FILM & TELEVISION REVIEW - F&TVR: Home of the Film Fanatic

The Shape of Monsters: Part 1

HEADER: Willem Dafoe in Poor Things (2024)

When Universal announced a rebooting of its classic monster movies there was much excitement and interest generated around the project. In 2017, The Mummy starring Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, and Sofia Boutella as the eponymous monster was released and to the horror of the Universal fans it was a dismal display of corporate creativity. Unfortunately, the studio had taken a ‘Marvel Universe’ approach without first laying the ground work. The outcome was something of a mixed bag that looked like a Mission Impossible film gone horribly wrong. The project came to a stand still.

_{Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallace & Tom Cruise in The Mummy (2017)}

Then, a film that was beyond expectations was released. Guillermo del Torro’s, The Shape of Water (2017), a wonderfully articulated beauty and the beast tale with depth and pathos was deservedly well received, although not officially a reboot of The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

_{Sally Hawkins & Doug Jones in The Shape of Water (2017)}

Universal later decided to work with directors that had their own ideas and Blumhouse’s The Invisible Man hit screens in 2020 starring Elizabeth Moss and was a complete success. In the original film the horror is seeing the wrapped in bandages Invisible Man (Claude Rains). In the reboot it is not seeing him at all. Elizabeth Moss’ performance is one of the strongest of her career and puts her on the A list of Scream Queens.

Elizabeth Moss in The Invisible Man (2020)

The release and success of Poor Things (2023), like The Shape of Water, has again illustrated what is possible when there is actual creativity inspired by the original films.

Poor Things is a brilliant film heavily influence by Mary Shelley’s novel and Universal’s Bride of Frankenstein. The imaginations that have run wild in the creation of this epic fantasy belong to Director, Gorgons Lantimos, and Screenwriter Tony McNamara (Cruella 2021) based on the Novel by Alasdair Gray. The casting of the characters brings them to life and all of the performances raise the story higher at every turn. Emma Stone (Bella Baxter) is spectacular as the progeny of Willem Dafoe’s Dr. Godwin Baxter. Defoe’s performance takes on the man & monster persona with a deft calm that itself is disturbing. Mark Ruffalo’s Duncan Wedderburn is at turns hilariously funny and madly melancholy.

_{Mark Ruffulo in Poor Things (2024)}

The year also brought to the screen Universal’s The Last Voyage of the Demeter, the dark and violent prequel to Dracula. Although both films did well with audiences, only Poor Things gathered accolades from the critics.

Javier Botet in *The Last Voyage of the Demeter*

The action could only have been the crew trying to survive the journey with a vampire on board. Having said that, as the prequel to Dracula, Demeter succeeds eminently and exceeded my expectations with shades of Nosferatu that are chillingly effective.

_{Corey Hawkins & Aisling Franciosi in The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023}₎

Universal also released Renfield in 2023: the concept really appealed to me. Alas, what could have been a wonderfully comedic turn on the Dracula story was marred with the casting of Nicolas Cage. I may be in the minority on this point, so be it.

_{Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina & Nicolas Cage in Renfield (2023)}

The film was titled Renfield. Nicholas Hoult was the star in this film. He and Awkwafina had a perfect foil in Renfield’s replacement as Dracula’s thrall in Ben Schwartz. The film would have been much improved if Dracula had been kept off screen for most of the film and was portrayed by an unknown actor.

_{Godzilla on a rampage in Godzilla + 1}

In addition to all of this, Toho’s Godzilla – 1 and the more recently released, Godzilla – 1 – Color have been very well received. Godzilla – 1 is a fascinating reboot of the original with a strong and engaging story line supported by over the top special effects. The recent black and white release of the film will appeal to those viewers that will appreciate the feel and look of the original.

_{Ryunosuke Kamiki & Minami Hamabe in Godzilla + 1}

After the horrors of WW2, disgraced kamikaze pilot, Koichi Shikishima returns home to find that everything that he knew has been destroyed in the war. The guilt he feels for not dying as he was meant to is compounded by all the death and destruction around him. A chance meeting with a displaced young woman slowly pulls him from his self pity.

_{Godzilla was a metaphor for the horror and destruction caused by Oppenheimer’s monster. Unlike the bomb–the people could fight Godzilla. And, in the end–defeat him.}

I do find the irony in Godzilla – 1 being released in the same year as another film. A film that most would not consider a horror/monster film. Oppenheimer is without a doubt the best film of the year, but it is also a terrifically dark film, and yes–Oppenheimer does create a monster. In many ways, his story is also related to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. He is a man of his time looking over the abyss and struggling not to fall in as he reaches for something that man was not meant to find. Unlike Doctor Frankenstein, he knows what horror he is bringing into existence.

_{Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer (2023)}

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer delivers an accessible film about an inaccessible subject. Bringing it all down to a human level, he manages to shine a light into an abyss. We see more than enough to feel his exhalation, horror, and pain.

_{Cillian Murphy & Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer (2023)}

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.“ Friedrich Nietzsche

_{Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer (2023)}

Nolan has created a masterpiece of enormous importance. Every performance resonated the gravity of the story. Cillian Murphy becomes Oppenheimer. Robert Downey Jr. gives the best performance of his career.

Facts, Rumors, and Hearsay

THE MUMMY (2017)

The film’s tagline, “Welcome to a new world of gods and monsters,” is a quote from Bride of Frankenstein, which was produced by Universal and would have been the next in the Dark Universe franchise if “The Mummy (2017)” had been a success.

THE SHAPE OF WATER (2017)

After seeing the trailer, Kevin Smith tweeted, “Seeing something as beautiful as this makes me feel stupid for ever calling myself a ‘director.'”

Director Guillermo del Toro first met Sally Hawkins at the 2014 Golden Globes and pitched the film to her while intoxicated. He says, “I was drunk and it’s not a movie that makes you sound less drunk.”

THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020)

Leigh Whannell decided not to have an opening establishing Cecilia’s abusive relationship with Adrian “because I wanted to just drop the audience into Cecilia’s situation without any back story and make them feel everything through her, and luckily I had Elizabeth Moss who is very good at communicating a lot to the audience without saying anything.”

POOR THINGS (2023)

Mark Ruffalo initially was hesitant about the role of Duncan Wedderburn after first reading the Poor Things screenplay . “I said to director, Yorgos Lanthimos, ‘I don’t think I’m right for this’,” Ruffalo said. “And he just laughed at me and he’s like, ‘It’s you.'”

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER (2023)

Dracula’s look is based on Count Orlok from the unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stokers Dracula, Nosferatu (1922). This was also the model for the look of the vampire Barlow in the original Salem’s Lot (1979)

RENFIELD (2023)

In an interview with Collider, director Chris McKay admitted that the film is actually intended to serve as a direct sequel to Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931). McKay had also attempted to have the film’s trailers and poster refer to this fact, but did not pan out.

GODZILLA – 1 (2023)

The “Minus One” refers to the fact that Japan had already been devastated by WWII (brought down to zero), but with the emergence of Godzilla, it puts Japan into the negative. This is reflected in the film’s original Japanese tagline, which translates to, “Postwar Japan. From Zero to Minus”.

OPPENHEIMER (2023)

In order for the black and white sections of the movie to be shot in the same quality as the rest of the film, Kodak produced a limited supply of their Double-X black and white film stock in 70mm. This film stock was chosen specifically for its heritage – it was originally sold to photographers as Super-XX during World War II, and was very popular with photojournalists of the era.

Robert Downey Jr.’s favorite film of his own. When it premiered at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, he said, “Just going to flat out say it: This is the best film I’ve ever been in.”

The Shape of Monsters: Part 2

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

Abigail (2024)

…and updates including Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man

Film Noir 5

Illustration by John Harbourne

The Big Heat (1953) Columbia Pictures

Directed by Fritz Lang

Screenplay by Sydney Boehm based on the Saturday Evening Post serial by William P. McGivern

Cinematography by Charles Lang

Music Director Mischa Bakaleinikoff

CAST: Glenn Ford (Dave Bannion), Gloria Grahame (Debby Marsh), Jocelyn Brando (Katie Bannion), Alexander Scourby (Mike Lagana), Lee Marvin (Vince Stone), Jeanette Nolan (Bertha Duncan), Peter Whitney (Tierney), Willis Bouchey (Lt. Ted Wilks), Robert Burton (Gus Burke), Adam Williams (Larry Gordon), Dorothy Green (Lucy Chapman), Carolyn Jones (Doris).

**Gloria Grahame & Glenn Ford in *The Big Heat* (1953)**

Fritz Lang made two films that gave me nightmares, M and The Big Heat. M was undoubtedly his best German film and the American film that holds that place for me is The Big Heat. With the casting of Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, and Lee Marvin and the most memorable script Sydney Boehm ever wrote, Lang had a classic waiting to happen. His tight direction keeps the story moving from the opening close up of the gun that crooked cop Tom Duncan is about to use take his own life to Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby) taking the call from Bertha Duncan (Jeanette Nolan) to Debby Marsh (Gloria Grahame) taking the call from mobster Mike Lagana and in a few lines and moves, making her relationship to Vince Stone (Lee Marvin) perfectly clear.

**Gloria Grahame in *The Big Heat* (1953)**

Lang’s economy of narrative moves the story rapidly within the illusion of placid pace.

**Lee Marvin & Gloria Grahame in** *The Big Heat* (1953)

Sargent Bannion (Glenn Ford) interviews the dead man’s wife (who we know is aware of her husband’s crimes and guilt), yet she points to his ‘health’ as the reason for his suicide. Bannion is not fooled and sets off to get to the truth.

**Jeannette Nolan & Glenn Ford** **in *The Big Heat* (1953)**

At home with his wife (Jocelyn Brando) the same economy is applied and we get a good idea of how close and idyllic a life they have together.

**Linda Bennett, Glenn Ford & Jocelyn Brando in *The Big Heat* (1953)**

Once Lang has given the tour of the landscape, the gloves come off and the violence is quick and shocking.

Bannion’s quiet calm is first disturbed by the torture murder of Lucy (Dorothy Green) who tells him that Donovan did not commit suicide (above left), then by the horrific explosion that was meant for him but takes his wife instead (above right). The car blows up as Katie starts it on her way to pick up the babysitter. The house shakes violently as Bannion holds his daughter tightly before running out to find his wife dead. At this moment, the film switches gears and becomes a wild ride. Bannion is no longer the sensible cop.

Lee Marvin, Gloria Grahame, & Glenn Ford in *The Big Heat* **(1953)**

His good natured demeanor has been blown away and replaced by a determination to get revenge if not justice. Vince and Tierney are psychotic and will only respond to violence. Lee Marvin’s Vince Stone is a monster as is hammered home when he punishes Debby by throwing hot coffee in her face. Marvin’s performance is one of the best of his long career and he is the villain that makes the heroine great. The wild card is Debby. Her erratic behavior making her unpredictable, but she becomes Bannion’s ally and together they bring the action to a crescendo.

There is no question that Gloria Grahame was the quintessential noir femme fatale. It is difficult to believe that Columbia tried to borrow Marilyn Monroe for the role from 20th Century Fox, but fortunately the fee was too high. It’s easy to see that Grahame was the best choice for the role. This was an actress that could move with a sureness and agility that makes the character come alive. There is so much energy in her performance as she sashays her way across the screen with a tight rope walker’s confidence. In the end, Debby does what she knows Bannion cannot, and becomes the tragic heroine.

