REVIEW: Mystery on Monster Island

Mystery on Monster Island
Director: Juan Piquer Simon
Year 1981
 
Mystery on Monster Island is a silly, yet highly enjoyable, adventure movie that isn’t afraid to throw a little bit of ridiculous fun at its audience. Based on an obscure Jules Verne novel titled, The School of Robinsons, the film depicts an uproarious adventure filled with perils and slapstick antics that surprisingly keep things interesting throughout its entire runtime. With a diverse cast of legendary actors and unknown thespians, Mystery on Monster Island is an unusual cinematic treat that will definitely bring a smile to your face, especially if you’ve enjoyed any of Jules Verne’s various movie adaptations.
 
The film centers on Jeff Morgan, a young and restless man who wants to travel the world and have himself an adventure before he is to be married to his beautiful fiancé Meg Hollaney. Jeff’s wealthy uncle William Kolderup, assembles a ship and crew to set sail around the world so Jeff can satisfy his tenacious urges and finally settle down in a quite life with Meg, but unexpectedly during their voyage their ship runs into some trouble and Jeff and his tutor Thomas Artelect are forced to abandon ship. Thrown about by the sea, they wake up on a mysterious island that seems born out of the wildest of fantasies, with gargantuan sized creatures, savage cannibals, masked hunters, and all manner of ghastly things around every corner. Jeff has finally found his adventure, but is it more than he can handle? This imaginative tale, inspired by Jules Verne’s writings, is a blast and a half, so buckle up as our journey begins.

Ian Sera takes on the role of Jeff Morgan, the thrill seeking youth that yearns for a little bit of adventure in his life. Sera puts a lot of effort into making his character sympathetic and believable, even though in this whimsical tale he really didn’t need to. The real fun of the movie is to see all the outlandish creatures and to explore alongside the characters as they go from one encounter to the next, but Ian gives us a performance that is both heartfelt and genuine. I quickly became a fan of this interesting actor after seeing his performance in the Italian splatter flick Pieces, where he plays the role of Kendall, the know-it-all college student that, despite his nerdish looks, had all the ladies swooning over him. His character is just plain ridiculous in that film and with Mystery on Monster Island, it was nice to see that he could put together a more complete and believable character, one that allows us to care over whether he lives or dies through this strange and unusual ordeal. Jeff Morgan was a great character, but Ian Sera will always be Kendall to me.
 
David Hatton plays the character of Thomas Artelect, the accident prone professor who is scared of his own shadow. Most of the comedic moments of this film are provided by Hatton’s exceptionally frantic take on the role of Artelect. Hatton spends most of his screen time screaming and yelling like a maniac after spotting the many frightening creatures that inhabit the island. Hell, he even loses it when running into the not so frightening creatures, as we see when the Professor has a close encounter with a chimpanzee. It’s these wacky moments that really make the film a whole lot of fun and Hatton never lets up as the film progresses along. David Hatton, you so crazy.

Another interesting cast choice is the inclusion of two legendary actors in the form of Peter Cushing and Terence Stamp. Unfortunately both actors appear in only a fraction of the film, but when they do show up they bring a great deal of validity to the picture. Each of them approach the material with respect, with Cushing taking on the role of the millionaire William T. Kolderup and Stamp slithering into the role of Taskinar the treasure seeking opportunist with the blackest of hearts. I really enjoyed the inclusion of these big name stars and feel that their presence anchored the film, supplying a wholly satisfying and much needed beginning and end to this wild tale. It would have been nice if they were featured throughout the movie, but I’ll take what I can get.
 
Now on to the fun stuff and that would be the creatures. The monsters of this film vary from being exceptionally creepy, to absolutely hysterical, and everything in between. Director Juan Piquer Simon is no stranger to Jules Verne type fantasy seeing that he directed the equally enjoyable The Fabulous Journey to the Center of the Earth, and you can see the echoes from that production as it infects the visual sensibilities of Mystery on Monster Island. What is most interesting about the overall look of the monsters of this film is that there is an obvious attempt at making the creatures in a tongue and cheek kind of way. The artificial appearance of some of these cinematic monsters is very apparent and there just seems to be something kind of off about them. After the film runs its course though you soon come to find out why not everything is as it seems on this island and you forgive the absurdity of some of the creatures looks and join in on the inside joke of it all. With all of this random wackiness and high energized tomfoolery, the overall strange look of the various monsters on the island just kind of seems to work.

