Thursday, February 28, 2019
Fly Me To The Moon...
Or, because of what I'll be reviewing on Saturday night, I revisited For All Mankind, which is still a great documentary on the Apollo missions. If you watch it on Amazon, turn on the subtitles, as they identify which astronaut is speaking and even sometimes identify which mission the footage is from.
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Uptown Saturday Night
Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
Runtime: 104 minutes
Directed by: Sidney Poitier
Starring: Poitier, Bill Cosby, Harry Belafonte, Calvin Lockhart, Flip Wilson
From: Warner Bros.
This is a revisit and I am glad I still think the movie is good, despite the presence of Old Bill as one of the two leads:
After what happened on Sunday night, watching Black Cinema did not seem like a bad idea, even if one of the two stars of this film is disgraced due to the recent revelations of decades-long repugnant behavior. I had seen this many years ago yet barely remembered it so even though one of the stars was Bill Cosby, I gave this another spin.
The setting is Chicago & best buddies are the pairing of Cosby and Sidney Poitier, who also directed this film. They are working-class folk who bluff their way into a swanky club that has illegal gambling; well, a robbery occurs and Sidney loses his wallet, which is especially bad when he realizes that contains a winning lottery ticket, so it's a comedy of errors trying to track it down as they come across wacky characters, usually played by famous faces. There is Flip Wilson as a preacher, Roscoe Lee Browne as a senator who is happy to pander to his constituents by pretending to be Afrocentric when convenient, and Richard Pryor as a gumshoe detective.
In more substantial roles are rival gangsters played by Calvin Lockhart and Harry Belafonte; the latter does a Don Corleone impression and has the immortal character name of GEECHIE DAN BEAUFORD. The film is silly but at least it's fun as their problems spiral out of control the further they get into their investigation and the addition of more and more people. To be frank, only the opening credits say that the movie is in Chicago; obviously it is filmed in Los Angeles and when the final act occurs and they are outdoors in the same California park that served as the location for the opening of Slaughter's Big Rip-Off... there are no hills like that in Illinois; trust me I know.
As long as you don't boycott Cosby's movies due what we know of him as a human being-I don't fault anyone for that stance-then this is an amusing way to spend a random night or a rainy afternoon. I mean, this has everything from a sack race and Poitier doing The Dozens to an epic shoot-em-up and gospel music.
Runtime: 104 minutes
Directed by: Sidney Poitier
Starring: Poitier, Bill Cosby, Harry Belafonte, Calvin Lockhart, Flip Wilson
From: Warner Bros.
This is a revisit and I am glad I still think the movie is good, despite the presence of Old Bill as one of the two leads:
After what happened on Sunday night, watching Black Cinema did not seem like a bad idea, even if one of the two stars of this film is disgraced due to the recent revelations of decades-long repugnant behavior. I had seen this many years ago yet barely remembered it so even though one of the stars was Bill Cosby, I gave this another spin.
The setting is Chicago & best buddies are the pairing of Cosby and Sidney Poitier, who also directed this film. They are working-class folk who bluff their way into a swanky club that has illegal gambling; well, a robbery occurs and Sidney loses his wallet, which is especially bad when he realizes that contains a winning lottery ticket, so it's a comedy of errors trying to track it down as they come across wacky characters, usually played by famous faces. There is Flip Wilson as a preacher, Roscoe Lee Browne as a senator who is happy to pander to his constituents by pretending to be Afrocentric when convenient, and Richard Pryor as a gumshoe detective.
In more substantial roles are rival gangsters played by Calvin Lockhart and Harry Belafonte; the latter does a Don Corleone impression and has the immortal character name of GEECHIE DAN BEAUFORD. The film is silly but at least it's fun as their problems spiral out of control the further they get into their investigation and the addition of more and more people. To be frank, only the opening credits say that the movie is in Chicago; obviously it is filmed in Los Angeles and when the final act occurs and they are outdoors in the same California park that served as the location for the opening of Slaughter's Big Rip-Off... there are no hills like that in Illinois; trust me I know.
As long as you don't boycott Cosby's movies due what we know of him as a human being-I don't fault anyone for that stance-then this is an amusing way to spend a random night or a rainy afternoon. I mean, this has everything from a sack race and Poitier doing The Dozens to an epic shoot-em-up and gospel music.
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Alita: Battle Angel
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
59% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 263 reviews)
Runtime: 122 minutes
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali
From: 20th Century Fox
Who knows, maybe I would think this was a better movie than Green Book...
I am posting this right after the Oscars as I presume people would rush here as soon as the awards ceremony is completed; as an aside, I better make some popcorn as this site and Twitter will have many hot takes the next few hours and I know many are IRATE at what just won Best Picture. I did not see most of the nominees this time but from all the bad buzz, I have to groan that what's apparently Driving Miss Daisy 2018 got the nod. "Vintage Oscars", I say. Anyhow...
Through all the trailers I saw for this movie in the past year (due to the release date being pushed back twice) I was totally meh on the movie as I had never heard of the manga until the film was made and I always noticed that the dialogue in the trailers was laughably cliché and eye-rolling. But, I heard strong reviews, my AMC A-List app will give me a free large beverage because my birthday was earlier this month,and if nothing else I was expecting to enjoy this visually. The viewing was on a Dolby Cinema screen, so I did it big.
The idea of seeing it that way in 3D was intriguing. When Dolby Cinema first started out I had heard the system did not allow for 3D movies, but apparently that was not entirely truthful. Scuttlebutt in a messageboard thread-so this can be taken with a grain of salt-says that AMC's have an exclusive deal with RealD to be the only way to experience that format at their auditoriums, and it requires special permission to have that format be used in Dolby Cinema, as of course Dolby has their own system... plus, special equipment is needed so not all DC's can do that even now. I was also curious as to how it compared to IMAX's system. I can say that it was different being given glasses which set off an alarm if you take them out of the auditorium, but the system does work very well.
I imagine that by now everyone knows the basic plot of how a cyborg girl named Alita is put together by Christoph Waltz and despite being in the junkyard, her core was actually a highly elite weapon and not only does he realize this, but so do the villains in this dystopian 26th century world which is full of robot tech and an Elysium-like world where the common folk live on the ground and the elites live high up in a floating city.
The dialogue isn't always great (although not every line in the trailer made it to the film), at times it looks as if parts of the overstuffed story are missing-an important character does a 180 on a big event and I am not quite sure as to why and the ending doesn't fully resolve the story by any means... yet I can still say that this is fine. Of course the movie looked great visually, and especially so in Dolby 3D. The action is a lot of fun to watch and thank heavens it was shot clearly so you always can follow what is going on. But the biggest asset is the cast, full of famous faces. I could carp about a performance or two but uniformly they were fine; I won't spoil the big names that made cameos. For not being familiar with Rosa Salazar beforehand, she did a great job as the titular Alita; she was mainly motion-captured and yet despite that handicap it was easy to like and root for that character through her journey.
I have no idea if this will ever get a sequel and we'll get a delivery on what was teased at the ending of this, but I was thankful this was better and more appealing to me than the trailers had led on.
59% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 263 reviews)
Runtime: 122 minutes
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali
From: 20th Century Fox
Who knows, maybe I would think this was a better movie than Green Book...
I am posting this right after the Oscars as I presume people would rush here as soon as the awards ceremony is completed; as an aside, I better make some popcorn as this site and Twitter will have many hot takes the next few hours and I know many are IRATE at what just won Best Picture. I did not see most of the nominees this time but from all the bad buzz, I have to groan that what's apparently Driving Miss Daisy 2018 got the nod. "Vintage Oscars", I say. Anyhow...
Through all the trailers I saw for this movie in the past year (due to the release date being pushed back twice) I was totally meh on the movie as I had never heard of the manga until the film was made and I always noticed that the dialogue in the trailers was laughably cliché and eye-rolling. But, I heard strong reviews, my AMC A-List app will give me a free large beverage because my birthday was earlier this month,and if nothing else I was expecting to enjoy this visually. The viewing was on a Dolby Cinema screen, so I did it big.
The idea of seeing it that way in 3D was intriguing. When Dolby Cinema first started out I had heard the system did not allow for 3D movies, but apparently that was not entirely truthful. Scuttlebutt in a messageboard thread-so this can be taken with a grain of salt-says that AMC's have an exclusive deal with RealD to be the only way to experience that format at their auditoriums, and it requires special permission to have that format be used in Dolby Cinema, as of course Dolby has their own system... plus, special equipment is needed so not all DC's can do that even now. I was also curious as to how it compared to IMAX's system. I can say that it was different being given glasses which set off an alarm if you take them out of the auditorium, but the system does work very well.
I imagine that by now everyone knows the basic plot of how a cyborg girl named Alita is put together by Christoph Waltz and despite being in the junkyard, her core was actually a highly elite weapon and not only does he realize this, but so do the villains in this dystopian 26th century world which is full of robot tech and an Elysium-like world where the common folk live on the ground and the elites live high up in a floating city.
