Killing Midnight

Starring:Ryan Alosio, Wendy Schenker, Karen Mistal, Mickey Rooney, Joe Dorsey
Director: Alexander J. Dorsey
Studio: Platinum Disc
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Savannah
one of the best movies of all time
southern hospitality
Very good product
Lady Chablis Steals the Show

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Starring: John Cusack , Kevin Spacey , Jack Thompson , Irma P. Hall , and Jude Law
Director: Clint Eastwood
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
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ASIN: 0790734702
Release Date: 1998-07-01

Amazon.com

Readers of John Berendt's bestselling novel were bound to be at least somewhat disappointed by this big-screen adaptation, but despite mixed reaction from critics and audiences, there's still plenty to admire about director Clint Eastwood's take on the material. Readers will surely miss the rich atmosphere and societal detail that Berendt brought to his "Savannah story," and the movie can only scratch the surface of Georgian history, tradition, and wealthy decadence underlying Berendt's fact-based murder mystery. Still, Eastwood maintains an assured focus on the wonderful eccentrics of Savannah, most notably a gay Savannah antiques dealer (superbly played by Kevin Spacey), who may or may not have killed his friend and alleged lover (Jude Law). John Cusack plays the Town & Country journalist who arrives in Savannah to find much more than he bargained for--including the city's legendary drag queen Lady Chablis (playing "herself")--and John Lee Hancock's smoothly adapted screenplay succeeds in bringing Berendt's characters vividly to life with plenty of flavorful dialogue. In similar fashion to Warner's acclaimed DVD of L.A. Confidential, this classy DVD includes a behind-the-scenes documentary titled The Real People in the Garden and an interactive map tour of Savannah and its most celebrated (or notorious) citizens. The original theatrical trailer is also included. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Academy award-winning director clint eastwood helms this story based on john berendt's best-selling book examining contemporary events and unique characters in picturesque savannah, georgia, following a shocking murder. alternately suspenseful, satirical

Customer Reviews:

Savannah.......2007-06-27

Love this movie, slow but deep. Love visiting Savannah right after watching! Purchased, shipped, received fast!

one of the best movies of all time.......2007-05-13

The book is just as quirky as Savannah or is the Savannah as quirky as the book...an all time favorite that should be on every one's shelf...you never know when you might new it !!

southern hospitality.......2007-03-09

The star of this movie is: John Cusack. Kevin Spacey. The Lady Chablis. Minerva, the juju woman. Savannah. Uga.

Okay, Uga can only be a supporting star; #1.,his part is small - important, but limited, and #2., he's a dog.

But everybody in this quirky, involving, dramatized true story is a star without a doubt, including a few folks you will recognize from other movie roles but not be able to put a name to. This is the sort of movie that attaches itself to followers of "Northern Exposure" and other vehicles for personal expression and individuality. The setting itself is spectacular; Savannah, Georgia, a town I could place on a map but until this didn't know much about, is suddenly at the top of my list of places to see before the end. There is undeniable Southern charm, the cliqueishness of a community dedicated to keeping outsiders in the dark, an indefinable spookiness aided by Spanish moss hanging from the trees and lush green gardens and dark corners everywhere; mystery permeates every frame of this film, augmented by a waggish I'm-Southern-and-you're-not attitude presented by almost everybody without rancor or arrogance. These are people comfortable in their own skins and they don't care if the visitor is particularly at ease or not.

John Kelso (John Cusack), a writer for Town & Country Magazine, gleans the peach assignment of covering the annual and much-desired Christmas party hosted by Savannahian Jim Williams, an entrepreneur restorer of old mansions and art works who resides in the gorgeous former home of songwriter Johnny Mercer. The house itself is a character in the movie; classy, elegant, well-appointed, it is the architectural equivalent of its human conservator, Jim Williams, who oversees every aspect of his place in Savannah society with panache. Genteel is a word that applies to all but one of the principals here, and that principal makes his raucous and vulgar debut fairly early in the Christmas party. During John Kelso's tour of this beautiful home, as he is being shown around by Jim Williams, a loud, ill-dressed young man strides threateningly into the room yelling at Jim, and we are introduced to Billy Hanson (Jude Law), who is miffed that he wasn't included in the party. It's obvious from the start that there is more to this meeting than is immediately apparent, and you can watch the wheels turning in John Kelso's mind as he attempts to work it out. After the vulgar young man stomps out, an unruffled Jim Williams explains with perfect Southern charm, "Uh, that was Billy Hanson, works part time in the shop - and can, at times, be a very colourful character."

