Reviews from the Future [Archive]

Used Future

07-18-08, 02:33 PM

Doomsday
Neil Marshall 2008

http://www.screenhead.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/doomsday1.jpg

Marshall's Law Bombs Third Time Round

Being a Brit, it often pains me that our film industry is so poor compared to our European neighbours. Whilst the continent consistently produces a variety of intelligent and thought provoking films. Britain seems to flounder in an ocean of predictable rom coms, and second rate gangster movies. Back in the 1960's things were different, we had Hammer making popular horror movies, and Michael Caine was thinking man's spy Harry Palmer. But by the end of the 1970's things had taken a downward turn, appart from the odd period drama, Ken Loach or Mike Hodges film, the glory days of British cinema were over.

So when Neil Marshall burst onto the scene in 2002 with the thrilling 'Dog Soldiers' there seemed to be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Marshall promptly followed it up in 2005 with 'The Descent' (in my opinion the best British horror film since 'Hellraiser') people started talking of a new dawn in British cinema, and a possible return to the glory days of Hammer.

When I heard Neil Marshall had made a new post apocalyptic film called 'Doomsday', with (by British standards) a big budget, I got very excited. I'd practically been counting down the days, waiting for this film to be released, but sadly my enthusiasm was to go unrewarded, because 'Doomsday' is one great big mess of a movie.

The films plot concerns a supposedly incurable plague in Scotland, the Government's solution is to wall off and quarantine the entire country leaving everyone to die. Thirty years later, and said plague returns, this time to London. The top brass reveal there are survivors in Scotland, and send in a crack unit to try and retrieve an antidote. Unfortunately the survivors aren't the welcoming kind...

It's been pretty well documented that 'Doomsday' is highly derivative, and not without good reason. Almost every scene in this film has been directly lifted from other, better, movies. The primary influences here are 'Escape From New York', (there's even a character called Carpenter for gods sake), 'Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior', and 'Aliens'. Nods are also made to lots of other action/horror films, so many infact, that I'd be here all day naming them all.

The fact that 'Doomsday' is a derivative movie, isn't why I'm condemning it outright, lots of great movies and directors in this genre pay homage to old classics, and do it with a fresh sense of style and fun (Robert Rodriguez's films such as 'The Faculty' and 'Planet Terror' being prime examples).

Where 'Doomsday' falls down however, is that it adds nothing new to the mix, it's a film devoid of imagination and panache. Ideas are directly copied rather than given a new twist, as a result the entire film has no flow, and merely serves as a reminder of how good the source material was. Another detractor is the soundtrack which is downright awful, dialogue is constantly drowned out by loud incidental music, as if Marshall was trying to compensate for there being no suspense in the film. When he tires of this, we get a variety of 80's pop songs so inappropriately interspersed with the action, it becomes embarrassing. The most cringe inducing example of this, is during the end car chase when we're subjected to 'Two Tribes' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. A piece of music that makes what was surely supposed to be a thrillingly tense set piece, play as broad comedy.

None of the characters stand out here either, the herione (whose name I can't even remember) is just another Ripley wannabe, but comes off more like Kate Beckinsale from the lackluster 'Underworld' films. Bob Hoskins is good but underused, and Malcolm Mcdowell phones in his performance.

To it's credit the film is mildly entertaining all be it in a ho hum sort of way, but really, genre fans deserve better than this. Disappointing.http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/2box.gif

Used Future

07-18-08, 03:48 PM

Black Sheep
Johnathan King 2006

http://www.worstpreviews.com/images/photos/blacksheep/blacksheep5.gif

Black Sheep? Baahh Humbug

I should have known better than to rent this old mutton chop when I read the 'If you enjoyed Shaun Of The Dead...' comment on the box. Because like the god awful 'Severance' and the equally disappointing 'The Cottage' , 'Black Sheep' is yet another miserable attempt to fuse horror with comedy (with emphasis heavily on the comedy), and cash in on Edgar Wright's hit.

Henry is left terrified of sheep (now ain't that a coincidence) after a childhood prank, and on returning to the family farm for a funeral, uncovers his brother's dastardly plot to genetically modify, you got it, sheep. Guess what happens next...

This is a New Zealand made film, a country that gave us such genre classics as 'Bad Taste' and 'Braindead'. Those movies succeeded because despite them being incredibly daft, Peter Jackson's execution was anything but. 'Braindead' in particular was a gross out slapstick masterclass, superbly choreographed, with bags of energy, in jokes, and razor sharp wit. 'Black Sheep' on the other hand relies solely on it's central idea for laughs, and let me tell you, after about fifteen minutes of this movie, the joke wears pretty thin.

The film's main problem is it's total lack of innovation, despite said sheep, you won't see anything here that you haven't seen before and done better. The whole thing just feels stale, it's by the numbers comedy horror, and after half an hour I was simply left counting wallpaper patterns just hoping it would hurry up and end.

That's the trouble with the whole 'Horror Comedy' genre, it's extremely hit and miss, films very rarely working, save as cult curiosities. Films like 'Re-Animator' and 'The Return Of The Living Dead' were great, and I love em', but they're not scary in the slightest. To my mind 'Horror Comedy' is a contradiction in terms, a 'horror' film should scare you and be just that, horrible. A 'comedy', well, you do the math. Infact I can think of only one film which succeeded in both the scares and laughs department, and that's 'An American Werewolf In London'. If anyone can think of another example, please feel free to let me know.

In it's favor 'Black Sheep' is well made, fast paced, has abattoirs full of gore (though most of it looks rubbery and fake), and lots of, errr sheep. But really your enjoyment of this movie will depend on whether you find the aggressive man eating sheep hilarious, I didn't.2

Used Future

07-18-08, 04:57 PM

30 Days Of Night
David Slade 2007

http://www.exclaim.ca/images/up-130days.jpg

30 Days Of Night Steps Into The Spotlight.

Ahhh the Vampire, that most noble of movie monsters, the suave one, the romantic deviant, the stylish claret hunter, the thinker's creature of the night. Pity the poor Vampire, for never has it seemed such an endangered species. Nowadays with the likes of 'Blade' to contend with, and the peaking popularity of its humble stablemate, the Zombie, is it curtains for the king of monsters?

On it's initial release I read alot of negative articles about '30 Days Of Night' and foolishly let them sway my opinion without even seeing the movie. Now I've finally gotten round to watching it, and despite some hang ups, my viewing experience was in the main a pleasurable one.

The plot here is simple, every winter the remote Alaskan town of Barrow is plunged into darkness for thirty days. A group of particularly vicious vampires decide to exploit this seasonal inconvenience, and use Barrow as a human buffet. What transpires is a cat and mouse game of survival with the remaining inhabitants.

'30 Days' is adapted from a graphic novel, and the first thing you notice about the film is that it looks fantastic. I don't usually like CGI (I loathe it), but here it's used sparingly to enhance scenery, weather conditions, and most strikingly, for an eye popping areal shot of carnage. The vampires are well realized, sporting a contemporary gothic look, that stays the right side of cheesy, whilst complemented by the icy setting. The gory action is also well handled, David Slade going for a pleasing balance of cut aways, wide shots, and Lucio Fulci style lingering gore close ups. Technically '30 Days Of Night' can't be faulted, indeed it's production values are delightfully glossy, but the film still has some glaring detractors.

The most unforgivable of these relates to the '30 Days' portion of the title, and the pacing/credibility issues it throws up. Slade deals with this by sporadicly adding a day number at the bottom of the screen, but all to often up to ten days elapse with no explanation. This saps away any tension, and left me scratching my head in puzzlement. It seemed a huge let down to me that a film revolving around a set time frame, couldn't effectively convey that very premise.

Secondly this is a film that hinges on us believing the heroes can survive for '30 Days' against an overwhelming enemy. Virtually no references however are made to them undertaking survival activities, this seemed very odd to me, as the film is basically a story about just that. Survival elements like them finding food (something focused on to great effect in Zombie movies) are never mentioned. Instead they constantly discuss where the best hiding place is, and how they can get there without becoming vampire brunch. That's all well and good, but when characters get separated only to miraculously appear later, already at a destination, frustration and disbelief come a knockin'.

Lastly and slightly more forgivable (this is a b-movie after all) is the acting and characterisation which never rises above wooden predictability. Unless you're a doe eyed young girl fawning over Josh Hartnett, you certainly won't give two hoots about who lives or dies. Infact the films pleasingly downbeat ending is a highlight, even if it is identical to 'Blade 2'.

I must point out at this juncture, that I liked the film despite its shortcomings. Indeed you could say it's 'mutton dressed as lamb', as underneath all the gloss, this is pretty dumb stuff. In some instances audience intelligence is totally disregarded, as gaping plot holes are left conspicuously unplugged. Strangely it still manages to be likable though, infact I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a cult favourite in years to come.

So there you have it '30 Days Of Night', an interesting if flawed little vampire flick, that's definitely worth a look. It certainly doesn't reach the heights of Kathryn Bigelow's classic 'Near Dark', but it's stylishly entertaining, and should temporarily sate vampire fan cravings. 2.5

Lennon

07-18-08, 05:16 PM

You might want to move the contents to the first post....

Sexy Celebrity

07-18-08, 06:40 PM

Love the name of this thread.

Pyro Tramp

07-18-08, 07:45 PM

Hi Pyro Tramp,

Yeah, sorry if my comments at the beginning sounded a little arrogant (no offence was intended, I've edited them down slightly now). I only signed up yesterday, and was just trying to cover my ass with that review (though hopefully it came across as very tongue in cheek;)). Alot of friends I talk to won't hear a bad word about Tarantino, it gets a little boring, as they seem to lap up everything he does, and call it a classic.

At the moment I'm just trying to get some of my older material (currently saved on my hard drive) posted quickly so I can get some feedback and actively take part in the site right away. The last thing I want to do is annoy people and be branded an idiot before I've even started.:)

Oh, dude, it wasn't criticism, was saying how your sentiments on the subject are echoed my several other members and suggested checking out the Movie Club Discussion on it. I've gone from lapping up Tarantino, to becoming extremely skeptical of him. Anywho, i've been enjoying reading your reviews, a nice selection and i like your introductions giving a bit of context.

Used Future

07-18-08, 08:39 PM

Love the name of this thread.

Hi there,

thanks, glad you like it, the credit has to go to Sedai though, he suggested it as a title, I couldn't think of a better one, so hey presto:)

Used Future

07-18-08, 08:43 PM

You might want to move the contents to the first post....

Hi Lennon,

yeah I intend to once I can work out how to do it lol :) Thanks for trying to explain it earlier, unfortunately I was unable to follow your instructions.

I guess I need an idiot proof step by step guide or something.

Pyro Tramp

07-19-08, 09:59 AM

Hi Lennon,

yeah I intend to once I can work out how to do it lol :) Thanks for trying to explain it earlier, unfortunately I was unable to follow your instructions.

I guess I need an idiot proof step by step guide or something.

Just go to the edit button on your first post and paste in the contents page, remove the review that is currently in that post and then just repost it in a new post.

Used Future

07-19-08, 04:07 PM

No Country For Old Men
Joel & Ethan Coen 2007

http://www.collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/No_Country_For_Old_Men/no_country_for_old_men_movie_image_javier_bardem.jpg

No Country For Old Men sets a new benchmark.

Coen brothers films are beloved the world over, that's a fact. They have a stylish sense of wit, depth and originality that's all their own, making the Coens two of the most respected filmakers around today. Like Woody Allen, David Cronenberg, and the late Stanley Kubrick, they are auteurs whose unique perspective on movie making has resulted in critical praise, cult status, and legions of fans.

In 2003 however, their unstoppable freight train seemed to wobble, as they strayed from the usual template, and delivered the more conventional romantic comedy 'Intolerable Cruelty'. Whilst the film did moderately well at the box office, critics and fans alike weren't so enthusiastic. Their next film, 2004's 'The Ladykillers', a remake of the classic 1955 Ealing comedy, seemed to further compound fears that the Coens were losing their touch. Again it did moderately well, but critical praise wasn't forthcoming, and the freight train seemed in danger of coming completely off the rails.

There's no question that the brothers have taken these lukewarm responses completely on board. With their latest offering 'No Country For Old Men' an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel, they've gone right back to basics. The film is similar in tone to their debut feature 'Blood Simple', in that it's a violent noirish vision of the American underbelly, given almost biblical gravitas.

Josh Brolin plays Llewelyn Moss a Texan Vietnam vet, who whilst hunting in the desert, stumbles upon a Mexican drug deal gone wrong, and a satchel full of cash. Moss takes the money unaware that the devil incarnate, hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is ruthlessly on it's trail. A cat and mouse chase ensues, with Anton leaving a string of bodies behind in his unrelenting pursuit of Moss. Following both men, desperately trying to make sense of the carnage, is sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), the films moral center.

'No Country For Old Men' is essentially a b-movie, indeed on the surface the plot appears to be nothing new, many of the core dynamics feeling reminiscent of other films. The discovery and consequences of taking drug money 'A Simple Plan', and the unstoppable remorseless desert killer 'The Hitcher' (original) spring immediately to mind. But it is the Coen's brilliant casting, their technical prowess, sense of pace, and quality of McCarthy's original material, that puts this head and shoulders above those films.

Once 'No Country For Old Men' gets going (and it doesn't take long) the film doesn't let up. It's incredibly multilayered, working as both a rollercoaster action thriller/horror movie, and social commentary on the escalation of violence in American culture (the film is set in the early 80's). We are given an inhuman assassin and many violent death scenes, but these are masterfully counterbalanced with Sheriff Bell's philosophical musings, and the stark beauty of the Texan desert.

Deserving of special mention though, is the performance from Javier Bardem, as this is definately his movie. His embodiment of sinister hitman Anton Chigurh is without doubt the most unnerving depiction of a killer I've ever seen. He manages to inject incredible depth and otherworldliness into the character whilst speaking very little dialogue. Bardem came up with the weird look for Chigurh himself, and it's through his expert use of body language that he manages to unsettle the audience in all of his scenes. Anton Chigurh is Hannibal Lecktor, The Terminator, and pretty much every psycho bogeyman you can think of all rolled into one. Plus, you know what? he's scarier than all of them.

It's hard for me to articulate how much I enjoyed 'No Country For Old Men', but I was on the edge of my seat all the way through. It was tense, exciting, frightening, beautiful, thought provoking, everything I look for in a film. The action scenes and performances are of the highest order here, and if you haven't already, then I urge you to see it as soon as possible.

The Coen brothers have not only returned to form with this film, they have surpassed even their own lofty high standards.5

n3wt

07-20-08, 08:22 AM

Awsome thread man!

Some of these films are great like 1408 I found this really awsome.

With Death Proof I found it really good in places but the 2 storys took so long to get any where, I nearly fell asleep it went on for so long. But apart from the slow story I did enjoy it.

Used Future

07-21-08, 01:59 PM

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Steven Spielberg 2008

http://www.channel4.com/film/media/images/Channel4/film/I/indiana_jones_crystal_skull_xl_23--film-A.jpg

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/graphics/filmslide/indy/i1.jpg

Indy's latest outing is about as good as could've been expected.

On a rainy 1981 summer holiday afternoon, my father took me to the cinema proclaiming that I was about to see 'a great Saturday matinee adventure film'. I was six years old, and the film was 'The Raiders of the Lost Ark'. I had wanted to see the other film, the one with the winged horse on the poster, but my father was insistent, my father was right.

Seeing 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' changed me, it changed me from an anxious little boy with with few friends, to an anxious little boy with a very special friend, Cinema. Today, along with many other people of my generation, I trudged down to the local multiplex to try and recapture the magic of 'Raiders', of Indy, and 1981.

'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull' (I'll call it 'Crystal Skull' from now on), is set in the 1950's with our hero now in his mid sixties, still donning the fedora and chasing after mythical relics. The plot concerns a crystal skull (naturally) some Russians who believe it possesses alien powers, and the location of Eldorado where said skull is to be returned, in order to gain said powers. What ensues is the usual series of stunt filled chases and creepy crawlies.

'Crystal Skull' begins very nicely, I had serious goosebumps when the music kicked in, and we first glimpsed that iconic fedora. The entire sequence was strangely moving as the camera panned upwards revealing our now aging hero. Yes, sentimentality took over and almost brought a tear to my eye.

The rest of of the film sped by with hardly a dull moment, I was enjoying it whilst nitpicking incessantly at the same time. You see I never really felt like Indy and co were ever in any real danger, as some of the films set pieces were disappointingly underwhelming. The first three films all had at least one eye popping sequence that had you on the edge of your seat. The truck chase in 'Raiders', the mine cart in 'Temple', and the tank sequence in 'Crusade'. 'Crystal Skull' has one of these too, a car/jeep chase through the amazon jungle, that has heavy emphasis on slapstick thus removing any tension (plus don't even mention those monkeys). This all culminates with our heroes fighting off a swarm of killer ants, but it's rendered so unconvincingly with CGI, that I was left longing for the real bugs of the first three films.

Alot of people have also criticized the hokey alien subplot of the movie, this however wasn't a problem for me. It's set in the 50's, so it has a b-movie theme fitting of the era, that aspect worked very well as far as I'm concerned. My favourite sequence had Indy stranded at a nuclear test site about to be vaporized, the subsequent shot of him silhouetted against a huge mushroom cloud is one of the standout moments of the film.

Performance wise 'Crystal Skull' is pretty solid, Harrison Ford definitely still has what it takes as an action hero. His laconic charm and self depreciating humor sees him through the proceedings admirably. The support is also good, Ray Winstone fits right in as Indy's on/off buddy, Kate Blanchet is great as the dominatrix like villain, and I didn't find Shia LaBeouf anywhere near as annoying as I expected. Plus the reintroduction of Karen Allen is inspired, John Hurt on the other hand is criminally underused.

To sum up 'Crystal Skull' was never going to match the first three episodes, it's clearly a film that should have been made fifteen years ago. I've often wondered, that if someone had visited Spielberg on the set of 'Raiders', and told him he'd still be making these films in 2008 with a sixty five year old Ford in the lead, he'd have laughed and called them crazy. But seeing as Spielberg is, and has, then the result is pretty much as good as could've been expected.
3

Used Future

07-21-08, 06:49 PM

Fido
Andrew Currie 2006

http://media.movieweb.com/news/06.2007/fido.jpg

Fido has a bone to pick with convention.

When George A. Romero made the seminal 'Night Of The Living Dead' in 1968, then subsequently followed it up ten years later with the equally classic 'Dawn of the Dead'. He set the ball rolling for a genre that during the next decade, would spawn dozens of imitators. Only a tiny minority of these films would be any good though. Most of them infact would be so irredeemably bad, that the very mention of the words 'zombie movie' would send a collective shiver down the spines of mainstream cinema goers, the censors, and critics alike. Not because these films were so nerve janglingly scary, oh no, but because (with a few choice exceptions) they were micro budgeted and gratuitously violent rip offs, with no artistic merit whatsoever.

Still, with notoriety came fandom, like its shuffling on screen subjects, the genre just wouldn't die. Nobody seemed to care that all these movies were essentially just the same story spun out over and over again, they just wanted more of the same. Romero's fans seemed to multiply with each passing year, and eventually it must have dawned on the big studios that the lowly zombie was a potential goldmine.

Now the zombie movie is enjoying a renaissance period, Romero has added two more films to his series. His original trilogy has been remade, the '28 Days' franchise is hugely popular, hell we've even had some originality with Edgar Wright's comedy 'Shaun Of The Dead'. All these films however have still stuck to the age old zombie formula, all except 2006's 'Fido' that is...

'Fido' is set in the alternate 1950s suburb of Willard, it's your usual white picket fence kind of neighborhood, appart from the domesticated zombies that is. Ever since the 'zombie wars' a conglomerate called Zomcom (get it?) has been running things, helping to protect from, and keep the population vigilant against 'wild' zombies. Zomcom has developed an electronic collar that suppresses the zombies cravings for human flesh, and as a result they've been reduced to nothing more than slavery. We follow Timmy (K'Sun Ray), who when his parents (Carrie Ann Moss and Dylan Baker) purchase a house zombie, strikes up a touching friendship with the creature (Billy Connelly), whom he names Fido.

I'm going to say this right off, 'Fido' is a minor masterpiece. Before the opening credits had even begun to roll, I was still reeling with laughter from the black and white Zomcom 'educational film' that preceded them. The film is laced with such razor sharp satire, that takes standard zombie film conventions and completely reinvents them with wonderful results. 'Fido' leaves no stone unturned, managing to parody every aspect of the Romero template without ever disrespecting it. The film is unbelievably charming, jam packed with so many creative touches and memorable characters, that it flies by in one great big joy filled blur.

The cast are all great too, television actor K'Sun Ray is definitely one to watch, Moss is delightfully deadpan as his mum, and Connelly manages to inject real soul into Fido despite having no lines. Dylan Baker does his usual edgy turn as Timmy's father, and Henry Czerny is right on the money as fascist head of security at Zomcom. Deserving of special mention though has to be Tim Blake Nelson as Mr. Theopolis, the hilarious neighbour with a live in zombie girlfriend, he stole the movie for me.

'Fido' is like watching 'Pleasantville', 'Edward Scissorhands' and 'The Burbs' with zombies. There's not much gore here, and it's all the better for it, in fact if it wasn't for the odd head shot and severed limb this could pass for wholesome family entertainment.

To sum up this is a charmingly classy and unique take on the zombie film. Make no mistake though, it's a satirical comedy, not a horror, those looking for Romero with one liners, or another 'Shaun of the Dead' won't find what they're looking for here. Fido may be rotten, but this film is fresh. Recommended.4

Sedai

07-21-08, 06:53 PM

Hmm

My father rented this and said he quit half way through, because it was so ham-fisted with it's propaganda. I might have to give it a shot after reading this.

christine

07-21-08, 07:01 PM

Thanks for the review. looks good, I'm going to search it out on dvd. :)

Used Future

07-21-08, 07:31 PM

Hmm

My father rented this and said he quit half way through, because it was so ham-fisted with it's propaganda. I might have to give it a shot after reading this.

It's definitely worth a look, I really enjoyed it, gonna look for a copy on ebay.
I forgot to thank you for coming up with the title for my thread by the way, I wracked my brain and couldn't come up with a better one,
so thanks:)

Powdered Water

07-22-08, 05:59 PM

I will definitely be picking up Fido if I ever run across it, nice review. I still say that you've got Doomsday all wrong but I'm willing to let it slide, not everybody is me (thank god for that!). :)

Sedai

07-22-08, 06:39 PM

It's definitely worth a look, I really enjoyed it, gonna look for a copy on ebay.
I forgot to thank you for coming up with the title for my thread by the way, I wracked my brain and couldn't come up with a better one,
so thanks:)

No problem at all. :)

Thread looks great so far, and, again, thanks for the content!

Used Future

07-24-08, 07:02 PM

The Notorious Bettie Page
Mary Harron 2005

http://www.areyouscreening.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bettiepage2.jpg

T&A sadly lacking the Q&A.

Whenever I see or even think about Bettie Page, I turn into a perverted caricature of Frank Spencer complete with internal cries of 'Ooh Bettie!'. She does it for me ok, she gets my drool covered tongue flapping in the breeze, like one of those hungry dogs from the Pedigree Chum adverts. I'm at her mercy, I'm a naughty boy; I'm about to shut the hell up before I say something I regret, then disappear off to surf 1950's fetish sites for the rest of eternity.

Get the picture? good then I'll begin.

'The Notorious Bettie page' is Mary Harron's third feature film. She debuted with the extremely underrated 'I Shot Andy Warhol' in 1996, and went on to make the more commercially (though not critically) successful 'American Psycho' in 2000. Indeed most of her work has been in television, and it's a grounding that serves her very well here.

The film is as the title suggests, a biopic of Bettie's life from shy preacher's daughter, to bondage pinup superstar. We follow Ms. Page on a journey through unhappy marriage, amateur modeling and subsequent fame, to her eventual religious conversion, and disappearance back into obscurity. Bettie (Gretchen Mol) is accurately portrayed as care free, almost apathetic when it comes to her profession, clearly looking upon it as 'just a bit of fun'. We discover that in reality she was the complete antithesis of her magazine persona, and it is here that the film loses alot of it's edge...

Before watching this film I didn't really know anything about Bettie's back story. I was like alot of men, just someone who 'likes to look at the pictures'. I was persuaded to go and see it by a friend and lifelong Bettie Page devotee, who was insistent that I'd enjoy it. He was right, I did, but mixed in with the enjoyment was a distinct feeling of disillusionment, that I'd been tricked in some way.

A clue to this is in the title, 'The Notorious' just didn't ring true with me, the publications were notorious, but Bettie most certainly wasn't. With the films protagonist lacking so much of the expected venom, the end result, although entertaining and well made, felt decidedly thin. 'The Notorious Bettie Page' clearly aims for a lighthearted, gentle approach, shying away from dark areas of Bettie's past that would have shed more light on her naivety and chosen career. It becomes clear that she was most likely raped at a young age, but this aspect of the story is quickly brushed under the carpet in favor of mild titillation, thus removing any depth.

Despite this rather fluffy approach, the film still has alot to offer. Grechen Mol as Bettie is undeniably superb, considering she had to act many of the scenes semi and fully nude, she perfectly conveys Bettie's uninhibited aura. The support is also top notch, as Lili Taylor (always watchable), Chris Baur, and Jared Harris all do a good job of fleshing out their characters. The film is visually impressive too, we watch the first half in beautifully shot black and white, which authentically captures the 1950's ambiance. Before moving into glorious technicolor for the films Miami set third act.

Overall 'The Notorious Bettie Page' doesn't break any new ground when it comes to biopics. Those looking for an in depth exploration of the motivation that lay behind Bettie will feel decidedly let down by this film. Fans of Bettie on the other hand will no doubt love it, the film is an entertaining and loving portrayal of her life, accurately filled with the iconic imagery so revered by todays goth, psychobilly and fetish subcultures. Though sadly in opting for such a fun easy going tone, 'The Notorious Bettie Page' loses most of its bite.3.

nebbit

07-24-08, 07:21 PM

Thanks for the reviews have added a few to my bigpond movies list :yup:

Used Future

07-25-08, 08:17 PM

The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan 2008

http://screenrant.com/images/dark-knight-ny-times1.jpg

Ledger's swan song lights up Nolan masterpiece.

Superheroes are like sports teams, in that most people have a favourite, one they follow, idolize, and root for. My crusader of choice has always been Judge Dredd, the leather clad lawman and fascist anti hero, who appears to of recently had his motorbike stolen. Ever since Danny Cannon made a complete pigs ear of the Dredd film back in 1995 however, I've become bitter, I've developed a beef with the superhero movie, I'm jealous. Why should Spiderman, The X-Men, and Batman have all the fun? Well I suppose it's because like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Liverpool, they've simply got the most fans.

Sigh...life is just too cruel sometimes...but on with the review...

For those of you who've been living under a rock for the last six months, 'The Dark Knight' is Christopher Nolan's eagerly anticipated follow up to his 2005 success 'Batman Begins'. That film completely reinvented the Batman franchise, in that it effectively fleshed out the origins of the character, without sacrificing a climactic story arc. It was Nolan's dark and gritty approach however, that was most welcomed by the fans. A style all too lacking in Joel Schumacher's campy 1997 fiasco 'Batman and Robin', a film that nearly put an end to the series.

'The Dark Knight' picks up the story some time after the events of 'Batman Begins'. Gotham has a new hero in Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), an Elliot Ness like whiter than white DA, who's taking down the mob piece by piece. The city also has a new enemy, The Joker (Heath Ledger), a criminally insane lunatic who we're introduced to in the films opening sequence; an elaborate bank robbery. Batman (Christian Bale) is conspicuously absent, still viewed on with suspicion by the public, preferring to stay in the shadows, watching on approvingly as Dent clears house. But when the Joker strikes up an uneasy alliance with the mob, his criminal activity escalates threatening Dent's progress, and Batman is forced to intervene.

To call that the tip of the iceberg would be an understatement, 'The Dark Knight' is complex and multilayered, with a depth of narrative rarely seen in todays action pictures. Christopher and Johnathan Nolan's script juggles numerous character and plot threads with jaw dropping virtuosity. Indeed this is a film that demands your undivided attention, and most likely multiple viewings in order to fully grasp its magnitude. The film presents some profound moral dilemmas, satirizes political and media manipulation, and asks serious questions of the motivation that lies behind Batman, Dent and The Joker. The fact that it does all this, and still manages to be thrillingly entertaining, is wherein lies its genius. You'll want to see this movie again, I already do, and as I hinted earlier, I don't even like Batman.

When it comes to the performances, looking at the list of actors involved is like a casting director's wet dream. With the likes of Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman providing assured support, the leads are allowed free reign to shine, and shine they do, 'so very very brightly'. Aaron Eckhart really impresses as Harvey Dent, a character that undergoes a radical transformation during the film. He perfectly captures Dent's gradual slide into despair, and is never less than completely convincing. Christian Bale is always worth the admission, he's given less to do here, but when the story calls for Batman's intensity, he's right there like a vice cranking up the tension.

Radiating charisma brighter than all of them though, is the late Heath Ledger, no review of this film would be complete without a neck straining nod in his direction. His interpretation of the Joker is quite simply mesmerizing, and shows up Jack Nicholson's turn as the exercise in mugging it really was. Ledger owns this film, he injects a gleeful sense of mischief into the character, whilst maintaining a ruthless edge that's deeply unsettling. When he's not on screen, you miss him, when he is, you hope he stays there. A group of teenagers sitting behind me in the cinema would giggle and joyfully murmur amongst themselves every time he appeared. I know exactly how they felt. Ledger's Joker lives up to, and smashes apart the hype, he's undoubtedly a shoe in for an oscar, and will be sadly missed.

In an era where many people are complaining about the dumbing down of mainstream cinema, 'The Dark Knight' is a rare thing indeed. It's an engrossing sprawling crime story, like 'Heat' or L.A. Confidential' with superheroes and bigger explosions. You need to see this film, you owe it to yourself.4

Lennon

07-25-08, 08:37 PM

Gotham has a new hero in Arthur Dent (Aaron Eckhart), an Elliot Ness like whiter than white DA, who's taking down the mob piece by piece.

I thought it was Harvey Dent

Used Future

07-25-08, 08:43 PM

I thought it was Harvey Dent

Indeed well spotted,

Arthur Dent is the main character in 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', I was writing this quickly and confused the names.

thanks for letting me know,

Now you've gone and 'Dent'ed my ego lol.;)

TheUsualSuspect

07-26-08, 07:45 PM

I also liked Fido, I loved how the atmosphere was a total opposite for the subject matter of Zombies.

Used Future

07-26-08, 08:37 PM

I also liked Fido, I loved how the atmosphere was a total opposite for the subject matter of Zombies.

Yeah,

I really love zombie films, but as the review suggests, I think the genre has run out of ideas. Seeing Fido was like a breath of fresh air if you pardon the expression, as in reality he probably stinks ;).

mark f

07-26-08, 11:03 PM

I watched Fido yesterday, and I liked it a lot. I'm out of town right now though, but when I return, I'll rewatch it and post my thoughts. The beginning "educational film" reminded me of the "Duck and Cover" film in The Iron Giant, another film about an alternate 1950s. Actually, the film also reminded me of Frankenweenie. Future, if you still don't know what it is, you can watch it here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showpost.php?p=447313&postcount=199). :)

Used Future

07-28-08, 06:51 PM

The Idiots (Idioterne)
Lars Von Trier 1998

http://www.cinetudes.com/photo/134561-187558.jpg

You'd be an Idiot not to give this film a chance.

Back in 1995 a group of filmmakers based in Copenhagen decided to go about making feature films in a new and challenging way. Not just challenging to the audience, but to the filmmaker, and ultimately themselves. Their goal was to remove the illusion from cinema, to challenge the ever growing trend of special effects and trickery, and give the audience some reality, or as real as they could make it. They drew up a mandate called 'The Vow of Chastity'* a set of rules by which their films would be made. It was a new movement...a collective...they gave it a name...'Dogme 95'.

'The Idiots' is the second film made using the Dogme mandate, (there are close to three hundred of them in all). The first, Thomas Vinterberg's (who was uncredited) 1998 film 'Festen' aka 'The Celebration', dealt with shocking family revelations at a 60th birthday party, and was well received by critics. Though despite the film's often disturbing subject matter, it simply couldn't prepare audiences for what was coming next...

With that said however, anyone who had seen Lars Von Trier's 1996 debut feature 'Breaking the Waves', might well have had an inkling that his follow up wasn't going to be an emotional walk in the park.

'The Idiots' follows a young woman called Karen, we are told nothing of her history, but quickly discover that she is a lost soul, naive, and easily led. In the films opening restaurant scene, Karen falls in with a couple of intelligent and self assured twenty somethings, one of whom pretends to be mentally disabled in order to avoid paying the bill. After sharing a cab ride with the couple, Karen meets the rest of their circle and it's controlling leader, Stoffer. They allow her to accompany them on a series of stunts where they feign mental and physical disability, in order to provoke varying emotional reactions from the public. Karen is at first disgusted by this, and questions the morality of their behavior. She nevertheless stays with them, and gradually comes to accept their philosophy of discovering ones 'inner idiot'. The group gradually begins to implode however, as Stoffer's demands become more and more extreme. In the end it's only Karen who is willing and able to meet his final test, the culmination of which has powerful and harrowing consequences.

This is a film that has undoubtedly provoked divided reactions, indeed on the surface it could be dismissed as immoral and manipulative exploitation. The idea of people pretending to be disabled for self gratification at the expense of others, is in disgustingly bad taste. The fact that you will find yourself belly laughing at such behavior will almost certainly leave you with feelings of guilt, and force you to question your own moral scruples. Yes this film is hilariously funny, one of the funniest I've ever seen, but Von Trier doesn't let you get off that easily. 'The Idiots' is as much about group dynamics, power and idealism as it is about the laughs. The groups behavior has serious repercussions on their friendship, as their trust and self assurance is gradually whittled away by the nature of their actions. We are privy to all of this, as the realization dawns that it is only through great insecurity that these people ever got involved with such behavior in the first place. Ultimately they really are disabled, and Von Trier drives this point home with a deft intelligence and subtlety that is both challenging and beguiling.

Those familiar with Dogme films will know what to expect in terms of production values. The focus here is on the acting, and it really pays off. The entire cast are excellent in this film, particularly Bodil Jorgensen as Karen, and Jens Albinus as the power crazed Stoffer. So If you're afraid the film may be hokey or insincere in any way, don't be, it's a class act from start to finish.

All that really leaves me to do is sum things up by saying that I'm a big fan of this film. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something original and thought provoking. Though I do advise discretion, as the film features some very shocking footage, including a graphic scene containing real sex. Watch it with like minded friends and discuss afterwards, just don't expect to agree with each other.4.5

* - Follow the link below, select manifesto, and click on 'The Vow Of Chastity' link for full details.

http://www.dogme95.dk/menu/menuset.htm

Used Future

08-01-08, 04:41 PM

Cloverfield
Matt Reeves 2008

http://londonist.com/attachments/London_Dave/cloverfield.jpg

Read all about it! New York attacked by monster...again.

What is it with giant beasts and New York? why not Washington, L.A. or heaven forbid London? If it's not a giant gorilla, it's a humungous dinosaur or winged south American god. What's their problem? are all monsters disgruntled architecture buffs with a grudge against the Empire State and Chrysler buildings? is there a secret monster training camp deep in the Middle East somewhere? Or has Area 51 security been running a little lax lately?

Those monsters should just bugger off to Tokyo again, they used to like Tokyo, why don't they like Tokyo anymore?

Plus you'd think New York would have a contingency plan for this kind of thing by now. But no, the Big Apple still has a large 'BITE ME' invitation pinned to it's ass, well they've only got themselves to blame.

'Cloverfield' really needs no introductions, the films ad campaign was possibly the most savvy in cinematic history. It played the classic 'don't show them the beastie' rule to the absolute hilt. Fan boys and girls were left foaming at the mouth in anticipation, and speculation. 'What the hell is it?' was the proverbial question on everyone's lips. By tapping into contemporary fears of terrorism, and impending global disaster, J.J. Abrams and co delivered an absolute master stroke. Unsurprisingly on the films opening weekend bums hit seats like it was national musical chairs day.

Once the veil of mystery is lifted however, 'Cloverfield' turns out to be a pretty straight forwardly plotted monster movie. The real draw is the films hand held first person perspective* a style that typically has it's roots in low budget horror cinema. Cloverfield's unique premise is to show a monster attack from the average Joe's perspective with no expense spared.

The films plot begins with a twenty something group of yuppies throwing a leaving party for their friend Rob. We get the usual soap opera relationship guff, given some extra back story by remnants of the footage they're recording over. It's your typical bog standard party sequence until the building is rocked by a huge explosion. The realization quickly dawns that New York is under attack from an unknown assailant. We follow Rob and a small group of friends as they attempt to rescue his trapped sweetheart and escape the city.

'Cloverfield' lives up to the hype, I definitely enjoyed it, but it's far from perfect. Let me start by saying that with the exception of Rob and his girlfriend, I didn't like any of the characters in the film. In short they were dull and predictable, and in Hud's case (the guy filming) downright moronic. Visual style aside, the opening party scene could have been plucked from any run of the mill teen slasher. The characters here are clearly designed to pander to a teenage audience, and I must be getting old because I found them extremely irritating. Secondly, Hud's desire to film the events lacked any credibility for me, in reality that camera would have been dropped as dead weight. If they'd have been journalists fair enough, but they weren't, they were scared as hell running for their lives. People in that situation don't make home movies.

On the plus side the action is expertly handled, it's tense and frightening with a real sense of urgency. The camera jerks around alot but you quickly get used to that, it looks authentic and effectively conveys the chaotic atmosphere. Director Reeves for the most part only shows you glimpses of the monster and it works a treat. By leaving the scale of the creature to the imagination he cleverly accentuates the fear factor. What is happening seems beyond comprehension, the situation terrifyingly hopeless, and ultimately thrilling. When Reeves finally does lay his cards on the table with an aerial shot from a helicopter, the illusion is shattered. It's impressive but the film loses it's edge and thankfully ends soon after.

'Cloverfield' is a worthy blockbuster in that it treats its audience with the respect they deserve. The acting may only be moderate, but it's the spectacle you've come to see, and the excitement that satisfies. It's accomplished, tightly paced stuff with plenty of scares, and most importantly it feels contemporary. Hell you might even like the characters too. 3

* - See my review of '[REC]' for more details.

Sedai

08-01-08, 05:06 PM

I was pleasantly surprised by Cloverfield. I really did not expect to like it much, but I felt like they nailed it, for the most part.

Powdered Water

08-01-08, 05:17 PM

Yeah, I still haven't been able to watch it again. The shaky cam thing was a little too much. Plus it wasn't a great flick. Cool monster though from the little that we actually get to see of it. I'm sure we'll see it plenty in the 2 or 3 movies that follow.

Used Future

01-25-09, 07:31 PM

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9HaR-XEG47k/SKCzmEuIhsI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/Wf8hisEKjvs/s400/eden_lake.jpg

This movie really was torture.

Eden Lake (James Watkins 2008) 2+
I really shouldn't waste my time on this, but feel it's only fair to post my thoughts seen as so many people are raving about it at the moment. Eden Lake is one of those derivative psycho's-in-the-back-woods 'torture porn' flicks masquerading as a social message movie. It's got the kind of gritty stylish realism and sadistic ultra violence that everyone likes at the moment (i.e. sickos who enjoy watching human suffering). It's also got one of those mundane, generic musical scores that sounds like it was lifted directly from an episode of Silent Witness.

Now before we go any further I anticipate some of you reading are at this very moment scratching your heads. 'But Future isn't this exactly the kind of twisted garbage you love?' ...No!...no no and thrice NO! Sure I like trashy monster horror flicks, campy exploitation and recently the odd bit of Pinku eiga, but those films are retro cool baby, hence often laughable. I hereby state for the record that I do not get off on torture, rape and general human suffering. I do on the other hand like 70's cartoon gore, empowered chicks who kick ass, and slimy monsters that vomit to death after munching on cancerous human livers. Errr yeah...anyway back to the movie...

The Plot? A young middle class couple go on a weekend trip to a secluded lake and bump into a particularly nasty group of chavs (young hoodlums). Instead of doing the sensible thing and leaving, the guy, Steve (Michael Fassbender) decides to have an altercation with the yobs instead. Naturally they tell him to f**** off, intimidate his girlfriend Jenny (Kelly Reilly) with their Rottweiler, and give his swanky landrover a puncture. So what do Steve and Jenny do? they leave right? Nope they toddle off into town for a fry up, then head back to the exact same spot at the lake for a second night. Similar bullsh*t character decisions, duff stolen plot twists/contrivances, and extreme nastiness follows...

I hated nearly everything about this movie, it was just so painfully average, and with a level of sadism that'd make Lucio Fulci blush. I really don't understand why everyone thinks it's so poignant that the bad guys were young thugs deserving of asbos (anti-social behavior orders). Sure the youth of today are out of control in the UK at the moment (or at least that's what the media want us to believe), but haven't teens always been a bit unruly and rebellious? They're not such a bad lot are they? After all I used to be one you know. Then I hear, 'Oh but it's really about bad parenting and the social underclass'. Well I'm sorry, but if you want to make a poignant movie about the social underclass, don't make sensationalist crap like this. We've already seen this dozens of times before and done much better; I'll be sticking with Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange thank you very much. So I guess I should really say something nice about Eden Lake...err...errm...uh... like the acting was good from all ensemble, there, that's all you're getting from this horror fan Mr. Watkins.

Powdered Water

01-25-09, 09:59 PM

Hey, by the way. I finally caught Fido the other day and enjoyed it immensely. Thanks again for the great review.

nebbit

01-26-09, 03:21 AM

Thanks Future :yup: will give the Lake fiasco a miss :yup:

Used Future

01-26-09, 12:26 PM

Hey, by the way. I finally caught Fido the other day and enjoyed it immensely. Thanks again for the great review.

No problemo PW, Fido is a charming little film, and at the risk of sounding anti-British;) I liked it a lot more than Shaun of the Dead.

honeykid

01-26-09, 09:58 PM

That's not anti-British UF. I am British and I prefer many, many things to watching Shaun Of The Dead, but the one I enjoy most, is not watching Shaun Of The Dead.

TheDOMINATOR

01-27-09, 02:46 AM

No problemo PW, Fido is a charming little film, and at the risk of sounding anti-British;) I liked it a lot more than Shaun of the Dead.

