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Victim of The Night


Comanche Station, 1960

A man named Cody (Randolph Scott) arrives at a Comanche camp, where he trades a blanket full of goods for a woman named Nancy (Nancy Gates) who was taken in a raid. Their return to Nancy's home is complicated when the two come across another group of searchers, led by the immoral Ben Lane (Claude Akins). Lane, along with his much younger men Frank (Skip Homeier) and Dobie (Richard Rust), are interested in the award money offered for the return of Nancy.

This western is one of the many collaborations between Scott and director Budd Boetticher and writer Burt Kennedy.

Generally speaking, I thought that this was a pretty good entry in the Scott-Boetticher catalog. While not quite as compelling as my favorites, there were still enough interesting character dynamics and tense action set-pieces to more than hold my interest.

Scott plays his usual gruff-but-compassionate cowboy. In this case, he is a man whose motives for rescuing the kidnapped Nancy (along with many others he's rescued) are both personal and tragic. As with many of these Westerns, the characters are engaged in something of a "parallel romance"--Cody's emotions toward Nancy are grounded in a different relationship. It adds a lot more depth to what might typically be a "rescued damsel falls for rugged rescuer" dynamic.

The most interesting characters, though, are the villains. We learn very early that Lane intentionally led a massacre of a non-violent Native American village, slaughtering women and children along the way. Cody was one of those who advocated not only for Lane's court marshal, but openly expressed that he should be hanged for his crimes. (The fact that Lane was merely dismissed from the army for his slaughter of so many lives is its own commentary). There's a casual, almost charismatic aspect to Lane's sociopathy, and it's reflected in interesting ways in the characters of Frank and Dobie. Both men at first seem to be just simple, nice dudes, but when Lane notes that they could kill Cody and Nancy and still claim the reward, the two go along with it without much more than a remark from Frank that it seems a shame to "waste" a woman like Nancy. Dobie is maybe more reserved, but he still goes along with it.

There's an interesting discussion between Frank and Dobie, in which one of the men says that his father told him "No matter what you have to do, or who you have to do it to, make something of yourself." The idea of what it means to be a "great man" is something that is often explored in the Boetticher westerns. I always find it noteworthy that the hero--in this case Cody--is often a bit awkward, sometimes even kind of a bit of a goober. But he wouldn't kill unarmed people. In this universe, manliness is about intentions and deeds, not about being cool and unflappable in every moment.

The action scenes are also pretty thrilling and well-shot.

The only real negative for me was Nancy. The performance is fine, and the character herself is also fine, but most of the use of the character is to be stubborn at times and to serve essentially as a prize the men fight over. This wouldn't be too much of a problem, except that the character feels a bit flat compared to the other characters. The film keeps a piece of information close to the chest until the last few minutes, and yet I felt this information would have been better served if it were revealed earlier.

Overall a good little Western.

I think you have sold me on this film.



A ton of them are currently on the Criterion Channel, if that's something you have access to.

I've yet to dislike anything I've seen from him, and I've really liked a few of them.
I'm at this weird crossroads where I want to be fiscally responsible but also support the economy, which means I do confounding things like avoid getting more streaming services while splurging on Blu-ray sales.


I spent like 100 CAD on a special edition of I Spit On Your Grave from a local video store.*Why? I don't even like the movie that much.*



I think you have sold me on this film.
I fully endorse all of the Boetticher films I've seen.

And something I kind of love about them is that because of the same actor, the same writer, the same director, and the same vibe, they sort of feel like this set of parallel universes.

Like I mentioned before, a ton of them are available on Criterion Channel. I am very fond of The Tall T and Ride Lonesome.



Leave the plot for the eggheads and bask in Penn's amazing sleazy fashion sense. *chef's kiss*
His funny little tache was very distracting.
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Yes, I think 2049 almost REFUTES The Final Cut.
I don’t think the Final Cut is as definitive in its claim as you’re saying, though. I think it’s about as ambiguous as the DC, overall. 2049 maintains that level of ambiguity.

I could say each leans slightly more in the opposite direction but nothing to where they seem at serious odds with each other.



Victim of The Night
I don’t think the Final Cut is as definitive in its claim as you’re saying, though. I think it’s about as ambiguous as the DC, overall. 2049 maintains that level of ambiguity.

