Asylum (1972)

Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Written by Robert Bloch

Rated PG

"Asylum" has been made available to watch for free online by AMCTV here!

I was immediately drawn to "Asylum" because it is based on a series of shorts by Robert Bloch, the man who wrote the book Hitchcock's "Psycho" was based on. He also wrote one of my favorite original series "Star Trek" episodes, "Wolf in the Fold", in which Scotty is possessed by the spirit of Jack the Ripper.

"Asylum" is actually made up of four short stories held together by an overarching narrative that links the stories together. For this reason, my review will address each story individually as well as the film as a whole.

The frame story starts out in an over-the-top fashion. As the credits roll to the tune of "Night on Bald Mountain" (best known from Disney's "Fantasia" (1941)), we see Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) driving to a job interview at an insane asylum. The music seems inappropriately dramatic for a scene with little or no dramatic action. When he reaches the asylum, he's greeted by wheelchair-bound Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee), who informs Martin that Dr. Starr, the doctor with whom Martin had corresponded about the job has gone insane and been committed as a patient. Rutherford warns Martin that the inmates "can't be cured, only confined."

Apparently, Dr. B. Starr had a breakdown from working with the mentally ill. The doctor has developed an additional personality, with its own life story and false memories. Doubting Dr. Martin's ability to diagnose psychological disorders, Rutherford sends Martin upstairs to meet the asylum's inmates. Rutherford tells Martin that if he can correctly guess which inmate used to be Dr. Starr, he will have proven himself qualified for the job. And so Dr. Martin goes to interview each patient, with the ultimate goal of determining which one used to be Dr. B. Starr.

"FROZEN FEAR"

The first patient Dr. Martin sees is a young woman who calls herself "Bonnie". She had been seeing a married man, Walter, for some time, and plotted with him to kill his wife. Walter, an alcoholic, womanized and abusive husband, installs a large freezer in his basement for storage of his wife's body parts. He takes his wife into the basement to show her a "surprise", then murders her with an ax. Walter wraps up his wife's body parts in brown paper and puts them in the freezer. His task accomplished, Walter calls Bonnie to make further arrangements. By the time Bonnie arrives, however, Walter is dead in the freezer, strangled by one of his wife's severed arms. Bonnie is chased around the basement by her lover's dead wife's limbs and torso and head. The police discover her delirious in the basement and assume she's killed Walter. The wife's body parts are never found.

This story was rather fun. On it's own, I'd give it an 8/10. The "autonomous body part" special effects were fairly decent, with the exception of one scene in which a prop operator's hand is clearly visible holding a severed arm. The story is short but interesting, and there are some genuinely disturbing images.

"THE WEIRD TAILOR"

The second story concerns "Bruno", a tailor who is having trouble paying rent. When a mysterious Mr. Smith commissions a special suit from Bruno, Bruno accepts, even though Smith has some confusingly specific instructions. Mr. Smith has brought his own special material, which is bright white but glows with multicolored light. He instructs Bruno to work on it only according to a schedule Smith has made, between the hours of midnight and 5 AM. Though mystified by the special instructions, Bruno works hard in the wee hours for a week straight to finish the suit.

When he goes to deliver the suit to Mr. Smith, he finds him in an abandoned-looking mansion. Smith refuses to pay for the suit until Bruno allows Smith's son (for whom the suit was intended) to try it on. Bruno says he cannot hand over the suit until he has the money, that he cannot afford to pay his rent. Mr. Smith tells Bruno he's in the same predicament, having recently spent all of his fortune on a very rare book. Bruno opens a door and discovers the body of Smith's son.

Smith tells Bruno his son died in an accident, and the rare book contains instructions for a suit that will reanimate a corpse. Unsettled by Smith's hysteria, Bruno tries to leave, but Smith tries to take the suit from him at gunpoint. In the scuffle, Bruno ends up shooting Mr. Smith fatally. Bruno returns to his tailor shop and tells his wife to burn the fancy suit. Instead, she puts it on a store mannequin in hopes of drawing in more business. The mannequin comes to life and terrorizes Bruno.

I'd give this second story a 6/10. It is well-shot enough, and Peter Cushing ("Count Dracula and His Vampire Brides") always brings something special to each role, but the story is a little hackneyed and not particularly scary. An enjoyable neogothic tale for true horror buffs, but nothing to write home about.

"LUCY COMES TO STAY"

The third story is my second favorite next to "Frozen Fear". Dr. Martin meets "Barbara" (Charlotte Rampling), a sane-seeming woman who insists she's being held for a crime committed by another woman. She goes on to explain that she had been recently released from a hospital for mental illness. She had been released into her brother George's care. Upon returning to his large house, Barbara finds that George has hired a nurse to monitor Barbara's mental state. Barbara is frustrated by his lack of trust, but soon reveals that she's also a recovering pill addict. After taking a pill, Barbara is visited by her friend, "Lucy" (Britt Ekland),  who insists that they run away and free Barbara from her brother's tyranny. But the two get into a fight when Lucy confronts Barbara about her pill addiction. Lucy leaves in a huff and Barbara chases after, only to be stopped at the door by her nurse. George is discovered dead, and then Lucy reappears and kills the nurse too. By the time the police arrive, Barbara is alone and rather insane.

I'd give this an 8/10. It's not the most riveting story ever, but it has the same neogothic feel as the other tales in this collection. Both Rampling and Ekland give decent performances, and though the twist will be no surprise to most modern horror fans, it's still an interesting yarn.

