The Invisible Man (1933)

The Invisible Man: All right, you fools. You've brought it on yourselves! Everything would have come right if you'd only left me alone. You've driven me near madness with your peering through the keyholes and gaping through the curtains, and now you'll suffer for it! You're crazy to know who I am, aren't you? All right! I'll show you!
[the Invisible Man removes his rubber nose and goggles and throws them at his spectators]
The Invisible Man: There's a souvenior for you, and one for you. I'll show you who I am - and WHAT I am!
[the Invisible Man, laughing maniacally, removes his bandages and fake hair]
Const. Jaffers: Look! He's all eaten away!
The Invisible Man: Eh? How do you like that, ay?

Director:  James Whale
Producer:  Carl Laemmle Jr.
Main Cast:  Claude Rains, Gloria Stewart, William Harrigan, Henry Travers, Una O’Connor
Runtime:  72 minutes

I will say up front, that I am not really a horror fan, but many of these older “horror” films are just a thriller these days without the usual rubbish that comes along with that genre especially in more modern years.

There have several more recent attempts at making an invisible man movie with the 1992 “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” (Chevy Chase and Darryl Hannah) and the 2000 “Hollow Man” (Elizabeth Shue and Kevin Bacon) instantly coming to mind however that old familiar saying comes back “they don’t make them like they used too”.  To be fair the 1992 Memoirs of an Invisible Man movie was a more comical take and didn’t really take itself too seriously and was really enjoyable because of that.  The 2000 Hollow Man was more of an effects movie without the meat (no pun intended) so it seemed more like a pointless movie that had a lot of potential.  So perhaps going back to where it started would be an interesting move.  The film in discussion here came out in 1933 and again blew away the minds of audiences with its fantastic special effects and test of imagination (he could be anywhere…even here in the room!).  Just like the 1933 King Kong, I either dismissed it or never really noticed it existed but having now seen it, I can see how it has stood the test of time. 

Without giving much of the movie away, Dr. Jack Griffin (wonderfully played by Claude Rains), heavily clothed and bandaged, goes into an old Inn during a snow storm to seek refuge and solitude to work on a solution to his invisible state.  The drugs he took to make him invisible also affects his mind which causes him to start on bit of a rampage in Britain.  In its day it was classed as a horror film but most of that would simply be due to how mysterious and creepy it would be to have someone who is invisible around,  It is also what they call a “pre-code” movie and therefore didn’t comply with what should and should not be allowed in a movie (this Hayes Code was introduced in 1930 at the start of the sound era but became enforced in July 1934 and essentially tried to force movie makers to adhere to a type of “code of conduct” when it came to movies.  The Hays code ended in 1968.).  That’s where the horror part comes in which is unlike more modern horror themes which seem to take things too far, but that’s another story.  These days we would just call this movie a thriller, probably mild at that.

Contrary to the images above we do see him with the bandages off or more accurately the invisible person and/or its effects, and to be honest for a movie of this vintage the effects are very convincing.  No green screen or CGI here (obviously), just the old fashion techniques and they come off wonderfully.  As Claude is invisible, be that under wraps or in a more literal sense, we don’t “see” him act, but the acting he does is with his voice where you can sense his expressions and feelings in his tone and he really does the job perfectly.  Apparently they wanted to get Boris Karloff (who played the Mummy from 1932 and Frankenstein in the original 1931 film) but after much dispute Claude ended up playing the role and to be honest he suits it to a T. 

The Bluray disc reviewed forms part of a boxset called “Universal Monsters: The Essential Collection” which has a number of horror movie firsts, being Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), The Wolf Man (1941), Phantom of the Opera (1943) and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), the last movie of which comes in both 2D and 3D editions for this boxset and Dracula has both the English and Spanish versions of the film.  All movies have naturally been fully restored and each movie has its own set of extras.  Personally I am not a fan of some of the horror movies at all such as Wolfman and Dracula and personally would not reccomend them at all from a Christian point of view.  Invisible Man and Creature from the Black Lagoon are really quite good, especially Invisible Man and is the main reason I purchased this boxset which ended up being cheaper than buying those two movies by themselves (Black Lagoon only comes in 3D for this boxset too).

The Bluray for The Invisible Man is impressive in its quality with any issues more likely being related to the source material as opposed to the disc or transfer itself.  It retains a good level of contrast and is sharp considering the age and of the film.  As with many of the older movies on Bluray, I would say that this is the best you’re going get when watching these movies particularly if they have had the restoration treatment.  The extras include a commentary and documentary. 

Overall I highly recommend watching the movie if you like the invisible man thriller movies.  Its engaging and keeps you in and also has a spot of fun in it as well.

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Laura (1944)

Waldo Lydecker: You'd better watch out, McPherson, or you'll finish up in a psychiatric ward. I doubt they've ever had a patient who fell in love with a corpse.

Director:  Otto Preminger
Producer:  Otto Preminger
Main Cast:  Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price
Runtime:  88 minutes

Everyone loves a good solid mystery movie that keeps you guessing.  With a good story, solid cast and top-notch director the film was bound to be a success and now some 73 years later it still stands as being a quality movie that can be watched over and over.

