THE GREAT DIRECTORS APEX LIST! As an exercise in extreme futility, I present a list of certain film directors and my favourite film directed by same. Now, you'll notice I didn't say "best" film; I said "my favourite" -- that is, the film which connects the most with me. Also keep in mind that I may not have seen the most famous films by any given director (i.e. I've never seen Preston Sturges' SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS so therefore it ain't my choice). After having perused this monumentally lengthy list, I invite you to post a similar list of directors and your favourite films by them. You don't have to use the same directors or make your list quite as long as mine but go ahead and post it on your blog if you like and put a link in the comment section right here. I'd be very interested to see your faves. And now, on with the show:

• ROBERT ALDRICH - KISS ME DEADLY
• WOODY ALLEN - ANNIE HALL
• ROBERT ALTMAN - THE LONG GOODBYE
• WES ANDERSON - THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS
• MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI - L'ECLISSE
• DARIO ARGENTO - DEEP RED
• JACK ARNOLD - IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE
• DOROTHY ARZNER - DANCE, GIRL, DANCE
• HAL ASHBY - HAROLD AND MAUDE
• ROY WARD BAKER - QUATERMASS AND THE PIT
• MARIO BAVA - BLACK SABBATH
• JACQUES BECKER - TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI
• ROBERT BENTON - NOBODY'S FOOL
• BRUCE BERESFORD - BREAKER MORANT
• INGMAR BERGMAN - WINTER LIGHT
• BUDD BOETTICHER - THE TALL T
• PETER BOGDANOVICH - TARGETS
• MEL BROOKS - YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
• TOD BROWNING - DRACULA
• LUIS BUNUEL - THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL
• TIM BURTON - ED WOOD
• FRANK CAPRA - MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
• MARCEL CARNE - LE JOUR SE LEVE
• JOHN CARPENTER - HALLOWEEN
• JOHN CASSAVETTES - SHADOWS
• WILLIAM CASTLE - HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL
• CLAUDE CHABROL - LA FEMME INFIDELE
• CHARLIE CHAPLIN - CITY LIGHTS
• CHANG CHEH - THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS
• RENE CLAIR - AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
• JEAN COCTEAU - LE TESTAMENT D'ORPHEE
• JOEL & ETHAN COEN - THE BIG LEBOWSKI
• FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA - THE GODFATHER
• ROGER CORMAN - HOUSE OF USHER
• WES CRAVEN - THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW
• CAMERON CROWE - SAY ANYTHING
• GEORGE CUKOR - HOLIDAY
• MICHAEL CURTIZ - CASABLANCA
• JULES DASSIN - NIGHT AND THE CITY
• BASIL DEARDEN - THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN
• CECIL B. DEMILLE - SIGN OF THE CROSS
• JACQUES DEMY - LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT
• BRIAN DE PALMA - GREETINGS
• VITTORIO DE SICA - UMBERTO D.
• WILLIAM DIETERLE - PORTRAIT OF JENNIE
• EDWARD DMYTRYK - MURDER, MY SWEET
• STANLEY DONEN - BEDAZZLED
• CARL THEODOR DREYER - DAY OF WRATH
• JULIEN DUVIVIER - PEPE LE MOKO
• CLINT EASTWOOD - UNFORGIVEN
• BLAKE EDWARDS - BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
• FEDERICO FELLINI - I VITELLONI
• DAVID FINCHER - SEVEN
• TERENCE FISHER - HORROR OF DRACULA
• RICHARD FLEISCHER - 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
• VICTOR FLEMING - THE WIZARD OF OZ
• JOHN FORD - THE GRAPES OF WRATH
• MILOS FORMAN - ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
• FREDDIE FRANCIS - DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS
• GEORGES FRANJU - JUDEX
• JOHN FRANKENHEIMER - THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE
• STEPHEN FREARS - DANGEROUS LIAISONS
• KARL FREUND - THE MUMMY
• SAMUEL FULLER - PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET
• LEWIS GILBERT - SHIRLEY VALENTINE
• TERRY GILLIAM - BRAZIL
• JEAN-LUC GODARD - BREATHLESS
• ROBERT HAMER - KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS
• BYRON HASKIN - WAR OF THE WORLDS
• HOWARD HAWKS - ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS
• WERNER HERZOG - AGUIRRE, WRATH OF GOD
• ALFRED HITCHCOCK - REAR WINDOW
• MIKE HODGES - GET CARTER
• ISHIRO HONDA - MATANGO
• RON HOWARD - GRAND THEFT AUTO
• JOHN HUGHES - THE BREAKFAST CLUB
• JOHN HUSTON - THE MALTESE FALCON
• PETER JACKSON - THE LORD OF THE RINGS
• NORMAN JEWISON - JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
• LAU KAR-LEUNG - THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN
• ELIA KAZAN - A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
• HENRY KING - WILSON
• STANLEY KRAMER - GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER
• STANLEY KUBRICK - THE KILLING
• AKIRA KUROSAWA - IKIRU
• GREGORY LA CAVA - MY MAN GODFREY
• FRITZ LANG - M
• DAVID LEAN - SUMMERTIME
• SPIKE LEE - 4 LITTLE GIRLS
• PAUL LENI - THE CAT AND THE CANARY
• SERGIO LEONE - ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
• JOSEPH H. LEWIS - GUN CRAZY
• JOSEPH LOSEY - SECRET CEREMONY
• ERNST LUBITSCH - TROUBLE IN PARADISE
• GEORGE LUCAS - AMERICAN GRAFFITI
• BAZ LUHRMANN - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO + JULIET
• SIDNEY LUMET - LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
• ALEXANDER MACKENDRICK - SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
• LOUIS MALLE - MY DINNER WITH ANDRE
• ROUBEN MAMOULIAN - DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE
• JOSEPH L. MANKIEWICZ - ALL ABOUT EVE
• ANTHONY MANN - THE NAKED SPUR
• MICHAEL MANN - LAST OF THE MOHICANS
• GEORGE MARSHALL - DESTRY RIDES AGAIN
• ARCHIE L. MAYO - THE PETRIFIED FOREST
• LEO MCCAREY - DUCK SOUP
• NORMAN Z. MCLEOD - MONKEY BUSINESS
• JEAN-PIERRE MELVILLE - LE SAMOURAI
• WILLIAM CAMERON MENZIES - INVADERS FROM MARS
• ANTHONY MINGHELLA - TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY
• VINCENTE MINNELLI - THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
• ROBERT MULLIGAN - TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
• F. W. MURNAU - NOSFERATU
• MIKE NICHOLS - CATCH-22
• MAX OPHULS - LA RONDE
• YASUJIRO OZU - TOKYO STORY
• ALAN PARKER - THE COMMITMENTS
• SAM PECKINPAH - RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY
• ARTHUR PENN - ALICE'S RESTAURANT
• ROMAN POLANSKI - REPULSION
• SYDNEY POLLACK - THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED
• MICHAEL POWELL - A CANTERBURY TALE
• OTTO PREMINGER - LAURA
• SAM RAIMI - THE QUICK AND THE DEAD
• IRVING RAPPER - NOW, VOYAGER
• NICHOLAS RAY - JOHNNY GUITAR
• CAROL REED - THE WAY AHEAD
• MICHAEL REEVES - THE SHE BEAST
• ROB REINER - STAND BY ME
• ALAIN RESNAIS - LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD
• MARK ROBSON - THE SEVENTH VICTIM
• GEORGE ROMERO - DAWN OF THE DEAD
• ROBERTO ROSSELLINI - THE FLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS
• JOEL SCHUMACHER - A TIME TO KILL
• MARTIN SCORSESE - GOODFELLAS
• RIDLEY SCOTT - ALIEN
• M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN - LADY IN THE WATER
• DON SIEGEL - INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
• BRYAN SINGER - THE USUAL SUSPECTS
• ROBERT SIODMAK - PHANTOM LADY
• DOUGLAS SIRK - ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS
• KEVIN SMITH - CLERKS
• STEVEN SPIELBERG - DUEL
• GEORGE STEVENS - WOMAN OF THE YEAR
• OLIVER STONE - JFK
• JOHN STURGES - THE GREAT ESCAPE
• PRESTON STURGES - THE SIN OF HAROLD DIDDLEBOCK
• SEIJUN SUZUKI - BRANDED TO KILL
• QUENTIN TARANTINO - JACKIE BROWN
• JACQUES TOURNEUR - THE COMEDY OF TERRORS
• FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT - FAHRENHEIT 451
• EDGAR G. ULMER - DETOUR
• PETER USTINOV - BILLY BUDD
• CHARLES VIDOR - GILDA
• LUCHINO VISCONTI - LA TERRA TREMA
• JOSEF VON STERNBERG - THE SCARLET EMPRESS
• LARRY & ANDY WACHOWSKI - THE MATRIX
• RAOUL WALSH - THE ROARING TWENTIES
• PETER WEIR - GALLIPOLI
• ORSON WELLES - CITIZEN KANE
• WILLIAM WELLMAN - THE PUBLIC ENEMY
• WIM WENDERS - BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB
• JAMES WHALE - THE OLD DARK HOUSE
• BILLY WILDER - THE APARTMENT
• ROBERT WISE - THE HAUNTING
• EDWARD D. WOOD JR. - PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE
• WILLIAM WYLER - THE LETTER
• FRED ZINNEMANN - HIGH NOON

