captainahab-74387 Reviews

Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Strange characters. bizarre plot and apocalyptic ending of 50s thriller h

[23 December 2022]

If you ever get the chance to see this move on a big screen with an audience, do so. It's quite an experience.

Even on home video this film still packs a wallop. An essentially corrupt private eye who's pretty much out for himself gets involved in a baffling set of events that lead to a truly astonishing climax.

Ralph Meeker is good as tough guy Mike Hammer, with excellent support from Cloris Leachman as the frightened hitchhiker he picks up, Wesley Addy as his jaded police detective friend, and Albert Dekker nearly stealing the show with his sly portrayal of a would-be criminal mastermind whose plans go awry spectacularly.

Also colorful performances by bad guys Jack Elam and Jack Lambert, Gaby Rodgers as the enigmatic Lily, Paul Stewart as a slick crime boss and Marian Carr as his libidinous sister, and Fortunio Bonanova as a has been opera singer. Loyal secretary Velda is a star turn for Maxine Cooper..

Characters we never see but hear about, unexplained events and motives, a world of people who all seem to have something to hide, this is Kiss Me Deadly and it is unforgettable.

Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)

Imaginative, very clever film both gory and at times morbidly funny

[18 October 2022]

Ralph Bates is very good as the originally idealistic Dr. Jekyll, who turns into a murderer to continue his experiments. When the stunningly sexy and beautiful Martine Beswick becomes the doctor's alter ego as Mrs. Hyde, the movie really takes off in some pretty strange directions.

Ingenious twist on the original Stevenson tale, with a charming brother and sister who live upstairs from Jekyll becoming involved in a very odd triangle with Jekyll and his alleged " sister".

Nicely acted, good foggy Victorian atmosphere and some pretty disturbing moments along with an offbeat humor.

I can't explain why, but there's something about Martine Beswick's accent when Mrs. Hyde prepares to go out killing, and announces to herself that tonight her victim will not be a streetwalker, but a sweet young virgin (Susan Brodrick) that breaks me up every time. Something about the sneering, sinister way she pronounces the word " virgin" is just hysterical.

Overall, an imperfect but very entertaining movie.

A Study in Terror (1965)

Holmes vs the Ripper makes for a good yarn

[18 October 2022]

A very clever blending of Sherlock Holmes and the more or less factual story of Jack the Ripper. John Neville brings a sly, amused quality to Holmes, and is equally good at the dialogue and action scenes.

Donald Houston is wonderful as a somewhat excitable Dr. Watson, who tends to get carried away at times. But always comes through when things get bad.

Somewhat gory, the murder scenes are well staged and the suspense is palpable. The writing is very knowledgeable where both Holmes and The Ripper are concerned, often including real names and details in the otherwise fictional story.

Nice atmosphere, Victorian England is presented pretty convincingly.

Not a great film, but a good one, well worth checking out if you're a Holmes fan or intrigued by the terrible crimes of Jack the Ripper.

What's New Pussycat (1965)

One of the funniest drunk scenes ever filmed; O'Toole and Sellers serenade Capucinee

[12 July 2022]

This film is uneven, quite funny and likeable at times, a bit dull at others. But it is worth sitting through the entire film to watch Peter O'Toole and Peter Sellers attempt to play a romantic Cyrano like scene with the increasingly annoyed Capucine, under whose balcony they are attempting to woo with songs and poetry.

I find this one sequence irresistibly funny, because it seems so real, and not unlike something a couple of really inebriated gentlemen would think of doing in real life. Sellers' hapless German psychiatrist is mesmerized by the lovely Capucine, and ladies' man O'Toole tries to help with romantic phrases whispered from behind a tree, which the plastered Sellers keeps messing up, and they both get merrier and sillier, until the unappreciative Capucine dumps a bucket of water on them, shortly before the police arrive, due to the neighbors' complaints.

If you get a chance, see this enjoyable, though not great movie. It definitely has some hilarious moments to appreciate.

West Side Story (2021)

Excellent remake but terribly sad

[9/10 · 14 April 2022]

I've always loved the 1961 West Side Story, and have been eagerly awaiting this new film for over a year.

It was worth the wait. Good performances all around, dynamic dance numbers, superb acting by Ariana Debose, and a stunningly beautiful Maria by Rachel Zegler. I thought Ansel Elgort was a lot better than many reviewers gave him credit for.

The one thing that made this film different from the original was the overwhelming sense of doom that accompanied every scene. You felt in your gut the absolute tragedy that would end the story. I started choking up during the ' One Hand, One Heart' number and completely broke down at the end, with Rachel Zegler absolutely heartbreaking in her portrayal of Maria's tragic loss. It was just unbelievably powerful and convincing.

I definitely recommend this movie to WSS fans. It is dark and edgy and unforgettable. Spielberg has made a movie he can be proud of.

