Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

Star Rating- 2
Length of Film- 115 minutes
Director- Frank Capra
Cast- Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, George Bancroft, Lionel Stander, Douglass Dumbrille, Raymond Walburn, HB Warner, Ruth Donnelly, Walter Catlett, & John Wray
Oscar- Frank Capra (director)
Oscar Nominations- Frank Capra (best picture), Robert Riskin (screenplay), Gary Cooper (actor), & John P. Livadary (sound)









Before I go bashing this film, let me fill you in on the photography of this film that I found in my "Understanding Movies" textbook by Louis Giannetti. 

"Classic cinema avoids the extremes of realism and formalism in favor of a slightly stylized presentation that has at least a surface plausibility. Movies in this form are often handsomely mounted, but the style rarely calls attention to itself. The images are determined by their relevance to the story and characters, rather than a desire for authenticity or formal beauty alone. The implicit ideal is a functional, invisible style: the pictorial elements are subordinated to the presentation of characters in action. Classical cinema is story oriented. The narrative line is seldom allowed to wander, nor is it broken up by authorial intrusions. A high premium is placed on the entertainment value of the story which is often shaped to conform to the conventions of a popular genre. Often the characters are played by stars rather than unknown players, and their roles are sometimes tailored to showcase their personal charms. The human materials are paramount in the classical cinema. The characters are generally appealing and slightly romanticized. The audience is encouraged to identify with their values and goals". 

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is supposed to be a "screwball comedy". I am sorry... it is not! The movie SUCKED. If you're going to categorize your film as a comedy, make it funny! The only three scenes that I thought were humorous (keep in mind I didn't laugh out loud) were the following: 

*Longfellow Deed (Gary Cooper) was out to dinner with Babe Bennett (Jean Arthur) and a famous writer was at the restaurant. They were invited to sit with them and insults flew. He got up and threatened to punch them in the face, and then he did it. 

*Longfellow Deeds called his staff to the front entry way of his house and they all yelled and cat called listening to their echoes.

*Longfellow Deeds went to the park and fed horses donuts.

The film was just so sporadic. It started out as a "rags to riches" story, to "romance" to "courtroom drama". It was stupid...the plot sucked! What they should have done is focused on Deeds transition to living the life of riches and pursuing Babe Bennett. That would've been a good film...

I do not believe this film should've been on the list. It needs to be removed and replaced. 

Cat People (1942)

Star Rating- 3
Length of Film- 73 minutes
Director- Jacques Tourneur
Cast- Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph, & Jack Holt













Cat People is considered a horror film, but when you watch it, keep in mind this movie is 72 years old and what they considered scary in the 40's is different than what we would consider scary, BUT the film is still suspenseful, and made me tense up. 

Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon) is a woman from a small tribe in Serbia. She met Ollie Reed (Kent Smith) at the zoo where she was sketching a panther. They went back to her apartment and he noticed a unique statue and asked her questions about. She went onto explain that her tribe are descendants from cats, and they become cats themselves when sexually aroused. The cat of course, represents evil. 

Strange things start to happen when Irena is around. A kitten that Ollie bought for her, reacts defensively, so they go to the pet store and as soon as she walks through the door, all the animals throw a fit. As soon as she walks out, they are quiet. Ollie ended up trading the kitten in for a bird and of course, as you guess... the bird died. 

Ollie and Irena marry and yet they have not consummated the marriage because she fears her families curse. Of course the husband is not too happy about it so he talks to his co-worker Alice (Jane Randolph) about it, and she recommends a psychologist. Not only was Alice willing to help a co-worker in need, she uses this as tactic to get close to him because she has always loved him (keep in mind this is a film from 1942!)

One of the best scenes in the movie is when Alice decides to go swimming and when she was in the pool, she kept seeing shadows moving and a low growl. 

This movie is worth the watch, there's some twists and turns in the plot and it's kind of fun to try and figure out HOW they were able to do certain horror effects. Make an opinion for yourself, and happy watching! 