The dialogue isn't always great (although not every line in the trailer made it to the film), at times it looks as if parts of the overstuffed story are missing-an important character does a 180 on a big event and I am not quite sure as to why and the ending doesn't fully resolve the story by any means... yet I can still say that this is fine. Of course the movie looked great visually, and especially so in Dolby 3D. The action is a lot of fun to watch and thank heavens it was shot clearly so you always can follow what is going on. But the biggest asset is the cast, full of famous faces. I could carp about a performance or two but uniformly they were fine; I won't spoil the big names that made cameos. For not being familiar with Rosa Salazar beforehand, she did a great job as the titular Alita; she was mainly motion-captured and yet despite that handicap it was easy to like and root for that character through her journey.
I have no idea if this will ever get a sequel and we'll get a delivery on what was teased at the ending of this, but I was thankful this was better and more appealing to me than the trailers had led on.
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Cleopatra Jones And The Casino Of Gold
Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975)
Runtime: 94 minutes
Directed by: Charles Bail
Starring: Tamara Dobson, Stella Stevens, Ni Tien, Norman Fell, Shen Chan
From: Warner Bros./Shaw Brothers
What a team up of two sets of brothers...
A few years ago I watched and reviewed Cleopatra Jones; it was a fun blaxploitation film which regrettably had a garish over the top lesbian villain (played by Shelley Winters!) but she was only in a few scenes and there were such things as a nice car chase, Bill McKinney as a racist cop and Antonio Fargas playing a character named DOODLEBUG SIMKINS to balance that out. Finally, I am watching its sequel, filmed in Hong Kong and made in conjuncture with Shaw Brothers.
Two minor characters from the first film-Matthew and Melvin Johnson-go missing in Hong Kong, and Cleo teams up with a local detective to track them down, who happens to be a young lady. Various other characters are involved as it turns out the Johnson brothers were unwittingly involved with a scheme where an underling attempts to go it alone against a heroin dealer, who happens to be played by Stella Stevens, is known as The Dragon Lady... and oh yeah, is also a lesbian. Thank goodness that character wasn't as grossly offensive as what Winters did in the original film.
For me it was nice to see the swingin' Hong Kong of the mid 70's alongside the funky music, the amazing outfits, and all the other trappings of the genre. The movie at times spins its wheels yet for me was always engaging and was never dull. I mean, there's another car chase, a guy running away from a motorcycle, and martial arts; the involvement of Shaw Brothers definitely was an asset in this case. Plus, there is Norman Fell, who wears fine period clothing in his few scenes.
The finale is actually pretty great; I mean, it's utter lunacy. It happens in the titular casino, which is a large, beautiful set. That set gets utterly destroyed due to all the brawls that happen, along with machine gun fire, explosions, etc. It was done to a high standard and I know more people would rave about that sequence if they knew it existed in a random blaxploitation sequel. I now wish there would have been more films in the 1970's where the Shaw Brothers worked with an American studio.
Runtime: 94 minutes
Directed by: Charles Bail
Starring: Tamara Dobson, Stella Stevens, Ni Tien, Norman Fell, Shen Chan
From: Warner Bros./Shaw Brothers
What a team up of two sets of brothers...
A few years ago I watched and reviewed Cleopatra Jones; it was a fun blaxploitation film which regrettably had a garish over the top lesbian villain (played by Shelley Winters!) but she was only in a few scenes and there were such things as a nice car chase, Bill McKinney as a racist cop and Antonio Fargas playing a character named DOODLEBUG SIMKINS to balance that out. Finally, I am watching its sequel, filmed in Hong Kong and made in conjuncture with Shaw Brothers.
Two minor characters from the first film-Matthew and Melvin Johnson-go missing in Hong Kong, and Cleo teams up with a local detective to track them down, who happens to be a young lady. Various other characters are involved as it turns out the Johnson brothers were unwittingly involved with a scheme where an underling attempts to go it alone against a heroin dealer, who happens to be played by Stella Stevens, is known as The Dragon Lady... and oh yeah, is also a lesbian. Thank goodness that character wasn't as grossly offensive as what Winters did in the original film.
For me it was nice to see the swingin' Hong Kong of the mid 70's alongside the funky music, the amazing outfits, and all the other trappings of the genre. The movie at times spins its wheels yet for me was always engaging and was never dull. I mean, there's another car chase, a guy running away from a motorcycle, and martial arts; the involvement of Shaw Brothers definitely was an asset in this case. Plus, there is Norman Fell, who wears fine period clothing in his few scenes.
The finale is actually pretty great; I mean, it's utter lunacy. It happens in the titular casino, which is a large, beautiful set. That set gets utterly destroyed due to all the brawls that happen, along with machine gun fire, explosions, etc. It was done to a high standard and I know more people would rave about that sequence if they knew it existed in a random blaxploitation sequel. I now wish there would have been more films in the 1970's where the Shaw Brothers worked with an American studio.
Friday, February 22, 2019
Midnight Express
Midnight Express (1978)
Runtime: 121 minutes
Directed by: Alan Parker
Starring: Brad Davis, Randy Quaid, John Hurt, Paul L. Smith, Irene Miracle
From: Columbia
The movie is more than just one famous song, although to me that's the best aspect of this picture:
Note to self: If I ever visit the country of Turkey, DO NOT smuggle drugs.
I have known of Giorgio Moroder's legendary Chase-which is actually not the theme song to the movie, despite popular belief-for years and so have I the storied pro wrestling tag team that took their name from this movie, usually used Chase as theme music, and is one of the best teams in history. Considering all that, it's a surprise I hadn't seen the movie until now.
This is based on a true story (although loosely, as I'll elaborate upon) of how in 1970, an American known as Billy Hayes was arrested in Istanbul for attempting to smuggle hashish out of the country. It was only two kilos but the Turkish courts threw the book at him and he has to spend a few decades locked up. He befriends some people there (including Randy Quaid and John Hurt) and the idea of escaping suddenly doesn't seem so bad.
Technically this is an enjoyable film as the Moroder score as a whole is great (it's more than just Chase that is memorable), the performances as a whole are fine-if devolving into histrionics at times-and there are several horrifying moments. Problem is, the script-from Oliver Stone!-is not as truthful as the book... insert your own comments about Stone if you so desire. The movie paints Turkey and the Turkish in a rather bad light due to the aforementioned horrifying moments, and apparently that is inaccurate to what Hayes wrote in his book... they were not quite so awful and there was no, ahem, prison rape going on. Hayes was not happy about that and even with the passage of time, Stone admitted that he goofed. You can imagine how Turkey reacted to this movie's version of the facts.
To me that does sour somewhat this movie, which is a shame. At least I can laugh at such things as Billy's dad being played by Mike Kellin, who I best know for being Mel, the sleazy and not too competent head of Camp Arawak in the infamous Sleepaway Camp. Also, I now know that Taken 2 was "inspired" (or more like, ripped off) this movie's ending for the way they concluded that lousy film.
Runtime: 121 minutes
Directed by: Alan Parker
Starring: Brad Davis, Randy Quaid, John Hurt, Paul L. Smith, Irene Miracle
From: Columbia
The movie is more than just one famous song, although to me that's the best aspect of this picture:
Note to self: If I ever visit the country of Turkey, DO NOT smuggle drugs.
I have known of Giorgio Moroder's legendary Chase-which is actually not the theme song to the movie, despite popular belief-for years and so have I the storied pro wrestling tag team that took their name from this movie, usually used Chase as theme music, and is one of the best teams in history. Considering all that, it's a surprise I hadn't seen the movie until now.
This is based on a true story (although loosely, as I'll elaborate upon) of how in 1970, an American known as Billy Hayes was arrested in Istanbul for attempting to smuggle hashish out of the country. It was only two kilos but the Turkish courts threw the book at him and he has to spend a few decades locked up. He befriends some people there (including Randy Quaid and John Hurt) and the idea of escaping suddenly doesn't seem so bad.
Technically this is an enjoyable film as the Moroder score as a whole is great (it's more than just Chase that is memorable), the performances as a whole are fine-if devolving into histrionics at times-and there are several horrifying moments. Problem is, the script-from Oliver Stone!-is not as truthful as the book... insert your own comments about Stone if you so desire. The movie paints Turkey and the Turkish in a rather bad light due to the aforementioned horrifying moments, and apparently that is inaccurate to what Hayes wrote in his book... they were not quite so awful and there was no, ahem, prison rape going on. Hayes was not happy about that and even with the passage of time, Stone admitted that he goofed. You can imagine how Turkey reacted to this movie's version of the facts.
To me that does sour somewhat this movie, which is a shame. At least I can laugh at such things as Billy's dad being played by Mike Kellin, who I best know for being Mel, the sleazy and not too competent head of Camp Arawak in the infamous Sleepaway Camp. Also, I now know that Taken 2 was "inspired" (or more like, ripped off) this movie's ending for the way they concluded that lousy film.
