GORATH (1962) - Where Is The Walrus?

Because of the conversation in Bloody Pit # 63 with Steve Sullivan I was persuaded to finally see GORATH (1962). He told me that the Doctor Who story we covered in that episode had a similar plot point to one in this Toho film and I was intrigued. Of course, the plot point he was talking about involves destroying or removing the core of the planet for some strange alien purpose - pure pulp science fiction madness! That turns out to not be exactly what happens in GORATH but it is just as insane and as scientifically implausible / impossible.

It seems GORATH is the name given to a small star or comet detected on the outer edge of our solar system on a collision course with Earth. Although it is only half the physical size of our planet it is 6000 times as dense ( an info tidbit the film beats to death!) so a way must be found to either divert it or get Earth out of its path. The rather innovative idea (and I'm being generous here) that the scientists come up with is to move our planet out of its orbit so as to avoid the collision with the fast approaching comet. That's right. Everyone intelligent person in the world decides that the right path forward is to shove our own planet closer to the Sun. Now, one might pause at the very idea and hold up a hand - perhaps like a petitioner student in a classroom - and point out that they are at least two major problems with this idea.

ONE - any force strong enough to actually divert something the size and mass of a planet from its orbit would be enough force to probably break it apart / destroy it.

TWO - moving the Earth closer to the Sun would completely change not just the weather patterns but the entire climate of the planet in such a way as to pretty much destroy all life on this muddy blue ball.

But hey - this is a Toho science-fiction film from the early 60s primarily aimed at a science fiction loving audience (i. e. kids) so it's best to just go along for the ride, I guess. Unfortunately, going along for the ride with this film was a little more difficult in the version I was watching. All I could find was the slightly shorter English dub version and I have to say the English dubbing does not help this film. Besides belaboring the density of Gorath it's also a very dumbed down translation of things and seems to be oversimplifying both events and relationships. All that would be terrible enough but after watching the film I learned from several friends that there was a giant monster trimmed from the English language version! What the Hell? A Toho SF epic from the 1960's complete with a rampaging giant creature and it was CUT OUT? What in the world were these idiots thinking?

Needless to say I was happy when a kind buddy linked me to the excised footage on YouTube -

- and now I just need to sit down and watch the Japanese version (with subtitles) and discover if the film plays better in it's original form WITH the giant walrus. Why would anyone want to deprive me of seeing a giant walrus destroying a polar base? 

Poster Art From Thailand - Part 1

Sometimes the images chosen in Thailand to generate interest in a film are much more impressive than elsewhere! 

BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN (2017) - Animated Film

I've been a big fan of DC's animated features for about 10 years now. I've found each and every one of them to be worth seeing and highly entertaining with the best of the lot being some of the among the most impressive animated superhero tales I've ever seen. Even the occasional misstep (such as inserting a salacious sexual angle into their animated adaptation of THE KILLING JOKE) wasn't enough for me to dislike the film.

So last night I finally caught up with last year's BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN animated feature and was immediately happy to see that Bruce Timm was involved. Timm is the creator of Harley Quinn from back in the Batman the Animated Series days and to learn he was one of the guiding forces shepherding this tale to this screen made me confident it would be solid work. For my tastes, Mr. Timm could continue doing Batman the Animated Series sequel films like this for the next 40 to 60 years and I would be a happy man.

The first thing I noticed is that the title is a little off. In actuality this is a Batman, Nightwing and Harley Quinn story which for me makes it even more interesting. Continuing the dynamic from the animated series between Batman and the first Robin now grown into his 20s as Nightwing adds a large amount of fun to those already established characterizations that I really enjoyed revisiting. The humor in the story is well handled for the most part, with only the fart joke being out of place.

The choice of villains was well done as well with Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrow a.k.a. The Fluoronic Man working to turn the world into a planet inhabited only by plants. This eventually involves Swamp Thing but not the Swamp Thing most fans might be used to seeing. This is the Earth Elemental Swampy more concerned with communing with the Parliament of Trees than the mucky protector of the innocent forest travelers.

The PG-13 nature of things allows for some stronger than average language and an amusing (and inevitable) sexual encounter between Dick Grayson and Harley. Her comments about this lustful connection stimulate several memorable, very funny lines. And stick around through the credits to learn how a semi-reformed Harley will earn her place in society going forward. 

Trailers From Hell - Guillermo del Toro on ZOMBIE (1979)

One of my favorite directors talking about one of my favorite horror films! 

HERCULES VS. THE VAMPIRES - Opera, Bava Style!

I'm not a major Opera fan.  This fact is evident when I tell you that I've only been to two operas in the past 8 years. If I were more of an opera fan Nashville certainly provides plenty of opportunity to enjoy this particular performing art with a group well on it's way to major status. Still, it takes something that appeals to my odd sensibilities to get me to visit the opera.   

