You have what you think is a pretty good gimmick. And a horror/slasher story to showcase it in. So you make a film to exploit the gimmick with the intent of capitalizing on it.

Wouldn’t you think the film you make be a reasonably decent one, one with legs to stand on? At least a little bit?

That’s not what writer/director/producer Richard L. Bare and executive producer William T. Orr decided to do. They took a budget of $1.5 million, set up camp for 48 days at the Hotel Del Coronado across the bay from San Diego and proceeded to shoot a film with the ploy of “Duo-Vision” (better known as split-screen) and churned out a piece of schlock that’s barely watchable. Actually, calling it schlock is giving it more credit than its due; this is 90+ minutes of drivel. (Note: They actually came in under budget on the film. I doubt utilizing the entire amount would have made it any better.)

At a sprawling California hotel, a killer is on the loose targeting comely single blonds. The action starts off promisingly enough with the demise of one guest shortly after checking in. And it’s here we have the pinnacle of the film’s “Duo-Vision” process. Because nearly everything hereafter goes downhill.

Duo-Vision loses steam quickly. In fact it does the equivalent of a plunge off a 500′ cliff. As the story unfolds (such that it is), the device becomes tedious. It detracts from the story in big, steaming heaps … but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If not for its contrived clicheness, you just might tune this turkey out all together.

It would be an entirely different matter if what was shown in Duo-Vision drew interest, engaged the viewer. But there are so many lackluster, unremarkable scenes on either side of the screen – and at precisely the same moments – the split-screen hype wears thin in short order. You become exhausted trying to keep up with the “nothing going on” constantly going on. Yes … it’s that bad.

Additionally, wouldn’t you think a film with so many familiar faces would have something redeeming? Edd Byrnes (Kookie of 77 Sunset Strip), David Bailey of the popular-at-the-time Mitchum deodorant commercial, the very familiar Arthur O’Connell (Fantastic Voyage, The Poseidon Adventure) and actor/novelist/co-founder of Second City comedy Roger Bowen (M*A*S*H, All In The Family) are all present in Wicked, Wicked, each and every one of them recognizable to some degree. So it had that going for it … right?

Nope. Casting didn’t work either. Try as he might (and it didn’t appear he tried in the least) Bare’s direction, plain and simple, was barely direction at all. Combine his efforts with a limp script to begin with, a dull hook incapable of sustaining interest, snooze-worthy dialog, film-making lacking fundamentals and enough drollness to cure insomnia and Wicked, Wicked flounders utterly.

The kicker is this, though: I’ve seen other reviews of the film and I’m convinced those who wrote about it saw a completely different movie than what I saw. Or they were wearing rose colored glasses. Of course, that automatically made me question what I’d seen … and then, almost instantly, I came back to the real world and to common sense. Yes, I’m sometimes delusional … but not so much I don’t know what a bad film looks like. And this? This is a bad film.

Still, there are a few items of note. Not enough to make you sit up straight though. Just little asides to induce a chuckle or two.

There’s an organist in the film who Bare thought, inexplicably, needed to make multiple appearances for effect. Why? I haven’t the slightest idea. But her wide-eyed, comical look is a welcome distraction to the story, if nothing more than to call out the dippy tunes she plays as background fare.

Plus there are a couple cringe-worthy lines of dialog. As example, late in the film after singer Lisa James (Tiffany Bolling) is swamped by reporters after being rescued from the killer, this gem crops up:

“What does it feel like to have your throat cut?” – Reporter
“It hurts …” – Lisa James

And then there’s James’ singing itself:

“Wicked, wicked that’s my ticket … you make me feel so wicked
Let me do what I love to do … make wicked, wicked love to you …”

Yeah. Really.

I’ll give the film two positives, however. 1) Randolph Roberts, who plays killer Jason Gant, does manage to convey a strange, child-like naivete on the one hand while doling out his inner knifing-bearing, evil cad on the other. And 2) the disc offers a trailer for the film. And believe me when I say it is infinitely more engaging than the actual product itself.

