Moriarty

HOUSE OF D

I missed this one in the theaters, but I’m curious to see what David Duchovny did as a writer/director. I think he’s an uncommonly intelligent performer, and I’ve heard enough good things about the film that I’ll make the effort today. I have no idea what it’s about, which is nice. In an age where so much is known about so many movies so early (something I’m well aware we’re partially responsible for), I take great delight in still being able to see some films without any knowledge about what I’m going to see beyond a few names on the cover.

*THE INTERPRETER

Sydney Pollack continues to be a director of style and intelligence, and it’s obvious that this is meant to be a return to the days of THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, a smart, sober, adult political thriller. He certainly brought out the big guns to work on the screenplay, including Scott Frank and Steven Zallian. The film works in fits and starts, and there are some really great sequences in it, but overall, it never really clicked for me. THE CONSTANT GARDNER mines some of the same territory and manages to do it in a way that feels completely fresh, which this film can’t pull off. Still, it’s worth seeing, and the disc has some nicely built special features, including a short piece on letterboxing and pan-and-scan transfers, hosted by Pollack, that is worth the price of a rental all by itself. You can practically smell his frustration with anyone who would watch a full-screen transfer of his very, very widescreen film, and his explanation is one of the best illustrations of just how much you lose in a full-screen transfer that I’ve seen. There’s also another piece that takes one scene all the way from script to screen that is a nice glimpse at the way Pollack approaches material as a director, and considering how long he’s been at it, there’s something to learn here for almost anyone.

JIMINY GLICK IN LA LA WOOD

Martin Short’s self-important act makes me laugh in small doses, and I’m willing to give it a try at feature length if only to see what he does when he plays David Lynch. That’s just too strange an idea to miss. I guess the film itself is a rip on the Toronto Film Festival and junketeers and entertainment journalism as a whole, but it came and went in theaters so fast that I never got a chance to see it.

KOLCHACK: THE NIGHT STALKER

I loved this show when I saw it as a kid, and I agrew with everything Hercules The Strong had to say about it in his column today. Of course, he’s about 20 years older than me, so we had different reactions to it when it aired. He enjoyed the caustic wit of Darren McGavin as Kolchack. Me? I was still wearing footie pajamas, so this show was pretty much a nightmare machine for me. Between this and ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, it’s a pretty damn good day for genre TV fans.

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE

Here’s another one of those half-remembered films from when I was very young, the movie that made me afraid of Jodie Foster. I couldn’t even tell you now exactly what this is about, but I remember the vibe of it, and I remember thinking she made a very good creepy kid. I’m curious to see if it lives up to my vague recollection of it when I finally see it again.

MAIL ORDER WIFE

Andrew Gurland and Huck Botko do not make lowest common denominator comedies, and when I reviewed this film earlier this year, I was surprised how much venomous mail I got from people who were offended by this on general principle. Personally, I think it’s a very funny, very sly film, and Andrew Gurland continues to be one of the few guys working in comedy whose work sort of defies description. It’s not real, it’s not total fiction, it’s not likeable in any conventional sense, but I am drawn to watch it again and again. I’m not sure if we can expect any extra features, but the film itself is worth hunting down.

THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES

Another of today’s many horror releases, this one from CTHV and starring Boris Karloff. I love that they’re finally releasing so many of his titles on disc that we’re getting to the stuff I’ve never seen or, in some cases, even heard of before now. Here, he plays a researcher whose work on cryogenics got him frozen by mistake. When he’s thawed out, he begins to push his two new assistants to be part of his experiment, with evidently horrific results.

THE MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN

Everyone loves Bruce Campbell. Bruce has wanted to make this for a loooooooooong time. I know the early word of mouth isn’t very good, but I’m curious enough and fond enough of Bruce’s work that I’m willing to try this one out if I can find it used in the next few days. And you’ve gotta love that title.

MONSTER HIGH

Cheeseball ‘80s horror comedy. I cannot defend my decision to pick this up on any rational level, except to say that I grew up in the ‘80s, and nostalgia eventually makes us all its bitch.

MY SUMMER OF LOVE

This sounds a little like HEAVENLY CREATURES, which surprises me. That titles make it sound like the dreariest of art house romances, but the reviews all made it sound like a genuinely affecting psychological study of two girls and their friendship that may be something more. I’m very curious now that I finally know what the film is, and I hope it’s as good as all the reviews say.

