"Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" (1978)

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Leonard Nimoy

First, the Lowdown: The city of San Francisco is invaded by an insidious alien metaphor. (Like you can tell.)

On a barren planet millions of light years away, dormant puddles of protozoan life drift into the vast ether of space only to eventually land in San Francisco. They take root as tiny parasitic plants, and that’s when the fun begins.

Elizabeth Driscoll is a lab technician with the San Francisco Department of Health, and an avid gardener. While walking home, she sees one of the parasitic buds and takes it home to examine at home. There she tries to enlighten her boyfriend, Geoffrey, but isn’t successful because he’s more interested in the Warriors game on TV. The next day, however, Elizabeth wakes to find that Geoffrey has already risen and gotten dressed – and is cleaning up the shattered remains of the glass she put her mystery flower into. Geoffrey has also transformed from a laidback straight guy, and into the kind of ramrod humorless personality that one finds at the DMV.

Matthew Bennel is a health inspector, who is trying to nail a snooty French restaurant for the lack of cleanliness in their kitchen (including an argument whether a specimen is a rat turd or a caper). Elizabeth tries to talk to him about Geoffrey’s odd behavior, but because Matthew is swept up in his investigation she can’t get anywhere with him.

The next day Elizabeth calls in sick and begins to follow Geoffrey around. Geoffrey doesn’t show up at his office, and instead spends his day exchanging large packages wrapped in brown paper with people that are completely unknown to Elizabeth. Geoffrey is a dentist, but the exchanges do not have even a feel of professional courtesy one would extend to one’s patient.

Now thoroughly freaked, Elizabeth goes over to Matthew’s house – who derails her fretting by making stir-fry. Elizabeth doesn’t know what to do, the person who calls himself Geoffrey doesn’t act like her boyfriend, and avoids all confrontation when Elizabeth asks him if he’s even angry about something. (Did I mention this takes place in California yet?) Matthew thinks Elizabeth should probably talk to his friend David Kibner, a famous pop-psychiatrist. Not as a patient, but as a concerned casual friend.

While driving there, Elizabeth and Matthew witness a crazed man shrieking about “They’re taking over! You’re next!” Only to be pursued by a group of people and hit by a car. When Matthew tries to file a witness report with the police, they don’t seem to be interested in it.

Kibner is having a book signing and during it, a distraught woman is trying to explain to him that the person who has brought her to see him is NOT her husband. Elizabeth can confirm that statement because the “husband” is one of the mysterious people “Geoffrey” saw earlier in the day. Kibner feels differently, however, and thinks that it’s just a hysterical reaction to a fear of separation (or some other psycho-babble). Elizabeth insists that the woman call her at her office though to talk further.

Upon hearing Elizabeth’s story, Kibner rehashes the same line that he used at the book signing, insisting that Elizabeth’s problem is that she’s withdrawing from her interaction with Matthew because of stress in their relationship. Elizabeth shrugs and concedes, but isn’t completely convinced.

Meanwhile, Jack Belicec and his wife Nancy are having problems of their own. Jack, a poet, is frustrated because he was to debut his book of poetry at Kibner’s signing, only to be completely upstaged by Kibner. Fortunately they run a day spa, so Jack goes to the sauna to relax while Nancy shoos the remaining customers out of the parlor. While cleaning up, she notices a misshapen body covered in a hairy, vegetable-like mass (think corn silk). Panicking, she fetches Jack (accidentally giving him a nosebleed in the process) who calls Matthew. Matthew examines the body and confirms that it’s humanoid, but there are no distinguishing features to it, just vague masses. Exhausted, Matthew lies down only to be woken up by Nancy’s screams as the body has now opened its eyes and begun to take on Jack’s features (including his nosebleed.) More worried than ever, Matthew rushes over to Elizabeth’s house and finds the same process of duplication going on in her own bedroom.

I love this version of Snatchers because it proves that you can remake a concept without making it tired and re-hashed, and still make it culturally relevant. A brilliant move was to shift the location from a small community out in the sticks and put it smack dab in the middle of a huge metropolis – disproving the theory of strength in numbers. Not very many people I know of who live in large cities can tell me what the names of their neighbors in their own apartment building are, let alone down the street. With the cultural diversity that urban centers provide also comes a kind of numbness: the best way to adapt to someone else’s strange behavior is not to notice it at all. This makes the invasion of pod people all the more frightening as you wouldn’t be able to tell whether your peers had been “assumed” until it was too late.

Line of the movie: “If you’re not crazy, you can do that thing with your eyes.”

Five stars. Look both ways before crossing.

"Invastion of the Body Snatchers" (1956)

Starring: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones, Jean Willes

First, the Lowdown: A small town in southern California is invaded by an insidious alien metaphor.

“I went to my apartment yesterday – and everything had been replaced with an exact replica.” – Steven Wright.