"MANNIKINS OF HORROR"

This is the last story, and in some ways, the worst. It features "Byron", a man who claims to be a former coworker of Dr. Rutherford's. He is immediately the most likely suspect for "Dr. B. Starr". He claims that Rutherford locked him away for building tiny robotic mannikins, into which he claimed he could cast his soul. Dr. Martin doesn't stay long to interview the man, and goes down to speak with Rutherford.

Dr. Martin is appalled at the way the patients in the asylum are treated, and he tells Rutherford as much. Rutherford suggests that if Martin correctly guesses the identity of Dr. Starr, he can take over the asylum and make changes as he sees fit.

But as they're talking, Byron puts his soul into one of his robots. The robot (in painfully unsuspenseful stop-motion) makes his way downstairs by way of the dumbwaiter.

Dr. Martin is just telling Rutherford he's had enough of his games when a nurse comes in with a cart of food. As Martin and Rutherford continue to argue, the robot crawls from the food cart up onto the table where it grabs a scalpel and proceeds to stab Rutherford in the back of the neck, killing him. Horrified, Dr. Martin crushes the robot underfoot, upon which he hears a loud human scream from upstairs. When the orderly lets him back into the patient's area, he discovers that Byron, through some Hollywoodized sympathetic magic, has had his rib cage crushed in.

I'd give "Mannikins of Horror" a 5/10. The sloppy stop-motion lost a lot of suspense points for this story. I also don't buy that a robot less than a foot tall could inflict a fatal wound on the back of a man's neck with a scalpel. Paralyze, maybe, but not kill. The most interesting part of this story is the argument between Rutherford (who symbolizes old, barbaric notions of psychiatry) and Martin (who shows the compassion and empathy of new school psychology).

The story doesn't end here. Dr. Martin does eventually discover the identity of Dr. Starr, and this is an interesting episode in itself. I won't say more.

I'd give "Asylum" a 7/10. It does a great job of combining gothic horror themes and modern psychiatry. The stories are often cheesy and unbelievable, but they are acted with gravity and professionalism by all involved. Robert Bloch's writing is a little uneven at times, it still possesses the power to inspire fear. Watch it for free online right here:














I also recommend:

JFK (1991)

Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Oliver Stone and Zachary Sklar

Rated R for language and violence

Oliver Stone has outdone himself with this riveting epic of paranoia. With two Academy Award wins (for Cinematography and Editing) and another six nominations (including Best Picture, Director and Music) in 1992, this was Stone's most successful film to-date.

Kevin Costner stars as Jim Garrison, a Louisiana D.A. who can't shake his suspicions about John F. Kennedy's assassination. Not believing the widely-accepted "Lone Gunman" theory, Garrison forms a team to reopen JFK's murder investigation. Like any good conspiracy movie, "JFK" takes us down the rabbit's hole to the other side of the looking glass. As Garrison digs deeper into the mystery, his discoveries become more bizarre and disturbing.

Many of the witnesses Garrison tries to locate from the original investigation have died mysteriously since. Garrison also finds several interesting links between key players that were never followed up on or even commented on in the official "Warren Commission" report. The deeper he digs, the more he becomes convinced of a far-reaching conspiracy in which the FBI, the CIA, anti-Cuban terrorist groups, the mob, and Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy's successor may all be implicated.

While Stone has garnered some criticism for taking liberties with the facts, some of his simpler arguments ring true. For instance, why was the initial investigation handled so poorly? The men charged with the security of the President were taking careless risks that day that allowed the shooting to occur. The parade route was changed at the last minute to take the President's caravan around a slow turn near the grassy knoll and the book depository. The initial investigation claimed that a maximum of three bullets had all been fired at the President from the Dallas Book Depository. Garrison effectively "proves" (using the famous "Magic Bullet" argument) that there were at least four shots, fired from at least two locations. While much of Garrison's (and by extension Stone's) theory is pure speculation, he at least creates reasonable doubt about the official story.

The film features superb acting by everyone involved (with occasionally unbelievable southern accents), and includes a laundry list of top-notch stars in supporting roles. The cast includes: Kevin Costner, Donald Sutherland, Joe Pesci, Tommy Lee Jones, Sissy Spacek, Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, John Candy, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Particularly excellent performances are given by Sissy Spacek (as Jim Garrison's wife) and Tommy Lee Jones, who was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" for his portrayal of flamboyantly gay conspirator Clay Shaw.

This film is also significant as the cinematic precursor to the popular "X-Files" TV show. Garrison's insistence on finding the truth, even at great personal risk, is the basis for the character Fox Mulder. "The Truth is Out There" and "Trust No One" could easily be tag-lines for "JFK". If you are a fan the "X-files" and/or popular reinterpretations of JFK's assassination, I urge you to check out "X-Files" episode "Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man". "X-Files" also features a trio of investigative reporters who run a newsletter called "The Lone Gunman", which became it's own short-lived "X-files" spin-off. One of the investigators is even named after JFK (John Fitzgerald Byers).

I also recommend an episode from the BBC comedy series "Red Dwarf"' that poses an interesting take on JFK's assassination: "Tikka to Ride". This is by far the most outrageous take on the assassination: JFK is his own assassin via time travel! He kills himself to prevent his whoring ways from invalidating his work towards peace. This episode features my favorite (fake) quote ever attributed to Kennedy: "I, ah, have had plenty of time to reflect on my days in the White House. In all important respects I believe I did a good job. It was right to plan the pull-out of Vietnam, ah, to fight for civil rights and ah, to fight Congress to ah, put a man on the moon. It was uh, wrong, however, to, ah, act like an irresponsible jackass with all those women, and allow my enemies to wreak havoc on our nation."

The soundscape of JFK is very well done. "JFK" marks Oliver Stone's second collaboration with world-renowned composer John Williams (the first was "Born on the Fourth of July"). While William's score for "Born on the Fourth..." was less than stellar, he returns to prime form with this tense, paranoiac score. 

