Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (Il Tuo Vizio E Una Stanza Chiusa E Solo Io Ne Ho La Chiave (1972)
Runtime: 96 minutes
Directed by: Sergio Martino
Starring: Luigi Pistillo, Anita Strindberg, Edwige Fenech, Ivan Rassimov, Franco Nebbia
From: Lea Film
This was a fun way to close out 2018... Happy New Year, everyone:
In some ways, the black cat in this film being named Satan is appropriate.
As I mentioned in my last review (over a week ago) I was on vacation in Kansas to see part of my immediate family, which has become a yearly tradition now. Unlike the past few years, I did not have the time to watch any motion pictures. At random I made this giallo my first one back... OK, maybe not so much at random-I did realize I hadn't seen anything from this genre in a while and for years I've known of the title as one of the best in giallo... and that field has a plethora of unforgettable names.
Oliviero is a successful professor and writer who lives in a fancy mansion, but that building is from his late mother and he definitely has mommy issues-yet those aren't his only problems. He is a real A-hole who says and does some pretty awful things... so, modern day Louis CK, basically. Anyhow, some women who are linked to him suddenly start dying at the hands of a mysterious killer who wears black gloves and his weapon of choice is a sickle. That is all standard stuff for the genre, including wondering who the killer is and if the lead male is the slasher or he is being set up, and of course the bloody kills where people die from deep gashes.
Things become interesting when Edwige Fenech (playing Oliviero's niece) appears; she is billed first yet her first appearance is only in the beginning of the second act. I should mention that the lead also has a wife and naturally his behavior is the worst towards her; well, when wife and niece team up, things change. That includes the tenor of the story, which becomes more Hitchcockian and also something straight out of Poe... speaking of that, this was inspired by his tale The Black Cat, which is why Vice has a black cat present.
Come to think of it, “interesting” is probably stating things lightly; this movie takes quite the turn in the back half and the sleaze that is present throughout becomes even stronger. There are twists and turns that happen and what a delicious, intoxicating ending they came up with-I mean, it put the bow on things. It was nice seeing this film with plenty of genre veterans in front of the camera (Fenech, Luigi Pistilli, Ivan Rassimov, and Anita Stridberg) and behind it (director Sergio Martino, composer Bruno Nicolai); while it is different from the norm and not a pure giallo like Don't Torture a Duckling or What Have You Done to Solange?, if you like those films then you might like this one despite or maybe because of its differences.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Friday, December 28, 2018
The Movie Known In Some Circles As Dial Code Santa Claus
Game Over (I'll go with the IMDb title; the original French title is 36.15 Code Pere Noel) (1989)
Runtime: 87 minutes
Directed by: Rene Manzor
Starring: Brigitte Fossey, Louis Ducreux, Patrick Floersheim, Alain Lalanne, Francois-Eric Gendron
From: Several French companies
For shame in me not posting this before Christmas, as I saw the movie a week and a half ago!
I am striking while the iron's hot. Considering the trailer for this French film (under the title Dial Code Santa Claus & presented by the American Genre Film Archive, who are showing it on the big screen in several locations this month, but of course none of them are close to Florida) went viral yesterday and even ended up on Entertainment Weekly's website, I might as well jerry-rig a method where I watch a poor quality version of the film w/ English subtitles that don't always match up to the picture (don't ask for details...) so I could see a movie I have known about for years yet haven't watched until last night.
After all, once you hear the plot description you'll realize why I never forgot about the film. A 10 year old rich kid named Tommy lives in a mansion with his single mother and diabetic, nearly blind grandfather. Tommy loves RAMBO, to the point that he not only does a combined working out and suiting up montage to some weird French Christmas song that sounds a lot like Eye of the Tiger, but even does his own wargames simulation where he pretends he is the Stallone character. If that doesn't sound great enough, via Minitel he communicates with a vagrant that pretends to be Santa Claus...
Actually, I better explain what Minitel is as not even I was too familiar with it until relatively recently. From the 80's all the way to 2012, the French gave everyone terminals that via the telephone line hooked up to various services... phone directories, online stores, train reservations, stock prices, and even the early forms of e-mail and chatrooms. This was done in part to help greatly improve what was a terrible telephone network. The reason why the original French title was 36.15 Code Pere Noel was that 36.11 and up was the prefixes used with Minitel... you'd type in some word after the prefix and in this case, Pere Noel brought you to a site where children could communicate with Santa. Now, I have no idea how Tommy and a vagrant on a public Minitel machine were able to communicate with each other or how this vagrant was able to communicate as Santa from his position, but either the movie was sloppy (and Lord is it ever clumsy at times) or I'll just chalk it up to me not fully understanding how Minitel works. But in either case, Minitel is pretty awesome as it was ahead of its time and only the French ever used such a system on a widespread scale.
Anyway, that communication allowed for this bum to know where Tommy lived and he invades, dressed as Santa. Tommy is starting to not believe in Santa, so he decides to stay up and via cameras connected to his fancy wrist computer, hopes to spot Jolly Saint Nick. Note that Tommy even knows what “decoupling” means and how to perform such a task. Well, “Santa” shows up, kills Tommy's dog, and Tommy decides to try and kill Santa! Naturally, Home Alone comparisons have been made, and funny that this was released before Home Alone... but of course this is far more serious than the film series with Kevin McCallister. Tommy even uses fire and makeshift bombs on fake Saint Nick! That is quite the feat for a child... but most children don't have EPIC MULLETS like our protagonist does here.
As previously mentioned, the movie at times is rather clumsy and that definitely could have been done better. Yet this film (whether you want to call it by its original French title or one of its seemingly half a dozen or so English titles) is so loony, so out there and so dark that even seeing this at home by myself was a fun experience-I can only imagine what a theatrical screening with a rowdy crowd would be like. To add to the insanity, the protagonist (Alain Lalanne) is the director's son and Mr. Lalanne has gone on to contribute to the visual effects on such films as Gravity, The Dark Knight and Avatar... so maybe our mulleted hero was a techno whiz when he was a kid in real life.
Runtime: 87 minutes
Directed by: Rene Manzor
Starring: Brigitte Fossey, Louis Ducreux, Patrick Floersheim, Alain Lalanne, Francois-Eric Gendron
From: Several French companies
For shame in me not posting this before Christmas, as I saw the movie a week and a half ago!
I am striking while the iron's hot. Considering the trailer for this French film (under the title Dial Code Santa Claus & presented by the American Genre Film Archive, who are showing it on the big screen in several locations this month, but of course none of them are close to Florida) went viral yesterday and even ended up on Entertainment Weekly's website, I might as well jerry-rig a method where I watch a poor quality version of the film w/ English subtitles that don't always match up to the picture (don't ask for details...) so I could see a movie I have known about for years yet haven't watched until last night.
After all, once you hear the plot description you'll realize why I never forgot about the film. A 10 year old rich kid named Tommy lives in a mansion with his single mother and diabetic, nearly blind grandfather. Tommy loves RAMBO, to the point that he not only does a combined working out and suiting up montage to some weird French Christmas song that sounds a lot like Eye of the Tiger, but even does his own wargames simulation where he pretends he is the Stallone character. If that doesn't sound great enough, via Minitel he communicates with a vagrant that pretends to be Santa Claus...
Actually, I better explain what Minitel is as not even I was too familiar with it until relatively recently. From the 80's all the way to 2012, the French gave everyone terminals that via the telephone line hooked up to various services... phone directories, online stores, train reservations, stock prices, and even the early forms of e-mail and chatrooms. This was done in part to help greatly improve what was a terrible telephone network. The reason why the original French title was 36.15 Code Pere Noel was that 36.11 and up was the prefixes used with Minitel... you'd type in some word after the prefix and in this case, Pere Noel brought you to a site where children could communicate with Santa. Now, I have no idea how Tommy and a vagrant on a public Minitel machine were able to communicate with each other or how this vagrant was able to communicate as Santa from his position, but either the movie was sloppy (and Lord is it ever clumsy at times) or I'll just chalk it up to me not fully understanding how Minitel works. But in either case, Minitel is pretty awesome as it was ahead of its time and only the French ever used such a system on a widespread scale.
Anyway, that communication allowed for this bum to know where Tommy lived and he invades, dressed as Santa. Tommy is starting to not believe in Santa, so he decides to stay up and via cameras connected to his fancy wrist computer, hopes to spot Jolly Saint Nick. Note that Tommy even knows what “decoupling” means and how to perform such a task. Well, “Santa” shows up, kills Tommy's dog, and Tommy decides to try and kill Santa! Naturally, Home Alone comparisons have been made, and funny that this was released before Home Alone... but of course this is far more serious than the film series with Kevin McCallister. Tommy even uses fire and makeshift bombs on fake Saint Nick! That is quite the feat for a child... but most children don't have EPIC MULLETS like our protagonist does here.
As previously mentioned, the movie at times is rather clumsy and that definitely could have been done better. Yet this film (whether you want to call it by its original French title or one of its seemingly half a dozen or so English titles) is so loony, so out there and so dark that even seeing this at home by myself was a fun experience-I can only imagine what a theatrical screening with a rowdy crowd would be like. To add to the insanity, the protagonist (Alain Lalanne) is the director's son and Mr. Lalanne has gone on to contribute to the visual effects on such films as Gravity, The Dark Knight and Avatar... so maybe our mulleted hero was a techno whiz when he was a kid in real life.
The Night Comes For Us
The Night Comes for Us (2018)
Runtime: 120 minutes
Directed by: Timo Tjahjanto
Starring: Several people who were in films like The Raid series
From: Several Indonesian companies, plus Netflix
Whoops, I did not post this when I wanted to, which was before I left for Kansas... I am still in Kansas now.
Safety starts with me.
As has become a tradition now, starting on Sunday I'll be out of town for about a week as I will be halfway across the country at the house of a sibling; I have things to do until then and with any luck I'll see some sort of film there new to me but if not... who knows when I will return. That out of the way, for the past few months I have heard plenty concerning this film. Despite the rave reviews and having seen several other productions involving the key players, I kept on putting off seeing this, until I finally pulled the trigger... or in this case, fired off countless rounds of ammunition from a semi-automatic weapon.
