ARCHIVES Jan/Feb 2009
February 28, 2009
THE SLOW DEATH OF SMALL PRESS MAGAZINES
Look around you and listen, classic horror movie fans. Do you hear the death knell of the horror film magazine, at least the small press variety? Think about the past five years. Ingram Distribution, who sells to the chain bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Borders and the rest, continue to squeeze the little guy, returning unsold copies via "invoice" (meaning publishers never see the copies returned; they are recycled). More and more independent mom-and-pop shops are closing. The small press' best friend, Tower Books and Records, went belly-up. Printing costs, mainly because of increased cost of paper, are rapidly rising. Mainstream magazines and newspapers are folding (this past week our own BALTIMORE EXAMINER ceased publication) and continue to fold (musical magazines such as HARP, NO DEPRESSION, ICE, etc.). Because of the declining economy, more and more fans are failing to subscribe to magazines, strangling publishers economically.
And now the stake has finally been driven through the heart of the small press publisher. Perhaps, for many, a fatal blow. Diamond Distribution, the consistent supporter of the small press, and the nationwide supplier of indie magazines to comic shops, has announced that unless they can sell a shit-load of magazines (750 copies of a single issue minimally for some), they will cease listing our products in PREVIEW S , their nationally distributed solicitation venue (unless we pay for expensive advertising, just to be listed). Diamond, who always pays within 30 days of receiving product, whose sales most likely pay for more publisher printing bills than any other purchaser, is now gravitating, for economic reasons, towards the mainstream and sure-fire money-makers.
Many publishers are proud of their products. Many small press magazines cater to the collectors who "bag and board" lush mint condition magazines. These publishers try to produce their product on 80-100 pound enamel gloss stock, in full color if possible, with hefty page counts that seem to always be increasing, with plenty of rare photos. But when faced with the above factors, expensively produced offset printed magazines may soon be becoming relics of the past.
The options? Of course the first and easiest is to cease publication and cite the poor economic times as the easy excuse. The other options require creative thinking and the guts to go where few others have gone.
About one year ago, faced with declining sales from a declining subscription base, MIDNIGHT MARQUEE became the first major horror film print magazine to go digital and morph into an online entity. As a creative editor/publisher, I was exhilarated by the potential to do things online that I could not do otherwise as a print magazine. For instance, a specific page count limitation was no longer an issue. Full color was not a problem online. Software exists for the more money-minded publishers to be able to charge customers to access the online magazine, for a fee. Often these magazines (such as WIDESCREEN REVIEW) offer part of the magazine free online, but to get the entire issue customers have to pay for a single issue or multiple issue subscription. But such software is cumbersome and difficult to use, at least at this stage. My thoughts were to ask readers to make monetary contributions, in any amount, on PayPal to keep the magazine going. Purely voluntary, of course. The magazine could be accessed and printed out for free.
But the reality hit home that many classic horror film buffs are not youngsters and many of them are not computer literate. These people might be willing to still pay for a printed out version of the online edition of the magazine, but printing and binding more than a few issues became a full-time job (for one month) for Susan, who wanted to give people who paid for what was absolutely free online a good product. But she found herself frustrated by the time investment, and even the cost of printing and binding and shipping.
So we needed to keep thinking creatively. Today, printers offer options other than offset printing, options that allow short print runs, and quick reorders, done speedily and affordably. Such print-on-demand methods meant there was no longer a need to warehouse product and pay for the storage of over 80 titles. Yes, the quality is slightly less than offset quality, but it is high quality nonetheless and very well might spell the difference for most publishers between continued manufacturing and distribution of future books and magazines, or throwing in the towel.
But in the four decades since I become involved in horror fandom and fanzine/magazine production, a lot has changed, and not always for the better.
Here is a conversation concerning any new magazine arriving in mailboxes across the nation today. "I loved that cover. The photos were so sharp and clear. The expensive paper and that gloss stock really showed off the layout design. I just love that rich feel and spell of a freshly printed magazine. The color just jumped off the page."
Here is a similar conversation when a new magazine arrived in mailboxes, a few decades ago: "Wow, I loved that cover. The editorial really got me to think, even if I did not agree with that opinion. The first two letters on page 4 really brought a smile to my face. The major articles was so informative, I never knew that before! I learned so much that I never knew before! My mind is still swimming with all this information and opinion!"
Not that horror movie fans no longer read the magazines they collect (I know for a fact that many do not), but many collectors buy magazines just to collect them, to feel them, to look at them, to smell them but hardly to read them. Today, just like most artifacts of our superficial culture, looks are everything and the inner substance means far less. Don't get me wrong, I still read discussions about the printed content of magazines, but the balance is askew, with more fans speaking about the look of the magazine rather than its content. How sad!
