Reviews from the Future

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



The Burrowers (J.T. Petty 2008)
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...



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.

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100 Favourites From The Future: REWIRED

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



They Call Me Trinity (Enzo Barboni 1970)
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.



Trinity Is Still My Name (Enzo Barboni 1971)
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.



My Name Is Nobody (Tonino Valerii 1973) +
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.

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



The Mercenary aka A Professional Gun (Sergio Corbucci 1968)
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.




Day Of Anger aka Gunlaw (Tonino Valerii 1967)
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.

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



Face To Face (Sergio Sollima 1967)
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...



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.



Blindman (Ferdinando Baldi 1971) -

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...



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.

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



Compañeros (Sergio Corbucci 1970)
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.


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...



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

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




Charley Varrick (Don Siegel 1973)
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.



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.



Corri Uomo Corri/ Run Man Run aka The Big Gundown II (Sergio Sollima 1968) +
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).



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.

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



Cujo (Lewis Teague 1983)
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



The Dark Half (George A Romero 1993)
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.



Dead & Breakfast (Matthew Leutwyler 2004)
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.



El Chuncho, Quien Sabe?/ A Bullet for the General (Damiano Damiani 1966)
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.



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.



Non Si Sevizia Un Paperino/ Don't Torture a Duckling (Lucio Fulci 1972)
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.



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.



Non Ho Sonno/ Sleepless (Dario Argento 2001)
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.



Star Crystal (Lance Lindsay 1986) -
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.



Scanners II: The New Order (Christian Duguay 1991)
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.

Originally posted in movie tab II 16-06-2009.



Riki-oh: The Story Of Ricky (Ngai Kai Lam 1991)

Trash rating

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.



Street Law (Enzo G. Castellari 1974) Trash rating
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...



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.

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



Le Cercle Rouge/The Red Circle (Jean-Pierre Melville 1970)
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...



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.



Un Flic/A Cop (Jean-Pierre Melville 1972) +
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...

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



Terminator Salvation (McG 2009)
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.



Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi 2009) +
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.



Death Machine (Stephen Norrigton 1995) +
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.

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

__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

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



Leviathan (George P. Cosmatos 1989)
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.



Switchblade Sisters (Jack Hill 1974)
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.



Truck Turner (Jonathan Kaplan 1974)
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.

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



Sex and Fury (Norifumi Suzuki 1973) +
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).



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.



Inglorious Bastards (Enzo G. Castellari 1978) -
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.



Strange Invaders (Michael Laughlin 1983)
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.



Cleopatra Jones (Jack Starrett 1973) +
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) Everything Mark f said.
Nightbeast (Don Dohler 1982) The best ever, but sadly one of the worst films. I'd wanted to see this for ages and was really disappointed.

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



They Call Her One Eye aka Thriller: A Cruel Picture (Bo Arne Vibenius 1974)
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...



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 or less. It was that eye patch that sold me, but enough rambling.



Keoma (Enzo G. Castellari 1976) +
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...



Night Train Murders aka Late Night Trains (Aldo Lado 1975)
Lado's Giallo Short Night of Glass Dolls 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.

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



Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (Yasuzo Masumura 1973) +
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.



Conquest (Lucio Fulci 1983)
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.



Killer Klowns from Outer Space (Stephen Chiodo 1988) +
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.



Return of the Street Fighter (Shigehiro Ozawa 1974)
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?



The Tenant (Roman Polanski 1976)
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)
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.

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



Master of the Flying Guillotine/One Armed Boxer Vs The Flying Guillotine/One Armed Boxer II (Yu Wang, 1975)
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.



The Mack (Michael Campus, 1973)
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.



Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture (Teruo Ishii, 1973)
Reiko Ike returns as the ruthless Ocho in this sequel (of sorts) to Norifumi Suzuki's excellent pinku classic Sex and Fury.

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.



Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? (Yoshio Inoue, 1974) +
Part three of the Hanzo trilogy and after the thrills of part two The Snare 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...



Frogs (George McCowan, 1972)
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.

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



Soldier of Orange (Paul Verhoeven 1977)
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.



Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs (Yukio Noda, 1974)
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.



Powder (Victor Salva, 1995) -
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.



Flavia the Heretic (Gianfranco Mingozzi, 1974)
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...

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



What Have You Done to Solange? (Massimo Dallamano, 1972)
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.



Rififi (Jules Dassin, 1955)
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.



The Executioner (Teruo Ishii, 1974) +
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.



The Psychic aka Seven Notes in Black (Lucio Fulci, 1977) +
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...



The Killer Elite (Sam Peckinpah, 1975) -
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.

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.

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



Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight (Teruo Ishii, 1972) +
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.



The House With Laughing Windows (Pupi Avati, 1976) +
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.



Sister Street Fighter (Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, 1974) +
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.



The Designated Victim (Maurizio Lucidi, 1971)
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...



The Other (Robert Mulligan, 1972) +
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.



The Mechanic (Michael Winner, 1972)
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.