D.O.A. (1950) [aka Dead on Arrival]

Frank Bigelow: I want to report a murder.
Homicide Captain: Sit down. Where was this murder committed?
Frank Bigelow: San Francisco, last night.
Homicide Captain: Who was murdered?
Frank Bigelow: I was.

Some movies start out slow with a gradual build up in suspense or story but there are some which throw you in the deep end right at the start.  D.O.A. is just one of those movies.  The quote above is in the first talking scene of the movie and from then Frank Bigalow (Edmond O’Brien) tells the story of his own murder.  It’s a start that reminds me very much of “Kiss Me Deadly”, another Film Noir from the 50’s which starts out in a dramatic sort of way.  Anyway, what follows is the story of how he was killed and who did it and why.  For a “B” movie with B actors and B budget, the film stands today as one of the better examples of film noir.

The movie starts out with a bang and ends just as abruptly as it started, but as he tells the story of his own murder to the police we see him as a normal everyday person at the office who is about to go on a holiday that will change his life forever.  He goes to a bar with some people he met at a hotel and ends up getting a drink and meeting up with a girl and poisoned all in one night.  He goes back to the hotel to sleep it off and the following day feels ill so he goes to the doctors where they give him the news everyone fears.  You’re going to die.  In shock and unbelief, he runs out of the office and down the street in a fantastically shot scene.  Why fantastic?  They film the actor running down a street full of people who have no idea a movie is being made and he is pushing his way through the crowd to get to a safe place where he can get a breather and think things through.  These shots are often the best cause you get real honest reactions that help set the scene.  Shame it can’t be done these days but I suppose if they tried some turkey would probably give the actor a darn good beating for bumping in to them.  Sad isn’t it.  Anyway, Frank continues the story of finding out who killed him and why.

As the film has fallen into “public domain” you can find it on youtube and also in the public domain archives and even buy cheap copies of the DVD on ebay.  In 2004 the movie was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in USA as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".  Hopefully one day one of these boutique companies will restore the film and release a high quality DVD or Bluray cause it’s one of those classics that helped form and is a prime example of what we now call “film noir”.  

The acting is well done by the leads especially Edmond O’Brien who is quite convincing and the others do a fine job as well.  Some parts feel a bit messy and to be honest as there is a lot to take in you really need to watch it more than once to get a handle on who is who and how they tie in, which is either a sign of unclear screenwriting/directing or indications of a movie that will last time by surviving multiple viewings.  Seeing it is rated quite high in the ranks I suspect it’s one of those films that will remain with us for quite some time.

The DVD is an Australian release brought out by Flashback Entertainment and just has the movie only with chapter/scene selection as an extra ☺  The image quality varies quite a bit but it’s better than the offerings in youtube and up there with some of the better DVD’s available worldwide. There are scratches, and marks over the film at the start but it does get better at times with some sections really quite good.  I have certainly seen worse (hello “Cowra Breakout” miniseries).  The audio is ok, at times a little unclear but good considering it hasn’t been restored.  There is one better release by memory from USA but it’s also a lot more expensive, so at $5 shipped brand new from ebay, this was a downright bargain.  

The movie is certainly worth viewing even if just for interest sake, though if you’re a film noir fan like me it's in the Essential Film Noir list so it was a given to buy a copy.  Personally I really enjoyed the movie and I’m sure it will get repeated viewings though I’m still hoping that it will get a proper high quality release with a few extras (Masters of Cinema, Criterion and Arrow – are you listening???)

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Tarantula (1955)

Andy Andersen: [viewing what's left of his dead cattle] I never saw anything like it! No footprints! No blood! No sign of a struggle! The bones just stripped clean like peeling a banana!

You won’t need many guesses to know what this movie is about and it’s probably not a good movie for those suffering from Arachnophobia, just like one of the modern spider movies like Arachnophobia or Eight Legged Freaks.  Unlike many modern creature movies, this 1955 film takes itself seriously and is really quite a good movie and well deserving of its 92% approval rating in Rotten Tomatoes.  It’s directed by Jack Arnold who brought out other well respected 50’s classics like It Came from Outer Space, The Incredible Shrinking Man and The Creature from the Black Lagoon.  It’s also interesting to note that the real spider used in this film was also used in The Incredible Shrinking Man a few years later.  Also of interest, is a young Clink Eastwood who makes a cameo appearance as a pilot.