That's not anti-British UF. I am British and I prefer many, many things to watching Shaun Of The Dead, but the one I enjoy most, is not watching Shaun Of The Dead.

Same here. I loved Fido and (sorry) absolutely hated Shaun of the Dead. Well, maybe "hated" is a bit too strong of a word, but I didn't find it funny or interesting at all. :/

nebbit

01-31-09, 07:56 PM

Same here. I loved Fido and (sorry) absolutely hated Shaun of the Dead. Well, maybe "hated" is a bit too strong of a word, but I didn't find it funny or interesting at all. :/
http://bestsmileys.com/wow/1.gif I feel the exact opposite about both these movies :eek:

Used Future

02-02-09, 02:17 PM

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r134/shawngatlin/Ms45-Poster.jpg http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z72/sirashlondon/Zoe_Lund_as_Thana_in_Ms_45.jpg

Ms.45 aka Angel of Vengeance (Abel Ferrarra 1981) 4+
I'd only ever seen the heavily cut (by a massive 1 minute and 42 seconds) UK version of this movie entitled Angel Of Vengeance. US prints run a little longer on dvd but are still nevertheless slightly cut. The only complete version of the film is the French dvd release entitled L'ange De La Vengeance; naturally it's become highly sought after and regularly exchanges hands for silly money on the internet. Recently I was lucky enough to get my hands on a dvd-r copy of the French release allowing me to finally see this cult gem as Ferrarra originally intended.

The story is about Thana (the late* Zoë Lund billed as Zoë Tamerlis here) an incredibly beautiful mute girl who works as a seamstress for a successful New York fashion designer. On her way home from work one evening Thana is dragged into an alleyway and raped by an opportunistic masked attacker. Deeply traumatized she stumbles back to her apartment, only to be met with an intruder there, who at gunpoint, rapes her for a second time. Desensitized by such violent misfortune she fights back, managing to bludgeon the man to death with a paper weight. Taking his pistol, a disturbed Thana begins a one woman crime-wave systematically murdering would be rapists, pimps, and ultimately any man who even looks in her direction.

This is quite possibly the best 'rape-revenge' exploitation flick I've ever seen; it easily rises above such depraved efforts as Wes Craven's The Last House On The Left, and Meir Zarchi's 1978 crapfest I Spit On Your Grave (which granted wouldn't be very hard). I'm actually reminded more of Roman Polanski's classic 1965 horror Repulsion when I watch this. There are indeed huge similarities between Deneuve's near mute, prudish, emotionally detached Carole, and Lund's vulnerable, shy mute Thana; It's merely their separate descents into madness that differ.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/aba2/filmlist.ms45.2.jpg

http://www.moviepicturefilm.com/media/gallery/20070909-ferrara_ms45.jpgMuch of the success of this film lies in Ferrarra's decision to make his protagonist a mute which is inspired rather than compensation for limited acting ability. Lund is sensational as Thana with her incredible expressive features perfectly conveying terror, despair, resignation, and ultimately an unhinged ruthless disregard for human (correction, male) life. The rape sequences whilst never pleasant are also remarkably restrained for this type of fare, with Ferrarra nearly always keeping the camera fixed on Lund's amazing facial expressions. As a result her transformation from timid beauty to insane femme fatale always feels convincing, even if the setup is a little contrived. Ultimately you care a great deal about Thana, not just because of her misfortune and Lund's beauty, but because Ferrarra's savvy direction effectively puts you in her shoes.

Ms. 45 may be basic and somewhat shallow with a cynical exploitative premise, but it's also a tightly scripted, fast paced, entertaining thriller. There's certainly plenty of satisfaction to be had from seeing Thana casually dispatch misogynistic scumbags who completely deserve it (and a few that don't). Undoubtedly though what makes Ms.45 so memorable is the high degree of style with which she does it. Recommended.

* Zoë Lund, a firm advocate of herion use sadly passed away in 1999 from drug-related heart failure.

Sedai

02-02-09, 02:31 PM

Yes! Ms. 45! A classic film, for sure. That scene in the nun outfit is AWESOME. Actually, I need to see this again...adding to Netflix now...

Pyro Tramp

02-02-09, 04:13 PM

Nice, Ferrarra (along with both Bavas) is one of the filmmakers i need to catch up on. Are the two cuts massively different viewings?

Used Future

02-02-09, 06:52 PM

Are the two cuts massively different viewings?

Hi Pyro,

You can see what's cut here (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082776/alternateversions) and here (http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/527D833AA72A72828025660B002BC9EC?OpenDocument)

To answer your question though, I'd say the cuts do effect the film slightly yes. Seeing the full horror of what Thana endures at the hands of her attackers allows for much greater empathy as to what motivates her to kill and ultimately go insane. The scene in which she dismembers a body in her bathroom (which is tastefully shot) is also integral to the plot in that it starkly contrasts the once timid Thana as victim, with the transformed ruthless Thana as perpetrator. It's a great scene to me because it's such a depraved far cry from her shy innocence at the outset of the film. I'm sorry I know there's probably a much more intellectual way of putting it, but, well, I'm pretty stupid so that's the best I can do:p

honeykid

02-06-09, 10:00 PM

Great review UF. Ms.45 is such a good film. Have you ever seen this?

http://www.sofacinema.co.uk/guardian/images/products/8/95488-large.jpg

If so, what did you think?

Used Future

02-09-09, 10:08 AM

Great review UF. Ms.45 is such a good film. Have you ever seen this?

If so, what did you think?

thanks,

I'm afraid I haven't, but from what I've read it sounds like the cover art is extremely deceptive. The presence of Milla Jovovich is usually a bad sign too, as most of the stuff she's been in is rubbish. Sorry to sound so negative but it looks like one I should avoid. Is it any good?

Sedai

02-09-09, 12:00 PM

The Fifth Element was not rubbish, though... far from it! :D

Used Future

02-09-09, 12:34 PM

Well I did say most, not all ;)

http://www.afterellen.com/archive/ellen/blog/uploads/Milla%20Jovovich-%20Fifth%20Element.jpg
"UF's right most of my films are rubbish"

honeykid

02-10-09, 09:05 PM

thanks,

I'm afraid I haven't, but from what I've read it sounds like the cover art is extremely deceptive. The presence of Milla Jovovich is usually a bad sign too, as most of the stuff she's been in is rubbish. Sorry to sound so negative but it looks like one I should avoid. Is it any good?

Don't know, I haven't seen it either and, from the sounds of it, for the same reasons you have. I was getting excited about it when it was in production although, like you, I considered Jovovich's presence a minus, but the early reviews made me wary and, even when I see it really cheap, I've still yet to bother. Maybe one day I will.

Going back to Jovovich though, for me she's like Samuel L. Jackson and Kate Beckinsale, it has nothing to do with how good or bad she is, she usually picks bad films to be in and, unlike you guys, I do consider The Fifth Element a bad film. I think The Claim was the last good film I saw her in, though I quite liked Resident Evil: Apocolypse. More than the first one anyway.

honeykid

03-29-09, 11:13 PM

From your Black Sheep thread.

It was one of those 'it's only a pound I might as well' budget rentals from the library. Plus there was nothing else remotely interesting there and I was determined to rent something. We live and learn.

Ah, I completely understand now. :yup:

Used Future

04-05-09, 04:58 PM

http://arabolge.org/files/the-children-poster.jpg

The Children (Tom Shankland 2008) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/1.5box.gif
Yup it's a killer-children-run-amok movie, the kind of taboo premise that brings back fond memories of David Cronenberg's The Brood (1979) and Richard Donner's The Omen (1976). I was looking forward to watching this after reading some favorable reviews, but sadly my viewing experience was not a happy one.

The film is about yuppie couple Elaine (Eva Birthistle) and Jonah (Stephen Campbell Moore) who along with Elaine's teenage daughter Casey (Hannah Tointon) and Jonah's young daughter from a previous relationship; go off to the country to celebrate new year with their similarly smug friends. They are Chloe (Rachel Shelly) and Robbie (Jeremy Sheffield); naturally Chloe and Robbie have young children too, and everything is going swimmingly until the sickly kids start acting erratic...

The Children is Tom Shankland's second directorial feature, he co wrote the screenplay with Paul Andrew Williams - who also wrote and directed UK comedy horror The Cottage (2008). Most of Shankland's experience is in television though, and it's all to evident here with the dreary characters and generic 'BBC drama' score. His attempts to establish these 'characters' in the first act doesn't work because they're stereo-typical young middle class families, and as such, boring. The dialogue isn't dumb or badly acted, just uninspiring and thus forgettable. Shankland does fare slightly better when it comes to building up tension with some snappy editing and decent photography. Unfortunately though when the strange events escalate into crisis (a fatal sledging mishap and a bone breaking fall from a climbing frame) it's so contrived and ridiculous that the film completely loses credibility. This might be OK if The Children was a tongue-in-cheek black comedy, but it isn't; the film is clearly intended to be a slick and very serious horror movie.

http://media.entertainment.sky.com/image/unscaled/2008/11/28/The-Children-9-3.jpg

Most unforgivable however is the boneheaded way these supposedly intelligent and successful people behave once the mayhem begins. All rationality vanishes as they make one unbelievably stupid decision after another (like sending teenage daughter Casey into the woods alone to look for the clearly homicidal Children...duh the list goes on). No these well-to-do people spend the rest of the movie screaming and running around like headless chickens. Not only that but we're given absolutely no explanation as to why the kids become killers in the first place save for a viral infection that makes them feel sick. Where did it come from? Why are they killing their parents? Why is it only affecting children? Why did I watch this movie again? *groan*. To be fair Shankland doesn't shy away from showing the murderous sprogs killed in a variety of ways, and I suppose I could argue that he was trying to deliver some kind of social commentary on the breakdown of the family unit. Then again I could also be writing this review from the confines of a mental institution.

* Reposted from Movie Tab.

honeykid

04-06-09, 07:52 AM

Thanks for the review UF. Like you, I was looking forward to this and hadn't really heard anything too bad about it. Was thinking of buying it soon, I'm not not so sure now.

Used Future

04-06-09, 09:03 AM

Thanks for the review UF. Like you, I was looking forward to this and hadn't really heard anything too bad about it. Was thinking of buying it soon, I'm not not so sure now.

You may well like it...I'm just sick of all these Brit horrors with their smug landrover driving yuppies and idiotic uninspiring scripts. The Children is infuriatingly stupid at times, with unsympathetic two dimensional characters and cookie cutter art direction. Then again I'm a nit picking bastard when it comes to modern British horror films. The only two from recent years I've liked and bought were Dog Soldiers and The Descent.

Used Future

04-06-09, 07:26 PM

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1010/195892.1010.A.jpghttp://www.stomptokyo.com/scott/nerds/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/rollingthunder006.jpghttp://www.cinemaisdope.com/news/films/rollingthunder/rolling_thunder.jpg

Rolling Thunder (John Flynn 1977) 4+
Do you have a movie you've wanted to see for years? A movie you've built up and put on a pedestal without ever having seen? One of those movies that's supposed to be great but is frustratingly hard to come by and largely forgotten? Well I do, and it's John Flynn's 1977 revenge flick Rolling Thunder. I'm not proud when I confess that I had to use illegal means to finally see this movie. But hey, seen as those idiot studio bosses haven't seen fit to give it a dvd release, then I feel my breach of the law was justified. Short of spending silly money on the Spanish dvd release, or paying way over the odds for a vhs copy, then piracy is the only way to see Rolling Thunder...

The film was written by Paul Schrader who penned Scorsese's Taxi Driver the previous year, and would go on to script further classics such as Blue Collar (1978) and Raging Bull (1980). With Rolling Thunder however, Schrader was clearly still exploring some of the themes he'd covered with Taxi Driver. This film is also about a Vietnam Veteran who can't readjust to, or connect with society. The difference being that Rolling Thunder plays as an action/revenge movie as well as a gripping character study. Though to merely lump it in with the glut of generic seventies revenge movies made in the wake of Michael Winner's Death Wish (1974) would be doing it a huge disservice.

Rolling Thunder is about Major Charles Rane (William Devane) who returns home from Vietnam after spending eight years of torture as a prisoner of war. On his return he's greeted at the airport like a hero and later honored by the town who give him a red Cadillac and a cache of silver dollars. Rane's home life is a different story however, with his young son practically a stranger, and his wife having since agreed to marry his best friend. Clearly scarred by his experience as a POW, Rane appears detached and unconcerned by his wife's infidelity, instead focusing on rebuilding the relationship with his son. This is shattered when armed thugs looking for the silver dollars invade Rane's home severely maiming him and killing his family. Once recovered, the hook handed Rane sets about locating his son's killers with the aide of local beauty queen Linda (Linda Haynes) who worships him, and army buddy Johnny (Tommy Lee Jones), the only one who understands him...

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Whilst the plot summary may sound a little unremarkable, Rolling Thunder excels with Paul Schrader's edgy, muted script and William Devane's powerful understated performance. The film seamlessly blends gritty shattering family drama in the first act with an intense story of revenge for the remainder of the film. The dialogue from Rane is sparse, but Devane's body language and pain-filled delivery is so subtle and detached that you almost begin to feel the agony he's going through. What is so fascinating about the character is that whilst you know he's past the point of no return, he's also completely sympathetic and likable; unlike Travis Bickle. Ultimately Rane is frustratingly easy to root for because of his misfortune and the knowledge that whatever happens it's unlikely he'll ever be happy. The result is a riveting character study and highly entertaining thriller, perfectly complemented by the slow burn pacing and Flynn's rough and ready direction. Linda Haynes as Rane's self professed groupie is also excellent (reminiscent of Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver), serving as the perfect foil for Devane's almost otherworldly protagonist. Tommy Lee Jones as Rane's similarly monotone war buddy also makes memorable what was a relatively small part.

The action and violence in Rolling Thunder is pretty raw in places (at least for 1974) particularly the scenes involving Rane's torture, and one in which he impales a man's hand on a table with his hook. The climactic blood soaked shootout has a dark grainy look and loosely choreographed feel making it all the more realistic and satisfying. Overall Rolling Thunder rises head and shoulders above similar genre films thanks to it's multilayered script and performances. It surely deserves a decent dvd release and should be seen by anyone who liked Taxi Driver. This is one movie that lived up to my expectations.

Harry Lime

04-07-09, 12:00 AM

I should check it out, great review Future. Although, personally I know and see what it is that drives Travis crazy.

Powdered Water

04-07-09, 12:07 AM

Me too... that's why its so hard for me to watch it. Taxi Driver that is. I haven't seen Rolling Thunder. Sounds pretty good. Thanks for the write up.

mark f

04-07-09, 12:38 AM

I actually saw Rolling Thunder at Long Beach State at a special screening before it was released. I liked it OK, but I wasn't really all that impressed. I thought Devane was terrific and it's incredibly gritty (in every way imaginable), so I know why UF appreciates it. God, I don't think I've seen it in 30 years, so I should make an effort.

Used Future

04-07-09, 05:16 AM

Although, personally I know and see what it is that drives Travis crazy.

Fair point, I didn't really word than sentence very well. The review was written late last night, and my internet connection went down right after preventing me from doing my usual tinkering. I've since reworded it:cool:

honeykid

04-07-09, 09:33 AM

Actually, Rolling Thunder is one of those films that I never finished watching. I think I got about halfway through before I had to leave it. Up to the point which I left it, I thought it was ok, but it hadn't really caught fire yet. BTW, I saw it on tv a couple of years back. I think it was on Film Four or channel 4.

Used Future

04-07-09, 01:08 PM

I saw it on tv a couple of years back. I think it was on Film Four or channel 4.

:eek:That's news to me!!! I don't watch television much for obvious reasons (*whispers* because it's crap) But if you are indeed correct and it was shown on Channel 4, then maybe I should get into the habit of checking the schedules. As for Film 4, I'm poor and don't have that luxury unfortunately.

Golgot

04-07-09, 01:21 PM

As for Film 4, I'm poor and don't have that luxury unfortunately.

*whispers* it's on freeview - if you can spend £20 on a crappy freeview box. (They die after a year - but you get a fair bit of non-crap for that - BBC4 & More4 docs & films and the like ;)) *whisper ends*

Used Future

04-07-09, 01:27 PM

*whispers* it's on freeview - if you can spend £20 on a crappy freeview box. (They die after a year - but you get a fair bit of non-crap for that - BBC4 & More4 docs & films and the like ;)) *whisper ends*

:goof:Doh! well that just goes to show how out of touch I am with TV nowadays :laugh:

Used Future

05-10-09, 05:30 PM

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Short Night of Glass Dolls aka Malastrana (Aldo Lado 1971) 3+
Cult Italian director Lado's debut feature, Short Night of Glass Dolls was orginally titled Malastrana after Mala Strana the small afluent borough of Prague where the film is set. Lado changed the title to Short Night of the Butterflies after the studio complained that Malastrana wouldn't mean anything to audiences outside Europe. Unfortunately the release coincided with Duccio Tessari's giallo The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971) and at the last miniute Lado had to change the title a second time.

The film is about an American journalist based in Prague (Gregory Moore played by Jean Sorrel) found dead in the garden of a rich estate. Or is he really dead? Throughout his examination by doctors we're made privy to Gregory's inner thoughts as it appears he's merely been paralysed in some way. Nevertheless, unable to find a heartbeat the doctors pronounce him dead and promptly send his body to the morgue. The rest of the film flashes backwards and forwards as Gregory struggles to remember how he came to be in this predicament; a series of events involving a search for his missing girlfriend Mira (Barabara Bach) and a shadowy political secret society. Can Gregory discover the truth and show some signs of life before he's buried?

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Lado's deeply allegorical 'Giallo' (and I use that last word loosely) is often described as Kafkaesque, and Prague setting aside, it's not hard to see why. The disorientating nature of the narrative, combined with the underlying menace of political conspiracy and murder; not to mention the illusion of freedom with Gregory's flashbacks, offset by his imprisonment through paralysis in the present, all allude to the man's work.

Without giving too much away the film is clearly intended more as a political conspiracy thriller rather than a typical Giallo. In fact purists would be hard pressed to find any of the traditional elements associated with the genre. There's no knife wielding gloved killer, little nudity save for the ending, and no gore as the more brutal murders all take place off screen. The film is very stylish though, with excellent use of location, wonderful symbolic imagery from Lado, and some nifty editing, especially in the more surreal sequences. It's certainly an original take on the 'genre' with considerably more substance than many of it's contemporaries (which is what prompted me to buy the film in the first place) But it's the omission of some of the more traditional Giallo traits that unexpectedly lets the film down.

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Short Night starts out brilliantly with an intriguing knockout premise, but soon settles into uneventful convoluted-talky-exposition with minimal characterisation; save for Jessica (the wonderful Ingrid Thulin) an old flame helping Gregory. Only during the final act when all the pieces fall into place and we're treated to a satisfyingly downbeat twist ending, does Short Night of Glass Dolls reach anything approaching the brilliance of the opening twenty minutes. Such brilliance infact, that if it wasn't for the hour of boredom that preceded it, I'd be popping this one in again for further analysis. Shame because the metaphorical nature of Lado's conclusion really does tick all the right boxes. Which is why Short Night of Glass Dolls could probably have used a knife wielding maniac running around, and a few more pairs of boobs to keep me entertained along the way. Ho-hum.

honeykid

05-10-09, 09:48 PM

Thanks for that UF. :)

The premise sounds interesting, though obviously you thought so too (had to suffer a boring middle hour) and yet it still gets 3/5. Although I won't be rushing out to find this, I'd like to see it sometime in the future. Besides, I have a thing for Barbara Bach, so hopefully that'll ramp up my enjoyment of it anyway, whether 'they're' out or not. ;)

Used Future

05-10-09, 10:09 PM

(had to suffer a boring middle hour) and yet it still gets 3/5.

The payoff is really quite brilliant HK; I'm talking Don't Look Know and Rosemary's Baby brilliant, and whilst the middle hour is rather dull by comparison the film remains watchable and visually striking. Plus I think it might actually reward a second viewing, there's alot of symbolism in there that probably went over my head but will make sense in the grand scheme of things. Overall I liked and enjoyed the film and felt it was better than average.

Re Barbara Bach, I'm afraid that as she plays the missing girlfriend her scenes are rather limited; though you do get to see her writhing around in the nude at the end.

honeykid

05-10-09, 11:19 PM

Yeah, that was my point UF. You had to 'suffer' it and yet you still gave it 3/5, so it must be worth a look, if only for the beginning and end. That said, it's a shame that you chose to make that point by choosing two films I found quite boring and have never seen the love for (Dont' Look Now and Rosemary's Baby) but then, that's to be expected from me, isn't it? :D

As for Barbara Bach; well that alone sounds like a good reason for me to see it.

BTW, Zone Horror is showing Blood Feast at the moment. I know you don't have satellite, but have you ever seen Blood Feast before? I'm sure you have but, on the off chance you haven't, it really is a must see.

Used Future

05-11-09, 06:06 AM

have you ever seen Blood Feast before?

Hmmm why do you ask? Has this got something to do with my Blood Diner (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showpost.php?p=511983&postcount=123) review? You sound like a mad fan of the film so if there's a discrepancy in my comments then I'd rather you tell me:)

Anyway to answer your question, yes I saw Blood Feast about fifteen years ago. A college friend (and fellow Dawn of the Dead obsessive) lent me a pirate copy of Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust, and Blood Feast was on the tape afterwards. I remember thinking it was complete crap at the time (just wanted zombie action) and didn't really give it my full attention save for the gore scenes; I thought Kong's flick was alot more fun.

honeykid

05-11-09, 09:15 PM

I only asked because it was on and I thought it's the kind of thing that you might enjoy. Considering your love for this kind of thing, I was sure that you'd have heard of it, I'd forgotten about your Blood Diner review :o, but I just didn't know if you'd seen it. Is it crap? Of course it is, but only in the way that most of the films in this thread are. OK, it has the worst acting I've ever seen, but Christ on a bike, I love it. Check out Lewis' Two Thousand Maniacs too, if you get the chance. :up:

Used Future

05-12-09, 12:55 PM

First off I think you've got the wrong thread; this is 'Reviews from the Future', a reputable thread that deals in quality cinema I'll have you know;)

Regarding Blood Feast and my viewing habits...when I saw it I was completely obsessed with gory 'effects' movies and zombies. I didn't really appreciate bad movies in an ironic way; hence me thinking it was just crap at the time. Romero's Dawn of the Dead and Raimi's The Evil Dead were my benchmarks and Blood Feast was never going to cut it for me.

Do I want to see it again? sure, but it's not high on my list of priorities. I'm on a Spaghetti Western and Gialli binge at the moment (and also plan to check out some classic Poliziotteschi) . After that I want to look at some of the gritty Yakuza flicks Japan put out in the 70's, as well as anything else with Meiko Kaji in (I'm still waiting for a dvd release of Wandering Ginza Butterfly).

honeykid

05-13-09, 01:01 AM

Do I want to see it again? sure, but it's not high on my list of priorities. I'm on a Spaghetti Western and Gialli binge at the moment (and also plan to check out some classic Poliziotteschi) . After that I want to look at some of the gritty Yakuza flicks Japan put out in the 70's, as well as anything else with Meiko Kaji in (I'm still waiting for a dvd release of Wandering Ginza Butterfly).

I don't know that I'll ever understand the love of all things Western. Sure, there are a few that I like, but it's a genre that, like fantasy, turns me off the moment it appears.

Gialli is something that I've only recently started to dig a little deeper into. It's something that I've always quite liked (back when, over here at least, they were called "Cheap, crappy, badly dubbed Italian films") but they're quite difficult to find here and even harder to find uncut as I'm sure you can attest to.

So far, I think my favourites are Alice, Sweet Alice and What Have You Done To Solange? but I saw both of those many years ago.

mark f

05-13-09, 02:20 AM

My grandmother could never watch a western, but that's because she lived through them. Westerns are all about freedom and the great outdoors. I guess your outdoors isn't the same as mine, but I prefer mine. Hopefully, you'll find the reality of the western at some point. I believe that every single other genre is encompassed by the western, but I'm shuttng down temporarily.

Used Future

05-13-09, 08:27 PM

Westerns are all about freedom and the great outdoors.

That's exactly what I love about them.

Melv

05-15-09, 04:32 AM

Yeah I sort of found westerns not that long ago. I'd seen them so many times over the years and never been interested, and then one day I happened to pick up The Good, The Bad And The Ugly and it was like a switch in my brain had been flicked. All of a sudden I couldn't get enough.

Used Future

09-21-09, 05:59 AM

Originally posted in Movie Tab II 04-03-2009.

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Red Sun (Terence Young 1971) 3+
I just had to see this after Mark posted it on 'Baker's Dozen' a couple of weeks back. The prospect of Toshirō Mifune (The Seven Samurai) teaming up with Charles Bronson (The Magnificent Seven a remake of the former) was too good to pass up; hence me ordering a copy on Amazon the same day.

What I got was an entertaining culture-clash western with Bronson's bandit Link double crossed and left for dead by his roguish partner Gauche (Le Samourai himself Alain Delon) after a train robbery. Initially there to steal a gold shipment the gang's attention subsequently becomes drawn to a car transporting the Japanese ambassador, and a priceless katana sword he intends as a gift for the president. Naturally Gauche steals it forcing the diplomat to send his one remaining samurai guard Kuroda (Mifune) to give chase aided by the captured (and very reluctant) Link...

This was a lot of fun with the two eminently likable leads forming a charming chemistry as the usual buddy/east-meets-west shenanigans played out. Nice use of locations from Young (particularly the cornfield sequence) and some decent action scenes including a fantastic fight between Kuroda and an indian armed with a spear, made this well worthwhile. There were some minor issues, like the underuse of Delon's amusingly slimy Gauche, and the rather pointless inclusion of Ursula Andress as his love interest. Overall though I found Red Sun to be good solid (if unremarkable) fun, and well worth seeing if only to hear Mifune speak in English. I wonder where they got the idea for Shanghai Noon from? hmmm...

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The Great Silence (Sergio Corbucci 1968) 4+
Wow! this was something really special...I've recently decided to go on a Spaghetti western binge, because besides Sergio Leone's films like his 'dollars' trilogy (1964-66), Once Upon A Time in the West (1968), and A Fistfull of Dynamite (1971); I've only really seen Sergio Corbucci's cult hit Django (1966), and Giulio Petroni's Death Rides a Horse (1967). Considering how much I love all those films it seemed odd to me that I've never really explored the genre further. Cue some feverish research (I googled 'top twenty Spaghetti westerns') and this is the film that nearly always features as one of the very best.

The Great Silence differs from the other Spaghettis I've seen in that the action takes place in snowy mountain locales rather than the usual Mexican border towns. Loosely based on historical events the story revolves around 'Silence' (Jean-Louis Trintignant) a mute gunslinger who always draws his gun (a 'Broomhandle' Mauser) in self defense. Feared for his lightening speed Silence defends wanted bandits from ruthless bounty killers who'd rather take a man dead than alive regardless of his crime. Most notorious of these is Loco (Klaus Kinski) who openly admits to always killing his quarry safe in the knowledge that it's 'all within the law'. When he kills a black man wanted on petty charges however, the man's widow, Pauline (the lovely Vonetta McGee) asks Silence to kill Loco in revenge. This takes him to the aptly named town of Snow Hill where a new Sheriff vows to usher in changes for the better, and a corrupt figure from Silence's past is in league with the bounty killers...

Despite having some familiar sounding 'revenge' plot elements, The Great Silence is actually a deep and complex western. For one thing the lines between good and bad are rather blurred to say the least; are the bounty killers really that bad? after all they're providing a public service by exterminating the bandits. Is Silence such a clear cut good guy? he goads men into drawing first so he can kill them and defends wanted criminals. It's these questions combined with Corbucci's gritty style, and the beautifully shot snow scapes contrasted with flashes of blood soaked violence, that make The Great Silence such an affecting film. Throw into the mix a racy interracial love scene between Silence and Pauline and you really get the sense that back in 1968 Corbucci was taking some big risks. Another major plus is the presence of Klaus Kinski clearly tailor made for the role of Loco. I watched the dubbed English track (just couldn't bring myself to watch a western in Italian) and whilst it detracted slightly from the film, Kinski's body language and considerable screen presence ensured the character carried a beguiling roguish charm, leaving me in further indecision over who to root for. Then there's the downbeat ending...I've seen some unhappy endings in my time but none of them compare to the finale here. It's both shattering and exhilarating at the same time as Corbucci rips up the rule book, forgoing comic book sentimentality in favor of harsh reality. Set all this to Morricone's haunting score and the resultant film is further justification for seeking more of these out. Brilliant.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:02 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 06-03-2009.

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God Told Me To (Larry Cohen 1976) 3+
This is a really intriguing B-movie with Tony Lo Bianco playing a police detective (Lt. Nicholas) investigating a spate of motiveless killings across New York. Beginning with a sniper picking off pedestrians from a water tower, we witness similar unprovoked attacks on the public - including the young Andy Kaufman shooting up a police parade - in each case the perpetrator stating that God told me to. Soon detective Nicholas is knee deep in bodies, police cover ups, an alien abduction plot, and dope dealing gangsters from Harlem; all whilst battling it out with a hermaphroditic Christ like figure with powers of mind control!!!

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This is the usual Cohen hotchpotch of outlandishly fun ideas executed in a somewhat muddled, slapdash manner. I like Larry Cohen's films a lot (the eight I've seen anyway) but have to confess that his films often look rushed and unfinished. God Told Me To is no exception with ragged editing, and a confusing narrative style that sometimes appears to be missing entire scenes of exposition. That doesn't mean it's worthless though, not a chance, Cohen always gets great performances from his leads and Tony Lo Bianco is suitably intense here. The film whilst a little incoherent is still interesting enough to make for compelling viewing and has some very effective scenes of horror and suspense. Not least of these is Bianco's pool hall encounter with a group of black hoods in Harlem, and a knife attack sequence on a stairway that harks back to Hitchcock's Psycho. Some of the low budget effects are also very inventive making this something of a rough diamond for fans of B-movies. Cool.

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Bone (Larry Cohen 1972) 4+
This is Cohen's little seen debut feature which flopped terribly on it's initial release -- the studio couldn't find a target audience and tried to market it as Blaxploitation; when that failed they re-titled it Housewife and put it on the drive-in circuit to a similar disinterested response. Ironically Bone is probably one of Cohen's best films, it's certainly the most coherent in terms of editing and narrative that I've seen. The film is actually a smart black comedy/satire of social, racial and class stereo-types that features three exceptional performances from Yaphet Kotto, Joyce Van Patten and Andrew Duggan.

Bone is set in the rich suburb of Beverly Hills beginning with Bill (Duggan) a middle aged materialistic car dealer, and his bored wife Bernadette (Van Patten) sunbathing by their pool. From nowhere a young black man (Kotto) appears and proceeds to remove a dead rat stuck in the pool drain. Introducing himself as Bone he soon makes it clear that he intends to rob the couple and threatens to rape Bernadette if they don't cooperate. Whilst rifling through Bill's business papers however Bone uncovers evidence of secret bank accounts and legal documents that infuriates Bernadette. Finding no money Bone sends Bill into town on his own to make a withdrawal from the bank, assuring him that Bernadette will be raped and killed should he not return. With Bill gone, and his wife furious Bone actually ends up seducing her and agrees to help plot a revenge...

I can see why Bone would have been an extremely hard sell back in 1972. For one thing the film doesn't fit neatly into any particular genre, it's certainly not exploitation or 'blaxplotation' (as the picture above might lead you to believe) it's neither a straight comedy or a thriller either. It is extremely witty and entertaining though, and has a deliciously dark satirical edge that sucks you right in. Kotto and Van Patten in particular are sensational with sparks really flying in the films standout scene; Bone's threat of rape and eventual seduction of Bernadette. The film also takes intelligent swipes at shallow nouveau riche lifestyles, advertising, gender roles and of course racial stereo-types. It's intelligent, witty, charming, disturbing, very hip, and has a great often psychedelic soundtrack. Bone deserves rediscovery and also serves as a perfect example of what a great filmmaker Larry Cohen could have been, instead of just a good one.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:04 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 09-03-2009.

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The Burrowers (J.T. Petty 2008) 3.5
I've just been telling Powdered Water about this in a PM and thought I might as well tab it quickly and spread the word as it were.

The Burrowers is a straight to dvd low budget horror western that was originally written by Petty as a seven part TV series back in 2007. The story revolves around a search party looking for a missing family of homesteaders they believe were taken by Indians. Led by Clancy Brown's old hand John Clay, the group soon encounter a sadistic army commander Henry Victor (Doug Hutchinson from The Green Mile) and his troops also looking for missing persons. Though when Victor begins torturing an Indian prisoner for answers, and mysteriously loses men in the night, Clay's group decide to go their own way...

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This film really impressed me with some truly beautiful photography reminiscent of Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. It plays primarily as a western building slowly with a sustained atmosphere of tension, and good performances all round (especially Brown and Hutchinson). The CGI creature effects are nicely restrained considering the overall tone of the film -- you only really see them in the final act -- which adds to the film's sense of mystery and suspense. The Burrowers never feels predictable though, as Petty introduces lots of clues regarding the nature of the beasts, and isn't afraid to kill off key characters keeping you guessing.

The whole thing kind of blends together ideas from The Searchers, C.H.U.D. and Tremors then wraps it up in this dreamy mood piece of a horror/western. Neat...sure to appeal to fans of both genres, perhaps my only criticism would be the slightly lethargic pace which might alienate some viewers.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:05 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 24-03-2009.

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They Call Me Trinity (Enzo Barboni 1970) 4
My spaghetti western binge continues. I was supposed to be watching A Bullet For the General and Companeros next, but rather ironically the company I ordered the DVDs from turned out to be real cowboys (Amazon have refunded my money). Not to worry though because I got to see this instead; a light hearted comedy western starring Terrence Hill as slacker cowboy Trinity (possibly the fastest gun in the history of western cinema) and his man mountain of a brother Bambino played by Bud Spencer. I absolutely loved every minute of this, Hill and Spencer made a brilliant double act and the film is filled with timeless comedy that really hits the mark. This has everything from speeded up gunplay to riotous bar brawls (usually involving Spencer bashing people over the head) and some hilarious scenes involving a group of Mexican cattle rustlers. The token plot - about Bambino posing as a sheriff so he can steal some stallions, and Mormon farmers being bullied off their land - is pretty old hat (no pun intended) but the film is so perfectly paced with eminently likable stars that it flies by leaving you wanting more. Recommended for all.

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Trinity Is Still My Name (Enzo Barboni 1971) 4
More of the same from Hill and Spencer as the nigh on invincible duo who reluctantly agree to team up as outlaws at the request of their father (in a knockout family dinner scene). Naturally they make the worst outlaws imaginable with the good natured Trinity giving their first potential victims (who keep popping up throughout the film) money and helping to fix their wagon. This time they end up posing as a pair of government agents in order to get close to a Spanish mission and a haul of fifty thousand dollars. This is equal to if not slightly better than the original with the same madcap blend of fast cartoonish gunplay, slapstick bar fights and general roguishness from the brothers. I particularly enjoyed the funny opening sequence involving a group of idiotic cattle rustlers who fall foul of the duo who keep eating their beans, brilliant. I also loved the scene in the posh French restaurant surely homaged by Ackroyd and Belushi in The Blues Brothers (1980). In short I could prattle on about these all night, they're hugely entertaining with great performances from Terence Hill and Bud Spencer; I'll definitely be watching them again.

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My Name Is Nobody (Tonino Valerii 1973) 4+
This is no relation to Barboni's films, although Hill does play an almost identical character to that of Trinity. In this he's the 'Nobody' of the title another good natured and lightening fast gunslinger (this also has speeded up gunplay) who shadows his childhood hero; the aging legendary gunfighter Jack Beauregard (Henry Fonda). It appears Nobody wants Jack to make the history books by 'going out in style' at the hands of one hundred and fifty gunfighters nicknamed 'The Wild Bunch'. Beauregard initially takes Nobody for a young wannabe out to make a name for himself, but gradually comes round to his way of thinking as a friendship develops between the two. My Name Is Nobody is a gentle comedy with some very funny scenes (especially one in which Nobody distracts a train driver attempting to urinate). Hill is his usual good self whilst Fonda exudes cool in a nicely contrasting role to that of Frank from Once Upon A Time In The West. The film as a whole comes off as an allegorical tribute to the old school Western whilst readily embracing a new era. Almost as if Leone (ahem! I mean Valerii) were tipping his hat to the American masters whilst having already tinkered liberally with Western genre conventions. Clear references are made to Sam Peckinpah - he's even mentioned by name in an early graveyard scene, and 'The Wild Bunch' reference is blatant - as the film may even be an homage to his work (Mark and Holden will no doubt know more on this). I liked it a lot even if I didn't fully comprehend the allegorical aspects of the film. The overall sentiment was really worthwhile and uplifting, especially accompanied by Leone's trademark visuals. Another film I'll be happy to revisit in the near future.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:06 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 27-03-2009.

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The Mercenary aka A Professional Gun (Sergio Corbucci 1968) 4
Another absolute gem from Corbucci this time set during the Mexican revolution. Franco Nero plays Sergei Kowalski a Polish mercenary out to make a fortune in the employ of naive peasant Paco Roman (Tony Musante); a wannabe revolutionary general. Along the way Paco falls for fiery Mexican revolutionary Columba (the beautiful Giovanna Ralli) and the trio must contend with dastardly killer and army informant Curly (Jack Palance). The Mercenary isn't a comedy, but there's a great sense of fun to the film with lots of witty interplay between Nero and Musante (reminiscent of Eastwood and Wallach in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly). There's plenty of well handled action, including the obligatory machine gun scene (ala Corbucci's Django, and Companeros which I'll be watching soon) It's often lavishly staged stuff with stunning photography and memorable moments like Nero's amusing punch up with Mussante, and Palance forced to strip nude by their gang. This combined with Ennio Morricone's wonderful score, perfect pacing, and a superb climactic bullring showdown make The Mercenary essential boy's own entertainment.

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Day Of Anger aka Gunlaw (Tonino Valerii 1967) 4
Day Of Anger is another film considered one of the best examples of the genre by fans and it's not hard to see why; it's great. In this one Giulliano Gemma plays downtrodden Scott Mary the illegitimate son of a prostitute constantly mistreated by local townsfolk. When mysterious gunslinger Frank Talby (Lee Van Cleef on top form) rides into town however, Scott befriends him seizing the opportunity to better himself. The two form a partnership Talby teaching Mary the 'ten lessons' of being a gunman, as the pair become feared by the townsfolk. Gradually however it becomes clear that Talby has an ulterior motive for helping Scott leading to the inevitable showdown. This was much more a character study of Talby and Scott than an all out action adventure like The Mercenary. Both are deep and complex characters who develop and evolve as the story unfolds making this a gripping western with some great dialogue. Giulliano Gemma's character goes through a particularly believable and satisfying moral transformation during the film perfectly complemented by Lee Van Cleef in a tailor made role. The support is also top notch especially Walter Rilla as Scott's only real friend (and mentor), the aging Murph. When the shootouts come they have a considerable impact thanks to the well drawn characters making this another true classic.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:08 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 28-03-2009.

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Face To Face (Sergio Sollima 1967) 4.5
My binge continues happily and along with Corbucci's The Great Silence and The Mercenary this is my favourite spaghetti so far. A pacifistic English professor, Brett Fletcher (Gian Maria Volontè) travels out west due to ill health but is taken hostage by feared outlaw Solomon 'Beauregard' Bennet (Tomas Milan). Together the two forge a mutual respect as Fletcher becomes enchanted by the bandit's way of life, and Beauregard sees the benefit of having an educated man on his side. Gradually however, Fletcher changes from meek scholar to ruthless outlaw straying beyond even Beauregard's code of ethics, and threatening his people. Their allegiance is placed under further tension by Charles Siringo (William Berger) a traitor in their midst determined to see Beauregard and his gang captured...

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Face To Face has a cracking story that takes some unexpected turns along the way; not least Fletcher's metamorphosis. I thought Volontè was great in this film, and especially enjoyed seeing him play such a different character from that of his roles in Leone's A Fist Full Of Dollars and For A Few Dollars More. Whilst Fletcher's radical transformation might sound a little far fetched, Volontè nails it, and the character always feels natural and completely credible. Milan and Berger are equally great as the brooding outlaw with a heart and uncompromising lawman respectively. It seems all three characters are on a journey of self discovery and Sollima ensures that this aspect of the story shines brightly through the dust and bullets. Visually the film is as impressive as anything by Leone or Corbucci (illustrated by the fantastic screen shot above) and Morricone's score is just as rousing as ever. Highly recommended.

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Blindman (Ferdinando Baldi 1971) 3.5-

Blindman: I want my fifty women

Tony Anthony is the mysterious Blindman an uncanny aim with a rifle and owner of the cleverest horse since Mr. Ed. Ringo Starr (yes the Ringo Starr) is Candy, the ruthless brother of Mexican bandit leader Domingo (Lloyd Batista) who's kidnapped fifty mail order brides on their way to Texas. Unfortunately for Blindman he has a valuable contract to deliver the women to the Texan miners who want to marry them; much violence ensues...

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I enjoyed this one, even if it's not up to the standards of the previous films I've mentioned. Unsurprisingly it's pretty offbeat for a western (possibly influenced by the popular Japanese Zatoichi series) going for a tongue in cheek comedic approach that doesn't sit well with the often brutal violence (including torture and attempted rape) and thoroughly nasty bad guys. Anthony is extremely likable in the lead and Starr is surprisingly good as the possessive Candy, but the film is so uneven in tone it's impossible to ignore. It's a shame because Blindman has some striking imagery like a town painted black for a funeral, and the climactic shootout in a village turned cemetery. The action is effectively handled with some well choreographed fights and Baldi displays considerable visual style giving the film a great comic book feel; Stelvio Cipriani's energetic soundtrack is another highlight. So overall Blindman can be a lot of fun if you're in the mood and don't mind a bit of the old ultra-violence with your comedy.:cool:

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:09 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 10-05-2009.

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Compañeros (Sergio Corbucci 1970) 4
Another highly entertaining slice of boys-own entertainment from Corbucci, which takes a more fun approach compared with the brooding style of his earlier classics Django (1966) and Il Grande Silenzio/The Great Silence (1968). This is much more akin with Corbucci's earlier Il Mercenario/The Mercenary (1968) which also starred Franco Nero and Jack Palance.

