Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis' on TMC tonight!

About once a year, I have a moment when I wonder if my long-standing choice of not having cable TV is in my best interest. For 2010, that moment is now.

On Sunday, November 7 at 8pm (tonight!), Turner Classic Movies is playing the television premiere of the newly restored version of "Metropolis" starring Brigitte Helm. The version being aired will feature 24 minutes that reportedly haven't been seen by the public in half a century or more.

"Metropolis" is the coolest silent sci-fi flick of them all, and, without question, one of the coolest sci-fi flicks ever. It's the story of a futuristic society threatened with destruction when a pair of young idealists attempt to bring equality and justice to its workers... and the city's leader tries to prevent change through some shocking means. If you're not like me, and you have cable television, I recommend watching it. Meanwhile, here are some pictures to whet your appetite.

For my take on some slient movies, click here to visit Shades of Gray.

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'The Great Race' is a great time

The Great Race (1965)
Starring: Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, and Keenan Wynn
Director: Blake Edwards
Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

In 1908, The Great Leslie (Curtis), a famed daredevil who all men want to be and who all women want, proposes a race from New York to Paris to celebrate the glory of the automobile and the power of the American automotive companies. The race gets strange and crazy when Leslie's nemesis--rival daredevil Professor Fate (Lemmon) and his sidekick Max (Falk)--decide the circum-global race is the perfect opportunity to show that he's the superior man--and cigarillo-smoking suffergette Maggie DuBois (Wood) decides the race is the perfect chance to prove a liberated woman is the equal of any man.


"The Great Race" is a spectacular spoof of movies like "Around the World in 80 Days" and a fantastic homage to the style of comedy seen in the silent movies and early talkies. Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk are great as the bumbling, highly sympathetic villains of the piece, Natalie Wood is hilarious (not to mention drop-dead gorgeous) as the ever-scheming pig-headed Maggie DuBois, and Tony Curtis stands as the brave and so-virtious-dirt-never-sticks-to-his-all-white-clothing-and-so-sauve-his-car-never-runs-out-of-chilled-champagne romantic hero Leslie at the center of the crazy antics of the film's antagonists. (There's a pie fight that breaks out in the movie's second half, and Leslie wanders through the mayhem and never gets so much as a fleck of whip cream on him!)

From beginning to end, this is a good-natured film, filled with likable and even lovable characters. Although Professor Fate and Max are constantly trying to sabotage Leslie's stunts, are trying to win the race through all sorts of underhanded tricks, everything seems to be in good fun. (Well, not from Professor Fate's point of view, but the audience can't resent him, because nothing ever goes right for him... and he's obviously so insecure that if he wasn't so funny we'd be feeling sorry for him.)

Another source of this movie's charm is that it contains virtually all the standards of the classic movie comedies from the 1920s and into the 1930s, as well as many of the standards of the "steampunk" movie genre that flourished briefly in the 1960s (which included such flicks as "Around the World in 80 Days", "At the Earth's Core", and "First Men on the Moon") in the form of the flying bicycle, submarine, and bizarre automobile that Professor Fate and Max travel around on.

The film also spoofs classic meldodramas, via the upstanding Leslie and the dastardly Professor Fate and by including a hilarious "Prisoner of Zenda" take-off where Professor Fate is roped into posing as the Crown Prince of Potzdorf by evil Prussians because of the uncanny likeness he shares with the dimwitted drunkard. We're treated to a swordfight as Leslie once again has to save the day, and one of the most hilarious displays of American patriotism on screen ever filmed. (Even while typing this, I find myself chuckling at recollection of Natalie Wood and Keenan Wynn breaking into "God Bless America" while imprisoned in the Potzdorf dungeon.)

Every scene in this film, and every actor performing, displays perfect comedic timing. There isn't a gag that doesn't come off perfectly, there isn't a scene that runs overlong, and there isn't a moment wasted in the film. Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk make a great team in their Laurel & Hardy-inspired roles, and Natalie Wood is funnier and more gorgeous than she ever was in any other movie she made. Tony Curtis has the thankless job of being the straight man, but he is perfect as the dashing hero.


I've seen the 160-minute running time mentioned as being too long, but to me it seemed just right--and I generally think that a movie shouldn't run more than 100 minutes. Perhaps the criticism of the film as being to long comes from the way we watch it today; when it was shown in theaters, there was an intermission just before the film launches into the Potzdorf segment. As fate would have it, my viewing of the film was interrupted almost at that same exact moment, so I got the "intermission experience", and I therefore didn't get restless. Still, at the rate the gags were coming--and as funny as Jack Lemmon was playing the dual role of Professor Fate and Prince Hapnick, I still doubt I would have felt the film was too long. Everything and everyone is perfect in this movie.

Blake Edward's REAL "Ten" isn't the movie he made by that title, but rather "The Great Race". It's a must-see for lovers of classic movies and great comedies.

