Movies I Watched in November, Part 1

Here's Part One of the Movie Viewing Trilogy for November. Please to enjoy!

Part of the same DVD set that includes “You’ll Find Out” (see here) and “Zombies on Broadway” (see below), this strange 1936 movie is not to be confused with the AMC TV series (for one thing, it’s actually entertaining, ha ha ha). Instead, it's a weird combination of a classic horror story and a vintage Warner Bros. gangster movie. Directed by Michael Curtiz a few years before “Casablanca,” it stars Boris Karloff as an ex-con who is (1) framed for murder (2) executed in the electric chair and (3) brought back to life by scientists eager to correct the miscarriage of justice. Naturally, Karloff seeks revenge on the gangsters who set him up, and though it’s not exactly scary, it is fun watching him drive them to their extremely timely deaths. Gangster favorites Barton MacLane and Ricard Cortez play the badguys, and Edmund Gwenn (of “Miracle on 34th St.” fame) plays the scientist. That means this is the only film to feature both Santa and the Grinch. Be sure to mention that fascinating fact during your holiday gatherings, then enjoy the inevitable blank stares.

Watched this one a couple of years ago (read the review here), and I couldn't resist another spin when I was checking out the other, more reputable movies on the set. This one's a lot of fun, though, mostly because it's so damned goofy -- a sub Abbott and Costello pair of comedians travel to a Caribbean Island solely to bring back an actual zombie for a zombie-themed nightclub. Really. That's the plot. And it gets even stranger -- strange enough to include Bela Lugosi as a scientist, Sheldon Leonard as the ominous nightclub owner and a few elements that indicate this forgotten b-movie is, in reality, a semi-official sequel to Val Lewton's classic "I Walked With a Zombie." Seriously, folks, it's so much fun.


You've seen it. I've seen it. We've all seen it. Even my daughter has seen it, and she's the one who wanted to see it again, which is why we watched it last month. It's great, a damn near perfect adventure movie full of unforgettable moments big and small. The only other thing that needs to be said is that my old Out of Theaters podcast co-host Billy Kulpa thinks it's terrible. Please go to his Twitter feed and tell him he's wrong. Very, very wrong.

Up next: Thor shows off his humorous side, doomsday looms over '80s L.A. and James Bond goes on what might be the most James Bondian adventure of all time.