In the well known, but out of print biography, Suicide Blonde, Lang’s behavior toward the actors was revealed as not always pleasant. Joyce Brando suffered his rath on the scene where she is feeding Ford a piece of steak, doing take after take because the dripping from the meat was not going the way the director wished. Grahame was said to be the focus of most of his ill temper, but whatever the motivation, she delivers an unforgettable performance in an unforgettable film.

The Asphalt Jungle (1950) MGM

Directed by John Huston

Screenplay by Ben Maddow and John Huston based on the Novel by W.R. Burnett

Music by Mikios Rozsa

Cinematography by Harold Rosson

CAST: Sterling Hayden (Dix Handley), Louis Calhern (Alonzo D. Emmerich), Jean Hagen (Doll Conovan), James Whitmore (Gus Minissi), Sam Jaffe (Doc Erwin Riedenschneider), Anthony Caruso (Louis Clavelli), Teresa Celli (Maria Clavelli), John McIntire (Police Commissioner Hardy), Marc Lawrence (Cobby), Barry Kelly (Lt. Detrich), Brad Dexter ( Bob Brannom), Don Haggerty (Detective Andrews/uncredited), and Marilyn Monroe (Angela Phinlay).

As always, John Huston manages to deliver a film that no one else could have imagined. Like Billy Wilder, he could work in any genre or style, while always endowing it with his own signature. The Asphalt Jungle is a seriously powerful Film Noir that taps into just as serious talent.

From Sterling Hayden as the torpedo right off of the farm and Sam Jaffe as the Professor fresh out of prison to Jean Hagen as a woman in love with a ghost, and the novice Marilyn Monroe as the ditzy mistress to Louis Calher’s greedy villain, Alonzo D. Emmerich, Huston has a palette of doomed characters only Flannery O’Conner could love.

Marilyn Monroe & Don Haggerty in The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

“Haven’t you bothered me enough already you big banana head?” Angela to Detective Andrews.

It is endowed with a dark humor as each character suffers from their own deadly obsessions. Dix (Sterling Hayden) only wants to get back to his farm at any cost, Emmerich’s greed guides him as he plots and cheats his way to ruin and Doc’s (Sam Jaffe) weakness for young girls is not only unbecoming, but dangerous.

Although the most self aware of all of the characters, in one of the best scenes in the film he gives coins to a young girl in a diner for the juke box so she will continue dancing as he stares at her, transfixed and losing his head start on the police to make his getaway.

Facts, Rumors & Hearsay

The Big Heat

Bannion’s wife Katie is played by Marlon Brando’s older sister, Jocelyn.

The portrait of Lagana’s mother is of Celia Lovsky, ex-wife of Peter Lorre. She is probably best known for her portrayal of T’Pau, the Vulcan Ambassador, in Star Trek: Amok Time (1967).

The Asphalt Jungle

A poster for this film with Marilyn Monroe in a purple dress was created much later, after she became a household name. Monroe was almost unknown when the film was made in 1950. She certainly wouldn’t have been featured on the poster, and she wasn’t even listed on the original posters.

Marilyn Monroe considered this film one of her best performances, particularly her final scene with Louis Calhern.

Miklos Rozsa’s scoring is minimal, occurring for the main titles, continuing through the opening sequence up to the point where Handley enters the café, and then returns when Handley and Doll return to his boyhood farm. Total scoring just under 6 minutes.

Special thanks once again to John Harbourne for permission to use his wonderful The Big Heat illustration. See more of John’s incredible Film Noir Art at: John Harbourne Artist

Producers & Directors Series 2 Alfred Hitchcock: Part Six

The Enchantment

From the moment Scottie sees her, he is entranced. Even across the distance of the dining room from the bar at Ernie’s, Madeline stands out with her blonde hair and the emerald green of her gown against the lavish red wall covering of the restaurant. Hitchcock’s use of color glares at us from the red walls as Scottie’s obsession begins. The green of her gown will echo through the rest of the film and is the color that Scottie will associate with Madeline. The immediate attraction is discernible in the restaurant scene as Madeline and Elster are leaving: Scottie gets his first fleeting glance as she pauses, then turns to look back at Elster. She personifies beauty and elegance, and against his own better judgement, he takes on the job.

_{James Stewart & Kim Novak in Vertigo (1959)}

The next shot is of Scottie in his car, and then cut to her coming out of her building and getting into her car from Scottie’s point of view. Hitchcock’s choice of the green car provokes thoughts of her in the restaurant the night before. As she drives off, Scottie follows. He becomes her shadow as she quickly becomes his obsession. The longer he tails her, the harder it it will be for him to think clearly. Surely, a trained detective would have been suspicious? He had initially scoffed at Elster’s tale about possession. It is true that he’s just had the trauma of the death of a fellow officer and the guilt that goes along with it, but still? Doing a 180 after a mere glimpse at the woman? We realize that it is the woman in question that turns his head and eventually, sets it spinning.

_{James Stewart in Vertigo (1959)}

The measured pace that began in Madge’s studio, continues as Scottie follows her through San Francisco’s scenic streets of twists and turns that echo the dizzy spiral of his vertigo. The last turn is down an alley behind a flower shop. After she goes in, he follows. Once inside he stands in the shadows, watching while she waits to pick up a pink and white nosegay. Perplexed, he watches. He then goes back to his car and waits, but not before getting a good look at her in her elegant grey suit. When she comes out, he continues to follow.

_{Kim Novak in Vertigo (1959)}

This time she stops in front of Mission Dolores, and after going through a chapel to follow her, Scottie steps out into a cemetery garden. The Mission Dolores foreshadows Scottie’s later realization of where Madeline is being led. He follows on foot, as she goes to stand before a grave. Seeing her first from a distance, he slowly moves closer until he is almost too close. She moves away and then stops, and he sees her in a clear profile before she leaves the graveyard.

