The whole list of RadishFlix at the IMDB.
RadishFlix on YouTube.
I had a lot of couch time in July.
The Tin Star (1957)
arte Mediathek, original English
Fairly basic western; Henry Fonda mentors Anthony Perkins in the ways of becoming a good sheriff–so much insensitivity toward the poor misunderstood career criminals that I was surprised arte didn’t put a disclaimer on it. Decent setup and good ending.
Love story was annoying, but I suppose you couldn’t sell tickets in 1957 without one.
Spaceballs (1987)
Amazon Prime, original English
Was going to watch on Mel Brooks’ 99th birthday, but was off a few days. Still one of my favorite movies of all time, but only if you see it in original English.
A few days after this we started The Mandalorian. His ship looks so much like LoneStar’s Winnebago you can never un-think it once you have seen it.
The Circus (1928)
arte Mediathek, original English
The Chaplin-fest rolls on, with his Tramp character being hired on by a circus after disrupting a clown act by being himself. It turns out–and this is funny all on its own–he cannot be funny on purpose. Every time we laugh at something the Tramp does (or at something that happens to him), his character is not doing a gag. He writes the gags, yes, but his character is not in on his jokes, and this makes them funnier.
21st-century film studios: you need to take that note.
As always there is a love interest, but she falls for the tight-rope walker, leading Chaplin to stage his own tight-rope walking routine. He also filmed himself trapped in the lion’s cage (we’ve all been here, right?), which impresses me.
I also had some thoughts about classic European clowning while I was watching this one, but I forgot to write them down.
Beerfest (2006)
DVD (own), original English
Every year I joke about watching this on Independence Day as a patriotic film, and this year I finally did.
It’s Broken Lizard, good physical and verbal comedy, good guest stars; sort of a time capsule at this point but I had fun.
The Fugitive Kind (1960)
Amazon Prime, original English
Screenplay by Tennessee Williams, so I knew to expect broken people having illicit affairs and yelling at each other until a final tragedy, but the casting was excellent. Black and white, with excellent light/shadow play. Can recommend if you’re in the mood for a heavy, sad drama oozing with sexual tension but no explicit scenes.
[There is a scene where Joanne Woodward is screaming in psychic pain, and you can see the metal fillings and crowns in her molars flashing. She’s a successful Hollywooder at this point in her career. As much as I complain about the 21st century, the improvements to dentistry are a blessing.]
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Netflix, original English
Better than the second one, which I know isn’t saying much, good mix of CGI and practical effects. Stunts were a little too unbelievable, even “for Indy.” My attention drifted during the chase sequences.
I am tired of films with Nazis. (I don’t always get to pick the movie.)
Black Sabbath (1963)
archive.org, English
Also known as The Three Faces of Fear, this Italian horror anthology starring Boris Karloff inspired the name of the iconic British metal band. Horror standards have sure changed over the years.
There were a lot of cats in the first story about a nurse who stole a ring off a dead patient who was into the occult, but the makeup and effects were cheap and silly. In the second story, a young woman fresh out of the shower receives a phone call (no caller ID…) from a stalker who wishes to possess her body, and that was scary by modern standards, but the supernatural twist felt like an afterthought. The final story was a Russian vampire-like tale, with Karloff as a patriarch infected by a monster; predictable ending and more sad than scary.
I can’t say I can recommend it as entertainment, but it was an interesting peek into film and pop-culture history. With cats.
Duct Tape Forever (2002)
YouTube, original English
I love this TV show: I bought the whole series on DVD, I cue it up on YT occasionally while I’m working, I’ve seen Steve Smith live twice and own several of his books and an autographed bobblehead. But I have only seen this movie once, and now I remember why.
Writing a feature-length story is very different from writing short, thematic and prop-comedy sketches. The story mixes two genres, the buddy roadtrip and the “save our home from the evil villain” (reminding me somehow of both the original The Muppet Movie and It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, but the pacing and geography were off, and too many recurring characters were minimized or left out altogether. When the main characters are removed from their natural habitat–Possum Lodge, Possum Lake, and the forest that surrounds it–they feel awkward, and somehow less funny.
TL;DR: Should have rewatched episodes instead. May I suggest the one where six bus loads of Iowans were brought to Toronto for the filming?
Scorpio (1973)
Amazon Prime, original English
Alain Delon plays a freelance assassin who (spoilers at the link) loves cats, which is basically all you need to tell me to get me interested in watching a movie. He’s tired of freelancing, and he’s been promised a job with the CIA if he can murder his friend/mentor who works for them, played by Burt Lancaster (who was looking a little too old for some of the stunts, even though I know he was probably still doing some of them himself).
