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April 5, 2011

The Universal Horror Experience - The Wolf Man

(Note from The Mike: Y'all love Universal's Monster flicks, right?  Well, The Mike does.  And it seems like it's about time to do something about it.  So welcome to a new feature at FMWL - The Universal Horror Experience.  Now I know that most of these films have been talked to death, so I hope to do something fresher than just saying "OMG YOU GUYS, these movies are like important".  In said feature, I hope to discuss my experience with these monsters, to review some of the sequels I've yet to see, and to talk about some films that follow up on Universal's original scarers.  For example, we're gonna start the Universal Horror Experience with....)
My love affair with Universal's monsters started with them existing as more of an idea than an actual entity.   I first really learned about them by reading those orange backed books about the monsters at the library - if you grew up in the '80s, you probably know those books. I read front to back about Dracula, Frankenstein, King Kong, Godzilla, etc....but for some reason I don't remember caring much about the Wolf Man.  Frankenstein's monster was always the big brute, Dracula's always been the suave devil....but then there was The Wolf Man, who I always kind of wrote off as a side character in my youth. (Except I knew that he had gnards.  Thanks, The Monster Squad.)
But when I started to get into the movies during my teen years, The Wolf Man quickly jumped out at me as a favorite.  Where Frankenstein and Dracula were paring down their source materials to film lengths, The Wolf Man was taking something that hadn't been done too often - though Werewolf of London did precede it by six years - and using it to create a third icon to keep the money flowing in for Universal Studios.  In doing so, many of the things we've come to believe about werewolves - like their struggles with silver and humanoid appearance - were unleashed upon audiences for the first time.  I don't mean to slight The Mummy, The Invisible Man, or The Creature from the Black Lagoon (who was still 15 years away from existence) when I say The Wolf Man is above them as a top dog in the horror 'verse - but it's since become a special favorite to me.
The Wolf Man won me in part through its monster, but there was a whole lot more going on in the film.  Lon Chaney Jr. stars as both the furry beast and the seemingly harmless - aside from a bit of peeping - Larry Talbot, who returns home to his father after the tragic death of his brother in a hunting accident.  The Talbots are obviously a big deal in the small town they inhabit, which makes Larry a high profile individual - particularly when he's caught up in a love triangle with a local girl (the fetching Evelyn Ankers) and the accidental murder of a gypsy named Bela (aptly played by Bela Lugosi).  Larry is wounded badly by the beast that Bela appears to be, and we all know what that means these days.  (If you don't, check out An American Werewolf in London - which cites the film as a reference on screen - and get back to me.  Or, y'know, just watch the movie.)
Chaney's performance is certainly raw by Hollywood standards, but the younger Mister Chaney would make a career out of harnessing that off-kilter persona.  Though Chaney got his first big break two years earlier as Lennie in the first film adaptation of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (opposite a young Burgess Meredith), the mixture of his size and stature with his ability to play meek and scared - plus a dose of his famous father's legacy - made Chaney a favorite with Universal after his initial turn as The Wolf Man.  Chaney would go on to portray Frankenstein's monster, The Mummy, and the Son of Dracula in following Universal horrors.  Though those roles would establish him as a horror 'verse fixture, but his original turn as Larry Talbot catches Chaney at his most human - at least until his swan song performance in former MMOTW Spider Baby.
The problem with Chaney, according to many horror fans, is that he most certainly is not an iconic presence like Karloff and Lugosi before him.  I won't argue that point, but I think he gets a lot of help in making The Wolf Man work.  The supporting cast includes Lugosi and Ankers but also big names Claude Rains and Ralph Bellamy, and each actor works well within Curt Siodmak's tragic script.  The biggest assist in creating the legend of The Wolf Man probably goes to makeup specialist Jack Pierce, who designed the look of the beast and supervised the exhausting process of creating the film's transformation from man to wolf.  
With this convergence of talents supporting the star, The Wolf Man jumps off the screen as a tale of horror with a Shakespearean bit of tragedy and more human drama than many horrors of its era.  While the film adaptations of Frankenstein and Dracula can be mistaken for one-man shows thanks to their iconic leads, the superior cast and script behind The Wolf Man push it to the top of my go-to list of classic horrors.  I'm glad I shook the near-sightedness of little The Mike, because he remembered The Wolf Man primarily as the thing that scared Stephanie Tanner that one time on Full House.
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 9:14 PM 3 Midnight Warriors
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April 4, 2011