_{James Stewart & Kim Novak in Vertigo (1959)}

Going to look at the grave stone, we see it from Scottie’s point of view. It is as though she has been led to her own death, and he has followed. It is the completion of the foreshadowing.

Once again he tails her, this time to the Palace of the Legions of Honor and inside the

_{Kim Novak in Vertigo (1959)}

museum, Scottie finds her sitting before the painting of Carlotta Valdes who holds the identical nosegay to the one Madeleine holds in the painting. Her hair style is also similar to Madeleine’s. Scottie asks the museum guard what the name of the painting is and of course is told that it is, The Portrait of Carlotta.

The next stop is where things take another turn in the spiral. It is the McKittrick Hotel and as Scottie gets out of the car and walks toward the building, we see Madeline from Scottie’s point of view already up in the window of one of the rooms. How did she get up there so fast? It seems impossible. When he opens the door, we see the lobby from Scottie’s point of view that it is empty; there is no one behind the reception desk. His glance then follows the stairs to the landing and we hear a voice, “Yes?” When he looks back down there is a woman behind the reception desk.

_{Kim Novak,} _{Ellen Corby} _{& Jame Stewart in Vertigo (1959)}

When we first see the lobby from Scottie’s point of view the rubber plant is there, but the woman is not. Upon questioning, she tells him that Miss Valdes hasn’t been in today confirming that she has been at the counter all morning, oiling her rubber plant. His reaction does not conceal his disbelief. Scottie asks her to go up and check the room. Although she thinks it is silly, she does as he asks.

_{Ellen Corby & James Stewart in Vertigo (1959)}

As she goes up the stairs, Scottie looks perplexed. She calls down to him that he should come up. As he looks up the stairs at her peering down from the landing; the vertigo is suggested, although he has no trouble on the stairs. He thinks he is being led up to Madeline, but when he gets there, she is not in the room. Still, Scottie can’t accept it as he looks out the window and says, “Her car is gone!”

_{Ellen Corby} _{& Jame Stewart in Vertigo (1959)}

This scene strikes me with the same impact that the opening scene does with Scottie hanging from the questionable rain gutter. Even if he had grabbed the officer’s hand, there was nothing to anchor the man and they both would have plunged to their deaths. In Donald Spoto’s exceptional, Hitchcock: Fifty Years of His Motion Pictures, he says of the scene at the McKittrick Hotel, “...we are as confused as Scottie. Any logical explanation offered in retrospect–that the two women were in collusion, or that Madeleine escaped through a rear door–is in no way supported by the text or the atmosphere at this point. Scottie wonders whether Madeleine is in fact a spirit or a figment of his imagination.” I would add that Scottie has become an unreliable witness. As we see through his eyes, his confusion becomes our own. We also grope to understand, hoping for an explanation that never comes.

At this point, Scottie has completely left reality behind and is prepared to accept any eventuality without question. We accept it as well. We too, have been enchanted by this chimerical beauty.

NEXT: THE HOOK

TV’s Golden Age: The Twilight Zone Part 4

The Lonely (Season 1 Episode 7)

Directed by Jack Smight

Written by Rod Serling

Cinematography by George T. Clemens

Music by Bernard Herrmann

CAST: Jack Warden (James A. Corry), John Dehner (Captain Allenby), Jean March (Alicia), Ted Knight (Adams), James Turley (Carstairs).

The Lonely is an episode that stays with you long after you view it. Jack Warden stars as a prisoner confined to an asteroid. It begins with a wide shot of his prison, the surface of the asteroid and the tin hut and the old car that he tells you about in the narrative that begins as he starts writing in his journal. There is a supply ship “…due or over due…” coming and he hopes it’s Captain Allenby (John Dehner), “…he brings me things.”

When they arrive, one of the crewman taunts Corry with the fact that the courts aren’t reviewing cases of homicide so he should forget about ever being paroled. Captain Allenby tries to placate him, telling him that he has brought him something that will help combat the loneliness. He also asks Corry not to open the crate that it’s in until he and his crew have departed.

This time Captain Allenby has brought him a robot named Alicia ( Jean March) that is impossible to distinguish from a human. Although he rejects her violently at first, he quickly comes to love her as he sees her reactions to his cruelty. In time, he sees her as an extension of himself as she comes to care about the same things that he does. He loses the simple truth that she is in fact, only a robot.

When the Captain’s ship returns earlier than the scheduled three months with the good news of his pardon, Corry is beside himself with joy until a realization of the reality of the situation comes over him. He wants to disagree with what his friend Captain Allenby is telling him, but…

A simple tale that is tautly written and directed with excellent performances. It is among the best of the first season Twilight Zones.

Time Enough at Last (Season 1 Episode 8)

Directed by John Brahm

Written by Rod Serling based on a story by Lynn Venable

Cinematography by George T. Clemens

Music by Leith Stevens

CAST: Burgess Meredith (Henry Bemis), Vaughn Taylor (Mr. Carsville), Jacqueline deWit (Helen Bemis), Lela Bliss (Mrs. Chester).

**LEFT: Burgess Meredith & Jacqueline deWit RIGHT: Burgess Meredith & Vaughn Taylor**

Henry Bemis is a book lover, or at least he loves to read more than anything else in his life. He doesn’t get much time to between his harpy of a wife and his manager at the bank where he is a clerk. One day, Henry is so desperate for some reading time that he goes down into the bank’s vault just to get some time alone and undisturbed so he can read in peace. He is interrupted not by his boss, but by a jarring explosion.

When he exits the vault, he finds that everything has been destroyed by a hydrogen bomb. At first, he has the normal reaction as it dawns on him that he is totally alone in the world, but before panic allows him to pull the trigger, he has the realization that he now has all the time to read that he could desire! That is until fate intervenes in the most unexpectedly mundane way possible.

