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drsmcduncan
Reviews
Spawn of the Slithis (1978)
The Worst Monster Movie Ever?
This amateur movie, which somehow made it to late-night TV is without a doubt the worst monster movie I have ever seen. The story is incoherent and the main characters overshadowed by long sequences dominated by one-dimensional minor characters. I am sure that it is no coincidence that all but a few of the actors in this film never appeared in another and for all but a couple of those who did, Slithis was their final effort. The monster is ridiculous but not as ridiculous as the story or the acting. I hesitate to call it the worst monster movie ever only because I cannot claim to have seen every monster movie ever made. So bad it's really just bad.
Giulio Cesare in Egitto (1990)
Handel's Best Opera in a Fascinating Presentation
In the 80's and 90's of the last century, Peter Sellars, the bad boy of opera, made quite a name for himself with his imaginative restaging of operas from the Classical and Baroque periods. While many of his works were done on stage, Sellars also did operas on film. Giulio Cesare in Egitto, a version of the Caesar and Cleopatra story, is the best of Handel's 40+ operas and receives brilliant treatment at the hands of Sellars. Set in the modern Middle East, Giulio Cesare is presented as a lesson in geopolitics. Caesar, having defeated his rival, Pompey the Great and completed the Roman conquest of Egypt soon finds himself embroiled in palace politics as the teenage Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy, each attempt to exclude each other from the throne and claim the crown for themselves. (Cleopatra wins, of course; in the scene where she seduces Caesar it's clear that he's roadkill and will do anything she asks.) Countertenor Jeffrey Gall leads a strong cast. Unlike many countertenors, Gall's voice has real dramatic power, so that he can use his voice expressively as well as just sing in the alto castrato range for which Handel originally wrote the part. Finally, Sellars has the courage to do the entire opera, including all the repeats and extra arias that are usually omitted. The result is a four hour extravaganza. However, if you like Handel, or opera for that matter, you won't mind.
Dinosaurus! (1960)
My First Movie
I have an emotional attachment to this movie, as it was the first movie I ever went to a theater to see. As a six year old living in Fairbanks, Alaska, I begged my mother to take me to see this move about my childhood passion, dinosaurs. Thirty years later, I stumbled across a copy of this film at a video store and purchased it. I was surprised to find that, despite the rather unrealistic dinosaur animation, the movie holds up pretty well. Although much criticism has been directed against the leads in this film, Wayne Treadway as Dumpy ("Dinosaurus!"), Jack Younger as Jasper (Jasper: "Well, we're looking for a caveman, right? So, I think we ought to look in a cave!" Hacker: "Very good, Jasper, I had no idea you were an anthropologist." Jasper: "Not a very good one, boss. I haven't been to church in years.") and Gregg Martell as the Neanderthal Man turn in excellent performances in supporting roles. Martell, especially, combines comedy and pathos in his portrayal of a man caught out of his time but still very much a human being. The scene where Julio (Alan Roberts) rides the back of his pet brontosaurus thrilled me and the final battle between the T-Rex and the steam shovel gave me nightmares for years. How many good movies can you say that about?
The Matrix (1999)
Pretentious but Fascinating
The Matrix is an over-the-top, high concept movie that plays, sometimes fast and loose, with the appearance/reality distinction. Many viewers have found it more than merely an entertaining sci-fi thriller and regard it as quite profound and philosophical; I would describe it as pretentious and confused myself. In passing, a book called Philosophy and the Matrix, containing articles by professional philosophers, has been published. I can't recommend it, however, as the articles are largely silly and pointless.
At any rate, if you liked The Matrix, you might try Descartes's Meditations. You'll find that he was thinking about appearance and reality long before the Wachowski brothers and to better purpose. Still, anyone who gets people to think about issues like this deserves some credit.
Seven Days to Live (2000)
A Well-Acted Supernatural Thriller
Amanda Plummer (daughter of Christopher Plummer and the delightful Tammy Grimes) stars as the wife of writer (Sean Pertwee, son of Dr. Who's Jon Pertwee) who moves with her husband to a remote mansion - apparently in Australia, despite a largely English cast - to find rest and healing after the death of their son. Instead, the house to which they move has a history of occupation by people who go mad and die mysteriously. They begin to be affected, which predictably takes a toll on their relationship. In particular, the wife receives daily warnings that she has only a declining number of days to live - hence the title. Not bad - six stars.