Mystery on Monster Island is a highly entertaining adventure film that moves at the speed of light and handles like a runaway roller coaster. There are so many ups and downs to this movie and the cast and crew are constantly moving from one set piece to the next, that you really don’t get a chance to catch your breath. Ian Sera and David Hatton carry a good amount of the film on their backs as they react accordingly to witnessing some of the most outrageous movie monsters the cinema has ever seen. Hatton especially gives it his all as the out of control scaredy cat that overreacts to everything he sees.
 
It’s also especially nice to see that two accomplished actors like Peter Cushing and Terence Stamp can get down in the muck of this strange little film and class it up a bit with their professional acting chops. Though their caliber of acting and the overall breadth of their filmography is both exquisite, they treat the source material with respect and establish the tone of the film from the get go, sprinkling some validity to the production. With its whimsical nature and fantastically bizarre creatures, Mystery on Monster Island is another Jules Verne adaptation that showcases that certain spark of fantasy and ignites our imaginations with the wonders that it presents to us. If all of that doesn’t peak your interest on checking out this flick, then might I add that the film has a hysterical chimpanzee that is one hell of an actor in his own right. If that doesn’t sell you then you might already be dead. Mystery on Monster Island is a……

I thought I warned you about playing with my toy ship.

What the fuck did you say about my acting in Pieces?

Calm down! It's just a guy in a rubber suit you pansy.

Don't they make a beautiful couple?

Just give me all the bananas and nobody gets hurt!

Someone's about to lose their head.

I don't know if I should laugh or shit my pants.

Run you son of a bitch! RUN!

Quit monkeying around Sera.

Ewww! Bug breath is gross.

I can't believe I'm stuck on this island with this schmuck!

Parrot, are you trying to get crazy with the Professor? Don't you know he's loco.

Say hello to my little friend!

I don't like you.... you fling poop!

It's always a good day when Peter Cushing stops by.

Now tell me why you're slumming in this movie or I'll blow your head off!

What a happy ending.

What a SUPER happy ending!

REVIEW: The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau
Director: George Nolfi
Year 2011

The Adjustment Bureau is a surprisingly engaging romantic drama, which takes Philip K. Dick’s short story Adjustment Team and expands it into a full fledged film with fantastic results.

The film follows a politician by the name of David Norris, who recently crosses paths with an intriguing and spontaneous young lady named Elise Sellas. Striking a cord during their first meeting, Norris makes it his main focus in life to find this mysterious woman, but finds that there is a great deal of opposition that wishes the two stay apart. An all knowing and quite ethereal organization threatens Norris, forcing him to try to forget about Elise and move on with his life, or face the consequences. The supernatural tone of the film is immense, but what really makes The Adjustment Bureau stand out is the amazing performances by its central cast.

Man do I love this shoe!

Adjustment Bureau! Mount up!

Matt Damon plays the role of David Norris, and conveys him with all the conviction of a starved lover being ripped from the one he cares about most. His performance is honest and strewn with comedic touches, helping the film from delving too deeply into despair from such an oppressive concept of an all knowing and controlling organization such as The Adjustment Bureau. The lighter moments are a nice touch, also presenting the film with a lot of heart, provided from the amazing chemistry that both Damon and Elise’s character have between each other.

The character of Elise is played by Emily Blunt, and what a perfect balance of naivety and unbridled confidence she brings to her role. She brings an element of uncertainty for David Norris’ character, intriguing him to the point of obsession, though in the film’s case it is love in its purist form. Both Blunt and Damon play off each other extremely well, showcasing the perfect portrayal of the cinematic soul mate. Much of the film’s effectiveness can be credited to both of their superb performances as the couple that just wouldn’t stop fighting for each other even when up against the world.

Which one of us is in the wrong bathroom?

This city just looks depressing.

The film also does a commendable job of building up the mystery of the story. The introductions to the agents of the Adjustment Bureau are vague at best, leaving us quite in the dark on their intentions. Even when they are describing themselves and what they do, they never give out a clear answer or reasoning on how they came to be. I really loved the approach of not letting the audience in on all the secrets and leaving it to the viewer’s mind to fill in the blanks, or possibly hypothesize where the group truly originates from.

What is most interesting about this angle of approach by the filmmakers is that it sets up a rather stark duality within the narrative. There’s a great science fiction element of the story that is juxtaposed against a plethora of religious overtones, making the viewer guess if the existence of the Adjustment Bureau and its employees are an extraterrestrial presence or if there is a more divine and angelic representation of the groups creation. It’s quite a large and expansive breadth of conceptual quandaries, but I believe that the film balanced the array of possibilities for the group’s existence perfectly.

