Movies

The Man and the Monster (1958) In this Mexican-made monster story, a man sells his soul to Satan to become the world's greatest pianist. The catch is, every time he plays the piano he transforms into a stupid looking lump-nosed monster like a fuzzy-faced were-pig. This shows how devious Satan really is, because being a cool looking monster wouldn't be so bad, but being both horrible looking and stupid looking at the same time is a real curse, believe me, because I know. It's a flat, formulaic story but what is apparent from the very first scene is that this movie is beautifully made, with artistically composed deep-focus scenes lit in intense expressionistic chiaroscuro. It's one of the most visually appealing movies I have seen in quite a while and my eyes were very very happy to be watching it. Story 3/10, execution, 8/10.

Miss London Ltd. (1943) is a very rare thing - a British musical comedy. There are lots of great British comedies with songs added, but this is a unified production in the American style with songs integrated into the action and dialog, imaginatively staged. It stars Arthur Askey and American singer and comic actress Evelyn Dall, with musical support from Anne Shelton, another outstanding performer. Who cares what the story is, it's sharply written, fast and funny with lots of good songs and dancing. See or download it here - it's worth it. 8/10