MOVIE CAPSULES

E - J

Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956) Square-jawed American scientists hustle to devise a weapon that will stop a deadly flying saucer attack. But too late for Washington DC! Oops. Remarkable effects created by stop-motion animation maestro, Ray Harryhausen. Starring Hugh Marlow, Joan Taylor, Morris Ankrum and other 50s sci-fi stalwarts.

Elvis: That's The Way It Is (1970) Documentary follows Elvis and his crew as they rehearse for and perform a big, boffo, new show in Las Vegas. Best seen in wide-screen. Elvis is in fine form here, still in good shape and on his game. Early scenes of him and his core combo (including James Burton twangin' the Tele) working things out in a rehearsal studio are pretty darned cool. They were one hot band at the time. Now also available in a 2001 re-cut which emphasizes the music and cuts down the verite aspects. It feels a bit flat compared to the original, but has its points.

Equinox (1971) A student horror film, expanded into a feature. Two couples venture out into the woods for a picnic and to check on an old professor who's translating an arcane book. A bit of a premonition of the Evil Dead movies (or maybe Scooby Doo), though with an early 60s feel. The budget is every bit as cheap, but used effectively. Watch out for Mr. Ranger, Yogi!

Eye Of The Devil (1967) The old 'nice gentleman is summoned back to his ancestral estate and begins behaving strangely while his wife tries to figure it all out' routine. This includes the rather bizarre spectacle of David Niven applying the whip to Sharon Tate.

Fantastic Voyage (1966) Slick old-school 'nerds on a mission' sci-fi adventure. A special medical team is shrunken down to microscopic size and injected into a VIP's body to perform tricky surgery from the inside. There is, of course, a Cold War 'who's the saboteur' angle. Donning the jump suits (some better than others) are Stephen Boyd, Donald Pleasence, Arthur O'Connell, Raquel Welch (sigh). Edmund O'Brien wears a military uniform in the control room.

Une Femme Est Une Femme (1961) Aka: A Woman Is A Woman. Jean-Luc Godard's tribute to Hollywood musicals, which of course comes out nothing like a Hollywood musical. Anna Karina plays a stripper who wants to have a baby, but the men in her life (Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean-Claude Brialy) are not interested in the job. Music by Michel Legrand, sliced and diced and dropped in like breakbeats.

The Fifth Element (1997) Directed by Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, The Professional), an action-packed latter-day sci-fi mish-mosh with original style and wit. Actually pretty light-hearted considering all of the mayhem. Very, very kinetic -- about halfway through, I started getting serious dizzy spells. Too much. Oh yeah, it's up to Milla Jovovich, Ian Holm and Bruce Willis to save the world (or was it the universe?). Gary Oldman gives an amazingly eccentric performance as a heavy.

A Fistful Of Dollars (1964) Sergio Leone's first film featuring Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name. Terrific score by Ennio Morricone.

Five Million Years To Earth (1967) The third feature based on the British Quatermass series. Subway excavation work at Hobbs Lane reveals a strange artifact which turns out to be an ancient spaceship. The plot radiates out from there in this rather clever science fiction film that's loaded with heretical concepts. You want conspiracies? This tops 'em all. Does a good job of pushing archetypal buttons. An interesting variation on the British sci-fi formula (yes, there is a military presence, as usual). Snatch the pebbles from my hand, Grasshopper...

For A Few Dollars More (1966) Sergio Leone's second film with Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name. Co-stars the great Lee Van Cleef as a man with a name. Watch for Klaus Kinski in a minor role. Another brilliant score by Ennio Morricone.

Forbidden Planet (1956) Classic 50's sci-fi that set the mold for the countless 'military nerds in space' films that followed. Proto-Kirk starship commander, Leslie Nielsen, leads his crew in an investigation of an ill-fated colony on Altair IV. Walter Pidgeon and Anne Francis play the only survivors, a scientist and his daughter. Trot out your own comparisons to Shakespeare's The Tempest. Fine effects and set designs, including Robby the Robot and the underground remains of the Krell civilization. But best of all is the terrific all-electronic score by electronic music pioneers, Louis and Bebe Barron.

The Four Skulls Of Jonathan Drake (1959) Although William Castle had nothing to do with this, it has the same sort of quaint, spook show feel that his flicks usually had. The heads of the family all die of decapitation when they hit 60 in this pleasingly fakey tale of head shrinking and voodoo curses. Starring Henry Daniell, Eduard Franz, Valerie French, Grant Richards and Paul Cavanagh. Directed by prolific Edward L. Cahn (Creature With The Atom Brain, Curse Of The Faceless Man, Dragstrip Girl, Girls In Prison, Invasion Of The Saucer Men, Invisible Invaders, It! The Terror From Beyond Space, Jet Attack, Motorcycle Gang, Pier 5 Havana, Riot In Juvenile Prison, Shake Rattle And Rock, The She Creature, Suicide Battalion, Voodoo Woman and Zombies Of Mora Tau -- to name a few).

