tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post2718379411953762664..comments2024-03-15T04:08:16.172-04:00Comments on Only the Cinema: Jack Arnold Double Feature: Tarantula/Monster on the CampusEd Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-16253695005046334102009-07-07T16:35:58.008-04:002009-07-07T16:35:58.008-04:00Marilyn, I agree with the boredom objection and Ed...Marilyn, I agree with the boredom objection and Ed's corroboration, but I didn't feel that way when i was 8 or 9 years old watching these. It's those priceless memories that trump present-day realization. I'll admit that many of these films hold up terribly.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-44381124660804000422009-07-07T16:25:49.412-04:002009-07-07T16:25:49.412-04:00Thanks, Marilyn. A certain amount of boredom is pr...Thanks, Marilyn. A certain amount of boredom is pretty much part of the package with these films -- you have to expect there'll be long dull stretches, and clumsy plotting, and lousy acting. It can be a lot to look past. The best of these films (like a lot of Arnold's work) make me laugh both with them and at them.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-35171351570306212002009-07-07T16:16:22.931-04:002009-07-07T16:16:22.931-04:00I've gotta be honest - this subgenre has limit...I've gotta be honest - this subgenre has limited appeal for me. There are a few films that do mad science pretty well, but so many of them are so clumsy that it's hard to even enjoy the camp appeal. I get bored too easily, and believe me, I've tried to sit still. Ed, your review is more fun than these films ever would be for me. Thanks for the great writing.Marilynhttp://www.ferdyonfilms.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-22560439057121388902009-07-07T14:40:22.602-04:002009-07-07T14:40:22.602-04:00Yeah, I don't think you're likely to see a...Yeah, I don't think you're likely to see any realistic radiation poisoning in these movies, anymore than you would in comic books -- the "real" story of Spider-Man, the Hulk and the Fantastic Four would have been lengthy and painful hospital stays at the very least. It's all part of a 50s fascination/terror towards nuclear energy, and a lack of understanding about its true Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-11448897328961476682009-07-07T12:37:52.395-04:002009-07-07T12:37:52.395-04:00What he doesn't realize is that this fish had ...<i>What he doesn't realize is that this fish had been treated with gamma rays during shipment — of course! — and so contact with the fish's corpse has the unfortunate and unlikely effect of reverting other creatures back to a primitive state</i>.<br /><br />They never suffer the obvious: Radiation poisoning leading to nausea and diarrhea culminating in cancer that ravishes the body and Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730146625671701859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-38695194199296225392009-07-07T11:25:22.119-04:002009-07-07T11:25:22.119-04:00Thanks, Sam and Hokahey. Yeah, by most conventiona...Thanks, Sam and Hokahey. Yeah, by most conventional measures these films are awful, especially the rather dreadful <i>Monster on the Campus</i>, surely a low point for the usually dependable Arnold. I agree with Sam that Paul Landres' <i>The Vampire</i> is a far superior film in a similar vein -- and Landres' own <i>Return of Dracula</i> is best of all.<br /><br />Hokahey, I haven't Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-6927007094737797482009-07-07T09:55:29.848-04:002009-07-07T09:55:29.848-04:00I will look forward to more posts on "science...I will look forward to more posts on "science-gone-mad sci-fi" - a very favorite genre of mine. I saw <i>Tarantula</i> on TV a long time ago, but some of my cherished boyhood memories are seeing<i>The Incredible Shrinking Man</i> and <i>It Came From Beneath the Sea</i> at the local movie theater. <br /><br />I also remember being totally freaked out by <i>The Return of the Blob</i> (Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-75968384474060072862009-07-07T09:29:09.964-04:002009-07-07T09:29:09.964-04:00LOL!!! Ah, those 50's camp films that some of...LOL!!! Ah, those 50's camp films that some of us grew up with and have fine memories of, regardless of their god-awful essence. Roger Corman's THE ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS must surely rate as the definitive example in the sub-genre you broach with your treatment here of TARANTULA, as its goofy humor was always embraced by the "stoners" I was in the company of in those Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-71226826472837302782009-07-07T08:45:09.491-04:002009-07-07T08:45:09.491-04:00Thanks, John, I agree that Arnold seems to be havi...Thanks, John, I agree that Arnold seems to be having fun with these films, and it really comes across. You get the feeling he's well aware of the silliness of it all, and yet he also usually treats his premises with enough seriousness that they're not simply disposable throwaways. Obviously, <i>Incredible Shrinking Man</i> is his masterpiece, an amazing, poignant piece of work, but I won&Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-34988816848795114272009-07-07T07:36:14.246-04:002009-07-07T07:36:14.246-04:00Mushroom clouds, the bomb and mad scientist, the 1...Mushroom clouds, the bomb and mad scientist, the 1950’s were a paranoid’s wonderland! Moreover, let’s not forget the beautiful women (Julia Adams and Marla Corday to name two). I have always had a fondness for these films (I am including the Creature films). Simple, all those now cheesy effects, yet still so effective. Part of the fun is due I believe because you get the feeling Arnold liked Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808503055317962289noreply@blogger.com