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Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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In Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt, Fritz Lang, playing himself, states that the only thing CinemaScope is good for is filming funerals and snakes. Apparently, the one-eyed prick never saw one of Akira Kurosawa's Toho-Scope pictures, especially his 1958 classic, The Hidden Fortress. Even on the small screen, a place AK probably never imagined-- or wanted-- his films to be seen, the composition of every shot is a thing of beauty, and no one knew how to fill the screen while still advancing the story better than he did.

In the user comments for the film's imdb entry, one review is captioned "The director that [sic] could do no wrong," and other than the grammatical lapse, I agree wholeheartedly with the assessment. When this picture was released (1958), he had previously done The Seven Samurai and Throne of Blood, and was about to go on to Yojimbo and its sequel Sanjuro, as well as High and Low. In other words, it was the creative high point of his career, and it shows in every minute of this amazing film.

Above all else, The Hidden Fortress is cinematic entertainment of the highest order, as fun as a movie can possibly be. Everyone knows the story, since it was the "inspiration" (read: source material/plunder zone) for the first Star Wars, the saga of a warrior returning his princess to her throne with the help of a couple of squabbling lackeys. The similarity ends there, however: far from robotic, the two clowns here (played by Kurosawa favorites Minoru Chinaki and Kamatari Fujiwara) are as funny as any characters the director ever gave us, and Mifune's portrayal of the great samurai Rokurota Makabe is at once humorous and ultra-heroic, and nothing like that wimp Han Solo.

The Criterion DVD of the film is everything a fan could ask . . . almost. As quiz champeen Wayne Palmer correctly points out (and as quiz readers know, he's never wrong), "the English subtitles use modern slang that never would have escaped the lips of 16th century characters." I agree-- whoever decided to translate dialogue into American expressions like "We're screwed" and "That sucks" definitely deserves a pink slip from Criterion. (It reminds me of a Coffin Joe movie released by Something Weird, where a character exclaims in English, "Holy Cow!" and the subtitle beneath reads "Awesome!")

I was very pleased both by the turnout of correct identifications and the warm recollections most winners had for the film itself. So congratulations to the following winners: Wayne Palmer, E. Yarber, Hank Parmer, Kevin O'Bryan, Tim McDonough, and Vincent Tuss.

Posted by Steve Monaco at September 19, 2005 11:44 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #75

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We'll post the name of last week's quiz movie and the winners a little later in the day. This week's quiz is a very well-known movie, so I've made it as tough as possible. Match this picture

with this very brief soundclip. If you know the film they come from, a) congratulations, and b) send me an email by late Sunday night with your answer. If you're correct, expect to see your name in next week's unsoft winner's circle.

Posted by Steve Monaco at September 19, 2005 5:12 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #74

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It's another picture clue, and here it is:

If you recognize the movie it comes from, send me an email with the title by late Sunday night. If you're correct, expect to see your name in next week's hard-to-find winners circle. Good luck.

Posted by Steve Monaco at September 12, 2005 4:37 AM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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As long-time quiz winner Hank Parmer pointed out in his email last week, Death Wish was perhaps the death knell for Charles Bronson as an actor of any scope-- on the one hand, its incredible popularity cemented Bronson's status as action movie superstar (second only to Clint Eastwood), but on the other, it also typecast him in a way that he hadn't been before. Prior to its release, he had been making very interesting European crime films like Violent City and Rider on the Rain as well as spaghetti westerns like Red Sun, where he costarred with Alain Delon and Toshiro Mifune. And then, of course, there was Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, which is still in a class by itself.

Death Wish changed all that almost overnight. As Roger Ebert noted at the time (1974), "rarely has a leading role contained fewer words or more violence." While Bronson managed to make a few more quality films during the decade, especially the depression era Hard Times, gradually the Death Wish formula took over his career. There were four direct sequels, each worse than the last (although number 3 has a small cult of its own-- I'm not a member). And when he would make a good picture like Sean Penn's The Indian Runner, it was just a reminder of what a waste of a fine actor those other movies were.

The original Michael Winner-directed Death Wish, however, stands by itself even now as a taut and disturbing exploration of vigilante justice. Both sides of the argument get their due (as they did in the original novel by Brian Garfield), unlike in the sequels, where the message is "Kill them all and let God sort them out." On the one hand, we see too clearly why Bronson's character Paul Kersey does what he does (the rape and murder scene at the movie's beginning is still too intense for some viewers), but we also get to see him become addicted to the very kind of violence that destroyed his life in the first place. The story's subplot featuring police chief Vincent Gardenia provides a wry counterpoint to his metamorphosis: as NY street crime plummets, the cops and the prosecutors argue over whether to arrest Kersey at all.

One of the delights of watching the film today is seeing all of the now-familiar faces that were then almost complete unknowns. Last week's picture clue featured a beany-wearing Jeff Goldblum (in his first film). Also showing up in surprising, one or two line roles are Olympia Dukakis, Paul Dooley and Christopher Guest. But the one that made me pause the disc and check out the cast list on imdb was the grocery store clerk who waits on Goldblum: sure enough, she's Sonia Manzano, who is known to millions of kids and parents as Maria on Sesame Street.

I was surprised by how few correct answers there were on this quiz-- either it was tougher than I thought or, alas, Chuck's star has faded. So congratulations and a sock full of quarters to Wayne Palmer, Mark Gisleson, Joe Rosenberg and Hank Parmer. I'd treat you all to a CD of Herbie Hancock's fantastic soundtrack for the film, but I know you guys already have it.

P.S. Bronson and this film have been a recurring favorite target of The Simpsons-- here's The Critic with a clip of a (much) later sequel, and this is a preview of Chuck filling in for a certain TV sheriff. And here's a whole different kind of death wish.  

Posted by Steve Monaco at September 12, 2005 4:25 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #73

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Put this picture

together with this sound clip. What's the movie? If you know, send me an email by late Sunday night-- if you're correct, expect to see your name proudly displayed in next week's morbidly hopeful winners circle.

Posted by Steve Monaco at September 5, 2005 11:46 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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Even with the wry little twist at the end of the above blurb, the poster for Albert Brooks' second feature Modern Romance still didn't come close to conveying what a bleak, funny movie it is. And even more than Mother (my own favorite), it still remains his most personal film.

That may be surprising to anyone who's seen it-- his character's obsessive, hot-and-cold approach to his relationship might seem more than a bit unrealistic. But longtime quiz winner E. Yarber told me of an interview he heard once with Albert's former girlfriend Julie Haggerty (his costar in Lost in America), who said that he was exactly like he was in this film.

Poor Julie. But what must have been exhausting in real life (the name of Brooks' first feature, by the way) is hilarious on the screen. It begins with his character Robert Cole (a typical A. Brooks asshole) breaking up with his girlfriend (the beautiful Kathryn Harrold), and follows him for the rest of the picture as he tries to get her back. And loses her again. The film closes with an American Graffiti-like coda: "Robert and Mary were married in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were divorced a year later. They are currently dating with plans to remarry." 

Watching Modern Romance again, for the first time in decades, I was delighted once more by the Quaalude scene, one of the funniest solo performances anyone's ever committed to film, as well as the film industry subplot (Robert is a film editor working on a terrible-looking sci-fi flick starring George Kennedy).  But I'd forgotten other, smaller touches that are also great: the jealous old guy at the pay-phone Robert waits for, whose dialogue is a geriatric version of his own, and the scene in the sporting goods store with Albert's real brother Bob "Super Dave" Einstein. (And yes, if you didn't know, his real name is Albert Einstein.)

