The T.A.M.I. Show

The T.A.M.I Show (1964)

Runtime: 113 minutes

Directed by: Steve Binder

Starring: An incredible array of musical talent

From: AIP

Several people independent of each other discussing the film this week made me realize I should track this down; after all, I have known of its existence for many years and it has quite the lineup of musical talent. The Teenage Awards Music International was two concerts in Santa Monica, California-edited into one in this movie-where high schoolers were given free tickets and well, they were white-hot for these acts. It was shot in the 1964 version of HD where videotape was used that could record 800 lines of resolution, thus when blown up for the big screen it did not look atrocious. This process was the ornately-named Electronovision.

The event was hosted by Jan & Dean and the other musicians included Chuck Berry, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Lesley Gore, Marvin Gaye, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, James Brown, and The Rolling Stones. Brown's performance was so legendary and vertiginous, the Stones-the final act you see in the movie-couldn't top it, although that is not a slight and it was a great early job on their part. It's just that when Brown's act included out of this world dancing and a theatrical presentation during the song Please, Please, Please... no one could follow something so spectacular. His backing band The Famous Flames also deserve credit, of course, as they also danced. Even the “house band” for some of the acts included Jack Nitzsche, Leon Russell, and Glen Campbell. Heck, there are dancers in the background which are jazzy/Go-Go and two of them were Teri Garr and Toni Basil.

As I mentioned, the crowd was absolutely electric for both nights they filmed. Thankfully all those youths (a majority of which were women) were colorblind in terms of loving the music, even though it was almost entirely a white crowd. They definitely loved the Stones and Beach Boys but also went wild for the likes of Berry and Gaye, and they were bowled over by The Godfather of Soul. I mention that as the Civil Rights of 1964 was only passed a few months beforehand... only then was segregation outlawed; times were different back then, that is what I am saying. Even acts that are hardly known in 2019 (Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Gerry & The Pacemakers) were beloved by many of the screaming girls.

This is quite the artifact of how the popular pop music scene was back then, when both of my parents were teenagers. It was more than just The Beatles and Elvis back then... many quality songs and artists were out there and many teens loved them, as this concert film proved.

Wattstax

Wattstax (1973)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: Mel Stuart

Starring: Many great artists that were on the Stax label at the time, plus African Americans that lived in Southern California at the time, AND Richard Pryor

From: Stax Records/Wolper Productions

What a unheralded documentary this is: 

This is a musical concert film I had seen before but the last viewing was way too many years ago so this seemed like a good time to finally view it then talk about the film here. Back in 1972, the Stax Records label presented an all-day concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; at the time, after the Watts riots of 1965-where a week of civil unrest happened after a controversial incident involving white police in the black neighborhood-there were yearly concerts that tried to mend together the broken community. On this year, Stax got involved and the whole deal was moved to the huge Coliseum; this film showed various performances from that day, but the film is more than that.

Throughout, there are interviews from various black residents in the area, talking about how things are for them in the early 70's; while I cannot say with 100% certainty due to me being a dumb white guy, too much of what they said still seems relevant almost 50 years later. The movie is a great snapshot of life for that segment of the population back then; aside from what they said and all the great music, you get to see the Watts neighborhood and also the clothing... oh my goodness is there some tremendous threads. Best of all, Richard Pryor occasionally appears to offer some comedic riffing.

Stax had a tremendous lineup of black music back then so for me it was a treat to see and hear the likes of Luther Ingram, Rufus Thomas-who delivers the best moment of the festival when he does some improv comedy for a few minutes-The Staple Singers, Albert King, Little Milton, The Bar-Kays, Carla Thomas and Isaac Hayes. Of course I am biased with my rating due to how I feel about this great music but the film is much more than just capturing the performances of one summer day back in '72.

The Florida Project

The Florida Project (2017)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Sean Baker

Starring: Brooklynn Prince, Christopher Rivera, Aiden Malik, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe

From: A24

A 6 year old girl calling another little girl a “stupid thot”... no, just no.

You know, I don't have a good explanation as to why I did not see this film before. While I don't live as close to Walt Disney World as the main characters of this picture, it takes me about an hour to leave where I live and end up in one of the WDW parks (and that includes parking then walking from the parking lot to the entrance) & I actually recognized some of the locations shown in the movie. As it was very easy to see it in the fall of '17 at one of a plethora of auditoriums in the area... like I said, I should have seen this on the big screen, if only for its setting.

Nevertheless, I can offer a good explanation for why I have rated this lower than most people on Letterboxd and elsewhere. I knew I was in trouble with the opening scene where the lead girl (Moonee... and what the hell kind of a name is that?) and her two boy friends projectile spit onto an 80's Chrysler Corporation K-Car station wagon and the car owner (an older lady) comes out to curse at the kids, and the kids curse right back and say awful things to the lady and the young girl that's with her... to think that even more abhorrent behavior would be done by those children later on, and they almost always act this crass and gross.

From the plot description I expected caustic moments from Moonee's mom, but those kids? To be honest, I usually try to avoid unpleasant pictures like this, which is why I have not seen some popular indie favorites from the past 10 or so years just based off of their trailers being immediate turn-offs for me, or word of mouth, or other reasons. I did not enjoy hanging out with most of these characters for almost two hours; the fact that the plot seemed totally aimless was another issue. And what the hell was that ending? What a gigantic misstep that just did not fit with the rest of the movie; I had actually forgotten how at the time, plenty expressed dissatisfaction with the ending, and now I understand why.

Brooklynn Prince did a great job and all for a 6 year old, but I really only got joy whenever Willem Dafoe showed up; besides delivering a tremendous performance (and in a great moment, yelling at some large birds), it was a character I could somewhat relate to and not loathe. It's nice that most others loved this and many were moved to tears; I did not feel that way AT ALL about this. It's not that I don't have sympathy for all those suffering from poverty, as I do. My problem was that this was not an enjoyable or an enlightening or an informative experience for me at all... it was just another indie movie from recent times that wallowed in misery and anguish.

Falling Up

Falling Up (2009)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: David M. Rosenthal

Starring: Joseph Cross, Sarah Roemer, Joey Pants (as many people call Joe Pantoliano), my fav Rachael Leigh Cook and... Snoop Dogg!

From: Several small production companies

This is a weekend I'd rather forget... I explain why at the end but at least I got some laughs here: 

Because Spokane, Washington is a natural substitute for New York City.

Actually, I shouldn't dog an independent film like that as they try to do their best with what little money and resources they have. This is a film involving my bae (Rachael Leigh Cook) that I hadn't seen before but as I'll explain at the end, something listed as a comedy is what I needed to see last night.

The plot is simple enough: because of reasons, a young man has to work as a doorman in a ritzy apartment complex, and a romance develops between him and a young lady who lives there. That dude is from an Boston Irish family and as Rachael is that guy's sister, she is among the few who got to speak in a “Baaaston” accent; it seemed fine to me but those from the area could disagree.

The leads are Joseph Cross and Sarah Roemer, who I am faintly familiar with; there are plenty of famous faces in the cast.... aside from my favorite there is Joey Pants (i.e. Joe Pantoliano), Mimi Rogers, Annette O'Toole, Gordon Clapp, Peter Jason, and... Snoop Dogg, as a fellow doorman named RAUL. Admittedly, him as a doorman is a questionable racial moment-and there's another segment or two which could be also classified as such-but I was really hoping for my jollies that he and Rachael would share a scene... and they do! That bit ended when Snoop pulled a me and checked her out as she was walking away. Oh, and they somehow got Mark Mothersbaugh to do the score, which was a nice get.

