Darktown Strutters

Darktown Strutters (1975)

Runtime: Around 85 minutes

Directed by: William Witney

Starring: Trina Parks, Edna Richardson, Bettye Sweet, Shirley Washington, Roger E. Mosley

From: New World Pictures

Here's a quick review from me, of a rather unique blaxploitation film that was on TV last night. Onto the Letterboxd review:

This is a movie I've known about for a long while and even though I heard it described as “obnoxious” I still wanted to give it a chance so when it came on TCM Underground late last night I decided to give it a viewing.

Obnoxious doesn't even begin to describe it.

This in theory is a blaxploitation tale about a group of colorfully dressed women on motorcycles who are together as the mother of their leader is missing and they are all looking for her, but this is simply weird, having everything from a lot of dancing, blackface and the KKK to stereotypical characters straight out of the 1920's, dirtbikes, undercranked footage, all the audio and dialogue being done in post-production, and a Colonel Sanders spoof named Louisville Cross... and there are other things but I won't spoil the surprises.

I definitely am not automatically against films for being strange and nonsensical. Problem was, while I did laugh at some of the absurdity, at other times I thought this was rather painful, due to the lack of subtlety and the overarching unsavory tone. It's SO uneven. I understand those who love it... and those that hate it. Me, this seems to be the most accurate rating I can give it; maybe if I had ingested copious amounts of drugs beforehand... personally, if you want to watch a very strange and unique movie involving themes from the past, I'd rather watch Forbidden Zone, which is not only much stranger than this but that is what I'll do again in the future as I need to add a review for it here.

Anyhow, I'd say that Gene Corman wasn't his brother Roger, but it was Gene that produced The Big Red One, so I can't do that. I'd love to hear how everyone came up with such a strange take on the blaxploitation genre.

I need a little longer break so I won't be back until Wednesday night.

The Narrow Margin

The Narrow Margin (1952)

Runtime: 71 minutes

Directed by: Richard Fleischer

Starring: Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Jacqueline White, Gordon Gebert

From: RKO

This is another movie I watched courtesy of the local library. It's a film noir classic, or so I heard; turns out that they were right. Onto the Letterboxd review:

No, this is not the 1990 remake starring Gene Hackman. Rather, this is the original 1952 movie that I heard was a film noir classic and thankfully was available at my local library; I heard it features some veterans of the genre and the plot being a case where the typical hard-boiled detective has to escort a gangster's widow on a train from Chicago to Los Angeles in order to give some important information to the authorities and several hitmen are also on board, looking to sniff her out... only they don't know what she looks like... that sounded really interesting to me.

While there were some things that made me go, “Hey, wait a minute now...”, overall it was a movie I enjoyed. It's only 71 minutes and yet there's no wasted time with needless BS. You start off with the lady being picked up and things end as soon as things get resolved. There are the expected hallmarks of the genre, such as the dark subject manner, tough dialogue, plenty of arguing, and some twists and turns, which you definitely get here. There were several surprises, and not just the fact that the detective hero looks like Jack Palance or a villain looking like a cross between Dennis Franz and Harris Yulin.

This B movie was so well done overall, from the script to the performances and how it was shot. Most of it takes place on a train and you do get that claustrophobic feeling, especially with a very large man who claims he's only 260 pounds (more like 360!) having trouble moving around. There's also a swell fight in a train compartment that dare I say rivals the one in From Russia With Love.

From what I've seen in my life (not just what I've watched in these past few weeks) this is deserving to be on the list of the best film noirs ever made.

As an aside, what a long and varied career director Richard Fleischer had, everything from this and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to Mr. Majestyk and Red Sonja. I had no idea until I looked it up just now.

I need a short break so I'll return Sunday night.

Roar

Roar (1981)

Runtime: 84 minutes (at least that's the only copy that's available online)

Directed by: Noel Marshall

Starring: Noel Marshall, Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith, Kyalo Mativo

From: American Filmworks

Here's a totally random film, and an incredibly unique one at that. I'll explain the details in the Letterboxd review but note that this has to be the most dangerous and definitely the most reckless movie that has ever been made and let's cross our fingers something this dumb never happens again, where literally many lives were put in peril for a long time and it turns out, for no real good reason at all. Note that this is a film where you literally see many of the cast get legit attacked by wild animals! Now onto the Letterboxd review:

Note: I do not have any pithy jokes to make concerning the Katy Perry song of the same name; honestly, the song's terrible and Ms. Perry is an ATROCIOUS tone-deaf singer and musician and her being so popular makes me shake my head in shame.

That said, here's a film that at first I thought I had never heard of before, but as the Bad Movie Fiends podcast was reviewing it I realize that I HAD read about this movie before. In short, to catch everyone here are the details on this one of a kind film:

* It was made by Tippi Hedrin and her then-husband Noel Marshall; it was a passion project for them. It includes Tippi's daughter Melanie Griffith in an early role, and other family members are also there.

* For reasons I'll explain in a bit, it took ELEVEN YEARS to film from the time that the script writing began until it made its debut.

* There really isn't a plot to the movie, except that you get to see a ranch (in what's supposed to be “Africa” but it was actually filmed in California) and in the house live an incredible amount of jungle cats; I mean, literally dozens of lions, tigers, jaguars, pumas, and all the other varieties live on the property... and there are other animals around too, such as elephants.

* Note that as far as I know none of these animals were trained. NOW WHAT COULD GO WRONG THERE? Judging by a peak at the incredible trivia section on the IMDb page for the movie, a lot did go wrong, from fires, floods, and illness to the obvious, in that many members of the crew and cast were seriously injured during the making of this motion picture when the animals attacked them, including Griffith and a then unknown Jan de Bont. The full list is there on IMDb but many people got hurt bad and it's a miracle that no one was killed. Believe me, many reckless things happen throughout; this for sure is legit the most terrifying and the most dangerous movie you'll ever see.

* I mean, injuries resulting in many stitches, or to such severity that it took literally a few years for people to recover. You often see those wild animals fighting with each other and all the lion attacks are legit. Talk about terrifying! It goes against the incredibly hippie attitude of the film. Now, I am all for preserving such animals and preventing them from becoming extinct, but keeping wild beasts in your house is insanity. You literally see them tear that dump they call a house apart!

