Author: John Charet

Moviedrome Mondays: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)

by John Charet

At the end of this blog entry, I will post a youtube video link to both Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s intro to legendary cult filmmaker and producer Roger Corman’s 1963 science-fiction horror thriller X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes and another for the obligatory theatrical trailer. As usual, you can also read Cox’s transcript here. The episode’s original airdate was May 7, 1989 (read here). As with a lot of Corman’s work in the science-fiction genre, this one is entertaining and subtly intelligent as well. I also appreciate that Cox mentioned that surreal opening shot (read here). Interesting piece of trivia for my readers: X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes served as the first episode in season 2 of Moviedrome (read here). If any of you readers are interested in reading my list of my favorite Roger Corman films (in which he served as director), read here.

Here is a youtube video link to Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes

Here is a youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer

Moviedrome Mondays: One-Eyed Jacks (1961)

by John Charet

I could not find a youtube video link of Moviedrome host Alex Cox introducing Marlon Brando’s only film as director entitled One-Eyed Jacks (1961), so all of you readers will have to make due with his intro transcript (read here). This episode’s original airdate was September 4, 1988 and it was the last one for season 1 of Moviedrome (read here and here). No need for me to recap everything Cox says about this film, other than his implication that it is a great film. Equally interesting is the film’s production history (click on the link to the film’s title).

Here is a youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer

 

Moviedrome Mondays: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

by John Charet

At the end of this blog entry, readers will find a youtube video link of Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox introducing director Sergio Leone’s 1966 iconic spaghetti western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. At the same time, they can also read the transcript (read here). The episode’s original airdate was August 28, 1988 (read here). Though he considers it to be one of his favorite spaghetti westerns (read here), I think he may have changed his mind later because in an interview promoting his book about the subgenre (10,000 Ways to Die), he gives off the vibe that it has not aged well (read here). As for myself, I love the film, even though I rank it lower than it’s two predecessors – A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More. If any of you readers are interested in reading my list of my favorite Sergio Leone films, read here.

Here is a youtube video link of Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Here is a a youtube video link to the film’s US trailer

Moviedrome Mondays: The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

by John Charet

Below I posted a youtube video link that I found of Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox introducing the late great director Nicolas Roeg’s (who sadly passed away last year) 1976 cult science-fiction drama The Man Who Fell to Earth to go along with the obligatory transcript (read here). The episode’s original airdate was August 21, 1988 (read here). Not much to say here except that I agree with everything that Cox says about Roeg’s films – like a fine wine, his films improve with age – is perhaps the highest compliment that he pays to them. Despite calling him not only the most interesting, but the best of the British director working at that time (read here), I think he always ranked the other late great British filmmaker Ken Russell much higher (read here). Nevertheless, Cox’s statements about the former were said in 88, whereas his words on the latter were written in 2011 when Russell died. If any of you readers are interested in reading my list of my favorite Nicolas Roeg films, read here.

Here is a youtube video link to Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to The Man Who Fell to Earth. P.S. I do not know If the audio or quality is a little-off, but I personally feel that this youtube video link is in fine quality.

This youtube video link may be the film’s U.S. trailer

This youtube video link may be either another U.S. trailer for the film or it’s UK trailer (not sure though)

This is a youtube video link to the Big Audio Dynamite song (E=MC2) that pays homage to some of Nicolas Roeg’s films – Cox briefly mentions it in his intro.

Moviedrome Mondays: One from the Heart (1981)