The humor was totally hit and miss, yet I can say this was OK overall. It's a standard predictable romance but there were some pretty amusing R-rated moments so the film was not bad. I was happy to have some laughs last night: earlier in the day I saw that something terrible happened to some people I have known for years. I won't go into detail but it could be classified as a tragedy and I feel heartbroken for them that this happened. Henceforth, it was appreciated that this could garner a few laughs from me.

Jailbreak

Jailbreak (2017)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Jimmy Henderson

Starring: Jean-Paul Ly, Laurent Plancel, Tharoth Sam, Dara Phang, Celine Tran

From: Kongchak Pictures

The most important revelation from this film: Red Dog beer is still made and sold in Cambodia.

Yesterday I came across an article on Bloody Disgusting which mentioned a film coming out later this year; it's from Cambodia and is known as The Prey. It then mentioned that some of the talent involved had made a movie known as Jailbreak; that was news to me so I found out it was on Netflix. I blame Netflix for not knowing that they had a riff on The Raid but how their interface has gotten much worse over the years is a rant for another occasion.

The plot is simple: several cops are escorting a snitch to prison, and the leader of the gang he was involved with (a woman named Madame Butterfly) wants him killed, so from the outside she orchestrates all the prisoners to be released from their cells. Yes, tonight there's going to be a jailbreak and indeed, all hell breaks loose, alarm and sirens wail as the officers are trapped in there so they have to use their Cambodian martial arts (Bokator, to be exact; don't confuse it with Muay Thai) to wreck dudes, and wreck dudes they do.

The movie is not as spectacular as The Raid-then again, what is? While there is bloodshed, it's not graphically gory like The Night Comes for Us. What we get here is a camera that moves around but usually not in a nauseating manner, and fun brawls. In fact, cuts are masked so it presents the appearance of being lengthy fights shot in one take. An important note is that this is much more comedic than The Raid; at least for me it was definitely hit or miss. Much to my relief, this element did not ruin the film, although I do wish some moments would have been different... and the ending can be questioned, even if you realize (like me) that there is a mid-credits scene.

Those that love The Raid and films of those ilk: as long as your expectations are not sky high and realize this is a low-budget production, you may enjoy this like I did. Two last things to note: the director (Jimmy Henderson) is a Brit who has lived in Cambodia for years, so perhaps that is why this has broken out into the West. Secondly, the lady who played Madame Butterfly (Celine Tran) used to be known as Katsuni and she appeared in a few hundred... ahem, “adult” movies. Most of those titles I can't even repeat here for the sake of decency (if you ever need a laugh one day to brighten your mood, look at her IMDb page) but I will safely presume this is better than RECTAL ROOTER 7.

Heat

Heat (1995)

Runtime: 170 minutes

Directed by: Michael Mann

Starring: Many great names, including Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Wes Studi, Amy Brennaman, etc.

From: Warner Bros./Regency

Truly Tone-Loc's finest on-screen moment.

Heat falls into the category of movies I had seen before, but not in many years. Last night finally seemed like the right time to revisit something I remembered as being pretty great back then. Not that I was too worried, yet I was still relieved my opinion was little-changed.

The movie is much more than just Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro acting face to face for the first time; after all, the mostly forgotten 2008 movie Righteous Kill had those two in many more scenes together and yet that story was totally generic and lame. Here, it's an epic tale of a hard-nosed cop and his colleagues vs. a hard-nosed criminal and his colleagues as the latter commits daring heists and the former tries their hardest to stop those extremely clever crooks.

I recall that in the past, some did not care for this being almost 3 hours long and all the time that is spent w/ the families of the two leads. I disagree; boredom has never set in with the film through multiple viewings and those moments provide plenty of detail about both men. It proved that both cop and robber had their positives and negatives, and they both were too focused on their work to have any meaningful romantic relationships... at least ones that would last. When the climatic meeting between the two acting legends finally occurs, the conversation is more level-headed and placid than you'd expect from the protagonist and antagonist; it was not yelling and bluster and over the top theatrics that suddenly becomes bathos... yeah, Old Al does yell sometimes but it's not a constant, thankfully.

Naturally, a Michael Mann picture both looks and sounds great, and this film does not break that trend. What an incredible cast it has overall: Kilmer, Sizemore, Wes Studi, etc. Plenty of familiar faces occupy smaller roles too: Danny Trejo (I had forgotten his character was simply known as Trejo, as if in real life Danny is involved in well-executed heists), Jeremy Piven, Dennis Haysbert, Henry Rollins, and even Tone-Loc in by far his finest on-screen moment. The length allows for many characters to be woven in and out of the rich tapestry that is this script; important characters disappear for awhile, but that is because they are brought back at the right time in the story.


This is a crime film that is a must-see if you love the genre and somehow this has eluded you.

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Runtime: An interminable 119 minutes

Directed by: Wes Anderson

Starring: A great cast that I wish would have been in something better and more fun for me

From: Touchstone Pictures

Give me THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH JASON STATHAM (a.k.a. The Meg) any day of the week.

I stole a line from a random Letterboxd user but I wish this experience-which only occurred after some recent on-line discourse-would have lead to something I would have actually enjoyed. I did go into this with an open mind as some really talked it up and what an incredible lead cast it has. Unfortunately...

The premise sounded fine to me: a parody of Jacques Cousteau is a fading figure who wishes for revenge on the creature that killed his friend. What I got instead was a different experience than most people have had with this picture. I have mentioned in the past how modern comedy films for the most part do nothing for me in terms of garnering laughs and humor.... that was the case here. Instead of entertainment and mirth, all The Life Aquatic did was present a bunch of awkward moments and pretend that was funny-admittedly, that's a big problem with me and modern “humor” and it's present in a lot of films-along with the general off-putting smug self-satisfied nature of this and being weird for no real purpose.


Sure, there were David Bowie songs and that was cool, but as a general rule I think a movie will automatically turn me off if there is Sigur Ros present, as to me that is just about the ultimate in pretentious crap, an aural attack on my poor eardrums. Everyone else in the film community can love Anderson and his twee nonsense; me, I'll be happy to avoid the rest of his filmography as there are many legendary motion pictures I haven't watched yet and I am sure I'll have a much better time seeing those rather than something that I thought was an irritating waste of time aside from a few clever bits and the film at least looking fine visually.

They Shall Not Grow Old

They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Starring: This is that World War I documentary Jackson did

From: Released by Warner Bros., but a museum in Great Britain, the BBC and some others also participated

I heard rave reviews for this documentary and as I have rated real highly some fictional World War I films (All Quiet on the Western Front, Westfront 1918) it only made sense for me to attend the Fathom Event screening of this yesterday; I saw the 3D version and while that looked fine, there's no real reason to check this out in 3D, to be frank. After the fact, it's been noticed by me that some did not enjoy the artistic decisions to colorize this footage (from the British archives), blow it up to 1.78.1 and add in voices/sound effects to augment it. I was not offended by that and in fact it helped bring that footage to life. There was obvious footage manipulation and that has better grounds for an argument but even then that did not bother me too much.