In terms of entertainment value, I can't rate it any higher than I do. Like I said there's really no plot to speak of and they basically went with what footage they could actually get. Lead actor/director/producer/writer/everything else Noel Marshall is not only a pretty crappy actor but he's a major asstagonist, constantly saying that it's OK to live with all these beasts even when you're constantly shown evidence that this isn't the case. Now, I laughed at this bozo getting attacked himself, but in real life putting all the crew members AND YOUR FAMILY'S lives in danger like that for so long?

While it's amazing and it's great to laugh at due to how absurd it is (at least no one was killed or crippled for life), it's not something I'd ever see again. As to how I found it, it's on YouTube in a copy that looks like a foreign dub but actually isn't... you didn't hear that from me, though.

I'll return tomorrow night.

Charlie Chan In London/Charlie Chan In Paris

Charlie Chan in London (1934)

Runtime: 79 minutes

Directed by: Eugene Forde

Starring: Warner Oland, Drue Leyton, Ray Milland, Mona Barry, Alan Mobray

From: 20th Century Fox

Charlie Chan in Paris (1935)

Runtime: 72 minutes

Directed by: Lewis Seiler/Hamilton MacFadden

Starring: Warner Oland, Mary Brian, Thomas Beck, Erik Rhodes, Keye Luke

From: 20th Century Fox

Here's another two-fer from me. This is courtesy of the local library, which actually has a decent amount of these old films. I saw both last night as they are quick watches that aren't too long. First, London, then Paris, courtesy of my Letterboxd reviews.

An untapped resource for me that I finally started using again was going to the local library and for free, picking up an older film to watch. They happen to have a decent amount of old Charlie Chan films and as I've never seen any of the films based on the character from the old Earl Derr Biggers novels, I figured I should try it out and I got the two earliest films they had that starred Warner Oland. Sure, Oland is from Sweden and he's definitely not Chinese in real life, I understand how Hollywood was back then and even in the 1980's you have white people doing the “Yellowface” act.

The title of this film is indeed accurate; the detective is in the jolly old UK. He's there to finish another case but suddenly he's asked to assist in another case. This one revolves around a man convicted of murder who is about to hang in 3 days and his sister asks Mr. Chan for help, so he goes to a hunting club and right before and during a foxhunt he has to try and figure out who the killer is, who of course is there and they do more killing.

While the character acts and speaks in a stereotypical “Wise Oriental Man” manner who often speaks in wacky metaphors and sayings, at least the character is a hero who uses stereotypes to his advantage and isn't a sap. He has to deal with wacky over the top characters (one of which was played by a young Ray Milland), which at least added some color to this sometimes creaky tale.

For what it is-a light mystery film-it's good.

Last night I also watched this Charlie Chan film, which is directly after his adventures in London and he says he's on vacation in Paris but it's actually a front for his real mission, which is investigating a bank fraud. It may not sound exciting, but various murders happen in Gay Paree, which oddly is a world where you don't hear much in the way of French accents, much less French actually be spoken. It's more fun than watching a space opera and have it be about the taxation of trade routes...

This is light entertainment which at least is entertaining to watch. It's not too long and you have Warner Oland (who also did a nice job here) as Chan be a stereotypical yet fun character to watch, he of the wacky and “wise” phrases. Donuts and donut holes are a theme; don't ask, it'll make sense if you've seen the movie. You also get the Apache Dance, something that I hadn't heard of before but it is fun to watch. No, it has nothing to do with Will and Carlton on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Adding a human element to things is the introduction of Charlie's eldest son, who helps out his pops. He is played by Keye Luke, who at least is a legit Chinese man. As I am used to him being an old man in films like Gremlins, seeing him as a 30 year old was jarring at first.

Oh, and even back then the Catacombs of Paris were well-known.

I'll return tomorrow night.

I Confess

I Confess (1953)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Karl Malden, Brian Aherne

From: Warner Brothers

I don't know when I'll be able or want to see another Hitchcock film but via the local library I was able to check this one out, one of his more obscure movies... well, at least by his standards. It's about a priest in Quebec and that's not the only unique aspect of it. Onto my Letterboxd review:

Among the lists I've created on Letterboxd is one devoted to the films of Sir Alfred Hitchcock. I've seen part of his filmography throughout my life and I figured it'd be a great idea to watch or rewatch those films, as many of them I rate highly. This counts as one I hadn't seen before but the plot of a Quebec priest (Montgomery Clift) being told a murder confession by someone he knows in confessionals but even when the man of the cloth is accused of that very same crime he can't break the Oath and exonerate himself, leading to great conflict... it was certainly a unique plot. It was based on a stage play and at times it does come across as that but it didn't really bother me.

While this isn't one of the classics from Hitch, it doesn't mean it was bad, not at all. While it is a little ridiculous how the plot is expanded upon with the priest Father Logan having a longtime love and there being blackmail, I still enjoyed this film. It was nicely acted by the main cast (which includes Anne Baxter and Karl Malden), it was filmed very well with some beautiful shots and moments, and in place of any colorful wacky characters in this pretty serious tale (well, aside from the ending), the Quebec City setting and its Old World style provides some flavor and figurative color.

I've heard this was one of the most film noir movies that Hitch did and I'd have to agree with it with all the dark footage and the general plot, and apparently this is a favorite among French New Wave directors, whatever that's worth. I say that even if this is a relatively obscure film, if it sounds interesting then it is worth tracking down.

I'll return Wednesday night.

I Rewatched Rear Window

A few years ago I reviewed it but to be honest that review was no good so let me just copy and paste what I wrote about the film today on Letterboxd and state that I'll return tomorrow night.

Here's yet another review I am doing over, as I originally had up something far too short for a movie I give the highest possible rating to. I have seen this a few times before and luckily one of them was on the big screen. Still, it was something I hadn't seen in far too long and via my local library I sat down to watch it on DVD.

To think that this movie was filmed on a giant soundstage and almost all of the action was either shot looking into or looking out of one room in an apartment, and most of the sound is ambient and natural to the world and yet it is a masterpiece... Hitchcock has had so many classic films during his long career, but in my opinion this is the very best. The tale of photographer L.B. Jefferies recovering from a broken leg alone (aside from a few occasional visitors) in his apartment and deciding to engage in voyeuristic intentions and look at the lives of some people that live in the complex, until he sees what he thinks is a salesman and the aftermath of him murdering his wife.