Fun facts: 

This movie was released on December 25th. There's nothing like a film about witchcraft being released on the day we celebrate Jesus' birth.

Freaks (1932)

Star Rating- 4
Length of Film- 64 minutes
Director- Tod Browning
Cast- Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Roscoe Ates, Henry Victor, Harry Earles, Daisy Earles, Rose Dione, Daisy Hilton, Violet Hilton, Schlitze, Josephine Joseph, Johnny Eck, Frances O'Connor, & Peter Robinson









This movie literally changed how I viewed movies. It made such an impact, and a lot of that is the shock factor. I mean, this movie was banned in the United Kingdom for 30 years because it was deemed to exploit its cast. I wouldn't necessarily categorize this movie as horror, but in 1932...this probably scared the buh-jesus out of a lot people. 

Director Browning took the exceptional step of casting real people with deformities as the eponymous sideshow "freaks", rather than using costumes and makeup.(http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E07E6D61031E333A2575AC0A9619C946394D6CF)

I mean, that was risque but he did not show them in a negative way, he actually did the opposite. He showed that these individuals, even though they looked different and had disabilities, they weren't that different from "normal". They wanted love just like everyone else. 

The film follows a trapeze artist, Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) who's in a relationship with the strong man named Hercules (Henry Victor). A midget named Hans (Harry Earles) has a crush on Cleopatra. At first Cleopatra is flattered and flirts back with him, but all changes when she finds out that Hans is loaded. Cleopatra and Hercules converse and set up a plan. Cleopatra will marry Hans, slowly poison him, and then take all of his money.

My favorite part of the film is when the family goes out on the hunt, and this guy crawling on the ground was creepy as hell! The end moral of the movie is that you will watch out for your own kind, and if you mess with them, there will be consequences. Now I really don't know how they pulled off the end, special effects wise 

Now I really don't know how they pulled off the end, (special effects wise) so if anyone knows, I'd love to find out. And I loved how the beginning of the movie started, and we had no idea what was inside the box until the end. It was a great bit of mystery and it was definitely satisfying to find out what it was in the end.

Enjoy the movie, it really is a slice of cinema history that everyone needs to watch.  Happy watching!

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Star Rating- 3
Length of Film- 89 minutes 
Director- Wes Craven
Cast- Susan Lanier, Robert Houston, Martin Speer, Dee Wallace-Stone, Russ Grieve, John Steadman, James Whitworth, Virginia Vincent, Lance Gordon, Michael Berryman, Janus Blythe, Cordy Clark, Brenda Marinoff, & Peter Locke

"Horror continued to infiltrate the most common place visions of domestic bliss, turning the American dream inside out... most horror films portrayed red-blooded Americans fighting for their own life...it was all about random violence, about unpredictability, about seeing the things you couldn't imagine around the next corner."

-Nightmares in Red White and Blue   

Which takes us to the 1977 film, "The Hills Have Eyes". This movie is a stereotypical 70's horror film. Much like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre where they stumbled upon this horrific event by accident. In this film, the Carter family was traveling across the dessert,  got stranded in the middle of nowhere, and their party got split up. Inbred savages preyed the area, and decided to have some fun with the Carter's. 

This movie made the list in my opinion because of gruesome rape scene, talk of cannibalism, the odd look of actor Michael Berryman, death of the family dog, kidnapping a child, and the huge winnebago explosion.

When I first saw the film, I thought they did special effects on Pluto (Michael Berryman), but they did not. That's what he looks like, and once I researched on Berryman, I found out he has a disorder called Ectodermal Dysplasia. 