Frankenstein (1931) The James Whale trendsetter, with Boris Karloff inhabiting that archtype-creating monster makeup, and Colin Clive as frantic Dr. Frankenstein, finding out "how it feels to be God." Has a few stretches where it plays like a silly sitcom (Oh no! Here comes Dad! Quick, let's hide the monster in the cellar!), but still, a true monument of a movie.

From Russia With Love (1963) The second 007 film (starring Sean Connery, of course) still avoids falling prey to the gimmickry that later got out of control. Bond escorts fab gal (of course) Russian agent (Daniela Bianchi) to the West via Istanbul, while coping with big, bad hitman, Robert Shaw and Lotte Lenya as Spectre operative, Rosa Klebb (who has the simple gimmick of a poisoned knife in her shoe). Theme song sung by Matt Monro.

The Frozen Dead (1966) A mad scientist in 1960s England puts in hacker's hours trying to figure out how to successfully revive frozen Nazi officers. Matters are complicated when his niece comes home from college. Her girlfriend winds up as a head in a pan, sending out telepathic pleas for help. With even more disjointed body parts and a group of zombified test subject failures. An unsavory classic. Starring Dana Andrews, Philip Gilbert, Kathleen Breck, Anna Palk, Karel Stepanek, Edward Fox.

The Giant Behemoth (1959) Director Eugene Lourie draws another bucket from the 'giant atomic dinosaur' well. This time, London is the victim of a giant behemoth (redundant enough?) with the added ability of frying people with radiation. Stop-motion animation by the old master, Willis O'Brien -- creator of King Kong.

The Girl Can't Help It (1956) A Frank Tashlin show-biz satire starring Tom Ewell (The Seven Year Itch) as a down on his luck PR flack coerced into making a singing star of Jayne Mansfield. The other reason to watch is plentiful real world 50s music stars... Little Richard (including the classic title song), Gene Vincent, Julie London, Fats Domino, The Platters, Eddie Cochran and more. With Edmond O'Brien as Jayne's mobster boyfriend.

Goldfinger (1964) Episode #3. This may be the Bondiest of the Bond films. Gert Frobe plays the title super-villain, the man with the gold fetish. Sean Connery plays 007 and plays with Honor Blackman (Pussy Galore), Shirley Eaton (the gal killed by the gold paint job) and Harold Sakata (Odd Job). This is the one with the not-exactly-stock Aston Martin DB5. Features the usual iconic music by John Barry. Shirley Bassey sings the memorable theme song.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966) Directed by Sergio Leone. Music by Ennio Morricone. Do the stars even matter? Well, okay. Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach are the title principals in this third entry in the Man With No Name trio. Wide and deep. Leone really hit his stride in this one, folding social commentary into his already grand opera.

Gorgo (1961) One more big lizard movie from director Eugene Lourie. This round, the monster is captured off the coast of Ireland and taken to London for exhibition. Soon Momma Dinosaur shows up to save Baby. More trouble for London. New twist for Lourie is dropping the stop-motion animation in favor of the simpler Japanese method -- man in a rubber suit stomps on scale models.

Gypsy (1962) Natalie Wood and Rosalind Russell star in this musical based on the life of stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee and her Momma Rose. Scariest part is when Russell threatens to do a strip of her own.

Hairspray (1988) John Waters' tale of TV dance shows and prejudice in early 60's Baltimore. Divine plays two roles in his final film. Also stars Ricki Lake, Jerry Stiller, Debbie Harry, Sonny Bono, Pia Zadora, Mink Stole, Ruth Brown, Ric Ocasek, Leslie Ann Powers and even Waters himself as a headshrinker. Theme song performed by Rachel Sweet.

Hammett (1983) Wim Wenders directed this adaptation of Joe Gores' fictional novel about mystery writer, Dashiell Hammett. Though a troubled production, it's worth a view -- a stylized take on the mystery genre, including a nifty post-concussion dream sequence. Frederic Forrest stars as Hammett, with Peter Boyle, Elisha Cook, Marilu Henner, Roy Kinnear, Lydia Lei, Sylvia Sidney, Royal Dano and Sam Fuller!

The Happening (1967) Anthony Quinn stars as a gangster kidnapped by thrill seeking hipster kids (George Maharis, Faye Dunaway, Michael Parks). A very 60's caper movie. Keep an eye out for Milton Berle. Theme song performed by The Supremes.

