"Ride The Pink Horse" Into Noir Territory

Robert Montgomery, Wanda Hendrix and Thomas Gomez

Robert Montgomery was a talented actor who was as adept at dramatic parts as he was at the comedic roles that initially made him a star. He also had a strong interest in working behind the scenes in films. Montgomery made his debut behind the camera with Lady in the Lake (1947) an adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel. The movie was unique for its time, telling the story via the perspective of the lead character, detective Philip Marlowe (played by Montgomery) who is never seen on screen, except for a couple of brief sequences. His second directorial effort, Ride The Pink Horse (1947), is an intriguing, offbeat, and very effective noir tale. The story begins when a disillusioned WWII veteran named Gagin (portrayed by Montgomery) shows up in San Pablo, a small New Mexico town. He's looking for a mobster named Frank Hugo. Gagin is seeking revenge for a friend's murder, and has a plan that involves blackmailing Hugo.

Gagin has arrived during the town's annual fiesta. He's having trouble finding a hotel room until a local girl named Pila helps him locate one. As he hatches his scheme to take down Hugo, he's befriended by Pila and also the ebullient Pancho, who operates the town's carousel. But as often happens in the noir world, things spiral in ways that he doesn't expect. He crosses paths with a Federal agent named Retz, who's also after Hugo, and warns Gagin to stay away from the gangster. Gagin also meets Marjorie, Hugo's girlfriend, who entices him to alter his plan to include her. Gagin then has to contend with both Hugo and Marjorie, who in true femme fatale fashion, isn't all she seems to be. Is Hugo one step ahead of Gagin? Just whose side is Retz on? Is Gagin out to get justice for his friend, or obtain himself a big payday via his blackmail scheme? Will Pilar and Pancho help him escape this web of deceit and double crosses? 

The movie features exquisite cinematography by Russell Metty, who worked on two well-regarded Orson Welles films, The Stranger and Touch of Evil. There's a particularly striking sequence late in the movie when a wounded and disoriented Gagin wanders around the fiesta, trying to get his bearings. The performances are strong; Montgomery deftly conveys Gagin's sense of weariness and isolation, and his struggle to understand the different world in which he finds himself after the war. Wanda Hendrix is wonderful as Pila. The character isn't portrayed as the typical "young girl in love with an older man" part found in many stories of this type. She becomes a friend and guardian angel to Gagin. Pila's optimism and faith is nicely contrasted against Gagin's cynicism. Thomas Gomez (who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar) also moves past stereotype and portrays Pancho as a three dimensional character. Fred Clark is appropriately oily as Frank Hugo. Art Smith as Retz and Andrea King as the double-crossing Marjorie are also quite good in their roles.

The film was produced by Joan Harrison, who is best known for her work with Alfred Hitchcock, both for the big screen and on television. The screenplay is by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer, based on a book by Dorothy Hughes. Hughes also wrote the novel which served as the basis for the classic Humphrey Bogart noir, In a Lonely Place, directed by Nicholas Ray. Ride The Pink Horse is often screened on Turner Classic Movies and other cable movie channels. There is also a fantastic Blu-ray edition of the film released in 2015 by the Criterion Collection, which includes an insightful audio commentary by noir experts by Alain Silver and James Ursini. Ride The Pink Horse features a compelling story in an unusual setting, great cinematography, and some fine performances, all anchored by excellent direction from star Robert Montgomery. It's one of my favorite noir films, an opinion shared by rocker Steven Van Zandt, who gave a shout out to the movie when he profiled Montgomery on a recent edition of his Sirius XM series, Little Steven's Underground Garage. Here's a link to the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVcdFIWT6zA.

