The Blob (1958)

I believe 1958’s The Blob was my introduction to two wonderful things: 1950’s monster movies and Steve McQueen.  The Blob was McQueen’s first lead role in a film and helped propel him to stardom.  Though he was twenty-seven during filming, he plays a teenager, doing all the things teens did in the late ‘50s: take girls out in their car, unintentionally rouse a gang and have to drag race for their respect, run from a monster attacking the movie theater and fear he might die in the local diner.  It must’ve been tough growing up back then.

While Steve (McQueen) is on a date with his girl, Jane (Aneta Corsaut), they see a big red falling star.  Curious, they go in search of where it landed but run into an old man (Olin Howland) with a strange jelly he can’t get off his arm.  They take him to the doctor (Stephen Chase), who doesn’t identify the substance.  While he sends Steve and Jane to look for clues to the ooze, it grows and eventually envelops and dissolves the old man!  It seems to be an alien substance that can only grow and engulf any living thing around.

When Steve and Jane try to warn the police, they don’t believe them.  Their story seems to bizarre, and being kids they’re probably just pulling a prank.  Their parents are called and the teens are taken home.  But Steve can’t just sleep while the town is in danger, and soon there is no denying the wrath of the monstrous blob.

Sure, this movie isn’t very scary.  There’s no blood, gore, sex or violence (though if you’re looking for some, you might have more luck with the 1988 remake).  I would consider it appropriate for all ages.  The horror here is the thought of an alien substance suddenly dropping in on a small town and engulfing it overnight.  It could go on to cover the whole world.  Thank goodness for meddling teenagers and CO2 fire extinguishers.

Oh, and for fun, check out the song that plays during the opening credits.  It’s one of my favorite horror movie theme songs.

“Doctor, nothing will stop it!”

The Iron Giant

In the late summer of 1999, with Disney steadily dominating the animated film market, The Iron Giant was released by Warner Bros. Pictures.  With director Brad Bird at the helm, most known for his work on The Simpsons at the time, the film reminded audiences what an animated film could really focus on: an engaging story.  It had no catchy songs to sing along to.  No cute talking animals.  No princesses or fairy tale motifs whatsoever.  Instead, it had a boy growing up in 1957, who befriends a giant alien robot.  The film shows the unease of the Atomic Age in America, just after the Russians had launch of Sputnik.

Hogarth (voiced by Eli Marienthal) is a boy wanting a pet, but his single mother, Annie (voiced by Jennifer Aniston) will have none of it.  One night, when Hogarth notices the antenna on the roof is gone, mysteriously bitten off rather, he follows a trail of destruction to find The Iron Giant (Vin Diesel’s voice computerized).  The Giant is an innocent creature, much like E.T., and learns English from Hogarth in the same way.  The problem is keeping The Giant hidden, from his mother and the rest of town.  There is a hilarious scene with The Giant’s hand running around the house like a dog and Hogarth desperately trying to get him back outside.  Eventually, word gets out and a government agent, Kent Mansley (voiced by Christopher McDonald) is sent to investigate.  Driven by power and paranoia, all he wants to do is destroy The Giant.  The impending doom from Mansley’s actions are more realistic and solemn than what most animated films dare to convey.

The film does a wonderful job of showing children the early years of Cold War America in ways that they could identify with.  In Hogarth’s school, we see them watching a film describing what to do in case of a nuclear attack.  The little jingle, “time to duck and cover, the bombs are coming down,” seems almost like an oxymoron now.  The comic books Hogarth shows The Giant are all created out of this new idea and fear of foreign weaponry.  Superman would surely not be around if it had not been for the early atomic age.

There are other great moments that illustrate the time period.  Hogarth’s mother works at a classic diner, while Dean (voiced by Harry Connick Jr.) portrays a stereotypical beatnik, complete with his espresso and scrap metal sculptures.  Great detail was taken to make sure all the cars depicted were from the era, including the train.  Hogarth staying up late and watching a typical B-horror movie is one of my favorite scenes.  I love how he rolls his eyes when leading man asks the woman if she wants to get a nightcap.  And if you notice a star moving in one scene, it’s meant to be Sputnik.