See what our friends said with their very own lists:

Weaverman at the Fleapit: http://fleapit-movieexpress.blogspot.com/2011/02/totally-futile-waste-of-time.html

Well You Say That: http://wellyousaythat.blogspot.com/2011/02/favourite-waste-of-time.html

SO YOU WERE PROBABLY WONDERING WHEN I WAS GOING TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE U.S. VERSION OF TOP GEAR. The time is now. After seeing the first episode, I had an initial reaction but I wanted to wait until the entire series had managed to get "across the line" before piping up about it. First off, TOP GEAR is the wonderfully entertaining international hit show which I fell in love with from the first time I saw it -- and I don't even care about cars! After an abortive attempt to come up with an American version at NBC a couple years back, there is now an ongoing TOP GEAR U.S. airing on the History Channel (of all places!) which began at the end of last year. The hosts are comedian Adam Ferrara, pro racing driver Tanner Foust and automotive/racing analyst Rutledge Wood; they are joined by an American clone of mysterious, masked racing driver The Stig (more on him in a moment). The format, naturally, is following the tried & true British version in that the trio of hosts test-drive cars and get sent on a serious of wacky races. Of course, the US TOP GEAR programme should follow the format of the original -- or why call it TOP GEAR? However, there are some problems. Some big problems. The words I used to describe the show after seeing the first two episodes are: "slightly woeful".

First, there are the hosts who sadly lack the -- shall we say -- very strong personalities of British hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. I'm fairly familiar with comedians but Adam Ferrara is a name I've never heard; apparently he was a regular on the Denis Leary firefighter series RESCUE ME and appeared in such unseen-by-me films as PAUL BLART: MALL COP. This all makes no difference if, on TOP GEAR U.S., he's funny and a great host. Unfortunately, he's more annoying than funny and his hosting abilities (like most comedians) leaves a lot to be desired. For example, the first episode features Ferrara interviewing Buzz Aldrin: their "big star in a small car". The interview was embarrassing and awkward to the point of being unwatchable. Somebody must've taken note because the second episode features Rutledge Wood doing the star interviewing this time; and Wood is a much more natural and relaxed interviewer. For comparison purposes, watch the Buzz Aldrin interview with Ferrara and then watch the Kid Rock interview with Wood -- miles apart! Ferrara suffers from a trap most comedians fall into when required to host a television programme: that you have to try to make every word that comes out of your mouth "funny". No one can do that and the constant straining for such a result tires the viewer and probably Ferrara as well. Tanner Foust and Rutledge Wood are OK in their roles but again remain strangely bland and awkward; although Wood's "aw shucks Southern man-child" routine is also laid on a little too thick and a little too often. After watching all 6 episodes, I can think that probably that fault can be laid at the feet of the producers/directors of the series who seem to be forcing the trio into mimicking the personalities and repartee of the British hosts. A big mistake since the segments when they do this are so obviously forced as to be annoying. However, when the three men forget themselves, relax and allow their own personalities to come through things get better and the show becomes more watchable. This brings us to the Stig. Whereas the possibly extra-terrestial tame racing driver is an integral part of the original show, here the American Stig is hardly used and, in fact, doesn't even appear in one or two episodes at all. Also, the hosts (and more probably producers of the show) have made no real effort to establish the mystique of this unknown pro racing driver whose face is never seen. The British show, of course, does the famous "some say he sleeps upside down like a bat" comments or that he has no concept of earth food. For viewers who have never seen the original programme, the American Stig must seem like just an anonymous hired hand in a helmet and white jumpsuit who test-drives cars. As previously mentioned, oddly enough the show suffers when it tries to follow the better British version too closely. The aforementioned attempts to cram the British personalities down the throats of the rather "un-fireworks-like" US hosts is so forced and awkward as to evoke pity for the three men. Also, sometimes the "wacky races" tasks given the trio can be too derivative. For example, one episodes has them duplicating EXACTLY the tasks given the British hosts when they were trying to prove that British Leyland made decent cars: the "rough road test with a collander of eggs suspended over the driver's head" test, the "emergency brake parking on an incline" test and the "filling the cars with water and having the men drive submerged around a track" test are all exactly duplicated. Why? We've seen that done by the Brits and it was a helluva lot funnier; in fact the familiarity with the original programme makes it even LESS funny and more annoying. So we have a programme which is not as funny as the original, not as entertaining as the original and basically a very pale copy.

However . . .

. . . as the series went on it actually got a little better -- to the point where now it is quite often watchable. Sure, there are still intensely awkward segments but as the three hosts start to relax into their roles they seem to be doing a better job of it. In fact, the more they emphasize the "American-ness" of this American version of a British show, the more successful they seem to be. The aforementioned near-plagiarism of the "British Leyland" segment shows the depths of the problem but such particularly "American-flavoured" segments as the "Moonshine Runner" race and the battle of the American trucks in Alaska were actually quite enjoyable. So what is my advice to the producers of the show for their next seasons? Well, first and foremost . . . let the hosts be themselves. Sure, they don't have much of a personality between them but that's certainly preferable to aping the personality of others. Also, be creative. I don't want to see any more duplications of races we've already seen on the original programme. Also, someone SHOULD be able to come up with at least one original idea for a programme segment which is unique to the US show. I know Hollywood is bankrupt of ideas but one can hope. And finally, let's make an effort to establish the otherworldliness and mystery of the Stig. If you're not gonna do that, why have him on the show at all. It doesn't make sense. So there you have it. A mostly negative review with a couple glimmers. As stated many times in this blog, I try to focus on the good and not heartlessly bash a movie or tv show. If TOP GEAR US was completely hopeless, I never would've written a thing about it here. However, a show with that much potential could actually work in the U.S. -- and that's something I never thought was possible (neither did Jay Leno) before I watched the US version. TOP GEAR US isn't a patch on the original and cannot hope to compare but, with the right creative minds behind it, COULD possibly be a worthwhile way to spend an hour. But that's a BIG "could".

