Journey Into Strange Tales Issue 190: Atlas/Marvel Science Fiction & Fantasy Comics!

The Marvel/Atlas 
Horror Comics

Part 175

November 1960

by Peter Enfantino

and Jack Seabrook

Journey Into Mystery #62

Cover by Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko

"I Was a Slave of the Living Hulk!" (a: Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers) ★★

(r: Monsters on the Prowl #11)

"There is a Brain Behind the Fangs!" (a: Don Heck) ★★ 1/2

(r: Fear #6)

"I Can't Escape from the Creeping Things!" (a: Steve Ditko) ★★

(r: Fear #8)

Joe Harper is busy minding his own business when his buddy Fred calls him up to tell him that his "machine" is on the fritz. Joe tells his wife he has to go out and help Fred but, of course, the old ball and chain doesn't believe him. Sigh. On his way to Fred's place, he passes by Old Blacktree Swamp and notices a giant silver something floating in the water. Joe hops out of his truck and investigates.

What he finds is a really big huge mammoth Hulk, a creature obviously from another world (the nearby smoldering wreckage of its spaceship is the first clue), on the cusp of death. Knowing that every living being (even a Hulk from another world) is precious, Joe drags the multi-ton beast to his pick-up and heads back to his workshop, where he hooks the thing up to his Electrofitastic Voltage Regulator™. A surge of electrical power enters the Hulk's body and the creature begins to stir.

Joe asks the visitor who he is and what he came to Earth for and the monster explains his name is Xemnu and that he escaped from a prison planet and crash-landed here en route to another galaxy. Too late, Joe realizes he probably shouldn't have resuscitated the Hulk without getting a few facts first. The Hulk guffaws and continues his plan for complete domination of the solar system and beyond. The monster has the power to hypnotize and intends to make the entire population a slave to his demands. With a full workforce at his beckon, Xemnu will soon have a replacement spaceship powerful enough to take him to Star System LOL of the Fifth Galaxy on the Left. The mad beast also admits to Joe that the ship will blast off with such force that the Earth will be destroyed.

The Hulk becomes a Titan!

Xemnu is grateful to Joe for bringing him back to life so he doesn't hypnotize him. That's where he makes his fatal blunder. His spaceship construction goes perfectly right up until the time he is about to blast off but Joe uses a little small town ingenuity to screw up the Hulk's plot and the creature is sent into space to circle the sun forever. The entire world becomes unhypnotized but Joe wisely avoids bragging. That is, until he sees his shrew of a wife again and can't help himself. This guy never learns!

The first of the multi-part epics that would become a foundation of the Atlas science fiction/fantasy titles, "I Was a Slave of the Living Hulk!" (an ironic title since Joe was the only free man on Earth under Hulk's reign) is a fun and completely dopey yarn. The extra pages do give a little more room for Stan to breathe but you can see at times that he really doesn't know what to do in those bonus pages. There's a whole lot of padding and information spread over multiple panels that usually would be dispensed in one single frame. As rote as these things can become (and they do), I still have a soft spot in my brain (some would say several such soft spots) for these "Marvel Monster Epics," having devoured Dwell, Prowl, and Roam as a wee lad. Xemnu's exile doesn't last the promised "forever" and we'll get a sequel in JIM #66. 

Speaking of which, when the time came to reprint "I Was a Slave of the Living Hulk!" in MOTP #11, there was another character in the Marvel Universe who had gained a bit of fame and, to avoid confusion for the Zombies, Xemnu was re-christened a "Titan" rather than a "Hulk." Rascally Roy Thomas, ever the comic book scholar, remembered the beast's JIM tales and wrote a sequel (acknowledging Xemnu's previous adventures!) featuring the Defenders for Marvel Feature #3. Yes, the New Hulk vs. the Old Hulk!

Frank Miller (no, not that Frank Miller) becomes convinced that dogs have evolved in intelligence just as much as man but they're putting on a show so that they can surprise their masters and rule the world someday. Frank brings his theory to his best friend, psychiatrist John Redfield, who scoffs at his buddy's exclamations and insists he can prove him wrong. John has Frank bring Fido, Frank's dog, to his office and proceeds to hypnotize him, asking the canine some very pointed questions. When the dog does nothing but roll over and play dead and bay at the moon, Frank is convinced that he was a little hasty in his proclamations. Nearby, Pharaoh, the shrink's pet cat, laughs at the two morons and gets back to its plan for world domination. "There is a Brain Behind The Fangs!" spotlights some really nice work by Don Heck (almost Colan-esque in spots) and sports a fun twist in its tail.

Silas Bleede makes his millions off the misfortunes of others (one might say he "bleedes" them dry) and, once retirement comes, he moves to a small European village where he buys a huge estate. The only blemish is a tall tree that blocks his view of the mountains so, despite protestations and warnings from his neighbors, Silas chops the damn thing down. That night, branches crawl through Silas's bedroom window and chase him all through his mansion. With nowhere to run, trapped in the basement, the befuddled gazillionaire exclaims "I Can't Escape from the Creeping Things!" and promises he will let the tree grow back and not interfere. The branches retreat and Silas admits defeat, returning to America. As usual, there's not much to the script but Steve Ditko manages to ramp up the chills, making the CCA-approved strip as close to creepy as he possibly can. All in all, a pretty decent issue.-Peter

Strange Tales #78

Cover by Jack Kirby & George Klein

"A Martian Walks Among Us!" 

(a: Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers) ★1/2

(Strange Tales Annual #1)(r: Where Monsters Dwell #3)

"The Fantastic Menace of Mento the Mighty" (a: Don Heck) ★

"The Gargoyle!" (a: Paul Reinman) ★

(r: Where Monsters Dwell #3)

"Dear Reader: What Would You Have Done If You 

Were the... Worm Man?" (a: Steve Ditko) ★1/2

(r: Tower of Shadows #6)

A scientist comes across a spaceship on a lone stretch of road and witnesses the occupant exit the UFO. Before he can escape, the man is captured by the alien and the thing takes the form of the scientist, explaining that he is from Mars and is scouting Earth for an invasion. He can take on the form of any human and intends to set the world up for the upcoming Armageddon. For some reason, the dim-witted Martian also reveals the only way to distinguish him from a human being is by using infrared rays.