What I believe makes The Iron Giant a great animated film is the fact that it has a strong story that both children and adults will find captivating.  Adults will appreciate the accurate depiction of the time period more, but it will not push children away.  And what kid wouldn’t love the idea of having a giant robot friend?  Best of all, it has a simple parable about being who you choose to be, that adults can feel good about showing children.

“Oh, that’s Atomo, the metal menace.  He’s not a hero, he’s a villain.  But you’re not like him.  You’re a good guy, like Superman.”

Quiz Show

In 1957, Sputnik was a threat, television was brand new and game shows were all the rage.

The most popular game show is Twenty-one, a quiz show where contestants put in a soundproof booth, grilled with multi-part questions, with no multiple choice and no knowledge of their competitor’s score.  It makes Who Wants to be Millionaire look like patty-cake.

For the past few weeks, Herb Stempel (John Turturro), a dorky looking Jewish man from Queens, has been winning Twenty-One.  When the show’s producers find Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes) a clean cut college professor looking to play on another game show, Tic Tac Toe, they redirect him to play on Twenty-One.  They want him to overthrow Herb since his ratings have leveled out.  Besides, Charles is much easier on the eyes and can make intelligence look cool.  Dan Enright (David Paymer) is sure that Charles will be a hit in homes across America, but first they have to make sure Herb will fall.

So they tell Herb how he has to answer one question: What film won Best Picture in 1955?  They want Herb to answer On the Waterfront and take a dive.  Why did they have to pick that question?  Herb knows the correct answer is Marty, he loved the movie so much he saw it three times.  For Herb, this isn’t just a moral dilemma, but he’s prided himself on being a know-it-all, how can he take a dive on such an easy and close to the heart question?  Herb is told by Dan Enright that he will be on other shows if he takes the dive, and Herb believes him.

Those moments in the booth, under the hot lights, where all of America is waiting for Herb to answer, “Marty” are so tense.  Everyone knows the answer, as they watch they say it, as if trying to help him out.  He sweats, he knows the right answer but he can have a career in television with the wrong answer.  As he chokes out, “On the Waterfront,” everyone is so disappointed.

But Herb is quickly forgotten, now they have shining Charlie to worship and adore.  He even gets his face on the cover of Time magazine.  All he has to do is act intelligent and say the answers NBC gives him.  The setup seems too easy, until Herb lets the secrets behind the show loose and investigator Dick Goodwin (Rob Morrow) goes snooping around for the truth.

John Turturro plays Herb, at first I couldn’t remember where I had seen that face before, upon a quick IMDB search I couldn’t believe this was the same person who played Pete in Oh Brother Where Art Thou?  Here Turturro pours so much eccentric energy into Herb, he’s wonderfully odd and passionate, but those qualities don’t always look good when trying to prove a big television company for fixing their game.

The moral issues faced by the characters, mainly Herb and Charles, are the central issue of the story.  Each week, they go on television with the answers memorized and the outcome all ready known.  When Charlie is visiting with his family, his father doesn’t exactly call half an hour of a quiz show a hard day’s work, but at the same time, he feels pride in his son.  Charlie is a good man just wrapped up in the whole quiz show plot.  When things finally get exposed, he hopes he can just lay low and avoid the shame of cheating and deceiving the whole nation.

We’ve seen Robert Redford’s work before in Ordinary People.  His skills only sharpened into the ’90s.  He makes quiz show feel like part big cooperate corruption, part moral drama and part investigation crime film.  The story, array of characters and detailed image of 1957 America he creates is more intelligent than any quiz show.

Before you write Quiz Show and Slumdog Millionaire into the same category, know that these films are wildly different.  The only real similarity between them is a game show background.  I cannot recommend one or the other because they are so opposite and both have great ideas to offer.  I would recommend Quiz Show to anyone who enjoys a good conspiracy, moral drama or 1950’s setting.  Of course, if you enjoy John Turturro, Ralph Fiennes or Rob Marrow this is a must see.

“Sixty-four thousand dollars for a question, I hope they are asking you the meaning of life.”