The opening act and the final few minutes, the footage is in black and white & proper scale; all through it, there is narration that explains how the soldiers are feeling about things. Of course, all of it was made up to fit the images as this was years before sound was recorded on film... c'est la vie. The story is told in a logical order, starting from soldiers enlisting (some of who were underaged) and them training to them shipping off to the battlefield and getting cold water splashed on their faces by the realities of war; the movie is not afraid to show some gruesome images to fortify this point. By now many people should know (whether from that segment in Wonder Woman or elsewhere) how brutal trench warfare was and why it was so miserable.

While not the cheeriest documentary, I was fascinated with it and appreciated the sacrifices those soldiers made; there is an anti-war slant as it was noted how many of the enemy German soldiers they captured as prisoners of war... they were fine young men themselves. This is not something to watch as a history lesson in all the machinations that happened which resulted in World War I or a listing of the major events that happened. Rather, it was to show the effect that these few years had on many young innocent lads; humanize The Great War, this was the intent and that goal was successfully met.

Flyboys

Flyboys (2006)

Runtime: 138 minutes

Directed by: Tony Bill

Starring: James Franco, Jean Reno, Abdul Salis, Tyler Labine, Jennifer Decker

From: Several European companies... plus MGM

This is like an old-timey movie... for better and for worse.

This dovetails into the other film I saw yesterday-in a few hours that review will be posted-and I figured it was about time to see something that sounded interesting. If only it wasn't so predictable and exactly what you'd expect from a standard historical film. That is why I said it was like an old-timey film... and as I'll mention in a bit, this story WAS told in a film from the 50's.

Before the United States officially entered World War I in 1918, some Americans did come over to France to fly for the French military in both the Lafayette Escadrille and the Lafayette Flying Corps... long story, but the film does not make that distinction anyhow so it's a moot point. There's a particular German pilot that becomes the de facto heel for the audience to hiss and sneer at, a romance is shoehorned in, and so on and so forth. The movie is fine all around (from the performances to the action scenes and all the rest), but considering that there are some obvious historical inaccuracies, perhaps there are books that are a better way to tell what is an interesting story.


There was a film in 1958 called Lafayette Escadrille, directed by William A. Wellman, who-no kidding-was in the Lafayette Flying Corps and in the movie he had the unique task of directing his son-William Wellman Jr.-in the role of himself back in World War I. I haven't seen it, although it's not hard to find online... it stars Tab Hunter and the co-stars include David Janssen, Tom Laughlin and even Clint Eastwood in an early role. There are some World War I pictures that are worth seeing, whether relatively positive (Wings) or virulently anti-war (Westfront 1918, All Quiet on the Western Front) and well, you should watch those before you see this.

Hanna

Hanna (2011)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Joe Wright

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams

From: Several different companies

Did people know that Amazon turned this into a show and that will debut in March?

It took discovering this was being turned into an Amazon show for me to finally check the film out. While the premise sounded pretty cool-including the idea that this had fairy tale motifs-I know people who did not like it so I put this on the back-burner until I gave myself motivation.

In hindsight, I am not surprised some would not be thrilled by a tale where an ex-CIA dad trains his daughter from birth to be an assassin for the purpose of killing an old boss who wants him dead because he knows something that must remain a secret. The film was pretty cold and arch.. in fact, sometimes too much so for my tastes. That wasn't the biggest issue though; some of the supporting characters I did not care for. One camp is “too goofy” and the other was “REALLY annoying” and it was unfortunate when I realized the movie would be spending time with a few who fell into the latter category.

That is a shame as even with all that, I can say this is pretty good. One big reason is Saoirse Ronan; the other main players (Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett) delivered quality performances but she was great as the titular Hanna. It was great seeing her acclimate herself in a world totally foreign for someone that grew up in the north Finlandian woods and had never even heard music before... of course a light tube and television would be mind-blowing. The film is stylish but not too much so, the action is a lot of fun and as I had wished for, The Chemical Brothers soundtrack was superb.

I've only seen a teaser for the upcoming Amazon show, to be released sometime in March. I imagine it won't have the diverse locations that allowed for some interesting action setpieces but hopefully it is alright, despite people having seen the movie knowing what the show's plot is, unless they decide to swerve everyone. Another presumption is that it won't be as idiosyncratic or arch as the film, which could mean it is too generic and thus dull and rote instead... let's hope not.

The Killer

The Killer (Dip Huet Seung Hung) (1989)

Runtime: 110 minutes

Directed by: John Woo

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Chu Kong, Tsang Kong

From: Several Hong Kong companies

Thankfully for me, 30 years later this film is still marvelous: 

In 2019 terms, the two leads had what would now be known as a bromance.

This is yet another case where I've seen a movie before but that was long before I joined the site in early 2013; at times it was like I was viewing this for the first time. I recalled The Killer being awesome and while I was not too worried about this prospect, there was always the possibility that with the many different films I've seen since then and the vast expansion of my movie knowledge, that my opinion of this would be different. Thank heavens I still think this flick is great.

On the surface this may sound like a standard tale of an expert hitman vs. a police officer but this is a lot more complex than that. The GOAT known as Chow Yun-Fat is Ah Jong, who is great at doing hits but accidentally blinds a young singer during a shootout; he looks for salvation so they become friends without her knowing for awhile who he is. Danny Lee is Li Ying, a loose cannon cop who goes after Jong... but starts to admire him because he is not the stereotypical cold-blooded hitman, plus he is looking for some salvation himself. When the Triad double-crosses Jong, s*** hits the fan and it leads to an incredible final act which is still noteworthy even three decades later due to all the carnage and damage done.

The complicated relationship between Jong and Ying could have gone awry, but thankfully was executed quite well and it's a blast seeing them as friends or enemies; the former also has a nice relationship with Fung Sei, his Triad manager and close personal friend. That gets more attention than his relationship w/ Jennie, the young singer. After all, Woo's main inspirations for this film were flicks from Scorsese and Jean-Pierre Melville, thus some moments that could be classified as melodramatic... but that makes this more thoughtful than you'd expect for a movie that still has cracking action setpieces and some showdowns done cleverly. Many SOB's die in The Killer, especially in the aforementioned final act.

Of course this was visually beautiful & there are the typical Woo trademarks such as slow motion and white doves... oh at times there are many white doves. Plus, the ending is unforgettable and I am not too terribly surprised that after this and Hard Boiled, Hollywood wanted both Woo and Chow Yun-Fat; of course they screwed it up with Woo and especially Fat, but that is clueless big budget American filmmaking for you.

Midnight Mary

Midnight Mary (1933)

Runtime: 74 minutes

Directed by: William A. Wellman

Starring: Loretta Young, Ricardo Cortez, Franchot Tone, Andy Devine, Una Merkel


From: MGM

Last night I learned: backwards dresses are not a recent phenomenon.

Monday morning and afternoon Turner Classic Movies showed some early 30's crime films, whether they were gangster related or not. From Letterboxd ratings and what some followers wrote in reviews, I went with this film, which I hadn't even heard of before this week. It has some familiar names for me (Ricardo Cortez, Franchot Tone, Andy Devine, Una Merkel) but the titular Midnight Mary (Loretta Young) was the true star here, and not just because she was the lead.