Besides the story always being intriguing and you wonder if the greatly named Lars Thorwald actually did kill his invalid spouse, everyone in the cast does a great job playing those interesting characters, from the people who you see in the apartment of Jefferies to the individuals that are seen by the eyes of L.B.; those include a newlywed couple, a young dancer, an older woman living alone, a wacky couple, a woman with a dog, a musician (the guy that created Alvin & the Chipmunks), and of course Lars and the wife; even though you only occasionally overhear them they all get little stories that have a beginning, middle and end. Even Jefferies has a relationship to deal with and his fears of whether he has enough in common with his rich girlfriend Lisa and if opposites would attract and stay attracted forever.

The movie also says a lot about such things as the dangers of being a Peeping Tom and trying to look at the hidden lives of people in the privacy of behind closed doors. It was a hot New York summer so that's why the windows are all open but maybe he should have read more books instead of spying on people; you can actually sort of understand the antagonist's reaction at the end.

Everything about this movie is done so well, even though it's been alluded or parodied probably hundreds of times by now in the 60 years since it first came out, if you haven't seen it in awhile or if you actually have never seen it period, I give it my highest recommendation.

Thomasine & Bushrod/Shaft

Thomasine & Bushrod (1974)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Gordon Parks, Jr.

Starring: Max Julien, Vonetta McGee, George Murdock, Glynn Turman, Juanita Moore

From: Columbia

Shaft (1971)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Gordon Parks

Starring: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John, Gwenn Mitchell

From: MGM

Last night on TCM they showed some films from both Gordon Parks, Sr. and Gordon Parks Jr. I'll talk about one of each, the first being one of the 4 films that Jr. made before he sadly perished in an airplane crash (and it's a film I hadn't even heard of before) then I rewatched a classic film from pops; I hadn't seen Shaft in quite a long while so it was nice to check it out again. First, Thomasine & Bushrod, then Shaft.

While I do think it's cool that TCM plays a lot of movies from WAY back in the day (& I enjoy checking them out), it is also cool when they play something from the 70's or 80's. Last night they had the spotlight on some films from both Gordon Parks and Gordon Parks, Jr. This was one of them and I hadn't even heard of it before. It was one of the four movies that Jr. made before he sadly perished in an airplane crash.

It's an obscure blaxploitation western about a male and female duo (blaxploitation veterans Max Julien-who wrote this-and Vonetta McGee) who are like a Bonnie & Clyde in the Texas of the 1910's and with the aid of the newfangled inventions of the automobile and motorcycle they are able to rob banks and evade being captured by “the evil whitey” of this film, which is a Marshal played by George Murdock, likely best known as “God” in the much-beloved Star Trek V. Here, he looked quite a bit like a chubby Kelsey Grammer.

This is not a movie to watch for its action scenes; a good amount of that stuff is covered in wacky montages. Instead, it's more about the story and how the outlaws (at the time, a real life couple off the screen) interact with each other. It has to be said that the movie is intentionally anachronistic at times and the girl is the dominant force in the relationship. Both are interesting aspects in this genre. The heroes are also like Robin Hood in that they give a lot of their stolen loot to the poor people, no matter their creed or skin color.

Another interesting aspect is another blaxploitation vet-Glynn Turman-playing Jomo, a wacky Jamaican who is pretty much a Rastafarian. He provides some comic relief in what is usually a serious tale of outlaws who do wish to settle down but circumstances get in the way. While this isn't a great film I still thought it was fine and I wish it could be more widely available so people don't have to wait for an extremely rare TV showing to check it out.

Now, onto Shaft.

Of course I had seen this a few times before but the last time was a long while ago so I was happy when I saw that TCM would be showing this. Among the lists I have compiled is one for blaxploitation films; now that I have this film on there the list seems most complete, as this helped create a genre that ruled during the 70's.

This isn't a wild and over the top film like you typically saw in the genre. Like others have said it's just a low-key detective story where someone has to help find the kidnapped daughter of a gang leader and it turns out that the mob is involved and all-out chaos could break out due to the race implications.

It's just that this is a well-done movie all around from the interesting story, colorful characters, a quality score overall from Isaac Hayes and of course an awesome magnetic performance from Richard Roundtree as the title character, and it's focused on African-Americans and you get to see the dirty and sleazy parts of New York City and the blue-collar live of that huge city. As it was a huge hit you got all those imitators and there you got the craziness and zaniness.

Like I said it's a movie done well and along with the nice cinematography you have a legendary opening with the all time great opening title song and in just the first few minutes you get the perfect look at who John Shaft is and just how cool that bad mother... is, and it's strengthened by how he acts throughout. Also, what a fiery finale too.

I'll return Sunday night.

Detour

Detour (1945)

Runtime: 68 minutes

Directed by: Edgar G. Ulmer

Starring: Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake, Edmund MacDonald

From: Producers Releasing Corporation

Here's another film noir from me, and this one is a rather famous example. I figured it made sense to early on in this journey check out what has been said is a or even the quintessential movie in the genre. Also, it happens to be in the public domain so it's incredibly easy to find and watch online. Onto the Letterboxd review:

I figured that if I should continue the journey of watching film noir I should check out one of the most famous ones, a B movie classic of old that was done with a low budget but is an example of how a small amount of funds doesn't mean that you can not produce a film still beloved nearly 70 years later, especially if done by a director who has big studio talent but preferred the “Poverty Row” scene as it would allow him to do what he wanted.

This tale told in flashback shows why Al Roberts (Tom Neal) is in a foul bitter mood in the opening dialogue scene. You see that he plays piano in a New York City club and his girlfriend (Claudia Drake) sings there. Suddenly she gets the idea to go to Hollywood to make it big. Well, it turns out like you'd expect. Al hitch-hikes to Los Angeles to be with his girl but he first runs into a guy named Haskell (Edmund MacDonald) then a fellow hitch-hiker named Vera (Ann Savage, which is actually an appropriate surname for the character she played), and things go wrong. I wouldn't dare spoil any of the twists and turns in the plot.

If you wanted to you could nitpick various things on a technical level. I won't, as besides knowing how this wasn't a big-budget affair, the tale is so engrossing and interesting, even if you do notice you won't care. The film is lean and mean at 68 minutes and the film only has a few characters and most of the focus is only on two characters at a time, that being Al and someone else. Aside from flubs it is filmed quite well, with smart dialogue and such things I stereotypically expect from noirs such as nice usage of light & shadow and foggy streets at night only being illuminated by some lampposts.