Later on, John Kelso is awakened in his carriage-house quarters by a deal of noise and confusion, and wanders out into a surreal scandal which becomes his full induction into Savannah and all its many colours: wall-to-wall police at the Mercer home, all of Savannah milling about outside in the dark, and a dead Billy Hanson in the front room, an obviously traumatised Jim Williams giving an emotional account of Billy's demise in another room to the police detective. John Kelso is allowed to wander through the crime scene unchallenged for a few minutes until he himself realizes what he is doing and vacates.

The movie swings into overdrive now in its parade of colourful characters. John Kelso, abandoning his Christmas party coverage in favour of instead writing a book about what he sees to be a sensational story, embarks upon an examination of everyone involved. The movie is clearly stolen by the Lady Chablis, a local showgirl and friend of many of the principals, who knows a little too much about everybody and who is, moreover, played to perfection by the actual Lady Chablis (I can't imagine anyone else in this role). Others in this group of individuals includes the actual defense attorney in the subsequent trial (in the movie he plays the judge); an old juju woman who communes with the dead; a juror in the trial who wanders through Savannah with a flock of horseflies attached to his person via threads superglued to the flies; an entertaining duo who run a club (the woman singer is played extremely well by Clint Eastwood's daughter Alison); and various other small parts that make up a cohesive whole of a truly unique and charming community.

The fact that this true story was portrayed by many of the people who were actually involved is a great stroke of luck; they bring a light to the story that would fall a little flat otherwise. (The Lady Chablis is her own story, and it is impossible to look away when she is onscreen.) Kevin Spacey is unsurpassed in his portrayal (he even bears a remarkable resemblance to the real Jim Williams) and his wonderful Southern diction is worth listening to no matter what he is saying. John Cusack's wide-eyed-New-York-writer is well-played also. The only role i thought a bit stilted was Jude Law's Billy Hanson, which was jarring (perhaps on purpose) and seemed strained.

The extras section, which includes a tour of the noted locations in Savannah, is as interesting as the movie itself, and as said previously, makes me eager to visit this beautiful city.

Very good product.......2007-02-14

The DVD is of very good quality. The jacket is in very good shape, also.

There were no scratches on the DVD and no smeared scenes, either.

I am pleased with the product.

Lady Chablis Steals the Show.......2007-01-23

John Kelso, a New York writer (John Cusack) is commissioned by Town & Country magazine to write a 500 word article about Jim Williams, a Savannah, GA socialite antique dealer (Kevin Spacey).

A few days and a few parties later, the talented writer begins to think there is more than a short article in this little southern town. Perhaps a successful book. After Billy Hanson, the local hustler, played by a very young looking Jude Law, is murdered Kelso knows there is. As he begins to research his main character, Jim Williams, he learns the true character of his subject and the people he has called his friends. It's amazing what happens to southern hospitality when someone's sexuality is brought to the forefront of a murder trial.