Think back to the golden days of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND and CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Of course we ooohed and aaaaahed at the Basil Gogos and Larry Ivie covers, but we were most impressed with Cal Beck's latest editorial about the war, or Forry's cross-country trip where he might stop in our neighborhood, or Forry's plea to readers to support his Ackermansion by sending in our quarters and dollars. We raved about Forry's latest "Filmbooks" covering classic Universal productions and the Haunt Ad section in the back. And you know what, these and other classic monster magazines were printed on the lowest grade paper and cover stock. This pulp paper would literally become brittle and turn yellow within a decade. But you know, we monster kids (and kids we were) did not care. We knew of slick gloss magazines published (TIME, NEWSWEEK, PLAYBOY, SATURDAY EVENING POST), but for monster mags crude would do. It wasn't about the expensive look; it was all about the content, the ideas, and the images. Would we have wanted a more expensively produced magazine back then? To be honest, I don't think it really would have mattered. Horror movies were never the most expensive of Hollywood's cinematic product, so why should magazines heralding such movies be lavish "Roadshow" productions?
Somewhere along the path we lost track of what horror film magazines were created for, and monster magazines become just like monster model kits and toys, something to gawk at without doing much thinking about. A monster mag became more about external appearance, an expensive look, and reading and thinking and discussing became less and less important. Don't get me wrong, there remain plenty of fans that live to read every page, every word and debate the content afterwards. But generally these people do not care as much if the magazine is printed on gloss stock or offset paper, if the magazine is in black and white and not color. In other words, it's not about the glamorous appearance, but about the inner beauty fueled by words and ideas. In fact, it is not even about whether the magazine exists only digitally online or as a hard print copy. Both methods get the word out.
What really matter are the WORDS, THE IMAGES and THE MESSAGE. And that can be conceived online digitally, offset printed, or however printed. The bottom line is this. Magazine publishers will have to change to continue producing a viable product and that might mean a change in printing method or even presentation (from hard print to online). If we truly care about the WORLD and MESSAGE, such superficial changes will not matter. As magazines change, so must the readership adjust and change. But most importantly, the readers, the fans, must continue to support fully the efforts of magazine publishers. Technology changes, fueled in part by a changing economy, and necessitate a radical re-thinking in the way we "consume" periodicals. Please continue to be forward thinking and supportive of your favorite old and new magazines. Without the support of the fan, THE WORD, THE IMAGE and THE MESSAGE dies. You hold our fate in your hands. With such power comes great responsibility!
February 17, 2009
THE DARK KNIGHT and The Evolution of The Hero
I finally caught up to the Blu-ray version of THE DARK KNIGHT and admit to being blown away by its visual audacity. What I did not expect was the equally audacious script (screenplay by Jonathan and Christopher Nolan, story co-written with Christopher Nolan and David Goyer), with its complex concept of what constitutes the modern day hero. The complex morality, deftly explained both verbally and visually, becomes, I feel, the film's greatest strength. For once we confront a truly adult Batman movie (the explosions and kinetic pacing keeping the younger fans involved as well).
First of all, notice the trilogy of heroes and villains. On the villainous side we have the world of the criminal mobsters, the gangland suits who infiltrate all threads of Gotham City, including the police force. Secondly we have the almost Shakespearean tragic hero, Harvey Dent, the newly appointed district attorney and almost heroic restorer of order (handsomely chiseled to boot). And lastly we have the insidious Joker, the villain without a plan (or so he claims), without a conscience and a true Anarchist in the most philosophical sense. While the gangsters are always motivated and driven by profit and money, the Joker incinerates their huge bounty of money in front of them to demonstrate their philosophic weakness. Once the Joker overpowers and controls the conservative gangster element, it is not long before he has Gotham City questioning their loyalty to the vigilante Batman. The Joker has penetrated even the police department, and by imbedding a bomb-detonating cell phone within the stomach cavity of a jailed criminal, he can blow it all to hell by making just one phone call. Likewise, he blows up Gotham General just as effectively, the city's major hospital. He is a man willing to take the ultimate risks, without fear, and he seems to live only to create more and more chaos, without consideration of ultimate outcome. Anarchists don't have plans, they just act impulsively, or so says the Joker. The Joker appears initially to want to destroy Batman, but the Joker realizes that he is the ying to Batman's yang, and that Batman's ultimate good motivates the Joker's ultimate evil. The Joker needs Batman to fuel his ambition. The Joker wants to destroy the heroic image of the Batman, reveal his true human identity, more than he wishes to fatally finish Gotham's hero. In many ways the Joker and Batman are very much alike, and that's what the Joker wants Gotham City to see.
