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Reviews
Indestructible Man (1956)
Gritty, Nostalgic Sci-Fi
This film is to me what "The Wizard of Oz" is to most others--a warm fuzzy. Having grown up around Los Angeles, I thought this film was based on a true story when I first saw it as a kid. It has a gritty, real-time feel to it, and Casey Adams' narration is obviously based on Jack Webb's for "Dragnet." In fact, this film feels like an Outer Limits version of a Dragnet episode. Very similar in feel to "Kiss Me Deadly," another '50s film shot in similar locations. A great time capsule of the fading LA of the '50s. This film is almost universally panned, but the low budget and fairly tight script actually contribute to its effectiveness.
Black Friday (1940)
Underrated, Moody and Fun
A very underrated film. "Black Friday" has a foreboding mood, excellent acting by Ridges, and all the gangster cliches you can think of. It's almost as if Curt Siodmak spent a week watching Warner Bros. Cagney films before writing the screenplay, but the cliches make the film that much more fun and a time capsule of the Forties. Excellent lighting, music, and camerawork. Forget that Karloff and Lugosi don't share a scene; the film as a whole works and is actually quite affecting. Where was it on AFI's Top 100 list?