This was such a great movie. Filled with colourful southern characters, lead by the fantastic Spacey. Not surprisingly Cusack's character moves the story along but my absolute favourite was the sweet Lady Chablis (Chablis Deveau) a.k.a. Frank, a lounge singer with attitude, a hidden package and a keen sense of wit. She really steals the show.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is loosely based on the successful novel of the same name by John Berendt and is directed by Clint Eastwood. It has the feel of the Usual Suspects, probably because of Spacey. Definitely worth watching. Reviewed by M. E. Wood

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Midnight Phantom
Starring: Reginald Denny , Claudia Dell , Lloyd Hughes , Jim Farley , and Barbara Bedford
Director: Bernard B. Ray
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
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ASIN: B0001NBLV8
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Average customer rating:

Nasty things, these shootings.
For what it is, it's pretty entertaining
Ridiculous
Truly "Edwoodian." So Bad it's good
Not as "bad" as Wood's classics, but a must for collectors

Jail Bait
Starring: John Avery (III) , Henry Bederski , Ted Brooks (III) , Conrad Brooks , and Regina Claire
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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Night of Ghouls
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ASIN: B00003XAMT
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Amazon.com

"How can a great doctor have such a jerk for a son?" asks Ed Wood in his cheap dime store crime thriller about a sneering delinquent whose mania for handguns leads to murder. "I never thought carrying a gun would lead to this," he burbles to his far-too-understanding father, but it's too late. His cold-hearted partner Timothy Farrell blackmails Daddy (who just happens to be the most gifted plastic surgeon in the world) into giving him a new face, but Dad has a trick up his sleeve. Wood regular Lyle Talbot headlines as the investigating police inspector, former Mr. America and future Hercules Steve Reeves takes his shirt off for no good reason to flex his physique to the camera, and Wood's real-life girlfriend and frequent costar Dolores Fuller wears angora as the doctor's nice-girl daughter. "Cheap? Does this look joint look cheap to you?" demands the crook's gold-digging girlfriend? In a word, yes. There's a pleasing grungy B-movie aesthetic to Wood's nighttime location shooting, giving those moments a film noir flavor, but the rest of the film takes place on bland, generic sets with the flat look of a sitcom. Actually, flat is the operative word for this lethargic thriller: Wood displays his genius for arch dialogue and draws wooden performances from his largely mediocre cast. In other words, it's prime Ed Wood. The annoying guitar and piano score was borrowed from Mesa of Lost Women. --Sean Axmaker

Description

She's a good girl--to leave alone! Fresh from his sensational "Glen or Glenda?," Ed Wood, Jr. presents his homage to the gangster films of the '30s and '40s, starring his sex kitten girlfriend Dolores Fuller and introducing to the screen handsome young Steve Reeves (Hercules). Inspired by the popular TV show "Dragnet," this Ed Wood film tells the story of a rich but troubled young man who kills a cop and has plastic surgery to hide his identity. Filmdom's legendary Alex Gordon co-wrote this clever script to help Ed make his first legitimate feature film.

Customer Reviews:

Nasty things, these shootings........2007-04-08

Two "hold-up boys," Don Gregor and Vic Brady, get caught in the act, and Gregor is forced to shoot an ex-police officer. Brady plays it cool, but Gregor insists that they turn themselves in. "We're cop killers. They don't like that," Gregor explains. Brady shoots him and hides his body behind a curtain in the kitchen.
Wishing to disappear to escape the police, Brady enlists the help of Gregor's father, a plastic surgeon who admits, "Plastic surgery, at times, seems to me to be very, VERY complicated." The surgeon shows up to give Brady his new face, but when he finds his son's dead body STANDING(???) behind a curtain in the kitchen, he decides to have a little fun with Brady instead. Two weeks later, Brady's bandages come off and he's horrified to find whose face is underneath.
"Jail Bait," Ed Wood's attempt at the gangster genre, is unintentionally silly, ludicrous, and terribly enjoyable. And despite what Wade Williams says on the back of the DVD, the script is far from clever. Other highlights include: an embarrassing racist Vaudeville act, laughably inappropriate Spanish guitar score, and Dolores Fuller who is possibly the worst actress in history.

For what it is, it's pretty entertaining.......2005-10-27

Before you watch this movie take a few things into account, first of all it was made by Ed Wood and I have nothing to say of him that hasn't already been said, second it's old. Now that those little things are out of the way on to the real review. This movie's plot revolves around the son of a plastic surgeon who gets caught up with crime and eventually kills a cop. I don't want to spoil the rest but any ample review has to have some kind of summary. While the acting is poor and the various effects cheesy, I found myself somewhat compelled to watch and see what happened next in this entertaining story. Call me crazy but I actually enjoyed this old relic and considering that it came from Ed Wood and I was as genuinley enjoyed as I was I give it five stars.

