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Reviews
The Alien Factor (1978)
A+ for effort in Grade Z Production
For a young Super-8 aficionado, growing up in the late 70's, Don Dohler was legend. Best known as the editor for Cinemagic magazine (and the Film Magic books), he would feature articles and how-to-do tips on everything from latex modeling to stop-motion to optical effects on the cheap. Of course, a big chunk of the contributions came from those who worked on his own features, including John Dods, John Costentinio, and Ernest Farino (who later did the stop-motion fx on THE TERMINATOR). And for anyone who read Film Magic, a big highlight was the design of the Zagatile beast that Constentino designed for use in Dohler's first feature THE ALIEN FACTOR. Constentino detailed the making of the beast, sort of an alien Bigfoot costume for a guy on stilts. Needless to say, the contributors on such articles always came across as real pros, making their work and effects sound really good in print.
Then, almost 26 years after having read Film Magic, I finally got around to seeing THE ALIEN FACTOR. Well, it sounded promising, but the reality is always different. What we essentially get to watch is a zero-budget 16mm effort featuring a group of Baltimore yokels up against two tacky man-in-suit aliens and one very well done stop-motion beast. Grainy photography, a grating electronic score, and actors with a penchant for delivering monotone speech dominate this film. Not the polished effort its makers claimed it to be, but still an interesting artifact from 70's drive-in flicks.
The plot briefly details the attempts of some local villagers to investigate a series of bizarre deaths, supposedly wild animal attacks. Turns out they are the work of three alien beings that have escaped from a downed extraterrestrial spacecraft. The Sheriff (Tom Griffith) remains baffled until the arrival of a mysterious stranger (Don Leifert), who possesses an uncanny ability to hunt down the trio of beasties.
Let us be fair to Dohler: with only local talent, limited crew, backyard locales, and miles away from Hollywood, they did the best they could. Plus, there are effective moments: the discovery of the spaceship (good use of foreground miniature); the Zagatile's attack in a man's darkened basement; and the final battle with the Lemoid, with excellent, if brief stop-motion animation from Farino. Unfortunately, Dohler's directorial abilities lagged far behind his unique talents in wrangling cheap fx. The performances are stiff, the overall pace drags, and the erratic music detracts rather than add. The effectiveness of the alien menace is hampered by either having them attack in broad daylight or showing them in full, essentially hokey Dr. Who monster outfits (the Zagatile in closeup looks okay, but in full, it just looks plain hokey as lumbers in the snow, chasing humans who are running three times faster).
With a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor, it could have been right up there with DARK STAR. Yet in spite of all its flaws, THE ALIEN FACTOR is infused with this weird low-budget horror sensibility that makes it all the more intriguing, if only for the fact that it ever got made at all. Clumsy as it is, it still entertains as a first effort. Regrettably, Dohler himself never went on to bigger and better things. He seems content to stay in Baltimore, working on zero-budget horror outings that haven't progressed (if anything regressed) beyond his opus. Considering the talent he helped to foster, it's a crying shame.
Sabah (2005)
Blows my "Big Fat Greek Wedding" out the water.
Let's face it: SABAH, a joyous feature concerning a Toronto Muslim woman discovering romance for the first time is everything MY BIG FAT OVERRATED Greek WEDDING should have been: hilariously funny, deeply moving, intensely profound, and wonderfully romantic- and I say this as a thirty-something male who doesn't normally like romantic comedies.
Sabah (Arsinée Khanjian) has just turned 40. Bu she's feeling the pressure of having to take care of her elderly mother, all the while trying to live up to the dogmatic standards of her overly protective brother Majid (Jeff Seymour). Taking a break from tradition, Sabah decides to go for a dip in a nearby public swimming pool. There she (literally) bumps into Stephen (Shawn Doyle) a blue-eyed, barrel-chested Caucasian. Needless to say, the twain has met as Sabah conspires to see Stephen whenever she can behind her family's back. Meanwhile, Sabah's increasingly western niece Souhaire (Fadia Nadda, the director's sister) is trying to get out of an arranged marriage that the family's inflicting on her.
