Pusher

Pusher (1996)

Runtime: 110 minutes

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn

Starring: Kim Bodnia, Zlatko Buric, Laura Drasbaek, Mads Mikkelsen, Slavko Labovic

From: Balboa Entertainment

This time I figuratively went to Denmark to revisit a movie after a long, long time:

This is a motion picture I've viewed before... albeit it was so long ago that not only was it years before Drive, it was before Mads Mikkelsen became famous. Since then I did see and enjoy Drive, loathed Only God Forgives and discovered that Nicolas Winding Refn was as insufferable and pretentious as Only God Forgives so I don't plan on seeing anything newer than that from him ever again. I did recall liking this at the time so I had to cross my fingers a bit that this has soured on me with the passage of time.

Thankfully that was not the case-as this is a 180 in terms of style compared to OGF-w/ this sordid tale of a minor drug dealer named Frank who has a rather rotten week after he gets roped into a big drug deal that turns sour after the cops show up... now his life is in a tailspin as he becomes increasingly desperate to try and earn the cash to pay off his massive debt. What a collection of sleazy characters we come across: other drug dealers, users, prostitutes, strippers, etc. Also, there is a lady I'll call “Danish Emilia Clarke.”

Pusher has some harsh moments yet isn't over the top gross and distasteful like in Drive and OGF. It is entirely shot with handheld cameras, lending intimacy to the proceedings. It is one of the most non-glamorous looks of the drug scene you'll see on celluloid; such substances will ruin you no matter where in the world you are. There were many quality moments that now I am sure I won't forget for years to come... but Mads Mikkelsen as Alex's friend Tonny is tremendous; he wears gauche clothing, has 90's Eurotrash glasses, is shaved bald with a “Respect” tattoo on the back of his noggin, and utters some phrases so vulgar I dare not repeat them here.

While not for all tastes, the movie was a thrilling look at a few days in the life of some less than reputable characters and thankfully was not smug or obtuse like the director later became. I have never viewed the sequels but one day I will. I doubt I'll ever check out the 2012 British remake due to bad word of mouth... the 2010 Hindi remake (!) I will presume is a hoot.

Have A Nice Day

Have a Nice Day (Hao Jile) (2017)

Runtime: 74 minutes

Directed by: Jian Liu

Starring: A bunch of random Chinese people voicing this animated feature

From: Several Chinese Studios

Last night on Shudder I only had a small window to view something so I chose a motion picture 74 minutes long. As I imagine most would say, independent Chinese animation is a topic I know precious little about; from hearsay I understand that director Jian Liu has been in this field for a long while now. The plot description sounded rather adult so I went and pressed play; before anyone asks, this is not a biography of Mick Foley or has anything to do with him.

The plot is a Tarantino sort of riff: a low-level criminal-a driver, to be exact-steals a lot of money from a crime lord for intentions that he believes are good, and now multiple people are looking both for him & the cash. There is a rather gruesome and OOT final 20 minutes or so and a moment or two of inspiration (especially a scene which actually combined karaoke with propaganda)... like with QT, there is plenty of dialogue. Regrettably with this film, I couldn't be made to care about most of the characters. Henceforth, that along with the slow as molasses pacing meant that too much of this just seemed to drag, which is an issue especially when you factor in its short length.

In addition, the animation doesn't look bad per se... to steal a phrase from a mutual here, “it is one step above Adult Swim”; that in itself is not a crime... although unfortunately the facial expressions aren't exactly that expressive, which did not help matters. All that said, I can still give this an OK rating, and I know there are others who rate this quite a bit higher. Me not loving everything that Tarantino has ever done might play into my opinions on this effort.

The Killing

The Killing (1956) 

Runtime: 84 minutes

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Starring: Sterling Hayden, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen, Elisha Cook, Jr., Coleen Gray

From: United Artists

First off, RIP to Stuart Gordon. After his death I revisited Robot Jox, something I've reviewed before; that was still good times. Yesterday afternoon, I saw something completely different and a movie worthy of its lofty praise: 

Thursday, Kubrick's first great movie-of many-was on Turner Classic Movies and as this was less than 90 minutes, it was time to discuss it here.

This is a film noir with many of its tropes (the interplay between light and shadow, sleazy and tough characters, plenty of pessimism, etc.) but of course Kubrick's presence and eye to detail was a huge asset. Sterling Hayden is a criminal who wants “one last score” so he wrangles together a variety of different people to pull a robbery at a horse track during a big race. All those different people are rich, vibrant characters so the first half of the film is gripping as we are introduced to them and all the chess pieces are put into place as we learn about them and why they are involved with this caper. The most interesting duo is Elisha Cook, Jr. as (not shockingly) a nebbish, henpecked husband who has a dominating, domineering vamp of a wife in Marie Windsor who constantly belittles and cuts him down for his wimpy ways.

The endgame is shown in the second half, plenty of time spent on the robbery itself then its aftermath; as it's a noir, things do not go as planned and at least one person dies. It is not just Kubrick's already excellent direction which creates a great movie... it is the quality cast full of intriguing characters in a perfectly crafted story that kept me gripped throughout. Matched with the fantastic cinematography is a nice score which was one clue that Nolan must be a big fan of this. One scene with Cook, Jr. and Windsor only has a ticking clock as background noise; it was better utilized in that one scene than all the times it appeared in Dunkirk but I've griped about that film before. Another clue is the heist itself and what is worn by Hayden as he steals all those greenbacks.

