Welcome, Boys and Ghouls....

SHOCKTOBERFEST IS UPON US!

I started the festivities early last night with Hotel Transylvania, a flick that throws all the famous monsters together for a lavish party...a mad monster party, if you will.

HA! MADNESS!

 
In this case, it's the 118th birthday of Dracula's daughter Mavis. All's well and good until a human happens on the festivities, falling in love with the beautiful birthday girl while Dracula, proprietor of the titular hotel, tries to keep the others from finding out about the surprise guest. The all-star voice cast features Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Fran Drescher and Steve Buscemi (to name just a few), and the script provides the expected monster jokes, including their alternate versions of our human ways -- for instance, instead of "Do Not Disturb" signs, shrunken heads yell the words and order maid service. It's all quite clever!

Unfortunately, making those mad monster jokes is all the clever we can muster, and takes up a large part of the running time. Maybe the kids will love it in the theater -- although if the kids sitting near me were any indication, maybe not -- but they won't remember this film down the road. The stuff with Mavis works. We get the lesson about letting go and following your own path and loving who you love no matter who they are, and Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez do some admirable voice work. Also, it's the only time the film slows down from its breakneck pace. Otherwise, it's JOKE JOKE JOKE SETPIECE JOKE JOKE JOKE AHHH MONSTERS AHH HUMAN IT'S SO DIFFERENT IN THIS WORLD RIGHT RIGHT HUH? HUH? I mean, look, a lot of those quick gags were funny, but after a while it becomes clear that they're filler for a movie that just isn't there.

Obviously, I was reminded of the Rankin-Bass Mad Monster Party, and not just because of the general plot.

HA! MADNESS!

 
No, I was reminded because that, too, was a concept in search of a story. Characters didn't break out into song so much as they stumbled upon dirges, randomly dropped into the tale to lengthen what must have been a ten-minute story into a full hour. Hotel Transylvania is much the same way, only it doesn't give us any time at all to watch what's happening. Where Mad Monster Party lingers too long, Hotel Transylvania skips ahead before it's time. I laughed out loud, certainly, but it was equal parts compliment and incredulity.

The voice-work was great, though! And as a sidenote, I appreciated that they cast Fran Drescher as the Bride of Frankenstein, following Mad Monster Party's footsteps in giving the role to a beloved comedienne with a distinctive voice. Of course, Phyllis Diller had better lines (for whatever that's worth), but Fran!

Before we sign off for the day, a few things.

First: You have spoken, and the results are in. And it should be no surprise: last year, this film came in second place to Rosemary's Baby, and no one at all voted for Don't Look Now or The Changeling. This year, everyone got at least one vote, but it was clear from the beginning: Poltergeist it is! Sorry, Friday the 13th, always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

Second: My best friend and I came up with the name Shocktoberfest in college....only to find out later that such term was already adopted by Stacie Ponder of Final Girl. So while you're celebrating Shocktoberfest with us, make sure you hit up her party, too! She's one of the best film writers out there, passionate and hilarious, with an appreciation of Charles Nelson Reilly.

Third: Remember to tune in tomorrow for the return of Casting Coup Tuesdays with Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte.

Play us out, Phyllis.

Ghoulish Delights Forthcoming!

They're coming to get you, reader...

Yes, lovelies, HALLOWEEN is rearing its horrifying, awesome head, which means it's time to re-imagine those gran guignol faves of mine with the stars of today! Why? Because at the rate moviemaking is going, they're going to remake them anyway, so why not throw in my two cents at the outset?

But what would this be without you telling me what you want? I've already got four of the films in mind; now you're gonna tell me what to finish with. And here's the best part: no matter what you choose, I've never seen it before! I'll be reviewing a new (to me) film and offering a Casting Coup! Hooray!

poll by twiigs.com

 

You can also see this poll on the sidebar.

Of course, I'll also try to put up reviews of the horror flicks I watch this month, so feel free to recommend your own favorites!

