JOURNEY TO FREEDOM (1957) *

Before he collaborated with Ed Wood on the immortal classics, Orgy of the Dead and Fugitive Girls, Stephen C. Apostolof produced this boring refugee drama.  As a bonus, it also features another Ed Wood associate, Tor Johnson, in a small role.  It was also shot by Wood’s usual cinematographer, William C. Thompson. Robert C. Dertano was the director, but it’s a far cry from his fun wrestling women melodrama, Racket Girls. 

Stephan (Jacques Scott) is a political prisoner in Bulgaria who is jailed by the communist regime for inciting a riot.  With the help of some pals, he breaks out of prison and heads to Turkey where he gets a job playing piano in a dive bar.  Then, it’s off to Paris where he joins the Resistance by broadcasting on Radio Free Europe.  Eventually, he makes his way to America where he settles down and gets married, but it isn’t long before his old enemies rear their ugly heads and frame him for murder. 

The story no doubt resonated with Apostolof (he co-wrote the script) as he himself was a Bulgarian refugee.  However, he sorely misread the need for this film as Joe Average American moviegoer doesn’t give a fuck about Bulgaria.  Then again, it might’ve helped if Journey to Freedom was… you know… good. 

The overuse of stock footage for the opening riot is very Woodian, as is the constant (and sometimes confusing) narration supplied by the villain who drops in during nearly every scene to remind the audience he’s closing in on our main character.  Despite the Wood connection, the movie it reminded me the most of was Coleman Francis’ Red Zone Cuba, which is less than a ringing endorsement to be sure.  While that film was spectacularly inept, this one is mostly just deadly dull. 

Tor is memorable as an angry Turk who picks a fight with our piano playing hero.  He’s the only bright spot in an otherwise dreary and forgettable picture.  Too bad he’s only in one scene. 

In short, this is one journey not worth taking. 

BLACK BAG (2025) **

Michael Fassbender stars in this dreary spy thriller from director Steven Soderbergh as a government agent who is given one week to flush out a traitor in the organization.  He must proceed with caution when he learns that one of the suspects is none other than his wife (Cate Blanchett), who is also a spy in the same bureau.  He eventually comes to the conclusion that they are both pawns in a larger scheme. 

For a movie about a husband suspecting his wife of treason, there doesn’t seem to be much immediacy to the situation and there’s very little suspense to boot.  Soderbergh’s cold and detached handling of the material doesn’t do it any favors either as the film is a sterile and often joyless experience.  There’s something to be said for a spy picture with a dry sense of humor about it, but Black Bag is humorless and downright arid most of the time. 

It’s a shame Black Bag is such a dud because the pairing of Fassbender and Blanchett had potential.  They are thrilling to watch separately in other films.   While they have flashes of chemistry here and there; they never really connect with each other or the audience.  That’s more the fault of the script than anything as the flick is often a slow moving, lumbering slog.  The supporting cast including Rege-Jean Page and Naomie Harriis do what they can, but most of them never speak above a stern whisper.  It is cool seeing James Bond himself, Pierce Brosnan as Fassbender’s boss though, even if he’s not given much to work with. 

From Jurassic Park to Snake Eyes to Spider-Man, David Koepp’s scripts are usually crackling good, but this one is strangely inert and uninvolving.  Soderbergh gives the film a muted visual palate that is reminiscent of ‘70s thrillers.  The finished product comes off looking rather drab and unmemorable, much like the film itself.  Soderbergh and Koepp also collaborated on the ghost flick Presence (which was almost as blah as this one) the same year.  

Fassbender gets the best line of the movie while giving an associate a polygraph tests and asks her, “Will you please release your sphincter muscle?”

SUPERMAN (2025) ***

James Gunn’s Superman is an overstuffed reset of the DC Universe that suffers from trying to juggle too many balls at once, often at the expense of its title character.  That said, when Gunn threads the needle and brings the elements together, the results are great fun.  The film isn’t afraid to be goofy as it unabashedly embraces its comic book nature.  Whereas the Richard Donner original bent over backwards to ground itself in reality to make us believe a man could fly, here, a man flying around with superpowers is probably the least weird thing in the movie. 

Gunn eschews the standard origin story by dropping us right into the action.  (Although that often makes it feel like a sequel, which doesn’t help the overall feeling of déjà vu.)  Superman (David Corenswet) has ruffled the government’s feathers by taking sides in a war between two countries, if only because he was trying to save innocent lives.  Meanwhile, tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is using his seemingly unlimited resources in order to bring the Man of Steel down. 

