Spring Finally Arrives!

"This is no thaw. This is spring. What are we to do? Your winter has been destroyed I tell you!"-The Dwarf in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Although fall is my favorite season by a huge margin I also enjoy spring, at least the early part of spring. It's good to live in a country or an area which has four well defined seasons. I like that. And I like spring. From a purely prosaic standpoint spring usually means a (not large enough) pay raise/bonus and the ability to turn off the gas heat in my house. Both of those things mean more money in my pocket which is a good thing. Obviously there's a lot more that's good about spring that has nothing to do with greenbacks. Another great feature of spring is that the ice, snow and cold of winter has departed or is about to depart. Walking through the cool streets early in the morning all you hear is the sound of water from the melted snow rushing through the sewer system. Your vehicle is no longer encrusted with all the salt, muck and mud of the Midwest winter. You can venture outside without having to wrap yourself up in layers of clothing. You can stay outside without wondering if you're putting yourself at risk of frostbite or fever. Many birds have come back; those who never left are more vocal. Spring is that sweet spot where it's cool enough so that no one is running around reeking of sweat and funk but warm enough so that you can enjoy the feeling of the sun on your skin. Sunshine is the best way to ensure that you're getting your vitamin D, after all. And that is very important for your health. There's something to be said for clean air and sunshine.
The insects have not yet reached the numbers that they will later in the summer.  You don't have to cut the grass every three to five days like you do in the summer. You can spend your weekends or evenings planting shrubs or bulbs. With any luck the flora that you plant will survive the summer heat and even the eventual fall and winter to come. And if you're still above ground a year from now you can sit on your stoop and watch that plant be reborn next spring. There's something satisfying about that. Kids are running around laughing and jumping in puddles. It's time to air your home out and give it a nice cleaning. You made it past another winter. If you look around you'll see trees starting to bud and plants pushing their way up through the topsoil. 

If you happen to be a person who is concerned with your health or perhaps someone who is just vain (and most of us fall into at least one of those two categories) spring could be the perfect time to take up that new running, walking or jogging program that you've been thinking about. Drop that winter weight. Get outside and enjoy life. The days are longer. The primary emotion that I experience during spring is optimism. That is after I deal with the man-made foolishness of daylight savings time. Why we haven't tossed that idea in the dustbin yet is something that confuses me. But leaving that silliness alone there's a lot to look forward to in spring. You have flowers, rain, baseball starting up, sunshine without too much heat and just oodles of good things going on around if you deign to look up from your daily labor and experience all that life has to offer. After all some day you won't have that opportunity. But be sure that while you're out and about frolicking and celebrating another season of renewal and rebirth that you're careful where you walk. Perhaps my area is just disproportionately populated by scofflaws but I have noticed that many of my fellow dog owners seem to feel that it's okay not to pick up after their furry friends during winter. Well that stuff doesn't just break down in a few months. It's still there in all its glory just waiting for an unwary person to step right in it. And spring or not, that will temporarily ruin your day. You may find yourself using invective and vituperation you had forgotten you knew. But that unfortunate possibility aside, I love spring.

I feel that spring is coming on/I feel it all in my bones
A feeling that no one can explain so all I can do is call it spring
Everything about me is fine/I feel so happy all the time
All year long I've been so blue/But now this spring will send me to you
Little Milton-Spring