Unfortunately, we are still stuck with the 20+-year-old videotape of this (it's his only film not on DVD, for some reason), and it looks pretty bad. Let's hope Columbia changes this situation soon. And while we're at it, let's also hope that someone finally releases a collection of his SNL films, as well as his work on the old PBS series The Great American Dream Machine, which even the imdb doesn't list in his credits.

(As far as a new film from Albert, good news: it's finished and will be out early next year. And you're not going to believe the title.)

So congrats and a couple of 'ludes to the following quiz winners: Wayne Palmer, Mark Gisleson, and E. Yarber. (I'm assuming Mr. Parmer was busy this week-- I can't believe he didn't know it.)

Posted by Steve Monaco at September 5, 2005 11:45 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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I think Leonard Maltin and Co. have last week's quiz movie Portrait of Jennie pretty well summed up: "David O. Selznick craftsmanship and a fine cast work wonders with foolish story based on the Robert Nathan novella." I'd also add, though, that the silliness of the plot-- a painter meets and loves a ghost girl who grows older every time he sees her-- is easy to overlook thanks to that cast (Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones as the young lovers, with old pros like Ethel Barrymore and Lillian Gish) and that lavish Selznick production. Plus, it's a joy just to look at and listen to: the b&w cinematography by Joseph H. August (his last film) is deep and lovely, and the music, based on works by Debussy, actually evokes the feeling of a dream.

The DVD is the objet d'art that fans of Jennie have always wanted: a beautiful transfer that also preserves the final color scenes. I'm a member of the TV generation who saw it without the tinting or final Technicolor shot of the painting, so I was especially thrilled with this. (By the way, look closely at that last scene in the art gallery: one of the teenagers mooning over the portrait is Anne "Honey West" Francis, and another is Nancy Davis Reagan!)

So kudos to the following romantic guys who recognized this lovely movie: Wayne Palmer, Bill Hearne, E. Yarber, Jack Kusler, Glenn Johnson, Hank Parmer, and Matthew Harris. A fine turn-out of winners this week-- see you all next time.

Posted by Steve Monaco at August 29, 2005 11:50 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #72

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It's another picture clue this time, and you can see it here. If you know the name of the film the pic is from, send me an email by late Sunday night, and if you're right, expect to see your name added to next week's smoochy winners circle.

Posted by Steve Monaco at August 29, 2005 2:01 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #71

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It's a quiz for the old movie buffs this time-- they'll probably find it laughably easy and everyone else will find it ridiculously tough. See which group you're in by putting this picture

with this sound clip. A couple hints: 1) I left the music a bit at the fade because the composer used for the film (his works were "adapted" for the soundtrack) was, at the time, an unusual choice, and 2) the male voice in the soundclip belongs to a cast member of what many film critics still consider the best film ever made

So if you know the name of this week's unknown movie, send me an email by late Sunday night. If you're right, expect to see your name in next Sunday's quickly-aging winners circle

Posted by Steve Monaco at August 22, 2005 11:09 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz takes a vacation

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I've got a lot to do this week to get ready for my move out of Minneapolis (as I like to think of it), so I'm afraid I'll have to take a one-week break from the quiz. I know the earlier on-again, off-again nature of the quiz and this blog got frustrating for some of you, but I should be settled in a month or so, and the disruptions should be few. In fact, I should soon be able to start doing more non-quiz stuff again, which I haven't been able to do for awhile. So thanks for letting me take a vacation, and I'll see you next week.

Posted by Steve Monaco at August 15, 2005 10:46 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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A faulty computer and complications in my move back to Des Moines make it necessary to keep this brief. The movie in question last week was Caddyshack (1980), directed by Harold Ramis (his feature film debut) and starring Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray. You might notice Chevy Chase's name on the poster above, taking top billing-- watching the movie then and now, you hardly notice that he's in it, except that the pace of his scenes lags a bit. Rodney, Ted and Bill are the whole show.

So congratulations and a Baby Ruth to the following winners: Mark Gisleson, Wayne Palmer, Jack Sparks, Hank Parmer, E. Yarber, cjacoby, Tammy Riggins, and Corey Anderson.  

Posted by Steve Monaco at August 15, 2005 10:46 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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Well, it wasn't the toughest movie quiz ever-- off the top of my head, I'd say that was the 1928 Disney cartoon, The Skeleton Dance, which got no answers, correct or otherwise-- but last week's clues were still apparently beyond almost everybody. Perhaps if I'd played the theme music, "Hall of the Mountain King," or even the picture of Peter Lorre above, we might have had more winners, but then I would have heard about how easy the quiz was. 

Anyway, the film in question was Fritz Lang's masterpiece, M, a movie that's as powerful today as it was 75 years ago. Watching it again, I was struck all over at how great the climactic scene is. The setup is brilliant: the crooks are after the child murderer (Lorre), but so are the cops, and it's a race to see who gets him first. The genius of the scene is the ambiguous feelings it creates in the viewer for all involved. On the one hand, you're glad to see Lorre cringing with terror (the same way his small victims undoubtedly did), but because the actor's performance has humanized him, you actually empathize for him, too. Likewise with the criminals who are after him-- you hope they get him, until it sinks in that they're killers, also.

The imdb entry for M contains some pretty interesting facts about the film's production, and this website has a very informative page about the different DVDs of the film for sale at the moment. And Roger Ebert's review of its restoration is Ebert at his best, discussing how Lang's hatred of the Nazis shaped the film. All of the above is worthwhile reading for admirers of the picture.

So congratulations as usual to the three unstumpables, without whom I sometimes wonder what I'd do for quiz winners: Wayne Palmer, E. Yarber, and Hank Parmer. Thanks and a big balloon to you all.

Posted by Steve Monaco at August 8, 2005 11:32 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #70

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Last week's quiz was such a fiasco that we're going to do things in reverse order this week-- I'll write about the film and name the winners a little later, but for now let's start anew with this sound quiz.

Not hard at all, eh? Then send me an email by late Sunday night with the name of the movie. If you're correct, expect to see your name in next week's winners circle.

Posted by Steve Monaco at August 8, 2005 6:12 AM

 

Monday Movie Quiz update

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Okay, the audio clue was really tough (and shitty-sounding, but it's the best there is-- it's from the earliest days of talkies), here's a picture to go with it. See if this helps.

 

Posted by Steve Monaco at August 3, 2005 5:17 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #69

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I feel a little ashamed of using such a great film for this little quiz-- is it right to cut up a masterpiece to play games with the pieces? Still, I look forward to the email this one might inspire, provided, that is, if anybody gets it. It could be the toughest one yet-- there's only one sound clue, and it consists of only one word (okay, name). (NOTE: The soundtrack on this film is harsh and distorted, so don't have your speakers turned up too high.)

So if you recognize the movie from the above clip, send me an email by next Sunday night, and if you're correct, expect to see your name in next week's Peer-less winners circle.

Posted by Steve Monaco at August 1, 2005 10:40 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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I'm embarassed to admit it, but I went to the first showing of Taxi Driver because of the ad campaign. The picture above was used in the newspaper ads, and the radio spots featured the movie's eternal question, "You talkin' to me?" There was something different about both that made me eager to see the film. (Apparently, I hadn't yet started reading Orwell, or become fond of his description of advertising: "The rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket.")