The plot is not what you'd call original: an enforcer for the Triad (Ito) decides not to kill a little girl in what was supposed to be a massacre of an entire village, and the Triad sends various assassins to try and kill Ito. At least he has some pals to assist him against the onslaught of thugs, such as a bearded dude only known as White Boy Bobby. To be frank, I could nitpick various aspects of the story and for sure, the film is WAY over the top when it comes to the action and how much bloodletting there is. For some it could be too much and in fact it almost became too much for me due to the filmmakers trying too hard. Yet it never reached that point for me of being too much.
Of course all that most people will care about while watching this is the action and violence; when several people from The Raid franchise are involved with this, expectations should be high. While I don't love the film overall like I do The Raid: Redemption, the action beats you get here are all tremendous, as many dudes (along with some women) just get wrecked... dozens of limbs are broken, gallons of blood are spilled, all sorts of makeshift weapons are used, and all of it is shot in a clear manner and sometimes stylishly so.
In addition, the musical score is interesting: always electronic and sometimes sounding like synthwave, but at times there is what sounds like Gregorian monks chanting. For those that love movies involving the likes of Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, and Joe Taslim (and for the first time Uwais and Taslim face off on screen in an OOT battle) and/or you love ultraviolent action movies, this is a must-see and it is easy for many to see due to it usually being featured when you log onto Netflix.
Runtime: 120 minutes
Directed by: Timo Tjahjanto
Starring: Several people who were in films like The Raid series
From: Several Indonesian companies, plus Netflix
Whoops, I did not post this when I wanted to, which was before I left for Kansas... I am still in Kansas now.
Safety starts with me.
As has become a tradition now, starting on Sunday I'll be out of town for about a week as I will be halfway across the country at the house of a sibling; I have things to do until then and with any luck I'll see some sort of film there new to me but if not... who knows when I will return. That out of the way, for the past few months I have heard plenty concerning this film. Despite the rave reviews and having seen several other productions involving the key players, I kept on putting off seeing this, until I finally pulled the trigger... or in this case, fired off countless rounds of ammunition from a semi-automatic weapon.
The plot is not what you'd call original: an enforcer for the Triad (Ito) decides not to kill a little girl in what was supposed to be a massacre of an entire village, and the Triad sends various assassins to try and kill Ito. At least he has some pals to assist him against the onslaught of thugs, such as a bearded dude only known as White Boy Bobby. To be frank, I could nitpick various aspects of the story and for sure, the film is WAY over the top when it comes to the action and how much bloodletting there is. For some it could be too much and in fact it almost became too much for me due to the filmmakers trying too hard. Yet it never reached that point for me of being too much.
Of course all that most people will care about while watching this is the action and violence; when several people from The Raid franchise are involved with this, expectations should be high. While I don't love the film overall like I do The Raid: Redemption, the action beats you get here are all tremendous, as many dudes (along with some women) just get wrecked... dozens of limbs are broken, gallons of blood are spilled, all sorts of makeshift weapons are used, and all of it is shot in a clear manner and sometimes stylishly so.
In addition, the musical score is interesting: always electronic and sometimes sounding like synthwave, but at times there is what sounds like Gregorian monks chanting. For those that love movies involving the likes of Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, and Joe Taslim (and for the first time Uwais and Taslim face off on screen in an OOT battle) and/or you love ultraviolent action movies, this is a must-see and it is easy for many to see due to it usually being featured when you log onto Netflix.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Santa Claus Conquers The Martians
Runtime: 81 long minutes
Directed by: Nicholas
Webster
Starring: A bunch of
random people, plus kid Pia Zadora
From: Jalor Productions
You know, Voldar made some good points...
I had seen this movie before, and not just on MST3K. I might as well give this pile of crap a proper review here even though many have seen it via MST3K and/or its offshoots, or at least know the general plot. I have no idea if the kids of the 60's actually enjoyed this or not, but as an adult in almost 2019... Martians is pretty painful.
The children of Mars now get television signals from Earth and it's rotting their minds; complaints about TV or smartphones doing that now... it's not a new phenomenon. The head Martian (“cleverly named Kimar, as in “King Martian”; some other characters have the same naming scheme) decides to kidnap Jolly Old Saint Nick and before you can say “Hooray for Santy Claus”, both him and two bad child actors... I mean “Earth children” are in a spaceship and they get their asses to Mars. Santa does not conquer anything but perhaps I am thinking too hard about that.
It seems like shooting fish in a barrel to nitpick how so many things here make zero sense due to the target demographic they obviously were going for... but this story does not really hold up to any kind of scrutinizing. I can be more forgiving of how incredibly cheap everything looked due to what had to be a minuscule budget; that includes the giant robot known as Togo, which (to borrow a phrase from a mutual) might as well have been named Torgo. The character of Dropo being way over the top in being obnoxious and acting like he has some sort of mental handicap, that is unforgivable to me.
The aforementioned Voldar-who is the villain of the film-had quite the look of a giant mustache to go along with the silly green outfit and green paint covering all of his skin. This last viewing, I realized he had some good points, although the film did not want his opinion to be seen as valid. But they were, whether it was talking about the Martians becoming soft or not wanting to bring the Earth kids along because they would F things up... Of course Voldar doesn't help his cause in the final act when he and his minions do something really stupid but even then I realize this bad guy was pretty entertaining between his look and his eternal grumpiness.
However, if you ever wanted to see a motion picture where Santa is rather naive and acts like he adds rum to his eggnog...
I had seen this movie before, and not just on MST3K. I might as well give this pile of crap a proper review here even though many have seen it via MST3K and/or its offshoots, or at least know the general plot. I have no idea if the kids of the 60's actually enjoyed this or not, but as an adult in almost 2019... Martians is pretty painful.
The children of Mars now get television signals from Earth and it's rotting their minds; complaints about TV or smartphones doing that now... it's not a new phenomenon. The head Martian (“cleverly named Kimar, as in “King Martian”; some other characters have the same naming scheme) decides to kidnap Jolly Old Saint Nick and before you can say “Hooray for Santy Claus”, both him and two bad child actors... I mean “Earth children” are in a spaceship and they get their asses to Mars. Santa does not conquer anything but perhaps I am thinking too hard about that.
It seems like shooting fish in a barrel to nitpick how so many things here make zero sense due to the target demographic they obviously were going for... but this story does not really hold up to any kind of scrutinizing. I can be more forgiving of how incredibly cheap everything looked due to what had to be a minuscule budget; that includes the giant robot known as Togo, which (to borrow a phrase from a mutual) might as well have been named Torgo. The character of Dropo being way over the top in being obnoxious and acting like he has some sort of mental handicap, that is unforgivable to me.
The aforementioned Voldar-who is the villain of the film-had quite the look of a giant mustache to go along with the silly green outfit and green paint covering all of his skin. This last viewing, I realized he had some good points, although the film did not want his opinion to be seen as valid. But they were, whether it was talking about the Martians becoming soft or not wanting to bring the Earth kids along because they would F things up... Of course Voldar doesn't help his cause in the final act when he and his minions do something really stupid but even then I realize this bad guy was pretty entertaining between his look and his eternal grumpiness.
However, if you ever wanted to see a motion picture where Santa is rather naive and acts like he adds rum to his eggnog...
Monday, December 17, 2018
The Passion Of Joan Of Arc
The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion De Jeanne d'Arc) (1928)
I now see why so many film fans are passionate about this late-era silent.
This played last night on Turner Classic Movies and I realized it was about time I finally sat down & partook in what is now recognized as a legendary film and not just a great silent but among the best motion pictures ever made.
The plot is not overly complicated: Joan of Arc is on trial for heresy (and most of the judges have funny haircuts) due to her claim that she was told by God to drive the English from France during the Hundred Years' War. Those that know of her life will know the result of that trial and her ultimate fate. Yet it was how director Carl Theodor Dreyer directed this that plays a big part in making this memorable. Much of the first 2/3rds or so is shot really close to the actors' faces, to the point you aren't too sure of the setting the actors are in. Besides the standard zoom in and outs, many flashy moves are done, which I won't dare spoil for those that have not experienced this before. It's not over the top to the point of being distracting or an irritant; it proved to be perfect for the film.
Of course the highlight of the movie is the performance of Falconetti (I've seen her billed as a few different names so I'll just go with her surname), which in modern times has been said to be historically great. Indeed it is tremendous. Without the ability to hear her speak, she still conveys everything with aplomb, letting her face and gestures say it all, including frequent bouts of crying. I now know there are differing accounts of whether or not Dreyer abused her to achieve that performance; I can just hope that was not the case.
All the hype I heard about this film was correct; it is a must-see for all serious film fans.
Runtime: 82 minutes
Directed by: Carl Theodor
Dreyer
Starring: Renee Maria
Falconetti, Eugene Silvain, Andre Berley, Maurice Schultz, Antonin
Artaud
From: Societae Generale
Des Films
I now see why so many film fans are passionate about this late-era silent.
This played last night on Turner Classic Movies and I realized it was about time I finally sat down & partook in what is now recognized as a legendary film and not just a great silent but among the best motion pictures ever made.
The plot is not overly complicated: Joan of Arc is on trial for heresy (and most of the judges have funny haircuts) due to her claim that she was told by God to drive the English from France during the Hundred Years' War. Those that know of her life will know the result of that trial and her ultimate fate. Yet it was how director Carl Theodor Dreyer directed this that plays a big part in making this memorable. Much of the first 2/3rds or so is shot really close to the actors' faces, to the point you aren't too sure of the setting the actors are in. Besides the standard zoom in and outs, many flashy moves are done, which I won't dare spoil for those that have not experienced this before. It's not over the top to the point of being distracting or an irritant; it proved to be perfect for the film.
Of course the highlight of the movie is the performance of Falconetti (I've seen her billed as a few different names so I'll just go with her surname), which in modern times has been said to be historically great. Indeed it is tremendous. Without the ability to hear her speak, she still conveys everything with aplomb, letting her face and gestures say it all, including frequent bouts of crying. I now know there are differing accounts of whether or not Dreyer abused her to achieve that performance; I can just hope that was not the case.
All the hype I heard about this film was correct; it is a must-see for all serious film fans.
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Thank God It's Friday
Thank God It's Friday (1978)
Runtime: 89 minutes
Directed by: Robert Klane
Starring: Such hot acts as Donna Summer & The Commodores, along with Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger, the guy who would later become legally known as Otis Day, Ray Vitte and Terri Nunn
From: Both Motown and Casablanca
The past few days I've either revisited old films or not watched anything at all. However, Friday night I saw this infamous disco extravaganza:
This played (Friday) night on TCM Underground and it seemed like something I could at least laugh with (or if it was bad, laugh AT) so why not see this relic of an era long since passed? Disco music only was popular for a few years but wow was it ever white-hot in popularity. Thank God this film was not a chore to sit through.
