Another roll-up of classic films I’ve watched over the past few months.
1933 – Wild Boys of the Road – thought this was going to be a cautionary tale about biker gangs… turns out it was surprisingly serious and surprisingly tough film about teenagers during The Great Depression. A decidedly pre-code film about kids hopping rails and looking for work because their dads back home lost their jobs. Very angry film about a failing America, even with a lot of gee-whiz acting and dialog and a wholesome end that promotes The New Deal.
1939 – Son of Frankenstein – didn’t expect the third picture in the series to be so good… for at least the first hour. The final half hour – oddly when the monster starts walkin’ about – got kind of dull. But I loved the long shadows and the German expressionism in the set design of the castle. Really neat. Very good flick overall.
1943 – Journey Into Fear – a lurid title for a pretty standard – though sometimes odd – spy noire film. Not a bad little title with a particularly exciting end sequence in the rain. Just shy of 70 minutes long, it’s economical and the backstory of the production involves more backstabbing than the movie itself (apparently chopped to bits by the studio).
1964 – Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley plays a race car driver who is also a rock ‘n roller when he’s not waiting tables in Vegas. Ann-Margaret plays the smokin’ hot swim teacher who is also a groovy dancer and singer. There’s a marginally interesting car race, lots of fairly entertaining song ‘n dance numbers, and, yeah this is an alright bit of fluffy fuzzy dumb. Especially if you want to hear Elvis sing Viva Las Vegas three times.
1968 – Speedway – an Elvis movie where he plays a race car driver (again) who is also, coincidentally, a rock ‘n roller during his down-time. Super groovy 60s grooviness mixed with some really weird (and often icky) romantic comedy vibes and a sub plot involving filing dubious tax returns. Nancy Sinatra plays the IRS agent (of course). Not bad but really ran out of steam in the end.
1973 – The Sting – managed to go my whole life hearing about this Academy Award winning flick but never seeing it. And, yeah, the movie just didn’t land for me. It was really poorly paced and I didn’t get the joyful conman snappy pacing I was expecting. Overlit and kind of garish looking too. But that’s ok – not every movie is for everyone.
1976 – The Town That Dreaded Sundown – an alleged horror classic… one that, if it ever was good, hasn’t aged well when the nostalgia glasses aren’t on. I’m sure a modern take on a film about a town living in fear of a mysterious serial killer would be gripping… this sometimes wacky police procedural thing ain’t though.
1993 – Super Mario Bros. – OK, it’s a classic only in that its the first video game adaptation ever… which isn’t exactly a compliment. But it’s a flick I’d never seen – consciously avoiding it for decades… until I realized I was curious and it was not easily available. And, hey, I was surprised it’s an actual honest-to-god movie made by people with some talent. It’s exceptionally weird and kind of falls apart in the final act so I’m holding any additional praise. But better than I expected.