All posts by Andrew Swartz

I am a life long fan of popular culture. This web site is filled with links to clips of musical, movie, and media video clips of things I have found of interest over the years. I hope you find some of this stuff to your liking. Drop me a line and let me know.
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“Uncut Gems” (2019) – Put The Money Down

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Enthralling portrait of slimy, degenerate gambler Howard Rattner as he attempts to pay off his prior gambling debts by engaging in one slippery scam after another. This is not your most likable character. A loud, annoying, manic schemer, Rattner, as played by normally comedic actor Adam Sandler, will fence your most valuable possessions when entrusted to his care. He is a married man with three kids yet also maintains an apartment where his girlfriend lives. Rattner owes $100K to his loan shark relative who has his Mafia pals putting pressure on Howie to pay up. Things get a little crazy as Rattner tries to outmaneuver his creditors. Makes for a lot of humorous if harrowing incidents.

Very enjoyable viewing.

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Gordon Lightfoot, R.I.P.

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Take a break from the calamitous state of the World at present and rejoice in the mellow yet haunting vibe of “Sundown” from the recently departed Gordon Lightfoot. He was a singer-songwriter who had many cool tunes. I saw him perform once in California during simpler times. Well, I was younger back then and the times certainly seemed better. Great song. Enjoy it!

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Rest In Peace, Ricou Browning, 92

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We mention the sad departing of the guy who wore “The Creature From The Black Lagoon” costume UNDERWATER for that great Universal monster series. The underwater sequence where the Creature mirrors the movie heroine’s movements is basically a well-choreographed ballet. Pretty amazing.

We thank you, Ricou, for your great contributions to the moving image!

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“No Blade Of Grass” (1970) – The End of Love

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They ain’t kidding with the bit about “the end of Love”. This is a very violent, depressing environmental horror tale from the early 1970’s which sets the downbeat vibe with the title sequence showing a parched desert floor with the anguished silhouettes of contorted human figures laboring across it. We then see a montage of car exhaust pipes and factory chimneys spewing out ugly exhaust, polluted waterways and landscapes, and scenes of overcrowded, congested cities. (The title sequence from “Soylent Green”, another grim portrait of a futuristic nightmare society, nicked this montage.) It doesn’t help matters that folkie Roger Whittaker chortles the movie theme song and chronicles the ills of a polluted, dying Earth. Hence, “The End of Love”.

“No Blade of Grass” looks at the extreme measures taken by world governments to combat a deadly virus and its aftermath. Wheat, grass and grain are destroyed which leads to global famine conditions. Millions die. When society starts to collapse, martial law and the extermination of dissenters ensues. A family leaves a stricken London and ventures toward a rural Eden but a hellscape awaits instead.

It is shocking to consider that this movie was made over 50 years ago and conditions of pollution and overpopulation were considered a serious worldwide threat even then. Fast forward to 2023 and we are clearly past the point of no return. The environmental maladies have now surged to unscalable levels. Maybe if we had put more serious effort into dealing with the situation back then we wouldn’t be in quite the mess we are now. Nah! There is always time enough for everything. Famous last words.

(See also “Panic in the Year Zero”)

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“Rose Red” (2002) – “The Shining’s” Little Sister

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I want to like “Rose Red” but it is just not a very scary or suspenseful movie. I don’t really like any of the characters so that impacts my interest toward this two-night Stephen King television movie. It used to be a regular event for network television to buy one of King’s properties and then create a TV movie. Some were good, others not so good. I think this is one lesser quality King works.

A team of ghost hunters head off to a notorious haunted property to see if they can find any evidence of activity. Their search will of course take a disastrous turn for the worse before they are done.

I certainly can’t fault King’s enthusiasm for the haunted house story. Certainly, “The Shining” stands as a monument to that category. It’s just that “Rose Red” seems to lean too heavily on past haunted house themes as can be found in Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House”, and Richard Matheson’s “Hell House”. There are also references to “Ghost Busters” and “The House of Haunted Hill”. Go seek out those works for more engaging and frightening examples of the haunted house tale.