Mary is on trial for shooting a man; it wasn't to watch him die. Most of this is in flashbacks as we get to see how she was arrested for murder. We find out that while she made some foolish decisions, Mary was also a victim of circumstance, right from when she was a kid. When you are suffering from poverty and can't find a job, who would turn down the chance to live it up with successful gangsters, even if the leader takes a shine to you and you aren't interested? Things happen, then she has the good fortune to meet a successful lawyer. It should be self-evident that there is conflict with her wanting to leave the hoodlums and spend time instead with legitimate people and have an honest job.

This is a melodrama and the ending is on the hokey side; I can still say this was fine entertainment and the big reason is Young as the lead. Besides her physical appearance making it believable (at least for me) that multiple men would fall for her, it was her magnetic performance and her believably in trying to be a good person despite her circumstances that make her a highly sympathetic character. As this is Pre-Code, the film is pretty blunt overall; heck, in one scene the lawyer (who just met Mary) openly talks about sex with her.

Add in exciting editing and sliding wipes from veteran director William A. Wellman along with nifty and unique visual delights and I am delighted that random Pre-Code pictures can still be pleasant surprises.

Prince Of Darkness

Prince of Darkness (1987)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: John Carpenter

Starring: Donald Pleasence, Victor Wong, Jameson Parker, Lisa Blount, Dennis Dun

From: Universal

I am playing catch-up now. A few days ago was John Carpenter's birthday, which is why I saw this: 

Yesterday was the 71st birthday of John Carpenter; it was only rational to see one of his pictures last night. This is less-heralded than all the very good to great movies he's done, but that only speaks to the strength of Carpenter's career and this should not be forgotten if anyone ever wants to go more in-depth on his films than just the most famous works.

You can't say this isn't ambitious; it boldly mixes science with religion and isn't condescending to either side, along with end of the world stakes and a new interpretation of Christianity as a whole. A mysterious object is found in the basement of a downtown Los Angeles church; priest Donald Pleasence realizes it does not make much scientific sense so he asks genius professor Victor Wong (of the quantum physics field) for assistance; Wong asks some of his college students to participate. That was one of a few incredulous points in the film... him asking college kids for assistance in something you soon realize is critically important instead of fellow experts in the field. This doesn't ruin the film at all for me... it's just mirthful for me, that's all.

Weird moments happen and it takes the effort of both sides to try and eradicate this ultimate evil. It was bold to include such heady concepts as anti-matter and tachyonic particles-don't worry, both are explained so most people won't be lost in the woods as to what they are talking about. There are some truly frightening moments and if anyone has a phobia about insects... well, you'll have to shut your eyes a few times. The cast as a whole does a fine job-a lot of people will best remember Alice Cooper showing up for about a minute as one of the vagrants that surround the building but for me it was nice to see Wong and Dennis Dun have substantial roles, and it's always nice seeing Pleasence deliver a good performance.

It should go without saying, but the score from Carpenter and Alan Howarth is aces... awesome synth goodness the entire time. While there is time spent standing around and not doing much, maybe Carpenter was going real hard for the Italian horror theme... I've seen some make that comparison. There definitely are some haunting moments too; as I already mentioned, this movie shouldn't be forgotten by anyone who wants to deep dive into his career. Plus, if you love the Quatermass stories, there are several nods to that here.

Dressed To Kill

Dressed to Kill (1980)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: Brian De Palma

Starring: Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon, Dennis Franz

From: Filmways

I only allude to it in the review itself, but I imagine it's common knowledge among film fans... this is a riff on Psycho: 

As various people on Letterboxd are going through the entire filmography of Brian De Palma, I figured I'd see at least one of his films in the early part of this year and this one happens to be for free on Prime if you are a member.

De Palma has always made it clear he is a gigantic fan of Hitchcock; this film was obviously inspired by one of Hitch's movies but I dare not spoil which one for those that haven't seen this yet. Dressed to Kill starts off memorably: a dream sequence where Angie Dickinson (in full makeup) is showering and as it's supposed to be over the top gratuitous, she-OK, her body double-is soaping up her boobs! From there, we discover Angie's character is a sexually frustrated woman in a bad marriage and she has a 1980 tech genius son... a giallo-style murder eventually happens and brought into this mess is a prostitute played by Nancy Allen; in addition, Michael Caine is Dickinson's psychiatrist.

A percentage of a certain segment of the population will not like the key conceit of the movie as they feel it's harmful stereotyping. I was not offended but then again I am a heterosexual white male and it is not incomprehensible to me nor do I fault anyone for finding this objectionable. That said, for me this was a finely crafted thriller and a very good movie... sleazy, but still very good. Naturally, the score from Pino Donaggio was aces; in addition, it was shot very well and there are various De Palma trademarks, including split screen and split diopter shots. Recalling the hilariously scuzzy characters he played in Blow Out and Psycho II, I was hoping for more of the same with the role Dennis Franz played here, and I was not let down-while a police detective, he was a crude and rude member of law enforcement... and not only had a full head of hair, but wore some tremendous period clothing.

There are some tremendous sequences in the film, and there's a bravura ending to boot. At least for me, this was fun trash.

If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

95% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 231 reviews)

Runtime: 119 minutes

Directed by: Barry Jenkins

Starring: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris

From: Annapurna Pictures

I doubt this will win the Oscar, but that does not mean this isn't worthwhile:

As I saw Barry Jenkins' last film on the big screen and loved Moonlight, it only seemed logical to me for myself to make a journey to see his new picture theatrically. I don't love this as much, but just saying that is more of a slight then it should be as Beale Street is still very good.

I am not familiar with the James Baldwin novel this is based on; opening text does explain the novel's title and why the movie takes place in New York City instead of Beale Street in Memphis, or anywhere in Memphis, Tennessee to be exact. That street has had a number of important moments in black history, you see, and in addition there was an ancient blues song from W.C. Handy called Beale Street Blues. The plot is in the early 70's and follows a young couple, Tish and “Fonnie”; they've known each other since they were kids and the friendship turned into something more. Not everyone in the family approves of that union and oh yeah, there's the big issue of Fonnie's incarceration for a crime he did not commit. The film does many flashbacks and flash forwards to tell its tale; eventually it is revealed the charge is serious and unfortunately, bigotry lead to him being arrested.

There is also the added complication of Tish and Fonnie becoming parents while he is in jail. Things seem hopeless for them as it seems like the deck is stacked against them when it comes to him getting a fair trial in court, yet their love perseveres and you get to see they are a devoted couple through both the good and bad times. It's not two hours of misery that is rough to get through... among the potent scenes where serious moments happen and there are potent bits that can be shocking, you see the two be happy and enjoy their courtship.

Some famous faces (Diego Luna, Pedro Pascal, Dave Franco, Finn Wittrock, etc.) appear in brief roles but I have to note that the lead and main supporting characters-who I mostly was unfamiliar with-all did great, whether it was KiKi Layne and Stephan James as the couple or the likes of Colman Domingo and Teyonah Parris as family members. Regina King has her moments where she shone quite brightly. Like in Moonlight, the film is both gorgeous to look at and experience aurally, and I am not too surprised considering that James Laxton and Nicholas Britell returned as cinematographer and composer, respectively. Naturally, the score was jazz-infused; the soundtrack at times has classic jazz from the likes of Miles Davis & John Coltrane... along with deep cut R&B selections from Al Green and Nina Simone.

