Prime Time: Frogs (1972)

Some days you want to head to your local cinema to see the latest horror genre releases, some days you are browsing titles available online and see a thumbnail image for Frogs. I am not saying the latter is a good turn of events, but it’s how I ended up deciding to watch this movie. I knew nothing about it, aside from the title, but I was ready to be bemused and delighted. Well . . . I was certainly bemused.

I don’t even know where to begin with the plot summary for this. You may think you know the central plot idea, frogs gone wild, and it’s certainly part of the experience, but there are actually various creatures turning deadly here (including snakes and spiders). The main characters are a wildlife photographer, played by a discomfortingly bare-faced Sam Elliott, and a large family, headed up by patriarch Ray Milland, who live in the middle of a swamp area that is about to become much more dangerous to humans.

Directed by George McCowan, calling this balderdash is actually overselling it. McCowan doesn’t do much to help the material, the visuals are ugly and there’s not one bit of energy in any of the moments you might call set-pieces, and the script, written by Robert Hutchison and Robert Blees, isn’t even awful enough to laugh at. It’s just dull, with no characters to feel invested in and no real feeling of proper threat.

Elliott tries hard to be a solid central figure, even without the power of his moustache to help boost his screen presence, but he cannot overcome the weak material he has to work with. Milland is equally powerless, although he has one or two fun moments that allow him to grandstand in front of people who are forced to stay in his company. The rest of the cast includes Joan Van Ark, Judy Pace, Mae Mercer, Lynn Borden, Adam Roarke, and David Gilliam, none of whom really stand out. And numerous unidentified frogs, of course.

If you want a silly animal attack movie that is actually fun, but still quite awful, then I recommend Night Of The Lepus (the infamous “giant rabbit” movie). In fact, I recommend almost anything over this one, which is poorly-made and, worst of all, consistently dull. This would have been a very different film if directed by William Grefé, I know that much, and I think I will wash this one out of my brain by revisiting my Grefé boxset. 

Awful stuff, and not just because they missed the opportunity to use the tagline “Frogs . . . everybody croaks.”

2/10

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Prime Time: X The Man With The X-Ray Eyes (1963)

It all starts with an eye. One giant, floating eye. Perhaps placed in shot just to stretch out the opening credits, as we know that director Roger Corman is happy to use every trick in the book to pad out the runtime of a feature, this eye holds your attention for a sequence that seems to go on just a bit too long.

That works out well though, because this film doesn’t take long to get to the main thrust of the plot. After experimenting on a monkey that dies, and then enjoying a smoke with a colleague (cigarettes lit by a casually-held Bunsen burner), Dr. James Xavier (Ray Milland) feels that there is no time to waste as he splashes his new, potentially wondrous, eye drops into his eyes. As expected, they give him x-ray vision, which can surely help him to, ummmm, read paperwork covered by other paperwork, as well as potentially saving the lives of patients. One bit of terrible luck, however, and James has to flee his life, settling in to life as a carnival worker, overseen by Crane (Don Rickles). The potential miracle of x-ray vision is sold as a novelty, a trick to impress the crowds, and it isn’t long until James realises he needs to go somewhere else to make the best use of his “superpower”. He need to go to Las Vegas.

Fairly brisk and fun throughout, X The Man With The X-Ray Eyes now feels far too tame and lacking in visual flourishes that would help play up the core idea. Remake this nowadays, with some top-notch practical effects and intermittent 3-D to better display what the main character is seeing, and I reckon you could have a good time.

Not that this is bad. It just feels a bit too “fast and loose” when it could have better mixed the fun moments with a sense of growing unease and tension. The script, by Robert Dillon and Ray Russell, gets the science mumbo jumbo out of the way quickly, all the better to focus on the journey of a man who looks set to destroy himself in the quest to help others. It all starts from a point of arrogance, of course, and Dr. Xavier is a mild flavour of Dr. Frankenstein mixed with Dr. Jack Griffin (aka The Invisible Man), so viewers are able to both root for him and enjoy watching him suffer from the consequences of his own actions.

Corman directs with his usual efficiency, although it has to be said that the film only feels padded out in two main moments: that opening sequence, and a carefully edited scene showing our main character seeing everyone around him naked while they are dancing at a party. Otherwise, the direction feels nicely in tune with a script that zips along between three or four different set-pieces.