Police Detective Lt. Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) is sent to investigate the murder of Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) who was gunned down at the front door of her apartment.  McPherson begins his investigations by questioning her friends such as the rich Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), Ann Treadwell (Judith Anderson) and Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price) and they all bring pieces of information to help McPherson piece together what Laura was like but little about who would really want to kill her.  She was someone who was deeply loved by all who met her and this puzzles McPherson as he stands in Laura’s apartment gazing at her portrait on the wall.  Then one night during his investigation something completely bizarre happens that makes him reconsider everything he knew about the case.

It an odd movie in a way because the movie begins after the murder has been committed so we don’t see how it was done nor exactly what happened to Laura, the movie just begins with the opening of the investigation.  The main theme song plays over and over and we see Laura’s portrait on the wall several times drawing us closer to this character that we only see a few flashbacks of in the first half of the movie and the tension rises as we hit the second half of the film.  This is a quality movie that has stood the test of time.  The acting is very well done and the story told wonderfully whilst still retaining that mystery about it.

It’s quite amazing to see how such a lovable character as Laura was played by the same person who played the horrible possessive Ellen in Leaver Her to Heaven and it just shows Gene’s ability to adapt to various roles when required however, like many Hollywood stars, her real life was not as glamorous as it appeared on screen.

I had heard about this movie many times and when I finally bought a copy of the DVD I can see why it was so highly praised (currently 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.1 on IMDB).  An excellent Film Noir and outstanding mystery/drama that is worth your time.   

Both Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews reunited in another excellent Otto Preminger film called Where the Sidewalk Ends in 1950.

The DVD reviewed is the now out of print Australian two-disc special edition.  You can get an imported copy of the film from the UK or USA but will likely just contain the movie or perhaps a few small extras unless you go for the Fox version from the USA which has roughly the same extras as reviewed here.

The image quality is generally very good though it does vary a little at times but overall quite pleasing and is in the usual 1.33:1 aspect ratio with a pretty standard sound audio though not as detailed as other restored releases but quite adequate.  The extras however are very good being:

• Audio Commentary by Composer David Raksin and Jeanine Basinger
• Audio Commentary by Film Historian Rudy Behlmer
•  Extended Scene (including the ability to play the movie with the extended scene inserted into the movie)
• The extended scene with a commentary by Rudy Behlmer
• Documentary – The Obsession
• A&E Biography: Gene Tierney – A Shattered Portrait (44 minutes)
• A&E Biography: Vincent Price – The Versatile Villain (44 minutes)
• Theatrical Trailer-          

Overall this is an outstanding movie presented on an outstanding DVD with plenty of extras should you wish to dig deeper into the film, production and stars including those two 44 minutes documentaries on the two stars in the film.  The movie is an excellent Noir that is often seen on many “Best of” lists and would be both Gene Tierney and Otto Preminger’s most memorable film.  Do yourself a favour and check out this great film.  Very Highly Recommended.

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Best White-Water Rafting movies

The thrill, excitement and danger of white-water rafting is not seen much on the silver screen.  There are movies with small snippets but few where it plays an important role.  To be considered, the rafting needs to be either a significant part of the film or crucial to the plot so that would leave out most movies such as How the West Was Won and others like it which only has small unimportant part of the film dedicated to it.  Once we take that into account there are not many at all to choose from so it comes down to three movies (there are two more being "Up the Creek" and "White Mile" with the former being more of a silly comedy and the latter based on a true story which I will look into and provide an update to this review if it is as good as these).  Yep just three movies (not talking documentaries here) where white-water rafting plays a significant part of the film.

White Water Summer (1987)

Starring Kevin Bacon and Sean Astin, this is quite a good movie with a typical 80’s soundtrack.  Kevin Bacon is a guide who takes small groups of kids to the wilderness to make men out of them.  The group in the movie consists of two older kids and two younger, with Sean Astin being one of the younger ones.  Sean, who plays Alan, is pressured to go by his father and as a result is kinda reluctant which Kevin Bacon’s character (Vic) notices and pushes Alan to some extremes. 

Contrary to the date above, the movie was filmed in 1985 but Sean Astin’s character does some narration when reflecting as an older kid, so to cater for that they filmed the narration about 2 years later, then released the film in 1987.

It has some great scenes of rafting and mountain climbing and to be honest is worth seeing both for the action/scenery and the movie itself.  Perhaps the weaker of the three here, but still worth seeing.

The River Wild (1994)

With Maryl Streep, David Strathairn and, again, Kevin Bacon, this movie is quite well known and has a lot of wilderness and white-water rafting in it.  The scenery is not as breathtaking as White Water Summer, but it has more rafting in it and is a decent thriller. 

Gail (Meryl Streep) and Tom’s (David Strathairn) marriage seems to be breaking down so Gail, a rafting guide in her younger years, decides to take the family on a rafting trip in the wilderness in a hope to get away from distractions and bring the family closer again. On their way they meet up with a few fellow rafters who end up tagging along with them after their guide mysteriously goes missing.

