‘Area Throat-Clearer To Go See Movie’

3 comments February 4th, 2009

It’s from the Onion, of course. Here’s the whole story.

I especially like this ending: “After downloading a new ‘La Cucaracha’ ring tone for his cell phone, Pollack went to pick up two of his friends, an 87-year-old woman who doesn’t follow plotlines well and a colicky 2-month-old.”

Video Review: MAKE ‘EM LAUGH

Add comment February 4th, 2009

Here’s this week’s Movie Man video review, a look at the funny-but-frustrating history of comedy, MAKE ‘EM LAUGH…

And here, for all you typeface buffs, is the written version.

It was 40 years ago yesterday…

Add comment February 4th, 2009

… that Boris Karloff, one of the screen’s true icons, died in his native England.

Born William Henry Pratt, Karloff made dozens of movies before his breakthrough performance as the Monster in 1931’s FRANKENSTEIN, forever cementing his image as a horror movie star. Actually, Karloff starred in all sorts of movies, just a fraction of them horror. In 1931 alone (a heckuva year for Karloff), he appeared in 16 films, including a portrayal of a drunken reporter with no scruples in the great pre-Code newspaper drama, FIVE STAR FINAL.

But it was the Monster he was best known for, of course, and as good as he is in the original FRANKENSTEIN, he’s even better in the 1935 sequel, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, giving the Monster a voice, humanity and a sense of humor. I also like him in 1934’s THE BLACK CAT, where he plays a Satanic architect with the memorable (and unpronounceable) name of Hjalmar Poelzig who fights Bela Lugosi to the death.

In later years, Karloff became the grand old man of horror, playing a version of himself in Peter Bogdonovich’s excellent drama TARGETS and, of course, lending his voice to the holiday classic, HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS.

It’s ironic that a soft-spoke man of average height (he was 5′11 — Lugosi was taller at 6′1) who had a bit of a lisp became a legendary movie monster, but hey — that’s Hollywood!