Much of the story takes place in Vienna, which was interesting to us as Mr Radish took me there in 2012 and we recognized some of the famous streets. There was also a shoot-out toward the end of the film in a big U-Bahn construction site. Anyway: 1973. One of the characters was a Jewish musician who survived the camp through his music; he played for the people being led off to the deaths. And thirty years later, he’s living in a 19th-century apartment building with running water in the hallway, not the individual units. This was considered completely normal in Vienna in the 1970s. Americans have this idea that Europe is sophisticated and glamourous; in the last quarter of the 20th century they were decades behind rural America in basic amenities. (I would say, “Still are” but we finally got fiberglass internet last summer, four years after placing our order.)
I won’t spoil the ending–it surprised me–but I do want to stress lots and lots of cats.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Netflix, original English
Me: You know the Mitchell-Hedges skull wasn’t elongated, right?
Mr Radish: No fact-checking.
Me: It lives in Indiana now.
Too much CGI, the chase scenes went on way too long, and the romance subplot was boring. At least he’s finally done with the Nazis.
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)
YouTube (now unavailable), original English
It’s possible I enjoyed this one because whatever they gave me to chill me out before sending me home made everything funnier, but I did take some notes of jokes to steal for later and they were still funny. W.C. Fields, in his last starring role, is pitching a movie to a producer, and the film switches back and forth between reality and the surreal script being played out in his head. Ridiculous situations and characters–even a dude in a gorilla suit–and I think it only makes sense if you see it from the beginning.
At one point, he breaks the fourth wall to point out something that had to be changed for the censors–and it was true. I’m not sure this entertains normal denizens of the 21st century, but if you’re interested in film history or pre-war comedy, give it a go.
Limelight (1952)
arte Mediathek, original English
I didn’t realize this one was going to make me sad. Charlie Chaplin directs himself as a London “tramp comic” at the end of his career, thrown into the care and feeding of a depressed and neurotic young ballerina (Claire Bloom) through no fault of his own. Together they build up her career and resurrect his, starting around 1914 as vaudeville was fading out, until a final tribute/lifetime achievement gala. There may have been some autobiography tucked into this one…
As it’s all about the theater and the performing arts, there are many nice music/dance/comedy scenes, including a flea circus and a duet with Buster Keaton. It was worth a watch just for those, but also it was a good story, very touching.
Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
arte Mediathek, original English
Lots and lots of cats in this pic from the Chaplin collection, which is set in France in the late 1920s, just before the worldwide economic collapse. The titular character, after being dismissed from his clerical job in late middle age, becomes a serial killer of rich widows and spinsters–sometimes he can convince them to give him money, sometimes he has to marry them to get it. In the first scene, a family goes to the police to report that their rich aunt disappeared after the marriage, and eventually this family helps bring him to justice. In the meantime, we learn he started this to support his disabled wife and young son; and he rescues a lot of cats. It was funny, and sad; not as good as Limelight, IMO.
Moonstruck (1987)
arte Mediathek, original English and Italian
Quick break from the Chaplin fest for a cult classic that I didn’t see at the time (wouldn’t have been interested anyway, just adults yelling at each other), starring Cher before she went apeshit. Also Nicholas Cage, who plays her lover, a man who hid himself away in a bakery basement after losing the use of a hand. Less inspirational there than Bad Day at Black Rock… The main conflict comes from Cage being the brother of her fiancée. Meanwhile, at 37 she still lives at home with her parents (who are having their own issues) and extended family. The most compelling characters were her aunt and uncle, who tell the story of the moon bringing love, and are affected by the moon themselves.
Dogs were nice. Again, I loved the clothing (there’s a night at the opera) and interiors, nice camera work, but I couldn’t get into the main characters.
A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate (1923)
arte Mediathek, original English
Another Chaplin film, albeit with a disclaimer:
The story of a simple village girl, who moves to Paris after being left at the train station by her simple village suitor, and then a year or so later meets back up with him and is forced to choose between a simple marriage to him and the luxury she has become accustomed to as the mistress of a wealthy man. (Except, spoiler alert: one of the men takes the choice away, and she ends up living out a third choice that was not fully explained.)
Completely missing from the story is how she became the mistress of a wealthy man after arriving in Paris with no job, housing, or even a change of clothes. I feel there must be at least one interim step here; instead we are only given a “one year later” title card. Perhaps this is why the film was “lost” for about sixty years, until the very end of Chaplin’s life.
As usual, I was fascinated by the clothes and interiors–this isn’t a period film, it’s all fashionable for the era. This also may have been one of the earliest films I’ve seen in which women smoke on screen, very controversial at the time. The cinematography is also outstanding for the day, excellent use of light and shadow. But I might have enjoyed it more if I had understood how the conflict came to be.
Batman Forever (1995)
Cable (Warner Film), original English
“A girl can’t live by psychoses alone.”