The ads must have appealed to plenty of others, because the theater that Friday night was packed, and that was unusual for a movie with no known stars. I remember the crowd stopped laughing early, and slipped deeper into complete stillness with every shock (the store-keeper beating the dead robber, Scorcese's monologue in Travis's cab). Finally, during the big gundown, some people ran out of the theater, followed by their disgruntled dates. ("I shoulda gone to the Dirtwater Fox," one guy griped, referring to a George Segal & Goldie Hawn movie playing next door.)

Simply put, Taxi Driver mesmerized me. I went back to see it countless times, taking everybody I knew and then going by myself after they'd all seen it. Because of that, and all the video viewings since, it's one of those movies where I can recite practically every word in it. Yet I can watch-- and listen-- to it endlessly. (That's partly to do with the astonishing music written by Bernard Herrmann-- like the best of the classical composers he deserves to be grouped with, his last work was probably his greatest of all.)

I indulge in this bit of nostalgia only because there isn't a thing about the movie itself I can add to everything that's been written about it for the past 30 years. Today, it doesn't look quite like the direct view into hell (as Werner Herzog might put it) that it seemed back when it was new, but time hasn't diminished it much. It still remains one of my first choices when I want to have a grim time at the movies.

So congratulations and a coupon for $10 off from Andy the gun salesman to the following winners: Wayne Palmer, Mark Gisleson, Hank Parmer, Jason Nagel, Tammy Riggins, and E. Yarber.

Posted by Steve Monaco at August 1, 2005 10:39 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #68

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Another early posting due to an out-of-town trip, but the rules are the same: send me an email by late Sunday night if you recognize this movie. And if the music isn't enough (it should be-- it's only one of the greatest musical openings a movie ever had), this should cinch it for everybody. (It's also become my own personal prayer.) If you're right, expect to see your name in next week's blood-soaked winners circle.

Posted by Steve Monaco at July 24, 2005 5:19 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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As the years stomp by (and all over us), there are still milestones that make me see all over again how fast it's going, and realizing last week that 1) Robert Altman just had his 70th birthday, and 2) his film M*A*S*H turns 35 this year, was one of them. It brings me down for a couple of reasons, one of which is the thought that, at one time, it was possible for a director like Altman to trick a major studio into making and releasing such a subversive picture. Those were the naive days of movies, and most of us would give anything to have them back.

Despite the studio's insistence that a superimposed title be used at the beginning that tied the story to the Korean war, Altman (aided by an ad campaign that featured the very counter-culture poster seen above) was able to get his message about the ongoing war in Viet Nam across virtually unhindered. The good guys were hippies and the bad guys were murderous, self-righteous Army clowns. And everybody, then and now, had a good time laughing with the former at the latter. Seems like no big deal today, but only because this movie changed things as much as it did. (After all, it was only two years earlier that John Wayne made The Green Berets.)

Fifteen actors were "introduced" in the opening credits, acknowledging their "first film" status, and they included Gary Burghoff, Carl Gottlieb and Fred Williamson, who's surprisingly good as Spearchucker Jones. (I say surprisingly in case you've seen any of Fred's later blaxplotation work, where his acting chops apparently eroded.) Even the people who were already movie pros, like Sutherland and Sally Kellerman, were unknowns (although I remembered at the time, with a shock, seeing Donald as the brutish handyman from the Hammer film Die, Die My Darling with Tallulah Bankhead). While a little of the freshness of Altman's ensemble style is gone now (only because he and others got so much more subtle with it later), the naturalness of the acting and dialogue is still the most striking thing about the film all these years later.

So congrats to the people who knew it from the "football" audio clip last week, and-- credit where it's due-- congrats to me for using the one scene that might actually fool people (it did): Wayne Palmer, E. Yarber, Tammy Riggins, Hank Parmer, Mark Gisleson and Corey Anderson. All our winners will receive a front-row ticket to the next shower taken by Hotlips Houlihan (although, considering that Sally just turned 69, you might not want to use it).

Posted by Steve Monaco at July 24, 2005 2:14 PM

 

Greil Monaco's No-Life Top 10 List-- The all-stupidest edition

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This blog has been nothing but a once-a-week movie quiz for a couple of months now, so I thought I'd break up the tedium with some stupid stuff I've never been able to clean out of my brain. As always, grovelling apologies to Mr. Marcus for sullying, if not stealing, his countdown thunder.

1) Rex Reed's origin story. On his '60s late-night ABC show, Dick Cavett asked Rex Reed why he became a critic. Reed's answer: "Well, I was opinionated right out of the wound." (P.S. I still think Reed had the finest description of Bush's expression in the book-reading moment from Fahrenheit 9/11: " . . . eyes sliding nervously in his head, like a moron looking for a bathroom."

2) Good lines from Dark Shadows. I remember these because I'm watching the stupid things again, the DVDs this time, and I'm in a good patch of episodes right now. A doctor, looking into his microscope, smiles and says, "Some of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen have been microscopic views of horrible malignancies." The ever-trustworthy Joe Haskell (played by soap star Joel Crothers) warns his ex-girlfriend about her new biker squeeze: "That guy's as much fun as a bag of spiders."

3) I discuss the work of John Steinbeck with an old nut. Years ago, when I had a really bad doctor whose idea of heaven was a waiting room packed with the sick and dying, I wound up sitting next to an agitated senior citizen who seemed to recognize the book I was reading, The Grapes of Wrath. "Steinbeck!" he said, "Brilliant man!" He leaned closer and asked, "Is that the book that has his theory of relativity?" I told him, no, this was a later work, and involved his theory of inbred relativity.

4) I overhear one of the stupidest reasons ever given for being unemployed. Decades ago, when convenience stores were just beginning to burgeon, I stood in line behind a beefy beer-buying oaf who was wrapping up the story of his life for the cashier: " . . . foreman got smart with me, so I smacked him. Now I'm out of a job. Must've been that rotten booze I was drinkin'."

5) One of the world's worst radio hosts gets pranked. For one summer in the late '80s, Des Moines' longtime R&R station went talk in the evening, but they hired a guy who couldn't get calls from a telemarketer. His first name was Jim, and one night deep into his routine begathon for callers, someone-- I suspect a co-worker-- phoned in with some early soundboards of DeForest Kelley, aka Dr. "Bones" McCoy. The exchange went like this:

JIM the inept radio host: Hello, caller, you're on the air.

The unreal McCOY: Happy birthday, Jim!

JIM: (snortin' laffin') Well, thank you! It's not my birthday, though.

McC: Damn it, Jim, you're hiding something.

JIM: (Still nasally amused) No, I'm not-- it's just not my birthday.

McC: It's all your damned rules and regulations, Jim!

JIM: Huh? What rules?

McC: He's dead, Jim!

JIM: What? Dead? What is this?

Then there was an explosion of laughter on the McCoy side, and, a second or two later, Jim's revisionist recap of the incident ("I knew what they were doing . . . "). Maybe you had to be there, but it was the greatest deflation of an asshole radio clown I've ever heard. If you have a similar story, please send it in-- I'd love to read it.

What kind of top-10 list stops at 5? An all-stupidest one!

Posted by Steve Monaco at July 20, 2005 5:00 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #67

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Here's a quiz everybody can win.