Milland is fine in the lead role, his eyes covered up for most of the runtime as he keeps trying to adjust to his increasing ability. He doesn’t try too hard to gain any sympathy, playing his character as someone diving headlong into an opportunity that most of us would be at least slightly tempted by. Diana Van Der Vlis is pleasant enough as a friendly colleague, and possible ally, named Dr. Diane Fairfax. But the standout is Rickles, stealing the movie in the few scenes that feature him (although it is also nice to see yet another turn from Corman “totem” Dick Miller, playing a carnival audience member who assumes the x-ray trickery is being done with the usual fakery and cheats).

This is a decent little ‘69s flick that doesn’t outstay its welcome. The better moments more than make up for the stumbles (and, it must be said, the sequence in Vegas ends up being a big stumble), and there’s a final moment that remains surprisingly impressive. Worth putting in your eyes.

6/10

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Noir-vember: The Big Clock (1948)

Based on a novel by Kenneth Fearing, and with a screenplay mainly credited to Jonathan Latimer, The Big Clock is a superb classic noir that also has a lightness of touch to give it a greater sense of fun than most of the other films it could sit alongside.

Ray Milland is George Stroud, the hero of the piece. He works for a crime magazine, and he's long overdue a holiday with his wife, Georgette (Maureen O'Sullivan). Unfortunately, he also works for a very demanding and ungrateful boss (Earl Janoth, played by Charles Laughton). After another very bad day at the office, so to speak, George ends up on a drunken evening out with Pauline York (Rita Johnson). Pauline is an on-off girlfriend of Earl, and she thinks that she and George can team up to effectively spite him. That's not about to happen, however, as Pauline winds up dead, and George is tasked with trying to find the perpetrator for a scoop. He isn't told who the victim is, which leads to him unwittingly getting his team to look for a mystery prime suspect who starts to feel VERY familiar.

Although it has that aforementioned lightness of touch, don't go thinking that The Big Clock doesn't keep winding up the tension as events unfold. It is, to use the overused phrase, a coiled spring throughout most of the middle section. Things look bleak for George, despite the fact that he should be able to have the truth on his side. Director John Farrow makes great use of his cast, using them to lift the material (not that the script is terrible, not at all) with how well they all interact with one another, and he ensures that the plotting stays simple and clear throughout. Things may be a bit contrived in the first half of the movie, but it is so enjoyable that it doesn’t feel problematic.

Milland is a dependable lead, good at being the kind of everyman you want in this role. Johnson makes a strong impression with her few main scenes, allowed to have a lot more fun than O’Sullivan, who has to do little more than be the loyal and supportive wife throughout. Laughton is a great antagonist, working through a plan that is formulated by a conniving character also employed by him (played by George Macready), and you also get a performance from Elsa Lanchester that allows her to steal any scene she is in.

Although some may prefer their film noirs to have more darkness and grit, dismissing The Big Clock would be a big mistake. It’a a hugely entertaining thriller that only just misses out on being a minor classic. And I am now even more interested to check out one of the main remakes it had, No Way Out (1987).

8/10

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Noir November: The Lost Weekend (1945)

Adapted from the novel by Charles R. Jackson, The Lost Weekend is a sensationalistic noir from director Billy Wilder, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Brackett. It's about alcoholism, focusing on a man who already seems to know that he's happiest when at the bottom of a bottle, and there are plenty of obvious touches throughout the film, but when it hits the nail on the head, particularly during the final reel, it remains one of the best studies of alcoholism/addiction fuelled by disappointment and self-destruction that I can think of. Pair this up with Leaving Las Vegas and you'll never be tempted by the demon drink ever again.

Ray Milland is on top form as Don Birnam, the man who has almost everything that his heart could desire, were it not for the fact that his heart always desires one more drink, and then one more, and another one to chase it down. His brother (Phillip Terry) is set to take him away for a weekend that should help him dry out and recover, and the woman in his life (Helen St. James, played by Jane Wyman) is also supportive as he tries to mend his ways, but a thristy stubborn streak turns the whole plan on its head. While his brother and Helen head out for a while, Don takes the opportunity to purchase some alcohol and spend some time in a nearby bar. And then he just tries to keep swimming further and further into whatever pool of alcohol he can get his hands on.