HERCULES VS. THE VAMPIRES is certainly not your average Opera. It was a commissioned work done by composer Patrick Morganelli and it is built around the brilliant Mario Bava film HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD (1961). The Opera was commissioned by the Opera Theater Oregon in Portland in 2009. After its successful 2010 run there it was produced a few years later in Los Angeles and now, finally, it comes to Nashville.

I was completely surprised when I read that the Nashville Opera Company was going to be producing this peace and immediately bought tickets. I had been made aware of this opera's existence by a couple of Portland area podcasting friends but never thought I'd get a chance to see it. I am incredibly glad that I did. The Opera is staged in an odd way especially if you have an idea of how an opera is usually produced. A 74 minute edited version of Bava's film is projected above the stage while  both the Orchestra and vocalists on the stage beneath perform their accompaniment, telling the story as the film plays out. I have to say that I know this film very well having watched it at least half a dozen times in the past 15 years and, while I don't like seeing it trimmed down, this version of the film is a wonder to behold. The music is incredible, matching the action onscreen and brilliantly enhancing the motional content at every turn. The fantastic music alone makes a viewing of this opera well worth the trip to the theater. The Morganelli's re-staging and clarification of the story points of the film are quite smart bringing the rather episodic tale a smoothness that it otherwise lacks. The trimming of the film is barely noticeable unless you know the film very well and can point out just how truncated certain secondary characters stories actually are.

The audience was encouraged to cheer the heroes, boo the villain and get into the spirit of things at any opportunity. It was great to be part of a huge group of people laughing, clapping and hissing at the evil Christopher Lee as the Hercules adventure played out on the big screen Surely this is what going to the opera was like a few hundred years ago before it became high culture and stodginess set in! HERCULES VS. THE VAMPIRES was a fantastic night of entertainment and if you ever get the chance to see this one yourself, I highly recommend it. I just wish it had played more than one night in Nashville so more people could get to see it. 

Joan Bennett - Hollywood Glamour

No matter what her hair color she was a Hollywood beauty! 

Football Cinema - ELEVEN MEN AND A GIRL (1930)

Get your mind out of the gutter. This is not a porn film! But it is a bit sexy thanks to Joan Bennett! And it seems to be better known under the title MAYBE IT'S LOVE but that is a much less accurate name for this slight little film. 

In ELEVEN MEN AND A GIRL (1930) Joan Bennett plays Nan, the daughter of the president of Upton University, an academically strong but athletically weak Midwestern College. After the 12th straight annual loss to their main football rival school the president is informed that if they lose next year he will lose his job as well. So, Nan and the one good football player on the Upton team come up with a scheme to recruit a team of winners from various colleges around the country. Nan travels from place to place during the summer flirting and romantically enticing eleven fantastic players to come to Upton football in the hopes of landing her love. As you might expect from a storyline of this type things don't go perfectly well and at a certain point all of the football players realize that they're carrying around the same signed picture of the same sweetheart.

Frustrated and peeved the team decides first take it out on her, but then she's able to sweet-talk them into accepting the situation and playing the big game for Upton anyway. Because this is a comedy rather than a drama, this all goes down easy for most of the men because she has actually fallen in love with the star of the group played by James Hall. As you might expect from a comedic plot line such as this in which the natural outcome would involve hideous violence the film plays fast and loose with just what these fellow's emotions would actually be. That there are no fistfights seems a little odd but what the heck. 

It's a  pretty silly kind of fun and things move fast enough that, as long as you enjoy early 30s Hollywood cinema, you'll get a kick out of it. Joe E. Brown is slightly obnoxious but generally amusing as the now outmatched former star football player for the college but the real star here is definitely Joan Bennett. Whether she's flirting with football players, posing in a body clinging wet dress or making fun of situations in the hopes of getting everyone to get along well with each other, she is an absolute delight in this movie. This being a pre-code film much time is given over to displaying the fact that Miss Bennett is absolutely gorgeous and never wearing a bra. There came a point about 20 minutes into the movie when I thought that perhaps they were going to give Miss Bennett's breasts co-starring credit!

For me though the real joy was the entire second half which plays out as a highlight reel for the big game that will decide whether Upton has to say goodbye to their school president. It's a great deal of fun to see football as it was played in the late 1920's and early 30's with very few pads and only occasional helmets being worn. The football is slightly larger in diameter than what we have today reminding me of a Rugby ball. Of course, the strategies are all the same and there is some great football excitement in this final act. I'm not going to pretend this is a great movie or even a very good one but clocking in at an hour and 12 minutes it's actually pretty fun if you enjoy cinema from this period of time. If not, steer clear.