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Riki-Oh: The Story Of Ricky
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (Lik Wong) (1991)
Runtime: 91 minutes
Directed by: Ngai Choi Lam
Starring: Siu-Wong Fan, Mei Shang Fan, Ka-Kui Ho, Yukari Oshima, Kan-Wing Tsang
From: Diagonal Pictures/Paragon Films Ltd.
About time I discussed this cult classic here:
This is a film I had seen more than once before but after being reminded of this from looking at the page of a Letterboxd user who had just reviewed it, I realized it had been far too long since the last viewing and it was about damn time I saw this, which was a cult classic even before a clip that was used on the Craig Kilborn version of The Daily Show became popular.
The plot: in the far-flung future of 2001, the titular Ricky ends up in prison for getting revenge on the dude responsible for killing his girlfriend, and the prison is corrupt as by then all of those institutions are privatized and The Gang of Four hold order there. Ricky says “to hell with that” and that is when the ultraviolence begins. I mean, 15 minutes in and two dudes die after Ricky literally punches a hole through their stomachs... and it only escalates from there in being absurdly over the top. The final act turns into something science fiction, and the camp value is high as at times the effects look pretty phony.
For many that will be the charm of this movie, how absurd it all is and all the ways that different people are maimed, crippled, and outright obliterated. That is much more important than the threadbare story, characterization, and all those fancy-pantsy traditional qualities you expect in a good movie. This Category III movie can easily be found online (and subtitled, to boot) so if you've never experienced this lunacy before, which OF COURSE is based on a manga...
Runtime: 91 minutes
Directed by: Ngai Choi Lam
Starring: Siu-Wong Fan, Mei Shang Fan, Ka-Kui Ho, Yukari Oshima, Kan-Wing Tsang
From: Diagonal Pictures/Paragon Films Ltd.
About time I discussed this cult classic here:
This is a film I had seen more than once before but after being reminded of this from looking at the page of a Letterboxd user who had just reviewed it, I realized it had been far too long since the last viewing and it was about damn time I saw this, which was a cult classic even before a clip that was used on the Craig Kilborn version of The Daily Show became popular.
The plot: in the far-flung future of 2001, the titular Ricky ends up in prison for getting revenge on the dude responsible for killing his girlfriend, and the prison is corrupt as by then all of those institutions are privatized and The Gang of Four hold order there. Ricky says “to hell with that” and that is when the ultraviolence begins. I mean, 15 minutes in and two dudes die after Ricky literally punches a hole through their stomachs... and it only escalates from there in being absurdly over the top. The final act turns into something science fiction, and the camp value is high as at times the effects look pretty phony.
For many that will be the charm of this movie, how absurd it all is and all the ways that different people are maimed, crippled, and outright obliterated. That is much more important than the threadbare story, characterization, and all those fancy-pantsy traditional qualities you expect in a good movie. This Category III movie can easily be found online (and subtitled, to boot) so if you've never experienced this lunacy before, which OF COURSE is based on a manga...
Wolfen
Wolfen (1981)
Runtime: 115 minutes
Directed by: Michael Wadleigh
Starring: Albert Finney (RIP), Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, Tom Noonan, Dick O'Neill
From: Orion
That black chauffeur and his exasperated “... white people” expressions: tremendous.
This was my way of paying tribute to the late Albert Finney; it certainly took a few days but at least I selected a film where he was the lead and delivered a fine performance. This has been compared to both An American Werewolf in London and The Howling due to all three coming out in the same year and being similar, yet this has various differences, some of which I dare not spoil.
This starts off with a wealthy New York City real estate developer and his lady friend being savagely mauled in Battery Park after sniffing some coke and doing other things that leave their black chauffeur shaking his head. If you want to make any pithy comments concerning real life people who were real estate developers connected to NYC, go ahead. Finney is an alcoholic police detective who is asked to investigate this bizarre case, which gets stranger as more people are slaughtered. Thankfully for him he has help from a wacky set of characters, such as wisecracking mortician Gregory Hines and as a weird taxidermist-as if there is any other kind-played by Tom Noonan. As I mentioned, this is different from the two more famous werewolf flicks that came out the same year; one aspect I will bring up is that some Native Americans are seen. They are typically played by ethnically correct actors, but the leader of that is Edward James Olmos; yeah, that is Hollywood although he did deliver a fine performance, as you'd expect.
This movie is more cerebral and thoughtful than a typical horror film, yet it still delivers some effective gory moments that will appeal to those who have that particular bloodlust. The cast as a whole does a nice job, from the names I already mentioned to Diane Venora, Dick O'Neill and some people who show up for one scenes... there is James Tolkan as the appropriately-named Baldy and hopefully no one misses Reginald VelJohnson in one scene as that's his first theatrical movie. Heck, a famous musician even shows up uncredited in a blink and you miss it moment that is mentioned on the Letterboxd page but if you don't want that spoiled...
This was set and filmed in NYC; thus, you get to see one of my favorite tropes, The Bad New York City of Old. That means how scummy Manhattan was and/or how run down areas like The Bronx were. The latter applies here, as those locales had abandoned buildings and the rubble from demolished areas... it looked like a war zone. There is a thrilling score from James Horner, great sound design and the POV shots are reminiscent of such later works as Predator. Those that want to see what is in essence a police procedural with some horror elements and plenty of dark, dry humor... this should definitely be viewed.
Runtime: 115 minutes
Directed by: Michael Wadleigh
Starring: Albert Finney (RIP), Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, Tom Noonan, Dick O'Neill
From: Orion
That black chauffeur and his exasperated “... white people” expressions: tremendous.
This was my way of paying tribute to the late Albert Finney; it certainly took a few days but at least I selected a film where he was the lead and delivered a fine performance. This has been compared to both An American Werewolf in London and The Howling due to all three coming out in the same year and being similar, yet this has various differences, some of which I dare not spoil.
This starts off with a wealthy New York City real estate developer and his lady friend being savagely mauled in Battery Park after sniffing some coke and doing other things that leave their black chauffeur shaking his head. If you want to make any pithy comments concerning real life people who were real estate developers connected to NYC, go ahead. Finney is an alcoholic police detective who is asked to investigate this bizarre case, which gets stranger as more people are slaughtered. Thankfully for him he has help from a wacky set of characters, such as wisecracking mortician Gregory Hines and as a weird taxidermist-as if there is any other kind-played by Tom Noonan. As I mentioned, this is different from the two more famous werewolf flicks that came out the same year; one aspect I will bring up is that some Native Americans are seen. They are typically played by ethnically correct actors, but the leader of that is Edward James Olmos; yeah, that is Hollywood although he did deliver a fine performance, as you'd expect.
This movie is more cerebral and thoughtful than a typical horror film, yet it still delivers some effective gory moments that will appeal to those who have that particular bloodlust. The cast as a whole does a nice job, from the names I already mentioned to Diane Venora, Dick O'Neill and some people who show up for one scenes... there is James Tolkan as the appropriately-named Baldy and hopefully no one misses Reginald VelJohnson in one scene as that's his first theatrical movie. Heck, a famous musician even shows up uncredited in a blink and you miss it moment that is mentioned on the Letterboxd page but if you don't want that spoiled...
This was set and filmed in NYC; thus, you get to see one of my favorite tropes, The Bad New York City of Old. That means how scummy Manhattan was and/or how run down areas like The Bronx were. The latter applies here, as those locales had abandoned buildings and the rubble from demolished areas... it looked like a war zone. There is a thrilling score from James Horner, great sound design and the POV shots are reminiscent of such later works as Predator. Those that want to see what is in essence a police procedural with some horror elements and plenty of dark, dry humor... this should definitely be viewed.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)
Runtime: 91 minutes
Directed by: KAOS. Yes, that's what Wych Kaosayananda called himself
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Lucy Liu, Gregg Henry, Ray Park, Talisa Soto
From: Franchise Pictures
This movie is a stinker and not just for its goofy title:
Among many questions... why aren't the mounties involved with this movie filmed and set in Vancouver, Canada?
I have actually seen this crap-pile before; it was so long ago that I had forgotten most of why I thought this was poor; last night reminded me exactly why this is almost universally-derided. For all the action, explosions, and bullets that are seen and used (at least the action was coherently shot), when the story is utter nonsense and you don't give a damn about any of the characters, that is a gigantic issue which is impossible to overcome.
You'd think the plot would be about wacky nanotechnology designed to secretly kill that is introduced early on, but it proves to be a minor plot point. Instead, Lucy Liu (Sever) kidnaps the young son of the villain. You'd think then that it'd be about Ecks (Antonio Banderas) tracking down Sever, but the majority of it was those two teaming up to take out the enemy, because... reasons. There is plenty of action yet it does not leave any impression because I did not care about the story and had no sympathy for any of the characters. There were many occasions where either lead should have easily been killed yet it doesn't happen. Of course, the trope happens at the end where crack shots suddenly screw up and couldn't hit the broad side of the barn... people laugh at the film due to its unwieldy title and how the director called himself Kaos, but this is just forgettable dreck.
