Rewind Wednesday: Halloween Edition

With Halloween right around the corner, it would be right if I didn't do a double feature on two classic scary/horror flicks. I figure I give you one that has a little bit of the guts & gore, and then one that truly was scary with such ease. First up is that of the 1988 horror film Child's Play.

After 6-year-old Andy Barclays (Alex Vincent) babysitter is violently pushed out of a window to her death, nobody believes him when he says that Chucky, his new birthday doll, did it! Until things start going terribly wrongdead wrong. And when an ensuing rampage of gruesome murders lead a detective (Chris Sarandon) back to the same toy, he discovers that the real terror has just begunthe deranged doll has plans to transfer his evil spirit into a living human being - young Andy!



Critical reviews were very positive, with Roger Ebert calling it "an effective horror film." Child's Play is a movie that probably succeeded because it was in the right place at the right time.

And second is that of the classic technicolor (black and white...for those that didn't have a color tv...lol) horror film, The Birds.

The story begins as an innocuous romantic triangle involving wealthy, spoiled Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), handsome Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), and schoolteacher Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette). The human story begins in a San Francisco pet shop and culminates at the home of Mitch's mother (Jessica Tandy) at Bodega Bay, where the characters' sense of security is slowly eroded by the curious behavior of the birds in the area. At first, it's no more than a sea gull swooping down and pecking at Melanie's head. Things take a truly ugly turn when hundreds of birds converge on a children's party. There is never an explanation as to why the birds have run amok, but once the onslaught begins, there's virtually no letup.

Rewind Wednesday: Fried Green Tomatoes

"The secret of life?...The secret's in the sauce."

Today's Rewind Wednesday is one that many of you may remember or maybe not. This is one of those films that you might have let slipped under the radar. But it is another one of those films that I would consider a classic. Great plot, entertaining storyline, a few tears, but most importantly many laughs.

Fried Green Tomatoes is a 1991 drama film based on the novel "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" by Fannie Flagg.

Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) meets an elderly woman named Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy) in a nursing home waiting room. Ninny tells her the story of the now-abandoned town of Whistle Stop, Alabama, and the people that lived there - specifically the tale of the relationship between Imogen (Idgie) Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison, the two women who ran the Whistle Stop Cafe. As the story of Idgie and Ruth (and a missing person, Frank Bennett) develops, Evelyn Couch finds herself being empowered by the stories of the strong-willed Idgie and the fiercely loyal and independent Ruth. She also finds a true best friend in Ninny. This is one of those movies that could be summed up in three words...intense, bittersweet, sweet!!

On the awards end of everything the movie did pretty good. The movie was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Jessica Tandy) and for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Fannie Flagg and Carol Sobieski). Many other viewers also felt that Mary Stuart Masterson should have been nominated for Best Actress, for her performance as Idgie.

Movie vs. Novel- Interestingly enough this movie presented some themes that might not necessarily been the "norm" or even expected for its time period. In the film version it does not present the lesbian romance between the two central characters, making it appear, to viewers who had not read the book, that Idgie and Ruth were merely best friends. Although one may assume otherwise if they were really analyzing the film. The DVD edition of the film has an audio commentary with the director acknowledging this and pointing out that a scene between the two women engaging in a food fight was intended to be seen as symbolic love-making. At the time of the film's debut, it was criticized by many reviewers for what was seen as "glossing over" the lesbian overtones of the relationship, although the film did win an award from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). In the novel, Idgie and Big George are placed on trial for the murder of Frank Bennett years after Ruth has died. In the film, the trial takes place less than a year before Ruth's death in which she testifies on Idgie's behalf.

This is a movie that you can't help but love, whether young or old, male or female. The passion that is played through out this movie is just great, you just feel it in your soul. These actors put much time into this film and it definitely shows.

Did you know?
After the film became a hit, the set used as the Whistle Stop Café, on location in Juliette, Georgia, was converted into a real restaurant, and is still a tourist attraction. It is famous for the fried green tomatoes and has thousands of visitors a year. A second Whistle Stop Café location can now be found on Houston Rd in Macon, Georgia, and a third in downtown Kennesaw, Georgia.




*Just a note for those of you who saw "Madea Goes to Jail" peep inside the trailor to see the infamous car scene.