Strange New Worlds: A Valentine For Trek Fans

Anson Mount as Captain Pike

Back in May, I wrote about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the Paramount+ series that's a prequel to the original Star Trek. At the time of my original post, only two episodes of the show had aired. Based on what I'd seen, I expressed the opinion that the show could turn out to be one of the best Star Trek series since Deep Space Nine. The season finale of the show was made available for streaming last week, and I definitely stand by my assessment. Across ten episodes, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has become my favorite of the current crop of Trek shows, and I believe it will go on to be considered one of the best of the spinoff series. Over the course its first season, Strange New Worlds has treated us to a variety of marvelous stories, including a delightful body-swap tale centered on Mr. Spock, a classic spaceship battle, a dark and eerie horror-themed episode, and even a comedic entry where the cast got to act out of character in a fantasy-oriented tale featuring wizards and warriors.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds strongly evokes the essence of the original series, and continually offers compelling and thought-provoking stories. Like the best of Classic Trek, the style and tone of the episodes may vary, but they're always entertaining, and provide us with some neat twists on the formula. Since the series is more episodic in nature than some of the other recent Trek outings, it allows for broader (and often hugely entertaining) strokes in the storytelling, while still offering intriguing ongoing arcs for the characters. The season finale, "A Quality of Mercy" is a brilliant re-imagining of "Balance of Terror," one of the best episodes of the original series.

No major spoilers here, but "A Quality of Mercy" features the Strange New Worlds version of a character from Trek's classic years who's much beloved by fans, and offers a ton of Easter eggs and visual callbacks to "Balance of Terror." It's also a time-travel tale, which is another hallmark of some of Trek's strongest episodes throughout its history. "A Quality of Mercy" uses the framework of the original episode to tell a captivating alternate version of the story, which nicely builds on the ongoing arc for the central character of Captain Pike, played by Anson Mount. "A Quality of Mercy" is one of the best entries of the season, and it will definitely go on to be considered one of the best episodes of all of the modern Trek series. The episode also sets up some intriguing ideas to explore in Season 2 of the show, which is scheduled to arrive in 2023.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a valentine for Classic Trek fans. The show is clearly being created with a lot of love, care and respect by people who have a deep love and affection for classic Trek. The cast is nothing short of superb. In addition to Anson Mount's excellent work as Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock, Jess Bush as Nurse Chapel, Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M'Benga and Rebecca Romjin as Number One have all been outstanding, while Melissa Navia and Bruce Horak have become fan favorites as Ortegas and Hemmer, characters new to the franchise. The first season of this series has been one of the strongest of any Trek iteration since the original. If you're a Star Trek fan, and you're not watching this show, you're missing out on some of the best (and most enjoyable) Trek stories we've seen in a long time. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds airs on Paramount+. Here's a (spoiler-filled) look at the finale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tliWxURB2OM.

Watch Out! Evil Brains From Outer Space!

John Agar & Joyce Meadows

Depending on when you first viewed them, there are some films which are much more than simple “B Movies.” These movies transcend the term “guilty pleasure” and tend to permanently lodge themselves into your psyche. They’re not necessarily considered classics of their genre, but they’re often the most fun to watch. I’m thinking of films like House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price, which I first saw (and loved) on Creature Features as a young fan of macabre cinema. Many of us who are of a certain age caught movies like this for the first time on our local stations, often presented by “horror hosts” like The Creep and Zacherle, on programs like Chiller Theatre or Fright Night. One of my favorite films of this type is The Brain From Planet Arous, a 1957 sci-fi thriller starring John Agar and Joyce Meadows. It’s the story of a scientist named Steve March, who becomes possessed by an evil floating brain from outer space. Yes, you read that correctly, our hero is taken over by Gor, a megalomaniacal alien brain who plans to conquer the world using his superior intellect. Oh, and since Gor’s controlling Steve’s mind and body, he also figures he can enjoy a dalliance with his fiancé, Sally. Gor is definitely bad news.



