Wise Thriller

 

 (imdb)

HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL-1951-A woman (Valentina Cortese) in a Nazi prison takes on the identity of her friend Karen who died there. She comes to America looking for her “son” Chris who is heir to a fortune. In NY, she meets Chris’ guardian Allen (Richard Basehart) who she eventually marries. They go to San Francisco and meet Chris (Gordon Gebert) and then go live in the title house where she has a problem with housekeeper Margaret (Fay Baker) who seems as though she might have a secret agenda with Allen. Especially when the brakes fail on Karen's car. She tells Allen's sort of friend, Marc (William Lundigan), she thinks Allen is trying to kill her and Chris. Or is it just in Karen's mind? 

An ironic twist ending reveals everything. Nice little thriller directed by Robert Wise who made THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL the same year.

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Beneath....

BENEATH THE DARK-2011-A horny couples' hotel sex is foiled by the guy's inability to perform. There's a weird hotel manager and a strange security guard. The guy named Paul (Josh Stewart) meets a black man  (Afemo Omilami) who says "I'm the son of god". The security guard is caught on camera doing something with woman's underwear and is fired. Meanwhile Paul's wife (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) changes her clothes and cheats on him. A lurid video of Paul's college initiation plays into the crappy story. The whole thing turns into a CARNIVAL OF SOULS rip-off with a little of THE SHINING (and MANOS, HANDS OF FATE!) thrown in. The director Chad Feehan must have hit his head hard before making this....

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Korea

THE HOUSEMAID-2010-A young girl becomes the new maid/nanny for a rich decedent couple with a small daughter. Along with having to put up with the stone faced Mrs. Cho, she has to watch the daughter, cook meals and even wash the hair of the pregnent wife. The wine drinking husband sort of seduces the maid and they have an affair. She winds up pregent herself. Mrs. Cho finds out and tells the wife's mother. She tries to kill the maid and make it look like an accident but the maid is only slightly hurt. When the husband goes on a business trip the wife and Mrs. Cho decide to punish her. They poison her but she survives although she loses her baby. The maid vows revenge but in the end she hangs herself (and sets herself on fire) in front of the whole family. Much has been made about the ambiguous final scene which to me seems to signify insanity.

Director Sang-soo Im puts together a lot of excellent scenes in this Korean thriller/mystery but the story could have been better. It's a remake of a 1960 film.

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Cold War 50's

SHACK OUT ON 101-1955-A greasy spoon on the California coast is the setting for this cold war film noir drama and it's cast of characters: short tempered owner George (Keenan Wynn), sexy waitress Kotty (top billed Terry Moore from MIGHTY JOE YOUNG), sleazy cook Slob (Lee Marvin, who was in BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK the same year) and Sam (Frank Lovejoy from HOUSE OF WAX), a professor at the nuclear facility who's also Kotty boyfriend (talk about an odd couple!). Also featured is Whit Bissell as George's friend Eddie who has a fear of blood.

Between the characters talking about their problems and feelings some espionage goes on as Slob is passing micro film from the professor's facility (with the help of delivery man Len Lesser) to unknown agents. One night Kotty hears Sam and Slob talking and realizes her stuffed shirt of a lover is part of a spy ring. Frank DeKova shows up in one scene as a crooked professor who gets killed. Some comic scenes involving Wynn using barbells and scuba equipment are thrown in as well.

It's an ok low budget thriller with Marvin kind of stealing the show especially when he turns violent in the finale. Donald Murphy who later played the mad doctor in FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER has a small role as a federal agent posing as a truck driver.

Director Edward Dein went on to make the vampire western CURSE OF THE UNDEAD. Earlier he made SOUL OF A MONSTER.
http://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2010/03/not-that-much-soul.html

I could write another whole entry on co-star Frank Lovejoy, who as I have mentioned before seems to have none of his last name in any of his acting. His love scenes with Terry Moore are awkward at best!

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From France

HIGH TENSION-2003-Two college students Marie and Alexia go to stay at Alexia’s family’s country home. At night a truck driving killer breaks in and slays the family taking Alexia hostage. Marie manages to evade the killer and sets out to get Alexia back. This is a violent and suspenseful French thriller but the POV camera work and climax are a cheat with several plot holes that made the whole thing disappointing (at least for me).

Director Alexandre Aja did the remake of THE HILLS HAVE EYES in the US 2 years later and made another remake PIRANHA 3-D in 2010.

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Out of My Element

THE ELEMENT OF CRIME- (FORBRYDELSE ELEMENT)-1984- This was Lars Von Trier’s first film in English. I’m not much of a fan of his so for me he shouldn’t have bothered.

This pretentious, phony noir thriller features Michael Elphick as Fisher, a washed up police detective returning to Europe after spending 12 years in Cairo. He meets his old mentor (Shakespearean actor Esmond Knight, who died in ’87) author of the book “The Element of Crime”. He asks Fisher to investigate the murders of some lottery-selling children. From a police report Fisher traces the movements of the killer, one Harry Grey. Along the way he meets a prostitute (Me Me Lai from EATEN ALIVE BY CANNIBALS) who may not be all she appears to be (despite a full frontal nude scene….). Fisher actually narrates it all to a psychiatrist while under hypnosis. Dark, talky and self important, all the ingredients to make this a pseudo-arty cult hit!

Mr. Dogma himself (who also co-wrote this) went on to make THE KINGDOM 1 & 2 and the Cannes hit DANCER IN THE DARK (with singer Bjork) and other nonsense. Star Elphick was a popular British TV (“Boon”) and movie star who died in 2002 at age 55.