To borrow a phrase, this is a “One Crazy Night” sort of story where the entire film spans only a few hour time period. Plus, a wide variety of different characters are followed throughout the film and much of the action is in the fictional The Zoo nightclub in Los Angeles, which was actually the real life club Osko's, but that was demolished many years ago. Naturally most of those characters are one-dimensional (examples include the wet blanket who is only there because his wife decides at the last minute to try out the hip new place, the two underage girls who try sneaking in, the sleazy club owner... played by Jeff Goldblum! There's also two girls who enter the dance contest as the prize is KISS tickets, some guys looking for chicks, etc.) and the movie is slight (a big deal is if the equipment van carrying the musical instruments for The Commodores will make it there in time) but at least it is fast-paced and never boring. A guy who calls himself THE LEATHERMAN (due to his outfit) teaches a schlub how to dance so he can get the girls... the movie is not mean-spirited, in other words.
Naturally, how you feel about this will depend on how you feel about disco music in general. I'll just say that I don't hate it and if you love that genre, the soundtrack will be epic greatness. Songs that don't even make the official soundtrack album release include Giorgio Moroder's From Here to Eternity, Alec R. Costadinos' Romeo & Juliet, The Commodores' Brick House, and two songs from The Village People. The other songs are from various popular genre acts and of course the most popular ditty from this flick was Last Dance from Donna Summer, which won a Golden Globe & Oscar, not to mention it was one of her most popular songs and will forever be one of the best and well-known disco anthems. Of course I loved the late 70's clothing, the décor of The Zoo, Donna Summer having a role as an aspiring singer, and the aforementioned Commodores-including Lionel Richie, who was still in the band at the time-and all the other elements that were mostly dated just a few years after this came out.
I even have to give this film credit for including some bits that were the less-heralded parts of the disco craze. Gay men were a big part of the scene, and the movie had a trans* character, a biologically male character who dressed as a female. That could have been grossly offensive by 2018 standards but thankfully wasn't. Sure there was a gag where she shaved with an electric razor and a guy sees her from behind and makes a flirty comment before she turns around but that character was not cringeworthy. Plus, drug use was shown and of course people needed to take speed or rip off a fat white line if they want to dance to 10 or 15 minute long 12 inch singles. The honesty in this fluffy cash grab was appreciated by me.
Runtime: 89 minutes
Directed by: Robert Klane
Starring: Such hot acts as Donna Summer & The Commodores, along with Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger, the guy who would later become legally known as Otis Day, Ray Vitte and Terri Nunn
From: Both Motown and Casablanca
The past few days I've either revisited old films or not watched anything at all. However, Friday night I saw this infamous disco extravaganza:
This played (Friday) night on TCM Underground and it seemed like something I could at least laugh with (or if it was bad, laugh AT) so why not see this relic of an era long since passed? Disco music only was popular for a few years but wow was it ever white-hot in popularity. Thank God this film was not a chore to sit through.
To borrow a phrase, this is a “One Crazy Night” sort of story where the entire film spans only a few hour time period. Plus, a wide variety of different characters are followed throughout the film and much of the action is in the fictional The Zoo nightclub in Los Angeles, which was actually the real life club Osko's, but that was demolished many years ago. Naturally most of those characters are one-dimensional (examples include the wet blanket who is only there because his wife decides at the last minute to try out the hip new place, the two underage girls who try sneaking in, the sleazy club owner... played by Jeff Goldblum! There's also two girls who enter the dance contest as the prize is KISS tickets, some guys looking for chicks, etc.) and the movie is slight (a big deal is if the equipment van carrying the musical instruments for The Commodores will make it there in time) but at least it is fast-paced and never boring. A guy who calls himself THE LEATHERMAN (due to his outfit) teaches a schlub how to dance so he can get the girls... the movie is not mean-spirited, in other words.
Naturally, how you feel about this will depend on how you feel about disco music in general. I'll just say that I don't hate it and if you love that genre, the soundtrack will be epic greatness. Songs that don't even make the official soundtrack album release include Giorgio Moroder's From Here to Eternity, Alec R. Costadinos' Romeo & Juliet, The Commodores' Brick House, and two songs from The Village People. The other songs are from various popular genre acts and of course the most popular ditty from this flick was Last Dance from Donna Summer, which won a Golden Globe & Oscar, not to mention it was one of her most popular songs and will forever be one of the best and well-known disco anthems. Of course I loved the late 70's clothing, the décor of The Zoo, Donna Summer having a role as an aspiring singer, and the aforementioned Commodores-including Lionel Richie, who was still in the band at the time-and all the other elements that were mostly dated just a few years after this came out.
I even have to give this film credit for including some bits that were the less-heralded parts of the disco craze. Gay men were a big part of the scene, and the movie had a trans* character, a biologically male character who dressed as a female. That could have been grossly offensive by 2018 standards but thankfully wasn't. Sure there was a gag where she shaved with an electric razor and a guy sees her from behind and makes a flirty comment before she turns around but that character was not cringeworthy. Plus, drug use was shown and of course people needed to take speed or rip off a fat white line if they want to dance to 10 or 15 minute long 12 inch singles. The honesty in this fluffy cash grab was appreciated by me.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon!
Runtime: 109 minutes
Directed by: Michael
Schultz
Starring: Taimak, Vanity,
Christopher Murney, Julius Carry, Faith Prince
From: Motown!
Of course this is something I would rate highly:
“You are The Last Dragon, you possess the power of The Glow!” (repeat x50)
I have mentioned before how some 1980's films are like that decade vomited all over the screen, but I don't think that thought has been more accurate than when applied to this insane motion picture, which is now on Netflix. Honestly, this is like pure Colombian cocaine was melted down and put on celluloid! Aside from this being Motown's attempt to get into film and be as relevant to pop culture as they were in the past, it's a then-modern spin on such 70's staples as Bruce Lee and blaxploitation, so of course this is something I'd think was incredible despite it technically not being what you'd call a good motion picture, critically.
Taimak is Leroy Green, i.e. Bruce Leroy, as he stans Bruce Lee. I mean, to the point he speaks in a stilted manner as if he's copying the dubbing voices of old martial arts films and cosplays as Lee on the streets by wearing his old movie outfits, including the yellow suit from Game of Death. Besides dealing with The Shogun of Harlem-the amazing Sho'Nuff-and trying to find the master that will give him the power of The Glow, he gets to know Vanity and has to protect her from crazed promoter/arcade owner Eddie Arkadian, who wants her to play the Cyndi Lauper-esque video of his moll on her local nightclub TV show and randomly has henchmen like Mike Starr and a tank in his office which is filled with piranhas.
The stunning multicolored jacket that WILLIAM H. MACY wears in his one scene, weird racial moments, breakdancing, a soundtrack that slaps you in the face with how 80's it is, which includes such legends as Smokey Robinson, The Temptations and Stevie Wonder (as remember who made this; DeBarge's Rhythm of the Night became a big hit after its appearance here) and parts of a few music videos are shown, the hero eating popcorn with chopsticks, The Glow actually being a literal idea, some of the most breathtaking clothing you'll ever witness, bad guys in Sho'Nuff and Arkadian who just look like A-holes with their appearance, let alone how those characters act, random appearances by Rudy Huxtable, Ernie Reyes Jr. and Chazz Palminteri, Leroy's 14 year old brother having the hots for Vanity-can you blame him?... The Last Dragon has it all.
I could go on and on about the madness of this film but I'll just say this was something that made me laugh often. If you love the decade like I do, this is a must-see. The extended finale alone is mind-blowing in about 37 different ways. Lord, why couldn't have Motown made more movies, especially if they would have been like this?
I have mentioned before how some 1980's films are like that decade vomited all over the screen, but I don't think that thought has been more accurate than when applied to this insane motion picture, which is now on Netflix. Honestly, this is like pure Colombian cocaine was melted down and put on celluloid! Aside from this being Motown's attempt to get into film and be as relevant to pop culture as they were in the past, it's a then-modern spin on such 70's staples as Bruce Lee and blaxploitation, so of course this is something I'd think was incredible despite it technically not being what you'd call a good motion picture, critically.
Taimak is Leroy Green, i.e. Bruce Leroy, as he stans Bruce Lee. I mean, to the point he speaks in a stilted manner as if he's copying the dubbing voices of old martial arts films and cosplays as Lee on the streets by wearing his old movie outfits, including the yellow suit from Game of Death. Besides dealing with The Shogun of Harlem-the amazing Sho'Nuff-and trying to find the master that will give him the power of The Glow, he gets to know Vanity and has to protect her from crazed promoter/arcade owner Eddie Arkadian, who wants her to play the Cyndi Lauper-esque video of his moll on her local nightclub TV show and randomly has henchmen like Mike Starr and a tank in his office which is filled with piranhas.
The stunning multicolored jacket that WILLIAM H. MACY wears in his one scene, weird racial moments, breakdancing, a soundtrack that slaps you in the face with how 80's it is, which includes such legends as Smokey Robinson, The Temptations and Stevie Wonder (as remember who made this; DeBarge's Rhythm of the Night became a big hit after its appearance here) and parts of a few music videos are shown, the hero eating popcorn with chopsticks, The Glow actually being a literal idea, some of the most breathtaking clothing you'll ever witness, bad guys in Sho'Nuff and Arkadian who just look like A-holes with their appearance, let alone how those characters act, random appearances by Rudy Huxtable, Ernie Reyes Jr. and Chazz Palminteri, Leroy's 14 year old brother having the hots for Vanity-can you blame him?... The Last Dragon has it all.
I could go on and on about the madness of this film but I'll just say this was something that made me laugh often. If you love the decade like I do, this is a must-see. The extended finale alone is mind-blowing in about 37 different ways. Lord, why couldn't have Motown made more movies, especially if they would have been like this?
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
The Island Of Dr. Moreau (The 90's One) Plus The Documentary About It
Runtime: 96 minutes
Directed by: John
Frankenheimer, even though he wasn't the original director
Starring: Marlon Brando,
Val Kilmer, David Thewlis, Fairuza Balk, Ron Perlman
From: New Line Cinema
Monday night I watched this film; last night I saw Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's The Island of Dr. Moreau. Both were interesting, for entirely different reasons naturally. First is the movie, then the documentary:
To PETA this must be the most frightening motion picture ever made.