IN THE DARK DEPTHS OF WINTER, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE MORE FITTING THAN READING A BOOK. And yes, I said a book; not one of those satanic Kindle things which are so unpleasant, unreadable and currently sticking a knife in the back of the bookstore industry. Any true book lover would never touch one of those things. But I digress (I do that). Back to reading books. If things were different, I'd be wearing a smoking jacket sitting in my well-appointed library in Gormenghast castle seated in front of a roaring fire in an overstuffed leather chair reading a leather-bound volume with gilded edges by the light of a green-shaded lamp. However, my current circumstances lean more towards the Weekly World News behind a dumpster. But this is cyberspace, so lets pretend it's the first example, shall we? As is my wont, I never read solely one book at a time but usually have several going at once. And I'd like to briefly talk about my pile of reading material. I know this is an unusual subject for this blog but hey. . .it's an unusual blog.

This first tome is one I've been reading off and on since the autumn: Bill Warren's KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES: THE 21st CENTURY EDITION. This is the new, totally revised version of the classic critical study of science fiction/horror films of the fifties (more or less) and its certainly indispensible for anyone remotely interested in the genre. Also, it's one of the most famous books on the subject so you really should read it at some point. Granted, occasionally you may find yourself violently disagreeing with Warren's opinion of a particular film but isn't that what film criticism is all about? After all, have you ever read one of David Thomson's books?!?

Peter Ackroyd's LONDON: THE BIOGRAPHY is also indispensible for anyone interested in history. Ackroyd is always immensely readable, witty and erudite and this book exemplifies that beautifully. This book was made into a BBC-TV (all too brief) 3 episode series (Hiya, Weaverman!) which serves to whet your appetite for the full-course meal the actual book will provide. Ackroyd covers everything from the ancient founding of the city to . . . well, . . . turds. Where else are you gonna get such coverage of a subject, I ask ya?!?

I have been a fan of the silly, irreverant work of cartoonist Fred Hembeck since I first encountered his tiny little strip on "The Daily Planet" page in late 1970s DC Comics. So I was nothing but thrilled to latch onto THE NEARLY COMPLETE ESSENTIAL HEMBECK ARCHIVES OMNIBUS which, as the title suggests, reprints "almost" all his stuff in one phonebook-sized tome. Granted, none of the DC "Daily Planet" strips are here; nor are Hembeck's "Marvel Age" pages or such Marvel Comics productions as the notorious "FRED HEMBECK DESTROYS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE". But the classic early-80s Fantaco magazine-sized Hembecks are all here: THE HEMBECK FILES, BAH HEMBECK, ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET THE BRIDE OF HEMBECK, etc. The volume also reprints early work from the cartoonist as well as his lengthy run in the pages of the Comics' Buyers Guide running right up to almost the present day. A treasure trove for Hembeck fans and comic book fans everywhere.

Speaking of comic books, I also found myself compelled . . . and I do mean compelled . . . to purchase the first two volumes of both ESSENTIAL MARVEL TEAM-UP and ESSENTIAL MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE. These are among the black and white reprint line of Marvel Comics which have been going for several years now. The reason why I felt compelled to get them is because the Marvel Comics of the first half of the 1970s are particularly magical to me; there is something about the look, the feel, the mood of them which I've always loved. And these 4 reprint volumes provide that feeling to me in spades! "Marvel Team-Up", of course, (usually) featured Spider-Man teaming up with a different guest star hero every issue while "Marvel Two-In-One" did the same for the Fantastic Four's lovable rocky hero The Thing. Being the early to mid-1970s, these books featured Spider-Man not only teaming up with the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Dr. Strange and the Incredible Hulk but also such crucial mid-70's Marvel characters as The Son of Satan, Ghost Rider, the Monster of Frankenstein and Man-Wolf! The artwork of such great pencillers as Jim Mooney and Sal Buscema is exemplary but the single most mood-inducing factor in these comix is the gorgeous Marvel "house style" inking done by such stalwards as Frank Giacoia, Joe Sinnott and Mike Esposito. Tasty!

I've always had an interest in secret codes and ciphers (ask anyone who received a "Happy Birthday" sheet from me back in the Rustler days) so I naturally found THE CODE BOOK by Simon Singh as great read. This book not only gives you such famous ciphers as the Caesar shift and the Vigenere square but also gives the historical background of some of the most famous incidents in cryptography from the secret code of Mary, Queen of Scots to the famous German Enigma machine of World War II. A potentially dry subject is kept lively by Singh's obvious enthusiasm for the subject as well as his grasp of the workings of ciphers.

****

All these books, if'n you haven't guessed already, come to you highly recommended by me. And I know you can all read because you're not here to look at the pictures. So do yourself a favour and read an actual book and not one of those headache-inducing little pocket calculators.

TOWER OF EVIL (1972)

"THEY CAME. THEY SAW. THEY DIED." TOWER OF EVIL is probably the best 1970's horror film you've never heard of. For those in the know, this 1972 film is sometimes regarded as the linchpin between the older style of gothic horror film and the soon-to-come 1980's-style slasher film. Almost ten years ahead of its time. Some accolade for a small little film featured on a double bill with late-Hammer subdued horror DEMONS OF THE MIND. But this one is indeed a surprise! You won't be expecting much when you see the opening shot of an obvious model lighthouse; however the model is shot so beautifully engulfed in fog from a fog machine and featuring a lovely slowly-rotating camera movement circling the lighthouse that suddenly you're in a forgiving mood. Then the opening scene with two old salts (Jack Watson -- the beleaguered captain of Esther from FFOLKES -- as Hamp and George Coulouris -- of CITIZEN KANE -- as his father) putt-putting through the pea-soup fog on a boat called "The Sea Ghost" intensifies the good ole moody mood better than a Season 1 SCOOBY-DOO cartoon! The two men are going to Snape Island (HORROR OF SNAPE ISLAND being an alternate title of this film as well as BEYOND THE FOG -- nothing like literal movie titles) which is shunned by commonfolk as being not at all nice. As the men step on the island, it isn't long before they encounter a severed bloody hand -- quickly followed by the discovery of said hand's former owner lying naked and dead face down in a pool of water arse up to the world if you please!

"Me agent didn't tell me I was playing "Arse Up Naked Boy!"