"Ectodermal dysplasias are described as "heritable conditions in which there are abnormalities of two or more ectodermal structures such as the hair, teeth, nails,sweat glands, cranial-facial structure, digits and other parts of the body"-www.wikipedia.org

Pluto (Michael Bailey Smith) -2006 remake

Pluto (Berryman)-1977

I commend Berryman for using what God gave him, and choosing to go down the path of acting in the horror genre. Because when you look at him, you know there's something not right, and he played the inbred neanderthal very well. If you look at the photos up above, I believe that Pluto, 1977 looked more realistic, than when they remade "The Hills Have Eyes" in 2006. Pluto (Michael Bailey Smith) looked fake. You could tell that they enhanced his features with make-up, so I commend the casting directors who chose to hire Berryman for the role. 

The movie wasn't scary in my opinion, it was more gut wrenching/high anxiety, because you had sympathy for the family, and that's scary in itself. This was just a normal family that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyone sitting in the theater in 1977, could've gone on a road trip, and it could've happened to them. Some people are scared of Godzilla, but in reality, that would NEVER happen. Savages stalking, murdering, and taking advantage of your family IS possible, and that's what makes this movie memorable and worthy to be on the 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list.

Watch the movie and make an opinion for yourself, Craven hit the nail on the head writing this movie, because it fit in perfectly with what was popular at the time; the most horrifying thing that could happen, could be right around the corner. 

The Big Chill (1983)

Star Rating- 2 1/2
Director- Lawrence Kasdan
Length of Film- 105 minutes 
Cast- Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, JoBeth Williams, Don Galloway, James Gillis, Ken Place, Jon Kasdan, Ira Stiltner, Jake Kasdan, & Muriel Moore
Oscar Nominations- Michael Shamberg (best picture), Lawrence Kasdan & Barbara Benedek (screenplay), Glenn Close (actress in support role)








Here's the movie in a nutshell: friend committed suicide so everyone from college got together for the funeral and ended up spending the weekend at married couples house, Sarah (Glenn Close) & Harold (Kevin Kline). The whole movie takes place in a weekend and at this one house. 

The greatest part about this movie is the soundtrack:

1. Marvin Gaye – "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" (Extended version)
2. The Temptations – "My Girl"
3. The Young Rascals – "Good Lovin'"
4. The Miracles – "The Tracks of My Tears"
5. Three Dog Night – "Joy to the World"
6. The Temptations – "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
7. Aretha Franklin – "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman"
8. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – "I Second That Emotion"
9. Procol Harum – "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
10. The Exciters – "Tell Him"
11. Creedence Clearwater Revival – "Bad Moon Rising"
12. Percy Sledge – "When a Man Loves a Woman"
13. The Young Rascals – "In the Midnight Hour"
14. The Spencer Davis Group – "Gimme Some Lovin'"
15. The Band – "The Weight"
16. The Beach Boys – "Wouldn't It Be Nice"
17. Bert Kaempfert – "Strangers in the Night"
18. The Rolling Stones – "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (Church version)
19. "J. T. Lancer Theme"

20. Four Tops – "It's the Same Old Song"
21. Martha & The Vandellas – "Dancing in the Street"
22. Marvin Gaye – "What's Going On"
23. The Marvelettes – "Too Many Fish in the Sea"
24. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"
25. Jimmy Ruffin – "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
26. Jr. Walker & The All Stars – "Shotgun"
27. Doobie Brothers – "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)"
28. The Supremes – "Ask Any Girl"
29. Lesley Gore – "You Don't Own Me"
30. Spanky & Our Gang – "Like to Get to Know You"
31. The Mamas and The Papas – "Monday, Monday"
32. Moody Blues – "Nights in White Satin (The Night)"
33. Joe Cocker – "Feeling Alright"
34. Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders – "Game of Love"
35. James Brown – "I Got You (I Feel Good)"
36. Blues Magoos – "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet"
37. The Zombies – "Time of the Season"
38. Howard Tate – "Get It While You Can"

The big shocker in my opinion on why this movie is considered "one of the best" is when Meg (Mary Kay Place) talks to Sarah about wanting to have a baby:

Meg: They're either married or gay. And if they're not gay, they've just broken up with the most wonderful woman in the world, or they've just broken up with a bitch who looks exactly like me. They're in transition from a monogamous relationship and they need more space. Or they're tired of space, but they just can't commit. Or they want to commit, but they're afraid to get close. They want to get close, and you don't want to get near them.

