"The Cry Baby Killer/The Little Shop of Horrors"
DVD Review
by Rachel Buccicone
| MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Jack Nicholson as JIMMY WALLACE Harry Lauter as LT. PORTER Carolyn Mitchell as CAROLE FIELDS Bret Halsey as MANNY COLE Rated PG Studio: Buena Vista Directed by: Jus Adiss Back to DVD Review Home |  |
In 1958, a young actor by the name of Jack Nicholson made his screen debut in “The Cry Baby Killer”. This piece of history can now be owned on the same disc as the 1960 “Little Shop of Horrors” which also featured young Nicholson.
“The Cry Baby Killer” is a brief film (61 minutes in total) about a rumble between two groups over one girl. We find Jimmy Wallace (Jack Nicholson) getting the sense punched out of him in the opening scene. The group swinging its fists includes the 18-year-old punk Manny (Bret Halsey) and his lackeys. The reason for the disagreement is Jimmy’s ex-girlfriend Carole who has chosen to date juvenile delinquent Manny.
The disagreement continues in a seedy diner where Jimmy attempts to remove Carole. The group is asked to take their dispute outside where Jimmy manages to snatch a handgun away from one of his opponents and shoot two of them. What follows is a lengthy stand-off against police while Jimmy inadvertently holds a woman and her baby plus a diner employee hostage in a storage shed.
The title of the film is misleading, and I find no other reason for it than to trick the viewer into expecting a predictable ending. The writing is quite exceptional for a film few are aware of. The acting is quite good also; of course, we expect greatness from Nicholson who was showing some of his trademark mannerisms back then, but the remainder of the cast is also quite impressive. The soundtrack is composed of jazz pieces that add immensely to the mood of the film, and the drawings during the opening credits are fairly creepy.
Although the film has been digitally mastered, the lighting remains problematic. Many scenes are too dark on the screen to fully grasp the ensuing events. Besides this, the film is great.
In addition to offering an introduction from Roger Corman, “The Cry Baby Killer” executive producer who has nearly 400 production credits to his name, the DVD features the film “The Little Shop of Horrors” also by Corman.
Shot in two days, “Little Shop of Horrors” is the classic comedy about a flower shop and their unusual plant. Seymour (Jonathan Haze) is a weasely fellow who lives with his hypochondriac mother and works for Gravis Mushnik (Mel Welles) in a skid row flower shop that struggles to keep its doors open. Seymour is nearly fired for his clumsiness but attempts to save his job by offering a unique plant he has developed and hopes it will attract business.
The cross between a Venus fly trap and some other flesh eating species is named Audrey II after the lovely and ditzy shop worker for whom Seymour pines. After accidentally pricking his finger one night, Seymour discovers Audrey II has an appetite for blood. The next morning, Audrey II has doubled in size to the delight of Mushnik, Audrey, and the spectators now flooding into the shop.
Audrey II cannot be satisfied and cries “Feed Me!” until Seymour feeds him a couple people he accidentally murdered. Thanks to the ever-growing Audrey II, the shop becomes wealthy, Audrey falls in love with Seymour, and skid row is free of a crazy dentist.
Roger Corman’s version of “Little Shop of Horrors” is hilarious. Almost pure slapstick, every character who walks on screen brings a laugh. From the man who eats carnations, the representative from the Society of Silent Flower Observers, to Jack Nicholson as the masochistic dental patient, this film is a riot.
The film has been colorized which may enhance the piece slightly, but no color can cover the pathetic effects used for Audrey II. I do believe traditionally, Audrey II only speaks the words “feed me”, but in Corman’s version she spouts all kinds of phrases including “You’ll get yours!”, thus adding more ridiculous humor.
Surprisingly, “Little Shop of Horrors” is longer than the DVD’s feature film “The Cry Baby Killer”, but only by about 10 minutes. The films are essentially opposites of each other, “Cry Baby” being pure drama, and “Little Shop” pure comedy. The two show the range of Roger Corman’s films and declare him a master of both genres.
Any die-hard Jack Nicholson fan would want this DVD for his collection, but so would anyone who enjoys “The Little Shop of Horrors”. If one is looking for a well-performed drama in combination with a straight-out comedy, this is the DVD he wants.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Full Screen (1.33:1). English Language Track. French Subtitles.