The Mike's Midnight Alphabet

The excellent Mr. Rupert Pupkin/Bob Freelander of cool-stuff blog Rupert Pupkin Speaks has helped fan the flame of one of those meme things lately, in which a film fan presents their "Cinematic Alphabet" - a list of favorite films representing each letter of the human alphabet.  Since a) I love lists and b) I love movies, I thought it'd be fun to go Alphabet-style here at FMWL.

OF course, there's a catch.  Instead of going with my absolute favorite movie per letter - which would risk non-genre films entering FMWL - I decided to come up with my Midnight Alphabet.  And now, here's a film per letter that I most often love to pop in my DVD player 'round midnight.
Assault on Precinct 13 - Because I still think Carpenter's gangland action film is one of the coolest movies ever made.
The Blob - Because, after all, I am The Mike.
Clownhouse - I know it's an odd choice, but I can't understate - and this is where it gets weird - what Clownhouse has meant to me and my family.  
The Devil Rides Out - Because it's my favorite Hammer flick, and Christopher Lee needs to be represented.
Escape from New York - Snake. Plissken.  The Exorcist is probably my favorite E - I have been to two midnight showings of it - but I gotta feed my Snake love.
Fright Night - This was a close battle, because I love my Flash Gordon, but the Rear Window of '80s horror wins out.
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini - It's generally known as one of the lesser "party horror" films of its era, but there's something about this pile of redheads in snakeskin bikinis, men in gorilla suits, Boris Karloff, and ghosts in invisible bikinis that always wins me.
Halloween - It's my favorite horror, and the only movie I considered here.
I, Madman - A deeply flawed little '80s horror, but...ummm....Jenny Wright, you guys.  And claymation monsters RULE.
Jaws - J isn't the strongest letter - heck, I considered Judge Dredd! - and Jaws always keeps my attention.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - Not really much of a genre flick, but this movie can make me smile like few others.  Val Kilmer + Robert Downey + Michelle Monaghan = Mike love.
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra - The perfect spoof of '50s sci-fi, lovingly created by Larry Blamire.  One of the most quotable movies of Miketime.
The Monster Squad - I can't choose all the monsters...unless I choose The Monster Squad.  Easy enough.
Night of the Living Dead - A real classic that still thrills me and makes me think.
The Omen - Damien - assisted by a vicious Billie Whitelaw, a hound of hell, and one helluva musical score - owns a special place in my heart.
Predator - If it bleeds, we can kill it.
The Quiet Earth - Underseen New Zealand-made sci-fi flick isn't a big favorite of mine, but it's stuck in my memory as a fascinating apocalypse tale.
Rear Window - My favorite movie of all movies gets a spot no matter what.
Suspiria - This was an excruciating choice.  But Argento's masterpiece edged out Soylent Green, Spider Baby, and Streets of Fire....this time.
They Live - Carpenter needs to be represented more, and I'll give this one a slight edge over The Thing due to rewatchability factors and Roddy Piper vs. Keith David.
Unlawful Entry - Man, I don't know why I like this standard thriller so much, but I do.  And I feel bad for all the Kurt Russell movies that didn't make it, so I'm throwing Unlawful Entry a bone.
Vanishing Point - Five Fast and/or Furious movies combined don't have half the coolness that the greatest existential car chase movie ever has.
The Warriors - Did I mention coolness?  This one edges out a couple of horror favorites - The Wolf Man and The Wicker Man - because it's goes down wicked smooth.
Xtro - Meh, I dunno.  It was this or X: The Man With X-Ray Eyes.  And I'm feeling '80s tonight.
Young Frankenstein - Another movie I can quote front to back, and one that makes me giddy as can be.  Didn't consider any other films here.
Zombieland - Normally I award a tie vote (in my head) to the older film, but for some reason I feel like giving the Woody powered zom-com the edge over Fulci's Zombie here.  It's young, but it's gonna have legs.
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 9:43 PM 12 Midnight Warriors
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April 3, 2011

FMWL's March Midnight Madness Tournament - The Sinister Sixteen!

