The 100 Chapter 13: 74 & 73

 

Who doesn't love a list?

I devour the BFI Best Films of All Time list whenever they deem it necessary to revise and (invariably) disagree with most of the findings, but I still get a kick out of browsing. Same with Rolling Stone's inane Best 100 Albums (how does Sgt. Pepper drop from #1 to #24 in the latest incarnation?); the anger I feel subsides when I see they've put a couple of Aerosmith albums on the list! We all disagree with that number one but we keep right on scrolling through each choice.

This project, which has been percolating for quite a while, originated from the constant back and forth "good natured bickering" between John Scoleri and myself. John invariably loves everything and I hate it all (for more of the discourse, I advise one and all to pick up a copy of bare•bones print magazine and read our debates about streaming and movie theaters to get a taste). I began to think it would be fun to compose a Favorite (as opposed to Best) 100 and compare our selections. Making it even more tantalizing, I managed to talk the third head of Ghidorah, Jack Seabrook, into participating. This could be interesting, since John's never seen a movie the two Georges (Romero and Lucas) didn't have a hand in, and Jack usually favors the flicks that have words at the bottom of the screen (dis-moi que j'ai tort, Jack!). I, on the other hand, can't wait to educate these two gentlemen as to what constitutes good cinema.

Every Thursday, we'll count down our picks two at a time. We're hoping this will generate discourse outside of our trio. Let us know just how crazy we are. This is going to be fun!—Peter

White of the Eye (1987) 

Starring: David Keith, Cathy Moriarty, Art Evans

Directed by Donald Cammell

"Ah, Caryanne? Er, listen. I've got a marital problem."

Here's one that is very hard to put in a specific box. It starts out with a slasher movie cliche: the murder of a pretty girl done artsy style. It's a miracle I didn't turn this one off after that first murder scene but for some reason I prevailed and discovered a hidden gem, one I had not heard a thing about. I don't really remember how I came to see White of the Eye but I assume it was a VHS rental in '88.

The setting is Globe, Arizona, a sleepy mining town (I've been through Globe several times and can attest it is verrrry sleepy), where a nasty murder has the public up in arms and the cops without a clue. That is, until a laid back but very clever detective starts piecing clues together and comes up with local audio/video installer Paul White. Couldn't be Paul though since we've gotten to know him and his family. Nice guy. Hard worker. Has a tuning fork inside his head (and the scene where he demonstrates is a classic). Yeah, so he's having an affair with the wife of a rich businessman who's never at home... every guy in the 80s was stepping out, right?

Anyway, to make a long story short, Paul is in the crosshairs of the cops while trying to smooth things out with his wife (the affair becomes public knowledge thanks to the investigation). Poor Paul. It's about this time that director Cammell starts showing his cards and the weirdness starts escalating. I won't spoil the twist but the last thirty minutes is a gorgeous nightmare. Keith is fantastic as White, seemingly befuddled and cool as a cucumber at the same time. His character goes through several changes and he manages to keep up with every one of them. I wouldn't argue with anyone labeling this an "American Giallo." The mood shifts here are unlike just about any other horror flick. It's also got a score that is 50% awesome and 50% shit (the latter bits sound like drum machine noises lifted from a John Hughes flick), soundtrack by Nick Mason of Pink Floyd.

Back in '89 we came up with our Top Ten Flicks of the 1980s list and this landed smack dab at number one. I'm not sure what I was smoking at the time but there are two films I hold higher and we'll get to those soon. Still, this is about as good as a slasher flick gets. If you want to see this and don't want it spelled out for you (including the twist), avoid the trailer below.—Peter

Remarks from the Gallery:

Jack: I have never even heard of this one!

John: I recall you showing me this one (yes, it was on VHS), and while it was good, your buildup set my expectations way too high. It's worth watching, but even as you now admit, it wasn't the best horror film (let alone best film) of the '80s. 

Seven Samurai (1954) 

Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

"This baby... is me! This is exactly what happened to me!"

In late 16th century Japan, the people of a small village of peasant farmers hire seven samurai to protect them from roving bands of bandits who routinely steal their harvest. The samurai work for food and prepare the farmers for the battle of their lives.

Seven Samurai is one of the best action films I've ever seen. I just watched it again—all three and a half hours of it!—and it never drags. The direction by Kurosawa is incredible and I was really taken with his use of editing wipes to transition from scene to scene without slowing down the story.

Toshiro Mifune is great as Kikuchiyo, who isn't really a samurai but who is more enthusiastic about fighting than anyone else. Takashi Shimura is terrific as Kambei, the first samurai to agree to help the villagers; he becomes the leader and his quiet professionalism is what holds everything together. I recently saw Shimura in another Kurosawa film, Drunken Angel, and he's great there, too. The cast is perfect, the story is thrilling, and the direction is flawless. This should have been much higher on my list! Ah, the difficulties of ranking.—Jack

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: I'm sure there are movie fanatics out there who will call for my head and burn movie reels on my lawn (shades of "Pigeons from Hell"!) but I prefer The Magnificent Seven. I'm not saying I don't like Samurai but Magnificent tells a more compact tale and has some pretty cool stars. And if it makes you feel better, Jack, Magnificent is higher up on my list.

John: Of course Peter likes the Western take more than the subtitled Japanese version. I'm also a Samurai fan, but it didn't make my list, I'd probably have been more inclined to put Yojimbo ahead of it (I'm partial to Kurosawa with widescreen aspect ratio). But can you really go wrong when Kurosawa pairs with Mifune? 

Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn (1987) 

Starring: Bruce Campbell

Directed by Sam Raimi

"Groovy."