They've found the cure for baldness!

The Adjustment Bureau doing some adjusting.

What’s great about the ambiguity of the bureau’s presence is the result of these two separate and wholly different outcomes. Are they aliens, are they angels, or are they something else entirely. No matter which way you lean on the angelic or extraterrestrial forefront, each side is as captivating as the other. To the filmmakers’ credit, they really don’t slant either way on the issue, giving representation to both sides of the coin while at the same time allowing for the audience to come up with their own opinions. It’s absolutely brilliant and pays off even more in multiple viewings.

Another great aspect that comes to light out of this is the historical significance that the Adjustment Bureau has had over the human civilization. In one lengthy and informative speech by agent Thompson, played by veteran actor Terence Stamp, we find out that the bureau has had there hand in a good majority of man’s pivotal advancements and utter failures. One of the greatest examples of this is the description of the Dark Ages, which was said to have resulted with the bureau giving back man its freedom of choice. We had squandered it and lived our lives foolishly resulting in a culture crash that sent the human race into chaos, which then affectively forced the bureau to take back our free will.

Thompson also mentions the last time the bureau gave us a freedom of choice, which avalanched into the Cuban Missile Crisis. From then on the bureau has been exclusively controlling the progress of the human race. It’s a morbid theory across all boards, but one that is so creative and genuinely mind boggling that you can’t help but place it as fact within this cinema world.

Couldn't we have taken a less shitty route?

I can see up your nose Matt Damon.

With the rich back story aside, the film moves at a brisk pace rushing from one scene to the next, often skipping over years as it tells its expansive story. Initially it’s jarring to realize that you’ve missed out on literally years of the main characters lives, but I think it stresses the fact that no matter how much time has passed, the Adjustment Bureau is an almost eternal thing, able to construct these plans for individuals over lifetimes. It’s humbling to think about in the context of the film world, but very effective in the long run.

Reflecting the fast paced movement of the years flying by, Damon’s character is often running at break neck speed, blasting into the next set piece. There’s a rather effective sequence of events that have the character of David Norris, evading a group of agents while undercover as one of them. Being able to travel through secret portals that lie hidden within our own doorways, Norris crisscrosses throughout Manhattan in order to reconnect with Elise and thwart the bureau’s ever watchful gaze on their star crossed romance.

The sequence is trippy, mimicking shades of Inception, by mixing reality with a false perspective that makes us question what is real and what is manipulated to serve the bureau. It’s expertly pulled off and makes for one hell of a high octane and tense filled final moment. 

You didn't blow it up! Ahhh! Damn you! God damn you all to hell!

Matt and Emily wonder what the hell is going on?

The Adjustment Bureau is a mind bending and cinematic altering smorgasbord of goodness, providing a stellar cast with an outstanding story of love, faith, and fate. The dueling elements of the Bureau’s origins adds a much needed spice to the proceedings and adds another layer to the film that greatly expands the breadth of the film’s history.

The direction moved at a brisk pace, never faltering or taking a false step, providing a film that really can sweep you away if you let it. If you’re looking for a science fiction film deals a heavy blow of romance and intrigue, then look no further. It’s been labeled a chick flick sci-fi film, but damned if it’s not the best chick flick sci-fi film out there. Adjust your preconceptions and check it out.

 5 out of 5 stars              Sci-Fi Romance At Its Finest!

REVIEW: Toby Dammit

Toby Dammit
Director: Federico Fellini
Year 1968

Toby Dammit is a surreal dreamlike fantasy of a movie, directed by Federico Fellini. It is just one story of a three part anthology film entitled Spirits of the Dead. Toby Dammit is the name of the main character played by an almost inebriated Terence Stamp. He plays an English actor who has just landed in Rome to promote his current movie and basically spread his star status. There are so many things going on in this film that are compacted into its under an hour run time, but I'll try to simplify it if I can and break down the parts that I absolutely loved.

Damn man. Get this guy to rehab!

Fellini does a superb job of visualizing what a strung out actor goes through after the glitz and gleam of the flashing bulbs of the paparazzi start blurring your vision and adding to a constant state of paranoia that cripples your very body to function. The beginning scene is like something out of a nightmare. Toby arrives in Rome only to be visited by a three ring circus of press reporters and photographers. The absolute sea of noise and lights that greets him is as jarring as a freight train to your senses accompanied by the sun blasted choice of lathering the entire frame in an orange like glow, really makes you feel the constant annoyance that being in the lime light must feel like for an actor.

