The Bat (1959).

The Scoop:
Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead lead the cast of this charming, if somewhat awkwardly scripted, throwback to the "old dark house" melodramas of the turn of the century.

Moorehead plays popular mystery writer Cornelia van Gorder, who rents an old mansion in which an embezzling local bank president has hidden millions of dollars. A mysterious villain known as The Bat is after the money, as is the creepy town doctor, played by Price. Before a long, a slew of supporting characters find their way to mansion, where the bodies start piling up, with the obligatory twists and red herrings.

The production is well-made, if awfully static, betraying its origins as a 1920 stage play by Avery Hopwood. (It had previously been filmed as "The Bat" in 1926 and "The Bat Whispers" in 1930). Much of the creaky melodrama of the play remains, although it seems odd to see it dressed up in late '50s production design. The performances are strong, despite the cheesy material, and there is some especially good chemistry between Price and Gavin Gordon, who plays the local police chief. There is even a suprisingly swift and brutal murder to shake things up.

All of this makes "The Bat" a fun way to spend and dark and stormy night.

Best Bit:
The oddly casual way in which the bank president opens the cabin door to discover a forest fire.

Side Note:
The absurdly extraneous character of Judy Hollander is played by Darla Hood -- young Darla from "The Little Rascals," all grown up. This was her final screen role.

Companion Viewing:
"The Bat Whispers" (1930) and "The Cat and the Canary" (1927).

Links:
IMDb.

Take a Look:
The trailer:

Horrors of the Black Museum (1959).

The Scoop:
I love '50s-era ballyhoo movie gimmicks, and this British production has one of the cheesiest -- "Hypno-Vista." The film starts with a way-too-long introduction by Emile Franchel, licensed hypnotist, trying to justify the validity of his quacky profession, and the story that follows is supposedly chock-full of "cues" to hypnotize the entire audience.

In a performance from early in his career, veteran character actor Michael Gough gives a passable performance as a hack columnist with a collection of torture devices, who tries to evade suspicion while a series of torture murders plagues London. Co-star June Cunningham tries hard to be the British Marilyn Monroe, but doesn't even manage to be the British Mamie Van Doren. The other female lead (Shirley Ann Field) is gorgeous, but a terrible actress. And for some reason all the cross-fades have a red tint -- I don't know if this is part of the gimmick, or just a flaw in the print I've seen.

In all, it adds up to a muddled mess in what should have been a promising premise. "Horrors of the Black Museum" definitely misses the touch of William Castle, who could have done wonders with it.

Best Line:
"We can always count of London for another murder."

Side Note:
Field was later a regular on the short-lived soap opera "Santa Barbara."

Companion Viewing:
"The House on Haunted Hill" (1958).

Links:
IMDb.
HermanCohen.com.

Take a Look:
The British trailer:

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

And the American trailer:

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Sleep With Me (1994).

The Scoop:
Oh, the angst! This romantic comedy is emblematic of the navel-gazing neuroses that characterized "GenX" indie cinema in the early 1990s.

The product of six different writers (and it shows), "Sleep With Me" follows the self-absorbed romantic tribulations of Joseph (Eric Stoltz), who is about to marry Sarah (Meg Tilly) only to find that his best friend Frank (Craig Sheffer) is in love with her, too. Of course, the complications flow.

Despite the ocassional amusing moment, a terrific cast of indie film veterans (including Parker Posey, Adrienne Shelley and Joey Lauren Adams) is let down by indifferent direction and a trite script. The only redeeming moment comes in the extended party scene in the middle of the film, in which Quentin Tarantino makes a cameo with a classic spiel about the secret gay subtext of "Top Gun." In those couple minutes, he steals the show and gives the only reason to even watch this movie.

Best Line:
"You can ride my tail anytime!"

Side Note:
The "Top Gun" speech was written for Tarantino by his filmmaking partner Roger Avary and had been originally used in some of their other screenplays, only to keep winding up on the cutting room floor. But they liked it so much that Tarantino brought it with him when asked to appear in "Sleep With Me."