I could say each leans slightly more in the opposite direction but nothing to where they seem at serious odds with each other.
Hmm... you may be right but I've had numerous people insist that The Final Cut clearly decides it and it is now irrefutable, so I'm used to having to just accept it and argue that it is only one version of the film.



Hmm... you may be right but I've had numerous people insist that The Final Cut clearly decides it and it is now irrefutable, so I'm used to having to just accept it and argue that it is only one version of the film.
I’ll stand by it only being as irrefutable as the DC, as the strongest piece of evidence remains the same (Unicorn dream).

Things I thought were added, like the glowing eye effect, were actually already there all the way back to the theatrical cut.

I may be wrong but I feel like TFC mostly just cleans up glaring technical issues (male stunt doubles for women are now digitally altered to not look like men in wigs) and the like. I’ll look into it again.

Also, TFC is the only one to have a gorgeous 4K UHD release so that’s a big plus in my book



THE MONSTER SQUAD
(1987, Dekker)
A film from the 1980s
-- recommended by Josh (from Your Next Favorite Movie Podcast) --



"Didn't you hear a word I said? These guys are dead, get a clue! Something's out there and it's killing people! And if it's monsters, nobody's going to do a thing about it except us!"

The Monster Squad follows a group of kids who band together in order to stop Count Dracula (Duncan Regehr) and his fellow monsters from taking over the world. This film was strongly recommended by my friend Josh, and as I was watching it, I couldn't stop thinking "how the hell did this film escape me in the 80s??", cause it was tailor-made to my tastes and sensibilities back then.

The film is a bit of a send-up, or homage, to the classic Universal monster films from the 1930s, as it features versions of their characters like Dracula, the Wolfman (Jon Gries), the Mummy (Michael Reid MacKay), the "Gill Man" (Tom Woodruff, Jr.), and Frankenstein's monster (Tom Noonan). Their goal is to retrieve a mysterious amulet that would allow them to somehow take over the world.

Grade:



Full review on my Movie Loot
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Let Him Go - I don't know if there's such a thing as Western Gothic but if there is this is surely a prime example of it. This is set in 1960's era Montana and stars Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as George and Margaret Blackledge. When the movie opens the couple has just lost their son in a riding accident and he's left a wife and young son. Their former daughter-in-law remarries local man Donnie Weboy who turns out to be an abusive stepfather to their grandson Jimmy. After they disappear in the middle of the night Margaret finds out they've gone to North Dakota to live with Donnie's family. She decides to follow them there and try to somehow get custody of her grandson which of course forces George to go along. The family turns out to be a creepy and aggressive bunch. Jeffrey Donovan plays Uncle Bill Weboy and British actress Lesley Manville is the matriarch Blanche Weboy. They live out on an isolated ranch and the first meeting with George and Margaret is steeped in implied violence.
WARNING: spoilers below
Anyone watching will be able to see that it won't end well for certain characters but the natural progression towards eventual bloodshed will still catch the viewer off guard.

I wish I could say that these were towering performances from Costner and Lane but since it's basically Lane's movie Costner isn't given much to do but play the part of sacrificial lamb. And I also wish I could say that Lane's Margaret is a sympathetic character but she isn't. I think part of that is that it's an underwritten role. She is the way she is and triggers events that eventually lead to the death of her husband and five others because ... why exactly? I know that she wants her grandson back but there's just not enough of a solid foundation provided to excuse her actions. And it doesn't help that her line readings and her affectations seem to belong in an entirely different movie. Maybe if they had provided some backstory it would have explained the character's glib delivery and clueless nature. Or maybe I completely missed the boat on this.





I forgot the opening line.

By May be found at the following website: IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42411368

The Double - (2013)

Well, that smashed all my expectations and made me a little giddy and excited. In a nightmarish dystopia not all that different from the one in Brazil, Simon James (Jesse Eisenberg) lives a life of unrewarded toil and expectations. His miserable existence seems on the up and up when his doppelganger appears and befriends him - but things take a turn for the decidedly worse when this twin version of himself begins to take him for everything he's worth. Based on the novella by Dostoyevsky. What a second feature from Richard Ayoade - now I feel even worse that he never took up directing films as a more permanent venture. Jesse Eisenberg is completely rehabilitated in my eyes, having enjoyed his performance(s) in this and Vivarium. I've always had a thing for bleakly dark films like this - but The Double also has the benefit of being uplifted by Ayoade's winning sense of humour - not to mention the return of actors such as Noah Taylor, Yasmin Paige, Craig Roberts, Paddy Considine and Sally Hawkins from Submarine. Also includes wonderful cameos from Chris O'Dowd and Christopher Morris. I loved this film.

