Dogs Bark

Beneficial Friends - - Bride Of Frankenstein (1935, USA) - - 28 August 2014

An essential.  I put Bride Of Frankenstein on my queue after reading yet another Hollywood reference to the movie’s gay underbelly.  Although director Jimmy Whale was openly homosexual and Ernest Thesiger, possibly, claiming that there is a queer theme - - as opposed to sensibility - - to the movie is a stretch. I’ll credit Whale’s vision as more important than his sexuality. The movie is clearly a tribute to the classics of silent horror (Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) and reflects Whale’s interest in the monstrosity of social dysfunction . . . also seen in The Invisible Man. Swishy Dr. Pretorius (Thesinger) - - on which much queer theory rests - - seems simply an amusing riff on evil incarnate. Do we interpret his yarmulke as anti-Semitism . . . or a reference to The Golem? Elsa Lancaster as the Bride is beyond spectacular. If we really need cultural theory then the final scene seems clearly to speak to male sexual privilege.

Rin Tin Klan - - White Dog (1982, USA) - - 23 August 2014

Recommended. Fortunately, in the last years of his life, auteur Sam Fuller (The Big Red One) finally got the recognition his original and fascinating voice deserved. Sadly, most people have never seen the last major picture he made. After Paramount shelved White Dog, Sam took off for France and never returned. The studio was terrified of the racial issues attending a dog trained to kill Black people. Despite this, the script, written by Fuller and Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) from a story by Roman Gary (Madame Rosa), is clearly a well-done allegory on how race hatred is taught, not bred. Kristy McNichol (Family) plays a young actress who tries to gentle an adopted dog with the assistance of Paul Winfield (The Terminator) and Burl Ives (East Of Eden). With Ennio Morricone (The Untouchables) supplying the score and Bruce Surtees (Dirty Harry) taking the shots, White Dog is worth your consideration.

Rode Hard And Hung Up Wet - - Will Penny (1968, USA) - - 14 August 2014

Not recommended. Given its superb cast and cultish critical reputation, I was disappointed that Will Penny didn’t engage me. Maybe if I’d just remembered Charlton Heston’s singular lack of talent, I might not have been as surprised. The difficulty is that the plot is mostly a sensitive pairing of the two leads, Heston and Joan Hackett (Only When I Laugh), a yeowoman actress, but not very exciting . . . and there is zero chemistry between them. Actually several interesting performances are scattered about: Donald Pleasance (Halloween), sporting a Southern accent as an insane preacher, Slim Pickens (Blazing Saddles) as a goofy range cook and Ben Johnson (The Wild Bunch) playing Penny’s boss. None of these performances is well-directed by TV writer Tom Gries (100 Rifles) and he’s saddled with an implausible plot. Perhaps it is the inevitable comparison to Lee Marvin in Monte Walsh, a better aging-cowboy movie? Nope. 

Buttercream Frosting - - Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day (2013, USA) - - 11 August 2014

Recommended.  In the old days, studios put out fluff like Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day without a hint of apology and occasionally they hit on a Philadelphia Story or Some Like It Hot. If they didn’t . . . who cares another can was on the way. And there’s nothing wrong - - in fact, everything right - - with another light-hearted, screwball comedy. Someone needs to tell director Bharat Nalluri (Hustle) because he seems to be a bit hesitant about serving up his sno-cone. Amy Adams gets it, as she steps smartly into the bright red pumps of Marilyn and Judy, and has more FUN than a barrel of monkeys. Sadly, Frances McDormand’s (Fargo) arid, Midwestern humor, which worked for Thelma Ritter, is dry as dust here. The jarring transitions from whipped cream to sour milk adds more confusion. But all and all, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day lasts not a minute too long.

Gonna Wake Up Singin’ - - 20 Feet From Stardom (2013, USA) - - 31 July 2014

Strongly recommended. Trivia quiz: What singer on the recording of The Concert For Bangladesh has been on the most hit records? Here’s a hint: She’s also the Spanish teacher at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California. If you saw director Morgan Neville’s (Muddy Waters: Can't Be Satisfied) Oscar-winning documentary, 20 Feet From Stardom you know the answer to be ex-Ikette, Claudia Lennear. Ms. Lennear reminds us, when you sing along with your favorite Rolling Stones song, you're singing her part . . . or Merry Clayton’s, or Lisa Fischer’s, no matter how much you move like Jaggar. 20 Feet From Stardom is not just a well-deserved tribute to back-up singing in rock and R&B, it’s a joyous celebration of the craft, including a few fundamental lessons. But it is sad that these talented women - - Darlene Love worked as house cleaner - - ever fell into obscurity. Please don’t let this great movie slip by.