Reviews

The title of Is Genesis History? Is posed as a question, but the film offers no debate as the creationist/intelligent design theory is the one that is argued to be true from the outset. This is so because the only experts in the film all espouse the Genesis explanation and state that the Earth is not millions of years old but is young. At one level, this is all very interesting, but without a counter view it doesn't really mean anything and clearly the claims can be argued against, with some considerable weight. As such, we hear that the Grand Canyon was formed in no time at all by the rushing deluge of the Great Flood, and that the T-Rex was punished by said Great Flood because it was violent. Now, I'm not a dinosaur expert, but the aggressive nature of creatures like said T-Rex was due entirely to their predator/carnivore nature and they killed to consume, so I doubt that there were organized gangs of T-Rex Droogs putting the shakedown on Stegosaurus businesses for protection money, Peaky Blinders style, and thus incurring divine punishment. Of course, this implies that humans and dinosaurs were contemporaries, and both faced the terror of the Flood, but if so, surely the mighty Megalodon would have been quite happy in a flooded world, and so still be with us. Later, an astronomer explains that a spiral galaxy is millions of light years away, which kind of ends the debate in terms of the age of the universe, but somehow this isn't an issue and is explained away in terms of the power of God (I think, I couldn't really get the gist of the rationale). At another point, a starfish and a sea cucumber are plucked from a pool to demonstrate how they categorically debunk evolution, but again, I'm not quite sure exactly how they do this. So, while the film looks great, with sweeping panoramas of canyons and lush landscapes and some really excellent cinematography, it badly needed balance as the film simply concludes that there is no debate concerning the status of Genesis as the be-all-and-end-all history of the universe, but of course, there is.

While the film's poster promises some kind of supernatural biblical tale, the reality is that it is yet another Asylum disaster narrative focusing on a super volcano in Brazil that also sets off all manner of storms, lightning strikes, earthquakes and even locust swarms. As usual, the disasters (courtesy of stock footage) are introduced from the outset at breakneck speed and a trio of scientists, protected by a squad of US peacekeeping soldiers, must stop the super volcano, and its associated geo-thermal larks, before it destroys the whole planet in an orgy of ropey CGI. Of course, they are successful and the dire natural threat to the entire world is easily taken care of courtesy of one helicopter with some explosives on board crashing into a lake. I can only assume that Asylum films exert some form of mesmerism as I have no idea why I keep watching these farces. They never reach the heights of so-bad-they-are-good levels, just bad (although this one has some very strange voice dubbing at times and one of the scientists seems to find the whole disaster-filled venture to be quite a jolly wheeze as she is always smiling), but they seem to possess some siren quality in their wretchedness as I keep watching them (although Age of Ice almost finished me). However, this film does weirdly add madness-inducing fungus to the mix, so there is at least some variation to the scenes of storms and urban looting (and which also gives rise to an hallucinatory vision of said 4 Horsemen), all avidly watched by General Norris (played by Dominque Swain) on a series of TV screens in the Command Centre (that are able to show various global disaster scenes in remarkable clarity and numerous close-ups), but The Last of Us it most certainly is not.

Area 51 suffers from the same fate that many found footage films have in that you have to get through an hour + of irrelevant scene setting antics, shaky images and extreme close-ups for little dramatic payoff or real visual revelation. As the title suggests, Area 51 concerns a trio of characters who break into the legendary secret Nevada base to find conclusive evidence of aliens and extraterrestrial technology, which they do! From this perspective, the yarn should be really interesting, but the issues with the film are that there is little dramatic tension. At one level this is because it is a found footage narrative and so we only see what the characters see, but more of an issue is the lack of suspense or thrills that are presented as Area 51 seems to be very easy to get into as hardly anyone works there or guards it and there is no CCTV surveillance in place. Given the wondrous things in store, security is amazingly lax. As such, labs with fantastic technology and even an entire spacecraft are just left unattended while a coterie of aliens comfortably lounge in a cave and when some do go a-wandering they kill guards and throw tables around, but the authorities must be cool with this as there are no obvious containment or security measures and the ETs are pretty much left to their own devices. So, there is a nanosecond glimpse of unearthly outer space creatures and a brief sighting of a saucer in flight at the end, but ultimately Area 51 is a very unsatisfactory venture.