While he may not have convinced me in all the particulars of his conspiracy theory, Oliver Stone does effectively demonstrate that at the time of his death, Kennedy had many very influential enemies who had a lot to gain if he died. He had the whole military-industrial complex pissed at him because he was planning to pull out of Vietnam (which would make them unable to profit off the war). He had fired several key members of government who were enemies of his policies. Dallas in particular was a city in which anti-Kennedy politics had reached a fevered pitch. Lyndon Johnson was arguably the largest benefactor of JFK's assassination, inheriting the Presidency at a crucial moment in history. He used his Presidency to undo much of the liberal work JFK did, including scrapping JFK's plan to pull out of Vietnam.
There is supposedly government inside information about the assassination that will not be published for public perusal until 2029. Whatever the government's hiding, we will know then. We are given the means to rein in our government's power only 60-70 years after they've abused it. Seems like a long time to wait.

I gave JFK 10/10. It is very long, but I was on the edge of my seat for most of it. The editing was phenomenal, painting an impressionistic collage through quick cuts and lots of inserts. The recreation of real-life locations and events is meticulous if not 100% accurate. You come out of this film with the impression that you've cracked into the government's secrets and finally know what happened to JFK. Just remember to tell yourself "It's only a movie...".













I also recommend:

Corridors of Blood (1958)

Directed by Robert Day
Written by Jean Scott Rogers

Rated R for drug use and violence

"Corridors of Blood" has been made available to watch for free online by AMCTV here.

"Corridors of Blood" stars an aging Boris Karloff (most famous as Frankenstein's monster in "Frankenstein" (1939)) as Dr. Thomas Bolton, a surgeon who has become famous in 1840's London for his speed and skill at surgery. Speed is particularly important because the film takes place before the invention of anesthesia. Dr. Bolton is horrified by the pain he sees when he operates on conscious patients. His peers tell him that pain during surgery is unavoidable. "Can't have operations without screams. Pain and the knife are inseperable." In spite of this, Dr. Bolton makes it his personal quest to discover and popularize "painless surgery".

In addition to performing surgeries at a large hospital, Dr. Bolton also contributes one day a week to seeing patients in London's seedy "Seven Dials" district, street people and beggars who can't afford to pay for medical assistance. His charity work brings him into contact with some unsavory characters, including "Black Ben", who runs a tavern in Seven Dials. Ben's tavern is home to pickpockets and prostitutes, killers and con-men. Ben himself is the worst of these, working with "Resurrection Joe" (Christopher Lee, "Count Dracula and his Vampire Brides") to trick Dr. Bolton into signing fake accidental death certificates for Ben and Joe's murder victims so that they can sell the cadavers to hospitals for medical research.

While visiting the tavern to see to a patient, Dr. Bolton runs into one of his former patients, an amputee who suffers post traumatic stress disorder associated with the pain of un-anesthetized amputation. When Bolton sees what the horrors of primitive surgery have done to the man, he becomes even more convinced to discover a concoction that will end surgery patients' suffering.

This is where the tale takes a Jekyll & Hyde twist. Bolton begins experimenting on himself, inhaling chemical fumes in an attempt to eliminate the sensation of pain. When he has a partial success with a mixture based on nitrous oxide, he arranges a demonstration of his new technique for the board of directors at the hospital. When his demonstration goes horribly wrong, the Doctor decides he needs stronger chemicals.

So Dr. Bolton begins experimenting with tincture of opium, laudanum and vitriol. He is encouraged by the progress of his research, but testing the drugs on himself is gradually causing him to lose his grip on reality. He cannot discern whether the horrible things he sees while inhaling his potions are real or hallucinatory. His memory suffers and he is constantly late to work. Instead of inhaling what he calls "Formula 28" strictly for his research, he begins to abuse it daily, sneaking around his son and housekeepers to get his fix.

If there's one thing Boris Karloff knows how to play, it's someone on drugs. His face-acting during the "getting high" scenes is so realistic you have to wonder if he was really huffing opium and laudanum during the filming of these scenes.

Though he remembers nothing when he sobers up, Dr. Bolton has, during a series of drug-induced sleepwalking excursions, written even more faked death certificates for Black Ben and Resurrection Joe. When his inability to perform surgery with his former speed and skill nearly kills several patients, the hospital finally suspends Bolton, encouraging him to take a holiday and cease his unhealthy experiments. The hospital's dispensary denies him any further chemicals until he is reinstated. Desperate, Bolton enlists the help of Black Ben and Resurrection Joe to steal the chemicals he needs from the hospital, killing a night watchman in the process.

"And even now, knowing that I've caused the most terrible crimes, I cannot resist the craving for another inhalation." - Bolton

The police suspect Bolton of the hospital robbery/murder when they discover that the items stolen were the same ingredients Bolton requested regularly. A team is sent to the Seven Dials to raid Black Ben's tavern. The ensuing showdown fatally wounds Bolton, but his medical journal is passed down to his son, and becomes the basis for the invention of "painless surgery", as Bolton had intended all along.

I give "Corridors of Blood" an 8/10. It's got some beautiful Hitchcockian black and white cinematography, and manages to be deeply conceptually unnerving without using too much gore. Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee give outstanding performances. The horrors of early medical science are laid bare for all to see. The second half drags a bit, but the descent of Dr. Bolton into madness is a trip worth taking. Watch with popcorn and soda.


