LOVING VINCENT - "Awe-Inspiring" (2017)

Tonight's mid-week culture injection is a 2017 Polish film made called "Loving Vincent!" It might just be the most beautiful movie I've ever seen that wasn't boring!

I seriously had no intentions of doing this, but because of a series of events, it just became destiny. We were going to see this movie last Friday at the local Fox Theatre, a classic old downtown venue! It was the first in a new film series they were having!

The movie was supposed to start at 7:30, so after downing a couple of Margaritas, we showed up at the movie house at 7:00, and snagged some nice seats in the front row of the balcony! They didn't start the show until 8:00 because they said there were still people in line. After an introduction, they started the show, but the DVD wouldn't play. It was pixelating, and breaking up, and starting over, so after about 10 minutes of that they said they would try and reboot the machine. 30 minutes later we were headed for the exit. Sadly, they never did get it to play, and gave the money back to whoever wanted it! They have now got their computer fixed and are going to try it again next month.

When we got back home, I looked on the internet and found out that the movie streamed on Amazon for $3.99, so we did some Vincent bingeing yesterday evening, a double feature of this and the Kirk Douglas film from 1956 called "Lust For Life." "Lust For Life" was a little more difficult to watch after watching "Loving Vincent," but I thought Kirk made a pretty decent Vincent! (Good name for a rock band, "Decent Vincent," and I don't think it's ever been used) I'll sell it for five bucks!

The basic premise is that about a year after Vincent's death, "The Man In The Yellow Jacket," Armand Roulin, has been deployed by his postmaster Father to deliver one last letter from Vincent to his brother Theo. Unfortunately, Theo has died from syphilis, so Armand is left to try and find somebody worthy to give the letter too. Armand had been painted by Vincent three times, and his Father respected him a lot, as Armand will learn to do too!

It took over one hundred artists and six years to create to 65,000 paintings needed to animate this movie all in the style of Vincent Van Gogh!

I don't think there's any way to gauge how much thought went into it! "Loving Vincent" is a true piece of art, just like it should be! How ironic in this day and age!

They say that even as a child, Vincent was fascinated by light. He reminded me a bit of Butch in the "Our Gang" comedies! The black and white sequences are all scenes from Vincent's earlier life.

Maybe you have to be a big Van Gogh fan to dig this, but I really don't think so, if you just give it a try! This shot is from an interview with the gentleman who sold Vincent his paint!

The stills I'm showing you are great, but it's pretty unbelievable when they're moving!

It's hard to believe that if Vincent had just even the slightest bit of success, his story would have been so much different, and a lot happier!

This flashback scene is complete despair! Theo Van Gogh supported his brother almost his whole life, and tried desperately to sell his paintings! To see Vincent dying lost and alone is just sad!

 Vincent Van Gogh created 8000 paintings in eight years!

But Vincent sold only one painting in his lifetime!

I can only hope that all the artists that created these gorgeous canvases made more than Van Gogh!

I've always been a big fan of the work of Vincent Van Gogh, but I must admit, I didn't know or remember much about his actual life, so that made this film that much better. Armand has gone to the site where Vincent shot himself, because just like Kennedy, there's something about the story that sounds fishy!

There's another Doctor in town who has a different theory about Van Gogh's death, but he can't really get anybody to listen to him until Armand shows up!

The Doctor gets down on the ground to prove his theories, that number one, from the angle of the wound, a man couldn't shoot himself in the stomach like that, and if he could get his hand that low and all contorted around, a wound from that distance would be much larger, and that the killer had to be at least five or six feet away! Now I don't know if that's all cock n' bull or not, but it makes for a good story!

If you get a chance to see this marvelous film, do yourself a favor, and take the time to do it! I promise you will not regret it one bit, unless you have to wait an hour and a half and it doesn't come on!

The story of Vincent Van Gogh is amazing any way you look at it, but when you realize the man lived in poverty his whole life, but his heirs must be living better than kings and queens, it's pretty strange!

Van Gogh paintings regularly sell for over 80 million dollars each, and "Starry Night" is worth about 100 million! I think it's the world that is crazy, not Vincent Van Gogh, and here's more proof! "Loving Vincent" is rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, some violence, sexual material and smoking! That's not only crazy, it's down right sinful and insane! One of the most beautiful and historical cinematic wonders of the century, and they can't even show it in the schools because there's smoking! The ratings people should be ashamed of themselves!

INVISIBLE AGENT / Today's Most Amazing Sensation! - 1942

In today's Universal Picture's story, Frank Raymond, grandson of the original Invisible Man, still has the old invisibility formula but considers it too dangerous to use, even when some Axis agents try to get their hands it. When Pearl Harbor is attacked though, it brings him to volunteer his services as an invisible agent inside Germany.

This one stars Jon (MONSTER FROM THE SURF) Hall as Frank Raymond, Ilona (FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN) Massey as Maria Sorenson, Peter (BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS) Lorre as Baron Ikito and Cedric (THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN) Hardwicke as Conrad Stauffer.

Here's the evil Japanese agent Baron Ikito using any method to get people to cooperate!

