October 29 - November 4:
THEM! (1954)
James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon
Ants mutate, become gigantic and start killing people, thanks to fallout from atomic testing in the New Mexico desert. They really get around--the final showdown is in LA. While it's satisfying to see giant ants, the best parts are the elderly doctor's dire pronouncements about how we don't know what mankind is doing to itself as a result of all the atomic bomb tests.
October 22 - October 28:
The Monster That Challenged the World (1957)
Tim Holt, Audrey Dalton, Hans Conried
An earthquake in the Salton Sea disrupts a nest of prehistoric slug eggs, which hatch, grow to giant size and, being hungry, start killing people. It's fabulous.
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor
Yes, I know I've written about this one before, but it bears repeat viewings. Aliens want to meet with world leaders to discuss their imminent takeover of the planet, but they send their message at too fast a speed and our square-jawed scientist (Hugh Marlowe, in this case) doesn't hear their message until the batteries in his tape recorder start to die. By then it's too late to stop the destruction of most of the landmarks in Washington, DC. The part where the Lincoln Memorial gets knocked over is particularly special.
October 15 - October 21:
This was a crazy week. I think all I watched this week was The A-Team and The Munsters in my seat, flying between NY and Colorado on JetBlue.
October 8 - October 14:
Auto Focus (2002)
Greg Kinnear, Willem Dafoe, Rita Wilson
The life and violent, tawdry death of Bob Crane doesn't sound like an enjoyable hour and forty minutes of film, but I really liked this movie for its black comedy and '60s-in-LA settings. Poor Bob Crane. I guess sex addiction really isn't fun after all.
Wives Under Suspicion (1938)
Warren William, Gail Patrick
A '30s potboiler about an obsessive and jealous DA who almost murders his wife because he suspects her of cheating, mirroring a case he's prosecuting. Good thing he didn't, since she was innocent.
October 1 - October 7:
Far from Heaven (2002)
Julianne Moore, Dennis Haysbert, Dennis Quaid
I'd heard that this is an homage to Douglas Sirk films. Well, director Todd Haynes must have been channeling Douglas Sirk, because it IS a Douglas Sirk film. Poor Julianne Moore is married to closeted Dennis Quaid, who really wants to overcome his "problem," but just can't. She falls in love with an African American gardener and the proverbial doo doo really hits the fan, even though they barely even kiss, much less do the things the uptight bigots in town think they're doing. They might as well have done them, since gay hubby leaves her and the gardener leaves town. It's sad, but the good news is that her dresses and car are to die for!
Clambake (1967)
Elvis Presley, Shelly Fabares, Bill Bixby
Rich kid E trades places with a waterskiing instructor at a Miami resort so he can be certain any potential girlfriends like him for himself and not for his money. Zany mayhem and speedboating hijinks ensue.
Dr. Cyclops (1940)
Albert Dekker, Janice Logan, Tom Coley
An eccentric scientist, sequestered in remote South America and with poor eyesight, sends for an elite group of scientists to help him solve a problem. They answer his question immediately and, when he thanks them for their time and sends them on their way, they get put out and decide to stay against his will, so he uses his newly developed technology to shrink them to 13 inches tall. Hey, he asked them to leave nicely!
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