Author: Craig Zablo

10 Best Monster Movies of All Time

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Recently Variety posted a piece by Maane Khatchatourian titled 10 Best Monster Movies of All Time.

So, let’s take a look at her list…

  • Alien: is an excellent horror movie which basically takes the haunted house concept and moves it to outer space.  While Alien  would make many folks’ top ten, I prefer Aliens.
  • Jurassic Park: was a lot of fun.  It doesn’t quickly spring to mind when I think of monster movies, but okay, let’s include it… probably not in the top ten though.
  • Godzilla: Although I’ve seen most of the Godzilla  movies [including the most recent version], none would make my 10 Best Monster Movies of All Time list.
  • Jaws: is a great movie, but it is also one that doesn’t spring to mind when I think of Monster Movies.  If we agree Jaws is a monster movie it would be easy to argue it deserves a spot in the top ten.
  • Bride of Frankenstein and Frankenstein: are two that we cannot deny entry into the top 10 [especially since we’re allowed to pair them!].
  • Creature from the Black Lagoon: not only makes the top ten, we could argue over whether it deserves the number one spot [and I wouldn’t argue too hard against that].
  • Gremlins: probably wouldn’t crack my top 50.
  • King Kong: has to be on anyone’s list of best monster movies!
  • The Thing: of course has to make the list.  I suggest we pair it with the original Thing from Another World [which also needs to make the list].
  • The Fly: is one that I enjoy, but even pairing it with the remake probably wouldn’t get them into 10 Best Monster Movies of All Time list.

How could these monster movies be left off:

  • Them!
  • Dracula
  • Invasion of the Body Snatchers
  • War of the Worlds
  • The Blob
  • Night of the Living Dead
  • and so many others?

 

Z-View: “The Wild Bunch”

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The Tagline:  “Unchanged men in a changing land. Out of step, out of place and desperately out of time.“

The Overview:   *** Beware –  spoilers are found below ***

The year is 1913.  An aging gang of outlaws is on the run and looking for one last score.  They know their days are numbered.  The west is changing.  The bounty hunters are on their heels.  Will they find the score they need to fade into retirement or will they go out in a blaze of glory, dying as they lived?

*** Even More Spoilers Below ***

The Good

  • The Wild Bunch is a classic.
  • William Holden, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Jamie Sanchez, Edmund O’Brien, Strother Martin, LQ Jones, with Bo Hopkins and Dub Taylor [in smaller but important roles] are perfectly cast.
  • This is Sam Peckinpah‘s greatest film.
  • The opening sequence would be the finale in many movies.
  • So many great lines:
    – “If they move, kill ’em!”
    – “We all dream of being a child again, even the worst of us. Perhaps the worst most of all.”
    –  Bishop:     What would you do in his place? He gave his word.”
    Dutch: “He gave his word to a railroad.”
    Bishop: “It’s his word.”
    Dutch: “That ain’t what counts! It’s who you give it *to*!
    – Dutch:  I think the boys are right. I’d like to say a few words for the dear, dead departed. And maybe a few hymns’d be in order. Followed by a church supper. With a choir!”
    –  Bishop: “We’ve got to start thinking beyond our guns. Those days are closin’ fast.”
    –  Bishop: ” If you two boys don’t like equal shares, why in the hell don’t you just take *all* of it?”
  • The perfect mix of humor, action and suspense.
  • How Holden and Ryan‘s past have led them to the situations they’re in.
  • The train robbery sequence.
  • The plan to trade guns for money.
  • The interactions between Coffer [Strother Martin] and TC [LQ Jones].  Same for Lyle Gorch [Warren Oates] and Techtor Gorch [Ben Johnson].
  • The tense moments after Bishop kills Mapache.
  • The final gun battle between the Wild Bunch and the Mexican Army.
  • The final scene with Robert Ryan.

The Bad:

  • Coffer and TC.  Crazy Lee.  Mapache.  The Wild Bunch.  Almost everyone.
  • Robert Ryan’s situation.
  • Getting washers instead of gold.
  • When you can’t see to ride.
  • Shooting your ex-lover while she is in Mapache’s arms.

The Ugly:

  • Being forced to hunt a former partner and being teamed with idiots.
  • Seeing your way of life is getting away from you.

 

Rating: 5 out of 5