Oh, and before I forget, the other four Casting Coups for October:

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte

October 2

 Strait-Jacket

October 9

Young Frankenstein

October 16

 Theatre of Blood

October 23

YOUR PICK

October 30 

The 1975 Hollmann Awards: The Second, Final Half

And one week later, here's the rest of my personal awards for the films of 1975! Last week saw Nashville leading with three wins, followed closely by Monty Python and the Holy Grail and its two victories. Honors also went to Amarcord, Barry Lyndon, Dark Star and Dog Day Afternoon.

The 1975 Hollmann Awards: The First Half

Finally, the first part of my Hollmann Awards for 1975! Nine of the eighteen categories are represented here, along with five previous nominees and one previous winner! I tell you, though, I needed those extra days just to finally whittle everything down to these choices. 1975 may not have been the strongest year, but it still hurt to leave some things out (Sorry, ensemble of Switchblade Sisters! Better luck next time, screenplay for Teenage Hitchhikers!). Luckily, though, I managed to find a slate of nominees and winners I really like. Hopefully, you'll feel the same; hopefully, too, you'll disagree and we can have a heated discussion in the comments.

The Finalists of 1975

The longlists are here!

For those of you who don't know, every year the British Academy for Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) release a "longlist" of contenders for their awards before nominations are finalized. Each category has been boiled down to fifteen finalists, and it is from that list that members can pick their five nominees. It's actually one of my favorite parts of awards season, allowing us a clue into how the voters are thinking, and I'm sure allowing them to gather their thoughts, as well.

But that's all over. A recent rule change has eliminated the longlists from existence...leaving me to carry the flame.

As stated previously, I have watched a total of 60 films released in 1975. This breaks that down to 15 movies in 16 categories. This year, I'm ignoring the Academy rules of '75 and offering nominees for Makeup and Visual Effects, but since they were easily whittled down to five, you'll just have to wait to see.

How'd I Do?

Ok, so I didn't hit 70....is 60 all right?

When I think of my first go-round at the Retrospectives, I am amused at what I considered "good enough": 47 films. I would never consider such a low number acceptable, but in those early days, I felt I had to accept the fact that not every film released then would be readily available now. If I had pushed more, I could have seen more.

Still, 60 really is good enough (those 13 make a difference!). Usually, I don't see more than 75 new releases a year, anyway, and when one factors in all the things that went wrong -- unavailable films, wonky Internet that interfered with Netflix, migraines, 8-day work-weeks -- 60 is not half-bad. I still got to see the masterpieces, the top-earners, and the cult classics; who cares if I missed out on Olivier's Three Sisters or The Happy Hooker or Emmanuelle? I still managed to get hold of Messiah of Evil, Teenage Hitchhikers and The Story of O!

The complete list of films is below. Tomorrow, I'll start on my famous longlists, followed by the Retro Hollmann Awards of 1975!

Act of Vengeance (aka Rape Squad)

Amarcord

At Long Last Love

Barry Lyndon

The Black Gestapo

Bite the Bullet

The California Reich

Coonskin

Dark Star

The Day of the Locust

Death Race 2000

The Devil's Rain

Dog Day Afternoon

The Eiger Sanction

Escape from Witch Mountain

Farewell, My Lovely

Friday Foster

Funny Lady

Galileo

Give 'Em Hell, Harry!

Hedda

The Hindenburg

Jacqueline Susann's Once is Not Enough

Jaws

The Land That Time Forgot

Lies My Father Told Me

Lisztomania

Lost in the Stars

Love and Death

The Magic Flute

Mahler

Mahogany

The Man in the Glass Booth

The Man Who Would Be King

Mandingo

Messiah of Evil

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Nashville

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

The Other Side of the Mountain

Pick-Up

Prisoner of Second Avenue

Race with the Devil

The Return of the Pink Panther

Rhinoceros

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Scent of a Woman

Shampoo

Sheba, Baby

The Story of Adele H.

The Story of O.

The Sunshine Boys

Switchblade Sisters (aka The Jezebels)

Teenage Hitchhikers

Teenage Tramp

Ten Little Indians

Three Days of the Condor

Tommy

The Wind and the Lion

The Yakuza

The Toughest Choice of All: Actress, 1975

Well, this is it. The end of my look at the 1975 Oscar nominees.

