Reviews of movies with Peter Cushing.
Wednesday, October 17th 2007
Grade: D+
Synopsis: A medieval blacksmith (Alan Ladd) masquerades as a knight in order to win the hand of a lady and thwart a Saracen (Peter Cushing!).
The Black Knight has some odd casting. First, there’s Peter Cushing playing an Arab, complete with tan makeup and a full mop of black hair. Surprisingly, he’s pretty good as the baddie, even if his accent waivers with almost every line. On the other end of the spectrum however, there’s Alan Ladd, who is totally miscast and absolutely doesn’t work as a young knight in King Arthur’s court. Putting aside his lack of a British accent (it’s probably better he didn’t try), Ladd is simply too soft and, at 41, too old for the part. The Ladd casting debacle aside, the rest of the cast is workable, with André Morell a particular standout as Ladd’s mentor. MORE »
Posted at 5:18 PM in Movie Reviews and Peter Cushing.
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Monday, September 24th 2007
Grade: D+
Synopsis: A surgeon (Peter Cushing) develops a new treatment to rebuild damaged tissue, but at a horrible cost.
Corruption is a hodge-podge of Frankenstein and Jack the Ripper made watchable by the always-entertaining Peter Cushing. His performance as an obsessed doctor pushed to extreme lengths will no doubt recall his turns as Dr. Frankenstein in the many Hammer films, but Corruption proves he can be equally effective in a more modern setting.
The problem here is that there simply isn’t enough story to sustain the film’s 91 minute running time. Much of the film’s tired plot is exhausted by the 45 mark and the small twist during the last 10 minutes is too little, too late. Excising twenty minutes or so would go a long way toward making Corruption a lot more entertaining. MORE »
Posted at 6:34 PM in Movie Reviews and Peter Cushing.
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Friday, September 21st 2007
Grade: B+
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) investigates the family curse surrounding a nobleman (Christopher Lee).
The Hound of the Baskervilles was Hammer’s take on Sherlock Holmes. Taking the same director and stars from their previous successes Dracula and The Curse of Frankenstein, the film was intended as the first in a series of Sherlock Holmes pictures, and while the series never materialized, The Hound of the Baskervilles is still quite good.
Peter Cushing and André Morell are great as Holmes and Watson. While purists could argue that Cushing was too short for the role, his sharp, piercing performance more than makes up for it. Christopher Lee complements him nicely and does a great job of keeping things moving when Cushing is off-screen. MORE »
Posted at 6:34 PM in Movie Reviews, Christopher Lee, Hammer Film, Peter Cushing and Terence Fisher.
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Friday, September 21st 2007
Grade: D-
Synopsis: Politics and social stature divide a Virginia couple (Cary Grant and Martha Scott) as events lead to the Revolutionary War.
The Howards of Virginia is a seldom seen Cary Grant film and there’s a reason: it’s not very good.
The film starts with a needless prologue featuring a younger version of Cary Grant’s character. The boy comes across as a whiney brat, and his big dramatic scene is so overplayed it’s almost comical.
It takes almost twenty minutes for Cary Grant to finally make his entrance (look fast for Peter Cushing when Grant’s character is introduced to Thomas Jefferson’s friends), and he couldn’t look more out of place wearing that buckskin suit and coonskin cap. Sure, his natural charisma comes through, but Grant is simply ill suited for costume roles and thus, never really works in this part. MORE »
Posted at 3:15 PM in Movie Reviews, Cary Grant and Peter Cushing.
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Monday, August 6th 2007
Grade: D
Synopsis: A teacher falls prey to a vampire baron in the German countryside.
The Brides of Dracula is s sequel to Hammer’s Dracula (1958). Unfortunately, this entry lacks both Christopher Lee, and a good supporting cast.
Peter Cushing returns as Van Helsing, and does what he can with the weak script. For every step forward it seems to take a step back. For instance, Van Helsing is clever enough to slide his cross across the table to halt the advance of a vampire, but also foolish enough not to pack a spare! And don’t get me started on how he lets a scrawny woman wrestle him to the ground. MORE »
Posted at 11:44 PM in Movie Reviews, Hammer Film, Peter Cushing, Terence Fisher and Vampire Movies.
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