***

Have I mentioned there is indeed a copious amount of nude flesh paraded about in this movie and we are treated shortly to some more when the (face-up) nude corpse of a woman is soon discovered inside the lighthouse shack. Well, face up may be a misnomer because while the body is facing up the head is facing down -- that is because it has been severed from the body but put in its former place by a murderer with an obvious sense of humour. I will admit that I too am at a loss as to how this special effect was created -- the head, of course, is a fake but when one of the men lifts up the head we can plainly see the real body of the actress with no head! No CGI back then, kiddies, and there is no evidence of any matte work or similar SFX tricks known at the time. Perhaps the actress really did bend her head all the way back into a false floor but I don't see how that's possible. Anywho, the head winds up getting loose and bouncing merrily down the lighthouse steps. Excellent! Then a subsequent shot features one of the men gingerly walking around the severed head as it lays on the floor (this shot, however, I know EXACTLY how it was done -- obviously). I think you'll guess too by looking at this still.

"Is this really how to get ahead in the British film industry?!?"

***

The two men separate and George Coulouris enters a room behind the door of which is another nice young man (clothed, this time) impaled to the wall with a solid gold Phoenician spear (nice!).

"That oughta shut yer great Cockney gob, mate!"

***

Unfortunately for our Mercury Theatre veteran, Coulouris moves to another room and hears noises coming from behind a door. When he opens it, a starkers Candace Glendenning (fresh from the film NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA) springs out and stabs Coulouris with a knife and runs screaming from the place. Until, that is, she runs straight into Jack Watson who conks her in the head with a stick. End scene. Now how's THAT for a way to start a movie?!? No one can accuse director Jim O'Connolly of letting things drag along!

"Has Rasputin nicked me clothes AGAIN?!?!"

***

The crazed naked girl with the knife is called Penny (and no, the Sea Ghost is NOT PENNY'S BOAT!!! heh heh) and she is promptly assumed to have killed the other three naked twenty-somethings. However, she is in a state of catatonic shock and unresponsive to all questions so a psychiatrist (played by CALLAN's own Anthony Valentine) uses a bank of what has been called "disco lights" to snap her out of it (...and I'm pretty sure that's a game of Connect Four on the table behind him).

"I'll bet Hunter didn't make Patrick Mower work with disco lights when he took my place!"

***

Throughout the film, we get snippets of what happened on the island through flashbacks. Of course, Penny didn't kill her companions -- there is a giggling homicidal maniac loose on the island. Of course, a group of archaeologists (I suppose) takes an interest in the Phoenician spear and decides to head to the island to take a look. Good move, guys! So naturally, the group hires the self-same Hamp and the self-same boat "The Sea Ghost" and sail out to the self-same island to eventually meet up with the self-same giggling homicidal maniac (in between discussing jazz festivals, smoking grass and having sex with one another). And that's basically it.

"Behold my ridiculously tight flares, ye mighty and despair!"

***

Of course, it's NOT it because the film is just so damn entertaining in spite of itself that, no matter how much you want to dismiss it, it remains kinda impressive. As I said, the film does seem like the missing link between classic horror films like THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932) and nubile teenagers having sex and then getting killed HALLOWEEN (1978); in fact, the homicidal giggling maniac in both THE OLD DARK HOUSE and TOWER OF EVIL are both named Saul. Coincidence? Either way, the film is dripping with spooky atmosphere (AND fog . . . AND blood) while paradoxically playing like its ahead of its time with the sex and the language and the gore (which, while prominent, is never gratuitous paradoxically). This is, indeed, a paradoxical film and, despite having watched it more than once, I still can't put my finger on why I like it so much. It does contain its fair share of laughable moments but somehow they never destroy the mood of the film or make it descend into camp or self-parody or a "so bad its good" mode. No, despite its faults, TOWER OF EVIL is somehow one of the best horror films I've seen for quite some time.

"Anna and Jill mistake an exploitation-horror movie for a production of Private Lives."

***

The film has it's share of high profile cameos: the aforementioned one scene with George Coulouris, the several scenes involving Anthony Valentine and another single scene featuring Dennis Price. However, the movie relies completely on its cast of little-known (at least over here in the States) British actors (several of whom are made to utilize dodgy American accents); but they all take the film seriously and still give good performances. Among them the aforementioned Candace Glendenning, Jill Haworth (who sadly died just a few days ago as I write this), Bryant Haliday, Anna Palk, Jack Watson, Gary Hamilton (looking very Mick Jaggerish and wearing an impossibly tight wardrobe), Robin Askwith, Serretta Wilson and others.

The Richard Gordon-produced TOWER OF EVIL began shooting at Shepperton Studios on September 13, 1971; the exact day Amicus' famed horror portmanteau film TALES FROM THE CRYPT began shooting at the exact same studio! As previously noted, TOWER was double-billed with the latter-day Hammer production DEMONS OF THE MIND to make a rather odd pairing; TOWER is balls out knock-you-in-the-head exploitation while DEMONS is a subdued, cerebral odd little horror which its studio had no faith in, didn't promote and dumped unceremoniously into a double-bill with what they thought was a boneheaded proto-slasher film. Of the two films, TOWER is the much more entertaining film. There were even some rather good notices: Variety even called TOWER "...a slick entry for the exploitation market, where this British entry may be ballyed for good returns . . .While the story line is somewhat confusing and contrived, it serves well enough for the purpose and excellent production values and cast help build excitement." And I think Variety has hit the Phoenician spear on the head; TOWER OF EVIL doesn't set the world on fire with its plot which was old and cliched during the silent film era -- in fact TOWER OF EVIL could be called THE CAT AND THE CANARY in a lighthouse. No, where TOWER is particularly good is in it's style and execution -- and I don't mean the execution of nubile young streakers. TOWER OF EVIL is simply the best example I can think of combining classic old-school gothic horror with modern-day "body count" films still to come later in the 1980s. John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN has tons of atmosphere but I wouldn't call it "gothic". The splendid lighthouse sets frankly look wonderfully creepy, the lighting is kept properly low-key and the photography (by DP Desmond Dickinson) is superb in combining darkened mood as well as early 70's vibrant colour. The film was based on an original story by George Baxt: writer of "outrageous mystery novels" (and TOWER OF EVIL is certainly outrageous) as well as script work on such classic films as CITY OF THE DEAD, BURN WITCH BURN, VAMPIRE CIRCUS and REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN. If you have even the slightest interest in the horror film, I urge you to track down TOWER OF EVIL because I think you will pleasantly surprised at uncovering a neglected, multi-faceted yet flawed 70's jewel. I am inordinately fond of this movie, ya dig?

CLOSE THE BOOK. It has come to my attention that the Borders store where I used to work closed its doors forever yesterday. My dear friend and wife Star posted a really lovely post about it on her superb blog; you should really go read it because it goes a long way towards showing what those of us who once worked there may be feeling. She and some others apparently went to see the place one last time. I didn't. One reason is because I frankly didn't know exactly when it was closing and didn't find out until after the fact. Another reason would be that I'm not sure I wanted to see it the way it is now: a sad shell of its former self. It's been that same sad shell for quite a few years now. That's why I left in 2006. I didn't agree with the management's way of doing things (which was born out by the steadily decreasing customer count and the fact that it's now shut down) nor did I like the direction the company as a whole was taking.