Ridiculous.......2005-05-20

There is no real reason to own or watch this movie unless you are an Ed wood fan or you just love old movies with bad acting. If you fall into either of those categories, however, it is a must have.

This effort of Wood's is so much better than GLEN OR GLENDA that using the same scale, this outght to get 5 stars. Unfortunately, this is the real world and Amozon does not allow for negative number of stars. SUffice it to say, this wone is much better than GLEN OR GLENDA but that is not saying a whole lot. At least this one has a story.

The title refers to guns. Carrying a gun is tantamount to wanting to go to jail. That doesn't mean, though that this is an anti-gun diatribe, it is just the way society is perceived in this film and is fairly peripheral to the story.

The story is of a young man from a good family who falls into bad ways. He begins to carry a gun and hang around with a petty crook. One day, a holdup goes wrong and he shoots and kills a watchman. At that point, his world crumbles and he feels remorse. His partner in crime, however, is not so forgiving and neither are the police. It is up to the father, an eminent plastic surgeon to secure justice.

Fans of Steve Reeve of SUPERMAN fame might enjoy his performance in this movie. He plays a small part as a police lieutenant. The rest of the actors are utterly unremarkable but that is part of the point of seeing and savine Ed Wood movies. They are usually bad enough to be funny in their own right.

This is a fairly bad movie. The acting and dialog are pretty pathetic and the situations encountered are less than realistic. Anyone could through the loopholes but, again, that is not the point in an Ed Wood movie. Some of his other works are much worse but silly enough to be funny. This one might just barely meet that criterion for some people. For me, it was a snoozer.

If you love Ed Wood, go for it. If you like campy old police drama, ditto. Otherwise, look elsewhere for your entertainment dollar.

Truly "Edwoodian." So Bad it's good.......2004-01-25

Folks, leave your brains at the door. This is good old Edwoodian schlock about a bad boy who gets mixed up with the wrong crowd. Laugh out loud at the outragous stupidity and unintentioned humor of horrible dialougue, bad acting , and sheer senselessness. Who the heck would insist that a doctor under pressure of gunpoint operate on him? (That's just for starters). The surprise ending (which I won't reveal here) is pretty good. But the Blackface minstrel performance as an abomination not only for modern P.C. reasons (as an African-American myself, I've seen far worse in old movies), but it is not funny at all (the guy in Blackface whines and strains his voice in a gross effort to sound "Black" and the gags consist of very bad puns). In true Edwoodian style, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the story. But if you and your friends are filled with beers and pizza and want a good howl for over an hour, then this is for you.

Not as "bad" as Wood's classics, but a must for collectors.......2003-07-25

Written by the one and only Edward D. Wood Jr in collaboration with Alex Gordon. JAIL BAIT concerns Don Gregor (Lyle Talbot) a criminal whose father (who just happens to be a plastic surgeon) wants him to straighten out and start a new life; and yes that includes getting a new face.
That's the basic "plot". The more "serious" approach to this movie means it isn't as fun as say, NIGHT OF THE GHOULS; but JAIL BAIT is still a worthwhile addition to the collections of cult movie afficionados. But the feature itself is weak, flat and poorly paced, even by Wood's rock bottom standards.
So why doesn't JAIL BAIT rank as one of Ed's "classics"? Because:
a)The story is more conventional.
b)The film's direction is almost COMPETENT. If you viewed this without knowing Wood directed, you could be forgiven for easily dismissing JAIL BAIT as a forgettably bad B crime melodrama and:
c)Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson or Criswell are nowhere to be seen.
Despite this; I've given the movie 2 stars simply because it's difficult to completely dislike an Ed Wood movie, no matter how much you may wish to. The DVD is also worth a look since this edition of JAIL BAIT is the digitally remastered Director's Cut. So that's got to be worth something. The movie is also notable for Wood's casting of a pre- HERCULES Steve Reeves, using his own voice for once.
Last of all, I have a question: Is it just me, or did this inadvertently inspire the movie JOHNNY HANDSOME, which featured Mickey Rourke at his most mumbling and incoherant? Try comparing the movies sometime and you may see a few parallels between the two.

Average customer rating:

Midnight Cop
Starring: Morgan Fairchild , Armin Mueller-Stahl , Michael York , Julie Kent , and Frank Stallone
Director: Peter Patzak
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002I831I
Release Date: 2004-07-27

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Midnight Kiss
Starring: Gino Dentie , Gregory A. Greer , Lee Harrington , David Hicks , and Michael McMillen
Director: Joel Bender
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
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"Thousands of eyes will be exploring you, appreciating your beauty, even long after your dead."
Low Budget and Obvious, But Entertaining for Fans of 1960s B-Movies
INTERESTING LOW BUDGET SHOCKER....

Violent Midnight
Starring: Lee Philips , Shepperd Strudwick , Jean Hale , Lorraine Rogers , and Margot Hartman
Director: Richard Hilliard
Manufacturer: Dark Sky Films
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ASIN: B000C65YM6
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Description

In this Psycho-esque black & white thriller from Del Tenney, Elliott Freeman (Lee Phillips) is a Korean War vet-turned-painter who becomes the prime suspect in the brutal stabbing death of his model, Dolores (Kaye Elhardt). Did Elliott kill her to end their relationship? Or, did her ex-boyfriend, Charlie (James Farentino) murder her out of jealousy? Or, could it have been Professor Melbourne (Day Tuttle), a peeping tom with mysterious ties to the woman? Regardless, it's up to Elliott's attorney (Shepperd Strudwick) to clear his name and downplay his reputation as a one-man killing machine. While Detective Parma (Dick Van Patten) chases down the leads, Elliott's half-sister Lynn (Margot Hartman), arrives to enroll at the local college. She's quickly befriended by Alice (Lorraine Rogers), a sexy young co-ed intent on seducing Elliott, who spurns her advances. Suddenly, Alice becomes the victim of a vicious stabbing and once again, all eyes turn to Elliott. How can he ever prove his innocence when everyone is against him? Psychomania is the first film produced by Del Tenney, who went on to produce such low-budget horror gems as The Curse of the Living Corpse and The Horror at Party Beach.

Customer Reviews:

"Thousands of eyes will be exploring you, appreciating your beauty, even long after your dead.".......2006-12-16

Produced by Del Tenney (The Horror of Party Beach, The Curse of the Living Corpse) and directed by Richard Hilliard (I, Marquis de Sade), who's also credited with the writing, Violent Midnight (1964) aka Psychomania stars Lee Philips (Peyton Place, Middle of the Night) as an artistic painter with a checkered past who finds himself a prime suspect in a homicide investigation as the woman he was using as a model turns up viciously murdered. Also appearing is Shepperd Strudwick ("One Life to Live"), Margot Hartman (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women), Jean Hale (McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force), Kaye Elhardt (The Navy vs. the Night Monsters), Richard Van Patten (The Shaggy D.A.), and James Farentino (The Final Countdown, Dead & Buried), in his silver screen debut.

