THE ROOM 2003 (WISEAU PRODUCTIONS)

Much has been said about this movie and it has become something of a cult film. I saw it for the very first time a few days ago on the recommendation of my surgeon and all I can say is OH MY GOD!! My roommate and I had an interesting time watching this!!

I have read so much about this film that I am overwhelmed. The backstory about the people who made this film and the film itself is far more interesting than the movie. I am going to try and talk about both here and so this may be a very long review.

The movie focuses on Johnny (Tommy Wiseau), a man who works at a bank who apparently makes very good money. He has a girlfriend named Lisa (Juliette Daniels) and a lot of friends. His girlfriend is bored with him as he buys her everything she wants, keeps a roof over her head and tries to make her happy. Yep this girl isn't happy.

She decides to have an affair with Johnny's best friend Mark (Greg Sestero) to get some excitement out of life. Johnny slowly comes to realize that the two are having an affair and it begins to tear him apart as well as the entire circle of friends.

As I was watching this I began thinking of the erotic thrillers that used to be churned out by the thousands on VHS and for Cinemax back in the 90's, for this is what it reminded me of slightly. Yes, I have nothing against the leading lady Juliette Daniels, but I kept pining for Shannon Tweed.

There are a lot of plot holes including the infamous drug dealer scene, Lisa's mother having breast cancer and the biggest one is who is Denny, the teenage neighbor whom Johnny is taking care of. He walks into Johnny's apartment at random and wants to watch Johnny and Lisa have sex!! Why? Who knows. I read somewhere that he role was probably supposed to be played by a house cat, but got changed.

Well, needless to say all ends in disaster for everyone in what is supposed to be a film noir like ending. Wiseau wrote, produced, directed and stars in this totally one of a kind trip to another film making world.

Not much is known about Wiseau except that he has a lot of money and can pretty much do what he wants. A movie called "The Disaster Artist" has already been made which is a film about the making of this film. When released in 2003, the movie tanked after playing in only 2 theaters, but over the last few years it has garnered a huge cult following.

Wiseau has an untold personal fortune that seems endless and he even paid for a billboard advertising the film. He kept the billboard up for five years at the cost of $5000 per month which is a total of $360,000. Incredible!!

This has enabled Wiseau to reap millions off of this film and live his dream. The movie will forever stick in my mind and not because it's "the worst film ever made" which it isn't. It will stick there because of the bizarre dialogue and set pieces in this film.

Johnny utters lines like "I feel like I'm sitting on an A bomb waiting to go off", "You're tearing me apart, Lisa" which Wiseau utters in his beast James Dean impersonation. People say things like "I don't want to talk about it" whenever a plot hole is reached. Johnny says "hi" way too much and a couple of characters make "cheeping" noises at one another. You also have four guys playing football in Tuxedos!!

Other key points to look for when watching this movie...Denny is a wimp of the first order...when Mark and Lisa have sex there is way too much grunting and groaning and we learn that women are confusing, but then I already know this as I am sure many of you do as well.

The party fight scene between Mark and Johnny is also one for the ages, but probably closer to real life than typical movie fight scenes. I have also read that this is somewhat of an autobiographical script that Wiseau wrote. It could be..we all know women like this, which bring me to another point.

Juliette Daniels is a nice looking young woman and really doesn't fit the part she is playing. You can tell she is somewhat uncomfortable in playing a double crossing bitch and her part is more suited to old daytime television soap operas than this movie. She does get one of the best moments in the film when she and Mark are talking and Mark says "I want your body" and she replies "You got it". Jesus, that is the stuff of pure cinematic gold.

In some scenes we can see that Juliette, who was only 20 when this was made, transform from bitch to sex goddess in a matter of seconds. This is due to her inexperience in the movie business, but she does give it a shot, and that is what counts.

Ever since I saw this movie it has been stuck in my head and it simply will not leave. As I mentioned earlier, there is a ton of information about this film all over the internet and it makes for very good reading. I recommend you see the film before going into all of the backstory about it.

Needless to say, it's not the worst film ever made by far, but it is indeed one of the most bizarre trips down movie lane you will ever take. Do I recommend this film....HELL YES. The film cost 6 million to make but looks much cheaper than that due to the fact that the movie was double shot, meaning that it was shot on 35MM film and an HD camera. Wiseau discarded the HD footage for some reason and all that remained was the 35MM footage. One final note, this film was made with absolutely NO studio involvement, which I have to admire Wiseau for. That is rare these days....very rare.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Angie Dickinson is 88, Antoinette Bower is 87, Ian Ogilvy is 76, Angela Pleasence is 78, Candice Michelle is 41, Marilyn McCoo is 76, and Patrice Rushen is 65.