8/10 - That rating may go up if it remains as good on subsequent re-viewings.



Victim of The Night
THE MONSTER SQUAD
(1987, Dekker)
A film from the 1980s
-- recommended by Josh (from Your Next Favorite Movie Podcast) --





The Monster Squad follows a group of kids who band together in order to stop Count Dracula (Duncan Regehr) and his fellow monsters from taking over the world. This film was strongly recommended by my friend Josh, and as I was watching it, I couldn't stop thinking "how the hell did this film escape me in the 80s??", cause it was tailor-made to my tastes and sensibilities back then.

The film is a bit of a send-up, or homage, to the classic Universal monster films from the 1930s, as it features versions of their characters like Dracula, the Wolfman (Jon Gries), the Mummy (Michael Reid MacKay), the "Gill Man" (Tom Woodruff, Jr.), and Frankenstein's monster (Tom Noonan). Their goal is to retrieve a mysterious amulet that would allow them to somehow take over the world.

Grade:



Full review on my Movie Loot
Many years ago there was much discussion around the fact that I absolutely loathe this movie except for the Vampire Circus poster on the wall of the kids' clubhouse. And Lazlo from Real Genius is the werewolf.



Many years ago there was much discussion around the fact that I absolutely loathe this movie except for the Vampire Circus poster on the wall of the kids' clubhouse. And Lazlo from Real Genius is the werewolf.
Wait, why did I think you loved this movie? Who is the Horrorcrammer who loves it?


By May be found at the following website: IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42411368

The Double - (2013)

Also includes wonderful cameos from Chris O'Dowd and Christopher Morris. I loved this film.
I also was pleased with this one, and was more than happy with the mini IT Crowd reunion.



Greenland - Decent enough comet-destroys-earth disaster film. Not the all encompassing turgidity of 2012 or the patented Michael Bay cheesiness of Armageddon. Still though I found it just a bit more involving than Deep Impact. The always reliable Gerard Butler stars as building engineer John Garrity. Because of his particular know-how he's been chosen by lottery to be evacuated to a secure bunker to wait out the impact of a so-called planet killing comet. He sets out with his wife Allison (Morena Bacarin) and son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd) to a nearby Air Force base. This being a standard 2 hour movie the wheels have to come off at one point or another and the film wastes no time outside of some basic expository background involving John and Alison's troubled marriage and their son's diabetes. The rest is the usual people behaving badly in a crisis situation. But Butler makes for an appropriate everyman and a steady presence to help see this through to the end.
I gave it the same rating as did you. Here's my commentary:

Greenland (2020)

It's been awhile since I've watched a disaster film, and this movie turned out to be a good one.

Disaster films are tricky because they end up tending to be either unbelievable, or too schmaltzy. This one stays fairly close to what people imagine a cataclysmic comet impact might look like. And although they have the family of three dip into the emotional goo a few times, they pull up before the viewer gets sick of it.

As with most disaster films there's not much to the plot, so they must portray plenty of tension, thrills, and dread. A skyscraper foreman, John Garrity (Gerald Butler), comes home early one day to soon find out that there are mentions of a comet coming near Earth, but that it'll likely miss. Later of course the comet --which now is in several pieces-- is calculated to hit earth after all.

To the dismay of his friends and neighbors, John, his wife (Morena Baccarin), and son (Roger Floyd) have been among the chosen for relocation to a shelter in Greenland, because of John's skills. What happens between that time and to the point they make the perilous quest to Greenland makes up the entire narrative. The boy has insulin dependent diabetes, so that adds to the drama.

To the credit of excellent production design, special effects, and first rate photography the film really holds one's interest throughout. The man and wife do have good chemistry despite a slow start.