Once the Martian's hold on the scientist has diminished, he tries to warn the authorities but is met with derision and pelted with tomatoes. Knowing he is the only man who can save the Earth from the Martian onslaught, he very quickly invents an infra-red device that can sniff out the chameleon and confronts him. After a terrible hand-to-hand battle, the Martian is killed and our protagonist drops his disguise, revealing that he is a Venusian protector of Earth. As long as there are commies, Stan will use Martians to subtly get his views across. That's the message of "A Martian Walks Among Us!" Seems a bit short-sighted of the Martian not to kill our unnamed hero when he has the chance. That twist, where we discover that the alien has been defeated by another race of aliens, is about used up, no? Laughably, once he disrobes, his body is completely different than his human disguise. Dig those scrawny legs!

In "The Fantastic Menace of Mento the Mighty," a well-meaning scientist becomes obsessed with the power of his brain, using it to move objects and create fearsome monsters. In the end, his creations prove his downfall. Here's an exception to the Atlas rule that anyone who stumbles upon a dominating skill will use that power to attain great wealth. Mento is a rich, bored, brilliant genius who becomes convinced he can do anything with a mere thought (when he looks at a woman in a cafe and she looks back at him!) and then launches his plan to rule the world for no particular reason.

The world's homeliest man sees a want ad for a local carnival requesting ugly men. With no other jobs available, our unattractive schlub answers the ad and discovers too late that the tent he enters is actually a spaceship that blasts off for parts unknown. Waking up at the end of the journey, he's taken to the queen, a real babe, who explains that she's bored with the attractive men on her planet and wants something different. Yep, the climax of "The Gargoyle!" is another variation on the old "beauty is only skin deep" twist. In "... (yadda yadda yadda) The Worm Man," a spy takes a pill and becomes very small in order to steal super-secret documents from a brilliant scientist. The agent's espionage is upended by the actions of a rat and he's faced with an impossible decision: call out for help or remain teensy weensy forever. Ditko but rushed Ditko.-Peter

Tales of Suspense #12

Cover by Jack Kirby & George Klein

"I Alone Know the Dread Secret of Gor-Kill, the Lurking Demon!" (a: Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers) ★1/2

(r: Where Monsters Dwell #1)

"I Must Find 'Those Who Lurk Below'" (a: Steve Ditko) ★★

(r: Fantasy Masterpieces #2)

"The Monster in My Cellar!" (a: Reed Crandall) ★★

(r: Where Monsters Dwell #4)

"I Met the Thing on Midnight Island!" (a: Don Heck) ★1/2

(r: Where Monsters Dwell #4)

A blob of gas from outer space lands in a body of water held back by the Krakow Dam and absorbs the water, becoming a fearsome water creature. The monster menaces a nearby town, crushing houses and flooding streets, but when the townsfolk follow it back to the dam it disappears. After this happens a few times, the town layabout, Hans Grubnik, figures out that the monster is composed of water. He steals some dynamite and blows up the monster before it can reach the ocean and become unstoppable; for his efforts, Hans is jailed for stealing explosives.

"I Alone Know the Dread Secret of Gor-Kill, the Lurking Demon!" is all wet. It's full of the usual Kirbyisms, like groups of people looking upward in horror with someone pointing. The inhabitants of the town are pretty dumb not to realize that the monster is made of water. I fail to understand how dynamiting water would do anything. Maybe Gor-Kill will return.

On a 19th-century penal colony on an island, a prisoner named Pierre is given a special task by the cruel guard, Kragok, who tells Pierre to clean up ancient ruins under the prison. Pierre discovers a book and begins to read "The Legend of the Earth Dwellers," about an ancient alien race that came to Earth but found it too hot. They built powerful machines to dig below the surface and built a city far below to live in peace.

Convinced the story is true, Pierre digs and digs until he finds one of the machines. Kragok laughs at Pierre, since he planted the book for the prisoner to find, but the jailer is shocked when the machine begins to work and Pierre disappears below the Earth! The prisoner is welcomed by the underground alien race and Kragok spends years digging in vain, searching for the land of peace and contentment.

Ditko's art is even better than usual on "I Must Find 'Those Who Lurk Below!'" In some panels it looks like Frazeztta's work. The story is okay and the end is unsatisfying, but the art is the real draw.

A writer of sci fi tales promises his editor a great monster tale, so he goes home, sits down at the typewriter, and begins to write a story as if it's really happening to him right now. Imagining a tall, reptilian, one-eyed creature in his basement, the writer is startled to hear a noise from below! He explores and finds the monster he created in his own basement! A locked door doesn't stop it, but when the writer realizes that the thing is a creation of his own mind, he thinks it back out of existence and vows never to write another monster saga.

It seems like it's been awhile since we've seen anything from Reed Crandall and I say welcome back! "The Monster in my Cellar!" breaks no ground and is predictable, but the great EC veteran's panels are always welcome.

A sailor named Rick Jordan finds a message in a bottle that reads, "Help--I'm stranded on Midnight Island"! Rick rushes to said island and explores it but finds only a big, apelike monster with fangs. Rick manages to escape back to his boat. The next day he tries again but finds only the monster on the island. At night, he sees a spaceship land on the island to take the monster away. Finally, dopey Rick realizes that the beast wrote the note.

Forget the story and enjoy Don Heck's sharp artwork, which looks like it could fit well onto the old Sunday adventure pages in a newspaper. Heck may not have possessed Kirby's natural comic book talent, but his draftsmanship was certainly more accomplished.-Jack

Tales to Astonish #13

Cover by Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko

"I Challenged... Groot! The Monster from Planet X!"

(a: Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers) ★★

(r: Where Monsters Dwell #6)(Weird Wonder Tales  #19)

"I Found the Abominable Snowman!" (a: Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko) ★1/2

(r: Chamber of Darkness #7)

"My Friend Is... Not Quite Human!" (a: Steve Ditko) ★★1/2

(r: Where Monsters Dwell #6)

"I Found the Hidden World!" (a: Don Heck) ★★

(r: Tower of Shadows #8)

A guy named Leslie and his whiny wife Alice are driving home from a party one night when they see something come out of the sky and land in the forest. A few days later, Alice reports that two of their trees are missing and a friend's wooden fence has disappeared! Leslie heads to the forest to investigate and finds a giant tree monster that attracts wooden objects to its body. Soon, the monster is heading for town; it announces that its name is Groot and it wants to take the town back to Planet X for experiments.