The few characters you get to see are all fascinating but I have to give special credit to both Tom Neal and Ann Savage. Neal (who at times looked like a young Kurt Russell, to echo the comments in another review) has to be on the screen the entire time and he does a swell job as a man who falls in deeper with complications in the simple quest to see his girlfriend. Savage, what a performance playing a tough and vicious lady, someone who has had experience beyond her years. The movie's rather bleak and downbeat but I was OK with that as I was always entertained.

This film with frequent narration is said to be a great example of film noir, the quintessence of what it's all about & from what I understand I would have to agree. Watching it before checking out the other gems in the genre does seem to be a good idea for me and may be for others who wish to do the same thing.

I'll return Friday night.

These Movie Remakes/Reboots...

To be frank I feel too tired and "blah" tonight to watch any films. However,  it doesn't mean I can't note how this whole remake/reboot trend in Hollywood is just so out of control and it's real gross too how they're petrified of "new ideas" so with increasing frequency you get new versions of things that didn't need to be done again, like RoboCop and Total Recall. If they were remaking flawed movies that could be done better and there's a strong chance of it working, then maybe it'd work out. Otherwise, though...

What inspired me to bring this up was news from just the past 36 hours or so; you have remakes of National Lampoon's Vacation and I Know What You Did Last Summer. They can't even wait 20 years to bring it back? Just awful. As a side note, I despise most of television but honestly, turning Problem Child into a TV show? Talk about depressing.

Anyhow, no wonder why I have a dim view of major American films. I rarely see modern Hollywood movies anymore and when I do I tend to be disappointed too often. And let's not talk about how my Best of 2014 list is still rather barren of worthy entries. At least there are literally thousands upon thousands of older films for me to revisit or watch for the first time. My tastes should be obvious from what I tend to review here but I am happy to watch stuff from the past.

I'll be back tomorrow night, where I should review a motion picture and yeah, it'll be an older one.

They Drive By Night

They Drive by Night (1940)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Raoul Walsh

Starring: George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Gale Page

From: Warner Brothers

Today I started on the quest to add some more film noir to my life. I am sure most know what it is but basically, they are downbeat crime/detective films, to be as general as I can. Other sites out there do much more elaborate and detailed explanations and I won't try to match it. I picked out this film as it was an early example, I was able to track it down, it featured Bogie (it is a supporting role but that's OK) and I was interested in its plot. I'll explain it in the Letterboxd review, which will begin... now.

I decided recently that I should start watching more film noir. The few I've seen in my life I've enjoyed so I figured diving into the genre would be apt for me as it should be right up my alley. I picked this one out as it's an early example, I was able to find it, the plot revolving around independent truck drivers was interesting to me and hey, it features Bogart and I need to see more Bogie also.

As I said the story revolves around a pair of brothers, Joe and Paul (George Raft and Bogie) who are independent truck drivers. It's a rough trade and they end up behind on their bills. Joe is gung-ho on the idea of running his own company while Paul is thinking of listening to his wife and settling down and getting a regular job. They are pals with jolly gregarious good old boy Ed Carlsen (Alan Hale) who runs his own trucking company & is married to a polar opposite in a classy moll named Lana (Ida Lupino) and both Ann Sheridan as a regular gal and Roscoe Karns as Irish, a pinball-obsessed trucker, factor into the plot.

This film actually mixes in a few elements besides noir, such as good old fashioned melodrama and a serious and still relevant look at the issues truck drivers face, from driving too long hours and falling asleep at the wheel to concerns that spouses face at their loved ones being on the road for so long. Also, you get to see the great camaraderie truckers have with each other. You do get the sense they are one happy fraternity.

I rate this movie highly as it's an entertaining tale with various twists & turns, and as I expected, along with the quality acting from the talented cast there's always great snappy dialogue to hear. I won't spoil anything but there's quite a performance from one of the members of the cast as they figure into the noir part of the plot. This was a nice way to start the journey to see more "black film".

I'll return tomorrow night.

My Schedule For The Next Month And A Half

That's right, no time to watch any films between watching football in the afternoon, the Chicago Bears game tonight (even though I am pretty sure they'll lose) and I just started listening to an epic long podcast. However, I can at least tell you what ideas I have from now until the end of October.

What I'll be starting real soon is watching film noir motion pictures (the ones from the 40's and 50's) and put them on a list for Letterboxd. As I haven't seen enough of those I should enjoy that from now until the (theoretical) end of time as I should enjoy many of the films that I watch.

Also, for October I'll watch (not exclusively) some horror films and again that'll be in a Letterboxd list. I have some ideas as to what to see, but nothing is set in stone yet. I should enjoy that too.

I will return tomorrow and I will talk about a movie.

The Naughty Flirt

The Naughty Flirt (1931)

Runtime: 56 minutes

Directed by: Edward F. Cline

Starring: Alice White, Paul Page, Myrna Loy, Robert Agnew, Douglas Gilmore

From: First National

I wasn't thinking of doing just one movie for tonight and it being a real short one; that's just how it turned out. And, it turned out I saw a bad film that thankfully was short. The IMDb plot description, then the Letterboxd review:

'Coquettish socialite Kay Elliott has set her cap for Alan Ward, an associate in her father's law firm. But while pursuing Alan, she must fend off the advances of a greedy fortune-hunter, who is aided and abetted by his equally voracious sister." Basically, she's an incredibly annoying flapper girl.

To be honest the only reason why I reviewed this is... the title does make me giggle, it co-stars Myrna Loy, it's only 56 minutes long and it was on TCM at the crack of dawn yesterday.

I did not think this was good. This was a tale of a girl that I'd call a manic pixie dream girl; I may be wrong there but that's what I'll stick with. She parties all the time, is totally irresponsible, isn't that smart either and is just amazingly annoying... yes, as much so as Zooey Deschanel! Then again I knew I was going to be in trouble when the film started with most of the major players and others being hauled to court due to being inebriated idiots... and not even the funny kind either.

Anyhow, this is a tale where the manic pixie dream girl (Kay, played by mostly forgotten Alice White) falls in love with a dude, but as she's rich (or rather, her dad is) there's a gold-digging brother and sister duo who wish she would marry the brother instead for the money, and the sister was played by Loy. Things happen, and I was fine with the actors present; it's just the characters they played that were a drag; the majority of them do really stupid things that make no sense and it's just frustrating. At least I didn't waste too much time watching this.

Oh, and Kay literally gets spanked in one scene. Unfortunately it wasn't an Adrian Peterson-style spanking...

I'll return tomorrow night with something or another.