****

I first started working there at the end of June 2000. As a lover of books, of movies and of music this was probably the closest thing I had ever come to a "dream job". I had been shopping at the store since it first opened in the early 90's. Why? Because it stocked everything under the sun and I could always walk in looking for something obscure and usually find it. Several years later, a Barnes & Nobles store opened literally around the corner and I naturally went in to see what it was like. After a couple tries, I decided I didn't like it and returned to Borders. Why? Because B&N seemed to only stock the most mainstream items: NY Times Best Seller List and Top 40 music. Whereas I could walk in off the street and pick up a "His Name Is Alive" cd right off the Borders shelf on my way to work, everything I was looking for B&N never seemed to have. They could order it for me. The shopper does NOT want to hear those words. Ever. They want to walk in and walk out of the store with the desired item in their hot little hands. B&N was uptight, starchy and corporate; Borders was laid back, eclectic and stocked to the rafters with almost anything anyone could look for. After I began working at Borders, it remained the same for a few years until they suddenly started emptying the shelves. I do not exaggerate when I say that over half of the entire store product was suddenly gone; we were carting out umpteen empty bookshelves. Where once had been saleable product now there was carpet. I was actually walking through the store with the GM who was raving about how nice and spacious the store was now with plenty of room to move around. Yes, I said, but you can't sell "space to move around" . . . you sell books and cds and dvds. What's the point of having a store with no product in it to sell?

****

And this is the REAL reason why my former Borders store is now closed. Sure, the internet has put a severe dent in things. So has itunes and amazon and kindle and any other work of the devil. However, when given the choice of desiring a dvd and having it in my hot little hand this very hour or waiting for amazon to mail it to me, I would chose the former. Why would ANYONE want to get in their car and drive across town to a store that didn't have any product in it other than "The DaVinci Code", "Who Moved My Cheese" and Rod Stewarts' latest "American Songbook" cd. At one point, I seriously went over to the Beatles section and it didn't have "Sgt. Pepper". What kind of store is that? A store that's heading towards oblivion. And yesterday it final reached it. During all this time, Barnes * Noble started heading the other direction; while Borders was getting more mainstream, boring and corporate, B&N was getting less so and stocked more eclectic material. Sure, they are hurting to but you will notice that the B&N store around the corner from my old Borders is STILL open for business -- DESPITE the horrendous road construction which has been going on for a couple years now. This should tell us all something.

****

The reason I left . . . the reason we ALL left the "Hellmouth" . . . is because they had turned a very pleasant, efficient and money-making store into a very unpleasant, hostile and empty store. On many occasions, I would drive from Borders to B&N -- any day of the week and any different time of day or night -- and I would leave a Borders deserted of customers (literally 3 in the building) and walk in a Barnes & Nobles packed with patrons. They were probably a quarter mile apart, folks. This should tell you something. It told ME something . . . and that's why I left. That's why we ALL left. The Borders we all knew died years ago; the company just didn't know to bury it until yesterday. Am I sad that I didn't go in for one last look around? I don't think so. I think it would've been too upsetting and I've got enough upset and pain in my life right now. I don't need any more. I don't need to be reminded of what a horror my current job is and what a truly rewarding and fulfilling place to work Borders had once been in my life. I echo the sentiments of Star and Epiphany concerning the friendship that were made there once upon a time. The place is gone but the people are still around. I miss seeing them and we do need to fight against fading from one another's life. I work during the night while everyone else is asleep and I sleep while you all are awake. This has meant that in the last year and a half I have had basically no existence at all and lately I have honestly felt, for the first time ever, that all that time has been completely wasted. I say this not for any pity party but to express how much I truly miss seeing all my friends due to this soul-destroying job which separates me from everyone that means so much to me. There's nothing I can do about that now but hopefully one day that will change and I will be able to see you all once again. I just wanted you all to know that I still think about you and it hurts me not to have seen you all for such a long time. Don't ever think that means I've forgotten you or you mean nothing to me. Nothing could EVER be further from the truth.

****

"Sunset at Borders" photo provided by Star*

TIME TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS OF THE 2010 PENGUIN AWARDS. While this year has been the most difficult due to the extreme mediocrity of the music scene at the moment, I have managed to scrape together several winners.

SONG OF THE YEAR:

GONE TO SHILOH by Elton John & Leon Russell featuring Neil Young

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

 

GENUINE NEGRO JIG by Carolina Chocolate Drops 

DUET OF THE YEAR:

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER by Mary J. Blige & Andrea Boccelli

COVER SONG OF THE YEAR:

WHOLE LOTTA LOVE by Mary J. Blige

The song of the year GONE TO SHILOH was indeed a very haunting one and received a couple reader votes. However, the simple fact is that it won because there really wasn't anything good enough to top it. The album of the year was a different story as Carolina Chocolate Drops' GENUINE NEGRO JIG was far and away the most listened to album in my player owing to the rich variety of song choices and virtuoso performances.  Runner-up was probably Broken Bells then V.V. Brown followed closely by Melody Gardot and Sade. Duet of the Year BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER won by virtue of a goosebump-raising vocal performance. However, the cover song of the year winner WHOLE LOTTA LOVE was truly the surprise. Mary's "Stairway To Heaven" was the one she performed all over the place and the one which got all the press. However the "b-side" of the single was this version of WHOLE LOTTA LOVE which fulfills one of my cardinal rules concerning covers: it should bring something new to the table. . .and this one did. Now, I love Led Zeppelin and always have -- but WHOLE LOTTA LOVE has never been one of my favourites. In fact, I usually skip past it if it's on the radio and I don't even have it in my ipod. Mary J. Blige's version whips it up into a whole new groove which brings the grossly overplayed song new life. It's quite a feat when you make a cover version which is better than the original -- and this one frankly is in my opinion. This is the only version I'll be listening to. So there youse has it: the somewhat underwhelming 2010 Penguin Awards. Click this link to hear a sampling of them. Let's hope next year we find some artists getting off their duffs and concocting some REALLY GOOD MUSIC! I can't take another year like this one!

FIRST NEW BLOG FEATURE OF THE NEW YEAR: A FAVOURITE COMIC BOOK COVER OF THE DAY. That's right, I have added another feature over there on the right hand column (below the dead people and my Library Thing). What I will be posting there is a favourite comic book cover of the past. Sometimes it will be shown because it is one of my favourite issues and sometimes it will just be pictured because it's boss cover art I've always loved regardless of what's in the actual issue. For instance, this cover is not featured because it's a particularly great cover but because it's probably the first real superhero comic book I ever bought new off the newstand. Before that I had picked up older comic books with their covers torn off at the Pennsauken Mart but had never (for some reason) bought a new issue hot off the presses. So when I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of weekends at my grandparents' huge old Victorian house on Westfield Avenue in Pennsauken (I've written about this before). Often my grandmother and I would walk all the way up Westfield Avenue to Thor's Drug Store where I would usually pick up my favourite Black Jack gum, some "You'll Die Laughing" bubble gum cards, a paperback book of Charles Shultz's Peanuts, an issue of Cracked or Mad Magazine and some comic books which were usually of the Gold Key, Harvey or Archie variety (i.e. Madhouse Glads, Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery, The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor, Donald Duck or Richie Rich & Jackie Jokers). However, the first superhero comic I can remember picking up is this one: Justice League of America #120 which I read and re-read millions of times outside on the hammock in my grandparents' backyard. The story was continued in the next issue and I was actually diligent enough to pick up the story's conclusion the next month when it came out. So this cover is posted because of the issue itself. I'll try to choose my next one because of the spectacular cover art. One final note: if you click on the cover photo, you will be able to see it in a larger image. Enjoy.

