A HOLE IN THE HEAD (1959)

In what universe was this film even set?!  Full-time loser Frank Sinatra runs a hotel in Miami Beach that somehow doesn't make any money.  He hasn't paid his rent in over 5 months or even paid his employees in 5 weeks(!!!), but instead of trying to get some cash together he's out partying like it's 1999.  A closet full of "$200 suits", dancing at clubs, driving around drunk in his shiny Cadillac convertible with a sloshed beatnik bimbo in his lap.  Oh yeah, he also has an 11-year-old son that seems to pretty much raise himself.  The film opens with Frank finishing up a long night of partying, he comes in at 4 a.m. to find his kid holding an eviction notice.  So what does he do?  Nothing.  Just goes crying to his older brother, Edward G. Robinson, about needing some money.  After a short eternity of pointless talking, Robinson finally agrees to give him some dough if Frank will agree to marry sexy and sweet Eleanor Parker and run a department store that Robinson owns!!!  The story just goes on and on like this until the inevitable happy ending.  It's terrible.

Fantastic cast (except for that annoying little kid), talented director, costume design by Edith Head, nice photography...I was really hoping to like this movie, but holy fook that story was horrendous!!!  It seemed like every single decision that Sinatra made was bad.  How did so many talented people sign up for this hokum?

Negatives aside, I did enjoy watching Edward G. Robinson and Thelma Ritter.  The Miami locations were cool too.  I was also interested in Carolyn Jones' beatnik character with her blue nail polish, bongos and free spirit.  Kinda unique for a mainstream movie from 1959.

SOYLENT GREEN (1973)

In the year 2022, the world is all kinds of fucked up.  Industrialization, overpopulation (New York City itself is over 40 million people!) and global warming has destroyed the environment and now food is extremely expensive...too bad most people don't even have a job.

One evening, homicide detective Charlton Heston is called in to investigate the murder of wealthy businessman Joseph Cotten who has been beaten to death in his apartment.  Heston thinks that everything is too convenient to be a botched robbery: the security system was down, the bodyguard and the concubine were both out shopping, plus there was nothing stolen despite the fact there was tons of food and other luxury items all over the place.  The bosses tell Heston to lay off, but he keeps investigating on his own and the further he digs the more sinister things appear.

I enjoyed SOYLENT GREEN.  Younger audiences will probably find it overly simple (and it is), but I still enjoyed it.  The set designs and special effects were that special brand of early 70's, big studio efforts that look like crap nowadays, but yet I really like them.  It's strange.

Charlton Heston is always a treat to watch and Edward G. Robinson (who died just twelve days after filming...he knew his cancer was terminal, but finished out the film all the same) is great!  I couldn't help thinking the entire movie about how much I appreciated him and his contributions to Cinema.

Anyway, the biggest shocker to me was how unshocking the ending was.  There was this big buildup and then...nothing.  I'm not going to give away the ending here, just in case you don't know, but if somebody watching this movie hasn't figured out the ending within the first 20 minutes then you have to be a moron.  It's actually comical how flat the ending is.  That said, the scenes depicting overcrowding and people not even knowing what deer or trees were are haunting.

Worth a watch.  I would love to see a hard-hitting, super depressing remake. Maybe even a limited series on HBO.