Time Enough at Last is a tour de force for Burgess Meredith that he embraces as he transforms himself into one Henry Bemis. It is his performance that makes us believe in the man’s travail as he searches for those moments when he will be allowed the only thing that matters to him in his miserable world, reading. It is no wonder that he went on to appear in three more episodes.

**Burgess Meredith in Time Enough at Last** **(1959)**

He is supported by Vaughn Taylor as (Psycho) Mr. Carsville his boss, and Jacqueline deWit (Tea and Sympathy) as his shrewish wife. Serling’s script is as concise as an O’Henry short story, and contains an equally powerful denouement. The photography and sets are dreamlike and the direction earned John Brahm a 1960 Director’s Guild award.

This episode is not only a fan favorite, but certainly one of the most memorable as well.

Facts, Rumors & Hearsay

The Lonely

The first of many episodes to be filmed on location in Death Valley. Unprepared for the terrible conditions they would face, the crew suffered dehydration and heat exhaustion. The director of photography, George T. Clemens actually collapsed and fell from a camera crane during filming.

Ted Knight makes an uncredited appearance as Captain Allenby’s taunting crew member Adams.

Time Enough at Last

Of the 92 episodes of The Twilight Zone written by Rod Serling, this was his personal favorite.

This was Burgess Meredith’s first of four starring roles in the series.

The Horror Chronicles Part 3: Mr. Renfield, I presume?

What we know so far THE CAST:

One of the announced re-boots of the Universal Monsters is Renfield, reportedly a horror/comedy based on Dracula (1931) that focuses on, well Renfield. It is currently filming in Louisiana. I was really excited about the premise, but I have to admit I was thrown when I read that Nicolas Cage had been cast as Dracula. Maybe I am wrong, but I just can’t see him as the Count.

You have to imagine Cage as Dracula & Jessica Biel as Mina in this still from *Next*

It’s one of those situations where I would think an unknown or relative unknown would be a much better choice. Presumably, the other Nicholas is the lead as he is playing Renfield.

_{Nicholas Hoult & Teresa Palmer in Warm Bodies}

Hoult was in the Horror/Romance/Comedy, Warm Bodies in which he portrayed a zombie in love with Teresa Palmer as his Juliet and John Malkovich as her disapproving dad. The film was successful and his portrayal was funny and very convincing. The rest of the cast includes: Awkwafina as Rebecca Quincy, Shohreh Aghdashloo as Ella, Adrian Martinez as Chris, Ahmed Zakzouk as Dancer, and Bess Rouse as Caitlan who is a member of a support group for people in toxic relationships. Ben Schwartz, recently of Space Force, has also joined the cast.

What we know so far THE STORY:

Renfield it seems, is sick of centuries of servitude to the Count and wants his freedom. Awkwafina’s Rebecca Quincy who according to Deadline is a “perennially angry traffic cop” who helps Renfield take on Dracula.

The script by Ryan Ridley is based on an original story by Robert Kirkman. Kirkman is probably best know for his writing on The Walking Dead (based on the comic written by himself and the artist’s Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard) and the animated Invincible. Ryan Ridley Has written for Rick and Morty, Community, and Ghosted. The director is Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War). Expected 2023.

Vampires in the Cinema! Part 1

*Nosferatu*, *eine Symphonie des Grauens* (1922) directed by F.W. Murnau

When most people think of vampires, the name Dracula is what first comes to mind. And to many, Dracula was also the first vampire story; that is not the case. The first vampire story was birthed in the same time and place as Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. First credited to Lord Byron (George Gordon), Vampyre was actually written by his physician, Dr. John Polidori based on a story that Byron told on a stormy night in Geneva with poet Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, and Dr. John Polidori present. The character in the story, Lord Ruthven was actually modeled on the carnally voracious Lord Byron. The irony of both Frankenstein and the first vampire story being birthed in a contest to see who could write the better horror story should not be lost on anyone. Polidori’s Vampyre would influence both Irish writers of the next two vampire tales: Sheridan Le Fanu and Bram Stoker. Le Fanu’s tale of a lesbian vampire, Carmilla was published in 1872 in his collection, In a Glass Darkly. Twenty-five years later, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1892) was published.

_{Philip Burne Jones, The Vampire (1897) & Carmilla Illustration in Sheridan Le Fanu’s vampire story in the collection In A Glass Darkly (1872)}

The first surviving vampire film is Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) directed by F.W Murnau. It is an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Murnau may have changed the title and some of the story due to Stoker’s widow refusing to sell the rights to the novel, though it is perplexing because he credits the author in the film. Vampire became Nosferatu and the Count became Count Orlock. Possibly he felt that if he credited the writer the estate would leave him alone, but that was not to be. Stoker’s Estate sued and the court ruled that all copies of the film were to be destroyed. Obviously, some prints survived. There were two other films produced based on the novel, but neither survive: Drakula (1920-Russia), but nothing has survived not even production notes which has lead to the belief that the film did not exist, and Dracula’s Death (1921-Hungary), directed by Karoly Lajhay. An unauthorized Hungarian adaptation that has been lost since its initial release. Film historians know of its existence through photos and ads only.