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David Warner, R.I.P.

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This very recognizable and enjoyable actor died in 2022. I have been very negligent in posting about some of the entertainers I have admired who passed away during the run of this blog (not just this year). I need to make amends in my own mind and list those who have passed that I have very badly neglected.

David Warner appeared in a number of memorable roles over the years. I was fond of his performance as the mentally challenged instigator of the societal clash in Peckinpah’s “Straw Dogs”. He played the inquisitive photographer who stumbles on the supernatural forces at work on Gregory Peck’s family in “The Omen”. Warner played Jack The Ripper in the time travel adventure “Time After Time”. And he can be found in some of the theatrical and television series productions of the Star Trek franchise. Wow.

Cool career. Definitely an actor with a particular style. Equally at home playing good or evil characters.

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“UFO’s – It Has Begun” (1974) – The question is: Will there ever be an answer?

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An engaging 1970’s era documentary that examines reports of strange flying objects from ancient times up until the present which was 1974 when this documentary was made. Cool recreations of eyewitness accounts are interspersed with actual pictures and films taken by pilots, military personnel, NASA astronauts and civilians alike.

The whole shebang is hosted by the great Rod Serling, the creator of “The Twilight Zone” and MC of “The Night Gallery”. It appears as though his recorded segments were filmed among the remains of his “Night Gallery” set: spotlight on Rod, and various illustrative props given a bit of highlight but everything else draped in black. Cool, economic staging technique! Throw in some guest narration by Burgess Meredith, Jose Ferrer and Jacques Vallee, and you’ve got a very interesting tapestry of UFO reports.

Yet, all these years later, the lingering questions remain: What are these unusual objects which behave so abstractly and randomly and do the Powers That Be have a grasp of what they can be or how we are going to deal with them? Of course not. Expect to be in the dark and helpless for another 1000 years.

I loved this show. Give it a shot!

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“A Bit of Business First…” – Revolting Food Goes Hand in Hand with a Bad Situation

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This entry is stretching a point, I’ll tell you right up front.

Have you noticed the reactions of characters being revolted by their food or drink and tossing it aside or pouring the drink out?

I was watching “The French Connection” and there is a scene where the cop, Doyle, pursuing the drug smuggler lord has to stand out in frigid temperatures across the street from the lavish, Four-Star French restaurant where the kingpin is consuming a seven course, exquisite meal. The cop is reduced to eating a warmed-over slice of pizza and some disgusting coffee. After taking a sip, Doyle exhibits a grimaced face reacting to the swill he is drinking and dumps it out.

Jump to “Lord of Illusions” where Scott Bakula is a private investigator involved in a perplexing case involving some brutal murders and The Supernatural. Backula is having a really bad day in the movie and is starving and gets a hamburger from a fast-food joint. He takes one bite, and makes faces and chucks the offending sandwich in the garbage.

What does it all mean? Maybe, an already difficult situation is being made worse by no comfort (or quality) received from the food: “Things are just not going my way. My food is also rotten”.

It could also be actors performing “a bit of business” in the course of the story. The character has the opportunity to react and act disgusted to display some acting chops.

The use of this device in “The French Connection” made sense because Doyle was drinking a 50-cent cup of bad coffee and we have the juxtaposition of the villain dining in the cozy French restaurant.

In “Lord of Illusions”, the burger is a more costly item to throw away and there is no irony in the bit being placed where it is other than it shows what bad luck the P.I. is having.

You can try and make sense of this one and try to figure it out if you care to.

I couldn’t find the exact clips I was referring to above at You Tube but have linked a video of Gordon Ramsey eating revolting food at dining establishments. Compliments to The Chef!

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“Hand of Death” (1962) – Beastly Brevity

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“Hand of Death” is called a science fiction/horror movie but based on its length, a measly 60 minutes, it might be better described as a long lost “Outer Limits” TV episode. Not knocking it but this movie is a whirlwind of scenes of lab work, human to monster transformation and chases. And then it’s over!