Dr. Matt Hastings (John Agar), a local town doctor, is asked to give his opinion on a disfigured body found by the highway just outside of town and it is initially attributed to a rare disease that “supposed” to take years to reveal itself but the man affected was only seen days before in perfect health.  About 20 miles out of town a few scientists led by Professor Gerald Deemer (Leo G. Carroll) has been trying to make a super nutrient that would allow humans to survive if/when the population outgrew the world’s food supply.  In the initial stages they test the solution on animals which has alarming results but when an accident occours in the laboratory, one of the creatures escapes.

Whilst I do enjoy the odd comedic view of monster movies such as “Eight Legged Freaks”, I really appreciate those that take themselves seriously.  The image posted above showing the overgrown guinea pig told me that this was not going to be a cheesy movie, and it wasn’t going to be some chemical waste that somehow caused spiders to grow to an extraordinary size but rather due to serious lab work.  The acting is also very convincing as is the overall script and the directing is very well done.  Sure some special effects are not as good as the top CGI done these days but this is 1954 and as can be seen below, it’s certainly not cheap cheesy effects but really quite good.

The DVD used in the review was imported from the UK and just includes only the movie only.  The image quality is really good in the vast majority of scenes with the worst scenes not as sharp but still quite good nevertheless.  There is a Bluray available from Germany that is basically from the same source (or so it seems) as the DVD and, naturally, looks better but it also comes at a somewhat higher price seeing it has to be imported from Germany.  Whilst the Bluray looks better, the DVD goes for a good price on ebay imported from the UK.  By memory mine was about AUD10 shipped which is a bargain for a great movie.  

Overall I highly recommend the movie for those who like monster movies, 50’s sci-fi or just something different from the norm of today’s offerings.  Its intelligent and well directed and the effects are really good for a movie of this age.  

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Australiens (2014)

[Looking at the UFO's attacking Brisbane City]
Keith:  Bugger me purple.
Stix:  This is it, isnt it? The end of the world.
Cam:  I never thought the world would end on a tuesday.

There are not too many good sci-fi spoofs out there and I gave up watching many cause they were often really stupid and/or very crude, but I decided to take the plunge and order the DVD of the movie in review especially after seeing parts of the Sydney Opera House being destroyed by a UFO.  The idea of a homegrown alien invasion movie sounded great cause we don’t have many of these (if any) and after watching it I can say that is a very enjoyable film and worth watching.  The acting here is not the best out there but that is no doubt part of the plan to make it a campy, outrageous pile of fun with its Aussie lingo, crazy comments and originality which all adds to the charm of this 112-minute film.  There are references to classic films like ET, Back to the Future, Invaders from Mars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Men in Black and no doubt others.  

The story begins with the main characters in their childhood where 10-year-old Andi (Natasha Baynham), who believes in aliens, sees a UFO but naturally no one believes her.  17 years later the aliens come back this time to bring destruction with them.  At this time, an older Andi (Rita Artmann – Assistant Director and Producer) and her friends Cam (Tamara McLaughlin), Keith (Lawrence Silver), Elliot (Doug Hatch) and John (Joe Bauer – Director, Writer, Editor and Special Effects Artist) witness the attack on Brisbane City and decide to take matters in their own hands once they hear that the aliens kidnapped Andi’s mother.  

The movie has a familiar over the top feel to it but that somehow suits the movie with its theme and ideas.  For a $20k film (yes, only $20,000!) there are many scenes where the effects look amazing and even the simple backdrops are effective in the way they are displayed.  As we don’t get the funding or exposure as the American film industry, it quite exciting to see an Indie home grown movie of this type and even more so knowing that it has won several awards in America such as Best Comedy directed or produced by a Female, Best Feature in Decatur Film Festival, Best Feature at The Zone sci-fi Fan Film Festival, Best Cult Feature Film at Queen City Film Festival, Best Soundtrack at Galactic Film Festival, Best International Comedy Feature at Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival and so on.  It also won Best Special Effects at the Sydney Indie Film Festival.  With a number of awards, it’s clear that these young talented filmmakers hit the right note.

