Reviews

This film was released in 1983, one year after Air Supply's album and single of the same name released. And the song plays over the end tile soundtrack. And here lies the spoiler, since it implies a happy ending, though I won't reveal exactly what that ending is.

I thought I read one of the reviews for this film as stating that the rape at the beginning is violent. If you really watch it, it's not violent at all. Following the meeting of two advertising associates in an outdoor Sydney café, a strange woman propositions one of the men, Ian Michael Clarke, with a bottle of wine. Afterward, he drives her home and, unwisely, joins her in her apartment. And she starts advancing on him. His senses are dulled by the alcohol he's consumed, and appears a bit overwhelmed by her continued domination. Long story short, both end up on her carpeted floor, her over him in a prone position. She starts kissing him with considerable passion while gently but firmly inserting him into her. And though no frontal nudity is displayed, the audience knows exactly what's going on. And she's fully in control, driving them both to a climax within a minute, after which they moan in ecstasy with each other, still on the floor.

In the next scene, we see Ian having a piece of jewelry engraved with the name Jesse. We find out soon that this is his wife, who was away on business. Trouble comes in the form of two policemen who ask Jesse where her husband Ian is. In the next scene we see him under arrest for rape.

Without giving away other important plot points, because I want you to enjoy the film, I can tell you it is a wonderfully crafted story. The acting, while not superior by some standards, is good. I would love to see it again, only to see Christine Amor's performance as Margaret Burton, the lovely seductress who sets a trap that the unwitting Ian Michael Clarke falls into. If I was going to be dominated by a beautiful woman in a scenario like that played out by Margaret and Ian, I'd want a woman making love to me with the same passion Margaret delivers

Watch "Now and Forever" if you can find it. It's well worth your time.

"Prince of Darkness" is easily up there on the list of the top 10 scariest movies of all time. I first saw it when it came out in 1987, and what drew me in was the stunning scene in the TV trailer of a green fluid defying gravity as it pools on the ceiling and then shoots down. But more about this later.

Directed with flare by John Carpenter—a master of terror and suspense in his own right, with classics like "Halloween" and "The Fog" to his credit—the film's headliners include the late Donald Pleasence and the late Victor Wong. Viewers will also recall Jameson Parker (Simon & Simon), Lisa Blount (An Officer and a Gentleman), Thom Bray (Riptide), and rocker Alice Cooper, who plays one of the homeless vagrants central to the action when the plot literally "goes to Hell".

The film opens at a Los Angeles monastery where a priest with an odd-looking box on his abdomen dies in his sleep while waiting to meet with a superior. Enter Donald Pleasence's character, a priest who discovers the contents of the box. It's the key to a basement room in an old church where an ancient secret awaits. Professor Howard Barak (Wong) teaches a class of graduate students in theoretical physics, Brian Marsh (Parker), Catherine Danforth (Blount) and others. They've all been requested to assist in the investigation of a cylindrical container of spinning green fluid that is soon learned is the essence of Satan himself, and has been contained—or imprisoned—there for 7 million years. In a slightly later scene, with the bulk of students discussing their findings in ancient scripture, into the basement room walks radiologist Susan Cabot, who's been brought in to x-ray the container to see if there's any danger of it opening. The answer to that question turns out to be irrelevant when the container leaks the green fluid, defying gravity so that it falls "up" and pools on the ceiling. Then, with focused directionality, the liquid shoots down in a solid stream into Cabot's mouth. She gags and collapses to the floor, soon turning into a zombie. Following in close succession are students in Barak's group until a small group of unaffected students is left to prevent the all-powerful anti-Christ's entry into the world, meaning the end of the world.

Almost in concert with that presence is that which drives the homeless vagrants on the street, who trap all the students and their superiors inside the church, and so the suspense builds to the shocking end.

"Prince of Darkness" is scary as hell, but it's also great fun to watch. Driven by a musical score written by John Carpenter—who also did the music for the classic "Halloween"—that stays with you long after the movie ends, this one is worth your time. Donald Pleasence and Victor Wong are gone, but this film immortalizes them. And their presence gives the story an extra punch.

At 5:45 AM on a gloomy morning, Norma Lewis is awoken by a ringing doorbell. Her husband, Arthur, is also awoken, but only Norma goes downstairs to check things out. She opens the front door, and there on the steps is a paper-wrapped package. She brings it in and opens it. Inside is a wooden box with a red button on top, protected by a shield locked in place and a note informing her that Mr. Steward will call on her at 5:00 PM. The appointed time arrives and Mr. Steward shows up, providing a key that opens the box and telling them they have 24 hours to press the button or pass. If the button is pressed, two things will happen. First, someone in the world that they don't know will die. Second, they will receive a cash payment of $1 million, tax-free.

This is the initial premise of "The Box", a 2009 Warner Bros. release directed and co-written by Richard Kelly. And movie earns its points on first impressions. It's where the plot goes next that drags it into the realm of improbability.

Cameron Diaz ("In Her Shoes") and James Marsden ("Enchanted") play Norma and Arthur Lewis, and Frank Langella portrays the mysterious Arlington Steward. We'll talk about him in a minute. Let's talk about motivations first. Norma is a school teacher in an exclusive institution where she's informed that employee tuition discounts—hers included—are history. We know from an earlier scene that she and Arthur have a son, Walter, and they were probably counting on that discount to get him into that school. We later learn that Arthur, a promising NASA employee, has had an astronaut application "mysteriously" denied, and that shocks even Arthur's NASA bosses.

So when Mr. Steward shows up to present his offer, it becomes clear which choice the couple will make. Mr. Steward is a peculiar man, showing up with half his face missing. We find out later that this was the result of a lightning strike. Sometime after Mr. Steward's departure, Arthur opens the bottom of the box, revealing nothing inside that would transmit anything if the button was pressed. So they do press the button, seemingly without results.

The next shot takes us into a 911 call center where an operator takes a call about a shooting. A husband has shot his wife dead, and the police arrive and take him into custody. And this is where things start getting crazy. When payment arrives, Arthur and Norma have an attack of conscience, wanting only to return to the way things were before the box arrived. But this is impossible. They are informed that the box will go to another couple that they—Norma and Arthur—don't know. And from this point on, the film takes on the feeling of a dream gone haywire. When it's over—and I won't reveal how it ends—you're left wondering what you just watched.

"The Box" isn't a complete waste of time IF you approach it with an alert mind. Without giving away the ending, I will say the plot comes full-circle. You'll have to watch the movie to know what that means. But if it's one of those movies you start late at night when you're struggling to stay awake, the plot will evaporate like drops of water thrown on a hot stove.