Baby Face Nelson (1957)

Rooney is good but Carolyn Jones nearly steals the movie

[22 December 2021]

This film has been somewhat hard to find over the years, but I got hold of a copy last year that surprised me with its quality.

Rooney is totally committed to the role of the trigger happy Nelson, and makes you forget all the lovable roles he has played. His bantam gangster is startlingly convincing.

The rest of the cast is adequate and the Depression atmosphere is fairly believable. Jack Elam and Sir Cedric Hardwicke stand out in their oddball unexpected roles. Leo Gordon is his usual intimidating self as Dillinger.

But it is Carolyn Jones who gives the most memorable performance as Nelson's moll. I was amazed at her portrayal of the very sensual girlfriend. She showed a range of emotions and actions that I would have never guessed from seeing only her Morticia Addams and other notable roles. The movie is worth seeing just for her amazing incarnation of the loyal, loving Sue.

Anyone who likes gangster movies should check out this little B movie gem.

Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954)

Not great, but pretty unnerving-good atmosphere of 19th Century Paris

[13 July 2021]

This 1954 horror movie holds up pretty well, with some fairly graphic scenes of violence that suggest more than they actually show.

Without giving anything away, the plot gets quite disturbing near the end, when the identity of the murderer is revealed. I found it very claustrophobic and frightening when the heroine Patricia Medina realizes she is the captive of a completely mad scientist. Her confrontation with him is truly chilling.

Looks good overall, pretty effective at scaring the viewer. It would be interesting to see this in its original 3-D format .

Night of the Ghouls (1959)

Not terrible, but not memorable either

[20 June 2021]

This movie was rather hard to find for many years, but is now easy to come by. It constitutes a very loose sequel to Wood's Bride of the Monster.

Not the worst film ever made, but not very interesting, sad to say. Kenne Duncan is pretty good as phony psychic Dr. Ackula, and Valda Hansen is a very cute ghost. That's about all I can say with regard to this movie. It is worth taking a look at once, but not one of the more memorable Ed Wood movies. It lacks the grandiose qualities of Plan Nine from Outer Space or Bride of the Monster, that make those films so bad they're good.

No Trees in the Street (1959)

Dated, but still hard hitting drama of British slum life before WWII

[26 May 2021]

It has been over fifty years since I first saw this movie, but the wait was worth it.

The acting is good, with Melvyn Hayes just a little over dramatic as the doomed lad Tommy. Herbert Lom and Sylvia Sims, are both excellent as the local gang boss and the girl he desires more than anything in the world.

High praise also for the actors who play the desperate mother, the kindly, wise blind man, and the crooked former music hall entertainer who provides amusement for his neighbors with his song and dance routines.

Settings are bleak and realistically shabby.. with a vivid sense of the daily grind of life on Kennedy Street. A few historical touches are nicely worked in, with an Oswald Mosley slogan chalked on a wall, and a newsboy hawking a 1938 headline about Hitler threatening Czechoslovakia.

I had forgotten how grim the movie is . The sense of desperation and hopelessness caused by the poverty of the residents, made worse by heavy drinking to relieve the misery., is starkly convincing.

Maybe not a great film, but well worth seeing if you can find it. Pretty rare.

Operation Eichmann (1961)

Very strong stuff-Klemperer is excellent as Eichmann

[2 April 2021]

This little known movie deserves to be seen by a wider audience. Werner Klemperer chills the viewer to the bone with his absolutely convincing performance as the architect of the Final Solution.

Made on a low budget, the movie manages to look and feel very authentic in its recreation of the Third Reich, particularly the dreadful sequence at Auschwitz. The fear that that part of the movie made me feel was palpable. Though fairly restrained for its time, the death camp sequence was the stuff of nightmares.

The film is less successful during the last two parts of the story, but Klemperer never lets up in his complete immersion in his role. Highly recommended.

Her Name Was Christa (2020)

One of the saddest movies I've ever seen

[7/10 · 31 March 2021]

I can't help but wonder at some of the possible cinematic origins of this terribly sad film. One obvious one would be Hitchcock's Psycho, with a touch of his classic Vertigo. The most likely influence would be Roger Corman's Tomb of Ligeia based on the Edgar Allan Poe story.

Possible spoilers ahead: This movie somehow manages to be simultaneously a touching love story between two lost souls, an unsettling black comedy at times, and ultimately a tragic story of a man who lost his mind when his true love died.

Director James Edwards also portrays the lonely protagonist, and Shianne Daye is brilliant as the hooker transformed by love.

This movie is definitely not for everyone. There were times when I laughed uncomfortably and others when I wept. The characters are always played with dignity and there is an unexpected compassion for them in Edwards, direction. He manages to create a character deranged by grief and loss, who even in his most .

Grotesque actions remains an all too human being.

Recommended for viewers not afraid to take a chance with one of the strangest and most startling movies I've ever seen.