DEEP WATERS (1948)

DEEP WATERS is one of those movies where all of the tension, stress and conflicts could be resolved almost immediately if the characters would just talk to each other in an open and honest manner.

Twelve-year old Dean Stockwell (yep, the same Dean Stockwell from the original Quantum Leak TV show in the 80’s / 90’s) is an orphan from a fishing family who is now placed in a local fishing village by a social worker (Jean Peters) who has a deep hatred for the fishing industry because of how many people die from commercial fishing. Also, her ex-fiancée (Dana Andrews) is a fisherman and neighbor’s with the woman (Anne Revere) who takes in the boy. The social worker then gets upset when the boy shows an interest in fishing...in a fishing village where the only thing to do is fish.

All of the conflicts in DEEP WATERS arise solely from the characters not talking to each other. Then, at the very end of the film, when they actually tell each other their feelings everybody’s like...oohhhhhhh! Okay, cool. Then, literally, ride off together (in a boat) into the sunset. Normally, simplistic storytelling like that would put a thorn in my handsome sack, but with DEEP WATERS I didn’t care because I really like all of the actors in the movie and was just happy to see them perform. Especially Dana Andrews who’s always so relaxed and natural on screen. Dude is awesome. Also, Anne Revere is always just such a delight to watch in anything she ever did. Which, sadly, wasn't a lot.

Bland direction, okay pacing, zero gore, zero nudity, littering, weak as fuck story that's salvaged by solid performances. I am kinda tickled though by that poster art showing Andrews swooping up Jean in his lusty arms as the turbulent storm of his loins, I mean, the sea rages behind them...there was zero sexual chemistry between those characters in the movie. The sea was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.

CRACK IN THE WORLD (1965)

In order to solve the worlds renewable energy problem, scientist Dana Andrews heads up a project to drill down to the Earth's core and use its nonstop heat to create power.  Trouble is, once they drilled down nearly to the core they encountered a hard layer that they cannot break through.  Solution: blast that bitch with a nuclear missile!  That's right, launch a missile down into the hole and hope for the best.  Naturally, things don't go too well and the massive explosion (multiplied by a hidden gas pocket) causes a slow-moving (3mph) crack in the Earth's crust.  That can't be good.

Yeah, that's a silly idea for a movie, (you could even say the filmmakers must have been smoking...all of the crack in the world), but it does have potential (massive earthquakes destroying cities, damns bursting, the Golden Gate Bridge falling over, airplane landing on a runway that suddenly splits in two, dogs and cats living together, oceans boiling up gigantic clouds of steam, a volleyball game at a nudist colony is broken up by a sink hole with lava spurting out of it, etc.)...unfortunately none of that shit happens on screen.  Why? Because half of the film it taken up with a love triangle between Andrews, his young wife and her scientist ex-boyfriend who she still has the hots for.  Not a single motherfucker who paid to see a movie called Crack in the World(!!!) gave a single fuck about a love triangle, but it's an excuse to chew up runtime without spending money of special effects, so it what we got.

Insulting lack of action, weak ending, annoying screaming by the lead actress, magmanauts, mediocre acting, a guy with zero respect for helicopter blades, misleading tag line on the poster: "The day the Earth split in two!"...bullshit.

Based on the poster artwork, I was looking forward to seeing this movie.  I was really curious as to how they were going to overcome the Earth splitting in friggin' two, but in the end, I just ended up disappointed and feeling sorry for Dana Andrews wasting his talents on this lying turkey.

Look how close that helicopter blade is to that guys dome!

NIGHT OF THE DEMON (1957)

Dana Andrews travels to England to attend a scientific convention debunking paranormal stuff like ghosts, witches, demons, wookalars, dogs and cats living together, Harry Potter's nutsack, Bigfoot, angels, etc.  When he arrives, he's informed that one of his colleagues has died in a mysterious way.  Was it electrocution due to downed power lines or...a demon?!  If you guessed "demon" you would be correct, but since Dana is a total skeptic he believes that there is a perfectly logical reason for his friends death.  He begins investigating and soon discovers that he himself has been cursed and he only has three days until the demon assassin gets all crunk on his bootyhole.

NIGHT OF THE DEMON is dated nowadays, but fans of classic horror movies will like it.  Medium pace, good usage of English locations (including one scene showing Dana walking around Stonehenge alone...yet the poster features a person beating another person with a club at Stonehenge), average acting, awesome-looking demon that's only shown in two scenes, the number 666 on a license plate.

I liked NOTD alright, but I can't ever see myself wanting to watch it again anytime soon, mainly due to the fact that Dana didn't have enough to do.  If he would've had at least one other interesting character to interact with things would have been much more entertaining.  As it is, the bad guy and the female lead (the niece of his dead friend) were both boring.

Mildly recommended.

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