Tag Archives: Patrick Macnee

MOV021: “Would You Still Like Me If I wasn’t a Girl?”

Star Wars in 3D, Robert Zemeckis returns to Time Travel, The Howling, Let Me In, and My Soul To Take.

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News:

  • Star Wars movies returning to theaters in 3D beginning 2012
  • Robert Zemeckis Plots Return To Live Action — And Time Travel
  • Stephen J. Cannell Dead at 69

The Past: The Howling (1981)

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Director: Joe Dante

Starring: Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Robert Picardo, Christopher Stone, Elisabeth Brooks, John Carradine, Slim Pickens

Trivia:

  • Originally Rick Baker was doing the special effects for the film, but he left the production to do An American Werewolf in London (1981). Baker left the effects job for this film in the hands of assistant Rob Bottin. Both this film and “An American Werewolf in London” were released the same year and both received praise for their makeup work.
  • To add to the hidden puns throughout this film, there is a book placed near a phone during one scene: Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”.
  • In line with other “wolf” puns in the film, the book Bill is reading in bed is “You Can’t Go Home Again” by Thomas Wolfe,
  • A picture of a wolf attacking a flock of sheep can be seen above Karen and Bill’s bed.
  • Shot in 28 days plus days of re-shoots.
  • In the scene where Terri calls Christopher from Dr. Waggner’s office, we see a picture of Lon Chaney Jr. on the wall. Chaney played the Wolf Man in five movies ( The Wolf Man (1941), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945) and Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). He is the only actor that played a Universal monster in the original film and all of its sequels.
  • The following characters are named after werewolf movie directors: George Waggner, Roy William Neill, Terence Fisher, Freddie Francis, Erle C. Kenton, Sam Newfield, Charles Barton, Jerry Warren, Lew Landers, and Jacinto Molina (an alternate name used by Paul Naschy).
  • There were times during the making of The Howling (1981) when Robert Picardo was very despondent about the hours he had to spend in makeup. On the Special Edition DVD he remarked: “One day, after spending six and a half hours in the makeup chair I was thinking, trained at Yale, two leading roles on Broadway. My first acting role in California, my face gets melted in a low-budget horror movie. All the crew had to say to that was, “Bob, next time read the script all the way through first!”
  • The climactic transformation had to be done all in closeup because the film had exceeded its budget by then, and it had to be shot in an office because they had no money for sets anymore.
  • At one point, Sam Newfield is seen eating from a can of Wolf brand chili.
  • Roger Corman cameos as the man waiting to use the phone box after Dee Wallace.
  • Robert Picardo improvised the line ‘I want to give you a piece of my mind’ before pulling out a chunk of his brain.
  • Critical response to The Howling varied. Writing in 1981, Roger Ebert dismissed it as the “Silliest film seen in some time…” although Gene Siskel liked the film and gave it three and a half stars out of four. Leonard Maltin also wrote in his book 2002 Movie & Video Guide that The Howling is a “hip, well-made horror film” and noted the humorous references to classic werewolf cinema. Variety praised both the film’s sense of humor and its traditional approach to horror.
  • The film won the 1980 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. This film was also #81 on Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
  • Due to their work in The Howling, Dante and producer Michael Finnell received the opportunity to make the film Gremlins (1984). That film references The Howling with a smiley face image on a refrigerator door. Eddie Quist leaves yellow smiley face stickers as his calling card in several places throughout The Howling. A second reference to The Howling in Gremlins comes at the end of the film when the TV anchorman Lew Landers (played by Jim McKrell) is shown reporting on the gremlin attack in Kingston Falls.

Talking Points:

  • ZOMG Is that the Doc from Star Trek!? YES, it is!
  • Practical effects are awesome!
  • Did anyone else think that nothing happens for most of this movie?
  • The Soundtrack – oh the 70s and 80s!