My take is that it is well worth seeing and is well paced with a lot of tense moments both in the water and out.  Interestingly, Meryl did most of her own stunts in this film.

Deliverance (1972)

I have seen this movie a few times and apart from one scene, it’s a real cracker.  The acting is great, scenery is great and the story gets you in then grabs you by the collar and attempts to take you under water with its realistically portrayed horror as the characters fight for survival. 

Sadly, this movie is probably more known for one disturbing scene which I will not discuss here apart from saying that its best forgotten, yet it does become a turning point in the movie.

The four main actors, Burt Reynolds (Lewis), Jon Voight (Ed), Ronny Cox (Drew) and first time on the big screen Ned Beatty (Bobby) get together to take a paddle down a main river in Georgia before the area is dammed up.  It starts off pleasant enough until they meet up with some of the unusual locals (many of the town folk in the movie are actually from that area) and one of the town folk gets killed.  As the continue heading down the river they realise they are being chased and hunted down and their weekend turns into a horror as they fight to get out alive.

Interestingly, the four main actors did most of the own stunts which adds to the realistic feel of the movie.  This would be the best pick of the bunch when the movie as a while is taken into account.  It has become a classic movie and apart from that one scene, it really lives up to it.  Great movie.

The Untouchables (1987)

Malone: [stopping at a post office] Well, here we are.
Ness: What are we doing here?
Malone: Liquor raid.
Ness: [looking at the police station across the street] Here?
Malone: Mr. Ness, everybody knows where the booze is. The problem isn't finding it, the problem is who wants to cross Capone.

Director:  Brian De Palma
Producer:  Raymond Hartwick, Art Linson
Main Cast: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Andy Garcia and Charles Martin Smith
Runtime:  119 minutes

Based on a true story during the prohibition times of the 1920’s and 30’s, the movie focuses around “The Untouchables” (untouchable as in not able to be bribed, incorruptible) formation and eventual take down of crime lord Al Capone who had the city of Chicago in his palms.  Whilst not a completely accurate portrayal of the events, the sole survivor of the original real-life Untouchables was a consultant for the film and also helped Kevin Costner with the role of Elliot Ness.  

I really enjoyed this film and reckon it sits not too far from hits like The Godfather, Once Upon A Time in America and Goodfellas.  Many would not agree but to me the actors, setting and story seem so engaging and the story seems to take a grip of you as Sean Connery and Kevin Costner’s characters join forces to fight against Al Capone and his crime ring.  Robert De Niro is stunning as Al Capone and being the method actor (one who tries to be as realistic to the character they are playing as possible even to the point of not breaking out of that character during the whole shooting schedule) that he is, he went to the same tailor Capone did in real life to get a suit and also insisted on wearing the same brand/type of jocks!  Just like The Godfather and Once Upon a Time in America, De Niro suits the part completely from the first moment you see him on screen.  

All the actors do a great job portraying their characters and the style of filming is wonderful.  Typical of Brian De Palma is the stylistic angled shots and close-ups that many seem to shy away from, but this is a Director who learnt a lot from Hitchcock and therefore has a liking to bend some of the standard everyday rules of Hollywood filmmaking, and this adds to the enjoyment of the movie.

The Bluray reviewed is the Australian release which can be bought for under $10 as your local JB Hifi.  There is a 30^th Anniversary Edition however it is apparently the same disc in a new package and for that you get the privilege of paying a few extra bucks.

The quality of the 2.35:1 image is a bit of mixer.  If you are not overly picky, the image looks fantastic however if you like the movie to look how it should on film you might be a little disappointed.  Yes, it looks super clean with little grain, in fact almost no grain which is where the bad part would come in for some viewers.  The studio who released it appear to have a bit heavy handed in noise reduction to remove the grain which as a result removes some detail and texture so some parts can look a little bit too smooth but I wouldn’t call it excessive at all like the Bluray release of Predator where some scenes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers look incredibly waxy and almost doll like as you can see below.  But The Untouchables bluray is no where near this bad.

It’s still somewhat better than the DVD release but it’s just not showing the detail you would expect from a good Bluray.  Again, this is mostly going to be an issue for those who are picky with that film look.  I found it quite good though I certainly noticed the use of noise reduction (DNR) but it wasn’t really intrusive for me.

The default audio selection is Dolby Digital 5.1 (lossy at 640kbs) and sound quite thumpy and generally quite good however the disc also contains a DTS ES 6.1 track encoded at about 1500kbs which is a bit softer but better balanced and more detailed and therefore makes it the clear winner over the default Dolby Digital.  I also neglected to mention that the score is from the amazing Ennio Morricone and sounds great!  There is also a reasonable amount of swearing.

The bluray (and special edition DVD’s) have the following extras:

- The Script, The Cast featurette

- Production Stories featurette
- Reinventing the Genre featurette- The Classic featurette

- Original Featurette: “The Men”- Theatrical Trailer

Overall, this is a fantastic movie I could watch many times and never get bored of it.  It has story, action, great acting and is stylistically shot.  It’s a steal for $10. Grab yourself a copy, sit back and enjoy!

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