"I Challenged... Groot! The Monster From Planet X!" says Leslie, who tells the creature that he'll come up with a way to destroy it. Fire doesn't work--Groot is too tough to burn. As Groot wreaks havoc, Leslie is bent over a microscope in his lab, soon announcing "Eureka!" He sneaks up to Groot, lets out a bunch of termites, and before you know it, the monster from Planet X is finished.

Alice is a complete jerk! On the way back from the party she tells her husband that she wishes he were more manly and rugged like someone named George. When they see the spaceship crash, she's too tired to go take a look. When Leslie says he's going to the forest, she remarks that the walk will toughen up his muscles! When he's working in his lab to find a way to defeat Groot, she complains that he's weak and spineless. Only when he defeats the monster does she have a change of heart: "Oh, darling, forgive me! I've been such a fool! I'll never complain about you again! Never!" Yeah, right. Leslie should sprint back to the lab and invent something to get rid of Alice.

In a Calcutta dive, Big Carl Hanson overhears a man bragging about the rare and valuable photo of the Abominable Snowman that he got. Too bad the picture is said to be cursed! Big Carl basically mugs the guy in an alley after dark and takes the photo but then decides he'll cash in big time if he goes to the Himalayas and finds the real Snowman. Big Carl takes a train to the mountains, where every native to whom he shows the photo says it's cursed.

Not the brightest bulb, Big Carl hires a camel and a guide and goes up into the snowy mountains, searching for Bumble. Even the locals tell him to quit due to the curse. Does Big Carl listen? Nope. Eventually, it snows so much and his hair and beard grow so long that he himself becomes the Abominable Snowman pictured in the photo.

Even I remember the earlier version of this dumb story, from Strange Worlds #1 in December 1958, not even two years before. That version was drawn by Ditko and he inks this one. They should have left it alone.

A lonely sculptor named Gustav carves gargoyles to serve as figureheads on ships in France in the year 1799. One day, Napoleon and his men knock at the door; the general demands that the sculptor carve a wooden figure of Josephine, so Napoleon can be reminded of her when sailing. After some vociferous resistance, the sculptor agrees and carves a wooden figure of a beautiful woman. The statue comes to life at midnight on the eve of a full moon and Gustav is smitten. He delays giving the figure to Napoleon and visits a gypsy who gives him a potion that will turn him into wood so he can stand forever next to his beautiful statue. He stiffs the gypsy, which is never a good idea. At midnight, Gustav turns to wood and the female statue becomes flesh and blood, victim of a spell by the angry gypsy.

We all saw that one coming, didn't we? Still, Ditko's art is terrific in the ineptly titled "My Friend Is... Not Quite Human!" He's ready to start drawing Spider-Man very soon.

A scientist named Linus Whitehead posits that another world lives inside every TV set but dies before he can prove it. An ex-con named Joe who learned to repair TV sets while in prison decides to test the theory. After six months of experiments, he's visited by Frankie, another ex-con, who blames Joe for spoiling his plans to escape. Frankie turns on the experimental TV set to make noise to cover the gunshot when he blows Joe away, but before he can pull the trigger, Frankie is grabbed by a monster and pulled into the TV set! Joe is almost dragged in too but turns the box off just in time. Ever since that day, he wonders if he dreamed it.

I like Don Heck's art but he's not great at drawing weird dimensions or scary monsters, which is a problem when those are keys to the story's climax. The monsters in "I Found the Hidden World!" have pink fur and fangs and appear to be wearing shorts with suspenders. Not exactly the stuff of nightmares.-Jack

This Thursday...
Return With Us To An Ancient Time
When Mel Was Still Relevant!

And Next Thursday...
Shriek in Apathy at the
Sheer Inanity of Krang!

The 100 Chapter 8: 86 & 85

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

Dunkirk (2017)

Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance

Directed by Christopher Nolan

    "What do you see?"

    "Home."

Like millions of other filmgoers on opening day, July 21, 2017, I knew nothing about the Dunkirk evacuation or how it inspired Churchill and England to fight even harder in World War II. What little we learned of World War II in school (the curriculum when I was a kid was devoted more to teaching us about the Roman Empire than any more recent events—more's the pity since I think I might have been able to stay awake during History otherwise) was the "highlights": Patton, Pearl Harbor, etc. Certainly nothing about a little village in France and the amazing rescue of over 300,000 troops, most of whom were doomed to be slaughtered by the Nazis.

By 2017, Christopher Nolan had established himself as the 21st Century's Steven Spielberg so it was a perfect choice for the director to take on a war movie. Rather than a straightforward battle film a la Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, Nolan dips back into his non-linear bag of tricks (a gimmick that would befuddle on a first watch and bedazzle on subsequent viewings) and gives us three "stories" and three "timelines": Land (the beach evacuation taking place over one week); Sea (the rescue boats--one day); and Air (the fighter planes--one hour). All three stories merge brilliantly at the climax but until that time, we jump back and forth, seeing characters in different timelines in consecutive scenes. Nolan always strives to short circuit the brain of his rapt viewer (see also Memento, The Prestige, Inception, and Interstellar) and once again he succeeds. 

Nolan's cast includes (at the time) newer faces such as pop star Harry Styles, Jack Lowden (who went on to Slow Horses and James Bond consideration), James D'Arcy (Homeland and Marvel's VisionQuest), Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon Targaryen on House of the Dragon), and Barry Keoghan (Ringo in the upcoming four-picture bio of The Beatles to be directed by Sam Mendes), but also shows respect to the elders with Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, and Kenneth Branagh. As mentioned, I saw Dunkirk on opening day (at Fat Cat's here in Gilbert, AZ) and the experience left me both dazzled and shook. Repeat viewings have not dulled those sensations. (For those wanting to know even more details about the Dunkirk evacuation should pick up Walter Lord's The Miracle of Dunkirk)—Peter

Remarks from the Gallery:

Jack: We've discussed the films of Christopher Nolan many times. I don't understand the appeal. I looked at the list of films he's directed and I think Dunkirk was the one I liked best. Oppenheimer was decent but an hour too long, and I didn't care for any of the rest. Darkest Hour is another very good film about Dunkirk from a different perspective.