Also, I just have to note an observation that is not meant as a slight or a demerit... the movie is amazingly of its time. Between the credits and the electronic score, this screams “early 2000's” and I am amused because films ceased being like that long ago. In addition, this movie is really stupid. As I mentioned in the opening line, the setting is Vancouver, Canada yet some FBI guy leads the “multinational” operation and yet it's a small deal and no one is identified as being Canadian, and even after things go south, no Canadian federal authorities are around; why didn't they have the movie set in Seattle or another major American city, as everyone else does? It's incredibly dopey.
I've heard the Game Boy Advance game this is based on is far better, as is the game sequel that is based on this movie; the script was around for years but it was only after it was turned into a game that the movie got greenlit, and I wish this would have stayed on the GBA, and I wish Banderas & Liu could have starred in something far better.
Runtime: 91 minutes
Directed by: KAOS. Yes, that's what Wych Kaosayananda called himself
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Lucy Liu, Gregg Henry, Ray Park, Talisa Soto
From: Franchise Pictures
This movie is a stinker and not just for its goofy title:
Among many questions... why aren't the mounties involved with this movie filmed and set in Vancouver, Canada?
I have actually seen this crap-pile before; it was so long ago that I had forgotten most of why I thought this was poor; last night reminded me exactly why this is almost universally-derided. For all the action, explosions, and bullets that are seen and used (at least the action was coherently shot), when the story is utter nonsense and you don't give a damn about any of the characters, that is a gigantic issue which is impossible to overcome.
You'd think the plot would be about wacky nanotechnology designed to secretly kill that is introduced early on, but it proves to be a minor plot point. Instead, Lucy Liu (Sever) kidnaps the young son of the villain. You'd think then that it'd be about Ecks (Antonio Banderas) tracking down Sever, but the majority of it was those two teaming up to take out the enemy, because... reasons. There is plenty of action yet it does not leave any impression because I did not care about the story and had no sympathy for any of the characters. There were many occasions where either lead should have easily been killed yet it doesn't happen. Of course, the trope happens at the end where crack shots suddenly screw up and couldn't hit the broad side of the barn... people laugh at the film due to its unwieldy title and how the director called himself Kaos, but this is just forgettable dreck.
Also, I just have to note an observation that is not meant as a slight or a demerit... the movie is amazingly of its time. Between the credits and the electronic score, this screams “early 2000's” and I am amused because films ceased being like that long ago. In addition, this movie is really stupid. As I mentioned in the opening line, the setting is Vancouver, Canada yet some FBI guy leads the “multinational” operation and yet it's a small deal and no one is identified as being Canadian, and even after things go south, no Canadian federal authorities are around; why didn't they have the movie set in Seattle or another major American city, as everyone else does? It's incredibly dopey.
I've heard the Game Boy Advance game this is based on is far better, as is the game sequel that is based on this movie; the script was around for years but it was only after it was turned into a game that the movie got greenlit, and I wish this would have stayed on the GBA, and I wish Banderas & Liu could have starred in something far better.
Monday, February 18, 2019
I Talk Dune: The Complete Saga
As I mentioned in my last review, last night I watched a fan edit that Michael Warren did called Dune: The Complete Saga; it's 3 hours long and besides the theatrical footage, the infamous 3 hour extended cut that David Lynch wanted nothing to do with, AND deleted scenes, resulting in a 183 minute piece of work. Some things were cleared up (such as the fate of a supporting character) but other questions were raised which I can't answer because I did not read the novel... plus, the cut was more concerned about including everything than having it flow together. The footage looking wildly different I can deal with, but this has both the original and deleted opening, and early on you get to see several characters enter a room twice. At least this does confirm that the theatrical version should have been longer as that would have been beneficial.
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Dune
Dune (1984)
Runtime: 137 minutes
Directed by: David Lynch
Starring: A great cast, including Kyle MacLachlan, Jurgen Prochnow, Dean Stockwell, Everett McGill and Francesca Annis
From: Universal
I finally saw this cult classic, and it having that status now is no surprise to me:
I now need not wonder what Lynch's version of the Sarlacc Pit would have been like.
As sometimes happens, a conversation online inspired me to watch this film. Naturally, this has been discussed as of late alongside all the news of Denis Villeneuve's upcoming adaptation-tentatively coming out Thanksgiving weekend of next year with a murderer's row of a cast-and several people mentioned that I should see it. I have not read Frank Herbert's novel before so that was a reason why I have only watched this for the first time now, along with how the movie was deemed to be so impenetrable to those unfamiliar with the source material that some screenings passed out cheat sheets that explained certain parts of the plot and the world's vocabulary... that did leave me wary but I might as well give this a shot, right? I mean, look at the director and what was a murderer's row of a cast for the time. Plus, even on Letterboxd opinions are all over the map so that does spark curiosity.
Virginia Madsen provides quite the infodump to start off the movie; then again, Star Wars has its opening crawls so I can't really complain. For not really being familiar with the plot beforehand, most of this was not too difficult to follow, and the director kept things linear instead of going all crazy. Still, there were times that I wish I had read the book before... why did one major character float? Did the novel have someone need to milk a CAT to survive? Anyhow, several groups of people are looking to control “the spice”, as he who controls it controls the universe... it allows for space travel and precognition, so that's why it is so important. One clan overthrows another (in part due to a betrayal) to regain control of a planet, but they did not count on Kyle MacLachlan being The Chosen One.
I do not to presume that all the internalized monologue stuff was at the insistence of the producers and Lynch was against it, but for me those moments were too often and while sometimes it did help fill in the blanks, other times it explained things that were patently obvious and should have been even for the most dim-witted viewer. I do know that this was the only time Lynch did not have Final Cut and he will forever be bitter at how this turned out... and how the length was solely determined as anything longer would have meant one less screening per day. I imagine I would have rated this higher had he not been hamstrung the entire way and he could have more control over the finished product.
For something not in his wheelhouse, Old David did a fine job with a big budget production that included several action scenes. The world looked great (full of imagination) and was convincing due to the effects, only some of which look dated by modern standards. Famously, he turned out the request of Lucas to direct Return of the Jedi; he may have been great as the leader of that film, although it would have had to have been at least a little stranger than what we got. As for Dune, a quality cast was assembled, delivering performances that were at least fine. The combination of Toto and Brian Eno sounds bizarre (especially for a film soundtrack) and yet it manages to be a success. If only this could have been longer and wouldn't have rushed certain things-especially in the final act-as that would have been an improvement. I guess there's always the 2000 miniseries...
But at least I now know why this became a cult favorite and what I know of the new adaptation, the old sins shouldn't be repeated... unless it totally bombs, there will be a series of films and the story will be further expanded upon. At least what I saw I can say was good overall, even with its flaws. I have heard the book is great and is greatly complex, which I know a film or series of films will never fully capture, for obvious reasons. And who knows what Jodorowsky's version of the story would have been; apparently he wanted to make numerous, critical changes that Herbert was against so fans of the book may not have liked the aborted movie.
One final note: tomorrow night I won't be posting any reviews: instead, I will watch a 3 hour version of this film that a fan compiled which has footage from the longer TV version that Lynch disowned, along with a few deleted scenes. This is despite it not being 100% legal... it is not too terribly hard to find. Anyway, I will talk about that here in a separate post.
Runtime: 137 minutes
Directed by: David Lynch
Starring: A great cast, including Kyle MacLachlan, Jurgen Prochnow, Dean Stockwell, Everett McGill and Francesca Annis
From: Universal
I finally saw this cult classic, and it having that status now is no surprise to me:
I now need not wonder what Lynch's version of the Sarlacc Pit would have been like.
As sometimes happens, a conversation online inspired me to watch this film. Naturally, this has been discussed as of late alongside all the news of Denis Villeneuve's upcoming adaptation-tentatively coming out Thanksgiving weekend of next year with a murderer's row of a cast-and several people mentioned that I should see it. I have not read Frank Herbert's novel before so that was a reason why I have only watched this for the first time now, along with how the movie was deemed to be so impenetrable to those unfamiliar with the source material that some screenings passed out cheat sheets that explained certain parts of the plot and the world's vocabulary... that did leave me wary but I might as well give this a shot, right? I mean, look at the director and what was a murderer's row of a cast for the time. Plus, even on Letterboxd opinions are all over the map so that does spark curiosity.
Virginia Madsen provides quite the infodump to start off the movie; then again, Star Wars has its opening crawls so I can't really complain. For not really being familiar with the plot beforehand, most of this was not too difficult to follow, and the director kept things linear instead of going all crazy. Still, there were times that I wish I had read the book before... why did one major character float? Did the novel have someone need to milk a CAT to survive? Anyhow, several groups of people are looking to control “the spice”, as he who controls it controls the universe... it allows for space travel and precognition, so that's why it is so important. One clan overthrows another (in part due to a betrayal) to regain control of a planet, but they did not count on Kyle MacLachlan being The Chosen One.
