I finally got around to watching "M" (1931) - the Fritz Lang classic. It is like watching a double episode of Law & Order. I was a bit surprised at how dark the villain is portrayed. I guess being a German film it did not need to comply with Hays Code nonsense (although I am not 100% sure if this would have failed the code sensors, it is definitely a pretty heavy subject). Speaking of the villain, Peter Lorre is fantastic in this.
What do you do if you have 6th, 7th, and 12th place finishers in the 'Michael Stivic look-a-like contest - and a product placement deal with Budweiser? You get Rick Baker's neighbor (other side of the street, a few doors down) to make you a creature costume. Then you go get the writer who did a day's work punching up one poker scene for an episode of MASH but got fired for refusing footwear on the set. In 1973, you could get a Thompson machine gun and grenades practically everywhere - so that is no problem. Then you grab you 8mm camera and put it to work on your singular masterpiece. Really - this is fun. I could not put a name to who Fernman reminded me of, but I did think the art director did a fantastic job capturing his je ne sais quoi with the skull. Soundtrack is great. Last thing (if you were wondering): YES, this is in the same cinematic universe as "Drop Dead Fred" - this is the Fred who was hanging out with Phoebe Cates.
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