Book Reviews: Murcheston

Murcheston The Wolf's Tale
by David Holland

This is an older book which you will hopefully be able to find online or in a quality used bookstore. Everyone should be so lucky as to live close to a good used bookstore. You never know what you might find there. If you happen to have literary tastes that range beyond the pedestrian these are good places to hang out. Unlike the few remaining big box bookstores these tend to be quiet places that cater to people who actually like to discover new authors and genres. Used bookstores often have their own (quite literally in some cases) funky aroma and style, whether it be an insouciant feline who struts across the counter while you're trying to pay for your purchase, a sleepy old dog who warily watches you from one eye or a clerk of indeterminate gender and excessive body hair who apparently hasn't showered or used deodorant since sometime during the Clinton Administration. But if you're a bookhound you put up with all of this and perhaps even enjoy it in small dosages. You do that because occasionally you discover little gems like this book. It is no spoiler to say that this book plunges into the supernatural, as should be evident from both the title and the cover art. Duh. But what sets this book apart is not the supernatural story but the philosophy, worldview and settings that animate the story. It tells the tale of a world long gone in Victorian era Great Britain. This setting still engages the imagination of many. At just under 400 pages this book is a quick read but one that is still relatively dense. You are easily brought into the description of events and will want to find out what happens next. The story seamlessly switches between third person and first person. The first person is largely told via diary flashbacks, something which (deliberately?) puts the reader in mind of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

While George R.R. Martin has reworked the werewolf myth with his "good" Starks and their (well some of them anyway) ability to "warg" or place their consciousness into their wolves, this story mostly keeps the classic tropes of the werewolf myth. A man is attacked by something that appears less than human but more than animal. He's wounded but survives. At the next full moon however he turns into a wild animal and wreaks havoc. In Murcheston, the man so afflicted is Edgar Lenoir, who's bitten on a hunting trip to the Carpathian Mountain ranges in Eastern Europe. Edgar is the Duke of Darnley. He can trace his lineage to the arrival of William the Conqueror. The catch is that this story is told via Edgar's diaries to one of Edgar's younger relatives who is next in line to become Duke after Edgar...well you'll have to read the book and see. Even before he was bitten Edgar was a fierce individualist and Social Darwinist, a hedonist and rogue. Afterward he's even more confirmed in his attitude that life belongs to the strong. He becomes increasingly convinced that morality, religion and even unnecessary kindness are strictures devised by the weak to turn man from his true nature. Edgar resolves to put all of that aside. He believes that he is being modern and scientific in his approach. He views his lycanthropy as a blessing and gift. The reader can decide how truly lost Edgar is. The man who delivers the diaries to Edgar's relative has a personal reason for doing so. I liked this book. It effectively combined mystery, social and philosophical commentary, history and a little horror for a fun and occasionally thrilling read. If you like Victorian period settings and mysteries, check this one out.

University of Oklahoma Racist Frat SAE Suspended

By now you may have seen the video of some members of the SAE chapter at the University of Oklahoma and their friends allegedly singing a racist ditty about how they would never ever ever have black members in their Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter. I am not surprised by this even though I suppose in some quarters it's almost expected to say you're not surprised by these events. People usually drop their masks and speak and behave more honestly when they are surrounded by those that they consider their own kind. This is true across racial, religious, ethnic and gender lines. It's just the way that human beings are constructed. So no surprises here. But it does provide some anecdotal contradiction to the notion that the United States as a whole and as a collective is always moving forward when it comes to racial animosity. These young white people on the bus are future CEO's, hiring managers, jurors, judges, professors, FBI agents, realtors, venture capitalists, university administrators and many other future leaders who will have plenty of opportunities to put their prejudices into practice. So that's the real issue here. These are not people who grew up under segregation or explicit white supremacy. These are people who were for the most part born after 1994 or so. And yet they are behaving just as their grandmothers and grandfathers would have behaved back in 1964. So it goes. Racism is an ugly weed that will always continue to bloom anew. The other thing that comes to mind watching the below video is that we should remember that there are limits to integration and very good historical and current reasons for the establishment and maintenance of black political and social organizations.

It is common in some conservative circles and even many liberal ones to bemoan, criticize or question any such black organizations, whether they be fraternities or sororities, charities, beauty pageants, television stations, newspapers, etc. This is often raised as the question of "why are all the black kids in the cafeteria sitting together?". It's blaming (gleefully in the case of conservatives) or (ruefully in the case of liberals) social segregation entirely on black people and ignoring the reasons why such organizations exist in the first place. All I can say to that is who enjoys hanging around people who have made it crystal clear that they don't like you? Most psychologically healthy people avoid such scenarios. Earning your daily bread may require you to work with, report to or otherwise interact with various sorts of bigots or otherwise unpleasant people but that's work. You're being paid to do something. Your choices may be temporarily constrained. But when your choices are free, as they are in areas of social intimacy, people generally don't wish to associate with people who have contempt or hatred for them. This is why black Greek organizations or business associations or other such entities exist. People want to be able to relax without having to be constantly on guard for the kind of bigotry expressed here. Living in a state of continuous fight or flight response is quite unhealthy. The people on the bus appear to be having a good time. If you ever wondered about the people who arrived to lynchings and burnings with smiles and grins on their faces captured for posterity well these are their spiritual and no doubt in some cases lineal descendants.