I know not everyone is a fan of the occasional narration that appears; admittedly it is not always necessary-if at all-although at times it did produce some of the many great lines of noir dialogue-it was not something I hated, in other words... I understand that Kubrick felt differently and it was one of those “dreaded studio notes” where he had to do it despite his protests. This is not a new phenomenon, in other words. Anyway, many of the genre efforts I've seen I've really enjoyed; this one is objectively one of the best in terms of overall package. In addition, I've seen less heist movies but this has to be in the upper tier of that category also.

Flu

Flu (Gamgi) (2013)

Runtime: 121 minutes

Directed by: Kim Sung-Su

Starring: Soo Ae, Jang Hyuk, Park Min-Ha, Yoo Hae-Jin, Ma Dong-Seok

From: Several Korean companies

First off, today I revisited Robot Jox, due to the news that Stuart Gordon had passed away. That, Re-Animator and From Beyond are B-movie gold and a lot of fun. This movie-from South Korea-was also viewed due to current events: 

It is ironic that I viewed a movie about a pandemic, considering there are times when I get tired of it being constantly discussed no matter where I turn. However, this being the topical thing to see during a month where some people seek out foreign motion pictures for particular viewing... that and several followers already having watched Flu and it being on Amazon Prime explains why this disaster picture was seen.

The virus in question is not like COVID-19; rather, it is an aggressive version of the bird flu (remember that?) which kills within 36 hours of infection and for cinematic purposes is a gruesome illness that has such symptoms as the vomiting of blood and lesions. It was from Hong Kong and via human smuggling in a shipping container whose destination is a suburb of Seoul, and as it spreads rapidly due to rats being a carrier-along with no social distancing being practiced, which is probably the only time you'll see me use that phrase-there is chaos, partially due to the government's delayed response to calling for a quarantine... not that this could happen in real life... note that this movie paints the United States rather harshly.

Some aspects were correct when compared to real life 2020: that includes panic, paranoia, and riots at supermarkets... OK, it hasn't progressed that far yet... and the run on toilet paper wasn't predicted... although admittedly no one did that either. As it is a movie from South Korea, OF COURSE there is plenty of melodrama and OF COURSE there is a little kid, in this case a girl. The two main players are a dude who works for the Emergency Response Team and the lady he saves after an accident just happens to be a doctor and she is the source of the little girl. 

Goofy plot moments and sometimes ropey CG aside, an over the top finale full of excitement & intrigue and other thrilling moments throughout mean that I can rate this as being fine. Hopefully the sheer pandemonium seen in this movie does not eventually occur in the United States; me thinking that it won't-although not with 100% confidence-meant that I could nervously chuckle over the most histrionic moments.

Death Of A Cyclist

Death of a Cyclist (Muerte De Un Ciclista) (1955)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Juan Antonio Bardem

Starring: Lucia Bose, Alberto Closas, Bruna Corra, Carlos Casaravilla, Otello Toso

From: Some Spanish and Italian companies

Late (Sunday) night this played on Turner Classic Movies; why not view a motion picture that won an award at Cannes, is a part of The Criterion Collection, and is directed by the famous Spaniard Juan Antonio Bardem? As I just discovered on Friday, Javier is in fact his nephew.

The title event occurs literally a minute into the film; after the accident, the couple in the car (Juan and Maria) elect to drive away and leave him there-despite him not being deceased at that point-as they are a man and woman having an illicit affair and this would of course expose that. DoaC is not just about the screws being tightened and the heat being turned up until it's about to boil over as the pair worry & are paranoid about the hit and run being exposed (not to mention the revelation of their relationship); social standing is also a key topic. Juan is a professor while Maria is a socialite. They get a dose of reality and become more familiar with the working class from their usual bourgeois trappings. It was in fact an attack on the Fascist regime that ruled at the time and it was still effective despite the obvious censorship that took place from the Franco government.


The movie was shot well by Bardem and it did poke barbs at the snooty rich people in Spanish society at the time; Juan mainly has his professorship due to the influence of a relative, after all. My favorite character was Rafa, a provocative art critic who constantly uses innuendo and irony to rile people up, and subtlety suggests that he somehow either has knowledge of the accident, despite the location being a rural road out in the Boonies, as my parents would say... or he suspects Juan and Maria are having an affair. There are several tremendous scenes-including the denouement-and this should be viewed to experience the sharp criticisms and the tension being ratcheted up and the moments I dare not spoil here.

Across 110th Street

Across 110th Street (1972)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Barry Shear

Starring: Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Franciosa, Paul Benjamin, Ed Bernard

From: United Artists

Late last night I viewed this film on Turner Classic Movies; technically it is a blaxploitation although it is a step above most of those, as it's a serious drama concerning the racial implications of a robbery of The Mob by a group of black men and its investigation by two police officers; Anthony Quinn's and Yaphet Kotto's characters have many differences aside from the obvious color of their skin. Quinn is no saint himself, as you soon discover in the movie... in fact, he is openly racist. Many of the characters you see here (who typically are memorable no matter how big their part) are various shades of gray.

