The Day After Trinity (documentary - 1981)

The sky was the limit

By: JWBM

Anyone who's seen imagery or heard stories from World War II wouldn't argue that it was anything less than primal, traumatic, gruesome, and life-changing for all involved. Each side—whether they were Axis or Allies—had goals in mind to come out on top. One could say this war was a technological and scientific race: from aeronautics, code breaking, chemical warfare, weaponry, to, here, bomb making. Decisions were often made higher up in the food chain and then carried out by those people handed down their orders to follow. Every attack at that point had a counter; what made the proposition of the atomic bomb different was it would have a total one-sided success rate. Once it was dropped, everyone on the opposing side should start saying their respective prayers.

In the beginning of the war, Albert Einstein proposed to the US government that German physicists were well on their way to developing the atomic bomb. US Major General Leslie Groves appointed Robert Oppenheimer—a highly respected American scientist—to lead teams towards beating Hitler and his physicists to the punch. This led to a remote area in New Mexico that would be not only secretive, but would also be used in case there was fallout if successful. Eventually all walks of the scientific elite came together and formed a community that would make it their set goal despite budget or having a social life outside of the complex. The sky was the limit—literally.

One of the most important points made in this documentary and one that some of the scientists grappled with once the smoke cleared, was what could a bomb of that size do on its own, and what would happen if it was dropped on living, breathing persons? All this manpower, time, and resources poured into this project, and more importantly all those young, countless soldiers' lives lost. Germany was out of the picture now, but Japan would not cease fire despite efforts to come to a deal made by then President Harry S. Truman. It was a decision not for the feint of heart, nor one without a compassionate heart. What took years to develop, now came to fruition and was being used before anyone could think twice about it. The impression was that the American people—who had friends and family involved with the war—could go back to their lives. Oppenheimer felt otherwise about something so quickly and massively destructive.

It's interesting to hear the thought processes that led up to the atomic bomb. Though being made in '81, this is a slower moving documentary than most nowadays might be accustomed to. A share of the people being interviewed are dry and slightly eccentric academics that speak freely and at their own pace. There are no rapid edits or gravitating music to sway the viewer. It takes on one word and point at a time without jumping around. Though, in that regard, one can be assured that these were the direct opinions and viewpoints of those involved. This mixes science and politics; something that looks like oil meeting water. The latter half of this documentary focuses on just that: Oppenheimer's rise and fall from both politics and science due to a series of complexities.

Director: Jon Else
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)

Seeing is bel... an early grave

By: JWBM

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." - Matthew 7:15

This installment takes on a more mystical approach of how the prophecy is shaped: you have your secret holy league that each carries an ancient dagger of Meggido; astrologers are reporting strange alignments and phenomenon; faith is either questioned or strengthened by dividing and conquering by the great deceiver and his devout followers. Many have wondered over the last two millennia how the battle of battles will be fought. There are those for them, against them, or will be forced to endure the ordeal and make a decision. A recurrent theme in "The Omen" series is seeing is believing. To a good many, these are mere words on paper; here, few assume it will happen, or their time will be the One.

This is a world that's already been foretold: anything to interrupt or otherwise end that timeline has grave consequences—for the Antichrist is only getting fiercer and growing taller as the bodies pile at his feet. Instead of possessing an intimidating and obvious forked tongue and horns on his head, he's entrusted with respect and position, not to mention is gifted with charm, and always knows how to say the right thing at the right time to gain his way or influence. If you already didn't know, but suddenly find out, your fate will be sealed for you. Chances are those who stand their ground or aren't satisfied with turning a blind eye will get more instant pain and suffering than anyone. That's the duality of these films, in that they can work to scare either in an ingrained moral sense, or with foreboding action.

One of the strengths of this film—that the second missed—is that it moves with you. There is a certain intriguing and suspenseful, moment-by-moment aspect that you can get lost or affected by. It no doubt deals with similar subject matters and motifs, though the direction begins with the tone all over the place to generate some realism, to then gripping the reigns tighter and tighter, rather than just guiding loosely throughout and expecting the audience to follow along at the same pace. This sets mood with a sure foot. Some of the setups and situations are basic, but carry more weight as a result. There are some downright disturbing and chilling scenes, either from something as simple as Damien having a dark prayer with the Lord of the Underground, to seeing a head paint the back wall red to a group of unsuspecting people.

With any film that is heavy on aesthetics, you're going to get certain aspects swept along with everything else. The flow has to move in a general direction at times, with certain aspects highlighted and heightened to stand out. The holy group going after Damien, and certain other characters, come across as such: there to establish a purpose, but not necessarily come with memorable personality. The monks' strategy hardly puts one on the edge of their seat; one could look at it as either Damien is a greater force than any being on earth, or to illustrate the holy league's Top Dog is a force to come.

Sam Neill gives the part of Damien a certain presence and command. The role comes with the most dynamic, in how there's just the right tone, look, or phrase to smooth or dismantle the situation at a flash of the eyes. However, there are times that he also sounds a little bit stiff—being born in Ireland and growing up in New Zealand—with balancing the British and American accent with any bit of volume when the pacing of the film starts to heat up. The love angle with Damien was an interesting inclusion. It could have been a huge risk to the overall tone, or felt like it was thrown in. Though the way it's played—with a back and forth of, "Is this real?" or "Is this fake?," or a little bit of both—was brilliantly executed.

Some say there are certain subject matters that are in bad taste to bring up at the dinner table. In this case, the main themes of the film are a double-whammy with politics and religion. Though, deep at its core is a through and through horror movie with some memorable performances, thematic music, build-ups, plus a number of shocks and surprises to keep you on your toes.

Rating: 7.5/10

Director: Graham Baker
Actors: Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi, Lisa Harrow
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

Strange Behavior (1981)

Something funny is going on

This came out during the slasher boom around the early '80s, except "Strange Behavior" dodged the norm from the infamous films of the heyday such as "Halloween," "Friday the 13th" and "Prom Night," as there isn't one killer at large and the murderers aren't cold-blooded psychopaths with twisted pasts, even if their bizarre motivations make them act like maniacal blood fiends.

The continually annoyed and stressed looking local Chief of Police--who never dons a traditional uniform as everything is usually hunky dory--must investigate these mysterious deaths. The strange part is the audience hardly ever witnesses the small town in the grip of fear. Some innocent gets sadistically killed and others go about their lives as if the grass is always greener on the other side with frivolous humor and their regular routines intact. This is the type of plot where there's an "elephant in the room" and only one man detects it, as this focuses on a connection between the Chief, experimenters at the local college and the Chief's late wife fitting right smack in the middle. The story thickens when the Chief's son opposes his stubborn father to make decisions as his own man but gets ensnared by the affiliation.

"Strange Behavior" throws in some distractions to lighten the load from watching violence and blood, such as a subplot between the Chief's son and the newly met, easy-going, blond secretary, as well as the chipper step mother who wants to fill the role of late wife. This takes cues from "Halloween" type killings meets "Altered States"-esque mad science meets "Bond"-like villains meets small town TV mystery/sitcom/love connection. This had the makings to be an esteemed film, though the filmmaker's ambitions were aiming sky high in an attempt to appease a viewer with scenes of the surreal and macabre, as well as the person who wants established, down-to-earth characters, though both sides bump heads to compete and this hardly feels steadily creepy or like it could actually happen as it doesn't fully come together and keep one on the edge of their seat. Even a potential for one last scare wasn't capitalized on. This could have learned from the weirdness that "Dead & Buried" had: to keep the atmosphere alive by feeding throughout.

Rating: 5/10

Stars: Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, Dan Shor
Link: IMDB


10 things to learn from "Strange Behavior":

10. Small town America looks oddly similar to New Zealand.
9. If the lights mysteriously go out stay in one spot.
8. Chiefs of Police can drink beer on the job.
7. Horny teenage girls need extra locks on their windows.
6. You don't need doors to operate a car.
5. You don't need dance lessons to have a good time.
4. Don't listen to pretty scientist ladies.
3. Scientists are all a few steps away from madmen.
2. Never, never go back and check a dead person without arming yourself first.

And the most obvious one of all:
1. Never participate in any experiments.