Catalina Caper (1967) – MST3K Review

Summary:

On the mysterious island of Catalina off the coast of California, a caper is about to occur (hence the title). But this is not a tightly knit edge of your seat thriller. This is a beach movie! So we shouldn’t be surprised that Don (Tommy Kirk) falls head of heals for Katrina (Ulla Stomstedt) as she sashays her way into some waves. This also explains the musical numbers and guests like Little Richard!

Fun in the sun? Sure, but there’s also a mystery on hand. You see a valuable scroll has been stolen by a shady group of urbane thieves. They plan to sell the scroll to the mysterious Greek criminal Lakopolous (Lee Deane), but they also have a couple of switcheroos to execute. Hijinks ensue as Don, his beach bum pals and Lyle Waggoner find themselves in a real caper on Catalina.

Movie Review:

When Annette Funicello starred in Beach Party back in 1963, a whole new type of movie was born. Wild and crazy kids having a blast on the beach singing happy go lucky songs and running around in swim suits. But by ’67 the genre was already wearing thin. Maybe these movies were looking a little too peppy with the Vietnam War raging. It didn’t keep director Lee Sholem from giving the genre a shot. He also directed the infamously bad Doomsday Machine, but we’ll tackle that another day. Mostly Sholem was experienced with TV westerns including: Maverick and Death Valley Days.

That might explain why the Catalina Caper doesn’t really succeed as a teen comedy or as a mystery (even a lighthearted one). Casting Tommy Kirk may have been done because he was a former Disney teen idol, like Annette was. But Kirk is looking a little too long in tooth here to play the wide eyed gosh golly teen. He’s not horrible, but he’s hardly inspiring. His love interest as played by Stromstedt is just odd. She’s given some horrible lines that attempt to make her sound groovy, but combined with her odd performance she sounds a little touched instead. To top it off there is very little chemistry between the romantic leads.

So that leaves us with the mystery, which is just plain dull. The scroll in question looks more like a pre-wrinkled napkin. Our trio of thieves is supposed to provide laughs. You’ve got the rich and bored couple that masterminds the plot. They are so much like Thurston Howell III and his wife that I’d be surprised if the Gilligan’s Island pair didn’t inspire them. The bumbling thief is your typical clueless goofball who says “boss” a lot and is basically a coward at heart. Their cunning plan is to steal the scroll, make a fake, sell the fake to the Greek criminal and put the original back in the museum. Of course Lakopolous doesn’t want to pay for it, so he gets Lyle Waggoner and an evil mustached guy to try and steal the scroll from the couple. Oh and there’s this “funny” guy spying on the whole thing and doing pratfalls into the ocean every ten minutes or so. Sound gripping to you?

“But there is still songs in it right?” Yes, but don’t look for too much hope there. Little Richard sings about a scuba party and that’s the best little ditty in the movie. “Book of Love” has a catchy hook and Carol Connors doesn’t have a bad voice. But then you’ve got “There’s a New World” that is just dreadful and reminds me of “Do You Want to Laugh or Cry” from Girl With Gold Boots and nothing should remind me of that movie. The song over the main titles is “Never Steal Anything Wet” which also serves as an alternate title for the film. It sounds like someone trying to do Shirley Bassey and failing.

So the movie isn’t very funny, isn’t very romantic and isn’t very mysterious. Sounds like the perfect candidate for Joel and bots, right?

Episode Review:  

According to the stories, when the cast and crew of Mystery Science Theater 3000 picked Catalina Caper for riffing and were really excited about it. But as they started working on it, they realized that the movie was a lot tougher to sit through than they thought. The flick didn’t take itself seriously and so a lot of their comments and jokes felt like they were attempting to mock something that was in on the joke. This ended up defusing some of their best material.

As a result they ramped up the number of jokes and tried a bunch of different tactics that they hadn’t attempted before. And since this was only the second season on Comedy Central, they were still finding their bearings. The end result is an episode that has some great moments, but feels like it’s battling the whole time.

If you are well versed in beach films, there are plenty of riffs based on those, especially comparing what we get here with the classics in the genre like Beach Blanket Bingo. The boys also have a great time with Lakopolous’ name, coming up with alternate ways to say it and ending sentences with ridicopolous words. The songs also provide them with some hilarious moments, such as noting Little Richards, um, enhanced state. And wondering just how bad “There’s a New World” will get. This episode showcases Kevin Murphy’s musical skills as Tom Servo and his ability to jump in and add his own humorous lyrics.