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Great film presents outdated future

Escape From New York (1981)
Starring: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Donald Pleasence, and Adreinne Barbeau
Director: John Carpenter

In a 1980s vision of a dark future, Manhattan Island has been turned into a massive prison where the worst of the worst of American criminals are sent to live out their lives with no chance of ever being freed. After Air Force One crashes into the prison, decorated war-hero turned violent criminal Snake Pliskin (Russell) is recruited by the authorities to rescue the president.


What follows is one of the best adventure movies ever made, with touches of dystopic sci-fi, humor, horror, and action mixing easily together. Snake's quest through the deadly, decaying streets of Manhattan take him from strange to stranger, and from bizarre to deadly, as he penetrates ever-deeper into the nightmarish world that the prisoners have created. As if the cannibals and crazies weren't enough, Snake is also fighting the clock: Commisioner Hauk (Van Cleef) had Snake injected with time-released poison capsules that will kill him if he isn't back with the president in 22 hours.

"Escape From New York" is full of great moments of horror, humor, and action. Every actor puts on great performances, with Russell's Clint Eastwood imitation as Pliskin, Van Cleef as coldblooded prison warden/police commissioner Hauk, and Hayes as the insane, intensely evil Duke of New York being the most impressive. It's a movie that stands up to repeated viewings, with perfect pacing, magnificent sets, and an excellent electronic score that also ranks among Carpenter's greatest works.

If there's anything wrong with the movie, it's that its "near-future setting" hasn't aged well...but that is the complaint that can be made of ANY film that says "here's what tech will be like 20 years from now."

(From the News Department--Bad News Department: "Escape From New York" is yet another film that's going to be the subject of a crappy remake. Click here for the tragic news. While I agree this is one movie that's outdated, it's also a movie that there is no way they'll be able to match quality-wise.)

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'The Forbidden Kingdom' is worth visiting

The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
Starring: Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Yifei Liu, Colin Chou, and Bingbing Li
Director: Rob Minkoff
Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

A nerdy American teenager (Angarano) is transported to mythical ancient China where he must free the immortal Monkey King (Li) by returning his magical fighting staff to him and engineering the defeat of the Jade Warlord (Chou). He is aided in his quest by a drunken warrior-scholar (Chan), a taciturn monk (Li, again), and a vengeance-seeking young bard (Liu).


"The Forbidden Kingdom" is a martial arts fantasy extravaganza that the entire family can enjoy. It's got action, humor, fantastic set and costume design, interesting heroes, flashy villains, and some pretty nifty martial arts scenes. The storyline seems to have been arrived at by a thorough blending of 30 years of martial arts movies, Asian mythology, western fantasy fiction and movies. The film plays both as its own stand-alone work and as a loving tribute to all the many sources it draws from.

On a technical level, I was in awe over the incredible attention to detail shown by the production staff on this film. Particularly impressive was the costuming and make-up of the Monkey King and the bird-like, whitehaired Witch (who is a character bound to creep out the young kids in the audience and who is played with chilling iciness by Bingbing Li) and the continuity between shots and scenes in sequences such as the battle between Chan and Li's characters in an abandoned temple, or the effects on Liu's Young Sparrow character from the fight with the Witch. If there is an award for continuity control, this film deserves one!


If you're a parent who loves Asian mythology, martial arts and fantasy--or perhaps even just fantasy-- and you want to share that this is a film you should share with your 10-14 year-old kids.

And if the family enjoys "The Forbidden Kingdom", allow me to recommend my favorite obscure anime "Mask of Zeguy" (aka simply "Zeguy". It's a similar tale where a teenaged girl is transported to a mythical kingdom in the clouds and must save both it and our world from an evil sorceress. It may only be available via services like Netflix these days, but you won't regret chasing it down.)

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'Time Bandits' is timeless fantasy classic

Time Bandits (1982)
Starring: David Warnock, David Warner, Sean Connery, John Cleese, David Rappaport, Kenny Baker, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, and Ralph Richardson
Director: Terry Gilliam
Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

Young David (Warnock) is sucked up in an adventure across time and space as dwarf-like assistants to the Supreme Being (Richardson) steal a map of Creation and use it to enrich themselves. Meanwhile, the Evil Genius (Warner) is hot on their trail, hoping to get his hands on the ultimate secrets.


"Time Bandits" is a true classic that stands firmly against the passage of time. In fact, it compares very favorably to the modern CGI extravaganzas, generally blowing them out of the water with its gritty, low-tech feel. (As far as on-screen portrayals, I'll take the Ancient Greece of "Time Bandits" any day over that in "300".)

"Time Bandits" is a wild absurdist sci-fi comedy that fully brings the feeling of a dream and the true sensibilities of old-school fairy tales to the Big Screen like no movie has ever managed to do. Although ostensibly a movie for kids, the humor, action, and messages are things that adults will be able to enjoy with equal pleasure.