Companion Viewing:
"Kicking and Screaming" (1995) and "Reality Bites" (1994).

Links:
IMDb.

Take a Look:
Thankfully, someone has compiled all the Tarantino bits into a single YouTube clip. So now you don't have to rent the movie!

Woodstock (1970).

The Scoop:
That August 1969 weekend in upstate New York may have become over-mythologized and over-commercialized since then, but that doesn't change the fact that the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival was still pivotal to the history of rock music and American culture.

This justly-celebrated documentary by Michael Wadleigh and an army of assistants may have become pegged as a relic of the hippie era, but it is worth another look with fresh eyes. The film captures both the energy of the live music (including classic performances by Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Janis Joplin) and the spirit of the kids in the crowd. In fact, the crowd sequences contain some of the film's best moments, providing a rich glimpse at the many sides of the era and illustrating the complexities underlying so many of the old "hippie" stereotypes we've inherited.

Even its nearly four hour running time, packed with some of the best-ever use split screen imagery, doesn't seem enough to do justice to the three days of peace, love and music. A classic time capsule of a generation.

Best Bit:
The two guys who think the government is trying to stop the festival by seeding the clouds to make it rain.

Side Note:
Among the bevy of film editors were the fledgling Martin Scorcese and his career-long editing partner, Thelma Schoonmaker. They both also received assistant director credits on the film.

Companion Viewing:
"Monterey Pop" (1969).

Links:
IMDb.

Take a Look:
Jefferson Airplane performs "White Rabbit":


Whoopee! We're all gonna die!


Janis Joplin performs "Try":

Something Wild (1986).

The Scoop:
This entry in the curious '80s subgenre of staightlaced-guys-swept-up-by-wild-dames-in-New-York-City (which includes "Who's That Girl?", "Desperately Seeking Susan," "After Hours" and others) comes out on the top of the heap, mostly because of the irreverent directorial touch of Jonathan Demme and the fun performances of Melanie Griffith (whose character Lulu is obviously based on Louise Brooks' character in "Pandora's Box") and Jeff Daniels.

Daniels plays Charles Driggs, a conservative businessman content with his boring life, who accepts Lulu's offer for a ride back to his office. Of course, wacky Lulu has other plans and whisks Charles away for a wild weekend, including a trip to her high school reunion. But when they cross paths with her violent ex-con ex-husband (Ray Liotta), Charles' life is suddenly in danger.

The pace is fast and fun, even if the third act gets serious and drags a little bit. Everything up to then is slam-bang, though, and also helping the film succeed is the hipness quotient, which includes songs by David Byrne; a score by John Cale and Laurie Anderson; and cameos by John Waters, John Sayles and the Feelies.

Best Bit:
"Sure, I'm a rebel. I just channeled my rebellion into the mainstream."

Side Note:
The two little old ladies in the clothing store are played by the mothers of David Byrne and Jonathan Demme.

Companion Viewing:
"After Hours" (1985) and "Pandora's Box" (1929).

Links:
IMDb.

Take a Look:
No trailers available online, but at least you get John Waters, being all cool and John Waters-ish:

Rio Bravo (1959).

The Scoop:
John Wayne has become such an icon of American machismo that it can be hard to approach any of his movies objectively now. Most of them are just vehicles for his raging testosterone, anyway. But there are a few keepers in the bunch, and this is one of them.

Here, he's a small town sheriff who must hold off a vicious gang who are trying to break one of their members out of jail. His only help are the town drunk (Dean Martin), an inexperienced kid (Ricky Nelson) and a crippled old-timer (Walter Brennan). There's a good story, taut pacing, some comedy and plenty of suspense. Wayne even tones down his swagger and lets his costars (which include Angie Dickinson, Ward Bond and Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez) have plenty of room to do their thing. The only misstep is a studio-ordered musical interlude for Martin and Nelson, but that's easy to overlook.

Another triumph from director Howard Hawks, this film grabs you from the very first, wordless scene and doesn't let go.