They go to town on the unfunny pratfall comic relief, and all the horrible build up the character is given. But most of the time when the movie tries to be funny, they are at a loss on how to handle the situation. Mocking the bad jokes is both excessive and risky (what if your riff is just as unfunny or worse). And since the movie is light hearted this ends up with a lot of scenes that seem to have very little riffing. When the scenes try to get serious again the riffing is actually moving along at a good clip for a season two episode.

Host segments aren’t too bad. The show starts with Joel guiding the bots in a brief prayer before the movie. They pray for Robocop, R2-D2 and Cherry 2000. For the invention exchange the mad scientists create tank tops using real tanks. Joel creates the tickle bazooka that fires off rounds of feathers for massive tickle action. At the first break Joel tells the bots all about the ‘60s to help put the movie in context (he ends up getting a little distracted). For the second break Tom confesses his love for Katerina, who he dubs Creepy Girl and sings a ‘60s style song about her. Then its over to the mads as Frank tries to host a Tupperware party. His patter doesn’t work on the Mole Men or Dr. F. After the movie ends, Joel does his best to explain the muddled plot with the help of a drawing – and fails.

After tacking Catalina Caper the crew would avoid comedies. I don’t really blame them. The riffing on those films only seems to really work when the film is so awful (like Hobgoblins) or bizarre (like Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders) that the riffs have different targets. To tell you the truth Catalina Caper is not really bad enough for it work as a good target.

I give it two creepy girls out of five.

This episode is available on the Mystery Science Theater Collection Volume 1.

It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)

Introduction:

Considered one of the classic alien creature features from the ’50s and possibly an inspiration for Ridley Scott’s Alien, this is a flick that has been on my radar for quite some time. With it appearing on Netflix Download, I had to give it a spin on a lazy Sunday.

Summary:

At least, humans have finally set foot on Mars, and all seems to go swimmingly until suddenly all communications are cut off. Now a rescue mission is sent to Mars to find out what happened. They discover the only survivor of the previous mission Carruthers (Marshall Thompson) claims the rest of the crew was killed by an alien entity. The rescue crew scoffs, figuring that Carruthers is the killer. When they lift off they discover that something has snuck aboard and killing the crew one by one. With each passing minute another victim falls to It! The Terror from Beyond Space.

Good Points:

• Once the action kicks in aboard the space ship, it moves quickly
• The stakes escalate with each victim
• Creates a great mood of claustrophobia 

Bad Points:

• Takes a little too long to get started
• The visual effects may be too dated for some viewers
• The creature looks kinda goofy when you see him in the light 

Overall:

This is one of those movies that I can appreciate as an inspiration for future films. It’s got some great moments, but as a whole it was missing something. It’s probably because I appreciate Alien so much that this ends up a bit pale in comparison. But it’s a solid bit of entertainment for fans of classic sci-fi

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 3

Acting: 3

Script: 3

Music: 3

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 3

Total:  3

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

Beast of the Yellow Night (1971)

Introduction:

Straight from the Philippians and the 100 Sci-fi Classics boxset comes one of the most jolly and jovial portrayals of satan I’ve seen in film. Well except for Pitch from Santa Claus, but he’s in a class by himself.

Summary:

Philip Rogers (John Ashley) awakens to find himself in the hospital and with a different face! His wife Julia (Mary Charlotte Wilcox) is disturbed by this, but sleeps with him anyway. Maybe because he has an unearthly charm brought to him by Satan (Vic Diaz). You see Phil has been taken over by the evil Joseph Langdon, a horrible mass murderer who is out to recruit more souls and minions for Satan. But this new body just isn’t working out, so Satan uses his black arts to turn Joe/Phil into a monster at inopportune moments. Will our anti-hero get his act together, or will a mysterious blind man (Andres Centenera) hold the secret to his salvation?

Good Points:

• Satan is hilarious in this movie
• Actually has a couple creepy moments
• Has a bit of skin on display

Bad Points:

• Does not deliver on the concept
• The monster is not scary… at all
• Takes too long to really decide what it wants to do 

Overall:

Kind of a mixed bag here. I love the idea behind this movie: a minion of Satan stealing a body so he can work evil. But the movie just doesn’t really do anything with the concept. It gets mired down in the whole turning into a monster problem, and if you’ve seen any werewolf movie ever, then you know what to expect. There’s some awesome psychedelic scenes (the love scene in particular) and Diaz is hilarious as Satan (unintentionally and intentionally). The wheels come off near the end, but if you’re riffing this one, it makes it more fun. A good pick for a bad movie night (as long as you don’t mind a couple topless scenes).