On the side of good we again have Harvey Dent, who also appears on the villainous side of the fence as well, soon-to-be Commission Gordon and Batman. Harvey Dent is a charismatic force of law and order, a political wonder-kid that plans to return Gotham City to the peace it once knew, and the citizenry see him as a blessed avenger. Second, Gordon, the self-sacrificing cop, even concocts a scheme that leads to his supposed death, even sending two officers from the force to tell his wife and son that he is dead, when in fact he is alive and carrying out a scheme to bring the city mobsters to justice. Gordon is a man who will put his own family through hell for the cause of eradicating evil from the city he loves and serves. Third, Batman is a conflicted millionaire, playboy and philanthropist whose motivations might be more revenge-oriented than based upon receiving the adulation of fist-pumping citizens cheering him on. Compared to everyone else, his inner-workings and motivations are cloudy at best, his angst not quite understood even by himself. As Michael Caine's sympathetic Alfred always advises, Batman is always an outsider, a loner, who does what he does not to be popular, but because his outsider status allows him to do the right thing, not necessarily the most popular.
But the film's most profound moments occur when the Joker, planning havoc upon the ultimate societal good-guy Harvey Dent, systematically corrupts and reduces Dent to his own evil level, making him a criminal vigilante (not unlike Batman) who takes the law into his own hands, murdering five citizens brutally, others surviving simply because of a lucky coin flip. In the film's pivotal emotional sequence, love interest Rachel (she loves Batman, but loves Harvey Dent more) is trapped in one warehouse and Dent in another. Gordon and the police, and Batman, are told where each is housed, with a detonator clicking away. Time exists to rescue one, but not the other. The police opt to save the district attorney first, but he is horribly burned on one side of his face, while Rachel, calmly, faces her explosive demise. The fact that the corrupt police were in part responsible for their abduction and the fact that the police and Batman opted to save him and not her, turn the now disfigured and mentally angered Dent to evil, the ultimate tragic hero whose internal flaws lead to his self destruction. Unable to deal with conventional, personal morality any longer, Dent flips a coin and allows the gods of fate to decide who will live and who will die. When Dent dies at the end, Commissioner Gordon and Batman bemoan the fact that the Gotham citizenry will be totally demoralized by the fact that their self-righteous hero was corrupted and turned to evil. In other words, the Joker wins with such a scenario! So in a gripping coda, Gordon tells his teary-eyed son, who worships Batman, that Batman must accept total blame for the deaths caused by Dent, because for the greater public good, the heroic image of Dent must be preserved, and Batman must become the now less-than-heroic Dark Knight, the enemy of the police, the anti-hero who will bear the brunt of shame and disappointment that would otherwise be heaped upon dead Harvey Dent. It is the ultimate sacrifice and one that Alfred reinforces time and time again. Doing the right thing often alienates the loner from the very society he struggles to protect. Sometimes the hero is misunderstood and hated by the very people he sacrifices everything for, and sometimes, just knowing we are doing the right thing has to be reward enough.
And yes, the late Heath Leger's performance as the Joker is an incredible performance, dramatic and bold yet frequently underplayed. But an intelligent script anchors that performance, giving Ledger the insightful and complex dialogue that makes his performance shine. Magically, Ledger's performance as the Joker outshines Christian Bale's performance as Batman, which might be the ultimate praise. Ledger's Joker becomes one of the best cinematic villains ever and his performance becomes the emotional core of this complexly constructed thesis on good vs. evil and the role of the hero in today's society.
January 28, 2009
DVD/BLU-RAY TOP-10 LIST: BEST OF 2008
It is the start of another year and time to reflect back upon those major home video releases of the past 12 months. Unlike last year, the horror genre releases were less impressive, mainly because when it comes to the classics, most of the best stuff is already out. Of course I can immediately bemoan the fact that movies such as HORROR OF DRACULA, due a restoration and proper aspect ratio release, missed its 50 th year anniversary, even though a restored print, found by the BFI, was released theatrically in England. This seemed to be the year of the Western, and some wonderful releases arrived in 2008. And this was the year, only a few months ago, that I added a Panasonic BD-55 Blu-ray player to the theater, and hopefully a new 1080p digital projector will be added by the end of next year (although my InFocus 720p still looks fantastic). So, in no particular order, are my favorite releases of the past year.
BUDD BOETTICHER BOX SET (THE TALL T; DECISION AT SUNDOWN; BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE, RIDE LONESOME; COMANCHE STATION)
Think of Boetticher as the Edgar Ulmer of the B Western genre (artistic and quirky, but always on a budget). Coming on the heels of 1956's 7 MEN FROM NOW (already on DVD), the remaining Boetticher Randolph Scott Westerns find release in this box set (movies released from 1957 to 1960). The first three Westerns are better than the final two, but all of them are worthy and conform to Boetticher's unique style. While he traces some ideas and imagery from John Ford and others, his films are the modern inspiration for Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood. In Boetticher's world revenge is both noble and depraved, in equal measures. Randolph Scott, who stars and plays the hero in all these productions, is multi-dimensional and very personable. Like John Wayne (of the 1950s and beyond) he looks, talks and walks like an aging Western icon, but his characters are haunted and flawed. Equally interesting, most of the villains in these productions are more richly developed characters than the hero. While such characters are indeed on the wrong side of the law, each is ultimately revealed as being human, cast in bold shades of gray. Action is usually kept to a minimum in Boetticher's universe, but the movies are seldom boring, usually coming in at less than 80 taunt minutes. For me the discovery of such invaluable slices of Americana became one of the cinematic treats of the year. And the commentary and interviews by people such as Martin Scorsese, Taylor Hackford and Clint Eastwood add a different perspective showing how these B movies influenced movies that followed.