Needless to say, East meets West, as it does in other culture-clash comedies, such as DOUBLE HAPPINESS, BEND IT LIKE BECKMAN, and A TOUCH OF PINK. But it's the romantic sparks that fly between Khanjian and Doyle that make this film so engaging. After years of playing the cold fish in her husband's more esoteric films, Khanjian is so bubbly, passionate, sexy, and winsome in this role that it feels like she's actually enjoying herself on screen for the first time (here she should have won the Genie award for best actress as opposed to ARARAT). Moreso, the romance between her and Doyle is believable as well as passionate, complemented by an appropriately dry performance by Doyle as Sabah's ideal, if slightly naive, Canadian Mr. Right.
It also reminds one how phony MY BIG FAT Greek WEDDING actually was. There, Nia Vardalos's relationship was consummated way too quickly, resulting in a film where the happy ending begins in the middle of the story. But here, the romance is far more believable, because every baby step Sabah makes towards Stephen becomes in itself a step to self-discovery. And yet, it never becomes a case of a poor little Muslim girl being freed by some great white hope, but a woman discovering her own independence, finding romance on her own terms.
Also, whereas BIG FAT Greek WEDDING ended up little more than an episode of THE KING OF KENSINGTON, where anyone ethnic is either too loud, hairy or boisterous, Nadda eschews the stereotypes and is able to get laughs without derision or condescension. The tension in Sabah's family, especially between her and Majid (brilliantly played by Jeff Seymour) says volumes more about the complexities of Muslim culture than anything Hollywood could come up with. And it's a fun panacea to the likes of such media nabobs as Margaret Wente or Daniel Pipes who continually preach to us about the evils of middle-Eastern culture or multiculturalism. Mind you, they wouldn't know what to do with a film like SABAH. It just doesn't exist in their books.
Suffice it to say, Nadda's first feature is my feel good comedy for the year. It makes me proud to be Canadian. It makes me want to stand up for multiculturalism. It makes me feel good to be human.
(EXTRA NOTE: I actually chanced upon SABAH when it had its North American premiere last year at the NSI's Film Exchange Festival in Winnnipeg. I was in a bad mood at the time, but half hour into the film I was elated. Actually, the film, due to a projectionist's error, had to be rescheduled to be played again the following Saturday afternoon. Nadda, in the film's DVD commentary, even admitted this to being a painful moment. But just to let her know: I was so in love with the main character's story, I came for the following screening and even got to meet Khanjian herself (who was present at the screening), who was as every bit as charming as the character she played. So don't feel bad, Rubba. It was worth the extra wait. As a result, I convinced the local Winnipeg Cinematheque to theatrically screen it, paying money two more times just to see it. Will be buying the DVD soon. Promise.)
La esclava del paraíso (1968)
Sexy bit of 60's swashbuckling & navel gazing
This obscure 60's bit of Arabian nights hokum features Jeff Cooper as Omar, a young prince who returns to the Muslim kingdom of Granada, to find the land under the thumb of villainous Hixem (Raf Vallone) a sneering, vulture-eyed tyrant (aren't they all?) While trying to raise forces to restore the throne to its rightful ruler, Omar coincidentally happens upon a bottle bearing Mizziana (Luciana Paluzzi from THUNDERBALL), a gorgeous and buxom genie of the Barbara Eden mold. Together with his comic servant Ali (Rueben Rojo), Omar and Mizzianna work to overthrow Hixem, while getting entangled in a love triangle involving Hixem's favorite concubine (Perla Cristal).
Like so many of the cornball sword & sandal movies from the same decade, this involves your archetypal beefy hero in period outfits out trying to free the palace in dubbed dialog. Surprisingly, it's a well written piece, with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor and actually a few moving moments, such as when Hixem frees one of his slaves, unexpectedly revealing his more compassionate side. And I wonder, being a Spanish-Italian co production, if there was any anti-Franco references in Omar's attempts to "restore freedom for Granada" against the tyrant. If so, it gives otherwise standard adventure fare a bit of edge.
Of course, being an Arabian nights bit of hokum, it has to have Paluzzi in skimpy genie outfits, plus other gorgeous bikini models posing as harem girls. Plus, there's a nice erotic bit of belly dancing that clearly made an impact on my own impressionable adolescent mind when I first saw it. It never ceases to amaze me how much visible sexual content could make its way into Arabian Nights fodder. Some undulating, dark-eyed vixen with a jewel in her navel always gave these movies a sensual air of oriental eroticism, all the more daring in that they were usually granted G-ratings for the kid matinées, as in the case of THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD or SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER. Not that I'm complaining.
Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon (1972)
Dated, but entertaining 70's kid matinée fare
MARCO POLO JR, the first animated feature to come out of Australia, is an entertaining, if somewhat dated artifact from the kiddie matinées of the early 70's. The animation, while not up to Disney standards, does have a few visually inspiring moments, and there are a couple of memorable pop songs worthy of a re-release.
The basic plot: a young, impressionable hero Marco Polo Jr. (voiced by Bobby Rydell), 14th heir to the original Polo, must bring his half of an ancient medallion to be rejoined in the mythical kingdom of Xanadu. This must be done in order to overcome the nasty, if overly comic ruler Red Dragon, saving the fair maiden Princess Shining Moon from a forced marriage. Journeying with his pet seagull and a wise Indian guru, he does battle with a band of bumbling sailors, two even more bumbling spies, a hypochondriac dragon, and finally, the Red Dragon himself.
As with Hanna Barbera's CHARLOTTE'S WEB, this movie seems more suitable as a Saturday Morning movie of the week. Unfortunately, the movie has too much going against it to make this a verifiable classic. Bobby Rydell's voice is way too bland for an even blander adolescent protagonist. Princess Moon is a prefeminist wuss and the characterization of the spy duo verges on being racist. Some comic energy comes out of the Red Dragon, who looks and sounds almost like an oriental version of Dishonest John from BEANY & CECIL, but for the most part, every character is either standard adventure archetype or one-dimensional stereotypes. Moreover, the animation is spotty, suffering from too many uneven drawings and flat textures.
All the same, there is an energy to this feature that makes it watchable. In spite of the animation's overall flatness, there are a few visually inspiring moments, such as Polo Jr. caught in the raging sea or his musical dance number with Princess Moon. And there is an excellent score to the movie, as Rydell belts out a few numbers doing his Las Vegas best. And I do feel a certain nostalgia in watching this film, as its 70's ambiance transfers me back to earlier, happier Saturday matinée afternoons, watching the likes of THE GHOST & MR. CHICKEN and RACE FOR YOUR LIFE, CHARLIE BROWN. If a film can do that, it's worth the extra viewing.
Smoked Lizard Lips (1991)
An ambitious misfire
"Smoked Lizard Lips" was an ambitious, but ultimately misguided attempt to blend hip Canadian post-modern screen humor with an avant-garde approach, resulting in what might be described as an episode of "Petticoat Junction" directed by Michael Snow.
The film was made when the Winnipeg Film Group was getting a national rep for the quirky comedies that John Paizs ("Crime Wave") and Guy Maddin were putting out. Hoping to ride the wave, M.B (Bruce) Duggan, then the executive director of the group, and himself an independent filmmaker, teamed up with producer Greg Klymkiw ("Archangel") to raise $1 million to produce what was the group's most ambitious project. Unfortunately, due to the film's rejection at the film festival circuit, it was consigned to a brief theatrical run, then quickly forgotten. Since then Bruce Duggan has never tackled another film project.
It's difficult for me to be entirely objective about this film. Many had high hopes for the project, including myself, but inevitably it failed. Incidentally, I played a small part in the movie as the "second religious fanatic," (the one kissing the dictator's boot).
The basic plot concerns the shenanigans of a mad Central American dictator Sauria (Simon Magana) stuck in a Northern Canadian town. After being thrown out of his native country, Sauria, along with his wife Carmen (Andree Pelletier), are relocated through a CIA branch officer (Kyle McCulloch) to the hamlet of Nuscht, in northern Manitoba. Through a series of hasty negotiations, the residents of Nuscht are alloted $1 million U.S weekly in order to take care of the dictator (this as a substitute when their mainstay industry, a nuclear waste dump, gets closed down). But Sauria cannot be reformed. In an attempt to take over the village, he pits the town's residents against the local native reservation in a divide and conquer tactic. Only the mayor's wife (Margaret Anne MacLeod) is able to see through Sauria's charade, even though it threatens to put the town's livelihood in jeopardy.
The first half-hour works the best, managing to tell a story that spans the White House, Parliament, and the mythical town of Nuscht. Even when its humor tends towards the Royal Canadian Air Farce, events move at a steady pace, helped out by Duggan's own buoyant editing and some first rate casting. Simon Magana is wonderfully robust as the wily, ruthless leader, and there's a great comic bit by producer Klymkiw himself as the town's sleazy MP. As well, there is a visual flair to the piece, doing an okay 50's opening parody at the very beginning.