After listening to the clue, send me an email by late Sunday night with the movie's title. If you're right-- and you will be-- expect to see your name in next week's winners circle.

Posted by Steve Monaco at July 18, 2005 3:04 AM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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Last week's quiz stumped everybody except the three wise men-- Palmer, Parmer, and Yarber-- and I was told by other quiz regulars that it was hellishly tough. I didn't think it was at the time, but Roger Corman fan that I am, perhaps I overestimated the number of readers who were familiar with his 1963 science-fiction film, X-- The Man with X-Ray Eyes.

All of our quiz winners had a fond recollection of the movie. Mr. Yarber noted how this and other American-International Pictures stuff of the time gave older actors like X's star, Ray Milland, a chance to shine in good parts for a new generation. (Mr. Y also reminded me of Corman's commentary on the DVD, where he quoted Milland saying he put this picture with what he considered his other "best" movie, The Lost Weekend.) Mr. Parmer and Mr. Palmer both recalled the film's final moment-- "If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out!"-- with Hank also mourning the loss of the original ending, "where Dr. Xavier tears out his eyes but can still see."

For me, X-- The Man with X-Ray Eyes is a perfect example of Corman's master blend of commercialism and art, and I mean that as a compliment. His pop-culture savvy made the movies appeal to their intended audience of the time (mainly kids and teenagers, like me), but the quality and originality of the productions keep them interesting to me as an adult today. While it's not in the league of his best Poe films, X is definitely grade-A Corman.

So, as always, congratulations to the three unstumpables, Wayne Palmer, E. Yarber, and Hank Parmer. What would this quiz be without them?

Posted by Steve Monaco at July 18, 2005 2:49 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #66

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It's another one of those audio quizzes that's a breeze if you know it, nearly impossible if you don't. But it does feature one, if not two, very well-known and distinct voices, which should at least help in a search at imdb.com.

So if you know the title of this movie, or can figure it out, send me an email by late Sunday night. If you're correct, expect to see your name in next week's radiation-soaked winners circle.

Posted by Steve Monaco at July 12, 2005 12:07 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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The time has come to out myself: I am not a Hitchcock fan. While other cinematic heresies of mine have been tolerated by visitors to this site-- my dislike of Casablanca, for example-- once you tell a fellow film buff that you don't care much for the work of Hitchcock, usually you're never forgiven for your lapse in taste.

I don't understand the devotion. Stanley Kubrick disliked most of Alfred's '50s and '60s work ("All that rear-screen projection"), and as his career went on, it gets harder for even fervent supporters to defend the movies he made (with the exception of Frenzy, which is a great film). Even in the good stuff, like The Birds (Evan Hunter, R.I.P.), the stogy dialogue scenes always slow things down so much that-- for me-- they spoil every one of his American movies.

Last week's quiz movie, Rear Window, has dialogue/love scenes between James Stewart and Grace Kelly that are perfect examples of this Hitchockian chloroform, and the film itself could have been at least a half-hour shorter. When Rear Window finally kicks in, though, it's as enjoyable a movie as the director ever made in the U.S. Not the greatest cast, but a good one-- Kelly can't act, and Stewart wasn't as good a lead as Cary Grant, but then again, it's difficult to imagine Grant snivelling for help the way Stewart does, convincingly, in the end. (Outing #2: I don't like James Stewart.) The supporting cast is where the shining occurs, especially Thelma Ritter and Raymond Burr.

The clue must have been a tough one, because only the die-hard quizmasters were able to get it. Extra-special congrats and a gardening date with Raymond Burr to: Wayne Palmer, Tammy Riggins, E. Yarber, and Hank Parmer.

Posted by Steve Monaco at July 11, 2005 6:51 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #65

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Last week I was a day early, so I thought I'd take the Fourth off like the rest of you. But here now is an already-easy quiz that will now be even easier, since it was just on TV. Put this picture

together with this sound clip, and guess the movie. If you know the title, send me an email by late Sunday night, and if you're correct, expect to see your name in next week's w-w-winner's circle. (Hint: the star t-t-talks like that.) Good luck.

Posted by Steve Monaco at July 5, 2005 2:13 AM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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Tough guy caper movies don't get much better than last week's movie in question, Kansas City Confidential (1952), directed by Phil "Walking Tall" Karlson and starring John Payne. His co-star is the always reliable Preston Foster-- who can forget his great line from Doctor X, "Synthetic flesh!" Here, he begins the film like the villian in a Republic serial, wearing a hood and talking like Unga Khan himself. In one of the neat twists of the story, though, he's really a discredited cop trying to set up a robbery that he can then bust and regain his job. Payne plays the poor schnook who gets framed for the caper, and who then infiltrates the gang so he can get his job back (driving a florist's truck!).

Good as Foster and Payne are, the real treat of the movie is the trio of henchmen Foster picks for the job. Has there ever been a greater band of plug-uglies than Neville Brand, Jack Elam and the almighty Lee Van Cleef? Ol' Lee actually looks quite sporty in his Sinatra hats and bow ties, and his rodential leer has never been more nakedly on display. As for the other two, it's a toss-up who's worse-looking, the bug-eyed and sweaty Elam, or the even sweatier Brand, who seems to practically ooze murder. (He was decorated in WWII for having the third highest number of kills.)

Kansas City Confidential is on my short list of B-noirs that I recommend to everybody, no matter what their age or taste, knowing they'll be pleased. (If you're curious, the others are Thieves' Highway and Armored Car Robbery.) It's on a few DVDs of various quality and price-- here's a good webpage that compares them. If you've never seen it and have a fondness for tough talk and great bad guys, at least pick up a cheap copy the next time you go to Best Buy. You won't be sorry.

So congratulations to the following quiz winners who know their noir: Tammy Riggins, Wayne Palmer, Hank Parmer, E. Yarber, and Kevin Musolino.

Posted by Steve Monaco at July 4, 2005 11:08 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #64

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Gotta go out of town again, so I'm posting the quiz a day early this time. It's a photo quiz, and while it will prove no problem to the unstumpable trio of Palmer, Parmer, and Yarber, I'm interested in seeing if anyone else knows this movie. If you do, send me an email by late Sunday next, and if you're right, expect to see your name in our top-secret winners circle.

P.S. One hint: one of the stars is a big favorite of mine, and I have written previously on how to determine his good films and his great films-- if he's bald, it's a good one, and if he's bald and eats a meal, it's a great one. Of course, this movie was made before he lost his hair, so the above doesn't apply.

Posted by Steve Monaco at June 26, 2005 4:22 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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In the DVD featurette about the making of The King of Comedy, director Martin Scorcese states that its protagonist, Rupert Pupkin (played by Robert DeNiro), is a scarier character than Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle, and Sandra Bernhard admits to being afraid of Jerry Lewis. In other words, as funny as it is, it's really a story of two frightening, disturbed guys.

Much of what makes them scary is the unexpected role-reversal the two actors engage in. Without ever slipping into caricature the way he does now (remember when seeing Bob's name in the credits was a good thing?), DeNiro portrays Rupert as a surreal character. Lewis, on the other hand, has never been so real, and his flat-affect approach has made viewers wonder for over 20 years if this is the "real" Jerry. The odd coupling worked-- in their scenes together, DeNiro is a likable stalker and Lewis comes across like a barely-closeted serial killer.