ICONS OF ADVENTURE COLLECTION (THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER; DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES; STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY; THE TERROR OF THE TONGS)
Since so many of the Hammer classics have already been released to home DVD, Sony has unearthed the quasi-horror costume dramas released by Hammer. As a child, I pretty much passed over the Hammer pirate movies and their "strangler" and "Tong" terrors. A pity! All four movies in this re-mastered box set are entertaining. And as mastered, all four movies are stunning to behold (three of them in gorgeous color and STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY in black and white), looking as close to the original theatrical quality as is humanly possible. Even with a small budget Hammer's THE TERROR OF THE TONGS offers Christopher Lee a chance to get his Fu Manchu on, and the studio bound dock set is very impressive (proving once again that Hammer was the master of B production set design and set decoration, working for little money and in cramped quarters). The two pirate movies show how Hammer could make pirate movies land bound by only filming very short sequences at sea. Christopher Lee, who portrays two different varieties of pirate, is quite effective in both performances, and he shines as lead villain in both movies. Sometimes subtle and underplayed, at other moments grandiose and theatrical, Christopher Lee's pirate performances testify to his acting talents. And Michael Ripper, Hammer's favorite supporting player, gets one of his largest roles in PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER. Finally, STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY is tense, effectively acted and packs a B wallop. This ICONS OF ADVENTURE set is a true revelation, a delightfully surprising one at that.
ICONS OF HORROR: HAMMER FILMS (THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB; THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL; THE GORGON; SCREAM OF FEAR)
In spite of the release of Hammer's ICONS OF ADVENTURE non-horror dramas (that juice up the horror quotient nonetheless), many outright horror entries were still awaiting DVD release. And this box set should satisfy every Hammer fan. THE GORGON, released on VHS in a muddy version decades ago, has been overripe for picking on DVD, and now it arrives in its original aspect ratio with intense Hammer color. One of Terence Fisher's later period Hammer Gothics, THE GORGON gets better with age. The set design, the basic mythological horror plot, the acting (Cushing and Lee, with Barbara Shelley) and set design all sparkle, and as directed by Fisher, THE GORGON can finally be revealed as the excellent horror movie it is. Even the eerie castle garden sequences with the gorgon terrify, simply because we notice the setting, the reflections in water and mirrors, and the fiend's terrifying eyes and stony face. We never have the opportunity to notice the rubbery snakes on her head. Fisher draws our attention where it needs to be, and this again is a credit to his directorial skills. Not so spectacular is CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB (directed by Michael Carreras), but with its moody widescreen photography and typical Hammer cheesecake window dressing, the film does entertain and the mummy sequences are all first-rate. Perhaps the gem of the set is the uncut TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL, again released in its original aspect ratio. While never considered one of Hammer's best (there's no monstrous Mr. Hyde, and Christopher Lee plays the best friend cad [not the monster], a role he offers to perfection here), the movie is atypical for Hammer and avoids the stereotypical formula treatment. The acting is first rate and the story holds our interest. SCREAM OF FEAR, the only black and white entry, is one of Hammer's best PSYCHO-clones and has remained missing in action on the home video market for too long. There's no HORROR OF DRACULA here, but for any Hammer horror fan, this set delivers the goods.
FOX HORROR CLASSICS COLLECTION, VOL. 2 (CHANDU THE MAGICIAN; DRAGONWYCK; DR. RENAULT'S SECRET)
Fox shot the wad with its first Classics Collection, and unfortunately, calling Vincent Price's noir/mystery DRAGONWYCK "horror" is a huge stretch of the imagination (however, it's a delightful mystery and about time it received this DVD treatment). DR. RENAULT'S SECRET, always a B favorite, is a film that truly seems too long at nearly 70 minutes, but it is always a pleasure to see J. Carroll Naish and George Zucco interact in the horror arena. The go-to-film of the collection is the rare CHANDU THE MAGICIAN, a Bela Lugosi movie that needed to be released and features a romantic and well-chiseled Lugosi at his youthful, brooding best. However, the film is more an adventure, a fantasy, and is only considered horror because of Lugosi's presence and his death ray apparatus that threatens to destroy the world. Edmund Lowe's lead, as the long-in-the-tooth dashing hero Chandu, is weak and overly theatrical. Such performances led to the creation of "camp" in the 1960s when the film was ready to be screened on late night television. Still, the Cameron Menzies-directed movie is flawed but fun, and for the cost of the box set, the three movies contained are truly fun to watch.