Who can save us from this vile villain? Well, maybe Vol can! Before you ask, Vol is another floating brain from Arous, and he’s here to apprehend Gor, who’s a wanted criminal on their home world. Vol decides to inhabit Sally’s dog, and work with her to stop Gor, in order to curtail his plans for world domination. Will they stop him in time? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out! The Brain From Planet Arous is a lot of fun, and it’s a prime example of 1950s low-budget sci-fi film-making. The movie was produced by Jacques Marquette, who also served as the cinematographer for the film. Marquette was behind the camera for another fondly remembered 1950s sci-fi flick, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. The Brain From Planet Arous was written by Ray Buffum, and it shares some thematic similarities with science-fiction writer Hal Clement’s 1949 novel Needle, about an alien policeman sent to Earth to capture an evil villain. The central idea of heroic and villainous body-possessing aliens would also be explored in the 1987 film The Hidden, starring Kyle MacLachlan.



John Agar, best known for his work in films like Sands of Iwo Jima and Fort Apache (where he co-starred with John Wayne) as well as several other 1950’s sci-fi movies, including Revenge of the Creature and Invisible Invaders, plays Steve. Agar essentially chews up every bit of scenery that’s not nailed down in his performance as the alien-possessed scientist. Joyce Meadows is good as Steve’s fiancé Sally, and there’s fine support from Robert Fuller (in a brief role as Steve’s fellow scientist), and character actor Thomas Browne Henry (a familiar face from genre films like 20 Million Miles To Earth) as Sally’s father. The film was directed by Nathan Juran, who also helmed The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and First Men in the Moon. When he wasn’t happy with the final results of a film, as was the case with The Brain From Planet Arous as well as Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, he used the pseudonym Nathan Hertz for his director credit.

I really dug this movie when I first saw it in my younger years, and I’ve always found it enjoyable when re-watching it as an adult. Those floating brains are pretty creepy, and what self-respecting kid (of any age) doesn’t enjoy it when a dog (albeit an alien-possessed one) gets to help out with the heroics in the story? The Brain From Planet Arous has just been released on DVD and Blu-ray by the fine folks at The Film Detective. The disc includes a new short film with Joyce Meadows, a pair of featurettes on the career of Nathan Juran, and a commentary track featuring noted film historians Tom Weaver, Larry Blamire and David Schecter, as well as co-star Meadows. You have a choice of viewing the film in either 1.33 or 1.85 aspect ratios. The movie runs about an hour and 10 minutes so it’s a perfect candidate for half of a cool 1950s sci-fi double feature on movie night. Perhaps you can pair it with Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Invasion of the Saucer Men or Tarantula, which also stars John Agar. Here’s a link to The Film Detective website: https://www.thefilmdetective.com/, and a link to the film’s trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcHuR7Cir50.

Bob Burger's Superb "The Domino Effect"

Bob Burger is a founding member of New Jersey’s fabulous Beatles-inspired band, The Weeklings, a group in which he plays rhythm guitar as Zeek Weekling. He’s also a gifted songwriter who has penned tunes for artists including Styx, Kasim Sulton, and Donnie Iris. Burger has issued several marvelous solo discs, and his latest, The Domino Effect, is currently streaming online, and will be released on CD July 1 from JEM Records. The album features eleven top-notch songs that will definitely appeal to fans of 1970s and 1980s rock, power pop and new wave. The record kicks off with “The Suicide King,” a tale about a guy who “does what he wants,” even though he might be making some bad life decisions. That tongue in cheek opening number is followed by “Impression,” a fantastic, new wave-infused song which sounds like it's a lost track from Squeeze.

The Domino Effect aptly displays the breadth of Burger’s talent for writing terrific tunes, often laced with wry lyrics and a subtle touch of humor. The songs on the album evoke a number of styles, from pop-rock ballads like the lovely “Only A Way” and “Merely Beautiful” to straight ahead rockers such as the Tom Petty-esque “The One-Eyed Jack” and the alternative-flavored “Pain In The Ass." There’s a definite Crowded House feel to the excellent “Two Bodies,” and a dash of country on the wonderful “I’m Free,” and the sublime “Even If You Don’t.” The record closes with the superb “Rock & Roll Band.”  