Walking The Edge/Vigilante

Walking the Edge (1983, not 1985 like IMDb claims)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Norbert Meisel

Starring: Robert Forster, Nancy Kwan, Joe Spinell, A Martinez

From: Cinema Overseas & Marketing Film

Vigilante (1983)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: William Lustig

Starring: Robert Forster, Fred Williamson, Richard Bright, Rutanya Alda, Willie Colon

From: Magnum Motion Pictures

Here's two similar movies I watched in the past 24 hours, in the order I saw them in. First, I'll talk about Walking the Edge then the more widely known film with several similarities, Vigilante. Onto the Letterboxd review...

What if I were to tell you that I saw a 1983 film starring Robert Forster and featuring Joe Spinell and a Jay Chattaway soundtrack, and tells a tale involving vigilantism? You'd of course think that I'd be talking about William Lustig's Vigilante, and that would be a correct answer... but not the only one.

There's also this film, which I did not even know of until Tuesday night when I was randomly looking at Spinell's filmography and noticed this film. What I heard about it here on Letterboxd, it sounded like something I needed to see, and nevermind how but I found a copy to watch. Lord, what a film!

The film is set in Los Angeles and deals with a taxi cab driver/collector for the mob (Forster) who unwittingly gets involved with a lady (Nancy Kwan) who is looking for revenge on the man (Spinell... not that I likely needed to clarify that with his involvement he'd be the villain) who murdered her husband and son. A Martinez is also there.

There are some incredibly wacky moments while I'll recap in a moment but I heard this movie described as “gritty” and it is a gritty exploitation film, with a lot of scummy lowlife characters and Forster is a flawed protagonist. He's an ex-baseball player who allegedly didn't make it because “he had no balls”, and he even has the sort of trouble in the bedroom that Viagra would fix. He helps Kwan but they don't always get along.

Along with the wacky moments there's also some gruesome ones. It's not light-hearted cheese. The plot, the performances and yes the odd moments all worked together in making me decide to give this 3 and a half stars.

The rest of the review will be along the line of spoilers so if you want to see this and don't want anything ruined, feel free to skip below to the other review. Now, let me list some highlights:

* The opening, where Nancy Kwan's family gets gunned down by Joe Spinell and his goons... well, the goons are buffoons who can't get along. They argue with each other and for some reason, they recite the old children's ditty of “Beans beans, the magical fruit; the more you eat the more you toot”! After Nancy escapes, they try looking for her but are unsuccessful; they also think it's a good time to start smoking joints. Two of them also have a homoerotic relationship with each other. Oh, and why is there an old refrigerator in someone's backyard by their fence?

* The movie has some rather colorful dialogue. The examples I can list include “piss-brain”, “wheelbarrow-sized tits”, and a woman saying “burly black ass”.

* Several scenes are set in a punk club.

* A scene of driving where you see giant billboards advertising Paul Mazursky's Tempest, Creepshow, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, An Officer and a Gentleman, and Rocky III. Awesome.

* Boy are there some cartoony characters and situations. The crazy old lady who lives in Forster's apartment complex is the most obvious example of this.

* Two characters have a dinner of McDonald's, wine and a blue can of Dr. Pepper.

* There's also a side story of Forster looking for money for his mob job. It does factor into the main plot.

* Joe Spinell ends up at a batting cage. He actually tries to bat. He beats someone up then utters the phrase, “Tree frogs are green!”, which sounds hilarious out of context and and is like Storm's infamous line from X-Men; do I even need to clarify which line I'm talking about?

As I've said before Letterboxd is great in that since I've joined early last year I've found out about some previously unknown films I have enjoyed.

Now, onto Vigilante, a film from William Lustig that has a cult audience. As one of the many Death Wish clones out there, I understand why. Now, onto my Letterboxd review:

As last night I reviewed a movie which I noted had several similarities to Vigilante, I figured it'd make most sense to tonight watch Vigilante, one of several cult favorites from director William Lustig. I knew that this tale would be audience-manipulating, and well, I was right... but that's OK.

With a story about a blue collar dad (Robert Forster) who teams up with his vigilante pals (led by Fred Williamson) to enact some personal justice after corruption and other factors fail to properly punish the people responsible for murdering his son and incapacitating his wife, I knew what to expect and while I understand those that aren't comfortable with a vigilantism message, me I am fine with it and in fact I can understand those feelings; even in recent times in the United States many people feel they can't trust the courts or police officers so of course they are sympathetic to the idea of “people like them” enforcing the laws on their own.

The reason why I rate it this way is the story and how it's directed by Lustig; it's always entertaining and never boring. There's plenty of bloody violence to see and an awesome score from Jay Chattaway. Forster, Williamson and Woody Strode in his small role all do great jobs. But, I do appreciate how the movie also looks at the impact vigilantism has on a person and how some have regrets doing so, even if it's against scummy people in the sleazy New York City of old.

I had a feeling I'd dig it right from the start and I saw the impassioned speech that The Hammer delivered about why people should become vigilantes, and then later I saw Williamson kick a lot of ass and generally be pretty awesome... stuff like this makes me happy.

I'll return tomorrow night.

RIP Richard Kiel

No review tonight; I am thinking about doing a two in one review for when I return tomorrow night but that isn't set in concrete. Instead I'd just like to say that I was saddened to hear yesterday that Richard Kiel passed away at the age of 74. Of course I'll remember him best as Jaws but as a child of the 80's and 90's I saw him pop up in some random films so I was disappointed to hear he died.

The November Man

The November Man (2014)

36% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 98 reviews)

Runtime: 108 minutes

Directed by: Roger Donaldson

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko, Bill Smitrovich, Amila Terzimehic

From: Relativity Media

Yep, I decided to return to the cinema and I had the choice of a few movies but I decided upon this one, despite the mixed reaction it's gotten. The IMDb plot description then what I said about it on Letterboxd:

“An ex-CIA operative is brought back in on a very personal mission and finds himself pitted against his former pupil in a deadly game involving high level CIA officials and the Russian president-elect.” That's pretty much what was said in the trailers.

As I've mentioned before, this year in movies hasn't really lit my world on fire. That's just my opinion. There's been some great ones but those seem few and far between. I'll just hope that business picks up the last few months of the year. Then again I am one who typically would rather see the movies that come out not during the summer blockbuster season, as most of those blockbusters just do nothing for me at best. I'd rather see films like this; I knew this had a real mixed reception so I figured it wouldn't be on my Top 10 list by the end of the year but I still wanted to be entertained and the trailer made it look interesting.