THE GODFATHER: THE COPPOLA RESTORATION GIFTSET [BLU-RAY] (THE GODFATHER; THE GODFATHER PART II; THE GODFATHER PART III)
Amazingly, too many modern classics have been allowed to decompose and are in need of major restoration. For most people, the first two GODFATHER movies are modern classics, in their own way THE BIG SLEEP and CASABLANCA of their eras, and deservedly so. Just the juxtaposition of gangster criminality and family morality makes these complex character studies so rich. We have the rise of Don Vito Corleone (a marvelous Marlon Brando performance, underplayed) and the emergence of his son Michael (an equally impressive Al Pacino), a military war hero who wants none of the family business but finds himself unable to walk away from it. The movie demonstrates that morality walks a blurry, sometimes undefined line, and even among the criminal underworld there exists degrees of good and evil. Beyond these thematic masterpieces, we have the wonderful direction of Francis Ford Coppola that chips this modern opera down to mortal size. And this blu-ray release of all three films makes each look as wonderful as the films did upon their theatrical release. Sometimes the colors are muted or the photography a tad too dark, but this was the intent, and the look of the GODFATHER films is just as important as the story and acting. If anyone doubts the authenticity of these modern cinematic classics (of course GODFATHER PART III is not in the same league), this is the box set to purchase.
THE THIRD MAN [BLU-RAY]
So often people say that blu-ray works best for modern films. Movies that pop and radiate off a large screen, fueled by booming five or seven channel Dolby HD Audio or DTS Master Audio surround sound. And while it is true that blu-ray favors such intense collisions of sight and sound, it is also true that black and white classics look and sound state-of-the-art (home versions of theatrical 35mm prints) on blu-ray. Criterion's version of THE THIRD MAN, Carol Reed's film noir classic, starring the iconic Orson Welles as Harry Lime, just glistens and sparkles. Somehow the blacks in a deeply saturated black and white movie look even more film-like when presented in high definition. The planes of focus--front, middle and rear--look sharper and clearer. The soundtrack, voices, sounds and music fill the soundscape with a depth of field unparalleled. Let's face it; the movie's always the thing, of course. But even when Criterion sets the standard with their highest quality standard definition releases, their blu-ray releases just ups the ante. THE THIRD MAN never looked or sounded better.
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN [BLU-RAY]
Perhaps my favorite film of 2007 was the Coen Brother's NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, and the film's debut on blu-ray in 2008 becomes one of my favorite DVD releases of the year. Of course this violent character study, punctuated by spurts of violence and super-charged action, is only made more intense by the blu-ray experience. The subtlety of realizing a character's death because when the killer leaves the house, quietly, he has to wipe off his boots meaning they got sprayed with blood. The cat-and-mouse chase for the money (stupid but ballsy Josh Brolin vs. wonderful psychopath Javier Bardem, armed with his slaughterhouse air pellet gun) and the wizened old sheriff's pursuit (Tommy Lee Jones, in a wonderfully crafted role) make this character study one of the best suspense and action movies of that year. And on blu-ray the film seems so theatrical, sharp, clear and booming. This is an Oscar-winning Best Picture that will continue to resonate for the ages. Never has a coin toss bet (heads or tails) been so gut wrenching and profound. The concept of fate plays a pivot role in this slice of modern American Gothic, rivaling the role of fate to the ancient Anglo-Saxons and Greeks. It's been a while, but the Coen Brothers are back at the top of their game with NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, one of the most philosophical thrillers of the new century.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD [BLU-RAY]
Director Paul Thomas Anderson, working with the frame of an Upton Sinclair novel, has produced a mesmerizing modern classic, propelled by a gutsy leading performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as a self-made oil tycoon. Running 158 minutes, this intense character study of a flimflam man who achieves monetary greatness remains true to the formula by which great movies are remembered. Think of Orson Welles as Citizen Kane, James Dean from REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, Marlon Brando from ON THE WATERFRONT, etc. In a sense Day-Lewis creates a classic over-the-top screen characterization that makes him the equivalent of Count Dracula, a man who both charms, seduces, deceives and destroys the lives of innocent victims, wielding his power like he's King of America. For most people the verdict is not whether Daniel Day-Lewis submits a classic character performance, but whether the movie's frame (its story and other characters) is worthy of such a performance. For me, THERE WILL BE BLOOD succeeds on all levels. The movie is a slow build, very visual and methodical; it takes its time evolving from one point to the next. Some folks might simply be bored, while others sit transfixed. For generations of moviegoers raised on jet-propelled pacing with films cut fast, of course THERE WILL BE BLOOD will seem lethargic. But for those people who enjoy a slow build and carefully executed characterization, this film will meet your high expectations. And be warned, Kevin J. O'Connor's half-hour performance rivals the intensity of Day-Lewis' performance, proving one and for all that in a movie anchored by one great performance, the supporting cast is just as strong and its ensemble contributions make the leading performance that much richer.