Sarah: It can't be that bad.

Meg: I don't know. I'm goin' easy. I've been out there dating for twenty years. I've gotten where I can tell in the first fifteen seconds if there's a chance in the world.

Sarah: Well, at least you're giving them a fair shot.

Meg: Yeah, that's easy for you to say. Married to Harold, the perfect man. I don't know. Sometimes, I think I don't even want a man anymore. So here I sit on my ticking biological clock, and the only thing I've known in my entire life is that I want to have a child. Don't remind me. This probably was the right thing to do at the time.

Sarah: So, what do ya do?

Meg: I'm gonna have a baby.

Sarah: What?

Meg: Now, I've been taking my temperature and I know I'm ovulating right now. The ground is ready. I just need someone to plant the seed.

Sarah: Yeah, but who's gonna be the lucky farmer?

Meg: These are the best guys I know. My favorite men in the world. Unfortunately, Nick, as I discover I'm the last to know, is no longer a candidate. Michael's a possibility, but considering everything, I think a fall-back position...So that leaves Sam...

Sarah: Have you discussed this with Sam, or are you just gonna plan a surprise attack?

Meg: Why should he have a problem with it? I mean there won't be any obligations. I love him as a friend. I assume he loves me. He'd do anything for me.

Sarah: You know, somehow, I feel it isn't quite this simple. You know, for one thing, it doesn't always happen the first time.

Meg: That's not what they told us in high school.

In a TWIST of events, Sarah asks her HUSBAND to give her friend a baby. She's waiting there in the bedroom, they strip down a do it the old fashioned way, I mean...no jerking off in a cup and then inserting it in the girl...she let her husband sleep with another woman, and you know Sarah had a hard time with this decision, because she was hanging out in the kitchen pantry. So sad... so selfless.... so not anything I would EVER do. I'm not that good of a friend. WOW! 

I wouldn't necessarily consider this a high candidate for being in the book. The only memorable part in this film Harold sleeping with Meg to get her pregnant and the music. I know the movie is supposed to be about the bond of these 7 friends and how life changes for everyone and even though everyones life is on a different path, that when a tragedy strikes, the bond forms again. I get that...but the movie isn't life changing. Truthfully, they could've gotten in a lot more trouble and done way more risque things, but the film was made in 1983, they hadn't broken that barrier yet. 

The movie's just blah...very vanilla. Make your opinion, but when the next edition comes out, they can nix this one I will not be upset :-) Happy viewing!

Videodrome (1983)

Star Rating- 2
Director- David Cronenberg
Cast- James Woods, Sonja Smits, Deborah Harry, Peter Dvorsky, Leslie Carlson, Jack Creley, Lynne Gorman, Julie Khaner, Reiner Schwartz, David Bolt, Lally Cadeau, Henry Gomez, Harvey Chao, David Tsubouchi, & Kay Hawtrey

(I have been so far behind of my movie reviews that I don't necessarily remember this film, because I watched it 4 months ago. Oooops! So I am going to write down what the film critic, R. Barton Palmer wrote about Videodrome; direct quote from the book.)

"A groundbreaking film of the commercial/independent movement of 1980s Hollywood, David Cronenberg's story about the horrible transformation wrought by exposure to televised violence wittily thematizes the very problems that the director's exploration of violent sexual imagery in his previous productions has caused with censors, Hollywood distributors, and feminist groups. Max Renn (James Woods) is a cable-station operator whose cynical marketing of sex and violence backfires on him when his abdomen suddenly grows a vagina-like opening into which, among other objects, audiocassettes can be inserted. The film, in which such sado-masochistic fantasy and transgendering play key roles, ends tragically, with Max's self-destruction.

