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strangenstein's Replies
Chaney played the part as written and directed, and, in that regard, he did an excellent job. I wish the script - or director - had allowed Chaney to create some real pathos. He had the chops for it. Look at his Lennie in OF MICE AND MEN, or his remarkable run as Lawrence Talbot in THE WOLF MAN series.
The first in the series is my favorite, with Ghost as my second. Most fans of the series would consider that heresy, but I have my reasons. Bride of Frankenstein is certainly entertaining, but I don’t like how Whale treated it as a send up. Son of Frankenstein is also good, but it’s too long by about 15 minutes, and Karloff’s monster doesn’t get much to do. Ghost of Frankenstein moves the series to B status, but the story is good, it moves right along, and Chaney’s monster gets plenty of screen time. Many fans complain about his monster’s stoic nature, but Chaney played him as written and directed. If the script had allowed him to imbue the character with more pathos, I think it would be better regarded by fans.
I like Son of Frankenstein, but I’ve always felt it’s about 15 minutes too long. The lead up to discovering the monster is solid, and reviving him is well done. However, once he’s up and moving the movie becomes repetitive. Karloff does get a couple of solid scenes, but his monster is used mainly as a prop. Rathbone’s rising hysteria belies his usually top-notch acting. There’s a lot of running back and forth, with similar scenes playing out. Some judicious editing could do wonders for the pacing, and almost nothing of consequence would be lost.
Just my .02.
Yes, I thank God I’m not in the club, especially considering the high dues: higher rates of STDs, higher rates of HIV/AIDS, higher rates of rectal warts, colo-rectal cancer, hemorrhoids and anal seepage, plus the ever-popular prolapsed rectum. The poo-poo on the pee-pee isn’t much of a selling point, either.
I’m sure Mr. Spielberg will cry all the way to the bank after reading the OP’s comment. Tough crowd.
A “vague homoerotic subtext”? Good grief. I guess people see what they want to see. The Mummy’s Hand is the perfect Saturday afternoon horror/adventure/comedy movie.
The Universal Kharis films aren’t great art, but they are fun and fast moving, with each movie supplying a few good chills. The Mummy’s Hand takes a bit to get going, but once the mummy is up and ambling it’s great. The Mummy’s Tomb features a wonderfully atmospheric graveyard set, and a fine turn by Turhan Bey as the mummy’s sidekick. The Mummy’s Ghost has John Carradine, plus a solid performance from Chaney, Jr., as Kharis. The Mummy’s Curse is probably the weakest of the four films, but it features one of the creepiest scenes in any Universal horror movie.
There are better movies, but few are as much fun as the Kharis series.
I saw it on its initial run and liked it a lot. I remember people walking out of the theater still buzzing about the shovel-to-the-head scene. Overall I left the theater thinking it was a solid sequel and probably better than I expected going in. Seems like the audience enjoyed it, too.
Watch out everybody! We got us a genuine snowflake here!
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I agree with some of your assertions, but keep in mind the parents were in the middle of one of their manic episodes (where they believed their daughter was still alive), so that can easily explain their strange behavior (or broad histrionics). Less believable, at least for me, was the amount of red herrings in such a remote location. I think those were to keep viewers from figuring out the solution to the mystery.
The “sexual” subplot was about the only real thing in the story. The husband had cheated on his wife years before, and she was still dealing with the betrayal. Those emotions rang true. Add that to their grief - and mental illness - over losing their child, and it explains much of their actions.
The Vanished will probably frustrate viewers who want a more traditional happy ending, but it may also irritate those who like mysteries where all is not as it seems. I give it **1/2 out of ****.
They did have a daughter, but she drowned six years before. They were both in deep grief, which caused them to have manic episodes where they believed/pretended she was still alive. His brother explained it at the end. The druggie found her blanket, which had her birthdate on it. The father, at the end, was lucid when he threw her things away, realizing/admitting she was dead. However, as they drove away and began watching the video of her, they began to slip back into the world of believing she was alive.
Aahhh, the hubris and arrogance of atheism. I was once where you are, but God brought people into my life who helped soften and change my heart. I pray he does that for you, too. You’re not guaranteed a tomorrow, so seek Him now.
Bloated
Overblown
No heart
Post-modernism
The Grinch swearing
Inane backstory
The list goes on...
The OP couldn’t be more wrong. Starman is an excellent movie, with well defined characters, interesting sci-fi, and a deep sense of humanity, all wrapped around a beautiful love story.
In November of 2008 a buddy and I took a road trip from Wisconsin down to Illinois to see some of the filming sites. We got into the Braidwood, but someone was staying in the “pillows” room. We took a picture outside the door. We also got a good shot of us sitting where Dell and Neal were when Owen pulled up. By the way, the whole place was dirty and dumpy.
From there we visited the El Rancho motel. Once again we couldn’t get in a room, but we did sit in my car outside the room, just like Dell. We also had some small bottled drinks (yogurt) and Doritos while sitting in the car. Sure would’ve been cool to eat and drink those while actually in a room. The tiny lobby has a plaque/poster on the wall mentioning the movie was filmed there. This motel was also getting old and run down.
The real coup de grace was seeing Neal’s house. We filmed ourselves walking toward the house, carrying a big cooler (in place of a chest like Dell had). Believe it or not, while we were standing on the sidewalk taking pictures, the owner of the house came home and began talking to us! She invited us in and we took a few pictures in the foyer. It looked pretty much the same. I did take one picture of the owner on the steps in the same spot as Neal’s wife. (Side note: the house was for sale for a cool 1.3 million.) The Home Alone house was also somewhere in that area, but we didn’t visit it.
One more place we visited: the train station. It was old and dilapidated. I found a couple pieces of its siding in the grass, and I brought those home and my dad made picture frames from the wood. I still have it today, with a nice picture of the old station in it. It was quite a day!
I can hear the snowflake melting from here.
Ewww and yuck.
I, too, would’ve loved a final episode that wrapped up any loose ends. There are two things in particular I would’ve liked to have seen:
1) The war ends and the pow’s gain their freedom.
2) Colonel Hogan decides to allow Klink to keep his legacy intact.
Wow, you had a big gulp of the Kool-aid.