Technical information: 16 X 9 letterboxed edition with the original aspect ratio 2.40:1. Stereo sound is evident, but there is no back up information verifying what type of enhancements to the sound were involved. Was there noise reduction? Rerecording? And what kind of stereo sound is involved with the print? I have no clue. Nor is there any information regarding restoration either. The print is rumored to be restored (with some sources stating there was a process encompassing a couple year’s worth of effort) and I’m certain it is but I didn’t find any concrete evidence to back it up. Viewing the disc certainly doesn’t reveal anything indicating such.

I wanted something to come out of Wicked, Wicked. Something camp … something guffaw-worthy … something worth the effort of giving up an hour and a half of my time. Instead, I was left with a viewing void, time spent I will never, ever get back. And that, dear reader, is the truly wicked, wicked thing about this sad vehicle …

Wicked, Wicked was generously offered to CliqueClack for review by the fine folks (who obviously have a wicked, wicked sense of humor) at Warner Bros.

[easyazon_image add_to_cart=”default” align=”none” asin=”B00P8RUMJO” cloaking=”default” height=”160″ localization=”default” locale=”US” nofollow=”default” new_window=”default” src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KWMH5fleL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”cliqueclack-20″ width=”112″]

Warner Brothers has been celebrating its 90th year in the business of making motion pictures, and have been releasing some of their key titles in new Blu-ray editions (Driving Miss Daisy, Grand Hotel, Mrs. Miniver, Singin’ in the Rain), a Blu-ray collection containing 50 films, and individual DVD sets with 20 Best Picture Oscar winners, a Romance collection, and a Musicals collection. MGM really cornered the market on movie musicals in the 1950s, but Warner Brothers really got the whole thing started with the classic The Jazz Singer, billed as the first all-talking, all-singing motion picture (a bit of a misnomer, but it was the first movie projected with synchronized sound). So in honor of 90 years of Warner Brothers movie musicals, they have recently released a new 20-disk DVD collection featuring their best (and some of MGM’s best) movie musicals. The set includes movies with stars like Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Elvis Presley, Gene Kelly, Al Jolson, James Cagney, Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Julie Andrews and … Divine!

Of all the movies in the set, the inclusion of John Waters’ classic 1988 comedy Hairspray is a rather curious one. More of a dance movie than a musical — no one actually breaks out in song — it would seem the 2007 version with John Travolta would have been the better choice. But, one the other hand, the DVD includes an audio commentary with Waters and Ricki Lake, and Waters always gives good commentary on his films. The 20 musicals in the collection are:

• The Jazz Singer — with audio commentary, a short silent film starring Jolson, the Merrie Melody I Want to Singa, a short film celebrating Warner Brothers’ silver jubilee, and even more. The print looks remarkable for its age.
• The Broadway Melody – extras include The Dogway Melody, one of those bizarre shorts with dogs playing the roles of human actors
• 42nd Street — includes three featurettes, a trailer and more
• The Great Ziegfeld — includes a feature on Ziegfeld films and a newsreel covering the opening of the movie in New York
• The Wizard of Oz — taken from the 70th anniversary DVD release, this single disk includes a wealth of extras and an audio commentary with many key cast members and others associated with the film
• Yankee Doodle Dandy — features audio commentary from Rudy Behlmer, and the Warner Night at the Movies option which includes a trailer, a newsreel, a Bugs Bunny cartoon, and the feature film
• An American in Paris — includes audio commentary, a newsreel from the Paris Exposition and a Tex Avery cartoon
• Show Boat — theatrical trailer
• Singin’ in the Rain — includes commentary, a feature that allows you to access information while watching the movie, and more special features
• Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – includes commentary by Stanley Donen
• A Star is Born — movie only on two disks
• The Music Man — includes a making of featurette hosted by Shirley Jones
• Viva Las Vegas — includes audio commentary and a featurette on Elvis in Las Vegas
• Camelot — includes “The Story of Camelot” and “The World Premiere of Camelot“
• Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory — a single disk from the 40th anniversary edition includes commentary, the documentary “Pure Imagination,” a sing-along and more
• Cabaret — includes many behind-the-scenes features, a trailer, and more
• That’s Entertainment — with an introduction by Robert Osborne
• Victor Victoria — includes commentary with Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards
• Little Shop of Horrors — includes audio commentary from Frank Oz, outtakes and deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and more. Unfortunately, this version does not include the newly restored original ending that can be found on the new Blu-ray edition
• Hairspray — includes commentary by John Waters and Ricki Lake