In many ways the most audacious formal incarnation of Cronenberg's characteristic themes, Videodrome begins as a fairly standard commercial thriller, only to be transformed, at midpoint, into subjective fantasy of the most outrageous and unusual kind. Visually rich, Videodrome is also thought-provoking in its startling meditation on both polymorphous perversity and the interpenetration between public and subjective realms of experience. Cronenberg has been both praised and condemned for his fluid treatment of gender (a closing sequence in which two female characters grow penises in a kind of riposte to Max's "vagination" was cut from the release print as too disturbing). Even in its edited form, Videodrome remains one of Hollywood's most unusual films, too shocking and idiosyncratic to be anything but a commercial failure." - R. Barton Palmer holds a Ph.D from Yale University (Medieval Studies) and New York University (Cinema Studies). He is a professor of Literature at Clemson University and Director of the South Carolina Film Institute

Even though I gave the film a 2 out of 5 stars, I do believe that this movie deserves to be in the book and it does stick out like a sore thumb in my mind as perverse and groundbreaking and I will never forget it. Videodrome reminded me a lot of Blue Velvet & Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Here are some of the still shots from the film...I decided to watch the film because the photos intrigued me. Just be aware, this movie is gross and stretches the comfortability of the audience (which is why this movie deserves to stay on the list). 

Happy viewing! 

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990)

Star Rating- 2
Length of Film- 83 minutes
Director- John McNaughton
Cast- Mary Demas, Michael Rooker, Anne Bartoletti, Elizabeth Kaden, Ted Kaden, Denise Sullivan, Anita Ores, Megan Ores, Cheri Jones, Monica Anne O'Malley, Bruce Quist, Erzsebet Sziky, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles, & David Katz

I'm going to directly quote the book for an explanation on the movie. It directly connects my opinion but in a smarter way than how I can write it.

"Directed by John McNaughton, Henry:Portrait of a Serial Killer is loosely based on the story of real serial murderer Henry Lee Lucas. It is exceptional for its realism of style and amoral viewpoint, and it remains with viewer as one of the most disturbing movies ever made." 
-Cynthia Freeland from 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

This movie was originally filmed in 1986, but was not released until 1990 due to a dispute with the US censors, and I could see why. It raises the question, why would someone want to make a film about a serial killer? Why is it important to tell the story of Henry Lee Lucas? Was it to push the limits of what's allowed (censorship)? McNaughton was a brave man and took the risk to show Henry snapping women's necks, dismembering body parts, and the overall carelessness and guiltless he feels after the murders.

Cynthia Freeland who is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Women's Studies at the University of Houston stated this; "this film is not fun to watch, but it is important in that it forces viewers into questioning our cultural fascination with serial killers." What movies followed Henry? Silence of the Lambs and Natural Born Killers.

And I have to agree with Mrs. Freeland. It was hard NOT to watch. The scenes were graphic, but I didn't turn the DVD off. Some might not have like thee ending of the movie; he didn't live happily ever after with the girl, but I liked it. I thought it was necessary for it to end that way. Representing that no woman who make him change. Even if a woman he'd care for, his urge to murder would over power

Fun Facts (found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099763/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2)

Throughout the film, any sound of a neck breaking is really a Styrofoam cup being crushed near the microphone. The sound of Henry (Michael Rooker) cutting off Otis' (Tom Towles) head is a plastic mesh grapefruit bag being slowly torn open.

The fake head of Tom Towles used in the scene where he is stabbed in the eye cost $700.

The film was shot on 16mm in 28 days with a budget of $110,000. It initially earned $600,000 on its (extremely limited) theatrical run, but has since gone on to earn millions on VHS and DVD, as well as theatrical re-releases.

Michael Rooker said he was working as a janitor when he auditioned for the part of Henry and went to the audition in his janitor uniform. He got the part, and continued to wear his uniform throughout the film shoot. He only had one jacket, though, so he took it off before he "killed" anyone so he wouldn't get blood on it.