I presume this won't win three Oscars like Moonlight did; it does not matter as I still feel this is worth seeing, whether theatrically or at home in the future.

12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men (1957)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Sidney Lumet

Starring: 12 performers delivering excellent performances all around

From: United Artists

This is a classic which deserves the lofty reputation it has: 

This is not exactly how jury deliberations are supposed to go-some moments may have resulted as a mistrial in real life-but that's not the point and this does deserve such a lofty reputation.

In 2019 on both IMDb and Letterboxd this is ranked near the very top and it's a hell of a feat for a film from the late 50's where 96 minutes are spent with a dozen sweaty white men arguing with each other and almost all of the picture is in one room. After viewing 12 Angry Men, you realize the praise is warranted, and the script really does not need to be changed much if you want to imagine it as a modern tale. A jury of twelve white men are adjourned and have to judge the guilt or innocence of an 18 year old man (who you briefly see and is a minority, which does cause prejudice in some) accused of killing his father with a switchblade knife. At first only Henry Fonda votes Not Guilty; as he tries to convince everyone why he feels this way, more and more doubt creep in; apparently the defense attorney did a poor job and as you hear more evidence of the case, you likely will believe there is reasonable doubt.

All twelve jurors are well-rounded characters and enough time is spent with each one to where you feel like you know them. Not all of them I was as familiar with as I was with Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, or E.G. Marshall, but they all did a swell job, each one different from the others and it was fascinating seeing how they all reacted whenever Fonda presented evidence that shook the foundation of their almost-unanimous belief that the prosecution easily proved the defendant was guilty. It was not constant yelling at each other, either-while that happened sometimes, mature discussions also took place. In addition, there are several incredibly powerful moments where no words are said but the actions of the characters say more than enough.

The fact that this is Sidney Lumet's feature film debut is astonishing; he directed random TV shows before then but he did a masterful job here making a film set almost entirely in one room never dull when it comes to appearance; the camera zooms in and out in a natural fashion instead of a distracting showy style. As this is on Amazon Prime, if you have this service and have not watched 12 Angry Men before, being able to view this for free is a treat and you will likely be over the moon like I am. As I alluded to earlier, the themes presented here are still relevant today... biases between different classes of people, bigotry (unfortunately), the flaws and also triumphs of the legal system we have in the United States, etc. Saying that a film is a must-see for anyone seriously interested in this craft seems like a cliché by now... in this case, that label does apply and all hardcore film buffs must experience this at least once.

The Soldier

The Soldier (1982)

Runtime: 88 minutes (not 96 minutes like it says on the back of the Blu-ray)

Directed by: James Glickenhaus

Starring: Ken Wahl, Alberta Watson, Steve James, Joaquim de Almeida, Peter Hooten

From: Embassy

I know that some dig this film... I certainly did not, even with some inspired moments: 

I now know what “inspired” part of the score to Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

This film has a cult of fans so last year I made a blind buy of the Blu from Kino Lorber; as you can see from my rating, I am not a fan of the film... but it doesn't mean I totally regret the purchase. I mean, there are some inspired moments and the Tangerine Dream score was pretty bitchin.' Yet otherwise...

Things start off on a baffling note with the inexplicable opening scene, then you have the theft of plutonium by the Soviets; that seems fine and all, except that it's being transported via semi truck with two vehicles surrounding it. The semi cab and the two vehicles are taken out... via rocket launcher?! This causes explosions, and is it a smart idea to have FIRE around plutonium? Apparently so, as the heist is successful. The terrorists wants Israel to leave the West Bank, or else millions of gallons of oil will be ruined in Saudi Arabia. The scenario sadly does not sound so far fetched in real life, but I presume the solution we'll get in real life won't be several “special soldiers” putzing around until we get a total wet fart of an ending that is not exciting at all. How a movie ends should never give me a feeling of miasma, yet that occurred here.

A shame, as the cast is fine between Ken Wahl, Alberta Watson, and his other pals including Steve James, Peter Hooten and Joaquim de Almeida. Of course, in small roles are both Jeffrey Jones and Klaus Kinski... while I'll never forget the heinous crimes they were either convicted or accused of, either one of them in a movie does not automatically ruin it for me, or even those two in the same picture-after all, they only have like two minutes of screentime each. The most surprising appearance for most will be during a scene in a country bar, where George Strait (!!) and his band perform a song; it's Fool Hearted Memory, his first-of many-number one country hits. This was just the beginning of him becoming popular and eventually, a legend in the genre.

I wish this movie would have been popular with me-the premise sounds promising for sure. Regrettably, even with some exciting action beats this fell totally flat with me. What should have been a thrilling final act was anything but, and as I mentioned the ending was just lackluster and made me go, “Wait, that's it?” The Tangerine Dream score was bitchin'... but no matter how good that was, it wasn't going to save this motion picture which seems like idiots trying to do 007, and failing at it. As I alluded to at the beginning, one song by Tangerine Dream here sounds almost identical to the Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon theme; this realization greatly amused me. The urge to rewatch an actual Bond film or play Blood Dragon again at least will help make me forget how disappointing The Soldier was.

The Last House on the Left (The Original)

The Last House on the Left (1972)

Runtime: 84 minutes

Directed by: Wes Craven

Starring: Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln, Jeramie Rain

From: Several small companies, including one lead by Sean S. Cunningham

This is another one of those films I may never see again.

The Last House on the Left is not a first time watch for me; I had seen it before, albeit many years ago. On a whim yesterday, I figured it was time for me to talk about a motion picture that still has plenty of notoriety today and I can't even say this launched the career of Wes Craven as the controversy was so strong, he had to direct an adult movie (where his nom de plume was ABE SNAKE) before coming up with The Hills Have Eyes and only then did he regularly work in the film industry.

Amazingly this was inspired by a Bergman movie (1960's The Virgin Spring) but it is exploitation all the way. Two girls (Phyllis and Mari) go to New York City to see a concert; while looking for “grass”, they come across some despicable felons that just broke out of prison and their equally loathsome pals... one of whom is a lady called Sadie. Many horrible things happen to Mari and Phyllis; while not as extreme as you'd see in later films, it is still abhorrent acts that are committed against them and of course, both of them die. In a giant contrivance, this happens right by Mari's house; her dad is a doctor so the family is well-off. Yet the parents commit heinous acts of their own as revenge once they realize what occurred.

Aside from the shock moments there are other questionable moments with this film. There's a subplot with a pair of bumbling cops (one of them played by Martin Kove!) and they are almost TOO stupid to be believable. I mean, a key plot point is that they run out of gas. Then there is how the soundtrack which has either hippy folk ditties or tunes featuring the banjo; this includes moments where bad things are happening. Heck, there's even a tune which talks about the villains. Whether or not this juxtaposition was needed or “right” is for certain a topic of discussion. More cut and dried is how there are massive continuity errors and gaps in logic where things just don't make a lot of sense. And of course Sadie is implied to be bisexual so Phyllis utters a slur at her at one point which I won't repeat here, but yeah...


Even with the valid complaints, I can still say this is OK. How rough this is around the edges (Craven definitely would do a better job directing after this) creates a raw visceral feeling and those appalling moments are still brutally effective in 2019. But there are other Craven films that are more worthy of me to watch or rewatch in the future and as those don't have women being abused and tortured so even though David Hess does a fine job as the lead villain and this is also how the careers of Sean S. Cunningham and Steve Miner began, I probably will not watch this ever again.