The album is a treasure trove of outstanding songs, featuring heavenly harmonies, crackling guitars and taut, solid drum work in the classic rock and roll style. In addition to the masterful lead guitar work and extraordinary vocals from Burger, the album includes a magnificent group of backing musicians, including Jimmy Leahey and John Merjave on guitar, Jerry Gaskill on drums, Lisa Sherman on background vocals, and Arne Wendt and Plink Giglio on keyboards. The exceptional production work by Burger gives the album a sparkling pop-rock sheen that’s perfect for these exquisite songs.

The Domino Effect effectively celebrates Burger’s musical influences, which include artists like Tom Petty, Elvis Costello and The Beatles, while offering his own spin on the pop, rock and alternative genres. These are songs that will absolutely get stuck in your head, and touch your heart. This is a splendid album that deserves repeat spins on your music device of choice, and it should absolutely be part of the soundtrack of your summer. The Domino Effect is now available for streaming and will be released July 1 on CD on JEM Records.

An Epic "Northman" From Robert Eggers

Ana Taylor-Joy and Alexander Skarsgard

Robert Eggers is a talented filmmaker with a unique visual style. His first two films, The Witch and The Lighthouse, are dark, unsettling and atmospheric tales of psychological terror. The Witch is a dread-laden spin on folk horror and religion, and The Lighthouse is a slow burn study of two men’s descent into madness. Eggers most recent project, The Northman, is a Viking action story, hallucinogenic hero’s journey, and a revenge tale, all rolled into one. As the film opens, King Aurvandill is killed by his brother, Fjolnir, who then takes possession of Aurvandill’s wife, Gudrun, as well as his kingdom. Aurvandill’s young son, Amleth, escapes, and vows to return one day, avenge his father’s murder, and rescue his mother. If some of this sounds familiar, the story owes more than a bit to Hamlet. The Norse legend of Amleth was actually one of Shakespeare’s primary inspirations when he wrote his celebrated tale of the brooding prince from Denmark.

In The Northman, Amleth’s path to revenge is filled with violence and destruction. He’s adopted by a band of wandering Vikings, and grows up to be a fierce warrior. He helps the marauders to raid villages, and take the survivors prisoner as slave labor. A chance encounter during one of these raids enables him to learn of Fjolnir’s current location. Amleth joins a group of slaves destined for Fjolnir’s camp, and begins a tentative relationship with Olga, a Slavic woman who is believed to be a witch by the others in the group. He also encounters an eerie magician who guides him into experiencing a vision of Draugr, the sword that will be the instrument of his final revenge. He battles an undead warrior to obtain the sword. Amleth ingratiates himself into Fjlonir’s camp by saving the life of the man’s young son, and is given preferred status among the servants. As he attempts to achieve his long-simmering desire for revenge, Amleth discovers the reality of what happened to his father years ago may be different than his perception of the actual events. Will he forsake his quest for revenge, and escape to live happily ever after with Olga? Or is it Amleth’s fate to meet Fjolnir in battle?

The Northman, like The Witch and The Lighthouse, is a hypnotic and visually stunning film. There are some brilliantly directed sequences, including the attack on a village early in the story, and the hallucinogenic images experienced by Amleth throughout the tale. There’s also a masterfully staged battle scene at the crater of a volcano during the climax of the film, which is awash in fiery colors. Eggers and his crew have done a wonderful job visualizing the violent nature of the world in which Amleth and the other characters exist, balanced with their deeply spiritual essence. Destiny looms large in these people’s beliefs, and a certainty about inescapable fate is part of their worldview. In addition to the legend of Amleth, director Robert Eggers and his co-writer, Icelandic poet and novelist Sjon, weave elements of other Norse myths into the story. Alexander Skarsgard (who stars as Amleth) had actually been trying to develop his own Viking adventure film for a while, and Eggers became interested in doing a similar project when he traveled to Iceland with his wife, and became fascinated by the area’s history. When the two men met to discuss an unrelated project, they started discussing ideas for what eventually became The Northman.