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 3

Acting: 3

Script: 3

Music: 3

Direction: 2

Entertainment: 2

Total: 2

In Depth Review

If the movie had just stuck to it’s guns and given us a story about one of Satan’s most wicked minions corrupting others, than this could have been a lot of creepy fun. The beginning of the movie sets things up well enough, even if the whole plot point of Langdon becoming Rogers isn’t fleshed out very well. It really appeared that Langdon was going to corrupt his best friend and wife fairly quickly. But then he starts having a conscious (must have been the psychedelic love scene) and Satan disapproves.

Once that happens we get the whole werewolf subplot. But the creature that Langdon changes into is really odd. He’s kind of a werewolf/vampire thing, reminding me a bit of the man-bat from It Lives By Night. Most of the scenes with this creature are pretty silly, because the mask and makeup are ridiculous. But a few times director Eddie Romero manages to build a little tension for the victim, using the darkness effectively enough.

Eventually the whole redemption plot takes over with the blind man trying to help Joe/Phil escape the police. It’s not terribly interesting and bogs the movie down quite a bit. But the big finale featuring a squad of pissed off cops, flamethrowers, the old blind man running in circles and a burning field make for some great riffing fodder.

As I mentioned Vic Diaz steals the movie as Satan. He’s pudgy, jolly and loves to sneer a lot. The first time we see him, he’s nearly nude in a tree and taunting a dying man. He’s like Puck from hell! Later he appears in various disguised, but he has some really stupid lines, and says them with gusto. The movie really could have used a bit more Satan in it to make it more fun. He vanishes around the halfway point, only to appear at the very end. Disappointing to say the least.

Still this is a fine pick for bad movie night. The costumes, music and hair are oh so ‘70s. You’ve got a cheesy monster, a little bit of sex and a lot of murky photography. The ingredients are in place for a good time.

Tarzan’s Secret Treasure (1941)

Introduction:

What happens when you combine gold fever with a Tarzan movie? Well you get pretty much the same stuff that happens in all the other Tarzan movies. But hey, you get to hear Tarzan say “nugget” and that’s pretty darn funny.

Summary:

While splashing around in the pool with a baby elephant, Boy (Johnny Sheffield) finds a gold nugget or twelve. He shows them to Jane (Maureen O’Sullivan) and she tells Boy of the wonders of civilization. Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) is not impressed by the tales and tries to impress on Boy how awesome the jungle is. But you know how kids are.

Quicker than you can say Cheetah, Boy runs off to see civilization. He gets captured by some vicious natives, but is rescued at the last minute by a safari lead by Professor Elliot (Reginald Owen). Elliot is on an expedition to find a lost tribe. Since he doesn’t have a pencil thin mustache, we know he’s a good guy. But Medford (Tom Conway) does have a pencil thin mustache. One look at the nugget Boy has on him and he wants gold, Gold, GOLD! From there you know how it goes. White men do stupid things and Tarzan is forced to kick butt with his jungle friends. It all ends with Tarzan inventing the sport of canoe tipping.

Good Points:

• The comic relief character is less annoying than you’d think
• The jungle family still has great chemistry
• The finale on the river was a nice change of pace and pretty exciting

Bad Points:

• The plot points are so obvious by now, it makes the movie dull
• The drunken antics of Cheetah and the comic relief character are terribly unfunny
• Treatment of any person of color and animals are suspect (as usual)

Overall:

This is pretty much a mediocre Tarzan movie from start to finish. It’s got some entertaining moments, but the formula is really wearing thin. What saves it is the chemistry of the jungle family. These actors work so well together that you just like them and want to hang out with them. Superior to Tarzan Escapes but I’d rather watch Tarzan Finds a Son again.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 3

Sound: 3

Acting: 3

Script: 2

Music: 3

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 2

Total:  3

In Depth Review

Here we are at the fifth Weissmuller and O’Sullivan Tarzan film and it feels like the gas is finally funning out of the concept. Adding Boy brought a bit of life to the formula stories, but here many of the elements that turned Tarzan Escapes into a snore-fest rear their ugly heads.

We have another comic relief character. This time he’s an Irishman named o’Doul who likes his booze. He has plenty of homespun wisdom to dole out, he makes some pratfalls and Tarzan takes a shine to him. But what makes him less annoying that the Jar Jar-esque moron of Escapes is that he has less screen time and that he’s less of an idiot. He comes to Tarzan’s aid late in the film and while he does end up palling around with Cheetah in the finale, at least I wasn’t chanting for him to die.

It was also funny to see Reginald Owen as a professor in a pith helmet. I’m so used to seeing him as Ebenezer Scrooge from the 30’s version of A Christmas Carol that it hard to see him as anything else. But he also played Sherlock Holms in A Study in Scarlet so I guess he can be the professor. True to form, any older gent in these movies must realize that the jungle family is wonderful. And then they are killed by the cad.