Of course, PETA is a vile, repugnant organization which is much more
than just a bunch of buffoons who created a lolz of a list where they
want phrases like “Take the bull by the horns” replaced with “take the
flower by the thorns”... programs like that one episode of Penn &
Teller: BS and plenty of websites explain just how awful they are... for
example, they immediately kill most of the animals that end up in their
care, so F them... oh yeah, what was I saying here?
There aren't too many documentaries or books about the making of a film that had such a wild, infamous production history that it needed to be recorded for record. But this film definitely deserves that honor. In a few hours I will post my review for the Lost Soul docu but as I type up this review I haven't seen that yet. I only know the basics of the tortuous making of the film, such as how both Brando and Kilmer acted like total divas; it did not matter much if the former acted that was as he had been “highly eccentric” for years now and his career was all but finished at this point; Val, his starring in big budget Hollywood productions as a star suddenly ended soon after this wrapped. From what I understand, the story told in Lost Soul is pretty wild; I do feel bad for Richard Stanley that he got fired from a movie he wanted to do for years and from what I understand, a lot of the initial issues were not his fault.
Anyhow, while I've never read the original H.G. Wells story, Wikipedia says that this plot has the basics of that 1896 novel... a man ends up on a mysterious island where Moreau is a brilliant but crazed scientist that has created monstrous human-animal hybrids in the attempt to create a better human being. The story touches on many important, thought-provoking themes... which the movie only gives lip service to, for the most part. Of course there are problems with Moreau strictly controlling his creations and a rebellion happens. It comes off goofy in the film, but the entirety of this is a gigantic mess; it was obvious there were serious problems in bringing this to screen.
John Frankenheimer tried his best I am sure and at least this did get released and the film is not so bad that it is unwatchable... but there are many times where I laughed AT the film as the story is so loony, there is no shortage of inexplicable moments and perhaps it was not a wise idea for our introduction to Moreau being him appear in a Not Popemobile dressed in silly clothing (which describes all of his wardrobe) and wearing white paint on his face w/ white gloves and sunglasses as he's allergic to the sun. I can give props to Stan Winston and his studio for the great makeup that you see in the film and the score is interesting as at times you hear a didgeridoo-revealing that the film was actually made in Australia-but overall this is an epic misfire, although an insane one and I imagine that David Thewlis-the actual protagonist, mind you-is not connected to this in the eyes of many like Brando and Kilmer are.
There aren't too many documentaries or books about the making of a film that had such a wild, infamous production history that it needed to be recorded for record. But this film definitely deserves that honor. In a few hours I will post my review for the Lost Soul docu but as I type up this review I haven't seen that yet. I only know the basics of the tortuous making of the film, such as how both Brando and Kilmer acted like total divas; it did not matter much if the former acted that was as he had been “highly eccentric” for years now and his career was all but finished at this point; Val, his starring in big budget Hollywood productions as a star suddenly ended soon after this wrapped. From what I understand, the story told in Lost Soul is pretty wild; I do feel bad for Richard Stanley that he got fired from a movie he wanted to do for years and from what I understand, a lot of the initial issues were not his fault.
Anyhow, while I've never read the original H.G. Wells story, Wikipedia says that this plot has the basics of that 1896 novel... a man ends up on a mysterious island where Moreau is a brilliant but crazed scientist that has created monstrous human-animal hybrids in the attempt to create a better human being. The story touches on many important, thought-provoking themes... which the movie only gives lip service to, for the most part. Of course there are problems with Moreau strictly controlling his creations and a rebellion happens. It comes off goofy in the film, but the entirety of this is a gigantic mess; it was obvious there were serious problems in bringing this to screen.
John Frankenheimer tried his best I am sure and at least this did get released and the film is not so bad that it is unwatchable... but there are many times where I laughed AT the film as the story is so loony, there is no shortage of inexplicable moments and perhaps it was not a wise idea for our introduction to Moreau being him appear in a Not Popemobile dressed in silly clothing (which describes all of his wardrobe) and wearing white paint on his face w/ white gloves and sunglasses as he's allergic to the sun. I can give props to Stan Winston and his studio for the great makeup that you see in the film and the score is interesting as at times you hear a didgeridoo-revealing that the film was actually made in Australia-but overall this is an epic misfire, although an insane one and I imagine that David Thewlis-the actual protagonist, mind you-is not connected to this in the eyes of many like Brando and Kilmer are.
Now, my take on Lost Soul:
A story so wild, the guy who eventually played the protagonist is never brought up even once.
This documentary from Severin Films is about how poorly the filming of the mid 90's version of The Island of Dr. Moreau went oh so wrong. Originally it was going to be a modestly budgeted film from New Line Cinema by Richard Stanley; this would be his biggest project after the cult success of both Hardware and Dust Devil. Several big names were added to the cast (such as Bruce Willis and James Woods) but bad circumstances happened (despite Stanley knowing a warlock and having a ritual done on the movie's behalf... no, really. He is an unusual dude) and Lost Soul is honest in showing that Stanley probably was in over his head with his project.
Then again, the second half is devoted to John Frankenheimer taking over Dr. Moreau and despite having a drill sergeant style he did not have much luck either wrangling the massive egos of two massive divas in Brando and Kilmer. That and an ever-changing script meant that the end product was a gigantic mess... not unwatchable but still a mesmerizing disaster. This documentary only has some of the cast talk about the experience (David Thewlis was not even mentioned once, let alone not appearing) but they have different opinions about the whole ordeal-Fairuza Balk is definitely still bitter about Stanley being kicked off the film. And wait until you hear how Richard handled being axed... I'll just say “not well”.
It was nice hearing from plenty of the crew and how it wasn't easy for them either, although thankfully they had decent stipends so they could have drug-fueled parties. As movie crews are always unheralded anyway, it was nice to see this Aussies get some attention. While this could have been even longer and contained more details, this seemed like a nice summary of just why 1996's The Island of Dr. Moreau turned out to be howlingly bad.
This documentary from Severin Films is about how poorly the filming of the mid 90's version of The Island of Dr. Moreau went oh so wrong. Originally it was going to be a modestly budgeted film from New Line Cinema by Richard Stanley; this would be his biggest project after the cult success of both Hardware and Dust Devil. Several big names were added to the cast (such as Bruce Willis and James Woods) but bad circumstances happened (despite Stanley knowing a warlock and having a ritual done on the movie's behalf... no, really. He is an unusual dude) and Lost Soul is honest in showing that Stanley probably was in over his head with his project.
Then again, the second half is devoted to John Frankenheimer taking over Dr. Moreau and despite having a drill sergeant style he did not have much luck either wrangling the massive egos of two massive divas in Brando and Kilmer. That and an ever-changing script meant that the end product was a gigantic mess... not unwatchable but still a mesmerizing disaster. This documentary only has some of the cast talk about the experience (David Thewlis was not even mentioned once, let alone not appearing) but they have different opinions about the whole ordeal-Fairuza Balk is definitely still bitter about Stanley being kicked off the film. And wait until you hear how Richard handled being axed... I'll just say “not well”.
It was nice hearing from plenty of the crew and how it wasn't easy for them either, although thankfully they had decent stipends so they could have drug-fueled parties. As movie crews are always unheralded anyway, it was nice to see this Aussies get some attention. While this could have been even longer and contained more details, this seemed like a nice summary of just why 1996's The Island of Dr. Moreau turned out to be howlingly bad.
The Naked City
The Naked City (1948)
Runtime: 96 minutes
Directed by: Jules Dassin
Starring: Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Don Taylor, Frank Conroy
From: Universal
Runtime: 96 minutes
Directed by: Jules Dassin
Starring: Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Don Taylor, Frank Conroy
From: Universal
This is a tremendous film noir:
Someone who constantly lies to the cops = an obvious suspect in a murder case.
Even seventy years after the fact this is still regarded as one of the better noirs ever made, and I will have to agree. The titular city is The Big Apple itself, New York City. The plot is a police procedural and focuses on young neophyte cop Jimmy Halloran and his teaming up with a veteran policeman who might as well be named Irish McIrishson but is actually Dan Muldoon... anyhow, the case is a woman who you see killed and the two killers attempt to stage the scene to make it look like a bathtub drowning due to pills but the law sees through that ruse. We see our heroes look for clues, interview suspects, interrogate random people, attempt to piece together the puzzle, etc. In addition, Halloran's home life is seen for a few scenes and not surprisingly, being married to a police officer is not an easy role to have.
Aside from a fascinating case that is covered, there are many shots of NYC itself, and for me it was spellbinding just to see what New York City looked like back in the late 40's, all the different ethnicities that inhabit the area, the architecture, etc. I mean, some time is spent showing random people in the city and offering snapshots of what their lives are like. The editing and cinematography are both great so no surprise to me they both won Academy Awards. There is occasional narration from producer Mark Hellinger; when you're the producer I suppose you can do that, no matter if at times what you're saying may be superfluous. Then again I shouldn't be heard on him as he passed away shortly before the movie was released, and at least the narration was usually amusingly cynical.
At times this feels like a documentary due to how this film was done, the focus on the procedural stuff, and all the exterior shots. The ending, though, is decidedly Hitchcockian. Amusingly, a supporting character is a former pro wrestler; I say that as director Jules Dassin would of course have a film two years later-Night and the City, which some say is even better than this-which is all about a con man who to earn a buck promotes an aging wrestler, portrayed by real life grappler Stanislaus Zbyszko. As for The Naked City, those that enjoy the Italian Neo-Realist films of the era may also appreciate this as that had to be an influence.
Catching Up...
In the past few days I've rewatched the hilariously bad Elves (that one film from '89 w/ Dan Haggerty) and in the next few hours I'll catch up on reviews.
Saturday, December 8, 2018
The Big Combo
The Big Combo (1955)
Runtime: 84 minutes
Directed by: Joseph H. Lewis
Starring: Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Jean Wallace, Brian Donlevy, Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman
From: Allied Artists Pictures
I am not quite sure how the title relates to the plot of this noir (unless it was referring to the two homosexual supporting characters who were in a relationship) but that is irrelevant as this is a very good picture:
If only more modern films could have villains like this.
