lee_eisenberg Reviews

Whistling in the Dark (1933)

one cast member looks like Carol Post, another has a name similar to her portrayer

[6/10 · 18 April 2024]

I happened to come across Elliott Nugent's "Whistling in the Dark" in the classic comedy section of a local video store. Knowing nothing about it, I decided to rent it. While an okay movie, it wasn't what I would think of as comedy. Ernest Truex and Una Merkel play an eloping couple who end up in the house of a gangster plotting a murder.

While there are some humorous scenes, I would've called the movie a thriller-drama. It manages to stay intense all the way to the end. There was apparently a 1941 remake; made under the Hays Code, it no doubt it reined in one particular scene of the fiancee (you'll know it when you see it).

Anyway, this movie is okay, not great. Enjoyable enough for its brief run.

As to the thing about Carol Post (the wife on "Mister Ed"), Una Merkel looks like her portrayer Connie Hines, while the movie has a cast member named Johnny Hines.

Wheels on Meals (1984)

Jackie's wacky adventures in Spain

[9/10 · 17 April 2024]

If you've seen any of Jackie Chan's movies, then you should know what to expect. Sammo Hung's "Fai caan che" ("Wheels on Meals" in English) is no exception. The plot involves the owners of a food truck in Barcelona trying to help a woman targeted by a criminal syndicate, but that's of course secondary to the martial arts. Fists and legs fly in every direction, and there are some movements that I would've thought impossible had I not watched Jackie Chan perform them.

The point is that this is a truly enjoyable movie. I have no doubt that it's a lot of fun to participate in Jackie Chan's movies, and the people of Barcelona probably had quite a time watching him do all these stunts during the production. A great experience.

Eight Legged Freaks (2002)

the arachnids of summer 2002

[6/10 · 16 April 2024]

While Sam Raimi's "Spiderman" was the famous 2002 release dealing with arachnids, there was another one. Ellory Elkayem's blatantly silly "Eight Legged Freaks" is an homage to the 1950s movies about giant bugs, with an element of "Gremlins".

The plot involves spiders exposed to toxic waste growing to giants and wreaking havoc. Unlike most movies about arthropods, here we learn a bit about spiders, both their body structure and how they operate. Oh, and there's a scene of Scarlett Johansson that's sure to arouse all the boys.

Basically, this is a proudly ridiculous movie. Looks like the sort of movie that they had a lot of fun making. I figure that the world's arachnophobes will want to avoid it like the plague, but the rest of us will be able to enjoy it.

So is your spidey sense tingling?

Poor Things (2023)

it looks as though Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone are going to become the new Scorsese and DeNiro

[9/10 · 15 April 2024]

Having directed Emma Stone in "The Favourite", Yorgos Lanthimos now directs her in "Poor Things", for which she won an Oscar. This is not an easy movie to describe. Sort of a steampunk version of social commentary, with Stone as a dead woman brought back to life but with an infant's mental capacity.

Undeniably, this will not be for everyone. In addition to depicting material similar to what "Frankenstein" showed, there's nothing light or fluffy to be found anywhere. Almost every scene is something shocking. I guess you could say, this is one movie that's bound to ruffle a few feathers (especially considering some of those animals). I liked it, but there's no guarantee that you will. The rest of the cast includes Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef and Hanna Schygulla. I'll be eager to see Lanthimos's upcoming movie.

The Truth vs. Alex Jones (2024)

What happens if we get to the point where no one can tell the truth from a lie?

[6/10 · 14 April 2024]

The world got a horrible shock in December 2012 when a psychopath walked into a school in Connecticut and murdered several children. Most people were rightly horrified. Unfortunately, radio host Alex Jones - known for whipping up conspiracy theories - called it a false flag event, and his listeners ate it up.

Dan Reed's documentary "The Truth vs. Alex Jones" looks at Jones's rumor-mongering and how this led to harassment of the victims' parents. The harassment got to the point where the parents filed a lawsuit against Jones. Much of the documentary shows scenes inside the trial, with Jones trying to pretend that he didn't try to harm the parents.