The progress that the country has undertaken is ongoing. It was demonstrated by the fact the university and the national fraternity immediately distanced themselves from the local chapter, suspending the chapter and closing the house. A black college football recruit decommitted from the school. The head football coach joined in protests with his team. 
The University President put out a statement which left no doubt about where he stood.

"To those who have misused their free speech in such a reprehensible way, I have a message for you. You are disgraceful. You have violated all that we stand for. You should not have the privilege of calling yourselves “Sooners.” Real Sooners believe in equal opportunity. Real Sooners treat all people with respect. Real Sooners love each other and take care of each other like family members.

Effective immediately, all ties and affiliations between the university and the local SAE chapter are hereby severed. I direct that the house be closed and that members will remove their personal belongings from the house by midnight tomorrow. Those needing to make special arrangements for positions shall contact the Dean of Students.

All of us will redouble our efforts to create the strongest sense of family and community. We vow that we will be an example to the entire country of how to deal with this issue. There must be a zero tolerance for racism everywhere in our nation.

Other people have pointed out that the chant is not that unusual among other chapters of SAE or similar fraternities. They just happen to be the ones who got caught. Some people are calling for them to be expelled. I wouldn't shed tears were that to happen. We shall see. 

Are you surprised?

Should the students be expelled?

How long before one of the students is hired by Fox News?

HBO Game of Thrones: Season Five New Trailer

Well, well well. What have we here? It's yet another trailer for the new Game of Thrones Season Five starting April 12. This snippet is a little longer than the previous trailers. It touches upon a few more storylines. There are a few things referenced from the most recently published book. This looks good. I am starting to anticipate this season a little more than I had been. I will be interested to learn what items were cut from the books and what surprises are in store for us all. Unless this was all taken from episode nine (snicker) it appears that there could be more exciting things happening throughout the entire season. Time will tell. Perhaps Daenerys is ready to return to her continent of birth and reclaim the Iron Throne? Are Stannis and Roose Bolton going to have a conflict? How are the Red Viper's relatives and friends going to deal with his death? And the dragons are yet bigger. Will Tyrion end up back at the top of the game or will he continue to be everyone's lovable loser? Will Margaery be able to bend King Tommen to her will and remove him from the influence of Cersei, his capriciously cruel mother? How will the creators keep up the quality and excitement as the story moves into some places that I wasn't crazy about in the books? What is Brienne's purpose now? Where does she go? What does she do? Well it all goes down on April 12.

Movie Reviews: The Curse of the Werewolf, The Salvation, The Raid 2

The Curse of the Werewolf
directed by Terence Fisher

This film is a favorite which I just watched again. I am on something of a Hammer binge lately. The Curse of the Werewolf was a classic Hammer Film and AFAIK its only take on the werewolf myth. It's a film that I think I must have first seen when I was maybe twelve or thirteen years old. I can't be sure. I am certain however that I would definitely not have watched this film with my parents. It just wasn't that kind of movie. I would not have been comfortable. There would have been a pretty good chance during a certain scene I might have heard something along the lines of  "Shady, I'm not sure this movie is for you". Snicker. And that would have been that. The Curse of the Werewolf did leave an impression on me, not just because of the gravity defying nature of Yvonne Romain's bountiful charms but also because of the essential unfairness and arbitrariness of the titular curse which afflicts Oliver Reed (seen here in one of his earliest film roles before obtaining his famous facial scar in a bar fight). This was Reed's first lead role, though ironically he doesn't appear on screen until about halfway thru the film.  I sometimes tend towards the cynical and fatalistic so Oliver Reed's smoldering cursed from birth protagonist appealed to me. Reed's character was literally born under a bad sign, as the Albert King song would put it. His fate was fixed. 

