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Reviews
The Mouse and His Child (1977)
It's hard to imagine anyone watching this without shedding tears... a lot of them.
The overarching theme of The Mouse & His Child is loss; loss of home, loss of family, loss of security. To begin with, the main characters are essentially helpless due to their being joined at the hands and requiring outside intervention to wind them, and this sets a tone of desperation that carries through much of the story. In the course of 83 minutes, the viewer will be confronted head on with (in rough order): abandonment, poverty, avarice, enslavement, loneliness, hopelessness, existentialism, and death. In Manny the Rat we have a villain who is exceptionally cruel, one of the more vile characters I've seen in a children's movie. More than anything it is a story about the oft-seeming hopeless search to find a place of belonging and love; this is what filled me with such aching sadness when I saw it as a child, and watching it today, it still does.
I'll confess that I have a little bit of an obsession with this movie because, in the 40 years since I first saw it, I've come to believe that it may have had a real influence on my life. There are valid critiques to be made regarding quality of animation, script, pacing, etc., but those things don't matter to a 6 year old. That's how old I was when I first saw The Mouse & His Child in a movie theatre in the summer of 1977. No other movie of my childhood-not Bambi, not The Fox & The Hound, not E.T.-came close to reducing me to the sobbing mess that this film turned me into. I had never cried like that at a movie before and never have since. Fast forward 34 years, and in the fall of 2011 I finally had a chance to watch it again when a transfer from a well-used VHS tape showed up on a video sharing site. Imagine seeing a movie that you saw only once at such a young age, and that affected you so much, for the first time in 34 years! When I watched it again, I discovered two things: one, my memories of it were almost exact to the last detail, and two, even at middle age, a cartoon about windup toys searching for safety can still reduce me to tears.
Anyone reviewing this movie should attempt to imagine how it might seem to a very young child who won't be apt to critique elements of the story that might seem "pretentious" to an adult. One of the scenes that stuck most vividly in my mind throughout my entire life was the "last visible dog" sequence: this was the first time I was confronted with the concept of "infinity" and the contemplation of "what lies beyond infinity;" pretty heavy stuff for a 6 year old, and this movie dishes out such heaviness with a trowel; subtle it is not. As with this scene, an adult might find the endless stream of trials the characters face in their quest for a home to be frustrating and tiresome, but a child is more likely to be imbued with a feeling of despair. And, for those who do find the movie tiresome, the story can be condensed quite neatly down to the opening and ending theme song, a tear jerker called "Tell Me My Name." In fact, just reading the lyrics of this song is almost enough to turn on the waterworks for me; subtle it's not, but affecting it most definitely is.
The movie tries to make it up to you with a heartening message about forgiveness and an ending that is admittedly very happy, and yet, the final scene is the homeless man we met in the opening theme wishing the newly emancipated toys well while he walks on down the railroad tracks with his dog, leaving you with a sense that, yes, things are going to work out for the Windups, but what about that poor old man? Where is his family?
It's hard to recommend this as a children's film, and yet there is something very brilliant about the uncompromising way it tries to present some of life's harshest lessons to its audience. This is the primary praise for the book it was based on, which I finally read only a couple of years ago, verifying that the movie is quite faithful to the book. I frequently see reviews written by others who, like me, saw it as a child who say things to effect of "this movie scarred me for life." Perhaps some mean that hyperbolically, but it definitely scarred me. Yet it was not a scar that never healed; rather, it was an experience that I believe might have made me a little more intelligent-and a little more empathetic to the world around me. If I had young children of my own I would think carefully before I let them watch this; for me, at the age of 6, I think it was probably too much to handle, but a child only slightly older, maybe 9 or 10, may have experienced just enough of the world that it won't quite overwhelm them, but may make them think... and it may leave them with a message about how important it is to be grateful and kind, rather than turning away from the less fortunate and contributing to the harshness of an often cruel world.