The cast is superb. A muscular Skarsgard does a fine job as the haunted, revenge-driven Amleth. Nicole Kidman is terrific as Gudrun, and Claes Bang is fantastic as Fjolnir, with both actors giving the roles their all. Ana Taylor-Joy and Willem Dafoe, veterans of previous Eggers films, are excellent in their supporting roles. Singer Bjork has a cameo as an eerie sorceress. The cinematography by Jarin Blascke (who shot Eggers’ The Witch and The Lighthouse) is outstanding, and the film’s locations in Iceland and Northern Ireland give the film an authentic look, and act almost as a character in the story. The evocative score is by Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough. If you’re looking for an epic, powerful, deeply spiritual, visually striking action-adventure tale (and you’ve enjoyed Robert Egger’s previous work) check out The Northman, which is currently streaming on Peacock. Here’s a look at the trailer for the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMSdFM12hOw.

2nd Disaster Movie Blogathon: The Core

 Aaron Eckhart & Hilary Swank

Disaster movies flourished during the 1970s, when The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Earthquake and the the Airport series found success at the box office. Despite the popularity of these films, there were also some box-office failures, including Avalanche, Hurricane and The Swarm. The genre ran out of steam in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but it has been revived throughout the ensuing decades, with movies like Dante’s Peak, Armageddon, The Day After Tomorrow and San Andreas continuing the genre’s tradition of placing all-star casts in jeopardy, as they face a variety of special-effects laden doomsday scenarios. 

One of the more entertaining films in the disaster cycle is 2003’s The Core. The story begins when a series of strange and deadly events occur around the world, which leads a group of scientists, led by Dr. Joshua Keyes, to theorize that the earth’s core is no longer rotating. This will eventually cause the Earth’s magnetic field to collapse, and leave the planet’s surface exposed to a powerful dose of solar radiation. Of course, this will lead to (what else?) the end of the world! What can we do to stop it?
 
A secret mission is initiated to re-start the rotation of the core, by journeying there and detonating nuclear weapons inside it. The Virgil, a vessel that can withstand the extreme heat inside the core, is constructed, using a material called “unobtanium,” which can convert heat into energy. The crew, in addition to Dr. Keyes, includes a pair of NASA astronauts, Bob Iverson and Rebecca Childs, who are recruited to pilot the ship, and Dr. Edward “Braz” Brazzelton, the creator of unobtanium. Also on hand are Dr. Serge Levesque, a nuclear weapons specialist, and Dr. Conrad Zimsky, an egotistical scientist who may know more than he’s telling about the real cause of these devastating events. Can the heroic crew of the Virgil succeed in their mission, and avert worldwide destruction?
 
The Core is improbable, over the top, and a whole lot of fun. Some of the science in the film is a bit wonky, and has been roundly criticized by real-life experts. However, since when did you watch this kind of popcorn movie for its scientific accuracy? The screenplay by Cooper Layne and John Rogers features all of the time-honored disaster flick cliches, including a hero (or heroine) with something to prove, the noble sacrifices of supporting characters, and a whole lot of pseudo-scientific dialogue. Check your logic at the door, folks. Any movie featuring an element called “unobtanium” can’t be all bad, can it?

The cast (in the fine tradition of producer-director Irwin Allen’s 1970s disaster epics) is full of familiar faces, including Oscar winner Hilary Swank, Stanley Tucci, Aaron Eckhart, Delroy Lindo, Bruce Greenwood, Richard Jenkins, and Alfre Woodard. DJ Qualls plays “Rat,” a hacker who figures prominently in the proceedings. Everyone seems to be having a good time with their roles, and Tucci and Lindo, in particular, chew the scenery in grand style. Jon Amiel’s assured direction keeps things moving at a brisk pace, so that you don’t linger too long pondering the inconsistencies in the plot, or the wonky science.
 
There may be better films in the disaster genre, but I have a soft spot for the amiable silliness of films like The Core. One of my other guilty pleasures of the genre is 1979’s Meteor, another “end of the world” tale about a super-size meteor that’s on a collision course with Earth, and the joint US-Russian team which tries to avert disaster. The cast features Sean Connery, Brian Keith, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden and Martin Landau. Like The Core, Meteor is gloriously melodramatic and absurd, but it’s also very entertaining. If you haven’t seen either of these films, I recommend pairing them as an awesome disaster movie double feature. Here’s the trailer for The Core: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVkocdkcmAc, and as a bonus, the trailer for Meteor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW6jS9bJ5bo.
 
