"The Man From Planet X" + Tremblay

Last night Grimsley came over, which was why there was no blog. When we hang out, the topics are mostly politics and current events, and I imagine no one would wanna read yet another blog about Trump. I'll be happy to write one after he is out of office (which hopefully will be soon), and then we can all celebrate. But for now, let's all just keep our eyes on MSNBC (or CNN if you prefer) and get our Trump news from them. And, make sure to vote on November 6. I know you can't wait. :)

I did watch a movie tonight, a sci-fi, and not only was it not cheesy this time, but was instead a near masterpiece, albeit of the B-Movie variety. But those are the type of flicks that made science fiction so great in the 1950s, the black and white films with low budgets and imaginative special effects, like "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers" or "The Day The Earth Stood Still".

Tonight's film was called "The Man From Planet X" (1951), a title that is fairly well known, even to movie fans outside the genre. I had heard of it since my teens, but it was another case of only ever seeing snippets of it on late night tv. I'd never seen the entire movie, and it was the main reason I purchased the recent 4-Pack that also contained "The Angry Red Planet", et al. I bought that set mainly for "Planet X" because it was high time I saw it, and I was not disappointed.

The story is set on the Scottish moors, at night in the fog. A scientist stationed on the coast in an ancient stone tower is monitoring the orbit of the newly discovered "Planet X", which has arrived suddenly from outside our Solar System and is on track to pass closely by Earth in a few weeks time. An American reporter (Robert Clarke), a friend of the scientist from WW2, has arrived at the remote location to report on the impending catastrophe. He is picked up at a small local airstrip by the scientist's daughter (played by an actress named Margaret Field, Sally Field's mother), and a semi-platonic love interest is created. She is younger than the reporter, and was a kid during the war. She had a crush on Clarke, and he is protective of her as the story advances. The romance is mostly unstated but is present.

The main thing is that, while reporter Clarke is out snooping around on the Moors, with Sally Field's mom, they run across something that looks like a larger version of a ray gun. Like a table-top version, not hand held.

"Holy smokes"!, right?

I mean, you're on the Scottish Moors, the fog is so thick you can barely see, and you find a magnetic energy reflector (I think I've got that right).

But that find is nothing compared to what comes next. In the distance, just across a bog, they see a flashing light. Instead of walking away, or running, which is what any non- "inside a movie" person would do, they advance upon the flashing light. And as they get closer, they see that it is a.....

Space Ship, partially sunken into the swampy bog.

Me, I'd be outta there. At best I'd be keeping a safe distance because of cosmic rays and the like. But reporter Clarke and Sally's Mom walk right up to the conical, bulbous ship, and peer into one of it's windows. At first they don't see anything. But then.......

A face appears. The face is encapsulated inside a glass bubble, and is particularly scary if not hideous. It looks like a double-sized and elongated version of a human face, and when it appears it is one of those classic sci-fi moments that scared the bejeezus out of you as a kid.

This is The Man From Planet X, and at first it seems that he is on a peace mission, coinciding with the passage of his planet past Earth. But in junior high school we all learned the basics of dramatic conflict ("man against man, man against nature", etc) and so we know that if The Man From Planet X has come in peace, then to sustain a dramatic script there must be an adversary, and this comes in the person of William Schallert, the erstwhile Dad on "The Patty Duke Show", and a former president of the Screen Actor's Guild. Schallert was not known for playing bad guys, but he does so here, as a rival scientist who wants to exploit the technology of The Man From Planet X in order to enrich himself.

I shall tell you no more of the plot, but "The Man From Planet X", unlike other cheesier sci-fi films recently reviewed, should be regarded as downright scary. The whole thing takes place at night, on a fog shrouded sound stage, lol, with great backdrops, and the art direction has the look of old Universal Horror from the '30s. And "The Man From Planet X" himself is without doubt a frightening boogeyman.

Really, it's as much a movie to watch on Halloween night as much as any other favorite you might have. It's that good and has that much atmosphere, all at night, all on the remote moors, with superstitious townspeople.

Two Very Big Thumbs Up, therefore. You should watch it soon. Me, I need more classic sci-fi because this was the last movie from my four-pack. I can't run out this close to Halloween. :)

I did start another book by Paul Tremblay, though. He's the guy who wrote the recently read and reviewed "Cabin At The End Of The World". I am now reading his prior book, "A Head Full Of Ghosts", which I am finding to be scarier and more subtle. Tremblay's books are quick, easy reads, though literary, descriptive and invoking a gradual feeling of dread. Also highly recommended for fans of horror. :)

That's all I know for tonight. Go Dodgers tomorrow. See you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)