I do not to presume that all the internalized monologue stuff was at the insistence of the producers and Lynch was against it, but for me those moments were too often and while sometimes it did help fill in the blanks, other times it explained things that were patently obvious and should have been even for the most dim-witted viewer. I do know that this was the only time Lynch did not have Final Cut and he will forever be bitter at how this turned out... and how the length was solely determined as anything longer would have meant one less screening per day. I imagine I would have rated this higher had he not been hamstrung the entire way and he could have more control over the finished product.
For something not in his wheelhouse, Old David did a fine job with a big budget production that included several action scenes. The world looked great (full of imagination) and was convincing due to the effects, only some of which look dated by modern standards. Famously, he turned out the request of Lucas to direct Return of the Jedi; he may have been great as the leader of that film, although it would have had to have been at least a little stranger than what we got. As for Dune, a quality cast was assembled, delivering performances that were at least fine. The combination of Toto and Brian Eno sounds bizarre (especially for a film soundtrack) and yet it manages to be a success. If only this could have been longer and wouldn't have rushed certain things-especially in the final act-as that would have been an improvement. I guess there's always the 2000 miniseries...
But at least I now know why this became a cult favorite and what I know of the new adaptation, the old sins shouldn't be repeated... unless it totally bombs, there will be a series of films and the story will be further expanded upon. At least what I saw I can say was good overall, even with its flaws. I have heard the book is great and is greatly complex, which I know a film or series of films will never fully capture, for obvious reasons. And who knows what Jodorowsky's version of the story would have been; apparently he wanted to make numerous, critical changes that Herbert was against so fans of the book may not have liked the aborted movie.
One final note: tomorrow night I won't be posting any reviews: instead, I will watch a 3 hour version of this film that a fan compiled which has footage from the longer TV version that Lynch disowned, along with a few deleted scenes. This is despite it not being 100% legal... it is not too terribly hard to find. Anyway, I will talk about that here in a separate post.
From Beyond
From Beyond (1986)
Runtime: 85 minutes
Directed by: Stuart Gordon
Starring: Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Ted Sorrel, Ken Foree, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon
From: Empire Pictures
Runtime: 85 minutes
Directed by: Stuart Gordon
Starring: Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Ted Sorrel, Ken Foree, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon
From: Empire Pictures
An incredibly erotic movie... including the sight of Ken Foree in tiny red bikini briefs.
There is a melancholy reason as to why I saw this film last night; John Carl Buechler was one of the people responsible for making the effects here look great for the small budget. He did that for many B movies in the 80's and 90's and also directed the likes of the 7th Friday the 13th (that being disappointing is more due to the MPAA than him) and Troll, which is much better than Troll 2. Well, a few days ago news broke that he has stage IV prostate cancer and well, the United States health care system being the way it is, his family is broke so they've had to use Go Fund Me to try and offset the massive costs. The horror community was affected by this sad news so already many thousands of dollars have been reached. From what little I've seen and heard from him on the likes of horror documentaries, he seems like a cool and nice dude so this happening to him is pretty awful.
From Beyond (based upon an H.P. Lovecraft tale) is pretty wild. Two brilliant scientists create a “Resonator” that engages the pineal gland to experience a sixth sense but that causes a crossover with a parallel dimension filled with grotesque sights. One of them dies so the other is accused of murder and locked up in a mental hospital. A young lady doctor starts to believe him so those two plus police officer Ken Foree try to duplicate the experiment, but things go REAL bad and there is body horror; what a year 1986 was for that, between this film and The Fly.
This was filmed in Italy at a studio Charles Band acquired (it did belong to Dino DeLaurentiis) and for only a few million bucks the movie still looks like a quality production and the only thing that looks dated is some of the optical effects. Like in The Thing, horrifying mangled creations are seen and they are terrifying. Credit goes to Buechler and the rest of that crew for making those creatures with limited resources. I also have to acknowledge the nice job that director Stuart Gordon did, along with the cinematography from Mac Ahlberg (at times the movie is bathed in neon colors) and the main cast of cult actors Foree, Barbara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs were the perfect level of over the top for this insane tale.
As I mentioned, this is pretty sexual as the film connected that gland with a person's sex drive; this includes some S&M, which I'll presume was involved in situations that were more loving and caring than the 50 Shades saga...
Thursday, February 14, 2019
My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari No Totoro) (1988)
Runtime: 88 minutes
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Well, I watched the original Japanese language version and not the Disney dubbed version that featured both Dakota and Elle Fanning
From: Studio Ghibli
This is simply a nice and sweet movie.
That was the main impression I got from this tale, which is set in late 50's Japan but could be set anywhere, the setting is so timeless. It is a loving family that has to move to the countryside to be closer to the mom, who is in the hospital with an illness never mentioned in the film (as I understand, the novelization says it is tuberculous; Miyazaki himself experienced the same scenario with his mom when he was a kid). A few months is spent with the dad and two young daughters, Satsuki and Mei. They are typical all around in how they act and interact with each other. The siblings have their disagreements but they ultimately do love each other.
The movie is about more than just the two girls meeting all those magical creatures of the forest (including the titular Totoro); it is about seeing the two girls acclimate themselves to a new world. Of course it's sad their mom isn't around but they try to make do and the area does look like a lovely place to be. They get to meet some new humans too-including a boy that likes Satsuki-and it is heartwarming seeing them in that world and be a loving family. Describing the plot may make this seem mundane... and indeed this is filled with routine events yet at the same time it is so magical. As others have mentioned, you just might reminisce about when you were a kid and summers were carefree and fun.
No surprise this is beloved by so many between the gentle yet deep story, the characters, the beautiful animation and the delightful score. This movie did not need an antagonist or any other contrived-for this story, anyhow-moments to be engaging and it is a world I wish I could have experienced when I was young; at least further visits to this universe will be charming and pleasant journeys.
Runtime: 88 minutes
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Well, I watched the original Japanese language version and not the Disney dubbed version that featured both Dakota and Elle Fanning
From: Studio Ghibli
This is simply a nice and sweet movie.
That was the main impression I got from this tale, which is set in late 50's Japan but could be set anywhere, the setting is so timeless. It is a loving family that has to move to the countryside to be closer to the mom, who is in the hospital with an illness never mentioned in the film (as I understand, the novelization says it is tuberculous; Miyazaki himself experienced the same scenario with his mom when he was a kid). A few months is spent with the dad and two young daughters, Satsuki and Mei. They are typical all around in how they act and interact with each other. The siblings have their disagreements but they ultimately do love each other.
The movie is about more than just the two girls meeting all those magical creatures of the forest (including the titular Totoro); it is about seeing the two girls acclimate themselves to a new world. Of course it's sad their mom isn't around but they try to make do and the area does look like a lovely place to be. They get to meet some new humans too-including a boy that likes Satsuki-and it is heartwarming seeing them in that world and be a loving family. Describing the plot may make this seem mundane... and indeed this is filled with routine events yet at the same time it is so magical. As others have mentioned, you just might reminisce about when you were a kid and summers were carefree and fun.
No surprise this is beloved by so many between the gentle yet deep story, the characters, the beautiful animation and the delightful score. This movie did not need an antagonist or any other contrived-for this story, anyhow-moments to be engaging and it is a world I wish I could have experienced when I was young; at least further visits to this universe will be charming and pleasant journeys.
3:10 To Yuma
3:10 to Yuma (1957)
Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: Delmer Daves
Starring: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Felicia Farr, Leora Dana, Henry Jones
From: Columbia
I saw this a few days ago but I am just now posting the review of it here:
(A few days ago) I realized it had been far too long since I had viewed a Western; I went with one more allegorical and psychological than most in the genre but this is still worthy of viewing if you dig stories revolving around the Wild West.
Based-yet greatly expanded upon-a story by Elmore Leonard, poor down on his luck cattle farmer Dan Evans (Van Heflin) has to transport intelligent criminal and gang leader Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) to jail in Yuma, Arizona-back then the Arizona Territory-before the outlaw's posse tracks them down. It is more complex than the brief plot synopsis would suggest; Wade is not a standard blackhat villain and he's a charmer with the ladies. Evans only does this task for the money and to salve what he feels is wounded pride as the opening scene has Wade humble Evans in front of his two young sons. Pride and honor are two key components to the story.
Both Ford and Heflin are tremendous in their roles... Heflin as someone who doubts himself but tries to act tough, while Ford is oh so cool and unflappable, yet also talks a lot of trash & is also desperate and sleazy enough to offer Dan a large sum of money to let him walk away instead of completing the job and run a good risk of being killed by his bandit pals. I also have to give credit for Felicia Farr (as a dame who you find out has a melancholy backstory) and Leora Dana as the wife of Evans; they have far less screentime but they still manage to leave their mark.
The movie is framed so well throughout (especially in the conversations between the two leads) and is is quite suspenseful as you wait and see what choice Dan Evans will make. The scenery of Arizona and California provides a lovely backdrop and there are other supporting characters who are interesting and their moral turpitude and courage can certainly be questioned. I cannot compare this with the 2007 remake but maybe one day...
Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: Delmer Daves
Starring: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Felicia Farr, Leora Dana, Henry Jones
From: Columbia
I saw this a few days ago but I am just now posting the review of it here:
(A few days ago) I realized it had been far too long since I had viewed a Western; I went with one more allegorical and psychological than most in the genre but this is still worthy of viewing if you dig stories revolving around the Wild West.
Based-yet greatly expanded upon-a story by Elmore Leonard, poor down on his luck cattle farmer Dan Evans (Van Heflin) has to transport intelligent criminal and gang leader Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) to jail in Yuma, Arizona-back then the Arizona Territory-before the outlaw's posse tracks them down. It is more complex than the brief plot synopsis would suggest; Wade is not a standard blackhat villain and he's a charmer with the ladies. Evans only does this task for the money and to salve what he feels is wounded pride as the opening scene has Wade humble Evans in front of his two young sons. Pride and honor are two key components to the story.
Both Ford and Heflin are tremendous in their roles... Heflin as someone who doubts himself but tries to act tough, while Ford is oh so cool and unflappable, yet also talks a lot of trash & is also desperate and sleazy enough to offer Dan a large sum of money to let him walk away instead of completing the job and run a good risk of being killed by his bandit pals. I also have to give credit for Felicia Farr (as a dame who you find out has a melancholy backstory) and Leora Dana as the wife of Evans; they have far less screentime but they still manage to leave their mark.
The movie is framed so well throughout (especially in the conversations between the two leads) and is is quite suspenseful as you wait and see what choice Dan Evans will make. The scenery of Arizona and California provides a lovely backdrop and there are other supporting characters who are interesting and their moral turpitude and courage can certainly be questioned. I cannot compare this with the 2007 remake but maybe one day...
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
The Poppy Is Also A Flower
Runtime: The copy on
Amazon is 96 minutes long
Directed by: Terence Young
Starring: An all-star
cast. The leads are E.G. Marshall, Trevor Howard, Marcello
Mastroianni, Angie Dickinson, and Gilbert Roland
From: Several entities...
including the United Nations!
This is also sometimes
known as Poppies Are Also Flowers; whatever you want to call this,
the film is just plain odd:
This
is a unique film I have known of for awhile now and last night I
finally sat down to watch it, as a version is on Prime for free. That
print has the credits and all intertitles in French yet the cast speaks
English, so go figure. Anyhow, this was one of a few films that the
United Nations (!) were involved with back in the 60's. This was an 80
minute feature that debuted on American network TV but after the fact
was turned into a 100 minute (if you include the Princess Grace
prologue, where she talks about how terrible it is that the poppy is
used to make heroin; that print is on YouTube, albeit in not so good
quality) film where the story came from Ian Fleming (!!), Terence Young
was the director, and Harold Sakata was one of the many famous faces in
the all-star cast.
In short, E.G. Marshall and Trevor Howard play mis-matched UN agents who start off in Iran trying to intercept a large shipment of opium; there is a scheme where it's impregnated with radiation (!) as a means to track it via Geiger counter. Then it's off to Italy and France, as the bad guys outsmart the heroes, but the good guys still discover where it's at. The other famous faces that participated included everyone from Marcello Mastroianni, Angie Dickinson, and Gilbert Roland to Rita Hayworth, Eli Wallach, Anthony Quayle, Yul Brynner, Senta Berger and Omar Sharif, who plays someone named DR. RAD. Trini Lopez even has a scene as himself where he sings some of his hit songs. No, I was not kidding either when I said that a few times, Marshall and Howard make important decisions-such as who goes where-by playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. What an interesting quirk.
With all the talent involved this could have been great but does not rise about being fine. I suppose you can't complain too much considering it was anti-drug propaganda from the United Nations and there are some pretty preachy points... the main impression I got from this is how weird the whole thing is considering the different actors, the opening act being set and filmed in Iran-back when they were friendly to the West-and how this could have been better with more money put into the production... maybe Xerox should have given more cash; again, I am not joking... Xerox gave this an undisclosed sum of money.
What does help is that this never drags or becomes dull; in addition, Marshall and Howard make for a heck of a team and believe it or not, Marshall actually does some Judo in fights he has with Sakata and another character. Not surprisingly for a Terence Young picture, some action takes place on a train... overall, the action is not noteworthy but at times it can be good. This is best viewed as a curio due to all the different elements involved.
In short, E.G. Marshall and Trevor Howard play mis-matched UN agents who start off in Iran trying to intercept a large shipment of opium; there is a scheme where it's impregnated with radiation (!) as a means to track it via Geiger counter. Then it's off to Italy and France, as the bad guys outsmart the heroes, but the good guys still discover where it's at. The other famous faces that participated included everyone from Marcello Mastroianni, Angie Dickinson, and Gilbert Roland to Rita Hayworth, Eli Wallach, Anthony Quayle, Yul Brynner, Senta Berger and Omar Sharif, who plays someone named DR. RAD. Trini Lopez even has a scene as himself where he sings some of his hit songs. No, I was not kidding either when I said that a few times, Marshall and Howard make important decisions-such as who goes where-by playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. What an interesting quirk.
With all the talent involved this could have been great but does not rise about being fine. I suppose you can't complain too much considering it was anti-drug propaganda from the United Nations and there are some pretty preachy points... the main impression I got from this is how weird the whole thing is considering the different actors, the opening act being set and filmed in Iran-back when they were friendly to the West-and how this could have been better with more money put into the production... maybe Xerox should have given more cash; again, I am not joking... Xerox gave this an undisclosed sum of money.
What does help is that this never drags or becomes dull; in addition, Marshall and Howard make for a heck of a team and believe it or not, Marshall actually does some Judo in fights he has with Sakata and another character. Not surprisingly for a Terence Young picture, some action takes place on a train... overall, the action is not noteworthy but at times it can be good. This is best viewed as a curio due to all the different elements involved.
Monday, February 11, 2019
The Conversation
The Conversation (1974)
Runtime: 113 minutes
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams
From: Paramount
Runtime: 113 minutes
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams
From: Paramount
What a run Francis Ford Coppola had in the 70's:
Surveillance experts sure know how to party.
Lead Harry Caul (Gene Hackman, who was truly never better than he was here... no small feat) and his love of jazz happens to create an important analogy when it comes to describing the pace of this film. I know some don't care for the movie due to its languid pace, but that works for me. The movie takes its time to unravel the story and reveal more about its lead and why he's such a guarded, private person; like with jazz, you should relax and enjoy the journey as it should be pretty rewarding.
Caul and his fellow surveillance expert associates (including John Cazale) capture a conversation held between two people-a man and a woman-that are walking around a park in San Francisco. Someone-only known as The Director and played by a big name who I won't reveal here as his role was uncredited in the movie-wants to pay a lot of money for it and Harry starts to wonder why; you see, in the past a family was brutally killed as a result of what he recorded. He starts to read between the lines and becomes fearful for that couple. Meanwhile, his personality causes problems with both his love life (if you keep your distance and hardly say anything about yourself to a woman...) and friends/rivals.
The movie takes its time to tell the story and overall I will say this is great; what an amazing performance from Hackman. He's had no shortage of quality roles but this has to be the best he ever was. He said a lot without doing much in the way of speaking. It should be no surprise that it was well-directed by Coppola and had a quality jazz score, or that the others in the cast did a swell job, but Old Gene was the true highlight here. There are some magnificent moments, especially the finale.
I won't reveal more about the movie as I wouldn't want to ruin anything for anyone who wishes to go on this journey in the future. If you have Prime then it's for free; this is one of many examples of why I have been a Prime member for a few years straight now while I only subscribe to Netflix on rare occasions and always for a month at a time.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
The Wandering Earth
The Wandering Earth (Liu Lang Di Qiu) (2019)
Runtime: 125 minutes
Directed by: Frant Gwo
Starring: Guangjie Li, Chuxiao Qu, Man-Tat Ng, Jin Mai Jaho, Jing Wu
From: United Entertainment Partners
What a film I saw last night, and what a crowd it was with... I was one of only a few who was not Far East Asian in ethnicity:
Don't nobody tell Neil Degrasse Tyson about this film.
It was only a few days prior that I had heard there would be a United States release (albeit the only showings are late at night on IMAX as otherwise those screens are tied up with the Lego Movie sequel) of a Chinese science fiction film-the first on this grand a scale-shot in the Cinemascope ratio of 2.55:1 and oh yeah, it's also in 3D. It did draw a good-sized crowd to the showing I was at last night; naturally, I was only one of a few who was not Far East Asian in heritage.
The plot I already knew of beforehand but wait until you hear this story, which was based on a novel. In the future, the sun suddenly disintegrates and in less than 100 years, the Earth is F'ed. The scenario they came out with was not abandoning Earth but instead: thousands of giant engines are created so that EARTH IS PHYSICALLY MOVED OUT OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM and the destination is the next closest solar system (Alpha Centauri) and as it's over 4 light-years away, that will take 2,500 years. Yeah, people now live underground as above ground conditions are even worse than the recent Polar Vortex but Neil Degrasse Tyson's head would probably explode if he hears about this story. Then again, considering the recent allegations against him... a Scanners-like moment may be preferable.
