I-K
This is a listing of videos you can check out at the library.
These videos have been reviewed over the last few years by Audio-Visual
staff member, Bob Statzer. List of titles
Back to Reviews listing
The INNER SANCTUM
Mysteries
Back before television, when radio provided comedy, drama
and the news in those pre-video days, audiences looking for eerie
entertainment found it in a show called “The Inner Sanctum.”
Just as movies today have turned to the tube for inspiration,
in the 1930s and ’40s Hollywood would occasionally adapt
programs from the airwaves. During World War II, when films known
as “programmers” or “B pictures” were made
as the second half of a double-feature, Universal Studios purchased
the film rights to “The Inner Sanctum,” and produced
six of these thrillers for just such a purpose. Studio star Lon
Chaney, Jr. was cast as the lead for the anthology, allowing
him to play both victims and villains opposite fright film favorites
such as Evelyn Ankers, Anne Gwynne, J. Carrol Naish and Martin
Kosleck. In a style of storytelling that would set the tone for
THE TWILIGHT ZONE years later, THE INNER SANCTUM series presented
mystery, crime and horror with ironic twists. Rarely shown on
television (two titles have not been seen since their initial
theatrical run), these tales of terror have recently been released
to video, in three double-feature packages:
Volume 1: DEAD MAN’S EYES (1944)/PILLOW OF DEATH (1945)
Volume 2: CALLING DR. DEATH (1943)/STRANGE CONFESSION (1945)
Volume 3: WEIRD WOMAN (1944)/THE FROZEN GHOST (1944)
Turn the lights down low, and prepare to enter THE INNER SANCTUM!!!
IT’S A WONDERFUL
LIFE
Director Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE stars
Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a man who longs to leave his
modest hometown to make his mark in the world. But when his father
has a stroke, George finds himself forced to stay behind to handle
the family business while his brother goes off to college in
his place...the first of many in a life-long series of sacrifices
to help others. Disappointed in himself, George reaches a moment
of desperation and despair one Christmas Eve, feeling the world
would be a better place without him. Just as he tries to throw
himself from a bridge, an angel stops him, offering George the
opportunity to see just how different the fate of his family
and friends would be had he not been a part of their lives. Through
his eyes we see how one life touches many, and that the little
things we do—often overlooked at the time —ripple outward,
only to come back to us like echos.
Based on a tale printed, appropriately enough, in a Christmas
card, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE was released in December of
1946, and the resulting picture seems like a postcard from the
past, its small town sentiment a reminder of the innocence of
yesterday. Many movies have been made for the Christmas season,
but only a few of those films take on the trappings of tradition,
and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE exemplifies such an exception.
Like the story of Scrooge, the tale has been taken by television
and retold in remakes beyond number...but none capture the warmth
or the heart of the holidays like the original.
JAMES AND THE GIANT
PEACH
From the creators of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS comes
this new puppet-animated adventure. In a live-action prologue
we meet James, a young orphaned boy who has been taken in by
his cruel aunts. Unhappy at the way he is (mis)treated, James
leaves home in an unusual vessel—an enormous peach which
has grown to nearly the size of a house. As James enters the
fantastic fruit, he is transformed into a puppet version of himself.
And the giant peach is as wild inside as it is out, for it is
inhabited by an incredible assortment of creatures who accompany
James on his adventures. Based on the novel by Roald Dahl (whose
books “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” & “Charlie
and the Glass Elevator” inspired the movie WILLY WONKA AND
THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY), JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH is a whimsical
musical fantasy that will join the ranks of classic family fare.
KING KONG VS. GODZILLA
One of the first films from Tokyo’s Toho Studios to play
up the possibilities of pitting one BIG name star against another,
this campy classic still remains a fan favorite. A Japanese expedition
to a remote island encounters superstitious natives who believe
the strangers will anger their “god,” an ancient being
they call Kong. The explorers soon find that Kong is no legend,
but a giant prehistoric ape...an ape literally worth his weight
in gold if properly exploited. Kong is captured, and the adventurers
head for home. During the return trip, just outside of Japan,
Kong breaks free of his bonds and heads for shore. Making matters
worse, the maiden voyage of the United Nations’ new nuclear
submarine accidently unleashes Godzilla, a dinosaur imprisoned
in an iceberg and revived by radiation. Freshly thawed, Godzilla
instinctively heads for his old stomping grounds of Japan, only
to find Kong trespassing on his turf. A clash of the titans ensues
when the giant behemoths battle to the death across the countryside.
With enough special effects and action to entertain audiences
of all ages, the emphasis on fun keeps the creatures from becoming
too intense for younger viewers. Released in 1963, the film marked
the first time either King Kong (who had not been seen since
his debut 30 years earlier) or Godzilla (making his third big
screen appearance) were ever shown in color.
