Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

This has got to be the first time someone agreed with me about a film i've not seen.

Looking at my lists i've not seen Cabaret: Um.. eh. It was Fredo?

Oh yea, I remember the dressing.

It reminded me of Deepwater Horizon, which I had seen the week before. I think they're both huge news stories, but it's stretching it to make a movie about them. They're ordinary guys, so it's hard to dig deep and keep it interesting enough for film, if you want to stay close to the truth.

I haven't seen Sully yet, but despite the poor review, I still want to see it. However it's not near the top of my watchlist, so it will be a while before I get around to it.

I saw Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil many years ago, but I don't remember much about it except that it's about some kind of murder, it stars Kevin Spacey and John Cusack, (because that's why I saw it), and that Kevin Spacey spoke with an annoying accent in the movie. If I remember correctly, I liked the movie, but I didn't love it.

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I saw Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil about 100 years ago...love the title...if memory serves, Kevin Spacey was brilliant.

I loved the characters in Garden of Good in Evil, just on that alone makes me want to visit Savannah Georgia.
Been a few years since seeing it but I have seen it a number of times.

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Ha, that was my thought too, after watching the movie I thought Savannah Georgia looked like a neat place to visit. I've never been to Georgia, not yet.

only drove through Georgia back in the early nineties, very beautiful. I stopped at a McDonalds that featured peach shakes, having searched for road side shops selling peaches and coming up empty. MY GOD the chunks were so big they clogged up the straw and that was BEFORE I had seen the movie. IF I had I would have made a serious side trip at the time.

Director: Gordon Douglas
Cast: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi

Nine years after the first atomic test at White Sands, New Mexico, giant mutated ants terrorize the locals. When it's learned two breeding ant queens have escaped, humanity is put at risk!

Make no mistake about it, 1954's Them! is no B-budget movie. Warner Brothers studio went all out with an expensive production that used real military equipment and personal. There's a real military helicopter, plane and a number of jeeps too.


Most impressive are the real flame throwers, that were operated by actors who had been in WWII and used them in combat. Add to that the on-location filming in a real California desert where the temperatures were 110 degrees!

We get authenticity not often seen in giant mutated insect movies. Plus we're treated to a unique view of the underbelly of LA, when the military go under the city into the actual water basins and viaducts of LA. This is an A list movie with a lot of money spent on it and it shows!


One of the strengths of this movie is the attempt to add science and explain the life cycle of the ants, which adds a lot to the story. We not only see a very believable military hearing on the dangerous ants, we get to go deep inside a giant ant nest to find what dangers lurk there.

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wow, I never knew they had all of that in this movie. Was always under the impression that it was just another B-Movie using large creatures attacking the populace. Very cool.

I know, I was impressed.

Thanks to RoyC's review of Them! I decided to watch it and was impressed for what it was. Even my wife liked it. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns up on the sci fi countdown.

Watched it again a couple years ago and agree. One of the great atomic-age monster movies. And it even contained a little documentary film within the movie!

Gets a popcorn less from me but rightly regarded as one of the classic sci-fi's of the fifties.

That was a neat part of the movie, it made it seem serious like there was an actual world wide threat.

I guess I was enthusiastic over the high production values. Some of the secondary acting wasn't that great, but I like the three lead actors.

I really liked Tarantula (1955) it has a similar theme.

Enthusiasm is good
Yeah super-sized critters was a bit of a craze for a while back then, more often than not connected to the atomic issue and sadly also with cheap as chips productions.

Another critter one from around the same time I remember very fondly (and really must source in the near future for a watch), albeit not involving super-sized critters and therefore not sci-fi, is The Naked Jungle.

Ahh....The Naked Jungle...I learned about that movie when I did research for possible sci fi movies for the countdown. I have yet to watch it, but I will!

I'm glad to hear some love for it. And hey. it has Chuck Heston and he's got a gun!

And a box of matches too if I remember correctly

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Knew you would Yes, the authenticity pays off.

I love those sci fi monster 50s movies. I could watch them all the time. Good review you did on your thread of Them!

Thanks. What is your favorite monster movie of the decade?