servant), but our gender-ambiguous hero gives her some. This makes her so happy that she flips.

We have a missing scene in which a bunch of powder gets tossed on the boy's father, the scientist's wife and the young lover. The scientist explains that it takes six years to mix and animate their statues. No offense, but that's a silly plan.

 Instead, the group go off to visit Oz and find the ingredients to a potion that will un...um, stone them. Cue Writing Cliche! Oh yeah, the horse comes along too.

Highlights from their journey include a trip past the Imaginary Wall. Yes, it's called that. In spite of that, people still find it hard to believe that it's not there. 

For any Era, the effect they use is actually pretty damn good. For 1914, it's amazing!

They also meet up with a lion-like creature that is played by what looks like a man in a cardboard suit. It looks like a drawing that I did as a kid.

They also crawl up a wall like the old Batman TV series and then walk back down it again.

In the midst of all that, they meet the Scarecrow, create the potion and all is well. The End.

It's a patchwork yarn. The plot of this movie is certainly strange, to say the least. It involves nearly a dozen characters, not counting random guards and such. It's intriguing to see the other aspects of Oz and it's characters, since most of the time you just see Dorothy, the Tin Man and company. The Patchwork Girl is certainly an odd character, as she never really 'talks' and expresses herself through gestures alone. The lead character is pretty stock, but there is a reason why they're used so often after all. The 'lion' and 'horse' are certainly weird, the former looking like a very awkward costume to move in. It makes you wonder why they didn't use a normal suit like they did for the 'horse.' That said, it does look neat. With the constraints of the Era, the plot moves a bit oddly and many of you may not stick with it. Silent Films are a tricky lot for the most part, especially if you read quickly like I do. I'm always wondering if people really read that slow back then! While a bit slow and awkward (due to the Silent Film constraints), the movie is a fun, simple story that foreshadows the kind of film that would come 25 years later. If you're interested, the movie actually comes as part of a FOUR film set including other rare, Silent Oz films. If film history intrigues you as much as it does me, it's worth a look.

For the next 100th post, I have no clue. What am I- a machine?!?!? Stay tuned...