Come one and come all to this tragic affair! Wipe off that make-up - what's in is despair! Throw on the black dress, mix in with the lot! You might wake up and notice you're someone you're not!
And with that we are one day shy of the four week anniversary of the 100 Days of Horror. That's a month. I'm shocked, seriously, because I can't go a month without drinking soda or masturbating so how the hell did I get this far?! I don't know. Something new, perhaps? Something within me stirred, rekindled anew? Hmm, yes. Good question and one we won't ponder here.
And in other news, today actually IS my anniversary. My wife and I have been married for 14 years, together for 18. We sometimes actually forget this date, and to me it isn't neglect or forgetfulness - it's the fact that in my mind (and I believe in her mind, too) our true anniversary is Halloween, which is the day we met. Which is why I love the holiday more than any other. And which is why we throw a big-assed Halloween party every year.
So Happy Anniversary honeybear. I love you more every day, it's true. You hear that and think it's bullshit sentiment but it isn't And I know things will only get better.
If only the movie selection on here would get better (my god, am I the master of the segue or what?).
Actually, "I Bury the Living" ("Lady Frankenstein" is actually tomorrow, sorry) is a good film, if somewhat misguided. Also, it's in the Public Domain, so you can check it out at www.internetarchive.org if you'd like to view it. Check The Skinny Below!
Ocean City and "Lady Frankenstein" coming up tomorrow!
"I Bury The Living" (1958): Directed by Albert Band. Starring Richard Boone and Theodore Bickel.
The Skinny: This is actually a nice moody piece with a decent performance from star Richard Boone (of 50s/60s-era western TV show "Paladin" fame). Boone stars as a committee member massive for a cemetery that keeps track its available plots with a complex board of white pins (available) and black pins (occupado). When he accidentally mixes up the system, however, a couple is killed from his mistake and he realizes he suddenly can control the very lives of the people associated with the cemetery.
What's Good: For a B-rate movie in the public domain, this actually ain't so bad a movie. It's filmed in rich black and white and has a few very cerebral moments of quality filmmaking. Boone, who went on to greater fame in the television world, gives one of his best and most compelling performances here. As he descends into madness, he is a sweaty mess of panic and desperation.
What's Bad: It's dialogue is reprehensible, and some of the supporting actors appear to have taken acting lessons at the Ed Wood School For Theatrical Losers. Also, there is kind of a disjointed action to the plot that if you think too hard about, you will ruin the film for yourself. Sometimes, we have to just put aside the dumb stuff and just enjoy the atmosphere the film generates - and it has plenty of that!
Why We Like It: Richard Boone is great. I've heard he was a boozy mess by this point of his life, but in this film he is right on top of his game. Like John Wayne, he has both a solid masculinity as well as a dark and vulnerable aspect that plays in his eyes and at the edges of his entire performance. He's riveting to watch, and that's a good thing since much of the film is him flipping out over his crazy pin board.
Memorable Stuff: There is a scene where Boone realizes what he can do and the camera spins and he in an utter panic. That's just about all I remember. That, and the bad Scottish burr that co-star Theodore Bikel puts out. It's ridiculous, enough to put a true Scottsman off his drink.
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