THE BUTCHER'S BILL 2010. As usual at this time of year, I look back at those notable celebrities who have stepped on a rainbow this year. Please visit our sister audio blog BATHED IN THE LIGHT FROM ANDROMEDA to hear those recording artists who have died in 2010.

• WILLIE MITCHELL, songwriter/producer "Let's Stay Together", "Call Me (Come Back Home)
• ART CLOKEY, creator of Gumby
• MIEP GIES, helped hide Anne Frank
• ERIC ROHMER, writer/director
• ELIZABETH MOODY, actress "Dead Alive"
• TEDDY PENDERGRASS, singer
• ERICH SEGAL, screenwriter "Love Story"
• BOBBY CHARLES, songwriter "See You Later, Alligator", "I Don't Know Why But I Do"
• ROBERT "SQUIRREL" LESTER, singer "The Chi-Lites"
• KATE MCGARRIGLE, musician
• JEAN SIMMONS, actress "Hamlet", "Black Narcissus", "Guys and Dolls"
• PERNELL ROBERTS, actor "Bonanza", "Trapper John M.D."
• LOUIS AUCHINCLOSS, author/historian "Queen Victoria & Her Circle"
• ZELDA RUBINSTEIN, actress "Poltergeist"
• J.D. SALINGER, author "Franny and Zooey", "Catcher in the Rye"
• HOWARD ZINN, historian "A People's History of the United States"
• SIR JOHNNY DANKWORTH, musician
• TOM BROOKSHIER, TV sportscaster
• IAN CARMICHAEL, actor "I'm All Right, Jack"
• PHIL HARRIS, fisherman "The Deadliest Catch"
• CHARLIE WILSON, politician "Charlie Wilson's War"
• ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, director "Bjork: Volumen"
• DOUG FIEGER, singer "The Knack"
• ART VAN DAMME, jazz musician
• DICK FRANCIS, author
• DALE HAWKINS, singer "Susie Q"
• KATHRYN GRAYSON, singer/actress "Ziegfeld Follies"
• LIONEL JEFFRIES, actor/director "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
• ALEXANDER HAIG, former U.S. Secretary of State
• CAROLINE MCWILLIAMS, actress "Soap", "Benson"
• ANDREW KOENIG, actor "Batman: Dead End", "Growing Pains"
• JIM HARMON, screenwriter "The Lemon Grove Kids Vs. the Monsters"
• RON BANKS, singer "The Dramatics"
• CAROL MARSH, actress "Horror of Dracula"
• COREY HAIM, actor "The Lost Boys"
• MERLIN OLSON, actor "Little House on the Prairie"
• PETER GRAVES, actor "Killers From Space", "Night of the Hunter", "Airplane"
• LESLEY DUNCAN, singer "Love Song", "If I Could Change Your Mind"
• HERB COHEN, record executive/manager "Frank Zappa"
• SID FLEISCHMAN, author "The Ghost on Saturday Night"
• ALEX CHILTON, singer "The Box Tops", "Big Star"
• FESS PARKER, actor "Daniel Boone", "Davy Crockett"
• HERB DENENBERG, TV reporter "WCAU-TV"
• JOHNNY MAESTRO, singer "The Crests"
• ROBERT CULP, actor "I Spy", "Spectre"
• DICK GIORDANO, comic book artist "Batman", "Green Lantern"
• JUNE HAVOC, actress "Gentleman's Agreement"
• MALCOLM POINDEXTER, TV reporter "KYW-TV"
• SHIRLEY MILLS, actress "The Grapes of Wrath"
• BUDDY GORMAN, actor "The Bowery Boys", "The Dead End Kids"
• JOHN FORSYTHE, actor "The Trouble With Harry", "Dynasty", "Bachelor Father"
• HENRY SCARPELLI, comic book artist "Archie"
• CHRISTOPHER CAZENOVE, actor "The Duchess of Duke Street", "Dynasty"
• MALCOLM MCLAREN, manager "The Sex Pistols"
• MEINHARDT RAABE, actor "The Wizard of Oz"
• DIXIE CARTER, actress "Designing Women"
• MISSISSIPPI SLIM, blues singer
• DARYL GATES, former L.A. police chief
• DEDE ALLEN, film editor "Bonnie and Clyde"
• LYNN REDGRAVE, actress "Gods and Monsters", "Smashing Time"
• PETER O'DONNELL, author "Modesty Blaise"
• ROBERT J. SERLING, author/brother of Rod Serling
• LENA HORNE, singer
• FRANK FRAZETTA, artist
• ROSA RIO, organist "The Shadow"
• RUTH CHEW, author "What the Witch Left"
• RONNIE JAMES DIO, singer "Black Sabbath", "Dio"
• MARTIN GARDNER, mathematician/author "Perplexing Puzzles and Tantalyzing Teasers"
• WEE WILLIE WEBBER, TV host
• ART LINKLETTER, TV host
• GARY COLEMAN, actor "Diff'rent Strokes"
• DENNIS HOPPER, actor/director "Easy Rider", "Night Tide", "Speed"
• RUE MCCLANAHAN, actress "Maude", "The Golden Girls"
• HIMAN BROWN, radio producer "Inner Sanctum", "CBS Radio Mystery Theater"
• MARVIN ISLEY, bassist "The Isley Brothers"
• CRISPIAN ST. PETERS, singer "The Pied Piper"
• AL WILLIAMSON, comic book artist "E.C. Comics", "Flash Gordon"
• JIMMY DEAN, singer "Big Bad John"
• JIM PUGLIANO, drummer "The Jaggerz"
• PHIL GORDON, actor "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Green Acres"
• GARRY SHIDER, guitarist "Parliament -- known as Diaper Man"
• RONALD NEAME, director "The Poseidon Adventure"
• JOJO BILLINGSLEY, singer "Lynyrd Skynyrd"
• COREY ALLEN, actor "Rebel Without A Cause"
• VONETTA MCGEE, actress "Blacula"
• SUGAR MINNOTT, singer "Hang On Natty"
• HARVEY PEKAR, comic book writer "American Splendor"
• GEORGE STEINBRENNER, baseball team owner "N.Y. Yankees"
• ALAN HUME, cinematographer "Return of the Jedi"
• SIR CHARLES MACKERRAS, conductor
• LARRY KEITH, actor "The Raven & Other Favorite Poems"
• ANDY HUMMEL, bassist "Big Star"
• MAURY CHAYKIN, actor "Nero Wolfe", "Dances With Wolves"
• MITCH MILLER, record executive/TV host "Sing Along With Mitch"
• BOBBY HEBB, singer "Sunny"
• CATFISH COLLINS, guitarist "Parliament", "The J.B.'s"
• PATRICIA NEAL, actress "Hud", "The Fountainhead"
• TED KOWALKSI, singer "The Diamonds"
• GEORGE DICENZO, actor "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "The Ninth Configuration"
• DAVID L. WOLPER, producer "Roots", "The Thorn Birds"
• EDWIN NEWMAN, newscaster "NBC News"
• ABBEY LINCOLN, singer
• ROBERT WILSON, musician "The Gap Band"
• BOBBY THOMSON, baseball player "The Shot Heard 'Round the World"
• MICHAEL BEEN, musician "The Call"
• JACK HORKHEIMER, TV astronomer "Star Hustler"
• ROBERT SCHIMMEL, comedian
• MIKE EDWARDS, cellist "Electric Light Orchestra"
• CLIVE DONNER, director "Spectre"
• GLENN SHADIX, actor "Beetlejuice"
• BILLIE MAE RICHARDS, voice actor "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
• KEVIN MCCARTHY, actor "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"
• HAROLD GOULD, actor "Rhoda"
• CLAUDE CHABROL, director
• BILL LITTLEJOHN, animator "Tom & Jerry", "Peanuts"
• LEONARD SKINNER, teacher "namesake for Lynyrd Skynyrd"
• EDDIE FISHER, singer
• GLORIA STUART, actress "The Old Dark House", "The Invisible Man", "Titanic"
• BUDDY MORROW, band leader "Poe For Moderns"
• SALLY MENKE, film editor "Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction", "Jackie Brown"
• ARTHUR PENN, director "Bonnie and Clyde"
• JOE MANTELL, actor "Chinatown"
• TONY CURTIS, actor "Sweet Smell of Success", "Some Like It Hot"
• STEPHEN J. CANNELL, producer "The Rockford Files", "Wiseguy"
• MARSHALL FLAUM, director "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau"
• SIR NORMAN WISDOM, actor/comedian "On the Beat"
• ROY WARD BAKER, director "A Night To Remember", "Quatermass & the Pit"
• DAME JOAN SUTHERLAND, soprano
• SOLOMON BURKE, singer "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love", "Cry To Me"
• SIMON MACCORKINDALE, actor "Death on the Nile"
• JOHNNY SHEFFIELD, actor "Tarzan's New York Adventure", "Bomba the Jungle Boy"
• BARBARA BILLINGSLEY, actress "Leave It To Beaver", "Airplane"
• GRAHAM CROWDEN, actor "Doctor Who: The Horns of Nimon", "Waiting For God"
• TOM BOSLEY, actor "Happy Days"
• ROBERT PAYNTER, cinematographer "An American Werewolf in London"
• BOB GUCCIONE, publisher "Penthouse"
• MIKE ESPOSITO, comic book artist "Wonder Woman", "The Amazing Spider-Man"
• GREGORY ISAACS, singer "Night Nurse"
• TED SORENSON, JFK's White House Counsel
• CHARLIE O'DONNELL, TV announcer "Wheel of Fortune"
• JILL CLAYBURGH, actress "An Unmarried Woman"
• TONY WEST, musician "The Searchers"
• DINO DELAURENTIIS, producer "Europa '51", "Barbarella", "La Strada"
• BABY MARIE OSBOURNE, actress
• HENRYK GORECKI, composer
• IRVIN KERSHNER, director "The Empire Strikes Back"
• INGRID PITT, actress "The Vampire Lovers", "Countess Dracula"
• LESLIE NIELSEN, actor "Forbidden Planet", "Airplane", "Police Squad"
• MARIO MONICELLI, director
• DON MEREDITH, football player/TV announcer "Monday Night Football"
• JAMES MOODY, jazz saxophonist "Moody's Mood For Love"
• BLAKE EDWARDS, producer/director "The Pink Panther"
• JEAN ROLLIN, director
• DON VAN VLIET, musician "Captain Beefheart"
• STEVE LANDESBURG, actor "Barney Miller"
• FRED FOY, radio announcer
• DOROTHY JONES, singer "The Cookies"
• BERNARD WILSON, singer "Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes"
• TEENA MARIE, singer
• NICK SANTO, singer "The Capris"