CREEPSHOW 2019 (SHUDDER)

This is a new TV series that premiered on the Shudder Network on 9/26/19. I will be looking at each of these and giving you my reviews on them.

Each episode is about 46 minutes long, and the season opener proved to be a super scary time. The two episodes are "Gray Matter" which is based on the wonderfully gruesome Stephen King story and "House Of The Head"

"Gray Matter" is a story about a man who drinks beer and accidentally has one that is contaminated with a strange fungus. His son relates the story about his changing father to a friendly store owner played by Adrienne Barbeau while the police chief and doctor go to the house during a raging rain storm to investigate.

The boy relates how his father slowly changed into a slime covered thing that lives in a dark room in their home. The Sheriff and doctor discover oh so much more when they enter the house. I don't want to give away too much, but the ending is a great combination of 50's comic book horror and end of times. Series creator Greg Nicotero directed.

The second tale is "House Of The Head" a bizarre tale about a haunted doll house. A little girl has a doll house and the figures seem to move whenever she isn't around.

The child discovers that the doll house is being haunted by a head ripping severed head!! This tale was very well directed by John Harrison, and has some great moments in it as well.

The standout scene here concerns the severed head under a bed. It was a great "make me jump" moment.

This series looks very promising as it follows the original Creepshow blueprint. It has comic book captions, page turns, comic panels, and "The Creep" brings us the tales each week.

I rate the 1982 Creepshow as one of the ten best horror films ever made and this show is one of the best I have seen...and I haven't watched a TV series for over 15 years. I hope they continue because this premier episode was damn good fun. WATCH IT IF YOU GET THE CHANCE!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Jerry Lee Lewis is 84.

RETURN OF ANDREW BENTLEY 1961 (MILL CREEK)

A while back my roommate and I bought a DVD from Mill Creek entitled "Monster Movie Mix". It had interesting things on it, but the title is very deceptive.

The DVD cover has no title listings except to say 12 films of Alien Invasion and Deadly Attack. Well come to find out the DVD had three movies and then 9 TV episodes from such shows as "Lights Out", "Tales Of Tomorrow" and others. This one however really surprised me.

This is an episode from the TV series called "Thriller" hosted by Boris Karloff. I was not aware that any of these were in the Public Domain.

John Newland stars as Ellis Corbett, a man who inherits a mansion from his slightly insane uncle Amos Wilder (Terence de Marney). He is told that every day he must check the crypt to see if anyone or anything has tried to enter.

This is a very bizarre episode and also one of the better ones overall. It was a good look at what the rest of the series run would be like. August Derleth wrote the original story and Richard Matheson adapted it to the small screen.

This is a wonderful way to kill 50 minutes and if you're a fan of this show as I am you'll love it. Antoinette Bower and Reggie Nalder also star.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Brigitte Bardot is 85, and John Sayles is 69.

NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST 1958 (MILL CREEK)

Nifty 50's sci-fi produced by Roger and Gene Corman.

I have always liked this movie since I owned a 200 foot reel of it from Ken Films.

Michael Emmet stars as John Cocoran, an astronaut who is killed when the rocket he is test flying crashes back to earth. After his body is recovered from the spacecraft it's taken to a nearby abandoned army base by the few who are still there carrying on top secret work.

Before too long the entire base is cut off from the rest of the world by an alien that has sinister plans. To the shock of everyone Cocoran comes back to life and appears to have no problems except for some strange marks on his body. It's soon discovered that his body is housing several alien creatures that will hatch soon.

Dr. Alex Wyman (Tyler McVey) is killed by having half of his head torn away and his brain gone. The alien has taken it and it now able to communicate with the humans.

It plans to take over the world with it's progeny and a small band of humans must fight to stop it. This is a fun film and I have always thought the monster was pretty cool looking. The cast also includes Ed Nelson, Angela Greene, John Baer and Georgina Carter.

This film has been available on PD sets for years and this was included on a bizarre set from Mill Creek called "Monster Movie Mix" which in reality only had three movies and a few episodes from TV shows on it. Some of those reviews will be forthcoming soon as well.

Anyway, a fun film for any 50's sci-fi lover.

