Immediately after the fast-paced production of The Raven, Corman decided to squeeze one more gothic tale out of the lavish sets that had been built. And so, instead of adapting yet another Poe tale, he had the idea to mimic the author's style with a original story called The Terror (1963). What followed was what he called "the longest production of my career," taking nine months months to complete and directing duties being passed from Corman to a literal crowd of otherwise amateur filmmakers: Francis Ford Coppola, Monte Hellman, Dennis Jakob, Jack Hale, Jack Hill, and the film's star, Jack Nicholson. The chaotic rhythm and convoluted storyline of the finished movie kinda reflects the troubled production, but overall it's a pretty steady, drab Castle Drama with adequate atmosphere and really big rugs. Boris Karloff shot for two days on this and he's peppered throughout the film enough to make you feel like he's actually part of this. Dick Miller is his butler with a Bronx accent, and Sandra Knight is the ghost of his dead wife. Or is she? Who the hell knows, the script/story changes are really too maddening to follow; the movie's easiest parts to understand are when people are just strolling silently through the giant hallways. (Jack Nicholson constantly being thwarted by crafty spirits in a giant empty building conjured up plenty of Shining jokes.) Really the most notable thing is Jack; he may've honed his craft over the decades to come, but really, the charisma has always been right there, front & center. Not that he's entirely convincing as an officer in the French military, but he's totally believable as Jack.
A rating of 9.4 "as reviewed by Dave Portnoy" is advertised on the box. That's the second time this guy's name has come up in our frozen pizza ventures and we still kinda don't know or care who he is -- besides, who needs this stooge when you've got Bennett Media taste testing for you already? And we're here to tell you that Di Fara Pepperoni Pizza isn't quite a 9.4, but it doesn't have some big strengths. Firstly, you can tell by the box that they're trying to appear lighter, fancier, all natural, free of dyes and poisons and all the other popular promises, and on that front they succeeded; there is a noticeable freshness in its crispy crust that isn't always present in the world of ice cube dough. Really the only failure in their faux fanciness is the addition of big basil leaves - two to be exact, so if you're a fan of mouthfuls of leafy garnish, you'd better hope you get one of the designated "basil slices". The one element that definitely veers away from the health food vibe and more into cheap disgusting party food is the pepperoni - as in, the pepperoni cups. That's when the pepperoni slices create little durable concave containers of grease, which is a phenomenon that doesn't occur in every brand of frozen pizza. But when it does, it's pure magic.
The Movie: C-
The Pizza: B
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