Assassination in Rome (1965)

- Assassinio made in Italy
Never lives up to its potential, 19 February 2008

While on an extended vacation in Rome, Shelley North's (Cyd Charisse) husband goes missing. The embassy can provide no real assistance, so she turns to an old flame and successful journalist, Dick Sherman (Hugh O'Brian), for help. Shelley's husband seems to have been living something of a double life involving blackmailers, drugs, and international secrets. And someone will stop at nothing to make sure Shelley's husband isn't found.

You might think that a plot that includes heroin trafficking, murder, stolen blueprints, kidnapping, and extortion would make for an exciting movie. In the case of Assassination in Rome, you'd be dead wrong. It would be hard to make a more lifeless movie with so much potential. The problem is that for ¾ of the movie, nothing happens. People go to lunch, women wear fabulous clothes, and everyone talks. But all the action is left off-screen and we're left with pointless melodrama. And then there's that sickening love-themed soundtrack that accompanies most of the movie. You can bet that anytime Cyd Charisse and Hugh O'Brian are on screen together, you're going to hear that same old schmaltzy score. Ugh! I'll give O'Brian some credit – at least he appears to be trying to make this stinker more palatable. Unfortunately, he doesn't get any help from Charisse who seems terribly out of sorts as if disinterest has taken over her whole body.

Don't misunderstand, Assassination in Rome is far from being terrible. In fact, many of the set pieces work quite well. The final ¼ of the movie does provide a few chills and a suspenseful moment or two. And the shots of the Rome and Venice locations, circa 1965, are a real treat. My favorite had to be a scene that included the outside entrance to Cinecittà studios.

4/10

Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939)

"Beware of spider who invites fly into his place for tea.", 18 February 2008

On the eve of war in France, Charlie Chan is visiting with old friends in Paris. When a leading industrialist is murdered, Chan agrees to help out the local police to solve the murder. Chan will have to sift through a web of international intrigue to find a killer.

Charlie Chan in City in Darkness was one of the very last Chan films I had not seen. And I can't tell you how disappointed I am in the movie. Briefly, it doesn't have the feel of a Chan film. It's not so much a murder mystery as it is an espionage thriller. And Chan isn't a central character as much as he is a bystander. He just happens to the there. And where was Jimmy? What's a Sidney Toler Chan film without #2 son? It's not the kind of movie I was hoping for.

This is the third Chan film I've seen with Harold Huber. His broad, almost comical characters are always a distraction. But in Charlie Chan in City in Darkness he's really out of place. The tone of this film is too serious for Huber's brand of over-acting. Another disappointing facet to this Chan installment.

5/10

Vanishing Point (1971)

"Hey Kowalski, you out there?", 17 February 2008

Kowalski is a driver. It's all he's known whether from his former life as stock car driver or a policeman. Driving is in his blood. His new job is delivering cars across the country. His assignment is to take a Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco. And Kowalski intends to do it in record time. It's not long before Kowalski has the police from four states hot on his trail.

There's really not a lot you can write about Vanishing Point without first discussing the film's finale. And, it's almost impossible to discuss the ending of Vanishing Point without giving it away. I'll try not to give too much away, but it will be difficult. Vanishing Point is as nihilistic a movie as I've seen. Why did Kowalski do what he did? And why does Kowalski even have to get to San Francisco in such a hurry? The way I see it, the two are related in Kowalski's desire for freedom. He does what he does at the end of the movie to express the ultimate freedom. Also, in Kowalski world view, driving represents freedom. He is driving from Denver to San Francisco because that's what he does – he drives. It may not be the way you or I see the world, but it's Kowalski's way.

Beyond the ending, Vanishing Point is a fascinating movie. If you don't think you would find scene after scene of a 1970 Alpine White Dodge Challenger going down the highway exciting, Vanishing Point might not be a good choice for you. I'll admit, however, that once he reached the vast, limitless desert, I began to worry that I might also lose interest. But it's these seemingly endless scenes interrupted by Kowalski's flashbacks or a chance meeting with a stranger that make the ending so powerful. There's no predicting what's about to come. It's an awesome experience!

