#the cat from outer space

[tvneon]

#the cat from outer space #films #1970s #70s #retro

[rraaaarrl]

The Cat From Outer Space (1978)

#the cat from outer space #now watching #fine cinema

[gameraboy2]

Netherlands poster for The Cat From Outer Space (1978)

#the cat from outer space #vintage #disney #vintage disney #poster #poster art #art #illustration #film #movie #movie poster

[historysurvivalguide]

Cats in Space and Sci-Fi

Orion - Men in Black

Zunar J - The Cat from Outer Space

Goose - Marvel

Baudelarie - Phantom 2040

Lying Cat - Saga

Spot - Star Trek: The Next Generation

Jonesy - Alien

#cats in space #cat #cats in tv #cats in movies #sci fi #science fiction #orion #mib #men in black #zunar j #the cat from outer space #goose #goose marvel #baudelarie #phantom 2040 #lying cat #saga #saga comic #spot #star trek #star trek next gen #star trek next generation #the next generation #star trek tng #st tng #tng #aliens #jonesy #alien

[obscurecats]

Jake from The Cat from Outer Space

#the cat from outer space

[apocalypticavolition]

Film Thoughts

So in an effort to become more cultured and whatnot I figured I might as well get the streaming service for film nerds. Way too many essential films I haven't seen, so why not knock a bunch out? Here's what I watched in the last week.

The Graduate

It's rare for a romantic comedy (well, dramedy, but still, it's hilarious) to be aware that its male protagonist is a horrible person whose only virtue, if you can call it that, is an unrelenting persistence in getting what he wants. It's even rarer for those with incompatible romantic leads to be aware of exactly how miserable they're going to make each other once the honeymoon phase wears off. The Graduate is famous for its ending that makes it very clear exactly how badly its protagonists have torpedoed their lives. But I'd really like to highlight that delightfully horrible moment in the middle, when Dustin Hoffman's character drags Katharine Ross to the front row of a strip club and - for basically the only time in the film until the ending - feels something resembling the human emotion of regret as she is humiliated by the dancer and brought to tears. Anne Bancroft is a fantastic Mrs. Robinson, a woman whose initial affair with Hoffman and perpetually caustic attitude don't quite manage to hide how desperately depressed she really is. A+, should have seen it a lot sooner.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

I've seen Time Bandits, so I'm honestly not sure why I expected anything different. Terry Gilliam adapts a German novel about a tall-tale-telling nobleman (played by John Neville) who fought in the Russo-Turkish War of the 1730s. It's... well, with just a little effort you could easily make it a sequel to Time Bandits. The big differences are that the Baron's obligatory child companion is a girl this time (Sarah Polley) and that he only has one dwarf (Jack Purvis) in the party instead of six, with his other companions being a variety of dudes with extraordinary abilities. Like the Bandits, the Baron jumps from fantastic location to location, visiting a city under siege, Greek myths, and a distant ocean. Finding Robin Williams as the King of Space on the moon is a new touch at least. But sadly, where Bandits's strange ending is almost entirely based on how its plot unfolded bar Sean Connery's unexplained presence in the present, Baron doubles down on the inexplicable at the last minute and deliberately muddles its own finale. I'm not sure Gilliam really ever knew how to end stories. Everything else was quite fun though.

The Delta

An obscure indie film about a young man (Shayne Gray) in Tennessee who embraces his queer leanings and goes boating with a black Vietnamese immigrant (Thang Chan). It's the kind of indie film I often find myself bouncing off of, avoiding a clear dramatic arc in favor of atmosphere and subtle characterization, but on the whole I was drawn in. Chan was a particular delight, demonstrating the difficulties his character had as a queer immigrant of unusual heritage navigating the south in the 90s. It's obvious their relationship is going to fall apart, but I rooted for it anyway. I also enjoyed an earlier scene in the film in which Gray hooks up with a middle-aged man with fetishes that end the encounter prematurely, despite the man's begging as Gray prepares to leave. Sadly, this is another film with ending problems, escalating to a violent conflict that feels more like it was about shocking the audience that anything else. It's still worth watching for Chan's performance.

Inside Llewyn Davis

I really enjoy the Coen Brothers. Oscar Isaac plays the titular character, the Coens' take on real folk singer Dave van Ronk, a talented musician whose impulsiveness and pride consistently prevent him from ever finding real success. Davis remains a more sympathetic character than the company he keeps in part because of the grief of his former musical (and romantic?) partner's death and in part because he does consistently try to do right by his friends even as he makes poor decision after poor decision. Other strong performances in the film include Carey Mulligan, who is almost completely unlikable but dominates every scene she's in, and of course John Goodman who could play a decayed corpse and still be nominated for several awards. In this case he plays a complete asshole of a jazz musician with a heroin problem. It's a fun look at a fictitious variant of the New York folk music scene, but honestly "Coen Brothers" should have already told you whether or not you'd like it.

The Lady Vanishes

Since the Criterion Channel cycles their roster monthly and Hitchcock is being kicked off the streams at the end of this month, I figured I'd give him a bit of attention. The Lady Vanishes offers up a simple enough story: bride-to-be Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood) crosses paths with Miss Froy (May Whitty) on a train, but Miss Froy vanishes and Iris has to team up with Gilbert (Michael Redgrave) when no one will admit to having seen the woman, some for merely selfish reasons and others for far more sinister ones. It's a bit too "civilized Brits keeping their chins up amid wicked foreigners" for my liking, but the mystery is a good one and the suspense keeps up even as the characters unravel it. Apparently side characters Charters and Caldicott (who were kinda gay for each other, just saying) were so popular that the BBC just kept using them, which I... do not understand at all. A fun movie, but not Hitchcock's best.

Rear Window

Okay I've already seen this one, but it's been years so it was time to watch it again dammit. I don't know if Rear Window is Hitchcock's best, but it's my favorite. A film that's as much about film as it is about spying on your neighbors, Rear Window is a technical marvel. James Stewart and *checks notes* future princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly-

*checks notes again*

Nope, that's what it says. Hell of a career move.

-star in this thriller about a man who tragically broke his leg about five years before TV became popular and so had to turn to voyeurism to pass the time instead. When he's not spying on the hot dancer or the lonely over-30 woman who is about ready to kill herself from the loneliness, he solves crime! Seriously, just watch it, unless you don't like movies where the dog doesn't live. (Spoiler alert: the dog does not live and its owners are fucking distraught.)

The Cat from Outer Space

Imagine crossing E.T. with Hocus Pocus and adding some of the cast of M*A*S*H, then carefully distilling all of that quality entertainment, tossing it in the trash, and turning the dregs into film. I cannot even begin to fathom why the Criterion Channel has this movie. Its individual scenes are blandly predictable while its overall plot veers wildly from concept to concept (the military reacts to an extraterrestrial probe! the heroes need to gamble on sports and then at a pool hall to get gold! there's an air rescue scene!) in a mishmash of ideas that are each almost but not quite interesting. Since it does predate the kids films it so strongly resembles I won't ding it for having a scene where our alien cat levitates a bike for our hero to ride to safety, but I was so uninterested in this movie that I still kind of want to. Show this to your young kids, ideally when you don't have to be in the same room, but otherwise skip.

Rope

So this was a Hitchcock that I thought I hadn't seen but realized very shortly that I definitely had back in high school. Struggling against the limitations of the era, it's a Hays Code movie starring John Dall and Farley Granger as a murderous gay couple and it's shot to look like a single take despite the fact that they literally couldn't fit more than ten minutes of film into the cameras back then. The title refers both to the literal murder weapon and to the metaphorical noose tightening around the main characters' necks as they try to flaunt their criminal genius by throwing a dinner party with all of their victim's family and friends while he's stuffed into the table they're eating off of. Dall, the sociopathic dom of the relationship, is all too pleased with himself and confident they have everyone (including James Stewart) fooled, while Granger, the obedient sub, slowly cracks under the guilt. You should definitely watch this, especially if you somehow didn't notice how gay it was.

#criterion channel #the graduate #the adventures of baron munchausen #the delta #inside llewyn davis #the lady vanishes #rear window #the cat from outer space #rope

[texasthrillbilly]

#the cat from outer space

[lesbiancosimaniehaus]

The cat from outer space (also on criterion) is what Howard Hughes or whatever his name was wishes Hell’s Angels could’ve been. A CAT IS FLYING A PLANE UPSIDE DOWN.

#unserious to the max #the cat from outer space

[terrible-twst-oc-ideas]

Charlie Olympus from The Cat from Outer Space (1978)

Owner of the Olympus Gold company, who wants to acquire the titular cat's collar in a bid to control the universe. He also apparently has an affinity for roses.

#twst oc prompts #twst #the cat from outer space

[jedivoodoochile]

The Cat from Outer Space (1978) movie poster.

#the cat from outer space

[thegreatdisneymovieride]

The best thing I can say about this movie is that it delivers exactly what it promises. If not in the way you might expect. I expected something interesting. In a 70s Disney comedy. Silly me.

#the cat from outer space #disney movies #disney review #disney blog #disney #disney movie #live action #1970s #wacky comedies #disney live action

[passed-out-real]

Alan Young Filmography Part 1

Margie (1946)

The Alan Young Show (1951)

Androcles and the Lion (1952)

Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955)

Tom Thumb (1958)

The Time Machine (1960)

Death Valley Days (1962)

Mister Ed (1961‑1966)

The Cat from Outer Space (1978)

Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

#alan young #Margie #The Alan Young Show #Androcles and the Lion #Gentlemen Marry Brunettes #Tom Thumb #The Time Machine #Death Valley Days #Mister Ed #The Cat from Outer Space #Mickey's Christmas Carol

[flerponius]

Best Disney character

#zunar-j-5/9 doric-4-7 #the cat from outer space

[lesserknowncryptids]

The Cat From Outer Space is a lesser known cryptid

#cryptids #cat #the cat from outer space #movie #lesser known cryptids

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

The following movie is available to stream on... Of all things... The Criterion Channel...

Perhaps Walt Disney Productions were onto something in 1978...

Disney's live-action movie output of the 1970s tends to get a bad rap. A time when the film division, kind of stuck in time, had become what former Disney story man Steve Hulett once described as a "sleepy backwater" establishment. Not at all tapped into the zeitgeist, seemingly uninterested even. They were making movies that were guaranteed hits... In 1965, that is.

THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE opened almost exactly one summer after the release of STAR WARS, the movie that singlehandedly redefined the escapist fantasy adventure that was almost synonymous with Walt Disney many moons ago. Despite boasting a kooky premise (it's about an alien cat who is marooned on Earth and needs the help of three scientists to repair his ship) and even dabbling in some contemporary fears (largely having to do with the Cold War), it's executed like almost any other run-of-the-mill '70s Disney live-action movie: Workmanlike direction from Disney regular Norman Tokar (in his final film), budget special effects that kinda undercut what should be moments of genuine wonder, and some last-minute Disney live-action cliches; chiefly a bunch of diabolical bad guys who want the cat's interstellar collar to rule the universe. Basically GUS and MY DOG, THE THIEF all over again. This probably looked absolutely embarrassing next to what Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were doing at the time.

And yet, there are plenty of weird little things that make this particular movie charming, from a M*A*S*H star (McLean Stevenson) being in it along with the star that replaced him on that show (Harry Morgan), to the subplot involving a pool hall and the mob. Some of the spaceship stuff may be creative, even if it isn't necessarily STAR WARS-caliber. The lead (played by Ken Berry, of F-TROOP and MAMA'S FAMILY fame, and also Disney's HERBIE RIDES AGAIN) and the cat (voiced by Disney regular and frequent voice actor Ronnie Schell) have a cool dynamic, too. Sandy Duncan is a good addition here, she'd later voice Vixey in THE FOX AND THE HOUND. I think this premise, honestly, could do with a really good remake with a visionary director behind it. Animated, even. But you know Disney wouldn't, lol. They couldn't get a BLACK HOLE remake going, nor a FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR remake, so no way that happens.

But... To see this hidden gem be in the same sentence as "Criterion"... It's currently available to stream on the Criterion Channel, in 2-0-2-4, with another live-action Disney cat movie: This time, a more recognizable one, 1965's THAT DARN CAT! starring Hayley Mills. THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE also, of course, is on Disney+. But can you imagine *this* movie, of all things, earning a spot in The Criterion Collection? As in getting a physical disc release with that "C" logo on it and its release year in a neat little bar?

That was NOT on my bingo card this year.

Sometimes time is kind to things, maybe it was just not where it needed to be in 1978.

#the cat from outer space #disney #classic disney #disney live-action

[visplay]

Chris: The Cat From Outer Space is a comedy / sci-fi with a lot of talent: Roddy McDowall, MASH’s McClean Stevenson and Harry Morgan, and a Lalo Schifrin soundtrack, a little concerned if the cat was drugged in this film, otherwise this was fun silliness, Watch: On Subscription Service.

Richie: If you like cats this is a fun movie, silly, ridiculous, Watch: On Subscription Service.

#movie review #the cat from outer space