Bad movies I love: Julie Christie carries the ‘Demon Seed’

DEMON SEED (1977)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

Aside from “Alien” in 1979 and its first sequel “Aliens” in 1986, the science fiction-horror genre has never produced many memorable box-office hit films – especially during the 1970s.

“Alien” itself was a huge gamble for 20th Century Fox. The film was, essentially, a haunted house film set in deep space featuring a man in a monster suit hunting and killing the crew of a spaceship.

As conventional as the plot was, “Alien” worked magnificently thanks to taut direction, a brilliant production design and one of best horror film scores ever composed.

In an odd way, the same can be said of the little-seen, 1977 sci-fi horror film “Demon Seed.” This strange film, based on the novel of the same name by Dean Koontz, is one of the most bizarre horror films ever made. An artificial intelligence named Proteus IV overtakes the computerized home of its inventor, Dr. Alex Harris, and holds his estranged wife, Susan, captive.

Chaplin’s silent comedies still hilarious nearly a century later

CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND JACKIE COOGAN
IN THE KID (1921)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

“Blazing Saddles,” “Annie Hall,” “Animal House” and “The Hangover” have more in common than simply being smash hit film comedies at the time they played in theaters.

The common denominator is simple: Those films – and, by extension, any and all successful film comedies – owe a large debt of gratitude to the brilliant, unsurpassed work of the screen’s first comic superstar, Charlie Chaplin.

Chaplin was an English comic actor and a silent film auteur, a man who wrote, directed and starred in a series of slapstick comedies in the early 1900s that remain as fresh and funny today as they were almost 100 years ago.

Best known for his endearing on-screen character, “The Tramp,” Chaplin created such timeless, feature-length, silent classics in the 1920s and 1930s as “The Kid,” “The Circus,” “The Gold Rush,” City Lights” and “Modern Times.”

‘Lagaan’: Unlike anything you’ve ever seen in American film

LAGAAN (2001)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

About a half hour into the four-hour epic “Lagaan,” the cast suddenly breaks into the first of several spirited, infectious, hook-laden musical production numbers filled with great singing and choreography.

But this isn’t Hollywood. It’s Bollywood. “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India” is a typical, Hindi-language melodramatic film, the type that will pack thousands of movie goers into air conditioned cinemas across India.

And it’s all incredibly enjoyable.

“Lagaan,” an Oscar-nominated drama, is set in Victorian period of India’s colonial British rule. The film is about a small village whose residents are struggling with a severe drought and also with oppressive, unfair taxes levied by the evil ruling British authorities.

Like most Hindi films, “Lagaan” includes many conventions common to Bollywood films; They feature popular Indian stars, melodramatic stories, over-the-top acting, clearly defined good and bad characters and lavishly staged musical numbers.

Scorsese, De Niro paint portrait of madness with ‘Taxi Driver’

TAXI DRIVER (1976)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

From the minute Travis Bickle explains he is a Marine, many people quickly lump “Taxi Driver” into the category of movies about crazed, mentally disturbed Vietnam veterans.

But Martin Scorsese’s film is about more than Vietnam. While the specter of America’s failed Vietnam policy haunts every minute of “Taxi Driver,” Scorsese’s movie in the end is about redemption.

That’s what makes this movie so memorable – and such an important part of Scorsese’s overall body of work. For all the problems and issues “Taxi Driver” touches on and the character of Travis Bickle raises, in the end everything comes down to redemption.

Whether or not that redemption is real or a fantasy is debatable. But make no doubt about it: Scorsese slowly and methodically layers his film and tightens the tension as he approaches an unforgettable denouement.

Sneak Prevue Mailbag: Sneaking into R-rated films as a teenager

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

Nothing is better than a silly, pointless comedy. And “Kentucky Fried Movie” fits that requirement perfectly. I write a little about “Kentucky Fried Movie” in this edition of the Sneak Prevue Mailbag.

I also talk about the high cost of movie concessions and reminisce about sneaking into R-rated film as an underage teenager.

Every Friday, I dig deep into the mailbag and answer some of the more interesting questions from readers of this blog. If you have a question, write me at editor@sneakprevue.info and I’ll try to answer it on this blog.

Mr. Cassreino: I’ve been reading your blog now since it began last month. I find it quite interesting and even used your suggestions in deciding which films to watch on Netflix. Have you ever seen “Kentucky Fried Movie?” – John in Durango.

George Clooney’s thriller ‘The Ides of March’ set for November

THE IDES OF MARCH

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

On the same day I wrote about my pick for the Top Five Political Films, Sony Pictures released the trailer of George Clooney’s new political thriller: “The Ides of March.”

The film, about presidential politics, is perfectly timed to coincide with the 2012 presidential race. The cast includes Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Ryan Gosling.

“The Ides of March” is based on the play “Farragut North” by Beau Willimon. The play, in turn, is loosely based on the 2004 presidential primary campaign of Howard Dean.

The film is set to open Oct. 7. Here is the trailer.

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‘JFK’ raises serious questions about John F. Kennedy’s death

JFK (1991)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

The best American political films make you think, challenge you and present old information in a new light – which is exactly what Oliver Stone’s 1991 movie “JFK” does.

Stone is a sometimes heavy-handed, preachy director who often leaves audiences feeling like they’ve been hit over the head with a ton of bricks. But in “JFK,” Stone found the perfect vehicle to channel his film making style. “JFK” is his finest motion picture and the screen’s best political film.

Kevin Costner stars as New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, the only person to bring criminal charges related to Kennedy’s assassination. Although Garrison failed to win a conviction in his case, his lengthy investigation allows Stone to revisit a pivotal point in U.S. history.

Garrison, a loose cannon in New Orleans politics, was ridiculed by the many people who thought his efforts were an embarrassing waste of time. Stone, though, uses the Garrison investigation to examine any and every conspiracy theory about Kennedy’s death.

Top Five Week continues at Sneak Prevue, and today I look at the Top Five Political films. “JFK” leads the list at No. 1.