I'M NOT THERE
Why should a film biography of icon Bob Dylan be anything other than cutting edge weird? Director Todd Haynes worked with the concept of having six different performers play aspects of Dylan's character through the movie (none of which are called Bob or Dylan). Cate Blanchett, in black leather and frizzy hair, plays the most cherished Dylan of all, the mid-1960s rock and roller, and she nails the character exposed in the classic documentary DON'T LOOK BACK. Christian Bale plays the I-found-Jesus period Dylan, and does well. As does the late Heath Ledger as the 1970s version of Dylan, and his performance equals Blanchett's for richness. Richard Gere portrays the Sam Pechinpah-era cowboy Dylan and his remains more a presence than an actual performance. But perhaps young black male Marcus Carl Franklin captures the era of the emerging protest era Dylan, the child who became a star. Yes, yes, yes, the film is rather episodic and trippy. The film creates more questions than provides answers, but just the look and various iconic sequences create a feeling of what Dylan may be about. Of course no one will ever know, and it's that puzzle that drives the man's art. Named after an unreleased (until the soundtrack album) track (a truly magnificent one) from the famous BASEMENT TAPES, the movie's soundtrack is equally inspired, offering takes on Dylan's songs by a host of iconic artists and indie rock bands that offer new variations on the old musical themes. Instead of featuring Dylan singing Dylan, we have actors playing quasi-Dylans surrounded with Dylan music played by anyone but Dylan (except the title song). Too bad this one is not yet available on blu-ray, but on standard DVD, I'M NOT THERE is a feast for the ears and the eyes for anyone who remotely enjoys the art of Bob Dylan.
FOX WESTERN CLASSICS (RAWHIDE; THE GUNFIGHTER; GARDEN OF EVIL)
Fox was not particularly remembered for producing classic Westerns; however, THE GUNFIGHTER is the reason to purchase this boxed set. Don't get me wrong, RAWHIDE and GARDEN OF EVIL are enjoyable Westerns, but THE GUNFIGHTER with Gregory Peck is a classic and one of the best Westerns of the 1950s, over-shadowed by the classic John Ford, Howard Hawks oeuvre and HIGH NOON. In this 1950 production, Peck plays Jimmy Ringo, perhaps the faster gun in the territory, and a gunfighter with a checkered history. He rides to town to find his wife and son, his wife having abandoned him long ago when their child came along. The town marshal Mark Strett (Millard Mitchell) was an original member of Ringo's gang, but when he had the chance, he started all over by reinventing himself as a lawman, a good one at that. Because of Ringo's reputation with his firearm, he wasn't able to abandon his past so easily. So every young punk in the territory comes gunning to prove their meddle (such as a youthful Richard Jaeckel in an energetic performance), and while barkeep Karl Malden (very young and also energetic) wants to keep Ringo in his saloon to drum up better business, all that the aging gunfighter desires is to reconcile with his family, travel as far as they can go, and buy a ranch to raise cattle and start anew. A simple dream, one that Ringo deserves. However, from the get-go the audience realizes all the obstacles that must be surmounted to make that dream reality. And with most adult Westerns of this time, the ending, while satisfying, is never close to happy. But wow, what a tremendous movie, and Gregory Peck delivers one of his finest performances ever. For anyone who loves Westerns, THE GUNFIGHTER is essential viewing.
January 17, 2009
THE BANK JOB And Why It Is Among the Best of 2008
About six months ago I blogged about how THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM created a new film grammar and way of modernizing the action thriller. With the Bourne movies, even when criticized for their hand-held visual delirium and quick cuts that focus on extreme close-ups, the formula works. However, when such uber-style is transferred to the latest James Bond epic A QUATUM OF SOLACE, it fails miserably. Quite simply, sometimes old school works best. It likes fashion... something cutting edge might look good on one person and silly on another.
Roger Donaldson, a journeyman director who has been around for decades, never achieved classic film status. He directed THE BOUNTY in 1984 and more recently directed the modern version of THE GETAWAY, the first SPECIES, DANTE'S PEAK, as well as THE RECRUIT. But with THE BANK JOB, Donaldson, melding old school storytelling with tight editing and generally non-flashy cinematography, creates his best film to date. In fact THE BANK JOB, somewhat of a sleeper, is one of the best films of 2008.
The challenge for Donaldson and his screenwriters was to translate an actual real-life bank robbery and truncate the story to slightly less than two hours. On top of this, the basic plot premise is extremely complex and convoluted. So Donaldson's challenge was to translate the complexities of the story in such a way that the story could be told visually and still remain coherent for its audience, one that is used to visual pyrotechnics with little intelligence in the screenplay. Cinematographer Michael Coulter and editor John Gilbert, working closely with Donaldson, craft a marvelous action thriller, one of the best heist films in ages, for adults who like to be challenged and made to think.
