ETERNALS

Eternals Assemble!

ETERNALS (2021). Directed and co-written by Chloe Zhao. 

The Eternals are a group of immortal super-powered beings who allegedly come from another world and have been on earth for thousands of years. Their original adversaries were monstrous creatures called Deviants, who were supposedly destroyed but who are popping up again in modern times. The Eternals have scattered but now their leader, Ajak (Salma Hayek), calls them together. The Eternals, who were sent to Earth by a towering, mysterious race known as the Celestials -- in particular Arishem -- discover not only that they are "synthetic" beings, but that a new Celestial is even now birthing inside the Earth, and when he emerges the Earth will be completely obliterated. The rationale (?) for this is that it will create new celestials and new worlds throughout the universe. Having lived on earth for centuries, having lives and companions, the Eternals try to do what they can to keep this new celestial from awakening, but one of their number, Icarus (Richard Madden), objects, and the battle is on ... 

Richard Madden as Icarus

Eternals is based on characters created by comics legend Jack Kirby for a 1970's Marvel comics series. A lot of changes have been made -- the Eternals were actually an Earth race, not aliens -- especially in regards to ethnicity, sex and personality. Sersi  -- aka Circe -- (Gemma Chan) was originally an edgy sort of witch, hardly the earth mother type of the movie, and she and Icarus, who was her lover in the past, didn't even like each other. The Deviants were ugly-looking but they weren't all giant monsters as in the movie. The Eternals are basically supposed to be one family, but Eternals is relentlessly multi-cultural whether it makes sense or not. A gay couple (black/mid-eastern) is included -- of course they have a child, a new stereotype -- and all that's missing is a non-binary transsexual, but maybe in the sequel ... (There's nothing wrong with being all-inclusive, but it can come off like tokenism if it goes to the extreme.) 

Angelina Jolie as Thena

Eternals is much too long and convoluted and the jumps back and forth in time aren't helpful to the narrative structure. The movie does boast some impressive special effects and striking cinematography, as well as an effective musical score. For such an expensive movie, I couldn't believe how under-lit the nighttime sequences are -- you can hardly make out what's happening (although one hopes this was less of a problem on the giant screen in the movie theater). The acting is generally good, with best-known Angelina Jolie [Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow] making an effective Thena (a variation on Athena), but the movie is stolen by Richard Madden (of The Bodyguard series), a Scottish actor of great intensity and presence who gets to strut his stuff in the film's second half, when finally there is some dramatic conflict between the characters. Madden has acting ability and "it" but I don't know if movies like this will turn him into the major star he deserves to be. 

Richard Madden

Frankly, Eternals almost made it into my semi-annual or quarterly list of "Films I Never Quite Finished" because it takes quite a while to get going, and there's no real story until about an hour has gone by. The script is full of typical flip remarks and dumb comedy relief (such as an utterly unnecessary character who keeps carrying around a camera because one of the Eternals has become a Bollywood star and he wants to film him). This is a shame, because there are moments of splendor and excitement in the movie, as well as some wonderful visual moments. Although at the end it is announced that "Eternals will return," I don't think that's likely. Movies like this, with so much technical wizardry involved as well as cosmic storylines, need a very firm hand to guide them to success, but Chloe Zhao doesn't seem to be that hand, more's the pity. The action scenes in this are not well-crafted, the script is under-developed, and while all the multi-culturalism is very nice -- I'm not one of these people who goes on about something being too "woke" (recognize there are other types of people on the planet besides yourself, for Pete's sake!) it doesn't mean a damn thing if the movie itself is no more than mediocre. In addition, there is no real respect for Jack Kirby's original intentions. 

Verdict: Half a good movie here. **1/2.  

MONSTER WORLD

A little shameless self-promotion here. My dinosaur-on-the-loose thriller is now available in trade paperback and hardcover as well as ebook formats 

"In this dramatic monster-chiller scientists use a time machine to bring prehistoric animals into the early 21st century and their base located on the Yucatan peninsula. Unfortunately, they also bring back the meteor that destroyed the dinosaurs---and now may destroy mankind. As all manner of prehistoric animals -- flying, crawling, and swimming -- create havoc in the complex and surrounding areas, the scientists try desperately to avert global disaster while dodging assaults from huge and very hungry animals, and facing sudden trips back to the Mesozoic era through dangerous, unexpected time loops."