Harold and Maude (1972) Death obsessed 20-something, Harold (Bud Cort) falls for senior swinger, Maude (Ruth Gordon) in this classic black comedy written by Colin Higgins. Harold's constant faked suicides are a hoot. Directed by Hal Ashby, with music by the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens. Don't miss the Jaguar XKE hearse.

The Haunted Palace (1963) Another AIP Vincent Price vehicle, taking its title from a Poe poem, but its plot from H.P. Lovecraft's The Strange Case Of Charles Dexter Ward. Price gives his usual reliable performance as a man being taken over by a long-dead ancestor. Long-dead evil ancestor. Debra Paget plays his confused wife, with Lon Chaney, Jr. as the elder Price's partner in mayhem. Elisha Cook, Jr. plays one of the cranky villagers. Directed by Roger Corman himself.

The Haunting (1963) High-quality haunted house story directed by Robert Wise with zero special effects and heavy atmosphere. Richard Johnson, Julie Harris (intensely neurotic), Claire Bloom and Russ Tamblyn star as a group investigating an evil house. Intelligent and unnerving.

Head (1968) The Monkees' sole feature film is a non-linear blast. Demolishes their image while also playing like an episode of their TV show, run through a shredder and jumbled up with the Tibetan Book Of The Dead. While time and causality also get shredded. Some great tunes, to boot. Watch for Frank Zappa, Annette Funicello, Victor Mature, Teri Garr and a rafter blasting performance by the elemental character actor, Timothy Carey. Co-written by Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson, directed by Rafelson.

High Plains Drifter (1973) Director, Clint Eastwood, paints the town red in this supernatural western revenge yarn.

Hey Boy! Hey Girl! (1959) Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Sam Butera and The Witnesses star as not exactly themselves in a quaint musical mixture of showbiz comedy and 50s sitcom. Keely agrees to sing with Louis and his band if they play a charity bazaar for her church. More screwball complications develop throughout. Watch for James Gregory (a scheming politician in The Manchurian Candidate) as the kindly priest. Good tunes to boot.

High School Hellcats (1958) Vintage JD flick plot of a "good girl" who gets mixed up with a girl gang. But the gang's psycho enforcer, Dolly, is the one who really makes the picture. Her slow-witted, yet belligerent charms are a joy to witness.

Homicidal (1961) Another William Castle classic. The gimmick for this one was a fright break near the end, during which film goers who couldn't take the suspense could go to Coward's Corner and get a refund on their way out. One of many Psycho derivatives, but it has some amusing twists of its own. I shouldn't say anything more than that. Has that usual somewhat clinical William Castle style, which some of us love so well.

The Horror Of Dracula (1958) Another example of Hammer Films' strategy of remaking the Universal horror canon. Peter Cushing does a nicely obsessive job as Dr. Van Helsing, while Christopher Lee is a tall and dashing Dracula. Many sequels followed.

The Horse's Mouth (1958) Alec Guinness plays a cranky artist skilled with both paints and scams. Adapted by Guinness from a novel by Joyce Cary. A good yarn, with a generous helping of London street location footage.

Hot Rod Gang (1958) One of the better JD/hot rod flicks, featuring some really fine old-school rods supplied and wrangled by George Barris. Jon Ashley stars as a rich boy keeping his hot roddin', rock 'n' rollin' lifestyle a secret so as not to jeopardize his inheritance. But the rod club needs money, so he winds up cutting records as a fake beatnik! The film's real ace is Gene Vincent, doing three or four tunes. Frankly, once he makes his first appearance, it's pretty depressing going back to the plotline. Jon Ashley does a few tunes also, and in the scale of actors pretending to be rock 'n' roll singers, he's pretty good. But with Gene on hand for comparison, it's, uh, a lost cause. This film also serves as an early example of AIP's habit of using the "grownup" characters as goofy comic relief -- later taken to embarrassing extremes in the beach movies. Here it's just sort of clunky and doesn't match the tough JD scenes.

Hot Rods To Hell (1967) Hell-raisin' hot rodders terrorize a family in the California desert. Dana Andrews gets the slow-burn Dad role.

House Of Wax (1953) 3-D horror standard starring Vincent Price in one of his classic roles -- a wax sculptor disfigured and driven mad in an arson fire takes his twisted revenge. With Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones (Morticia Addams) and Charles Buchinsky/Bronson as Igor. Watch out for those paddle-balls!

In Cold Blood (1967) Richard Brooks' adaptation of Truman Capote's documentary novel about a mass murder in Kansas. Not a simple police procedural, it keeps finding new ways to stay off center, while not being contrived about it. Starring an effectively nervous Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe and Paul Stewart. Very cool score by Quincy Jones.