This film is comfortable with Eros. The werewolf is representative of man's hidden sexual urges. But repression causes worse future problems. Leon's (Oliver Reed) curse becomes ever more apparent as he ages and becomes sexually mature. The Curse of the Werewolf is unusual for a Hammer film in that it's the male sexual awakening and not that of the female which brings terror. This film is set in 18th century Spain and has more of a romantic than gothic feel. Hammer had sets left over from an aborted Spanish project so with typical pragmatism the producers and director decided to make use of them. The film changes a few werewolf myth trappings. The Curse of the Werewolf also has a class analysis subtext. The sequence of catastrophic events is started by the decadent and wicked noble class, here embodied by the Marquis Siniestro (Anthony Dawson). The Marquis is a greedy, cruel and capricious man who guards his wealth like a wolf guards its kill. On the Marquis' wedding night, a desperate starving beggar (Richard Wordsworth) tries to crash the party. Peasants and a sympathetic guard warn him away but the beggar persists. In a rare good mood, the Marquis invites the beggar to his table. The Marquis is content to throw leftovers at the beggar, mock him and make him dance. But when the beggar relaxes and presumes to "congratulate" the Marquis on his wedding night the Marquis takes offense. His essentially vindictive nature reveals itself. The Marquis orders the beggar's execution but is convinced by his wife to imprison the man instead. Decades pass during which the Marquis is widowed and the beggar rots forgotten in the dungeons.

As a child the jailer's daughter helped to feed the beggar. But now that she's become Yvonne Romain the insane and incredibly hirsute beggar looks at her with a different hunger. The dirty old Marquis has also noticed the remarkably curvaceous young woman. She resists the Marquis' advances. She is imprisoned and attacked by the dying beggar, now more animal than man. She escapes the prison. A local scholar Don Corledo (Clifford Evans) finds and tends to the woman. Later she dies giving birth to a boy. Don Corledo raises this baby as his own son though his housekeeper is wary. It's considered sinful to be a bastard born on Christmas Day. Leon's experiences confirm the housekeeper's suspicions. Leon is haunted by strange incidents and bizarre dreams. The visions temporarily abate during his love affair with the beautiful Christina ,(Catherine Feller) daughter of his employer. But can true love overcome a curse? Hammer was very well known for its sets, costumes and cinematography. This film doesn't disappoint with its lush, lurid palette. Red is always very prominent. It's not just the spurting blood either. All the contrasts are very nicely done. The special effects were decent, considering the period. Although this was considered bloody and risque for its time, compared to today's grindcore styles this is tame indeed. The Curse of the Werewolf was one of Hammer's better films. 
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The Salvation
directed by Kristian Levring

American fantasy is often dominated by reference to European medieval and more specifically British motifs. Maybe it's a fair turnabout that one of the better Westerns I've seen in a while is a Danish-British production which was shot primarily in South Africa. Some of the South African landscape is a dead ringer for the Old West of the movies. The Salvation is not a deconstruction of the Western. It's a classic Western with subtle updated nods to the genocide of the First Peoples. It has a very powerful traditional revenge story at its center but also (purposely?) raises questions about the guilt or responsibility of settlers coming to the West in the first place. The big bad is Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). His ease with violence grows from his actions in the US Army where he helped expel or exterminate many Native Americans. Delarue is nothing if not pragmatic. And his followers are the same. If they see something they want, they take it. Morgan's height and sense of physical comfort add a lot to his character's authority. He dominates most of the scenes in which he appears. Delarue is someone you'd follow into battle without hesitation. The only problem is that he's a bad man. He inspires fear, not respect. Jon (Mads Mikkelsen) is a quiet and happy Danish immigrant to the western town of Black Creek. This man who had so much to live for suffers an unthinkable tragedy. In the aftermath the character is effectively numb. There is a certain chaos and malevolence in the world which is not easily explained. Job asked God for an explanation and was told to stop asking questions above his pay grade. Why do some wicked people live long healthy productive lives while some children die from leukemia before they reach their teen years? I can't explain it. This movie doesn't try to either. It avoids getting bogged down in theodicy. There's no time for that. Jon tries to set things right, or as right as they can be after his loss. It's an understatement that he will never be the same. His brother Peter (Mikael Persbrandt) comes to Jon's aid. Blood will be shed.

