From Beyond the Grave (1973)

From Beyond the Grave (1973): Based on stories by R. Chetwynd Hayes; screen play by Robin Clarke and Raymond Christodoulou; directed by Kevin Connor; starring Ian Bannen, Peter Cushing, Diana Dors, Margaret Leighton, Donald Pleasence, David Warner, Lesley-Anne Down, and Angela Pleasence: Highly enjoyable anthology movie adapting four stories by English horror writer R. Chetwynd-Hayes, with Peter Cushing as the frame story's owner of a sinister antiques store (called Temptations, nudge nudge). 

There are some nice moments of horror here, along with some bleak humour very appropriate for any adaptation of the often tongue-in-cheek Chetwynd-Hayes. The climax of the segment starring Donald Pleasence and daughter Angela especially reaches a tone of extremely dark whimsy. In any case, the haunted or possibly cursed items in the stories are a mirror, a Distinguished Service Cross, a snuff box, and an ornately carved wooden door. So avoid such items at all costs.

This isn't a Hammer production but rather an Amicus one, for those who know about such distinctions. Cushing seems to be having quite a bit of fun behind some moderately heavy make-up. The moral of the story seems to be that one shouldn't barter to lower prices at an antique shop, and for God's sake, don't steal anything. Recommended.  

Happy Colossus Adventure

Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970): Based on the first novel in a trilogy by D.F. Jones, this film somewhat jarringly stars Eric Braeden, now so much identified as Victor Newman on the long-running soap opera The Young and the Restless. 

Dr. Forbin has somehow convinced the U.S. government to hand over all control of its nuclear stockpile to the super-computer he designed, the eponymous Colossus. And it's surrounded by an impenetrable radiation barrier! So of course nothing can go worng...

It makes for an enjoyably sober piece of near-future science fiction. Look for a young Gordon Pinsent as the President of the United States of America! Recommended.

Happy Death Day 2 U (2019): Unnecessary but entertaining sequel to the more enjoyable Happy Death Day. It's sort of the 2010 of sequels, as it spends a lot of time explaining why the time loop happened in the first movie. Jessica Rothe is as charming and spunky as ever in the lead role. Christopher Landon directs again, this time taking over the writer's credit from Scott Lobdell. Affable might be the best way to describe this. Lightly recommended.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989): Amiable comedy without a huge number of laughs. Keanu Reaves and Alex Winter do a lot of heavy lifting because with the exception of George Carlin in a few scenes, this movie has the most undistinguished supporting cast in movie history. Or at least ostensibly big-budget studio movie history. But there is something admirable about a film the climax of which is an oral presentation on history that has to be delivered in an auditorium to one's entire high school. Now that's weird. Lightly recommended.

 

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

 

BlacKkKlansman (2018): Brilliant, mostly true true story about Colorado Springs police officer Ron Stallworth and his infiltration of the KKK back in the 1970's. The catch? Ron is African-American. So he infiltrates over the telephone while fellow officer Flip Zimmerman (played by Adam Driver) 'plays' the white Ron Stallworth. 

Funny and harrowing by turns, this 2018 film has somehow become MORE relevant than ever in less than two years. Spike Lee is in top form, as is the cast. Highly recommended.

The Knock

I like to say 'Hello," Dmitri... just not right now.

Knocking Etiquette seems to be something that's degrading at a fair clip.

Over the last two years or so, I've noticed that virtually anyone knocking on our door does so with a volume and fervor normally seen only in officers serving warrants and angels announcing the End of Days.

And the person knocking in this fashion (usually but not always male) always wants something from me they're not going to pay for -- permission to take hay off the North field, permission to put 100 beehives on our property, permission to shoot deer on our property, or some other goddam thing.

And these knocks always come either before 9 a.m. or after 8 p.m..

So now I just don't answer the door when some dumbass knocks in this fashion because there's nothing in it for me and in any case, learn how to knock, asshole.

Godzilla vs. Matt Helm

Godzilla vs. Mecha-Godzilla (1974): The penultimate Godzillaverse movie in the original Toho Studios run demonstrates that old adage about history beginning as tragedy, returning as comedy, and ending in farce. 

Aliens send a giant robot Godzilla to conquer the Earth. Godzilla teams up with kaiju King Caesar, some scientists, and Interpol to save the world. King Caesar is easily the worst kaiju Toho ever created, a sort of cross between a lizard, a Muppet, and a team mascot. Godzilla demonstrates another new power, generating a massive magnetic field. Well, why not? Lightly recommended.

Terror of Mecha-Godzilla (1975): Original Godzilla director Ishiro Honda returns for this final entry in the original Toho series. That makes for a decent finalé, with Godzilla even strolling off into the sunset at the end, sort of. There's a bit too much Interpol vs. the Space Aliens action in this one which may have contributed to its series-ending low box office. 

Along with a resurrected Mecha-Godzilla, the undersea-dwelling Titanosaurus also battles Godzilla under the control of the aliens and a misanthropic human scientist and his alien-resurrected cyborg daughter. This last leads to a scientist-hero telling the woman, "I don't care if you're a cyborg, I still love you." Shakespeare, eat your heart out! Lightly recommended.

The Wrecking Crew (Matt Helm 4) (1968): Sharon Tate is pretty much the only reason to watch this unfunny, boring yet fascinating mess -- fascinating mainly because Mike Myers drew a lot of inspiration for the Austin Powers movies from the Matt Helm series, including Dean Martin's cover job as a fashion photographer. When someone says movies today are bad and overly parts of serials, make them watch this. And it's purportedly better than Matt Helms 2, 3, 5, and the TV series!!! Not recommended.

Horror Movies Seen As Pithy Life Lessons

• Phantasm: Don't have sex in a cemetery at night.
• The Night of the Living Dead: Frankly, just avoid cemeteries altogether.
• Dracula: Beware of illegal immigrants.
• Frankenstein: Early childhood education is vitally important to the development of a child.
• The Exorcist: Don't become a Roman Catholic priest: Low pay, high mortality rate.
• The Nightmare on Elm Street series: Don't take justice into your own hands, especially if it involves burning an alleged felon to death.
• The Friday the 13th series: Don't have pre-marital sex.
• The Hallowe'en series: Seriously, don't have pre-marital sex.
• Cujo: Have your pet regularly vaccinated for rabies and other diseases.
• The Omen: The Italian health-care system is a mess.
• The Invasion of the Body Snatchers: Home gardening can be a life-changer.
• The Day of the Triffids: Green energy is bad.
• Gremlins: Have your pets spayed or neutered.
• Pet Sematary: If you have young children, don't live close to a road.

The Score (aka Killtown) (1964) by Donald Westlake

The Score (aka Killtown) (1964) by Donald Westlake writing as Richard Stark: A typically terse, concise, matter-of-fact entry in Donald Westlake's series of novels featuring super-thief/burglar Parker. Westlake wrote them as 'Richard Stark' in order to avoid flooding the early 1960's market for Donald Westlake. Lee Marvin, Jason Statham, and Mel Gibson have played the amoral, hyper-efficient Parker in movies, to varying effect (Marvin was clearly the best, in the John-Boorman-directed Point Blank (1967). 

The scheme this time is fascinating and clever, and, as always, complications and double-crosses come into play before the 'caper' is over. Though 'caper' is far too jolly a word for anything in a Parker novel. So call it a heist. Grofield, a slightly more amusing Westlake character, is a member of the team in this one. Highly recommended.