After two rounds of vicious action, the field of 64 Midnight Movie of the Week picks has been narrowed down to sixteen diabolical survivors, who will now, naturally, battle each other for supremacy.  It's the Sinister Sixteen, and it promises to whittle each region's four remaining flicks down to a Regional Final.

If you missed Round Two, go HERE to check out how we got here!
If you missed Round One, go HERE to check out all the tourney action!
If you want to know who the selection committee for the Sinister Sixteen is, here they are:
Let's do this.
The Frankenstein Regional
What The Mike says: I'm more torn than I thought I'd be regarding this matchup.  I think the part of me that wants to be smart and stuff is all "Oh The Mike, Carinval of Souls makes you think so much and is all independently artistic and stuff".  But then he says "and stuff", and reminds me that I'm just a dude who loves awesomeness....and Predator is dripping with awesomeness.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Was Jesse “The Body” Ventura in Carnival of Souls? No? Oh… DUH Predator is unmatched in hot, sweaty jungle alien action." - Christine
  • "As much as I love testosterone-fueled battles against alien bounty hunters, the eerie beauty and shadowy charm of Carnival of Souls lurks into my heart." - Joe Monster
  • "By my voting in this tournament, it must seem like I dislike Predator... something that is definitely not the case, but sadly once again I'm going against it and voting for Carnival of Souls.  I do very much enjoy action packed movies, but I love ones that leave me feeling haunted even more." - Emily C
  • "This is the hardest battle yet for Arnie and the gang, but after a few one-liners and a couple of rounds from Blain's minigun, and it's lights out for Mary in the end. Sorry, babe." - Matt
The Vote: Predator 8, Carnival of Souls 5 - PREDATOR moves on to the Regional Final!
What The Mike says: Those Canadian werewolf lasses had a good mini-Cinderella run, but I just can't come up with a situation where I vote for them over TCM right now.  Leatherface continues to bully opponents.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "They should combine the two to make Werewolves With Chainsaws! That is a side note though, as TCM will definitely take the win!" - R.D. Penning
  • "TCM. Rewatched it last week, just 'cause, and just cause, it is still terrifying." - Emily
  • "I love my werewolves, but they're no match for Leatherface and his chainsaw [which is obviously compensating for something]." - Fred [The Wolf]
  • "Some say you’d need a silver bullet to stop a werewolf, I think a chainsaw would do the job." - TL Bugg
The Vote: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 13, Ginger Snaps 0 - THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE moves on to the Regional Final!
The Myers Regional
What The Mike says: It hurts to pick against Carpenter and Russell...even when you're picking Carpenter and Russell.  But I guess I have to, and I'm gonna go with the one that has more snow and more tension.  The Thing it is.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Ahh, the match we all feared would come to pass! Carpenter and Russell versus… Carpenter and Russell! Most would give up and call it a tie. But there’s one factor that determines the winner of this match. And that’s Kurt’s Eskimo-sized beard. And believe me, my friends, the Beard is everything." - Joe Monster
  • "Oh man, Carpenter and Russell vs. Carpenter and Russell.  While I could give my vote to the underdog here and vote Big Trouble in Little China, my conscious just won't let me, because while that movie is awesomely awesome, The Thing is one of the greatest horror movies known to mankind, with one of the most gruesomely designed creatures, and also, Kurt's beard screams out for my vote.  Beard > No Beard." - Emily C