The main drawback in Superman is that Superman often feels like a supporting player in his own movie.  Gunn is a veteran of the Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad, both known for their big, colorful casts.  It’s as if he felt more comfortable with a big cast and made Superman just another face in the crowd.  There’s “The Justice Gang” (who are not quite The Justice League yet), including Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced).  Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) is Superman’s cellmate when he’s imprisoned inside a “pocket universe”.  Luthor has other “Meta Humans” like The Engineer and Ultraman, whom he uses as bodyguards.  The various superhero battles are fine, but kind of pale in comparison to some of the other superhero movies we’ve seen lately.  (I also found it odd that the finale more or less rips off The Lego Batman Movie.)

The best part is Superman’s dog, Krypto, who steals every scene he’s in.  Gunn isn’t afraid to get weird with a major IP, which is refreshing.  Having a flying dog in the mix offers some levity to the film and gives it a personality that sets it apart from the rest of the pack. 

Corenswet is quite good as Supes, but you wish the film gave him more opportunities to show his stuff.  His Superman is blissfully naive and always does the right thing, even if his actions have consequences that he’s unprepared for.  He’s especially good in his scenes with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.  The scene where she interviews him is quite different than the one in the 1978 original as she mercilessly grills him for his actions.  It’s one of the bright spots in the movie and it’s a shame the duo didn’t share more scenes of this caliber together. 

In fact, it sometimes feels like Hoult is the real star as Lex Luthor probably gets as much, if not more screen time than Superman.  The good news is he’s excellent and his ruthlessness and single-mindedness makes him a detestable villain.  The scenes of him in his base of operations surrounded by techies trying to help him defeat Superman are unique and the ways he uses social media to discredit Superman is novel.  (The revelation of who is running his social media smear campaign is one of the biggest laughs in the movie.)  Sara Sampaio’s Miss Tessmacher is a lot of fun too. 

It’s 129 minutes but honestly, I wish it was longer.  It would’ve been nice had Gunn allowed the film to breathe a little bit here and there.  Even then, the prevailing sense of fun keeps it firmly in the win column.  While I kind of missed the sense of grandeur Donner and Snyder brought to the character, Gunn’s brand of earnest goofiness is spot-on for this interpretation of the character.  

Many of my quibbles might not even matter upon repeated viewings.  It’s just that there’s a lot to take in for a first-time watch (especially some of the tinkering of Superman’s backstory).  However, Corenswet is the goods, and I can’t wait to see him flying high again soon.  

GODS AND MONSTERS (1998) *** ½

Ian McKellen stars as James Whale, the director of Frankenstein who is living out his twilight years in his home with his faithful housekeeper (Lynn Redgrave) by his side.  While recovering from a mini-stroke, Whale befriends his gardener (Brendan Fraser) and asks him to pose for a sketch.  It winds up being a ruse as the lonely director just wants, as Frankenstein’s monster put it, “a friend”. 

Written and directed by Bill Condon and executive produced by Clive Barker, Gods and Monsters is less a biopic and more of a portrait of a man coming to grips with death.  While there are flashbacks to Whale’s younger years, the most entertaining is the making of Bride of Frankenstein (seeing actors in the familiar make-up and costumes riffing on their surroundings is a lot of fun), much of the film revolves around Whale and his gardener. 

McKellen is excellent as Whale, who slowly accepts the fact that a man can’t choose his legacy.  In the film’s most memorable scene, Whale, weary of the fact an interviewer only wants to know about Frankenstein, tells the young man he will only continue the interview if he will remove an article of clothing for each question asked.  This may be viewed by some as “predatory” by today’s standards, but in the film, it just comes off as Whale being a horny old eccentric. 

With his military flattop haircut and angular features, Fraser is made to resemble Frankenstein’s monster if you squint hard enough.  Whale likes him not so much because of his predilection for young men, but mostly because he carry on conversations about other things besides Frankenstein.  Fraser admirably holds his own alongside McKellen. Scenes that sort of mirror Bride (like the two men smoking cigars) are amusing, and Condon wisely doesn’t go without going overboard with it.  (Although the dream scene where Fraser performs brain surgery on McKellen is a little on the nose.)  We also get a cool scene where they cut back and forth to both men watching Bride on TV. 

Gods and Monsters is a strong and entertaining film.  Fans of movies about movies (especially horror movies) will enjoy it immensely.  Fans of LGBT cinema will also find it engaging.  It’s a solemn but heartfelt reminder that we are often more complicated and complex than our reputations suggest. 