by John Charet

Since I could not find a youtube video link of Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s intro to director Francis Ford Coppola’s experimental 1981 romantic musical drama One from the Heart, I will have to make do with a transcript of it (read here). The episode’s original airdate was August 14, 1988 (read here). While Cox does not hate One from the Heart, he does feel that it’s straightforward love story meshes uneasily with it’s (actually) $26 million budget (he said $25 million), which was spent on lavish sets and dance numbers. At first, I thought he was out of his mind when he dismissed Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle’s songs as awful, but thankfully, he elaborates on this by implying that it is not so much the songs as it is with it’s relationship to certain scenes in the film. Personally, I adore One from the Heart for all the elements Cox sees as drawbacks. Along with Peter Bogdanovich’s At Long Last Love and Martin Scorsese’s New York New York, Coppola’s One from the Heart is a daring entry within the musical genre that (sadly) could have only been made during a period that appreciated such genius whether it be a success or folly – apparently all three of them ended up in the latter category. The period I am talking about here is obviously the New Hollywood era (1965-1983). Hit or miss (and I count myself in the former group), One from the Heart makes Damien Chazelle’s La La Land (with all due respect to him, the film and it’s supporters) look like the bland overrated tripe that it is. If any of you readers are interested in reading my list of my favorite Francis Ford Coppola films, read here.

I do not know what is considered to be the actual original theatrical trailer for it, but here is a youtube link to one of the American ones below

Though it says 2003 on the description, I think the youtube link to this one below may have came much earlier than that

And finally, here is a youtube link to screenwriter Larry Karaszewski’s Trailers from Hell (also read here) commentary for another one below

Moviedrome Mondays: The Fly (1958)

by John Charet

Unfortunately, I could not find a youtube link to Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s intro to director Kurt Neumann’s 1958 science-fiction horror film The Fly. Instead readers will have to rely on this link to Cox’s intro transcript (read here). The episode’s original airdate was August 7, 1988 (read here). Personally, I am a bigger fan of director David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake, which came off as the work of a filmmaker discovering a personal connection to the material. In contrast, Neumann’s film plays out more like a routine monster movie by comparison. Nevertheless, Vincent Price is entertaining as always and the climax is impressive in it’s own way.

Here is a youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer

Moviedrome Mondays: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

by John Charet

As with the past two Moviedrome Monday entries, this one also includes a youtube link to Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s introduction of this film, which is director Don Siegel’s much beloved 1956 science-fiction classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The episode’s original airdate was July 31, 1988 (read here). There is really not much I need to add here other than pointing out that Cox’s sentiments of the film are spot on (read here). Interestingly enough, Cox introduced the 1978 remake on the same show 5 seasons later in 1993 and loved it just as much as the 56 version. As Cox implies here, the film (depending on one’s political leanings) can be viewed as either an attack on anti-communism or on communism itself during the McCarthy era 1950’s. In case anyone is interested, here is a link to my list of my favorite films of director Don Siegel.

Here is a youtube link to Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to the 56 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYFi9wTOVEE
Here is a youtube link to the film’s original theatrical trailer

UPDATE 11/03/2021: Also, here is a youtube video link to fellow reader Steve’s (click here to view his youtube channel) upload of Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to it

Moviedrome Mondays: The Long Hair of Death (1964)

by John Charet

As with last week’s Moviedrome Monday entry (The Parallax View in this case), this one also includes a youtube link to Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s intro to this film, which is The Long Hair of Death – a 1964 black-and-white Italian horror film directed by Antonio Margheriti (sometimes known as Anthony M. Dawson or Anthony Daisies). The episode’s original airdate was July 24, 1988 (read here). Here, Cox talks about it’s similarities to The Wicker Man (another Moviedrome entry that I covered – read here) and delves a little bit into the background of it’s lead British actress Barbara Steele (read here and here). Cox is correct that horror films made up a good portion of his work (his then previous one being Castle of Blood – co-directed with Sergio Corbucci from that same year), but Margheriti has also tackled other genres including action, Eurospy, giallo, science fiction, spaghetti westerns (though he briefly talks about one of them in his introduction), sword and sandal films and war movies serve as many examples according to wikipedia’s entry on him (read here). Both Margheriti and The Long Hair of Death has often been implicitly dismissed as a pale imitation of Italian horror maestro Mario Bava and his works (read here). Having only seen a few of his films, I can not really comment on that. Nevertheless, I have no problem in praising The Long Hair of Death as a visually atmospheric horror film and I think many people can agree with that sentiment – at least those who have seen this film.

Here is a youtube link to Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to The Long Hair of Death

 

Here is a youtube link to The Long Hair of Death’s U.S. trailer (I could not find the Italian one)