After seeing it, I'll have to side with those that liked it. I'll admit that the story is kind of ridiculous overall, there's nothing that'll knock your socks off and if I saw more of these modern spy films I'd recognize the cliches that others have noted. Even with all that, I was simply entertained by this story of an old grizzled spy who had to go against a “young buck” he used to work with, and Olga Kurylenko is involved too in a tale involving the current hot button topic of Russia and government corruption. I'll admit the story isn't complex but I was OK with that as it's preferable to a overly convoluted mess of a story that gives you a headache trying to figure it all out.

What helped was that the performances were nice all around, especially from the leads in Brosnan, Bracey and Kurylenko, Belgrade, Serbia was a city I wasn't used to seeing on the big screen so I thought that was nice, there were quality R-rated action (thankfully filmed in a manner where you could comprehend all the action scenes, something that unfortunately isn't always seen these days) and I was just entertained throughout.

Pierce as Peter Deveraux reminded me of another older spy, Bryan Mills of Taken fame (Taken 2 never happened in my alternate universe) in several ways, including doing things you wouldn't suspect a “hero” to do but as he's a hard-edged spy that's supposed to be emotionless, he does some harsh things to try and stop the conflict or get information out of someone.

Speaking of being reminded of other things, with the Eastern European setting and the government corruption theme, my mind went to the infamous Steven Seagal and all those direct to DVD movies he's done in the past 10 or so years from that part of the world. I've never seen any of them but from what I've heard those plots are overwrought and are just about inscrutable even if you've seen it more than once. I was thankful this did not go that route.

Overall, while the story is not revolutionary in any way, if you want to see an entertaining spy tale from a veteran director and featuring an aging but still capable star as the lead, then this will fit the bill.

I'll return tomorrow night.

The Show of Shows

The Show of Shows (1929)

Runtime: The only version that exists today is around 123 minutes; it was originally 128 minutes

Directed by: John G. Adolfi

Starring and from: Most of the people that were on contract to Warner Brothers at the time; really

I basically watched this as it was on late last night on TCM and it's an oddity as... well, I'll explain it in the Letterboxd review:

Before I get to talking about this film, explaining what it is will be something I need to do. It shows that even back in this time period, Hollywood will be happy to notice something that was a hit then cash in as soon as they're able to. This is one of a few all-star musical revues that the studios put out when “the talkies” were still in their infancy, where it'd be like a variety show and much of the talent from each studio would be on display. MGM's The Hollywood Revue of 1929 happened and several competitors happened, from Paramount on Parade to Fox's Happy Days (presumably without The Fonz), Universal's King of Jazz and this movie, from Warner Brothers. It was on TCM late last night and as no one had given it a review before I figured I should be the first.

There's real no plot to speak of; like I said it's like a variety show, with a host (Frank Fay, a popular vaudeville star at the time) and a cornucopia of sketches, from musical bits to comedy, dramatic reenactments to dancing and marching around. I realize that at the time movies like this must have been hot s*** to audiences that were just getting used to movies that weren't silent but in 2014, I say that this is a real mixed bag, needless to say. Some stuff works and the rest doesn't. The humor isn't always funny and some songs were better than others. It certainly isn't imaginatively shot. I understand that some of the bits were references or spoofs of topical to things from the time, but that's lost on me as it's stuff that was forgotten long ago.

Still, I was worried I'd find this bad and at least I can rate it average. There's some oddness (such as ditties about singin' in the bathtub and having bad breath), the song and dance numbers were at least interesting to look at (if not quite Busby Berkeley) and the finale is quite extravagant with all the performers and people acrobatically flipping about and doing wacky dances. Oh, and personally I thought the movie seemed shorter than its 2 hour runtime. Only once in awhile did it drag; otherwise I thought it flew by.

Many of the people in the cast (i.e. much of the Warner Brothers talent at the time besides Al Jolson, who asked for too much money; the more things change...) will probably be obscure even on a site such as this but the more familiar names include John Barrymore, Ann Sothern, Mary Astor, Noah Beery, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Loretta Young, Rin Tin Tin, Broadway star Beatrice Lillie and Myrna Loy, who stars in the only part of the mostly two strip Technicolor film that remains in color (the only surviving print is from an old TV showing, or so I hear), “Chinese Fantasy”, where yeah, she plays an “exotic” lady. That wasn't the only part of the film that features questionable racial material, but I wasn't surprised by that. That bit is one of a few that can be seen on YouTube; you didn't hear that from me, though.

This is definitely a curio and it's definitely a “your mileage may vary” sort of thing, but I am glad it still exists as it shows how things were back then and how as the silents went away the studios weren't quite sure what to do. At least they eventually figured it out... generally speaking.

I'll return tomorrow afternoon.

Within Our Gates

Within Our Gates (1920)

Runtime: 79 minutes

Directed by: Oscar Micheaux

Starring: Evelyn Preer, Flo Clements, James D. Ruffin, Jack Chenault, William Smith

From: Micheaux Book & Film Company

This is a movie that is rather random; I rarely talk about silent films here. I have watched some in the past but that was mostly before I started doing the blog here on Blogspot, let alone Letterboxd. This was on Turner Classic Movies late last night and as it has quite the backstory I figured it was worth talking about. The (verbatim, by the way) plot description from IMDb, then the Letterboxd review. Note that the controversial word in the IMDb synopsis is actually in the film frequently.

“Abandoned by her fiancé, an educated negro woman with a shocking past dedicates herself to helping a near bankrupt school for impoverished negro youths.”

I realize that I rarely talk about silent films here. Believe me I've seen some in my life; it's just that it's been in the past long before I had a profile here and I suppose that to be even more varied than I already am I should see one at least once in a blue moon. This was on Turner Classic Movies and it has quite the backstory and I am glad I saw it despite giving it an average rating.

This is the earliest movie from an African-American director known to still exist. It's known as a “race film”, an old genre where movies with African-American casts played exclusively for that audience. Many of those films unfortunately vanished and that seemed to be the fate of this motion picture... until an almost complete version was found in Spain. They had to modify it as close to the original as they could but that's what they did and that is how the movie can be seen today. As many of the race films were actually from white directors/white studios, Oscar Micheaux doing it on his own is significant.