  • "Bearded Kurt Russell > Clean-Cut Kurt Russell. The Thing wins." - Fred [The Wolf]
The Vote: The Thing 13, Big Trouble in Little China 0 - THE THING moves on to the Regional Final!
What The Mike says: The Friday the 13th factor in this tournament fascinates me.  Some have said a 10 seed is way too low, but I honestly think it's too high.  This is one of those classic "teams that get in on name recognition" picks like we sometimes see in the NCAA March Madness tourney.  But really, one of these movies is a good movie, and the other one isn't.  And Sisters is a good movie.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "I personally think Sisters is the better film, by far, but Friday has made the greater impact on horror and pop culture, therefore my very apprehensive support goes to Jason's mad mother and her hairy knuckles." - Matt
  • "Sisters.  Psst. I actually haven't seen Sisters. I just think Friday the 13th is overrated." - Emily
  • "De Palma owns my heart and this match-up." -  Christine
  • "In the end Mom, always knows better than the Sisters." - TL Bugg
  • "This is a tough one. i'm not a DePalma guy, and I love the cheesy appeal of the early Fridays, but man oh man do i have a crush on Margot Kidder." - Mike S.
  • "The story of Jason Voorhees and his mother is just way to influential on modern day horror to be denied the win." - B.Stank
The Vote: Sisters 4, Friday the 13th 9 - FRIDAY THE 13TH moves on to the Regional Final!
The Hammer Regional
#1 Seed - MMOTW #2: Moon vs. #13 Seed - MMOTW #33: Piranha
What The Mike says: Man, Piranha is a bit of a surprise cinderella here.  I gave it the tiebreaking win in round one against Kill, Baby...Kill! - and then it went on to demolish one of my favorite movies in the tourney (The Devil Rides Out) in the second round.  Conventional wisdom says I should be vengeful, but I love a good underdog.  Piranha gets a vote for being old-school cheese.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Can astronauts swim? Sure they can. But can piranhas live on the moon? I THINK NOT!" - Joe Monster
  • "While the intellectual portion of my brain says that Moon should be the choice here, my gut says to go with Piranha here for the fun factor, and the man-eating piranha action." - Emily C
  • "If anyone's earned the right to make it to the Final Four, isn't it Roger Corman?" - Mike S
  • "Whoa, just when you thought no one could overtake the tucked flannel and beard of Mr. Grogan, the Moon illuminates, and it becomes clear that his combo is only as deadly as his touch. I don't even know what that means." - Matt
The Vote: Moon 7, Piranha 5 - MOON moves on to the Regional Final!
What The Mike says: Can I just watch 'em both?  A bunch?  On repeat?  Man, this is probably the most difficult matchup this round in my head.  Ummm...Vincent Price.  Plus an uncredited Caroline Munro.  Yeah. I'll go with Phibes.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "I'm sure Dr. Phibes has earned its reputation and one day, when I open the bargain bin DVD, I can confirm that, but until that day, Spider Baby warms my heart and only gets better upon repeat viewings." - Emily
  • "Spider Baby is a film that needs to be seen by everyone. It is AMAZING, so it should win." - R.D. Penning
  • "Let’s face it: even Rob Zombie would pick Vincent Price over Sid Haig." - Joe Monster
  • "Phibes! Phibes! He’s our man! If he can’t do it, no one can! And by “it” I obviously mean  crafting creative murders." - Christine
The Vote: The Abominable Dr. Phibes 5, Spider Baby 8 - SPIDER BABY moves on to the Regional Final!
The Blob Regional
What The Mike says: Do I dare vote against Bruce and Ash?  It is Kurt Russell, after all.  Ehhhh....I kinda want to, and I know I wouldn't be considering this if we were talking Evil Dead or Army of Darkness.  Alas, groovier heads prevail - and I'm siding with Evil Dead II.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "While Evil Dead II is awesome, Death Proof is a movie that I fall more in love with every time I watch it. Plus- Kurt > Bruce." - Emily C.