As a quiz, the movie was more difficult than I thought, actually fooling a couple of regular winners. So congratulations to the following experts for getting it right: Wayne Palmer, Eric Yarber, Tammy Riggins, Mark Gisleson, and Hank Parmer.

P.S. Go here for the story behind this picture.

Posted by Steve Monaco at June 26, 2005 4:05 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #63

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Welcome to the new and improved quiz, where-- the City Pages webpage willing-- the new one will appear once again on Monday morning, bright and early.

One sound clip, two of the most recognizable voices in movies. Put 'em together and figure it out. When you do, send me an email by late Sunday with the movie's title. If you're correct, expect to see your name in next week's royally funny winners circle.

Posted by Steve Monaco at June 20, 2005 4:10 AM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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There's no defending last week's quiz movie, the 1936 serial Undersea Kingdom, but I love it anyway. Co-directed by B-Western great Joseph Kane, it stars Ray "Crash" Corrigan, who made a lot of Westerns himself after breaking into movies as a professional gorilla-- he had his own suit and was an unbilled ape for his first several film performances. The story follows Crash and his posse as they take a submarine ride to Atlantis and incur the wrath of Unga Khan (played by sour-faced character actor Monte Blue, who was in over 250 films and did stuntwork in Birth of a Nation).

The rest of the cast is fun, as well, especially Smiley Burnette and Frankie Marvin as Briny Deep and Salty, who accomplish the impossible and provide comedy relief that's actually funny. It even features Lon Chaney, Jr., three years before Of Mice and Men.

So congratulations to the following serial buffs who recognized one of the best the genre has to offer: Wayne Palmer, Jim Scott, Tammy Riggins, E. Yarber, Hank Parmer, Mark Gisleson and Connor Rice.

Posted by Steve Monaco at June 20, 2005 3:56 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #62

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Put this friendly-looking cuss

together with this little sissy

then add this joker.

Now name the movie. Since this is probably a toughie even for our experts, I'm going to perhaps over-compensate with a big hint: the hero had a nickname, both in the story and real life, that sounds like an auto accident.

So . . . if you know this fine, fine-looking movie, send me an email with the title before late Sunday night. If you're right, expect to see your name in our soggy winners circle next  week.

Posted by Steve Monaco at June 13, 2005 10:46 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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I'm not a Sylvester Stallone hater-- I still think Rocky is a terrific movie and the road not taken for him as an actor, and I think he was great in Cop Land, where he shared the screen with DeNiro and Keitel and was better than both of them. But what was Sly thinking when he remade Get Carter, and put himself up for comparison with Michael Caine in one of the latter's all-time best roles? (In fact, some say it is his best, and I may be one of them.)

The original Get Carter is still a treat in every way. Besides Caine's amazing turn as a professional hit man looking for his brother's killers, the supporting cast is similarly striking, both the ugly ones like Ian Hendry and the beautiful, especially Britt Ekland in a scene that, once seen, is never forgotten (at least not by hetero males of a certain age, like mine). And the music by Roy Budd is one of the grooviest Euro-crime scores ever; in fact, it's so good that the DVD has a music-only track for the film.

Congratulations, then, for the guys who got it from last week's clues: Wayne Palmer, E. Yarber, Joe Rosenberg, Hank Parmer, and Bill Hearne.

Posted by Steve Monaco at June 13, 2005 10:45 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #61

Filed under: Imported

Two sound clues for this week's movie in question: first, a musical clue, and second, some dialogue featuring the film's instantly-recognizable star. Know the title? Then send me an email by late Sunday night, and then brace yourself for your appearance in next week's winners circle.

(Need a hint? Not too long ago, this movie was remade, and the 50 people who saw it all agreed that it sucked, especially compared to the original. The star of the remake was the subject of one of my postings at the City Pages artblog Culture to Go. See if you can figure out who, and then see if that helps.)

Posted by Steve Monaco at June 6, 2005 11:15 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

Filed under: Imported

It's funny to think that one of the greatest last-line endings in the history of movies occured because of a mistake, but that's what happened with the famous final words of I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang. The last scene, which takes place in a parking garage at night, was to show the protagonist (played by the great Paul Muni) receding into the shadows, and when his girlfriend asked, "How do you eat?", he was to respond, "I steal!" and the shot was to then fade out. But a light on the set blew out before Muni said the words, so the lines emerges from total darkness. Needless to say, when director Mervyn LeRoy saw how effective this new, serendipitous ending played, he kept it, and lovers of this picture have been thankful ever since.

73 years after it was released, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang can still evoke a feeling of outrage. Back then, it inspired the country to end the chain-gang system in the South. (No surprise, it was banned in Georgia, the unmentioned state it's set in.) It's the kind of movie we need today more than ever.

Anyway, the three-way gauntlet I threw down with this quiz was handily dismissed (or whatever winners do to thrown gauntlets) by the three I named-- Wayne Palmer, E. Yarber, and Hank Parmer-- but they were joined by a newcomer to the quiz. Welcome, Tammy, and congratulations to you and our regular trio of unstumpables. Your pardons are in the mail!

Posted by Steve Monaco at June 6, 2005 11:15 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #60

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This quiz will be harder than hell for almost everybody, and I'm hoping to actualy stump Wayne Palmer, Hank Parmer and E. Yarber all at the same time with it. So . . . put this picture

with this sound clip and guess the movie.

All right, that's even too tough for these guys (although they should get it!). So here's another sound clip, this time including the voice of the film's star. Even he won't be identifiable to most people, but if you really know your old movies, you'll know him almost immediately.

If you think you know the title of this week's movie, send me an email by late Sunday, and if you're correct, expect to see your name in our hard-working winners circle.

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 30, 2005 11:26 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

Filed under: Imported

Supposedly, Stanley Kubrick's attitude toward the digital video disc (a format that was just getting started when he died) was less than enthusiastic, and DVDs of some of his films are full-screen only. Fortunately, he participated in the widescreen version of Dr. Strangelove, and it shows. Had he lived longer, I can't believe he wouldn't have redone the discs of his other films, as well.

The DVD of Strangelove is a thing of beauty-- I was even able for the first time to see George C. Scott and Peter Sellers in the same shot clearly during the conference-table scene. And if "King" Kong's plane looks phonier than ever, Kubrick's scary closeups of Sterling Hayden are so sharp that they almost jump out of the screen. In fact, his entire ghoul's gallery of great faces-- George C. Scott, Slim Pickens, Keenan "Bat Guano" Wynn, and, of course, Peter Sellers-- have never looked better or funnier.

Of course, all of this is no news to the following quiz winners, since they probably all have their own copies. Congratulations and a date with Gen. "Buck" Turgidson's secretary to: Wayne Palmer, Joe Rosenberg, David G. Bragman, Charles Youngquest, Eric Yarber, Dan Andreasen, and Hank Parmer. A nice collection of old and new names this time (although none older than Grandpa Rosenberg). Thanks to all for playing along.

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 30, 2005 11:26 PM

 

Thurl Ravenscroft, R.I.P.

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Thurl Ravenscroft, the man who was the voice of Tony the Tiger and who even stole the show from Boris Karloff in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, died this week at the age of 91. He had a bass voice that, as my old man used to say, went so low that when he exhaled you could smell his feet. Ravenscroft worked on kids' records in the '50s, Disney animated features, and, as I mentioned, even upstaged narrator Boris Karloff with his song, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." (There is actually a short documentary about that tune called Songs in the Key of Grinch, and Ravenscroft is even interviewed in it.)