NIGHTMARE ALLEY 1947 (FOX)

One of the darkest film noir movies ever made.

Tyrone Power stars as Stanton Carlisle a young man who works in a small circus but has aspirations of making the big time. While working at the circus he is curious but frightened by what is known as "The Geek", a bizarre attraction that bites the heads off of live chickens and Stan wonders how anyone could ever sink so low.

He works with a woman named Zeena (Joan Blondell) and when her husband dies Stan moves right in to save the act. However Stan has his eyes on a beautiful woman named Molly (Coleen Gray) who works as the "Electric Woman" in the carnival.

Eventually Stan learns the business good enough to move out on his own. He secretly marries Molly and heads for the big city, not heeding the warnings of Zeena and her Tarot cards that warn of nothing but doom.

Stanton becomes obsessed with power and money and eventually meets a young psychologist named Lilth Ritter (Helen Walker) and both team up to bilk a very rich man out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Stan's ploy collapses after Molly refuses to go along with the charade and Stanton is exposed as a fake. he goes to Lilith for help, but finds that she has pulled a double cross and kept all of his money and has called the police. Stanton send Molly out of town and looks for a way to hide from the authorities.

He finds himself homeless and friendless while traveling the country on trains talking to bums. He slowly becomes an alcoholic who'll do anything for a drink. He happens upon a small carnival and the owner gives him a job, but not the job Stanton wanted. He ends up as "The Geek" and has now realized how low a person can go and how they get there.

This is a very powerful film with one of the darkest endings I have ever seen. It is unforgettable. The rest of the cast includes Taylor Holmes, Mike Mazurki and Ian Keith. If you get a chance to see this gem, do so. You won't be disappointed. One of the best.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Christina Milian is 38, Olivia Newton-John is 71, Lysette Anthony is 56, Martine Beswick is 78, Victoria Vetri is 75, and Serena Williams is 38.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

John Ericson is 93.

GOD'S LITTLE ACRE 1958 (OLIVE)

Interesting drama from director Anthony Mann.

Philip Yordan wrote the screenplay based on the famous novel by Erskine Caldwell. Robert Ryan stars as Ty Ty Walden, a man obsessed with finding gold on his property. He is so obsessed that he has let everything else go. The farm is falling apart, he hasn't worked the land in almost a year and he is late getting his cotton crop in.

His two sons, Buck (Jack Lord) and Shaw (Vic Morrow) help him dig up his land, but are becoming disenchanted with their father's need to find the gold.

Into the mix is added Buck's beautiful wife Griselda (Tina Louise) whom everyone lusts after including a man named Will Thompson (Aldo Ray). Thompson is an alcoholic who has been laid off from the cotton mill when it closed down and is slowly destroying his life and that of his wife as well.

Pluto Swint (Buddy Hackett) is in love with Ty Ty's other daughter, Lil (Fay Spain) and this would be relationship also causes endless problems. The film works very well as a sordid melodrama about early 20th century southern living.

Director Mann, and writer Yordan bring out as much sex and lust as was allowable back in 1958 and this film caused quite a stir when first released. Aldo Ray and Tina Louise steal the show, but the performances by Lord and Ryan are a damn close second.

The rest of the cast includes Michael Landon, Lance Fuller, Rex Ingram and Helen Westcott. I really recommend this film as something totally different and slightly twisted.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Jessica Lucas is 34, Stephanie McMahon is 43, Bert I. Gordon is 97, and April Hunter is 46.

RIP SID HAIG 1939-2019

Another iconic actor has passed away.

Sid began his career in 1960 and was a huge part of my childhood because he seemed to appear in every TV show and movie I watched.

I first saw him in the original "Batman" TV show back in 1966 and I also saw him in "Man From U.N.C.L.E." and film "It's A Bikini World". But that was just the beginning.

Over the years Sid entertained me in such horror and exploitation gems as "Blood Bath" from 1962, "Pit Stop", "THX 1138", "Beware The Blob", and many, many more.

But I really remember him from a string of films he made with gorgeous Pam Grier such as "The Big Doll House", "The Big Bird Cage", "Black Mama, White Mama", "Coffy" which is my personal favorite, and "Foxy Brown". With these films alone Sid proved what an acting genius he was. He acted so well with Pam that everything just flowed oh so smooth.