  • "It's S-Mart vs The Texas Chili Parlor, and as much as I like my movies to be a little spicy, I cannot resist a good deal. You're in, Ash." - Matt
  • "Stuntman Mike never had a chainsaw hand. In fact, Stuntman Mike was kind of a little bitch. Ash, however, is the man." - TL Bugg
  • "Shotgun arm and The Chin edge out a cadre of sexy kickass females with nerd cache?  I must be getting old." - Mike S.
  • "Apparently I’m in the minority when it comes to giving love to Death Proof, but I love it and will stand by it ‘til the end…well,  at least until it goes up against EVIL DEAD II!" - B.Stank
The Vote: Evil Dead II 11, Death Proof 2 - EVIL DEAD II moves on to the Regional Final!
What The Mike says: Two overachieving '80s flicks meet in the unlikeliest of Sinister Sixteen matchups.  Though I'm sure I'd have picked something else in this regional myself, I'm kinda tickled to see the support for these movies that's been shown.  That all said - I love Barbara Hershey lots.  I love KKfOS too, but not like I love Babs Hershey. 
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "I'm really digging Barbara Hershey's career resurgence as the go-to hot older mom in horror movies nowadays." - Mike S.
  • "Ghosts who rape women or Killer Klowns from Outer Space? Let's judge this by size. Since klowns wear big shoes, they win." - Fred [The Wolf]
  • "I would rather have a ghost rape me than watch Killer Klowns from Outer Space. How is this movie still in the running. This is the worlds worst Cinderella story, and Jerry Lewis made Cinderfella!" - TL Bugg
  • "When a clown, let alone, a Killer Klown, shoves his hand up John Vernon's ass for the sole purpose of using him as a ventriloquist dummy, you shall have my vote. And my axe - body spray. I don't really use that." - Matt
  • "Easiest choice ever. The Entity has a great premise until it derails into a silly game of lasers. Killer Klowns is perfection." - Emily
  • "Because I don't think that Killer Klowns would be intimidated by an invisible entity who they probably just capture in some cotton candy, they are my choice in this match up.  Plus, I'd rather hang out with the Killer Klowns any day- they seem like much more fun despite their propensity for killing human beings." - Emily C.
  • "Put the titular Entity in any movie of your choosing and you have standard, yet sexy, supernatural hijinks. But if you put the Killer Klowns in a movie, ANY movie, you feel as giddy as Pee Wee Herman. On Prozac. At Disney World. During Christmas." - Joe Monster
  • "I grew up with Killer Klowns. It wasn’t till much later in life that I realized not everyone spent their formative years watching giant clowns capture people in cotton candy cocoons." - Christine
  • "Killer Klowns From Outer Space is my sleeper pick, much like VCU. (Yes I'm a nerd who also likes sports.)" - R.D. Penning
  • "The Entity is, for reasons I cannot understand, a neglected  horror classic.  It’s one of the few genuinely scary movies that I have ever seen.   The fact that Killer Klowns made it past Maniac  in the last round,  just flat-out disgusts me." - B.Stank
The Vote: Killer Klowns from Outer Space 10, The Entity 3 - KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE moves on to the Regional Final!
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And, like that, we're down to EIGHT.  It's safe to say that I wouldn't have drawn the bracket up this way, but that's why they call it MADNESS!  Can the #1 Seeds continue to dominate?  Will a double digit seed break through and become Midnight Movie of the Year?  Come back soon and see for yourself as these eight films battle for regional supremacy and a trip to the FATAL FOUR!