The Salvation also stars French bombshell Eva Green in a speechless role. Her character was previously mutilated and thus can't talk. So Green has to do all of her acting with her large eyes and facial expressions. This is much more effective than you might imagine. There is no toplessness or nudity from Green here though there are some uncomfortable sexually charged scenes. Her role is almost but not quite camp. It is something that would have fit Helena Bonham Carter a few years ago. Although you will recognize the story as one you've seen before the film has more than a few surprises and treats wrapped up in its minimalist visuals. H.P. Lovecraft wrote stories in which his characters, coming face to face with inhuman entities, struggled to explain what they were experiencing. Well, just like those H.P. Lovecraft characters you may occasionally wonder what color you're seeing in some scenes. There's a yellow or gold overcast to a lot of the film, something that tends to make you almost feel the dust and wind that constantly flows throughout the film. Keane (Jonathan Pryce) is the town's undertaker and mayor. I didn't think he had quite enough to do but Mikkelsen, Green and Morgan carry this grim film well enough. Watch this film and enjoy the ripoff/homage to Sergio Leone style Techniscope look. After watching this movie you probably won't have any greater understanding of why evil exists in the world or why bad things happen to good people but you might appreciate more what your response should be. Mikkelsen and Green were also in the film Casino Royale; I knew Morgan primarily from the first two seasons of Supernatural. This was a good albeit not great film. I enjoyed it and you might as well if you like Westerns. 
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The Raid 2
directed by Gareth Evans

Second verse, same as the first. Rama (Iko Uwais) was among the few police officers to survive the massive trainwreck that was the raid on the apartment complex in the first Raid movie. In the opening scenes of this film, Rama's brother (who saved his life in the first film) is killed by a rising affably evil gangster named Bejo (Alex Abbad) for reasons which aren't important right now. Needless to say Rama is highly upset. He wants revenge. Rama is also disturbed to discover that part of the reason that everything went to crap in the first film was because of police and political corruption. The criminals knew the raid was coming. However Rama's approached by an internal affairs officer who thinks Rama can bring down the entire underworld superstructure. Rama can get revenge on Bejo, obtain evidence on the corrupt police commissioner and his previously untouchable political friends who make everything run smoothly in the underworld. Rama must go undercover as a criminal. He will hookup with Uco (Arifin Putra) the spoiled and dissolute son of the local boss Bangun (Tio Pakusadewo). Uco is doing a short prison bid. Internal Affairs can insert Rama into the prison as an inmate. After hopefully winning Uco's trust and that of his notoriously paranoid father, Rama should be able to rise through the ranks and get hard evidence of links between the upperworld and underworld.  And then he'll be able to get Bejo, legally if possible but if he has to use other means no one will mind. Does that sound like a well crafted plan to you? No, well it didn't really appeal to Rama that much either but he doesn't think he has many options. Corrupt ranking police officers suspect he wasn't killed in the raid and want to know why. His family could be in danger.