NIGHT OF THE LEPUS

Oh, Janet Leigh... to have this and PSYCHO released the same day on DVD has got to tie you in knots. This is one of the all-time silliest horror films. I can’t wait to watch the invasion of the giant rabbits... yes, seriously... one more time for laughs this Halloween.

NOT ONLY BUT ALWAYS

I didn’t even know this existed until I was putting together today’s list. A biopic about Peter Cook and Dudley Moore’s creative partnership with Rhys Ifans as Peter Cook? Count me in.

PRIVATE PARTS

Nope. It’s not Howard Stern’s film, but is instead a classic bit of surrealism from writer/director Paul Bartel about a guy and his Real Doll. Since it’s Bartel, you know it’ll be droll and disturbing at the same time, and this may be the first time it’s ever been available on home video.

REBEL SAMURAI: ‘60s SWORDPLAY CLASSICS - Criterion

This one makes me dance and sing. As always, Criterion has put together a collection of four films, each of them very different. There are some Toshiro Mifune films I haven’t seen yet, and a box set like this one (containing KILL!, SAMURAI REBELLION, SAMURAI SPY, and SWORD OF THE BEAST) gives me a chance to catch up, especially with Criterion calling the shots.

ROBOT JOX

Again… I cannot defend this choice. Giant robots boxing? Yes, please. Especially with Stuart Gordon at the helm, this is one of those big fat slices of cheese that I just can't help enjoying.

TOM GREEN: INSIDE AND OUTSIDE

I’m very eager to finally see some of Green’s early stuff, before MTV got hold of him. I know Tom Green’s been largely forgotten by this point, outgrossed (in every way) by FEAR FACTOR or JACKASS or ANDY MILONAKIS and the like. But Green was there first, and in some ways, he's still the best of the bunch. Should be fascinating at the very least.

TORTURE GARDEN

Amicus was the other horror studio in England, and their speciality was the anthology film. This is one of those films, with the framework having to do with Dr. Diablo and his traveling show. I've only ever seen the fist ten minutes or so, and I'm looking forward to finally finishing the film.

*THE VAL LEWTON HORROR COLLECTION

I got this one in the mail earlier today, and so far, I’m in love. Val Lewton was one of those producers who managed to exert such control over the people making his films that they all adhere to a recognizable style. He was the king of the subtle scare, and these are definitely not the films to satisfy you over Halloween if you’re looking for wall-to-wall gore. I’ll have a full review of these titles (including I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, CAT PEOPLE, THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, THE BODY SNATCHER, ISLE OF THE DEAD, BEDLAM, THE LEOPARD MAN, BEDLAM, THE GHOST SHIP, THE SEVENTH SEAL) in the coming days, and so far, these please me enormously.

*THE WARRIORS: ULTIMATE DIRECTOR’S CUT

Walter Hill, you are a glorious train crash of a director now, and this new Ultimate Edition DVD proves that you may never recapture what it was that made you special in the first place. It worked beautifully before. Why would you go and alter it all now? The film is about a street gang who gets caught in the heart of Manhattan one night, only to have to fight their way back, borough after borough. All of the changes add up to a massive headache, even thought he new transfer is perhaps the most beautiful that the film's ever looked. The super-literal opening, the crappy comic book transitions straight out of a bad episode of SPIDER-MAN on THE ELECTRIC COMPANY, and Hill's frankly baffling claim that the film is set in the future (despite a scene where the gang runs past movie posters for HEAVEN CAN WAIT and FOUL PLAY) all make this a befuddling mess. It's a hard disc to recommend, even for the most hardcore fans of this cult classic.

WILD PALMS

This was one weird, wild ride for the short moment it was on. I loved this film when it first aired, and I remember it being some sort of like a TWIN PEAKES or a LOST. There’s a lot going on here, and it may reward repeat viewings. I know there were a lot of talented guest directors like Kathryn Biegelow, but Oliver Stone and Bruce Wagner cast the largest creative shadows over the entire mysterious show. I have no idea how it holds up at this point but I'm curious enought to revisit it.

As always, I’ve got a lot of stuff cooking for you guys. I saw WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT and GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK over the weekend, and I’m still transcribing that Cronenberg interview, which got longer when he called me to answer some follow-up questions. I’ve also got my last QT6 piece, which contains much of the best stuff from the fest, as well as my first review of ELIZABETHTOWN, since I’m seeing the new shorter version next Monday. I’m just turning in a script this week, so I should be able to finally get to everything, which means I’ve got no time to waste. Until then...