REGIONAL FINAL MATCHUPS
The Frankenstein Regional - #1 Seed: Predator vs. #3 Seed: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Myers Regional - #1 Seed: The Thing vs. #10 Seed: Friday the 13th
The Hammer Regional - #1 Seed: Moon vs. #7 Seed: Spider Baby
The Blob Regional - #1 Seed: Evil Dead II vs. #14 Seed: Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 3:12 PM 6 Midnight Warriors
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April 2, 2011

Midnight Movie of the Week #65 - Westworld

Though I'm generally nerdy in person, there have been a select few times in my life when the level of nerdiness I'm capable of is truly evident to all those around me.  For no particular reason, I remember one of those times.  It was sometime in 1998, and I turned to a friend and randomly said "Y'know, one of these nights I need to have a 25th anniversary sci-fi double feature with Soylent Green and Westworld".  Not surprisingly, his response was a bit of bewilderment followed by "You should run a movie theater or something someday".  I'd like to think his delayed, confused response was directly related to my awesomeness, but he probably thought it was just weird that I'd throw that out there.  I regret nothing.

But hey, it's 13 years later, and I'm here to say I love Westworld.  (Don't get me wrong, I still love Soylent Green too....but that's a different story for a different day.)  Michael Crichton's bit of sci-fi - which he both wrote AND directed! - is still a groundbreaking piece of pulpy fun that foreshadowed some of the biggest cinema crazes of the '80s.  It thrills the viewer throughout a brisk runtime of under 90 minutes, all while creating four different worlds that provide an interesting clash due to their differing morals, customs and - perhaps most importantly - tools of survival.
First and foremost, I have to point out that it's also a film in which James Brolin looks creepily....and I mean REALLY creepily....similar to Christian Bale.  I mean, it's uncanny.  You take the picture of James Brolin above, years before his immaculate Amityville Horror beard, and put it next to a picture of Christian Bale.  It's ridiculous.  I hear Russell Crowe is attached to a remake of the film - which by definition is a bad idea - but if they get Bale to fill the Brolin role (and maybe Andrew Garfield to fill in for Richard Benjamin?) - I'm suddenly interested, because that movie would be the closest thing to real life time travel we've ever seen. 
Now, about the movie.  Westworld tells the tale of two businessmen, played by Benjamin and Brolin, who are taking a $1,000/day vacation at one of the luxurious DELOS resorts which promise a trip back in time to one of three worlds gone by.  There's MedievalWorld, which promises the lifestyle of a swordfighter or decadent armorclad person.  There's RomanWorld, which kind of looks like a toga party with less sex - this is a PG movie, after all.  And there's the obvious choice, Westworld, which promises an authentic trip into the southwest of years gone by.

On their way to Westworld, it can quickly be determined that Brolin is the cool half of the duo - who's also returning to Westworld a second time - while Benjamin's character is a bit fidgety and not in any way cool like a Brolin (or Bale).  He gets plenty of chances to literally "cowboy up" during the opening days of the week long trip, which include picking up robo-babes, getting in barroom brawls, and participating in gunfights.  No one wants to pay $1,000 a day to die during a gunfight, so luckily the gunfights are mechanically rigged using some kind of body heat sensors.  (I never really understood this.  Why couldn't the script have just said they were using cheat codes?  I'd have understood THAT.)
In another attempt to be realistic, Westworld is fully equipped with a robo-gunslinger that looks just like that guy from The Magnificent Seven.  That's right, Yul Brynner himself co-stars opposite our displaced businessmen, and is an incredibly imposing villain once things go haywire near the film's midpoint.  There's something really neat about seeing the actor in his tough guy persona during the first half of the film - when the viewer knows he's harmless - and then seeing him become an unstoppable force in the second half.  Brynner is just playing into a stereotype, really, but he does so with a silent confidence and stilted mannerisms that remind modern viewers of future villains like Michael Myers and The Terminator.

The fourth world we enter in the DELOS resort might be my favorite to ponder.  It's the "behind the curtain" side of the resort, where a bunch of guys in white lab coats with varying degrees of glasses and facial hairs twist nobs and speak into microphones while running the army of World-Bots that keep all three resorts functioning.  There's also a pseudo-morgue in this whitewashed series of hallways, which is just another part of this control center set that I am completely fascinated by. 
New viewers will undoubtedly spend much of the film wondering a) how all these controls and all the robo-doctoring can go so smoothly to run such a large resort and b) whether or not these computer controlled facilites are the dumbest thing ever invented by people smart enough to create functional robogunsligers, roboknights, and robowhores.  (I answer a) Don't know, I'm not a robotologist, and b) Yes.)  There's definitely a parallel that can be drawn between these control rooms and some of the sets in Crichton's Jurassic Park, and there's just something about these "I can control every individual water fountain in sequence using this series of knobs and levers" type centers of SCIENCE that makes me smile and wonder.
There are plenty of other things to wonder about in regard to Westworld - like exactly how robo-ho sex works or why all the whitecoated sci-guys didn't think to build doorknobs that weren't computer overridden - but none of it really takes away from how fun Westworld can be as a vacation from reality.  Crichton's film has aged remarkably well, and there's no reason Westworld - hopefully via blu-ray in the near future - wouldn't be a great pick for the next time you want to see a one of a kind sci-fi film with an iconic unstoppable killer and a time-traveling Christian Bale. 
 
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 6:01 PM 5 Midnight Warriors
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