8/10

Crossroads (2002)

Painful, 17 February 2008

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I just finished watching Crossroads. Now, before anyone calls the men in the white suits to come pick me up, I should add that I would have never watched it without the rifftrax commentary. The commentary turned what would have been an experience akin to visiting one of the seven layers of Hell into one of the funniest things I've ever sat through. Hysterical!

The plot, not that it matters, involves recent high school graduate named Lucy (Britney Spears). Together with two other friends, they travel across country, each with a different goal for their trip. Along the way they discover the true meaning of friendship. (Did I just write that? What a load of crap!)

I'm not sure who told Britney Spears she could act, but they should be drummed out of the entertainment industry post-haste. In a word, she's abysmal. Her co-stars don't fair much better, but with a script like this, anyone would look foolish. This thing is just wretched from the word "Go". Crossroads is one painful experience.

1/10

The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

Not quite the movie my son was hoping for, 16 February 2008

A family moves into the now empty house owned by an old, eccentric great aunt who has gone to live in a nearby sanitarium. While exploring the house, one of the boys finds a book that opens a world of magical creatures. Unfortunately for his family, though, an ogre named Mulgarath wants the book and the power it will give him. And he'll stop at nothing to get it.

Let me say upfront that I've never read the books The Spiderwick Chronicles is based on. In fact, until recently, I had never even heard of The Spiderwick Chronicles. I say all this to show that I had no preconceived notions or expectations going into the movie. About the only thing I knew was that my 5 year-old son really wanted to go. Overall, while I enjoyed much of the movie, I did have a few problems that keep me from fully endorsing it.

As for what worked, I'll start with the action. Much of the action in The Spiderwick Chronicles is the "edge of the seat" variety. The films finale with Mulgarath chasing the family around the house is exceptionally well done. In some of the other user comments I've written, I have slammed CG special effects. But here they are used marvelously. It's gotten so that it's difficult to tell where reality ends and the CG begins. The acting is another big highlight for me. Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, and Sarah Bolger all give life and believability to their respective roles. Highmore, in particular, did an outstanding job of creating two distinct characters. Another bonus is that this is a family that actually looks like they could be related. It's a nice piece of casting.

On to what didn't work. First, I'm not a big fan of the family dynamic presented in The Spiderwick Chronicles. When these people aren't being chased by monsters, they seem to spend their time yelling at each other. Why not have a family that gets along? I believe that at least part of the reason I felt this way is that the movie feels incredibly rushed. I've read that five books were crammed into this one movie. It shows. There seemed to be little time for any character interaction that didn't move the plot along or set-up a scene later in the movie. Finally, the movie was much more frightening than I had expected it to be. It didn't bother me, but it scared my son to death. He won't even talk about the parts that didn't scare him – and he's the reason we went. I'm no prude, but maybe this one should have been rated PG-13.

In the end, the good nudges out the bad and I'll rate The Spiderwick Chronicles a 6/10.

6/10

Bucktown (1975)

Fred Williamson & Pam Grier - Together!, 16 February 2008

Duke Johnson (Fred Williamson) comes to Bucktown to bury his brother and settle his business. A few locals talk Duke into staying on and re-opening his brother's bar. The locals, however, don't tell Duke how his brother really died or about the racists that run Bucktown. Duke enlists some out-of-town friends to help him deal with his problems. With his black friends in power, things should be looking up for Duke. But he soon realizes that regardless of skin color, power corrupts. Once again, Duke must fight for what he believes in.

I suppose the biggest reason to see Bucktown is the chance to catch Fred Williamson and Pam Grier in the same movie. They're dynamite together and exhibit some real chemistry. I was impressed with Williamson in particular. I've seen too many movies from later in his career where he sleepwalks his way to a paycheck. Not here. He really seems to be into it. As for Grier, she's terrific. The supporting cast is exceptionally strong for this kind of movie. Thalmus Rasulala is an actor who has always impressed me and he does nothing to change my opinion in Bucktown. Carl Weathers and Tony King also give nice performances. But nobody goes into a movie like this for the acting. The action and fight scenes in Bucktown are wonderful. Fists, knives, guns – this movie has it all and does it all very well. The fight choreography and staging is about the best I've seen in a Blaxploitation movie. Very nicely done!

