cinema history class: king of the zombies (1941)

NOTE:
Subsequent to posting this, I edited it to add the whole section about Bela Lugosi

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.

Session: Cheap Thrills! (Week 4)
Movie: King of the Zombies (1941)
Directed by Jean Yarbrough

Plot:

Blown off course and low on fuel, pilot James McCarthy (Dick Purcell) is fortunate to crash land on a remote Caribbean island. Then he uncovers plots involving voodoo, zombies and espionage. Horror ensues.

Reaction and Other Folderol:

This was really the Mantan Moreland show, which is both a blessing and a curse.

I've enjoyed Moreland's performances in other movies that I've seen -- including the sequel, Revenge of the Zombies. But this may have been too much of a good thing. A lot of times Moreland delivered a line and I kind of realized it was a laughline and snorted out a laugh, but then thought "wow, that wasn't really funny." At some point I just started rolling my eyes.

And that's where it would have been good to have a bigger audience. Ethan and I were the only ones who showed up for class this session. I might have enjoyed the jokes better if the other regulars were there -- laughter has a way of being infectious. And that might actually have been the key to this movie. It was made to be seen in a theater amidst a large crowd of people. No one involved was imagining a day when people would be streaming movies at home alone or watching DVDs in small groups in a basements. Maybe, in a theater, surrounded by people who are there to have a good time, I would have enjoyed the schtick more.

Beyond the fact of Moreland's schtick being the focus, the plot itself was kind of simple and unremarkable. The soundtrack was pretty good.

Keith noted before the movie started that the part of Dr. Sangre, which went to Henry Victor, had been written with Bela Lugosi in mind. And it's easy to see that in the movie. Victor goes through the entire movie in full on imitation of Lugosi. And I don't think that does the part justice. Lugosi would have been great in the part, and I probably would have given the movie a higher grade if Lugosi had been in it. But since it was Henry Victor, I would have preferred seeing Victor be himself.

Ratings

Me: 6.5

Ethan: 7

cinema history class: return of the ape man (1944)

  

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.

Session: Cheap Thrills! (Week 3)
Movie: Return of the Ape Man (1944)
Directed by Philip Rosen

Plot:

Two scientists bring a frozen cavemen back to life, but they have very different ideas about what to do with him. Horror ensues.

Reaction and Other Folderol:

The whole thing is kind of a good idea. In some ways it bears a strong resemblance to the Frankenstein story, with the ape man and his manufactured intelligence standing in for the monster. Bela Lugosi and John Carradine make an interesting team; Lugosi is always good. But the movie, enjoyable as it is to watch, is just not memorable.

Ratings

Me: 7

Christina: 8

Dave: 9.5

Ethan: 8

Joe: 9.8

happy tunesday! un-grand canyon

"Un-Grand Canyon" is another in the series of recordings of songs that I wrote or co-wrote, which will appear on the album by "The Marc Whinston Project" (or whatever "group name" I choose to brand it with).

But this is unique. Most of the songs for the project were written only by me. There are also a few songs that are primarily mine, but that have coauthors. For the most part, these involved a little wordsmithing (by others) on a song that was almost completely written by me. I still think of those as "my" songs.

But "Un-Grand Canyon" is different. This is Christina's baby. It started with a poem she wrote, and I tried to turn it into a song. There was some restructuring, and I changed a few words. But the lyrics are hers. I set it to music -- the first time I had ever done that for someone else's words. That was a new challenge, as I really wanted to capture the drear that Christina wrote about.

I think I succeeded, but Toby's arrangement and Eytan Mirsky's vocals did a lot of the heavy lifting.

I am really looking forward to putting this on the upcoming album. I never could have written her lyrics; they are in a style that's alien to me. And the finished product is very different from anything else in the album project. The closest to it is "Five Missing One," but this sounds much better. It also mines a topic that I really haven't approached at all on my own, so in that sense it contributes to variety. Plus, it was my first attempt at setting someone else's words to music. And I am really pleased with the results.

longest streaks of winning seasons

 As I write this, the Yankees have won 87 games this season -- which means that they have now assured themselves 30 consecutive winning seasons.  A friend at work (who happens to be a huge Yankees fan) Noted this. He also noted that the longest streak of winning seasons ever enjoyed by a major league franchise was 39 seasons -- enjoyed by the Yankees from 1926-1964. He wondered what other teams have had long streaks. Have any others reached fifteen? Ten?

So I decided to compile a list of all streaks of ten or more consecutive winning seasons by any major league franchise. There have been thirty such streaks, all listed below:

In case you are interested in streaks of nonlosing seasons -- that is, the same analysis except including seasons where a team had a .500 record -- there are three changes to make:

The 13-season streak from 1879-1891 by the Chicago White Stockings/Colts becomes a 14-season streak from 1878-1891

Add in a ten-season streak from 1975-1984 by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Add in a ten-season streak from 2003-2012 by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Make of it what you will.

cinema history class: the ape (1940)

 

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.