Where the first Raid movie used the claustrophobic settings of an apartment building to rustle up the scares, the sequel moves Rama through many different locales. He's kicking behind and taking names in prison, the alleys, warehouses, restaurant kitchens and several other places. But unlike the first film where it was very obvious to Rama who was on his side and who wasn't here he's undercover. He must engage in certain unlawful activities or watch people do things which violate both the law and his personal principles. Rama has to be on his toes as he's working with much more powerful, vicious and intelligent criminals than the street hoodlums he previously encountered. He can't trust anyone. Rama also finds himself in the middle of an Oedipal struggle between Uco and his father. That's a bad place to be, particularly when tensions rise with the Japanese syndicate headed by Goto (Kenichi Endo). It's not just the double cross you have to look out for in this milieu. Everyone takes that for granted. Beware the triple cross. Bejo has three top enforcers but the two who almost steal the film through sheer bloody minded dexterity are the aptly named Hammer Girl (Julie Estelle) and her extremely protective brother Baseball Bat Man (Very Tri Yulisman). Sorry there are no bonus points for guessing their preferred weapons. This, like the first film, is a martial arts extravaganza. It has a larger than life operatic style. The colors are solid. The director uses the entire color spectrum to give the film a modern hyperrealistic look. If you like these sorts of movies, you really need to see this film. It's a keeper. The fight choreography and camera work are top notch. It's a bada$$ ballet. Uwais could do for Silat what Bruce Lee did for Kung fu. The movie runs a little long at 2.5 hours but most genre fans probably won't mind too much. Almost everyone in this movie is too cool for words. I imagine Hollywood will remake this some day and mess it up entirely. 
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GOP Cave on DHS: One Week Funding Approved

President Obama is head of the executive branch of the Federal government. He has, like it or not, pretty expansive powers to direct or change the enforcement priorities of the executive branch. Arguably he has exceeded those powers in his latest executive immigration policy. The courts will end up making that decision. However the legislative branch, has, like it or not, the authority to determine what the budget is and on what it may be spent. In its own way this power is just as awesome as that of the President. Reckless or not, Congress has the ability to defund executive actions that it does not like. Ultimately this is what happened with the Vietnam War. However for either the President or Congress to effectively wield those powers which they possess they must be willing to say "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" and ignore objections to valid use of those powers. For all the criticism which President Obama has received, some valid, some not, for being a weak vacillating mouse of a man who is too eager to find common ground where there isn't any, on this executive action on illegal immigration, it turns out that at least to this point he's the one with the intestinal fortitude. Faced with the reality of what a DHS shutdown would mean to the country, DHS employees, and to their poll numbers Senate and House Republicans blinked, approving a one week DHS funding bill. President Obama signed the legislation last night.

UPDATE: HOUSE GOP SURRENDERS!!

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted today to fund the Department of Homeland Security through the end of the budget year — without any restrictions on immigration. The vote is a victory for President Obama as Republicans had wanted to strip funding for the president's executive actions on immigration from the bill.

The measure now heads to President Obama, who is expected to sign it.

Two hours before a midnight deadline, Congress has narrowly averted a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security for one week, setting up another funding showdown for next Friday.

Hours before a midnight deadline, the House easily approved a one-week extension of the funding. The vote was 357-60. It required two-thirds of members' support to pass.

President Barack Obama later signed the bill.
The move means that DHS will not experience a shutdown at midnight, but it also fails to resolve the impasse created when the House initially lashed together the agency's budget and so-called "riders" that would gut the president's immigration proposals. Some House conservatives said that Obama's actions are unconstitutional and must be stopped - even at the cost of a DHS funding lapse.
LINK

This raises the question of what is going to change in one week? So are the Republicans going to throw another temper tantrum and then cave again? Wash, Rinse and Repeat? Another one week extension? What happened to the so-called tough guys who were going to stop the "Kenyan usurper" in his tracks? I'm joking but there are some conservative activists who are asking that very question. Erick Erickson had a bizarre and amusing full gay panic meltdown over at Redstate over the approaching Republican cave-in. The fact that when it came down to it the President was not bluffing while many Republicans were is useful information for future negotiations. There is no reason to take Republican threats seriously because they've shown again and again that they lack follow through. This is basic game theory stuff. If you don't or won't do what you threatened you were going to do your power is much diminished. And by power here I mean masculinity as so much of this fight was understood by all concerned as a brutal test of willpower and manhood. It is of course possible that in one week the Republicans will find a spinal column but if I were the President I would be betting otherwise. Time will tell. Perhaps the Republicans will be so ashamed of their approval of the one week clean bill that they will feel cornered and not back down next time. But again all we know right now is that the Republicans are just like a dull knife that just ain't cutting. They're just talking loud and saying nothing as Soul Brother Number One might have pointed out.