I caught Sam Raimi's Evil Dead on VHS after reading about it in Fangoria, and I loved it. Despite its low-budget trappings, it was ferocious, with a streak of dark humor, and it has a classic horror film ending. So when Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn was released in 1987, I was there on opening night—and I loved it even more. The slapstick humor was amped up but the horrific elements were still present. Just a load of fun at the hands of Raimi and his go-to shemp, Bruce Campbell. And the ending is brilliant, setting up the tonally different but still fun Army of Darkness. 

I picked this one for my list as it had the most significant impact on me, and I think it offers a perfect balance of horror and comedy. I'll recommend the first film to die hard horror fans, and the third to just about anyone, but this one I'll often take a chance on, since I think the humor makes it a little more accessible for those not quite ready for the original.—John

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: Yeah, I can groove with this one. Three Stooges Meet the Demons, right? I just rewatched ED2 a couple months ago as the result of having a teen stepdaughter who dug the new series and wanted to dip her feet into the "classics." It holds up thanks to all its goofy energy.

Jack: I actually saw Evil Dead when it came out, but I never saw the sequel.

Young Frankenstein (1974) 

Starring: Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle

Directed by Mel Brooks

"My grandfather's work... was doo-doo!"

Some will argue with my placement of Young Frankenstein over Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein... make no mistake, I love that one too... but Mel Brooks's loving tribute to the Universal horror movies is, minute for minute, the funnier of the two. Mel and Gene must have had their cast prep with all the Frankenstein flicks; all the bits are spot on. The music is perfect, the sets (including the original Frankenstein lab equipment built by Kenneth Strickfaden) are on the money, and eight out of ten of the jokes and sight gags land (and that's a really good percentage for a comedy), 

And, oh that cast: Wilder and Feldman have a natural chemistry (that would carry over into the underrated The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother the following year) that makes any scene between the two a riot; Madeline Kahn and Teri Garr are the bodice-busting heroines you always wanted to see in your black and white monster movies; Kenneth Mars does a better Atwill impersonation than Lionel himself; Cloris Leachman as the mysterious Frau Blücher (cue the neighing horses) escalates from sinister to uproarious with her violin playing and that final exclamation, "Yes... he was my... boyfriend!"; and who the hell knew Peter Boyle and Gene Hackman could be funny?

I saw this one about five or six times at the Almaden Twin on its first run. I just kept going back and, even at that young age of thirteen, I wondered how many of the folks in the audience really got it. Sure, the "knockers" joke always brought the roof down, but did anyone around me know how the Inspector acquired that wooden arm?—Peter

Remarks from the Gallery:

Jack: I love this movie and it’s much higher up on my list!

John: This is one of my all-time favorite comedies, and boy does it hold up to repeat viewings. My question isn't why is it higher than A&C Meet Frankenstein—it's how can you be talking about it already??? Damn your eyes!

Mary Poppins (1964)

Starring: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke

Directed by Robert Stevenson

"I know a man with a wooden leg named Smith."

"What's the name of his other leg?"

Things are in a bit of an uproar at the Banks house in 1910 London. The children have run away again and the nanny quits. Mrs. Banks is an avowed suffragette, too busy with marches and protests to take care of her daughter and her son, and Mr. Banks is too busy in his job as a bank executive. Onto the scene comes Mary Poppins, the perfect nanny who, with her friend Bert, turns everyone's lives upside down for a while and teaches Mr. Banks a lesson about the importance of balancing work and home life.

That's a quick outline of the plot of Mary Poppins, but it's the actors, the photography and special effects, and especially the songs that make it so memorable. The film made Julie Andrews a star, and rightly so, and Dick Van Dyke is astoundingly good as Bert, among whose jobs is that of chimney sweep. The extended song and dance number on the rooftops, where the sweeps leap from chimney to chimney, is breathtaking, and the movie's songs will forever be stuck in my head. Even the minor cast members are memorable, from Elsa Lanchester as the first nanny to Ed Wynn as the uncle whose laughter causes him to float into the air. There may be a few spots where it drags--the visit to the animated world and the tea party--but overall, it's a heartwarming, fun experience that will leave you humming.

Oh, and I'd bet this is the first and last time that Mary Poppins and Hellraiser will be discussed in the same post!—Jack

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: Well, fersure, it's the last time I'll discuss either movie. I saw Mary Poppins as a youngster during one of its many re-releases. This one never clicked with me; too many songs perhaps. But that Julie Andrews was pretty hot.

John: It's a solid film, to be sure, but the Julie Andrews film that flirted with my list (and still didn't make the final cut) was the Robert Wise classic, The Sound of Music. 

Hellraiser (1987) 

Starring: Doug Bradley, Ashley Laurence

Directed by Clive Barker

"We have such sights to show you."

Clive Barker's three Books of Blood volumes (with the horribly garish Halloween mask-like covers) were the first things I bought with my employee discount after I started my first job at K-Mart, and I became an instant fan. When I read there was going to be a sneak preview of a horror film written and directed by Clive, I jumped at the chance to see it. And Hellraiser proved to be a breath of fresh air at a time when it seemed like all horror fans were being served up with any regularity was the latest installment of a slasher franchise, none of which did anything for me. This subversive film, however, blew me away. I couldn't wait to drag all of my friends out to see it when it opened, which at that point was still several months away.

I fell in love with Clive's bizarrely-designed Cenobites, the haunting Christopher Young score, and the lovely Ashley Laurence. Barker delivered something truly unique that built on his reputation as the future of horror. It's funny to think that the film went on to become a franchise of its own; unfortunately, none of which lived up to the promise of the original.—John

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: Hated this the first time I saw it together with the House Carfax crew at (I think) a sneak preview and never wasted my time re-watching. I loved Clive's Books of Blood so I was game but I was soooo disappointed. Sign me up for Rawhead Rex though.

Jack: It will surprise no one to read that I have never seen this.