John: I never caught this theatrically and first experienced it during one of our year-end wrap-ups in our home theater on a 120" screen. I thought the intertwined stories were an interesting gimmick that works well and an interesting way to present this history (of which I too was unfamiliar going in). It's not on my list, but a rewatch is definitely overdue. 

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman

Directed by Joel Cohen, Ethan Coen

"It's good knowin' he's out there—the Dude—takin' her easy for all us sinners."

After Jeffrey "the Dude" Lebowski falls victim to an attack at his home by two thugs, he gets caught up in a complex situation involving a rich man with the same name, the man's trophy wife, a producer of porn movies, and a group of nihilists—all while trying to focus on an upcoming bowling tournament.

The Big Lebowski is one of the most fun, memorable films I've seen in the last thirty years. Joel and Ethan Coen are to me what Christopher Nolan is to Peter. Despite what Netflix flags as "pervasive strong language," I enjoyed the heck out of this movie when it came out and on every rewatching since. Jeff Bridges is so good as the Dude that he doesn't seem like he's acting— he totally embodies the character. John Goodman is equally good as his friend and bowling companion, Walter, who flies off the handle at the slightest provocation but has a heart of gold. The rest of the cast is perfect, from John Turturro as the rival bowler named Jesus to Sam Elliott as the mysterious stranger who narrates and shows up at the bowling alley a couple of times. If you haven't seen this movie, I strongly suggest you give it a try.—Jack

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: I tried this one a couple times over the last twenty years or so and just could not get into it. It's one of those goofy "cult" flicks like Withnail and I that is held up high on the pedestal and leave me cold. I like some of the Coen Bros. flicks (No Country, the underrated Hail, Caesar!, Inside Llewyn Davis) but quite a few of them come off as pretentious and very Lynch-ian to me. My loss, Dude fans might say.

John: The Coen Brothers are like Christopher Nolan to me. I understand why they have devoted fan bases, but I find their films are hit or miss, and more often misses, as far as my appreciation. For what it's worth, Miller's Crossing is my favorite Coen Brothers film, and it didn't even make my top 100. The Big Lebowski has certainly grown on me over the years. The first time I watched it, I didn't appreciate it at all. But after several friends suggested that I give it another chance, I did and was pleasantly surprised. It's not perfect, but I do think it's their funniest and most quotable film. 

Gladiator (2000) 

Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix

Directed by Ridley Scott

"At my signal, unleash hell."

I saw an early screening of Gladiator several weeks before its release and I was blown away. I was aware of Russell Crowe; he impressed me in Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead and made a name for himself in L.A. Confidential, but it was Gladiator where I realized that he was destined to be a major star.

Ridley Scott's Roman epic exceeded my expectations, from the opening battle with the Germanic tribes to the faceoff in the Colosseum. And it's got a great Hans Zimmer score. Like the greatest epics, it stands up on repeat viewings. It took me some time to warm up to Joaquin Phoenix, whose character I couldn't stand, because I didn't initially give his performance credit for my disliking the character.—John

 

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: I'll have more to say about this knockout (SPOILER ALERT!) next week but I'll just add that I remember you raving about your sneak preview experience to me and David J. Schow in L.A. that year and my not being impressed with the trailer. I was wrong for perhaps the first and last time.

Jack: Gladiator came close to making my list after we watched it a few months ago before a vacation in Rome. I agree that it's a terrific movie.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) 

Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Stellan Skarsgard

Directed by David Fincher

"Let me ask you something. Why don't people trust their instincts? They sense something is wrong; someone is walking too close behind them... You knew something was wrong but you came back into the house. Did I force you, did I drag you in? No. All I had to do was offer you a drink. It's hard to believe that the fear of offending can be stronger than the fear of pain."

Based on the phenomenal bestseller by Stieg Larsson, David Fincher’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was actually a remake of a 2009 Swedish film starring Noomi Rapace. A disgraced journalist is asked to look into a missing girl and takes on a very unique partner in the troubled Lisbeth Salander.

It was hard to pick between Fincher’s and the original version as both are near-flawless mysteries, with multiple twists and no shortage of suspects. In the end, I chose this one because of Daniel Craig’s Michael Blomkvist, a role vastly different than the one he became famous for, and Skarsgard's creepy cool serial killer. It’s a toss-up as far as Mara and Rapace (who would reprise her role in two excellent sequels) as both give stunning performances.

As far as the flick goes, it’s like Let’s Make a Deal: open door one and it’s a drama about a reporter trying to reclaim his credibility; opt for door number two and you’ll get a harrowing tale of sexual abuse and a young girl trying to make her way through the world on her own terms; door three is the most tantalizing, though, as you learn about the filthy rich family who hide their dirty secrets (Dad was a Nazi and a serial killer!) like they hide their offshore accounts. This is the very definition of a rollercoaster ride.—Peter

Remarks from the Gallery:

Jack: I've not read the book nor seen the movie.

John: If Peter weren't so averse to reading subtitles, he'd surely have put the Noomi Rapace original on his list instead of this lesser version. I've seen it, and while it's not bad, like many a US-remake of a foreign film, it's unnecessary. 

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

TV Western star Rick Dalton's career is fading as 1969 dawns. He and his stunt double, Cliff Booth, try to figure out where Rick goes from here as they cross paths with some sinister hippies at a nearby ranch. Will Rick make the transition to spaghetti Westerns? Are his neighbors, Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate, in danger from the hippies?

I loved this movie when it first came out and I loved it just as much when I watched it again recently. The way Tarantino evokes late '60s Hollywood is perfect. I don't care if it wasn't really like this, it should have been!

