‘The Vanishing Shadow’ (1934) – Part Ten “The Iron Death”

We’ve now reached Part Ten of our latest multi-part movie.

Get ready to watch the next exciting part of The Vanishing Shadow!

Enjoy! 🙂

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My Review of ‘Sweet Bean’ (2015)

Hi, today I’m reviewing the movie Sweet Bean. The director is Naomi Kawase, and it’s a Japanese film from 2015. It’s a really great movie. I think I found it great for various reasons, including the fact that a theme within the movie is the importance of appreciating nature, and that’s shown in every possible way in this movie. I mean, the cinematography, pictures, footage of the cherry blossom trees. Oh my God, they’re beautiful. I wrote in my notes “cherry blossoms = instant relaxation”, something to that effect, because that’s the way I felt watching the beginning of this movie. The camera just lingers on these cherry blossoms and they’re just so beautiful and relaxing, and there’s an old woman you see looking at the cherry blossoms and relaxing. So she plays a part in the movie. You can tell right away that she’s going to show up again, and sure enough, she does.

Although she is not the protagonist, though at one point I asked myself, who is the protagonist in this movie? But actually the protagonist is a middle-aged man who’s going through a life crisis of sorts. I seem to be attracted to Japanese movies about middle-aged men who are going through some kind of life crisis, as well as the cherry blossoms and the beautiful natural settings, and so on. Anyway, it’s a very good movie. He has a small business. He works as a manager for a woman who apparently owns the place, but—I’ll get to the “but” in a second. He owes her money. She did him a favor for him by taking him on. Her husband, I think, had sort of deeded the place, not deeded the place, but gave him the managerial position rather than she. She did not do that.

Nonetheless, what I’m saying is that he’s doing like, okay, getting by. This old woman shows up and apparently wants a job. He turns her away. Then she shows up and says, I like what you’re making here, but … it’s a treat called dorayaki, I think. It’s like a pancake with something sweet tucked in it, like a little sandwich of pancake with sweetness in it. Anyway, she shows up and says, “Your pancakes are okay, but that filling is just …” meh. And so she has this recipe, this sweet bean recipe, and from there he does eventually take her on [as an employee], and I won’t say much more except to say that the woman has a problem that comes out that creates a problem for the business, and that’s where the real conflict comes in. And it’s interesting because during the virtual discussion with the group I meet with through the Anne Arundel Public Library, when we were discussing this movie, many people started off by saying, “I normally don’t like slow movies, but …”

And then they would say something good about this movie. So even if you don’t like slow movies, you might want to give this one a try. Maybe you won’t react the same, maybe you will, I don’t know. But it is definitely worth watching. It’s beautifully filmed. The acting is great, the characters are wonderful, and the situations are relatable, and I just highly recommend it. I think it’s a great movie and so Sweet Bean, check it out. One thing I didn’t realize. When I was looking at the Wikipedia entry for this movie, it described the woman who owned the place as a loan shark. That’s not a subject that came up during the discussion. I don’t think any of us knew that unless they know something that they didn’t bring up. I don’t know. Anyway, I thought that was an interesting point, that she’s not doing this even as a business decision from the perspective of whether she likes him as a manager.

She is simply a loan shark. Wow, that’s in the Wikipedia entry. Maybe it’s wrong, I don’t know. But she was the owner of the place as I understood it. Anyway, having said that, it’s still great movie. Do see it. Japanese movies rock. I’ve decided that I should just move to Japan and just make Japanese movies and make lots of movies about cherry trees and nature and the fauna and flora of Japan and middle-aged men finding themselves amid them or middle-aged women even. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Maybe. Maybe not. In any case, take care and check that one out. It’s good. Be seeing you.

Quick addition to what I just said, he’s working there also to pay off a debt to this woman who owns the place or is a loan shark, one or the other [or both]. She has lent him money, because there were reparations he had to make because of a criminal thing he did in his past, and that’s part of his problem too. So other than that, really it’s a celebration of appreciating life no matter what circumstances you’re in. I think that kind of sums it up. All right, good. I’m glad I could do that then. Take care. See you.

*****

Directed by Naomi Kawase
Screenplay by Naomi Kawase (based on AN by Durian Sukegawa)

Nearly forgot to add this!

‘The Vanishing Shadow’ (1934) – Part Nine “Blazing Bulkheads”

This week we have Part Nine of this astonishing amazing interesting movie.

This week’s matinee movie is Part Nine of The Vanishing Shadow.

Now, without further ado …

And May the Fourth be with you! 🙂

PS: Did I mention that our movie of the week is thought to be the first feature in which a ray gun appears?

So … how about that? I think that’s pretty cool.

PPS: On a completely unrelated note, I happened to catch this movie yesterday.

You have 69 hours left as of nearly 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, April 3, 2024, to watch it on me the Howard County Library System! 🙂

The movie is Sweet Bean and it’s amazing.

Act fast if you want to get in on this deal! 🙂

‘The Vanishing Shadow’ (1934) – Part Eight “The Shadow of Death”

Today we have Part Eight of the serial movie The Vanishing Shadow with annotations courtesy of moi.

Enjoy today’s presentation!

And for early access, check us out on Patreon!

Dark & Twisted Alleys: Episode 3 – ‘The Killers’ (1964)

In this episode, Debbi Mack and F.R. Jameson discuss the remake of the classic film noir, The Killera (1964).

Directed by Don Siegel; 
Screenplay by Gene L. Coon; 
Based on “The Killers” (1927 short story) by Ernest Hemingway; 
Produced by Don Siegel.

Click here for the podcast!

Dark and Twisted Alleys: Discussion of ‘The Killers’ (1964)

F.R. Jameson and I are back with a discussion of the 1964 remake of The Killers.

Feel free to leave a comment either here or on the video. Or the podcast, which will be coming soon.

