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[The Czech Republic 0]

I Accuse My Parents. Surely this is a joke.

 

Wow! Wow! What an intense movie! I cried longer after watching this than after THE GODFATHER PART II. I'm POSITIVELY SURE Francis Ford Coppola looked to this wonderful, impact-movie for inspiration. What clear-thinking person wouldn't? I am often accused of becoming too emotional, but I guarantee you'll be biting your nails when Jimmy goes on some of those incredibly dangerous missions for his mob boss! Also, his parents are raving mad alcoholics that ignore his needs--I was shaking with grief the whole time. It's bad enough this kid lives in 1945...but he's got to have a neglectful mother and father on top of it? I Think we need even more movies with the protagonist pinning all personal faults on his parents!! This way, parents with troubling emotional problems, would amend their ways IMMEDIATELY after viewing this movie. Just think how many young people we could save from crime! Unlike most reviewers who saw this on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, (which I believe to be a tacky show, often making fun of some of the best tear-jerkers of our century), I watched this movie on my Beta machine where I taped it long ago on cable access.

 

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My fourteen-year-old son has never been in trouble. He's an honor student scoring on standardized tests in the 99th percentile and he's also a participant in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Program. He's engaging and argumentative, fun and challenging. But he also wants his first job. How can I ignore the possibility he'll wind up, like the well-dressed, nicely spoken teen in "I Accuse My Parents" running felony errands for a local criminal mini-mind? I can't so last night I sat him down to see this 1944 sermon with songs about the seductive attractiveness of fast money in dubious enterprises.

 

By 1944 the morality message semi-documentary genre was on its way out, replaced by more realistic films depicting myriad evils. "I Accuse My Parents" is a somewhat more professional, better acted sequel to such unforgettable epics as "Reefer Madness." Like its predecessors it has a straight from the screen admonitory message for parents, here from a judge.

 

The plot is simple-nice only son has parents more interested in their separate social lives (dad gambles, mom imbibes) than in the kid's activities. He announces he's won an essay contest, dad gives him money. He mentions the next day is his birthday as dad and mom head out for hilarious partying, dad gives him money (my son liked THAT theme).

 

Good Kid lies to all about his homelife, painting it as idyllic. Then he meets Nightclub Singer/Gang Boss's moll and falls head-over-heels in love. Of course she's a blond. They hug and kiss-sex hadn't been invented yet. She tries to steer him away from her lover, he gets involved in a murder and flees. He comes back, confronts evil crime boss, a struggle, a shot - exit mob boss, enter prosecutor.

 

All ends well. Of course. And the end credits inform us that "I Accuse My Parents" will be shown in combat zones to America's fighting forces. I bet any G.I. would have preferred this film to having his time wasted by Bob Hope or Hedy Lamar.

 

A period piece but one better acted than the usual scare-the-parents comedy of its day. And only $5.99 for the DVD.

 

Maybe I'll show it again to my kid soon.

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[The Czech Republic 0]

The Beginning of the End

Peggie Castle portrays a Brenda Starr-style reporter investigating the wipe-out of a small suburban town outside Chicago. The military won't reveal information, so she winds up at an entomologist's compound, headed by Peter Graves. His nutrients have created super vegetables, for world hunger, but with horrific repercussions. The first appearance of a gigantic locust is frightening, aided by excellent Albert Glasser music, shrill insect sounds and competent special effects (real bugs magnified via rear projection and/or mattes). The acting is all polished by Graves, Castle, perennial favorite Morris Ankrum (as a general, again), others. Military stock footage is seamlessly interwoven into the battle scenes. The Special Edition DVD print is beautiful (skip the shoddy Mystery Science Theater version - I HATE MST, they ridicule good pictures), looking like a new film, shimmering black and white photography, properly framed at 1:66 to 1, eliminating any grasshoppers crawling outside a skyscraper into the sky. 73 minute running time works wonders, without bloated padding and gratuitous violence. It moves efficiently and competently, thanks to director Bert I. Gordon and the rest of the crew.

 

Mitchell(waka/jawaka...)

"Mitchell" basically looks a cop TV show from the seventies and as far as cop shows go this one isn't all that terrible. If you're basing your review on the Mystery Science version the fact is you haven't seen the movie. All you've seen are some nerdy creatures make fun of a movie because they're not talented enough to make a movie themselves. Those guys could make "Casablanca" look like a piece of junk. That's their shtick. If you're a fan of shows like " The Rockford Files" you'll probably like this movie. It's not that bad!