"Energetic and thrilling, with interesting characters."

"Schoell puts the reader through a wringer, as you never know what's coming at you or the characters next."

You can buy this on amazon as a beautiful hardcover or trade paperback, or an inexpensive kindle ebook.

THE JAMES BROTHERS OF MISSOURI

Robert Bice and Keith Richards as Frank and Jesse James

THE JAMES BROTHERS OF MISSOURI (12 chapter Republic serial/1949. Director: Fred C. Brannon. 

Frank and Jesse James (Robert Bice of Captive Women and Keith Richards) only want to forget their past, go straight, and live their lives in peace. They are befriended by Lon Royer (John Hamitlon), a former member of the James Gang, and his daughter, Peg (Noel Neill), who are running a freight business in the town of Rimrock. Unfortunately, Ace Marlin (Roy Barcroft of Manhunt of Mystery Island), who is running a rival business, wants to obliterate the competition and murders Lon. Marlin's silent partner, who pretends to befriend the grieving Peg, is Belle Calhoun (Patricia Knox), who owns the general store. Frank and Jesse, masquerading as Peg's cousins, John Howard and Carroll, do everything they can to help Peg and her business, and counteract the increasingly violent and sinister actions of Marlin. 

Roy Barcroft and Patricia Knox

The James Brothers of Missouri is the third and last of the three Jesse James serials produced by Republic Pictures. Clayton Moore was Jesse in the first two serials, and while Richards is fine as Jesse James, Moore is still missed. Neill appeared in the previous serial, The Adventures of Frank and Jesse James, but she plays a different character this time. This is also true of Roy Barcroft, who is very adept in his villainy. Patricia Knox is also quite credible as a woman who seems to have a heart of gold but is really as nasty and manipulative as any hooker-hard gun moll. Lane Bradford [The Invisible Monster], Tom Steele, and Marshall Reed are familiar serial stalwarts who play various thugs in Marlin's employ. 

Keith Richards

The acting in this is fine, but Fred C. Brannon, who often co-directed these serials, proves that he has as assured a sole directorial hand as any other Republic fixture. The serial moves at a brisk pace and features some thrilling chase sequences, as well as cliffhangers in which Jesse is unconscious in the back of a runaway wagon, which blows up, and Peg is nearly scalded by acid. In this serial, Frank and Jesse are not anything like the real desperadoes, who were thugs, unrepentant criminals, and who even attacked and murdered civilian abolitionists. The story that they robbed the rich and gave to the poor like Robin Hood is also a load of crap. Keith Richards amassed nearly 200 credits, most of them on television or in bit parts in the movies. He played a drunken saloon patron in Jesse James Rides Again, then played Jesse himself -- a rare starring part -- two serials later. 

Verdict: The "heroes" in this weren't really heroes, but the serial is good and exciting western fun. ***. 

VAMPIRA: DARK GODDESS OF HORROR

VAMPIRA: DARK GODDESS OF HORROR. W. Scott Poole. Soft Skull Press; 2014. 

I've already noted that since books on major stars have been done ad nauseam, publishers began offering works on third-tier or even fringe "celebrities," often with some sort of hook to make the book of more interest. Maila Nurmi was a wannabee actress and sometime model whose greatest claim to fame was having a silent role as a ghoul in Ed Wood's not-so-classic Plan Nine from Outer Space. She had appeared for about a year as Vampira on a LA TV show as a hostess for schlock horror films, Author Poole admits this book is not a traditional biography; there simply isn't enough material to work with. Instead Poole puts Nurmi in perspective with the mores and attitudes of the period she lived in, especially in regards to the role of women. To his credit, Poole resists pretension for the most part, and the book is more interesting than you would at first imagine. Poole writes of how Cassandra Peterson, also known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, pretty much stole Vampira's act, and a legal battle ensued. Nurmi's first husband, actor-writer Dean Reisner, wrote screenplays for Dirty Harry, The Beguiled, Play Misty for Me, and other Clint Eastwood flicks, among others, and she hung out with Janes Dean for a time, although their connection is rather tenuous. Reviewing this book. one critic claims that "Vampira is up there with Vincent Price," which is, of course, ridiculous, as Price was a gifted actor with a long, long career and Nurmi was strictly camp-of-the-moment. 