Notes on the Criterion DVD:
I recently purchased the Criterion four movie set "Monsters and Madmen". The set includes two horror and two sci-fi films; "Corridors of Blood", "The Haunted Strangler", "First Man Into Space" and "The Atomic Submarine". Upon watching the Criterion transfer of "Corridors...", I was blown away by the image quality. There are virtually no blemishes at all on this transfer. If you watch the free online version of the film, you see right away that it is an aged transfer. The Criterion DVD version is completely remastered and looks shiny and new, even 50+ years later. In addition to a great transfer of the film, the DVD also boasts several interesting special features. An audio interview with actress Yvonne Romain was fairly interesting. I didn't listen to the whole thing, just the part concerning "Corridors..." and the section on "Devil Doll", another great Yvonne Romain horror role. There was also a great featurette called "Corridor Rumors" in which the filmmakers recount their experiences working on the film and working with Boris Karloff. My favorite feature had to be the deleted scenes, which were accompanied by a sneak peak at the letter from the film board that requested these scenes be censored. All of the deleted scenes were just gorier versions of existing scenes, but would have added to the film and made it more visceral as a whole. For hard-core fans, I highly recommend the set "Monsters and Madmen".















I also recommend:

Dirty Harry (1971)

Directed by Don Siegel 
Written by H.J. and R.M. Fink

Rated R for violence, language and nudity

"Dirty Harry" is one of the grandfathers of the modern action genre. The plot is neo-noir: Clint Eastwood stars as "Dirty" Harry Callahan, a hard-boiled detective who breaks the law almost as often as the people he arrests. He earns his "Dirty" nickname by showing disrespect for authority figures, taking on groups of criminals without calling for backup and eliciting confessions from suspects with his fists! Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" has inspired numerous bad-boy cop imitations, including "Die Hard"'s John McClane and Jack Bauer from TV's "24". In short, Clint Eastwood is a major badass.

The film opens with an unknown sniper shooting a woman from a rooftop. Inspector Harry Callahan arrives on the scene to discover a note from the sniper to the police, demanding payment to avoid further bloodshed. The killer (who calls himself Scorpio) is loosely based on the "Zodiac Killer", who operated in the San Francisco area in the late 1960's, sent taunting letters to the press and was never caught. Callahan takes the case, following Scorpio on a cat-and-mouse chase through the bustling San Francisco cityscape.

But even before the quest for Scorpio gets fully underway, Callahan earns his "badass" status by taking out a team of bank robbers on his lunch break. In the film's most famous scene, he faces off against the last robber with his giant .44 magnum and performs the now-famous monologue: "I know what you're thinking. 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk"

Callahan is assigned a partner by his superiors in order to rein in his violent methods. Harry's partnership with Chico Gonzalez planted the seeds for the later "buddy cop" movies of the 80's and 90's. Gonzalez is injured pretty quickly after being assigned to Callahan, and ultimately quits the force.

During a late-night sniper sting operation, Harry is distracted from the work at hand by a naked woman he spots through a window. Harry's peeping-tom tendencies may be another reason for the "Dirty" nickname. Indeed Harry is caught peeping in windows at nude women twice in this first film, in what will become a trademark in his future films. Rather than excuse his rude behavior, Harry says "You owe it to yourself to live a little, Harry."

But Harry's biggest hard-on is for justice, and so he pursues Scorpio like a trained dog until Scorpio gains the upper hand by kidnapping a 14-year-old girl. The Mayor of San Francisco asks Harry to deliver the ransom money to the killer. After leading Harry on a wild turkey hunt around town from payphone to payphone, Scorpio finally confronts Callahan and beats him senseless. He says he's changed his mind, and that now that he has the money, he's going to kill the girl anyway. Luckily, against orders, Callahan brought back-up to the money drop, and his partner fires at Scorpio just in time to keep him from killing Harry. Harry catches Scorpio and beats the girl's location out of him, but when the police find her, it's discovered that she's already dead. Callahan's illegally obtained evidence against Scorpio causes the case to fall apart, and the police are forced to release the killer back into San Francisco.

Using the system against itself, Scorpio hires a man to beat him up and then claims he was beaten by Harry. Harry famously denies the charge by saying: "...anybody can tell I didn't do that to him. Cause he looks too damn good, that's how!" Nevertheless, Harry is ordered to stay far away from Scorpio at risk of losing his badge.

Scorpio can't stay away from crime for long. It's discovered that he has taken a busload of schoolchildren ransom. The Mayor asks Harry to take the money to Scorpio again, but Harry tells him to "get another delivery boy". Scorpio has told the police the path he's traveling with the hostages in order to ensure that no one tries to stop him. Using this knowledge, Harry cuts Scorpio off at the pass, saving the schoolchildren and stopping Scorpio for good. Knowing his vigilante adventure has cost him his job, Harry tosses his police badge into the river, bringing the film to a bittersweet close.

I give "Dirty Harry" a 10/10. In addition to being an edge-of-your seat crime thriller, it's also beautifully shot and edited. The locales and landmarks of San Francisco make a beautiful but threatening backdrop for the explosive events of the film. Eastwood gave a landmark performance as Harry Callahan, and liked the role so much he would go on to direct some of the later films in the series. Whether or not you end up regarding it as highly as I do, every action fan owes it to themselves to see this film.













I also recommend:

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Ron Kovic and Oliver Stone

Rated R for war violence, sexual themes and nudity

"Born on the Fourth of July" is based on the true story of the man who wrote it: Ron Kovic, a disabled Vietnam veteran. Oliver Stone, a Vietnam veteran himself, helped Kovic adapt his story into an epic movie that won two Academy Awards (Best Director, Editing) and redefined the term "war film".

Now I've been watching a lot of Mr. Stone's films lately. By 1989, he had already made one of the ultimate Vietnam war films: "Platoon". While "Platoon" focused on the hell our boys faced in 'Nam itself, most of the runtime of "Born on the Fourth of July" deals with a more holistic Vietnam experience, including the environmental and social pressures that pushed Kovic to enlist in the first place.