The main thing to take away from the documentary is that Jones is the latest in a long line of blowhards making things up to further their careers (such as Joe McCarthy and Rush Limbaugh). Sadly, their fans - one might call them cultists - believe the lies and proceed to torment the victims. One can only hope that criminal prosecution will bring down these mendacious goons.

Not the greatest documentary, but I recommend it.

Haiku Tunnel (2001)

I never expected to hear Smithers's voice in the same movie as a mention of Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman

[7/10 · 13 April 2024]

To the pantheon of movies about the corporate world we can now add the Kornbluth brothers' "Haiku Tunnel", starring Josh Kornbluth as a man who works well as a temp but poorly when hired for a permanent position. Much of the movie is the protagonist's discussions of his life, and his constant distractions interfering with his work.

While I wouldn't call it a great movie, it's still a fun piece of work, showing the sheer unpleasantness of the corporate world. I've never worked in that sort of setting, so I can't comment on the accuracy, but I can say that this movie could easily be a double-screening with "The Apartment" or "Office Space". Worth seeing.

1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982)

a clockwork Bronx

[7/10 · 12 April 2024]

Enzo Castellari first came to my attention when Quentin Tarantino released "Inglourious B------s", whose title and plot were based on Castellari's 1977 flick "The Inglorious B------s" (IMDb doesn't let you write the titles, as they're considered profane). Not long after seeing Tarantino's movie, I saw Castellari's movie. So now, here's another one of his movies.

A previous reviewer equated "1990: I guerreri del Bronx" ("1990: The Bronx Warriors" in English) to John Carpenter's "Escape from New York". I saw that similarity also, but I also saw a similarity to Stanley Kubrick's "Clockwork Orange", in the the sense that gangs pretty much rule the streets. Either way, this is one fun movie, with the heir to a sinister corporation fleeing into the now lawless Bronx and joining up with a motorcycle gang. There's no shortage of cool fights and wacky stunts.

The star is Mark Gregory, who starred in a number of Italian exploitation flicks in the '80s before retiring from movies (he committed suicide in 2013), with supporting roles played by Vic Morrow, Fred Williamson and Elisabetta Dessy (an Olympic swimmer). All in all, it's one cool movie. I bet that they had a lot of fun filming it.

The Funeral (1984)

dying as seen by the Land of the Rising Sun

[8/10 · 11 April 2024]

I first learned of Juzo Itami when he committed suicide in 1997. However, it's only now that I've gotten around to seeing one of his movies. His directorial debut "Osôshiki" ("The Funeral" in English) depicts a family's gathering after a father-in-law's passing. As it turns out, this gathering will reveal a lot about the family.

The movie often gets called a comedy, but it's not a comedy as we usually understand the term. The movie could definitely qualify as a black comedy, with unpleasant things taking place over the course of saying goodbye to the relative. It's not a sad movie, but definitely not slapstick. Whatever the case, it's a fine piece of work. I'll be eager to see the rest of Itami's movies. I wonder what he would've done had he lived longer.

The Voice of the Moon (1990)

the end of Fellini's career

[7/10 · 10 April 2024]

After almost half a century in cinema, Federico Fellini released his swan song in the form of "La voce della luna" ("The Voice of the Moon" in English). With this movie, Fellini continued his embrace of the bizarre, with Roberto Benigni's fake well inspector experiencing a kaleidoscopic world of beauty pageants, fascism, and pop music.

Apparently, a lot of critics maligned the movie. I guess that they didn't interpret it as being as artistic as most of Fellini's movies. Maybe so, but I found it to be an enjoyably surreal experience. To be certain, Federico Fellini's worst movie is still better than Michael Bay's best movie. I recommend it, even if it isn't up there with "La strada", "8 1/2" or "Satyricon".

To think that I watched a moon-related movie right after a total solar eclipse - with the moon blocking out the sun - passed over much of the country.

My Life (1993)

no matter how you go, you have to try and be graceful

[8/10 · 9 April 2024]

The presence of both Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman in Bruce Joel Rubin's heart-wrenching "My Life" makes it all the more ironic that I learned about both actors from Batman movies. This is the polar opposite of those movies. This focus on a cancer-stricken man trying to create memories for his unborn son deserves far more renown. To be certain, I didn't hear about it when it got released (being only nine years old, I didn't usually pay attention to serious movies). Nonetheless, everyone who cares about familial love should watch this movie at least once, even though it occasionally tries to manipulate your emotions. It deserves more recognition than the latest movie where Tom Cruise narrowly escapes all danger.