MITCH GOES APE ON THE DTVC PODCAST

I was fortunate to once again appear on the DTVC Podcast with our good friend Matt.  On this episode we got to talk about the wonderfully WTF kids movie, The Rare Blue Apes of Cannibal Isle.  Give it a listen here:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dtvc-podcast-221-the-rare-blue-apes-of-cannibal-isle/id903755371?i=1000719723892 

PULSATING FLESH (1986) **

Peter Longfellow (Ray Hardin) has the curious problem of getting his girlfriends pregnant every time they make love.  He then decides to earn a little extra money from his predicament by offering his services to couples and wealthy women who are looking to conceive.  A lesbian couple hear about Peter’s exploits on television and decide to enlist in his services. 

Directed by Carlos (Marilyn and the Senator) Tobalina, Pulsating Flesh uses a plot device of having Peter appear on a talk show and relating his experiences to the host in the form of “clips” he has prepared.  Naturally, the host (Tamara Longley, a blonde who wears a belly chain and has a tattoo on her butt) asks for a demonstration on live TV and he is only happy to give it to her.  (If you know what I mean.) 

For variety’s sake, we also get to see the lesbian couple watching the action unfold on TV who get so turned on by watching Peter do his thing that they decide to boink each other on a waterbed.  Even though these two plot lines eventually intersect in the finale, the lesbian scenes aren’t very hot and feel more like filler than anything else.  Also disappointing is the fact that they bring out two strap-ons early on but never seem to figure out how to use them.  You’ve heard of Chekhov’s Gun?  Well, that applies to strap-on dildos as well. 

The camerawork is sloppy and despite a solid enough premise, the sex/impregnation scenes themselves are curiously flat.  It’s also kind of hard to believe that Peter is able to get so many women pregnant when he’s always pulling out and cumming on their bellies.  Then again, believability isn’t something you have come to expect from a Carlos Tobalina film.  The cutting back and forth from the talk show to the lesbians’ bedroom antics is really herky-jerky too and winds up making the movie feel much longer than it really is.  The lame comic relief sound effects when the guys ejaculate don’t really do anything to enhance the mood either. 

Harry Reems gets top billing but is in only one scene as a horny milkman who spies on our hero banging two “bisexual teenagers” (they look like they’re in their ‘30s) and eventually joins in on the fun. 

A SMELL OF HONEY A SWALLOW OF BRINE (1966) ***

Stacey Walker is simply dynamite in this notorious roughie from director Byron (Space Thing) Mabe and producer David F. (Blood Feast) Friedman.  Walker only had one other feature to her credit and it’s a shame she didn’t make more movies because she is far and away the best thing about the film. 

Walker plays Sharon Winters, a woman who in less enlightened times would be referred to as a “tease”.  She leads men on and just as they are about to do the deed, she cries rape.  She even gets one boyfriend sent to jail on sexual assault charges.  Sharon then sets her sights on a handsome new coworker who is driven crazy thanks to her teasing.  Eventually, she meets a smooth nightclub singer (Bob Todd) who just might be her match. 

Walker gives us a definitive portrayal of a maneater.  She is sexy, surly, cold, cruel, calculating, and her performance is nothing short of riveting.  She gets several nude scenes throughout the picture, whether it’s during sex, taking a bath, conspicuously getting naked to turn on her potential suitors, or appearing in their bondage fantasies.  (She is shown as both the aggressive dominatrix and the helpless submissive and either way you look at her, she looks equally hot.)

The highlight is when Sharon welcomes the advances of her lesbian roommate Paula (Sharon Carr) and allows her to give her a sensual massage but kicks her out of bed right before things get too hot and heavy.  As she leaves, Sharon scolds, “Paula, I may be a bitch, but I’ll never be a butch!”  If that sounds familiar to you, it’s because this snippet has been used by Something Weird in their DVD intros for decades.  No matter how many times you see this moment, it still packs a punch.

Today’s viewers will probably label the film “problematic” and it kind of is, but that’s what makes it work.  The movie’s messy morality (along with Walker’s performance) helps set it apart from the countless other roughies made at the same time.  Todd’s number, “I Want a Woman” is a legitimate toe-tapper too and it will get stuck in your head for days.  The cinematography by Laszlo Kovacs is also excellent, even if the print is a little jumpy. 

Mabe and Friedman’s next collaboration was She Freak.