Lee Philips plays Elliot Freeman, a war veteran/temperamental artist who leads a solitary existence (by choice), his only real visitors being his cultured attorney Adrian Benedict (Strudwick), and his model Dolores (Elhardt), a pretty, young, local woman who's `round, firm, and fully packed', at least according to the men in town (they ain't lying). Seems Dolores, who's involved with a local thug named Charlie (Farentino), has it bad for Elliot (probably due to the fact the pair got it on when Dolores first started posing for Elliot), but Elliot only sees her now as a subject for his art, and is interested in keeping their relationship on a business level. Anyway, one night Elliot and Charlie get into a brawl, one in which Elliot, with skills obviously learned during his military service, nearly kills Charlie, but for the intervention of some patrons. Later that night a mysterious prowler breaks in on Dolores and savagely murders her. Richard Van Patten and his humongous forehead make the scene as a detective, and his subsequent investigation leads him to Elliot, as Charlie, the other suspect, manages to schmooze a false alibi out of an incredibly mannish looking woman who's got the hots for him. The situation becomes even more complicated as Elliot's half sister Lynn (Hartman), whom he hasn't seen in about six years, arrives in town, as she's been living with her mother (Charlie's step mother), and is planning on attending a local women's college, one that's inhabited by a whole mess of loose, young women and one really creepy voyeuristic professor named Melbourne, who seems to have knew Dolores better than he should have, resulting in yet another potential suspect. Anyway, things get wild and wooly from here as another woman is murdered, various bombshells are dropped, Elliot's past is revealed, a goofy folk song is sung, and the identity of the sadistic killer eventually revealed...

While this is a very low budget feature, I thought it was done well as it kept my interest throughout. That's not to say I didn't think there were some weak areas in the production, but all in all I thought it an engaging, slightly lurid murder mystery film. The main weakness to me seemed the presence of a whole lot of unnecessary character development. Some scenes are unnecessarily drawn out (like this review), the result being the flow feeling uneven at times and running about fifteen minutes longer than it probably should have...the upside is the characters are fairly interesting enough that I didn't mind spending the extra time watching them as they engaged in various, usually immoral, activities, as was especially the case with Charlie, who spent a good deal of time messing around with a sleazy student from the college who dug on his animalistic charms (I gotta find this school as most all the females in attendance were very comely and man crazy to boot). The film seems to spend a lot of time developing the various suspects, but it became apparent about halfway through which characters weren't the killer (laws of physics tended to preclude some of them). As far as the real identity of the killer, I didn't know it until it was revealed (my guess was way off), and I doubt few watching this film will catch on as there's just not a whole lot to go on, at least not until the end, when, through an expository dump, all is revealed. And yes, it did make sense, but only in terms of having everything explained in a chronological fashion). Normally this might bug me, but, as I said earlier, the characters, along with the story, were interesting enough to allow certain aspects to slide. I thought the performances were decent enough, and the direction strong, albeit a little rough at times. There's a great interior shot at the beginning, a slow pan down from a large, rain-spattered window that eventually focuses on Dolores (who's completely nekkid), posing for Elliot. I'm unsure why that shot would stick in my mind, but it did...someone else mentioned the presence of a bit of skin in the film. I, too, thought it odd, given the year the film was released (there's nearly a full frontal of Kaye Elhardt, who played the character Dolores, as she's posing), as you just didn't see that kind of thing from films of the time, apart from stag features or nudie cuties. Nevertheless, it was appreciated. One other thing that annoyed me a little...it was in terms of Van Patten's character. On the back of the DVD case his name is listed as Detective Parma, but the only time I ever heard anyone within the film address him by name, they called him Lt. Thomas...I looked on The Internet Movie Database and he's listed as Palmer...oh well...all in all I thought this a lurid, somewhat solid, economical feature worth the attention if you enjoy a bit of sleaze with your murder mysteries.

The picture on this Dark Sky Films DVD release, presented in full frame (1.33:1) black and white, looks exceptionally sharp and crisp, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio comes through very well. There are some extras available, including a photo gallery, a commentary track with producer Del Tenney, English subtitles, and a couple of trailers for some other Del Tenney films such as The Horror of Party Beach (1964) and The Curse of the Living Corpse (1964), both of which are available as a DVD double feature released by Dark Sky Films.

Cookieman108

Low Budget and Obvious, But Entertaining for Fans of 1960s B-Movies.......2006-07-06

When Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO opened the door, many other films followed, and the early 1960s saw a glut of low-budget, black and white thrillers that held scantily clad women at the point of a knife. Released in 1964, VIOLENT MIDNIGHT (also known as PSYCHOMANIA or BLACK AUTUMN) is fairly typical of the genre but better than most.