There is a reasonable amount some swearing in the film and a scene or two that is not required though I guess in some ways it fits in with another part of the film, which I will not give away, so it’s not really young family friendly.  That aside I’m sure some of our overseas friends might miss some of the things being talked due to Aussie slang and lingo but nothing that a search or two won’t solve.

Personally, I really enjoyed it and found it to be quite a memorable movie and am looking forward to seeing it again.  It’s simply a lot of fun to watch providing you take it how it's meant to be, a spoof.  Whilst I would like to chuck up (lol) a few scenes and have a yarn about them it would in a way destroy the movie for you watching it but we have Elliot who is the clean freak nerd who, as you will see from his younger character, is obsessed with being clean and germ free, Keith the macho man who is the joker also from the very start of the film, Andi who is the more serious down to earth one of the bunch apart from the fact that she believes in aliens and everyone is sick of hearing about her cognitive powers that the aliens supposedly gave her, then there is Cam the documentary filmmaker wanna who is bored with filming Andi’s band (class act lol) but get the opportunity of a lifetime to film the invasion.  Then we have John who…well let’s just stop there shall we ;)   Anyway, it’s a blast of a movie so go hire or buy a copy and watch it!!  Oh, and don’t forget to keep watching at the end of the credits!!  LOL

The DVD reviewed is the Australian release (can’t miss that big rating label slapped on the front) and has a fantastic image in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a powerful Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio.  There are also the following extras:

• Cast & Crew Commentary
• Behind the Scenes Featurette (about an hour long)
• VFX Featurette
• Blooper Reel
• Photo slideshow
• Storyboard slideshow
• Monster Fest Q & A
• Three trailers of the film

Overall this is a film that I am sure will gain a cult status and is certainly worth seeing for those who like sci-Fi spoof films (eg. Mars Attacks).  The characters can be over the top but that suit’s the over the top scenario of the film perfectly.  The soundtrack is really good, the effects are good and many scenes are really funny and…it’s Australian!  It's a stellar effort for an Indie film on such a tight budget. Highly recommended.

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Kelly’s Heroes (1970)

Kelly: Well Oddball, what do you think?
Oddball: It's a wasted trip baby. Nobody said nothing about locking horns with no Tigers.
Big Joe: Hey look, you just keep them Tigers busy and we'll take care of the rest.
Oddball: The only way I got to keep them Tigers busy is to LET THEM SHOOT HOLES IN ME!
Crapgame: Hey, Oddball, this is your hour of glory. And you're chickening out!
Oddball: To a New Yorker like you, a hero is some type of weird sandwich, not some nut who takes on three Tigers.

This 1970 movie directed by Brian G. Hutton who also directed Where Eagles Dare (starring Clint Eastwood) is simply a fantastic film that begs to be watched with a good sense of humour.  The characters are great, the story engaging (as long as you don’t take it too seriously) and the actors add that little bit of individualism to the characters they portray.  Well worth watching!

The movie starts off in a town behind enemy lines where Kelly (Clint Eastwood) and a few of his men are in a Jeep with Colonel Dankhopf (David Hurst), a German officer taken as hostage.  Due to all the rush and confusion the Germans have not noticed that the enemy is right in their camp and when someone finally notices they drive off as fast as they can to their side of the line.  Kelly meets up with Big Jo (Telly Savalas) and they begin to question the German not about the enemy’s gun placements or troop numbers, but about good hotels (as you would) in the town they are soon hoping to invade.  As Kelly starts looking through the Colonel’s brief case he finds a gold bar that the German officer has been trying to conceal and eventually, after getting the officer drunk, gets confirmation from the Colonel that there is more where it came from.  Kelly then gets supply officer Crapgame (Don Rickles), Tank Commander “Oddball” (Donald Sutherland) and his own squad together to do the craziest thing…steal the gold from right under the German’s noses.  

With a great cast and direction, the movie really shines as a not too serious WW2 movie with some serious laughs.  The dry looks and comments from Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas mixed with the comic remarks from the rest of the squad really make the movie.  Then you have the hilarious Donald Sutherland and his crew adding to the mix in their own easy going hippy kind of way.  It’s one of those great memorable movies that will continue to be enjoyable for years to come.  Do yourself a favour and check it out!

The Australian Bluray reviewed is a basic release with the movie and no extras but boasts a solid image in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio and DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 which is effective for a movie if its age.  

I have seen the film many times and it’s just as good each time.  Highly recommended!

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