THE YEAR IN MOVIES 2010! It has been my habit to list my favourite movies which I saw for the first time this year. Not movies MADE in 2010 but those I'd never seen before and watched in 2010. I saw many great films for the first time this year but I've whittled it down to only 50. ONLY he says!

1. AUTUMN SONATA (1978) - Ingmar Bergman finally works with Ingrid Bergman. Masterful performances from Ingrid and Liv Ullman in the harrowing portrait of a mother who never connected with her daughters.
2. THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (1970) - Dario Argento's early thriller concerning a writer stalked by a serial killer after witnessing an attempted murder.
3. THE BUDDHA (2010) - Beautiful TV documentary helmed by David Grubin relating the life and teachings of the Buddha with ubiquitous Richard Gere narrating and readings by Blair Brown. Lovely animation as well.
4. CHUSHINGURA (1962) - Director Hiroshi Inagaki's lush retelling of the Japanese national epic of a conflict of obligations also known as THE 47 LOYAL RONIN
5. DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971) - Dreamlike and queasy "Carmilla-like" film with Delphine Seyrig as the vampire preying on married couple John (DARK SHADOWS) Karlen and (more specifically) Danielle Ouimet.
6. DEEP RED (1975) - Superb Dario Argento horror-thriller starring David Hemmings in the middle of the knife-slashing mania.
7. DISTRICT 9 (2009) - Oscar-nominated science fiction phenomenon with prawns.
8. DORIAN GRAY (2009) - The best filmic adaptation of Oscar Wilde's hoary old tale of debauchery with Ben Barnes as the angelic-faced reprobate and Colin Firth leading him astray. Did I say ashtray?!?
9. THE 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (1984) - masterful kung fu director Lau Kar-Leung's revenge film starring Gordon Liu and Alexander Fu Sheng (who died during filming).
10. THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (1962) - Luis Bunuel's deliriously odd (that's nothing new) tale of a group of guests at a formal dinner party who find themselves unable to leave. Ever.
11. THE FACE OF ANOTHER (1966) - Director Hiroshi Teshigahara's strange mixing of EYES WITHOUT A FACE and DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE as a hideously scarred man has a new face sculpted by a plastic surgeon. Does the person wear the mask or the mask wear the person?
12. FELLOWSHIP OF THE FROG (1959) - One of the wonderfully daffy German krimi films based on the writings of Edgar Wallace. A master criminal by the name of "The Frog" torments Joachim Fuchsberger et. al.
13. FIST OF LEGEND (1994) - As much as it seemed like a dopey idea to remake Bruce Lee's classic FISTS OF FURY, they actually did a really nice job of it with Jet Li fighting like a whirlwind.
14. THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS (1978) - Director Chang Cheh's hugely popular kung fu epic of a dying martial arts master tasking a student with checking on five masked former students named Centipede, Snake, Toad, Lizard and Scorpion. So influential the actors in the film forever after were known as "The Venoms".
15. FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS (1982) - Another Chang Cheh kung fu classic this time with more of a "fairy tale" feel to it. A student seeks revenge over the ninja who killed his brothers & father; he must run the gauntlet of the Five Element Ninja Challenge of Earth, Wood, Fire, Gold and Water.
16. FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH (1972) - Also known as KING BOXER, this is the film which actually kicked off the kung fu craze in the early 70's. This is yet another revenge tale with Lo Lieh playing the hero this time.
17. THE GOOD DIE YOUNG (1954) - Three decent men are led astray by an amoral "gentleman" who involved them in a plot to rob a postal van. Great cast includes Laurence Harvey, Stanley Baker, Richard Basehart, Gloria Grahame, John Ireland, Joan Collins, Margaret Leighton etc.
18. HEROES OF THE EAST (1979) - Kung fu classic helmed by Lau Kar-Leung starring Gordon Liu as the Chinese martial arts master who married a Japanese woman; he accidentally offends all of Japan's martial arts and must accept the challenge to fight 10 ninjas each specializing in a particular fighting style. One of the best.
19. IN THE LOOP (2009) - The closest thing so far to getting the exceptional British comedy THE THICK OF IT into a film. Hilarious political comedy with the spectacular Peter Capaldi as Malcolm.
20. IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942) - Story of World War II British destroyer H.M.S. Torrin told in flashbacks as its crew clings to a life raft. Directed by David Lean & Noel Coward. Cast includes Coward, Michael Wilding and John Mills.
21. IP MAN (2008) - Director Wilson Yip's sorta-biography of Bruce Lee's martial arts master Ip Man takes place before and after the Japanese occupation of China leading up to World War II. Donnie Yen has probably his finest role here. The wonderful Simon Yam also stars and legendary Sammo Hung does the action directing. One of the best films of the year.
22. IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAY (1947) - Director Robert Hamer's rather bleakly realistic film of an escaped convict's attempt to hide out in his former (married) lover's house. The wonderful Googie Withers heads a superb cast.
23. JUDEX (1963) - Georges Franju's fever-dream updating of the classic French serial.
24. JULIE & JULIA (2009) - Nora Ephron's lovely intertwining of the life of iconic TV chef Julia Child with a blogger's attempt to cook every recipe in Child's cookbook in a year. Based on a true story starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci.
25. KILLZONE (2005) - Director Wilson Yip's police story/martial arts blockbuster also known as SPL. Stars Donnie Yen as a new police detective taking over retiring Simon Yam's beat and getting entwined in an ongoing revenge vendetta against crimelord Sammo Hung. Great story and great fight scenes including a spectacular alley fight between Yen and psychotic Jing Wu.
26. LA RONDE (1950) - Max Ophuls' delightful film about . . . well, sex, actually. Beautiful as a jewel. Superb cast includes Anton Walbrook, Simone Signoret, Simone Simon, Danielle Darrieux and more.
27. LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (1961) - Director Alain Resnais' bewildering but rivetting film concerning a man and a woman who may or may not have met last year at Marienbad. Delphine Seyrig enigmatically stars.
28. THE MAD EXECUTIONERS (1963) - Another wildly fun German krimi based on the writing of Bryan Edgar Wallace in which a hooded society passes judgment on criminals who "got away with it" and kills them. This could be my favourite krimi, I think.
29. ME AND ORSON WELLES (2008) - Lovely Richard Linklater film which (fictionally) takes us back to the famous Mercury Theater production of Julius Caesar. Christian McKay is stunning in his Orson Welles impersonation. The cast is rounded out by Zac Efron (you should pardon the expression), Claire Danes and Ben Chaplin.
30. MY BEST FIEND (1999) - Werner Herzog's startling and hilarious documentary of his relationship with mad actor Klaus Kinski.
31. MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING (1979) - Mark Long stars as the Ghost Face Killer in this classic "martial arts training" film.
32. OIL CITY CONFIDENTIAL (2009) - Superb Julien Temple rockumentary following the history of classic British rockers Dr. Feelgood.
33. ONG BAK (2003) - One of the most highly touted martial arts flicks in recent memory. Tony Jaa is breathtaking in his fighting scenes as the young man charged with the task of returning his hometown's stolen Buddha statue by using his astonishing Muay Thai fighting technique.
34. OPEN CITY (1945) - Roberto Rossellini's neo-realist trend-setter concerning the final days of Italy's Nazi occupation and the freedom fighters who try to undermine them. Aldo Fabrizi and Anna Magnani head the cast.
35. PASSPORT TO PIMLICO (1949) - Terrific British comedy in which the residence of an area of London secede from Great Britain and proclaim themselves an independent country. Great cast of British character actors includes Stanley Holloway and Hermione Baddeley.
36. PERSONA (1966) - Stunning Ingmar Bergman film in which an actress suddenly stops speaking and the nurse assigned to her care slowly finds herself losing her own personality. Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullman both give startling performances.
37. RICHARD III (1955) - Laurence Olivier directs and stars in this Shakespearean adaptation of the "pantomime villain" which also stars acting heavyweights Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Sir Ralph Richardson, Sir John Gielgud, Pamela Brown and Claire Bloom. But not a horse.
38. RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE (2010) - Absolutely spectacular documentary on the Canadian rock institution Rush which covers their history and their music in equal depth.
39. THE SARAGOSSA MANUSCRIPT (1965) - Director Wojciech Has' film adaptation of the thought-to-be unfilmable Polish epic.
40. SCARFACE (1932) - Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson co-directed this 30's gangster classic with Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, George Raft and Boris Karloff.
41. SNATCH (2000) - This is actually the only Guy Ritchie film I've ever seen but I thought it was hilarious. I can't speak to the "mockney" quality of his other films but this is like the British Three Stooges do a caper film. Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro, Jason Stathan and Mike "Frank Butcher" Reid are among the cast.
42. TARZAN AND HIS MATE (1934) - The second of the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films. It doesn't really matter what the plot of this cult film is; it's just a lot of fun and features the pre-code nudey swimming scene with Maureen O'Sullivan.
43. TESTAMENT OF ORPHEUS (1960) - Jean Cocteau directs and stars in this film in which he looks back on his life and his obsessions.
44. THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (1978) - One of the greatest kung fu films ever. Lau Kar-Leung directs and Gordon Liu stars in this ultimate "martial arts training" film of the famous Shaolin Temple.
45. THRILL OF A ROMANCE (1945) - Another of those Esther Williams swimming musicals. However, this one stands out because of Esther's rather salty and sarcastic acting role which departs from her usual sugar and light cheeriness. Esther marries a rich businessman but, when he leaves their honeymoon for some business duties, she begins flirting with a war hero. Van Johnson is back again as her co-star.
46. TOKYO STORY (1953) - Yasujiro Ozu's masterpiece of of devastating loneliness as an old couple visit their children and grandchildren who basically ignore them. Heartbreaking.
47. THE WAY AHEAD (1944) - Director Carol Reed helms this World War II tale of a group of infantry conscripts who morph from a hopeless group of amateurs to a seasoned fighting unit. David Niven, Stanley Holloway and William (DOCTOR WHO) Hartnell head a nice cast.
48. WENT THE DAY WELL (1942) - It's startling to realize this film was made deep in the midst of World War II when the outcome wasn't at all decided. Nazi paratroopers take over a sleepy English town and it's up to the residents to fight against them. Surprisingly brutal in spots. Cast includes Leslie Banks, David Farrar and Mervyn Johns.
49. YOU, THE LIVING (2007) - Director Roy Andersson's genuinely funny film of seemingly unrelated scenes which demonstrate the utter "humanness" of us all.
50. ZOMBIELAND (2009) - Ruben Fleischer directs this combination zombie horror film and comedy which surprised me by working on both levels. Cast includes Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and a magnificent Bill Murray cameo.

The Puppini Sisters - Step into Christmas

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days (original from 1998)

Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"

TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOYOUS. And I can think of nothing more joyous at the moment than the video for JUNGLE ANIMAL. So I posted it. Have fun. And jumping up and down on the couch is encouraged!

Pomplamoose with Allee Willis - Jungle Animal

"And when your children's children think themselves alone in the silence of the pathless woods, they will not be alone. At night when the streets of your cities and villages are silent, and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled them and still love this beautiful land. You will never be alone."

-- Chief Seattle