DiCaprio is perfect as Dalton and the re-creation of his TV show is great. Pitt is just as good as Booth. His fight with Bruce Lee is classic. The twists and turns of the plot are wonderful and the ending, where Tarantino's penchant for violence finally bears fruit, is grotesquely satisfying. If only real life had worked out this way.—Jack

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: What John doesn't say below is that he sees every movie ten times theatrically. Without completely spoiling my opinion of this one, I'll just say that I have nothing to say for several months.

John: I saw the film 10 times theatrically during its original run. I too will have more to say months down the road. At least we now have confirmation that there's at least one film that landed on all three of our lists—our first hat trick!

Payback (1999) 

Starring: Mel Gibson, Maria Bello

Directed by Brian Helgeland

"Not many people know what their life's worth is. I do. Seventy grand. That's what they took from me. And that's what I was going to get back."

This is the film that inspired me to start reading Donald Westlake's 'Richard Stark' Parker novels. Like The Last Man on Earth, the change of the main character's name is annoying, particularly in that it's spoken so often throughout the film. But that aside, I really like Gibson's portrayal of the character. He's my favorite Parker (in this case, Porter), and I would have loved to see him appear in additional installments. I love the film's balance of intensity and black humor.

Maria Bello is fantastic, as always, and the rogues gallery of the (other) bad guys is a classic lineup including William Devane, James Coburn, and Kris Kristofferson!—John

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: This was a near miss for me (let's put it at #103). I also love Mel in this but he wins "Best Parker" by default when you think about who the competition is (yeah, Lee Marvin is a great actor but he ain't Parker, boys and girls, so bring on your disdain for my diss). I'm surprised you didn't mention the alternate cut, which I think is the preferred cut of Payback, released years after the initial DVD. Much darker, more violent, and no happy ending. In fact, the studio version (taken away from Helgeland by Mel himself) wouldn't dent my 200. I've read every single Parker novel Westlake wrote (I'm still waiting trepidatiously for some ghost to pick up the reins a la Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne) and Helgeland's vision (not the one John is raving about, mind you) is the best adaptation. 

Jack: This seems like something I would've seen but I don't remember it at all!

Journey Into Strange Tales Issue 189: Atlas/ Marvel Science Fiction & Fantasy Comics!

 

The Marvel/Atlas 
Horror Comics

Part 174

October 1960

by Peter Enfantino

and Jack Seabrook

Journey Into Mystery #61

Cover by Jack Kirby & George Klein

"I Defied Gomdulla--The Living Pharaoh!" ★★

(a: Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers)

(r: Monsters on the Prowl #12)

"I Dared Enter the Haunted Forest!" (a: Don Heck) ★1/2

(r: Monsters on the Prowl #13)

"I Opened the Door to... Nowhere!" (a: Steve Ditko) ★1/2

(r: Tower of Shadows #1)(r: Where Monsters Dwell #17)

"The Curse of M'Gumbu!" (a: Paul Reinman) ★

(r: Fear #7)

Thanks to a couple of young brats fooling around in an Egyptian museum, the giant mummy, Gomdulla, once again walks the earth! The gargantuan bandaged pharaoh busts out of the museum and disappears into the Egyptian desert. Getting wind that a sinister cult has arisen around the resuscitated behemoth, Interpol sends their number one agent to investigate.

Paul infiltrates the cult as they are performing one of their twisted ceremonies, with Gomdulla holding court over his tiny subjects. Believing the creature to be an inanimate statue, Paul whips out his .44 Magnum and arrests the high priest of Gomdulla. Suddenly, the giant mummy arises and begins tossing huge boulders at the astonished agent. Luckily, the high priest intervenes and shuts down the bandaged behemoth. Later, at the hospital, the high priest explains to Paul that Gomdulla was actually an ancient outer space visitor who was in hibernation. Paul, from his hospital bed exclaims "I Defied Gomdulla--the Living Pharaoh!" This is pretty juvenile stuff (yeah, I know, it all is), with not much action and some awful dialogue. The real problem is that, due to the sparse word count, by the time the action gets going, it's time to shut it all down. I suspect that this is what led Stan to authorize longer "giant monster epics." We will all be the richer. Gotta admit, as dumb as "Gomdulla" may be, the Kirby/Ayers art is striking in spots.

Bigot and snob (but very rich) Darius Zorn discovers a forest in a European valley that glows in the dark and he really must have it. The local villagers warn that if Zorn moves into the forest, the Gods will dry up their crops but the self-absorbed zillionaire won't hear of it. He pays an exorbitant price for the land and then moves in. Shortly after, he is visited by a "man in black" who warns Zorn that he faces peril if he does not move out. Scoffing, Zorn throws the man off his property but then pays the ultimate price when it turns out the man in black is, in reality, an alien from another dimension in a galaxy four quadrants south of France. The creature kidnaps Zorn and exhibits him in a zoo on another planet. "I Dared Enter the Haunted Forest!" is indicative of the vast majority of Atlas tales in 1960: no matter what it all comes down to aliens from another world. Don Heck isn't given much to work with but the art is not bad to look at.

On the run from the law, a burglar steps into a curio shop and forces the owner to open the mysterious door in the back room. Little does the criminal know that he will serve his time whether it's in the pen or it's in purgatory. Every door he opens leads to another door! "I Opened the Door to... Nowhere!" couldn't even get Steve Ditko interested this time out. We never learn what the secret of the never-ending doors is but that's about the only positive. Last up is the dull "The Curse of M'Gumbu!," about a tribe of young roughnecks in the Amazon who are tired of being reined in by their witch doctor and decide to quiet him forever. The witch doctor has something to say about that, though. "M'Gumbu" crawls along at a snail's pace and sports some very weak Reinman visuals. Another loser of an issue.-Peter

Strange Tales #77

Cover by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers

"The Return of Taboo!" (a: Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers) ★★1/2

(r: Where Monsters Dwell #5)

"I Am the Beast-Man!" (a: Don Heck) ★

(r: Weird Wonder Tales #10)

"The Strange Magic of Master Khan!" (a: Steve Ditko) ★★1/2

(r: Where Monsters Dwell #5)(r: Uncanny Tales #10)

"Am I the... Unhuman?" (a: Paul Reinman) ★★

Even though the menace of Taboo was seemingly eliminated thanks to a very clever scientist (see Jack's rundown on the first "Taboo" adventure back in Strange Tales #75), the big glob of mud is back! That's right, even though Taboo was blown to smithereens in outer space, the thousands of bits of the creature drifted back into Earth's atmosphere, landing in several places around the globe. Slowly but surely, the pieces began to crawl towards Central Park, where the slop began to form... to shape... to metamorphosize... into Taboo!!!