The Razor's Edge is very different change of pace for Bill Murray and, as Larry Darrell, his post-WWI search from Paris to Tibet for the meaning to life is engaging. The film is beautiful to look at (especially the scenes in India and Tibet) and the musical score is effecting. In terms of performances, Denholm Elliott is great as usual, but the film really belongs to Theresa Russell, whose tragic character Sophie is played with power and a range of differing emotions. But what of Bill Murray? Well, he is as charming and effortlessly likeable as he always is, but the role needed to be much more of a dramatic departure (akin to Jim Carrey in The Truman Show). As such, the jokey aspects of the performance often make the character feel more like Bill Murray transported back to the early twentieth century rather than the distinctive and emotionally damaged character of Larry Darrell, and so I never really felt like Murray represented a man of 1914-1920. Furthermore, the film needed more solid foundation in WWI to stress the shock and loss of spirit he later feels and which motivates him to leave his life behind. Indeed, the impetus (the death of Piedmont) doesn't really get much screen time and nor do we see much interaction between Darrell and Piedmont, so it isn't really that evident why this causes such a radical change and motivates his global quest. But for all of that, it is a good film and while the role does not stretch Murray away from his comedy roots enough, it is still a different perspective on his work and Theresa Russell is excellent.

Having avoided Carry on Emmannuelle for eons, I finally watched it as it was the only Carry on film I hadn't seen (I also recently saw the ghastly Carry on Columbus, so have now seen 'em all), but it is sadly pretty awful and sometimes an overly crude affair as it just doesn't feel like a Carry On caper. Whereas the classic series always included sexual innuendo galore, Emmannuelle's obviousness (vainly trying to tap into Robin Askwith Confessions or the Adventures of a Taxi Driver-type film series territory) jars (one supposedly amusing sequence featuring a football team lining up to have their way with Emmannuelle made me think of the horrible ending to Last Exit to Brooklyn!) and it generally lacks the charm of the earlier films. In terms of the few positives, it is good to see Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth and Jack Douglas (the latter playing a much more suave character than usual) together, and of course the film does feature the wonderful Kenneth Williams, although he is not given anything like the quality of previous films and not a huge amount of screen time (possibly at his own request!). Also, Suzanne Danielle is good and certainly looks marvellous, although the subplot featuring a lovesick young chap obsessed with Emmannuelle is tiresome and the fact that said lad attempts to kidnap Emmannuelle at gunpoint isn't exactly hilarious. So, there are some amusing scenes and instances of nostalgia, but the Carry On series should have ended with Carry on Dick.

The Blood Beast Terror is a watchable Hammer-fest that is certainly original in its premise of a young woman who transforms into a deadly human-sized moth! The fiendish lepidoptera preys on men a-plenty and drains them of blood, while its terrible visage drives witnesses beyond the very rim of sanity. Investigating the mystery is Inspector Quennell, played by the peerless Peter Cushing, ably assisted by Sergeant Allan (Minder's very own Dave!), who uncovers Dr Mallinger's insect/human meddling and solves the case via a (modest, it must be said) bonfire that attracts the deadly moth to the destroying flames. The film is not great and there is time wasting present in the form of a really long amateur dramatics production sequence. Moreover, moths are not noted for their blood-sucking ways so it is an odd choice of creature as the source of menace (perhaps if wardrobes of clobber had been found masticated beyond repair then that could have been a more precise threat). Furthermore, it is not clear how a moth creature is able to transform into a human - what were they first? Still, if anyone has ever dreamed of seeing a weremoth film, then The Blood Beast Terror delivers on that fantasy.

The Haunted Strangler is an interesting late-1950s Victorian-set gothic horror that sees well-meaning, justice-seeking author James Rankin (monsieur Karloff) trying to prove the innocence of the hanged Haymarket Strangler, executed 20 years previous-like. However, when Rankin unearths the murder weapon from the grave of said apparent murderer, it possesses him and reveals that he, Tyler Durden-like, was the dreaded killer and his true self emerges to kill and kill again. Karoff's facial transformation is good, although not quite radical enough to explain why people who know the venerable writer well fail to recognize the fellow when he is affixed with his contorted boat race. In the end, the film concludes in a satisfying manner, and while not a classic by any means, it is enjoyable, and the great Boris is perfectly splendid.