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Set during the Mexican revolution, Swedish arms dealer Yodlaf 'Penguin' Petersen (Nero in a near identical role to his turn as Sergei 'Polack' Kowalski in Il Mercenario) arrives in the small town of San Bernadino to sell a consignment of weapons to unscrupulous general Mongo (Francisco Bódalo). Just one problem, Mongo's stolen cash is locked in the town safe and the only man with the combination (pacifistic town leader Professor Xantos played by Spanish legend Fernando Rey) is a prisoner of the American government. Subsequently Petersen agrees to go on a rescue mission north with beret wearing Che Guevara lookalike El Vasco (Tomas Milian) for help. Along the way they are hindered by the wooden handed, dope smoking, falconry enthusiast John (Jack Palance); an old business partner of Petersen's with an axe to grind...

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Despite subtle political undertones this is essentially (as the tile suggests) a light hearted buddy western played with tongue firmly-in-cheek. The chemistry between Nero and Milian (as it was with Nero and Musante in Il Mercenario) is fantastic, the two larger-than life leads bouncing off each other with consummate ease. Palance as the crazed villain almost steals it though, I mean who could fail to love a one handed stoner with a pet falcon called Marsha? As you'd expect the pace never flags, and Corbucci retains the same dramatic visual style synonymous with the genre. Morricone's music is particularly good here, especially the theme tune which perfectly captures the tone of the film and is extremely catchy. Overall another great Spaghetti western that's guaranteed to entertain, if you loved the Dollars films you'll definitely enjoy this.

Sorry but I just had to post the opening credits for Morricone's wonderful theme tune. Hope you give it a listen:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaLUKdQN1OE

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:10 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 23-05-2009.

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Charley Varrick (Don Siegel 1973) 4
When you're feeling blue there's nothing quite like Walther Matthau's hangdog expression to put a smile on your face (well mine anyway). Yup I slapped this one in again for sure fire 70's thrills courtesy of the legendary (and criminally undermentioned on this site) Don Siegel. Mr. Siegel delivered this Bafta Award winning gem (Matthau for best Actor) two years after striking gold with Dirty Harry, and whilst it doesn't quite reach the heights of that movie; there's still plenty to enjoy here.

Matthau plays the wisened crop-sprayer-come-bank-robber of the title who unwittingly steals seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars of mafia money from a small town bank. Despite being wise to the seriousness of the situation Charley still has to contend with his dim witted trigger happy partner Harman (the excellent Andrew Robinson) and eccentrically sadistic Mafia hitman Molly (Joe Don Baker) who'll stop at nothing to track down and kill them.

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The story might sound pretty unoriginal in today's post Tarrantino landscape, but it's the fascinating character development, perfect performances, and Siegel's (a master at this sort of thing) expert direction that push Charley Varrick into the realms of cult greatness. Right from the thrillingly tense (and clearly influential) opening heist sequence this movie will have you hooked maintaining the perfect balance of laconic humour and gritty action; Plus with assured support from the likes of John Vernon and another delightfully funky soundtrack from Lalo Schifrin, and you can't really go wrong. Recommended.

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Corri Uomo Corri/ Run Man Run aka The Big Gundown II (Sergio Sollima 1968) 3+
Unfortunately I've yet to see Sergio Sollima's classic The Big Gundown as the film hasn't been given an official English language dvd release (come on Blue Underground!!!). Run Man Run is his semi-sequel in that it focuses on Tomas Milian's popular character Cuchillo; a comedic knife throwing Mexican who's really a pacifist at heart.

The story is similar to Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in that it concerns the hunt for a hidden cache of gold this time needed to fund the Mexican revolution. Millian's Cuchillo unwittingly discovers the location of the treasure and soon everyone wants a piece of him; including feisty girlfriend Delores (Chelo Alonso), ruthless gunslinger Nathaniel Cassidy (Donal O'Brien), a group of Mexican bandit rebels headed by Santillana (John Ireland), and strangest of all, Salvation army officer Penny Bannington (Linda Veras).

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Like Corbucci's Il Mercenario and Companeros, Run Man Run only hints at the politics lurking beneath what is essentially a light hearted tongue-in-cheek western. I found the film amiable enough, peppered with some wonderful performances, especially Milian as the scruffy hero and Chelo Alonso as his (very Latin) headstrong on-off girlfriend. It's just a shame the film suffers from a poor dubbing track and is at least half an hour too long with a somewhat meandering script. It's never dull though thanks to said performances, wonderful photography and some genuinely funny sequences; not least Cuchillo unwittingly walking into a firing squad line-up, and his hilarious stint as a reluctant drummer for Salvation officer Barrington. Conductor Bruno Nichloai was credited with Morricone's jovial soundtrack, and star Milian sang the cracking theme song. Overall good, but by no means classic.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:12 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 13-04-2009.

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Cujo (Lewis Teague 1983) 3.5
This is a genuinely frightening Stephen King adaptation with an excellent performance from Dee Wallace as a young mother trapped in a car with her son by a rabid St. Bernard. The film is a little on the slow side with most of the horror confined to the final half hour, but the characterization is fine and Jan De Bont's outstanding camera work (particularly a three hundred and sixty degree rotation inside the car) make this incredibly suspenseful. I'd not seen this before but found it to be one of the better Stephen King adaptations; recommended.

Still keep expecting Dee Wallace to turn into a cutesy werewolf though;)

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The Dark Half (George A Romero 1993) 2.5
Another King adaptation, this one didn't impress me as much as Cujo but was still worth a watch thanks to a decent performance from Timothy Hutton. He plays a successful writer whose alter ego (and pseudonym George Stark) literally comes to life and starts bumping off his friends. Hutton does a convincing job in both roles (especially as Stark) and Romero crafts some atmospheric (if derivative of Hitchcock and Argento) set pieces. Unfortunately the film is at least twenty minutes too long, becoming repetitive and dragging badly during the final act. As a result most of the suspense Romero intended doesn't come off leaving a rather flabby missed opportunity. Shame because this one started off so well.

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Dead & Breakfast (Matthew Leutwyler 2004) 2
When you've seen as many zombie films (or zom-coms) as I have it takes a lot to impress, and whilst this low budget effort tried hard to be different; it just felt like 'the same old same old' to me. A group of twenty somethings on their way to a wedding break down forcing them to spend the night in said B&B (run by David Carradine). Soon bodies start piling up after a magic curse is unleashed resulting in a plague of talking killer zombies. What follows is your usual sub-Peter Jackson splatter-fest involving the gang and a local sheriff fighting for their lives. Dead & Breakfast has got some nice touches like the quirky cartoon inserts that frequently separate chapters, and a genuinely funny country and western/rap singer that sporadically pops up. Sadly though he's the only amusing thing about the film as the rest of the badly written humour completely misses the mark, often painfully so. For zombie and gore obsessives only.

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El Chuncho, Quien Sabe?/ A Bullet for the General (Damiano Damiani 1966) 4
This finally arrived in the mail allowing my spaghetti western run to continue happily. A Bullet For the General is often described (sometimes criticized) as being an overtly Marxist political western. Initially I was worried that this might take some of the fun out of the film, but if anything I found the moral class struggle at the center of Damiani's film entertaining and rewarding. Set during the Mexican revolution, Lou Castel plays the baby faced El Niño, an American who tricks his way into Mexican bandit El Chuncho's (Gian Maria Volonte) gang of raiders. Also part of the gang are El Santo (Klaus Kinski) a religious idealist, and intuitive female fighter Adelita (Martine Beswick). Much of the film is taken up with the gang attacking Mexican army outposts and stealing weapons, as El Niño and El Chuncho form a close friendship. Not until the final act does El Niño make his real motive for riding with the gang known. An act that forces El Chuncho to choose between lifelong riches and the revolutionary ideals he's been fighting for.

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A Bullet for the General proved to be another absolute treat and further motivation for seeking more of these classics out. Whilst the first hour or so of the film seemed very loose in terms of plot, Damiani was clearly establishing his characters and their ideals, ready for what is a great final payoff. Volonte was so larger than life in this movie, perfect as the stubborn bandit leader blinded by money. Castel was equally impressive as the highly intelligent manipulative and devious El Niño, and Martine Beswick was great also as the strong voice of reason in Adelita. Kinski as El Santo only really had a small part but it was interesting to see him play a good guy for once, and a pretty cool looking good guy at that. The cinematography is what you'd expect from the very best of the genre, i.e. full of dramatic composition and sweeping sun bleached vistas. Once again Morricone's music serves as the perfect accompaniment making A Bullet for the General another Spaghetti I'll be glad to revisit.

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Non Si Sevizia Un Paperino/ Don't Torture a Duckling (Lucio Fulci 1972) 3.5
This is one of Italian horror maestro Lucio Fulci's early Gialli widely regarded as his best film (and favourite of Fulci himslef). The story takes place in a rural southern Italian town rife with superstition, where a series of child murders are baffling local police who place the blame on a number of suspects; including the town simpleton and local witch Maciara (Florinda Bolkan). Also under suspicion is Patrizia (Barbara Bouchet) a rich outsider disliked by the locals, who enjoys teasing young boys and lying around in the nude. She teams up with local reporter Martelli (Tomas Milian) to try and solve the murders, a trail that leads to an unlikely culprit.

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Don't Torture A Duckling is one of the best Gialli I've seen, and has instantly become my favourite Fulci (though that may change as I'm seeing A Lizard In A Woman's Skin this week). Unlike many Gialli the film doesn't simply revolve around a series of gory set pieces (there is only one), but is character and story driven giving it depth and substance. Fulci deftly plays on the small minded superstitions of small Catholic town mentality giving the film an atmosphere of dread despite the sun drenched backdrop. The voice acting is so so, lost to the dubbing track (which for once doesn't undermine the film to the point of ridicule) but Bouchet and particularly Bolkan as the local witch both outshine the restrictive audio with their expressive performances. What impressed me most about the film though was Fulci's incredible sense of composition and Sergio D'Offizi's stunning cinematography; some of the best I've seen (sadly the film is a little obscure hence me not being able to find better images). All in all an intelligent thoughtful Giallo well worth watching even if it's only to drool over the stunning photography.

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Non Ho Sonno/ Sleepless (Dario Argento 2001) 2.5
Well I certainly wasn't Sleepless boom boom! Sorry, joking asside this was only a so-so entry from Argento; a second rate Giallo let down by (the bane of Argento's career) an often laughable dubbing track. This one's about a killer nicknamed 'The Dwarf' who resurfaces after a seventeen year hiatus forcing an old police detective out of retirement (Moretti played by Max Von Sydow who thankfully dubs himself). He teams up with a group of twentysomethings (including the son of one of the original victims) who are themselves under suspicion as the killings spiral out of control. Meh, this is punctuated by the usual excessively violent set pieces and some truly awful makeup work. I actually only decided to give it a go after seeing Max Von Sydow in the cast and coming to the conclusion that it couldn't be all that bad. To be fair the mystery elements of the plot work quite well, but the rest of the film is a mess, and Claudio Simonetti's soundtrack is forgettable filler. Some reviews have this one down as a return to form for Argento but I wasn't impressed.

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Star Crystal (Lance Lindsay 1986) 0.5-
Wow look at that cover! yup this one looked to be right up my street, an eighties trash movie rip of Alien, heck that's practically my favourite sub-genre. Unfortunately Star Crystal represents a new low in bad movies for me; it was like eating a vindaloo in that I really struggled to finish it, and kept wanting to go and get a drink of water even though I wasn't thirsty. A group of astronauts find a mysterious rock on an alien planet (the local quarry) which proceeds to give birth to a lump of snot with eyes that makes breathing noises like a child prank caller. Before long it's sprouting tentacles (dirty garden hosepipe) and chowing down on the no talent crew one by one...
*groan* I'm making this sound like way too much fun...
Did I mention that you have to wait around for half an hour before anything happens? That you have to endure endless filler shots of the snot creature and some glowing piece of quartz crystal that gives it it's power?
Oh and **SPOILER ALERT** that after the monster kills most of the crew it suddenly repents and wants to make friends?
You want to see it now don't you...well don't.

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Scanners II: The New Order (Christian Duguay 1991) 1.5
Why did I bother buying this again? Oh yeah because it's the sequel to one of the coolest Sci-Fi/horror flicks of the eighties and hence essential viewing right? Wrong!!! I bought it because I'm an idiot.
It turns out Cameron Vale from the first film had a son David (David Hewlett) who has incredible scanner powers just like his dad. Before long he's been recruited by an evil organization 'The New Order' to root out criminals and hypnotize the Mayor into putting a psycho (Commander John Forrester played by Yvan Ponton) in charge of the police department. Naturally David cottons on that he's being used for evil but has to contend with rival super scanner Peter Drak (amusingly played by Raoul Trujillo pictured). Throw in a sub plot about an addictive heroine-like drug that's being given to scanners, and David discovering he has a long lost sister and you have the lackluster Scanners II: The New Order.
What should be fun is ruined by an overly talky script, (especially the dull midsection), and poor coverage of some decent looking but fleeting makeup effects. Add to that some truly hamfisted voice overs involving David and his sister using telepathy and you have a real turkey on your hands. Avoid.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:14 AM

http://sirjorge.com/blogx/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/rikiohposter.jpg Originally posted in movie tab II 16-06-2009.

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Riki-oh: The Story Of Ricky (Ngai Kai Lam 1991) 2.5 Trash rating 4
This martial arts-gore hybrid adapted from Tetsuya Saruwatari's manga ''Riki-oh'' is one of the craziest movies I've ever seen. By crazy I mean Kerrr-Ray-Zeeee...no Kidding...The Story of Riki makes Ryu Kitamura's Versus look like a Sunday school play performed by swatty bedwetting ten year olds.

Hong Kong actor Sui-Wong Fang is the superhuman Riki-Oh of the title. A hard-as-nails do gooder dumped in a futuristic prison inhabited by the kind of inmates who'd give Vinnie Jones nightmares. Unsurprisingly the place is corrupt and the warden's a complete bastard who (very surprisingly) likes to show off his porn collection (which takes pride of place behind his desk - I'm not kidding). So far so what right? Well yeah, but wait for it...you see Riki's quite literally so hard that when he hits people he reduces them to raspberry puree. Cue a gleefully yucky succession of ultra-gory fights and madcap black humor all offset by one of the funniest (and by that I mean ineptly terrible) dubbing tracks of all time. Oh and the scene in which the warden's overweight son (who looks like he's been taking lessons from Casper Jnr in Miller's Crossing) trips and falls whilst entering the prison is comedy gold. La la-la-la ooh. Essential viewing for trash fans.

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Street Law (Enzo G. Castellari 1974) 2.5 Trash rating 3
In crime ridden Genoa, mild mannered engineer Carlo (Franco Nero in wimp mode) gets kidnapped during a post office robbery by unsavory types who slap him about and leave his semi-conscious body in docklands. Has Carlo's family been raped and murdered? No. Has his girlfriend (Barbara Bach) been molested, attacked or mugged? No. Yet Carlo suddenly goes all Charles Bronson on us swearing revenge against the vile hoodlums who attacked him - and would clearly have him for breakfast if this film was zero point five percent more realistic.

Street Law is jaw droppingly dumb right from the get go beginning with the kind of disorganised heist that'd have Neil McCauly from Heat spinning in his grave. Credibility is stretched to breaking point and things just spiral out of control as Carlo (who's so wet you can almost hear him squelch with every step) tries to infiltrate the underworld to track the robbers down. But for what? Soon after he blackmails and subsequently befriends!!!??? Tommy (Giancarlo Prete who looks like Cameron Vale from Scanners) a sympathetic thief with all the intelligence of a lobotomized flea. Together they concoct a surprisingly clever scheme to spur a reluctant police department into action, and lure the villains into the open...

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Despite my somewhat cynical comments I found Street Law rather fun. Castellari's (who cut his teeth on Spaghetti westerns and made around fifteen films with Nero) direction is pretty standard for this type of fare. It's all slow motion violence (his trademark) and second rate car chases; complimented by some nice location work (particularly the shipping yard), an amusingly meek performance from Nero, and a knockout psychedelic-funk soundtrack from italo legends Guido and Maurizio De Angelis. Naturally it's dubbed, the incoherent story is ludicrous, and the violence layed on with a trowel. But seen as I kinda' knew these things going into Street Law, the overall experience was a satisfying one.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:15 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 19-06-2009.

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Le Cercle Rouge/The Red Circle (Jean-Pierre Melville 1970) 4
Upper class thief Corey (Alain Delon) is released from prison on the same day a highly intelligent convicted murderer, Vogel (Gian Maria Volonte) escapes methodical police escort Mattei (Bouvril). Whilst Corey sets about raising funds by robbing his old boss Rico who also stole his girl; Vogel is subject to a large scale police manhunt across country. By chance the two meet and form an allegiance after Vogel hides in the boot of Corey's car at a roadside cafe. Together they plan an elaborate jewel heist with the aid of a ex-police marksman and recovering alcoholic Jansen (Yves Montand). Meanwhile Mattei under pressure from his superintendent, hatches a plan to capture the gang...

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I was expecting great things from this after seeing (and loving) Melville's better known Le Samourai last year. I found lots to love here also; namely the stark grey-toned locales, Delon's sub-zero cool, plus two intricate set pieces (Volonte's escape from a train, and the inevitable jewel heist), both of which are dialogue free, pay incredible attention to detail, and are extremely tense as a result. Favourite of all however had to be the striped room introductory scene to Jansen during an alcohol induced hallucinatory episode. For such an Amercian influenced film it felt so intrinsically French, in terms of humour and visual style, whilst also adding weight to the character's all important 'keyhole shot' in the penultimate sequence; Genius.

The meat of the story though is about Mattei's steadfast pursuit of the thieves, and the contrast between what motivates him, and each gang member. It's very well executed, a little over long perhaps, and with one or two peripheral characters too many, but overall enjoyable and rewarding stuff.

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Un Flic/A Cop (Jean-Pierre Melville 1972) 3.5+
In Melville's last film Alain Delon is Commissioner Edouard Coleman on the rail of a group of bank robbers who (unbeknownst to him) are led by his nightclub owning best friend Simon (Richard Crenna). After successfully carrying out a heist on a seafront bank, the gang plan to use the proceeds to fund an even more lucrative robbery of a drug courier on board a train. To complicate matters Coleman is having an affair with Simon's girlfriend; the ruthless Cathy (Catherine Deneuve).

Once again this centers around two detailed set pieces, the initial bank robbery, and the (excellent) train sequence towards the end of the film. Whilst on the surface I found this to be more focused in terms of basic narrative and running time; there didn't seem to be the same depth to the characters, or sense of satisfaction at the films conclusion (it just felt a little too predictable). Technically and visually it's extremely impressive though, with familiar cold grey tones, and expert creation of suspense complimented by a nineteen forties film noir sensibility. The performances are second to none, and well Deneuve is in it so you can't go wrong really. So yes I enjoyed it, even if the whole thing did feel a little bit too familiar after watching Le Cercle Rouge the previous evening. Incidentally is that the same nightclub location in Le Samourai, Le Cercle Rouge and Un Flic? I keep seeing that dance troupe when I close my eyes gyaaa...

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:16 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 25-06-2009.

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Terminator Salvation (McG 2009) 2.5
I went into this with very low expectations but to be fair Terminator Salvation was slightly better than a steel toe-capped kick in the balls; with the emphasis heavily on slightly. I wont bore people with the plot details seeing as most of you know the crack with the Terminator films (if you don't then please report to your GP immediately,they still need to perform the finishing touches to your recent lobotomy). Save to say this latest installment takes place after judgment day with the machines now in charge and the CGI turned up to eleven.

James Cameron has been quoted as saying the franchise ended after part two, and I'm inclined to agree with him. You see my main problem with this new installment is not the nonsensical Blade Runner inspired subplot (involving Sam Worthington's character Marcus); the films complete lack of personality or heart (barring Anton Yelchin's likable Marty McFl-err I mean Kyle Reese impersonation) or some truly ridiculous and improbable looking robots. No. My problem is that once you take the Terminators out of 'our time' and place them in a generic looking used (ah hem!) future; you take away what was always so thrilling about the franchise. I liked seeing futuristic robot assassins beating up greasy bikers and thuggish bouncers in the present. I liked seeing big Arnie surfing atop a petrol tanker or mowing down a precinct full of cops after saying I'll be back. Terminator Salvation looses the thrill factor because we can no longer relate to the world it smashes up, or the characters (who've all been re-cast) that inhabit it. Ironically the best scene of the film is the one in which a suspiciously airbrushed looking Schwarzenegger makes a brief cameo. I felt a fleeting feeling of joy tinged with a real pang of sadness as his face melted away like the soul of this franchise. Always good to see Michael Ironside though.

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Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi 2009) 3+
Well I had to see what all the fuss was about and finally got this under my belt the other night in a deserted cinema (minus the hordes of annoying kids). Yes this one has had quite alot of critical praise heaped on it, though far be it for me to play devil's advocate (no pun intended) but I wasn't all that impressed. Again the plot of this one has been explained very well by Yoda et al already, and I'm tired so I'll skip all that if you don't mind...What? Ohhhh Ok then seeing as it's you....

A pretty girl-next-door bank worker Christine (Alison Lohman) wants a promotion, and so to come off as ruthless to her boss, decides not to lend any money to creepy slobbering gypsy Mrs. Ganush (amusingly played by Lorna Raver). Naturally Ganush goes postal because she's about to be made homeless, and well she's a creepy gypsy woman right? Cue some gross-out slapstick and Ganush placing a curse on Christine that will see a demon drag her off to hell within a couple of days. Naturally Christine's none to happy, enlisting the help of boyfriend Clay (David Schwimmer-in-a-foppy-wig-lookalike Justin Long), and likable Indian mystic Rham Jas (Dileep Rao). What follows is a slick mixture of old school jump scares, gross-out gags and savvy sound mixing as Christine battles to save her bacon.

Drag Me to Hell is a good old fashioned horror movie that rises above much of the second rate dross filling the genre today. But that's not really saying much, nor does it mean I thought the film was particularly great. For the most part I felt it was pretty average stuff that relied much too heavily on loud screeching gates, and repetitive old-hag-face-appears-out-nowhere jump scares. It wore thin with me pretty quickly as I guess I've just seen far too many films like this already. By the last reel I was just counting down the minutes waiting for it to end so I could go home. I didn't care one jot about the vapid Christine or her grit-in-the-lense boyfriend, and saw the film's supposed twist ending a mile off (twenty minutes in to be exact). So yeah I thought it was unremarkably good in a 'is that it?' kind of way. Drag Me to Hell is Raimi returning to his roots for sure. But it's an older, mellower, pampered Raimi lacking the hungry uncompromising edge that made his original Evil Dead so great. This could have done with a few buckets of real blood, instead of duff looking CGI (those awful pop out eyeballs), and pantomime people dancing around on wires. But overall solid with some truly great sound mixing.

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Death Machine (Stephen Norrigton 1995) 3+
Ok ok so I'm biased...My third viewing of this mid nineties cyber-punk favourite (think Richard Stanley's Hardware by way of Die Hard and Aliens) flew by as I sought meager recompense for the disappointment that is Terminator Salvation. Yes three years before he gave us the thrilling Blade, Stephen Norrington made this violent little gem. Filled with in jokes Death Machine is a stylish tongue-in-cheek actioner made at a time when it was still cool to name characters after cult directors like Sam Raimi, John Carpenter, and (my favourite) Scott Ridley. Cringe-worthy now yes, but back in 1995 this was a video rental wet dream, and has remained a personal favourite to this day.

Set in the near future the film centers around the Chaank corporation, a super conglomerate responsible for weapons development. We're given a cool (Universal Soldier type) pre-credits sequence showing the aftermath of a super soldier malfuctioning and killing a load of innocent cops. Yup Chaank are hated by the public and there's a mutiny going on within their walls headed by sleazy computer geek Jack Dante (Brad Dourif on crazed top form). Attempting to foil his hostile take over is sassy (Ripley-esq) exec Hayden Cale (Ely Pouget). But Dante has got the controls to his latest creation, the Warbeast, a mammoth killer robot that makes Robocop 2 look like a wind up toy. Enter into the fray a group of executive hostages (most notably William Hootkins playing John Carpenter) and some hippy eco terrorists there to bring down the corporation, and you're left with a high octane chase through the bowels of the Chaank building...

Death Machine borders on spoof at times, but it isn't, it's just a knowing genre piece that for the most part hits more than it misses. Infact it's probably the best straight to video sci-fi actioner I've ever seen.This flick moves like gang busters with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but it's very funny (especially the scene in which Dante produces a rubber chicken when asked to throw down his weapons). Plus if like me you loved the sound those guns in Aliens made then you'll be right at home here as there's plenty of massive-guns-that-never-seem-to-run-out-of-bullets action. Death Machine doesn't look low budget either, Norrington creates an effective A-movie aesthetic with lots of shafting blue and green light, hot sparks and gore. So if you like trashy robot action with a dash of William Gibson thrown in for good measure then check this one out.

* US Mofo's looking to see this movie need to get hold of the UK dvd as the US version is heavily cut.

mark f

09-21-09, 06:18 AM

Did these all get copied from the Movie Tab because I seem to remember almost all of them? :cool: That looks like an affirmative.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:19 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 23-07-2009.

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Leviathan (George P. Cosmatos 1989) 3
This one of the many underwater sci-fi/horror flicks released in 1989 on the back of James Cameron's The Abyss (including Deep Star Six, Endless Descent, and Lords of the Deep). Slated by critics and fans alike at the time as being just another Alien/The Thing rip off; I've always felt it to be the best of the underwater cash-ins. I considered putting Leviathan in my 80's trash thread but watching it again (for about the fifth time) merely reconfirmed how glossy looking and well made it is.

Essentially the set up is a familiar one. A group of deep sea miners led by Peter Weller stumble across a ship wrecked Russian vessel on the sea bed. Amongst the salvage they recover (including medical files showing the entire crew died of a mysterious disease) is some vodka which, when drunk, turns people into deep sea versions of John Carpenters The Thing...

What Leviathan lacks in originality (which is considerable) it makes up for with a crackerjack B-movie cast, handsome looking production design, and a great score from Jerry Goldsmith. Most notable in the cast are Daniel Stern (almost as funny here as he was in C.H.U.D.), Ernie Hudson from Ghostbusters, and veteran actor Richard Crenna as the doc. I really do like this movie, it's fast paced, has a sense of humor, and decent all be it briefly glimpsed Stan Winston creature effects. If you like creature features, and haven't seen this, give it whirl...it makes a great midnight movie.

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Switchblade Sisters (Jack Hill 1974) 3
Four years before the 'gang movie' cycle made popular by The Warriors and The Wanderers; exploitation director Jack Hill delivered this cheap and cheerful drive-in classic (though it flopped initially). I'd not seen this one before, but read lots of good things about it on various B-movie fan sites and figured I'd give it a go.

Essentially it's your usual warring gang setup with Joanne Nail's feisty Maggie inducted by Lace (Robbie Lee) into the 'Dagger Debs'; an all female subsidiary of 'The Silver Dollars' gang headed by the sullen Dominic (Asher Brauner). At war with the Silver Dollars is a larger rival gang led by Crabs (Chase Newhart) who looks like he just got back from a Bay City Rollers concert. To further complicate things there's a power struggle within the Dagger Debs stirred up by the evil (and imaginatively named) Patch (Monica Gayle)...

I really enjoyed this one. It has woefully cheap production values, and some amusingly spirited overacting (Robbie Lee's performance, and Joanne Nail's final speech are particularly sensational). The build up is a little on the slow side as the real action (including a roller rink shootout, and a shootout involving an all female black gang who team up with the Debs) is mainly confined to the second half of the movie. But the film still remains highly watchable as it's filled with colorful characters, juvenile catty dialogue and some surprisingly well choreographed fights. Plus I actually found myself really rooting for Maggie. Thumbs up for a worthy cult classic.

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Truck Turner (Jonathan Kaplan 1974) 2.5
Pretty standard blaxploitation bouyed by some nifty camera work, crunching fight choreography and (an underused) Yaphet Kotto as crime boss Harvard Blue.

Hayes is the 'Mack' Truck Turner of the title, a super tough skip tracer who after killing a pimp in self defence; finds himself (along with his partner played by Alan Weeks) targeted by numerous bounty hunters and hit men who've stuck a deal with the pimp's girlfriend Dorinda (Nichelle Nichols).

This is action packed stuff with plenty of fist fights, shootouts and car chases, but it lacks the edgy racial empowerment vibe the best of the genre has to offer, and ultimately amounts to nothing more than a time filler. Hayes is likable enough despite mumbling his way through the movie, and Nichelle Nichols is feisty if a little Pam Grier-esq as the vengeance seeking Dorinda. But the film only really comes alive when Kotto shows up in the final act. It's certainly never boring though, and there are even small roles for Scatman Crothers and B-movie legend Dick Miller, but I'd only really recommend this to Hayes fans, and they've probably already seen it. Funny I thought his soundtrack for this one sounded a little flat which is probably another reason it's not considered a classic.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:20 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 15-08-2009.

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Sex and Fury (Norifumi Suzuki 1973) 3.5+
Widely regarded as the pinnacle of Japan's Pinku eiga second wave; Suzuki's Sex and Fury transcends the genre in terms of visual style, sensual erotica, and mesmerising balletic violence. Reiko Ike is magnificent as the ruthless Ocho seeking vengeance against a trio of Yakuza turned politicians (each identified by a different animal tattoo on their back) who murdered her detective father when she was a child. Along the way she saves a young girl from a prostitution ring, and crosses paths with British agent and gambler extraordinaire Christina (played by beautiful Swedish sexploitation legend Christina Lindberg).

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Sex and Fury is one of the best slices of Pinku I've seen so far (right up there with Shunya Ito's Beast Stable). The film is so beautifully photographed and hypnotically performed by Ike and Lindberg that it approaches high art. Perfectly paced it's filled with visceral blood soaked slow motion swordplay (in one scene Ike even fights off a group of gamblers in a snowy zen garden whilst completely naked), sleazy yet restrained sex scenes (including S&M and bondage), not to mention enthusiastic gun play, and a brilliantly staged poker scene. I found Sex and Fury an absolute treat and highly recommended it to more adventurous viewers.

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Inglorious Bastards (Enzo G. Castellari 1978) 2.5-
A title that needs no introduction thanks to Quentin Tarantino's eagerly anticipated loose re-imagining. This original would still be languishing in complete obscurity if it wasn't for his admiration of it's admittedly brilliant title, and the presence of stars Bo Svenson, and exploitation legend Fred 'The Hammer' Williamson. Originally intended as a cash in on Robert Aldridge's The Dirty Dozen, and to a lesser extent a semi homage to Peckinpah and Cross of Iron (who Castellari seemed to mimic in all his 70's action pictures with his love of slow motion choreography) Inglorious Bastards is really just a juvenile yet cheerful adventure flick that unsurprisingly lacks the depth and quality of it's influences.

Set during the latter stages of WW2, a group of American soldiers condemned to death for war crimes escape from custody when their convoy is bombed. Heading for the Swiss border they become embroiled with the French resistance after accidentally killing a group of American soldiers who were posing as Germans in order to steal a rocket guidance system from a train. Soon they're recruited to take their place by Colonel Buckner (Ian Bannen) who promises them immunity in return. Meh this is standard stuff with questionable logic, lots of mindless shooting and idiotic macho dialogue. To it's credit it does have an endearing sense of humour, and both Svenson as the heroic Lt. Yeager and especially Williamson as tough nut Private Cranfield are extremely likable. But really this is a forgettable time filler at best that left me feeling bored despite it's non stop action.

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Strange Invaders (Michael Laughlin 1983) 3
This is an imaginative largely forgotten homage to 1950's Sci-Fi flicks that garnered critical praise from some quarters on it's initial release. Sadly the film flopped at the box office and subsequently disappeared without trace (at least in the UK) making it something of an obscurity.

The story has aliens land in in a small Midwest town during the fifties taking on human form, and replacing the residents (ala Invasion of the Body Snatchers). Twenty five years later and New York entomologist Charles Bigelow (Paul Le Mat) travels there looking for his missing ex wife (June Lockhart) only to fall foul of the aliens who still live there with permission from the US government!!! Narrowly escaping with his life Charles flees back to New York, but can't get anyone to believe his story (including Nancy Allen as a hack UFO journalist, and Louise Fletcher great as a shady government official). Soon it becomes clear the creatures have followed him and want to take his daughter back to their home planet...

Despite it's slow pace Strange Invaders works thanks to some clever writing that effectively spoofs 1950's B-movies whilst still maintaining a serious (and often creepy) atmosphere. There are some imaginative budget effects, not least the gooey alien makeups, and floating orbs of light housing the souls of captured earthlings; it's just a shame they're so thin on the ground. The story regularly goes in interesting directions though and the film never feels cliched despite the familiar premise. Overall I'd say this is worth a look for fans of fifties science fiction flicks and 80's kookiness.

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Cleopatra Jones (Jack Starrett 1973) 2.5+
Another iconic Blaxploitation film with Tamara Dobson attempting to rival Pam Grier's turn as Coffy. She plays a special government agent (like a female James Bond with jive attitude and better one liners) on a one woman crusade against the drugs trade. Picking up in Turkey with Cleo ordering the destruction of an opium crop; this is a more light hearted tongue-in-cheek affair with the emphasis heavily on car chases, shootouts and Karate. Leading the bad guys is a hilariously over the top Shelly Winters as Mommy, the head of a drugs cartel out to erase our heroine (no pun intended). But Antonio Fargas steals the movie acting it big as the irrepressibly likable, fast talking drug pusher Doodlebug. This is low budget fluff that veers somewhat awkwardly between high camp and violence, but I've never let that stop me before. I found Cleopatra Jones to be fast paced, often highly amusing, and always entertaining. In short I dug it.

Other Stuff I've watched recently...

Watchmen (Zack Snyder 2009) 3 Everything Mark f said.
Nightbeast (Don Dohler 1982) 1.5 The best trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLpTUp9LIw0) ever, but sadly one of the worst films. I'd wanted to see this for ages and was really disappointed.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:21 AM

Orginally posted in movie tab II 19-08-2009.

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They Call Her One Eye aka Thriller: A Cruel Picture (Bo Arne Vibenius 1974) 3.5
Originally called Thriller: A Cruel Picture this low budget shocker was banned outright in it's native Sweden, and hacked to pieces for the American drive in circuit under the title They Call Her One Eye. It was not only the graphic scenes of slow motion violence that had upset the Swedish censors, but Vibenius' inclusion of hardcore pornographic inserts during one of the film's rape scenes which would condemn his original vision to semi-obscurity for the next thirty years. They Call Her One Eye proved to be a cult hit in the US, but much of the slow motion violence had been trimmed, and the real sex (in which a body double had stood in for it's star Christina Lindberg) was a distant memory making the film almost twenty minutes shorter. That is until the original film (Thriller: A Cruel Picture) was released uncut as a limited edition DVD by Synapse films back in 2004. The following year Synapse released an alternative 'Vengeance Edition' cut of the film (pictured above right) under the title Thriller: They Call Her One Eye. This new version retained all of the slow motion violence and rape scenes, but left out the hardcore porn inserts. For reasons of good taste I opted for this newer release and watched the subtitled version of the film...

Essentially a basic rape revenge tale, Thriller is the story of Madeleine (or Frigga if you watch the dubbed version) a young woman who was abused as a child and left mute as the result of mental trauma. Growing up on a rural farm she misses her bus one day and takes a ride from a stranger who subsequently kidnaps and drugs her forcing her into a life of prostitution. When a terrified Madelaine attacks her first client, her pimp (Tony played by Heinz Hopf) gouges out one of her eyes with a scalpel as punishment. Dependent on heroine, and with no escape Madeleine gradually uses her ''one day off a week'' to learn martial arts, weapons training, and driving skills in order to exact merciless revenge on Tony and her clients...

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Clearly a primary influence behind Abel Ferrara's Ms.45 (one of my favourite films), I found Thriller grim yet compelling viewing from start to finish. Nude starlet Christina Lindberg has no lines in the movie, but (like Zoe Lund in Ferrara's flick) easily convinces through her body language and facial expressions. Her transition from shy vulnerable victim, to ruthless (and clearly insane) killer is contrived and ridiculous, but gripping stuff nevertheless. Vibenius shot the film in a semi-documentary style with an experimental score (comprising of long high notes, and garbled screams), giving it a hauntingly bleak atmosphere all it's own. Best of all however, are the ultra slow motion scenes of violence (I believe Vibenius used a special motion capture camera) in which Madeleine wreaks havock. I particularly liked the sequence in which she beats two police officers to a bloody pulp in lengthy surreal detail. Also excellent are the scenes in which she learns Karate, which far from being cheesy montage sequences, are very well edited and authentically portrayed. To sum up I loved everything about this movie, and am only sorry I didn't see it years ago. It's not going to appeal to everyone, what with it's gritty low budget production values and depressing subject matter. But I fell in love with it instantly and stand by my lofty rating, even if most of you would probably only give it a generous 2.5 or less. It was that eye patch that sold me, but enough rambling.

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Keoma (Enzo G. Castellari 1976) 3.5+
Made at the end of the Spaghetti western cycle, Keoma is considered by many to be the last of the greats, and a fitting swan song of the genre. Marking one of Franco Nero's many collaborations with his friend and prolific action director Enzo G. Castellari; it has a reputation as being downbeat, violent and depressing, but also visually striking and thought provoking, with allegorical undertones.

Keoma is the name of Nero's title character, an idealistic, yet deadly 'half breed' Indian returning home to his plague ridden town after (what I presumed to be) the American civil war. Waiting for him are his three racist half brothers and scheming land owner Caldwell (Spaghetti regular Donald O'Brien) who are holding the town in a strangle hold, blocking medical supplies and food to treat the sick. Keoma's only allies are his aging philosophical father (William Berger), and boyhood hero George (Woody Strode), now a broken alcoholic.

Of the seven or so Castellari films I've seen, this is my favourite by far. Right from the striking wind swept opening sequence in which Keoma rides through a dusty abandoned town as an old woman cries his name; it's clear this is no ordinary Spaghetti. Playing like a dark twisted variation on the Prodigal Son parable, Keoma is a deep and brooding western, which explores themes of freedom, race, nostalgia, sacrifice and violence. The dialogue is often memorable and the performances from both Nero and Berger are fantastic and very moving. Keoma excels Visually too, with lush mountain vistas by day, and the decrepit old town lit up by torch carrying bandits and blue tinged lightening by night. Perhaps most notable of all however is the bizarre haunting soundtrack from Guido and Maurizio De Angleis, with it's out of tune yet melodic guitar strings, and operatic warbling vocals. It really does give the film it's own identity even if the basic story is a little on the predictable side.

Also watched...

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Night Train Murders aka Late Night Trains (Aldo Lado 1975) 3
Lado's Giallo Short Night of Glass Dolls (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=529809) didn't exactly knock my socks off, but had enough visual flair and interesting ideas to make me want to check this out too. Described as Italy's answer to Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, it's an exact retread with the only difference being the majority of the film takes place on board a train (duh). In fact that's not really fair; this is well made stuff (the lighting and editing is especially excellent), with some truly harrowing scenes to rival Craven's film (which I've never liked). Particularly effective is the way in which Lado quickly cuts to footage of the girls parents enjoying dinner with friends during the murders. The performances are all rather good too, especially Macha Meril as a twisted nymphomaniac, and Ginafranco De Grassi as a crazed knife wielding rapist (pictured). On the downside the film is a little on the slow side, and the victims characters aren't fleshed out enough for you to really care about them. Oh yeah and you'd never guess the soundtrack is from Ennio Morricone because it's completely forgettable. Still better than Craven's effort in my opinion though.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:25 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 25-08-2009.

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Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (Yasuzo Masumura 1973) 3.5+
This is the second part of the Hanzo trilogy; an unusual and extremely violent mixture of the Chanbara and Pinku genres. I've had the box set sitting on my shelf for well over six months now, but the first film in the series (Sword of Justice) didn't really capture my imagination like I hoped it would despite being directed by Kenji Misumi of Lone Wolf & Cub fame. As a result I kind of put off watching parts 2 & 3, until Fenwick PM'd me a few days back to ask if I knew anything about the series.

Played by the wonderful Shintaro Katsu (best known as the original Zatoichi) Hanzo is your basic badass police inspector with a misogynistic line in torture, lack of respect for authority, and a penchant for beating his manhood with a wooden paddle. In this installment he investigates the suspicious death of a young woman, and uncovers political conspiracy involving prostitution, and economic corruption...

Where Sword of Justice was a little short on action, and heavy on some very uncomfortable yet blackly comic sexual torture; The Snare is quite the opposite. This installment has Hanzo in full on ass kicking mode, with some truly exhilarating blood splattered swordplay, and a nice line in laconic humour (Hanzo's relationship with his boss is particularly funny). This is perfectly paced, effectively builds tension, and culminates with a truly thrilling penultimate showdown involving Hanzo saving a young maid from a group of robbers. Other highlights include a foolish group of ninja turned into sushi after invading Hanzo's lair, and his amusing bust of a Buddhist temple housing a prostitution racket. Yes Hanzo is often very funny stuff, has a cool Blaxploitation style soundtrack, and is beautifully photographed. If you can stomach the distasteful misogyny and torture, then this is a must see.

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Conquest (Lucio Fulci 1983) 2
This is gore maestro Fulci's doomed foray into the sword and sorcery genre made popular in the 80's by John Milius' superb Conan the Barbarian.

Now it's no secret I'm a fan of Fulci's work; especially his early gialli like Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Don't Torture a Duckling. He was a master at creating doom laden atmosphere, and the operatic gory set pieces of his later horror films like The Beyond often rivaled those of Dario Argento in terms of dreamlike visual style and unrelenting sadism. Considering his diversity (he also made action comedies, westerns and science fiction) I was practically foaming at the mouth to see this.

Sadly the plot for Conquest is virtually non-existent. A young man called Ilias travels to a far away land armed with a magic bow that has the power to destroy armies. There he meets a barbarian called Mace (Jorge Rivero) and together they set out to destroy Zora; a gold masked oppressive god who likes to prance around semi-nude.

What a let down. I wasn't expecting Star Wars, but Conquest is a mess. In an attempt to mask the film's meager budget and give it an atmosphere of mystery and magic; Fulci appears to have gone hog wild with a dry ice machine and smeared vaseline all over the lense. Sometimes it works and the film looks suitably ethereal and fantastic, but most of the time the blurry action is frustratingly obstructed by smoke blowing into shot. If it wasn't so tragic it'd be funny, but I wasn't amused. On the plus side the trademark Fulci gore is there, with zombies, brain eating, a woman torn in half, rubbish looking wolf men, plenty of head clubbing's and splattery arrow impalements. But it's painfully cut rate, accompanied by a dull Claudio Simonetti synth score, and backed up by such an uninspiring flimsy narrative, that Conquest fails on every level. Disappointing.