As far as cads go, Tom Conway is one of the lesser ones. He’s not as vicious as the one from Escapes. He even wusses out when he gets caught by the angry natives. But still the gold fever gets him and all he can think of is “it’s mine, Mine, MINE!” Also per the norm, he gets eaten by a jungle beasty.

The re-use of older Tarzan movie footage pops up again. It only takes up about 13% of the film, so you can tolerate it. But I started to panic when I saw the same footage used in Tarzan and his Mate show up for the umpteenth time.

But if you come for the family fun with our jungle pals, than you’ll enjoy the film. Weissmuller, O’Sullivan and Sheffield build on the relationships they established in Finds a Son and really make you feel like they are a family. Even the antics with the baby elephant and the ever-laughing Cheetah (that’s still creepy to me) make for some entertainment.

But the action-adventure kicks into high gear for the finale. Boy, Jane and the remaining members of the safari are transported down a river to their doom viea a canoe convoy. Tarzan springs into action, diving under the water and tipping the canoes over. He battles the natives under the water, dodges spears and watches as crocodiles make quick work of the villains. Of course one crocodile has to have a taste for Tarzan and his family, so we get to see re-used footage of his crocodile battle form And his Mate. But after that, Tarzan summons his elephant friends and it turns into a free for all. This is probably the most impressive climax since the no hold barred battle of And his Mate and is worth seeking out for that alone.

All in all, not a bad movie. Still family adventure all the way, with the sex not even appearing. But I know why the producers decided a change of venue was needed for the next Tarzan adventure.

Read about the other lessons I learned from Tarzan’s Secret Treasure at my review of the second collection of films over at DVD Verdict.

The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Introduction:

This one was a huge favorite when I was younger. I rediscovered it when I picked up the musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, and it brought back a ton of memories. I resisted seeing the actual film for a while, but eventually I saw in on Netflix download and I gave it a watch. Was it as good as I remembered?

Summary:

Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman) is a field mouse living in a farmer’s field with her two daughters and two sons. She discovers that her son Timothy has pneumonia and at the worst possible time. The spring thaw has arrived and she must move her family to safety before the farmer’s tractor destroys her home. With the help of a goofy crow named Jeremy (Dom DeLuise) she contacts the mysterious Great Owl (John Carradine) who tells her to seek out Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi), an ancient rat who rules over a colony of his kind in the rose bush. But these mysterious rats have a dangerous past, one that ties directly to her husband. Will The Secrete of NIMH help or hinder our brave little mouse?

Good Points:

• The animation and direction creates an amazing atmosphere
• Goldsmith’s score is masterfully executed
• A strong female main character 

Bad Points:

• Gets very dark and scary in many places
• The animal experimentation my disturb some viewers
• Many changes from the original book 

Overall:

All in all, this movie really held up. Visually it is certainly impressive, with a quality to the animation that was certainly equal to what Disney was doing at the time. The darkness of the story as well as the settings really gives it a unique feel, and Goldsmith’s cinematic score adds to the excitement. DeLuise and much of the supporting cast add a dash of humor. The result is a well-balanced family adventure.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 5

Sound: 4

Acting: 4

Script: 4

Music: 5

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

In Depth Review

Some people call this Bluth’s best film, and I’m inclined to agree with them. While his later films like An American Tail and The Land Before Time were more popular, The Secret of NIMH really feels like a complete world unto itself. The merging of vivid color with darkness creates visuals that hadn’t been seen in American animation prior to this, and were never really delved into again. In fact I’ve only seen this type of coloring used in Japanese anime and nearly a decade later. From an animation perspective, this film is a fine example of how effective hand drawn style can be.

The voice acting is also handled extremely well. Hartman just nails the role of Mrs. Brisby, making her warm and caring as a mother and passionate and brave as a hero. Without her excellent voice work the film would not have the effect it does. She’s on screen for nearly the entire film and never drops the ball. Jacobi is nearly unidentifiable as Nicodemus, adding a weakness to his voice that fits the ancient rat perfectly. He is the old wizard of this hero myth and plays the part perfectly.  Even DeLuise who does his same shtick here, is given just enough time on screen to provide some laughs and fun without derailing the film. Carradine as the Great Owl adds the perfect mixture of menace and wisdom that the role requires. Paul Shenar makes the wicked rat Jenner a nice mustache-twirling villain.