Yesterday all through the day on TCM they played random film noirs, and this was on the tail end of that little marathon. Even though it is in the public domain and easy to track down, not having to do any streaming to check this out seemed like a swell idea and I hope to see at least one of the other films they showed on this day via on-demand.
As for The Big Combo, what an incredible bad guy they created here in Mr. Brown, the crime boss who goes against straight arrow cop Leonard Diamond. Diamond has spent a lot of money trying to nail Brown, but the crime boss is a smart criminal so he is always able to skirt the law, causing Diamond to become obsessed. The cop then goes after Brown's moll, a femme fatale (but of course) known as Susan. And who is this Alicia that keeps on being brought up?
The Big Combo is about as pure a film noir as you can get, as all the hallmarks are there, including great usage of light/shadow and some foggy scenes. A huge asset was the cinematography from John Alton-it was gorgeous and was perfect for a film noir. But the true highlight was Richard Conte as Mr. Brown. The character was an evil bastard, someone who was happy to brag about how he is too smart to get caught, belittles his minions and spouts acres of tremendous dialogue, such as bellowing to Diamond about how small his police officer's salary is. Plus, what a method he created for torturing Diamond in one scene that won't leave any physical evidence. Conte did a fantastic job playing this astounding figure.
The film has some risque moments. Diamond knows a dancer named Rita and it's rather obvious they have a friends with benefits sort of relationship. Plus, there is a moment where oral sex clearly happens. But most daring for the time is the relationship between two of Brown's henchmen, played by Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman. They are always together doing Brown's dirty work, including murder. I did not notice it right away but eventually you discover that they are more than just co-workers who eventually became friends... and it is not just the scene where it is shown that those two live in the same apartment!
If you are interested in “queer cinema”, this is definitely one to see. Heck, if you enjoy the genre this is a must watch.
Runtime: 84 minutes
Directed by: Joseph H. Lewis
Starring: Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Jean Wallace, Brian Donlevy, Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman
From: Allied Artists Pictures
I am not quite sure how the title relates to the plot of this noir (unless it was referring to the two homosexual supporting characters who were in a relationship) but that is irrelevant as this is a very good picture:
If only more modern films could have villains like this.
Yesterday all through the day on TCM they played random film noirs, and this was on the tail end of that little marathon. Even though it is in the public domain and easy to track down, not having to do any streaming to check this out seemed like a swell idea and I hope to see at least one of the other films they showed on this day via on-demand.
As for The Big Combo, what an incredible bad guy they created here in Mr. Brown, the crime boss who goes against straight arrow cop Leonard Diamond. Diamond has spent a lot of money trying to nail Brown, but the crime boss is a smart criminal so he is always able to skirt the law, causing Diamond to become obsessed. The cop then goes after Brown's moll, a femme fatale (but of course) known as Susan. And who is this Alicia that keeps on being brought up?
The Big Combo is about as pure a film noir as you can get, as all the hallmarks are there, including great usage of light/shadow and some foggy scenes. A huge asset was the cinematography from John Alton-it was gorgeous and was perfect for a film noir. But the true highlight was Richard Conte as Mr. Brown. The character was an evil bastard, someone who was happy to brag about how he is too smart to get caught, belittles his minions and spouts acres of tremendous dialogue, such as bellowing to Diamond about how small his police officer's salary is. Plus, what a method he created for torturing Diamond in one scene that won't leave any physical evidence. Conte did a fantastic job playing this astounding figure.
The film has some risque moments. Diamond knows a dancer named Rita and it's rather obvious they have a friends with benefits sort of relationship. Plus, there is a moment where oral sex clearly happens. But most daring for the time is the relationship between two of Brown's henchmen, played by Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman. They are always together doing Brown's dirty work, including murder. I did not notice it right away but eventually you discover that they are more than just co-workers who eventually became friends... and it is not just the scene where it is shown that those two live in the same apartment!
If you are interested in “queer cinema”, this is definitely one to see. Heck, if you enjoy the genre this is a must watch.
Schindler's List
Runtime: 195 minutes
Directed by: Steven
Spielberg; among all his classics this is his masterpiece
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben
Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagall
From: Universal
About time I saw this movie again and could talk about something so important online:
Boy do I wish this wasn't a more relevant movie now than when it was first released a quarter of a century ago.
At least in the United States, this is currently playing in a little more than 1,000 locations as a special 25th anniversary sort of deal. This was viewed by me before, albeit many, many years ago. I imagine everyone can understand how this is not something that you would want to watch often-I remembered there being atrocities on screen although what they exactly were had faded away. Now after this second viewing, those memories came flooding back in and there are plenty of moments that are tough to stomach and those bits will be sticking with me for a long while.
Even in a film like this, not everything is historically accurate to what actually happened. But a lot of it is correct: Oskar Schindler is a German businessman who in World War II had Jewish workers at his factories. Once he realizes the horrors the Nazis are inflicting on them, he spends all of his wealth and comes up with a scheme to save over 1,000 from concentration camps, including Auschwitz.
Seeing the Jews rounded up from the ghettos then all the nightmarish moments from the concentration camps... to say those are rough moments to watch is the understatement of the year. Yet of course those moments had to be shown in order to show how heinous the Holocaust was and how Schindler's sacrifice was such a big deal. Spielberg is one of the most beloved directors of all time and there are some of his films that I love-this is his masterpiece.
For a topic that demands the utmost of reverence and respect, everyone involved had the right amount of skill and effort to bring such a significant story to the screen. The cast was great all around, especially Liam Neeson as the lead and Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goth, the commandant of Krakow-Plaszow Concentration Camp who commits almost all of the worst acts you see in the film, such as indiscriminately shooting people in the camp. The editing, the music, the cinematography, all were tremendous so I will give my props to Michael Kahn, John Williams, and Janusz Kaminski, respectively.
Unfortunately the movie seems more relevant now than it did back in late '93. A few months ago there was a shooting in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania synagogue where eleven people were murdered, and the past few years there's been the rise of the “Alt-Right”, which to me is another term for “Neo-Nazi”. Antisemitism is such a plague that it should be rooted out and noted and if not stopped then at least squashed as no one should experience any form of discrimination like what was depicted in this must-see motion picture.
At least in the United States, this is currently playing in a little more than 1,000 locations as a special 25th anniversary sort of deal. This was viewed by me before, albeit many, many years ago. I imagine everyone can understand how this is not something that you would want to watch often-I remembered there being atrocities on screen although what they exactly were had faded away. Now after this second viewing, those memories came flooding back in and there are plenty of moments that are tough to stomach and those bits will be sticking with me for a long while.
Even in a film like this, not everything is historically accurate to what actually happened. But a lot of it is correct: Oskar Schindler is a German businessman who in World War II had Jewish workers at his factories. Once he realizes the horrors the Nazis are inflicting on them, he spends all of his wealth and comes up with a scheme to save over 1,000 from concentration camps, including Auschwitz.
Seeing the Jews rounded up from the ghettos then all the nightmarish moments from the concentration camps... to say those are rough moments to watch is the understatement of the year. Yet of course those moments had to be shown in order to show how heinous the Holocaust was and how Schindler's sacrifice was such a big deal. Spielberg is one of the most beloved directors of all time and there are some of his films that I love-this is his masterpiece.
For a topic that demands the utmost of reverence and respect, everyone involved had the right amount of skill and effort to bring such a significant story to the screen. The cast was great all around, especially Liam Neeson as the lead and Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goth, the commandant of Krakow-Plaszow Concentration Camp who commits almost all of the worst acts you see in the film, such as indiscriminately shooting people in the camp. The editing, the music, the cinematography, all were tremendous so I will give my props to Michael Kahn, John Williams, and Janusz Kaminski, respectively.
Unfortunately the movie seems more relevant now than it did back in late '93. A few months ago there was a shooting in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania synagogue where eleven people were murdered, and the past few years there's been the rise of the “Alt-Right”, which to me is another term for “Neo-Nazi”. Antisemitism is such a plague that it should be rooted out and noted and if not stopped then at least squashed as no one should experience any form of discrimination like what was depicted in this must-see motion picture.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Believer
Runtime: 123 minutes
Directed by: Hae-Young Lee
Starring: Jin-Woong Jo,
Seung-Won Cha, Jun-Yeol Ryu, Sung-Ryung Kim, Ju-Hyuk Kim
From: Several South Korean
companies
Yes, there was a remake of the 2012 Johnnie To film Drug War, which I have reviewed before and revisited on Monday night. That is still great... this, not as much:
Please don't confuse this with some documentary from this year w/ the same name that involves the lead singer of the ATROCIOUS band Imagine Dragons. Rather, this is the South Korean remake of the 2012 Johnnie To movie Drug War. I became pretty excited when I heard about this film earlier in the year; somewhat middling reviews did give me pause but a few days ago I decided to take the plunge, and while this is good there is the unfortunate issue of (at least for me) Drug War being great.
The general idea is the same, some scenes are mirrored and like in DW there is a pair of mute brothers who manufacture meth. But otherwise this movie does its own thing as a person low on the totem pole in a drug ring gets busted and due to his friendships he can assist the police in trying to nab the big cogs in the machine, but can you trust a criminal like that? If you haven't seen DW and only watch this, you'll likely thing it was a good motion picture. Even being familiar with Drug War, I can say that this is good; the problem is that Drug War is better all around.
The To film I rate higher at such aspects as storytelling, plot, characters, music, the action... yeah, especially the action. What is shown here is entertaining and all but it doesn't compare to DW; the same goes for the scenes filled with tension/suspense & the ending here just doesn't compare to the spectacular way Drug War concludes. Between the two you know which one I prefer.
I may sound overly harsh as there are many remakes of great films you could never classify as being “good”. But hearing that a wild scene like South Korean cinema would be making their own version of a great film meant that my expectations were sky high and I wish this could have been incredible as I imagine it could have been. Alas... I was not a believer in Believer, at least compared to the OG film from To.
Please don't confuse this with some documentary from this year w/ the same name that involves the lead singer of the ATROCIOUS band Imagine Dragons. Rather, this is the South Korean remake of the 2012 Johnnie To movie Drug War. I became pretty excited when I heard about this film earlier in the year; somewhat middling reviews did give me pause but a few days ago I decided to take the plunge, and while this is good there is the unfortunate issue of (at least for me) Drug War being great.