What starts off as a relatively light, fun movie soon turns into something extremely dark, yet Wilder uses the dimmer switch so expertly that many viewers may not feel the true impact of the whole thing until they've had the room lightened again. The script and cast are both a huge help, but there's a lot to be said for his perfect balancing act. Too dark and the whole thing becomes unbearable, too light and it's meaningless.

Milland may show off all the tics and twitches that you'd expect in his role, but he excels in the scenes that show his desperation for another drink, at any cost. This is a character who can pretty much justify every action, no matter how far back he has to stretch, and Milland mixes in cruelty, remorse, cunning, and a healthy dose of pathetic. Wyman, on the other hand, is simply sweetness throughout. The relationship between the two may seem unlikely, yet it never seems completely false, especially as flashbacks show Milland hiding away his drinking habit in the early stages. Terry is very good, Howard Da Silva is a bartender who gives Milland a justifiable bit of attitude, and Doris Dowling is extremely likeable as a happy-go-lucky gal who has a bit of a crush on a man she doesn't see as he really is.

Powerful, at times uncomfortable, incisive and thought-provoking, The Lost Weekend shows just what a slippery slope any major addiction can be, somehow managing to avoid sensationalism and clumsy shock moments for the majority of the runtime. I consider it pretty much essential viewing, especially as a sobering (pun intended) look at the potential dangers of alcohol dependence.

9/10

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The Uninvited (1944)

Look beyond the "tea and crumpets, and stiff upper lips all round" oh-so-Britishness of The Uninvited and it's easy to see why so many people look upon it as a bit of a classic horror. But look straight AT that layer of Britishness and it's all too easy to see why it's sometimes forgotten.

This is a supernatural mystery thriller, the kind that makes for a nice tale beside a roaring fire (indeed, the protagonists start off viewing events this way - with curiosity and excitement), but it doesn't skimp on the scares, especially during a couple of cracking set-pieces that hold up as spooky delights all these years later.

Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey play Roderick and Pamela Fitzgerald, a brother and sister who fall in love with a house that sits on the coast of Cornwall. They find the owner, Commander Beech (Donald Crisp), and eventually manage to bag the house for a bargain price. They also receiving a warning. The house may be haunted, according to some. Roderick and Pamela find this idea quite charming, but only until the presence in the house starts to make itself known in increasingly unpleasant, and dangerous, ways.

Based on the novel "Uneasy Freehold" by Dorothy Macardle, The Uninvited was adapted into screenplay form by Dodie Smith and Frank Partos, and directed by Lewis Allen. While I can't say how near or far the end result is from the source material, I can say that everyone involved has crafted a fine piece of work. It's not perfect, mainly due to the light tone that persists for a bit longer than it should in the first half of the movie, but it oozes quality, from the enjoyable unfolding of the plot to the impressive special effects.

Milland and Hussey are both good in their roles, easygoing and believable while dealing with supernatural events in a very grounded way. Gail Russell is the other main player, portraying a young woman, Stella, who happens to be the granddaughter of Beech and connected to the presence in the haunted house. She comes across as a sweet girl, one that Milland takes a shine to, and also serves to show the other main characters just how dangerous the house can be. Crisp, Dorothy Stickney, Alan Napier and Cornelia Otis Skinner all do their bit to help the proceedings along, with the latter two playing doctors looking at the central problem from two opposing viewpoints.

This would make a nice companion piece to The Haunting or The Innocents, despite the fact that it's not quite as good as either of those movies. Heck, put all three together and treat yourself to a triple-bill of classy chills (no, I didn't mean that to rhyme). The Uninvited is more playful, almost encouraging viewers to be one step ahead as the third act provides its main revelations, but that imbues the whole thing with the feeling of an old-fashioned parlour game, in between the moments that raise goosebumps. Which isn't the worst thing for a horror movie to emulate.

8/10

http://www.amazon.com/Uninvited-Criterion-Collection-Ray-Milland/dp/B00DZP1C9K/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1413579624&sr=1-1&keywords=the+uninvited