Anyhow, Earth passes by Jupiter but there are major problems so a disparate group of characters have to work together to literally save the planet. This is like an American blockbuster, for better and for worse. Various characters die and some you barely get to know them beforehand. Many moments are reminiscent of famous Hollywood films, such as Gravity, Interstellar and (especially) 2001. Yet I can say this is fine overall; while the CG at times looks like cutscenes from a videogame, that can be said about big budget American movies at times. It does look and sound nice, at least.
Plus, there are exciting action scenes and instead of there being a lead character who gets the majority of the focus, this follows the typical Communist ideal by various characters receiving almost equal focus and there being teamwork. I have heard that some recent Chinese films are filled with propaganda and I don't know if that's the case here as it's not like I would immediately recognize it. There is preaching done by several characters to get cooperation from other countries; think of that how you will. For me, the premise is incredibly ludicrous but if you can accept that, you may feel like me and view this as an enjoyable sci-fi picture where there's melodrama and some gleefully over the top moments.
Runtime: 125 minutes
Directed by: Frant Gwo
Starring: Guangjie Li, Chuxiao Qu, Man-Tat Ng, Jin Mai Jaho, Jing Wu
From: United Entertainment Partners
What a film I saw last night, and what a crowd it was with... I was one of only a few who was not Far East Asian in ethnicity:
Don't nobody tell Neil Degrasse Tyson about this film.
It was only a few days prior that I had heard there would be a United States release (albeit the only showings are late at night on IMAX as otherwise those screens are tied up with the Lego Movie sequel) of a Chinese science fiction film-the first on this grand a scale-shot in the Cinemascope ratio of 2.55:1 and oh yeah, it's also in 3D. It did draw a good-sized crowd to the showing I was at last night; naturally, I was only one of a few who was not Far East Asian in heritage.
The plot I already knew of beforehand but wait until you hear this story, which was based on a novel. In the future, the sun suddenly disintegrates and in less than 100 years, the Earth is F'ed. The scenario they came out with was not abandoning Earth but instead: thousands of giant engines are created so that EARTH IS PHYSICALLY MOVED OUT OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM and the destination is the next closest solar system (Alpha Centauri) and as it's over 4 light-years away, that will take 2,500 years. Yeah, people now live underground as above ground conditions are even worse than the recent Polar Vortex but Neil Degrasse Tyson's head would probably explode if he hears about this story. Then again, considering the recent allegations against him... a Scanners-like moment may be preferable.
Anyhow, Earth passes by Jupiter but there are major problems so a disparate group of characters have to work together to literally save the planet. This is like an American blockbuster, for better and for worse. Various characters die and some you barely get to know them beforehand. Many moments are reminiscent of famous Hollywood films, such as Gravity, Interstellar and (especially) 2001. Yet I can say this is fine overall; while the CG at times looks like cutscenes from a videogame, that can be said about big budget American movies at times. It does look and sound nice, at least.
Plus, there are exciting action scenes and instead of there being a lead character who gets the majority of the focus, this follows the typical Communist ideal by various characters receiving almost equal focus and there being teamwork. I have heard that some recent Chinese films are filled with propaganda and I don't know if that's the case here as it's not like I would immediately recognize it. There is preaching done by several characters to get cooperation from other countries; think of that how you will. For me, the premise is incredibly ludicrous but if you can accept that, you may feel like me and view this as an enjoyable sci-fi picture where there's melodrama and some gleefully over the top moments.
Silent Comedy Shorts
As of late I have seen three of those: Buster Keaton's Cops and One Week, and The Cook, from Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Keaton. All three were quite entertaining and had great pratfalls. All three can easily be seen on YouTube.
Friday, February 8, 2019
Cold Pursuit
Cold Pursuit (2019)
73% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 88 reviews)
Runtime: 118 minutes
Directed by: Hans Petter Moland
Starring: Liam Neeson, Tom Bateman, William Forsythe, Tom Jackson, Laura Dern
From: Summit
Don't let the lead's real life controversy dissuade you from seeing this:
I am happy to admit an assumption I had made was incorrect.
Wednesday night I revisited In Order of Disappearance; I don't need to review that again as the one I did almost two years ago still sums up my feelings after a second viewing. I did predict in the review that the remake's original title (Hard Powder) would be changed... this is more about me being cynical concerning Hollywood rather than any psychic abilities I may have.
I viewed Cold Pursuit last night despite those appalling comments that Liam Neeson made early in the week. I won't try to unpack all of that controversy or wonder if he has always been prejudiced; I'll never be able to figure out why he thought it was OK to make those comments at that time, as he was promoting his new flick and hasn't retired from acting. I know that will have a negative impact on its box office and that is a shame as this is will be worth seeing for some.
Before I saw the movie, I presumed that even with the original director doing the remake, that Hollywood will homogenize this and make it less unique and not as darkly humorous for the purpose of an attempt to further appeal to those that love Neeson in the Taken films or something like The Commuter. Turns out, I was mistaken; aside from a change in setting, this is a lot like the original so those that have seen Disappearance, most of this will be familiar.
If you are not familiar with Disappearance, NELS COXMAN (in the original film, NILS DICKMAN) plows the streets and roads of the small snowy village his lives in. His young adult son is murdered-made to look like a heroin overdose-by a gang and dad gets revenge by killing members of the gang... upsetting the vegan leader (I imagine that not even Letterboxd member Allison M eats the same meal three times a day like this guy does) and there are many moments of dark humor and some visual gags to boot. The violence alone makes this rated R as some dudes have their faces ruined from punches.
Those that haven't viewed In Order of Disappearance may dig this once they realize what sort of flick this is; I saw this with a surprisingly big crowd and not everyone was laughing, but a few really did enjoy Cold Pursuit. Those familiar with both may think the original is better (as I do) but are relieved that this wasn't poor like the majority of “Hollywood remakes a foreign film” pictures are.
73% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 88 reviews)
Runtime: 118 minutes
Directed by: Hans Petter Moland
Starring: Liam Neeson, Tom Bateman, William Forsythe, Tom Jackson, Laura Dern
From: Summit
Don't let the lead's real life controversy dissuade you from seeing this:
I am happy to admit an assumption I had made was incorrect.
Wednesday night I revisited In Order of Disappearance; I don't need to review that again as the one I did almost two years ago still sums up my feelings after a second viewing. I did predict in the review that the remake's original title (Hard Powder) would be changed... this is more about me being cynical concerning Hollywood rather than any psychic abilities I may have.
I viewed Cold Pursuit last night despite those appalling comments that Liam Neeson made early in the week. I won't try to unpack all of that controversy or wonder if he has always been prejudiced; I'll never be able to figure out why he thought it was OK to make those comments at that time, as he was promoting his new flick and hasn't retired from acting. I know that will have a negative impact on its box office and that is a shame as this is will be worth seeing for some.
Before I saw the movie, I presumed that even with the original director doing the remake, that Hollywood will homogenize this and make it less unique and not as darkly humorous for the purpose of an attempt to further appeal to those that love Neeson in the Taken films or something like The Commuter. Turns out, I was mistaken; aside from a change in setting, this is a lot like the original so those that have seen Disappearance, most of this will be familiar.
If you are not familiar with Disappearance, NELS COXMAN (in the original film, NILS DICKMAN) plows the streets and roads of the small snowy village his lives in. His young adult son is murdered-made to look like a heroin overdose-by a gang and dad gets revenge by killing members of the gang... upsetting the vegan leader (I imagine that not even Letterboxd member Allison M eats the same meal three times a day like this guy does) and there are many moments of dark humor and some visual gags to boot. The violence alone makes this rated R as some dudes have their faces ruined from punches.
Those that haven't viewed In Order of Disappearance may dig this once they realize what sort of flick this is; I saw this with a surprisingly big crowd and not everyone was laughing, but a few really did enjoy Cold Pursuit. Those familiar with both may think the original is better (as I do) but are relieved that this wasn't poor like the majority of “Hollywood remakes a foreign film” pictures are.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Lake Of Dracula
Lake of Dracula (Noroi No Yakata: Chi O Suu Me) (1971)
Runtime: 82 minutes
Directed by: Michio Yamamoto
Starring: Midori Fujita, Choei Takahashi, Sanae Emi, Kaku Takashima, Shin Kishida
From: Toho
September of 2017 I watched The Vampire Doll, which was the first of three Gothic-themed horror films done for Toho by director Michio Yamamoto in the early 1970's; this film-which has a great title-is the second. There is less time spent in a creepy old mansion but the Hammer influences are more pronounced here as the setting is a nice house out in the woods by (naturally) a lake, there are rainy/foggy scenes and the studio's first Dracula film was an inspiration for this movie.
