Two outta three ain't bad

So. . . two of these were good (surprisingly so), and one wasn't!

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Counterblast (aka Devil's Plot)

Grade: B

For one reason or another, we kept putting this one off. Maybe it was the length (99 minutes), or the year (1948), or the blurb on the DVD sleeve (some nonsense about Nazi scientists -- after Black Dragons and The Nightmare Never Ends, we were understandably wary). Turns out we had nothing to worry about, because Counterblast is one of the few films we've watched in this box that stands up as a "real" movie. It's hard to say exactly what sets it apart from other films we've seen from this era, but the fact that K. didn't check the clock once during the whole thing is saying something.

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Shadow of Chinatown
Grade: D-

Meh.

(To be more specific -- this is an edited-down version of a 300-minute serial [and thank god we didn't have to watch that], which fails to deliver in just about every department. Lugosi's hypnotic eyes are going strong again [sorry Bela, it's wearing thin], boyishly-dressed female cub reporter just wants to play detective, and, well. . . there's really nothing much else, except for maybe that Russian chick. Saved from F status by a fun '30s-style car chase.)

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Idaho Transfer
Grade: B+
AKA Deranged (inexplicably, for the UK release)

We (especially K.) really liked this one, a little-known (well, aren't they all) 1973 effort directed by Peter Fonda. Without spoiling anything (because it's really a film that needs to unfold on its own), here are some of the high points:

• That grainy, washed-out look of '70s films works perfectly with the barren Craters of the Moon landscape (people should film in Idaho more often), along with its hippie travelers. If nothing else, the movie is worth it aesthetically.

• P. likes that the minor characters are allowed to drift in and out, without all sorts of elaborate backstories complicating the plot. We get the impression that there are other things going on somewhere off camera, but that it's not really important that we know all the details.

• The time travel device (OK, that's a mini spoiler, but nothing more than you'd get from the DVD sleeve) actually looks like a machine that might be built by a university, rather than some crazy, flashy, fakey-fake piece of CGI nonsense. It was probably due to budget constraints more than anything else, but really, what more do you need than a big brushed-steel box, a couple buttons and levers, and an old-fashioned stick-on label warning you about wearing metal? Plus, the "being zapped through time" effect is perfect-- it looks real in a way that makes you almost forget about it, rather than thinking "oh, look at that CGI." (Take note, modern special effects guys -- THAT'S what CGI needs to be like.)

K. implores you, go out and watch this one! Apparently the VHS release also has some minutes of Peter Fonda talking about the environment, but alas, that's not on the DVD. We'll have to keep an eye out.