The colors just jump off the screen and immediately melt your vision's taste buds. Fellini must have spent a great deal working with his cinematographer to get the out of this world effect to look this perfect and original. I've been so captivated by this opening act in Toby Dammit, that I've tried to replicate that same impacting style into my own works. There is just something about that opening shot and inviting color that really appeals to my visionary tastes.

Can I take the other car? This guy in the hat is freaking me out.

After surviving the paparazzi blitz at the airport, Toby is whisked away into a caravan of cars that proceeds to take him to a television studio to give interviews to various TV hosts. During the drive, he is poked and prodded by his fellow passengers as they attempt to gauge his demeanor and uncover his personal life. Toby, like a zombie back from the dead, zones out staring at the passersby and paparazzi as they wave and snap pictures as the convoy drives by. The sense of overwhelming loss of personal privacy is abundant throughout the car ride and comes to a breakneck pitch as they reach the TV studio. 

Toby looks dismally at his passing fans through the looking glass.

Once at the television studio, Toby is plunged into a war of words by multiple television personalities that barrage him with question upon question as if he was being interrogated. You can feel the gauntlet like assault of words pushing and pushing until it seems like Toby might burst from the pressure. From the expressions that Terrance Stamp is able to project, you can see that he is at the end of his rope, yet still bounces from one thing to the other. He goes from happy to sad and from serious to joking in such quick succession that it really tires the audience out just watching him run the rigorous line of questions the TV personalities put him through. 

I give up! Shoot me now!

Throughout the film, we are given glimpses of a little white haired pale skinned girl with a white ball, that seem to have a sinister overtone each time her smiling devilish face comes onto the screen. Also each time they flash her into the frame, Toby winces from the memory of it. It becomes clear that this little girl represents some kind of evil entity possibly the devil even, suggesting that Toby might have sold his soul to this creature placing him in the very super star status that he is starting to lament.

This is not the first time that a film has portrayed a little girl with a ball as an evil entity. It was also done two years earlier in a 1966 Mario Bava film called Kill Baby Kill. In that film a vision of a young girl haunts a small village and begins killing people off. Bava's film is a great masterpiece, but I believe that the girl in this film has Bava's beat. There is just something unsettling about her smile that really makes you cringe.

That damned creepy kid. Go play somewhere else.

As the film reaches it's conclusion, it's painfully clear that stardom has taken its toll on Toby. The spotlight has drained him dry of all his life and he's just going through the motions by the bitter end. He finally losses it at an awards ceremony and flees the premises, stealing a sports car and begins flying wilding throughout the streets of Rome. He sees cardboard cut outs of people whooshing by reflecting the disconnection he has with the rest of society and the world. He's lost all sense of reality and is now hurtling out of control, ready to collapse from the stress of being in the public's ever watching eye. He reaches a bridge when his car spins wildly out of control and stops in the middle. He gets out to see that just beyond his car, the bridge is out and there is a seemingly bottomless pit right before him. He looks across the bridge's gap and sees the white haired girl smiling back at him. He has reached his breaking point and now has lost all abandoned for his life.

He jumps back into the car and backs up for a clean run. He hits the gas and is propelled headlong into the darkness of the abyss where the gap in the bridge lies. The camera closes into the blackness and all sound falls still. Then we are shown a single wire as it comes into view, spanning the entire width of the bridge. There is blood on the wire and we now know that our broken friend Toby, is now decapitated. 

The little girl bends down to collect her price in a bodiless head. The bargain that Toby had made with the devil was now up and the devil always collects his due. Whether this is a metaphor for one loosing their mind or a simple fact that he was decapitated is left up to the viewer. The entire film in my opinion is one big metaphor for selling your soul for your 5 minutes of fame. It's a cautionary tale about how easy it is to lose yourself in the bright lights of the spotlight called fame.

Poor Toby, pre-head decapitation.

All in all, this is a powerful journey into the surreal that I've never had the privilege to witness before in any other film. Fellini gives us a royal treat in the form of Toby Dammit's story. The emotions are prevalent throughout the piece and the sense of foreboding weight of being a star is thoroughly present, making a big impact on the final product. You really have to see this one for yourself though, because I believe each viewer will get something different from this film. It has so many things to say and so many different ways to interpret it, that it really is a beautifully abstract film. Recommended for the lovers of the surreal.

4 out of 5 stars                   A surreal treat that must be seen.