What We’ve Learned:

  • L.A. Cops can magically shoot through doors.
  • Nuns shop at occult book stores
  • Doesn’t matter where you go all sheriff’s have southern accents
  • Werewolves take a really really long time to transform, and victims are paralyzed with fear…and are unable to A) Run or B) Shoot.
  • Mazda’s were an exclusive ride back in 1981 and not everyone was lucky enough to own one.
  • Werewolves have the strength to tear holes in metal freezer doors but are utterly defeated by aged wood and glass.
  • Despite their exclusivity it only takes a couple of gunshots to make a Mazda Explode.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Yawn
Ray: Slow and Bizzare, Funny in spots though.
Steve: Amazingly innovative for its time! Hasn’t aged well, but is still classic for the genre.

The Present: Let Me In

Director: Matt Reeves

Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Cara Buono

Trivia:

  • The Morse code message shown at the end of the official trailer spells out the words “Help Me”.
  • The rights for the English-language film were acquired at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, where the Swedish film won the “Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature,” and Matt Reeves was quickly introduced as the director. Hammer Films producer Simon Oakes has referred to the project as a remake of the film and not an adaptation of the novel. He has also said, “I call it his [Reeves’] version. I don’t call it his remake or his re-imagining of it.”
  • The decision to make a new film adaptation has been criticized by Tomas Alfredson, the director of the Swedish film. He has stated on numerous occasions that he is not in favor of remaking his film. “If one should remake a film, it’s because the original is bad. And I don’t think mine is”, he said. He also opined that “remakes should be made of movies that aren’t very good, that gives you the chance to fix whatever has gone wrong. I’m very proud of my movie and I think it’s great, but the Americans might have another opinion. The saddest thing for me would be to see this beautiful story made into something mainstream. I don’t like to whine, but of course – if you spent years on painting a picture, you’d hate to hear buzz about a copy even before your vernissage!”
  • Let Me In has received generally positive reviews. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 87% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 126 reviews (with an average score of 7.7/10) and that 80% of the top critics have given the film a positive review based on 30 reviews (with an average score of 7.8/10). The consensus is “Similar to the original in all the right ways — but with enough changes to stand on its own — Let Me In is the rare Hollywood remake that doesn’t add insult to inspiration.”
  • In April 2010, it was announced that Hammer Film Productions and Dark Horse Comics are producing a graphic novel based on the film. Marc Andreyko will write the comic. Original author John Ajvide Lindqvist said “Nobody has asked me about [doing a comic] and I think that the project stinks. I am looking into this matter and hope that they have no right to do this.”

Talking Points:

  • Did You see the Original? if so did you prefer one or the other.
  • CGI – Bad?
  • I miss the cat scene!
  • Gorier than expected?
  • Did you expect to know she was a vampire so quickly?

What We Learned:

  • Older vampires apparently have personal hygiene issues.
  • Bullies in the 80’s have really bad hair
  • It snows in Los Alamos New Mexico
  • Have some now, save some for later.
  • Fake snow just doesn’t do it…get the real stuff.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Meh, it’s alright.
Ray: All in all not a bad remake, I prefer the original though.
Steve: I liked it a lot. It surprised me at times. Liked some of the changes from original, but others stunk.

The Future: My Soul To Take

Starring: Max Thieriot, John Magaro, Denzel Whitaker, Zena Grey, Nick Lashaway

Trivia:

  • The title My Soul to Take was taken from the children’s prayer: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
  • Originally titled 25/8. Wes Craven announced on October 19, 2009 that the title was changed.
  • Henry Hopper, son of late actor Dennis Hopper, was originally cast in the lead role of Adam “Bug” Hellerman, but was replaced by Max Thieriot after Hopper contracted mononucleosis.
  • Craven describes the killer in March 2009 as “a figure who lives under the river” eats bark and lives in the woods since his alleged death.
  • The film is produced by Anthony Katagas and first time producer Iya Labunka, Craven’s wife.

Talking Points:

  • From what you’ve seen in the trailer, is 3D necessary?

Summary:
A serial killer returns to his hometown to stalk seven children who share the same birthday as the date he was allegedly put to rest.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: I’ll skip it. Not that much of a horror fan.
Ray: Its Wes Craven so it cant be all that bad right?
Steve: Wes Craven usually delivers….so here’s hoping! Not seeing the point of 3D though.

Coming Attractions

The Past: The Frightners
The Present: The Social Network
The Future: 127 Hours

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