A doctor works on a nerve agent for the Military but becomes exposed to his own bad gas and it doesn’t do him any favors. You’ve heard of Leatherface? This monster should be called Rubberface. With his built-in tire treads across his face in tow, the progressively unhinged monster meets his maker in rapid fashion. What else would you expect from this quickie? Features the great John Agar.

Take my word. You’ll find something here you like.

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“The Crimson Cult” (1968) – Some traditions never die.

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An outsider travels to a rural English town to conduct business and uncovers an ages old secret. The town commemorates the execution of a witch centuries before. Our businessman begins to experience nightmares of weird rituals of which he is a participant and stumbles upon evidence of unwelcome intrusions into his room. Could it be that witchcraft practitioners are still active in the town and he is to be one of their unwitting sacrifices? I think you know the answer to that.

Enjoyable romp due chiefly to the presence of horror legends Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee. Both are very solid and, at turns, diabolical. Fitting. Also on hand for the fun are screen horror veterans Barbara Steele and Michael Gough.

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“Bigfoot: The Mysterious Monster” (1976) – Best Bigfoot Documentary EVER?????

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I love this documentary! This is a very cool mixture of documentary filmmaking styles examining the Bigfoot legend which are then combined with dramatic recreations of encounters with the mysterious hairy giants discussed by the witnesses. The hybrid style works! This thing will keep you engaged all the way through.

Actor Peter Graves hosts and looks very serious and, well, grave, throughout. His demeanor expresses the Gravity of the situation of our subject. His reaction shots to the scientific fellows examining and discussing evidence are priceless.

Actual recordings of Bigfoot vocalizations, footprint photos, eyewitness stories and the inclusion of the Patterson-Gimlin film are shown and debated. The recreations of the Bigfoot family unit frolicking and foraging are wonderful. Overall, a very well-done history and report on the state of Bigfoot research back in the mid-1970’s.

Distributed by Sun Classic Pictures, who put out a variety of documentary features in the 1970’s showcasing Nature or The Great Outdoors.

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“The Upper Berth” – A Visual Adaptation

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Very fine, very abridged visual retelling of the F. Marion Crawford classic ghost story, “The Upper Berth”. I first read this story in one of the old “Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories to Keep You Awake At Night” or some such gaudy title. It was an excellent story and is well worth seeking out and getting the chills from. An adventurer finds that his cabinmate aboard a freighter may not be all he appears to be. He may not even be among the living. And there the fun really begins. Read the original story too!

This video takes a very cool, artistic approach to putting visuals to the words. There is a lot of material cut from the Crawford tale but this version truly captures the creepy atmosphere found in the latter part of the story. Nice black and white motion picture work with some frightening special and sound effects. Wellesian in appearance and maintains the haunted tone of Crawford.

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“Reptilicus” (1961) – Regenerated Dinosaur Hand Puppet Destroys Denmark!

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Miners uncover a piece of preserved dinosaur tail that ends up thawing in a scientific research facility. That ends up being an awful turn of events. The small bit of flesh soon grows and regenerates a complete dinosaur! The resilient reptile. Very soon, a full-fledged rampaging beast is on the loose and begins laying waste to the Denmark countryside where the tale takes place.

There are bits of this fantasy film that I find actually enjoyable. There is a travelogue of sorts that appears near the middle of the film that highlights some of the festive night spots and activities available for our heroes to partake in. Nicely done! The creature, Reptilicus, often spits out a neon green slimy mist at the Army fighting it off. The mist has the effect of dissolving the offending Army and its tanks, artillery and other weapons of war.

Budgetary and special effects limitations prevented not much more than a long neck attached to a vulture like dinosaur hand puppet head to represent the prehistoric beast, Reptilicus. We also see a wing-like appendage attached to the monster’s side but we never glimpse any limbs providing mobility. The beast appears to effortlessly glide over the landscape.

And, most importantly, what the heck is with the church bell sound effect that gets mixed in as part of the mighty monster’s roar? Unknown.