I am not really a fan of some of Sid's later work, but a lot of people are and they will remember him for that the most, but if I were to pick one single film that I will always associate with this man it is the 1964 horror film directed by Jack Hill entitled "Spider Baby".

We have lost one of our silver screen national treasures. Sid Haig passed away on September 21st, 2019 at the age of 80.

RIP JAN MERLIN 1925-2019

One of my favorite character actors has passed away.

Jan Merlin started his long acting career in 1953 working in TV on such shows as "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet" and "Robert Montgomery Presents" before moving into the movies.

His first film was an uncredited role in the 1954 sci-fi classic "Them" and then he started playing heavies and those were the roles that he will always be remembered for.

He was unforgettable in such films as "Illegal", "A Strange Adventure", "Cole Younger, Gunfighter" and many more. I think my favorite film he was in however is the 1963 western gem entitled "Gunfight At Comanche Creek" where he played the government agent helping Audie Murphy track down a gang of savage killers.

He also appeared on shows like "Time Tunnel" and "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea" because Irwin Allen could always count on Jan for bringing in a great performance.

Merlin was always a welcome face in any movie or TV show because you knew you'd get a top notch performance out of him. He passed away on Sept. 20th, 2019 at the age of 94.

THIS GUN FOR HIRE 1942 (UNIVERSAL)

Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake make a great team in this dark film noir classic.

Ladd is fourth billed as Philip Raven, a hit man hired to kill someone and is then paid off in marked bills by a traitor named Willard Gates (Laird Cregar) who is secretly selling out the USA to the Japanese.

Raven begins to realize he has been duped and plots revenge against Gates. Along the way on a train he meets a lovely young singer named Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake) and slowly the twp begin to work together in stopping Gates.

While all this is going on, Lt. Crane (Robert Preston) who is also after Raven is asked by a Senate Committee to investigate Gates, and before you know it the chase is on.

There are plenty of very dark characters in this film including Ladd's Raven. When we are introduced to him we discover he only has only soft spot in his entire being and that is for cats. His hatred of the human race is very clear. Laird Cregar is excellent as the cowardly traitor, Gates, who has a very evil side to him.

Veronica Lake does a great job as Ellen, who perfectly fits with the Raven character. She has plenty of feelings for people and he does not, of course. They make a great team and would work again on other classic noir films such as "The Glass Key) and more.

The rest of the top notch cast includes Marc Lawrence, Tully Marshall, Olin Howland, Frank Ferguson and Victor Kilian in a small but pivotal role. This is what film, noir is all about and no fan of the genre should miss this film. It was released by Paramount but bought by Universal for release.

One of the best films of it's kind to ever be made. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Tom Lester is 81, and Paul Petersen is 74.

THE BIG STEAL 1949 (WARNER)

A strange little film noir that really sets itself apart.

Don Siegel directed this little gem starring Robert Mitchum as Lt. Duke Halliday, a man who, at the beginning of the film is accosted by someone named Capt. Vincent Blake (William Bendix) who attempts to arrest him for theft.

Halliday knocks out Blake and escapes with a suitcase full of money and runs into a beautiful woman named Joan Graham (Jane Greer). The two keep running into each other with somewhat comical results and great banter back and fourth.

Graham's fiancee, Jim Fiske (Partick Knowles) is involved in a huge robbery and she works with Halliday to stop it. This film is actually a cross country car chase with romance and comedy thrown in the noir mix and it works quite well.

Siegel handles the directing chores very well of course and one can easily see where his career was headed, and the rest is history. The film moves along at a very brisk pace and never lets up for 72 minutes.

Mitchum had just been busted for drugs before this was filmed and most actresses didn't want to work around him, but Greer was a personal friend and took the role which a good thing because they work very well together which they would do again in the film noir classic "Out Of The Past" a couple of years later.

A different look at the film noir genre that every fan should see. The rest of the cast includes Ramon Novarro, Don Alvarado and John Qualen. Check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Catherine Oxenberg is 58, Debby Boone is 63, and Asa Maynor is 83.

ILLEGAL 1955 (WARNER)

Good little film noir.

Edward G. Robinson stars as an overly aggressive DA named Victor Scott. His tactics send an innocent man to the electric chair and that changes Scott's life forever.

Scott is humbled by this experience and vows never to make that mistake again, and quits his job and starts drinking. His young assistant, Ellen Miles (Nina Foch) tries to help him get his life back on track.