When Delores is found stabbed to death in her rooms there are two very obvious supects: Elliot, the reclusive artist who has employed her as a model, and Charlie, her tough-guy boyfriend. After all, the two men had a bar room knife fight over her the night before! Fortunately Elliot has his half-sister, who has just arrived to attend a local all-girl college, for support. But before too long the student body becomes precisely that, and both Elliot and Charlie come under renewed suspicion.

The cast is unexpectedly solid. Leading man Lee Philips (in the role of artist Elliot Freeman) and supporting actor Shepperd Strudwick (as his attorney) both had long and respectable careers both before and after VIOLENT MIDNIGHT; James Farentino, Sylvia Miles, and Dick Van Patten would go on to notable careers of their own. Even so, there's nothing subtle about the script, which crams everything from biker chicks to college sirens into the mix, and most viewers will probably identify the killer in the first twenty minutes of the film.

Even so, and in spite of a budget that was clearly just this side of zero, VIOLENT MIDNIGHT isn't a bad little flick, and it easily holds its own with the likes of the better-known DEMENTIA 13. It will probably lack appeal for the casual viewer, but fans of 1960s B-movies will have a good time.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

INTERESTING LOW BUDGET SHOCKER...........2006-04-12

The first film produced by low budget indie filmmaker Del Tenney is a lurid, voyeuristic but interesting murder mystery. A wealthy war veteran turned artist finds himself implicated first in the brutal murder of his nude model then in the murder of a promiscuous college coed. But there are a couple of other suspects acting suspiciously...one of whom is an actual voyeur. The b&w film is set in a small college town with the college being all women. The acting is passable to good with a few familiar faces: Sheppard Strudwick as a lawyer, Dick Van Patten as a cop, Sylvia Miles as a bar floozy and James Farentino as a motorcycle thug. They all have good-sized roles. The murders (stabbings) are brutal, there's a surprising amount of (female) skin for 1962 and the ending is kind've a surprise. You do keep guessing at times who the killer really is. The DVD print is excellent. Not bad viewing for those who appreciate low budget but pretty good films. Actually, "Violent Midnight" is kind've an American "giallo" with it's lurid, near-exploitation values and creepy set-ups. In fact, giallo afficianados may go for this as well. Worth checking out as an obscure find. Enjoy.

Average customer rating:

Midnight Witness
Starring: Paul Johansson , Maxwell Caulfield , Karen Moncrieff , Jan-Michael Vincent , and Kelli Maroney
Director: Peter Foldy
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
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Release Date: 2001-11-25

Average customer rating:

Midnight Kiss
Starring: Gino Dentie , Gregory A. Greer , Lee Harrington , David Hicks , and Michael McMillen
Director: Joel Bender
Manufacturer: First Look Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001US7P4
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Average customer rating:

Midnight Cop
Starring: Morgan Fairchild , Armin Mueller-Stahl , Michael York , Julie Kent , and Frank Stallone
Director: Peter Patzak
Manufacturer: Legacy Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00077BOJ2
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Average customer rating:

Poorly Assembled Work Eliminates Chances For Creating Suspense.
PUZZLING PUZZLER

Killing Midnight
Starring: Ryan Alosio , Wendy Schenker , Karen Mistal , Mickey Rooney , and Joe Dorsey
Director: Alexander J. Dorsey
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000ADXFH
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Customer Reviews:

Poorly Assembled Work Eliminates Chances For Creating Suspense........2005-11-24

After a neighbour of author William Rhodes (Ryan Alosio) in the San Pedro (Los Angeles) Harbor marina where they live is murdered by a bizarre method similar to that suffered by a victim in a best-selling first novel by Rhodes, a homicide detective attempts to link him with the crime as a suspect. Rhodes, whose home is a boat named "Writer's Block", a condition that he has developed while working upon his second novel, is open to a suggestion by his agent that he meet with a friend of hers, former private investigator and current professor of criminology Mort Sang (Mickey Rooney), in an effort to raise the barriers to his creative impulses, and he visits Sang, at which time the two discuss serial killers with the professor, an authority upon the grisly subject, informing the young author that his offer of assistance to the FBI was summarily refused. This FBI connection is not again referred to in this somewhat continuity resistant work (despite the successful novel "Killing Midnight" by Rhodes that depicts a serial murderer who eludes the Bureau for ten years) while William seeks fresh vitality with a romance he begins with Gina (Karen Mistal), his agent's personal assistant. The pace of the film thereby slows, but it hardly seems important as a viewer enjoys a colourful Christmas boat parade, while the amourous activity of the lovers brings about a temporary shift in the narrative's mood, although a purportedly mute and mysterious individual named Anthony Chambers (Joe Dorsey) moves into a nearby slip, subsequently luring with apparent evil intent the strangely reappearing Professor Sang aboard his vessel with offerings of whiskey, the criminologist unaccountably clad in a Santa Claus suit. During the meeting between Rhodes and Sang in the criminologist's office, the latter had spoken of a still-at-large southern U.S.A. based "Tickle Creek Killer", and therefore a viewer is not unduly surprised when it is determined that Chambers is that person and, worse, is certain to cause survival difficulties for William and Gina. The no longer speechless Chambers tells Rhodes, while plying him with drink as he did Sang, that his wife and young daughter, while the Chambers family was asea, were eaten by sharks, this gruesome tale obviously a justification to him for his murderous assaults after he returned to dry land, but the befuddled William has difficulty in concentrating upon the story because of his heavy imbibing. This loss of self-control by Rhodes is triggered by a misunderstanding that he has created following a telephonic conversation with his agent, resulting in his curtly breaking off relations with Gina. However, after she falls into the hands of mad Chambers, William discovers that he still loves her and that he will have to be very fortunate indeed if he expects to rescue her. It is pleasing that a veteran character player such as the 72 year old Joe Dorsey receives top billing, even if it be for a film developed, written and directed by his family members, but this capable actor lacks needed direction in this low budget and below standard attempt at making a thriller, and his frequent bursts of maniacal laughter become wearing and eventually comical. Lack of originality in the dialogue hampers him as well as it does the remainder of the small cast; however, Mistal, seldom seen in a part that requires actual acting, is quite impressive here in creating a believable role. The mentioned weakness in direction, when coupled with a palsied script that emphasizes sadism and general atmospheric effects at the expense of those elements necessary to generate suspense, are harmful to this effort, although camerawork is at times creative, even with an emphasis upon closeups of the characters. The film suffers most damage by having too many loose ends in the screenplay, forcing a viewer to simply imagine whereas logic should point the way.

PUZZLING PUZZLER.......2004-02-19

We have one heroic mystery writer (played by Ryan Alosio from "Darkwolf") who has just come off a big best seller called "Killing Midnight." (Duh). There's been a murder committed right next to the boat where he lives. This murder parallels a killing in his novel. But, guess what? The script doesn't take this premise anywhere further. Instead, we meet Alosio's bitchy agent and her sexy if demure assistant. Seems the writer is having writer's block, so he inexplicably visits a retired PI and professor (Mickey Rooney, in a laughable performance, but not ineffective) to see if this guy can give him some hints on serial killings. Next we meet a supposedly mute gentleman who is going to move his boat next to Alosio. This character is played by Joe A. Dorsey, an actor I've never heard of or seen before, and considering his hammy histrionics in this one, I doubt if we'll see or hear from him again. Suffice to say, the new neighbor is a serial killer first mentioned by Rooney, and he is a true looney with a long grey ponytail which he unhooks prior to his murders. His murder of Rooney is peculiarly sadistic, and not really necessary.
The movie is long on atmosphere and short on suspense, and not rationally developed. Alosio has a lot of potential; he has a sincerity and rugged masculinity that was more evidenced in Dark Wolf, and only hinted at in this one. Karen Mistal as the heroine is more like a Barbie character, and seems as deep as a petri dish.

Not a total washout, but certainly a rent option more than purchase.

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