The film's pre-war segment is filled with images of American pride: boys playing war in the woods near their house, little league and wrestling meets, 4th of July parades and Prom dates. I was a little concerned that this was going to be a pro-war movie when it started, but Stone injects enough foreboding into the patriotic scenes to keep them believable. For instance, in one scene young Ronnie is at a 4th of July parade with his family, watching the disabled veterans march (or roll, as many of them are in wheelchairs) in the parade. As Ronnie watches, he notices that one of the disabled vets flinches agitatedly at the sound of childrens' fireworks.

The theme of war supporters denying the undeniable pervades the first half of the film. Ronnie's motto for much of the film is "Love it or leave it." As a member of a southern society that values the military as one of the nation's defining institutions, Ronnie and the people around him have bought the Vietnam lie (that Vietnam was even a remote threat to the safety of US citizens) hook line and sinker. Ronnie receives a "hot tip" in high school that indicates that Vietnam will be resolved quickly, and decides to join up so he doesn't "miss it".

When Ronnie enlists, his black and white world of Kennedy-esque family values versus evil communist oppression becomes cloudy and gray. In the heat of the battle, Ronnie ultimately becomes responsible for the deaths of Vietnamese women and children, as well as one of his own platoon-mates. When Ronnie tries to take responsibility for the friendly fire, his commanding officer insists that he's mistaken, that he didn't kill one of his own men. Confused and unsettled, Ronnie "stands down" like a good soldier.

Four years later, the war supporters in the film still insist "We're gonna win that war." The shift from "this war" to "that war" indicates that people who had supported the war are gradually beginning to distance themselves from it. After thousands of young mens' lives had been lost without gaining any tangible advantage over an unseen enemy, Vietnam was beginning to seem like a very bad investment for the US.

But Ronnie remains proud of the war efforts, even to the point of alienating his own younger brother for criticizing the war. Ronnie hangs on to his pro-war attitude so fiercely (even after being paralyzed in battle) in part because of his deep love for his country. Unfortunately, Ronnie grew up in a time (much like the recent Bush's presidency) when being anti-war was considered being anti-American. While his love for his country never falters, Ronnie slowly begins to see that Vietnam was a mistake, and that he can hate his country's policies without sacrificing his love for the good things that America represents. 

The bright, crisp, clean imagery of the first half of the film stands in stark contrast to the gritty, organic aesthetics of Ronnie's post-war experience. After two hellish tours of duty abroad, Ronnie returns home to veteran's hospitals that have been nearly bankrupted by the war efforts. Ronnie receives care from people who don't care about the war or appreciate Ronnie's sacrifice. He faces the indignity of catheters, dialysis, and diaper changes in a hospital with too many rats and not enough funding.

Ronnie is told he will never walk again. More importantly (at least to Ron) he will never again be sexually functional. The loss of the use of his penis is extremely symbolic. He joined the marines because it was his understanding that this was a necessary step to becoming a man. Ironically, his time in the military cost him his manhood. He now must rely on assistance for even the smallest and most personal tasks. The indignity of going from a pretty-boy up-and-coming war hero to being a paralyzed, marginalized veteran of an increasingly unpopular war cuts Ron deep. He becomes depressed, alcoholic and self-destructive. At one point Ronnie declares that he would abandon all of his values if he could only be whole again.

When he finally gets discharged from the hospital, he returns to his hometown. At first Ron tries to ignore his paralysis, insisting that he's the same Ron he's always been. It's only after seeing the concerned faces of his old friends and family that he realizes things will never be normal again. His mother can barely look at him without crying. His old friends try to comfort Ronnie, but it's clear that they are hurt and angered by the sight of Ronnie in a wheelchair.

After a fall-out with his family, Ron moves to Mexico, where he meets another wheelchair-bound vet (Willem Dafoe) who helps him drown his sorrows in liquor and sex. Of course, neither men can feel their penises, making for some bittersweet sex. One of the most emotionally-charged moments features Tom Cruise crying like a baby while a Mexican prostitute services him sexually.

Upon his return to the states, Ron hooks up with an old girlfriend, who is now an anti-war protester. Needing to feel needed, Ronnie joins up to help the anti-war cause. As a wheelchair-bound vet, Ronnie has a strong voice with which to speak out against war. He has finally faced his demons and uses his experience to keep other young men from being urged into similar fates. The film climaxes with a riot at the National Republican's Convention between anti-war protesters and police. Stone's powerful cinematography suggests a strong parallel between this riot scene and Kovic's war experience, as if to say "This is the new war, and America is the new battleground".

The film's music is generally good. John Williams does a typical John Williams-esque score (which sounds to me a little like Leia's theme from Star Wars), but it is far from his best work. Luckily, the soundtrack also incorporates 50's and 60's radio hits like "Brown-Eyed Girl", "American Pie", "My Girl", "Born on the Bayou" and "Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall". The sound design really helped sell the film as well. Most notably, the sound of helicopters and a crying baby become symbolic of Kovic's fatal mistakes in 'Nam, and return to haunt him throughout his physical and emotional recovery.

The film's visuals were the best I've seen from Oliver Stone since "Natural Born Killers". The cinematography is gripping and intense, and simply must be seen to be fully appreciated.

The biggest success of the film is that Stone actually elicited a great performance from Tom Cruise. This pre-Scientology Cruise demonstrates more acting range and ability than we have seen from him before or since. He goes from charming and attractive to pathetic and disgusting to renewed and enlightened in a realistic and empathetic manner.

