DVD Review: Big Combo, The (A-)

The Big Combo (1955)
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
Starring Cornell Wilde, Richard Conte, Jean Wallace, Earl Holliman
MPAA: NR
Grade: A-

Review by Scott Standish

This obscure film noir from the fifties is an absolute gem. The story line here is simple: detective Leonard Diamond decides to take down the local crime boss Mr. Brown (played brilliantly by Richard Conte). He also has designs on stealing the mob boss' girl while he's at it. The police captain is distressed that Diamond spends so much effort tailing Brown (and the girl) so he tries to bring an end to the case. As things spiral violently out of control, the police captain is forced to give Diamond the go ahead to bring Brown down.

The Big Combo has everything a great film noir needs: tough talking cops in suits, wiseguy criminals that resort to violence at the drop of a hat, mob gals that are too smart for their own good, strippers with hearts of gold, and most of all - lots and lots of guns. The world is murky, sexy, mysterious and dangerous. Every scene is superbly composed with dark shadows and bold slashes of light bordering on german expressionism in style. The excellent soundtrack is a mix of sometimes sleazy, sometimes frenetic jazz music that complements the film perfectly.

The script is punchy, with tons of great dialogue quips. Mr. Brown repeatedly sums up his view on life by barking out "First is first and second is nothing!". Brown takes on everything and everyone, and he always gets what he wants. This drives Leonard Diamond crazy, as he works long hours on a case that never seems to end. He lives to find a way to steal Brown's gal, and send the mobster to jail.

Here's a great exchange where Detective Diamond tries to pry Brown's girl away from him by taking her under arrest:

Leonard Diamond: She's under arrest, Mr. Brown.
Mr. Brown: What's the charge?
Leonard Diamond: Homicide.
Mr. Brown: That's ridiculous, she wouldn't kill a fly.
Leonard Diamond: She tried to kill herself.
Mr. Brown: Is that a crime?
Leonard Diamond: It happens to be against two laws: God's and Man's. I'm booking her under the second.

Okay, so the dialogue is a bit cliche and almost camp, but you get a good idea of how people talk here. Sharp. Fast. Tough. The writer of the Big Combo (Phillip Yordan) knew where the line was on the camp factor, and he pushed it as far as it could go without crossing it.

For its gritty dialogue, classic film noir cinematography and great acting, the Big Combo deserves an A. So why the A-? Well, Cornell Wilde is fine as Detective Diamond, but I can't help but wonder how much better Humphrey Bogart or Robert Mitchum would have been in this pumped up gangster film. Someone who took that character over the top and made him the brightest star on the screen (in this case Richard Conte outshines Wilde).

But, even without a superstar in the lead role, this movie is a classic. So next time you are in the mood for a tough as nails cops and robbers tale, reach for the Big Combo, a classic film noir shot in gorgeous black and white.

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DVD Review: Bowling For Columbine (A)

Bowling For Columbine (2002)
Directed by Michael Moore
Starring Michael Moore, Charlton Heston, Dick Clark, Matt Stone and Marilyn Manson
MPAA: R
Grade: A

Review by Scott Standish

Left wing documentary filmmaker Michael Moore does a fantastic job of taking a depressing topic (gun violence in America) and making it interesting, funny, and of course very disturbing. Bowling For Columbine deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Documentary of 2002 and its a wonderful film.

Bowling For Columbine explores why our country has such a high rate of murder, specifically hand gun violence. Many claim that this is because we have so many guns in general, but Moore shows that Canadians love their guns as much as we do but have nowhere near the amount of murders. Many claim that video games and rock music causes violence (there is an interesting interview with Marilyn Manson on the subject) but Moore deftly points out that other countries consume our music and movies as much as we do but they don't go out and kill people as a result of it. As a matter of fact, Moore correctly notes that most violent video games come from Japan to begin with and they certainly don't have a problem with gun violence. The U.S. is unique in this disturbing problem. We alone like to kill each other and we usually use guns to do the job.

So what is so different about the U.S.? What makes our nation so willing to shoot someone? Well, for one thing, Moore shows us, our government constantly seems to be warning us about incoming threats to our safety, while at the same time, they proactively go out and bomb nations that we don't happen to agree with. Making things worse, the media jump on any story that may remotely contain graphic violence, hence the phrase "If it bleeds, it leads". No wonder Americans are so jumpy (and so detested around the world).

The most mesmerizing part of Bowling For Columbine (besides Moore's incredible interview with NRA president Charlton Heston) happens when Moore decides to go to Canada and see if people there really are less scared of their neighbors. Lo and behold, he finds it to be true. He walks from house to house, walking into homes completely uninvited. Not only are their doors unlocked but the people don't seem angered by the intrusion. Intrigued, yes, but angered? No. Why should they be? And there is the point: why are people in this country so afraid of each other? Canadians aren't. Bowling For Columbine eloquently makes the point that regardless of what the government and the media may be telling us, maybe we shouldn't be.

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DVD Review: Night Gallery Season One (B-)

Night Gallery - Season One (1969)
Hosted by Rod Serling
MPAA: UR
Grade: B-

Review by Bobby Nashville

Man, I loved Night Gallery when I was a little kid. Dusting off the season one episodes really brought it all back to me - this was a very good show.

As you might recall, Night Gallery was Rod Serling's followup to the Twilight Zone and it featured some very interesting stories. Darker in tone and often lit with a bit of the film noir style, this series had a lot going for it. It's a shame that it doesn't get the respect that it deserves in most TV critic circles.

Perhaps best known is the pilot episode, starring Joan Crawford and directed by the then young Steven Spielberg. Crawford is quite good as the evil Claudia Menlo, a spinster that taunts the kind Osmond Portifoy (played by DVD Confidential fave Ossie Davis). Like the rest of the episodes on Nigh Gallery Season One, there is always a twist at the end.

For fans of classic TV or horror stories in general, Night Gallery is a must own.

DVD Review: Twin Peaks - Fire Walk With Me (B+)

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
Directed By David Lynch
Starring Kyle McLaughlin, Kiefer Sutherland and Chris Isaak
Grade: B+

Review by Scott Standish

This is a prequel to the Twin Peaks saga that was such a huge hit on television. It has the same quirkiness that engulfed the TV show, and a little more humor, making it, all things considered, a very enjoyable film.

The story revolves around a murder that has caused two FBI agents to travel to Twin Peaks for further investigation. The agents (played well by Chris Isaak and Keifer Sutherland) encounter some initial resistance by the townsfolk, and their case starts to get weird. Some freaky stuff happens (that's technical speak, folks) and the bureau sends in some backups (enter Kyle MchLaughlin's character). There are some great cameo appearances here by Heather Graham, David Bowie, and even David Lynch himself.

As a film, it wraps itself up nicely, yet leaves the obvious setup for the series premiere movie (not available on DVD in the US). The first season has been issued on DVD, and that is a real eye opener. If you are a Lynch fan, you will be surprised at how well this film straddles the line between hollywood soap opera style and straight up David Lynch weirdness. In fact, this deft handling can be seen as a precursor to the incredible job that Lynch was to perform years later on Mulholland Drive (another film that started as a TV idea).

If you've never seen Twin Peaks before, then give this film a shot, you might be surprised at what you find. If you find David Lynch a bit too creepy, then skip this one in favor of The Straight Story, the brilliant G-rated film he directed for Disney.

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