Best Line:
"Let's make some noise, Colorado!" (Quentin Tarantino has often cited "Rio Bravo" as one of his favorite films. It's such a favorite, in fact, that he borrowed this line for his original script for "Natural Born Killers," and it's one of the few bits of his dialogue that survived the Oliver Stone rewriting machine to make it into the finished film.)

Side Note:
Although it's a western, the script was cowritten by legendary sci-fi author Leigh Brackett, whose other movie credits include "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "The Big Sleep" (1946).

Companion Viewing:
"High Noon" (1952).

Links:
IMDb.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


Walter Brennan cracks 'em up:


That darn song (which, for the record, is "My Rifle, My Pony and Me":

Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979).

The Scoop:
The Ramones were at their creative peak for only a few years short years in the mid- to late-'70s before commencing a quick slide into self-parody and irrelevance in the '80s. But in that short time, their impact was almost incalculable. They practically invented the American strain of punk rock (a few predecessors notwithstanding) by stripping away the 20 years' worth of artifice and mannerisms that had accumulated around rock music and returning it to its simple 1950s rebel roots, albeit with more threatening modern undertones. In short, by getting back to basics they launched a revolution.

And, in an odd way, "Rock 'n' Roll High School" is the best record of that revolution.

The film, one of scholckmeister producer Roger Corman's best, distills the best parts of formulaic 1950s rock 'n' roll youth movies into a fun, high energy B-movie classic. Part of that energy comes from the Ramones, whose best songs blanket the soundtrack. But part of it also comes from the charming performance of P.J. Soles, who plays Riff Randell, the die-hard fan who will do anything to attend the upcoming Ramones concert and meet her idols. Also along for the ride are Clint Howard (at his best as the teenage svengali Eaglebauer, absolutely a character for the ages), Vincent Van Patten and B-movie stalwarts Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov and Dick Miller.

So much about rebellious, youth-oriented rock 'n' roll is ephemeral -- even the greatest bands shine bright for only a short time before they become routine and establishmentarian. This film captures that brief moment in the Ramones' career perfectly.

Best Line:
"Things sure have changed since we got kicked out of high school."

Side Note:
The Ramones got the part only after a number of other acts turned it down, including Devo, Van Halen, Cheap Trick and Todd Rundgren.

Another Side Note:
Uncredited contributions abound in this movie. Director Allan Arkush got unbilled assistance from both Joe ("Gremlins") Dante and Jerry ("Airplane!") Zucker. Meanwhile, among the rockin' high school kids are Germs lead singer Darby Crash and legendary stunt performers Debbie Evans and Jack Gill.

Companion Viewing:
"Rock Around the Clock" (1956) and "Grease" (1978).

Links:
IMDb.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


The Ramones video for the theme song:

The Girls on the Beach (1965).

The Scoop:
The girls are all right!

With most of the country mired in the depths of winter right now, what better time to dream of some summertime fun? And that's something "The Girls on the Beach" definitely delivers.

In this typical (but more fun than most) '60s teen comedy, a group of randy sorority sisters band together to put on a show that will raise money to save their beach house. It's all strictly a "Beach Party" knockoff, but who cares? It may not be terribly original, with lots of subplots that go nowhere, but it's all done with an infectious sense of fun. Among the ensemble of bikini-clad stars is Noreen Cochran ("Bachelor Father"), Lori Saunders ("Petticoat Junction"), Mary Mitchel ("Spider Baby") and Lana Wood (Natalie's sister, best known as Plenty O'Toole in the James Bond film "Diamonds Are Forever").

The music is great, with appearances by the Beach Boys (featuring the on-the-verge-of-his-breakdown Brian Wilson looking totally out of his element), Leslie Gore and the Crickets.

This is just the thing to put you in the mood for spring break.

Best Line:
"We want you to seize his enormous brain with your enormous assets."

Side Note:
Costar Nancy Spry was Miss Teen U.S.A.

Companion Viewing:
"Beach Party" (1963) and any of its string of sequels and imitators.

Links:
IMDb.

Take a Look:
The trailer: