Dr. AC's Rec of the Week (E)

Hello, my blood brothers and sisters! Welcome back to the party!

You know the drill: The Doc's got a couple more flicks that you may not have seen (or heard of) and they're good for what ails ya. So, without any further adieu, let's drop a few "E" tabs, shall we?




Eegah! (1962)
The biggest appeal for this “caveman in love with modern girl” fable – both literally and figuratively – is seeing future 7’2 James Bond villain Richard Kiel strut his stuff in a mothy loincloth and sport some of the sketchiest facial hair this side of a back alley Santa Claus. Arch Hall, Sr. produced and directed this train wreck under the pseudonym of Nicholas Merriwether, and then cast himself in a major supporting role under another “aka” of William Watters. One assumes this was done to not call attention to his relation to the film’s nominal star, Arch Hall, Jr., who zips around on his dune buggy, squints and smiles a lot from under his zany blonde pompadour, and croons a couple of tunes to his girl Roxy (Marilyn Manning) – usually with other girls’ names as the titles. The conceit is that Kiel has survived lo these millions of years by gulping down water from the sulfur spring in his desert cave-dwelling domicile, which is one possible explanation for the stench emanating from your DVD player. Unintentional laughs and eye rolling galore, with a swimming pool climax intended to evoke boo-hoo memories of King Kong, capped by a phony Bible reference (there is no is Chapter 4, verse 32 in Genesis). In short, pure incompetent genius.



Eden Lake (2008)
A couple (Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender) seeking a weekend of isolation and romance find themselves locked in a war of wills and retaliation with a group of rebellious adolescents. What distinguishes James Watkins’ film from the wealth of “survival” movies is that the escalating violence between the protagonists and antagonists feels justified, truthful and well-charted, rather than simply a case of “we hate outsiders.” Brutal and gripping, with a chilling climax all the more disturbing for its implications than for any onscreen bloodletting.