It is a sobering look at this situation as it explains the motivations of all the main players, including the ringleader of the robbery; the explanation of why he (a felon) would commit such a brazen robbery of infamous figures does make sense for him. Of course, The Mafia sends a brutal capo to retrieve their money back & extremely harsh things happen to a few people. As 110th Street is the demarcation line which separates “black neighborhoods” from the “white neighborhoods,” race is naturally the aspect that envelops the entire film and there are many unforgettable conversations throughout involving various characters which are all intriguing, and so is the impact on the significant others of the robbery and the aftermath.


It was the first movie to be shot with the Arriflex BL 35 camera and it made the footage of real life New York City (which was the Crappy New York City of Old, a subject I've been interested in for years now) rather vibrant and added legitimacy to the production, which was mostly shot on location in Harlem. A tremendous funky score from Bobby Womack and J.J. Johnson-including its famed title song-is always a treat aurally and this even ends on a high note. As I mentioned in the beginning, this rises above the typical blaxploitation effort, which was typically stereotypical low-budget foolishness.

Hard To Be A God (The Original)

Hard to be a God (Es Ict Nicht Leicht Ein Gott Zu Sein) (1989)

Runtime: 128 minutes

Directed by: Peter Fleischmann

Starring: Edward Zentara, Aleksandr Filippenko, Hugues Quester, Anne Gautier, WERNER HERZOG (no kidding)

From: Several companies in the Soviet Union, West Germany, France, and Switzerland

It was just earlier in this year that I stumbled upon the end credits song for this movie; it was randomly spotted on YouTube and to be frank, it was only at that time did I know there was another version of Hard to Be a God. Before then it was the Russian movie released in 2013 after a tortuous production schedule. I listened to the song (located on a channel featuring tunes from the most random 80's pictures) and imagine my surprise when it was an epic power ballad indicative of the 1980's, sung in English. I have not seen the 2013 film but from its reputation and a few clips I've seen, it has to be a 180 from something that would feature a tune from Grant Stevens, an Australian singer who found success when he went to the UK then Germany to sing in some random bands. As it turns out, the score from Hans-Jurgen Fritz also was a product from the decade of excess; think “moody synth score.”

Some serious ideas were broached and one scene has a sober discussion of philosophy. That said, this is still a cheesy movie from the past that at times makes its low budget readily apparent; brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky were reportedly not pleased that the novel they penned was turned into a standard “underdogs attempt to overthrow an oppressive regime” tale. While not complex, at least with the story that is presented, it is not too difficult to root for the heroes and think that the villains are horrible human beings. It's not a glamorous world, although it definitely is cleaner than the one in the 2013 movie. In addition, this having both male and female full frontal nudity: a genuine surprise, despite its European origins.

The cast is full of names I had never heard of before, except one. On IMDb there is an uncredited statement I can't find verification elsewhere for which state that in pre-production, both Peter Ustinov and my non-relative Kurt Russell were in talks to be in this. Kurt as the lead would have been something, as that would have meant seeing him a good amount wearing a wacky long hair silver wig that was part of his disguise as one of Earth's astronauts millennia in the future examining Earth's mirror planet that is still stuck in the Middle Ages. Like with Star Trek's Prime Directive, they are only to observe and not interfere; also like with the Prime Directive, that edict is eventually ignored. To steal a quote from elsewhere, Captain Kirk wipes his ass with the Prime Directive!


Anyhow, the one name I recognized in the cast: WERNER HERZOG. No kidding. He has a small acting role and I imagine there's a good story as to why this is an early acting credit for him in a movie he did not also direct.

The Red Tent

The Red Tent (Krasnaya Palatka) (1969)

Runtime: I saw the international 121 minute cut

Directed by: Mikhail Kalatozov

Starring: Peter Finch, Mario Adorf, Donatas Banionis, Claudia Cardinale, Sean Connery

From: Mosfilm/Vides Cinematografica

This is a film I've known of for awhile now and finally tracked down for viewing; there are a few different cuts out there but this version was the 121 minute edit that Paramount released in 1971 which featured a nice score from Morricone. For the first time, a Soviet film studio-in this case, Mosfilm-worked with a company from the West in a co-production, in this case an Italian studio.. This resulted in a one of a kind cast. Of course I'd be interested in a movie which stars Sean Connery (actually, despite the American advertising, his role is rather small), Peter Finch, personal favorite Mario Adorf, Donatas Banionis of Solaris fame, Yuriy Solomin of Dersu Uzala fame, Hardy Kruger and the resplendent Claudia Cardinale.

This was based on a true life incident back in the 1920's, and is told in a rather creative fashion. Umberto Nobile was an Italian aviator who in 1928 crashed the airship Italia in the Arctic region and in the whole ordeal of trying to survive for weeks and attempted rescues of the crew. The framing device: Nobile (Finch) is late in life and some ghosts from the tragedy come and visit him in his house and they discussed what happened in a trial of sorts.