When a Stranger Calls (1979)
More of a "slow burn" crime drama than a horror film and a very good one
One of the most influential movies of the late 70's, "When A Stranger Calls" is remembered by almost everyone but appreciated by few. I suspect that many reviewers who pan this film as a great 20 minute opening followed by a pointless and "boring" middle probably watched it expecting to see a slasher movie similar to "Halloween." That's not what this movie is about; while it's true that its opening is justly famous, every bit as terrifying and memorable as you've always heard, "When A Stranger Calls" is less of a horror flick than a gritty, suspenseful crime drama who's characters and situations are scary and suspenseful but, unlike most slasher flicks, are also very realistic.
The real star of this movie is not babysitter Jill Johnson (played adequately by a young Carol Kane), but rather the killer Curt Duncan. Duncan is not the superhuman killing machine usually seen in Hollywoodland; rather than the "evil personified" mold of Mike Myers or Jason Voorhees, his breed of insanity-and it is made clear that he is indeed completely insane-is the type one may encounter in the real world. He is a haunted shell of a man who is unable to understand or control his actions, and his pathetic appearance would illicit sympathy were his crime not so horrific; this is most likely what a mad serial killer REALLY looks like. No motive for what he's done is even hinted at, but while this lack of back story could easily have made for a 2-dimensional character, the well-written script allows for just enough development to make this killer seem very real. Actor Tony Beckley, who died shortly after filming completed, does an amazing job in this role; his vacant, pleading stares simultaneously invoke both pity and disgust from the audience. The film's other major character is the cop turned detective John Clifford. Charles Durning played roles similar to this in other films of the era, but never with a script as good as he's given here; while the burned out ex-cop is an archetype we've seen countless times, his actions in this film are highly believable, and the intelligence of the story in handling this character, who is complete with a healthy dose of clumsiness and self-doubt, create a sense of realism that is often missing from this archetype.
The strongest aspect of "When A Stranger Calls" is the direction, which never allows any one element to go "over the top;" the story and the characters show a realistic sense of motivation and restraint in their actions. This low-key atmosphere, combined with some impressive long takes of seedy, neon tinted vintage Los Angeles streets, create a "slow burn" effect that increases the level of dread as the detective and the killer play cat and mouse. One of the movie's most horrifying scenes comes halfway through, when Clifford tells Tracy (an important secondary character played with superb realism by Colleen Dewhurst) about what REALLY happened "that night"; it's nothing more than a description of the crime scene, yet it is so revolting that even the most hard core audiences may cringe as they think back to what was going up upstairs in that house the night the hapless babysitter received those phone calls. Touches like this, which link the film's crime-pursuit middle to its slash- style opening, create a continuity that leads to a coherent and realistic film.
--SPOILER ALERT-- The weakest point of "When A Stranger Calls" is the ending; this is where the previous subtly is abandoned for the more literal "big finish" Hollywood always seems to favor. I always thought it would have been much more frightening if the movie had ended right after Jill receives the phone call in the restaurant, but such an ending would probably have been too "existential" for most audiences. However, this a minor complaint; even with this literal wrap up, there's an still unexpected scare that will make almost anyone jump. Even here, the director showed enough restraint-if not subtlety-to bring a satisfying conclusion to a satisfying film. --END SPOILER ALERT--
In the end, the worst thing that can be said about "When A Stranger Calls" is that it is schizophrenic film; it starts as a slasher movie and becomes a crime drama. Fortunately not all viewers see these genres as mutually exclusive, and I have seen few movies that combine the two as deftly as this one does. While it's true that countless slasher flicks of the 80's owe a debt to its first 20 minutes, it's my feeling that some more recent movies ("Se7en," comes to mind) owe a debt to its portrayal of a weary cop determined to stop a crazed killer. If you sit down to watch "When A Stranger Calls" expecting to see a slasher movie, you may be disappointed, as so many of the reviewers that have posted here clearly were. If, on the other hand, you go into it expecting a suspenseful psychological crime drama with an intelligent script, believable characters, and imbued a heavy atmosphere of dread, you will come away rewarded.
Road Train (2010)
ROAD TRAIN .aka "Death Ship on wheels"
People who say this movie is worthless simply didn't enjoy the subject matter, and that's understandable, so here's my disclaimer: I'm a raving Gearhead; I love machines of all kinds including those demonic and possessed. I hear about a movie featuring a monstrous man-eating truck that runs on blood and I'm WAY in! If this storyline doesn't appeal to you, you won't like the movie; if it does, as it did to me, give it a chance; I did in spite of the bad reviews, and felt like it was a fun way to spend 90 minutes of a Thursday afternoon.