What are your thoughts?

Movie Reviews: Heat Wave, The Phantom of The Opera

Heat Wave
directed by Ken Hughes

This is another of Hammer's film noirs. Heat Wave was in the package my brother sent me. Like many other genre movies Heat Wave owes a lot to The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity. The movie looks grand. It's shot in black and white. It has the typical use of shadow and staging that one expects from such films. Everyone and their mama is smoking a cigarette and throwing down scotch and bourbon. There is the light filtered through the Venetian blinds. There's a fair share of tough guy and tough gal dialogue. I like film noir and usually enjoy watching genre flicks. Yet for all that the story ended up not being top tier. In my opinion, the two leads didn't really have much chemistry together. And the femme fatale was a bit too hard bitten. Camera closeups didn't exactly do her any favors in my view. Instead of being able to easily understand or take for granted how and why the male lead fell so hard and fast for this married blonde I was constantly wondering why he just didn't pursue her much friendlier, prettier and apparently unattached stepdaughter, who apparently had a fancy to him anyway. So that took me out of the film a bit. If you want me to believe that a man will risk everything for lust because if making love to that woman is wrong he doesn't want to be right then you should show the passion more than Heat Wave did. Nevertheless older movies remain interesting time capsule documents of how human nature doesn't change that much over the decades or even the centuries. Lust, selfishness, loneliness, and cunning are constant elements of the human emotional stew. People will risk a lot to get their needs met.

There will always be women who marry older men for money or social status and end up regretting it. There will always be richer, successful men who wrongly think that their wealth and power can purchase love and fidelity. There will always be less successful men who decide that even though they aren't Mr. Right for a wealthy bored lonely socialite, they'll settle for being Mr. Right Now. Mark Kendrick (Alex Nicol) opens the film having drinks in a bar with an unidentified someone. Mark is a man with regrets. He's also a weak man. It was intriguing how often the film made the taller than average (6'1") and athletic appearing Nicol look submissive and indecisive. It was a nice piece of acting and writing. Anyway Mark wants to share his whole story. Mark gives occasional voice over to a tale which is one long flashback. Mark is an American writer living in England. Money is tight. He has enough money left to rent a cottage on Lake Windemere. Mark is suffering from writer's block. Mark hopes that the solitude and natural beauty will inspire him to complete his novel. His advance money is almost gone. He's missed the first deadline to complete the opening three chapters. Mark ought to be writing. But instead he's staring wistfully across the lake at the party that a rich couple is having. He's surprised when the woman of the house Carol Forrest (Hilary Brooke) phones him to virtually order him to bring across some of her friends on his boat. As Mark later learns Carol is not a woman to whom it is easy to say no.

Upon arriving Mark is struck by Carol's beauty. Both Carol and her ultra-rich much older husband Beverly (Sid James-a comedian who like Redd Foxx died having a heart attack which people thought was part of his act) separately invite Mark to stay at the party. It becomes clear to Alex that Carol is not faithful to Beverly, ("women don't look at their husbands the way Carol was looking at the piano player" ) a characteristic which Beverly feels incapable of changing. Beverly is likely far past the wild uninhibited monkey sex period of his marriage. He's not healthy. He's older and shorter/smaller than his wife's lovers. Most importantly he still loves his wife and won't divorce her. This last is against the urgent advice of his daughter Andrea (Susan Stephen) who dislikes her stepmother. Beverly has made peace with the fact that everyone just wants money from him. Beverly forgives Carol her affairs. Mark finds himself simultaneously becoming friendly with the fatalistic Beverly and infatuated with the icy Carol. Mark is arguably just as responsible for the film's events as Carol. The film doesn't necessarily judge him.  I didn't see enough beauty or occasional softness from Carol to offset her general unpleasantness. If the actress had been allowed or able to show just a little more generosity or vulnerability, I would have better appreciated why men were drawn to her. Of course the hope of marrying a rich widow after Beverly kicks the bucket is always a motive. Mark is such a cipher that it was difficult to sympathize with him. He just floats along. 