Naturally, there is a range of emotions in the film, from the excitement of the wreck and the subsequent drama of the crew attempting to survive to such happy moments as Adorf discovering via radio that his wife just gave birth to a child. The framing device is a little unusual but in the end managed to work... at least for me. There was great cinematography on whatever snowy landscape in the Soviet Union they shot at-along with the other locations and this has everything from Arctic boom towns and Dutch angles to fisheye lenses, those furry Russian hats & polar bears, oh my. As long as you are patient with the movie, you may dig it as much as I did.

On The Silver Globe

On the Silver Globe (Na Srebrnyum Globie) (1988)

Runtime: 158 minutes

Directed by: Andrzej Zulawski

Starring: Andrzej Seweryn, Jerzy Trela, Grazyna Dylag, Waldemar Kownacki, Iwona Bielska

From: Zespol Filmowy “Kadr”

There is no shortage of interesting Polish movies I could have chosen for this month's viewing; in fact, one week or so in the future I'll have to devote it solely to watching motion pictures from that country. This one was chosen due to its high reputation... along with the unique backstory it has. Famed director Andrzej Zulawski got into trouble after his movie The Devil was released and it ruffled the wrong feathers. However, after he made That Most Important Thing: Love while on exile in France and it received critical acclaim, the government allowed him to make anything he wanted. Thus, he made one of the novels in The Lunar Trilogy, from Jerzy Zulawski... yes, that is his great uncle. Well, he got into trouble again and filming was stopped after only 80% of it was completed. I don't know the circumstances how but the film was saved and the gaps were filled in by Andrzej himself narrating what was missing over clips of late 80's Poland after Communism fell, as why the heck not? Perhaps that should have been done by Tomas Alfredson with The Snowman...

The story and how it's told: it will in high likelihood be what you expect from the man who gave us Possession during one of his periods of exile. You have astronauts in the future who land on an Earth-like planet to colonize it but the children there grow up faster than back home... they turn into a Pagan-like society, there are crow creatures known as Szerns, who also have weird telepathic powers. Eventually there are Szern/human hybrids, and years later someone from Earth (Marek) visits the planet & is seen as a messiah, which isn't as good for him as it may sound. To quote another European movie of the time also based on a novel and sharing some key themes-which was subsequently remade-it is hard to be a God. The movie is full of yelling and otherwise overly dramatic moments where dense, deep philosophical monologues are shouted at you and other themes include religion and marital issues, which was a real life problem for the director at the time. More than once, it did give me fatigue.

Very weird it is; it is also very good as the movie was done to a very high standard, both in front and behind the camera. Everything was so odd, it was an enthralling watch as I genuinely had no clue what to expect next or what bizarre scene would happen next. The score was pretty awesome, so I will give credit to Andrzej Korzynski. Furthermore, this was a relatively expensive picture, allowing this to be shot in Mongolia and what is now the country of Georgia, along with many native locations. It is always a nice movie to look at, even when the scenes that precede Marek's arrival are in a blueish-green tint.

To say that this is one of a kind is a massive cliché... yet it is true. A totally unique story that attempts to address mature topics while using an always-active camera, it is a crying shame it was never completed; in the middle of the film, you realize from a lengthy narrative dump that an important and long section of this is part of the missing 20%. It is a testament that this was able to be stitched together like Frankenstein's Monster to an end product I can still give high marks to.

Carry On Spying

Carry On Spying (1964)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Gerald Thomas

Starring: Most of the typical crew

From: Anglo-Amalagated Film Distributors

Once again I was in a mood to view a comedy so I chose this Carry On movie in particular as it will be awhile before the new Bond movie arrives.

Not only does this poke fun at the early 007 pictures, but also the likes of Casablanca, The Third Man, and some other films. Much to my amusement, this has more than one thing in common with The Living Daylights, of all Bond movies to be made after this. The MacGuffin was a “chemical formula” that the Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans wishes to acquire; yes, STENCH. Unfortunately for MI6, they have to use bumbling Agent Simpkins (Kenneth Williams) and three trainees... who are Charles Hawtrey, Bernard Cribbins and a voluptuous lady named HONEYBUTT (Barbara Windsor making her debut in the franchise) who at least is more than a pretty face as she has a photographic memory.

It has what you expect from the series: wordplay, puns, visual humor, sex gags, etc. If you enjoy old spy flicks, this may be especially appreciated by that crowd. Such aspects as code names, scenes in smoky nightclubs, exotic locations, and clandestine communications that are actually obvious to anyone paying attention... all those are parodied. While it does not have the most laughs out of the Carry On pictures I've seen, this gave me enough laughs to where I was satisfied, especially during these times. Plus, for those of you into such things, for a few minutes Hawtrey wears tiny shorts as part of a disguise (another aspect that was spoofed) that even Japanese boys in kaiju movies would think were too small; there's also more than one moment of cross-dressing.

The third act seems to run out of steam a bit but overall this was still a good time.

Viva Riva!

Viva Riva! (2010)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Djo Munga

Starring: Patsha Bay, Manie Malone, Hoji Fortuna, Marlene Longange, Diplome Amekindra

From: Several Congolese/Belgian/French companies

This was my initial movie from The Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as Zaire. This one happened to get international attention, thus its easy availability on the streaming sites. The plot made it sound rather dark... and this is a rather dark, twisted tale.