Here's a nice website called All Things Thurl that includes many soundclips of his work. Needless to say, they're grrrrrreat.

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 27, 2005 5:08 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #59

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I believe I promised a nice, tough quiz-- well, I changed my mind. Next time, I swear. But for now, an easy one if ever there was one: listen to this audio clip, and when-- not if-- you recognize the movie, send me the title in an email by late Sunday night. If you're right, expect to see your name in next week's apocalyptic winners circle.

P.S. Not that you need a hint, but know this: our quiz movie can be found here, in Time's new list of the 100 best films of all time. (I've only seen 57 of them-- how about you?)

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 23, 2005 3:39 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz-- back next week

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An emergency trip out of town will keep me from getting to the quiz until next Monday. But then, I promise, a nice tough one. Until then.

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 16, 2005 9:20 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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After correctly identifying last week's mystery film as Southern Comfort, directed by Walter Hill and starring Powers Boothe and Keith Carradine, longtime quiz winner Hank Parmer asked, "Gawd: Has it really been almost a quarter-century since Southern Comfort first hit the theaters? Suddenly, I'm feeling kinda old..." You 'n' me both, Hank. It was so long ago, Boothe was losing his hair. (Now, on Deadwood, he has a full head of wavy weave-stuff.)

Circumstances prohibit me from going on about one of my favorite films right now, but congrats to the following winners: Hank Parmer, Dan Geiser, Wayne Palmer, Steve Perry, Mark Gisleson, Vincent Tuss, Joe Rosenberg, Kevin Musolino, and Corey Anderson.

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 15, 2005 4:24 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #58

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Another tough, one-picture quiz. Recognize this movie?

If you do, send me an email by late Sunday night. If you're right, next Monday you'll see your name in our smooth-blended winners circle. Good luck.

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 9, 2005 8:18 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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"So," asked quiz champeen Wayne Palmer, "is this your Mother's Day tribute?" Yes, indeed, The Anniversary (1968) starring Bette Davis is a great "Mommy Dearest"-type movie, and one of the best from the latter part of her career. Perhaps that might not seem like much of a compliment, considering that it was only a couple years later she was starring in stuff like Bunny O'Hare, but the 60-year-old Davis really shines in one of her most enjoyably evil roles.

(If you're into plot synopses, here's a decent one from, of all places, TV Guide.)

At the time, it also brought her to a new generation of horror fans: it was produced by Hammer Studios, the people who rejuvenated Dracula and his friends with a series of films starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, among others. The Anniversary was scripted and directed by Hammer stalwarts Jimmy Sangster and Roy Ward Baker. Based on a play (and it shows), it's much more a black comedy than anything else, and Davis is a scream in more ways than one. (Her cackle is a thing of sinister beauty.) She also conveys more subtle emotion and expression using just one eye than Joan Crawford ever got with two.

This brings me to comments made by a couple of quiz winners: as one put it, "Bette Davis + eye patch," equals Googled correct answer. Fair enough, but that presumes you recognized Bette to begin with, and considering the small turnout of correct replies this time, I'm still assuming that it was a tough quiz. So congratulations to the handful of guys who got it-- Wayne A. Palmer, Steve Perry, Mark Gisleson, E. Yarber, and Hank Parmer.

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 9, 2005 8:05 PM

 

Steve Monaco to Minneapolis: Adios, Shitville!

Filed under: Imported

Long, sad story omitted, but I'm moving back to my hometown of Des Moines for good within the next few weeks. While it's an unhappy departure-- I'll be leaving some people I care for dearly-- the silver lining is that I also get to ditch the twin cities. (St. Paul is better than Minneapolis, but not nearly good enough to stay.)

I've hated this place since I got here. Where should I start with what's wrong about it? How about food-- the only reason Mini-apolitans think this is a great place for chow is because they've been eating this shit for so long, they don't know what really good food tastes like. Traffic? It's not a big enough city to have such congestion, but I guess it happens when every single person behind the wheel is a roaring fuckhead. And speaking of congestion, how about that last pollution alert? A city of less than a million and the air is so fucking dirty it's unsafe to walk!

(While we're on the subject of cars, I continue to have mine worked on by my longtime mechanic in Des Moines. He calls Minneapolis "the big city" and asked how the repair places take care of so many people. I told him, They don't-- the two main qualities you find in most repair businesses are dishonesty and incompetency.)

And "Minnesota Nice?" You know who has perpetuated this ridiculous notion? People from Minnesota! Nice is the exact opposite of what you find in Minneapolis. If I had a dollar for every surly asshole who cut me off in traffic, ignored me while he was on the job, didn't hold a door open, or fucked up my food order . . . well, I'd have a lot more money to apply to my move back to Iowa.

Now, if you're a City Pages reader who loves this dump, you're saying, Hold on, Steve, what about the wonderful things here, like all the culture? It's true, there are certainly more films, concerts, etc. going on here than in a sleepy little burg like Des Moines. But what Thomas Disch said about New York applies to Minneapolis in spades: you don't live in the city because of the culture, it's the culture that makes living in the city bearable.

I could go on and on, and maybe in another day or two I will. For now, though, it just feels great to say good riddance to this place of morons and shitheels.

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 6, 2005 5:11 AM

 

Greil Monaco's No-Life Top Ten

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1) Deadwood and Al Swearengen's true identity. I'm four episodes into the second season and I think the show's already peaked. After Wild Bill got plugged by the droopy-eyed Jack McCall, the episodes lost their verve and momentum, and became more soap-operatic. But Ian McShane continues to dominate the cast the way his character does the camp, and by the first season's final episodes, he makes it clear with every arch of his brow that Al is really Satan himself, presiding over the muddy side of Hell. It's one of the best portrayals of Old Nick ever filmed.

2) It turns out I actually (kind of) know someone else in the Deadwood cast. Years ago, when this blog was a lowly e-zine called A Movie a Day, I sent it out by email to anybody who crossed my cyber-path and had similar taste in films. Jim Beaver, who plays Ellsworth the prospector in the show, has long been a poster at the newsgroups for old movies, and on certain occasions-- Toshiro Mifune's death was one-- I contacted Jim for info to use on my old public-radio movie show, and he was always helpful and knowledgable. He told me that he used to review movies in the '70s, and if I remember correctly, he estimated that in one year (1978?), he saw 1,800 films!

3)  Frasier faw down 'n' go boom. If you haven't seen the video of Kelsey Grammer taking a tumble off a Disneyland stage, you really should click on the link and watch it. It'll brighten your day. And keep in mind as you watch this shaken pussy pull himself together, the last line of the story is: "Grammer wasn't seriously hurt in the fall."

4) R. Crumb on Fresh Air, May 2nd, 2005. A rare and bittersweet interview with the Crumb-bum, well done by Terri Gross, who comes across as a long-time admirer. Nice as it is to hear him talk about his life and work (and sounding much less obnoxious than in Terry Zwigoff's documentary), he's still a prime example of a great artist who has nothing interesting to say when he's not in his medium. But when Terri reads a caption from his comix, it's perfect even without the pictures. "Sartre said that Hell is other people. But it can also be yourself."

