The Creature with the Atom Brain - Need I say more?

Yes, you read that right! The Creature with the Atom Brain. And I’m not talking about Donald Trump (The Creature with the Atom Hands), but an American B-horror movie from 1958. I like watching old movies; you immediately feel like a historian at work, with all the past’s curiosities for you to explore. The Creature with the Atom-Brain introduces one of the first zombie movies that cannot be attributed to the exotic voodoo occultism à la White Zombie from 1932, but rather reanimates the Frankenstein tale with nuclear power and gangsters and takes place in small town America. However, these scifi zombies stay true to the slavery theme as they are mind-controlled. Only in the 60s would the anti-authoritarian zombie be unleashed on humanity.

A creature with an atom brain.

In 1958, however, gangster boss Frank Buchanan and a Nazi scientist ally to unleash revenge upon their enemies by resurrecting and mind-bending some recently deceased subjects. Because of their high level of radiance, these clumsy assassins leave luminescent fingerprints at the houses of their unsuspecting victims. They are bulletproof, they are obedient, and they come with supernatural strength. Frankly, I could watch these atomic gorillas breaking through windows and bending people’s spines all day long.

Zombies don't care much for windows.

The mysterious murders soon lead to investigations. Most handsome Dr. Chet Walker (Richard Denning, 1914-1988), who has a provokingly perfect family, soon discovers that there is more to the murders than your usual mafia crime. As he and his friend Police Captain Harris get closer to the core of the matter, things start getting dangerous for them, too.

The Nazi scientist instructing a creature while gangster boss Buchanan is watching.

Naturally, the idea of nuclear powered zombies is quite absurd, but it really doesn’t hurt the movie. What does, however, is the amount of explaining the movie does. It would have been sufficient to show the lab, but they go as far as to show the gangster and his minion put on radiation suits that are hardly airtight and give us a bit of a lengthy tour. However, this is excusable, as well as the Nazi scientist who, of course, was then less of a cliché than it is today (surprisingly, he even shows a bit of conscience by the end).

 

Dr. Chet Walker (center) traces unusual chemicals in the blood of a creature.

What to make of the movie overall? The special effects are convincing enough, the story makes enough sense, the concept is very consistent (only the title is flawed as it suggests that there is only one monster) and there even is a bit of action and suspense, which is not a given with many old movies. The flimsy premise and highly idealized depiction of family life were to be expected from a movie this old, but do not distract from the action. The Creature with the Atom Brain is worth a peek – especially for zombie fans and anyone curious what a Late-50’s scifi/horror movie looks like!

Trumbo - A man who wouldn't be silenced

A few weeks ago, some friends and I went to the cinema. We did not know which movie to watch, so we settled for the sneak peek preview. And oh, boy, were we in for a surprise! None of us had heard from the movie we were going to watch: Trumbo. Neither did we know that Breaking Bad-Star Bryan Cranston would play the main role!

When we realized what kind of movie this would be, we were skeptical. We had not come to the cinema with the intention of learning about a communist screenwriter living and working in America during the 1940’s and following. We were not sure if we were in the mood for ‘something intellectual’. 

The story is concerned with Dalton Trumbo, a man who believes in fair wages, but who does not want to give up his privileges at the same time – a moderate socialist, you might say, but nevertheless a member of the infamous “Hollywood 10” (alleged communists in the movie business). Thus, he is considered a radical and a public enemy. Trumbo has to endure public shaming, first and foremost led by journalist Hedda Hopper (well portrayed by Helen Mirren), whose slanderous reporting inspires one angry viewer to shove his drink in Trumbo’s face.

Trumbo defending himself. Source.

A little bit later, when famous movie star John Wayne (David James Elliot) tries to lecture Trumbo on being a true American, Trumbo embarrasses him, reminding him that he, unlike Trumbo, never fought for his country during WWII – only on screen. As Trumbo notices that Wayne is on the verge of exploding, he just says: “And if you're going to hit me I'd like to take off my glasses.” Wayne walks away, leaving a baffled crowd, both on and off screen, behind. 

If anything is clear from that scene on, it is that Trumbo is not only brave, but resilient. A short clip from the real Trumbo's testimony given during the hearings in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities gives you a good idea of Trumbo’s chutzpah in the face of his prosecutors. Cranston masterfully revives this one of the most daring testimonies of history, comparable to Oscar Wilde’s passionate speech in his 1895 trial. 

Official Trailer

Later on, Trumbo is convicted – without having committed a crime. The movie succeeds in portraying this little known director both as a humble and – most of all – truly sympathetic hero, certainly influenced by his two daughters, Nikola and Melissa, who were involved in the writing of the film. The importance of Trumbo's story can hardly be overstated, for it depicts the American Nation when it had just defeated a great evil – Nazi Germany – but instantaneously became oblivious to its own oppressive power during the McCarthy era.

What the movie falls short of, however, is to keep up its very interesting start. By the end, watching Trumbo’s biography feels a little tedious. However, the actors’ great performances make up for it, and if characters sometimes seem comical (most notably B-movie producers Frank King (John Goodman) and his brother Herman (Stephen Root)), it is for the better. In most cases, however, performances are spot-on. 

The Trumbo biopic is definitely a movie you wouldn’t want to miss if you are interested in American history. It is a well-deserved tribute to one of Hollywood's greatest directors.