Santa Mira – tiny, semi-urban, quiet, peaceful. The town motto is probably “A Place To Be Somebody.” The Levittown architectural schism hadn’t yet hit, so most of the houses are still colonial and individually unique. Dr. Miles Bennell returns home from a conference after receiving an urgent telegram from his nurse. Seems that a strange malady has been sweeping over the town, and his office is backed up with patients - but when Bennell finishes his day, nothing more serious than a concussion has come in.

To add to the sense of strangeness, a friend refers him to Wilma Lentz who has concerns about her Uncle Ira. Sure, Ira seems okay enough as he trims the lawn in his cardigan, smoking a pipe, but Wilma knows that something is different with him – and can’t say what. Ira still acts like Ira, but isn’t, and that is wigging out Wilma considerably.

Bennell consults with the town psychiatrist, Dr. Kauffman, who tells him that his office has been backed up with similar cases: people are seeing soulless duplicates instead of their friends and relatives. Kauffman feels that it’s merely a low-level wave of hysteria and that it should pass in a few days, Bennell isn’t so sure.

A phone call from Bennell’s answering service interrupts a dinner date with Becky Driscoll, an old flame that he’d been trying to court. It’s an emergency call from Jack Belicec, a writer and friend of Bennell’s. When Bennell arrives, nothing is wrong – except for the body on Belicec’s pool table. Upon examination, the body is only vaguely defined: it’s got a nose, mouth, limbs, and appropriate appendages – but there’s no detail, not even fingerprints. Bennell drops Becky (a lot of B names in this movie) off at her father’s to get some rest while he decides what to do. While Belicec and his wife wait for his return, the body’s eyes have opened, and its hand has acquired a cut on it – the same cut that Jack got only minutes before.

Thoroughly panicked the Belicecs hole up at Bennell’s house to figure out what has happened. An off-hand comment leads Bennell to suspect something similar is happening at Becky’s place too – so he rushes off to investigate. Breaking into the basement, Bennell finds a vaguely shaped body in the coal chute, so Bennell spirits Becky away to his place and calls the police.

Bennell calls the police to look into the matter, only to find out that the bodies at both the Belicecs’ and Becky’s basement have mysteriously disappeared. Furthermore a body matching the description of Jack’s double was found on a burning haystack. Chided, but nonetheless scared, Bennel and company retire for the evening.

The next day, Bennell finds that people who were previously in a state of anxious paranoia are now blandly calm. Wilma approaches him to apologize for her earlier histrionics about her Uncle Ira, who is now back to normal. Bennell has no explanation for the sudden shift of everyone’s attitude, but it has him more worried than ever.

Back at home, Bennell and company are trying to calm their nerves with a backyard barbecue when an odd sound coming from the greenhouse catches Jack’s attention. Inside lay four giant seed pods, each hatching a humanoid duplicate that are gradually taking the features of Bennell, Becky, Jack and his wife. After coming to the realization that there isn’t just some mass hysteria of people accusing each other of being imposters, but that they really ARE imposters, the foursome decide to get out of dodge with all haste.

This movie is a classic. It has the classic stamp all over it. Chances are if you go to your video store it’ll probably BE in the “classics” section instead of sci-fi or horror. It’s a milestone movie that helped bring science fiction to a broader audience. And on top of it, it’s a tight little story with a central idea (remember when sci-fi writing used to be about those?) that even the straights can get.

And yet, it does nothing for me.

Maybe it’s because I’m not from the McCarthy era, maybe I’m just jaded and cynical nowadays. For some reason the original version of Snatchers always comes off like a extended episode of The Twilight Zone to me. Yeah, I’ve read essay after essay pointing out the pro- and anti-communism messages in the movie. Both director Don Siegel and the story’s author have denied any connection or hidden message.

Personally, I think that there’s a message even more subtle than the “better dead than Them” subtext. Consider this: In 1952, Levitt & Sons were ramping up production of “Levittown II” in Pennsylvania. An egregiously homogenized housing project designed to cheaply manufacture homes for quick sale. As proved with New York’s Levittown, the concept was embraced by the property-starved masses (many of which were returning from war), but condemned by the academics as something that would only encourage banality and stymie cultural growth. (I’ll leave it to you guys to ponder on whether they were successful or not.) So, in conclusion, I think that Snatcher’s real message was a stance against the creepy wave of conformity that was beginning to rise in our nation and the subsequent death of individuality of the masses.

Line of the movie: “The mind is a strange and wonderful thing, I’m not sure it’ll ever be able to figure itself out.”

Three and a half stars. Take what you want, but eat what you take.

"The Flower Of My Secret" (1995)

(Originally released as La Flor De Mi Secreto)

Starring: Marisa Paredes, Juan Echanove, Carmen Elias, Rossy De Palma, Chus Lampreave

First, The Lowdown: A fragile novelist scrambles to keep her life together.

The problem I often have with movies than involve an overtly neurotic main character is that after a while you want to strangle them for being such a yutz. This is the reason why I’m not as appreciative of Woody Allen as most people: there’s only so much hand-wringing self-martyrdom that I can stand in one serving.

Leo is a successful novelist who obsesses about her distant husband, Paco, who is enlisted in the army and stationed in Brussels. So much so that she wears his discarded boots while she writes. Desperate for human contact, she calls upon her friend that counsels doctors in how to properly suggest organ donation (and get her husband’s too-small boots off her feet.)

The friend recommends her to Angel, the editor of a newspaper that is seeking a literary critic. Angel is smitten with the lonely writer and impressed by her portfolio of work. His first assignment is to write a scathing criticism of the latest anthology by a popular and famously reclusive author, Amanda Gris. Leo states that she has no interest in Gris’ writing and demurs from writing about it.

There is good reason for Leo’s reticence, as it turns out SHE is actually Amanda Gris. A recent meeting with her publisher however turns badly: they’re disappointed with the work that she’s recently produced because it doesn’t match the theme of her previous writing; it’s too gritty and realistic. They remind Leo that she is contractually bound to write two more novels under the Gris pseudonym. In exchange for her work and the rather large advance paid to her, the publisher agrees to deflect any interviews and inquiries about the author to maintain Leo’s anonymity. Frustrated, Leo finds herself in a position where she can no longer write what she wants because it would violate her contract, but likes what she has made less and less. In a passive-aggressive form of retaliation, Leo accepts Angel’s offer and writes a scathing review of her own work under a completely different pseudonym.

Leo tries to find some comfort in a visit to her mother and sister, only to be driven up the wall by their constant bickering. Paco calls and announces that he has a 24 hour leave, but when he gets there, he informs Leo that he really only has a 4 hour stop over before heading to Bosnia. And that he’s leaving her. Now thoroughly shattered, Leo tries to pick herself up and finds an inner strength she didn’t know she had.

As much of a fan of Pedro Almodovar as I have become recently, I couldn’t help but expect there to be more to this movie. Everything is presented nearly entirely from Leo’s point of view, and in comparison with some of Almodovar’s other works, it feels rather claustrophobic.

Line of the movie: “Except for drinking, everything’s difficult for me.”

Three stars. Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.

"To Live" (1994)

(Originally released as Huozhe)

Starring: Ge You, Gong Li, Ben Niu, Xiao Cong, Deng Fei, Tao Guo, Wu Jiang, Zhang Lu

First, The Lowdown: A family has to roll with the punches of destitution and political upheaval.

Fugui is a gambling addict. He spends his nights gambling away his family’s fortune and ignoring the pleas of his pregnant wife, Jiazhen, to stop. After finally losing his father’s estate to Long’er, the manager of a shadow puppet troupe, Fugui comes to the sobering realization of all that he’s squandered away. As if to underscore this point, Jiazhen leaves him and takes his children. Fugui’s father honorable acknowledges the gambling debt, and dies of a heart attack after signing the deed to the estate over to Long’er.

Now left to care for his mother on his own, Fugui has turned over a new leaf and refuses to gamble. Jiazhen returns with their newborn son, Youqing, who she nicknamed “Don’t Gamble.” Determined to support his family now more than ever, Fugui goes to Long’er to ask for a loan so that he can open up a shop. Long’er, however, gives Fugui a counter proposal: since winning Fugui’s estate, Long’er has disbanded his puppet troupe, he gives Fugui the chest of puppets so that he can earn his own living without having to borrow money. (Remember, this is the days before TV, folks.)

Fugui finds success performing for farmers and factory workers and income is easily found amongst the working classes - at least until the communist uprising. The Nationalist Army captures Fugui and his partner, Chunsheng, and forces them into labor. Although worried about his family, Fugui has no choice but to stay with the Nationalists until one day he, Chunsheng, and another man wake to find that the entire army has deserted their post. Captured again by the communists, Fugui finds working for them easier because they allow him to perform.

After the fall of the Nationalists, Fugui returns home to find Jiazhen and his daughter selling hot water on the street. During the time of his capture, Fugui’s mother has passed away, and his daughter, Fengxia, has lost her voice and part of her hearing from a fever. Still determined more than ever to raising his family, Fugui returns to performing his puppet show, now doing so for the steel workers making their quote for Chairman Mao’s “Great Leap Forward.”

This movie meanders a bit, but needs to in order to tell its story. The plot at times seems a little episodic, and plays out like the storyline for a long-running soap opera characters disappear only to reappear about 5 or 10 years older when you see them next. Like Farewell My Concubine the themes of political upheaval and culture shock after the communist uprising is very dominant. But unlike Concubine, the characters in this movie take everything in stride, seeking happiness in themselves rather than lamenting about the severing of the old ways.

Line of the movie: “I want to live, there’s nothing like family.”

Four stars. Be happy.