The general idea is the same, some scenes are mirrored and like in DW there is a pair of mute brothers who manufacture meth. But otherwise this movie does its own thing as a person low on the totem pole in a drug ring gets busted and due to his friendships he can assist the police in trying to nab the big cogs in the machine, but can you trust a criminal like that? If you haven't seen DW and only watch this, you'll likely thing it was a good motion picture. Even being familiar with Drug War, I can say that this is good; the problem is that Drug War is better all around.
The To film I rate higher at such aspects as storytelling, plot, characters, music, the action... yeah, especially the action. What is shown here is entertaining and all but it doesn't compare to DW; the same goes for the scenes filled with tension/suspense & the ending here just doesn't compare to the spectacular way Drug War concludes. Between the two you know which one I prefer.
I may sound overly harsh as there are many remakes of great films you could never classify as being “good”. But hearing that a wild scene like South Korean cinema would be making their own version of a great film meant that my expectations were sky high and I wish this could have been incredible as I imagine it could have been. Alas... I was not a believer in Believer, at least compared to the OG film from To.
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Pandora's Box
Pandora's Box (Die Buchse Der Pandora) (1929)
Runtime: 133 minutes
Directed by: G.W. Pabst
Starring: Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Francis Lederer, Carl Goetz, Krafft-Raschig
From: Nero-Film AG
Even in 1929, legendary silent motion pictures were made:
Yep, I get why people would fall under the spell of Louise Brooks.
This was the movie that played late Sunday night at midnight on TCM, which is the time where the channel always plays a silent movie each week. As this is highly regarded yet unseen by me to this point, I might as well see what the hub-bub is about... bub.
The lead in this German melodrama is Lulu (Brooks), an amoral lady who openly flirts-and more-with multiple men. She is a seductive young woman who is more than happy to let her raw sexuality run wild, which is how she has all those suitors... including a woman. The movie definitely punishes her for her ways, including a stunner of an ending that threw me for a loop; beforehand I never could have predicted such a twist, and a hell of a punishment for a lady who often engaged in moral turpitude.
Director G.W. Pabst wanted Brooks BAD for this film; he had to screentest some German actresses for this otherwise all German production (including a then-unfamous Marlene Dietrich) but Pabst stuck to his guns, and we should be all glad he did. She was magnificent in this role, and not just the vivacious temptress who without hardly even trying enchanted both men and women. When the melodrama starts and she is put in some rough spots and made to suffer, Louise's performance does not suffer. Naturally, with Pabst as director this is very well put together and you get to see plenty of the classic German Expressionistic style.
In short, this is a classic film that takes you on quite the journey and is far more bold than you probably expect for a motion picture of this vintage.
Runtime: 133 minutes
Directed by: G.W. Pabst
Starring: Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Francis Lederer, Carl Goetz, Krafft-Raschig
From: Nero-Film AG
Even in 1929, legendary silent motion pictures were made:
Yep, I get why people would fall under the spell of Louise Brooks.
This was the movie that played late Sunday night at midnight on TCM, which is the time where the channel always plays a silent movie each week. As this is highly regarded yet unseen by me to this point, I might as well see what the hub-bub is about... bub.
The lead in this German melodrama is Lulu (Brooks), an amoral lady who openly flirts-and more-with multiple men. She is a seductive young woman who is more than happy to let her raw sexuality run wild, which is how she has all those suitors... including a woman. The movie definitely punishes her for her ways, including a stunner of an ending that threw me for a loop; beforehand I never could have predicted such a twist, and a hell of a punishment for a lady who often engaged in moral turpitude.
Director G.W. Pabst wanted Brooks BAD for this film; he had to screentest some German actresses for this otherwise all German production (including a then-unfamous Marlene Dietrich) but Pabst stuck to his guns, and we should be all glad he did. She was magnificent in this role, and not just the vivacious temptress who without hardly even trying enchanted both men and women. When the melodrama starts and she is put in some rough spots and made to suffer, Louise's performance does not suffer. Naturally, with Pabst as director this is very well put together and you get to see plenty of the classic German Expressionistic style.
In short, this is a classic film that takes you on quite the journey and is far more bold than you probably expect for a motion picture of this vintage.
Sunday, December 2, 2018
The Possession Of Hannah Grace
Runtime: 85 minutes
Directed by: Diederik Van
Rooijen
Starring: Shay Mitchell,
Grey Damon, Kirby Johnson, Nick Thune, Louis Herthum
From: Screen Gems
Are there many hospital buildings designed in the Brutalist architecture style?
As I had free time on Saturday night, I probably won't use my AMC A-List app too often the rest of the year and this movie was the only one which fit my schedule and that of the location I saw Hannah Grace at... oh, and the plot did sound similar to The Autopsy of Jane Doe, a film which came out a few years ago. I did see Jane Doe and that is certainly better than this movie, although Possession wasn't as bad to me as many people believe it is.
The two films only share the general idea of weird events happening with a corpse at a morgue. Here, the movie starts out with an exorcism that goes wrong... I might as well share that info as the movie's title tells you that a girl is possessed, and it's the opening scene. Eventually, the body makes it way to the morgue that is connected to a surprisingly not busy Boston hospital. I mean, the only person working there at the job is Shay Mitchell, and she just started that line of employment. She used to be a cop, but a tragedy happened and she did not handle it well, leading to such things as depression, anxiety, and addiction... those things are definitely key in this film.
This is pretty preposterous, is not all that scary and is only barely a rated R. Yet this was not horrid to me. Considering this same studio (Screen Gems) released Slender Man this past summer and that apparently was a travesty, this had to be better than the doomed flick about the creepypasta character. The angle they pursued concerning demonic possession was interesting and unfortunately, is pretty relevant these days. As Shay Mitchell spent a lot of time being the only one on screen, thankfully then her performance was good. There were a few subtle moments and while not scary, at least there were some creepy moments.
Of course this is yet another example of modern big studio horror not being comparable to what the independent studios are doing, but at least this was not horrid... OK, the editing in one scene was pretty bad as it suddenly rushed to a key scene out of nowhere and that scene itself also had some jarring moments... but overall this wasn't a tragedy like The Bye Bye Man.
However, horror fans should see The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
One last thing: it was pretty laughable how this used the trope of “a hospital where no one is around”... I know people who are nurses... hospitals are never not full of people. The same has to go for a morgue, especially in a metropolis like Boston. I don't know what building they used to portray the hospital/morgue but the architecture was Brutalist, which is wacky enough as it's a distinctive style, although you never see it used for such a business. Then there is something which will only be relevant to a few random people here, and that is how the main setting looked a lot like the main library building located in downtown Orlando, Florida. It was an unintentional source of comedy.
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Rocky V
Rocky V (1990)
Runtime: 104 minutes
Directed by: John G. Avildsen
Starring: Oh, you know who is in this by now
From: United Artists
You know, Tommy Morrison's real life story was FAR more interesting than this film.
Thank goodness for Rocky Balboa then later the Creed movies-no one would want this to be the last appearance of an iconic character as V just isn't too good and even Sly has later regretted making this film. The idea of Balboa having a fall from grace and/or him becoming a manager like Mickey is not automatically a bad one, but the way it was done here just did not work. There have been a plethora of cases where athletes have become rich but they either squandered their cash or someone ripped them off so this idea is a valid one... how it's done here isn't all that believable and personally, I thought that robot alone would be enough to get them out of debt...
The fact that this starts right after Rocky IV not only hurts the story when it comes to logic, the timeline is also screwed up as Rocky Jr. is suddenly years older than he was in the last film. As for Rocky Jr.'s storyline, all it did was make Rocky Sr. look like a jerk and a goofus for ignoring Jr. and instead focusing on the bland character that was Tommy Gunn. As already alluded to, the time that real life boxer Tommy Morrison (who portrayed Gunn) spent on Earth ended up being far more intriguing and actually more cinematic than the role he played here... Morrison's career wasn't what it could have been as he spent too much time skirt chasing and partying and well, he got AIDS... which he later denied having but of course that is what he died of. Gunn is just a dork who was seduced by Don King... er I mean “George Washington Duke”, a promoter that made King look subtle in comparison. And the ending of V is different, but that is about the only compliment I can give it.
Sly getting to act with his real life son Sage (who passed away in 2012) was I suppose a nice thing but this is a film which also did not fully realize another interesting idea-that being Balboa is brain damaged from all the brutal fights he has had. In this modern era of CTE and everyone being concerned about concussions, the idea is ahead of its time-and them bringing back Burgess Meredith in a dream sequence was another fumble because the Mickey here did not act like the character we saw in the first three movies. This isn't unwatchably bad but it is a weird misfire which introduces rap to the franchise and yet they also somehow got ELTON JOHN to sing the end credits song and it wasn't one of the best things he ever recorded, that is for damn sure.
Who knows when I'll get around to seeing the other films w/ Rocky, but that will eventually happen.
Runtime: 104 minutes
Directed by: John G. Avildsen
Starring: Oh, you know who is in this by now
From: United Artists
You know, Tommy Morrison's real life story was FAR more interesting than this film.
Thank goodness for Rocky Balboa then later the Creed movies-no one would want this to be the last appearance of an iconic character as V just isn't too good and even Sly has later regretted making this film. The idea of Balboa having a fall from grace and/or him becoming a manager like Mickey is not automatically a bad one, but the way it was done here just did not work. There have been a plethora of cases where athletes have become rich but they either squandered their cash or someone ripped them off so this idea is a valid one... how it's done here isn't all that believable and personally, I thought that robot alone would be enough to get them out of debt...
The fact that this starts right after Rocky IV not only hurts the story when it comes to logic, the timeline is also screwed up as Rocky Jr. is suddenly years older than he was in the last film. As for Rocky Jr.'s storyline, all it did was make Rocky Sr. look like a jerk and a goofus for ignoring Jr. and instead focusing on the bland character that was Tommy Gunn. As already alluded to, the time that real life boxer Tommy Morrison (who portrayed Gunn) spent on Earth ended up being far more intriguing and actually more cinematic than the role he played here... Morrison's career wasn't what it could have been as he spent too much time skirt chasing and partying and well, he got AIDS... which he later denied having but of course that is what he died of. Gunn is just a dork who was seduced by Don King... er I mean “George Washington Duke”, a promoter that made King look subtle in comparison. And the ending of V is different, but that is about the only compliment I can give it.