The titular Riva is a young man who returns from Angola, with a truck full of gasoline he stole from a gangster, Cesar. As Kinshasa is experiencing a gas shortage at the time (I do not know if Congo is still experiencing such problems as that or the power usually going out at night; from what I understand, though... it's a country that has experienced plenty of turmoil in recent years), it is now liquid gold, as valuable as hand sanitizer or toilet paper is now. Naturally, Cesar is pissed and looking to reacquire his loot, and now Riva has made a local tough mad after he wants to steal his girl; he is rather brash in flashing his newfound wealth, which goes about as well as you'd expect.


This is an explicit movie where you see characters have sex, there's plenty of foul language that is subtitled, and Cesar does some incredibly ruthless acts as he is on the warpath. It is not the cheeriest movie to watch by any means as most of the characters you see are rather scummy and have low moral turpitude. It was still interesting for me to see what life was like in the Congo and see its various customs, music, dancing, language, etc. It's not the most flattering of portrayals as you get to see plenty of corruption also... for those that love downbeat, gritty films, this may be up your alley.

The Lost Patrol

The Lost Patrol (1934)

Runtime: 72 minuts

Directed by: John Ford

Starring: Victor McLaglen, Boris Karloff, Wallace Ford, Reginald Denny, J.M. Kerrigan

From: RKO

Last night seemed like a good time to see an old John Ford movie, and due to the plot piquing my interest, this (which inspired Sahara and I am sure other motion pictures) was the one I chose. It was the 73 minute version and not the apparently shorter cut that TCM shows.

The plot is straightforward: a small regiment is marching in “Mesopotamia” in World War I. That encompassed several countries in the Middle East but I'll just presume it was somewhere in modern Iraq. Arab snipers are after them so they have to hole up in an oasis that includes a small building. The crew has a variety of people, from real cads to a deeply religious Boris Karloff, who probably looked at his most Jeremy Irons here. Naturally there is tension among the crew but Sergeant Victor McLaglen has to be a tough yet fair leader in this situation.

There is always tension in the film-after all, the opening scene is someone on a horse being sniped and killed. From that point the main characters are as clueless as the audience when the next attack from the unseen enemy will occur. The characters are all interesting, even if it's just them having a foreign accent. Naturally, the most memorable of the crew was Karloff as he was different from the rest and McLaglen as the leader, who has to act stern under dire circumstances and it does take a toll on him.

This does fall into cliché and if you pay rapt attention, the next person to be a goner will not come as a stunning moment; even then, this has some stellar sequences-including the finale-and the last shot is pretty haunting. The movie being nicely shot and Max Steiner providing a cool score also helps. All this allows me to downplay there being a scene of prejudice and ugly stereotypes... not against Arabs, but rather against the people that live in Southeast Asia; one of the characters is a braggart who loves bragging about his worldwide adventures and he has opinions of that region which I won't repeat here.

Comradeship

Comradeship (Kameradschaft) (1931)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: G.W. Pabst

Starring: Alexander Granach, Fritz Kampers, Ernst Busch, Daniel Mendaille, Georges Charlia

From: Nero Film A.G./Gaumont-Franco Film-Aubert

I finally saw this German/French production and it was worth a view: 

As I am me, I have had this Criterion release (under its original name of Kameradschaft) for awhile now yet because I am me, it was not viewed by myself until now. Turns out, it was an inspiring story which seems especially nice in the chaos-filed world that is 2020.

The setting is a mine that is on the border between Germany and France, and each country works on their own side, divided by an iron gate; the entire region is in a recession so tension is high between the residents of the neighboring towns. It is complicated between the two countries. People cross over all the time but trouble sometimes arises, especially at the bars if people have too much schnapps and suddenly feel more free to air their true feelings. When disaster strikes, though-in the form of a fire in the mine causing the French mines to collapse and their workers are trapped. Some German miners are willing to assist in the rescue effort; arms did not have to be twisted too hard for them to offer relief. This bit of nationalism and the overall unsubtle message of this was fine with me as it was a nice and uplifting story where Pabst clearly wished for peace between nations. Plus, equal time is spent with the two sides; you hear French and German almost in equal measure.

It was an exciting movie where the first 20 minutes or so are spent setting up the characters & situation before the accident occurs. The rest is the rescue efforts and the wives of the miners being overcome with emotion over the tragedy. It was shot very well on realistic sets; claustrophobic moments abound. In addition, there is great camerawork, which was especially impressive considering it was 1931. This rousing tale was another success for G.W. Pabst.

Ikarie XB-1

Ikaire XB-1 (1963)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Directed by: Jindrick Polak

Starring: Zdenek Stepanek, Frantisek Smolik, Dana Medricka, Irena Kacirkova, Radovan Lukavsky

From: Filmove Studio Barrandov

Thursday night I viewed this Czech movie and it is well worth Czeching out, at least in its original form: 

Note that I saw the original cut of this movie, subtitled-nevermind how-rather than the version that AIP dubbed into English and put out as Voyage to the End of the Universe, where scenes were cut out and the ending was completely changed, into something you'd expect from M. Night. That cut has never been viewed by me, and there's no need to as this is a serious and mature look at spaceflight in 2163, when a group of 40 are on a ship headed to Alpha Centauri to look for new life; one of them is a mathematician named ANTHONY HOPKINS. As you watch the movie, you'll notice that it must have inspired both Star Trek and 2001.