Deadbeat At Dawn

Deadbeat at Dawn (1988)

Runtime: 80 minutes

Directed by: Jim Van Bebber

Starring: Van Bebber was also the star. There is also the likes of Paul Harper, Ric Walker, Marc Pitman, and Megan Murphy

From: Asmodeaus Productions, Inc

This has been a cult classic for 30 years now, and deservedly so: 

Probably the most exciting picture to ever film in Dayton, Ohio.

Years ago I saw the final 10 or so minutes of the film on YouTube... that clip has long since been taken down. Someone recently mentioning the movie on a messageboard made me go look and see that currently this is only a 2 dollar rental on either YouTube or Google Play, so this is what I did. In context, that finale is even more gnarly, but more on that later.

This is from cult filmmaker Jim Van Bebber, back when he was in film school. This is still the most famous thing he's done, but that's life. This is film and set in Dayton, Ohio and has the simple story of a dirtbag named GOOSE who leads a gang known as The Ravens; after problems with rival thugs The Spiders, Goose's girlfriend (who isn't named Gander) wants him to give up that life. He finally agrees, but things go real bad; this is 80's sleaze so women aren't treated so well in general. He is all morose, then things change and revenge happens, in a spectacular fashion.

The movie is a student film, with all that entails. The acting is not always the best, for example. Yet everything is in earnest and everyone involve does appear to try their hardest. Overall it's pretty good for a student film. But wow is it ever sleazy; our “hero” Goose snorts up cocaine a few times and Van Bebber found what had to be the most wretched, scummiest locations in Dayton to film. It was like the worst areas of New York City back in the 80's. There are weird non-sequitors and wait until you see Goose's father.

Now having finally seen this in its entirety, the entire third act is pretty wild. Amateur ninja Goose uses ninja stars, nunchucks, and other weapons to maim and kill many sons of bitches. That is a blast to watch and Van Bebber wore many hats during production, including the gory special effects. Indeed, at times this gets very bloody and that is a big reason why Deadbeat at Dawn became a cult hit. What had to be another reason was that among all the downbeat and scummy moments, the gangs might as well be out of The Warriors; they aren't too terribly realistic. That said, this fact makes me laugh and laugh, along with how some of them are tremendously evil and most look as if they would be spotted in the crowd at a RATT or Quiet Riot concert back in '85. A movie like this isn't for all tastes, but if you dig the low-budget 80's action, this definitely should be in your figurative queue.

Capricorn One

Capricorn One (1977)

Runtime: 124 minutes

Directed by: Peter Hyams

Starring: James Brolin, Sam Waterston, O.J. Simpson, Elliott Gould, Hal Holbrook

From: Associated General Films/ITC Films

This was watched in part so I could comment on how dopey the moon landing conspiracy theorists are.

Here is another film I've known of for years but it took a random inspiration one day for me to see this, and as I have watched a few other films from director Peter Hyams, I might as well check this out. Sure, this did play a role in people starting to entertain the thought that the moon landing never happened, but more on that later. I have NO idea how the film was allowed to have NASA be the the space agency in this film considering this is one of those paranoid conspiracy thrillers from the 70's; sure, NASA themselves are not trying to kill astronauts in order to perpetuate a lie but Hal Holbrook is a part of NASA in the movie and he knows. I suppose it's not a spoiler to say that Hal Holbrook is in a 70's picture and you can't trust his character, is it?

It's mainly unidentified “mysterious forces” in the government that are a part of this scheme. NASA does not want to lose funding so them getting their ass to Mars is a must... and it's a manned mission to the red planet. Unfortunately, a screw-up happens so they have to fake the mission, despite the protests of the three astronauts (James Brolin, unfortunately without beard, Sam Waterston, and... O.J. Simpson). They are forced to go along with this hoax. It seems fine, as they actually are able to send a capsule to Mars... it's just unmanned. Well, when the capsule explodes upon re-entry to Earth, there's a pickle of a problem and the trio realizes they better escape & go on the run. Also, reporter Elliott Gould starts becoming suspicious of the government's story.

There are some “huh” moments and perhaps more obtuse scenes than there should have been, but it was still a fun watch. The cast all does a fine job (I was able to forget about Simpson in real life and instead note that he was fine in his role) and besides the people I already mentioned, there is Karen Black for a few minutes, Brenda Vaccaro, the actual Big Lebowski himself (David Huddleston) and in the true highlight, Telly Savalas in a small yet memorable over the top performance as a character who-among other things-is a Houston Astros fan. Along with the typical hallmarks of those 70's thrillers, this does end in a very exciting setpiece which required some stuntmen. While not the best of its kind, it was slick entertainment.


Ever since I heard the rumors as a kid of the moon landings being a hoax, I thought of it as stupid. NASA and other trusted sources have spent much time and effort in debunking those rumors; it's mainly people not understanding that science and it's understandable and yet that belief is still a thing among way too many people. Sure, it's resulted in interesting discussion of how NASA was able to achieve some great moments in human history but it's a belief I wish would go away. As there are too many who now believe that vaccines = autism... I know there will still be some who think we never made it to the moon. I say all this to note that I don't regret seeing Capricorn One... it's just something that couldn't have happened in real life. Like with the real life Apollo missions, the Soviets were watching and listening carefully. Wouldn't you think they'd loudly broadcast that something was amiss if they believed chicanery was going on?

Spinout

Spinout (1966)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Norman Taurog

Starring: Elvis, Shelley Fabares, Diane McBain, Dodie Marshall, a bunch of random dudes

From: MGM

About time I saw another Elvis film, even if this was like a typical Elvis picture in being average:

Two guys in Elvis' band are named Larry and Curly! Need I say anything more about the type of film this is?

As yesterday was the birthday of Elvis and I hadn't seen anything from him in almost a year, about high time I got back on this train. I randomly picked Spinout, and turns out that it was even more of a sitcom than usual for The King.

Elvis leads a rock band known as 1 Plus 2 + ½; the two is the guitar player and the bass player. The ½ is not someone with dwarfism or even a Def Leppard sort of situation. Rather, the drummer is a woman who is a tomboy. I know, but Spinout does not have progressive views. Anyhow, Elvis also races cars, a sweet Shelby Cobra 427. He loves being carefree and single, to the point that he wishes he & his band NOT to become famous as it meant he'd have to lead a more structured life, get married, etc. Interesting plot thread that of course is not as explored in-depth as it could have been in a more serious picture. The film is not too humble at all as THREE ladies pine for him, including the daughter in a rich family and an author who has declared him “the perfect American male.” Subtle.

This rich girl's father has a new race car called the Fox Five... no, not the Fox Force Five. He wants Elvis to drive it, presumably because he's the perfect American male and all. I won't reveal the third lady, although it's not hard to figure out. What results is a whole lot of silliness and contrivances, including a few minutes spent with Una Merkel, who I best know for appearing in some early 30's Warner Brothers films, including 42nd Street. The movie is quite dumb yet honestly, it is harmless and I sometimes did laugh, even if at times it was AT the film. I can't get too mad when there's a lengthy shindig and catchy music is being played and it's the opposite of a sausage party and the girls are wearing tremendous 60's clothing.