If you're a fan of good PG-13 action/thriller pictures, this one is for you. Available on Amazon, HBO (I think), and various streaming services.

Doc's rating: 7/10



THE SUICIDE SQUAD

This film is basically James Gunn pulling from his entire career, creature feature elements from Slither, tragically twisted and funny violence from Super and the stylish, musically driven blockbuster action and family of misfits from Guardians, all into a singular vision with an astounding cast and a deft handling of action and spectacle that dwarfs what he’s done before.

I’ve always been a fan, back to his Scooby Doo days. This is his masterpiece and is the best DC flick in this entire universe by a healthy margin.




Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.

Rock Paper Scissors (Jayme Laforest & Richard Yearwood, 2021)
6/10
The Nest AKA The Bewailing (James Suttles, 2021)
- 5/10
The Hottest August (Brett Story, 2019)
6/10
The Fantasy of the Monastery (Fernando de Fuentes, 1934)
- 6.5/10

Trippy Mexican horror film about a haunted monastery where either the dead monks come to life or three visitors visit death for a night.
Criminally Insane (Nick Millard, 1975)
5/10
Mimi (Laxman Utekar, 2021)
6/10
The Connection AKA La French (Cédric Jimenez, 2014)
6.5/10
F9 (Justin Lin, 2021)
6/10

F & F gang do their standard over-the-top stuff.
Inspector Hornleigh (Eugene Forde, 1939)
6/10
All Hands on Deck (Guillaume Brac, 2020)
- 6.5/10
London Belongs to Me AKA Dulcimer Street (Sidney Gilliat, 1948)
6/10
The Shepherds of Calamity (Nikos Papatakis, 1967)
6.5/10

Doomed Greek romance allegorically parallels the 1960s coup.
Walking with Herb (Ross Kagan Marks, 2021)
5.5/10
Amy and Peter Are Getting Divorced (April Moreau, 2021)
5/10
La revue des revues (Joe Francis, 1927)
6/10
Jungle Cruise (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2021)
6.5/10

Scientist Emily Blunt enlists riverboat captain Dwayne Johnson to search for a legendary medicinal plant in the Amazon.
Treasure Island (Guillaume Brac, 2018)
6/10
Gebo and the Shadow (Manoel de Oliveira, 2012)
5/10
Men & Chicken (Anders Thomas Jensen, 2015)
6/10
Satchmo: The Life of Louis Armstrong (Gary Giddins & Kendrick Simmons, 1989)
7/10

Biography filled with rare photos, movies, TV clips and numerous interviews.
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I forgot the opening line.

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Stoned - (2005)

Having just finished reading the Brian Jones biography Who Killed Christopher Robin? I couldn't resist watching Stoned - a film that was already on my watchlist. Unfortunately it's a rather uninspiring affair. Leo Gregory lacks any of the charisma the founding member of The Rolling Stones had. Paddy Considine plays the last man to ever see Brian alive, builder and minder Frank Thorogood - but their relationship in the film is overstated. They appear to be firm friends and close, while everything I've read describes Thorogood antagonizing and physically intimidating Brian from the get-go - trying to squeeze every dollar out of the musician that he can. Furthering the let-down is an absence of Rolling Stones music which they either couldn't afford or the band refused to let them use.

It looks like they may have filmed some scenes at Cotchford Farm - Brian's very famous residence which had earlier been occupied by Winnie-the-Pooh creator A.A. Milne, including the statue of Christopher Robin. If not, then I'm impressed by it's recreation. Some scenes hit the mark - but the issues with the film I've outlined above make it flaccid - a word that is about as far from the real Brian Jones as to make it the ultimate antonym to any word you might use to describe him.

4/10


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Brokeback Mountain - (2005) - DVD rewatch

Watched this again for the first time since it was released all those years ago. It still holds up very well, especially the performance from Heath Ledger. Lost out on the Best Picture Oscar to Crash - which isn't even the best movie with the title Crash, let alone better than Brokeback Mountain. Votes may have been siphoned by the equally good Good Night, and Good Luck. Anyway, this is a glorious love story with breathtaking vistas and a beguiling soundtrack.

Special Features : Four short docos, during which some interview answers and moments repeat themselves. The movie speaks for itself.

9/10