Day of the Dead is aligned with George A. Romero's great film of the same title, but beyond the allusions to Bub and Rhodes, there really is not much to connect them. Indeed, the title seems to refer to the fact that the zombie invasion of the town takes place in just one day (the first James Joyce-inspired zombie series?). The cause of the outbreak is linked to an ancient zombie getting thrown into a pool which then somehow reanimates several long-dead corpses (which are in surprisingly robust shape) joined by a coterie of newly dead victims in addition to some nefarious scientist action. The budget is low and when the zombies are enticed into a cave their number mysteriously reduces quite radically, and visually, some zombie makeup is good, some is not. Yet, the series does feature a bride who reveals super martial arts skills (to fight her own zombified father, no less!), pleasant emotional bonding chats in the face of an impending zombie-induced fate, a gun-toting mayor, and a nod to the original Bub, which is a nice touch and who is very well played by Mike Dopud, who delivers the best performance in the series by far. However, by the end of Season 1 there really does not seem to be anywhere else for the series to go, so it is not clear if Season 2 will be lumbering into view any time soon.

While Westworld remains an iconic depiction of robots running amok and marked by Yul Brynner's marvellous Gunslinger character, Futureworld presents a more ponderous vision of the future. The pace is pretty slow and while an attack by robo-samurai sounds exciting, it isn't (and said droids end up comically 'frozen' when their power is cut off). In place of the thrills of the Gunslinger's proto-Terminator, we get an investigative journalist probe into what is really going on at the parks involving the creation of sinister robot doubles, which obviously is not as compelling. But, the film features John Ryan as the nefarious head scientist, an actor I really rate and Blythe Danner is charming, but for a film all about fantastical technology, it is a leaden affair.

I was perusing Peacock and found an episode of Columbo that I hadn't seen before, but joy turned to dismay on seeing No Time to Die (a title that is utterly random - it could have just as easily been called Biker Mice From Mars and made just as much sense) and I understand why this adventure is not broadcast very often. The obvious issue is that there is no murder but instead the story focuses on a crazed kidnapper who takes Columbo's nephew's new bride prisoner (for reasons that are not really that clear beyond him being a superfan of her modelling career) and the sexually-motivated psycho killer angle jars badly with the show's general feel - it just doesn't fit the Columbo universe. This might have worked as a crossover with another show (like Matlock meeting Dr Mark Sloan or Jessica Fletcher teaming up with Thomas Magnum, etc.), but it would have to have been with Law and Order, given the subject matter, and so it fails totally as a Columbo episode. Furthermore, the bizarre spectacle of having Columbo donning his trademark well-worn mac over a tuxedo at the wedding just adds to the wrongness of the proceedings as it just looks weird and is merely a blatant effort to visually stress that this is a Columbo mystery. So, while I do enjoy rewatching classic Columbo episodes, I wouldn't touch this one with the proverbial if I came across it again.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown represents a different approach to the masked-killer-on-the-loose film that of course predates Halloween, Friday the 13th, etc. The hooded 'Phantom' who terrorizes Texarkana is extremely effective, both visually and in terms of his deranged creativity and maniacal drive to kill. Additionally, the docu-drama approach is novel and works given the basis in truth that the film is based on. Indeed, given that the killer was never caught, this does bestow upon the film a nihilistic edge, although if the viewer is seeking resolution, then obviously there is none (although the final self-referential scene is cool). However, there are some issues, most notably the inclusion of some heavy-handed, if not slapstick at times, comedy. This jars with the documentary-style approach (and the sadistically brutal murders) and is mainly focused on Patrolman A. C. Benson, who just reminded me of Ed Wood Jr's Kelton the Cop, which is perhaps not an ideal connection in a serious and gritty horror film. Finally, at one stage the killer is seen wandering around a sandpit in broad daylight still wearing the sack-mask, which seems a little odd and very unlikely on the killer's part. But in the history of the psycho-killer film, The Town That Dreaded Sundown makes a strong and influential contribution and is well worth seeing.

Virgin Witch is a 1972 grotty supernatural thriller that sees sisters Christine and Betty (Ann and Vicki Michelle) run away from home, get picked up by the ostensible hero, Johnny and eventually end up at Advertising Company owner Sybil Waite's stately country retreat, where Christine takes part in a series of photo shoots. The plot involves Betty discovering a ritual space which is the locale for a witch's coven, lead by Sybil and the suave Dr Gerald Amberely. However, it is intimated throughout the film that Christine is a natural witch and she begins to exert her powers to take the High Priestess role from Sybil and introduce a more wanton degree of sexual coven action. At face value this sounds pretty interesting, but the plot is soon revealed to merely be a thin platform to regularly disrobe the sisters (especially Ann Michelle). That said, Ann Michelle puts in a good performance, suggesting a sense of ambiguity about her powers and motives, and so does Patricia Haines as Sybil (to the point that her professionalism delivers a quality that the film does not deserve). Virgin Witch is certainly a film from a curious cinematic era, but it never really casts a spell on the viewer.