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Killer Klowns from Outer Space (Stephen Chiodo 1988) 3+
I'd always avoided this instant cult hit from the Chiodo brothers thinking it looked a little too goofy and childish. I just kind of lumped it in with all those cruddy movies that came out on the back of Joe Dante's Gremlins and to a lesser extent Stephen Herek's Critters (the latter featuring excellent effects work from the Chiodo Brothers). Not until I saw the kooky looking and very funny trailer again recently, did I finally decide to check this one out.

I'm not sure I need to explain the plot of a movie called Killer Klowns from Outer Space, but here goes. In another nod to old 50's alien invasion flicks a small town witnesses what appears to be a comet crash near by. On investigation various residents discover a circus tent in the woods, and before you can say bearded ladies, all hell breaks loose. With the towns folk systematically being cocooned in corrosive liquidating cotton candy and sucked dry; it's left to local sheriff Hanson (John Allen Nelson) to save the day accompanied by valley girl Debbie (Suzanne Snyder) and a pair of hormonal ice cream van owners...

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is puerile, idiotic, silly, juvenile and very funny. What initially struck me most about the film was the colourfully imaginative low budget production design (the matte work is superb) and wonderful makeup effects. The film is full of screwball touches, like a sequence in which the mischievous ''Klowns'' use a balloon dog to chase down escaping townsfolk, and their guns that fire popcorn and cotton candy rays. Best of all however has to be Dean Wormer himself John Vernon, perfectly cast as the skeptical Sheriff Mooney who effortlessly steals the movie. In all Killer Klowns is short and sweet at 86 minutes with likable characters (including the Klowns) and rarely a dull moment. For what it is it has no right to be this well made and entertaining.

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Return of the Street Fighter (Shigehiro Ozawa 1974) 3.5
Or maybe they should just have called it Sonny Chiba Vs Mafia. Yes Japan's answer to Bruce Lee is back as the ruthless anti-hero Tsurugi. This is another series I've been meaning to get under my belt after watching the superb original last year.

In this one Tsurugi gets hired to assassinate three bad guys involved in the theft of a priceless golden Buddha statue. Along the way he uncovers a Mafia plot (led by a guy who looks suspiciously like Al Pacino in Serpico) to discredit and destroy the martial arts world, and soon finds himself on their hit list. Naturally they picked on the wrong guy, and much ass kicking ensues.

I thought this was equal to the original, with non stop bone crunching, brilliantly choreographed fight scenes to rival any martial arts movie (loved the weapons demonstration sequence). Favourite characters from the first film return, most notably Karate master Masaoka (Masafumi Suzuki) and a certain arch nemesis minus his vocal chords. It's not exactly subtle, and as is the case with this series the plot is largely just a semi-coherent excuse for a punch up. But Chiba is incredibly charismatic, the direction solid, and the blood on tap; what more could you want from a 70's Karate flick?

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The Tenant (Roman Polanski 1976) 3.5
The Tenant sees Polanski further explore themes of madness, alienation, obsession, and paranoia he covered in his earlier apartment based horror classics Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby.

Here Polanski himself plays Trelkovsky, a mild mannered file clerk who takes an apartment in which a woman recently committed suicide. Not long after moving in he begins having trouble with his overly fussy neighbors who think he's making too much noise. There are veiled threats in the hallway from his landlord Monsieur Zy (Melvyn Douglas) and strange figures staring at him from across the courtyard. His friend Scope (brilliantly played by Bernard Fresson) is obnoxious and unsupportive, and his somewhat distant love interest Stella (Isabelle Adjani) a friend of the previous tenant. Gradually Trelkovsky becomes obsessed with the woman's suicide, and convinced the inhabitants of the apartment building are trying to drive him the same way. Is it all in his head? or is there a real conspiracy afoot?

Slow and downbeat, The Tenant works much in the same way as Rosemary's Baby in that it attempts to gradually crank up the tension and suspense, whilst sucking you into an elaborate mystery. Polanski is surprisingly effective in the lead, underplaying his character as a meek introverted victim, and the support (including Shelly Winters as the concierge) is superb. The film is full of tiny well observed details that no doubt reward multiple viewings (this was my first) and succeeded in sucking me into the mystery of the previous tenant (especially the scene in which he finds a tooth in the wall, and what did those hieroglyphics in the bathroom mean?). But my main issue with it was the familiarity of the whole thing, like I'd seen this before from Polanski done better, tighter, and with more focus. Plus the ending felt like a complete cop out. Overall though I found this a fascinating film, and wouldn't mind discussing it further. In needs it's own thread if you ask me.

Other stuff I watched...

The Streetfighter's Last Revenge (Shigehiro Ozawa 1974) 3
Easily the least of the series, this benefits from the presence of Reiko Ike from Sex and Fury, and a bizarre laser firing mariachi henchman. The fights are somehow less impressive though as the series appeared to be going in a more light hearted James Bond direction, and the plot is completely incoherent. Still fun though.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:27 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 31-08-2009.

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Master of the Flying Guillotine/One Armed Boxer Vs The Flying Guillotine/One Armed Boxer II (Yu Wang, 1975) 3
Directed by and starring martial arts legend Yu Wang; this is the sequel to the hugely successful The One Armed Boxer; not to be confused with Wang's other character, the One Armed Swordsman (who famously appeared in the 1971 film Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman, also directed by Wang).

In this one The One Armed Boxer (Wang) is hunted by Fu Sing Wu Chi, the blind Flying Guillotine expert of the title who's out to avenge the death of two of his students (and who wears a robe with a huge swastika painted on the front). Along the way Chi kills any one armed man he comes into contact with, as his search takes him to a deadly martial arts tournament where The One Armed Boxer and his students are spectators. Competing in the tournament are two of Chi's accomplices; a super tough Thai boxer and an Indian Fakir who can stretch his arms ten feet in length (ala Dhalsim from the Street Fighter video games). Also competing are a Kung Fu monkey boxer, and the superbly named Win-Without-A-Knife; a sinister Japanese Karate expert who wants to take the tournament organiser's daughter (also a competitor and Kung Fu expert) back to Japan with him...

I'm not a huge fan of Kung Fu films, but a reliable source told me this was essential so I took a punt on it. I watched the film in Mandarin with subtitles to avoid the inevitable dubbing and was mildly entertained. As expected the acting and plot takes a backseat to almost non stop brilliantly choreographed fighting. These sequences show their age with often slow moves and loud over dubbed sound effects, but the imaginative characters and fighting styles more than make up for this (not to mention a surprising amount of gore). Standout scenes include The One Armed Boxer squaring up to India's answer to Stretch Armstrong (Played by a blacked up Chinese actor), and his inevitable showdown against The Flying Guillotine. This tense final fight sequence lasts for around ten minutes and is very spectacular and gory (as the blind Chi hunts by sound and smell shredding everything in his path). So yeah it was pretty cool, which is high praise indeed coming from a non-fan of Chinese martial arts movies.

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The Mack (Michael Campus, 1973) 2.5
Campus' gritty look at pimping and the Oakland underworld was a huge success with black audiences, and is widely regarded as one of the best examples of Blaxploitation. Though I mainly wanted to see it because it's referenced (along with a host of other grindhouse favourites) by Clarence Worley in True Romance.

The Mack is the story of Goldie (Max Julien) a small time hood recently released from prison, who sets his sights on making it big in the pimp game (or Mackin' as it's called here). Enlisting the help of some friends (who include comedy legend Richard Pryor as Slim), Goldie gradually works his way to the top, but is hampered by a couple of racist white cops, and Fats (George Murdock); a crime lord who thinks he's gotten too big.

Meh. This didn't do anything for me whatsoever. I thought Julien (who co wrote the script with Richard Pryor and Robert J. Poole) was fantastic as the charismatic Goldie, but little else about the film impressed me. Sure it's gritty and authentic, with real Oakland crime bosses appearing in the film as themselves. But I also found it muddled, with seemingly whole chunks of exposition missing from the confusing narrative, and a host of underwritten supporting characters. Not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, just not a movie that captivated me in the way Jack Hill's fun entries into the genre did.

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Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture (Teruo Ishii, 1973) 3
Reiko Ike returns as the ruthless Ocho in this sequel (of sorts) to Norifumi Suzuki's excellent pinku classic Sex and Fury (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=558064).

In this one Ocho returns to her old Yakuza clan but is subject to a case of mistaken identity, resulting in her kidnap and torture at the hands of three deviant drug traffickers (also working for the clan). Soon she's plotting revenge by exposing their phony smuggling plot (involving young women forced to traffic fake heroine inside their vagina's) a plan that will see her clan lose it's turf to a rival Yakuza organisation. Along the way there's a score to settle with the leader of the rival Yakuza; a couple of ultra cool cops (one of whom dresses like Meiko Kaji in the Female Prisoner Scorpion series) looking for a serial killer who gouges people's genitals, more gambling, and some girls from a brothel who want revenge on the drug traffickers.

If all that sounds more than a little convoluted and confusing, that's because Female Yakuza Tale is just that. The film is full of amusing vignettes, colourfully lit cartoonish set pieces, and upbeat jazzy music, but it hangs together awkwardly, and is often hard to follow. Female Yakuza Tale has that rushed, thrown together feel (probably to cash in on the popularity of the original) and unsuccessfully mixes comedy with extreme violence, resulting in an uneven tone that fails to capture the spirit of the original. That said there's still plenty to admire here, not least the excellent camera work and lighting; plus some great scenes like Ocho's gambling match against her Yakuza arch nemesis, and the stunning ultraviolent free-for-all finale. Good but no classic.

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Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? (Yoshio Inoue, 1974) 3+
Part three of the Hanzo trilogy and after the thrills of part two The Snare (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=561590) this one was always going to have a lot to live up to.

Here our laconic anti-hero investigates reports of a ghost haunting a pond near the Shogunate's treasury, and he's soon knee deep in a samurai conspiracy to steal gold. There's a subplot involving Hanzo harboring a dying outlaw intent on convincing the Shogun of Japan's military vulnerability, by building a cannon. Plus revenge for an old friend murdered over the possession of a priceless antique spear...

This final installment almost completely forgoes the sexual torture angle (barring one rather tame scene) in favour of political intrigue and comedy with a dash of swordplay. As usual the interplay between Hanzo and his boss is highly amusing, as is the relationship with his cowardly man servants who he paroled in the first installment; not to mention his penchant for penile sadomasochism (pictured above). The action is less frequent than it was in The Snare, as the film instead riffs on the relationships and characters established in the first two films. Hanzo's human side is exposed too with the death of his friend, and the subplot surrounding the building of a cannon has a highly satisfying conclusion. Not as exciting as The Snare which I rate as the best of the series, but still a worthwhile watch for Chanbara fans.

Other stuff I watched...

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Frogs (George McCowan, 1972) 2
Dull nature-runs-amok movie that takes an age to get going, and delivers ludicrous non-thrills once it does. Thankfully not as bad as Bert I. Gordon's Food of the Gods, but sadly nowhere near as good as Jeff Leiberman's Squirm. Great cast (including an unrecognisably young Sam Elliott) is wasted. I wanted to like it, honest.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:28 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 09-09-2009.

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Soldier of Orange (Paul Verhoeven 1977) 4
Another film I've been meaning to see for years now; this finally fell at my feet a few days back (by way of Help the Aged) and I snapped up the opportunity. Soldier of Orange is the first pre-Hollywood film of Verhoeven and Hauer (both of whom I admire greatly) that I've seen. So quite why I've never got off my behind and watched this before is anybody's business.

Adapted from Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema's (who lived the story and is played by Hauer) novel Soldaat Van Oranje; it tells the tale of the differing life defining choices and journeys made by a group of Dutch university students under Nazi occupation.

Soldier of Orange is the quickest 149 minutes I've ever sat through. Highly political it sucked me right in with it's candid exploration of the feelings and attitudes held by young (oblivious) Dutch men and women towards the Nazis. Indeed Before the invasion when asked what he thinks of Hitler, Erik merely comments 'he builds good autobahns'. But these idylls are soon shattered when the Jewish tutors are removed from their University, and a close friend executed as a Jewish insurgent.

I found the characterisation and acting here particularly excellent (especially from Hauer and Jeroen Krabbe as his swaggering best friend Guus). What motivated some of the group to join the resistance whilst others collaborated, and the re-percussions this has, is the real meat of Soldier of Orange. Ultimately it works as both a gripping war thriller, and a heart wrenching exploration of freedom, loyalty, and betrayal. Plus the final sequence links so beautifully with the the films opening credits that I understand perfectly why the Dutch feel such patriotic pride for this film. Highly recommended.

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Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs (Yukio Noda, 1974) 3
Back to exploitation again with another classic Pinku film recommended to me by a reliable source. Not to be confused with later (and I'm told rubbish) Zero Woman outings; this is the original film starring Miki Sugimoto of Girl Boss Guerilla (1972), Delinquent Girl Boss (1972), and Girl Boss Revenge (1973) fame.

Sugimoto plays Rei, a hard as nails female cop jailed for killing (with her trusty red handcuffs) an American serial killer and rapist who had political connections. After languishing in prison where most of the inmates are women she put away; Rei's soon being recruited to infiltrate and assassinate a sadistic gang of kidnappers who've raped and taken the daughter of a powerful politician hostage...

Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs is nuts...completely and utterly crazy. When Noda isn't tilting the camera at 45 degree angles, he's intercutting haunting freeze frame images of characters' past histories during action sequences, and splashing liberal amounts of bright 70's blood all over the place. The story is a wafer thin excuse for lurid violence badly lacking a sense of humour, but it still works thanks to the film's savvy comic book aesthetic, and some well edited set pieces. Sugimoto looks suitably mean but lacks the silent charisma of a Meiko Kaji, or the raw sex appeal of Reiko Ike, despite being very pretty. She's still highly watchable though, and the support (especially the kidnap gang) is laughably over the top in a good way. They sure don't make them like this any more.

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Powder (Victor Salva, 1995) 2.5-
Another film I've been meaning to see for years, and I'm almost sorry I bothered. After reading countless good write ups that say Powder is an original heart warming movie with strong performances, not to mention seeing Lance Henriksen in the cast; I figured it was essential viewing. In reality it left me cold...well feeling sick to be exact.

Sean Patrick Flannery is Jeremy 'Powder' Reed, a highly intelligent albino teenager found living in his deceased grandfather's basement (where he's been all his life) by sheriff Barnum (Henriksen). Soon he's being buttered up, and whisked off to school by Jessie (Mary Steenburgen); a misguided psychologist friend of Barnum's. Naturally a group of bad kids bully him, a sensitive girl falls for him, and there's a hip friendly teacher (Jeff Goldblum) who wants to understand and befriend him. Oh yeah, and he's got some special powers that revolve around electricity...blah blah blah.

Am I being cold hearted and cynical? You bet I am. Powder is an interesting premise all but ruined by schmaltzy half baked philosophy, and a cloyingly intrusive slushy score. Most of the time Flannery walks around like he just got off the set of Nick Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth, and whilst Powder is relatively sympathetic in terms of his predicament; I found his wet, detached non-personality a complete turn off. Now don't get me wrong, I consider myself quite a sensitive person, and like the odd bit of sentimentality in my movies if it's quirky and restrained. But in my opinion Powder is hackneyed and predictable in every way imaginable, with only the solid casting to recommend it.

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Flavia the Heretic (Gianfranco Mingozzi, 1974) 3
Often labelled as the best of the (hardly prolific) 'nunsploitation' subgenre (of which the only other films I've heard of are Juan Lopez Moctezuma's Alucarda, and Giullio Beruti's Killer Nun); Flavia the Heretic came as something of a nasty surprise to me. Nasty in that I found it as disturbing and sadistic as anything I've seen, and a surprise in that the film still managed to bravely explore interesting themes surrounding religion, feminism, masculinity and sexual awakening.

In 1400 era Italy, Flavia (the gorgeous Florinda Bolkan from Lizard in a Woman's Skin) is confined to a nunnery along with her sister by their misogynistic father and king. Everywhere she turns Flavia witnesses the cruelty, and oppression of women by men; be it the brutal torture and mutilation of her sister after cavorting stoned with a tarantula cult; the matter-of-fact castration of a horse; or the casual rape of a farm girl. Never having experienced 'the pleasures of man' as her mentor Sister Agatha (Maria Casares) puts it. Flavia remains a virgin, dismissive of sex as a woman's weapon. That is until an invading Muslim army shows up and she falls for it's leader Ahmed (Anthony Higgins) who reminds her of a dying soldier she fell in love with as a little girl...

Slow and downbeat Flavia the Heretic is definitely exploitation, but it's exploitation wrapped around a decent script, reasonable production values, and luscious photography. Historical accuracies aside the film feels very believable and makes some unflinching statements on human nature; particularly the dark side of man, and how religion was (and is) used as an excuse to control and abuse both sexes (but particularly women). Flavia's spiritual journey throughout the film, although tinged by revenge is nevertheless rewarding if you can stomach it. The gory violence is very shocking (at least I thought so) but it's relevant to the story and never feels like titillation for the sake of cheap thrills. Bolkan is fine as Flavia, but Maria Casares as the influential, bitter and outspoken Sister Agatha steals it. Overall not for regular audience consumption, but if this sounds like your kind of thing...

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:29 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 14-09-2009.

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What Have You Done to Solange? (Massimo Dallamano, 1972) 3.5
Widely regarded among fans as one of the best examples of the genre; Dallamano's giallo is a classy, restrained affair that keeps the violence off screen for the most part. I picked up the Italian disc for this one as it has the best transfer, and opted to watch the Italian language track with subtitles. In retrospect this probably wasn't the best idea as the film is set in London, and the English dub (from what I watched of it) is rather good; so I may well give this another viewing in the near future.

Anyway the story revolves around Henry Rosseni (Fabio Testi); a teacher having an illicit affair with one of his pupils, Elizabeth (Christina Galbo). The film begins with them canoodling on a rowing boat, when Elizabeth glimpses a murder taking place on the river bank. The victim turns out to be another of Rosseni's students, and soon he's under suspicion after secretly visiting the crime scene and leaving evidence behind. What follows is an intriguing whodunnit as Elizabeth begins to recall exactly what she saw, putting her in danger, and exposing their affair...

My plot synopsis barely scratches the surface, as typically with gialli, What Have You Done to Solange? is intricate (some might say convoluted); full of the inevitable twists, red herrings, and bottles of J&B. What sets this one apart is Dallamano's focus on characterisation rather than operatic gory set pieces that often come at the expense of coherency. Not once did I miss the sight of a fedora wearing gloved killer chasing down a damsel, as the film instead sold me with it's perfectly paced narrative, that delivers plenty of well timed surprises (and an excellent if slightly abrupt final reveal). Solange looks fantastic too with it's gorgeous framing of misty autumn parks, overcast London locales, and stately interiors, all adding to the film's elegant sense of style. Certainly not a giallo for casual slasher fans looking for a quick fix of blood, but rewarding enough if you're feeling indulgent.

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Rififi (Jules Dassin, 1955) 5
First viewing of this hugely influential (I'm thinking Jean-Pierre Melville in particular) heist movie delivered on all counts, and has instantly become a favourite. I don't give out many maximum scores but Rififi has it all for me.

Tony Le Stephanois (a brilliantly stone faced Jean Servais) gets out of prison to find his girlfriend Mado (Marie Sabouret) has been unfaithful with Louis Grutter (Pierre Grasset); the crooked owner of a local nightclub. His friends Jo (Carl Mohner) and Ferrati (Robert Manuel) invite him to steal some jewels from the window of the Mappin & Webb jewelers with them. But after confronting Mado, Le Stephanois has other ideas, and suggests the trio begin planning an elaborate robbery of the safe instead. Drafted in to help is high class safe cracker Wolf Ceasar (Dassin himself billed as Perlo Vita) as the team carry out the perfect heist. Unfortunately things don't go exactly to plan when one of the gang unwittingly exposes them...

With striking black and white photography that captures interesting Paris back streets, and dramatic shadowy interiors; Rififi is as memorable on the eye as anything I've seen. Dassin introduces a variety of tough well rounded characters before plunging them into what is surely one of the most thrilling set pieces in cinema history - the 28 or so minutes of dialogue free footage that makes up the jewel heist. The subsequent fall out only serves to heighten the tension as from the moment the gang step into Mappin & Webb; Rififi grips you and refuses to let go. I thought Servais was ultra cool as the tough, quick witted Le Stephanois, and also enjoyed Carl Mohner's performance as his (stressed out family man) accomplice Jo. In fact the entire cast shine here as the film is filled with great characters like Grutter's drug addled subordinate, and the charismatic Feratti; not to mention the suave Ceasar who reminded me so much of David Niven. Rififi is gritty, stylish and sophisticated, with an uplifting ending tinged with redemption and sacrifice. I loved it.

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The Executioner (Teruo Ishii, 1974) 3+
The Executioner was just one of seven films Chiba appeared in back in 1974 before he was catapulted to stardom in Japan, and to a lesser extent America with The Street Fighter series (the first two installments of which also came out in 1974). I picked this up for peanuts on a triple feature, and boy was I in for a treat. The more I see of Sonny Chiba the more I admire the guy's bad ass tongue-in-cheek charisma, and incredible martial arts skills. To anyone who mourns Bruce Lee and hasn't seen a Chiba flick, I say seek them out and rejoice...just don't expect the same philosophy...

In this one he plays Ryuichi Koga, a ninja hired by two former cops to bust a narcotics ring run by the New York mafia and Yakuza who are in cahoots. Promised bundles of recovered drug money as payment, he's soon breaking a high kicking sex pervert out of prison to help; whilst battling all manner of comic book heavies from the Japanese underworld.

Much like the Street Fighter films this is ostensibly a vehicle for Chiba to showcase his incredible skills whilst delivering a high quota of blood and violence to 70's audiences. The rudimentary plot is childish and often sleazy, but the blistering action delivers in a big way, and the film has an endearing sense of well timed humour keeping the tone fun. Especially good is Makoto Sato as Koga's uncompromising boss, who seems to have taken a few lessons from Lee Van Cleef (as in always seeing a job through when he's paid). Also amusing is a scene in which the bad guys (having captured and rendered Koga unconscious) have a competition to see who can kick him furthest across the room. Expect the usual machine gun punches, and eyeball popping blows to the back of the head; not to mention a scene in which Koga pulls a guy's rib out after punching him. Subtle it ain't. Fun it is.

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The Psychic aka Seven Notes in Black (Lucio Fulci, 1977) 3.5+
This was my first viewing of Fulci's overlooked supernatural giallo, and it's undeniably one of his best films. This is one of his first forays into true 'horror', and I suspect part of the reason he was handed the reins on Zombi 2, and went on to deliver his celebrated horror trilogy comprising of City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond (1981), and The House by the Cemetery (the former two of which both use similar themes involving clairvoyance).

Here the devastatingly beautiful Jenifer O'Neill plays Virginia Ducci; a woman haunted by a childhood vision of her mother's suicide. Years later later she experiences another series of visions whilst traveling to her new husband Francesco's (Gianni Garko) house which they plan to renovate. Comprising of a series of supposedly interlinked images and culminating with an unknown figure being bricked up inside a wall; Virginia is compelled to piece the riddle together. On arrival at the house however, she recognises details from the vision and is horrified to discover a skeleton buried in a wall there. Soon her husband is a prime suspect, and Virginia enlists her friend Dr Fattori (Marc Porel) to help prove his innocence. During which time the visions continue as it's clear Virginia may have misinterpreted their true meaning...

Along with Don't Torture a Duckling, Lizard in a Woman's Skin and The New Gladiators, this is the most coherent Fulci film I've seen. Fulci uses his trademark eye zooms to convey Viginia's visions, and the film has that eerie sense of atmospheric dread that so effectively permeates his classic Gothic horror films. The Psychic had my hairs standing on end on more than one occasion, as the creepy truth behind the meaning of Virginia's visions unfolds. Fulci's use of weird camera angles (as pictured above), and the haunting minimalism of Fabio Frizzi's tinkling score adds to the unsettling ambiance, making this an understated gem. In classic giallo fashion, The Psychic makes you think you know exactly what's going on (It feels predictable at times) before pulling the rug out from under you with a knockout final reel. The trademark Fulci gore is almost non existent here and whilst that might disappoint some The Psychic is all the better for it. Whilst the acting and dialogue might not be of the highest order, the psychological horror on offer is truly suspenseful, and the mystery involving; check it out.

Other stuff I watched...

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The Killer Elite (Sam Peckinpah, 1975) 2.5-
Big disappointment from Peckinpah who apparently wasn't interested in the project. Caan (always watchable) and Duvall are both wasted in this slow moving, convoluted revenge thriller with substandard action scenes.

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:32 AM

Did these all get copied from the Movie Tab because I seem to remember almost all of them? :cool: That looks like an affirmative.

Yes just to clarify for everyone, these are all reposts from the movie tab. When I get time I'll go in and edit them to show the original dates they were posted. I'm not rep hunting here, I just want to collect these posts in my review thread for easy access. :)

Used Future

09-21-09, 06:34 AM

Originally posted in movie tab II 20-09-2009.

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Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight (Teruo Ishii, 1972) 3.5+
Another Pinky classic from Ishii who was also responsible for Horrors of Malformed Men (1969), the Sex and Fury follow up Female Yakuza Tale (1973) and cult Sonny Chiba karate vehicle The Executioner (1974) - the latter two of which I tabbed recently. Here Tesubo Tanba plays Shino, a near indestructible ronin who falls foul with the local law enforcement, and ends up in league with the Bohachi; an odd religious cult that have forgotten god, servitude, loyalty, trust, propriety, justice, conscience, and shame, hence the Code of the Forgotten Eight. The Bohachi run a lucrative brothel and soon their boss is employing Shino as an assassin to wipe out the local business competition. Things become complicated when a deadly group of ninja are hired to stop him, and the police determined to kill him despite his new protected status as a Bohachi man....

Shot with Ishii's trademark flair for fantastically colourful lighting and sumptuous framing, Bohachi Bushido is every bit a comic book come to life. The film sucks you into it's opium fuelled delirium complete with sweaty tangerine lit orgies, and strikingly original fight scenes (including one in which Shino and eight naked Bohachi women fight the leader of the ninja in a reed bed). The basic plot is nothing really new, but the concept of the Bohachi alone was enough to keep me glued and fully involved in Shino's journey. Plus Bohachi Bushido has a wonderfully weird, alien atmosphere that you so often find with the most memorable cult films. The performances are what you'd come to expect from the genre in that Shino is suitably introspective, fatalistic and tough, with the rest of the cast delivering a variety of amusing histrionics. I'd probably recommend this along with Sex and Fury as essential pinky violence films to check out for the curious out there. Just be sure to expect lots of nudity and severed limbs flying around.

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The House With Laughing Windows (Pupi Avati, 1976) 3.5+
Avati's celebrated rural giallo follows Stefano (Lino Capolicchio) a young restorer who travels to a remote Italian village to work on a fresco painting depicting the death of St. Sebastiano. The final work of a mentally disturbed local artist who revelled in capturing death; the relevance of, and story behind the painting soon draws Stefano into a bizarre nightmare of repressed village here'say, punctuated by the suspected murder of a friend. With the secretive (and downright sinister) inhabitants of the village all displaying passive aggressive eccentricities, Stefano finds an ally and lover in Francesca (Francesca Marciano), but his restoration of the painting leads them both into danger...

With a disturbing monochromatic opening credit sequence depicting an unknown man being repeatedly stabbed whilst a raspy voice recites poetry about the colours running through his veins; you'd be forgiven for expecting a twisted gorefest. In truth Avati's understated film opts for a languid pace, subtly building tension, and gradually ratcheting up the intrigue and suspense before exploding into violence at the end of the final act. On the surface a well photographed rural picture postcard; The House With Laughing Windows plays on small village stereo-types, with practically every character represented in sinister fashion as either retarded (Lidio the perverted village idiot), freakish (Solmi the secretive dwarf mayor), alcoholic (Coppola the ostracised taxi driver), and bedridden (the old lady in Lidio's house who never sees daylight). Avati seems less concerned with logic (Stefano forgets about his friend's murder all too quickly), and even forgoes revealing much in the way of clues as to the true nature of the mystery (save for Stefano receiving intimidating phone calls warning him not to restore the painting). Instead he creates an effective atmosphere of impending tragedy and horror, content to let the viewer stew in paranoia, and anticipation. Whether it works is up for debate. Personally I was completely sucked in by the bleak atmosphere, oddball characters, and secluded locales, offset by the terror promised in the opening credits.

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Sister Street Fighter (Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, 1974) 2.5+
Li Koryu (Etsuko Shohomi who was only seventeen at the time of filming) is recruited by the Hong Kong police to locate and free her brother Mansei after he's captured by a drug cartel whilst working undercover. Off she goes to Japan where she's aided by Mansei's Karate school and it's champion Hibiki (Sonny Chiba) to infiltrate the gang which comprises of martial arts masters from different disciplines...

The plot for this one could have been written on the back of a postage stamp by an eight year old with learning difficulties. It's ridiculously contrived and childish, with second rate acting, and some questionable editing (including one scene in which Koryu and one of the lead henchmen are magically transported atop a seaside cliff for no apparent reason). Sister Street Fighter is also non stop fun, with consistently excellent fight sequences to rival the Sonny Chiba Street Fighter films, and a whole host of outlandishly bizarre villains. Take for example the kickboxing Amazon women who dress like Fred Flintstone; the mohawk wearing, poison dart blowing assassin who carries an African shield; the karate men who wear black cone shaped baskets on their heads, or the priest with the harpoon gun; they're all in there. It's clear Sister Street Fighter was trying to up the anti and outdo it's contemporaries in terms of graphic violence. This is most apparent when Koryu dispatches an opponent by twisting his head around 180 degrees leaving us to watch him slowly stumble forward spewing blood before falling down a flight of stairs. Overall I can't honestly give this a decent score, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed it immensely.

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The Designated Victim (Maurizio Lucidi, 1971) 3.5
Set in misty Venice, Lucidi's re-imagining (some would say rip off) of Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train has wealthy ad exec Argenti (Tomas Milian) befriend eccentric Count Matteo Tiepolo (Pierre Clementi) after a series of supposedly chance encounters. Soon the count is shadowing Argenti and trying to persuade him they should each murder the other's annoying relatives; Tiepolo's brother, and Argenti's (who wants to marry his young mistress) wife respectively. Argenti refuses to take him seriously shrugging it off as mere fantasy, until his wife shows up dead and the police finger him for the murder...

I've not seen Strangers on a Train so I'm not in a position to offer a fully informed critique of this film. All I can say is that the story captivated me (the interplay between Argenti and the Count reminded me of Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth a little bit, especially after the murder). I thought Tomas Milian was excellent as the disillusioned Argenti struggling to come to terms with his predicament, and I really enjoyed Clementi's performance as the effeminate genius Tiepolo (even if he did remind me of Russell Brand). Luicidi does a great job of capturing the Venice architecture with elegant location photography, and the story is suitably tense and involving with an appropriately downbeat final twist. Makes me want to check out Strangers on a Train now.

I should also note that this is the Shameless rebuild edit of the film, and as such the picture quality varies considerably. This includes some short scenes that switch from the 2.35 aspect ratio to full frame, and some print damage. Overall though the picture quality is good.

other stuff I watched...

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The Other (Robert Mulligan, 1972) 2.5+
Extremely well acted horror about young boy haunted by his evil twin who was taught astral projection (which he calls the great game) by their Russian grandmother (brilliantly played by Uta Hagen). Atmospheric mood piece has superb 1930's period detail, but fails in the scares department, and feels overlong.

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The Mechanic (Michael Winner, 1972) 3
Enjoyable time filler with Charles Bronson's hitman taking Jan-Michael Vincent's arrogant protege on with disastrous results. Bronson is his usual good self, and the film has a delightful (if predictable) twist ending. Just a shame the action is in short supply and the characters a little cliched.

honeykid

09-21-09, 09:43 AM

Thanks for the review of Bone, UF. It sounds like something I should try and check out. :up:

nebbit

09-29-09, 07:29 PM

Thanks for all the interesting reviews :yup: have added a few to my to see list :yup:

Used Future

09-29-09, 07:58 PM

Thanks for the thanks Nebs:)

Used Future

10-26-09, 05:08 AM

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Combat Shock (Buddy Giovinazzo, 1986) 1.5
Poverty row Taxi Driver variant about Frankie; a disturbed Vietnam veteran on skid row struggling to provide for his nagging wife and mutant baby. Grim and depressing in every way imaginable this well intentioned, ambitious cheapie is sadly undone by it's budgetary short comings. Whist Combat Shock is reasonably well written and photographed; the acting (particularly from a gang of drug dealers) leaves a lot to be desired, and ultimately undermines the material. Giovinazzo was clearly going for that gritty urban documentary feel that worked so well in films like Frank Henenlotter's Basket Case, but never achieves the same level of authenticity. Plus Frankie's Vietnam flashbacks in which we see real footage interspersed with laughably staged battles, are amateurish at best. Add to that shots of his deformed baby who looks more like something from The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb, and you're left with a tonally uneven mess that's a real chore to sit through. Shame.

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Prey (Norman J. Warren, 1978) 3.5
A murderous (carnivorous) alien on a scouting mission to earth (Barry Stokes) ends up the guest of a quarreling (vegetarian) lesbian couple in their secluded country retreat; the possessive man-hating Josephine (Sally Faulkner) and suggestible submissive Jessica (Glory Annen). Whilst his odd behavior and food intolerances are initially passed off as male eccentricities, it gradually dawns on Josephine that he's most likely mad, and a rival for Jessica's affections. Offbeat, original take on the familiar alien invasion genre is largely successful thanks to believable well written characters, and three strong performances. Warren makes the most of what must have been a shoestring budget with effective minimal alien makeup, clever choice of location, and bizarre touches like the couple dressing Stokes up in drag for a celebratory dinner. Undeniably exploitative, with the obligatory lesbian sex scene, but arty and intelligent, with a delightful dreamy atmosphere, and some satisfying scare scenes. Having been partly raised by a lesbian couple, I had personal motives for wanting to see this film when I read the plot synopsis, and it didn't disappoint. Two thumbs up.

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The Manitou (William Girdler, 1978) 2.5
Hilarious nonsense adapted from Graham Masterton's novel about woman who develops a growth on her back which turns out to be the reincarnation of an ancient Indian medicine man. Saving the day is Tony Curtis (clearly having a ball) as a tarot reading charlatan who resorts to calling in real Indian mystic John Singing Rock (Michael Ansara) for help. Clearly third rate hokum, but with a lively sense of humour from a spirited cast who make what should be bottom of the barrel garbage very watchable indeed. Throw into the mix some surprisingly decent special effects, and a wham bam ending involving Curtis calling on the spirits of the hospital computers for help, and you have a fun little time filler on your hands.

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Season of the Witch aka Hungry Wives (George A. Romero, 1972) 3.5+
Not to be confused with the crappy Halloween sequel, this largely unseen early effort from Romero fell victim to bad promotion from distributors who refused to put his name (which was hot on the back of Night of the Living Dead) above the title, and insisted on calling it Hungry Wives. As a result many people assumed it was a porn film, and those who did see it were left sorely disappointed by the lack of exploitative content on offer.

Season of the Witch isn't porn or a horror film, but a feminist drama given Romero's own unique stamp. Jan White plays Joan Mitchell; a sexually repressed housewife with an abusive controlling husband who regularly goes out of town, and a hormonal teenage daughter who gets more sex than her. Her best friend Shirley (Ann Muffly) is menopausal, and feels life has passed her by, whilst the rest of her friends seem content to play bridge and gossip. Craving empowerment and excitement Joan begins practicing witchcraft after a visit to a local tarot reader who inspires her. Believing herself to have new found magical powers she casts a spell to lure the local womanising school teacher Gregg (Raymond Laine), round to her house and begins an affair with him. Gradually her obsession with witchcraft takes over as the lines between reality and fantasy blur eventually leading to murder...

Essentially a character study and social commentary on gender roles, female empowerment, sexual frustration, and aging; Romero gives this low budget outing a very personal (if somewhat claustrophobic) feel with lots of close quarters photography, hints at occult symbolism, and some excellent honest dialogue. Particularly brilliant is the scene in which Gregg (much to the disgust of Joan) fools Shirley into believing she's smoking a joint, just to put some excitement and rebellion back into into her jaded life. To me that scene served as a metaphor for the whole film, as Shirley's feeling of empowerment was based on the magic of deception, much like Joan's. It's also brilliantly acted, not only by Jan White who Romero felt was tailor made for the role, but by Laine as the cocksure lothario, and particularly Mufflly as Joan's middle aged friend. To sum up, this isn't going to appeal to everyone, certainly not strict horror and sexploitation fans looking for blood boobs and beast. But as I was expecting neither, the substance, fine performances, and gritty low budget film making on offer here proved hugely satisfying.

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Vigilante (William Lustig, 1983) 2.5
Mild mannered factory worker Eddie Marino (Robert Forster) goes all Charlie Bronson after his son is killed (shotgunned in the bathroom) and wife stabbed by yet another vicious street gang. The gang leader is identified and caught, but given a suspended sentence by a lenient judge after plea bargaining. Naturally Eddie loses it and tries to throttle the judge getting thirty days in the slammer for his trouble. On his release he's left with no option but to seek help from Fred Williamson (I mean who wouldn't want The Hammer on their side) and his gang of vigilantes. Bloody retribution follows, involving one scene in which a couple of cops are brutally machine gunned in their car Reservoir Dogs style. Gritty, nasty stuff with plenty of violence, a good cast (which includes Woody Strode as Eddie's aging prison mentor), and macho posturing from Williamson. Sadly it's also incredibly dumb, with one dimensional characters, and a generic, predictable plot. Rolling Thunder it ain't, but as a mindless action film you could do a lot worse, especially if you like the genre. Which leads me onto this turkey...

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Exterminator 2 (Mark Buntzman, 1984) 1
Exterminator star Robert Ginty sadly passed away on the 21st of September this year, and I thought it only right to re-watch the two films he's best known for. I haven't tabbed The Exterminator because, it's been covered recently, but I am a fan of that movie despite the poor editing, and derivative script; in short it's brutal, and kicks ass. I give it a 3-.

Exterminator 2 on the other hand is one of the worst sequels I've ever seen. Once again there's a vicious gang of street punks on the loose (are there any other kind?), this time led by X, played by Mario Van Peebles who looks like he's auditioning for a Kid n' Play video. Ginty who's swapped his blow torch for a flame thrower this time round, has a girlfriend in the form of sexy dancer Caroline (Deborah Geffner), but not for long. Naturally she gets crippled, then murdered by Peebles and co, forcing our welding masked hero back into action to make human barbecue out of them. By the numbers isn't the word for this grade Z dreck. Ginty (who's started combing his hair back eighties style) phones it in, and that's only when he's on screen. All the scenes with him hidden behind the welding mask are clearly performed by a stunt double; what a con. Add to that the most inappropriately annoying 80's filler music in every scene, and lunkheaded dialogue from X such as 'where's my dugs', and don't even get me started on the scene in which Ginty goes all A Team on us and turns a garbage truck into a heavily armoured snow plow.

Anyway R.I.P. Robert Ginty, thanks for being so cool in The Exterminator, and I'm only sorry you had to suffer the indignity that is Exterminator 2.

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Alice, Sweet Alice aka Communion (Alfred Sole, 1976) 4
Is this the most bonafide link between the 70's Italian giallo, and 80's American slasher? Of the films I've seen it would certainly appear so. It's also one of the best gialli/mystery thrillers/slashers (take your pick) I've seen. Set in a 1960's New Jersey catholic community, suspicion falls on the mentally disturbed Alice after her younger sister is strangled and immolated at her first Holy Communion. A further murder, and vicious knife attack take place in her apartment block by a figure wearing the same yellow rain slicker and doll mask she likes to play in. The evidence is overwhelming, and Alice is sectioned, but is she really the killer?

Sole (who's oddly done nothing noteworthy since) crafts a labyrinthine psycholigical mystery masterclass that keeps you guessing right up to the final chilling frame. It's wonderfully photographed, with stylistic nods to Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now (the rain coat), and murder set pieces that recall early Dario Argento. Paula Sheppard is incredibly convincing as the clearly insane, and very creepy Alice, and the film serves as a damning comment on the closed, superstitious nature of deeply religious communities. The doll mask worn by the killer would signal a trend in the slasher boom that would follow, as this film ranks up there with Bob Clark's earlier Black Christmas, and Dario Argento's Deep Red, as the seminal 70's slashers. It's also much better than what was to follow in my opinion. I'd also like to thank Honeykid for recommending this one. Thanks HK.

Other stuff I watched...

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The Dark (John 'Bud' Cardos, 1979) 2-
Not even William 'Rolling Thunder' Devane can save this clunker about an alien that fires lasers from it's eyes terrorizing L.A. Originally conceived as a zombie movie, this was radically re-edited and effects spliced in after the success of Alien. What can I say, it shows...badly. The rarely seen closeup alien effects look rather good, but most of the time the monster shambles around in zombie like fashion as does the boring overlong script. There is a cool final showdown in which a group of police get 'lasered', but I was really struggling to stay awake. Good cast though.

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Bad Moon (Eric Red, 1996) 2
Michael Pare goes to visit his sister (Mariel Hemingway) and nephew after being bitten by a werewolf and murdering some people in the woods. His reasoning? Maybe family love can cure the curse, duh. Dumb, by the numbers werewolf flick, hampered by Pare's wooden performance, and some truly awful CGI transformation sequences. Partially redeems itself with an exciting showdown sequence involving the family dog Thor (the biggest star of the movie) fighting the monster, but most likely forgettable unless you saw it as a kid.

Used Future

10-26-09, 05:10 AM

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Savage Streets (Danny Steinmann, 1984) 2.5+
It's a shame you're not double jointed, because you wont be able to bend over and kiss your ass goodbye before I kill you.

Exorcist star Linda Blair goes postal after her deaf sister (played by scream queen Linnea Quigley) is gang raped, and her best friend murdered by a vicious street gang (who all dress like they just got back from a Billy Idol concert). Cue an incredibly hammy melange of Death Wish and Class of 1984 as Blair camps it up in Razzie award winning style. Slow and cliched; Savage Streets takes an age to get to the revenge fuelled action, but Blair is so gleefully over the top, that it remains highly watchable. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone who likes vigilante movies and 80's cheese. Plus If you want to see Linda Blair naked in the bath then this is definitely the film for you.