_{ABOVE: Paul Askonas (Dracula) Margit Lux (Mary Land) in Dracula’s Death (1921)}

Nosferatu, eine Syphonie des Grauens (1922)

W.F. Murnau (1922) *Nosferatu*, *eine Symphonie des Grauens*

Directed by F.W. Murnau

Screenplay by Henrik Galeen based on the Novel, Dracula by Bram Stoker

CAST: Max Shreck (Graf Orlock), Gustav von Wangenheim (Hutter), Greta Schroder (Ellen – seine Frau), Georg H. Schnell (Harding – ein Reeder), Ruth Landshoff (Ruth – seine Schwester), Gustav Botz (Professor Bulwer – ein Paracelsianer), Alexander Granach (Knock – ein Hausermakler), John Gottowt (Professor Bulwer – ein Paracelsianer), Max Nemetz (Ein Kapitan)

Max Schreck in *Nosferatu*, *eine Symphonie des Grauens* (1922)

Nosferatu, (A Symphony of Horror) eine Symphonie des Grauens is not only the first surviving vampire film, it is a classic example of German expressionism still heralded as one of world cinema’s greatest achievements. From the opening frames there is a feeling of oncoming dread. The property agent (Knock) is maniacal as he briefs Hutter on the Count that wishes to buy the estate across from Hutter’s home. Hutter is anxious to please his boss and excitedly prepares for the long journey, but his wife, Ellen has a foreboding and Hutter leaves her with friends while he’s away.

**Greta Shroder, Gustave Botz & G.H. Schell in Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)**

Although Nosferatu follows the story of Stoker’s book fairly closely, he made changes in the names of the characters. The film still stands up to viewing today and remains a cinema classic.

Facts, Rumors & Hearsay

Dracula’s Death

Contrary to what has been widely assumed, contemporary film reviews along with the still surviving novella adaptation verify that this movie was not based on Stoker’s novel. It tells an original story only loosely related to the Dracula novel, featuring an insane asylum inmate who thinks he is Dracula and then actually becomes Dracula in a dream sequence.

Nosferatu, eine Syphonie des Grauens

All known prints and negatives were destroyed under the terms of settlement of a lawsuit by the Stoker estate, but the film would resurface through copies in other countries.

The movie was banned in Sweden due to excessive horror. The ban was finally lifted in 1972.

NEXT

Profile: Scarlett Johansson Part 2

_{Scarlett Johansson & Bill Murray in Lost in Translation (2003)}

In 2003 Johansson also appeared in the astonishingly popular Lost in Translation with Bill Murray. An unconsummated Spring/Winter love affair that begins in a hotel bar in Japan is both morose and comforting. Getting the irony of the title leads us to A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004).

**Scarlett Johansson, John Travolta & Gabriel Macht in A Love Song for Bobby Long** **(2004)**

Alcohol is not a medicine for melancholy, as is certainly made clear in this strangely gripping romantic tale of a disillusioned writer and one of his past students as they swelter away in a fog of denial. Pursy (Scarlett Johansson) arrives and brings some sort of sanity to a situation that is cloyingly self destructive as the three bond into a nearly functional family unit.

Like Ghost World, A Love Song for Bobby Long is character driven with actors that demand your attention with finely honed performances. Pursy becomes the center of this universe from the moment she enters the film, gliding around Travolta’s and Macht’s characters with a confidence that is unburdened by expectation.

_{Scarlett Johansson in A Love Song for Bobby Long (2005)}

Some narratives burn, some broil, but under Shainee Gabel’s direction the story simmers like a jambalaya. Gabel’s screenplay, based on the novel by Ronald Everett Capps, takes its time and lets the characters move naturally. There is not a scene or a sentence that is out of place. This is another showcase for Johansson’s talent that pits her opposite actors that she not only keeps up with, but surpasses.

_{LEFT: Scarlett Johansson & John Travolta RIGHT: Gabriel Macht, Scarlett Johansson & John Travolta in A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)}

The Perfect Score (2004) is a misfire with a talented cast. Fortunately, it didn’t hold anyone back. Both Johansson and Chris Evans survived to act another day.

The Island (2005), directed by Michael Bay, stars Johansson as Jordan Two Delta and Ewan McGregor as Lincoln Six Echo in a future that is as sterile as the the script. The leads are the only thing the film has going for it. It is yet another fiery distraction by the director that brought you Bad Boys II.

_{LEFT: Ewan McGregor & Scarlett Johansson RIGHT: Ewan McGregor, Scarlet Johansson & Steve Buscemi in The Island (2005)}

Her next film is the first of three films she would appear in directed by Woody Allen. In Match Point (2005), Johansson is opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Emily Mortimer in what turns out to be a mystery with a strong Dial M for Murder vibe.

_{LEFT: Emily Mortimer & Jonathan Rhys Meyers RIGHT: Scarlett Johansson &} _{Jonathan Rhys Meyers} _{in Match Point (2005)}

In her second film with Allen, she is again drawn into a mystery, but this time Allen stars as a hokey magician who inadvertently gets involved in an investigation instigated by a deceased reporter. The film also features Hugh Jackman. As usual, Allen manages to pull it off with a flourish.

_{Woody Allen, Scarlett Johansson & Hugh Jackman in Scoop ( 2006)}

Scoop (2006) succeeds as light comedy that features Johansson as the one doing the investigating and dragging Allen’s character deeper into the fray. Allen wrote the script with Johansson in mind. It was because while working with her on Match Point, he saw a comedic side to her that he wanted explore.

_{Scarlett Johansson, Josh Hartnett & Hilary Swank in The Black Dahlia (2006)}

Brian De Palma, much like Quentin Tarantino sometimes becomes so focused on what he is emulating that he fails to ever reach the heart of the matter. Their so called homages are just quick copies that retain the luridness and violence but reproduce none of the substance. Such is the case with De Palma’s The Black Dahlia (2006); a disappointing criss cross of a film noir that confuses plotting with shuffling cards. Scarlett Johansson is wasted, and even Hilary Swank’s incredible performance can’t save the film.

Speaking of shuffling cards, Christopher Nolan’s dazzling The Prestige (2006), brings the magic back in a big way with a well written and produced story of competing magicians. Johansson turns in another fine performance along with Michael Caine, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall, Andy Serkis, and David Bowie.