To invoke David Spade from SNL's "Hollywood Minute" sketch: "this movie was really good the first time I saw it, when it was called Death Ship!" Thus go into "Road Train" knowing that it is a ripoff of that Canadian-produced B-rated classic from 1980. "Death Ship" has been just as savaged by critics as "Road Train", and for some of the same reasons: both are low budget films featuring mostly predictable stories. But the two films also have their strengths in common: namely the atmosphere created by the creepy concept of a machine with a will of its own that needs human sacrifice to "survive." This said, there are also some notable differences: the haunted ship in "Death Ship" has a sickening past that viewer becomes aware of as the movie progresses; the origins of "Road Train's" brand-less black truck (all the maker's logos are conspicuously missing) are less certain. A clue is shown, but much of it is left up the viewer's interpretation. This is one of "Road Train's" strongest points: it doesn't explain everything. There's nothing more frightening than the unknown, and the clues the movie gives you that this vehicle was, in fact, created by someone or something, and that something horrible has been unleashed, gives just enough information to make it more frightening: whatever this thing is, it's been set in motion and it has no intention of stopping. And, as with "Death Ship", the truck "chooses" one of the 4 hapless campers as its disciple, with Craig playing the role of Captain Ashland and using his relationships with the others to manipulate them into providing the truck with what it wants.
So, is "Road Train" scary? No, not at all; but movies about possessed and demonic machines are not about the actors, the score, or even the script; they are about the MACHINES! For instance, would you watch "The Mangler" for its plot twists, or to watch the evil steam iron come to life? And John Carpenter's "Christine" (one of my favorite films of all time) is only tangentially about Arnie or his his relationship with his friends and family; it's about the car. While the monster truck of this film's title may not be as charismatic as a 1958 Plymouth, it still has a lot going for it in the "evil coolness" department; from its logo-less grille with a statue of Cerberus, the guardian of hell, as a hood ornament, to its brothel-like red velvet interior to its radio that only plays a warbling, psychotic noise like evil voices filtered through backwoods rockabilly, she's a villain you just gotta dig.
From a technical point of view, "Road Train's" biggest strength is its wide-angle lensing; the cinematography is far superior to what you usually get in movies of this caliber; the shots of the unbroken desolation of the Outback are beautifully done. The musical score, a combination of electric guitars and industrial samples, is coarse and jarring, adding to sense of dread as the group of 4 campers succumb one by one to the power of the demonic vehicle. The sound effects of the truck, especially its whining turbo, are exactly what you'd expect a demonic truck to sound like. Technically, everything else here is just average, but none of it ever sinks to the level of crap. In spite of its predictability, the movie does have a few very creepy moments, most notably the scene where Liz finds the cabin she's looking for, where within its ruined interior she finds a possible clue to the truck's origins (take note of the "diagram" scrawled on the wall). I LOVED the quick-cut shots of the engine pumping as the blood washed through it, dripping from the valves and lubricating the crankshaft journals; very cool! My last "kudo" is the two crash scenes; both are convincingly filmed.
In spite of this overall positive review, I will admit there are a couple of aspects of "Road Train" that really are awful. The worst of these is the frequent flashes of the red-eyed Cerberus heads and the crawling maggots; this was the type of amateur touch you'd expect from a 12-year old playing with a pirated copy of Final Cut Pro; these unnecessary scenes detract from the movie's tension, and I'd really like to see an edited release of this with those useless scenes removed, especially since removing them would be very easy to do. Another valid criticism is the gun that never seems to run out of bullets. I suppose it's possible to fill in that there were extra clips in the pocket of the jacket, but it would have been easy enough to show this and the film makers didn't bother.
So no, it's not perfect; there are holes in the plot, it's not scary, and you'll see all of it coming down the road at you. I give it 6 out a 10 stars for the simple reason that I like the concept of evil and demonic machines, and the massive truck in "Road Train" delivers. Now, for any fellow machine-heads that may be reading this: I believe the truck cab is an International, although it may also be a Freightliner with a Mercedes-Benz engine; anyone know for sure?