Several events happen as the crew has to deal with such aspects as loneliness, being stir-crazy, love, and Einstein's Paradox, which has been addressed in several movies before Interstellar did it. I loved the movie's laid-back yet never dull vibe as it showed realistically how a crew in the future would deal with an unprecedented mission. There are also haunting moments and as expected for a movie made behind The Iron Curtain, some potshots at capitalism.

Of course I would enjoy the kitschy 60's effects but the sets are legit great and charming, always a delight to view and examine. Best of all is the period version of an electronic score; it is pretty awesome. So is the scene where there is a party on ship and 22nd century dancing is to be separated from each other w/ no touching (which is at least appropriate for March, 2020) and the music you dance to: upbeat jazz. Perfect for comrades, I suppose.

The Money Pit

The Money Pit (1986)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Richard Benjamin

Starring: Tom Hanks, Shelley Long, Alexander Godunov, Maureen Stapleton, Joe Mantegna

From: Universal

The biggest laugh I got from the film: seeing YAKOV SMIRNOFF'S name in the opening credits. He has a small part: 

I've already given my opinion of what's been going on these past few days; to me it right now seems like we are in Chapter 2 of a bad dystopian novel and I'll forever be disappointed by the mass hysteria and massive overreaction to a “big scary illness”; my thoughts have not changed even with the news that Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson now have COVID-19. While I feel sorry that they, several pro athletes, and anyone else who has the illness has to deal with it, most people who contract it end up being fine in the end and as Hanks is rich and famous... all that said, I've enjoyed his movies since I was a kid so I might as well check out something I saw only once before, and that was at least 30 years ago when I was still a kid.

For certain, this movie was darker than I had recalled. I wanted something light in tone as the world is going to hell now, you know; a plot point that relates to HITLER was decidedly unexpected, especially for something that was an uncredited remake of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House; as that's been broached, I do prefer that to this. The story is uneven, it often becomes utterly preposterous and it unfortunately borrowed the worst plot point of Blandings, which was to introduce a contrived conflict between the lead couple.

What helps even more than the slapstick moments, the dilapidated house being destroyed either by itself or from “the hired help” and prime A-hole characters played by Joe Mantagena and Alexander Godunov or even some of the incredibly from its decade score/soundtrack... the biggest asset is the charm of both Tom Hanks and Shelley Long as the leads. They were great together and on their own. Also, there were enough laughs to make up for the ugly moments or the weakest moments of the script. It was nice to reminiscence about the days when Old Tom used to star in comedic movies such as this. Hopefully soon both he and his wife will be back on their feet.

American Gigolo

American Gigolo (1980) 

Runtime: 117 minutes

Directed by: Paul Schrader

Starring: Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton, Hector Elizondo, Nina van Pallandt, Bill Duke

From: Paramount

Note that I wrote this review before I saw that Showtime was thinking of turning this movie into a TV series: 

NOTE: This review is going up late as among other things, I was out late (Wednesday) afternoon... and the past two hours I have been distracted by the COVID-19 mass hysteria reaching heights that even have me blown away. ONE player in the NBA allegedly has it and the entire league shuts down indefinitely? The Tom Hanks/Rita Wilson news is greatly unfortunate but they're rich and famous so I am sure they'll be fine. As said last time, why is everyone acting like it is the Great Bubonic Plague, an automatic death sentence for anyone who contracts it? Anyhow...

Late last month I viewed Hardcore; it only seemed logical to soon thereafter view Paul Scharder's next film. I knew of the general plot and I had heard some tracks from Giorgio Moroder's soundtrack, including the retro radio staple Call Me, one of Blondie's most popular tunes.

Richard Gere is the titular gigolo, a cad who seemingly has a great life: Armani suits, a Mercedes convertible, and enjoying the services of rich older women. But appearances are deceiving, especially after he hooks up with Lauren Hutton, the wife of a state senator and oh yeah, he is apparently being framed for the brutal murder of a woman. Now, I did not love this as much as Hardcore and there are some story flaws. However, a few aspects are huge assets for the movie.

Gere as the lead was the biggest asset, as he was great in the role. He was a cocky SOB yet still charming, so I was invested in his fate and plight even if he had the ultimate “first world problems” sort of situation. I did not even know Bill Duke was in it until the opening credits; I was greatly entertained by the scumbag character he played, especially the detail that he hangs out at a discoteque called PROBE, which is in fact upscale yet still has some clientele dressed as if they just stepped off the set of Cruising. Yeah, it's not a place for “the straights.” Of course such things will tickle me pink. The fact that this was filmed as slick entertainment by Schrader and has an awesome score from Moroder where all the songs at the worst are “pretty cool”... finally watching this trash was a good decision on my part.

Time To Catch Up... My New Thoughts On The Seventh Seal

The Seventh Seal was a movie I watched and reviewed in December 2014; even then I knew that it was something I needed to see again to better appreciate. Viewing it a second time, I realized it would be best if I don't go too in-depth on how I interpret the movie as it is best if the viewer decides for themselves the meanings and lessons that Bergman was attempting to say here. Seeing this was a natural after Max von Sydow passed away; while I did not mention him by name in the Flash Gordon review I did just days ago, him as Ming was one of the many highlights and I've enjoyed his work in plenty of movies, from legendary fare like The Exorcist to nonsense like Judge Dread to even dreck like Rush Hour 3, which is something I do not wish to see again anytime soon so it can receive a review here.