This is one of the first American animated movie scores that did not focus on mimicking the actions in the music. Up to this point, most of Dinsey’s scores accentuated comedy scenes and action scenes by having the orchestra provide a kind of sound effect for each movement. Instead Goldsmith tackled The Secret of NIMH like a film, scoring scenes based on the emotions the character is feeling, building dread by creating atmosphere with the music and accenting the heroics with full-bodied statements of the main theme. Most modern animated films are scored this way, but Goldsmith was the first to do it so successfully in this film (and again in Mulan).

 

If there is anything that doesn’t quite measure up it’s the overall story, which is pretty familiar to anyone who knows the heroic myths. All the beats are there, from Mrs. Brisby refusing the call to adventure, to her being captured and nearly killed, to using her newfound power to save the day. So there are no surprises here. But what makes these stories work is when they do something different with the trappings. Visually and musically the Secret of NIMH manages just that. It might get a little scary for little ones at times (the scenes with The Great Owl and Mrs. Brisby’s first exploration of the rosebush are dark and intense), but a happy ending awaits the viewer. Can’t ask more much more than that.

Top Gun (1986)

Introduction:

When it comes to a movie that is really a huge slab of the 80s, it’s hard to beat Top Gun. Everything from the dialogue to the rockin’ soundtrack is enough to make you cheer or cause you to lose your lunch (depending on your tolerance for all things 80s). So aside from being a relic, is it worth checking out?

Summary:

Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Goose (Anthony Edwards) are two pilots who don’t play by the rules. These clowns are so skilled they are selected to go to Top Gun, the premier naval pilot academy to hone their combat skills. Maverick finds himself a rival in Iceman (Val Kilmer) who has a deadly tooth snap. He’ also finds romance in the lovely instructor Charlie (Kelly McGillis). Take a trip down the highway to the danger zone that will take your breath away but only after you’re done playing with the boys at Top Gun.

Good Points:

• Most of the aerial footage used actual planes
• Lots of filming style that would define later action films
• It is oh so 80s

Bad Points:

• Not much of a story to found in this film
• Some of the dialogue is outrageously bad
• It is oh so 80s

Overall:

This is one dumb movie, but if you grew up with it, odds are you’ve got a soft spot for it. Watching it now, and with all the baggage that Tom Cruise brings with him, it can be almost painful. But it’s so delightfully full of itself and so darn cocky, that I can’t help but enjoy it.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 4

Acting: 3

Script: 2

Music: 4

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 3

Total:  3

Rifftrax Review

Here’s a tip, watch this flick with Mike Nelson and Bill Corbett providing an excellent Rifftrax commentary. This is one of the first few they tackled, so it doesn’t include Kevin Murphy. It is also a bit tough to get the sink correct right off the bat (something they got very good at doing not too long after). But they boys have plenty to work with and there are hardly any slow spots. Yes Tom Cruise and his recent antics provide some of the humor but they have a blast with all the pilots’ names (my favorite riffs revolve around Cougar and Jester). They spend some time riffing on Kenny Loggins and his awesome ‘80s tunes. They attempt to figure out where the heck the battle at the end of the movie occurs and they even manage to make the death of one of the characters very funny.

That said, I give this Rifftrax five control tower flybys out of five.

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

YellowBrickRoad (2010)

Introduction:

Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road. Or not. Because this yellow brick road leads to insanity, pain and death. Are you ready for a heaping helping of surreal horror? Then ditch Dorothy and see just how wicked the woods can really be.

Summary:

In 1940 everyone in a small town of New Hampshire took a walk in the woods. Only one person came back, completely insane and covered in blood. The corpses found on the “Yellow Brick Road” were mutilated beyond sanity. This story has intrigued Ted Barnes (Michael Laurino) for years and now he’s got a small expedition together to walk the same trail and seek out answers. Quickly very odd things start happening. Compasses and GPS work erratically. Mysterious music is heard floating through the woods. A hat from the 40s is found completely untouched by time. But with each step the group takes the further from sanity they get, and its only a matter of time before someone breaks and blood is spilled again on the YellowBrickRoad.

Good Points:

• Excellent use of editing, sound and music creates a nightmare world
• Solid acting by an unknown cast pulls the viewer in
• There is no sense in madness

Bad Points:

• Gore hounds are going to be disappointed
• Does not follow traditional storytelling rules
• There is no sense in madness

Overall:

This is one of those movies where the atmosphere is everything. If you don’t get pulled into the slowly escalating insanity, then the movie is going to come across as nonsensical and stupid. But if you roll with it, don’t ask why, and just take the trip with these poor folks, you’ll find yourself sufficiently creeped out. It’s hard to do these types of movies well, and directors Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton pull it off.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 5

Acting: 4

Script: 4

Music: 4

Direction: 5

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.