I also have to give credit for the movie having a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet (convertible) and the Fox Five was portrayed by a real life race car, a McLaren Elva M1A. Yes, it is tied into the McLaren that not only competes in Formula 1 but also the automotive company currently around that releases supercars like the 570GT and the 720S. The Elva looked and sounded great so I am not surprised it was used for that purpose in this movie. Most of the vehicle action is saved for the climax-this did not bother me too much. As typical for an Elvis picture, the songs are average overall; him warbling about loving a smorgasbord of different women is somehow not comparable to the rare tunes from his film career that became hits, like Viva Las Vegas or Can't Help Falling in Love.

Escape Room

Escape Room (2019)

52% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 84 reviews)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Adam Robitel

Starring: Taylor Russell (no relation), Deborah Ann Wall, Logan Miller, Tyler Labine, Nik Dodani, Jay Ellis

From: Columbia

I was relieved this was not a waste of time: 

If I had seen any Saw movies in my life then I'd compare this to that. As I haven't...

As I hadn't seen a theatrical movie for a few weeks and this was the movie that fit best with my schedule and next month I should be seeing some of the prestige pictures... I heard some good things about this movie. Overall, I don't regret using the A-List app on this film. While some things definitely could be nitpicked (and I am not even referring to like how in the Saw movies all of these rooms must cost a fortune to construct), overall it was an enjoyable enough time.

Escape Rooms have been a hot concept the past few years, the ability to engage in something physical with your friends as you try to solve puzzles and riddles and hopefully the theme of the game is worthwhile. I've never participated in one myself but I know plenty of people who have. I also understand that this is not the first time in the past few years to have an escape room theme but considering that this was a recent revelation (someone on a forum mentioned this) and I don't even know the names of those flicks, most will presume that this was the first one.

Anyhow, as the (probably revealing too much) trailer showed, some random people were chosen to participate in an escape room, only this one is deadly and the rooms are based on bad things that happened in each person's life, so it's only random in that none of these participants knew each other. Now, let me mention some negatives. The movie sure did telegraph more than it should have, some recent movie tropes were featured that I don't love-even if one was subverted-and I'll say it did not stick the landing when it comes to the ending. Even if it's not 100% true, I'll just blame Sony as it seems like stupid Hollywood studio notes to have those elements in this picture.

Thankfully, even with those moments I did like the movie overall. I was not familiar with most of the main cast (Tyler Labine being the exception, and it was nice seeing him on the big screen again) but they all were fine, especially Taylor Russell (no relation) as someone who is the keystone role... as she is the only one on the official poster, that is not really a spoiler. While over the top, the setpieces of the different rooms are all fun in their own ways and it was nice seeing everyone work together to solve the puzzles, & each character gets at least one moment to shine. There is bickering, but it was far from constant and that was a relief, as that would have gotten old pretty quickly. A big relief was that overall, all the main characters were fine and not an irritant in the wrong way; it was easy to have empathy for them.

Plus, there is an ever-popular synth score and that was a pleasant surprise. One of the rooms features a real old song from the early 60's; I am not sure how many here were familiar with it beforehand, but I certainly was, even if I hadn't heard it in many, many years. This wasn't originally going to be a January genre release, yet I was still worried as January genre releases in recent years sometimes includes absolute dreck like The Bye Bye Man. I was relieved then that even with the issues I already mentioned, that Escape Room was more fun than expected and not a film I regret seeing theatrically.

Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow

Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow (1994)

Runtime: A long 83 minutes

Directed by: Alan Metter

Starring: Only some of the regulars, plus embarrassed veterans Christopher Lee & Ron Perlman... and a just starting her career Claire Forlani

From: Warner Bros.

The movie actually being filmed in Russia doesn't mean squat when this was atrocious all around: 

This film's knowledge of forensics & plumbing is comparable to its “knowledge” of inspiring laughter.

In the past few years I once in awhile have gone back to watch all the Police Academy movies, as it was a franchise I viewed when I was a little kid. Naturally the juvenile humor that eventually became the hallmark of the movies would appeal to people around my age growing up in the 80's and 90's. The first five I had seen multiple times, the last two less so. Even when I was a young teenager I recognized Mission to Moscow as being pretty dire. But I finally got the nerve to finish this franchise and this got a viewing; turns out, this was as bad as I had remembered, as it's not only a failure as a comedy, but is inept when it comes to plot structure, the story tying together logically, and so forth.

A quarter of a century later, it is amusing that the general idea of the plot would work better. A Russian mobster (Ron Perlman!) is enjoying the return of capitalism to Russia & creates a game on computer and portable devices that is incredibly popular... nevermind that what little of the game you see makes said game look like a piece of crap. Turns out, he is going to create a sequel that has malicious software which will hack every computer the game is installed on. Of course, a perfectly fine story idea in 2019 is a corrupt individual having the top selling app (like, say, Candy Crush Saga) containing malware that infests everyone's smartphones.

Anyhow, the top cop in Moscow (Christopher Lee?! He wears a giant mustache... and I am glad he only appears for a few scenes) has Lassard and a few of the Police Academy regulars come to Russia for the purposes of stopping the mobster. What results is an illogical plot, many stupid moments and no laughter from me. There were some chuckles, but that's it. The fact that not all of the original crew came back from this is pretty telling; only some participated in this cash grab that made the previous entry seem OK in comparison. There's also a doofus new recruit who hacks his way into the assignment; he has vertigo and you think that would play a role in the climax... such as him finally conquering it and that helps defeat the bad guys... this movie is so pitiful, it doesn't play a factor at all. Claire Forlani plays the translator; as her career had just started at this point, I can't be as disappointed that she is in this nonsense.

This has many inexplicable moments: why are there three random Russian cops who sometimes help out, and why do they only communicate with noises? Why does Lassard have a dumb side plot where he hangs out with a random Russian family, and why does he disappear for at least half the movie? Why does the opening scene have someone play “The Game” (and yes, that's what they call the big game... The Game!) in a Game Boy with obviously no cartridge in it when in the other scenes when a Game Boy is being played, a cartridge is present? I could go on and on, but that is more effort than this lameski movie deserves. Stick with most of the other ones-they are usually childish and always stereotypical but at least the characters are fun and there are dopey laughs to be had. Mission to Moscow saying that forensics allows you to pluck one strand of hair and be able to tell if that person is a virgin from one glance at a microscope... no thank you.

Face of the Frog

Face of the Frog (Der Frosch Mit Der Maske) (1959)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Harald Reinl

Starring: Joachim Fuchsberger, Elfie Von Kalckreuth, Jochen Brockmann, Carl Lange, Dieter Eppler

From: This is a German-Danish production

If you have zero knowledge of the krimi genre, then prepare to learn something new today:

You probably shouldn't trust a saucy cabaret singer named Lolita.

The German krimi films are not something that I have known of for as long as, say... the poliziotteschi movies of Italy. That being said, when I eventually found out about them (via Letterboxd and elsewhere) I realized this was something which eventually should be explored by me. Of course procrastination happened, but for awhile now there have been some of them available for rental on Amazon courtesy of Sinister Cinema and last night I finally pulled the trigger... or in this case, threw the knife. I might as well start with the first film that is recognized as a krimi, right?