I give "Born on the Fourth of July" a 10/10. It's biggest faults were its length (at 2h 20m, I feel this film could have been edited down a bit without losing much character development) and the inappropriate intrusion of John William's cheesy love-theme during the riot scene. I am willing to overlook these faults because this is overall one of the best war films I've ever seen, and even more poignant for being based on true events.















I also recommend:

Wall Street (1987)

Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Stanley Weiser and Oliver Stone

Rated R

Note: I was pleased to see online that Oliver Stone and Michael Douglas are currently making a sequel to "Wall Street", the 1987 insider trading thriller. Check out more on "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" here.

"Wall Street" is one of Oliver Stone's legendary 80's masterpieces. It follows Charlie Sheen as young Bud Fox, a Wall Street hopeful who is having a hard time breaking into the business. Bud believes he's made his big break when Gordon Gekko, a Wall Street big-shot, agrees to show him the ropes. In order to prove his usefulness to Gekko, Fox gives him an insider tip about his father's airline. Fox's father is played to perfection by Charlie Sheen's real-life father Martin Sheen. This casting choice was inspired, and makes Fox's on-screen connection with his father that much more authentic.

Michael Douglas' Gordon Gekko is the real screen-stealer here. Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role, and it has helped make him the Hollywood player he is today. Gekko's calm businessman confidence and disregard for ethics make him one of Hollywood's favorite villains from the 80's. Douglas plays Gekko as a man with the world at his feet, and he uses it as a doormat.

The main conflict arises when, after being made rich and successful by Gekko, Fox discovers that Gekko is using his insider knowledge to buy out Fox's father's airline in order to break it up and sell it. In an emotionally charged scene in Central Park, Bud elicits a confession from Gekko on tape, sending the tycoon away to jail.

Oliver Stone is a master of the craft of film. He can take virtually any subject and make a movie about it that's engaging and grand. Most of us only know about insider trading because of Martha Stewart's infamous trip to white-collar prison. It's not the kind of thing you would think would make a compelling plot element in a film, but Stone takes lemons and makes lemonades. Rather than focusing on the minutae of Wall Street business, he explores the people involved in the business. It's through Bud Fox's relationships with his dad, his co-workers and his love interest that we find a real man with amiable desires and goals who has stumbled into a world of white-collar cutthroats.

Charlie Sheen is supported by John C. McGinley as Bud's Wall Street coworker Marvin. McGinley has appeared in many Stone films, including "Talk Radio", "Born on the Fourth of July", "Platoon" (with Charlie Sheen), "Nixon" and "Any Given Sunday". More recently, he's been a regular character on the hit TV show "Scrubs". McGinley is a great supporting actor in general, and uses his supporting roles to subtly enrich whatever project he's working on.

I give Wall Street a 9/10. It is incredibly well-made and actually makes insider trading seem interesting! It moves a little slowly at certain parts (the love story with Darryl Hannah was almost completely omitable) but the all-around stellar acting and directing make this one of Stone's best films. If you like this film, keep watch for "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps", which should be in theaters later this year.













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Grandma's Boy (2006)

Directed by Nicholaus Goossen
Written by Barry Wernwick, Allen Covert and Nick Swardson

Rated R for drug use and language throughout, strong crude and sexual humor, and nudity

"Grandma's Boy" was made by Happy Madison Productions, a company formed by people associated with "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore". While it doesn't quite live up to the high standards of these two 90's comic gems, "Grandma's Boy" is a solid entry in the "gross-out" and "stoner" comedy genre. The acting is so-so, but this film does feature several decent comedians, including Jonah Hill (Seth from "Superbad"), Allen Covert (who is also one of the writers), Doris Roberts (best known as "Everybody Loves Raymond"'s mother) as well as comedy grey-boy allstars David Spade, Rob Schneider and Kevin Nealon.

The film's plot revolves around Alex (Allen Covert), a 35-year old video game tester. He is living his dream. He sits around smoking weed and playing video games and gets paid for it. This stoner fantasy comes screeching to a hault when Alex is suddenly evicted by his irate landlord (played by Rob Schneider). Apparently Alex's roommate has developed a sex addiction and all of the rent money Alex gave him for the last six months was spent on Thai hookers.

With no place to stay, Alex winds up crashing with his adorable grandma (played by "...Raymond"'s Doris Roberts) and her two elderly roommates. But Alex has trouble keeping his world of drugs and video games out of grandma's house. Grandma finds "tea" (read: marijuana) in a tin in the room Alex is staying in, and drinks it with her two roommates, causing them to laugh hysterically at Spanish soap operas for hours.

So now that Alex has a place to stay, he can focus more on his work: debugging the final levels of a maladapted prodigy's newest video game masterpiece. Alex's video game testing co-workers have endless antics at "Brainasium", the company where they work. Whether grossing each other out with fabricated sex stories or challenging each other to any number of video games available, these guys know how to have fun at work. Enter Samantha (Linda Carellini), a sexy new Brainasium employee who's been charged by the big boss (Kevin Nealon) to oversee the completion of the game. Samantha and Alex hit it off well enough and proceed into a sweet if shallow romance.

The only fly in the ointment is J.P., the video-game prodigy who made Brainasium's flagship game by himself at age 13. Tragically geeky with a tendency to lapse into pseudo robotic speech, J.P. is the penultimate nerd. Alex and the others try to get along with him, but J.P. is immune to cool. He hates and envies the video game testers.

