SCIENCE FICTION CONFIDENTIAL: Interviews with 23 Monster Stars and Filmmakers. Tom Weaver. McFarland; 2002. 

Tom Weaver has assembled another crop of interviews with old time actors, producers etc. who at one point or another were involved with genre films, especially science fiction. Many of the names in this book are really obscure: Phoebe Dorin, who did a nightclub act and appeared on The Wild, Wild West with diminutive Michael Dunn; Russ Doughton, who produced The Blob, but there are a couple of more familiar names such as Dan O'Herlihy (who doesn't quite seem to belong in this book), David Hedison of The Fly and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Warren Stevens of Forbidden Planet fame. Not to mention prolific producers Richard and Alex Gordon. Speaking of The Blob, people involved with that production don't seem to be aware of earlier "blob" films such as The Creeping Unknown and Caltiki, the Immortal Monster (or just didn't want to admit it was a rip-off). Some of these people had genuine careers while others had only a brief flirtation with crazy "show biz." Some, like the very talented Jacqueline Scott [Macabre], have long careers without ever becoming quite famous. In any case, their stories are almost always interesting. 

Verdict: More interviews with a couple of greats and many not-so-great. ***. 

28 DAYS LATER

28 DAYS LATER ... (2002), Director: Danny Boyle. Screenplay by Alex Garland.

28 days after some animal rights activists stupidly release infected chimpanzees from a laboratory, the world has been decimated by a plague that within seconds turns infected people into raving maniacs. Influenced by everything from Day of the Triffids to On the Beach to Night of the Living Dead, this starts off well, then soon becomes typically “flippant,” and eventually turns into a rather standard, if well-executed, action film. There are striking shots of a deserted London in the beginning (but it's odd that we see no bodies) and there's a scary scene inside a tunnel when a rush of rats precedes an attack by infected maniacs. The tension is undercut, however, by such scenes as when the rag tag group of survivors go jauntily shopping in a supermarket as if they hadn't a care in the world. The biggest problem with the movie is that, despite some humanistic touches and attempts at pathos (of a minor kind) the reactions of the characters don't always ring true. For instance, the main character Jim (Cillian Murphy) is forced to murder an infected boy at one point. He has no choice if he is to save himself, and the boy is beyond hope, but when he walks out of the building where he killed him he shows none of the horrified, disgusted, guilty attitude that a person in that situation would feel. This isn't just weak acting; it's insufficient filmmaking. And there are other moments like this, too, making 28 Days Later just another piece of occasionally entertaining, but overlong schlock. This received a lot of good reviews, but it's no classic despite a certain degree of directorial and visual flair. The climax at the army camp seems to go on forever.

Verdict: Not a must-see by any means. **.

NOW OUT IN PAPERBACK -- JOAN CRAWFORD: THE ESSENTIAL BIOGRAPHY

Joan Crawford in Strait-Jacket

Just released is a spanking new trade paperback edition of JOAN CRAWFORD: THE ESSENTIAL BIOGRAPHY, which I co-authored with Lawrence J. Quirk.        

I mention the book on B Movie Nightmare because Joan appeared in a number of horror films, chief among them What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? She almost appeared in Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, but couldn't deal with Bette Davis (and vice versa). She instead did William Castle's zesty Strait-Jacket and I Saw What You Did, then wound up in Herman Cohen's productions of Berserk and the awful Trog. She was quite good in some of these movies, not as good in others. She really didn't think much of her horror period -- far from the glamorous days of her Hollywood past -- although she did want to do Baby Jane and even went to Davis to ask if she'd do it with her. 

As the publisher, University Press of Kentucky, puts it: 

"Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography explores the life and career of one of Hollywood's great dames. She was a leading film personality for more than fifty years, from her beginnings as a dancer in silent films of the 1920s, to her portrayals of working-class shop girls in the Depression thirties, to her Oscar-winning performances in classic films such as Mildred Pierce. Crawford's legacy, however, has become somewhat tarnished in the wake of her daughter Christina's memoir, Mommie Dearest, which turned her into a national joke. Today, many picture Crawford only as a wire-hanger-wielding shrew rather than the personification of Hollywood glamour. 

"This new biography of Crawford sets the record straight, going beyond the gossip to find the truth about the legendary actress. The authors knew Crawford well and conducted scores of interviews with her and many of her friends and co-stars, including Frank Capra, George Cukor, Nicholas Ray, and Sidney Greenstreet. Far from a whitewash―Crawford was indeed a colorful and difficult character― Joan Crawford corrects many lies and tells the story of one of Hollywood's most influential stars, complete with on-set anecdotes and other movie lore.