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Macabre (Lamberto Bava, 1980) 3+
Bernice Stegers gives a seductively manic performance as a housewife who loses her husband in a car crash and proceeds to keep his rotting severed head in the fridge so she can make love to it. Her blind landlord's suspicions are are soon aroused along with her estranged (and decidedly evil) daughter who begin to hear her 'noises' at night. Underrated film from Lamberto Bava is a complex slow burner which cleverly plays on themes of sexual repression, incest, and necrophilia with often blackly comic results. Some say this is uneventful and boring, but I found Stegers' performance, and the complex relationships on offer ample compensation for the lethargic pacing.

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Hard Times (Walter Hill, 1975) 4
Wonderful period action film from Hill with Charles Bronson perfectly cast as Chaney; a strong silent type who drifts into depression era New Orleans looking to make some fast money on the street fighting circuit. Ready to take advantage is Speed (James Coburn) a fast talking promoter with a gambling habit. This is highly entertaining stuff, with an authentic period feel, perfect pacing and likable three dimensional characters. The fight scenes are fantastic and the story involving. I'll be looking to pick this up on dvd. Highly recommended

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Sole Survivor (Thom Eberhardt, 1983) 2.5+
TV producer Denise (Anita Skinner) is the sole survivor of a plane crash but gets stalked by eerie figures who appear to want her dead. Throw into the mix a concerned doctor-come-lover, and a psychic friend who warned her not to take the flight, and you have an intriguing mixture of Carnival of Souls and Final Destination. Despite the interesting premise, Eberhardt's treatment is sadly a little plodding, and the editing (especially at the beginning of the movie) is somewhat confusing. On the plus side it's well acted, with some well crafted suspense sequences and a satisfyingly downbeat ending. Worth a look.

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The Witch Who Came from the Sea (Matt Cimber, 1976) 2.5
Genuine oddity with Millie Perkins (who reminded me a lot of Miranda July) excellent as an ethereal kook with a murderous vendetta against good looking men. Sporting incredibly eccentric dialogue, dreamlike flashback sequences and an all round air of the strange; this often confusing film ties everything together with a disturbing final revelation, but takes an age to get there, and feels very pretentious. Still, I liked the weird seaside atmosphere, crazy dialogue, and arthouse/exploitation aesthetic. A genuine, if rather unsatisfying original.

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All the Colors of the Dark (Sergio Martino, 1972) 3
A big improvement on the lackluster Torso; Martino's heady mixture of giallo and horror plays like a cross between Rosemary's Baby and Lucio Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin. Beautiful giallo regular Edwige Fenech plays a young woman recovering from a car accident (in which she lost her unborn child) who believes she's being inducted into a murderous satanic cult. There's a sinister blue eyed man stalking her with seemingly malicious intent, and she's frequently plagued by psychedelic visions of her mother's murder (or is it her own?). At first everyone (including her love interest played by fellow giallo regular George Hilton) thinks she's losing the plot confusing fantasy with reality. But then people start turning up dead, and elements of her 'episodes' begin to manifest themselves physically. With much better pacing, and a decent central performance from Fenech, I found All the Colors of the Dark to be lots of fun. Especially impressive is Marino's use of colour saturated lighting and dramatic shadows often reminiscent of Mario Bava. The suspense, particularly a sequence involving an elevator, is handled effectively, and there's the usual helping of glamorous female flesh on offer. Good fun.

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The Case of the Scorpion's Tail (Sergio Martino, 1971) 2.5+
Lisa Baumer (Ida Galli) stands to inherit one million dollars after her husband is blown up on a plane. Off she goes to Greece to collect her fortune, but is pursued by Peter Lynch (George Hilton again); an investigator for the insurance company who think she may have something to do with her husband's death. Soon however, there's a murderer on the loose with a penchant for knives and fishing gear. Enter into the fray French photojournalist Cleo (Anita Strindberg), and various law enforcement officials, as true to style, things become decidedly convoluted and bloody. I found this to be a derivative, but entertaining giallo, with stylistic nods to Argento's The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (the killer's choice of outfits) and Hitchcock's Psycho (the first of the film's dramatic plot twists). Whist there's nothing really remarkable about the film, it does make sense, the murders are very gruesome, there's an energetic jazzy score from Bruno Nicolai, and Strindberg looks suitably glamorous. I loved it, but this is really only for genre fans.

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Bad Ronald (Buzz Kulick, 1974 TV) 3+
Scott Jacoby is Ronald; a bullied mommy's boy and loner who lives in his own fantasy world of elves and goblins. After he accidentally kills one of his tormentors (a young girl); he panics and buries the body which is subsequently discovered by the police. Fearful he can no longer claim it was an accident; his mother (the wonderful Kim Hunter) decides to wall up a room in the house and hide him. Their plan works until Ronald's mother dies suddenly, leaving him alone in his hideaway as a new family moves in. Whilst the production values never rise above TV movie trappings, the story is very involving, and Jacoby is excellent as the well meaning Ronald, doomed to insanity. I didn't really find this scary (or credible - why didn't anyone spot that a large room was walled up?); but with such a great story, and at a mere 74 minutes this proved to be an entertaining distraction. It reminded me a lot of shows like The Twilight Zone, and Tales of the Unexpected which is a good thing.

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What Have They Done to Your Daughters? / Don't Ask the Police for Help (Massimo Dallamano, 1974) 2.5
Dallamano's follow up (not sequel) to his celebrated giallo What Have You Done to Solange? is a complete change of pace. Instead of the lethargic stately pacing of Solange; Daughters is more of a fast paced (yet talky) Poliziotteschi with giallo undertones. Police investigate the suicide of a young girl and uncover evidence of a teenage prostitution ring. In the meantime a crash helmet wearing killer proceeds to bump off everyone connected to the case with a meat cleaver. It's just as sleazy as it sounds with police and political corruption all figuring in the subsequent mayhem which badly lacks a sense of humour. Daughters is well made enough with a nice minimalist score from Stelvio Cipriani, and some decent chase sequences involving said biker, but the grim tone grates when compared to similar offerings.

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Frightmare (Pete Walker, 1974) 3.5
Sheila Keith is wonderfully deranged as a supposedly 'cured' cannibal who, along with her husband (Rupert Davies), has been released from a mental institution after fifteen years. Soon her daughter from a previous marriage Jackie (Deborah Fairfax) suspects she's up to her old tricks again, and enlists the help of her psychiatrist boyfriend (Paul Greenwood) to investigate. Proving a further hindrance is Jackie's unruly sister Debbie (Kim Butcher) who's been involved in a murder, and may know more about their mother than she's letting on. Well written tale, is superbly played by all ensemble, but Keith is sensationally creepy as the cannibalistic mother who just can't help herself. Clearly made on the cheap, Walker does an excellent job of cranking up the tension culminating with the inevitable bloodbath and family revelations. Very much of it's time stylistically, though the plot could have been written yesterday; Frightmare is an excellent horror film that pretty much ticked all my boxes.

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Body Double (Brian De Palma, 1984) 3.5-
Giallo American style with De Palma back in Dressed to Kill mode with the usual nods to Hitchcock (Rear Window) and Argento (Tenebre). Here Craig Wasson plays a dim witted struggling actor with claustrophobia who witnesses a murder after using a telescope to spy on an attractive neighbour (Deborah Shelton). Soon he's hooking up with porn star Holly Body (the lovely Melanie Griffith on top form) who may know the identity of the killer. Delightfully trashy and sleazy; this has the usual blend of elaborately staged set pieces, punctuated by one gory killing and a somewhat predictable ending. Very eighties and very watchable, I enjoyed this immensely; though it's not in the same league as Dressed to Kill.

Other stuff I watched...

Return of Sister Street Fighter (Shigehiro Ozawa, 1974) 2
A distinct step down; this third installment uses exactly the same plot again, whilst forgoing the gore and excitement of previous entries.

Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist (Shigehiro Ozawa, 1976) 2
Completely unrelated film has Shihomi playing a different character who also has rotten luck when it come to family members getting bumped off. Pretty forgettable.

Used Future

10-26-09, 05:12 AM

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Chosen Survivors (Sutton Roley, 1974) 2.5
Standard sci-fi shocker about a specially selected group of civilians chosen to survive the nuclear holocaust in a state of the art bunker. There to provide vital information is the complex supercomputer which, much to their horror, shows them the destruction taking place on the surface. They also have Richard Jaeckel from The Green Slime as a naive army major who has a tough job preventing the inevitable group conflict, and Jackie Cooper (who steals it) as an arrogant millionaire with a penchant for getting drunk and shooting his mouth off. Naturally it all goes horribly wrong when a horde of man eating vampire bats invade the complex to chow down on our miserable heroes. There's a sneaky doctor who knows more than he's letting on, and a token black character who was only 'chosen' as a stud service. I found Chosen Survivors a little on the slow side, with merely adequate performances (Cooper aside), and truly horrible bright lighting (or was it just the dvd transfer?) that left me with a headache. Once the bats are introduced however, the film becomes rather exciting, with a couple of surprisingly gory kills, and a genuinely tense penultimate climbing sequence. Sure it's daft, and you can see the intended revelatory twist coming a mile off, but it has it's moments, and delivers some decent suspense.

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Across 110th Street (Barry Shear, 1972) 4+
Where's this film been all my life? A trio of black hoods dressed as police rob $300,000 from a group of mafioso before gunning them down along with a couple of real cops who give chase. Enter Anthony Franciosa, as bigoted mob heavy Nick D'Salvio charged with tracking them down and wreaking bloody revenge. Also on their trail is corrupt police Captain Mattelli (Anthony Quinn on blistering form) forced to work with a black detective Lt. Pope (Yaphet Kotto) as the case leads them into Harlem, and racial tensions mount.

This film blew me away. The first thing that struck me was Shear's uncompromisingly gritty authentic direction, that borders on documentary style with it's off kilter, fly on the wall camera work, dilapidated tenement locations, and extreme violence. The dialogue positively fizzes, with excellent interplay between D'Salvo and Richard Ward as the husky voiced Harlem crime boss who stands up to the mob; not to mention the relationship between Mattelli and Pope which intelligently tackles issues of departmental racism, police brutality, corruption, public relations, and politics. Very much of it's time, this film is potently charged with the issues of the day; it's angry, menacing, and threatens to explode, but Shears keeps it perfectly paced and coherent despite the somewhat convoluted story. Every character here is completely believable and memorable, with the fugitive robbers fleshed out as sympathetic desperate men, lending extra weight and tension to the inevitable thrilling (and extremely downbeat) climax. Across 110th Street is a bonafide classic that easily ranks up with the best crime films I've seen, and effortlessly rises above the blaxploitation films that followed. Oh and I forget to mention blaxploitation regular Antonio Fargas is great in this doing his usual strung out act, and look out for Burt Young in a small part.

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Chained Heat (Paul Nicholas, 1983) 2.5
A great b-movie cast distinguishes this otherwise mediocre entry into the women-in-prison exploitation sub-genre. Linda Blair plays Carol; a timid first timer on an eighteen month stretch for manslaughter who gets more than she bargained for after ending up in a prison run by (the always watchable, and perfectly cast) John Vernon. I mean if you can't get Barbara Steele in a wheelchair then a sex crazed Vernon is definitely the next best thing. Naturally he's crooked, video taping regular sex sessions with prisoners in exchange for drugs supplied by his chief of security; the sadistic Captain Taylor (Stella Stevens) and sleazy pimp Lester (Henry Silva). Soon young innocent Carol is attracting the attention of resident queen Bee Erika (prison flick regular Sybil Danning) and making all the wrong moves by buddying up to Erika's black rival, Dutchess (Cleopatra Jones herself Tamara Dobson). Filled with the obligatory cat fights, and sporting the essential nude shower scene; it's not long before rape and murder play a part forcing the girls into direct action by acquiring an incriminating video tape. I thought this was cliche ridden nonsense bouyed by Vernon's sleazy turn as the governor, and Danning's hilarious posturing. Everything about it felt strictly by the numbers to me, and my attention wandered on a couple of occasions. Blair is nowhere near as fun here as she was in Savage Streets, but gets her waps out, and the film has a very nasty vibe about it. I'm also sure this was a cut version though because some of the editing was very abrupt, and the graphic violence looked toned down. Still it passed the time.

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The Sect aka The Devil's Daughter (Michele Soavi, 1991) 3.5-
Kelly Curtis (Jamie's younger sister) plays Miriam; a primary school teacher chosen by Herbert Lom's cult of devil worshipers 'The Faceless Ones' to give birth to the anti-Christ. Yup it's another Rosemary's Baby variant, but stamped with a typically whacked out script from Argento, and laced with his protege Michele Soavi's own inimitable visual style. Not a film for casual horror fans; this starts out slow and confusing before hitting it's stride in the second act and never looking back. The story unfolds in a very cryptic dreamlike fashion, beginning with 'the Faceless Ones' loose back story, before picking up with Miriam taking in an old man called Moebius (Lom) after nearly running him over on a country road. All of a sudden he's at deaths door, but his body disappears after Miriam goes for a doctor, prompting her to search the house extensively. Soon she's discovering strange occult looking chambers in her basement, having surreal nightmares, and getting jiggy with a giant stork; all whilst Lom's evil handkerchief proceeds to possess a series of people turning them into psychotic killers!?

I've got to admit I was confused and bored stiff for the first twenty five minutes of The Sect as the script seemed to noodle around with no focus. Once Moebius arrives at Miriam's house however; the fun begins as the story takes on some direction. I've always thought Soavi's atmospheric visual style similar to that of Guillermo Del Toro, complimented by the baroque operatic stylings of Argento and Bava. The Sect didn't disappoint in this respect, as the film transformed into an intriguing occult fairytale come horror mystery, let down only by it's unfathomably (and downright slushy) optimistic ending, and the aforementioned pacing issues. It's also filled with bizarre camera angles, wonderful lighting, and has a nice understated score from Pino Donaggio helping to instill the story with an aura of menace and magic. Overall I really did enjoy this one, and imagine it will reward repeat viewings. Sure the basic plot is as old as the hills, but it's what Argento and Soavi bring to the party that makes The Sect something special. I would recommend this one to patient horror fans looking for a change of pace from the current glut of gory zom-coms and torture porn films.

Red Ribbon

01-30-10, 09:56 AM

Amen..

The movie would've did much better yesterday.

DexterRiley

06-08-10, 05:03 PM

Used Future

03-01-11, 03:43 PM

Original posted in Movie Tab II 11-02-2009.

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Sisters (Brian De Palma, 1973) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3.5box.gif
Hugely enjoyable thriller from De Palma (in full on Hitchcock mode) with Margot Kidder terrific as the saner half of recently separated conjoined twins, Danielle and Dominique. Unfortunately her sister is a homicidal maniac, and after a particularly grisly murder in her flat, an inquisitive journalist neighbour Grace Collier (Jennifer Salt) comes-a-knockin' having witnessed the slaying from her window (ala Rear Window). Before the police can get there however, Danielle's ex husband Emil (William Finley who looks the spit of John Waters in this) turns up and cleans up the mess. Naturally the police are inept, leaving Grace to team up with private dick Joseph Larch (Charles Durning in a small but highly amusing role) as things get weirder by the minute. Compelling stuff that loses it's way towards the end slightly, becoming muddled, but complimented by wonderful performances from the entire cast (who look like they're having a lot of fun), and sporting some highly suspenseful sequences. Film also features (if a little too much) early usage of the split screen technique De Palma would later use to such great effect in Carrie. Recommended.

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Android (Aaron Lipstadt, 1982) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/4box.gif
This is an old favourite I like to put on every couple of years, and it just keeps getting better with each viewing (so much in fact that I've finally upgraded it to dvd). Don Opper (who also co scripted and is probably best known as Charlie from the Critters films) is pitch perfect as Max; a sensitive, eccentric android, curious about women, sex and love. Unfortunately he's stuck in deep space aboard mad scientist Klaus Kinski's research station as humanoid robots are illegal on Earth. Things are further complicated by a volatile trio of escaped convicts he allows aboard; one of whom turns out to be a woman who falls for his odd ball charms. Naturally she has no idea he's a bucket of bolts, and to cap it all off, Kinski's planning to deactivate him once he's perfected his new female super-android. Another New World Pictures quickie that also reuses sets from Corman's Battle Beyond the Stars (along with Galaxy of Terror, Space Raiders and Forbidden World/Mutant - all of which I also love) Android is engrossing stuff with an intelligent offbeat script, and a truly wonderful performance from Opper. Sadly Kinski only has a couple of scenes, but is as intense as ever, and Brie Howard is eminently tough and tender in equal measure as love interest Maggie. This won't appeal to everyone due to the low rent production values (though I happen to love that late 70's early 80's low budget retro look) but anyone looking for quirky sci-fi with a soul could do worse than to check this overlooked gem out.

other stuff I watched...

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Terror (Norman J. Warren, 1978) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/2.5box.gif+
Enjoyable cheapie from Warren who was clearly trying to emulate Dario Argento's Suspiria with this tale of a house cursed by a three hundred year old witch, and the low budget film crew who meet a grisly end after partying there. Lots of psychedelic lighting and some surprisingly gory deaths (including an awesome semi-beheading by a rogue window pane) punctuate this stylish, but otherwise routine time filler.

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The Professionals (Richard Brooks, 1966) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/4box.gif
There was me thinking I hadn't seen this, but it all came flooding back once that narrow sandstone pass came into view. This is a film my dad sat down and watched with me when I was a kid. I remember him saying something along the lines of 'come on, we're going to watch an excellent western adventure film now, you'll love it'. He wasn't wrong, but somehow the memory has faded over the last twenty five years. Imagine my delight when I realised this was that very film, and I could finally put a name to it. My favourite scene has to be Burt Lancaster holding up Jack Palance's men single handedly, the ensuing cat and mouse shootout, and wonderful exchange of dialogue from their respective cover positions. But that's just one of many in this classic.

Used Future

03-01-11, 03:45 PM

Originally posted in Movie Tab II 11-11-2009

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Coma (Michael Crichton, 1978) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3.5box.gif+
This is one of those movies I always happened upon half way through whilst channel hopping. It used to get shown a lot on UK TV in the 90's, but I never really knew what was going on and just assumed it was a run-of-the-mill pot boiler. In reality Coma is a grade-A thriller with a fantastic cast, and the kind of queasy premise that really gets under your skin. Genevieve Bujold is great as a young doctor who thinks she's stumbled on a hospital conspiracy to deliberately render patients brain dead in order to sell their organs on the black market. Naturally no-one believes her, including on-off doctor boyfriend (Michael Douglas), and skeptical boss (Richard Widmark) who puts it down to the trauma of having recently lost her best friend (rendered comatose after a routine operation). Bujold wont let it lie though, and is soon being chased all over the hospital by an assassin (Colonel Decker from the A-Team) out to silence anyone close to the truth.

Coma is a delightfully tense affair that grips like a vice from the outset, and consistently sustains the nail biting suspense throughout. Bujold is pitch perfect as the conscientious doctor out to expose the truth, finding the perfect balance of gritty determination, and feminine vulnerability. This is effectively offset by Widmark's sinister turn as her concerned boss; all thinly veiled threats and mock sympathy. The scenes in which she's chased through the hospital, and later a hi-tech clinic are thrilling to say the least (particularly the morgue freezer sequence), and Jerry Goldsmith's superb score adds a chilling edge to the proceedings. Thumbs up.

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House of Whipcord (Pete Walker, 1974) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/2.5box.gif
Penny Irving plays a gullible French exchange student-come-model (Anne-Marie) who gets a slap on the wrist from the law after exposing herself in public for a photo-shoot. Soon she's being seduced by sinister lothario Mark E. Desade (Geddit) played by Robert Tayman who couldn't look any more evil if he donned plastic horns and took to carrying a trident around. After the obligatory wining and dining Mark's whisking her off up north for the weekend to meet his parents. Unfortunately for Anne-Marie Mark's parents are a couple of crackpots who run an illegal women's prison in which they sadistically readdress the failings of the British justice system...

What could have been a smart satire, and social commentary on the erosion of justice in modern society is sadly given a mundane, and dare I say it, dumb treatment here. Irving (who's French accent is no more convincing than Dick Van Dyke's English patter) is awful, but the rest of the cast are fine; especially Sheila Keith who steals it as the sadistic warden, Barbara Markham as the loony-bin Governor, and Patrick Barr as her well meaning, but senile husband. Unfortunately the film is sluggishly paced, and most unforgivably; rendered completely ridiculous by the fact the young prison inmates never think of overpowering the three middle aged female guards, and casually walking out of the prison. Add to that Irving's unsympathetic lack of brain cells, and a third act that lapses into escape attempt cliche, and you're merely left with Keith, and the interplay between Markham and Barr who provide the film's conversational bright spots. Disappointing considering the intriguing premise.

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The Fifth Cord / Giornata nera per l'ariete (Luigi Bazzoni, 1971) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3box.gif
Franco Nero plays Andrea; an alcoholic journalist on the trail of a killer who only strikes on a Tuesday, and leaves a glove behind with a finger cut off for each of his victims. At first Andrea is on good terms with the police, and making progress with his investigation, but each of the victims are people he knows, and his lack of an alibi soon makes him a prime suspect. Matters take a turn for the worse when he deduces the killer's victims are all linked by their zodiac signs; the same sign shared by his estranged wife...

The Fifth Cord is a text book giallo in that it has a meaningless title, poorly drawn supporting characters, the obligatory gloved killer, and a convoluted cliched plot (which isn't helped by one of said supporting characters changing wigs so you don't recognise her). Typically it also sports some excellent set pieces; not least a scene in which an invalid woman (Rossella Falk) is stranded without her wheelchair, and reduced to crawling around her mansion with the killer lurking. The coup de grace however comes with a genuinely frightening climactic sequence in which a young boy at home alone is stalked after laboriously closing a series of automatic window shutters. These sequences (like the whole film) are made all the more atmospheric and satisfying by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro's (of Il Conformista, and Apocalypse Now fame) wonderful compositions and lighting. I'm not exaggerating when I say The Fifth Cord is one of the best looking thrillers you will ever see; all angular shadows, blue gel lighting, silhouetted figures, and stunning architecture. Sadly the substance isn't there to match, but Nero is always watchable, and does good job here as the womanising alcoholic protagonist. Giallo fans on the look out for the obligatory bottles of J&B will also no doubt find the shot of Nero swigging from one at the wheel of his car highly amusing. Good for genre fans only.

other stuff I watched...

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Prison (Renny Harlin, 1988) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3box.gif +
Before he went all Michael Bay Hollywood, Renny ''Die Hard 2'' Harlin turned out this decent low budget horror flick for Charles Band's Empire Pictures. Here, pretty boy jail bird, Burke (Viggo Mortensen who looks like he's just stepped out of a Calvin Klein advert) is shipped off to an old recently reopened prison governed by hard case Warden Eaton Sharpe (Lane Smith). Before you can say 'don't pick up the soap' Burke is ordered to knock through a wall to an old Electric chair chamber in the basement, unwittingly releasing the spirit of wrongly executed prisoner Charles Forsythe (also Mortensen). Naturally all hell breaks loose, as the bodies pile up, and a trail of corruption is exposed leading to Warden Sharpe and bloody retribution...

Prison impressed me with it's moody direction from Harlin that makes excellent use of the bleak setting, and delivers some cool special effects that still hold up today (the razor wire sequence is especially good). The film has an impending air of dread about it, and riffs on, as opposed to lazily exploiting the cliches that come with the prison flick genre. On the downside Mortensen is far too pretty to convince as a tough guy convict, and delivers his lines with all the gusto of a church mouse (the scene in which he grabs the crotch of a man mountain adversary who subsequently turns chicken is painfully unconvincing). The support from the likes of Lane Smith however is great and the film is action packed and generally very entertaining. Much better than Wes Craven's similarly themed Shocker, released the following year. Recommended.

Used Future

03-01-11, 03:46 PM

Originally posted in Movie Tab II 11-18-2009

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Stone (Sandy Harbutt, 1974) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3.5box.gif
I've been wanting to see this since stumbling across the UK dvd (pictured) in Fopp a few months back. Reading up on the film I discovered it to be a cult Australian biker movie which bore some influence on George Miller's 1979 classic Mad Max. As a huge fan of Miller's film this got me more than a little curious, as not only is Stone considered a minor classic of the 'biker movie' sub-genre, but also features two cast members from Mad Max; namely Roger Ward (unrecognisable in a small role) and most notably the wonderful Hugh Keays-Byrne (better known as villainous biker leader Toecutter from Miller's flick).

Stone refers to the title character played by Ken Shorter (pictured below left); an unorthodox looking (but nevertheless whiter than white) cop who goes undercover with a satanic biker gang called The Gravediggers, after an an unknown assassin starts bumping them off. This is the result of one of the gang (Byrne), who witnesses a sniper assassinate a local politician whilst stoned out of his mind on LSD. The rest of the film revolves around Stone's induction into the Gravediggers' culture, his struggle for acceptance, and the mutual respect that gradually develops. A burgeoning respect ultimately tested during the inevitable showdown with the killer/s...

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I loved this film. It's as much about idealism as it is about violence and roaring engines, as director Harbutt (who also stars as Gravediggers' leader, Undertaker) focuses heavily on the ethos behind the biker way of life, and the larger than life characters who populate it. Much of the film plays out in a stoned out haze of psychedelic music, gang fights, bike races, marijuana (something Shorter's character continuously refuses), and anti-establishment philosophy. It's very low budget, but Harbutt injects some visual style into proceedings with the aid of Graham Lind's creative photography, and conjures that same weird (all be it much colder) atmosphere that so permeates Miller's later Mad Max. Stone is far from perfect though. The plot for example is very simplistic and predictable; some of the supporting performances are amateurish to say the least (though Byrne is fantastic - especially the scene in which he playfully intimidates a couple of suits drinking in the Gravediggers' local bar), but the film nevertheless remains compelling, charming and oddly effecting. This is cult stuff through and through, and the influences on Miller's film are undeniable. The funeral procession/convoy pictured above was homaged in Mad Max after the death of the Nightrider, and the scenes between Stone and his girlfriend at home feel very familiar indeed. Though you could also make obvious comparisons to earlier biker films like The Wild Angels, and Easy Rider.

Elsewhere there's a generous helping of gritty 70's violence, most of which is confined to the second half of the film, and is relatively tame by today's standards; though the downbeat climax is satisfyingly gruesome. Overall I'd recommend this to anyone into cult cinema willing to look beyond the obvious flaws and see Stone for what it is; a highly watchable film, filled with endearing rough and ready characters, and made with a lot of love. Take the trip.

Used Future

03-01-11, 03:48 PM

Originally posted in Movie Tab II 11-20-2009

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Zombieland (Reuben Fleischer, 2009) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3.5box.gif
I was almost disappointed when this got good write-ups because it meant I was going to have to plonk my backside down in front of yet another zombie movie. When I first saw Romero's Dawn of the Dead back in the early nineties I couldn't get enough of them. I wanted to see every gory zombie flick ever made; I was obsessed. How times change. Now it seems there's a new one coming out every week, and most of them are just variations on the same old theme. I've seen so many they're all starting to blur into one, and my eyes are beginning to glaze over like a zom-arrgghh!!! In short folks I'm fed up to the back teeth of zombie films, and can't wait for the current fad to blow over so we can move on to something new like slimy reptilian aliens disguised as humans, what? Oh forget it.

Surprisingly Zombieland is savvy enough to know how I'm (and I'm sure many others) are feeling. It's a smart satirical take on the genre that lets the zombies take a back seat, and instead focuses on it's four protagonists; geeky neurotic Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg who comes off like a cross between Woody Allen and Simon Amstell from Never Mind the Buzzcocks); Trigger happy zombie killer extraordinaire Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson who effortlessly steals the movie), and two conniving sisters, love interest Witchita (Emma Stone) and the deadpan Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). The clue here is in the title; Zombieland suggests a kind of twisted theme park and that's exactly the metaphor for contemporary America that Fleischer effectively (if unsubtly) rams home. It's a witty, engaging take on the genre with a knowing indie feel, and one immensely likable performance from Harrelson. The zombie action is there too, but this is as much about friendships and trust as it is about the blood and guts. I liked it well enough, but was glad of the short (by today's standards) running time. Oh and I loved the worst kept cameo secret in movie history too.

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Pontypool (Bruce McDonald, 2008) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3box.gif+
No it's not a promotional film for the Welsh tourist board, but yet another zombie variant (apologies for making that joke again). Yup if you can't beat the hordes of undead then inevitably you end up joining them, and that's exactly what happened to me last night. I actually enjoyed this Canadian slow burner a lot more that Zombieland, even if it is deeply flawed, and well, pretty ridiculous really.

This one nods John Carpenter's The Fog with Stephen McHattie turning in an excellent performance as a gravelly voiced radio DJ (Grant Mazzy) who unwittingly finds himself reporting on a bizarre series of violent riots from his studio. Accompanying him are his uptight producer Sydney (Lisa Briar - think Helen Hunt with darker hair), and her plucky young assistant Laurel (Georgina Reilly). Soon the BBC are contacting Mazzy for updates as the Canadian military quarantine the town, and it becomes clear a major crisis is taking place...

Set entirely within the confines of the radio station, Pontypool is an incredibly tense affair for the first hour, as events unfold in the form of telephone calls Mazzy receives from his eye witness weather man. It's well written, gripping stuff that sent a shiver down my spine on more than one occasion as the epidemic spread slowly closer to the studio...then the 'infected people' show up. Without giving too much away we gradually learn that symptoms of the plague involve people babbling incoherently and speaking gibberish. Yes these zombies literally spread by word of mouth; the English language to be exact. If it all sounds a bit daft, that's because it is, and things go steadily downhill from there. This being Canadian we get Mazzy and co speaking in French to stave off the inevitable, and an ending ripped directly from another apocalyptic (and far superior Canadian film) Don McKellar's Last Night. This is still well worth checking out though, because to be fair it doesn't play like a traditional zombie film at all, and the first hour really is compelling stuff. Shame, as Tony Burgess' script just seems to write it's self into a corner really.

Used Future

03-01-11, 03:52 PM

Originally posted in Movie Tab II 01-07-2010

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The Friends of Eddie Coyle (Peter Yates, 1973) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/4.5box.gif
Robert Mitchum is perfectly cast as the tired looking Eddie of the title; a washed up-down at heel loser peddling used handguns to a gang of bank robbers connected to a Boston crime syndicate. With a court case for a previous offence looming, and unnable to face another spell in prison, Eddie is forced to consider the unthinkable; trading information with the police...

More films like this please. Yates' low key direction gives plenty of room for the story and characters to breath, and effectively captures the autumnal Boston locations - all gloomy parks, back street taverns, and most memorably a crowded Ice Hocky match. Mitchum is superb, as are the entire cast, namely Richard Jordan as the scheming police detective out to exploit him; Steven Keats as a cocksure young arms dealer (interestingly named Jackie Brown); Alex Rocco as head bank robber Scalise, and most noteworthy Peter Boyle as his devious bartender best 'friend' with some very heavy connections. This never feels less than 100% authentic throughout and works as both a riveting character study of the doomed Coyle, and a tense thriller. Superb.

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The Driver (Walter Hill, 1978) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3box.gif+
Action director Hill's second directorial effort after the excellent Hard Times is not quite as accomplished or entertaining, but satisfying nevertheless, and perhaps more interesting in terms of casting (if not entirely successful).

Ryan O'Neil is the virtuoso getaway driver for hire nicknamed Cowboy by the police who've never managed to catch him. After succesfully evading them yet again in the film's brilliantly staged opening sequence (and arranging an alibi in the form of Isabelle Adjani - a plot device vaguely reminiscent of Melville's Le Samourai); enter Bruce Dern effortlessly stealing the show as the slimy police detective who vows to trap him no matter what the cost. It really is that straight forward, with precious little in the way of supprising plot twists, but lashings of gritty style, and some thrilling car chases. I found O'Neil lacking in charisma despite looking the part, and taking into account the monosyllabic ice cool character he was playing. I think this is partly because Dern is so amusing in the film, but mostly it's because O'Neil just looks a bit vacant. Worse still is Adjani who doesn't convince at all delivering her lines in a stilted fashion whilst looking generally disinterested. Overall though this is a decent watch thanks to Dern, and Hill's assured direction. Most memorable is the scene in which Cowboy trashes an orange Mercedes in an underground car park, after a gang of amateurs question his prowess.

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Night Moves (Arthur Penn, 1975) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/4box.gif

Ellen [Remarking on the football game Harry's watching]: Who's winning?
Harry: Nobody, one side's just losing slower than the other.

Gene Hackman is brilliant in this as Harry Moseby; a retired football player turned L.A. private eye struggling to find a meaningful purpose in life outside the sport. A case involving a missing girl and some Hollywood stuntmen leads him to the Florida Keys and into the arms of Jennifer Warren's emotionally evasive kook, but not before he's discovered his wife is having an affair. Soon Harry's knee deep in domestic strife, and on the brink of a mid life crisis; all whilst trying to 'solve the mystery' surrounding the sexually provocative Delly (a teenage Melanie Griffith).

The plot might sound a little hackneyed, but Penn's handling and the casting are such that Night Moves proves anything but. This works primarily as a character study of the somewhat reserved, but decidedly complex Harry, who we get see rub up against a variety of oddball characters. There's plenty of wry humour and emotionally charged soul searching with the missing girl almost seeming incidental as Harry bungles his way through the investigation. No. The real mystery lies with Hackman's character, his relationship with his disillusioned wife, and where he wants to be in life. So much so that the final revelation involving Delly (a superb underwater shot) seems like a deliberate anti-climax by comparison. I found it hugely rewarding in an emotionally cathartic sense though. I guess that was Penn's intention. Thumbs up.

Used Future

03-01-11, 03:54 PM

Originally posted in Movie Tab II 07-20-2010

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The Satan Bug (John Sturges, 1965) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/4box.gif
An accident at a top secret biological weapons lab deep in the Mohave desert turns out to be something much worse as it emerges saboteurs have made off with a batch of phials containing deadly germs; one of which could wipe out mankind in weeks if exposed to the air. Is it the Russians? or has someone closer to home got a grudge against...well...everyone?

It's left to razor sharp ex government agent Lee Barrett (George Maharis) to track down the perps and recover the Satan Bug in this no nonsense intelligent, and original (at least for the time) thriller that delivers on all levels. The dialogue is often wonderful, particularly the 'testing to see if he's still one of ours' scene in which we're introduced to Barrett, and Sturges concocts plenty of taut thrills. Most memorably the initial doom laden debriefing just before Station Three exits automatic lockdown; a deadly encounter in an abandoned church; and the crackerjack finale complete with a shot of the deadly phial in question rolling precariously along the seat of a helicopter as it spins out of control. Great yet simplistic stuff that almost feels like a boys own precursor to Robert Wise's 1971 gem The Andromeda Strain. Shame it's not had a US or UK dvd release...heigh ho.

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Hardcore aka The Hardcore Life (Paul Schrader, 1979) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3.5box.gif-
George C. Scott gives a particularly powerful performance as devout Christian businessman Jake VanDorn whose teenage daughter Kristen goes missing whilst on a church funded trip to Los Angeles. A friend recommends he hire sleazy private investigator Jack Mast (an equally convincing Peter Boyle) to locate her, but evidence Mast uncovers turns out to be VanDorn (and every loving father's) worst nightmare; an explicit pornographic 8mm film.

Typically unflinching thriller from Schrader often feels like him expanding on the story behind Jodie Foster's character (Iris) from his name making Taxi Driver script. Hardcore plays like a nightmarish decent into a hell where nobody wants to talk, as VanDorn ditches Mast and goes on his own obsessive search for Kristen amongst the exploited lost souls of the L.A. sex industry. Soon he's mingling icognito amongst the exploiters as a producer of hardcore movies, and it's here that Schrader's film loses much of it's credibility. Despite the unglamorous depiction of the flourishing 70's L.A. porn scene (which is never explicit and far from titilating); it's hard to believe such a straight laced church goer would go to such lengths, and even harder still to imagine any of the streetwise porn sharks taking him seriously. As good as Scott is in the film (and believe me he's fantastic) the sight of him suddenly donning superfly collars (and in one pivotal scene a ridiculous wig and false moustache) whilst casting for a new 'movie' never rings true, and undermines what is an otherwise compelling and challenging piece of cinema. It's still streets ahead of Joel Schumacher's 8MM though.

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Parents (Bob Balaban, 1989) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3box.gif-
It's white picket fence 1950's suburbia and quiet young Michael Laemle (Brian Madorsky) has just moved to a new town with his overbearing parents. There's passive aggressive and downright sinister dad Nick (an on form Randy Quaid), and wide eyed mom Lily (Mary Beth Hurt) whose nowhere near as vacant as she'd like you to think she is. Michael's become a vegetarian, but that doesn't stop his leering parents constantly plying him with dubiously sourced meat platters. Then there's the blood soaked nightmares; dad's job at a company called Toxico, and don't forget the school social worker's concern over the youngster's disturbing artwork...

Parents is artfully directed by Balaban with much of the photography composed of off kilter low wide angles, giving the subtle impression of a child's eye view. It's clear he's playing on the dilemma of overactive young imagination and immature misinterpretation (Michael's friendship with a similarly imaginative young girl helps reinforce this); versus the possibility of real inherent evil on his parents part. We think we know the truth, but Balaban and Richard Hawthorne (who wrote the story) keep you guessing as the film plays it's cards frustratingly close to it's chest. That's the biggest problem with Parents; Michael aside it doesn't reward the viewer with enough insight into any of the characters (or intriguing plot turns for that matter) until the final all too predictable reel. Sure we know Michael's an odd kid, and his nightmares are often genuinely creepy, but every time we think the story is about to deliver something interesting; Balaban moves on to the next scene only to repeat the process. With that said the entire cast are great; particularly Hurt and Quaid who play it to the hilt and really get under your skin as the titular Parents. I just think Balaban tried to be a little to subtle for his own good, and as a result Parents is nothing more than a well made, sometimes effective, yet distinctly unsatisfying curio.

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Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (Charles Bail, 1975) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3box.gif
Tamara Dobson returns as lovable narcotics agent with attitude Cleo, in this ramped up superior sequel. Here the budget appears to be slightly bigger, as the action is cleverly shifted to Hong Kong no doubt in a bid to cash in on the success of Enter the Dragon released two years earlier. It's really just a low rent Bond movie with second rate martial arts, claustrophobic direction and diabolical acting. The plot is nothing more than a markedly jazzier rehash of the original, with Clio sent in to bust up a drug ring headed by the Dragon Lady (Stella Stevens doing a good job filling Shelly Winters' boots). She's aided along the way by Asian agent Mi Ling Fong (real martial arts actress Ni Tien) who does a much better job of kicking everyone's ass. Dobson looks like she's been taking makeup tips from Ziggy Stardust, and gives Elizabeth Taylor such a run for her money in the changing outfits department; you'd swear they had velcro backs. That said it really is hugely entertaining in that undemanding way the best B-movies have about them. There's plenty of sassy put downs from Cleo, wonderfully hammy supporting characters, and a wham bam shoot em' punch em' up ending so over the top, you could almost be watching a Toei flick. This aint no Jive Turkey sucka!

Used Future

03-01-11, 03:56 PM

Originally posted in Movie Tab II 10-25-2010

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Hunter Prey (Sandy Collora, 2009) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/2.5box.gif
Sandy Collora started out as an assistant creature designer to the likes of Stan Winston, Rick Baker and Rob Bottin, before gaining critical praise for the visually impressive fan short Batman: Dead End back in 2003. It's no surprise then that Collora's debut feature is a low budget, but aesthtically striking piece of science fiction with the emphasis heavily on retro styled costume and creature design that harks back to the pre-CGI era of the 70's.

Hunter Prey is about a trio of prison guards (pictured) who touch down on a barren planet in pursuit of a particularly dangerous escaped alien convict. What follows is a desperate cat and mouse chase accross the desert with the lines between good and evil seriously blurred once the identitly of their quarry is revealed...

Ok so it looks promisingly like Star Wars and has a plot like a cross between Enemy Mine (one alien race are even refered to as Draks) and any number of westerns - I'm thinking Sollima's The Big Gundown, but others have also compared it to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Sadly though Hunter Prey fails becasue Collora's script just isn't eventful enough to sustain a feature. The story is adequate but stretched over ninety minutes it quickly becomes tedious; bogged down with pretty, yet endless filler shots of sunbleached vistas and dusty trudging boots. The action scenes are way too sparse (and dull) for the film to create any sense of urgency, and I was left feeling Collora and co had just put all their effort into creating cool costumes, and forgotten to deliver an imaginative funpacked narrative. Where are all the deadly indigenous creatues in this movie? Where's the sense of adventure? Forget about it, all you get in Hunter Prey are some guys who can't act and dress like Boba Fett carrying big guns that (occassionally) fire like pea-shooters. I'm all for what they tried to do here (create a story driven movie with cheap but solid old school effects). Unfortunately without decent actors and pacing to back it up Hunter Prey falls rather flat. It's by no means terrible; just forgettable. I really wish Collora had taken a leaf out of Roger Corman's book and delivered a bit more fun.

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Blue Sunshine (Jeff Lieberman, 1976) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3.5box.gif
This is the film Lieberman made before his underrated (and probably better known) nature-runs-amok flick Squirm. The plot concerns a group of ex hippy students who lose all their hair and turn homicidal, 10 years after taking a brand of LSD called Blue Sunshine. A friend of one of the victims Jerry Zipkin (Zalman King doing his usual moody brooding routine) is present when his buddy inexplicably barbecues three girlfriends in the fireplace on a weekend trip to the country. After a chase his friend is killed leaving Jerry as a prime suspect for the killings, and a mystery that leads to politics...

Hokey as it may sound this is finely acted, and Leiberman injects a healthy dose of black comedy and social satire into the proceedings (murderous bald ex hippies sold killer acid by a guy now running for state senate anyone?). The anti-drug references would seem a little obvious, but the film never wallows in self righteousness; content at being an amusing and effective B-movie thriller. It's suitably suspensful, particulary a sequence in which a strung out mother chases her young children round their flat with a kitchen knife; not to mention Zipkin's sleazy surgeon friend who threatens to lose it at the operating table. Best of all however is the climactic scuffle inside a disco, almost as if Lieberman was trying to comment on the entire scene. To sum up Blue Sunshine often feels like a Larry Cohen film with better editing which can only be a good thing. I enjoyed this immensely and highly recommended it to fans of cult cinema.

