Mental Health Day 2

Wow, at long long last, the Holy Grail of my obscure movie quest: The Yellow Canary, a Pat Boone starrer from 1963 scripted by Rod Serling! First, I didn't expect this to be in black and white but it is a grim tale indeed with Pat proving too lightweight as an asshole singer (who seems Bobby Darin-ish onstage and off) finds humanity when his kid gets kidnapped. Lots of waiting by telephones, a fun cast, including Barbara Eden, Jack Klugman, Harold Gould and Steve Forrest and a few memorably pulpy lines. Pat though, does not show the depth needed to drive this melodrama home. Grade: C

Twilight (2008) – T was excited about this one, because a massively popular hit about vampire love (forbidden, of course) in the scenic Northwest must be OK, right? Spoiled by Harry Potter and Joss Whedon, the answer is no. The creator apparently hates horror and it shows, her silly vampires glow in the sunshine and play baseball with homemade uniforms for fun. Not scary in anyway, but not silly enough to be diverting. Billy Burke as Kristen Stewart’s sheriff Dad made me feel old. Grade: C

Quantum of Solace (2008) – Yikes, the Bond train seemed to be running just fine but this grim, violent tale is a step somewhere less than forward. Not much more than indiscriminate action, with betrayal and revenge the primary motivators for James this time out. Dull after a while, brush up on Casino Royale (not the Woody Allen/David Niven version) for maximum enjoyment. Grade: C

99 and 100% Dead (1974) – Bizarre crime drama with a fanciful, pop-art inspired palette – from the opening moments, you know you’re in for something new. Richard Harris strides through the thing with style as a badass trying to survive a gang war. Edmond O’Brien, Chuck Connors (with a screw-on hand of death), Bradford Dillman and Ann Turkel. John Frankenheimer directs with his freak flag flying, the coke budget must have been huge. Grade: B+

Transsiberian (2008) – Middling, moody train-set thriller with Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson squaring off against Russian baddies or something. Blah mystery is not mysterious nor exciting. Grade: C-

Tower of London (1962) – Oooo, Vincent Price hams it up as Richard III and the Roger Corman crew tackles historical horror in drab black and white, a real comedown for those used to lush excellence from AIP at the time. “Serious” production is pretty weak tea compared to the real classics they were turning out at the time. Grade: D+

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) -"A love letter to New Orleans" was the initial description that caught my attention, and it was the Crescent City that kept moving me right up to the end. Brad Pitt is a man aging backward, and Cate Blanchett the love of his life. Epic in scale, with amazing technology at work, I think David Fincher wondered how a Slumdog could have captured all the gold in 08. But hey the Gump similarities were hard to overcome at times, and I thought Blanchett too studied (as I usually do). Still quite an achievement, we saw it early at the Egyptian, with Fincher there. He was very warm and very funny, not at all what we expected. Oh, and Robert and Luisa Towne adored it, with RT working with Fincher on something next. Exciting. Grade: A-

Master and Commander (2006) - Fine seafaring adventure gives Russell Crowe one of his best starring roles, and fans of the book series are probably disappointed that this was the first and last shot they'll have. But Peter Weir really lets the flags fly, with epic battles made for the biggest screen and sound you can find. Longish in spots, but powerful fun all the same. Grade: B+

Gran Torino (2008) - Clint Eastwood continues his late career run of excellence, but the racism inherent in the storyline here turned off the storied Academy, shutting Clint out of the Best Actor race, and denying him a Best Song nom too. Essentially a modern-day Sam Fuller gutpunch, Clint plays an old widowed racist who befriends his neighbors and kicks a littls ass too. Crude but powerful, with a fine performance from the old legend, even if he lingers for one shot too many at the end. Grade: A-

Tower of Evil (Beyond the Fog) (1972) - Love Turner Classic even more when they show some terrible POS like this...sub-standard horror with a British flair. Various versions exist, and the retitle was done to take advantage of Carpenter's The Fog in 1980! Wow, the shelf life of bad horror movies is amazing. No matter, it's all low-budget awfulness. Laughable at best, boring at worst. Grade: F

Wanted (2008) - Loud and trashy, this action-filled saga plays like the Wachowski brothers without the big ideas. Based on some comic book, it's a live-action cartoon starring a bland leading man, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie's ass. As usual, it's really about Daddy issues. Grade: C-

CP