The rest of the cast includes Bradley Whitford, Michael Constantine, Queen Latifah and Haing S. Ngor.

Late Night with the Devil (2023)

evil goes live

[8/10 · 8 April 2024]

The found footage genre gets a new spin with the Cairnes brothers' "Late Night with the Devil". It depicts the recording of a 1970s talk show where supposed communications with the beyond start getting too real. At the same time, it addresses the exploitative nature of spectacle. All while managing to balance comedy and horror, I might add.

Probably the only recognizable cast member to us Yanks is star David Dastmalchian (most recently of "Oppenheimer"), with the rest of the cast consisting of Aussies. Whatever the case, the movie looks exactly like a recording of a disco-era talk show, complete with the intertitles. That makes it all the more fun when the intense stuff begins. These are truly the sort of movies that make life worth living.

The Dead Father (1985)

Guy Maddin's cinematic origins

[7/10 · 7 April 2024]

I learned of Guy Maddin when I saw his 2003 drama "The Saddest Music in the World", about a contest to see which country makes the most depressing music. I just saw his feature debut, the surreal "Tales from the Gimli Hospital". Included on the DVD was his earlier short "The Dead Father". This equally surreal movie depicts a man convinced that he's seeing his late father all over the place. Or something like that. It's not the sort of movie that you try to follow logically.

I'd recommend this for completists. Most people will probably spend the movie trying to figure out what's going on. It's an interesting piece of work - and I like complex movies - but this isn't one that you watch for enjoyment. One of the most bizarre movies that I've ever seen.

Zus & Zo (2001)

from a trip to Portugal to "Bodies Bodies Bodies"

[6/10 · 6 April 2024]

Paula van der Oest's Academy Award-nominated "Zus & Zo" is a lighthearted comedy about events surrounding a wedding involving a gay man. The Netherlands was probably the most advanced country in terms of gay rights by the time that the movie came out, so I figure that there was no controversy about it (2001 in fact saw the establishment of marriage equality in the Netherlands). The movie itself isn't anything special. If you're expecting full-scale wacky comedy - i.e., what you get in a Will Ferrell movie - you won't find it here. This movie's all about the characters' interactions with each other and the issues surrounding the marriage. Not a great movie, but passable.

Co-star Halina Reijn, who plays Bo, later directed the 2022 thriller "Bodies Bodies Bodies".

The Longshot (1986)

this looks like a niche market

[5/10 · 5 April 2024]

I've never been into horse races, so "The Longshot" shouldn't be the sort of movie that appeals to me. I took an interest because it's directed by Paul Bartel (of "Eating Raoul" fame) and because the cast includes Harvey Korman, Tim Conway and Stella Stevens.

It's a mixed bag. There are some slapstick scenes (namely the toilet) and some sexy ones (Stella Stevens was always a babe), but it's not exactly laugh-out-loud funny. Maybe it wasn't trying to be. Either way, this is one movie that won't appeal to everyone. Definitely more sedate than I prefer.

The rest of the cast includes Anne Meara, Edie McClurg, Eddie Deezen and Jonathan Winters.

Nadine (1987)

murder, mayhem...it's part of the game

[6/10 · 4 April 2024]

Robert Benton isn't the most well-known director. Probably his most famous output is 1979's Oscar-winning "Kramer vs. Kramer". He also did 1994's Oscar-nominated "Nobody's Fool". A lesser known work of his is the 1987 comedy "Nadine", about a hairdresser (Kim Basinger) drawn into a murder plot in 1950s Texas. It's nothing special: a lot of running around and shrieking, but she and Jeff Bridges have a good time with the material. It's not the sort of movie intended as some sort of masterpiece, just nice silly fun (and Basinger's a real babe here). I'd be content if this movie got rediscovered and gained a cult following, corny though it is.