Sly getting to act with his real life son Sage (who passed away in 2012) was I suppose a nice thing but this is a film which also did not fully realize another interesting idea-that being Balboa is brain damaged from all the brutal fights he has had. In this modern era of CTE and everyone being concerned about concussions, the idea is ahead of its time-and them bringing back Burgess Meredith in a dream sequence was another fumble because the Mickey here did not act like the character we saw in the first three movies. This isn't unwatchably bad but it is a weird misfire which introduces rap to the franchise and yet they also somehow got ELTON JOHN to sing the end credits song and it wasn't one of the best things he ever recorded, that is for damn sure.
Who knows when I'll get around to seeing the other films w/ Rocky, but that will eventually happen.
Friday, November 30, 2018
Rocky IV
Rocky IV (1985)
Runtime: 91 minutes
Directed by: Sly Stallone
Starring: The usual Rocky cast, plus Brigitte Nielsen and Dolph Lundgren... and a robot
From: United Artists
While I now know why the robot was in the film, it's still befuddling... everything revolving around it being given to Paulie as a birthday present.
If you wanted to show someone a few movies from the 1980's that stand as a monument to the decade, this would for sure have to be a selection-in late 2018 the movie is often unintentionally hilarious and it encapsulates how over the top the decade was... not to mention provide a plethora of period ditties, what the hot vehicles of the time were (such as the Lamborghini Countach), the continuing views of the Soviet Union being the enemy because of the Cold War despite America's relationship between them starting to thaw out by this time, the sometimes silly clothing and yes, robots... more on that later.
Rocky IV became like a cartoon as Rocky Balboa is now an American superhero who goes on a Soviet sojourn in order to avenge the death of Apollo Creed by Ivan Drago-now, it's great that this launched Dolph Lundgren's career and all but Dr9ago does not exactly have any depth besides being a large, muscular human being who does not say much, does then-revolutionary training techniques and oh yeah, injects steroids also. Thank goodness the Russians don't do THAT anymore... the story is incredibly rushed as there are all those damn montages and the film is only an hour and a half long. The idea of Apollo not being able to handle being out of the ring is a fine one, but that is rushed too.
Then there is that robot... recently I discovered it was a real life creation that was used and helped out Stallone's son Seargeoh, who has autism. Sly wanting to put that robot in the film is understandable... but not why the robot's role was being a birthday present for Paulie, or how (according to a deleted scene) it was Paulie who somehow took apart that machine and gave it a female voice. Those scenes are the most cartoony in a film that was over the top to the point that Rocky doesn't run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art but instead randomly climbs up a mountain. The nuance and maturity of the first two is long gone and instead you get what seems like a coke-fueled version of a boxing picture.
Yet I am not surprised this was a huge hit because it was a product of its time and such a bombastic film was perfect for people of the mid 1980's. They even loved that silly, idealistic speech from Balboa in the conclusion... as if Rocky could end The Cold War like that.
Runtime: 91 minutes
Directed by: Sly Stallone
Starring: The usual Rocky cast, plus Brigitte Nielsen and Dolph Lundgren... and a robot
From: United Artists
While I now know why the robot was in the film, it's still befuddling... everything revolving around it being given to Paulie as a birthday present.
If you wanted to show someone a few movies from the 1980's that stand as a monument to the decade, this would for sure have to be a selection-in late 2018 the movie is often unintentionally hilarious and it encapsulates how over the top the decade was... not to mention provide a plethora of period ditties, what the hot vehicles of the time were (such as the Lamborghini Countach), the continuing views of the Soviet Union being the enemy because of the Cold War despite America's relationship between them starting to thaw out by this time, the sometimes silly clothing and yes, robots... more on that later.
Rocky IV became like a cartoon as Rocky Balboa is now an American superhero who goes on a Soviet sojourn in order to avenge the death of Apollo Creed by Ivan Drago-now, it's great that this launched Dolph Lundgren's career and all but Dr9ago does not exactly have any depth besides being a large, muscular human being who does not say much, does then-revolutionary training techniques and oh yeah, injects steroids also. Thank goodness the Russians don't do THAT anymore... the story is incredibly rushed as there are all those damn montages and the film is only an hour and a half long. The idea of Apollo not being able to handle being out of the ring is a fine one, but that is rushed too.
Then there is that robot... recently I discovered it was a real life creation that was used and helped out Stallone's son Seargeoh, who has autism. Sly wanting to put that robot in the film is understandable... but not why the robot's role was being a birthday present for Paulie, or how (according to a deleted scene) it was Paulie who somehow took apart that machine and gave it a female voice. Those scenes are the most cartoony in a film that was over the top to the point that Rocky doesn't run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art but instead randomly climbs up a mountain. The nuance and maturity of the first two is long gone and instead you get what seems like a coke-fueled version of a boxing picture.
Yet I am not surprised this was a huge hit because it was a product of its time and such a bombastic film was perfect for people of the mid 1980's. They even loved that silly, idealistic speech from Balboa in the conclusion... as if Rocky could end The Cold War like that.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Rocky III
Rocky III (1982)
Runtime: 99 minutes
Directed by: Sly Stallone
Starring: The usual Rocky people, plus Mr. T
From: United Artists
Runtime: 99 minutes
Directed by: Sly Stallone
Starring: The usual Rocky people, plus Mr. T
From: United Artists
How did I forget the one scene where Paulie suddenly becomes a bigot... or rather, shows everyone he is a bigot?
While this isn't to the extreme like what was got in IV, III is still amazingly 1980's... the presence of several iconic figures from the decade will do that, but there's a scene in an arcade and then there's the clothing, the music, Rocky in a print ad for Delorean... this is definitely from the decade of excess.
This is less serious than the first two movies yet is still pretty entertaining. Rocky Balboa is now rich and he is beating challengers... who aren't that great. The over the top Clubber Lang goads the champ into a match despite Mickey's fears over his health. Things do not go well as Balboa has become soft so it takes Apollo Creed training him via his methods for him to stand a chance in the rematch. Rocky doesn't have the eye of the tiger anymore, a statement that is stated at least a dozen times in the film.
Mr. T will never be a master thespian but he was at least memorable with the character he portrayed. The same goes for Hulk Hogan as THUNDERLIPS in that preposterous wrestler vs. boxer charity match. The main cast did swell with their roles and it was nice to see Adrian be assertive in one scene and help Rocky get over a big event in the film. Paulie will always be Paulie, I suppose... I'd be lying if I said that character's one scene where he made some racial comments was the only time that Paulie has ever thought that way-Burt Young was always memorable in that role, along with Burgess Meredith as the cantankerous Mickey.
The boxing in this franchise has never been the most realistic, yet that is fine for me as I am not a big fan of the sport anyhow. What you see is exciting and the stories of each fight is different and easy for anyone to follow. While I am sure Rocky suffered brain damage in his two Clubber Lang bouts even before he got to Ivan Drago with all the punches he took right to the skull, you're not supposed to think about what we know now as CTE... instead you can be amused at how the relationship between Rocky and Creed seems rather homoerotic by today's standards.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Rocky II
Rocky II (1979)
Runtime: 119 minutes
Directed by: Sly Stallone
Starring: The usual Rocky series regulars
From: United Artists
In this movie's universe, both Joe Spinell and the character he portrays in this series (Tony Gazzo) exist, and that is a great thing.
A few years ago I reviewed the OG Rocky film-that is a classic and it's been watched a few times by me, including once years ago on the big screen. Talk about a perfect underdog story which still inspires many people today-a poor schlub gets a once in a lifetime opportunity by getting to fight against the Heavyweight boxing champion but the actual fight is a small piece of the puzzle-the rest is Rocky Balboa rising up from the lower-class background he was resigned to for years because he did not believe in himself and dealing with a disparate cast of pals and those that doubt him, he becomes a person almost impossible to root against.
I hadn't seen any of the sequels in many years so when I realized that (at least for now) the first five films in the franchise are for FREE on Google Play and YouTube, it was an opportune time for me to finally talk about them here. In this film, Rocky retires so he can marry Adrian and start a family. However, as he's a high school dropout and isn't too good at reading, finding a regular job is difficult and he is like most people when they suddenly acquire a lot of cash for the first time, meaning it's spent foolishly. A commercial suit doesn't go well-I laughed when a chair emblazoned with “Joe Spinell” is in the background of one scene-it is great how he exists in a movie where there is a character played by Spinell. Meanwhile, Apollo Creed gets the late 70's equivalent of YouTube or Twitter comments that accuse him of either losing the fight or the whole thing being staged, so he is desperate for a rematch.
While there is a soap opera-esque subplot that takes up some time, otherwise this is an engrossing look at how the first fight changed both participants and despite their cries at the end of the bout about there being no rematch, of course there had to be one. Thankfully this was not just a retread of the original story... the main players continue their growth, including Adrian. In my review for Rocky I really should have said more about her... about how Talia Shire was great in the role and how she also changed, from a meek and mousy little girl to someone a lot more confident.
The rematch is for certain different also, as is the score from Bill Conti. Elements of it are definitely dated as being from the era of disco, but I am fine with that. This isn't wacky like III or IV and isn't a misfire like V, but II is still a solid motion picture that sure as hell is still touching for those that need a lift or some encouragement.
Runtime: 119 minutes
Directed by: Sly Stallone
Starring: The usual Rocky series regulars
From: United Artists
In this movie's universe, both Joe Spinell and the character he portrays in this series (Tony Gazzo) exist, and that is a great thing.
A few years ago I reviewed the OG Rocky film-that is a classic and it's been watched a few times by me, including once years ago on the big screen. Talk about a perfect underdog story which still inspires many people today-a poor schlub gets a once in a lifetime opportunity by getting to fight against the Heavyweight boxing champion but the actual fight is a small piece of the puzzle-the rest is Rocky Balboa rising up from the lower-class background he was resigned to for years because he did not believe in himself and dealing with a disparate cast of pals and those that doubt him, he becomes a person almost impossible to root against.
I hadn't seen any of the sequels in many years so when I realized that (at least for now) the first five films in the franchise are for FREE on Google Play and YouTube, it was an opportune time for me to finally talk about them here. In this film, Rocky retires so he can marry Adrian and start a family. However, as he's a high school dropout and isn't too good at reading, finding a regular job is difficult and he is like most people when they suddenly acquire a lot of cash for the first time, meaning it's spent foolishly. A commercial suit doesn't go well-I laughed when a chair emblazoned with “Joe Spinell” is in the background of one scene-it is great how he exists in a movie where there is a character played by Spinell. Meanwhile, Apollo Creed gets the late 70's equivalent of YouTube or Twitter comments that accuse him of either losing the fight or the whole thing being staged, so he is desperate for a rematch.