Scott takes a job defending a lowly criminal and gets him off with some spectacular courtroom tactics which comes to the attention of a top crime boss named Frank Garland (Albert Dekker) who hires him immediately.

Soon Scott is making a very good living but his employer puts him at odds with his old friends and Ellen. Garland uses Scott for a lot of cases, but soon things get out of hand and Scott again sees the error of his ways.

During a big case Garland plans to have Scott killed in order to protect his crime empire. This leads to a most interesting climax. Robinson handles the lead role just perfectly, but what else would one expect from Robinson?

The story is captivating and the movie moves at a very quick pace with no let up until the final End title card. Some argue that this isn't a film noir, but it has all the key elements and I consider it to be one.

The rest of the cast includes Edward Platt, Hugh Marlowe, Ellen Corby, Jan MerlinJay Adler, Henry Kulky, and Jayne Mansfield as "Angel O' Hara" the woman who actually brings down the entire crime empire of Garland.

A great movie experience that every crime film fans should see. RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Rebecca Balding is 64, Yvonne Wilder is 82, Teresa Gimpera is 83, and Cynthia Hull is 72.

MAN OF THE WEST 1958 (MGM)

A great western that was ignored when first released in 1958.

Gary Cooper stars as Link Jones, a man with a sordid past who has changed his life and now lives on the right side of the law.

During a train ride he and two others are left behind after a daring train robbery that leaves Link, Billie Ellis (Julie London) a beautiful saloon singer and Sam Beasley (Arthur O' Connell) looking for a place to stay for the night.

The happen upon a place Link used to live and it's soon discovered that the very people who robbed the train are living there now. Dock Tobin (Lee J. Cobb) and his gang are hiding out there and they welcome Link and the others.

It seems that Link was Tobin's protege at one time and Tobin wants it that way again. Link does everything in his power to protect Billie from the gang members, especially Coaley (Jack Lord), who wants Billie in the worst way.

Tobin plans a huge robbery, but nothing seems to go right as everything has changed in the West but Tobin. The climactic shootout is a cinematic delight.

Directed by Anthony Mann, this film was largely ignored in 1958 as times were also changing for movie goers tastes. This was and still is a very bleak and hard hitting western, which at the time people didn't want. The rest of the cast includes John Dehner, Royal Dano and Robert J. Wilke.

Now hailed as a western classic, I cannot recommend this enough. Cooper and London are superb and the film never misses a beat. The violent fight between Link and Coaley is a true highlight.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Sophia Loren is 85, Brinke Stevens is 65, and JoAnna Cameron is 68.

EVIL SPIRITS 1990 (PRISM)

Strange film from Gary Graver.

Karen Black stars as a woman named Ella Purdy running a boarding house who kills her boarders and then collects their welfare checks and social security.

The house is supposedly haunted and the boarders are a bizarre lot indeed. Michael Berryman is Mr. Balzac, a writer who is constantly eating and spying on Prudys' sexy young daughter named Tina (Debra Lamb) who dances naked in her room.

Ella is always talking to her dead husband who tells her that she is pushing her luck with all of these killings. Arte Johnson is Lester Potts, a Social security man who looks into the mysterious disappearances of several clients, but actually has his own reasons for investigating.

This is a bizarre movie to say the least and some may not like it, but it has a cast to die for including Anthony Eisley, Yvette Vickers, Hoke Howell, Robert Quarry, Martine Beswick and Virginia Mayo.

This is a hard to find item now as it has never had a DVD release as far as I know. If you get a chance you might want to check it out for the cast alone because the plot isn't much and sometimes it's a head scratcher.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

David McCallum is 86, Randolph Mantooth is 74, and Bobbie Bresee is 72.

10 X 10 2018 (VERTICAL)

Strange film, again purchased by my roommate.

A man played by Luke Evans plots and eventually kidnaps a flower shop owner named Cathy (Kelly Reilly) and takes her to his home and imprisones her in a specially constructed 10X10 room.

It turns out that he has his reasons. He wants to know her real name and her real past.

Her secret is soon revealed. Turns out that she changed her name and everything after she was acquitted of killing three people in a hospital when she was a nurse. It also turns out that one of her victims was the mans wife.

What really surprised me about this film is that you actually side with the kidnapper when everything comes to light. The film was a disaster at the box office, and I attribute that to the rather bland way the entire movie was presented.

It's an allright film, but I think they should have spiced it up a bit with more exploitation elements, but that is just my opinion. If you get a chance and feel like watching it, check it out.