Soldier's bullets... atomic submarines... cannons... nothing can stop the great god of mud! Taboo destroys half of Manhattan but slows his progress long enough to deliver an ultimatum to the ants below him... surrender or die! But New Yorkers are tough and, to paraphrase Churchill, "We will never, never give up to a pile of s%#t like you, Taboo!" The giant laughs and begins his destructive walk through New York again when a fearful sight appears in the sky: a giant spaceship made out of mud. "Could this have something to do with Taboo?", screeches a terrified onlooker! "Hahahahaha," chortles the giant, "The ship contains the rest of the invasion party!" 

But Taboo is quite wrong, as the leader of the mud-men explains, the ship has come to take Taboo back to X-38, Third Planet from the Dimension on the Right. Turns out Taboo is an escaped mental patient (probably the bars on his cell were made of mud) and the boys are here to see that he makes it back safely. They apologize to mankind and lift off into space, leaving the onlookers to ponder our insignificance in the galaxy. "The Return of Taboo!" was just goofy enough to keep my attention. I love the panels where Taboo, his mud buddies, and even the spaceship are constantly dripping, leaving me to wonder if the army couldn't have whipped up some kind of giant Easy-Bake Oven to dry Taboo out. 

"I Am the Beast-Man!" tells the hilarious story of  a brilliant but evil genius who concocts a formula which transforms him into a dog, the best form in which to carry out a series of jewelry thefts. Our dopey amateur scientist lets us know every two or three panels that if he doesn't get back under the rays of his Dog-Man Transformer Ray™, he'll be stuck as a canine for thirty days. Just as he's pilfering the wall safe, the homeowner comes home and he's forced to flee. Unfortunately, our Man-Dog is picked up by the dog catcher and taken to the pound. Let me be the first to say that, even though this story is a dog, it got some sustained chuckles from this bored comic book reader. The title worked much better when it was used a couple months prior in Journey Into Mystery #59. Doubtless you'll remembered that beast-man, the commie who put on a bear suit and changed for the better.

Captain Hawk Gormey sets his eyes on the ship belonging to Master Khan and knows he will do whatever he must to own her. First he inquires as to a price but Khan tells him "no sale" so he stoops to less legal means. Gormey drugs the entire Khan crew and then he throws the Master himself in the brig before setting sail to the sea. But it's not long before one of his men tells the Captain that Khan has gone missing. 

Just then, they see the Oriental occultist standing on the waves. He laughs and tells Gormey that since he wanted the ship so badly he can have her now. The men watch in terror as the Master disappears and an eerie fog rolls in. It appears as though the ship is now standing still on a layer of ice. In the end, we discover that Khan's ship, with Gormey and crew still aboard, is trapped in a glass bottle. Nice little twist in the end (though I swear I've seen it before) but let's not kid ourselves, this is all Ditko, prepping for Doctor Strange in just a few years. "The Strange Magic of Master Khan!" is another of those strips that remained in my brain for 55+ years, courtesy of Where Monsters Dwell.

Standing in the shadow of his father and grandfather, two men who advanced the science of robotics, Gideon Burr boasts that he has made an even greater impact: an android so human that no one would be able to tell the difference. He is his own guinea pig and, very soon, he is conversing with an exact replica of himself. This proves troublesome when robots are outlawed and the police come to Gideon's door. But which one is the real Gideon Burr? For most of the running length of "Am I the... Unhuman?," the story is involving and clever but then a happy ending is foisted on us, I assume to avoid the clash with the CCA. That's a pity; Stan would have been better off leaving the end solution hazy.-Peter

Tales to Astonish #12

Cover by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers

"I Discovered Gorgilla! The Monster of Midnight Mountain!"

(a: Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko) ★1/2

(r: Monsters on the Prowl #9)(r: Weird Wonder Tales #21)

"My Nightmare Has No End!" (a: Don Heck) ★★

(r: Fantasy Masterpieces #4)(r: Fear #4)(r: Tomb of Darkness #19)

"Save Me! Save Me!" (a: Paul Reinman) ★★

(r: Fear #3)

"A Monster Waits Outside!!" (a: Steve Ditko) ★★

(r: Fear #3)(r: Chamber of Chills #24)

Convinced that the Missing Link last lived in Borneo, an archaeologist named Scotty rounds up some other scientists and heads to the island where natives reveal that the Link still lives and is worshipped as a god by local headhunters! Scotty and co. make their way to Midnight Mountain, where they scale a huge wall and come face to face with Gorgilla, the giant Missing Link, half man and half ape!

Gorgilla is busy attacking the archaeologists when a T-Rex shows up and the two creatures fight. Gorgilla wins and is worn out, but Scotty decides to leave him in peace and the archaeologists fly back to the U.S.

What a load of hooey! "I Discovered Gorgilla! The Monster of Midnight Mountain!" borrows liberally from King Kong. There's the trip to the mysterious island, the great big wall, and the giant ape man. He grabs a tree that one of the men is hanging onto and then battles a T-Rex. Thank goodness Scotty and co. decide to give up--otherwise, we'd have to see Gorgilla on stage in NYC and climbing the Empire State Building.

Each night, a man's happy dreams are interrupted by the arrival of a shadowy figure. Eventually, the figure materializes and identifies itself as an alien from the planet Zendu who has crossed dimensions to change places with the dreamer. The alien explains that, on Zendu, people live for 1000 years and robots do all the work. He is bored and wants to experience the challenges of living on Earth. The dreamer agrees to change places and, once the process is underway, the alien tells him that he couldn't stand the boredom. The dreamer arrives on Zendu, in the alien's body, while the alien wakes up on Earth, in the dreamer's body. Too bad he's in a jail cell on Death Row!

Heck's art is a bit rough in "My Nightmare Has No End!," but I did not see that ending coming, which is quite an accomplishment at this point in my journey through bad Atlas comics. It's unusual that neither character is given a name.

