A MAN BETRAYED (1941)

After a small town athlete is found shot to death outside of the notorious Inferno Club, small town lawyer John Wayne comes to the big city to investigate.  What he finds is something straight out of a Dashiell Hammett novel.  A kingpin (Edward Ellis) with an iron grip controls the entire town from the mayor and the police all the way down the booze racket.  Naturally, Wayne falls in love with the kingpin's daughter (Frances Dee) and she with him, but it's not all rainbows and unicorns.  Wayne still needs to solve the murder. There's also a rigged election to deal with.

If this film was completely serious it would have been quite good, but for whatever bizarre reason the story is half-drama, half-comedy!  And unfunny comedy at that.  And let's not forget all the cornball romantic stuff going on.  Example: Wayne gets Dee alone on the top of a Ferris wheel and says "You sure would be lovely if you had brown hair." "I have brown hair.", she replies.  "Yeah." he sighs. [They kiss.]  Oh, brother!

Interesting for a single watch, but the drama/comedy/romance jerking back and forth all over the place was too much for me.  If you need me I'll be in my room reading "Red Harvest".

reflection

THE FACULTY (1998)

"Guaranteed to jack you up."

 

Borrowing heavily from the INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS idea, THE FACULTY is about a small group of teenagers who start to notice weird shit going on at their high school.  Turns out the faculty and most of their fellow students have been taken over by some outer space buttholes and if they don't stop 'em they're gonna take over the world!

 

As far as high school sci-fi horror movies go, THE FACULTY isn't too bad.  If you saw it as a teen back in '98 you probably have a special affection for it, but even without that it still holds up alright.  The story is about as unoriginal as it gets, but the acting is good and it was a lot of fun seeing a young Elijah Wood gettin' all stressed out and chased by a multi-tentacled monster.  Poorly lit (fake) topless scene, nice pace, worms, boring direction, a mic hanging down into the shot, a Venom shirt, a little blood, stereotypical high school cliques, zero gore.

 

Would make an okay double-feature with DISTURBING BEHAVIOR.