The Miracle Club (2023)

it appears that the men in old Ireland put too much burden on their wives

[7/10 · 3 April 2024]

My family happened to come across "The Miracle Club" on Netflix. A fine little movie. It's about a group of women in 1967 Ireland who make a pilgrimage to Lourdes to see where a miracle allegedly happened in the 1800s.

What I really noticed was that while these gals were away, their husbands proved incompetent. Couldn't cook, couldn't clean, etc. The inevitable result of expecting your wife to do everything around the house.

It's not a masterpiece, but still a fine look at the Ireland of old. To think that it was only in my lifetime that the majority of the Emerald Isle advanced to First World status after centuries of subjugation by the British, and then being under the boot of the Catholic Church.

Worth seeing. The cast includes Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linney.

Tales from the Gimli Hospital (1988)

an Icelandic-Canadian eeriness

[6/10 · 2 April 2024]

I learned of Guy Maddin from his 2003 drama "The Saddest Music in the World", about a contest to determine which country has the most depressing music. I've finally seen Maddin's feature debut, the bizarre "Tales from the Gimli Hospital". I don't know how exactly to describe the movie. Set amid a smallpox epidemic, it features a woman telling her grandchildren about events in Iceland from the days of yore. Filmed in black and white with minimal dialogue, the movie appears to be a tribute to the most surreal examples of early cinema (although other people have noted similarities to David Lynch's work).

It's not really a "good" or "bad" movie. It's basically an excuse to be as avant-garde as possible. You could probably count on one hand the number of movies that you've seen that are like this one.

Voyagers (2021)

William Golding meets global warming

[5/10 · 1 April 2024]

I understand that Neil Burger's "Voyagers", loosely based on William Golding's "Lord of the Flies", has split viewers. In my case, I thought that it fell right down the middle. While making a good point about environmentalism, the acting seemed flat. Also grating is the nepotism: the star is Lily-Rose Depp (Johnny's daughter).

In the end, there's nothing particularly bad about the movie, it just seems like movies that we've seen before. A better movie that has a similar plot is Douglas Trumbull's "Silent Running", starring Bruce Dern as a botanist growing the last surviving plants aboard a spaceship.

Jurassic Park III (2001)

hearing William H. Macy's character say "my wife" puts a bad taste in my mouth

[3/10 · 31 March 2024]

After the piece of garbage that was "The Lost World", you'd think that no one would've wanted another entry in the Jurassic Park franchise. But you'd be forgetting that Hollywood is addicted to franchises, so of course they made a third movie. Joe Johnston (of "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and "Jumanji") replaces Steven Spielberg as director. This time, Alan Grant (Sam Neill) leads a group of people to a dinosaur-inhabited island looking for a couple's missing son. You can probably guess what happens thereafter.

All in all, Spielberg - only serving as executive producer here - made the right choice by not directing a third movie (his output in 2001 was "A. I.: Artificial Intelligence", based on a script that Stanley Kubrick was working on but unfortunately abandoned and instead turned out the pointless "Eyes Wide Shut"). I haven't seen any of the entries released after this one, but I can guess what they depict.

Oh, and William H. Macy? In one scene, his character says "my wife". Hearing that made me think of Felicity Huffman, who later turned out to have bribed their daughter's way into college (I suspect that he was complicit in that).

Anyway, not worth your time.

The Accountant (2016)

my account of "The Accountant"

[7/10 · 30 March 2024]

Being on the autism spectrum myself, I took a special interest in "The Accountant". Mind you, the movie isn't about autism. The protagonist is a mildly autistic man (Ben Affleck) who does accounting work for a number of vile people. It isn't long before there's a hit out on him.

A lot of the movie gets complicated from the number of characters. It apparently drew controversy for the depiction of autism (much like how "Rain Man" now draws controversy). Even so, I liked the complexity that they gave Affleck's character; his narrow focuses were accurate for autism. In the end, it's not a great movie, but a clever one. Affleck's performance, plus those of Anna Kendrick, John Lithgow, J. K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal and others make this worth seeing.

