Back to the Future Part II (1989, Robert Zemeckis)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 31, 2012
Back to the Future Part II, while front heavy with special effects, ends up being a small picture. The first half or so deals with the sequel setup from the first movie’s finale but then Part II tells a side story set during the first film. Time travel franchises can be, it turns out, rather read more
Pool Sharks (1915, Edwin Middleton)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 30, 2012
According to Pool Sharks, the only thing better than getting the girl is getting a free bottle of liquor. W.C. Fields is at a picnic and courting a young woman–apparently the only single woman there (the actor is sadly uncredited)–and he runs afoul her other suitor, played by Bud Ross. read more
Recreation (1914, Charles Chaplin)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 28, 2012
Chaplin’s got a real problem with visual continuity in Recreation. At first, he does really well. The actors move–through a park–from left to right. Helen Carruthers is on a bench with a prospective beau (Charles Bennett), then she leaves him and moves right. Chaplin (as the Tramp read more
The Vampires: The Severed Head (1915, Louis Feuillade)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 25, 2012
I probably should have paid more attention to The Severed Head‘s title. Even when the discussion of a decapitated murder victim came up, the title didn’t register any significance. Guess what? Director Feuillade gets in a severed head. I didn’t even think the murder case mattered, read more
Crocodile Dundee II (1988, John Cornell)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 24, 2012
Crocodile Dundee II isn’t really a comedy. It’s an action movie with a lot of comic moments, but it’s not a comedy. Figuring out how it’s going to not be a comedy–since it’s a sequel to a successful comedy after all–is one of its biggest problems. Director read more
The Resurrection of Broncho Billy (1970, James R. Rokos)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 23, 2012
Even with all the obvious symbolism in The Resurrection of Broncho Billy, a lot of it is still quite good. About half of Rokos’s shots are excellent and Nick Castle’s photography is great. The shots of movie cowboy-wannabe Johnny Crawford walking through downtown L.A. are magnificent. T read more
Cruel, Cruel Love (1914, George Nichols)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 21, 2012
Cruel, Cruel Love has a lot of possibilities. Sadly, director Nichols doesn’t realize any of them. He’s interested in broad physical humor–wrestling, actually–and having Charlie Chaplin mug for the camera. Chaplin does a fine enough job mugging, but it goes on forever. Love read more
The Human Torch (1963, Donald F. Glut)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 19, 2012
Sure, at one point the Human Torch appears to be a naked Ken doll painted red, but come on… it’s The Human Torch. I think it’s unintentional, but at times director (and star) Glut makes the Torch’s “flaming on” seem positively painful. Or maybe the rubber hand Gl read more
Tor, King of Beasts (1962, Donald F. Glut)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 18, 2012
While Tor, King of Beasts is a remake of King Kong, director Glut comes up with a few new twists for the retelling. The two most obvious are the futuristic plane Glut (he also stars) and his companions use to the get the island. At first I wondered if it was time travel. Second, there’s no gi read more
War Feathers (1926, Robert F. McGowan and Robert A. McGowan)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 16, 2012
I expected an Our Gang short titled War Feathers to be racist, but I was unprepared for how racist it gets. It opens with the kids torturing a train conductor–and Joe Cobb in blackface. Sorry, “chocolate” face. The poor conductor doesn’t just have to try to contain them, he& read more
Twister (1989, Michael Almereyda)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 15, 2012
Twister tries very hard to be avant-garde, but ends up just being a quirky family comedy. Worse, director Almereyda changes up the narrative style about fifty minutes into the film. Although Twister is based on a novel, Almereyda’s style is more appropriate for stage. The first half or more t read more
Xenogenesis (1978, James Cameron and Randall Frakes)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 14, 2012
Xenogenesis doesn’t just have lengthy opening titles for a twelve minute short, it then has exposition explaining it as directors Cameron and Frakes pan over some sci-fi illustrations. There are some amazing things about the short, but they’re all related to the stop motion animation. F read more
And Now, a Word from Our Sponsor
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 13, 2012
The Comix Gallery is located in the sleepy suburb of Wilmette, along the edge of Chicago’s north shore. Access via car, bus, or train make this a very accessible store for those in the know. At 405 Linden Ave., the end of the purple line is only steps away, and ample parking makes your visit read more
Alice’s Wonderland (1923, Walt Disney)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 12, 2012
Depending on the process director Disney used to marry live action with animation, Alice’s Wonderland is either mediocre or just plain bad. If it’s the latter, Disney has no concept of perspective or, you know, shadows. The first three minutes are awesome. A little kid (Virginia Davis, read more
Film is Rhythm (1923, Hans Richter)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 11, 2012
Film is Rhythm isn’t immediately impressive. Director Richter moves some white rectangles across the black screen. Then, gradually (but at a quick pace–Film is only three minutes), he starts doing more movements with these rectangles and squares. By the time he was zooming them in and o read more
Silver Streak (1976, Arthur Hiller)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 10, 2012
Silver Streak is a wonderful film. It opens with all these little scenes on a train between Gene Wilder and Ned Beatty and then Jill Clayburgh. At this point, Streak seems like a very intelligent romantic comedy. There’s no drama yet, just excellent dialogue from Colin Higgins’s script. read more
Time Is Just a Place (1961, Donald F. Glut)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 9, 2012
I’m sure writer-director Glut understands Time Is Just a Place–and I’m sure he explained it to friends and family who watched it when he made it–but there’s no explanation in the short itself. There are a couple rocket ships traveling through space. They’re appar read more
The Teenage Frankenstein (1959, Donald F. Glut)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 7, 2012
The Teenage Frankenstein. Where to start. How to start. First, it’s not exactly The Teenage Frankenstein, it’s more The Teenage Bride of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, which actually works out pretty well. It’s unclear why teen auteur Glut includes a werewolf–who saves Dr. read more
The Saga of Windwagon Smith (1961, Charles A. Nichols)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 5, 2012
There’s nothing good about The Saga of Windwagon Smith. The best thing about it is the extended opening titles, which eat up some of the runtime and lessen the cartoon’s awfulness. The animation happily plays at the nexus of lazy, incompetent and bad. Director Nichols–who cowrote& read more
Playlands of Michigan (1949)
The Stop Button Posted by on Aug 4, 2012
A more accurate title for Playlands of Michigan is Playlands of Lake Michigan, though an even more accurate one would be Michigan Playlands of Lake Michigan. “Voice of the Globe” James A. FitzPatrick takes the viewer through some of the state’s summer tourism, mostly as it relates read more