But as much as I enjoyed the actors and the action, I still can't rate Bucktown higher than a 5/10. Why? The movie makes no sense. Maybe I should just suspend logic and go with it, but I can't. In my way of thinking, you just can't kill a bunch of people without some sort of reprisal. A whole load of lawmen are killed and no one seems to take notice? I don't care if they were good-for-nothing racists, someone (State officials, family members, concerned citizens,, etc.) would surely take notice and come to town to do something about it. And if the State or whoever isn't going to do anything about all the killing, don't you think the Army would take notice of someone stealing one of their vehicles? I'm sorry, but there's no logic to any of it.

5/10

Tower of Terror (1997) (TV)

Disney Does Horror, 15 February 2008

Something happened 60 years ago at the Hollywood Tower Hotel – something so bizarre and tragic that the doors were locked and the hotel closed. Five people stepped onto an elevator headed to the Tip Top Club on the 12th floor. Suddenly, a flash of green light and the elevator stopped. The five people on board the elevator were gone. They just vanished. Now, down-on-his-luck newspaper reporter Buzzy Crocker (Steve Guttenberg) has been given the chance to tell the story of a lifetime – a chance to tell the world about what really happened to the people on board that doomed elevator. But to do so, he'll have to face the ghosts of the five souls that disappeared 60 years ago.

I think that some of the criticism leveled against Tower of Terror is unfair and just plain ridiculous. For what it is (a Disney horror movie), I quite enjoyed it. Sure, it doesn't have the same kind of scares or gore many horror fans look for, but it wasn't meant to. It was meant to be a movie aimed at families and children and, as such, I think it was reasonably successful. There are a couple of moments when the movie drags, but overall it's a well-paced, entertaining, harmless piece of entertainment. And, as much as it pains me, I must admit to enjoying the feel good ending. It worked for me. My biggest complaint would be the lack of originality. How many times have we seen this story played out? A new twist on an old stand-by would have been nice.

I suppose that another reason I enjoyed Tower of Terror might have something to do with the ride at the Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando. And what a ride it is! A 12 story free-fall that's never the same ride twice! I love it! At the beginning of the movie, I was amazed at how much the hotel in the movie looked like the ride. It didn't come as too big of a surprise to me to learn that the exteriors were actually filmed in the park. How cool is that?

6/10

Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939)

One of the best of the series, 15 February 2008

While in route to San Francisco, Chan's friend Paul Essex dies of an apparent suicide. The only clue is a threatening note from someone calling himself the Zodiac. Chan soon discovers that the Zodiac is a successful mystic. Together with a would-be psychic-buster and magician named Rhadini (Cesar Romero), Chan sets out to discover the source of the Zodiac's mysticism and unmask a killer.

I thought I had seen the best of the Charlie Chan series. Man, was I ever wrong. After a first viewing, Charlie Chan at Treasure Island has become one of my very favorite Chan films. It's not just one of Toler's best, it's one of the three or four best entries in the entire series. It's got everything a fan could ask for – an interesting plot, a larger than life villain, solid acting, compelling characters, real suspense, comic relief that's actually funny, and some of the best writing I've seen in a Chan movie. The final reveal is also one of the best in the series. It's not the usual drawing room gathering of the suspects (which I usually prefer), but a drawn out, tension filled scene in a theater full of people. And speaking of tension, Chan's first meeting with the Zodiac is amazing, if not a bit frightening. Charlie Chan at Treasure Island also benefits from a strong supporting cast. Cesar Romero, Douglas Fowley, Pauline Moore, and, personal favorite, Douglass Dumbrille add considerably to the film. Overall, this is one Charlie Chan film that I'm very much look forward to revisiting – and soon.

8/10