A brilliant scientist named Albert Poole wants to steal the plans for a new national defense project, but they are on a yacht on the water. Since radar detects anything more than ten feet above the water and sonar detects anything in the water, Poole decides that the best way to approach the yacht undetected is to rearrange his body's atoms so he can walk on water. After some failed experiments he succeeds, walks to the yacht, steals the plans, and walks home. Unfortunately, he must cry "Save Me! Save Me!" because his ability to walk on water makes him sink when he steps on land!

A caption under the last panel reassures the reader that Poole will be rescued and he'll have to live the rest of his life with the guilt of his treasonous act. What I don't understand is why someone who can walk on water would sink on land. I guess it's supposed to be the principle of opposites. Reinman's art is better than usual.

Major Ford is placed in a small cylinder and launched into space in order to test a man's reaction to prolonged isolation and confinement. As the hours pass he begins to get bored, then he becomes convinced that "A Monster Waits Outside!!" The monster breaks in and suddenly Ford is back on Earth, where he is told that he hallucinated due to solitude. But why are there giant scratches on the outside of the sphere, and where did the big red claw come from?

Yet again, an Atlas story prefigures an episode of The Twilight Zone. This time it's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." In both versions, a man in flight thinks he sees a creature, is thought to have hallucinated on return to Earth, and we are left with evidence that the monster really existed. It's fun to imagine Richard Matheson poring over Tales to Astonish for story ideas.-Jack

This Thursday...
The Dude Looks to
Us For Wisdom

And Next Week...
He is Groot!

The 100 Chapter 7: 88 & 87

Who doesn't love a list?

I devour the BFI Best Films of All Time list whenever they deem it necessary to revise and I (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

The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) Starring: Edward Judd, Leo McKern, Janet Munro.

Directed by Val Guest

"They've shifted the tilt of the Earth. The crazy, stupid, irresponsible bastards. They've finally done it."

Imagine for a moment you're Val Guest, standing in front of the fifth studio you've pitched your screenplay to. "It's about the end of the world. The hammer that falls is climate change, something 99% of our prospective audience knows nothing nor cares one whit about, triggered by simultaneous nuclear testing by the US and USSR. Our hero is an alcoholic, self-obsessed asshole whose best days as a newspaper reporter are far behind him. Oh, and at the end I refuse to disclose whether humanity is saved. Well, boys, whattya think?"

Never mind that The Day the Earth Caught Fire is at least three decades ahead of its time, chastising each and every one of us for our shameful waste and arrogance, it's also a very entertaining experience. The dialogue is non-stop wit, doling out scientific exposition while also veering into comedic territory now and then, delivered by an aces cast headlined by a never better Edward Judd (who, despite being given an "and introducing" billing, was a veteran of films and TV). Judd manages to elicit both sympathy and disdain in his performance as Peter Smelling, once a top journalist now reduced to writing 500-word exposes on sunspots thanks to a relationship with the bottle. 

At times, the Blu-ray treatment can expose the low-budget nature of The Day the Earth Caught Fire (Fleet Street clearly ends only a few yards from the action and gives way to painted backgrounds), but if you've ever visited London you'll marvel at just what Guest was able to get away with (during production, the director was only allowed access to one of the city's busiest avenues for two minutes at a time) and excuse any imperfections. That final scene, of the two newspaper headlines ready to roll at the printer, one displaying hope, the other doom, while the bells at St. Paul's ring, is the perfect place to leave us.

If you want happy endings and mindless fluff with your doomsday, I direct you to Michael Bay's Armageddon, but if you revel in bleak, thoughtful storytelling as I do, this is your banquet.—Peter

Remarks from the Gallery:

Jack: This sounds like one I would've watched but I don't recall for certain. I get Val Guest movies mixed up.

John: Great flick. I'm glad that by the time I discovered it, they had released it on DVD (and carried over to Blu-ray) with the color-tinted sequences intact, which I think really enhances the experience. 

The Shining (1980)

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Jack Torrance takes his wife Wendy and son Danny to the remote Overlook Hotel in Colorado, where he has been hired as caretaker for the winter. With Jack's history of domestic violence and alcoholism, is this a good idea? Once the snow starts to fall and the family becomes isolated, strange things begin to happen, and before you know it, Jack is a raving maniac, wandering around the hotel with an axe.

I first saw The Shining the night of my high school graduation in June 1980 at the Blue Star Cinema in Watchung, NJ. I recall enjoying it and wondering what the heck happened at the end, so I ran out and bought the paperback, figuring it would give more details. I preferred the book to the movie and read all the Stephen King books I could get my hands on for the next several years.

I've seen the movie a few times in the intervening 46 years (!!) and it really holds up. I watched it again yesterday and at first was thinking it should be higher on my list. By the end, I was comfortable with it at #88 because this is a list of favorite movies, not best movies. The film is tremendously well made and the camerawork and sound blew me away. Nicholson is a riot and Kubrick uses his particular set of skills to mix humor and terror. I still don't love Shelley Duvall's performance, but she is very good at screaming and looking terrified! Danny Lloyd is terrific as Danny, the child, and I credit Kubrick for that. I was most struck by how good Scatman Crothers is as the older man who shares the Shining with Danny.

The other thing I noticed was how much the film owes to Hitchcock and Psycho, from the handling of suspense and sudden shocks to the music, especially near the end. Oh, and how much hair we all had back then! It's a great movie, but it's so disturbing that I couldn't watch it often, and I certainly don't light up when I see it's on TV and happily tune in at any point, as I do some of the movies closer to the top of my list.—Jack

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: Unlike you, Jack, I read the novel long before I saw the flick (at the Century in San Jose on opening night). With Kubrick at the helm and Nicholson in the lead, I was expecting The Shining to be fabulous but was immensely disappointed. I thought the fear factor in the book was dispensed with and Kubrick was fascinated with how crazy Nicholson looked in all those 1970s flicks. I know King hated what Kubrick did with his novel but I didn't read his comments until after I'd seen the movie myself so that didn't sway my opinion. Sure, it's got some classic scenes (the typewriter and the Duvall bathroom scene obviously) but there's so much more in the novel that reaches out and grabs you by the throat without resorting to cheap scares. The film also has a smell of pretension about it that turns me off. I know it was a critical darling (and remains so) but I think it's one of Kubrick's weaker projects. The mini-series wasn't much better so maybe The Shining is a story best read rather than seen.