This post is part of the 2nd Disaster Blogathon, hosted by the folks over at Dubsism and Pale Writer. I’d like to thank them for including me in the cinematic catastrophe-inspired fun. Please check out the other entries in the Blogathon from my very talented fellow bloggers by following this link: https://palewriter2.home.blog/2022/03/25/its-a-disaster-warning-announcing-the-second-disaster-blogathon/.

The Most Amazing Sci-Fi Film Never Made

Dune is one of the most beloved and celebrated science-fiction novels of all time. David Lynch directed the first big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic story in 1984. There have also been a pair of TV mini-series versions of Dune and Children of Dune, which were produced for the SyFY channel in the early 2000s, and of course, the recent big-budget adaptation by Denis Villenueve, featuring an all-star cast and impressive visuals. That film covered the first part of the novel, and a sequel is currently in production. But did you know that there was another adaptation of Dune that was set to be released in the 1970s, which never made it past the planning stages? The story of that unrealized film project is a fascinating and intriguing tale, and it's covered in the engrossing documentary, 2013's Jodorowsky’s Dune.

Jodorowsky’s Dune is the story of an ambitious attempt to produce a sweeping film version of author Frank Herbert’s classic science-fiction epic during the mid 1970s. Alejandro Jodorowsky, who directed the cult films El Topo (1970) and The Holy Mountain (1973), wanted to make a fantastic, mind-expanding adaptation of the novel that would push the boundaries of film, and take the viewer’s cinematic experience to the next level. This absorbing documentary tells the story of Jodorowsky’s quest to put together the perfect team to make his dream project. That journey led him to enlist such talented artists as H.R. Giger, Moebius and Chris Foss, who worked on the design and look of the film. Dan O’Bannon (who later wrote the screenplay for Alien) was slated do the special effects.

Jodorowsky envisioned an eclectic all star cast that would include David Carradine, Orson Welles Mick Jagger and Salvador Dali. He wanted to feature music by Pink Floyd and other rock bands in the film, with different artists writing music for the different characters and planets featured in the story. The film features interviews with Jodorowsky, as well as some of the other crew members who worked on the project. You also get to view concept drawings, production art and costume designs for the movie. It’s clear that Jodorowsky was deeply passionate about the project, and what he hoped to achieve with it. He inspired that same dedication in the people who worked on the pre-production process with him. This movie would have been an out of this world, truly visionary piece of work, unlike any other science-fiction film produced up to that time.

Jodorowsky also came up with a massive book that featured the storyboards and designs for the film, along with its screenplay. He and his partners went to all the major studios to pitch the film. Sadly, no one wanted to co-produce or co-finance the film at the time. Most people who listened to his proposal lauded his unique vision, but thought the film would be impossible to make the way Jodorowsky envisioned it. Maybe the world just wasn’t ready for such a unique movie back then. As you know, Dune was eventually adapted for the big-screen in 1984, in a version directed by David Lynch. That movie was lambasted by critics and ended up a box office failure. Jodorowsky briefly touches upon his reaction to seeing Lynch's movie during his interview in the film.

 

While Jodorowsky’s version of Herbert's novel was never produced, you can tell that the experience of working on it left a lasting impression on his colleagues. The final portion of the movie details some of the amazing work that artists like Giger, Foss, O’Bannon and others worked so hard to create. There are also clips from some of the classic films that were later made by some of these talented people, or influenced by them and their unique visions of the future. Those memorable movies include Alien, Blade Runner and the original Star Wars. This is an engrossing story about the creative process, and the enthusiasm that true artists have for their work.  Jodorowsky’s Dune is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and various download/streaming sites. Here’s a link to the film’s trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg4OCeSTL08.