**LEFT: Michael Caine & Scarlett Johansson RIGHT: Scarlett Johansson & Hugh Jackman in The Prestige (2006)**

Facts, Rumors & Hearsay

Match Point

Match Point is Woody Allen’s favorite of his own films.

In a nod to Alfred Hitchcock, a playbill showing Woody Allen’s face in deadpan is briefly seen as Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) arrives at the Tate museum to meet Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson).

The painting of a girl with a red balloon on the wall that Chris walks along was done by Banksy, the graffiti artist from Bristol.

Scoop

Sidney Waterman (Allen) foreshadows his own death the evening that he and Sondra Pransky (Johansson) follow Peter Lyman (Jackman), whining that he won’t drive in London because he’s “…afraid he’ll die in a crash.”

The Island

Robert S. Fiveson, director of The Clonus Horror (1979), filed a copyright infringement suit against DreamWorks and Warner Brothers. The lawsuit cited almost one hundred points of similarity between Clonus and this film, and the court ruled that Fiveson made a prima facie case for infringement. DreamWorks settled before the case could go to trial, for an undisclosed seven-figure amount.

The original script was set one hundred years in the future, but they kept bringing it closer to the present for budgetary reasons.

The Prestige

Prestige originally meant a trick, from the Latin praestigium, meaning illusion.

This is one of three 2006 movies to feature magic and magicians as main characters. The other are The Illusionist (2006) and Scoop (2006), which also starred Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman.

NEXT

Coming Soon 2022

Scream

January 14th

Back in Woodsboro 25 years later and our only hope is that co-screenwriter James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) can bring something fresh to this mounting pile of teen corpses.

**Above Left: Jenna Ortega / Above Right: Neve Campbell & Courteney Cox**

CAST: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Marley Shelton, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Dylan Minnette, Jack Quaid, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sonia Ammar, Mikey Madison, Mason Gooding, Kyle Gallner, Reggie Conquest.

Death on the Nile

February 11th

This Ridley Scott produced and Kenneth Branagh directed version of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile stars Gal Gadot and Kenneth Branagh. Branagh teams with his Murder on the Orient Express writer Michael Green for the screenplay. Green also wrote the screenplay for 2020’s The Call of the Wild.

_{Above Left: Gal Gadot / Above Right: Annette Bening & Tom Bateman}

CAST: Gal Gadot ( Linnet Ridgeway Doyle), Kenneth Branagh (Hercule Poirot), Rose Leslie ( Louise), Emma Mackey (Jacqueline de Bellefort), Armie Hammer (Simon Doyle), Sophie Okonedo (Salome Otterbourne), Tom Bateman (Bouc), Letitia Wright (Rosalie Otterbourne), Jennifer Saunders (Marie Van Schuyler), Annette Bening (Euphemia), Russell Brand (Dr. Bessner), Adam Garcia (Syd), Dawn French (Mrs. Bowers).

Uncharted

February 18th

An over the top treasure hunt directed by Ruben Fleischer comes from Iron Man screenplay writers Art Marcum & Matt Holloway & Agents of Shield writer/producer Rafe Judkins.

_{ABOVE & ABOVE R: Mark Wahlberg & Tom Holland / Above: Tom Holland & Sophia Ali}

CAST: Tom Holland (Nathan Drake), Mark Wahlberg (Victor Sullivan), Sophia Ali (Chloe Frazer), Tati Gabrielle (Braddock).

The Batman

March 4th

A gritty no nonsense version of the Dark Knight brought to you by Matt Reeves (Let Me In and War for the Planet of the Apes) who directed and co-wrote the screenplay along with Hunger Games: Mockingjay and 2021’s The Unforgivable scribe, Peter Craig.

_{Robert Pattinson & Zoe Kravitz}

Cast: Peter Sarsgaard (D.A. Gil Colson), Colin Farrell (Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin), Robert Pattinson (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Andy Serkis (Alfred Pennyworth), Zoe Kravitz (Selina Kyle/Catwoman), Paul Dano (Edward Nashton/Riddler), Jeffrey Wright (James Gordon), John Turturro (Carmine Falcone).

The Lost City

March 25th

Writer/Director Adam Nee’s action/comedy about a Romance writer getting pulled into one of her own adventures. Based on a story by Seth Gordon

CAST: Sandra Bullock, Daniel Radcliffe, Brad Pitt & Channing Tatum.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

April 16th

In the third tale of Newt Scamander it seems that he stumbles onto some of that old rascal Dumbledore’s secrets.

Eddy Redmayne & Jude Law in *Fan*tastic *Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore*

CAST: Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen, Katherine Waterston, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Callum Turner, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Jessica Williams,Richard Coyle, Victoria Yeates, Oliver Masucci, Maria Fernanda Candido.

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

May 6th

Doctor Strange dives into the Multiverse and need we add, Chaos ensues as several story lines are wound up.

**_{Clockwise from top left: Benedict Cumberbatch / Elizabeth Olson, Benedict Cumberbatch & Xochitl Gomez/ Elizabeth Olson}**

CAST: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams, Michael Stuhlbarg, Xochitl Gomez, Chiwetel Ejiofor & Benedict Wong.

Thor: Love & Thunder

July 22nd

Presumably, there will be love & thunder in this much anticipated addition to the Marvel canon Taika Waititi directed sequel to Thor: Ragnarok.

CAST: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Karen Gillan, Taika Waititi, Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Chris Pratt, Melissa McCarthy, Russell Crowe, Tessa Thompson, Sam Neill & Jamie Alexander.

Killers of the Flower Moon

2022 date TBA

Martin Scorsese directs this tale based on David Grann’s Edgar Award (Best Fact Crime) winning book, Killers of the Flower Moon: Oil, Money, Murder and the Birth of the FBI.