The ensemble cast stars the most unlikely action star of the decade, Jason Statham, who rose to fame in the three TRANSPORTER movies after first appearing in LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS and SNATCH (the best of Guy Ritchie's directorial output). Statham rose from the B ranks appearing in CRANK, John Carpenter's GHOST OF MARS and DEATH RACE. Not particularly muscular, balding and only ruggedly handsome, his success is based upon performance and the connection he makes with his audience. But Statham is the real deal and his performance in THE BANK JOB becomes the glue that holds everything together.
Trying to keep the story simple, in 1971 beautiful model Martine (Saffron Burrows), who hangs with the London criminal element, is busted for drugs and is offered a deal by the government to walk away, if she plays along. It seems one Michael X, a criminal who disguises himself as a black rights advocate, has photos of Princess Margaret having sex with two other men, and such photos could disgrace and even bring down the British monarchy. These photos are held in a specific safety deposit box at a specific bank. Martine is told to recover the photos, but she in turn goes to her part-time heist buddy Terry Leather (Statham) and mentions that the alarm system at that very bank will be turned off (for repair) for two weeks and that tons of money, gems and jewels are held in the safety deposit boxes. She sets them up to rob the bank for the money, while she plots to snatch the photos and turn them over, to save her neck. Of course the government boys plan to also arrest all the robbers before they get more than a block or so away from the bank. However, during the robbery a London kingpin criminal finds his little black book among the bounty stolen by Terry, a black book that lists all the corrupt London coppers that he paid off and are on his payroll. If the book gets into the wrong hands, his affluent criminal life is over.
So while the government boys oversee and support the robbery, the London police try to solve the crime, while the criminal mastermind is torturing and killing members of Terry's gang methodically. In the midst of this mess, Terry learns the truth from Martine and has to literally play the police against the criminals to concoct a foolproof plan of amnesty and escape.
The film's supreme moments arise from quietly generated tension and suspense. While drilling from underground to get into the bank vault, Terry communicates with a gang member on a rooftop across the street with a walkie-talkie. Unknown to the gang, a ham radio operator intercepts the communication and calls the police. Even though the police know a bank is being robbed, they do not know what specific bank it is. The police plan to have an ambulance, with siren blaring, stop in front of every London bank, hoping the radio transmission will pick up the siren. And this is exactly what is about to happen, at the actual bank where the robbery is occurring, except that the clumsy lookout drops his radio, which breaks during the fall, so even though the police are right outside the bank, the sirens are not heard. Donaldson milks this sequence for every drop of suspense.
The final meeting at a train station, in a clever plan concocted by Terry, involves meeting up with the criminal mastermind, who is holding one of Terry's gang hostage (having shot the other in the head), and who wants to trade for the little black book. However, the government men appear and scare the criminals off, who run for their lives. Terry is able to broker a deal for his gangs' escape and promise not to be prosecuted ever, as he turns the incriminating photos over (which involve not only Princess Margaret but other high ranking government officials in deviant, compromising situations). Soon in a crazy chase and shoot-out, the one honest cop in London intervenes, arrests the criminal mastermind, and in another deal concocted by Terry, gets the little black book as well (Terry was counting on the government men appearing the same time as the criminals). As he opens the police car door where Terry and the now safe hostage are held, the clever cop declares there's no bank robbers in here, having gotten what he wanted to make his career sparkle... the little black book with all the names and money received from the criminal mastermind. So Terry and his friend are released immediately.
THE BANK JOB is one of those complex puzzles where all the pieces fit coherently together by the last frame. At times, as audiences sit enraptured, we bite our nails thinking how in the hell will Terry and his surviving gang members get out of this mess alive, let alone avoiding jail time.
But the plot is totally satisfying, culminating in a lavish party commemorating the death of the one hostage killed. Also, it provides a moment of reconciliation for Terry and his estranged wife, who stuck by him through all of this, in spite of the fact he cheated on her. The film ends on a very satisfying note. In the best tradition of old-school filmmaking, the rogue criminal walks away and the audience cheers, because ultimately he was a victim of a corrupted government who set him up to do their dirty work. In the end credits, it even states that many of the people whose safety deposit boxes were robbed never even filed claims, either being too rich to care or housing merchandise too criminal to declare. Terry Leather is never lily white, but his integrity, morals, loyalty and intelligence win us over.
Right about now we need more movies such as THE BANK JOB where the little guy, flawed but quietly noble, is allowed to win and beat the corrupt system. There's something old school and definitely satisfying about that.
January 17, 2008
FORREST J ACKERMAN, GORY-JELLY and HORROR FANDOM
Forrest J Ackerman died December 4, 2008, on the very same date that I was celebrating my wife Susan's birthday. That's how the universe works sometimes.
