Rich-99

"The Blair Witch Project" according to some critics is one of the scariest movies ever made. Obviously we are dealing with a very low scare threshhold here as the only thing scary about this film is the sensationalized hype around it. What we basically have is a pretencious student film that thinks that jiggling the camera around and getting disjointed shots of the ground is scary and original. One can see this sort of thing nightly on reruns of America's Funniest Videos. The so called actors are obvious graduates of the MTV Real World School of Acting who feel that attitude and screaming constitutes acting. One could discuss the script if there was one but all appears to be made up as it goes along. The result is really a monumental bore that proves that the Hollywood Hype Machine is still running smoothly. If you want scary "Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein" or reruns of "The Munsters" fit the bill better than this home movie.

After a string of action adventures Mel Gibson made an unusual choice in his first film to direct. Not a big budget action film but a sensitive story of a boy coming to grips with what happened to his father (Stahl) and a disfigured former teacher(Gibson) making peace with his past. The boy seeks out the reclusive teacher in search of a tutor. He finds a no nonsense one whose harsh methods brings forth results while erecting a barrier to keep an inquisitive outside world out. A deep and moving friendship eventually develops while misunderstanding and small town rumor mongering work to bring that friendship to a tragic end. Gibson and Stahl are really quite good as is Gibson's direction. The rest of the cast is made up mostly of actors from local Maine theatre companies (where the film was shot)and they are quite fine. Author Isabelle Holland who wrote the original book opened the story up. She had originally wanted the story to deal with the consequences of someone falsely accused of child molestation but her publisher some 20 years ago was wary of bringing that up in a story originally intended for young readers. In the end this is a story of facing up traumatic pasts and the consequences they create. It is very well told with sensitive and sympathetic acting and some very deft and subtle direction.

"Madame Satan" is one of those movies that is not sure what it is but is having a grand time trying to figure it out. Part bedroom farce (where in pre code days couples sleep in the same bed), romantic comedy, musical and at its climax a disaster film. Its basic plot follows the misadventures of a married couple as they try to relight the spark in their marriage. The climax is a costume ball aboard a zeppelin (the musical production numbers here are pretty spectacular) that eventually ends in the zeppelin's crash in a storm. The effects are all done with miniatures and they really are quite impressive. The cast , especially Roland Young, are quite good though at times hesitant. You get the impression that in this early talkie the actors are not yet comfortable with sound but that is a minor quibble. All in all it is a fun over the top film that rarely has a dull moment.