In The Soup (1992) Steve Buscemi as an aspiring film-maker who gets involved with a 'loose cannon' financial backer -- enthusiastically played by frequent John Cassavetes collaborator, Seymour Cassel.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956) The original version of this paranoia classic. Directed with deft pacing by Don Siegel, Kevin McCarthy stars as the doctor who returns to town and discovers that something's not quite right. Score by Carmen Dragon.

Irma La Douce (1963) Jack Lemmon plays a Parisian cop smitten with title prostitute, Shirley MacLaine. Directed by Billy Wilder, score by André Previn. Watch for Tura Satana (Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!) in a small role. Also Lou Jacobi, Herschel Bernardi, Hope Holiday and Bill Bixby (My Favorite Martian).

Island Of Lost Souls (1933) The original Dr. Moreau movie, starring Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi. A primal horror classic. "Are we not men?"

Isle Of The Dead (1945) Boris Karloff plays a Greek general in this Val Lewton production. Boris and an odd group are stranded on an island by a plague quarantine during the Balkan wars. Everyone gets rather cranky and superstitious by the end.

It (1967) No, not It! The Terror From Beyond Space (which was major source material for Alien). This is a later British production with Roddy McDowall doing his prissy psycho routine while sending a golem out to do the dirty deeds. Nothing special, but its eagerness to conform to genre cliches is pleasantly relaxing.

It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) A big, sloppy Saint Bernard of a movie. This epic scale comedy chase has had its criticisms over the years, but the mere size and breadth of the cast make it worth a look. No, I'm not going to list them -- you think I've got all day? I'll just say Edie Adams is in it, and she's the coolest. Okay?

I Walked With A Zombie (1943) Another low-key, high atmosphere film from producer Val Lewton and director Jacques Tourneur. Frances Dee gets mixed up with voodoo in the West Indies. When she wanders through the rustling cane fields in the dead of night, you can feel the eerie breeze. Cast includes calypso singer, Sir Lancelot.

I Was A Teenage Frankenstein (1957) AIP's immediate cash-in follow-up to I Was A Teenage Werewolf. This time, Whit Bissell gets center stage as he destroys innocent lives and meddles in God's domain all over again. While squabbling with his assistant and fiance, he builds a teenage muscle boy from spare parts. No, I don't want to touch that subtext either. More horror, less J.D.

I Was A Teenage Werewolf (1957) When AIP came up with that title, they probably soiled themselves with glee. Michael Landon stars as a teen with a temper problem who receives faulty psychiatric treatment from Whit Bissell. A cogent argument against forced counseling. A big success with its merger of J.D. and horror elements.

Jailhouse Rock (1957) As tended to happen to him in many of his movies, Elvis becomes a rock 'n' roll star. In this one he works his way up from prison.

Jamboree! (1957) Aka: Disc Jockey Jamboree. Another 50s rock 'n' roll movie featuring a tepid storyline about bland imaginary stars (though Connie Francis ghosts the girl's vocals). The usual relief comes with musical numbers by real stars, including: Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Slim Whitman, Count Basie with Joe Williams, Fats Domino, Buddy Knox and quite a few more -- even an extremely young looking Frankie Avalon, who must've played hooky from grade school for the gig. DJ's from around North America and Europe also make cameos. Screentime payola, no doubt. Additional scoring by Neil "Batman Theme" Hefti.

Jazz On A Summer's Day (1958) Evocative documentary of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. With Thelonious Monk, Louis Armstrong, Anita O'Day, Big Maybelle, Gerry Mulligan, Chico Hamilton, Dinah Washington, Chuck Berry, Mahalia Jackson and the proverbial many more. Has a nice sense of time and is loaded with great people watching. See what 1950s jazz fans really looked like. I love the shots of teenage kids head-banging to Louis Armstrong.

Johnny Cool (1963) A hard-nosed and nasty gangster flick starring Henry Silva as a Sicilian outlaw king shunted off to the USA on a mission of revenge for a deported mobster. Elizabeth Montgomery bewitches him and the plans take a messy tangent. Something of a Rat Pack spinoff, with Sammy Davis Jr. in a small (but very cool) acting role and doing some singing on the soundtrack. Also an inappropriate cameo by Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford listed as a producer. Telly Savalas is bald and mean.

Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun (1969) The old 'astronauts discover a parallel earth on the other side of the sun' routine. A live-action feature produced by Super-Marionation specialists, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (Thunderbirds, Supercar, Stingray).

Descriptions © 1998 to 2001 M.Ace