But J.P. isn't the only one at Brainasium with talent. Alex has been secretly coding a game called "Demonik" for years. When J.P. sees "Demonik", he offers to test it for Alex and give him some notes. Instead, J.P. steals Alex's only copy of "Demonik" and presents it to Brainasium's CEO as his own project. Unable to prove that "Demonik" is his project, Alex quits his job and gives up. He seeks refuge in the basement lair of his drug dealer Dante and they proceed to combine many different kinds of marijuana into a mighty joint that intoxicates them verrily. But Samantha refuses to give up on Alex's cause. She enlists the help of Alex's grandma (the only person to play the game before J.P. stole it) and the two rush to Brainasium to clear Alex's name. Grandma challenges J.P. to a game of "Demonik" in front of the boss, and ultimately kicks his ass, "proving" Alex to be the true creator of the game. 

The gross-out jokes are this film's real strength. My favorite line: "I'm sorry I came all over your mom." This film is guaranteed to make you laugh hysterically but uncomfortably at least a few times. The biggest overall weakness is the plot, which really only serves as a flimsy wire frame on which to hang the jokes and comic antics that are the "meat" of this film. For instance, it's hard to believe that a video game programmer would have only one copy and no proof of ownership of a video game he'd invested 3 years in developing. But watching a 70-year old woman beat the pants off an uber-geek in an ultra-violent video game death match is entertaining enough to quell my disbelief. The love story is cute but unrealistic (how many super-hot women are attracted to middle-aged video game testers?) and doesn't really add to or detract from the main plot.

I gave "Grandma's Boy" an 8/10. It has some unfunny moments, but these are balanced by moments of extreme comedy that make it all worth it in the long run. Good performances all around, especially by Doris Roberts as grandma. A good movie to watch with your buds. If you don't tend to enjoy college humor and stoner comedies, this film may not be for you.













I also recommend:

Run Ronnie Run (2002)

Directed by Troy Miller
Written by David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, Scott Aukerman, BJ Porter and Brian Posehn

Rated R for strong language, sexual content and crude humor

This was an unexpected gem. "Run Ronnie Run" is the first (but hopefully not the last) feature from the cast and crew of "Mr. Show", a 90's HBO sketch comedy series. I am a huge fan of "Mr. Show". I feel it's the best sketch comedy since "Monty Python's Flying Circus". The people involved in Mr. Show have all gone on to do different projects. I had doubts about a movie project made after the show had left the air. The "Dead Like Me" reunion movie was so bad it tainted the rest of the series for me. Would we be left with a badly-written script performed robotically by the few cast members desperate enough to even be involved in such a project? (See "Dead Like Me - Life After Death") Happily, Bob and David pick up their comic merriment right where Mr. Show left off. This film is way better than it has any right to be. It is completely unfathomable to me that any sane fan of "Mr. Show" would not like "Run Ronnie Run".

The story centers around one of my favorite characters from "Mr. Show" : Ronnie Dobbs. Dobbs appeared in several episodes in the early seasons of Mr. Show. His most famous sketch is the one in which he achieves fame by being repeatedly featured on a COPS-style police show for drunk and disorderly behavior. A Hollywood agent finds Ronnie and convinces him to make a musical of his life story. One of the funniest moments in the series is Ronnie's solo for the musical, entitled "How High the Mountain" (aka "Y'all Are Brutalizing Me").

"Run Ronnie Run" takes the basic premise of this sketch and stretches it out to nearly an hour and a half, using non-stop comic antics to fill in the blanks. Not only do all of the original cast members of the show make appearances, so do dozens of celebrities and comedians. Here's a list of the people I recognized (there are probably many I didn't):

Patton Oswalt (Comedian), Dave Foley (Comedian, "Kids in the Hall"), Andy Richter (Comedian), Sarah Silverman (Comedian, "The Sarah Silverman Program"), Trey Parker and Matt Stone (Comedians, creators of "South Park"), Ben Stiller (Comedian, "Zoolander"), John and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (actors), Scott Thompson (Comedian, "Kids in the Hall"), Tom Kenny (Comedian, voice of Spongebob Squarepants), Mandy Patinkin (actor, Inigo Montoya from "The Princess Bride"), Mary Lynn Rajskub (actress, "24"), Jack Black (Comedian, actor, musician) and Jeff Goldblum (actor, "Jurassic Park", "The Fly").

While many of these cameos are only for a few minutes of screen time each, some of the best moments in the film involve these guest stars. Without a doubt, the most poignant moment for me was the operatic solo of "How High the Mountain" sung by Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya of "Princess Bride", Rube of "Dead Like Me"), who had been chosen to play Ronnie in the Broadway musical based on Ronnie's life story. You kind of have to know who Mandy Patinkin is to fully appreciate this moment, but people who are new to his work will probably laugh anyway. Fans of "Princess Bride" and "Dead Like Me" will get to see a whole new side of Mandy. If your curious what that means, watch the movie.

My second-favorite moment involved openly gay Kid in the Hall Scott Thompson being revealed as a secret agent in an international gay conspiracy. Thompson has been tragically absent from the mainstream comic scene since "Kids in the Hall" went off the air. It was good to see Scott. I hope he continues to guest star in comedy projects until he's 100. You might have to be an avid fan of the "Kids in the Hall" Canadian sketch comedy series to be as excited to see Dave Foley and Scott Thompson as I was. Both are amazing comedians in their own right, and seeing them working collaboratively with Mr. Show (the first "Kids..."/"Mr. Show" crossover since Dave Foley guest starred on the show during it's original run) warmed my heart.

The music of "Run Ronnie Run" is fantastic in general. It features several butt-metal classics that bring you right into the world of Ronnie Dobbs. One of my favorite soundtrack choices was "Every Rose Has it's Thorns" by Poison. In addition to the good use of classics from Poison, Ted Nugent, Foghat, The Atlanta Rhythm Section, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Judas Preist, but there are several uncommonly good original compositions. These include "Ronnie's Song", "The Greatest Love in History", "I Loathe L.A.", and "Ass-Kickin' Fat Kid".

