Ghoulish greetings this wild Wednesday, freaky folks!
Got fitted for a tux today and that's all taken care of now. Made a few phone calls for work, set up a meetng or two and now ... now it's Miller Time!
Well, not exactly but you get the picture? (Yes, we see.)
I'm in a decent mood for a change, though I can't say why. I guess don't count your gift horses until their mouths hatch the goose that lays the golden egg!
And with all that rambling over, let's get on with today's post - "Invasion of the Body Snatchers!"
This is a creep update of the 1956 sci-fi classic and I will thoroughly enjoy watching it tonight! Anyone wanna come along, please let me know!
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978): Directed by Philip Kaufman. Starring Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, Veronica Cartwright, Jeff Goldblum, Brooke Adams and Art Hindle.
The Skinny: This is the second in a series of remakes based on the original 1956 version of the same name, which in turn is based on the sci-fi novel, The Body Snatchers. This version, however, ratchets up the tension and the horror far more than the “Red Scare” undertones of the original. The film follows the lives of several people who begin to notice strange things about their friends, spouses and neighbors. They look and sound the same, but something just isn’t right – and with good reason … they’re pod people!
What’s Good: This film takes many of the conventions of life in the 1970’s – better known as the decade of the “Me Generation” – and turns them on their ear. The EST seminars, the relentless parade of “self-help” books written by half-witted intellectuals and pseudo-shaman-wannabes, and the slowly changing sexual roles in both the workplace and in the household. It’s definitely a clever update of the original, which played on American fears that there’s a frigging Commie Red lurking in every backyard like errant raccoons. Instead of suspecting conspiracy, it’s more self-help mumbo-jumbo, excellently served up by a perfect Leonard Nimoy, playing against type by pushing the emotional output into the stratosphere. Written by sci-fi master W.D. Ricter (“Buckaroo Banzai!”), the script is a perfect blend of paranoud terror and outright madness as the world falls apart around this group of New-Agey friends. And it has an ending that will haunt your mind for years to come. The special effects are quite convincing, especially the pod-to-person transformation sequences.
What’s Bad: It is extremely dated, so the whole “self help obsessed” generational stuff might be lost on younger viewers with no knowledge or memory of the time period. And other than a somewhat muddled action sequence towards the end, the fim is actually an excellent study in paranoia and psychological terror. It’s definitely worth a watch or two – lights off, volume way, way up!
Why We Life it: Again, I have a strange affinity for movies from the 1970s. And this is one of the good ones, with a great cast and an excellent story, Plus there are moments where if you allow yourself to get well into the film, you will find yourself peeking over your shoulder, suddenly wary of that rhododendron you forgot to water last week.
Memorable Stuff: There is a beautifully done introductory scene where we see the spores of the pods drifting away from a ravaged planet on solar winds. And when they land and start to flower on every available plant, there is a creepy image of the “veins” slowly emerging from the pods and slithering there way into the host plant’s leaves. Damn, I wish I knew how they pulled that shit off! And, without giving it away for those who haven’t seen it … that ending is fucking scary as hell. Good luck.
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