But things fall apart in the middle. The unorthodox editing which served so well in Duggan's previous half-hour drama "Mike" begins to work against his feature debut. The pace slows and Duggan, in trying an experimental approach, deliberately frames critical scenes in single takes and in long shot. Not only does it dwarf the actors, but it effectively kills the momentum, as well as make it confusing to know what is going on. Worse, the humor sags, the jokes turn stale, and even the dramatic tension concerning Sauria's attempts to take over the town is seriously undercut by Duggan's own mis-en-scene.
Things pick up during the last third, but by then it's too late. Duggan attempts to focus on the film's moralistic overtones result in the whole tone turning sour and downbeat (not helped by the downbeat, repetitive score by the Chronos Quartet). In many ways, it's a companion piece with Paul Donovan's own Atlantic-Canadian comedy "Buried On Sunday". Both films concerned local hamlets fighting for their livelihood, then possessing the means to save it (one gets a Southern dictator, the other a Russian Submarine), and finding that things get more complicated as a result. And both films become so mired in social commentary, that they forget their primary purpose in generating guffaws, not enlightening the masses.
Ultimately the film was overshadowed by more superior Canuck comedies such as "Highway 61" and "Masala", and the small town angle was handled far better in my opinion with John Paiz's "Top of the Food Chain" eight years later. Yet thinking about it, it was such a hotbed for local talent at the time, with the likes of Tina Keeper ("North of 60") and Kyle McCulloch (later writer for South Park) that's it hard not to feel some affection for it. And for all its flaws it does offer a telling commentary of the death of small town Canadian, threatened by globalism, struggling to remain true to itself.
Partners (1976)
An uneven, but intriguing bit of mid-70's Nationalist Canadiana
"Partners" was the commercial feature debut of well known NFB director Don Owen (best known for "Nobody Waved Goodbye" the National Film Board's first major dramatic feature). It is an uneven, but intriguing Robert-Altmanesque affair that veers from young romance to musical to historical commentary to cloak-and-dagger thriller to corporate, boardroom drama- all in the span of 90 minutes!
The story focuses on Paul (Michael Margotta) a street-smart NY hustler, hired for a bit of corporate espionage, stealing secrets from Canadian Pulp & Paper, to aid his American bosses in a takeover bid. In doing so, he gets romantically entwined with Heather (Holis McLaren) the daughter of CP&P's president John Grey (Denholm Elliot). Intrigued and enamored by each other, Heather and Paul engage in a number of counter-cultural activities peripheral to the main plot. It's all fun & games, until the American backers begin pressuring Paul to provide further info. Ultimately, he is forced to choose between sides.
In some ways, the film is a Canadian version of "Brideshead Visited": just as Sebastian Flyte was seduced by the Marchmaines connection with Catholic history, so to do we see an American boy turning his back on his home country through an emotional link with Canuck history. Yet, in spite of its obvious critiques on US imperialism, the film never becomes anti-American. The yanks are divided into the standard melodramatic categories of good and bad: the good ones want to learn from their northern neighbors and establish good relations, while the bad ones want to undermine and own the Great White North.
Historical concerns aside, the film's failure to focus on one specific style leaves it a bit scatter shot. One moment Paul and Heather are involved in some blatant, hot sex (Last Tango in Toronto?), next they're stealing marijuana from a NY hotel out of blaxploitation feature, and then they're in a recording studio listening to singer Murray McLauchlan record a full cut! Other times the film's momentum is stopped just so one of its characters can deliver a soliloquy or history lesson. And the "thriller" aspects don't add up to much either. Only Paul's attempt to infiltrate an American henchman's hotel room or the climax where John Grey is caught in a bungled assassination attempt is any real suspense generated.
Still, the movie has an engaging unpredictability and charm to it that make it fun to watch, especially for one nostalgic for 1976 Canadiana. Margotta is rather uncharismatic, but it's Mclaren (better remembered as Liza from "Outrageous") who steals the show as a WASP princess looking for an out to her secluded lifestyle. Denholm Elliot provides the most fun as the slightly eccentric British businessman-father figure, a sort of benign Conrad Black figure that is slowly losing the battle to the modern world. Keep an open mind, and you'll find something of interest.