It features many of the tropes you'd expect in a Dracula film: he seduces women, he sometimes bites people and after they die they becomes his servants, he can't be seen in mirrors, etc. Him wearing a white scarf & having glowing eyes are unique inventions, admittedly. A young lady sees the Count as a little kid but thought of it as a dream; 18 years later, when a coffin shows up at a nearby residence, she finally realizes it's real. Weird things happen, including her doctor boyfriend discovering victims and taking too long to admit a legend is actually true.
This is a standard Dracula tale for the most part yet it was told well and in a world filled with funky early 70's clothing, a cool score, some spooky scenes, plus the dream motif and sibling rivalry as you discover there is long-repressed issues between lead girl Akiko and her younger sister. In addition, Shin Kishida does a swell job as Dracula, playing both suave and menacing pretty well. This culminates in a memorable finale which will seem familiar-as it is-but that doesn't mean it is not a treat to see. If you love taking bites out of vampire flicks, this is one worthy of viewing.
Runtime: 82 minutes
Directed by: Michio Yamamoto
Starring: Midori Fujita, Choei Takahashi, Sanae Emi, Kaku Takashima, Shin Kishida
From: Toho
September of 2017 I watched The Vampire Doll, which was the first of three Gothic-themed horror films done for Toho by director Michio Yamamoto in the early 1970's; this film-which has a great title-is the second. There is less time spent in a creepy old mansion but the Hammer influences are more pronounced here as the setting is a nice house out in the woods by (naturally) a lake, there are rainy/foggy scenes and the studio's first Dracula film was an inspiration for this movie.
It features many of the tropes you'd expect in a Dracula film: he seduces women, he sometimes bites people and after they die they becomes his servants, he can't be seen in mirrors, etc. Him wearing a white scarf & having glowing eyes are unique inventions, admittedly. A young lady sees the Count as a little kid but thought of it as a dream; 18 years later, when a coffin shows up at a nearby residence, she finally realizes it's real. Weird things happen, including her doctor boyfriend discovering victims and taking too long to admit a legend is actually true.
This is a standard Dracula tale for the most part yet it was told well and in a world filled with funky early 70's clothing, a cool score, some spooky scenes, plus the dream motif and sibling rivalry as you discover there is long-repressed issues between lead girl Akiko and her younger sister. In addition, Shin Kishida does a swell job as Dracula, playing both suave and menacing pretty well. This culminates in a memorable finale which will seem familiar-as it is-but that doesn't mean it is not a treat to see. If you love taking bites out of vampire flicks, this is one worthy of viewing.
Monday, February 4, 2019
RIP Dick Miller
I was saddened by that news last week, as I've watched him in plenty of films. This is why a few days ago I revisited the original Piranha; he had his typical role in that... supporting but still memorable. RIP to him.
House Of Wax (The Original)
House of Wax (1953)
Runtime: 88 minutes
Directed by: Andre De Toth
Starring: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones, Paul Picerni
From: Warner Bros
While this does not have Paris Hilton being brutally murdered, at least you don't have to look at Paris Hilton at all:
For any Vincent Price fan, it is a must to see this; it's not the best thing he's ever done in terms of performance or the overall movie. Rather, this is the demarcation line in his career where he became more than just a character actor and became a star of horror flicks for the rest of his life. This is a macabre delight, filmed in 3D (although I only saw it in 2D; what irony then that director Andre De Toth had only one working eye) and this was the first color major studio movie in that format.
In this story set in early 20th century New York City, Price's Henry Jarrod is a tragic character; he was a great sculptor who created great wax figures but his business partner wishes for sensationalism instead of stoic and reserved looks at moments in history. The partner suddenly becomes mad so he doesn't wait to try and insurance scam and instead burns the place down with Jarrod still inside. Henry shows up a few years later, his hands ruined; he comes up with another way of creating wax figures... assistants are used, including a young Charles Bronson-under his birth surname of Buchinsky-and seeing two movies in a row with a deaf-mute character is just happenstance.
The movie looks lush with its color cinematography, has an appropriate musical score, has some great sequences (such as a young lady being chased through lonely city streets during a foggy night, and the place burning down in an inferno), features Carolyn Jones a decade before she became famous as Morticia Addams, and has a ghoulish ending. The supporting characters are also fun as a few try to solve a mystery of several murders/missing corpses and another has the misfortune of looking exactly like Jarrod's old Marie Antoinette figure, of course putting her life in danger. While this does not have any scene of Paris Hilton being brutally murdered, that does not mean you shouldn't check this out if it sounds of interest.
Runtime: 88 minutes
Directed by: Andre De Toth
Starring: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones, Paul Picerni
From: Warner Bros
While this does not have Paris Hilton being brutally murdered, at least you don't have to look at Paris Hilton at all:
For any Vincent Price fan, it is a must to see this; it's not the best thing he's ever done in terms of performance or the overall movie. Rather, this is the demarcation line in his career where he became more than just a character actor and became a star of horror flicks for the rest of his life. This is a macabre delight, filmed in 3D (although I only saw it in 2D; what irony then that director Andre De Toth had only one working eye) and this was the first color major studio movie in that format.
In this story set in early 20th century New York City, Price's Henry Jarrod is a tragic character; he was a great sculptor who created great wax figures but his business partner wishes for sensationalism instead of stoic and reserved looks at moments in history. The partner suddenly becomes mad so he doesn't wait to try and insurance scam and instead burns the place down with Jarrod still inside. Henry shows up a few years later, his hands ruined; he comes up with another way of creating wax figures... assistants are used, including a young Charles Bronson-under his birth surname of Buchinsky-and seeing two movies in a row with a deaf-mute character is just happenstance.
The movie looks lush with its color cinematography, has an appropriate musical score, has some great sequences (such as a young lady being chased through lonely city streets during a foggy night, and the place burning down in an inferno), features Carolyn Jones a decade before she became famous as Morticia Addams, and has a ghoulish ending. The supporting characters are also fun as a few try to solve a mystery of several murders/missing corpses and another has the misfortune of looking exactly like Jarrod's old Marie Antoinette figure, of course putting her life in danger. While this does not have any scene of Paris Hilton being brutally murdered, that does not mean you shouldn't check this out if it sounds of interest.
Saturday, February 2, 2019
Police Story 2
Police Story 2 (Ging Chaat Goo Si Juk Jaap) (1988)
Runtime: 121 minutes
Directed by: Jackie Chan
Starring: Jackie, Kwok-Hung Lam, Maggie Cheung, Bill Tung, John Cheung
From: Several different Hong Kong companies
About time I saw another Jackie film:
I have watched the OG Police Story a few times before in my life, but last night was my virgin experience w/ its first sequel. Of course, as a sequel it does not reach the heights of the first, but thankfully this wasn't a disaster like too many are. Quite a few characters return in this installment, both babyface and heel. No wonder then that this starts off with highlights from the original.
Due to the damage he caused there, Jackie is demoted to the streets. He still has a rocky relationship with his girlfriend May and the villains from the first return to be irritants. However, the main heels here are terrorists who are making ransom demands to a large corporation. What a motley crue they are... I mean, it includes a deaf/mute and regrettably, it's not the most sensitive or caring portrayal of a person with that affliction.
The story here does meander around at times and there are some elements that seem straight out of an entirely different universe... I am looking at “The Dogs” as one example. Yet I can still say this was pretty good. There are humorous moments throughout (I am not necessarily saying that a supporting character having bowel issues falls into this category) and what everyone cares about in these films-the action scenes and the creative ways that Chan uses his surroundings to his advantage-that was done well and this provides plenty of thrills. Plus, there are several explosions.
There definitely are better Jackie movies out there to see, but that is not meant as a diss against this film as many should have a good time with this and this is WAY better than dreck like The Tuxedo.
Runtime: 121 minutes
Directed by: Jackie Chan
Starring: Jackie, Kwok-Hung Lam, Maggie Cheung, Bill Tung, John Cheung
From: Several different Hong Kong companies
About time I saw another Jackie film:
I have watched the OG Police Story a few times before in my life, but last night was my virgin experience w/ its first sequel. Of course, as a sequel it does not reach the heights of the first, but thankfully this wasn't a disaster like too many are. Quite a few characters return in this installment, both babyface and heel. No wonder then that this starts off with highlights from the original.
Due to the damage he caused there, Jackie is demoted to the streets. He still has a rocky relationship with his girlfriend May and the villains from the first return to be irritants. However, the main heels here are terrorists who are making ransom demands to a large corporation. What a motley crue they are... I mean, it includes a deaf/mute and regrettably, it's not the most sensitive or caring portrayal of a person with that affliction.
The story here does meander around at times and there are some elements that seem straight out of an entirely different universe... I am looking at “The Dogs” as one example. Yet I can still say this was pretty good. There are humorous moments throughout (I am not necessarily saying that a supporting character having bowel issues falls into this category) and what everyone cares about in these films-the action scenes and the creative ways that Chan uses his surroundings to his advantage-that was done well and this provides plenty of thrills. Plus, there are several explosions.
There definitely are better Jackie movies out there to see, but that is not meant as a diss against this film as many should have a good time with this and this is WAY better than dreck like The Tuxedo.
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