Krimi is a German word meaning “Thriller” and it's one of the genres that are mixed into these German films, along with crime and mystery. They are all based upon stories by prolific English author Edgar Wallace (in this case, The Fellowship of the Frog, which is the title this goes by on Amazon Video) and most of them involved a masked killer, a bold protagonist investigating the case, a wacky sidekick, and action which happens both in London and the English countryside. In Face of the Frog, the title character is a masked supercriminal who leads an army of frogs-literally, that's what a group of frogs is known as; the evil organization here is a gang and not a paramilitary thing-and both a brilliant English detective and rich American amateur sleuth (Richard) who has a wisecracking butler investigate. At one point Richard and his butler spar as if they were Inspector Clouseau and Cato.

The Frog and his gang commit daring robberies and Mr. Frog is actually willing to be an active participant instead of lurking in his lair only barking out orders. Additional characters are a rich British family who the gang targets and Richard tries to protect. There is a cabaret singer who sings in German (otherwise the copy on Amazon is dubbed) and “Harry Lime” is referenced as a brilliant bad guy from the past; presumably that's not Orson Welles.

There are many characters but it never becomes confusing; for certain this is never dull as there is plenty of intrigue, a bloody throat slash (making me understand why some have said that giallos were influenced by these pictures), action, shootouts, double crosses, etc. In further tropes you later saw in giallo, there's a blind character-although here it's someone in disguise-and yes, there are moments that don't hold up to sound logic. Overall, though, it was fun entertainment, so no doubt that in the future I'll track down more krimi flicks for viewing.

Spartacus

Spartacus (1960)

Runtime: 197 minutes

Directed by: Kubrick, of course

Starring: A tremendous cast, including Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov and Charles Laughton

From: Universal

I am Spartacus: 

I don't know how Kirk Douglas did not suffer from skin cancer after filming; his bronze look would impress even George Hamilton.

This is yet another one of those films I have watched before but that viewing was long ago (in this case, over a decade ago) so a revisit was due. Plus, it's a motion picture from a legendary director... even if this was the only time he did not have complete artistic freedom as star Douglas was also the guy who owned the production company and original director Anthony Mann was sacked; because of Paths of Glory he decided to reunite with Kubrick. While this is naturally not filled with as many of his trademarks, it still is naturally well-directed.

The film is one of those spectacles you got back in the day, entertainment on a grand scale that could not be replicated on television. There are thousands of extras and the battle scenes were filmed in exotic Spanish locales. Of course this is not historically accurate to the real life tale of the slave that led an uprising against Rome in the Third Serville War, but that is Hollywood for you. In Spartacus the movie, Douglas is the slave who because of his determination is chosen to be part of gladiatorial school, where he excels. Later he and other slaves escape, and he reluctantly has to become their leader.

Admittedly there many be too many characters and perhaps paring that down a bit would have allowed us to know them better; that said, this is still a thrilling, never dull story where the lead is an incredibly inspiring figure, making you comprehend why the still unforgettable ending happens and how it does not come off as lame or eye-rolling. I definitely appreciate any motion picture that has Douglas (who was the true highlight), Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Charles Laughton, Charles McGraw, Peter Ustinov, and Laurence Olivier. It's also nice seeing Woody Strode, and while his part is not extensive he did play a noble character who has morals even though he is a gladiator himself. Spartacus is great entertainment, augmented by an excellent score from Alex North.

I saw the 1991 restoration version of the film, which is 197 minutes long and includes the infamous restored scene where Olivier obviously tries to seduce his slave (played by Curtis) and you don't need to be Freud to understand what he is REALLY talking about when he talks about eating oysters and eating snails. Even if this movie wasn't good, this would have the significance of leading to the end of the awful blacklist movement, as Douglas publicly acknowledged it was Dalton Trumbo who wrote the script; after that and JFK going to see the film despite protests, that broke the blacklist.

Cruising

Cruising (1980)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: William Friedkin

Starring: Al Pacino, Karen Allen, Paul Sorvino, Richard Cox, Don Scardino

From: Warner Bros

For all the times I've referenced this infamous movie in the almost 10 years I've had this Blogger site up, about darn time I saw this again and finally can talk about it here: 

Hips or lips?

This is another film I had seen before, but the last viewing was at least a decade ago; this seemed like the right time for me for another screening and my finally talking about this infamous motion picture here. Now, I am a heterosexual male so keep that in mind when I talk about this movie and how I am not personally offended by its plot or any risque scene. I do understand how some in the homosexual community still do not like the movie for a variety of reasons, and how at the time some would think that despite the protests of the filmmakers, this does stigmatize homosexuality and people would be led to believe they are all into depraved practices and engage in BDSM.

The plot: Al Pacino is NYC police officer Steve Burns, who is assigned by police Captain Paul Sorvino to go undercover and investigate the murders of gay men who are in the bondage scene... as he resembles the men who have been killed and dismembered. As he is a tough guy cop, this new character he has to play is a drastic change, nevermind the usual stresses of undercover work. This impacts his relationship with girlfriend Karen Allen.

One important thing to mention: while I believe it's never been confirmed, popular rumor is that almost 40 minutes were cut out of this before this could finally get an R rating. Apparently a lot of it was scenes dealing with sexuality but some things were deleted that did impact the story; it'd be nice to see that version yet I will presume this is what is typically the case... meaning that footage was destroyed many years ago. I can only presume the general story would have been the same and the focus would be more on Burns and the metamorphosis he goes through rather than discovering who the killer or killers are, which is deliberately more ambiguous than you'd expect for such a mystery. I am not sure why it was done that way, or why when that decision was made, why the lead character is vague and you feel like you never get to know him that well.

While I wish this would have been less obtuse and more straightforward, I cannot say this was bad. I will presume that underground world isn't too terribly exaggerated, although if those joints actually had guys greasing up their fists for... then yikes. The cast was nice and it is always nice seeing Joe Spinell in a role. Plus, several people that would become famous later had one scene appearances here... Powers Boothe, James Remar, and as Spinell's police officer partner in a hell of a team, Mike Starr. Plus, the odd score from Jack Nitzsche worked for the film. What was great: the dark menacing soundtrack that featured punk, rock (including some songs from Willy DeVille) and even a funk tune... I realize that may sound odd but even that has the appropriate tone as it was several former members of George Clinton's P-Funk empire cutting an entire album where they diss their former boss for being an A-hole. Drugs and drama caused Parliament-Funkadelic to crash and burn rather spectacularly. Anyhow, the fact that this movie was willing to take an unflinching look at this topic (especially for the time) was bold. Now it's an artifact as a few years later the plague of AIDS would take hold and change the homosexual community forever.

Two last notes to bring up: it is easy to say that a movie was inspired by a giallo and the comparison is not always accurate but this time, it was. Of course this doesn't fit all the characteristics of that genre but there still is a mysterious killer dressed in black (this time, black leather) who is psychotic and kills his victims with the simple yet effective weapon of a knife that you could find on the table of a steakhouse to cut your meat. In addition, this movie was based on a novel (which was credited) and also a series of real life murders of gay leather bar patrons. William Friedkin finally agreed to do this film because-in an incredibly creepy moment-Paul Bateson confessed to at least a few of those killings and Bateson appeared in The Exorcist in one scene as he was a doctor's assistant and that's what he played in his brief appearance.