FORT MASSACRE (1958)

After an cavalry troop is ambushed by Apaches, the highest ranking soldier is sergeant Joel McCrea.  He takes charge, but the other soldiers quickly begin to question his ability to command since it's widely known that he has an extreme hatred for Indians ever since his wife and children were murdered by Indians.  Their only hope is to hopefully connect with a larger cavalry column or make it back to the fort, but either way they desperately need water and the only watering hole around is controlled by the same Apaches that wiped out most of their troop.

I really enjoyed FORT MASSACRE and especially liked seeing McCrea in a darker role.  He wasn't evil or anything, but tortured inside and filled with hate.  Supporting cast of familiar faces (including the under appreciated John Russell one year before he squared off against John Wayne in RIO BRAVO), quick pace, strong story by Martin M. Goldsmith who also penned the film noir classic DETOUR, the phrase "milked the donkey", exciting action sequences, good acting.

FORT MASSACRE is an above average western that I look forward to watching again.

THE TEXAS RANGERS (1936)

Early Fred MacMurray western finds Fred along with buddies Lloyd Nolan and Jack Oakie as outlaws.  Times get tough and after a close scrape with the law they get split up and MacMurray and Oakie get so hungry they sign up for the Texas Rangers with no intention of ever putting in an honest days work.  Naturally though once they see how caring and selfless the Rangers actually are their hard hearts thaw out and they fight for the side of good.  Unfortunately their old friend Nolan has, during this time, become the most notorious outlaw in the land.

I really didn't have that high of hopes for THE TEXAS RANGERS, but I ended up enjoying it thoroughly and watch parts of it twice.  I especially liked seeing MacMurray and Nolan in sinister roles.  The comedic antics of Oakie got a little tiring, but it wasn't too bad.  All in all THE TEXAS RANGERS is a pretty good mid-30's western.  Not a classic by any means, but a good solid and entertaining film.  Quick pace, good story, strong supporting cast (including Edward Ellis, Jean Parker, Charles Middleton and George Hayes), nice scenery, exciting action scenes.  Recommended.

ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968)

"Hail, Satan! Hail, Satan!"

I've heard people mention that since ROSEMARY'S BABY came out 5 years before THE EXORCIST it was the catalyst for the Satanic movie boom of the 70's.  That might be true, to a point, but I don't fully subscribe to that argument.  Polanski's film is more concerned with Rosemary's paranoia than with any of the Satanic elements (I believe that ROSEMARY'S BABY is an extension of the ground Polanski covered in REPULSION and would again later visit in THE TENANT) and pretty much all of the terror in the film comes from the unknown, so there wasn't much for the exploiters to exploit.  Yeah, there were a few Satanic films released during the years in between, but it wasn't until THE EXORCIST was released in all of it's spiderwalking, crucifix fucking, head-spinning, vomit-spewing glory that the unholy gates of Hell were fully opened into the movie theaters.

Rosemary Woodhouse is a normal girl.  Her husband is a mildly successful actor that mostly appears in TV commercials.  They've decided to get a new apartment and that's were we see them for the first time: touring an old apartment.  Even this early in the film the seeds of unease are planted with the dark interiors and with a dresser that placed in front of a closet.  Why would the former tenant put it there?  Anyway, Rosemary and her husband rent the apartment and for a little while things go fine, but then small strange things start to happen...

Regrettably, I've never read Ira Levin's novel that was the source material for the film, but from what I've read the film is actually quite a faithful retelling...and it shows.  While I was revisiting the film for this review, I kept thinking how the slow pacing is almost like reading a really good book that teases you while gradually building up steam.  I've never been to film school, but I would imagine ROSEMARY'S BABY would be an excellent example of how to create tension through proper pacing and editing.

Highly, highly recommended for lovers of great cinema.  Modern horror audiences might not care for it since it's not graphic in anyway, but, in my opinion, ROSEMARY'S BABY is not only one of the best films of the 60's, but one of the best movies of all time.  The Academy Awards might have messed up a lot of things over years, but giving the Best Supporting Actress to Ruth Gordon for this film was definitely the right choice.  I would love to know who's idea was it for her to eat so strangely?  And wipe the knife mark on the floor?

 William Castle cameo.