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The Dark Lurking (Gregory Connors, 2010) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/1.5box.gif+++
This Australian made poverty row sci-fi outing looks considerably less inspiring than Hunter Prey, and is markedly less original; not to mention technically competent. The Dark Lurking (talk about a duff title) shamelessly rips off/homages the first two Alien films, whilst unfathomably stealing much of the story from the godawful 2005 Doom adaptation. It's no secret that I've got a real soft spot for space bound creature features though, and whilst almost all the blurb surrounding The Dark Lurking was screaming at me to steer clear; I just couldn't help myself...

The film begins with a small band of mercenary soldiers receiving a distress call from an underground research facitlity whilst orbiting a mysterious planet. Some sloppy editing later and they're trapped deep in the complex fighting off flesh eating demons with a hanful of scientists, and a couple of test subjects - one of whom has something nasty inside her. With everything in lockdown to contain the monsters, our hammy heroes head for operations, and a way back to the surface...

Scientist - at Mexican soldier Kirkland: Shut up moron! you haven't got the IQ to throw consecutive punches.

Blimey!
I've seen some audacious crap in my time, but nothing quite as bare faced as The Dark Lurking. Originality asside it's laughably incompetent on so many levels, but worst of all are the performances. Bret Kennedy as OTT tough guy Michaels, and Tonia Renne as doomed test subject Lena come off best, but the supporting cast are painfully amature. It would almost be forgivable if this was dubbed, but it's not, and the cast members in question survive way too long for me to let it go. Second up is the woefully poor coverage many of the (suprisingly effective and abundent) gore and creature effects get. There seems to be a complete lack of mid and wide shots during action sequences here, meaning we experience every squib, slashing, decapitation and explosion, in claustrophobic close up. It's extremely frustrating because this movie has action, creatues, slime and gore on tap; not to mention beakneck pacing to make your head spin. One minute they're blasting away at demons, the next, huge tentacles, and don't forget the mock alien/pumpkinhead thingly Michaels runs into on the surface. It's well lit, CGI free (barring the initial orbital shot) and there's a hell of a lot up on screen for the money spent. Despite everything I ended up enjoying this a great deal, but I just can't give it a decent score.

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Bucktown (Arthur Marks, 1975) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/2.5box.gif
I've wanted to see this one for a while considering it teams two of the biggest (and most enduring) stars from from the blaxploitation era in Williamson and Grier. Bucktown also features on many best of lists, but resounding critical praise is thin on the ground. I knew nothing about the director Arthur Marks, only that he made a handful of similar genre films; the only other one I've heard of being Detroit 9000.

Anyway Bucktown is about Duke (Williamson) who rocks up your stereotypical southern town to bury his brother who was murdered by the corrupt local sheriffs, after refusing to pay protection money for his bar. Naturally they don't take too kindly to Duke taking over, and after the usual series of racial slurs, a bar room brawl, love interest from Grier, and drive by shooting; he's forced to call in some heavy duty friends from back up north (Blacula star Thalmus Rasulala, Tony King, and a very young Carl Weathers)...

Bucktown is a hoot to begin with, subversively riffing off In the Heat of the Night with Williamson's rough hewn tough guy an amusing substitute for Poitiers clean cut Mr. Tibbs. The sight of him stepping off the train knowing full well what awaits is hugely satisfying as is the ensuing tit for tat with the police. In fact the first twenty or so minutes of this flick are a blast, but once Rasulala (wonderfully intense here) and his cronies show up, things nosedive. The tense standoff with the law is smashed as Duke's buddies steamroll all opposition, then begin to prey on the town in the same corrupt manner the sheriffs did. Naturally they kidnap Grier's character, and Duke springs into action to bring them all down. You could argue there's a statement about black on black violence somewhere in here, but if that's true then it's a muddled unsavoury message within the context of this movie. Unltimately I found the second half way too predictable and was staring at the clock well before the end credits.

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The Car (Elliot Silverstein, 1977) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/2box.gif
Meh. Not much to say about this one. It's a third rate cash-in on Duel, Jaws and even The Exorcist that also draws some comparison to the later (and far superior Christine).

James Brolin looks bored out of mind whilst attempting to put a stop to the titular car as it mows down all comers in a nameless desert town. Set phasers for snooze as teenagers are knocked off bikes, a woman ker-splatted in her sitting room, and school children terrorised whilst rehearsing for the town parade. Completely bloodless, with stock characters, and ridiculously speeded up vehicle sequences. Mostly we just get daft shots of said car doing doughnuts in the desert?. There's a half decent finale involving a quarry, lots of dynamite, and one hell (literally) of an explosion, but it's harldly enough. Skip it.

I also watched...

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The Horde (Yannik Dahan & Benjamin Rocher, 2009) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3box.gif
It's zombie time again, but the protagonists are so dumb in this movie they never cotton on that you'e just got to shoot them in the head. Where are Ken Foree, Hugo Stiglitz, Joe Pilato, and Ian McCulloch when you need them? No really, this is actually a contrived but entertaining French zombie flick, made more fun by the fact the protagonists would rather beat, slash and blow the gouls to bits than pop them in the head. It's very well made for this sort of thing as a covert team of undercover cops try to bust some extremely nasty Nigerian hoods holed up on the top floor of an inner city high rise. Things go awry on the bust, and before the two factions can wipe each other out; a zombie epidemic is trying to beat them to it. The rest of this well acted flick has the surving cast battling their way out, helped by a very funny shell shocked old man who leads them to a handy cache of world war 2 firearms. Highly recomended slick splattery fun for zombie fans, and the ending is great.

Used Future

03-01-11, 03:59 PM

Originally posted in Movie Tab II 01-18-2011

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Invasion of the Bee Girls aka Graveyard Tramps (Denis Sanders, 1973) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3box.gif+
Mildly titillating blend of science fiction and sexploitation has William Smith's goverment troubleshooter investigating a series of mysterious deaths in a small California town, that may or may not be linked to the local scientific research centre. With all the victims seemingly healthy men who've suffered heart attacks as a result of vigourous sexual activity; it's not long before the authorities are advising the bored townsfolk to refrain from intercourse with their partners. Naturally this goes down like a cup of cold sick with the men, and with many of the usually reserved housewives and female scientists suddenly displaying an almost uncontrolable manipulative lust for sex; the weak minded blokes have little to no chance of making out of this movie alive...still there's worse ways to go eh.

Invasion of the Bee Girls is most noteworthy for the starring role of Anitra Ford (best known for her part in Jack Hill's chicks-in-chains classic The Big Birdcage - and no doubt with Americans for her appearances on the Price is Right). She's delightfully sultry here as scientist Dr. Susan Harris, and provides nearly all the film's most memorable moments - the protracted seduction of an older colleague being a particular highlight.Also on hand to smoulder is Victoria Vetri who's no less beautiful as Smith's love interest Julie Zorn. This is indeed a film preocupied with light hearted sleaze, as the science on offer (linked to experiments on the mating habits of bees) is nothing short of ludicrous; a moot sub-theme for the excuse of a cool 1950's styled title. In fact there's nothing especially remarkable about this flick other than the campy story, a few amusing dialogue exchanges, and lots of bare breasted women. It is what it is, i.e. retro 70's Corman-esque schlock that fizzes along nicley providing a few laughs and some cool imagery. Naturally I adored it.

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The Sender (Roger Christian, 1982) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3.5box.gif-
Interesting if derivitive debut feature from Christian who'd already won an oscar for his set decoration on George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, and been nominated for his art direction on Ridley Scott's Alien. Both impressive achievements on his resume, lest we forget Mr. Christian also went on to direct complete tosh like Battlefield Earth and the first in the Underworld series.

The Sender refers to a young man (ably played by Zeljko Ivanek) named Jon Doe 83 by the doctors at a mental institution who end up treating him after a failed suicide attempt. Determined to make a connection with the introverted new comer is the sensitive Dr. Farmer (Kathryn Harrold) who soon gets more than she bargained for when Jon inexplicably begins appearing in realistic hallucinations at her home, and whilst she's driving. Next thing we know the boy's insane mother (Shirley Knight) turns up claiming he's a cursed messiah and that they have some kind of psychic link. Whilst Dr. Farmer searches for the truth behind Jon's mysterious ability, all manner of strange visions begin to affect everyone in the hospital, and her unconvinced superior Dr. Denman (Paul Freeman) decides he's going to preform electro-shock therapy on Jon effectively lobotomising him...

Ok so it's The Exorcist; it's Carrie; it's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; it's The Fury; it's Patrick, hell even Scanners deserves something of a mention now that were talking psychological horror. Despite the obvious influences however, director Christian delivers a classy affair all his own, with enough chilling sequences to fire up the little grey cells, and most importantly; enduce plenty of goose flesh. There's a tenderness at the heart of The Sender that injects it with real soul, as does Sean Hewitt in a memorably humourous supporting role as 'the real messiah'. By no means the best of it's type, but still worth watching.

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Sexykiller: Morirás Por Ella/You'll Die For Her (Miguel Marti, 2008) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3.5box.gif
Ultra flamboyant, coloufully campy, instant cult fave (the type of thing the Spanish seem to do so well) about the murderous comic exploits of college femme fatale Bárbara (Macarena Gómez who certainly lives up to the film's title - and who Stuart Gordon fans may remember from Dagon). This comes off like a violent girly cross between something Álex de la Iglesia and Robert Roderiguez might have dreamed up together after eating psychadelic cotton candy at an Aqua concert.

There's an audacious murder spree in full progress on a posh college campus somewhere in Spain that has both the media and police in a baffled incompetent frenzy. As speculation mounts regarding the identitly of the killer, so does the pile of bodies, killed by such extravagant means as to make the likes of Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees soil their undergarments. Naturally no-one suspects Bárbara who seems far too concerned as to the prospect that iconic toy Barbie's (named Sindy here for the purposes of copyright) boyfriend Ken (Glenn) is gay or not. Throw in a couple of egg headed Coroners who plan to trap the killer with a machine that can project dead people's final thoughts onto a TV screen; not to mention Bárbara's misconception that one of them is a fellow serial killer, and therefore a prospective soul mate, and you have the mere tip of the sugar coated, yet decidely blood centered iceberg...

Essentially Sexykiller is a farcial swipe come homage (if that's possible) at similarly themed, but one dimensional slasher flicks. The fact that Bárbara breaks the fourth wall and begins talking directly to the camera early on in the movie more than idicates that this is intended as spoof - all be it a gleefully bloody, and titillating one. Whilst the humour is somewhat hit and miss, Marti injects more than enough original touches to keep Sexykiller fresh and consistently entertaining throughout. Consider Bárbara's home shopping channel presentation of murder with handy household products, or her bizarre dance sequence with an orange faced Sindy and Glenn. Macarena Gómez is a revelation in the lead and the film has a super electro-pop/house soundtrack. This wont appeal to all tastes (the film has been misleadingly packaged to look like a straight up zombie flick in the UK - whereas said ghouls only pop up at the end) though I imagine the likes of Sexy Celebrity might find this to be their particular cup of tea. Great fun.

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Cotton Comes to Harlem (Ossie Davis, 1970) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3.5box.gif
Here's an oldie but goodie. Adapted by director Ossie Davis (Bruce Campbell's mate in BubbaHo-Tep) from Chester Himes' novel. Cotton Comes to Harlem is an early blaxploitation entry (though you could argue it trancends the genre) which pre-dates Melvin Van Peebles' seminal Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song realeased the following year.

Godfrey Cambridge, and Raymond St. Jaques are Gravedigger Jones, and Coffin Ed Johnson respectively. Two laconic cops working Harlem who smell something's rotten in Denmark with Reverand Deke O'Malley's (Calvin Lockhart) back to Africa scheme. The charismatic yet decidedly crooked O'Malley turns up to preach at a local rally and collect $83,000 in payments to return his opressed brothers and sisters to a racism free Africa, but Gravedigger and Coffin Ed aren't convinced. Before they can bring him in however, a masked armed gang turn up and steal the loot sparking a car chase in which both O'Malley and the cash go walkies. The only clue as to the whereabouts of the money? A bail of genuine Louisiana cotton which flys off the back of the getaway truck and is subsequently salvaged by a local vagrant (Red Foxx)...

Cotton Comes to Harlem is a wonderfully playful blend of action and comedy that had me smiling throughout, and even belly laughing on a couple of occasions. The first of these came in the afore mentioned car chase which Davis clevery interweaves with a series of low-brow yet hilarious comic vignettes involving a dope fiend and a purse snatcher. Then there's Judy Pace's knockout turn as O'Malley's girlfriend, and in particular a scene in which she seduces the dim witted white police officer assigned to stop her leaving her apartment. Davis keeps things lively with lots of interesting characters and shootouts, and the interplay between our two heroes and their police chief bosses is pure gold. Sadly the film does lose some if it's momentum towards the final act when the humour takes more of a back seat, but this one still wraps it'self up nicely, and would be amongst the first movies of this type I'd recommend to anyone looking to explore the genre.

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Black Water (David Nerlich & Andrew Traucki, 2007) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/4box.gif
First rate horror about a day trip gone horribly wrong in northern Australia draws some parallels with the tragedy currently taking place in Queensland - which incidently did give me second thoughts about even tabbing this one. The fact remains this is such a good horror film I felt duty bound (even though many of you may have already seen it).

Directed in a TV movie style and based on true events (so often an indication of a crap movie) this revolves around a trio of holiday makers; average married thirtysomethings Grace and Adam (Diana Glenn and Andy Rodereda), and Grace's twitchy sister Lee (Maeve Dermody) who are led by their guide Jim (Ben Oxenbould) into a mangrove swamp for some fishing. Ben's pistol initially alerts Lee to possible dangers that may lurk there, but just to ominously ram home the impending horror that awaits; he proceeds to warn them about the perils of salt water crocodiles that have been known to attack small boats. Before you know it a particualry nasty croc has flipped their boat and had Ben and his gun for dinner, leaving our trio of city slickers stuck up a tree in the middle of nowhere, and unable to see what lurks below the muddy swamp water...

I guess you would pitch this halfway between Greg Mclean's similarly themed croc horror Rogue (released the same year) and Chris Kentis' Open Water from 2003. Whilst both those films left me somewhat underwhelmed; Black Water is a distinct cut above. Right from the opening titles in which we're introduced to the family through a series of holiday snaps quickly establishing them as happy go lucky unsuspecting down to earth types. Directors Nerlich and Traucki delivery a master class in taut suspenseful horror movie making. The genius here is that the characters are left in a hopeless situation with a monster they cannot see, prompting the viewer to ask themselves what they would do under similar circumstances. Not only that but with such a harrowing attack early on in the film, the protagonists are repeatedly put in a posistion where they have no choice but to re-enter the swamp water knowing full well the crocodile might attack again. It's this sustained suspense, complimented by authentic performances from the cast, one agonising dilema, and the way the characters try to overcome their predicament that make Black Water a real winner. This is one you need to see.

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Invader aka Lifeform (Mark H. Baker, 1996) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/2.5box.gif+
Yup it's another one of those made for cable/direct to video monster from outer space flicks that invites the usual comaprisons to you know what. I'm forever looking for obscure variations of this theme, lord knows why as most of them turn out to be complete junk. This one is a minor exception however thanks to an intelligent script from Baker who takes the well worn formula in some interesting directions.

The story involves a brighter than usual group of scientists investigating an old Mars landing probe called Viking that has mysteriously returned to earth. Once in their lab it begins to interact with the computer systems downloading top secret information much to the disgruntlement of the military stationed there. On investigating the vehicle further they discover a new section has been added to the structure from which hatches an insectoid like alien. Far from being malevolent in intent however, the creature instead takes a more inquisitive approach; only to be exterminated by the soldiers. Unfortunately the creature has already laid an egg and in true insect fashion the offspring retains the knowledge of it's parent...

Well thought out creature design, not to mention some intelligent dialogue, and competent makeups are ultimately undermined by uninspired direction, and wooden acting. Still the story is engaging with enough red herrings and moral dliema's to keep things interesting to the prophetic final shot - which I really dug. Worth a look, but only for die hard monster fans.

Used Future

03-01-11, 04:01 PM

Apologies for the reposts; just compiling my old tabs in preparation for some new reviews.

Sedai

03-01-11, 04:23 PM

I watched both Coma and Crichton's Looker, as well. Coma was certainly better, but I still enjoyed Looker for the nostalgia.

nebbit

03-01-11, 06:37 PM

Thanks for the reviews Future :) I have been a big fan Of Stone for a long time :yup: I purchased it a few years back :yup: I saw it at the movies when it came out :eek:

Used Future

03-02-11, 03:23 PM

Thanks Nebbit :) Glad I'm not the only one here who loves that flick.

Used Future

03-02-11, 05:52 PM

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The Super Inframan aka Infra-Man (Shan Hua, 1975) 3.5
Oh my! Where to begin with this insane little Shaw Brothers gem? Perhaps with Ultraman; a Japanese super hero who had become popular with Chinese children in the early seventies after an influx of imported kids television shows. Inframan was essentially created as the Chinese answer to Ultraman; a similarly clad red and silver super-being from outer space. This time however our hero would be man made rather than star-born, and the proceedings filmed in glorious Shaw Scope...

Begining with a phoney looking rubber dragon landing in front of a school bus and setting off an earthquake; Super Inframan kicks off with chaos and only gets crazier. Said earhtquake sets off a chain of disasters in China and before you can yell Irwin Allen; a group of scientists dressed like bond villain henchmen are rudely interrupted by Princess Dragon Mom (Terry Liu pictured above) who flashes up on the moniters of their state-of-the-art *snigger* laboratory. 'I have taken over this Planet!' she announces whilst surrounded by an assortment of monsters dredged up from the bowels of the cheapest fancy dress shop in existence. Monsters so hilariously uncovincing as to instantly transform colourful hokeyness into memorably camp gorganzola delight. Though things don't look quite so rosy for our plucky scientists, and it's left up to their professor (Hsieh Wang) to complete his experimental secret weapon to defend not only China, but the world. Luckily his high kicking poster boy Rayma (Danny Lee) thinks nothing of volunteering to be transformed into a goofy indestructable kill-bot, and ultimately the last hope for mankind...The Super Inframan...

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The rest of the movie is as exected a series of flamboyantly crap showdowns with the motley group of creatures under Dragon Mom's control - one of whom has a voice like Captain Caveman after two thousand Lucky Strikes. It's around this stage my fiancee got up grumbling something about Power Rangers and headed off to another room. She had a point. Super Inframan is an undeniable influence, but far from allowing such comparsons to tarnish my enjoyment; I found myself transfixed. This is a film that dares to attempt effects laden spectacles far beyond it's budget and succeeds out of pure bloody minded enthusiasm. A sequence in which Inframan battles an enormous plant creature after it takes hold of the Science centre is by turns funny, thrilling and eye poppingly far out. The rest of the movie is just as crazy and filled with wild supporting characts like Demon Girl; Dragon Mom's sexy side kick with eyes in her palms that look suspiciously like something from Pan's Labyrinth. There's the robot duo with arms that fly out on slinky springs, and a spider that grows to the size of a small town. Then there's Rayma aka Inframan himself who flits in and out of superhero mode with such absurd extravagance as to almost render any subsequent battles anti-climactic... but not quite. To sum up The Super Inframan is an action packed once in lifetime delight for fans of weird and wonderful cult cinema fed up with the current trend for souless CGI sadism. Just don't mention those Power Rangers.

* I'd also like to mention that whilst I usually make a point of watching all foreign language films with subtitles. This is one of those rare occasions where the English dub enhances the viewing experience.

nebbit

03-05-11, 03:25 AM

Sounds a hoot :)

Used Future

09-07-11, 11:09 AM

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The Last Circus aka Balada trieste de trompeta (Àlex de la Iglesia, 2010) 3
Beginning with a Spanish civil war pre-credit sequence (circa 1937) in which a dragged up circus clown is forced by the militia (along with other reluctant circus folk) into fighting a group of nationals with a machete; The Last Circus quickly sets it'self up as a baroque, grotesquely cartoonish dark fantasy/love story, blown in on some politically allegorical psycotropic wind. Captured and imprissoned after the battle the clown subsequently tells his young son and apprentice Javier, that he is destined to only ever be a 'sad clown', as having lived through such a traumatic childhood he will never be 'funny', but better suited for revenge.

Skip forward to Franco era 1973 and Javier (Jorge Clemente) is working in a Madrid circus alongside sadistic, drunken wife beater, and 'funny clown' Sergio (Antonio de la Torre) - clearly a symbol of fascist dictatorship. Javier subsequently falls desperately in love with Sergio's long suffering trapese artist wife Natalie (Sofia Bang) who reciprocates, but remains torn between his compassion, and Sergio's brutal security. The ensuing love triangle inevitably drags the trio into a tragic cycle of madness and violence...

Ambitious, inventive, visually striking, sometimes blackly comic, and wholly original; this is a typical Iglesia genre mish-mash, that sadly fails to charm as much as ealier efforts like 800 Bullets, and The Day of the Beast. The film is graced with three wonderful central preformaces, but the characters portrayed (including Javier) are written as unsympathetic lowlifes seemingly beyond redemption. This gives the film an unpalatably oppressive vibe that only gets bleaker as the proceedings build to the outlandishly tragic finale. Franco era allogry asside there's just too much that doesn't gel in The Last Circus resulting in an uneven film with some head scratchingly bizarre character decisions. It left me feeling a little low, but kept me thinking for a few days afterwards which I always think is a good thing.

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Jackson County Jail (Michael Miller, 1976) 3.5

Yvette Mimieux ably plays independant minded California advertising executive Dinah, who after dealing with a particularly mysoginistic bigot at work; returns home to find her serial adulterer husband up to his old tricks again. A couple of phone calls later and she's upping sticks back to her old job in New York by way of a lengthy drive accross country. Being the all round nice lady that she is, Dinah foolishly offers a ride to a young hitchiker couple who look like they just got back from a dinner party with Tobe Hooper's chainsaw rednecks. One car jacking and drunken rape attempt by a 'good samritan' bar tender later, and she's arrested for vagrancy and imprisoned by the local poh-leese. As if things couldn't get any worse, Dinah's night behind bars is rudely interrupted by a depraved night jailor who proceeds to rape her and is rightly blugeoned to death with a stool for his trouble. Observing all this in the adjacent cell is Coley, a recently captured outlaw (Tommy Lee Jones) who siezes his oppurtunity to escape taking Dinah with him...the rest of the film sees the couple briefly getting to know each other whilst on the lam as wanted cop killers...

Jackson County Jail is exploitation drive-in fare at it's best in that whilst predictable, it's excitingly paced and well acted; not just by Mimieux (best known for The Time Machine) and Jones (virtually unrecognisable here), but also a great supporting cast who deliver a well drawn series of often amusing southern caricatures. Essentially this plays as a subversive feminist road movie, and it's not hard to see parallels with Ridley Scott's later Thelma and Louise. The character of Dinah is consistently portrayed as a strong, intelligent and dignified woman despite her ordeal and unwilling transformation to outlaw, whereas all of the male characters (Jones' criminal asside) turn out to be at best negligent fools. Perhaps most interesting of all are the post escape coversations between Dinah and Coley, who far from being a one note hood; turns out to have his own philosophy on society's ills, and knows how to treat a woman with respect. Good stuff, but I was disappointed Mary Woronov had such a small part.

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Kill List (Ben Wheatley, 2011) 4.5

Volatile family man Jay (Neil Maskell) hasn't worked for eight months and his verbally abusive rows with frustrated wife Shel (MyAnna Buring) are already affecting their young son Sam. Enter witty old army buddy and 'work partner' Gal (Michael Smiley) who puts the offer of another 'job' on the proverbial table; not to mention his kooky new girlfriend Fiona (Emma Fryer) who bafflingly carves what appears to be an occult symbol on the back of Jay's bathroom mirror. Despite a bad experience on their last mysterious excursion to Kiev, Jay reluctantly accepts the job in order to placate Shel who clearly knows what they'll be getting up to. An edgy meeting with Stuart Rodger's sinister client follows, and the pair embark on a series of three contracted killings that get stranger, and more frightening with each victim...

I'm usually quite hard on modern British horror, and try not to be too swayed by critics, but I just had to see what all the fuss was about with Kill List. In short I wasn't disappointed, as this is not only my film of the year so far, but possibly the best British horror film since Nick Roeg's Don't Look Now...

Deliberately paced, and suprisingly low key, Wheatley wisely spends the first fifteen to twenty minutes of Kill List expertly introducing his characters with a masterful fly on the wall dinner party sequence that's almost as tense as the impending horror. The acting from Maskell, Smiling and Burning is so top drawer that by the time Jay and Gal begin the job you are completely grounded in the film's sense of reality and curious as to the nature of mysteries unfolding. The rest of the film is broken down into chapters as we get the first hit on the list 'The Priest' emblazoned in white text accross a black screen - the same follows for ensuing victims. Then there's the weird stuff, like why do all the victims thank Jay implicitly before he dispatches them? On checking the lock-up of their second target what is so awful about the pornography they find and briefly screen, that Jay is driven to tears, and prompted into undertaking additional 'off contract' and particulalry brutal killings? Is it child pornography, snuff, or something far far worse?

As the film progresses and the characters develop so the sense of dread increases allowing Wheatly to deliver the most nail-biting action set-piece I've seen since cameron's Aliens - an on foot pursuit through subterranean tunnels (pictured). The fact that by this stage you can almost sense the director is heading into Wicker Man territory (with shades of Alan Parker's Angel Heart) does little to diminish the impact, nor does the abundance of riviting unanswered questions Kill List leaves it's audience with. An instant cult classic.

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Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (William Crane, 1976) 2.5

This is probably the most fun I've had with a blaxploitation flick for a while even if it's not quite up to par with more well known genre cross overs like Blacula and it's sequel Scream Bacula Scream.

Bernie Casey does a workmanlike job as Dr. Pride a seemingly good egg who devasted at his mother's death to cirrhoses of the liver; develops a serum to reverse the affliction with one unfortunate side effect. Yup it turns him into a homicidal 'white dude' with a grudge against prostitutes, and who looks like an extra from Boris Sagal's The Omega Man - which coincidentally also starred Rosalind Cash who plays the doomed doctor's oblivious colleage here.

The usual funky mayhem insues with ex-footballer Casey repeatedly throwing the local pimps over bar tables and strangling streetwalkers whilst trying to persuade favourite patient Linda - also a hooker and played by Mary O'Henry - to act as human guinea pig for the serum. This is played disappointingly straight for the most part, but it's good fun if your feeling in the mood.

Pyro Tramp

09-07-11, 11:39 AM

Good to see you back UF, i've heard good things about Kill List and now definitely want to check it out; where did you catch it by the by?

Used Future

09-07-11, 11:41 AM

Thanks, I saw it at the Printworks Odeon in Manchester. :)

honeykid

09-07-11, 12:03 PM

Yes, I've heard good things about The Kill List, too. Wasn't too sure about it, but I'll with such a positive rating and review, I'll probably give it a go. :)

The Last Circus and Jackson County Jail are already on my "to see one day" list.

Pyro Tramp

09-07-11, 12:30 PM

Got an evening to kill tomorrow and just checked that Kill List playing down the road so quite looking forward to that now

Used Future

09-07-11, 12:38 PM

Enjoy. I'll be very surprised if you both don't dig it immensely. I can't wait to see it again.

Deadite

09-07-11, 05:09 PM

Wow, cool thread! Some really interesting titles now added to my watch list. Gonna go through this closer when I find time!

mark f

09-07-11, 05:21 PM

I did, in fact, watch Jackson County Jail for the first time in '76 at a drive-in on a double bill with The Great Texas Dynamite Chase.

Used Future

09-07-11, 05:47 PM

I did, in fact, watch Jackson County Jail for the first time in '76 at a drive-in on a double bill with The Great Texas Dynamite Chase.

I must admit to being slightly envious mark, as to the best of my knowledge the only UK drive-in was near Birmingham somewhere, and closed down years ago (UK mofos feel free to correct me on that if you know different). Ergo I've never been to one, which might partially explain my fascination with b-movies.
Do you remember the film at all?

Pyro Tramp

09-07-11, 06:20 PM

Not that it's the same but locally they've been doing some drive-ins recently; mainly classic fan favourites mind, not (what would be more fun) B-Movies.

mark f

09-07-11, 06:37 PM

I do remember Jackson County Jail quite well and it's grittiness did raise it above the average exploitation fare. But you know me: I'd give it 2.5, but your review makes me want to rewatch it now to see what I've obviously forgotten in some of the details and technique. It's got to be the director's best theatrical film, but he turned to TV and did Danielle Steel adaptations.

I'm not really sure how many times I've gone to the drive-in, but it's probably over 150. I saw plenty of low-budget flicks (Laserblast, The Day the World Ended, The Incredible Melting Man) there, but I also saw Jaws, The Exorcist, American Graffiti, Charley Varrick, The Sting, etc. The nice thing about the drive-in was that you can park up close and recreate the really big screen experience, and what they would do is often combine up movies. In other words, when a film was just released, it took the screen of a movie which was only two weeks old, but then they'd play the two of them together. Not only was that a good way to get your money's worth, but the admission price and snack bar were also much cheaper.

Pyro Tramp

09-09-11, 05:25 AM

Enjoy. I'll be very surprised if you both don't dig it immensely. I can't wait to see it again.

Thanks, I did. Was very impressed by the two leads and a surprisingly brisk script plus that tunnel sequence was gripping stuff! Shame the shock of the ending was somewhat diluted by having seen a very similar one in another recent film. This one was better though.

What did you think of the music in it? It almost seemed a bit overbearing at times and quite forcefully used to create the off-kilter atmosphere (but used a very similar piece in my A-Level film so might be personal reaction).

I wasn't sure what to make of the wife in the last scene at the house with the gun, I get the narrative purpose and was introduced in previous scene but seemed a bit off to me... though there's probably some deeper metaphor I missed.

Used Future

09-09-11, 05:36 AM

Shame the shock of the ending was somewhat diluted by having seen a very similar one in another recent film.

If you're talking about A Serbian Film then I know exactly what you mean, and didn't mention it in my review for fear of spoiling the movie

What did you think of the music in it? It almost seemed a bit overbearing at times

I thought it was fine, low key, minimal coffee table electronica/ambient fare. It complimented the film without exactly defining the experience.

I wasn't sure what to make of the wife in the last scene at the house with the gun, I get the narrative purpose and was introduced in previous scene but seemed a bit off to me... though there's probably some deeper metaphor I missed.

Yeah she did Swedish national service, but looked a bit too handy with that pistol. I liked that though, it gave it another layer, like she may have lying.

Really glad you liked it.

Used Future

11-14-11, 06:37 PM

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Zeder (Pupi Avati, 1983) 3.5
Thinking man's zombie film is really a low key horror mystery revolving around ancient burial grouds or 'K Zones' that have the power to bring the dead back to life. Unpublished writer Stefano (Gabiele Lavia) finds evidence of their existence left on a typewriter ribbon after receiving the contraption as a gift from his doting girlfriend. In true Giallo fashion he becomes obsessed with seeking out the truth which unearths a conspiracy leading to the church and beyond.

Avati's second horror feature is just as deliberately paced and gripping as his tension filled masterpeice The House With Laughing Windows. Once past the nerve jangling prologue, it settles into an intelligent exercise in slow burning suspense and restraint that has devided horror fans over the years. Back in the eighties the film was stupidly marketed as a gore filled zombie gut muncher, and retitled Revenge of the Dead for the US market which sadly drew in (and subsequently alienated) the wrong audience. In truth it's an atmospheric thought provoking, arty little gem that will reward patient viewers looking for a little orginality, and who don't always require a high body count. Naturally this will depend on whether the central premise and intrigue grabs you, but I was hooked from the get go. What a shame Avati wouldn't return to the horror genre until 2007's lacklustre The Hideout.

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The Dead (Howard J. Ford & Jonathan Ford) 3
Just when I thought zombie movies were pretty much done and dusted (well at least until Word War Z hits theatres). Along comes a wonderful little low budget rough diamond like The Dead.

Set in Sierra Leone this one plays out like a sun bleached road movie with Rob Freeman's forty something American army Lieutenant Murphy teaming up with African army Sergeant Dembele (Prince David Oseia) in order to survive both the desert, and the undead. Murphy just wants out of Africa (no pun intended) whilst Dembele is searching for his son. Together they make for an unlikely duo, and whilst the Ford brothers briefly dabble with the politics, they wisely keep the focus on action and suspense. With that said this still plays out like an intense mood piece, and the Ford brothers capture the beautiful desert backdrop perfectly. This reminded me a little of Boorman's Hell in the Pacific and Roeg's Walkabout meets an all out zombie flick. Naturally it's nowhere near as good as either due the acting falling below par on occasions (despite the sparse dialogue), and the budget restrictions showing through. Still the Ford Brothers are to be comended for trying something different with a played out genre and almost pulling it off.

Used Future

11-28-11, 09:36 AM

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The Blood on Satan's Claw (Piers Haggard, 1971) 3.5+
Probably Tigon's best feature along with the more well known Witchfinder General has a bunch of satanists running amok after Lucifer's remains are unearthed by a plough in 17th century England.

Nice period detail, haunting rural atmosphere, and a fantastic authoritive performance from Patrick Wymark as the no nonsense Witch-hunting judge, distinguish this from similar early 70's genre pieces. Also worthy of a mention is Linda Hayden, great as the possessed nymphomaniac leader to said occultists. This one delivers some genuine scares mixed with unsettling eroticism and the inevitable blood letting. The ending is a little abrupt, but not to the extent of comprimising the story, making The Blood On Satan's Claw something of a horror classic that will appeal to fans of The Wicker Man, and Witchfinder General.

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The Vanguard (Matthew Hope, 2008) 1
Awful nonsense has zombies (here called biosyns) on the loose in post apocalyptic England (reperesented by some woods and a farmers field) whilst mohican wearing kill squads from an unseen area called 'the red zone' are dispatched to exterminate them. Our hero is a mute character called Max who likes hacking biosyns up with axes when he's not medidating or riding a bicicle and wearing Elvis shades (yes a a bicicle). Under produced garbabge has some nice orange tinted photgraphy, but the muddled narrative rarely makes sense, the action is poorly executed, and the characterization non-existent save for Max who we get to know through dull monotone narration. There are attempts within the script to make a statement on the war in the middle east, but it's underdeveloped and makes little sense. Avoid at all costs.

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The Nanny (Seth Holt, 1965) 3
Lesser seen Hammer suspenser is something of a departure for the studio, with shades of The Bad Seed, The Innocents, and Whatever Happend to Baby Jane?. Bette Davis is wonderfully emotionless as said Nanny to young Joey (William Dix) who may or may not have murdered his younger sister some years earlier - and who has just been released from unsuccesful therapy sessions at a children's mental hospital.

Cue a war of attrition and mind games between the two, as suspicions swing back and forth; Joey's hysterical mother (a spot on Wendy Craig) is hospitalised, and his aunt poisoned. Minor outing is well played, but feels a little too theatrical, with a climax you can see coming a mile off. Still a pleasant little time filler worth checking out for Davis alone.

honeykid

11-28-11, 05:01 PM

+rep for the first and third films. I've not watched either for a long time, now, but The Blood on Satan's Claw creates a great atmosphere. Odd vibe, but it works.

Used Future

01-20-12, 05:27 PM

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The Candy Snatchers (Guerdon Trueblood, 1973) 4
On the surface there's nothing really special about Guerdon Trueblood's cult exploitation flick The Candy Snatchers. Three repellent losers kidnap a teenage heiress, Candy (Susan Sennett), in order to extort a ransom from her slimy businessman stepfather Avery (Ben Piazza). But what sounds like a straightforward kidnap plot turns out to be anything but, thanks mainly to Bryan Grindoff's wonderfully unpredictable script, which also features a fascinating array of characters.

Lean and focused, the film naturally begins with Candy's kidnapping as we're introduced to the three main protagonists; namely hard faced Jessie (drive-in favourite Tiffany Bolling), her psychopathic rapist brother Alan (menacingly played by Brad David), and the somewhat softer, but equally deviant Eddy (a workmanlike Vince Martorano). The trio proceed to drive Candy to a patch of wasteland where they bury her alive with an air supply in order to execute the rest of their plan, and retrieve her when needed. The only witness to said crime is a young autistic boy, Sean (played by the director's son) a mute who sets out to save Candy, despite suffering daily mental abuse at the hands of his pill-popping mother. Then there's the business of the diamond ransom, and Avery; a character who turns out to be every bit as reprehensible and calculating as the kidnappers....

What starts out as fairly mundane, quickly escalates into a tension filled grabber; the entire duration of which, Candy spends in various states of bondage as the trio decide on their next move. It's these changes of tactics that bring about the threat of torture and the onset of some unbearable suspense as we gradually get to know and understand the group dynamic and the delicate balance of power within. Offset this with Sean's frustrating attempts to communicate what he's seen, along with the labyrinthine revelations concerning Avery, and the film emerges as something really special. Not only that but Gindoff's script even manages to climax with a truly memorable downbeat ending, that's poignant, disturbing and depressingly believable. Highly recommended.

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The Devil's Rain (Robert Fuest, 1975) 2.5+
As good as they are; you have to wonder if the likes of Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist haven't got a lot to answer for, considering the glut of second rate Satanic horror flicks that followed throughout the seventies. This is one of them, but hey...you know me...I don't mind that much. I mean how's this for a premise? William Shatner as a good guy redneck battling a devil worshiping Ernest Borgnine who looks like a reject from Monkey Magic. Not only that but the Shat's (if you pardon the expression) mom is played by Ida Lupino, and John Travolta (for two minutes at least) pops up as one of Ernie's eyeless henchmen who all look like Michael Myers from Halloween. Throw in Tom Skerritt who comes looking for his brother after the Shat gets crucified (literally), and you have this desert set pot boiler which unfortunately isn't quite as fun as it sounds.

I bought this on the strength of it having one of the coolest trailers I've seen in a long time, and the promise of a memorable climactic melt sequence involving lots of runny porridge and candle wax. Whilst there are some high points (most of which involve Borgnine's high priest Corbis) the film sags badly in the middle - largely thanks to an inept period flashback sequence - as most of the action is confined to the first and final reels. The hackneyed plot involves local townspeople going missing, as Borgnine steals their souls which he keeps in a big jar, that if broken, will release The Devil's Rain. Once without a soul said townsfolk become his ghoulish eyeless followers as he attempts to unleash hell or something or other blah blah blah. What's most surprising is how straight faced the material is played, especially considering how goofy Borgnine's character looks when he goats out. On the plus side though, this does have some decent action sequences and the protracted finale in which everyone turns to puddles of goo is a hoot. You decide.

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The Frightened Woman aka Femina Riddens aka The Laughing Woman (Piero Schivazappa, 1969) 3.5
This oddity has been sitting on my shelf for a few months now as I often have to gear myself up for what could either be an hour and a half of Euro-trash boredom, or crazy hip freakout sixties fun. Luckily it turned out to be the latter as Schivazappa's undeniable cult item treads a playfully thin line between art house eroticism and brazen sexploitation.

The plot couldn't be simpler. Philippe Leroy plays a rich misogynistic sadist called Doctor Sayer who drugs an attractive young co-worker called Maria (the extremely sexy Dagmar Lassander) so he can have some fun with her in his bachelor pad over the weekend. Unfortunately for Maria the doc has this behavior down to a fine art, with his lair also doubling as a high tech S&M dungeon that looks more like something out of a sixties modernist's wet dream. What transpires is a series of mind games and physical humiliation as Sayer revels in dominating and controlling Maria before planning to murder her. As these events unfold however, it becomes unclear exactly who is manipulating who...

Fortunately the mind games between Sayer and Maria are as fascinating as the sets are striking, and prolific composer Stelvio Cipriani's score is luscious and evocative of the period. The film is somewhat predictable in it's twist, but the way in which Schivazappa, Paolo Levi, and Giuseppe Zaccariello's script arrives at it's stylish conclusion is hugely enjoyable and satisfying particularly for fans of sixties nostalgic weirdness. The subject matter may be a bit on the wild side, but the film has a subtle playful undertone which prevents it from becoming oppressive or bleak. This has as much in common with Elio Petri's brilliant The 10th Victim, than any horror movie. A pleasant surprise.

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Bonnie's Kids (Arthur Marks, 1973) 3
This is the third Arthur Marks movie I've seen along with blaxploitation entries Bucktown (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=716611), and the hugely enjoyable Detroit 9000 - (coincidentally he also worked on The Candy Snatchers - and I'm watching J.D.'s Revenge next). Bonnie's Kids sits somewhere inbetween the two in terms of overall enjoyment for me. It's pretty standard exploitation drive-in fare in many ways, but it's also undeniably influential in others...

The Bonnie of the title is a long deceased prostitute, and her 'kids', Ellie (Tiffany Bolling who's just as unsympathetic here as she was in The Candy Snatchers), and the Lolita-ish Myra (an impressive Robin Mattson) are living with their abusive step father. After a heavy night of drinking and gambling with his beer buddies, he catches them peeping at Myra undressing in her bedroom window. This being exploitation he decides to rape Myra to teach her a lesson, but is snuffed out by Ellie and her shotgun (Pictured). So far so predictable, as the sisters hide the body and go on the lam, finding solace with their unscrupulous gangster uncle who runs a fashion magazine as a front. Soon he's got Ellie collecting a suspicious package from a dunderheaded private dick who she falls in love with, and persuades to do a runner once they discover the parcel is full of of cash. Enter Alex Rocco and Timothy Brown as Eddy and Digger, a pair of laconic hitmen tasked with recovering the loot for you know who. Meanwhile Myra is busy seducing all and sundry in her uncle's household, including his golddigging lesbian wife, and lothario gardener...

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Clearly named to cash in on the popularity of Arther Penns's Bonnie and Clyde, this makes Steve Carver's lighter hearted Big Bad Mamma (released the following year) look like a Sunday school picnic by comparison. Pessimistic in the extreme and filled with amoral and unlikable characters (including the two 'heroines'); the films hard edged grim early seventies atmosphere is matched only by the matter-of-fact nature of it's violence, and uneven narrative aspects. Most interesting are Eddy and Digger, the two hitmen who bear a passing resemblance, and talk a similar (if less polished) everyday patter to Vincent and Jules from Pulp Fiction. Sadly they're somewhat underused as Marks concentrates on the sleaze with Mattson particularly effective as the acid tonged temptress that doesn't care about anyone, right down to her own sister and the inevitable unhappy ending. I liked it, but this one's for die hard genre fans only.