As for the movie itself, I honestly have to rate it as average overall. The way it tells its story of a woman trying to raise money for a small impoverished school and the story itself was rather confused at times and told in an odd way. I don't know if that would have been better in the original print or not, but we'll never know now. At least it was still interesting to see how life was back then for that segment of the audience and the idea of some black people “selling out their own race” to try and befriend whites was real intriguing.

A word of warning: there's a scene involving lynching and yeah, it's still disturbing in 2014. Unfortunately that feeling and theme is still relevant in today's culture, with what happened in Ferguson, Missouri and other examples of overzealous and possibly racist law enforcement officers killing innocent minorities.

I'll return tomorrow night.

Hold Up Now...

I did go to a sports bar to see the Chicago Bears play. They lost and well, I am exhausted now and have to do other things so I wouldn't get a review up before midnight passes. However, tonight I plan on watching something quite interesting on TV and I'll write about that film tomorrow night.

Jaws

Jaws (1975)

Runtime: 124 minutes

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Lorraine Gary

From: Universal

I could have sworn I had reviewed this movie already for this site but I was mistaken after I looked last night; so, late in the night I decided to revisit the film via the Blu disc I have in my collection. I don't think I need to state what the plot is about so let me skip ahead to the Letterboxd review:

Here's another film I am giving a much better review to than the one I originally did back when I first joined this site early last year. I also realized I was a real dope for not giving this the highest possible rating so I rectified that mistake after watching the Blu disc last night; by the way, the disc is pretty tremendous overall and the picture is outstanding.

I am ashamed to say this but it wasn't until an adult that I actually saw this in full; it happened to be on the big screen so that was nice, even if I saw it with only like a few other people. It reminded me what my mom said when she first saw the movie (with her dad) back in '75 and even though she was an adult at the time it still terrified her. Also, at the time you could oversell a theatre so much that people had to sit in the aisles. Anyhow, I have seen it more than once since then.

I don't need to spend much time talking about how it really did have an impact on history in several ways, from it (for better or for worse) creating the Hollywood blockbuster, to its iconic score... from how it did make many people wary to go into the ocean for years afterward to the unfortunate side effect of making people so terrified of any shark that it likely led to various species of shark being on the endangered species list. So, let me talk about the movie itself, although I can't add much that hasn't been said better by other people.

What a fortuitous break it was for the mechanical shark (Bruce) to be largely out of commission, thus morphing the film into a “less is more” proposition where you rarely see the shark but when you do, it has an impact. Less is more can certainly work, and I wish Hollywood would pay more heed to the idea. The way the movie is filmed and how great the story is a big aid in the sparing use of the shark being effective. There is iconic film-making here, from the zoom on Brody's face to ol' Bruce suddenly popping up out of nowhere.

But, what makes this 5 stars are the thread lead characters of Chief Brody, Matt Hooper and Quint; not only are they all interesting multi-layered characters but they are brought to life perfectly by Roy Schieder, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw. The way they interact with each other is perfect, which is fortunate as the trio had to spend a lot of time with each other. Apparently Shaw and Dreyfuss did not get along at all during filming, but that was an asset with the characters when they argued with each other in the film. The scene that everyone knows as “the U.S.S Indianapolis scene” … still iconic even after the numerous times I've seen that particular 5 or so minutes.

The shoot wasn't easy, with tempers being lost easily & the crew almost mutinied against Spielberg, but damn if they didn't create an incredible movie still loved and beloved today.

I'll return tomorrow night.

Commando

Commando (1985)

Runtime: 92 minutes (the slightly different director's cut)

Directed by: Mark L. Lester

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Dan Hedaya, Vernon Wells, Alyssa Milano

From: 20th Century Fox

This was a movie I thought I reviewed for the site already but I looked and it turns out that I did not... so I figured tonight would be a good night to see it again and review it online. As I think I'll be watching old movies for the next week or two, something like this is nice to cleanse the palette. It won't be as in-depth as I know most people are at least familiar with the film if they haven't seen it before. I gave the movie 4 out of 5 stars and let me explain why, after the IMDb plot synopsis:

“A retired elite Black Ops Commando launches a one man war against a group of South American criminals who have kidnapped his daughter to blackmail him into starting a revolution and getting an exiled dictator back into power.”

Now, here's a film I've seen a number of times before and I decided (last night) was a fine night to see it again and review it for this site.

I admit that this is an absolutely preposterous motion picture, with a number of implausible or impossible things happening. In fact, someone on a messageboard created a list of TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY moments from the film that strain credibility, and many of them aren't inaccurate.

However, I don't give a damn as it is so entertaining and so fun. Maybe it's because I first saw this at likely too young an age but I'll always enjoy this preposterous film, where you'll get what all action fans want, which is Arnold Schwarzenegger uttering many bad/good one-liners, cool setpieces and many sons of bitches dying or otherwise getting maimed.

My personal favorite quips were “I lied”, “letting off some steam” and “he's dead tired”. Really, it's so absurd and goofy it's hilarious; it's great as mindless and yet engrossing entertainment for a half hour if you love action and need your spirits lifted.

I do have to give special mention to the steel drum and saxophone-infused soundtrack from James Horner is really great (so is the end credits song We Fight For Live from Power Station) and Bennett... that has to be the most Ambiguously Gay character in motion picture history to the way he acts in general, especially around the hero John Matrix.

I'll return tomorrow night.

The Jazz Singer (The Original Version)

The Jazz Singer (1927)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Alan Crosland

Starring: Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, Eugenie Besserer

From: Warner Brothers

Here's a film I watched on TCM last night and as I hadn't seen this historically important picture in the history of cinema I figured it was about time I did so. It was on TCM as a few days this month they're spending time showing and talking about Jewish films, this being one of those. The IMDb plot description then my Letterboxd review:

“Cantor Rabinowitz is concerned and upset because his son Jakie shows so little interest in carrying on the family's traditions and heritage. For five generations, men in the family have been Cantors in the synagogue, but Jakie is more interested in jazz and ragtime music. One day, they have such a bitter argument that Jakie leaves home for good. After a few years on his own, now calling himself Jack Robin, he gets an important opportunity through the help of well-known stage performer Mary Dale. But Jakie finds that in order to balance his career, his relationship with Mary, and his memories of his family, he will be forced to make some difficult choices.”

I figured it was about time I saw this historically significant motion picture in the annals of the cinema, the first full length movie with synchronized dialogue, and what changed movies forever... even though this movie is more often than not a silent film. As TCM showed it tonight that was the perfect time for me to check it out.