The Val Kilmer Memorial Film Fest continues. It’s a rewatch, and this time I was really focused on the colors/shadows/lighting, and the special effects. About eight times as many crew members for miniature and model photography than for computer effects–and this is what dates the film, the computer effects were very obviously computer effects, even though I know from lived experience that they were highly sophisticated at the time they were created. The practical effects are so much better at creating an atmosphere and also fleshing out the characters. For example, look at this neon: a villain who takes the time to hire out artisans to create and install dozens of his logo in physical form is obviously more dedicated to his megalomaniacal mission than one who just swims in a computer screen.
I have spoken.
Anyway, you know how I’ve been going on and on about how black and white films make such stunning use of light and shadows on the screen? There was a lot of that in this one, especially in scenes where Bats and Alfred are working in their cave, really played up the angles of Kilmer’s face. I liked it.
The Black Hole (1979)
Disney+, original English
A live-action space adventure Mr Radish remembered enjoying as a child, starring Maximillian Schell (Judgment at Nuremberg), Anthony Perkins (The Trial), and Ernest Borgnine (The Vikings). The real stars were the robots, V.I.N.CENT, who is sophisticated and erudite (voiced by Roddy McDowell, whom I did not recognize without his without his ape mask (lol)), and B.O.B., an early version of the same model, and a good ol’ country boy (voiced by Slim Pickens). As characters, they were more sympathetic than the space-exploring scientists, who have discovered a black hole and accidentally get themselves re-routed to the space station hovering next to it, which had been believed to be lost.
Of course it wasn’t lost; it was taken over by a madman (Schell) on the staff, who had been performing horrific vivisectionist experiments on the rest of the crew while preparing to enter the black hole. “Wow, how was this a kid’s movie?” I asked several times, especially after the ending, which depicts the crews going through the black hole. There’s some interesting metaphysics, and incredible set design and practical effects (the control room was stained glass), but the costumes and characters were a bit dull.
(Spoiler) The penultimate scene is a depiction of the Schell’s character arriving in Hell after going through the black hole, complete with lakes of fire and a robot Satan, and it goes on for minutes. So at least I know why this one wasn’t among the three bad 1970s Disney live-action films I was shown over and over and over and over as a child instead of worthwhile classics.
Watch it for the stars, watch it for the superb practical or ground-breaking computer effects, watch it for B.O.B. (I loved B.O.B.), but don’t let your kids watch it. Yikes.
Mr. Nanny (1993)
tubi, original English
When the death of Hulk Hogan was announced, I remembered enjoying No Holds Barred during my previous convalescence and hit up Tubi for more of his movies. This one was pretty predictable. The kids were brats, Hogan taught them some life lessons, the day was saved. Laughed at the physical comedy, would love to be a neighbor of the housekeeper played by Mother Love (I feel like I know her from somewhere but I couldn’t find anything I’ve seen on her bio).
It’s not a very good film, but it was better than the professional reviews, and passed the time by some hand-stitching.
A Dog’s Life (1918)
arte Mediathek, original English
Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp meets a new best friend–and together they meet a girl. I had to shut it off when the puppy here got attacked by a group of angry strays, but I came back, and they all lived happily ever after. Can recommend.
Suburban Commando (1991)
tubi, original English
Much better than Mr. Nanny, with better co-stars (Christopher Lloyd, Shelley Duvall) and an intergalactic plot. If you see only one Hulk Hogan movie this summer, see this one.
Hey, isn’t that: Mac’s wife Quon Le from Night Court. Plus: A clip of the Marsha Warfield Show!
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Disney+, original English
The whole “watch all the Indiana Jones movies” project was undertaken because Mr Radish wanted to watch this new installment, but I had never seen any of the first four. Finally we reach our destination. And FFS. The Nazis are back.
To quote my new favorite movie critic: “Unless film be based on musty Russian novel, it have no business being so long. Seriously!” Too many chases that went on too long; too much NYC; too much CGI.
“No Fact-Checking”: I was informed that the Tuk-tuks in Morocco are not water-cooled, they’re air-cooled, so plugging up the grill with gum would only make things worse. The More You Know.
The Kid (1921)
arte Mediathek, original English
The end of the Chaplin festival. Through no fault of his own, The Tramp ends up caring for an infant who has been abandoned by an unwed mother (I was surprised she was allowed to leave the charity maternity home with him, surely she would have been pressured to give him to a married couple), and then, through the magic of a “five years later” title card, we see the child assisting in some light and entertaining fraud. Very handy, a five-year-old…
(Jackie Coogan, the five-year-old, grows up to become Uncle Fester. I cannot make this up.)
There are more jokes and physical comedy than plot, and there’s a weird dream sequence featuring Chaplin’s next wife, Lita, creepy story there), and on the whole it was very enjoyable.
And it made me want pancakes.