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Venus In Furs aka Paroxismus (Jess Franco, 1969) 2
Last and most certainly least is one of many Jess Franco exercises in mediocrity masquerading under the 'cult' banner. That said this is widely regarded as one of his best films even if the barely watchable Vampiros Lesbos is the one everyone remembers; if only for it's awesome title and superb psychedelic soundtrack from Manfred Hubler & Siegfried Schwab...

Anyway back to the point this concerns James Darren's Istanbul based jazz trumpeter Logan, who witnesses the rape and murder of a beautiful young woman at the hands of a trio of deviant swingers (played by Klaus Kinski, Dennis Price, and Margaret Lee) whilst at a party. Sometime later he discovers what may be the girl's body after digging up his trumpet on the beach???. What follows is a series of flashbacks/hallucinations involving him jetting off to Rio and falling in love with Wanda (the stunning Maria Rohm) who may or may not be the same girl he saw murdered in Istanbul, and who is also in the process of bumping off Kinski, Price and Lee who for some unexplained reason are also in Rio *sigh*

With rationale, conventional narrative structure and logic all out of the window we're merely left with Darren's phoned in dreary narration, Rohm's boobs, and the strains of Venus in furs will be smiling every time Wanda does-in one of the trio who wronged her. To be fair Rohm's boobs are rather nice, and Franco does grace the picture with a modicum of visual style that certainly lifts this well above some of the horror dreck he's made (I'm thinking utter crap like Oasis of the Zombies). The film is no doubt better viewed as a mood piece whilst 'under the influence', and to be fair it does make crazy sense up to a point. Then Jessie goes and ruins it all with a duff twist ending that's right up there with that essay you wrote at school when you were eight - you know...the one that ended with you waking up from a dream. At least Barbara McNair as Logan's poor two timed girlfriend Rita, rounds off the picture with a superb rendition of the title track. Who knows, maybe I'll grow to love this one.

Used Future

02-07-12, 06:22 PM

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The Fourth Man/ De Vierde Man (Paul Verhoeven,1983) 4+
Verhoeven's final Duth language film before 'graduating' to Hollywood (he made the somewhat mean spirited sword and sex flick Flesh & Blood next), is arguably one of his best, and certainly the most challenging in terms of explicit sexual and religiously provocative content.

Jeroen Krabbé stars as Gerard Reve, an acclaimed yet struggling bisexual alcoholic writer who is constantly plagued by visions concerning his own mortality. Whilst giving a talk at a literature club in Vlissingen he meets a seductive and wealthy hairdresser, Christine (Renée Soutendijk) and the two begin an affair. Reve however, is more interested in bedding Christine's handsome yet sexually naive young boyfriend Herman (Thom Hoffman) whom he previously glimpsed at an Amsterdam rail station. As the love triangle develops so Reve's visions become more frequent, and revelations concerning Christine's past invite a more sinister interpretation...

With an opening credits sequence depicting a black widow spider devouring her prey; The Fourth Man clearly sets out it's stall as a symbolic neo-noir horror-thriller from the outset. What follows is a captivating dream versus reality narrative, buoyed by Jan de Bont's flashy photography which is often evocative of Brian De Palma, and any number of stylish 70's Euro-thrillers. All three stars are fine, particularly Krabbé as the unkempt strung out writer, and Soutendijk as his irresistibly sexy hair stylist femme fatale. Perhaps most refreshing though is Verhoeven's honest portrayal of homosexual characters as real believable people, as opposed to overtly effeminate stereotypes. This combined with casual full frontal male and female nudity; blasphemous imagery such as a crucified gay lover in a church, and Reve and Herman's no holds barred clinch in a crypt; make it clear The Fourth Man could never have been made in Hollywood. Contrast it with Verhoeven's similar but vastly inferior Basic Instinct, and the gulf in quality is undeniable - regardless of how many times Catherine Tramell uncrosses her legs. Bottom line though...The Fourth Man is just a fantastic erotic thriller that perfectly balances surreal narrative aspects with more tangible earthly pleasures, that thankfully involve a fascinating mystery.

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Daughters Of Darkness (Harry Kümel, 1971) 4
I deliberately watched this as the second half of a double bill with the The Fourth Man considering some of the plot similarities, and the virtually identical location. Apparently Kümel's erotic vampire film wowed both art house and grindhouse audiences alike on it's initial theatrical run, and it's not hard to see why it's remained a cult favourite to this day.

Compared with Verhoeven's film the story is remarkably simplisitic on the surface. Stefan and Valerie (John Karlen and Danielle Ouimet) are a trendy young pair of honeymooners already running into marital strife, when they roll up at a deserted out of season resort hotel. Shortly afterwards company (and trouble) arrives in the form of Countess Elizabeth Bathory (a real historical figure - played definitively by Delphine Seyrig) and her gothy lesbian lover, Ilona (Andrea Rau). What follows is a protracted exercise in seduction as the Countess sets her sights on Valerie by all means necessary, including sadism and murder...

Contemporary setting aside, it would be easy to lump Daughters Of Darkness in with similar erotic vampire films of the early seventies, such as Hammer's Karnstein trilogy and Countess Dracula, plus any number of Jean Rollin flicks. Whilst I like some of those films (especially Roy Ward Baker's The Vampire Lovers, and John Hough's Twins Of Evil); Kümel's film is in a class of its own for me. This is almost entirely down to the inspired casting of Delphine Seyrig who delivers a mesmerizing, hypnotically seductive performance as the weary Countess. She plays the part with an almost immovable, seemingly benevolent smile on her face; the sinister nature of which is matched only by her high class glamorous allure. Slow paced and and largely uneventful, Kümel is content to wallow in the bleak atmosphere of a silent beach front hotel (the interiors of which were shot in Bruges) with only the crashing waves for company. Inside an elaborate web of desire which Valerie is defiantly powerless to resist, as Ilona begs Bathory to release her from slavery, and Stefan is an alpha male way out of his depth. Sumptuous photography dripping with high end gothic style, this is an ultra stylish psychological horror classic that clearly influenced the likes of Tony Scott's The Hunger and helped reinforce the enduring association between screen vampires and eroticism.

mark f

02-07-12, 08:01 PM

Great reviews although I don't think that much of Daughters of Darkness. It's easy on the eyes and has a certain atmosphere, but whenever I watch it, I keep expecting more of something which I don't get (which your review implies). On the other hand, I certainly get more than I bargained for in The Fourth Man, and I'm queuing it up now because I keep meaning to since most of my friends/family haven't seen it. It's pretty much a mind-blower.

honeykid

02-07-12, 09:32 PM

I've not seen The Fourth Man in years, but I remember really liking it. Not that unusual for me, seeing as I usually like Verhoeven's work.

Used Future

02-08-12, 10:04 AM

As always, thanks for reading my thread guys, really appreciate the comments.

I don't think that much of Daughters of Darkness. It's easy on the eyes and has a certain atmosphere, but whenever I watch it, I keep expecting more of something which I don't get (which your review implies)

I did spare you a thought whilst watching Daughters of Darkness, along the lines of I bet Mark doesn't like this movie. :D

It's a minimalistic experience and I do admit to finding the deliberate pacing frustrating...almost. It's just that I was too busy doing Jungle Book snake eyes at Delphine Seyrig to even consider averting my gaze to ponder the weather. I think a lot of what you get from the film depends on how much you dig her performance, and I'm just a real sucker for glamorous seduction. The supporting cast come off as rather wooden and stilted by comparison, but I'd like to think that was a deliberate ploy on Kumel's part to make her seem more than human. By the end of the film I was almost ready to be her slave which is testament to how well it worked for me. As you say there is a distinctive desolate, bleak atmosphere to the Daughters of Darkness which almost feels like it's taking place at the end of the world-beyond time. Style over substance perhaps, but films like that are like poetry, so I guess you take what you want from them.

The Fourth Man just blew me away, and I probably should have rated it higher in retrospect. I bought the Korean disc on that one because the UK and US editions appear to be OOP.

HK, thanks again for dropping in. I've just noticed you've got a favourites thread on the go and will give it a look later after work. :cool:

Used Future

02-26-12, 12:48 PM

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Targets (Peter Bogdanovich, 1968) 4+
Bogdanovich's deeply allegorical debut feature might just be one of the best under-mentioned horror thrillers of all time. Whilst the director is best known for period rites of passage classics like The Last Picture Show (the film he made next), and Paper Moon; I find it odd that Targets doesn't garner more of a mention from fans of cult horror cinema - especially considering the perfect casting of Boris Karloff in his final screen appearance...

Aging horror film star Baron Orlok (Karloff more-or-less playing himself) feels he's an anachronism in the face of modern society, and subsequently announces his retirement from the business. Orlok's dismayed director best friend Sammy Michaels (Bogdanovich) swears he has the perfect script for him, but the Baron insists his last public appearance will be made the following evening at a drive-in theatre. Meanwhile Bobby (Tim O'Kelly) is a detached, gun obsessed young man who embarks on a killing spree that sets him on an unintentional collision course with Orlok...

For a lean scripted low budget debut feature Targets has uncommon narrative depth. Perhaps most fascinating is Orlok's notion that his old school, melodramatic brand of gothic terror, no longer has relevance when considering the contemporary horrors of sixties America. This he demonstrates with a murder story splashed across the front page of a newspaper, and the notion that nobody finds him scary when people kill without reason. It also carries extra weight considering the country was already in the midst of the Vietnam war. Karloff's performance is a wonderfully nuanced mixture of weary knowing humor, and sombre yet fond reminiscence of glory days gone by. This is intercut with the actions of cold calculating Bobby (who may or may not be a Vietnam veteran - an eerily prophetic character considering the Zodiac Killer would rear his head later that year). A man who calmly kills most of his family before casually taking pot shots at motorists on a highway, in a chillingly realistic sequence (pictured). If Tim O'Kelly gives a relatively insular, monotone performance; then the contrast between his very real monster, and the humanist depiction of Orlok - the introspective fictional boogeyman - is a masterstroke.

The climactic final reel of Targets is perhaps the most symbolic and memorable of the film. With nowhere left to hide Bobby resorts to shooting at drive-in patrons from behind the screen itself. The image of his rifle barrel aiming through a tiny hole whilst Roger Corman's The Terror blazes across the screen is unforgettable. A literal metaphor of film effecting the audience, as Bogdanovich may well have been asking the age old question as to whether art imitates life, or visa versa. The knowledge that drive-in horror cinema of the seventies would take a more cynically bleak and violent outlook only makes the themes and imagery of Targets all the more poignant. The fact that Targets is incredibly suspenseful and moving, as well as being a dream swan song for Karloff; elevates it to greatness.

Used Future

02-26-12, 02:38 PM

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Pretty Poison (Noel Black, 1968) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/4box.gif
Adapted by Lorenzo Semple Jnr. from Steven Geller's novel She Let Him Continue (and not to be confused with the 1996 TV movie of the same title); Pretty Poison is another overlooked cult gem with hidden depths, and a deliciously mean streak of blackly comic psychological horror.

Arsonist Dennis Pitt (Anthony Perkins who made a career of playing nut jobs) is released on probation from a mental asylum, and takes up a job at a chemical plant. A fantasist and day dreamer; he's soon wooing sexy teenage beauty Sue Ann Stepanek (Tuesday Weld) by pretending to be a secret agent and filing her head with notions of covert CIA missions. She believes him and complies with his every whim, both carnal and probation skipping. But her apparent sexual awakening and craving for excitement soon lead to mayhem and murder, as the lines blur between manipulator and manipulated...

Pretty Poison is graced with an engagingly bright, witty script, and two fine performances from Perkins and Weld. Although typecast; Perkins imbues Pitt with a delightful boyish charm and whimsical naivety that's a joy to behold. Weld is equally brilliant (perhaps more so) as the decidedly deadly Sue Ann; a butter-wouldn't-melt minx who's happy to play along with Pitt until he's served his purpose. In support Beverly Garland also shines as Sue Ann's bitchy nemesis mother; the thorn in Pitt's side determined to split the pair up. This dynamic combined with snappy dialog, elevates what might seem like an unremarkable, dated, even predictable central premise; into something truly satisfying. The film manages to remain ambiguous regarding Sue Ann's true nature, whilst maintaining audience sympathy for Perkins' troubled character. Whats more there's a wry sense of irony concerning Pitt's evasive relationship with his compassionate probation officer (John Randolph) - the only one who gives two hoots about him. Perhaps best of all however is the film's ability to be both amusing and disturbing without meandering or becoming uneven. All in all a treat.

[EDIT] The previous post was split into two to allow Yoda to tag them at his discretion.

honeykid

02-26-12, 05:32 PM

Good reviews, as always, UF. I didn't know of Pretty Poison, but I'll keep an eye out. :up:

Deadite

02-27-12, 04:46 AM

Excellent review of Targets. Tragically underrated film.

Used Future

02-27-12, 09:55 AM

Thanks for reading again guys.:)

JayDee

02-27-12, 12:32 PM

Great review of Targets (though I skipped a few bits were I felt a potential spoiler coming). I liked the sound of it so recorded it a few weeks ago, and that review has just made me more interested in watching it.

Used Future

03-28-12, 05:42 PM

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Twisted Nerve (Roy Boulting, 1968) 4
One of the most controversial British films of the late sixties; Twisted Nerve was banished to virtual obscurity thanks to it's spurious scientific links between the siblings of Downs Syndrome children (a condition unfortunately referred to as Mongolism in the film) and psychosis. Despite a pre-credits apology/retraction no doubt originally inserted in a desperate attempt to placate angry critics and health professionals (and which amusingly still precedes the UK Optimum dvd release); nothing could undo the damage of such negative publicity and Boulting's thriller was undeservedly banished to the movie dungeon of shame. Hardly surprising considering co-writer Leo Marks had already fallen foul of the establishment eight years earlier after penning Michael Powell's Peeping Tom.

Twisted Nerve follows Martin Durnley (Hywel Bennett) a sharply intelligent, but disturbed young man; mollycoddled by his doting mother, and despised as lazy by his disciplinarian stepfather (Frank Finlay). Unbeknownst to his family Martin has a secret child like alter-ego called Georgie, whom he often uses to manipulate people and situations. When his stepfather evicts him, Martin once again becomes Georgie in order to befriend a kind hearted young girl, Susan (the lovely Hayley Mills); after she helps him avoid prosecution for shoplifting a small toy. Obsessed, he's soon concocted a scheme to move in with Susan and her sexually frustrated mother (Billie Whitelaw) who runs a boarding house. Clearly besotted with this attractive and compassionate new friend, Georgie proceeds to woo her, whilst plotting revenge against his stepfather...

Watching Twisted Nerve today and it's hard to see what all the fuss was about considering the initial disclaimer. The film itself is a rather effective Hitchcockian psycho-thriller come character study, with a thoroughly convincing central performance from Hywel Bennett. As Martin he's a chillingly unlikable, cold hearted, if sporadically amusing psychopath. But as Georgie you'd be forgiven for feeling a pang of sympathy for the seemingly vulnerable simpleton manchild he imbues. The support is fine from Hayley Mills as the naive young Susan, and quite brilliant from Billie Whitelaw as her widowed mother who just can't help bedding sleazy boarder Gerry (Barry Forster). Elsewhere the film builds to some wonderfully tense moments, not least of which Martin's initial act of murder, and the climactic revelations concerning Georgie's true motives. There's a wonderfully perverse sense of sexual tension on the part of Georgie towards Susan, and a satisfying feeling of unpredictability as to what he's capable of as Martin. Also worthy of note is Bernard Herrmann's now famous spookily whistled theme tune thanks to Quentin Tarantino re-using it for Kill Bill. It seems even Alfred Hitchcock himself liked the film, as he cast both Billie Whitelaw, and Barry Forster in his highly regarded 1972 thriller Frenzy. Overall this gets a big thumbs up from me. I'd even go as far as to say it's a new top one hundred favourite; if I ever bother to update my list that is.

honeykid

03-29-12, 08:45 AM

For some reason I get this confused with The Beast In The Cellar. No idea why. :shrug: I don't know if I've seen this or not. I suspect not, but all those late 60's/early 70's British horrors kind of dissolve into one, unless I've seen them in the last 10-15 years.

Used Future

03-29-12, 09:42 AM

I think you'd definitely remember this one if you'd seen it HK. It struck me as something you'd really like. I've been trawling through a lot of late 60's/early 70's psychological thrillers recently and this one impressed me more than anything else; hence the full review. I'll also try and get a review up soon of that 'other film' you mentioned recently ;)
Once again thanks for reading and commenting - always appreciated.

Used Future

04-22-12, 05:57 PM

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Tower Of Evil aka Horror On Snape Island aka Beyond The Fog (Jim O'Connolly, 1972) 3.5
This is another forgotten gem of early British exploitation-horror that exploded onto my radar like Zabriskie Point a couple of months back. Cue an instant high priority reservation on LoveFilm and the inevitable words 'long wait' next to the title. But like all good things Tower of Evil (or TOE as I'll lazily refer to it here) finally arrived...and considering my insatiable appetite for lurid ahead-of-it's-time trash...then a good thing it certainly was and is...

After a satisfyingly atmospheric opening credits sequence depicting said tower (a remote island lighthouse) enshrouded in fog; TOE kicks off with two crusty sailors setting foot on the island and discovering a bunch of dead hippies. These two make captain Ahab look about as intimidating as a bottle of Matey bubble bath, but even they're more than slightly perturbed at the discovery of a homicidal female survivor. Fast forward to London and the poor girl is subjected to psychedelic memory regression through hypnosis involving what looks like a mobile youth club disco. We learn from flashbacks that she was one of four randy hipsters (including a pre Confessions Robin Askwith) who went to party on the island and got moidered. In the meantime a bunch of adulterous archeologists have also headed to the island in search of Phoenician treasure they believe to be buried in caves there, after one such artifact was used in the original killings. Probably not the best idea considering that whoever or whatever took a disliking to the hippies...is still lurking there...
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With all of the island action shot on an endearingly creaky sound stage, and photographed by seasoned veteran Desmond Dickinson (The Importance Of Being Earnest, A Study In Terror); TOE carves out an eerie comic book atmosphere that perfectly complements the surprisingly high nudity and gore quotient. There's some nifty quick cut editing at work during many of the killings that heightens their visceral impact and keeps what almost comes off like an X-rated episode of Scooby Doo firmly within the realms of horror. The upscale cast (at least for a genre picture) are competent, especially the late Anna Palk, who really livens things up as a sassy man eating seductress. What's most evident whilst watching TOE however is just how progressive the sophisticated narrative structure and basic premise are. Indeed TOE plays more like an 80's slasher, with Saturday matinee undertones than the Gialli, Satanic and Psychological type horrors of the day. Undoubtedly influential considering Bernard Sherman's doom laden classic, Death Line (released the following year) features an identical killer (final twist aside). TOE may well have also influenced the likes of Joe D'Amato's infamous but dull nasty Antropophagus (1980), and even John Carpenter's The Fog (1980). Overall a nice mixture well worth checking out .

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The Revenant (D. Kerry Prior, 2009) 2.5
On the shelf since 2009 this was almost completely unknown until finally hitting the festival circuit last year to a largely positive response from fans. Not surprising considering Prior has an impressive sci-fi/horror resume having worked on special effects for films like A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Lost Boys, The Blob (1988), and The Abyss. Unfortunately the film shows signs of post production tampering and looks unfinished, as there are rumored to be two different cuts floating around. I have the UK release which could use some work so which cut I have is anybody's guess.

With a story that echos Bob Clark's criminally underrated 1974 effort Deathdream aka The Night Andy Came Home (which in turn is an adaptation of The Money's Paw), and Joe Dante's contribution to the Masters Of Horror television series; Homecoming. The Revenant picks up with US marine Bart (David Anders) foolishly stepping out of his unit's APC into fatal ambush whilst on tour in Iraq. Following his open coffin funeral service complete with devastated girlfriend going on the rebound with slobby best friend Joey (Chris Wylde who steals the film). Bart crawls out of the grave and heads home after a wince inducing stint in the morgue involving the removal of oral sutures. What follows is a hit and miss buddy zom-com/action horror in which Bart and Joey form an unlikely vigilante duo, wiping out the local drug dealers in order to source fresh blood to prevent Bart from decaying...

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The Revenant works better as tongue in cheek action horror as opposed to the broad comedy it often appears to be aiming for. Unfortunately Prior's script just isn't sharp enough to generate enough laughs and much of the comic timing feels way off the mark. In only one scene do the ingredients come together; that in which Bart improvises with a battery powered dildo in order to talk to a severed head. Unfortunately even this feels overly reminiscent of David Gale and Jeffrey Comb's exchanges in Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator, asThe Revenant is really just a series of derivative vignettes rather than a cohesive narrative. On the plus side the film is effortlessly hip; has plenty of action, and goes in some very interesting directions towards the final act, with Prior injecting lots of new ideas (perhaps too many) amongst the familiar tropes. Anders and Wylde are both immensely likable as the sympathetic lovelorn lead, and dead beat sidekick respectively. Whilst Jacy King provides some kooky support as a sexy meddling friend, and Louise Griffiths is suitably pretty yet vapid as Bart's love interest. It's just a shame the film is uneven on so many levels; not least the effects which are excellent in the makeup department, but clearly whipped up on the cheap where CGI is required (one embarrassingly inept montage sequence looks half finished). Overall though this is an interesting failure that I ended up embracing and will certainly revisit in spite of it's many flaws.

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Killer's Moon (Alan Birkenshaw, 1978) 3
Apparently Killer's Moon had only garnered a limited theatrical release until Mr. Birkenshaw came up with the bright idea of using his most novel cast member (a three legged dog) for a promotional photo-shoot in a fashionable London cocktail bar. The story subsequently made a couple of national newspapers prompting the exhibitors to grant a national release for the film, and cult status beckoned. I guess not many dog owners can lay claim to their plucky canine companion foiling a robbery and losing a leg, before starring in an exploitation flick and securing a killer distribution deal. Awww shucks. Stories like that just warm the cockles of my cynical old heart. I haven't felt so moved since The Littlest Hobo aired it's final episode...

Anyway how's this for an inspired contrivance? A bus load of teenage school girls break down in the Lake District forcing the party to take refuge in an out of season hotel. At the same time four mental patients escape from an asylum having undergone experimental therapy with hallucinogenic drugs, which has left them believing they're dreaming; with no moral responsibility other than to rape and murder without consequence. No prizes for guessing where these guys are headed...I mean you've got to admire the sheer bad taste audacity on Birkenshaw's part. Throw in a couple of young randy but morally responsible male campers eager to assist the young ladies and you've got exploitation dynamite on your hands...well almost.

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Clearly made on a pittance Killer's Moon also suffers from a painfully slow pace and the inevitable threadbare production values (all of the campsite scenes were shot on an unfathomably duff looking sound stage - which in this case does nothing for the film). Birkenshaw keeps things lively with some gratuitous nudity, an axe murder, the appearance of said three legged mutt supposedly maimed by the loonies, and the anticipation of forthcoming sleazy mayhem. The acting on offer is generally adequate, with perhaps Elizabeth Counsell and Hilda Braid coming off best as a couple of overbearing school teachers. Things begin to spice up when one of the escapees sneaks into a local woman's cottage and cuts off the tail of her cat whilst giggling like a simpleton. It would be repellent if it wasn't so fake looking and goofy which sums up much of Killer's Moon and left me loving an admittedly sub-par movie. Naturally the film climaxes with the nut jobs arriving at the hotel and having their way with all and sundry in a protracted sequence that veers delightfully between high farce and all out horror. Think Fawlty Towers meets A Clockwork Orange then dumb it down by seventy percent and you have the final act of Killer's Moon. A blood soaked depraved little film that miraculously manages to turn underwhelmed ambivalence into out and out admiration - cult enough? You betcha'.

honeykid

04-23-12, 05:22 PM

Thanks for the heads-up on Tower Of Evil. I've heard the title before, but never looked any further than that. Shame on me, as it sounds just like my kind of thing.

hink Fawlty Towers meets A Clockwork Orange then dumb it down by seventy percent and you have the final act of Killer's Moon.
I love this description. :up:

Used Future

04-24-12, 10:10 AM

I hope you check out TOE soon HK because I'd really love to know what you think. I'd say it's definitely your thing being a slasher fan. Have you watched Killer's Moon yet since mentioning it in the dvd thread? Slow start but well worth it in the end.

Let me know and as always thanks for taking the time. :)

dadgumblah

05-24-12, 02:45 AM

Thanks for leading me here, Used Future. I've kind of been jumping around throughout the thread (like I do with books sometimes...I'm so impatient that I want to peek ahead..I know, I need to grow up!) but I saw on the first page your review of Death Proof and I totally agree with you. Parts of the film that totally blew for me where things like:
The "friends" of the second group, who left their cheerleader friend (the wonderful and beautiful Mary Elizabeth Winstead) with a very creepy guy who was told she was a porn star, just so they could try out his car. Some friends.

The extremely annoying Kim (Tracie Thoms), who kept saying, "I'm gonna tap that a$$!" with a scowled face while ramming the car into Kurt Russell's. I hated her character and didn't much like the other two girls in the car with her.

The fact that Stuntman Mike had survived, who-knows-how-many stunt crashes, plus the car murders, only to survivor, which establishes that he is a survivor, only to end up like he does in the end. I'm still not sure what his true fate was, but I can guess. I love Kurt Russell and thought he was very good in the film, but I preferred him in the first half. Much more creepy.

Loved your review of Targets. Great film. Love Boris as Orlok, great swan song for the late, great actor, and his final scene with Tim O'Kelly is aces. I'll try not to comment too much on the films in here in general, as it is your review thread, but I was just jazzed to find someone who agrees with me on a lot of films. Keep 'em coming! :cool:

Used Future

06-20-12, 05:06 PM

Bumping

Used Future

06-20-12, 05:08 PM

Used Future

06-20-12, 05:08 PM

Used Future

06-20-12, 05:09 PM

page

Used Future

06-20-12, 05:09 PM

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The Pyx aka The Hooker Cult Murders (Harvey Hart, 1973) 3
Adapted from John Buell's 1959 novel of the same title; The Pyx is a largely forgotten horror thriller seemingly dashed on the rocks by that early seventies tidal wave of occult pot-boilers. Later the film fell victim to a series of poorly mastered pan and scan home video and dvd transfers, reducing cinematographer Rene Verzier's artful 2.35 : 1 composistions to impenetrable grainy murk. Subsequently the film has remained a cult curio despite high profile leading actors Karen Black and Christopher Plummer in tailor made roles. Of course this kind of scenario is veritable catnip to a cult movie nerd like me, and the news of a newly remastered anamorphic dvd from Scorpion Releasing had me scurrying for the 'buy with one click' button faster than you can say impetuousness.

The Pyx takes it's name from the small container used to keep the host at holy communion, which is found in the hand of a young woman after falling to her death from a Montreal apartment in suspicious circumstances. The woman turns out to be a heroin addicted prostitute by the name of Elizabeth Lucy (Black) and the rest of the film alternates between the inevitable police investigation headed by wholesome Detective Henderson (Plummer) and the final few days leading up to Elizabeth's death...

Following a disorientating opening crime scene sequence in which the dialogue effectively switches back and forth from un-subtitled French Canadian to English; The Pyx settles in to a lethargic low key pace, style and subject matter not a million miles away from Alan J. Pakula's Klute. We're introduced to Black's high class prostitute turning an adoring older trick in the same detached manner reminiscent of Fonda's watch glancing oscar win. This is as much character study of Elizabeth's empty, Catholic guilt ridden existence, her pushy Madam (a delightfully suspicious Yvette Brind'amour) and the vulnerable young gay man she takes under her wing; as it is intriguing occult mystery. Henderson's frustratingly slow progress gradually uncovers the inevitable shadowy satanists rooted in the echelons of power, but contrasted against their chilling emergence in Elizabeth's immediate past; it reaches an air of poignancy that almost transcends the predictability. Both leads are particularly fine especially Black who composed (along with Harry Freedman) and sings a number of bohemian tinged songs on the soundtrack which lend the film a moving air of hippyish melancholy. Unfortunately The Pyx is just too minimalist on too many levels, with an underwhelming ending that fails to justify a running time just shy of two hours. Despite this I find myself remaining tentative as to the true quality of the film which is sure to divide any audience that can be bothered. For the record I liked it, but that doesn't quite stretch to a recommendation.

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Gordon's War (Ossie Davis, 1973) 3+
I can't help but imagine a dull, union dispute themed episode of Thomas The Tank Engine when I see this title, but Kathy tells me that's too obscure and hence a rubbish joke (it's true though, so in it goes). Anyway this one was a flop with black audiences despite being helmed by Cotton Comes To Harlem (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=716612) veteran Ossie Davies, and the starring of Paul Winfield - still hot on the back of his best actor Oscar nomination for 1971 drama Sounder (only the third such nod for a black actor at the time). Gordon's War even received good notices, but it seems Winfield's distinctly unglamorous protagonist just wasn't cool enough to put bums on seats at the height of the blaxploitation cycle.

Yes this is a vigilante/revenge flick with Gordon back from the Nam to find his impoverished wife has died of a drug overdose, because the streets of Harlem are flooded with smack. We get a brief stint in the park with a dewy eyed Gord mourning the loss of er-in-doors to the strains of Barbara Mason in a sequence that screams poor man's Simon and Garfunkel slushiness. His tears mopped up, it's down to gritty business as our hero enlists the help of three ex army buddies (who include genre regular Tony King) all too eager to risk their well adjusted lives in a street battle for the sake of their buddy. A comic book guerilla war follows as the quartet engage in a series of bloody military manoeuvres against the local pimps and dealers, that sends ripples into Manhattan, and the criminal elite...

Gordon's War is a remarkably optimistic film in that the first thirty minutes almost come off like a public information film on how to rid your neighbourhood of drug dealers. Winfield narrates each move and tactic his small army undertakes with the kind of overly straight sincerity that propels Gordon's War into the realms of unintentional humour. Rather than sink the film this merely buoys a somewhat slow start with things really hotting up once the colourful array of villains retaliate. The action sequences here are above average for the genre with some imaginative choreography for 1973, and the film climaxes with a super cool virtuoso hit involving a garbage truck. I showed this to a friend who'd never seen a black action movie before and he loved it for all the right reasons. Gordon's War is yet another pleasant (if minor) distraction from an all too dismissed period in movie history that still has a lot to offer.

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Lady In A Cage (Walter Grauman, 1964) 4
This is the film Olivia De Havilland made before taking over from Joan Crawford in Robert Aldridge's Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte; a sort of follow up (not sequel) to his woman in peril gem Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? Though whilst those films cemented a more immediate classic horror reputation; the overlooked Lady In A Cage remains my favourite due in part to the savvy streak of social commentary that so effectively permeates the proceedings.

De Havilland plays housebound Cornelia Hilyard, a somewhat pompous and smug poetess recovering from a partially crippling accident. With her mollycoddled son away on business Cornelia becomes trapped in her private elevator during a power failure with only her panic button (connected to a bell on the outside of the house) for comfort. Unfortunately this attracts the attention of a passing wino George (Jeff Corey) who proceeds to rob her with the aide of over the hill prostitute Sade (superbly played by Ann Sothern). On fencing their spoils to a local gangster; the pair unwittingly arouse the suspicions of a trio of thugs headed by lantern jawed degenerate Randall (James Caan in his film debut). Soon Cornelia's house is overrun with Randall and his stooges intent on robbing and murdering not only Cornelia, but George and Sade...

Cornelia: I am a human being. A feeling, thinking, human being.
Randall: [mocking] Okay. I am all animal.

later in the film Randall speaks to his cronies pointing at Cornelia behind the bars of her elevator.

Randall: [mocking] Come and look at the human being.

What begins as a simple but effective lady in distress picture takes on extra gravitas with smart observations regarding the escalation of violence in society. Lady In A Cage counterbalances these themes with the suspense and frustration generated by Cornelia's predicament even if she isn't the most sympathetic of characters to begin with. The very fact that she starts out a self important snob only serves to accentuate her decline into primitive survival instinct and ultimate animal savagery. Perhaps most interesting is that Cornelia is fully aware this is happening, but powerless to stop it if she wants to survive in the new world around her. The fact that De Havilland manages to perfectly convey every nuanced aspect of Cornelia's transformation ensures Lady In A Cage never descends into camp hokum and maintains a sharp satirical bite throughout. With pitch perfect performances from the rest of an exemplary cast, and a shockingly gory ending that'd make Ray Milland's Doctor Xavier wince; Lady In A Cage is a near perfect thriller that deserves to be rediscovered.

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Lady Terminator (H. Tjut Djalil as Jalil Jackson, 1989) 1 Cult rating 5
At the time of release Lady Terminator was Indonesia's most expensive and highest grossing production, meaning everything prior must have been knocked up for two pence with a cardboard box and a ball of lint. If you've seen any of Djalil's earlier bonkers output (stuff like Mystics In Bali) or anything with Barry Prima in; then you'll know that in Indonesia they like their movies mystical and downright loopy. Lady Terminator was Indonesia's b-movie attempt at tapping into the international film market much in the same way the Italians had done ten years earlier. Yes, I'm barrel scraping here, but if you're going to plumb the depths of dreck, then you might as well plumb Asian style with a plate of Mie Goreng in one hand, and the promise of witnessing the greatest mullet in cinema history rattling around your soon to be dumbfounded brain...

Lady Terminator is of course a blatant rip off of Jimmy Cameron's The Terminator. No, I'm not a genius...just merely pointing out the obvious for the benefit of any recently thawed out woolly mammoths looking to get into grindhouse. The story is also loosely based on the real Indonesian legend of the evil South Sea Queen, who we see at the beginning of the movie sexing various men to death with her vagina dentata, before meeting her match in a particularly virile US Marine. No sooner has he done something unmentionable with a magic snake than she's put a curse on his great granddaughter who happens to be an Indonesian pop star in 1989. But never mind that! We're far more concerned with what's happening to the bikini clad anthropologist who goes scuba diving only to wind up in a foggy disco possessed by the south sea queen, and transformed into an indestructible horny killing machine. Yup she's the Lady of the title quite prepared to raise Jakarta to the ground if it means revenge on Indonesia's answer to Debbie Gibson...

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Much of Lady Terminator is so poorly executed (and by that I mean looking like it was shot on home video) that you may well find yourself hitting the fast forward button to get to the good bits. After a woefully inept opening twenty minutes the film thankfully establishes a brisk pace that shamelessly apes several sequences from Cameron's film (the disco shootout, police station massacre and eye removal scenes) whilst incorporating plenty of bare bossoms and goofy eastern mystical touches. The dialogue is dubbed so poorly you'd swear the voice 'artists' were in on some group prank. One classic example is a morgue exchange in which a police officer suggests Lady Terminator's vagina dentata handy work 'could be the work of a small animal'. Barbara Anne Constable (who also worked as a makeup artist on the film - no doubt meaning she applied her own lipstick) snarls, and grimaces up a storm in the lead, making for a memorably tacky b-movie anti-babe you'll be sorry to learn, never appeared in anything else.

Then there's Snake...

Snake is a supporting character (pictured above) who may be a police officer, soldier of fortune, or plain old simpleton Guns & Ammo poster boy. He's one part Pheonix Nights' Ray Von, one part Plug from the Bash Street Kids, who could flatten the likes of Chuck Norris with a quick swish of his sweaty ginger mullet. Snake yells things like 'Yeah! Eat it b*tch' whilst spraying machine gun fire at Lady Terminator from atop a speeding armored car. He's the epitome of bad eighties fashion and dialogue worth a thousand straight to video dodgy 'tache sporting unsung heroes. If a finale involving a burnt hag firing lasers from her eyes isn't enough to convince you Lady Terminator is essential trash viewing...oh, I don't know I've already spend too long on this crap. Next!

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The Divide (Xavier Gens, 2011) 2.5+
One look at my teenage hero Michael Biehn chomping a cigar in a picture on the back of the box was enough to prompt an instant rental of The Divide. I mean where's that guy been all these years? OK, so he was in that crappy cowboy show on TV, and Robert Rodriguez gave him a small part in Planet Terror, but come on! Kyle Reese? Corporal Hicks? Hell, he was even good as the nutty one in The Abyss. So I say again. What the hell happened?

Anyway this is billed as a dark twisted and deeply disturbing post apocalyptic horror film? OK whatever. I've seen Threads so bring it on, yeah. Hold on though. It says directed by Xavier Gens the guy who made French barf bag sicko Frontiers. *Gulp* I'm going to have to wrap this post up sharpish for fear of complete self indulgent overload.

The Divide is a relatively straight forward story concerning a diverse group of survivors who hole up in the basement of an apartment during an (unconvincingly rendered) nuclear strike. Less than happy with the arrangement is craggy caretaker Mickey (Biehn) who already has his own room down there, and looks upon the basement as his home. Elsewhere there's an unstable mother and her needy daughter (Rosanna Arquette and Abbey Thickston). The generic female heroine named Eva (Duh) played by Lauren German. plus a couple of borderline thugs, Josh and Bobby (Milo Ventimiglia and Michael Eklund) who start getting uppity at the mention of rationed baked beans. Guess what happens next. Correct! They don't get on and really nasty stuff happens.

I'm getting tired hence my overly cynical treatment of a film I admittedly enjoyed despite it's predictability. I don't know, maybe I'm easily pleased, but it sure was good to see Biehn flexing his acting chops in a survival themed Sci-Fi horror again. Whilst the writing doesn't really go anywhere new in terms of character development. The acting is as fine as could be expected considering most of the cast look like they're improvising half of the time. Elsewhere Gens handles the confines of the basement well, and even manages to concoct a decent invasion sequence involving an unfathomably sadistic red cross team - the full significance of which is never satisfyingly fleshed out. Instead he goes the gratuitous rape and torture route as the film degenerates into a radioactive spill of depravity. Certainly not as bad as some would have you believe, but not exactly When The Wind Blows either. This is best looked on as a disposable midnight movie rather than genuinely frightening horror. Undeniably grim stuff, but if you really want nightmares then give Threads another spin.

honeykid

06-23-12, 02:02 PM

With the exception of Lady In A Cage, I've not seen any of those films and, with the execption of Gordon's War, I'd not even heard of them, so thanks for that. :) I've fallen foul of thinking GW looked a little dull, but after that review I'll probably take a chance on it the next time the opportunity presents itself.

I might even try The Pyx, given the chance, though mentions of Klute aren't pushing me in its direction.

Nice to see Threads and When The Wind Blows getting plugs. I saw Threads again a few years ago and it still holds up as a powerful apocolyptic nightmare though, as someone who spent time in Sheffield in the 80's, I never thought it'd look that different. ;)

JayDee

06-23-12, 05:04 PM

With the exception of Lady In A Cage, I've not seen any of those films and, with the execption of Gordon's War, I'd not even heard of them

I might even try The Pyx, given the chance, though mentions of Klute aren't pushing me in its direction.

Still doing better than me! :D I've not seen or even heard of a single film in that last post. I do enjoy reading about them though.

I thought you liked Klute no?

Used Future

06-25-12, 10:11 AM

Gordan's War sold me with the 'back from Nam to kick some drug dealer ass' revenge premise, and shouldn't disappiont despite a sluggish opening. I also forgot to mention Grace Jones appears in a state of semi undress for her big screen debut (annoyed at myself for that). I found the lack of posturing from the hero refreshing, plus there's a decent soundtrack and plenty of grit to keep genre fans happy. You should dig it.

The Pyx is the hardest film I've ever rated because it's masterful in some areas (the escalation of dread, Black's sombre performance, and the fantastic soundtrack), but also way too low key with an almost redundant conclusion. I like Pakula's Klute which I'd also rate 3+ (after a recent re-watch), but if you found that one a little too slow then chances are you'll doze off during The Pyx.

Poor old Sheffield. At least we got Cabaret Voltaire before they dropped the big one, eh. ;)

Anyway, Thank you both for reading and commenting. :)

dadgumblah

08-10-12, 04:45 AM

I also forgot to mention Grace Jones appears in a state of semi undress for her big screen debut

Ooh, that makes me not want to see the film. I like her screen presence but seeing her in a state of undress is not high on my list of priorities. Sorry, Grace! Don't beat me up! ;)

Used Future, have you ever seen Vamp (1986), starring Grace Jones? I thought it was a good horror/comedy flick and of course Jones made a super vampire.

Used Future

08-10-12, 04:57 AM

Yes I've seen, and own the Anchor Bay release of Vamp. I like it a lot, and agree Grace makes a super vampire.

I do think Wenk and co. were heavily influenced (in a good way) by Scorsese's After Hours when they conceived the film. It takes on a similar - all be-it sleazier - offbeat tone once the boys become 'trapped' downtown.

dadgumblah

08-10-12, 05:51 AM

I hadn't thought of that. It does indeed invoke After Hours, which is a film I need to see again. :)

Used Future

08-14-12, 07:08 PM

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No Blade Of Grass (Cornel Wilde, 1970) 3
As a fan of seventies dystopian sci-fi cinema; No Blade Of Grass has understandably been on my to buy list since Warner Archives released the film last October. Unfortunately early reviews reported a fault with the discs (a reel mix up resulted in scenes out of order) and I decided to hang fire for a few months until I could be sure Warner had fixed the problem, and recalled faulty stock.

The film was adapted from a 1956 novel by British author Samuel Youd under his pseudonym John Christopher and originally titled The Death Of Grass, before being re-named for the US market. It's a story clearly influenced by John Wyndham's 1951 classic The Day Of The Triffids considering the plant related apocalypse and ensuing cross country struggle for survival. Curiously however Cornel Wilde's film adaptation is equally evocative of Ray Milland's post-nuke adventure Panic In The Year Zero (1962); a film unofficially based on Ward Moore's short stories Lot (1953), and Lot's Daughter (1954).

The plot concerns a deadly virus that kills all types of grain producing land grass, and which spreads from Asia, to Africa and Europe plunging the world into famine. As the crisis grips Britain; architect and ex-military man John Custance (Nigel Davenport) flees London along with his civil servant best friend John Hamill (Roger Burnham), and their families. Together the group attempt to travel north to Scotland where Custance's brother owns farmland in a secluded valley yet to be ravaged by the virus. Along the way they encounter hostile factions both military and civilian as the country descends into anarchy. Custance and Hamill quickly learn they must become ruthless killers if the group are to survive in this new world. A philosophy gladly enforced by Pirrie (Anthony May), a psycho who joins them after murdering a London gun shop owner for much needed supplies...

