MrETrain Reviews

The Wages of Fear (1953)

See this movie!

[10/10 · 29 September 1999]

I had been hunting this one down for a while until I managed to get my hands on a copy. Luckily it was the original director's cut and not the edited American version. I went into this movie with extremely high expectations and I was not disappointed in the least. The performances were uniformly excellent. I was drawn in by Mario's unfailing tenacity as much as I was repulsed by his willingness to commit a reprehensible act in his drive to accomplish the mission (see the movie to see what I mean). I sympathized with Jo, who, although a whiner and coward, was the wisest of the bunch.

The cinematography is alternately beautiful and bleak, capturing the graveness of the situation wonderfully. The oil slick scene is amazing. The tension builds to almost agonizing levels, and then goes a bit further. I'm a Hitchcock fan, but I don't think Hitch ever directed anything that reaches the level of suspense of The Wages of Fear.

People have said that they thought the introduction went on too long, but I'd have to disagree. The long introduction serves to firmly establish the characters and give weight to their actions. The full 148-minute version is the one to see if you enjoy strong character development, but the 131-minute version is available for those with less patience.

And yes, there is not a happy ending. Some might say it was a letdown. I admit to feeling that way for a minute or two until I started replaying the movie in my mind (and this is a movie that stays with you, guaranteed). I came to appreciate the bleak ending, and in fact, relish it. I found it to be--and I believe that this was the director's intention-- just desserts.

The Last Broadcast (1998)

Interesting, but not particularly enjoyable, or scary

[4/10 · 4 September 1999]

To start off with, this is not a bad movie at all considering how little it cost to make ($6000? $3000? Something like that.) and was edited on a desktop computer. But, it's still pretty cheesy. The low-budget documentary format is clever, but doesn't really lend itself to being scary. The Blair Witch project is much, much better...much, MUCH scarier, and much more convincingly performed. The Last Broadcast is going to start making some dough now that it's riding on the Blair Witch's coattails, and unbelievably, some people are saying that it's better than TBWP. NO...FRIGGIN...WAY... The Last Broadcast is interesting and original, and it holds your attention well-- I'll admit that I was surprised by the ending and had to view it several times for it to sink in-- it was quite cool. Overall, though, the movie was a disappointment.

The Rocketeer (1991)

If you take it for what it is, it's a blast

[17 August 1999]

I personally enjoy very much period adventures such as this that try to recapture the fun and innocence and pulse-pounding action of the old 30's and 40's serials. "The Rocketeer" makes a better stab than most. It really is a lot of fun. I especially liked Alan Arkin, who was perfectly cast. Jennifer Connelly is gorgeous, perfectly capturing the 40's look, the time when it seemed that all women were beautiful. I did notice Melora Hardin in a small role as the singer in the South Seas Club. I've had a small crush on her since she was on the 70's Saturday morning kids' show, "Thunder, the Super Horse". I figure she tried out for Connelly's role but didn't get it. She would have been great in the lead female role though.

The Man Who Laughs (1928)

An underappreciated classic

[12 August 1999]

The first time I encountered The Man Who Laughs was a photo in a horror movie catalog that I had when I was a very easily-spooked 8-year-old. For some reason that grotesque grin frightened me more than the Hunchback, the Phantom of the Opera, and Nosferatu combined. I couldn't bear to look at it, so I carefully marked the page so that I wouldn't accidentally catch a glimpse of it. However, if I had actually seen the movie I wouldn't have been frightened at all. I wouldn't consider The Man Who Laughs a horror movie, but a touching melodrama about a man whose appearance is horrific.

Gwynplaine is a very sympathetic, likeable character, and Conrad Veidt does an excellent job of conveying his inner torment and sadness with subtle eye movements and gestures. Gwynplaine's innate goodness is very clear, despite his macabre appearance. We root for him to overcome all obstacles to find happiness and true love, as we root for the evil jester Barkilphedro to meet with a bitter end. We are not disappointed. I was impressed with the beautiful cinematography, which is exceptional for the time. The score and sound effects are used very well, so well that sometimes you forget that you are watching a silent picture. With the outstanding performances, particularly Veidt's, this is a classic of silent cinema that deserves to have a much wider audience.

Buffalo '66 (1998)

Offbeat, beautiful, touching, hilarious

[10/10 · 6 August 1999]

Judging from previous reviews, it seems that "Buffalo '66" is one of those films that inspire either admiration or disgust in the viewer, with very little middle ground. Count me among its admirers. I have to say that I agree that Layla's nonchalant reaction to being kidnapped by Billy is not realistic, but hey, it's a movie! It works as far as the movie is concerned. This film is about a man who, for his entire life, has never been loved by anyone, particularly his parents. Because of this he has built up a wall around himself, a wall of hatred and anger. Then someone comes along who loves him unconditionally, threatening to penetrate that wall that he has grown so comfortable with. He has never been taught how to love, so is it too late for him to learn now? And is Layla the one to show him? That's the question. Oh, by the way, this movie is funny as hell.

Häxan (1922)

One of the weirdest and most bizarre of all time

[10/10 · 5 August 1999]

More commonly known as "Witchcraft Through the Ages", this is definitely one of the most bizarre, visually arresting movies of all time, even nearly 80 years later. It starts out as a rather dry documentary, detailing medieval superstitions and folklore while showing ancient woodcarvings of witches and demons in various forms. Then we move on into the dramatic portion of the film. In one scene we see witches concocting potions using the body parts of corpses from the gallows. One witch walks in carrying a bundle of sticks, and undoes the bundle revealing a decomposed human hand hidden inside. Fans of "The Blair Witch Project" should take notice, especially considering that the Danish title of this film is "Haxan", also the name of the movie company that created "Blair Witch".

Director Benjamin Christensen appears as a leering, tongue-wagging Satan, with very realistic makeup. The witches are shown with the Devil and his minions performing various acts of sacrilege and perversion that must have been extremely shocking at the time the movie originally appeared, and would be offensive to many people still. The film was banned for many years because of the depiction of these acts (not to mention the occasional nudity), as well as sacrileges performed by nuns and monks. There are some stop-motion animation sequences (pre-Harryhousen, no less) that are very good, especially for the time. This is a difficult movie to describe. It really is something that you'd have to see for yourself.

The version I am reviewing is actually the re-issue from 1966, with a dubbed-over narration by beat novelist/junkie William Burroughs, and a modern, jazzy score featuring Jean-Luc Ponty. I enjoyed Burroughs' narration quite a bit, but oftimes the music is annoyingly inappropriate. Sometimes it works very well, but most of the time I was wishing for a standard orchestral, or vitaphone, score. A Klezmer score, even, would have been very effective. There are a few different versions available, some with subtitles and an orchestral score. Maybe one of these days they'll come out with a version featuring the Burroughs narration along with a more appropriate orchestral score. That would be perfect. As it is, this an impressive, compulsively watchable film that still goes further than most dare to go, even in these much more permissive times.