While a great collection of musicals, I can think of two off the top of my head that are missing for one reason or another: West Side Story, My Fair Lady* and the 1976 Barbra Streisand version of A Star is Born**. And with Warner Brothers owning the MGM classics catalog, there are certainly more than enough musicals in the vault for another collection or two. Keep in mind that many of these disks come from multi-disk sets, so a die-hard fan will want to hold on to those releases for all the extras. A casual fan who is just interested in the movies as the main attraction certainly cannot go wrong with this set. Warner Brothers is at the top of the film restoration and preservation game, so all of the movies in this set look and sound fantastic, and for the price, you just can’t beat owning this collection of movie musical history. You can order this, and the other anniversary sets, directly from the Warner Brothers shop online or through our Amazon links below.

*My Fair Lady is now distributed by Paramount Home Video

**A Star is Born is included in the Romance collection.

[easyazon-image align=”none” asin=”B009Z59782″ locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XnVAQdUXL._SL160_.jpg” width=”139″] [easyazon-image align=”none” asin=”B009L0I8JK” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bdNuImE2L._SL160_.jpg” width=”115″] [easyazon-image align=”none” asin=”B00AIQKG2S” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51S7wdCKa0L._SL160_.jpg” width=”139″]

[easyazon-image align=”none” asin=”B009L0LEDW” locale=”us” height=”103″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qrQaTrIWL._SL160_.jpg” width=”160″]

Even huge fans of award-winning films don’t have every one of them on their DVD shelf. Sure, you may have one or two of the BIG ones, but there could be a few you’ve always been meaning to get but never got around to. Then there are those like me, who don’t own ANY of them but always had it on their list to get around to someday.

Enter Warner Bros.’ latest box set of films: Best of Warner Bros. 20 Film Collection: Best Pictures. At first it might not be clear what you’re getting here: are these what WB thinks are its best pictures, or are they actually award winners themselves? You’ll be happy to know it’s the latter, and it’s rather complete. The only omissions I could find with some quick research were My Fair Lady and Slumdog Millionaire. Probably Warner Bros. wanted to stick with a nice even 20 films for the set and not squeeze in two more.

At first you’d think a box set like this might only include the films themselves, with perhaps little else in the form of extras. Not so. In fact, there are some excellent accompanying extras for most of the included films, including theatrical trailers, featurettes and commentaries. The films included:

• The Broadway Melody (1929)
• Grand Hotel (1932)
• Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
• The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
• Gone with The Wind (1939)
• Casablanca (1942)
• Mrs. Miniver (1942)
• The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
• An American in Paris (1951)
• Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
• Gigi (1958)
• Ben-Hur (1959)
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
• Chariots of Fire (1981)
• Amadeus: Director’s Cut (1984)
• Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
• Unforgiven (1992)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• Million Dollar Baby (2004)
• The Departed (2006)

This is one of those sets that’s perfect for someone who wants to own most of these films but wants to consolidate a bit, as it’s about four standard DVD cases wide for 20 films. It’s also one of those great sets you could own and leave at a rental property for renters to enjoy, having the pick from amongst some of the best release films in the past 50 years. Pick it up today from Warner Bros. official store, or from the links below — it’s out today!

[easyazon-image align=”none” asin=”B009L0I8JK” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bdNuImE2L._SL160_.jpg” width=”115″][easyazon-image align=”none” asin=”B009Z59782″ locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XnVAQdUXL._SL160_.jpg” width=”139″][easyazon-image align=”none” asin=”B009L0LEDW” locale=”us” height=”103″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qrQaTrIWL._SL160_.jpg” width=”160″]