Session: Cheap Thrills! (Week 2)
Movie: The Ape (1940)
Directed by Jean Yarborough

Plot:

Kindly Doctor Adrian is working to cure a young woman's polio, but his work is ethically questionable. Horror ensues.

Reaction and Other Folderol:

I hate Danny. I fucking hate hate Danny. And in case I forget to say it, I hate Danny. 

For reference, Danny (played by Gene O' Donnell) is Frances' (Maris Wrixon) boyfriend. Frances is the young lady with polio, whom Dr. Adrian (Boris Karloff) is trying to cure. But Danny doesn't like it -- insisting that he likes Frances the way she is, and even acting in a threatening way toward Adrian. At the end, he comes around, and is grateful for Frances' being cured. But the transformation is too sudden, and I never got the feeling that Danny redeemed himself. And that's the only thing I really didn't like about this movie.

Otherwise, there's a straightforward plot that, though simple, touches on serious issues related to medical ethics. It's a lean movie, without any extra fat. Interestingly, in some ways it had the feel of a traditional American Western. Sheriff Halliday (Henry Hall), with his acerbic delivery and that metal star, seems like a Western movie sheriff, even if the setting and plot aren't really typical fodder for those kinds of movies. It all really worked well.

But fuck Danny.

Ratings

Me: 8

Bob-O: 9

Christina: 8.7

Dave: 9.5

Ethan: 8

Joe: 10

Jonas: NR

cinema history class: the devil bat (1940)

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.

Session: Cheap Thrills! (Week 1)
Movie: The Devil Bat (1940)
Directed by Jean Yarborough

Plot:

Having taken a buyout from his company, chemist Dr. Carruthers has seen others get rich from his inventions. Now he wants murderous revenge using his bloodthirsty bats. Horror ensues.

Reaction and Other Folderol:

Devil Bat doesn't have any pretensions to greatness or delusions of grandeur. It's just a simple entertaining story designed to entertain. And it delivers. It's also batshit crazy.

The funny thing is that the basic premise is relatable -- and it's something we've seen in other popular entertainment. One important element of the Breaking Bad backstory is that Walt had sold his share of the company helped found, only to see his old partners get rich from it. And I've heard stories about the Apple founder who sold out early on. Of course, it's easy to feel sorry for people who missed out on big paydays. But I am sure there are plenty of cases where people help found companies and sell their ownership stake, only to see those companies fold and  fade into oblivion. Those stories, are, I am sure, way more common, but they don't interest us because there's no missed opportunity to see.

But I digress.

The effects are kind of silly. One might even say they're cheesy by today's standards. But they actually hold up really well. Better, I think, than CGI which in some ways looks more realistic. And I think they age better. It probably has to do with some subconscious reaction to models and rubber bats vs. the reactions to CGI.

But I digress. Again.

Bela Lugosi is a standout in a great cast, and PRC did a really good job of making a small budget film seem like much more than it is. This is really just a fun movie.

Ratings

Me: 8.2

Bob-O: 9.7

Christina: 9.1

Dave: 9.8

Ethan: 8

Joe: 10

Jonas: NR

inked

Sharon went and got herself inked. As much as I wish she hadn't, I have to admit that I don't hate the damn tattoo as much as I thought I would.

I grew up with a strong visceral negative reaction to tattoos. In part, they weren't as mainstream then as they are now. But in addition, I grew up in a Jewish household and, culturally, tattoos were not a thing. It's not just a matter of religious law -- there are lots of religious laws that don't feel compelled to follow. But for many nonreligious Jews, tattoos are in a class separate from eating pork or driving on Saturdays. There is, after all, a widespread belief that if you have a tattoo you can't be buried in a Jewish cemetery. For the record, that belief is incorrect.

And some of my objections are purely practical. For example, I remember my high school yearbook photo. When it came time to choose a quote to go under my picture, I chose something that I thought was very clever and funny. I was sure that, decades later, when I looked back at it I'd smile at my creativity. In the event, I cringe and wonder how I could have done that. Considering that, I can't help wondering how much worse it would be if that clever quote had been permanently inked into my body.

I saw it -- Sharon's desire to get a tattoo -- coming. She hasn't exactly been secretive about it. There was a stretch that she was sure she wanted to be a tattoo artist when she grew up, and she has made money designing tattoos for other people. Also, a lot of her online friends (some of whom she has met in person) are inked. And she doesn't have the same reaction to tattoos that I have, and she's confident that -- even decades later -- she will still love her tattoo. At least I can take some comfort in the fact that it's a small ankle tattoo that won't interfere with her ability to get a "straight" job (assuming that's what she wants at some point).

And I have to admit that her design -- soot sprites from Miyazaki's Spirited Away is actually a decent design. I really want to hate it more than I actually do. But if you see her, don't tell her that. Just tell her that I hate it.