Here’s what you get when you take the trailer for Mad Max: Fury Road, keep the sound track and replace the images with scenes from 1963’s classic comedy It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. I want to see this movie! The vivid Ultra Panavision 70 images from IAMMMMW are stunningly clear, with beautiful saturated colors, I swell up with nostalgia. Here’s the actual Mad Max: Fury Road trailer used as a template:
Hey, it’s the day after Mother’s day, why not celebrate Mummies? Maybe the strangest of Universal Studio’s Monster Pantheon? The Mummy featuring Boris Karloff, made in 1932, was the first Mummy film (IMDb’s one sentence summary: A living mummy stalks the beautiful woman he believes is the reincarnation of his lover). The film remains a classic despite it’s low budget and wooden acting (except for Boris Karloff, of course). The scene where the Mummy first comes to life and very quietly surprises the young man reading the Scroll of Thoth is effective: shock, a sudden scream and then hysterical laughter as the Mummy casually grabs the scroll and shuffles off only to turn up later in the film as a “different” character named Ardath Bey, who is both creepy and mesmerizing. Karloff only made one Mummy film. Later incarnations featured Lon Chaney Jr. as the undead one, and in these versions he was not required to speak. He mainly shambled around dragging one leg, an outstretched arm ready to clutch a victim’s throat. Unless, of course, the designated victim would simply get out of the way, by side stepping or walking the other direction, running, whatever, but no, they would JUST STAND THERE HELPLESSLY while the Mummy inexorably approached at the speed of a turtle. Drove me crazy as a kid. 
When I was a kid, there was only one Metropolis, and that was the city where Superman lived (I thought it was pronounced like “Metro-polis”). But then I stumbled upon a picture in a magazine from the 1927 Fritz Lang film Metropolis. It kinda confused me at first, because I thought this was the same place where Superman lived. In the film Metropolis, The Future looks pretty cool, that is, if you can afford it. Turns out: it’s a dystopian nightmare for everyone else. In the film, an inventor named Rotwang builds a female robot (a Machinenmensch!) as an expression of unrequited love for a former flame. Original stills and posters from this film are valuable, this one was selling for $24,000 (no, I did not purchase it). Here’s the scene where the Machinenmensh is brought to life by Rotwang, reminiscent of the laboratory scene from Frankenstein (which came out 4 years later in 1931):
Although Metropolis is known for its ground breaking special effects, which are numerous and wonderful, I really dig the ridiculously exaggerated over-the-top acting styles embraced by the performers in the film. Here’s a recent trailer celebrating the 2010 release of a newly restored “definitive” version of the film:
Yes, I’ll reveal that it’s my favorite movie of all time. Here’s a fresh new trailer to remind us of it’s awesome majesty.
I have not seen this film! But listen carefully to the dialog which begins the trailer:
Blond-Haired Leading Man #1: “There are 2 forms of life fighting for survival out here in this valley and only one of them can win.”
Grim-Faced Man #2: “I’ll talk to the girls in the morning.”
Blond-Haired Leading Man #1: “The girls?”
Grim-Faced Man #2: “Yes. They should bear children as soon as possible.”
Back in the day, we used to go to drive-in movie theaters and watch asinine movies like this one: so bad they were good. Born Losers introduced the character Billy Jack, portrayed by Tom Laughlin. Laughlin also wrote and directed the film, and would go on to make at least 3 more films featuring the half-breed Viet Nam vet and martial arts master Billy Jack (this was a few years before Bruce Lee kicked and punched his way to stardom). Anyhow, Tom Laughlin died last week at the age of 82, so may we raise our glasses and salute Billy Jack, may he rest in peace.
A scientist is working for the good of mankind, trying to grow animals to jumbo size, so, you know, they can feed more people. Makes no sense, but he experiments with a tarantula (why? nobody is going to want to eat a jumbo spider), and it escapes from his lab much to the consternation of the local town folk. They try to blow it up with dynamite, but it’s not enough. They bring in fighter jets & Clint Eastwood and eventually fry the poor thing with napalm. The movie poster is pretty racy:
Samsara* is the new movie from Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson. To use their own terms, this film can be viewed as a meditation on (you fill in the blank). Haunting, beautiful, poetic, surreal, epic (you fill in the superlatives). It will definitely provoke a reaction. See it on the big screen if you can.
* The term “Samsara” is associated with eastern religion, most notably Hinduism and Buddhism. It refers to the cycle of life: birth, suffering, death, rebirth.
(This may be a passing fancy.) The Raid is a well made action movie made on a low budget in Jakarta, Indonesia. It features an Indonesian cast and was directed by Gareth Evans, an Englishman. I am not going to say that The Raid is a great film, but if you are a fan of martial arts films it is well worth a look. Why did I see this film? Well, this trailer just blew me away. It is a kinetic explosion of energy, 2 minutes of unrelenting fight scenes set to an awesome piece of music by Mike Shinoda, who did the soundtrack for the film. Shinoda is a member of the rock group Linkin Park. BETTER SKIP THIS IF YOU ARE TURNED OFF BY BALLETIC CINEMATIC VIOLENCE!
This 1957 film is about a gigantic bird that can fly at supersonic speed, and the devastation it leaves in its path. The actual “Giant Claw” is not shown until later in the film, as scientists and military people are trying to figure out what the hell it is. So when the creature is finally shown, the effect is stunningly hilarious. Even an 8 year kid can marvel at the special effects which supposedly were done on the cheap in Mexico. The preview trailer is gutsy, in that they actually show all the big goofy effects, daring you to pay money and watch the film.
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