Verdict: Well-written look at fringe celebrity who had a brief Hollywood flicker. ***. 

BEFORE I HANG

BEFORE I HANG (1940). Director: Nick Grinde.

Boris Karloff plays a physician who is not only convicted of a mercy killing but improbably gets the death penalty because of it. He has developed a serum which will reverse the aging process, and he uses it on himself some hours before his scheduled execution. But then the governor commutes his sentence to life imprisonment. The serum makes Karloff look a bit younger and gives him vigor, but it also has an unfortunate, violent side effect. Karloff is fine and restrained in the picture, and frankly he deserved a much better script. Before I Hang doesn't do nearly enough with its premise and actually amounts to very little. Bruce Bennett plays the boyfriend of Karloff's daughter, Martha (Evelyn Keyes).

Verdict: Not much in this cheapie creepy. *1/2. 

JACK THE RIPPER (1959)

Betty McDowall and Lee Patterson

JACK THE RIPPER (1959). Directed by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman.  Screenplay by Jimmy Sangster. 

Women are being carved up in Whitechapel, London in the late 19th century after an unknown man asks them "Are you Mary Clark?" American reporter Sam Lowry (Lee Patterson) comes to London and meets up with his old friend, Inspector O'Neill (Eddie Byrne), who has been assigned to the case. Among the suspects is Dr. Traner (John Le Mesurier), whose ward, Anne (Betty McDowall) wants a position in his hospital over his objections. Other suspects include the friendly and mute hunchback, Louie (Endre Muller) and the less-friendly Dr. Urquhart (Garard Green), among others. 

Endre Muller and John Le Mesurier

Jack the Ripper does not at all stick to the facts of the true story, using only fictional characters and making the victims dance hall girls and barmaids along with prostitutes (To our knowledge, Jack only killed prostitutes). Nevertheless the film is interesting and has atmosphere, although the musical score is a little too jazzy at times. "Jack" comes to a suitably gruesome and horrifying end at the movie's climax, which briefly goes to color to show the blood. He has also been given a fairly credible motive. The picture is generally well-acted, absorbing, and fast-paced, but it has really nothing to do with the real Jack the Ripper. 

Verdict: Not the real story at all, but not bad on its own terms. ***. 
 

HANDS OF THE RIPPER

Bryan, Porter and Rees

HANDS OF THE RIPPER (1971). Director: Peter Sasdy. 

Dr. Pritchard (Eric Porter), who has just begun studying the teachings of Freud, decides to take in a 17-year-old orphan named Anna (Angharad Rees) after her guardian, a medium (Dora Bryan of No Trace), is horribly murdered. Pritchard, who may have ulterior motives for taking in the pretty young thing, makes Anna part of his household, despite the fact that she apparently slaughtered her guardian. Incredibly, Pritchard keeps Anna around as the bloody slayings continue. He later learns that Anna is the daughter of Jack the Ripper! 

Daughter of the Ripper: Angharad Rees

Hands of the Ripper is an exciting, well-acted Hammer horror film with handsome appointments and some very gruesome murder sequences. Rees is perfect casting as the angelic-looking gal who can become quite savage and sadistic at the drop of a hat, and Porter makes an effective shrink with less common sense than most. Marjorie Rhodes is fine as the housekeeper Mrs. Bryant, and there are also excellent performances from Dora Bryan, Margaret Rawlings as another medium, Lynda Baron as the prostitute Long Liz, and especially Derek Godfrey as Dysart, someone who wanted to deflower Anna for cash but is blackmailed by Pritchard into finding out the girl's origins. Keith Bell is Pritchard's son, Michael, and Jane Merrow [The Horror at 37,000 Feet] is his lovely blind fiancee, Laura. There's an excellent climax in the whispering gallery of St. Paul's Cathedral -- or rather a replica of it. Some of the gore was cut in the U.S. to give it an R rating, but this is the uncut version. 

Verdict: Quite classy Hammer horror film. ***. 
 

NIGHT OF THE RIPPER Robert Bloch

 NIGHT OF THE RIPPER. Robert Bloch 1984. 