Hijack (2023)

Idris Elba takes charge

[7/10 · 29 March 2024]

Over the past few years, Idris Elba has played a number of impressive roles. Adding to that we now have the Apple+ series "Hijack". The title identifies the plot, but then comes the clever stuff. Elba's character knows how to be in control, even when the goons have taken over the plane. I'll admit that I don't know anything about airline security, aviation, aeronautics or anything like that, so I can't comment on the show's accuracy. What I can say is that this is one of the most pulse-pounding series out there, so it'll behoove you to watch it, along with a number of other series on Apple+ (namely "For All Mankind").

Two Evil Eyes (1990)

Romero and Argento go the Poe way

[8/10 · 28 March 2024]

The George Romero-Dario Argento collaboration "Due occhi diabolici" ("Two Evil Eyes" in English) looks especially fun nowadays thanks to last year's Netflix miniseries "The Fall of the House of Usher", about a pharmaceutical industry family that experiences some grisly fates.

This movie reminded me of Roger Corman's 1962 movie "Tales of Terror", featuring adaptations of Poe stories: it included "The Black Cat" and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar". So, here we have Adrienne Barbeau as a woman plotting to make off with her dying husband's money, and then Harvey Keitel as a misanthropic photographer. There are some shocking scenes, with each director putting his own spin on the adapted story.

It's not any sort of great movie - not even by horror standards - but it's neat seeing how the directors come up with ways to tell the story. The rest of the cast includes Tom Atkins (of "Creepshow", "Halloween III" and "Night of the Creeps") and Martin Balsam (of "Psycho").

Con el amor no se juega (1991)

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea adapts Gabriel García Márquez

[7/10 · 27 March 2024]

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea was probably Cuba's most renowned director for decades. Over the years he turned out movies that looked at Cuban history, and the results of the revolution (sometimes looking critically at this). One of his most famous movies was 1994's "Strawberry and Chocolate", about a gay man having to hide his sexual orientation in 1979 Havana.

One of Gutiérrez Alea's lesser known movies was a segment of "Con el amor no se juega" ("Don't Fool with Love" in English), an adaptation of a Gabriel García Márquez novel. It's such an obscure movie that it doesn't even have a Wikipedia entry. Nonetheless, it's a perceptive look at relationships, whether focusing on a woman who falls for a soldier in a mirror, or on a relationship between a radio host an a listener. Not a great movie, but still clever.

Elvis (2022)

So what was Elvis like as a person?

[7/10 · 26 March 2024]

If you've grown up in the United States, then you almost certainly know about Elvis Presley. Whether you know him as the king of rock 'n' roll or a burnout Vegas singer, you know that he remains one of the supreme musical icons.

Baz Luhrmann's Academy Award-nominated biopic takes an unusual approach by telling Presley's life story from a different point of view. "Elvis" is narrated by Col. Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks in what is probably his most grotesque role to date. Like many biopics focusing on musicians, the movie depicts his meteoric rise, and then his career's downfall. The scenes where the 1950s adults got all up in arms about Elvis's performances remind me of every instance where modern adults complain about the latest trends in pop culture; I wonder what the '50s equivalent of "okay, boomer" was.

A lot of people apparently found Hanks's performance gross. A counterargument is that it shows his versatility as an actor. As to the movie's accuracy, I can't comment on that. Overall, I thought that it was an impressive production. Not a great movie, but worth seeing.

Raising Cain (1992)

Frances Sternhagen, RIP

[7/10 · 25 March 2024]

Frances Sternhagen died recently, so I decided to watch one of her movies, although she only plays a supporting role in Brian DePalma's "Raising Cain". DePalma has spent much of his career doing homages to Hitchcock, and this has a definite Hitchcockian feel to it. Part of what's interesting about the movie is that I couldn't always tell what was real and what was in John Lithgow's character's head. It's not often that a movie makes you question your own sanity.

Basically, it's what DePalma does best. Watching this movie - or "Phantom of the Paradise", "Carrie", "Dressed to Kill", "Scarface", "Bonfire of the Vanities" or "Carlito's Way" - one realizes just how much cleverer his movies were before he turned to garbage like "Mission Impossible" (although his 2012 movie "Passion" was worth seeing).

The rest of the cast includes Lolita Davidovich, Steven Bauer and Gregg Henry.