CAST: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jesse Plemons, Robert De Niro, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow, Barry Corbin, Tantoo Cardinal, Louis Cancelmi, Lily Gladstone, Pat Healy, Nathaniel Arcand, Gary Basaraba, Jay Paulson, Tatanka Means, Scott Shepherd, Joey Oglesby, Joshua Close & Sturgill Simpson.

COMING SOON…

December 2021

I had planned to start this column in January 2022, but decided to get the jump on it with the remainder of December. The following are the upcoming new Films & Series that are recommended by F&TVR for the month of December.

Landscapers is a Limited Series premiers on HBO December 7th, and features David Thewlis and Olivia Colman in a true crime drama based the story of Chris & Susan Edwards who become the the principle suspects when two bodies are found in Nottingham.

**David Thewlis & Olivia Colman in *Landscapers* premiers on HBO December 7th**

The Lost Daughter is the feature writing/directing debut of Maggie Gyllenhaal as she adapts Elena Ferrante’s novel to the screen; the film will receive a limited theatrical release on December 17th and premier on Netflix on December 31st.

**Dakota Johnson & Olivia Colman in** **The Lost Daughter**

The cast features: Olivia Colman with support from Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, Jessie Buckley, Ed Harris, and Paul Mescal.

**Olivia Colman &** **Dakota Johnson** in **The Lost Daughter**

Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story hits Theater’s on December 10th. I can’t imagine anyone missing this!

Ansel Elgort & Rachel Zegler in *West Side Story*

Red Rocket a new film from the director that brought you Tangerine opens in Theaters on December 10th. It is the story of a burnt out porn star returning to his hometown. How could anyone resist such a synopsis? The film features former MTV VJ Simon Rex.

Spider-Man: No Way Home comes your way on December 17th, but only in theaters. The film brings Tom Holland back in the leading role for round three with a cast that includes: Alfred Molina (Dr. Octopus), Jamie Foxx (Electro), & Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, and possibly some surprises.

Zendaya & Tom Holland in *Spider-Man: No Way Home*

Nightmare Alley is coming to theaters only on December 17th and is an F&TVR must see for December.

Guillermo del Toro’s first feature since his incredible Best Picture Oscar winning The Shape of Water (2017) is a Neo-noir version of William Lindsay Gresham’s novel of the same name.

Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara in *Nightmare Alley*

First made into a film in 1947 that starred Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray and Mike Mazurki; del Toro’s version stands to be very different indeed.

Don’t Look Up is a new film that will debut on Netflix on December 24th that boasts a dream cast including: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Timothee Chalamet, Cate Blanchett & Tyler Perry.

Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Leonardo DiCaprio & Jennifer Lawrence in *Don’t Look Up*

A college professor and one of his students go on a mission to warn the world about the coming of a killer comet that will destroy the planet Earth, and yes–it’s a comedy and a December must see.

Jonah Hill, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep & Jennifer Lawrence in *Don’t Look Up*

Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth will be in theaters and on Apple TV Plus on December 25th.

Denzel Washington & Frances McDormand in *The Tragedy of Macbeth*

Denzel Washington & Frances McDormand star and are supported by Brendan Gleeson, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, and Moses Ingram. Another F&TVR must see without any reservations.

The Horror Chronicles Part Two: A Fish Tale

You would have to work very hard to come up with a film in the same stratosphere as Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water (2017). While not a sequel to The Creature from the Black Lagoon, it can easily be read that way. It is a lyrical fantasy that defies disbelief. It is the happy ending that every kid that watched the original film wished for and that del Toro made happen. Every frame brings you closer to the realization that anything is possible, or at least you want to believe it is so. It is less of a horror film than a beautifully bizarre beauty and the beast story.

Everything, from the production and casting to the fine points in the script are perfect. The cast performs flawlessly taking you deeper into the story’s depths, letting you float in the comfort of the lovers’ dream.

_{The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)}

The original film was where del Toro’s influence began–a classic tale of unrequited love. The first film in the trilogy it is undoubtedly the film that most people remember. The next, The Revenge of the Creature is the closest to del Toro’s in that the creature is brought back from the jungle and kept in a holding tank where an effort is made to communicate with him, and of course a beautiful young scientist, Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson) is one of the specialists. The Creature’s heartache is revived.

The third entry in the series is my favorite after the first because of its bizarre film noir influenced narrative (no comment on the Creature’s prison attire). At first, I thought I’d just been watching too much noir, but it was not my imagination: from the opening shot of the convertible racing up to the dock, the film was pure hot house noir right down to the smoldering ice blonde doctor’s wife.

_{LEFT: Lobby Card. RIGHT: Leigh Snowden in The Creature Walks Among Us}

The usual Film Noir conflict, jealousy, and double crossing ensues. There is the nice guy, the tough guy who won’t leave the girl alone, and the husband that pays her no attention except to berate her or accuse her of being unfaithful.

The jealous husband kills the tough guy and plans to frame the innocent Creature, but the Creature catches on and breaks out of his holding cell and kills the doctor.

At the end of this noirish escapade, the Creature exits and goes back into the sea; presumably, to drown due to his newly evolved lungs. There is no way I can let a sleeping sea creature lie. Somehow, he doesn’t drown but swims to LA where he gets rid of the prison suit they put him in and finds a Brooks Brothers where they are happy to fit him in a nice cream colored suit and a power tie that shouts, “I’m a fish out of water! Ask me how?” He then locates an office for lease on the seedy side of Hollywood Boulevard, and the landlord tells him it’s 250 clams a month and insists on three months security deposit because the Creature’s references are all wet. The Creature has the payment delivered packed in dry ice. Next, he hires the dead doctor’s wife as his receptionist and opens a private investigator’s office to the stars. Fade to deep blue.

Next: Mr. Renfield, I presume?