John: I saw The Shining on home video before I read the book, and while I enjoyed it, I was too young to fully appreciate what Kubrick was doing. To be fair, only one Kubrick film has landed perfectly with me on my first viewing, but we can talk more about that in the months ahead. I'm glad I was recently able to see The Shining during a theatrical reissue, as it really benefits from the big screen experience. I did eventually read the book, and while I enjoyed it, it's not among my top 10 King books, either.

Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
Starring: Robert Townsend, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Anne-Marie Johnson
Director: Robert Townsend

"There's always work at the post office."

While Hollywood Shuffle does have a narrative thread, it also plays out like a sketch comedy, and it's fantastic. Unlike most films of this nature, which often have as many (if not more) low points than they do high points, this one tends to have high points and higher points! Robert Townsend is dynamite as struggling actor Robbie Taylor. His adventures in the pursuit of an acting career are equally hilarious and heartbreaking. It was a no-brainer to include it on my list because it is so re-watchable and quotable. A couple of favorite sequences are the infomercial for Black Acting School and the movie reviews covered in 'Sneakin into the Movies'—in which we get a spin on Siskel & Ebert covering some familiar-looking films. This one has me smiling just thinking about it.—John

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: As with your Mighty Wind, this is one I never even considered attending. The 1980s, to me, was not an era ripe with funny comedies. To be perfectly honest, I don't associate the 1980s with much of anything in the quality department and my 100 will reflect that. 

Jack: I'm not familiar with this one at all. The title is vaguely familiar but I'm certain I've never seen it.

L. A. Confidential (1997)

Starring: James Cromwell, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe

Director: Curtis Hanson

"Go back to Jersey, sonny. This is the City of the Angels, and you haven't got any wings."

Up front: this is 90% all about the cast. Outside of Glengarry Glen Ross and The Godfather, I'm hard-pressed (but I'm sure John will say something about my faulty memory in the comments) to name a tighter-knit ensemble, each one worthy of an Oscar. Pearce and Crowe were foreigners no one knew anything about, Cromwell was the pig movie guy, and Kim Basinger (as the lone female star) had seen much better days career-wise. That left Kevin Spacey, an Oscar-decorated character actor who was about to hit the big time (and then flame out spectacularly decades later), as the "name" in this picture. It was James Ellroy's novel that got me in my seat at the AMC Mesa on opening day.

Spacey's great and his character provides the biggest jolt halfway through the flick but, to me, the revelation here is Cromwell, who delivers one of the screen's greatest villains as Captain Dudley Smith, cold as ice and handy with a revolver; you can just see the gears going around in his head throughout the picture's complex plots and sub-plots. This is one of those rare occasions when the movie improves upon the book.—Peter

Remarks from the Gallery:

Jack: I saw this when it came out and really liked it, but I don't think I've seen it since.

John: It's been a while since I've seen L. A. Confidential, but I didn't come away from it anxious to watch it again and again.

Atomic Blonde (2017)
Starring: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman
Director: David Leitch

David Percival: "Oh my God, I think I fucking love you!"

Lorraine Broughton: "That's too bad."

From the opening notes of David Bowie's "Putting Out the Fire" (from Cat People!), I was sold. Atomic Blonde is a perfectly scored '80s period piece (I'm already prepared for Peter's commentary on the songs). And it's a beautiful film to look at, before we even get to talking about Charlize Theron. I have always been a fan, but she certainly exceeded my expectations with this one. She's a full-fledged, kick-ass action star. There's a fight scene in a stairwell that's amazingly shot and choreographed, and as good as anything you'll find in a John Wick movie (it's no surprise Director Leitch co-created that franchise). The cold war thriller has plenty of interesting twists and turns, as well as some very funny bits, particularly involving handlers played by John Goodman and Toby Jones. I wasn't sure if this was going to make my top 100, but it was easier to let other titles slip off the list to ensure this one stayed on it.—John

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: Oh, I can ignore the soundtrack but you'll get my full rundown on this classic very soon.

Jack: Never seen it.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton
Director: James Cameron

It's 1995 and John Connor is growing up! Skynet, the evil computer in the future, sends a T-1000, an advanced killing machine, back in time to kill John so he can't grow up and lead the resistance movement against the machines. Future John sends a reprogrammed T-800 back to protect young John. But can anything stop the shapeshifting, seemingly indestructible T-1000?

Man, this flick blew me away when I saw it first-run back in '91. It seemed like the special effects were nothing like anyone had ever seen before. Watching it today, they're still impressive. The movie gets off to a great start, with Arnold walking naked into a biker bar and walking out in head-to-toe black leather. He really is the epitome of cool in this movie. The chase scenes are fantastic, especially the first one with the truck chasing the moped and the last one with another truck chasing a pickup.

I like the way Cameron and Schwarzenegger play with the actor's persona, mixing humor and toughness and making Arnold a star of a different magnitude. The film slows down in the middle and could be shorter, but the little bits of philosophy (about changing the past to change the future) and ethics (about not letting one's self become a killing machine) allow for a bit of thought between kernels of popcorn.

Edward Furlong is annoying as anything as John Connor, but he does develop and grow during the movie. Has anyone ever been as tough as Linda Hamilton in this film? Robert Patrick was instantly recognizable as the T-1000 and even played it again in a cameo in—was it Wayne's World? The movie is incredibly violent but features fabulous stunt work and incredible driving. The end is satisfying emotionally. I still have a place in my heart for T2.—Jack

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: I never bought into the hype. Well, I guess I did at first since I saw it opening weekend. Yep, for its time, the VFX are incredible but, past that, there's only Linda Hamilton and the decent Guns n Roses song to keep my interest. But, oh that Linda!

John: I remember being blown away by the visual effects when I saw T2 on opening night. While I still enjoy it, unlike the original Terminator, my esteem for T2 dropped considerably when I realized that the wow factor of that first viewing didn't carry over to subsequent viewings.