My Favorite Movies

I find it more than a little amusing when some young horror fan writes that he didn't find The Exorcist the least bit shocking or scary. Of course moviegoers today don't have the same visceral reaction, they're callused. And why are they callused? Because of groundbreaking films like The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Shock, horror and fright are emotions that can't be sustained without an ever-increasing amount of stimulus. Genre fans are like crack addicts, the dosage has to be continually increased in order to maintain the same high. It's a phenomenon most of us can relate to. Kids of my generation really didn't find Tod Browning's Dracula or James Whale's Frankenstein all that scary. We were building up an immunity of sorts. A resistance. A tolerance. The Exorcist was our new drug. It did what horror films were supposed to do, it served as a catalyst for that fantastic, exhilarating euphoria of being scared.

So go ahead kids, watch your Hostel (wince!) and your Wolf Creek (cringe!). I'm happy with my head-spinning, pea-soup-spitting, bed-levitating, she-did-WHAT-with-a-crucifix!? classic.

This is arguably the best of Universal's classic monster movies. It's also director James Whale's last horror film. Whale, who directed the original Frankenstein, returned with a very different approach for the sequel. Where the sets of Frankenstein were close to perfect in their European authenticity, sets for "The Bride" were essentially a hodge-podge of canted architecture and macabre facades. The director also reworked the characters. He reduced Henry Frankenstein [Colin Clive] to what amounted to be a minor supporting role, added Dr. Pretorius [Ernest Thesiger], a flamboyant mad scientist (providing dark comic relief), and gave voice to the monster [Karloff]. The result is a film that is entirely original and self-sustaining. Any 1935 movie patron could have walked into the theater, having never seen the original Frankenstein feature, and not felt lost or uninformed.

Aside from the opening scene and perhaps some later close-ups of the bride [Elsa Lanchester], there is little to frighten an audience here. Instead Whale achieves something much more rare. He creates a film that subtly pokes fun at itself while, at the same time, is very serious in its approach.

If there is anything here to be critical of it is Whale's unabashed attempt at religious symbolism. The camera seems to love the cross prominently displayed in the hermit's shack, and the raising of the captured monster tied to a stake is an obvious and distasteful reference to the crucifixion. It seems to me that what we have here is a case of Whale's enormous ego getting the better of his good judgement. Otherwise, the film may be as close to flawless, in terms of direction, casting, makeup, and set design, as any production before or since. A true cinematic masterpiece.

I've heard it said that Touch of Evil, NOT Citizen Kane, is Orson Welles' greatest cinematic achievement. While I disagree with that statement I do agree that it's clearly a masterpiece of film noir, especially in the camera work. If there is a detractor here it's buying into the casting of Charlton Heston as a Mexican lawman. He's just not that convincing. Otherwise, it's one of the best representations of movie making as an art form.

*Great performances by stars on their way up, like Dennis Weaver and Janet Leigh, as well as stars on their way out, i.e. Orson Welles and Marlene Dietrich.

One of John Wayne's darkest and most complex roles. It's easy to see why The Searchers is widely considered to be the Duke's best film. Unlike many of his other characters where their disposition and development is set according to type, Ethan Edwards (Wayne) is blatantly racist and morally flawed. He's a walking, talking paradox in the sense that you applaud what he is trying to do but you're appalled by how he's doing it. For example: During the course of his career in the western genre, John Wayne must have shot and killed hundreds of American Indians. True? But how often have you seen Wayne, after killing an Indian, ride over and shoot out the eyes of the corpse? Not only did he want to kill the man, he wanted him to stumble around blind in the hereafter. That scene, as filmed, shows a level of contempt that no Wayne character possessed before or since.

The Searchers isn't the be-all/end-all of John Wayne's films. Neither is it the only time Wayne played a character with depth and substance. But it is arguably his most challenging and triumphant performance, deserving of its status as one of the best westerns to ever grace the big screen.

In my opinion, it was Frankenstein, not the earlier Dracula, that cemented Hollywood's stake (pun intended) in the horror genre and ultimately saved Universal Studios from pending bankruptcy.

No single person can be credited for the success of this classic. James Whale, Boris Karloff, Mary Shelley, Jack Pierce, Carl Laemmle Jr., all should be praised for bringing Frankenstein to life. Having said that, there is one person who deserves a lion's share of the praise and, to this day, goes virtually uncredited for the picture's success, French writer Robert Florey. Florey was the one who took Shelley's unfilmable novel and carved out a treatment that met Universal's time and budget requirements. It's a shame that Florey goes without recognition because without him there would have been no Frankenstein and thus, no Bride of Frankenstein, and thus, no Universal Studios.

Not all monsters are grotesque and ugly, sometimes they are as beautiful and breathtaking as Barbara Stanwyck. Considered by many to be the best and most influential film noir ever made, Double Indemnity has become the standard by which all others are judged. For my money, from the cast and direction to the cinematography and scripting, it's a near perfect film. Definitely one of my all-time top 20 movies.

"The best time I ever had with Joan Crawford was when I pushed her down the stairs in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" -Bette Davis

It's a simple fact of life that you will meet people who are likable and those who are not. In most circumstances when an actor or actress is asked about someone they dislike they will just refuse to comment. Its called "taking the high road". I've seen this time and time again. Debra Winger hated Richard Gere so much that after the filming of An Officer and a Gentleman had wrapped she refused to appear with him on press junkets and talk shows. To this day Diane Keaton will not talk about her Godfather co-star Al Pacino, stating only that she disliked working with him. Herein lies one of the reasons why I love Bette Davis so much. If Miss Davis disliked you, and by all accounts she disliked a great number of people, the whole world knew it. Her feud with Joan Crawford is the stuff of Hollywood legend and the quotes that are attributed to Bette are priceless:

"Why am I so good at playing bitches? I think it's because I'm not a bitch. Maybe that's why Miss Crawford always plays ladies."

Personally, I have never once watched a Bette Davis picture and been drawn out of the story by an awareness that she was acting. Her portrayals are nothing if they're not honest and sincere. I can't say the same for Joan Crawford. This holds true for Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. There is a subtle but noticeable difference here between Crawford (the movie star) and Davis (the actress). In some cases this would be a detriment to the feel of the picture but, for this script, it works perfectly. Don't misunderstand me, I have enormous respect for Joan but, as an actress, I think she's a tier (or two) below Bette.

All told, this is a good film that becomes a GREAT film once you know the back-story.

When you think of filmdom's strangest romances, what are the first movies that come to mind? Harold & Maude maybe? Sunset Boulevard perhaps? How about a film where an attractive and vivacious young woman moves into a house on the seashore and falls in love with the cantankerous ghost of a sea captain that haunts her new home? As strange as it may sound, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is one of the all-time great love stories. This is a script that could have easily turned out corny and ridiculous but instead has a class and charm that will forever anchor it as a true Hollywood classic.

Available as a Japanese Bootleg or on EuroVideo DVD. Two of Hollywood's greatest stars make this one a must-see.