After the Pearl Harbor attack, Frank shoots himself up with the invisibility formula before parachuting into Germany. He's invisible before hitting the ground and has the Nazi's wondering what the Hell just happened when they only find the parachute without a body!

His contact in Germany is Maria Sorenson, she's surprised to (not) see her invisible guest.

J. Edward Bromberg plays Karl Heiser, he visits Maria and tries to put the make on her, but, what he doesn't realize is that Frank is in the room with them. Heiser is a soggy mess by the time he leaves her house, totally humiliated and confused by what has just happened to him!

Great shot of Frank after applying make-up to his face!

Frank's surrounded by Nazis after they realize that they have him trapped in a room. He sets the place on fire and beats the crap out of the unprepared Germans in the confusion, after calling the fire department!..

This Nazi gets a face full of ink after Frank lobs an ink well at him, then, he scurries down the ladder after the firemen arrive to the scene, totally getting away!

Baron Ikito is pretty damn mad at Nazi Conrad Stauffer after a book with all the names of Japanese agents in the US is stolen by Frank. In fact, Ikito stabs him to death later in the story!

Heiser has been imprisoned after his ravings about an invisible man at his dinner with Maria! Frank is in the cell and makes a deal with Meiser for his help to drive him to a destination.

Then, the Japanese implement a plan to capture Frank. They drop a net lined with fish hooks onto him and take him to their secret location. Keye Luke plays the surgeon who removes the hooks from Frank's flesh. Notice that the hooks in the first shot don't match the ones removed.

Frank and Maria steal one of the bombers scheduled to make an attack on America, he then bombs the others planes when they make a pass over them. Maria is flying the bomber!

They take the plane to England and parachute out just before the bomber is hit by flack!

Frank is in the hospital when he finds out that Maria is actually a double agent working for the US! It's a happy ending all the way around!.. Tune in on Wednesday when Eegah!! body slams yet another Dungeon offering!

GHOST STORY - Episode 01 - "The New Home" (1972)

Tonight's Saturday Night Special is a 70's TV show produced by the amazing William Castle called "Ghost Story."

I'm still not sure why they changed the title to "Circle Of Fear," because it sure didn't make it any more popular!

 

The great Sebastian Cabot is the host! An elegant man like Orson Welles or Alfred Hitchcock, you just feel comfortable about Sebastian even if he is in a house of ghosts!

As host, he was referred to as Winston Essex! When they stupidly changed the name of the show to "Circle Of Fear" in the beginning of 1973, Sebastians's services were deemed to be no longer needed!

Sebastian was the narrator in many a "Winnie The Pooh" tale, and was also in the "Twilight Zone" episode titled "Mr. Pip."

Here's a happy couple John and Eileen Travis as played by David (Officer Frank Serpico) Birney and Barbara Parkins! She's pregnant, and they've had a beautiful new house built in the country. There's one small problem, it's severely haunted because it's a location on a hill where they used to hang people years and years earlier!

Why do these guys look like military instead of policemen!

If I brought this hideous statue home, it would be an immediate reason to get a divorce!

I still haven't figured out how a German guy can seemingly know more about American film culture than me, but I'm not here to complain! He's really helped keep this site in tune like a fine running Porsche! Please do yourself a favor and check out his radio show, I guaran-darn-tee you'll like it!

 KWFT, Radio Marabu, and more!

Barbara Parkins has long been considered one of the most beautiful women of the 20th century. Her last acting gig was in 1998, but she's still around, thank goodness! Barbara was Betty Anderson Harrington who was one of the main characters in "Peyton Place," and even though she wasn't in every episode, she does get credits on every episode!

As a Father of three, I have to say being around a pregnant woman is tough enough without the house you're living in being haunted too!

One of those hanged was an innocent young spitfire of a woman, and as it turns out, she's still hanging around in more ways than one!

She can feel the noose tightening around her neck!

One of  the other big films Barbara was in was "Valley Of The Dolls" with co-stars Patty Duke, and Sharon Tate! Close friends, Barbara was even the Maid of Honor in the marriage of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski!

This is Caitlin Wyles as Thomasina Barros, the dead girl in question. Her first role ever was as Marlene Standing Rattle in a film I'm completely not familiar with, a 1968 Elvis movie titled "Stay Away Joe," where The Big E played Joe Lightcloud, a mixed race rodeo cowboy!

So even though this is a TV show, it was still produced by the Master of Macabre, which I think makes it a lot more special. These two shots just remind me of the dead old lady on rollers in "House On Haunted Hill," except Caitlin's a lot better looking!

Why do we think William Castle is so great? Here's 13 reasons: MACABRE, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, THE TINGLER, 13 GHOSTS, HOMICIDAL, MR. SARDONICUS, ZOTZ!, 13 FRIGHTENED GIRLS, THE OLD DARK HOUSE, STRAIT-JACKET, THE NIGHT WALKER, THE SPIRIT IS WILLING, and ROSEMARY'S BABY, and Sebastian Cabot's not too bad himself! I'm looking forward to watching some more episodes of this show for sure!