"Through extensive interviews, in-depth analysis, and evaluation of her films and performances―both successes and failures―Lawrence J. Quirk and William Schoell present Crawford's story as both an appreciation and a reevaluation of her extraordinary life and career. This fascinating book tells the behind-the-scenes story of one of Hollywood's great dames."

You can buy a copy on amazon or elsewhere.  

MINER'S MASSACRE/ CURSE OF THE FORTY-NINER

Stephen Wastell as Axl

MINER'S MASSACRE (aka Curse of the Forty-Niner/2002). Director: John Carl Buechler. 

Three couples, including Axl (Stephen Wastell) and Tori (Sangie), set off to a small town because they have been told that there's a mess of gold in a mine there. But a hideous figure -- an old (and deceased) "forty-niner" (Brad H. Arden) -- takes exception to this and begins killing them all off. This is a by-the-numbers slasher film with an uninteresting maniac, and characters that no one can care about. 

John Phillip Law 

The most interesting thing about the movie is the cast. Not the young people -- although they are all professional -- but such veterans as John Phillip Law as the sheriff; Karen Black channeling Agnes Moorehead from Hush ... Hush Sweet Charlotte as batty Aunt Nelly; Martin Kove as her neighbor, Cabel; Richard Lynch as "Old Man Prichard," an early victim of the forty-niner; and Jeff Conaway playing a preacher in a flashback sequence. 

Karen Black as Aunt Nelly

As in Leprechaun, the miner in this wants his stolen gold back -- or else. There is very little originality in the screenplay, which includes flatulence jokes and one scene of Axl having an explosive bowel movement -- what fun! As Axl, Stephen Wastell at least displays some presence. This whole mess was executive- produced by Peter Lupus, who played Willie on Mission: Impossible. His son, Peter Lupus III, produced. 

Verdict: No great reason to waste your time on this one. *1/2. 

SWIMFAN

Erika Christensen

SWIMFAN (2002). Director: John Polson. 

Rhode Island high school senior Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford) is a bright light on the swim team, and he has a cute and charming girlfriend in Amy (Shiri Appleby). One afternoon he helps the new girl in school, Madison Bell (Erika Christensen), when her locker door gets stuck, and the two strike up a friendship. Ben winds up sleeping with Madison and both agree it should not happen again and remain their secret. Unfortunately, Madison doesn't keep her end of the bargain, and considers Ben her new boyfriend, come hell or high water. And she's perfectly willing to kill to keep him. 

Jesse Bradford and Shiri Appleby

A teenage version of Fatal Attraction, Swimfan is a modestly entertaining little thriller with good performances from the three leads, who are appealing actors, especially Bradford and Appleby. The best-known member of the cast is Dan Hedaya, who plays the coach of the swimming team. James DeBello makes an impression as Madison's weird cousin Christopher, and some of the students are well-portrayed. In the long run Swimfan suffers from the fact that most of the characters aren't that dimensional, and I've no doubt some teenagers were disappointed by the movie's complete lack of gore. There's a fairly exciting climax in the high school swimming pool, however. Too bad Madison is such a psycho, as her interest in classical music already gives her a certain, more positive distinction over most of her classmates. 

Verdict: There have been worse ... **1/2. 

EATEN ALIVE AT A CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE FILMS OF TOBE HOOPER

EATEN ALIVE AT A CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE FILMS OF TOBE HOOPER. John Kenneth Muir. McFarland; 2002. 

In this entertaining look at the career of director Tobe Hooper [The Texas Chainsaw Massacre], Muir makes a case that he was under-rated and should have received the same accolades as, say, John Carpenter or Wes Craven. He examines how the untrue rumor that Poltergeist was directed not by Hooper but by producer Steven Spielberg was detrimental, as was the critical and financial failure of the under-rated Lifeforce. Muir, however, does not love every Hooper film and is unsparing in his criticism of certain pictures that turned out very badly. Muir is also not a mindless gore geek, arguing that the extreme graphic carnage of certain Hooper films, such as The Mangler, actually detracted from the films' effectiveness and enjoyment. Muir occasionally goes awry in trying too hard to find deep meaning in some of Hooper's films. Is Lifeforce really an allegory of sex in the age of AIDS? His lengthy and admittedly interesting analysis of Texas Chainsaw at times borders on the pretentious. Still, if Muir wants to see Chainsaw as some kind of profound masterpiece, that's his prerogative. Whatever your opinion of that particular film and of Hooper as a director, this book is well-written, well-researched, and very informative and readable.

Verdict: A must for Hooper and Texas Chainsaw Massacre fans. ***.