I wish it could be more complete, truly. But after trying the library, appeals on Twitter, etc., I just couldn't find a way of getting to Hester Street. I learned to accept this, though. As I mentioned earlier, I missed A Better Life last year, and I managed to survive. Truthfully, I love seeing every nominee if I can -- but if I can't, I must accept it.

The four I did get to see were phenomenal, though. I know I'm supposed to view 1974 as this category's zenith, but I prefer the zaniness of this year's line-up. Indeed, it was difficult to choose a winner...not until today did I settle on my champion.

But you'll see that eventually. For now, the nominees for Best Actress:

Isabelle Adjani in The Story of Adele H.

*****

Only nineteen when she took the role, Adjani surprises with her subtlety and insight. She is Adele H., the daughter of Victor Hugo who pursues the man she loves all the way to Nova Scotia -- though he does not love her back. Look at the way Adjani allows Adele to practically swoon over the lies she tells, until she herself believes them. The self-righteous anger with which she writes her parents, asking for more money and announcing a fictional betrothal, is immediately recognizable in any number of young people who insist that they have found their one true love. And the unconcerned, confident way she struts about, hair akimbo, talking to herself: that's the confidence of a crazy person who has no idea why the world is conspiring against them.

Ann-Margret in Tommy

****

As one critic put it, "she sings and dances like the fate of western civilization depends on it." Or at least that of her son, the titular deaf, dumb and blind kid. Ann-Margret is remarkable as Nora Walker: after her Act One hysterics of "What About the Boy?", she shows a mother who still tries to get her son some sort of help -- specialists, religion, whatever -- but has more or less shut down. And when he has finally found something in his pinball wizardry, she shows us the conflict between enjoying his success and weeping the inability to communicate with him. Surely the sequence of "Smash the Mirror/I'm Free", when she can finally tell him how he's a Messianic millionaire inspiring people, is her strongest moment: as she reaches out with the love of a mother, her eyes roll with the madness of a fanatic. It is an utterly bizarre, gaga performance, but damn if she isn't selling it.

Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

***

Displaying the same knack for understatement she displayed in Thieves Like Us, Fletcher's legendary portrayal of Nurse Ratched is more textured than the rest of the film wants to allow. Certainly, Ratched seems cold-hearted in her clinical detachment from her patients, and almost sociopathic in her humiliating goading of public confessions during "group therapy". But when dealing with a floor full of emotionally unstable people, voluntary or not, clinical detachment is probably the best course of action. Indeed, whereas other actresses could have made this a monstrous, power-mad villain, Fletcher makes it clear that while Nurse Ratched may indeed be controlling, she is a nurse who cares for her patients: witness her "NOOOO!" at the fate of one the patients in the finale. And when someone comes along to threaten what she considers to be the Right Way to Do Things, he must be stopped -- by any means necessary. Of course, I still consider this a supporting role, so I dinged her a star (as is my custom), but Fletcher's contribution is not to be understated.

Glenda Jackson in Hedda

****

It is said that Hedda Gabler can be played as a victim, a villain or a feminist hero. Jackson does a bizarre combination of all three that is absolutely delicious. Jackson's performance is the delirious icing on the crazy cake that is Best Actress, 1975. She presents Hedda as a woman who has made her bed, but refuses to lie in it; who entraps the man she loves and the people who love her as a bizarre revenge for crimes against her pride; who knows she's funny and brilliant, but also knows that that's worth peanuts to this group of academics and gossips. In short, Jackson plays Hedda as far too good for these people -- and this play -- and as such is someone who, in my most egocentric moments (don't we all have those), I completely identify with. Confident of her smarts, mystified by her presence among these people. Her reading of "vine-leaves wrapped in his hair" is to die for.

Carol Kane in Hester Street

ABSTAIN

--------------------------------------------------

 As I said, I had the devil of a time choosing my champion. I even thought about a tie, but no...one must choose. So, while Fletcher won the real Oscar, my Oscar vote goes to:

ISABELLE ADJANI

for

THE STORY OF ADELE H.

quelle superb!