I just was at the world premiere of The Trail of the Screaming Forehead at the Seattle International Film Festival (2007), and it was terrific! I was afraid that The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra would be a hard act to follow (probably the funniest movie of the new millennium)
but they did it! The writing was sharp and funny, the acting was spot-on, the cinematography was great (surreal primaries and pastels of the 1960s), even the score and lyrics were good! The audience was laughing from start to end. Larry Blamire, Jennifer Blaire, Dan Conroy and Trish Geiger were on hand for the Q&A (also very funny). And the film has special treats like animation from Ray Harryhausen, and cameos from movie icons like Dick Miller and Kevin McCarthy. Go see this movie when it comes to your town, buy it when it comes out on DVD!
Reviews
2 Reviews
Holiday Inn
(1942)
Not as charmed...
16 December 2000
I wasn't as charmed by "Holiday Inn" as many of the above commentators. A few of the songs and dance numbers were good, but the movie really was little more than that: a collection of song and dance numbers weakly tied together by an uninteresting thread of a plot.
I know it was a period piece, but I was embarrassed for Bing and Marjorie Reynolds (and all the musicians and hotel staff) during the black-face Lincoln's birthday skit. And for Louise Beavers as "Mamie" having to sing how "Lincoln freed the darkies." It was also telling that during the Fourth of July skit the song gushes about "freedom" while depicting bombers and tanks. Oh, the good old days when darkies were darkies and freedom meant tanks.
Song and dance aside, the most interesting part for me was the movie-within-a-movie segment towards the end.
Perhaps those things can be overlooked if you're really into the dance and song.
Other, better Christmas movies:
Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964) Rankin & Bass version
A Christmas Story (1983)
Miracle on 34th St. (1947)
Other, better musicals:
Singing in the Rain (1952)
I know it was a period piece, but I was embarrassed for Bing and Marjorie Reynolds (and all the musicians and hotel staff) during the black-face Lincoln's birthday skit. And for Louise Beavers as "Mamie" having to sing how "Lincoln freed the darkies." It was also telling that during the Fourth of July skit the song gushes about "freedom" while depicting bombers and tanks. Oh, the good old days when darkies were darkies and freedom meant tanks.
Song and dance aside, the most interesting part for me was the movie-within-a-movie segment towards the end.
Perhaps those things can be overlooked if you're really into the dance and song.
Other, better Christmas movies:
Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964) Rankin & Bass version
A Christmas Story (1983)
Miracle on 34th St. (1947)
Other, better musicals:
Singing in the Rain (1952)
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