Two killers visiting the blind, wearing sunglasses.

And here’s my review from 2022!

For early access to reviews and videos, support us on Patreon!

‘The Vanishing Shadow’ (1934) – Part Seven “The Tragic Crash”

Hello! We have for you today the next part of this unbelievable amazing story.

Get ready for Part Seven of The Vanishing Shadow!

Enjoy! 🙂

Check us out on Patreon!

PS: Someday, I’ll be able to afford a proofreader. Hopefully. 🙂

‘The Vanishing Shadow’ (1934) – Part Six “Chain Lightning”

We’re back and we’ve reached roughly the mid-point of this fascinating movie serial.

So … let’s get to it, right? 🙂

Once again, for your amazement, it’s Part Six of The Vanishing Shadow.

For early access, check us out on Patreon.

Ray Milland in ‘Bulldog Drummond Escapes’ (1937)

So many of the movies I’ve seen with Ray Milland have him playing the heavy. I’m not sure what movie I first saw him in, but I’m pretty sure whatever it was, he was not playing a nice person.

So, it was something of a joy to see him as a young actor in the kind of movie that a fresh-faced newcomer at the time could actually star in — a B-movie. Although I suspect part of the joy of watching this movie is the way Ray Milland takes such joy in saying his lines. And he is young and fresh-faced.

Here’s the plot: The movie starts out with a suspenseful and fog-shrouded sequence in which Bulldog Drummond—or, should I say, Captain Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond—manages to land his plane, despite the handwringing fear of onlookers because “it just can’t be done.” However, through snow, rain, sleet, and (it would appear) fog, Bulldog Drummond is your man to land a plane. The quick flashes of Milland and the onlookers during this opening sequence are made vivid by the use of what I assume are spotlights on their faces. Or possibly flashlights.

That’s another thing about this movie. It’s dark. It’s so dark, I would’ve mistaken it for a film noir, except it’s more like a thrilling screwball comedy noir.

After that introduction, we see Bulldog Drummond driving home at night. Suddenly, a young woman jumps out in front of his car. He misses her, but she falls down. The first thing I’m thinking of is the beginning of Kiss Me Deadly. So there’s that.

This is a bit of a pickle. (Hey, a flashlight torch!) (Image via notre Cinéma)

But then there’s a gunshot, so leaving the woman for the moment, Drummond goes to investigate. He enters the woods—he’s been driving through a wooded area—and while he’s trying to figure out what’s going on, he finds a body. Two bodies, actually, because there’s a second shot. And another body sinking into the muck. Meanwhile, the woman who fell in the road? She’s up and stealing his car. Okay. Who is this woman? Why is she stealing his car? Mystery!

Oh, but then, as Drummond is trying to bum a ride, another car rolls by and guess who’s in the backseat? None other than our Lady of the Stolen Car. She’s with some grim-looking males. And her expression is somewhat ambiguous.

So Bulldog, who is supposed to be taking a vacation, becomes interested in this person. A bit of investigating later (and with help from his faithful man-servant, Algy Longworth), he’s able to locate her at Greystone Manor. Well, with a name like Greystone Manor, you know there’s some devious Gothic shit afoot.

Have I mentioned the fog? (Image via IMCDB)

Anyway, I don’t want to ruin this totally, in case you’d like to see the movie. It was a first time for me. And I just thought it was a load of fun.

There is almost an antic glee in the way Ray Milland delivers some of his lines in this film. Part of that may be due to the fact that the movie is based on a stage play, so some of the lines feel like “play dialogue.” But Milland orates them in such a lusty manner that it’s almost as if you can hear the director in the background shouting, “Ham it up, would you? Go for the rafters of a theatre across town. You know—acting!!” (Picture Jon Lovitz.)

Nonetheless, for a B picture made in the late 30s—and compared with some of the B pictures I’ve had the dubious pleasure of showing here—Milland’s acting is quite nuanced. In between the scenes where he’s relishing the most stylized of lines, Milland’s acting seems so natural. There’s even a budding romance (of course, because Bulldog is looking for “adventure and romance”), as revealed in a scene in which closeups of (spotlit) faces create a feeling of intimacy.

I really enjoyed the movie. It’s kind of nice to see Milland play something other than a grouchy old man.

“Get off my lawn, you hippie!” (Image from Frogs)

If you’re into the Thin Man movies, I think you’ll like this one. Wikipedia calls this a mystery thriller, but it’s sooo dark, it’s more like a noir crimedy thriller.

They saved money on electricity when they made this. That’s how dark it is. (I’m betting they used flashlights torches to light the sets.)

*****

Directed by James P. Hogan
Produced by Edward T. Lowe, Jr.
Screenplay by Edward T. Lowe, Jr. (based on the play Bulldog Drummond Again by Herman C. McNeile and Gerard Fairlie)

Respectfully submitted for your consideration as part of the Favorite Stars in B Movies Blogathon! Hosted by Films From Beyond the Time Barrier.

PS: Honorable mentions to William Shatner and Ida Lupino in The Devil’s Rain! And Ernest Borgnine. 🙂

This film is in the public domain, so feast your eyes on young Ray M! 🙂

BONUS: Here’s a sample of the dialogue:

Capt. Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond: Imagine this – the road to Denmore and fog and such a fog, Algy, a dank and dismal dusk on the depressing stretches of dreary Denmore.

Algy Langworth: Quite a few ‘D’s don’t you think?

Whatta ya think? Four and a half stars?

‘The Vanishing Shadow’ (1934) – Part Five “Hurled From the Sky”

We’ve reached Part Five of this fantastic exciting serial movie!

Are you ready for the next chapter in The Vanishing Shadow?

Well, ready or not, here it is! 🙂

For early access to the movies and reviews, support us on Patreon.