5) No more hotdogs for Hasil Adkins. Jesco White, Boone County's Dancing Outlaw, has just lost a neighbor and fellow celebrity: West Virginia rockabilly nutcase Hasil Adkins kicked the bucket last week, three days shy of a-reachin' his 68th birthday. Here's a fine send-off from The Guardian.

6) Fat Actress. Who knew Kirstie Alley was a brilliant film comic? Nobody seems to get the show (except James Wolcott), but time will be kind to the funniest showbiz self-parody since Sunset Boulevard.

Hey, six is almost 10, right? Right. Until next time . . .

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 5, 2005 6:33 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #57

Filed under: Imported

Lots of griping the last 2-3 weeks about how easy the quiz has been. Okay, then: see if you recognize this movie.

And that's the only clue you get. If you think you know the title, send me an email by late Sunday night. If you're correct, expect to see your name in next week's celebratory winners circle. Good luck.

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 2, 2005 11:34 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

Filed under: Imported

Great as the acting is-- it carries the film, and Brando is unforgettable-- I can't watch On the Waterfront anymore without recalling the despicable actions of its two creators, writer Budd Schulberg and director Elia Kazan. Both were willing name-droppers at the McCarthy hearings, ruining the careers of their friends, and both refused to ever acknowledge that they did anything wrong. At the time, Kazan even took out a full page ad defending his squealer's role, undoubtedly paying for it with some of the $500,000 he got literally days after his appearance at the hearing, from a contract that he wouldn't have gotten if he hadn't testified.

I've been reading Inside Out, Walter Bernstein's memoir of the blacklist, and his brief take on this film backs up what I've long believed: "The picture was a great success and swept the Academy Awards. But all I saw was a rationale for Schulberg's and Kazan's own informing. There were, it seems, good stool-pigeons and bad ones, and they wanted to make clear what kind they were. Schulberg always denied that this was the reason for making it, but Kazan, never a man without a chip on his shoulder, asserted it with pugnacious defiance in his autobiography."

So . . . great movie made by a couple of shitty guys. In real life and in their place, a truly courageous character like Terry Malloy wouldn't have talked. But then, he had honor and they didn't.

Anyway, congratulations and a pair of homing pigeons to the following quiz winners: Wayne A. Palmer, Joe Rosenberg, Dean Carlson, Mark Gisleson, E. Yarber, Hank Parmer, Evan Cook and Kevin Musolino.

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 2, 2005 11:33 PM

 

Coming up on Turner Classic Movies in May-- rare Leone, Bunuel and Welles

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I'm not sure it tops the past April Fools month of 200-plus comedies as TCM's Best Month Ever, but the wealth of rareties found in their May selections makes it a close call, at least for fans of Orson Welles, Luis Bunuel and Sergio Leone.

Monday the 2nd is Rory Calhoun night, which cumulates with an uncut, letterboxed screening of The Colossus of Rhodes, Leone's first picture and probably the best sword-and-sandal epic ever made. It's never been available on videotape in the U.S., and the bootlegs, while not awful, just didn't cut it. This is great news.

(Speaking of Rory, I remember seeing The Texan and his latest wife-- number 9?-- on one of those newlywed game shows, and when the host asked for the most unusual place the couple had "made love," old Rory smirked and said, "On a barstool.")

Rory Calhoun doll, 1961, apparently complete with barstool

Thursday the 5th, from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., five prime Bunuel classics will be shown in a row. Most astonishing is the back-to-back airing of The Exterminating Angel and Simon of the Desert. Both of these films have only been available on tape in the worst possible prints, when you could find them at all. It's possible they won't look any better on TCM, but I'm hoping for the best.

Best of all, perhaps, are the 20 Orson Welles films they have scheduled for every Wednesday. First up will be the big four: Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Lady from Shanghai and Touch of Evil. They'll be showing some lesser-known films he acted in after that, along with almost every other picture he directed. (Only Chimes at Midnight is missing.) The standout in the last group will be The Immortal Story, a 60-minute adaptation of an Isak Dinesen story that he did for French TV in 1968, and the only fiction film he ever did in color (at least of those finished in his lifetime). Again, this has existed in the U.S. only as a bootleg, and it will be great to finally see it looking good (again, I hope).

Welles and Jeanne Moreau on the set, 1968

While these seem to me to be the highlights, there's also some Anthony Mann, G.W. Pabst, Lupe Velez and Leon Errol, Cantinflas (and a dozen or so Mexican comedies and dramas), half-a-day of Boris Karloff movies, and more. TCM is the saving grace of cable TV, and it's the only channel I watch with any regularity. It's so good, I can't help wondering how long it's going to be before they take it away.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 29, 2005 6:03 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #56

Filed under: Imported

Put this picture

with this sound clip, and guess the film. Then send me an email by late Sunday night, and, if you're correct, experience the thrill of seeing your name in next week's Movie Quiz winners circle. Good luck.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 25, 2005 10:56 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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George Lucas on the set of American Graffiti, from Bo Hopkins' webpage.

Every time I see something about George Lucas-- which, with the impending Star Wars conclusion, is far too often-- I find myself thinking again, How could such a dull, humorless guy have made a movie as funny as American Graffiti? You can�t give the cast too much credit, because apart from this film, they haven�t been very funny, either. But most of them can be funnier than George-- I just cringe every time I see another Lucas story coming my way, for fear that I�ll have to read or hear something he says, and he�s already bored me past the breaking point.

The guy is impossible to avoid, though: within the last few days, there have been "news" about his upcoming Star Wars TV series, his appearance at a fan-con and on the Fox series The O.C., and even a reverential webpage where his followers can post their own tributes.

As for American Graffiti, if you're reading this weblog, you don't need me to tell you anything about this movie. So congrats and a ride home on New Year's Eve with John Milner to the following: Steve Perry, Corey Anderson, Wayne A. Palmer, Eric Yarber, Mark Gisleson, Steven Jay Gellert, Hank Parmer, Joe Rosenberg, and Evan Cook.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 25, 2005 10:55 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #55

Filed under: Imported

We'll stay in the '70s for another week with this quiz, and, like last week's choice, it's another complete original, this time one of the best comedies of the decade (or any other). It's a visual clue, a bit on the dark side, but if you know the film at all, the quality of the clip won't matter. If you know the name of the movie it comes from, send me an email by late Sunday night, and if you're correct, you'll get to see your name in next week's winner circle. May the force be with you.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 18, 2005 11:05 AM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

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This one was more difficult than I thought it would be; maybe quiz champeen Wayne A. Palmer had a point: "If [director] Tobe Hooper had gone for his original title, Headcheese, this one would have been a lot easier for folks." Anyway, the film was the 1974 classic, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, one of the most original horror movies ever made, and-- a point too easily forgotten-- proof that a scary film can also be funny as hell.

It's also remarkably light on gore, which often surprises people when they watch it a second time. Like the shower scene in Psycho, the tension in the movie is so great that it plays tricks on the memory, making viewers believe they saw much more than they really did. The truth is, however, it was such a low-budget picture that there simply wasn't the money for the kind of special effects that (usually) ruins horror flicks today (such as the loathsome remake of this one).