The movie being about von Sydow's character facing Death did not seem like in poor taste, as his Knight does battle with seeking redemption for himself and wanting to feel like he did something good with his life before he leaves the mortal coil, while wrestling with his belief in God and questioning if He even exists. Also, the movie's setting of The Middle Ages and The Great Bubonic Plague being the keystone event that hangs over the entire picture... I am not sure why in 2020 everyone is acting like COVID-19 is the second coming of The Great Bubonic Plague but to me it's absolutely asinine how the entire world has WAY overreacted to it... shortages of many items (including toilet paper, for some reason), multiple public events being canceled or being held in front of zero spectators... it is mass hysteria at its irrational worst. Also, what a lousy excuse for the new Bond movie being moved all the way to November, when “the film is probably not that good” is the reason I suspect the date actually changed. The disease is not the automatic death sentence everyone thinks it is and as I wash my hands, my concern level is more my befuddlement over this stupid panic rather than contracting COVID-19, which the last I heard has only killed 22 people in the United States.

Anyhow... the movie also covers mass hysteria, and the presence of a woman being persecuted for allegedly being a witch. As this is a deeply metaphorical movie there are naturally many interpretations of what it all means. It is a scathing takedown of religion's shortcomings and how it seemingly cannot answer many dark questions? That is up for the viewer to decide what Bergman is trying to say as he apparently is attempting to exorcise his own demons from the past when it comes to God and religion. At least there are inspiring characters in the caravan troupe of Jof, Mia, the jester Jonas and toddler Mikael. The Seventh Seal has its humorous moments amongst all the dark material and serious existentialism going on. A second viewing of this was a wise decision, as I now better appreciate this legendary piece of work.

No matter how you view the plot, what is shown on screen and also all the work done behind it... a masterpiece it is. Between the direction, gorgeous black and white cinematography and tremendous characters brought to life it was a movie I was happy to revisit. But it is von Sydow as Antonius Block who is the most unforgettable aspect, the acting role that made him a star and once he finally started appearing in motion pictures outside of Sweden, that led to The Exorcist, Flash Gordon, and a panoply of other performances I have liked for all these years. This seemed like the perfect way to tip my cap to Max von Sydow; RIP to him.

One last thing: the early 90's were a wild time. To think that two movies had parodies of The Seventh Seal's Death character that were critical to the plot in The Last Action Hero and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.

I'll Be Back Tomorrow

Where I will post several things. I don't feel like copying and pasting anything here now due to the insanity of today, which to me only proves that this whole COVID-19 thing has reached a point of irrational scaredy-cat Chicken Little overreaction, a needless panic that doesn't need to be a thing.

I Revisited The Seventh Seal...

I originally discussed it here; now, I would copy and paste my new thoughts about it below, but... as usual, the site is down! This month so far... that will (possibly) have to be posted tomorrow, if the site is working at the time, that is. At least I can say the movie is still legendary.

Hit Squad

Hit Squad (Squadra Antifurto) (1976)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Bruno Corbucci

Starring: Tomas Milian, Robert Webber, Lilli Carati, Giuseppe Pambieri, Toni Ucci

From: Titanus

I apologize for not being around as much this month so far; it's been for a multitude of reasons and I can't guarantee that my schedule will return to more a sense of normalcy starting now. This movie would have been reviewed yesterday as it was seen on Sunday, but there was no time to do so until now. Another review will be up in a few hours. As for this poliziotteschi, it is the second to feature Tomas Milian as Nico Giraldi, a loose cannon cop; I've seen the first-The Cop in Blue Jeans-and it was a good time as the character was pretty over the top. He mostly dressed as a hobo and loved the movie Serpico so much, that was what he named his pet rat. This movie... wait until I describe his clothing.

The movie is rather comedic and I guffawed often. It concerns Nico attempting to crack down against thieves; several stumble upon a literal black book... no, not the kind that Jeffrey Epstein had, but one that still is incriminating as it revolves around bribes and a former CIA agent played by Robert Webber. Many wacky characters are encountered and note that this includes a thief eating their own feces (this happens as said thief takes a dump on someone's couch due to anger; Nico finds out who did it and forces this case of coprophilia) and a criminal at a racetrack gives up information after... being locked in a stable with a “horny and agitated” horse which kicks his ass.

Hit Squad-at least in its dubbed form I saw via a stream from a certain popular streaming website-is rather politically incorrect in terms of situation and its share of incredibly crass dialogue I could never repeat here. At times it did inspire some of the biggest laughs from me, even if it was from shock as it was not expected before I started watching the film. It's greatly entertaining and has enough brawls, chases, and other hallmarks of the genre to satisfy my tastes. I do have to admit that part of the reason this gets a high score: the clothing that Giraldi wears in the movie are so bizarre even by 70's fashion standards-this includes the duds worn in many a blaxaploitation movie-they inspired much mirth and delight.