Ackerman, in real life, was a fanatic in the best sense of the word. He was a science fiction fan, in the sense of organized fandom, conventions, memorabilia, hero worship, literature and media. He collected all things science fiction and helped create the sub-genre of horror film/monster fandom in 1958 with the birth of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. Although technically owned by James Warren, Ackerman put his own stamp on the magazine that inspired the young generation of baby boomers with chants that "Lon Chaney Shall Not Die!" He created FAMOUS MONSTERS filmbooks, Haunt Ads, Dr. Acula and "You Axed For It." He was the master of the groaner, the pun, and his magazines were over-burdened with such word play. But we were monster kids and such foolishness was what appealed to us, so Forry became Uncle Forry and led us into the discovery of cinematic treasures from the past.
In the early 1960s I was thrilled by the appearance of various fanzines or amateur magazines patterned after FAMOUS MONSTERS. I was most thrilled by one called HORRORS OF THE SCREEN, created by Alexander Soma. His magazine, offset printed with complex layout featuring plenty of thrilling photos, demonstrated to me that regular fans could produce a mini-version of FAMOUS MONSTERS, and in the summer of 1963 I created, along with my friend Dave Metzler, the first issues of GORE CREATURES. My gosh, my efforts paled in comparison to HORRORS OF THE SCREEN and most of the rest. My fanzine was the product of a 13-year-old child who lived in perpetual anticipation for every issue of FAMOUS MONSTERS to hit his regularly-traveled-to drug store that had the best magazine rack in northeast Baltimore. And to me, all the pleasure I got from reading those wonderful letters to the editor only made me feel that I too could be at the hub of such fan-centric attention.
And who should be the first person to buy an issue of #1 of GORE CREATURES, when the small ad appeared in the Haunt Ad department of FAMOUS MONSTERS? Who else but Forrest J Ackerman, the world's number-one monster fan who sent in one dollar for a six-issue subscription to GORE CREATURES and typed a short note that rhymed "Forry" with "Gory." But when Forry Ackerman supported your efforts, a kid knew he was on top of the world. At age 13 I knew I had made it.
To all of us who loved the iconic father of all monster kids, the man's human flaws did not matter. For we kids, it was the image, it was the personality, it was his words written in the magazine that mattered. We gasped when Uncle Forry announced his cross-country tour, where he would honor monster fans by staying, for free (meals and lodging of course expected), in their parents' homes. We dug deeply into our pockets when Forry asked his army of monster kids to support his ever-more-expensive Ackermansion with contributions of a few dollars. The Ackermansion was a monument to monsterdom and if our dollars could maintain such a Xanadu, it was worth every cent every kid possessed, to donate to the cause.
And when I finally met Forrest J Ackerman live, at the LunaCon in New York City, along with my father and, sadly, late friend Robert Hancock in the mid-sixties, Forry was as gracious, kind and nurturing as any long lost uncle could be. Meeting Forry for the first time was like knowing him as your beloved, eccentric uncle all your life. Posing for photos with editors holding their magazines proudly skyward, Uncle Forry always managed to up the ante by holding at least the top edge of FAMOUS MONSTERS a little higher. For Forry such a childish prank endeared him to the children who surrounded and worshipped him.
While I matured, continued collecting FAMOUS MONSTERS, but also collecting more adult magazines such as Calvin Beck's CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN, Forry Ackerman was the Peter Pan of monster fandom, the man-child who never grew up, who always became the beckon of inspiration for youngsters everywhere. Even when the aging monster kids craved new information, new facts, more in depth articles and scholarship, Uncle Forry continued to recycle the same articles and puns, much to the delight of the entry level monster kids who were just entering the arena of horror movie fandom. While the rest of rest moved on, Forry remained the initiator of horror and science fiction film and literature.
During the decades that passed so quickly as little Gary became the adult Gary, and once my wife Susan and I started the sponsorship of the FANEX horror film conventions, Forry (and his wife) was a frequent guest at the shows. No matter how much the landscape of movie monster fandom changed, the one constant was Forrest J Ackerman.
Having reached the ripe age of 92 years, Forry, in failing health, finally succumbed to heart failure and died a quiet death mere minutes away from 12 midnight. His passing marked both the end and the continuance of an era, an era of Shock Theater, cool ghouls, Aurora monster model kids, Monster Mash records, Big Frankie and local horror film hosts. When it comes to the emergence of popular culture in the 20 th century, Forry J Ackerman became that larger-than-life father figure that inspired generations of children to love sci-fi cinema and literature. And in Uncle Forry's philosophy, this was only the beginning, not the end. We were encouraged to reach for the stars and never to look down. And while Uncle Forry is no longer around in the flesh to guide us, his iconic character, much like Lon Chaney before him, will not die, not as long as the legions continue testifying to his indisputable influence, all started crudely within the pages of a pulp magazine that appealed to children. As long as people continue to write about horror, science fiction and monsters, or collect memorabilia, the spirit of the Ackermonster lives! This was his legacy; this was his life.
