fabled idiot at the movies: last man on earth

were posable i do like to watch the first movie adapted first and if i read faster i would try and read the book first so to day i'm dipping in to the archive and reviewing The Last Man On Earth(1964) the first film based upon the Richard Matheson novel I Am Legend a book George A Romero openly admits to basically ripped off when talking about the inspiration for Night Of The Living Dead
Richard Matheson wrote the screenplay but was unhappy with the film and and was credited as Logan Swanson.
this is a good film but maybe i let it get away with more then i should just because it in black and white and looks older then it is. especially the "action scene"(if thats the right term for this) at end were Vincent Price is running for his life, brakes in to a room labeled armory and has a bit of a "shoot out"(if thats the right term for this) A Fistful Of Dollars it is not but it was out the same year as was Goldfinger and Mary Poppins
but look at it in isolation it's a dam good and well written film starring a legend of the silver screen putting in one hell of a performance even if it falls down in the more active scenes.

but the best thing about the film is it public domain so i can post it up here and you WILL all WATCH IT and then TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK in the comments



and the moral of the story is if you want to make a film that stand the test of time make it in black and white not 3D

at the movies: the last man on earth by ianbyfordart

fabled idiot at the movies: 2 batman

if you read his blog you will probably know that my brother is a big batman fan, as a consequence my knowing of the caped crusader is larger than the average citizen but a lot less than a comic nerd and today i'm going to give my half educated  opinion  of the big screen batman

im going to move quickly over the 1940's Theatrical serials the Batman(1943) & Batman & Robin: (1949) because i haven't seen them (yet) but i do think it worth mentioning the batcave was introduced by the 1943 serial and didn't appear in the comic until 1944 (i am getting some of this from wiki-p so don't take it as gospel)

so we come to Adam West and Burt Ward camping it up in Batman - The Movie(1966) a continuation of the 1960s television series. ok it's not darks and edgy but it's a movie that is comfortable with what it is and doesn't not mind making jokes at its own expense.

in 1989 Batman got darker and Tim Burton put the goth in to Gotham City. making the dark and gloomy city as bigger  part of the movie as any of the characters.

Tim Burton returns with Batman Returns which in my opinion is one of those rare sequels that is beter then it predecessor but the movie franchise started slipping down hill with Batman Forever with Joel Schumacher taking the directing chair from Burton now the producer and Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton in the cape and cowl, this film wasn't too-bad but had lost a lot of the darkness of the first two. and after seeing Jim Carrey in films like The Cable Guy and The Number 23 i can't help thinking they got the wrong performance out of the right actor.

then there is Batman And Robin and i don't know where to start with the list of faults. so why not start with the title it not the biggest issue in the world but i find it a bit odd naming the film after two of the three heroes (poor little batgirl : (

moving on to  two big problems in every sense of the words Arnold Schwarzenegger  is not the most emotional actor meant to be in lover cryogenically preserve terminally ill woman, and Bane(Jeep Swenson) how in the movie is a brainless muscle man (sound like anyone) mindlessly following Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) far from the comic were bane masterminded a brake-out at Arkham Asylum in order to exhaust batman determined his secret identity then broke his back leaving Bruce Wayne paraplegic.
if they need some muscle for Poison Ivy maybe it would of been better to have Arnold Schwarzenegger play a character like Amygdala.

in 2005 Christopher Nolan grabbed the badman etch-a-sketch and gave it a damn good shake with Batman Begins now with the mantle of the Bat now passing to Christian Bale for a detailed origin story which sees the tone of the movie alter as Bruce Wayne becomes the batman. if i had to pick a hole in this film it would be Gotham looking just like any city but this would be just picky as it doesn't distract from the story and it was only after the credits had rolled i even thought about it.

The Dark Knight  got a shade darker and sees Heath Ledger as the Joker in a performance that blew Jack Nicholson's purple suit off, and that took some doing. instead of cluttering the move with a joker origin back story we cut get right to the action and stick with it hardly noticing the two-face(Aaron Eckhart) origin weaved in

up next will be The Dark Knight Rises and i have to say already i don't like the title, didn't the Dark Knight Rise in batman begins? but The Dark Knight Rises will see Bane back on the big screen being play by Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway cast as Catwoman's Alter ego Selina Kyle

at the movies batman by ianbyfordart
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fabled idiot at the movies: 1 White Zombie

i pick a copy of white zombie at the Waltham Cross branch pound land(but I've chucked the usual amazon link in for you) and now I'm going to treat you to the first fabled idiot at the movies.
white zombie it's 1930's zombies  flick so clearly it not going to be every cup of tea but Bela Lugosi's name on the box is enough to get my attention on top of that this is were the zombie film begin just imagine what the would may be like if it was never made. Romero wouldn't of made Night Of The Living Dead  Rob Zombie (or simply Rob) wouldn't have a name for his band and if i spent my teenage years playing Resident Evil and watching Evil Dead Trilogy how know what kind of sick twisted mad man i would of become.
i can't say this move is much better than average but it's definitely not below it. what stands out most in this film are the stunning visual thanks in no small part to the second hand sets rented from Universal Studios and the acting talent of the two stars Bela Lugosi's how career was just starting and Madge Bellamy how was fading career having started in silent movies and shooting at here lover in 1943 probably didn't help her career much.

this is the sat of film for the start of a nerds night in the one you stick on as you wait for everyone to turn up. it's the canapé of zombie films.

at the movies: 1 White Zombie Mug by ianbyfordart
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