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Marijuana jokes and Wilde's more celebrated The Naked Prey aside; No Blade Of Grass is not a great film for many reasons. Here Wilde approaches the material with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball piloted by Rod Hull and Emu. We get heavy handed shots of factories spewing out pollution, and birds floundering in oil spills; as well as rough shod pacing that sometimes looks as though an editor passed out head first onto the proverbial fast forward button. There's some nice Lake District scenery, and Nigel Davenport delivers a passably stiff upper lipped keep calm and carry on performance as the eye patch sporting leader. But the rest of the 'good guys' veer wildly (no pun intended) between gung ho overbearing melodramatics, and all out hysteria. Fortunately Anthony May is right on the money as Pirrie - the trigger happy lunatic who proves just as useful in a fight as he is a perpetual threat to the group dynamic. Equally entertaining is the late Wendy Richard (Pauline Fowler to us Brits) as Pirrie's trash talking floozy wife. A common-as-muck-cockney-sparra' who'd be more than happy flashing her thrupenny bits whilst her neanderthal beau stamped your head into raspberry mush. It's here I must clarify that we never get to see Wendy's bosoms - though she states in her autobiography that Mr. Wilde did try and persuade her to wear a see through blouse for the role. Yes No Blade Of Grass screams exploitation as we're treated to comic book sleaze and violence from the outset. The film works on these b-movie terms, and is never less than entertaining considering the constant parade of murder, rape-revenge, marauding bikers and Peckinpah-esque shootouts. You could almost argue this is seminal when considering later hard edged post apocalyptic films of the seventies and beyond. Elements of George A. Romero's The Crazies (1973), Dawn Of The Dead (1978) and George Millar's Mad Max (1979) and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) in particular would seem to be at least in-part inspired by Wilde's near forgotten film. Not surprising No Blade Of Grass has ended up on grindhouse compilation trailer reels and if you like the look of what you see there; chances are you won't be disappointed.

mark f

08-14-12, 07:21 PM

That is the only Cornel Wilde-directed movie which I haven't seen. I won't pay $20 for the Warner Archives DVDs, and I haven't ever seen it on TV or for rent.

honeykid

08-14-12, 08:18 PM

This used to be available on youtube, but it doesn't seem to be there anymore. Probably due to this WA release. :(

Mark Rodriguez

04-10-13, 10:37 PM

Never would I have imagined there being a movie about killer sheep.....

honeykid

04-10-13, 11:39 PM

Yes, UF's threads are full of weirdness, which is why I love them. :D

Used Future

05-01-13, 12:12 PM

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The Outside Man aka Une Homme Est Mort (Jacques Deray, 1972) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3.5box.gif+
A French made neo-noir thriller shot on location in L.A. with a raw pulsating jazz-funk soundtrack courtesy of prolific composer Michael Legrand? this one has been practically burning a hole in my Amazon wishlist for the last six months after I naughtily downloaded a VHS rip of the film last year. Safe to say it now sits proudly (and overpricedly) in my dvd collection courtesy of the MGM limited Edition label, and thus vindicating my 'try before you buy' policy on what can often turn out to be retro tat. Not so with Deray's outing however; a distinctly offbeat genre affair for 1972 that makes excellent use of the iconic US location whilst offering a distinctly European flavour.

French hitman Lucien Bellow (Jean-Louis Tritignangt) arrives in Los Angeles and assassinates a mob boss, only to be double crossed and hunted by rival contract killer, Lenny (Roy Scheider). With his passport and documents stolen Lucien is left stranded in an alien city, eventually running into blonde bombshell Nancy (Anne Margaret); an old flame of his boss who agrees to help him get back to France. Ultimately however Lucien must decide between returning home to a city where he might just as easily be killed, or exposing the conspiracy and seeking vengeance...

Set apart only by it's fish-out-of-water protagonist The Outside Man begins as standard fare before sending Lucien on an odyssey of sorts, through not only the L.A. criminal underbelly, but everyday American life. Viewed through a foreigner's eyes it's as much a character study of the monosyllabic Frenchman as it is an outsider's view of US culture. Played with stoic, almost nonchalant cool by Tritignant it's an often funny ride courtesy of a series of character interactions ranging from the seemingly mundane to the downright screwball. Perhaps most amusing is Georgia Engel's housewife Mrs. Barnes, who far from acting hysterical when Lucien kidnaps and holds her hostage at home (they end up watching an episode of Star Trek with her young son); is more put out because he didn't eat the fancy French food she went to a lot of trouble cooking. Nor is she upset at Lucien chastising her boy when he refuses to go to bed. It probably did him some good she intones when later interviewed by the press. In another scene Lucien gives a lift to a drifter in the hope of obtaining directions around town only for the fanatical young man to grill him about Jesus. Jesus and I are just fine replies the Frenchman with dismissive abandon.

It's perhaps these shining vignettes (of which there are many) that partially lay waste to the predictable pulp mediocrity that is the basic plot. The film meanders slightly at times as Deray and company seem unsure if they want to deliver a taut thriller, or sprawling culture clash satire. Elsewhere Roy Scheider's hitman is portrayed as a one note trigger happy dimwit who couldn't hit a bulls behind with a you-know-what. It feels like a missed opportunity considering Mr. Scheider's later career, but may also serve as a reflection of how the French viewed American tough guys at the time. Equally underused is Angie Dickinson as a devious gangster's moll (a woman who I'm sure any red blooded male would be happy to see more of), and genre regular Alex Rocco as a mob henchman with barely half a dozen lines. Anne Margaret as the washed up, but decidedly gutsy topless waitress accomplice is fine, displaying the kind of bust support that could practically carry the whole movie. Add to that a bizarre climactic shootout in a funeral home that takes place around a dead gang boss embalmed in a sitting position, and you have a flawed gem that's never less than entertaining. It's Tritignant's movie and practically every scene with him in is fascinating. I mean who needs perfection anyway right?

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Wake In Fright aka Outback (Ted Kotcheff, 1971) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4.5box.gif
Of all the films mentioned in Mark Hartley's fun documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story Of Ozploitation!, Canadian director Ted Kotcheff's Wake In Fright jumped out as an immediate must see. Recently rediscovered and restored from the Australian archive materials it felt like one of those films lurking at the back of my mind that I'd vaguely heard of and might even have viewed in a previous life. Part Nic Roeg's Walkabout, part Peter Weir's The Cars That Ate Paris, but of course neither, and something I'd definitely never seen before. A film nimbly walking a tightrope between high art and lurid exploitation, and hence a red rag to my bull...which is spoken often and with much conviction I might add...

John Grant (played by Gary Bond) is a mild mannered English teacher trapped by financial bureaucracy at his posting deep in the Australian Outback. An annual holiday trip to see his girlfriend in Sydney forces him to stop off for one night in the equally remote mining town of Bundanyabba (or the Yabba' as the locals call it). Here he's quickly inducted into a downward spiral of excessive beer drinking and gambling by the unfathomably generous local men. Initially prosperous John sees a chance to escape his monetary shackles inevitably gambling away all of his savings leaving him penniless, and in the hands of what he refers to as the local aggressive hospitality. In the days that follow he is reduced to a primitive alcoholic savage, trapped by circumstance in a strange town from where the only escape might be death itself...

Wake In Fright often feels like a reversal of Roeg's Walkabout in that both films are about freedom, escape and awakening (the girl's father from a life of urban stress, and her to early womanhood, Bond's character seeking a life of urban civilisation but instead finding cathartic madness in a four day bender). But whereas Roeg looks to celebrate the beauty of the outback, and the freedom of nature. It is merely the backdrop to John's internal struggle in Kotcheff's film (infamous Kangaroo hunt aside). Both narratives may come to the same ultimate conclusion about the lack of freedom and what it ultimately does to the human psyche, but the emotional journeys within each story are very different.

In perhaps the first true Australian western (something I think Kotcheff partially set out to achieve) Bond's educated man is initially embraced by local law official Jock (charismatically played by Chips Rafferty) despite his thinly veiled snobbish arrogance. It's a relationship you expect to turn sour, but in finding every local inhabitant so enthusiastically friendly despite Bond's reluctance to fit in, that ultimately leads to his downfall, and the horror at work. This is a place where men are more offended if you refuse their advances of a beer than if you were to kill your own wife (something Bond rants about later in the film). The homoerotic undertones are unmistakable with male bonding consisting of wrestling on the floor as man cries out for human touch in the most primal way, and Bundanyabba becomes a metaphorical prison. Elsewhere Donald Pleasance's debauched lush, and Sylvia Kay's deceptively strong nymphomaniac add to the superbly acted veneer of people seeking escapism from day to day slavery.

It's not hard to see why this caused a furor of controversy in Australia at the time. Kotcheff remarks in a Toronto film festival Q & A that people were seen to stand up and shout at the screen This Isn't Us! Only to be told by others in the audience Shut Up and sit down! It is us! I guess whilst it's easy to recognise the social commentary at work, it's not quite so easy to define the level of exageration unless you were an Australian living in the outback of the early seventies. I simply found this a beautifully raw, honest piece of film making that hit me in the gut and massaged my thinking cap. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Used Future

05-14-13, 11:00 AM

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Report To The Commissioner (Milton Katselas, 1975) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3.5box.gif
I'm always looking for gritty urban crime movies from the heyday of the American new wave, and this was another 'skip to the head of the queue' shoe-in considering the source material. Adapted from the novel by James Mills (who also wrote The Panic In Needle Park); it's a no-holds-barred look at seventies police procedure, corruption and politics that reiterated for New York what Joseph Wambaugh and Richard Fleischer's The New Centurions had done for LA, via a firm nod in the direction of Peter Maas, and Sidney Lumet's 1973 classic Serpico; not to mention his later Prince Of The City, and a whole host of similar New York gems such as The French Connection, The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three, and Across 110th Street. The casting of Michael Moriarty, and Yaphet Kotto (the latter of whom being one of my favourite actors) was another prime motivator for seeking out this forgotten film...

By today's post Training Day standards the plot might appear unremarkable. Bo Lockley (Moriarty) is the meek, pacifistic young son of a highly decorated police officer; recently promoted to detective as a part of a departmental drive to connect with youth offenders, and hence totally unsuitable for the job. Richard 'Crunch' Blackstone (Kotto made up to look retirement age) is the hard boiled African American bigot forced to teach him the ropes on the street, where he regularly roughs up his own people. Meanwhile Patty 'Chicklet' Butler (Susan Blakely) is an undercover in the process of seducing local black drug dealer Thomas 'The Stick' Henderson (Tony King) so she can be his live in woman and pass on information to the department. Lockley is ordered by his captain to track down Chicklet in order to reinforce her runaway junkie cover story, without the knowledge of her undercover police status. On finding her cavorting semi-naked with The Stick, he panics and a shootout ensues in which Chicklet is killed. Having understandably not gotten authorisation for such a controversial undercover posting, Lockley's Captain and Lieutenant make him a patsy for Chicklet's murder in order to save their own careers. That is until the Commissioner demands a full report...not a cover up...

Sometimes criticised for a lack of credibility concerning Blakely's role, i.e. the misconception of a white female officer receiving the go-ahead in 1975 to sleep with a black criminal in order to obtain information; not to mention the subsequent validity in court of that information. Report To The Commissioner also suffers from Michael Moriarty's uneven lead performance. In initially playing the character as a whiney unstable hippy, he belies any notion that Lockley could have made the role of detective; regardless of who his father was. As the film progresses however, Moriarty slides into an edginess that serves the burgeoning nightmare perfectly. Here he portrays Lockley with the kind of unhinged intensity Bruce Dern would have been perfect for if the film had been made ten years earlier. This offset against a typically excellent Kotto as the tough aging cop with his own sad-but-true reasons for inverted racism in the face of a white man's police department, gives the film just one side of it's layered and volatile moral center. This is a New York that never looked grimier, and a film without definable heroes. Effectively edited in a flash back style that begins with Lockley's post shootout interrogation, before taking us through prior events, and culminating in a sweaty elevator standoff between Lockley and The Stick (pictured); whilst half the New York police department wait to gun down whoever emerges first. All this accompanied by sporadic narration that amusingly sounds like it was ripped from an episode of Dragnet, but works well considering the police procedural ambiance.

Elsewhere vivid, if exemplary support is provided by the likes of Bob Balaban as a double amputee beggar guaranteed to pull your heart strings, and Richard Gere (in his first cinematic role) as a sleazy pimp who doesn't buy Lockley's tough guy act. Blaxploitation star Tony King is intense and intimidating bringing a level of suspense to the film's climax worthy of any classic crime thriller. Whilst Susan Blakely is right on the money as his liberated honey trap. Even William Devane pops up late on in a small role, and Charles Durning briefly appears unbilled. So yes, it's flawed - too much for many - but I wouldn't have it any other way because this is my kind of movie. A world where reprehensible traits such as casual racism, and overt misogyny are the rule of thumb, rather than swept under the carpet and hidden away by media spin. Naturally I don't agree with such values, but their honest portrayal can make for refreshing, challenging viewing in the face of a modern society obsessed with political correctness. I guess that Report To The Commissioner still feels more real to me than the majority of modern movies I sit through. I can't say I would recommend it above any of the films mentioned in the first paragraph of this review (nor a few other seventies gems), but it's up there and still relevant all things considered.

honeykid

05-15-13, 12:08 PM

Thanks for the review, UF. I seem to've somehow missed this. Sounds just like my thing. :cool:

jiraffejustin

05-27-13, 05:31 PM

Reading through this and your 80s Trash thread. It looks like my watchlist just got even longer. Keep up the good work, this is one of the more interesting review threads we have in the forum.

Used Future

05-30-13, 02:16 PM

Thanks for the comments guys. Jiraffejustin I hope you find something you like in here :) ...

Used Future

05-30-13, 02:17 PM

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Perdita Durango aka Dance With The Devil (Álex de la Iglesia, 1997) 2.5
When I see the name Álex de la Iglesia on a movie I know I'm in for something a little different; flamboyantly offbeat, insanely violent, darkly comic and colourfully absurd. Part new-wave Spaghetti Western (see his delightful homage 800 Balas, and the final reel of satirical sci-fi comedy Accion Mutante) part playful - yet no less allegorical - horror (his masterpiece El día de la Bestia, and under appreciated dark fantasy Balada Treste De Trompeta). Yet I was torn over seeking out Perdita Durango; a film based on the third novel in Barry Gifford's Sailor and Lula series. The first of which, Wild At Heart was famously filmed by cult director David Lynch back in 1990. There Perdita Durango is a peripheral character played by Isabella Rossellini, and despite a fervent following; the film (like much of Lynch's oeuvre) just isn't to my taste. Hence the dilemma...would Iglesia's effort be more of the same?

Your quintessential femme fatale times a thousand; Perdita Durango (an alluring Rosie Perez) hooks up with anarchic uber-bad-dude Romeo Delarosa (Javier Bardem looking like a death metal reject) in a Mexican border town before embarking on the kind of debuached crime spree that would have Mickey and Mallory running for the nearest self-help group. When he's not robbing banks Romeo practices a form of Santería/Voodoo that involves hacking up human sacrifices and spitting their blood over his entranced audience. After kidnapping a young Aryan 'gringo' couple for his next gig, the star crossed sadists hijack a truck load of human fetuses for delivery to a Las Vegas crime boss. Hot in pursuit is bungling FBI agent Willie 'Woody' Dumas (James Gandolfini) who'll stop at nothing to see this modern day Bonnie & Clyde from hell meet their maker by any means necessary...

Perdita Durango is about as subtle as a motorway pile up and just as messy. Intermittently cluttered with scene after scene of visualised background exposition, the first twenty or so minutes is as consistently jarring as it is deceptively thin. It's an acid trip killer-couples neo-noir road movie with shades of Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre, and the expected (dreaded in my case) dollop of Lynch homage. Central to the usual trappings is a thankfully fascinating relationship between Perdita and Romeo, which attempts to explore the notion of sadistic murderers experiencing feelings of love (though it's hardly original). Amid the chaotic delirium Perez and Bardem are able to perfectly convey this chemistry even if Iglesia's choice of imagery is often confusing and borderline gratuitous. Perhaps most infamous is a duel rape scene in which Perez's character molests their male hostage (Duane played by Harley Cross) before forcing him to watch Romeo do the same to his girlfriend (Estelle played by Heather Graham's sister Aimee). It often feels as though Duane and Estelle are the pure antithesis of Perdita and Romeo, which may explain the protagonists malice and envy. As the film progresses and the inevitable Stockholm syndrome develops between the quartet; it becomes clear Perdita sees something in this seemingly weak couple that she aspires to and ultimately learns from.

Elsewhere the film delivers the usual post Tarantino shoot-out histrionics, and fever dream occult rituals punctuated by Iglesia's eye for off-the-wall detail. A running joke involving James Gandofini's character getting run over is very funny, as is the somewhat self indulgent 'vying for cult status' casting of Alex Cox as his eager to please subordinate (though it's no secret Cox is a huge fan of films from this part of the world having made Highway Patrolman and written Spaghetti Western retrospective 10,000 Ways To Die). Even with it's envelope pushing knowing sense of rebellion however, Perdita Durango just can't quite escape being a muddled hotchpotch despite fine performances from Perez and Bardem. Which leads me on to another minor criticism. For a film called Perdita Durango, and as convincingly smouldering as Perez is; Bardem somehow manages to overshadow her with a monstrously charismatic performance of epic preportion. He plays Romeo with such maniacal giggling enthusiasm that I couldn't wait to see what he'd get up to next, which may be my only reason to recommend this film to anyone beyond Lynch and Iglesia fans.

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Diva (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1981) 3.5
One of the first films in what has been described as the Cinéma du look movement; A style of French film making which originated in the early 80's, and is preoccupied with visual aesthetics, disaffected youth protagonists, and subterranean, often derelict Parisian backdrops. Beineix's Diva might seem like a cup of cold sick to my usual grit seeking sensibilities, but then I'm certainly appreciative of his later Betty Blue, and fellow movement trailblazer Luc Besson's films such as Subway, The Big Blue, and Nikita. Heck! Even fond memories of those fire breathing street performers in Leos Carax's Les Amants Du Pont-Neuf are still vividly lodged in there, so why not a film about opera?

Jules (Frédéric Andréi) is a quiet young motorcycle postman who spends all his money on fancy stereo equipment to indulge his love of music. Obsessed with critically acclaimed Opera singer Cynthia Hawkins who refuses to have her music recorded (real life soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez); he subsequently bootlegs one of her live performances before later stealing a gown from her dressing room. Unbeknownst to Jules his clandestine recording has been observed by a couple of Taiwanese gangsters determined to acquire the priceless tape. Shortly afterwards a prostitute fleeing from hitmen drops a second incriminating tape into the oblivious Jules' mail bag which subsequently makes him the target of a corrupt police official. Despite these events an unlikely relationship develops between Jules and Cynthia, who is somehow flattered by his stalker like attention, and drawn to his passion for her art; unaware of his betrayal. As events begin to catch up with Jules it seems only new found poet friend Gorodish (Richard Bohringer), and his iconoclastic muse Alba (Thuy An Luu) can save his life, and prevent the fantasy from shattering around him...

Pure romantic fantasy is the only way I can describe and fully appreciate Diva. Jules' budding relationship with Cynthia who sees past his 'endearing' flaws always feels like a product of his imagination, rather than a credible reality. Yet despite this it is the most compelling aspect of the film, endearing beautiful and devastatingly suspenseful when considering the magnitude of his actions and their potential to destroy her trust in him. This is the only thing driving the somewhat meandering secondary 'thriller' plot with Beineix happy to focus on elaborate spectacle rather than taut narrative. The inclusion of the second tape often feels like an unnecessary afterthought as the story already has a moral compass in Jules' bootleg and his cat and mouse with the Taiwanese. Yet oddly this more compelling thread only really develops in the final third of the film which is at least twenty minutes too long.

Diva initially tantalises then oddly veers off course as Jules befriends riddle talking Alba, and in turn her arty lover come guardian Gorodish. Here the proceedings take on a self conscious posturing air with bizarre beatnik dialogue, and preoccupation with ensuring every shot looks like a post punk album cover. The vivid colour palette is pretty and humorous offbeat touches distracting (I'm thinking Dominique Pinon's weird looking hitman), but it's all a bit unsatisfying in the face of what came before. Then things begin to fall into place beginning with a hypnotic motorcycle chase through the Paris metro accompanied by an ethereal jangling score, as Beineix threatens to turn Diva into action thriller whilst reminding us this is still a dream.

Despite the somewhat saggy midsection, Diva thankfully concludes with a delightfully noble musing on the cathartic and therapeutic value of art appreciation. The worth in capturing something beautiful and what often motivates a truly great artist to turn away from their work in the physical presence of others. It feels like sharing one's soul rather than having it stolen, and justification for trusting a stranger with an odd sense of chivalry. In all a welcome return of focus and deeply satisfying reward after some labyrinthine showboating down foggy paths.

mark f

05-30-13, 02:38 PM

It's been ages since I've seen Diva, Betty Blue and The Moon in the Gutter. I guess I should try to rectify that. I still haven't watched a de la Iglesia picture, but The Oxford Murders has been on cable lately.

Used Future

05-30-13, 03:10 PM

I've not seen The Moon In the Gutter but the synopsis does look interesting so who knows. Diva was just a nice change of pace for me after so many hard boiled crime movies. It was nice to escape into something beautiful for a change.

I've not seen The Oxford Murders yet, but still recommend starting with The Day of the Beast as far as Iglesia is concerned. It's just the best example of what I love about his films. Perhaps your brother has a copy you can watch together? :)

Used Future

06-18-13, 02:10 PM

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Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn, 1973) 3.5
Commissioned to make a low budget blaxploitation vampire film to cash in on the success of Blacula (a hugely enjoyable genre piece that would usher in a sequel, as well as the likes of Abby, Backenstein, Dr. Black & Mr. Hyde, and Sugar Hill); writer/director Bill Gunn instead took the Melvin Van Peebles route and delivered a challenging high brow musing on black plight, religion, and eroticism that wowed art house crowds at Cannes, but left empty seats everywhere else. Subsequently the film was re-marketed (as Blood Couple, Black Devil, and Double Possession to name but a few alternative titles) and heavily re-cut by distributors desperate to recoup their losses. Unsurprisingly it didn't work and Gunn's now truncated film fell into cult movie obscurity until a recent dvd restoration...

Whilst studying the ancient African civilisation of Myrthia; Wealthy archeologist Dr. Hess Green (Duane Jones best known for Romero's Night of the Living Dead) has dinner at his country home with an intelligent new work colleague, George Meda (Gunn pictured top right), whose behavior becomes increasingly erratic as the night progresses. After coaxing his heavily intoxicated guest from a tree amidst neurotic ramblings; the evening descends into violence as Meda fatally stabs Hess with an ancient Myrthian sacrificial knife, before taking his own life. Awakening the next day the now immortal Hess finds he has an insatiable craving for human blood and soon proceeds in scouring the nearest urban ghettos for food. Soon after Meda's beautiful free spirited wife, Ganja (the prolific Marlene Clarke) arrives from Amsterdam looking for her husband, whom she comments often goes missing. After some persuasion Hess agrees to let Ganja stay until her husband's return, and the two quickly fall in love despite their very different attitudes towards life. Though as Ganja learns the truth about her husband's disappearance and Hess' tragic predicament; their love and beliefs are put to the ultimate test...

In the opening narration of the film we are told by his chauffeur that Hess was not a criminal but a victim, and his addiction was to blood. It is here we get the first strong inkling of Gunn's intention. Is Hess an allegory for the inner city black male and his often negative depiction as junkie, hoodlum, drug dealer, pimp? These poetic double meanings within Ganja & Hess are frequent and often deftly handled. An early shot of George's legs dangling from a tree next to a noose could be equated with Klu Klux Clan lynchings, but whilst Gunn toys with this kind of provocative imagery; the film is never really about racial conflict and rising up against 'the man' (unlike the comparable Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song). He seems more concerned with themes of religion, black heritage, and human morality than anything else. Images and sounds of rustic gospel church gatherings are prevalent, and African tribal chanting accompanies all of the ritualistic 'feeding' sequences to mesmeric effect.

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As the title indicates however, it is Hess' relationship with Ganja and their seeming incompatibility that provides the real meat of Gunn's film. Whilst Dr. Hess is a somewhat reserved, balanced, and scrupulously pure individual. Ganja is introduced as impure, arrogant and shallow as she initially mistakes Hess for a manservant and dismisses him, before rambling about the merits of marijuana smuggling over dinner. Later, on establishing his submissive position within the household; she proceeds to verbally browbeat Hess' butler Archie (Leonard Jackson) in a sickening display of power. Indeed Ganja is clearly as enamoured with her new social standing as she is with Hess himself. Is Gunn commenting on wanton materialism in the face of perceived class status and the often resulting black on black violence? Perhaps, perhaps not. Ganja & Hess' love scenes are handled with an earnest sensitivity rivaling Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie's memorable clinch in Nic Roeg's Don't Look Now,suggesting they are genuinely, and mutually in love. Yet in another scene Ganja is clearly distressed at having to leave behind a male feeding victim whom she has been intimate with (a scene that takes on greater meaning later in the film). Ultimately Gunn propels Ganja & Hess towards themes of religious redemption and sacrifice only one of them can acquire, and is prepared to make. It's an inevitable conclusion that leaves many unanswered questions, but which makes perfect sense in context.

It's sad but understandable Ganja & Hess flopped with mainstream audiences. As well as Melvin Van Peeble's genre defining Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (mood and style), Abel Ferrara's symbolic vampire film The Addiction is the only other movie I can compare this to in that it touches on similar themes with vampirism as a backdrop. Yet neither are very accessible in a mainstream sense. Ganja & Hess eschews conventional genre trappings and style in favour of somewhat aloof symbolic imagery, improvisational yet no less theatrical dialogue, deliberate fever dream pacing, and introspective narration. It is, in short, slow pretentious and self indulgent, but crucially not at the expense of coherency. Clearly the focus is overt heartfelt social commentary in the guise of horror rather than a simple exploiter with allegorical undertones, and whilst Gunn consummately fails in delivering a satisfying scare movie; he often hits the bullseye in the visceral mood piece department. It's very much of it's time, yet often feels prophetic in terms of the human race. Despite my usual rejection of the more surreal end of the movie spectrum, this is a hypnotic film I want to return to and fully understand, which must surely mark it as a partial success in my book.

honeykid

06-18-13, 03:14 PM

I've only become aware of this film over the last couple of years, so I was pleased to see this was your latest review. I'm yet to read anything which has swung me one way or the other about whether to try and see this or not and, sadly, I'm still none the wiser. That's not a comment on your review, UF, which I enjoyed, it's simply that I can't decide whether I want to try and sit through this or not. Because that's what I think it'll be, a film I'll have to sit through, rather than one I enjoy watching.

Used Future

06-18-13, 04:18 PM

Thanks HK. I've known about it from various capsule horror guide books as Blood Couple for a few years, and as Ganja & Hess from Josiah Howard's Blaxploitation guide which I picked up on release.

I think your comment hit the nail on the head because it's a bit of both really. I actually watched the film twice before reviewing because my first watch was tough going, i.e. something I was sitting through, and I wanted to get a better handle on it. For all the moments I found myself asking what the hell Gunn was thinking with that shot or piece of dialogue, there'd be another mind blowing scene around the corner that had me reading half a dozen hidden meanings into it. Definitely not a film for mainstream genre fans, and not something I'd usually go for, but for my interest in 70's black cinema and horror. That's what kept me going as well as the beautiful soundtrack. I'll also add that I found it a lot more rewarding the second time around and it's certainly something I'll watch again (though I can't afford the dvd at the moment). Somehow I think you're still none the wiser though. :laugh:

honeykid

06-18-13, 09:25 PM

Well, I'm a little wiser, as maybe that's just how it is with this film. For some of us, anyway. Also, should I see it, if I do feel as if I'm enduring it rather than enjoying it, I'll be more inclined to give it another go. :)

Used Future

07-21-13, 01:34 PM

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Black Rainbow (Mike Hodges, 1989) 3+
If the premise of rent-a-kook fave Rosanna Arquette as a troubled medium targeted by industrial gangsters isn't enough to whet your appetite; then how about I throw in veteran acting ledge' Jason Robards as her alcoholic dad, and cult director Mike Hodges (the original Get Carter, 80's classic Flash Gordon, and the justly acclaimed Croupier) to sweeten the deal. Interested? Because I live for movies like this. Neglected, overlooked (it was barely released at all in the UK) and ever so slightly underrated, Black Rainbow has enough production clout to elevate it well above the occult thriller mire, and certainly deserves rediscovery.

Martha Travis (Arquette) is a revered young medium who claims to be a conduit to the dead. Managed by her widower father, Walter (Robards) the pair travel America's bible belt staging shows for often deeply religious working class congregations, eager for messages from loved ones. For Walter the act is nothing more than an elaborate, highly profitable scam that he claims will earn them enough to retire on in a couple of years. That is until Martha begins to receive psychic visions of the dead before they have passed, and prophesies the assassination of a local plant worker about to blow the whistle on health and safety violations. The realisation of her prediction brings the inevitable media scrutiny and ultimately makes her the target of corrupt plant officials fearful of exposure. At the same time Walter's scepticism of her gift is thrown into question, as revelations surrounding her mother, and his handling of their finances unravel...

Black Rainbow often feels like Hodges gene spliced Mike Nichols' Silkwood, with David Cronenberg's The Dead Zone. It's as much a comment on dangerous working conditions and the lack of support unions (at least at the time in these southern states) as it is about the mental toll of clairvoyance on fragile relationships. The backdrop of local superstition and poverty feels like a character in itself giving Hodges's film a distinct atmosphere of passionate desperation beneath the dilapidated Southern Gothic veneer. Arquette is perfectly cast imbuing Martha with a fascinating aura of confused mystery, emotional vulnerability, and sexual manipulation; resulting in an intruiging enigma of innocent victim meets predatory witch. Equally up to the task is Robards as her exploitative father who deep down knows she's the real thing, but chooses to live in denial and lose himself in the bottle. It makes for some truly chilling viewing, particularly Martha's first 'performance' which veers from carnival side show to disturbing reality, with a single look of horror from Walter, blowing any notion of this being a tired is she or isn't she affair clear out of the water. Sadly however Hodges is unable to keep a tight rein on proceedings, seemingly unable to decide if Black Rainbow is a taut thriller, or psychological family drama. His script meanders at times, with supporting characters such as Tom Hulce's unconvincing journo' sceptic, either hackneyed diversions, or in the case of Ted Silas' hitman John Bennes and his shadowy employer; frustratingly underused. In a minor contrivance Bennes is lengthily delayed at the airport whilst en route to kill Martha thus removing any urgency, and ensuring the film is at lest ten minutes too long. When the pair do finally collide Black Rainbow returns to form with a mesmeric supernatural encounter that beautifully meshes themes of father daughter validation, with a fresh conundrum surrounding the full scale of Martha's power. If all this leaves certain answers teasingly out of sight, it at least feels in keeping with the themes at hand, and goes some way to cementing Black Rainbow as better than your average...

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Hickey & Boggs (Robert Culp, 1972) 3.5
It's no surprise that just two years after the box office failure of Marlowe (an ok but commercially unsuccessful attempt to resurrect the noir thrillers of the nineteen forties and fifties; Hickey & Boggs would take a markedly different, decidedly un-chic approach at deconstructing rather than attempting to pay homage to the genre, whilst considering highly fashionable fare like Don Siegal's hit Dirty Harry. Written by first timer Walter Hill, who would go on to script Peckinpah's classic The Getaway before emerging as something of a maverick director himself with gems like Hard Times, The Driver, The Warriors, Southern Comfort, 48Hrs, and Streets of Fire. Hickey & Boggs is a downbeat sun drenched noir bearing his unmistakable gritty stamp (even the poster faintly resembles his smash 48Hrs.) whilst predating Robert Altman's celebrated The Long Goodbye, and Polanski's iconic Chinatown. The film is also, but not only notable for re-teaming stars Bill Cosby and Robert Culp of lighthearted sixties TV show I Spy, and gleefully casting them against type - whilst standing as Culp's only directorial effort outside of television.

Dead-end, weary gumshoes Al Hickey (Cosby) and Frank Boggs (Culp) live hand to mouth on small jobs, regularly drinking away their earnings, and spending the night 'in the tank'. Boggs is struggling to pay alimoney, whilst Hickey often comes under fire from his estranged wife for being an all round loser. Approached by a creepy lawyer (who likes to stare at pre-schoolers whilst sunning himself semi-naked on the beach) Hickey takes the job of tracking down the man's girlfriend who just so happens to be the only surviving member of a robbery in which $400,000 was lifted from a Detroit bank. Unsurprisingly Hickey and Boggs aren't the only interested party, and soon find themselves knee deep in bodies, rubbing up against Black Panther style radicals (headed by a character called Mr. Leroy played by Sil Words), shadowy mobsters (headed by a character called Mr. Brill played by Robert Mandan) and suspicious cops (headed by a character called detective Papadakis played by Vincent Gardinia)...

Ironically, one of the most notable aspects of Hickey & Boggs, in Walter Hill's screenplay is also what partially lets it down. Overly convoluted and lacking in exposition - we often flit from scene to scene with only a rudimentary idea of what's going on - the film's focus is more on the mundane reality of what it is to be a low rent private eye in seventies Los Angeles; than a rose tinted celebration of intricate plot and traditional noir tropes. The fact Hickey and Boggs lead depressingly dull lives outside of their profession hurts the film by undermining any attempt at compelling kitchen sink drama - though this is only attempted with Cosby's character. Where Hill's treatment scores is with typically introspective, no nonsense dialogue, and the notion that these men are the last of their line in a profession overtaken by the modern world. 'It doesn't mean anything anymore' utters Boggs in a reference to their inability to forge a respectable living, and it's this dour pessimism that defines the film (and no doubt turned off audiences on it's initial theatrical release). When our anti-heroes finally walk off into the sunset you almost feel as though the sun is setting on a romantic ideal the film just lovingly trampled all over.

Elsewhere Culp's direction and particularly Bill Butler's cinematography are full of striking compositions, and sweaty, oppressive atmosphere. An early long shot of the city underscored by composer Ted Ashford's monotonous, buzzing drone depicts Los Angeles as sun baked pulsating termite nest - frenzied, immoral, corrupt. Culp and Cosby play their roles with dead pan cynicism completely devoid of swagger, loyal merely to each other, and only motivated in going the extra mile when Mt. Brill's goons over step the mark by killing Hickey's wife. The violence is sporadic but brutally efficient handled without any real flare by Culp until the final beach denouncement of them as unsung heroes with big guns. Now familiar faces pepper the rest of the cast in small roles. James Woods appears briefly as a police detective, Michael Moriarty as one of Brill's henchmen, and Ed Lauter in a typical character role. It's remarkably stylish stuff really, with the kind of substance not immediately apparent until you consider it against more respected stablemates of the period.

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Macon County Line (Richard Compton, 1974) 4
Made on a miniscule budget of $225,000 this became a drive-in smash hit and it's not hard to see why. Directed by Richard Compton who would follow it up with unrelated sequel Return to Macon County the following year before eventually winding up in television; Macon County Line followed a trend of early seventies exploiters like Walking Tall, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that either suggested or professed to be based on fact. Whilst these films were often exaggerated for cinematic effect (Hooper's film a lot more than Karlson's chronicle of Buford Pusser), Macon County was a complete fabrication. An ultra lean road movie/thriller scripted by Compton and Max Baur Jnr. who also co stars as vengeful deputy Sheriff Morgan.

Brothers Chris and Wayne Dixon (real life siblings Alan and Jesse Vint) are a couple of free spirited rebels 'catting around' through the deep south, on a last hurrah before inlisting in the army for three years. After picking up an attractive young (but no less worldly wise) hitcher, Jenny (Cheryl Waters); the trio run into trouble when their Chrysler convertible breaks down leaving them stranded in a dead end backwater without sufficient funds for repairs. Challenged by the local facist deputy (Baur) the group are told to leave town or be charged with vagrancy, an order which forces them to pay for a temporary fix. At the same time a pair of desperate wanted killers, Elisha and Augie (James Gammon and Doodles Weaver) pass through and end up killing a police officer before their eventual capture by Deputy Sheriff Bill (Sam Gilman). Unbeknownst to everyone the hoods have already murdered Deputy Morgan's wife during a home invasion, an act that leads to a tragic case of mistaken identity when Jenny and the boys later park for the night on Morgan's land...

With an energetic opening credits sequence showing the boys running out on a prostitute to avoid a beating from a trio of thugs. Compton sets up an early fifties picture of roguish sleaze, before having the them dodge the check at a diner after craftily chaining the local smokey's black and white to a lamp post. They're happy go lucky scamps with an eye for the ladies, and a total disregard for local law enforcement which puts this slap bang in Smokey and the Bandit meets American Graffiti territory. It's fun and care free, but you can sense trouble is just around the corner, especially after learning their real reason for enlisting in the army. As expected Alan and Jesse Vint have a natural chemistry as siblings, and Wayne's frustration when Jenny falls for Chris is charmingly articulated by the latter in a candid conversation with his new lover. At 89 minutes this is a delightfully focused example of superior low budget film making. Baur's script expertly creating believable characters through intelligent dialogue, and Compton's stripped down direction ensuring every scene is relevant. When the boys break down and have to deal with a local mechanic we're treated to an amusing southern caricature from Geoffrey Lewis as the eccentric grease monkey, before Baur's Nazi deputy enters the fray with a chilling display of power; this after being introduced buying a rifle for his ten year old son. Perhaps most disturbing is the way Morgan raises his sensitive boy, Luke (played by Leif Garrett); denouncing a friendly interaction with some local black children whom he conservatively deems should be segregated. That just don't seem right to me pa replies Luke, who decked out in an Army cadet uniform proceeds to have a nightmare about the horrors of hunting with his father. Macon County Line surprisingly emerges as a thoughtful anti-gun statement considering the predictable but still extremely tense final reel. Much like other drive-in classics of the era it's grainy low budget aesthetic only adds to the feel of authenticity, but here the writing is a distinct notch up, even if the overall package appears deceptively simplistic, and old fashioned. Recommended.

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Skin Game (Paul Bogart, 1971) 3.5
My dad sat me down to watch Skin Game around twenty five years ago when it regularly used to air on TV here in the UK. It's a film I've never forgotten in that it entertained me whilst putting themes of race and the legacy of slavery at the forefront of my mind. My dad just wanted to watch a fun western starring one of his favourites in James Garner, and almost certainly didn't intend it to be a history lesson. But Skin Game left a lasting impression on me regardless. I've been trying to buy the Warner Archive dvd release for over a year now, but temporarily gave up after receiving out of stock emails on no less than three occasions. Fittingly my dad picked it up for my birthday a couple of months back granting me the opportunity to see if Skin Game still holds up, and perhaps more interestingly - is as much of an influence on Tarantino's return to form Django Unchained as I suspected.

Cocksure charmer, Quincy (Garner), and his educated, cynical sidekick Martin (Lou Gossett Jr.) are a couple of grifters who scour the mid west conning rich white land owners by selling Martin as a slave, then having him abscond before moving on to the next town and repeating the process. It's a hustle that clearly works very well as the duo already have over ten thousand dollars saved in a Chicago bank prompting Martin to consider a change in career lest they finally be caught. Things begin to go awry however when the pair arrive in a volatile town undergoing a vote on whether to abolish or keep the slave trade. Here they encounter fellow con-woman, Ginger (Susan Clark), who rumbles their scam; whilst Martin due to be sold the following day, falls in love with genuine slave girl Naomi (Brenda Sykes) for sale at the same auction. Martin has Quincy buy Naomi with his share of their loot, but the sale is interrupted by an anti-slavery revolutionary who sets everyone free including Martin. After the duo finally rendezvous in the wilderness somewhat disorientated, they mistakenly head for a town already hit a couple of months earlier. Quincy is subsequently jailed, and Martin sold along with the re-captured Naomi to real slave trader Plunkett (Edward Asner), who in turn sells them on to vile Texan horse baron Calloway (Andrew Duggan). Meanwhile Quincy is sprung from prison by the clearly enamoured Ginger, and the pair hatch a new con in order to locate and free Martin and Naomi...

The ultimate success or failure of Skin Game rests on the viewer's ability to accept a gentle comedy set against the backdrop of the slave trade. Thankfully Peter Stone's screenplay, adapted from a story by Richard Alan Simmons contains enough ugly truths, and serious underpinnings to ensure the film never descends into shallow flippancy. Whilst comedy is certainly drawn from the nature of Quincy and Martin's deception i.e. hateful bigots fleeced by their own prejudice - the idea of a white working side by side with an educated black who can flit in and out of submissive yes masser slave dialect at the drop of a stetson, is clearly beyond their comprehension. Bogart and co. are always quick to counterpoint this with tough reality. An undescribed corporal punishment for Martin is carried out off camera, whilst Quincy is later visibly put to the lash at the same order. An act of torture perhaps more disturbing for a less sympathetic white audience in 1971 when it's their amiable star on the receiving end. Elsewhere sequences of Martin partially stripped and his teeth examined are humiliating, but crucially it's his stint as a real slave that serves as the catalyst for change. His realisation that what they are doing is morally bankrupt regardless of them sticking it to the man. The most effective scene to illustrate his naivety comes late in the film when Martin pleads with Calloway that he is really a fee, educated man from New Jersey and should be released. Calloway responds with disbelief, followed by racist verbal abuse before ordering Martin never to speak that way again lest he face severe punishment or death. Finally Martin comprehends these people see only skin deep regardless of your character and intelligence.

With these nods to gravitas, the cast are able to shine with what is never belly laugh, but certainly smile inducing material. Garner and Gossett Jr. are immensely likable and display a great deal of chemistry as the bickering leads (though I would have loved to see Richard Pryor play the role of Martin), and Susan Clark as sassy trickster Ginger proves the perfect feminine foil for the posturing Quincy. In fact Clark is so good, that later scenes in which Ginger teams up with Quincy - the two posing as missionaries claiming Martin to be a leper who may have infected people he's come into contact with - begin to approach the level of hilarity you wish was present in first half of the film. A reminder perhaps that it's hard to generate anything more than thoughtful smiles, and nervous laughter from slavery. Still, Skin Game remains a fascinating watch well worth seeking out, and would make an excellent double bill with Larry Lust's adaptation of Iceberg Slim's Trick Baby; if not Django Unchained. A film it most certainly influenced a lot more than anything directed by Sergio Corbucci despite the obvious superficial touches. We all know that was Inglorious Basterds right?