The 100 Chapter 2: 98 and 97

Sorcerer (1977)

Starring: Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal

Directed by: William Friedkin

"We're carrying three cases each. One is enough to blow out your fire; six cases will blow out the whole field. That means you don't think all the trucks will make it, one of us is a backup."

Yep, this is one of those legendary late 1970s flicks that very nearly bankrupted a studio, but I won’t dwell on things that matter like a really dumb title, a lousy soundtrack, internal squabbles, Friedkin’s ego, its snail-paced first hour (which at times is cut to resemble a cheap Godfather rip-off — I’m not saying that was Friedkin’s design but that’s what it looks like, so sue me) and Roy Schieder’s… um… multi-layered performance. Put all that aside and you’ve got about an hour of the most white-knuckled cinema you’re likely to encounter, an hour that makes you forget any of the film’s shortcomings.

Four guys have to haul some very iffy and (evidently) out-of-date nitro 200 miles across South America on some likewise out-of-date roadways in two rundown trucks to extinguish an out of control oil fire. One bad shake and the cargo and crew will go blooie. 

The legendary 12-minute bridge scene, with its rain-distorted nightmarish imagery, is just as creepy as anything in Alien and as exciting as anything in Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s not as consistently good as the first adaptation of Georges Arnaud’s The Wages of Fear (which may or may not be discussed further at a later date), but it’s certainly a movie that will stay with you for a while.

        

I think the first time I ever saw Sorcerer was in the early 1980s on a VHS tape at the insistence of a cinephile buddy of mine who insisted this was Friedkin's masterpiece; it remains one of those flicks I'd love to see on a big screen. —Peter

Remarks from the Gallery

Jack: I've never seen Sorcerer. I'll have to keep an eye out for it!

John: I'm a fan of Sorcerer. I was a fan of the haunting  Tangerine Dream score before I ever saw the film. And my first viewing was at a 35mm screening with Friedkin in attendance. And yet as much as I like it, it didn't make my top 100, so I'm glad I'm able to laud it here. 

Theatre of Blood (1973)

Starring: Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry

Directed by: Douglas Hickox

Vincent Price plays Shakespearean actor and noted ham Edward Lionheart, who is thought dead after a leap from a balcony into water after he is denied an award by the London critics. Saved by a bunch of homeless winos, Lionheart goes on a killing spree, murdering each of the drama critics using methods from Shakespeare's plays. In the end, Lionheart and his daughter Edwina, played by Diana Rigg, are killed as his beloved theater goes up in flames.

On rewatching this film for the first time in many years, I was on the verge of giving up after the first few murders, but once things really get going the movie is a hoot. Vincent Price is terrific, spouting lines from Shakespeare and hamming it up in one disguise after another; my favorite is when he impersonates a gay hairdresser and wears an afro and sunglasses! Rigg is lovely and lovable as ever, though her disguise as Lionheart's hippie assistant in the string of murders, wearing a curly wig, a bushy mustache, and sunglasses, is kind of silly.

Ian Hendry is especially good as Price's nemesis, a critic named Devlin, and it's neat to think that he and Rigg were both connected to The Avengers in the '60s.

My wife's comment: "piece of horror trash." —Jack

Remarks from the Gallery

Peter: A golden Vinnie, one I always thought of as Phibes 3 (in fact, Phibes director Robert Fuest was offered but declined). I never got to see this one in the theater as it was rated R. I'm amazed this was released by United Artists and not AIP, a studio that was swimming in this stuff in the early to mid-70s. 

John: Though I own a copy, I haven't seen this one since the Creature Feature/Chiller Diller days. It has always been one of Vonna's favorites, so perhaps it's time to revisit it.

Night of the Creeps (1986)

Starring: Tom Atkins, Jason Lively, Jill Whitlow

Directed by: Fred Dekker

"What is this? A homicide, or a bad B-movie?"

Fred Dekker's feature film debut was a highlight of mid-80s VHS viewing for me. It starts off as a '50s sci-fi flick, in black and white, before transitioning into a glossy, colorful '80s teen-comedy/horror hybrid. While his 1987 follow-up, The Monster Squad, probably has a larger following, I am fonder of everything he accomplishes with Creeps. 

Tom Atkins is perfectly cast as a hard-boiled detective (and a rookie cop in the film's '50s opening) who finds himself having to deal with the dark events of his own past when a couple of well-meaning if naive college students inadvertently unthaw a cryogenically preserved human specimen. Creepy space slugs turn those whose brains they possess into homicidal dead folks. The film is populated with characters named after famous horror film directors: Romero, Cameron,. Raimi, Craven, and Carpenter Hooper! The dialogue is witty, with Atkins given no shortage of great lines, including the tagline, "I've got good news and bad news girls. The good news is your dates are here . . . (The bad news is) . . .  They're dead!"

As horror comedies go, this is up there with Evil Dead 2 and Return of the Living Dead as each skillfully balances the two. Regardless of how funny it may be at times, the stakes are real for our characters. And a special shout out to the delightful Jill Whitlow, who portrays the perfect, good-hearted sorority girl with a flamethrower! The DVD and Blu Ray releases offer two endings: both are entertaining, but the theatrical ending is the perfect way to wrap things up, in my opinion. -John

Remarks from the Gallery: 

Peter: I'm not a child of the 1980s like John and I didn't frequent many horror flicks after 1979, but I did see this at the Saratoga Six and remember being mildly amused. I've never revisited it since. 