I gave "Run Ronnie Run" a 10/10. I hesitated to give this film the highest rating, but I couldn't seem to talk myself down from it. I came into this movie with relatively low expectations, and it just blew me away. People unfamiliar with "Mr. Show" may have a different experience with this film than I did, but that just means that they need to watch "Mr. Show" and catch up with the comedy. "Run Ronnie Run" is the kind of movie that causes you to start spontaneously laughing in public places, making people think you're crazy, just because you remembered a joke or an image from the film. There's so much more to say about this film, but rather than spoil the jokes for you in advance, I'll just strongly encourage you to check it out yourself. You won't be sorry!













I also recommend:

Count Dracula and his Vampire Brides (1973)

aka The Satanic Rites of Dracula, aka Count Dracula and his Vampire Bride, aka Dracula '73

Not Rated

"Count Dracula and his Vampire Brides" is the fifth Dracula film I've seen in the Hammer Horror series. In "Dracula 1972 A.D.", Hammer Horror brought Dracula to (then) modern-day London, where a sect of hippie satanists raise Dracula by drinking his blood. I should note this is exactly the same plot as an earlier Hammer Dracula film, "Drink the Blood of Dracula", except instead of 1970's hippie satanists, it was a group of 1870's thrill-seeking wealthy men. Both films end with Dracula's death, and to no one's surprise, it doesn't take. Dracula rises again. And so the scene is set for "Count Dracula and his Vampire Brides." (henceforth "CDVB")

It has been two years since the events of "Dracula 1972 A.D.", and Dracula's first outbreak in modern times has not gone unnoticed by the London police. After an incredibly cheesy intro sequence (which plays like a James Bond movie intro, only lamer) we learn that Scotland Yard has founded a secret branch to covertly deal with crimes relating to the occult. One of their agents has been caught while working undercover in a mansion used by a satanic cult. He breaks free from his bonds and makes a break for the property's main gate, all the while pursued by cult members on motorcycles (who distinguish themselves by wearing tragically uncool, matching fur-lined vests). He escapes, but is so badly injured that he dies shortly after revealing the details of his bloody visit to the mansion.

The record the dying man leaves of his visit is familiar to the Hammer Dracula series: a group of wealthy and influential men have been meeting in secret to practice dark rites involving blood worship and human sacrifice. Luckily for us red-blooded, American (perhaps slightly chauvenistic) men, the blood ritual involves a hot blond lying prone and naked on a table while men take turns baptising themselves with blood from her navel. Up to this point, I was thinking this was a pretty cool church, but then a crazy Chinese woman stabs the girl and things take a turn for the not-so-sexy.

Dracula himself is well-played by Christopher Lee (The Wicker Man, The Man With the Golden Gun, Star Wars Prequels, The Lord of the Rings) a very talented actor who has been involved in several of my favorite film franchises. In "Dracula 1972 A.D.", Dracula himself was criminally underrepresented. He appeared only a handful of times and had only a few extremely badly-written lines to perform. "CDVB" rectifies this, giving Lee much more screen time as well as one of the series' more creative death scenes. Though better than his performance in "1972", in "CDVB", Lee fails to recapture the frightening intensity of his earlier performances in the series (most notably "The Horror of Dracula" (1958)).

The plot of the film is completely absurd. Wonderfully absurd, even. It's like a 70's James Bond movie plot. Dracula (as reclusive businessman D. D. Denham) has mesmerized a Nobel scientist into concocting a super-virulent strain of the Black Plague that spreads like wildfire by touch. He has tricked his lackeys into being his horsemen of the apocalypse; carriers of the plague. His ultimate plan is to rule over a dying human world with his vampire brides until there are no humans left to sustain him and he can die in peace, his revenge on his tormentors (most importantly, the descendants of Van Helsing) complete.

A note on the brides of Dracula: He keeps about a half dozen women in the mansion's basement. Now Dracula has been rockin' with multiple chicks since Bram Stoker's original novel. I guess when you're the Prince of Darkness, you can pull it off. But he must not be doing as well as usual because a couple of his brides in "CDVB" are downright ugly. Sex is a big part of vampire mythology. Vampirettes are supposed to be the ultimate seductresses, but some of Dracula's babes in this film should have been bitten in the face. You'd think he'd eat the ugly ones and only turn the pretty ones into vampires, but I guess his old age has made Dracula less discerning. If faces could kill... Alas, I digress.

A great performance is given by the remarkable Peter Cushing. Like Lee, this is not his first Hammer Dracula film. He reprises his role as Prof. Lorrimer Van Helsing, the man who defeated Dracula at the end of "Dracula A.D. 1972". Cushing is best-known for his role as "Grand Moff Tarkin"of the Imperial Guard from "Star Wars: A New Hope". (Princess Leia famously should have recognized his foul stench the moment she was brought on board) He is a perfect "Ahab" to Dracula's "Moby Dick". He stays one step behind until the crucial climax, when his tenacity in pursuing an unbeatable menace pays off in a chance victory. Cushing is a pro and performs like one. He and Lee give this film considerable star power.

I gave "Count Dracula and his Vampire Brides" a 9/10. It is in no way a perfect movie, and in many ways a ridiculous movie, but it manages to ride the fine line between silly and stupid. It is surprisingly fast paced for a 70's film. The action sequences are genuinely exciting, and I laughed out loud several times throughout. While not the best Hammer Dracula film (my vote would go to "Horror of Dracula") this is the funniest and the most dynamic. I would recommend this film to anyone who loves a good vampire flick. Watch it with friends!












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