Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999).
The Scoop:
This mock documentary covering a teen beauty pageant in a small Minnesota town is a capable satire of both pageant culture and Midwestern provincialism, but ultimately it falls short.
The cast and crew give a good effort across the board, but what really handicaps this film is its mockumentary style. The best mockumentaries out there (from the comedy of “This is Spinal Tap” to the seriousness of “The Blair Witch Project” or “Man Bites Dog”) work because of their spontaneity. “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” on the other hand, is too tightly scripted and its satire too unbelievably over-the-top to be an effective mockumentary. Instead, it would have been better served by a conventional narrative format.
Despite this handicap, though, there are terrific performances from the whole cast (led by Kirsten Dunst, Ellen Barkin and Kirstie Alley) and some great gags (both visual and verbal). Much like Dunst’s character Amber Atkins, this is a little, disadvantaged film that succeeds on effort and charm.
Best Line:
“Hi. I’m Amber Atkins, and I am signing up ’cause two of my favorite persons in the world competed in pageants: my mom and Diane Sawyer. Of course, I want to end up more like Diane Sawyer than my mom.”
Side Note:
Screenwriter Lona Williams, who is also a writer and producer for “The Drew Carey Show,” was a first runner-up in the national Junior Miss competition. She also has a cameo in the movie as a pageant judge.
Companion Viewing:
“Waiting for Guffman” (1996).
Links:
IMDb.
Take a Look:
A collection of clips to give you the Cliffs Notes version of the movie. Part one:
And part two:
The Man Who Turned to Stone (1957).
The Scoop:
A cabal of mad scientists trying to live forever use the front of running a reform school for girls in order who have a fresh supply nubile young women to drain of their life force. After a crusading young case worker notices the death toll rising a little too much, she and a generic do-gooder scientist guy team up to uncover the truth.
It’s all pretty standard fare that is distinguished by — well, by nothing, really. The execution fails to live up the premise as no 1950s B-movie cliche is left unturned. Even if you’re an enthusiast of the genre, you’ll likely forget it a half hour after its over.
(And for what it’s worth, a man does indeed turn to stone, but it’s a huge anticlimax.)
Best Line:
“Those twisted features… He may be a mongoloid.”
Side Note:
Screenwriter Bernard Gordon was a victim of the Hollywood Ten blacklist, and worked for several years under the pseudonym Raymond T. Marcus. He is also responsible for penning such classic scripts as “Day of the Triffids” (1962), “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” (1956), “Zombies of Mora Tau” (1957) and “Krakatoa, East of Java” (1969).
Companion Viewing:
“The Wasp Woman” (1957).
Links:
IMDb.
Take a Look:
This is a movie so anonymous, it doesn’t even exist on YouTube. Someday I’ll get it together enough to post my own clips. Until then, you’ll just have to use your imagination. (Sorry!)
The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006).
The Scoop:
This wonderful documentary from David Leaf and John Scheinfeld is a must-see. It does more than just detail the FBI’s campaign to discredit and deport John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the early ’70s; it also examines the issues and personalities of the antiwar movement, displays the horrors of the Vietnam War and gives a loving portrayal of John and Yoko’s marriage.
Lennon coupled his intelligence and principle with the pop smarts he learned from the Beatles to propel himself to the front of the antiwar movement and into the orbit of the likes of Bobby Seale, Abbie Hoffman, Ron Kovic and Angela Davis. Along the way he made powerful enemies both in J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI and Richard Nixon’s White House.
The film presents in-depth interviews with Ono (of course), Seale, Davis, Gore Vidal, G. Gordon Liddy, John Dean, Walter Cronkite, Geraldo Rivera and a host of others. With these, Leaf and Scheinfeld make liberal use of archival interviews with Lennon, especially John and Yoko’s appearances on “The Dick Cavett Show”, and Lennon’s own music.
What emerges is a powerful depiction of a celebrity willing to risk everything to use his fame and influence to try to affect positive change on the world — as well as the lengths corrupt powerholders will go to protect their own selfish interests and stifle dissent. It’s a prescient message for today, as we still await an artist capable of making the same stand.
Best Line:
“Mr. Lennon came to represent life and was admirable. Mr. Nixon and Mr. Bush represent death.” — Gore Vidal
Side Note:
Among the celebrities singing on “Give Peace a Chance” (recorded at John and Yoko’s Bed-In in Montreal in 1969) were Tommy Smothers, Timothy Leary, Petula Clark, Allen Ginsberg and Dick Gregory.
Companion Viewing:
“Imagine: John Lennon” (1988) and “The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara” (2003).
Links:
IMDb.
Official Site.
Cinematic Intelligence Agency.
Mooviees!
Take a Look:
The trailer that makes it look almost like a Hollywood thriller:
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953).
The Scoop:
Until the release of Jim Carrey’s version of “The Grinch” in 2000, this held the distinction of being the only live action Dr. Seuss film ever made. And it’s easy to see why — what is charming in animation comes across as just plain creepy when live people do it. The 500 kids with little hands sticking out of their beanie caps, the old men with interlocking beards, the miniature atomic bomb — it’s just all too reminiscent of a bad nightmare… or a freaky drug trip. Watch it stoned, and it’s an experience you’ll never forget.
The story, by the way, involves a young boy who is disgruntled with his piano lessons and escapes into a fantasy world in which his piano teacher is an evil dictator bent on world domination. Theodor Geisel — Dr. Seuss himself — was heavily involved with scripting and production design, so lots of Seussian touches have made it to the screen here. But it’s just a bizarre, surreal viewing experience, both for the visuals and the dialogue.
Best Line:
“The work for the happy finger method must go on!”
Side Note:
Hans Conried, who plays the evil piano teacher Dr. Terwilliker, is better known as the voice of Snidely Whiplash from the “Rocky and Bullwinkle” cartoons.
Companion Viewing:
“Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (1964) and any other nightmarish children’s entertainment.
Take a Look:
The trailer:
His doe-me-doe duds are FABULOUS!
Elevator to the dungeon:
Showtime in the dungeon:
Desuko Movie Spot. 