Instead, the movie got most of its scares from the ghouls who populate the cast: Jim Siedow as The Cook (and who has, for me, the best line in the film-- "Look what your brother did to the door!"), horror-con regular Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface, and, best of all, Edwin Neal as The Hitchhiker and headcheese fan. Also a standout in the cast of unknowns was Paul A. Partain as the wheelchair-bound, raspberry-dispensing Franklin. And while Tobe Hooper went on to bigger (but not better) things, writer Kim Henkel doesn't get mentioned enough for his clever, funny dialogue.

Over 30 years after it was released, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre can still get under the skin in a way that bigger, bloodier horror movies just don't. It changed horror movies completely, and not all for the good, but that's the fault of the imitators. The original is, for many of us, damn near perfect. So congratulations and a big Sawyer barbeque to the following handful of winners: Wayne A. Palmer, E. Yarber, Lindsey Thomas, Incoming Signals, Joe Rosenberg, and Hank Parmer. Now . . . wha'd I tell you about hangin' around that graveyard?

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 18, 2005 11:05 AM

 

Ray Harryhausen to come out of retirement

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I have a brief news piece about Harryhausen and the upcoming Sinbad movie posted at the new City Pages group weblog, Culture to Go, which you can find here. I'll be contributing to it regularly, so visitors to this blog of mine (and hello to both of you) may want to check it once and awhile, too.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 15, 2005 4:59 AM

 

Tony Dow turns 60!!

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Say it ain't so, Wally . . . say it ain't so.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 14, 2005 5:12 AM

 

Laurel and Hardy on TCM and the BBC

Filed under: Imported

Turner Classic Movies has been giving fans of old comedy films an April Fools' Day treat that will continue all month-- every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the network will air a total of 228 (!) movies by acts as well-known as The Marx Brothers and Abbott & Costello to more esoteric stars such as Charley Chase and Lum and Abner. Knowing that they should start with the absolute best, however, TCM's April 1st's schedule was made up of 18 feautures and two-reelers by everybody's favorites, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. It was the greatest excuse to call in sick and stay glued to the tube in ages.

This Stan and Ollie marathon inspired me to dig out a recording of a BBC radio play from last year that most fans in the U.S. have yet to hear: it's called "Stan," and it's as moving a drama as any Son of the Desert could want. Written by Neil Brand and starring Tom Courtenay as the title character, it recreates the last visit Stan Laurel pays to his old partner, who has suffered a major stroke and is not expected to live. If the premise sounds unpleasantly grim, the script and performances (including an almost mute Ollie) make it otherwise. It brims with love for these two cherished figures and actually closes with a genuine laugh that brings tears at the same time.

I wish I could steer you to someplace online to find the program, but the BBC only streams audio for a week and then removes it, so unfortunately, it's now long gone. But I can offer you this excerpt, where Stan reminisces about the tour of England they made after WWII, and the reception they were given. It will at least give you a taste of one of the best radio dramas I've ever heard.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 14, 2005 4:55 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #54

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Put this picture

together with this sound clip, and guess the movie they're from. If you know the title, send me an email by late Sunday night, and if you're right, next week you'll see your name in our long, tall winners circle. Good luck.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 11, 2005 11:44 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

Filed under: Imported

What we got here is a failure to regurgitate-- the egg-eating scene from Cool Hand Luke.

While last week's quiz movie wasn't in his "H" series (Hud, Hombre, Harper), Cool Hand Luke is still in the top group of Paul Newman's most memorable characters, and from the period when he could do little wrong. (It was released in 1967, right after Hombre.) Funny and grim at the same time, the film features one of his best performances as a poor devil who gets sent to a Southern prison for vandalizing parking meters and refuses to let the place break him.

The film also had an ensemble cast second to none. While everyone remembers George Kennedy and the immortal Strother Martin, whose nasal drawl gave the film's most memorable line about communication its resonance, Newman's chain-gang buddies also included Dennis Hopper, Harry Dean Stanton, Wayne Rogers, Anthony Zerbe and Joe Don Baker, just to name a handful. Maybe best of all was Morgan Woodward as the silent, menacing Boss Godfrey, a character (and actor) who was scary even when he didn't move.

Newman made the news recently when he announced that he was retiring. (Then again, maybe he's not.) As hard as it is to believe that he's now 80, it's still going to be a sad day for movie fans if and when he finally does. Good as Cool Hand Luke is-- and it hardly looks its age, either-- it's only one of many of his films that pass the test of time. It's hard to think of any movie star who's made as many first-rate movies as he has over so long a time-period. Every now and then, an artist comes along whose work pleases almost everybody, and Paul Newman is definitely one.

So congratulations and 50 hard-boiled eggs to last week's quiz winners: Wayne A. Palmer, Corey Anderson, Steve Perry, Evan Cook, E. Yarber (welcome back!), Hank Parmer and Grandpa Joe Rosenberg. Thanks to all for playing, as always.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 11, 2005 11:43 PM

 

Happy belated birthday to Roger Corman!

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Laughing all the way to the bank

One of yours truly's all-time favorite moviemakers, Roger Corman turned 79 on April 5th. The man who once angrily told Sylvester Stallone, "If you're in one of my movies, you will do a nude scene," Corman is well known for giving many of today's biggest names in Hollywood their start (Jack Nicholson and Martin Scorcese, just to name two at the top). While the films of his that lost money could probably be counted on Jerry Garcia's fingers, he was a serious-minded director when he wanted to be (The Intruder, his Poe films) and a pioneer of indy films.

Here's an excellent interview Corman did for the Onion A.V. Club in 1999, and another good one conducted by Andrew J. Rausch. Now, let's hope he celebrates his 80th with a Criterion release of Little Shop of Horrors with a commentary track.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 6, 2005 6:52 AM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #53

Filed under: Imported

Even though I can already hear Wayne Palmer groaning that this one is way too easy, I'm not so sure. So put this picture:

with this sound clue and see if you can identify the movie they came from. If you know the title, send me an email by late Sunday night, and if you're correct, expect to see your name in next week's "hard-boiled" winners circle. Good luck.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 4, 2005 11:44 PM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

Filed under: Imported

Surreal, nightmarish, sardonically funny and unbelievably stylish-- these are just a few descriptions that come immediately to mind when I think of The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, which will celebrate its 85th birthday this year. Directed by Robert Wiene and featuring Conrad Veidt, it looks so old that it seems to have no age at all. Its painted backdrops, the actors' extreme makeup, and the weird camerawork make the film look genuinely otherworldly.

Caligari and F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu are the early German films that are most film buffs' introduction to the world of silent horror movies. But the two, while great double-feature companions, have little in common other than being the work of style-conscious, inspired directors. Nosferatu is a straightforward narrative with characters intended to represent "real" people (except, of course, the vampire, who couldn't look less human), while nearly every character in Caligari is a grotesque distortion of humanity. And not to give things away, but the drastic changes these characters go through at the end are unexpected and surprising, and quite sophisticated for a film of its era.

The first time I ever saw Des Kabinett was a poor looking 8mm print I checked out from the local library, projected on a wrinkled pillowcase on my bedroom door. Even then, I was drawn in to the dreamworld created by Wiene and his actors. Now, of course, my immersion into it is even greater thanks to the great-looking copy available on DVD by Kino. I recommend it highly, especially to viewers who have been bored by the American silents they've tried.

So congratulations to the following movie lovers who correctly identified this landmark film: Wayne A. Palmer, Steve Perry, Tait Schleisman, Hank Parmer, Lindsey Thomas, Kevin Musolino and Evan Cook.

Posted by Steve Monaco at