This film was also known as The House Across The Lake. This wasn't a top of the line film noir. Still if you like film noir or are just curious about the style this was an acceptable way to spend a little over an hour or so. Sid James gives the film's best performance. You end liking him instead of having pity or contempt for him. 
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The Phantom of The Opera
directed by Terence Fisher

It is interesting from a film history perspective to watch actors that you only know from one movie show their talents when they were younger in a completely different film. I didn't really put it together until about halfway through The Phantom of The Opera but Herbert Lom (playing the title character) was the same man who played Chief Inspector Dreyfus in The Pink Panther movies.  Additionally Patrick Troughton, who had a small role as the ratcatcher would go on to win fame playing Dr. Who and the doomed Father Brennan in The Omen. Go figure. This movie felt overly restrained. That's partially because Hammer's then current distributor informed Hammer after shooting had completed that the film needed to have a family friendly rating. So rather atypically for Hammer there is no over the top cleavage, virtually no spurting blood and only a few deaths. And the damage to the Phantom's face is only shown once or twice in passing and even then only briefly. This movie featured the usual high quality acting, music, sets and especially cinematography that Hammer was known for but the directorial decision to over emphasize the love story and music combined with the relative lack of thrills and chills meant that this iteration of the classic tale didn't really deliver on the horror front. If you are however just a sucker for Victorian period dramas then this could be a decent film for you. The bubbling brown sewers, the carriages, accents, garish red, blue and green lights, the petticoats, and the blue tinged cadaverous hands of the Phantom all combine to make this film a visual and auditory treat. It completely lacks the ugly cynicism or gratuitous sex and violence that would later become virtually required for horror films. 

Lord Ambrose (Michael Gough) is an arrogant, bossy and unpleasant aristocrat who also happens to be a musical composer. He's similar to Dick Cheney in that he will hit a person upside the head with his walking cane and then expect a full apology from that person for hitting his cane with their head. Ambrose is overseeing the opening of his Joan of Arc opera, which has been plagued by mysterious accidents. Ambrose is impatient. He lacks business sense. He relies upon the opera house manager Lattimer (Thorley Walters) and the friendly handsome producer Harry Hunter (Edward de Souza) to do most of the work. He tries to bully and insult them but Harry in particular stands up for himself and gives as good as he gets. When the body of a hanged stagehand swings into view during the climax of the aria the audience is scandalized. The high strung star soprano Maria quits. Harry finds a new soprano, the young and naive Christine (Heather Sears). Although Harry is interested first in Christine's singing talents the dirty old man Lord Ambrose is interested solely in her womanly talents. He invites her out to dinner where he makes it crystal clear that he expects her to be "nice" to him in return for being hired. Because this is before English law recognizes anything like sexual harassment things look dim for Christine until she sees Harry entering the same restaurant. She invites Harry to accompany her and Lord Ambrose back to his city apartment "to work on the music". Recognizing what's really going on and happy to rescue a lady in distress Harry agrees. Obviously this is not at all what Lord Ambrose had in mind for his evening. He angrily departs alone.

Christine finds the younger and chivalrous Harry much more to her liking. They talk over dinner. She tells him of the strange voices she's been hearing and odd things she's seen in the Opera House. The next day when Lord Ambrose fires both Christine and Harry, Harry has more time to investigate strange events both past and current. When Christine is imperiled, Harry must try to rescue her, play detective and save the opera from Lord Ambrose's heavy handed incompetence. I was more familiar with this story through the Phantom of The Paradise reinterpretation so it was funny to see camera shots, film techniques and story lines which I first saw in that film on display here. Many of the Hammer version's themes were recycled from the 1943 film version. Hammer's ending runs a little long. There are some important questions left unanswered. This version of the Phantom is more misunderstood victim than a real bad guy. Herbert Lom spends most of the film acting with just his voice and one eye visible which I suppose is impressive when you think about it. Although Heather Sears was not the va-va voom type actress for which Hammer became known she nonetheless was a good fit to this film's theme.  
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