While there is a soap opera-esque subplot that takes up some time, otherwise this is an engrossing look at how the first fight changed both participants and despite their cries at the end of the bout about there being no rematch, of course there had to be one. Thankfully this was not just a retread of the original story... the main players continue their growth, including Adrian. In my review for Rocky I really should have said more about her... about how Talia Shire was great in the role and how she also changed, from a meek and mousy little girl to someone a lot more confident.
The rematch is for certain different also, as is the score from Bill Conti. Elements of it are definitely dated as being from the era of disco, but I am fine with that. This isn't wacky like III or IV and isn't a misfire like V, but II is still a solid motion picture that sure as hell is still touching for those that need a lift or some encouragement.
Gamera vs. Guiron
Gamera vs. Guiron (Gamera Tai Daiakaiju Giron) (1969)
Runtime: 82 minutes
Directed by: Noriaki Yuasa
Starring: Nobuhiro Kajima, Miyuki Akiyama, Christopher Murphy, Hiroko Kai, Reiko Kasahara
From: Daiei
Runtime: 82 minutes
Directed by: Noriaki Yuasa
Starring: Nobuhiro Kajima, Miyuki Akiyama, Christopher Murphy, Hiroko Kai, Reiko Kasahara
From: Daiei
What a run of weird children's films I have seen as of late:
So, the giant knife monster can also throw out ninja stars? Why the F not?
This is actually the fifth film in the franchise but as it was the one I remembered the most due to sheer weirdness. After all, the plot is that a young Japanese boy and his American friend (OF COURSE it was the Japanese boy who was wearing the tiny shorts) end up on a spaceship controlled by two women on another planet, one you may call the Howard Johnson planet. Once arriving, the women (one of them named Barbella... no, not Barbarella, as the movie makes sure to clarify) first act friendly but they then try to EAT THE BRAINS of the children before taking over Earth and Gamera-by then a longtime hero of the children-has to save them while also doing battle with Guiron, a quadruped monster who has a knife for a head.
The series was deep into the era of being childish so there are plenty of goofy moments, the peak being Gamera at one point swinging on what was in essence a gymnastics high bar, but there also was Guiron doing battle with a doppelganger of Gyaos, the villain creature of the third movie. Guiron literally slices up Gyaos-including decapitation-which did put Knife Head over.
People will remember this best for the goofy dubbed version that was used for a season 3 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000... that dubbed version is for free at various locations, but so is the proper subtitled version. At least this zany motion picture has a modicum of entertainment.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Mac And Me
Mac and Me (1988)
Runtime: 95 minutes
Directed by: Stewart Raffill
Starring: Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward, Tina Caspary, Lauren Stanley, Jade Calegory
From: Orion
Would you believe both this and The Garbage Pail Kids Movie played on TCM Underground this past Friday night? I saw TGPKM and as I've already reviewed that and I still think it's laughably bad... but I hadn't seen Mac and Me in many, many years:
This motion picture features a score that sometimes sounds exactly like the music from Predator.
I had actually seen this damn movie before, in what had to be the early 90's. My memories were real hazy so this might as well have been a first time watch for me. Finally, I can say that after all these years... Lord did this ever rip off E.T. The template for that movie was followed real closely, down to how the aliens are brown-colored creatures. Unfortunately for Mac and Me, they created some ugy-ass and frightening aliens... I suppose you could say that Mac was sometimes sort of cute, but those things in adult form is nightmare fuel.
Yet I can't say this is unwatchably bad. Personally I am not a fan of the trope this uses (the “disbelieving authority figure” trope) but that's just me. There are plenty of moments that are hilarious in retrospect, such as the lead rolling off a cliff into a lake or all the 80's hair & clothing. The most infamous aspect is the rampant product placement... the inexplicable dance scene in McDonald's (complete with Ronald McDonald) is what everyone cites there but Skittles and-especially-Coca-Cola is more prominent in the film.
Another aspect that provided me much mirth is how Alan Silvestri's score sometimes is a carbon copy of the score he created for Predator. Personally, the creatures here are scarier than the Predator! Also, what an outrageous finale for a PG-rated kids film... the 1980's were truly different back then. And to think the Japanese version of the film (this news broke a few months ago) explicitly shows a pivotal moment that is definitely not OK for a family picture today. I am not surprised a film so odd has a cult following, or that due to the likes of Paul Rudd there have been multiple meme moments.
One last thing: I do have to give this credit for having a lead character in a wheelchair and he was played by an actual disabled actor... representation and all that.
Runtime: 95 minutes
Directed by: Stewart Raffill
Starring: Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward, Tina Caspary, Lauren Stanley, Jade Calegory
From: Orion
Would you believe both this and The Garbage Pail Kids Movie played on TCM Underground this past Friday night? I saw TGPKM and as I've already reviewed that and I still think it's laughably bad... but I hadn't seen Mac and Me in many, many years:
This motion picture features a score that sometimes sounds exactly like the music from Predator.
I had actually seen this damn movie before, in what had to be the early 90's. My memories were real hazy so this might as well have been a first time watch for me. Finally, I can say that after all these years... Lord did this ever rip off E.T. The template for that movie was followed real closely, down to how the aliens are brown-colored creatures. Unfortunately for Mac and Me, they created some ugy-ass and frightening aliens... I suppose you could say that Mac was sometimes sort of cute, but those things in adult form is nightmare fuel.
Yet I can't say this is unwatchably bad. Personally I am not a fan of the trope this uses (the “disbelieving authority figure” trope) but that's just me. There are plenty of moments that are hilarious in retrospect, such as the lead rolling off a cliff into a lake or all the 80's hair & clothing. The most infamous aspect is the rampant product placement... the inexplicable dance scene in McDonald's (complete with Ronald McDonald) is what everyone cites there but Skittles and-especially-Coca-Cola is more prominent in the film.
Another aspect that provided me much mirth is how Alan Silvestri's score sometimes is a carbon copy of the score he created for Predator. Personally, the creatures here are scarier than the Predator! Also, what an outrageous finale for a PG-rated kids film... the 1980's were truly different back then. And to think the Japanese version of the film (this news broke a few months ago) explicitly shows a pivotal moment that is definitely not OK for a family picture today. I am not surprised a film so odd has a cult following, or that due to the likes of Paul Rudd there have been multiple meme moments.
One last thing: I do have to give this credit for having a lead character in a wheelchair and he was played by an actual disabled actor... representation and all that.
Gamera
Gamera (1965)
Runtime: 78 minutes
Directed by: Noriaki Yuasa
Starring: Eiji Funakoshi, Harumi Kiritachi, Junichiro Yamashiko, Yoshiro Uchida, Michiko Sugata
From: Daiei Studios
What a blast from the past this was for me:
This universe was strangely not incredulous of the news that there suddenly is a 60 meter tall FLYING bipedal fire-breathing turtle roaming around.
As a kid I actually saw this film and the first few sequels on VHS; they were videostore rentals. A few years ago I purchased for real cheap the entire 11 movie franchise on DVD. Sure, it's from the not so revered Mill Creek but at least they are all in widescreen and are subtitled prints. Soon after purchase that set got misplaced; just last night I finally found it again so in the future I'll make my way through the set. The sequels quickly became silly and juvenile, but the original was more serious... although the inspiration for this initial kaiju flick was blatantly obvious.
In fact, you could argue this was a ripoff of Gojira, from how the monster is let loose due to nuclear weapons to how it breathes fire... stomps around miniature sets and scientists have to figure out a unique solution to eradicating it because electricity and military weapons do not work against it. In Gamera's case the theme that was stressed was not Japanese guilt over World War II but instead the Cold War so naturally Japan wishes those two sides would get along. This does have something that the original Godzilla doesn't: an annoying little boy who thinks the kaiju is his pal. This goofball is named Toshiro and he is pretty much the “I Like Turtles!” meme kid but thankfully for me he was not such an irritant that he ruined the movie... even if he does some dumb S. Other things like the movie at times spinning its wheels and killing time was a bigger issue for me.
This is lesser than the 1954 Godzilla in just about every facet, but that does not mean this is a bad movie. There is the expected kaiju action and as wacky as a 60 meter tall flying bipedal fire-breathing turtle is, from memory this is far more serious than the juvenile sequels that were to follow.
Runtime: 78 minutes
Directed by: Noriaki Yuasa
Starring: Eiji Funakoshi, Harumi Kiritachi, Junichiro Yamashiko, Yoshiro Uchida, Michiko Sugata
From: Daiei Studios
What a blast from the past this was for me:
This universe was strangely not incredulous of the news that there suddenly is a 60 meter tall FLYING bipedal fire-breathing turtle roaming around.
As a kid I actually saw this film and the first few sequels on VHS; they were videostore rentals. A few years ago I purchased for real cheap the entire 11 movie franchise on DVD. Sure, it's from the not so revered Mill Creek but at least they are all in widescreen and are subtitled prints. Soon after purchase that set got misplaced; just last night I finally found it again so in the future I'll make my way through the set. The sequels quickly became silly and juvenile, but the original was more serious... although the inspiration for this initial kaiju flick was blatantly obvious.
In fact, you could argue this was a ripoff of Gojira, from how the monster is let loose due to nuclear weapons to how it breathes fire... stomps around miniature sets and scientists have to figure out a unique solution to eradicating it because electricity and military weapons do not work against it. In Gamera's case the theme that was stressed was not Japanese guilt over World War II but instead the Cold War so naturally Japan wishes those two sides would get along. This does have something that the original Godzilla doesn't: an annoying little boy who thinks the kaiju is his pal. This goofball is named Toshiro and he is pretty much the “I Like Turtles!” meme kid but thankfully for me he was not such an irritant that he ruined the movie... even if he does some dumb S. Other things like the movie at times spinning its wheels and killing time was a bigger issue for me.
This is lesser than the 1954 Godzilla in just about every facet, but that does not mean this is a bad movie. There is the expected kaiju action and as wacky as a 60 meter tall flying bipedal fire-breathing turtle is, from memory this is far more serious than the juvenile sequels that were to follow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)