In Whitechapel, London in 1888 prostitutes are being killed and mutilated by an unknown perpetrator, dubbed "Jack the Ripper," and in this excellent novel Bloch delves into the case amid rich period atmosphere. Many of the characters, such as Inspector Abberline and Sir Charles Warren as well as suspects of the time, are taken from real-life  -- and there are also guest appearances by the likes of Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw -- but Bloch has also assembled his own cast of fictional personalities: Dr. Albert Trebor; hospital probationer Eva Sloane; squeamish American physician Mark Robinson; the weird Dr. Jeremy Hume; and others. 

Bloch begins each chapter with descriptions of real-life atrocities carried out on human beings over the centuries. While these are morbidly fascinating, they frankly slow down the book. (Apparently Bloch was trying to show that Jack was a piker compared to some of the murderers of history.) Despite this, the book is creepy and suspenseful, and Bloch has come up with a bizarre but highly interesting and satisfying solution to the murders. 

Verdict: One of the best works of Ripper fiction ever! ***1/2. 

JACK THE RIPPER (1988)

Michael Caine and Lewis Collins

JACK THE RIPPER (two-part mini-series/1988). Director: David Wickes. 

In Whitechapel London in 1888, Scotland Yard Inspector Abberline (Michael Caine) is assigned to the case of the grisly murder of a young prostitute over the objections of the local constabulary. Abberline, who "tibbles" a bit too much, is partnered with the handsome Sgt. George Godley (Lewis Collins, who looks like something out of Gentleman's Quarterly.) As the murders continue, and "Jack the Ripper" sends a letter to the press, Abberline is concerned that the killer may be a member of the royal family. 

Armand Assante

Suspects include actor Richard Mansfield (Armand Assante), who is starring in a theatrical version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; clairvoyant Robert James Lees (Ken Bones), who allegedly has visions of the killer; Prince Albert Victor (Marc Culwick), who visits the fleshpots in Whitechapel; vigilante George Lusk (Michael Gothard of Lifeforce), who stirs the populace up against the police; Sir William Gull (Ray McAnally), one of the queen's personal physicians; coachman John Netley (George Sweeney); and others. 

Michael Caine pursues the Ripper

I first watched this when it aired in 1988 and found it riveting; less so this time around, although it is still entertaining enough. The problem I have this time is that the alleged solution, which was touted at the time as being a brand-new theory but really wasn't, has since been discredited and the reputation of a perfectly innocent, indeed admirable, man has been besmirched. Michael Caine gives a dynamic performance -- too dynamic, as he seems to be ferociously chewing on the scenery in several segments, his character's anger and frustration notwithstanding -- Lewis Collins provides a more restrained and credible counterpoint to Caine/Abberline. I far more enjoyed the performances of such excellent players as Armand Assante (who is just perfect as Mansfield) and the amusingly-named Ken Bones as the psychic. There's a little too much of George Lusk in this story, although he is well-played by Gothard, and there are other good turns as well, especially from Jane Seymour as, I believe, a fictional artist named Emma. Susan George and Edward Judd are also in the cast but I didn't recognize either of them. 

Verdict: Interesting take on Jack the Ripper -- employing mostly real-life characters -- as long as you recognize that the denouement is crap. ***.

YOURS TRULY, JACK THE RIPPER

YOURS TRULY, JACK THE RIPPER. Robert Bloch. Subterranean Press; 2011.

This interesting volume gathers together writings on Jack the Ripper by Psycho author Robert Bloch. There is a foreword on Jack the Ripper, originally written by Bloch for the anthology, Ripper!; Bloch's essay on "Two Victorian Gentleman" -- Dracula and Jack the Ripper -- and the way they continue to fascinate the public all these decades later; Bloch's script for the Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold," which concerns the essence of Jack the Ripper possessing innocent people in the far-flung future; and three stories and one novel. 

The stories are the title tale, which is perhaps more comical than frightening; the clever "A Most Unusual Murder;" and the rather weird and disturbing "A Toy for Juliette," all of which employ Jack the Ripper in one way or another. The novel is Bloch's masterful The Night of the Ripper, which was covered in a previous post. 

Verdict: Very interesting collection, of decided value for The Night of the Ripper alone. ***.