The acting and writing is top-notch, the special effects--although decidedly low-tech--are all very effective, the sets tremendously detailed and they actually manage to convey the feeling of what the historical locales visited in the film were probably like. The twisted presentation of historical figures (like the publicity hound Robin Hood and a Napoleon suffering from the ultimate case of Short Man's Complex) are things that every viewer will get a kick out of, and every viewer will likewise feel Kevin's sorrow and pain when the Time Bandits drag him away from the perfect father--in the form of King Agamemnon in Ancient Greece.

"Time Bandits" is a true cinematic classic. It should be seen by all movie lovers, particularly those who love sci-fi flicks and well-made comedies.

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Cinematic Black History Milestone:First Black Sheriff

Blazing Saddles (1974)
Starring: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Hedley Lamar, Madeline Khan, and Mel Brooks
Director: Mel Brooks
Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

A villainous political boss (Lamar) bent on ruining a small frontier town for his personal gain appoints a black sheriff (Little). Comedy and satire without bounds ensue.


"Blazing Saddles" is one of Mel Brook's greatest films. Using the framework of a traditional horse opera, the film spoofs westerns, modern societal conventions, liberals, conservatives, blacks, whites, racists, bigots, and just about about anyone else you can think of. It's so crammed with satirical bite that the western genre can't even hold it, and the final minutes of the film is one of the best fourth-wall sequences to ever be put on film.

There isn't a single misfire in this film. The casting is perfect all-around, and all actors give hilarious performances. The script is perfectly paced. The jokes all work--even if many of the skew toward the 4th-grade boy level of humor... but who can possible not laugh during the campfire scene?

The only people who don't laugh themselves sick while watching "Blazing Saddles" are those who are pathelogically obsessed with political correctness, prudes, and dead people. The rest of us will have a great time with this classic comedy.

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'Hot Fuzz' is greatest buddy cop spoof?

Hot Fuzz (2007)
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Timothy Dalton, and Jim Broadbent
Director: Edgar Wright
Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

When London's top cop Nick Angel (Pegg) is promoted and transferred because his superiors feel he's making them look bad (with his 400%-above-average arrest record), he finds himself in a village so peaceful that the police officers in the village spend their days eating cake and ice cream, and he is teamed with a young constable (Frost) whose idea of police work is shaped by American movies, such as "Bad Boys II". But when a hooded serial killer starts picking off some of the village's leading citizens, it seems Angel may still have a chance to do some real crime-fighting and police work. But will his fellow officers believe that it's the work of a killer and not just a series of freak accidents being inflated by a cop who is too highly strung for village life?


"Hot Fuzz" is probably the best comedy that will be released in 2007. I don't like to make that sort of hyperbolic declaration, but in this case, I think it'll be true. It's not only a hilarious spoof, but its script is so well done that it even works as a crime drama.

Like "Shaun of the Dead"--a film from the same team that made this film--"Hot Fuzz" takes the standards of a popular movie genre-in this case, the buddy cop drama-and gives them a distinctly British twist. This film is somewhat more farcical than "Shaun of the Dead" as it pokes a lot more fun at the quirks and cliches of buddy cop action films, but it still transmit an obvious affection for the genre on the part of the writers. In fact, if more police dramas and thrillers (buddy cop or otherwise) had scripts as well-crafted as this one, there would be fewer box office bombs.

The very best aspect of this film is that it's as realistic as movies of this sort get. Although there are points in the film where it seems like the film abandons realism for comedic affect-such as a scene where Sgt. Angel is chasing the hooded murderer, who seems to miraculously gain 20 yards over him every time he disappears around corner (because if Angel catches the killer at this point in the film, things will be over an hour in)--when it comes to the crimes that are going on is that everything makes sense when the truth comes to light. Even parts of the movie that just seemed like odd bits of comedy suddenly make perfect sense when all the twists and Big Reveals have been unveiled.


Another strong point of the film is the fact that the screenwriters truly wrote a mystery tale where they follow all the conventions of the genre. They lay out all the clues as to what is going on in the town AND they follow the old saw horse that if there's a gun over the fireplace in the first act, it better be fired by the third. (There are multiple of these guns in the movie--both metaphorical and actual--and every one of them is "fired", some of them in quite unexpected ways.)

While hardcore fans of the over-the-top cop dramas this film pokes fun at will probably find the first half of it too slow to be entertaining, those who appreciate British humor or British cop shows like "A Touch of Frost" or "Prime Suspect" should love this film.

Those who just enjoy crime dramas and suspense movies in general should also get a kick out of "Hot Fuzz", because the twists upon twists that are offered up here are more creative and clever than what is found in many serious attempts at the genre.

This is one of those rare "must-see" movies, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

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