Well, overall I'd have to rate it as average; sure, it's significant but this is an old creaky simplistic movie which seems to be stretched out, and not just with all the songs. Al Jolson is definitely a better singer and dancer than entertainer in this story of a strict Jewish household where a 13 year old boy runs away from home due to his massive sh*tlord of a father who demands he has to join the family tradition of being a Cantor (someone who sings in a synagogue) and the boy wishes to sing jazz music instead. As an adult he becomes famous but he suddenly has to make a big choice...

I'll just mention two things: I was surprised at how horrible the father was. Even years later when the son becomes a singer of renown, he still hates him for not following the family tradition. Talk about overdramatic.

Also, the whole blackface thing... I know it was popular at the time but it was still quite unfortunate to see here, especially considering the song he sang in that getup was called Mammy.

Oh, and I am sure I'll eventually see the '80 remake, as I hear it's hilariously bad and just the idea of Neil Diamond and Laurence Olivier as son and father sounds incredible.

I'll return Friday afternoon.

Secret Of The Incas

Secret of the Incas (1954)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Jerry Hopper

Starring: Charlton Heston, Robert Young, Nicole Maurey, Thomas Mitchell

From: Paramount

Here' a random movie most haven't heard of but it did have a big influence on a legendary movie character, so I had to eventually watch it once I found out about it then was able to track it down. The IMDb plot description then the Letterboxd review:

"An Inca legend says the Inca Empire was destroyed by the gods when a gold and jeweled star burst (a fancy plate) was stolen from the Temple of the Sun centuries ago, and the ancient civilization will spring anew when the treasure is returned. The natives want it but so does Harry Steele, an American adventurer of slightly-shady ways who wants it for personal gain, as does his adversary, a grizzled old man even more into skulduggery than Steele. The latter teams up with Elena Antonescu, an Iron Curtain refugee fleeing from the MKVD (basically, Soviet military police)."

It's really not a surprise I decided to see this film after having seen a pair of Indiana Jones ripoffs as of late. After all, if you were to stumble upon this film and started watching without knowing anything about its plot or having seen any images, you'd be shocked to see that it was a 1954 film where Charlton Heston plays an adventurer who dresses EXACTLY like Indiana Jones: the brown jacket & hat, tan pants... if you see it yourself, you'll understand it is not a coincidence; I mean, besides appearance there are scenes in Raiders that were at least heavily inspired by this film and one was pretty much lifted wholesale.

Thanks to the Rupert Pupkin Speaks website for alerting me to the existence of this movie and thankfully I was able to track this down and give this set and filmed in Peru tale (the natural scenery-such as Machu Picchu-provided a lot of nice local color) and review a rare film for the site.

Basically, adventurer HARRY STEELE (Heston) joins up with a young lady and they look for missing treasure while eluding various people. Don't worry, it is more complicated than my threadbare plot description.

One thing different between Harry Steele and Indiana Jones; unlike Dr. Jones, Steele often comes across as an ass who has a voracious appetite for money and the acquisition of money that would rival the avarice of Gene Simmons! He's not looking for the treasure for purposes of archaeology, oh no. He's doing it for the cash. 

Let me note some of his other demerits: he acts forceful against several women-including an older lady and I noted a rather sexual vibe between the two as if there was an underlying relationship that wasn't shown-in order to advance his own causes, he plays Peeping Tom, he'll steal items large and small, he lies to a woman in order to hook up with her, and he even sometimes have other people do his dirty work. He's technically an asstagonist but I usually laughed at him rather than get offended by his boorish behavior. Besides, there's an even sleazier guy that's the villain.

Some things don't always make a lot of sense but overall this is a fine tale, although you should not expect it to be action-packed like an Indiana Jones film as it's not like that at all. What you do see (and hear via songs) is some Peruvian/Incan culture, which was different, at least to me. There's some amusing dialogue and “Well, THAT escalated quickly” moments; like I said this is fine.

I'll return tomorrow night.

Dark Angel (a.k.a. I Come In Peace)

Dark Angel (i.e. I Come in Peace) (1990)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Craig R. Baxley

Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Brian Benben, Betsy Brantley, Matthias Hues

From: Vision PDG

Here's another movie I've seen before but for the first time I am checking out the Blu-from Shout Factory-I found in a store last year; of course, I am me and getting discs is a lot easier than me actually watching them. I can't explain it myself; that's just me. The long IMDb plot synopsis then the Letterboxd review:

"Jack Caine (Dolph Lundgren) is a Houston vice cop who's forgotten the rule book. His self-appointed mission is to stop the drugs trade and the number one supplier Victor Manning. Whilst involved in an undercover operation to entrap Victor Manning, his partner gets killed, and a sinister newcomer enters the scene... Along with F.B.I. agent Lawrence Smith, the two investigate a spate of mysterious deaths; normal non-junkies dying of massive heroin overdoses and bearing the same horrific puncture marks on the forehead. This, coupled with Caine's own evidence, indicates an alien force is present on the streets of Houston, killing and gathering stocks of a rare drug found only in the brain... Caine is used to fighting the toughest of criminals, but up to now they've all been human..."

Here's another Blu I've had for awhile and I've just gotten around to watching it now. It's the Shout Factory Blu and they did a real nice job with this cult film which I had seen before but that was years ago.

It's easy to see why this has a small but fervent fanbase: it's a film about a loose cannon cop (Dolph Lundgren!) who teams up with an FBI agent-of course they're a duo who are the opposite in just about every way-to investigate a case involving yuppie drug dealers and corrupt cops and turns out a giant man who's actually an alien is on the loose injecting people with heroin so that they can produce endorphins that he sucks out of their body as they are needed by addicts on his planet and oh yeah he's chased by another alien... who happens to be basketball player turned ESPN sports analyst Jay Bilas... and a weapon used by the bad guy looks like a CD but it's a lethal magnetized weapon. Very wacky, and awesome.

It's a low budget action movie and yet the budget doesn't hamper things; you get plenty of action, explosions, one-liners, comedy and intrigue with the mismatched duo as they investigate the bizarre case, and other things action fans crave like the endorphins the evil alien Talec desires. Additional assets are such things as the lead duo doing a great job in their roles, memorable characters all around (Bruce is unforgettable & Michael J. Pollard plays someone named BONER) and a really cool Jan Hammer score.


Whether you want to call it Dark Angel or I Come in Peace, this is a motion picture where I have to agree with its supporters: this is a quality action film and you just don't get films quite like this anymore.

I'll return tomorrow night.