Jack: I pretty much stopped watching new horror movies in the early 1980s when they got too gory and explicit for me. I've never seen this one. This project is going to be very interesting! I want to see if our lists start to overlap at some point.

The Car (1977)

Starring: James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, Ronny Cox

Directed by: Elliott Silverstein

Lauren (Kathleen Lloyd): Hey, you! Why don't you get outta your big ugly car, huh? We'd like to see                                                  what you look like. I'd like to see what a creep like you looks like!

The Car is a goofy horror flick that’s never gotten its due outside of hardcore horror/exploitation buffs. Upon delivery, it was labeled a ripoff of Jaws (granted) and Duel (doubly granted) and slid into obscurity after a couple weeks of fair-to-middling box office. But the movie has so much more to offer than a lot of the quickies that were released in the late 1970s. It’s got a solid performance from James Brolin, still looking for his first leading man hit (he’d done well with Richard Benjamin in Westworld but tanked in the disastrous Gable and Lombard) and some incredible stunt driving but, most importantly, a “couldn’t-give-a-shit” attitude. 

What is this unstoppable monster of metal and why is it menacing this small desert town? Could it be related to the ancient Indian burial grounds on the outskirts? Who knows, because that cliche is never introduced. Is it the devil? Why would he bother coming up and wasting his time driving a Lincoln instead of a ‘vette? Probably cuz it ain't the boss himself. The biggest surprise, of course, is that Holy Shit! moment in the middle of the flick where Kathleen Lloyd gets her face-to-grill with the black Lincoln and joins the exclusive club of Terminated Lead Actresses formed by Lee Remick the year before. 

I saw this opening weekend (and probably five more times) at the legendary Almaden Twin, where you could see a double feature for one entrance fee of a buck. Saw the Go Ape marathon there at least a half-dozen times. The Twin was a dumpy little theater that held probably 300 seats but it was, for me, a paradise for a half-decade.—Peter

Remarks from the Gallery

Jack: I feel like I must have seen this long, long ago, but I can't be sure. It sounds like the kind of John Carpenter/Roger Corman flick that I'd enjoy.

John: Great flick. Like Burnt Offerings, I always thought of it as a TV movie, and only learned years after seeing it that it was actually a theatrical feature. I'm a big Brolin fan—I'll have more to say about him soon... but I can't believe you brought up The Car without mentioning the haunting car horn that signaled the arrival of this devil on wheels!

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Starring: James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles

Directed by: John Ford

Why are aging senator Ransom Stoddard and his wife Hallie back in the Frontier town of Shinbone for the funeral of Tom Doniphon, a rancher? Stoddard tells a reporter the story of how he arrived in the town 25 years ago as an idealistic young lawyer, and how he eventually came to be known as The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, a ruthless, bloodthirsty gunslinger. Of course, there's more to the story, and finding out what really happened is the movie's climax.

Filmed on a soundstage in black and white due to budget restrictions, the movie remains a delight. Stewart and Wayne are probably 25 years too old for their roles, but it doesn't matter, since they each give outstanding performances. Vera Miles is not just beautiful, but a strong actress as well. Lee Marvin is loathsome as Liberty Valance, and the film is packed with great character actors who inhabit their roles fully, such as John Qualen, Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, and Jeanette Nolan.

The movie drags a bit after Valance is shot, but the final revelation is shocking and casts everything that happened up to then in a different light. My wife's comment: "Everyone in that movie turned it up to 11!"—Jack

Remarks from the Gallery: 

Peter: This was a tough one for me to leave off my list. I love it like I love most of the Ford/Wayne films but, goldarnit, I can only pick 100 movies! What's a guy to do? There's at least one Ford/Wayne on my horizon (and my pick will surprise no one), so that almost makes up for my exclusion of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

John: I never was a big John Wayne fan... he always seemed to be more of a presence than an actor to me. And while I respect his work in Rio Bravo and The Searchers, this is one (of many) that I never sat down to watch. 

Phantom of the Opera (2004)

Starring: Emmy Rossum, Gerard Butler, Patrick Wilson

Directed by: Joel Schumacher

"Softly, deftly, music shall caress you. Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you."

Yep, I'm an unabashed fan of the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. I've seen it several times. While I enjoyed the Wicked movies, I would say that Phantom is the best adaptation of a musical to film. Gerard Butler is a good enough Phantom, but it's Emmy Rossum (Christine Daaé) who is the real star here. She steals every scene she's in and delivers my favorite performances of the songs that I've heard, besting even original stage star Sarah Brightman.

Joel Schumacher is hit or miss director for me; I loved The Lost Boys and loathed his Batman sequels. I'd offer up that Phantom of the Opera is his masterwork. The production design is amazing; from the main stage of the Paris Opera House to the Phantom's catacombs, to a snow-filled cemetery where an epic sword fight unfolds. If you've never seen the play, this is a great introduction to the songs and set pieces. Even if you're anti-musical, you might give this one a chance. -John

Remarks from the Gallery: 

Peter: Oh, I did give this a chance, John, and thought it was Harlequin romance nonsense, not quite as bad as the Robert Englund garbage foisted upon us in the late 80s but nowhere near as good as the Chaney/Rains/Lom versions. I do like me some Emmy Rossum but otherwise bleccccccch. For what it's worth, I don't think Joel Schumacher ever had a masterpiece, though A Time to Kill is a solid Grisham adaptation.

Jack: I saw this on Broadway twice (I think) but I never saw the movie version. I do love some of the songs. I'm a big fan of the silent movie with Lon Chaney!