ATRAGON (1963) is an excellent Japanese SF film in which the subsea empire of Mu decides to reclaim control of the world. The only possible defense is a super-submarine built by a Japanese Imperialist die-hard who’s been developing it as the ultimate weapon since the end of World War II and has no interest in using it for world peace instead of restoring the Japanese Empire. This conflict gives it more drama than many of the Japanese monster films of the era, though it has plenty of spectacle too; I do wonder what the Japanese made of this, or of the Mu Empress deciding death is better than living in defeat.“You are nothing by a knight in rusty armor!”
Peter Jackson’s pre-LOTR film THE FRIGHTENERS (1996) stars Michael J. Fox as a medium whose ghostbusting business is based on using friendly spooks to stage hauntings so that people have a reason to hire him. Then a ghostly serial killer begins attacking the town and Fox must try to stop him despite being the prime suspect. The good elements add up to less than the sum of their parts, unfortunately: Fox’s character’s multiple facets (con man, grieving widower, reluctant hero, selfish weasel) never mesh (I blame the script more than the actor) and Jeffrey Coombs as a manic FBI agent makes no sense as a character except that the film needs a marplot to stand in Fox’s way. Avoid. “The number 13 was carved in her forehead.”
THE ALPHABET KILLER (2008) stars Eliza Dushku as a stressed-out detective whose obsessive insistence a young girl’s murder is a serial killing eventually pushes her into full-blown schizophrenia, much to the distress of doctor Carl Lumbly and therapist Timothy Hutton. Given the number of crazy detectives in TV and movies these days, it’s nice to have a film consider that better detective work isn’t a good trade-off for insanity. Otherwise, stock and cliched, including the all-too-familiar-twist that The Man In The Wheelchair Can Really Walk!!!! “Don’t worry, you’re not my type.”
SHALL WE DANCE (1937) is the Astaire/Rogers film in which Fred’s attempts to romance Ginger go south thanks to the bungling intervention of Edward Everett Horton, leading to escalating levels of absurdity as they alternatively try to prove they are or aren’t really married. Memorable moments include the dance on roller skates, debating whether to say tomahto or tomato (“Let’s call the whole thing off.”) and Fred getting to dance with dozens of Gingers in the big finish. TYG liked it too, though she goggled at how much of the movie Astaire & Co. spend in formal dress (“It’s like they’re all vampires!”). “I’m incredibly lucky—the first time I’m on a boat with someone like you, it turns out to be you.”
KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979) holds up remarkably well as Dustin Hoffman tries to make French toast, Meryl Streep (lord does she look young!) leaves to find herself, Jobeth Williams meets the younger Kramer and Howard Duff warns Hoffman that the court fight will be dirty. One of TYG’s Netflix picks (she liked it), so it’s interesting to see it works for Gen X as well as a boomer like me. “Where will I keep my books?”
LOST IN AUSTEN was a British miniseries in which a 21st century woman finds a porthole into the world of Pride and Prejudice. Which would be cool except that Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) is now in our time and without her the plot of the novel is rapidly unraveling… Great fun, and I honestly didn’t see how they’d pull everything out at the end. “My employer worries about their—footprint.”