I could write paragraphs on all the looks that were served here, but I'll try to restrain myself. He enjoyed wearing overalls of all colors, sometimes without a shirt underneath. My favorite there was black overalls, a leather jacket... and a Budweiser hat. One jacket was stupendous: cream in color, there were strawberries on the sleeves, and a giant one on the back. The ending is an American flag ensemble I couldn't begin to describe... oh yeah, a small part of this movie was set and filmed in the crappy New York City of old, and features not only a random mentally handicapped individual that keeps on showing up and made me wonder if it was some poor homeless guy that legit wandered on set, but also an interracial romance scene that was played to be incredibly awkward-I told you this was politically incorrect. The look that even led me gobsmacked has to be mentioned: Nico meets Lilli Carati and even though he barely knows her, shows up at her place looking to have sex. His clothing during that scene: a black hit you'd expect Waylon Jennings to wear, a black shirt that says WILD THING on the front and has a giant jaguar which has stoned-looking eyes, a black jacket with all sorts of color splotches on it I call a space jacket... and as Nico has zero restraint, his pants are off already so you see he has on red bikini underwear!

This is why the movie made me guffaw often.

RIP Max von Sydow

I had things to do today but tomorrow will be two reviews so I'll be caught up, and hopefully from this point my schedule won't be so haphazard. One of those reviews will be of a von Sydow movie; I was saddened to hear that news this afternoon.

Dearest Sister

Dearest Sister (Nong Hak) (2016)

Runtime: 101 minutes

Directed by: Mattie Do

Starring: A bunch of Laotians with very long names

From: Companies from Laos, France, and... Estonia

This month so far... I haven't felt like too many movies, although I hope for things to change starting tonight: 

One positive aspect of March Around the World is that for me, once or twice each year during that month I'll see a film from a country whose cinema I had never experienced beforehand. Last night, it was a movie from Laos, the landlocked Southeast Asia country that not even I know too much about. This horror movie was on Shudder so I gave it a shot. If only this would have been more enjoyable...

A poor woman needs to earn money for her family in a rural area so she is forced to work for her blind woman, who experiences supernatural events. Only, it revolves around... lottery numbers?! Actually, from online sleuthing I understand there is a belief among several Asian cultures where people that pass on are able to tell lottery numbers to the living. Actually, much of this movie surrounds the old chestnuts that most people across the world experience: inequality due to wealth disparity and the haves vs. the have nots.

I was interested in looking at the country and it was appreciated by me; the culture, the landscape, the customs, society, etc. Unfortunately, Dearest Sister was something that was not pleasant for me to watch. Too many of the characters were just loathsome and not ones I wanted to spend much time around. It started off with the poor woman being treated like crap nonstop and that set a sour note for me. As the movie progressed, more irritating events occurred and overall, I will say this unexpected horror movie is just average in general.

Then again, plenty of others liked this more than me and I do have to give credit towards director Mattie Do; in the brief history of Laotian cinema, she is the only female director and I know she has two other movies out there, which perhaps would be more my style.

Flash Gordon!

Flash Gordon (1980)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Mike Hodges

Starring: Sam J. Jones, Max Von Sydow, Melody Anderson, Topol, Ornella Muti

From: Universal

What a March I've had so far. I explained recently how Monday was a loss due to food poisoning; Wednesday, my digestive system was in revolt due to unknown reasons (I might as well have been Harry in Dumb & Dumber after ingesting all those laxatives) and yesterday I visited someone in the hospital... it was not unexpected and the situation is relatively minor, so they'll be out soon. Point is, March has started off rather poorly and last night seemed like an opportune time to see a wacky bright extravagant movie, and Flash Gordon seemed like the right cure for my ails.

Naturally, it did work. I've never seen the Buster Crabbe serials or read any of the comics; there is mixed opinions on if the tone of this matches any of the previous iterations of the character or not. That don't mean anything to me so the corny, campy nature of this brings up no complaints. Some things can be nitpicked (or a lot if you're insufferable like CinemaSins) but who cares? For me, this nonsense is a lot of fun, even if the title character is sometimes a buffoon and on at least a few occasions, is overshadowed by the denizens of the planet Mongo.

The story is at least easy to follow and there is no shortage of memorable characters; who can forget HAWKMEN, after all? The movie is always colorful between the extravagant sets, costumes, skies of multiple hues, etc. The movie is a blast and features such things as a travel agent heroine suddenly doing gymnastics out of nowhere, Timothy Dalton as Errol Flynn as Robin Hood, and an awesome henchman who wears a gold mask; thankfully, this is not so slight that it turns into a farce or is too dopey to enjoy. The true highlight is not Ornella Muti (although she is great); rather, it's Queen's music. Now there is something that is marvelous and is a big boon to this extravagant space opera.


To reiterate, this viewing was to brighten my mood, and something like this was exactly what I needed.

An Update

Sunday, I'll be posting two or three reviews; it depends on if I am seeing anything tonight. March so far has been pure chaos, which I will address then.

I Revisited The Stabilizer

and that wacky no-budget Indonesian movie from the 80's is still a lot of fun. It's still on YouTube... just not from Troma; it's from another channel instead. As my opinion about it is the same, read my original thoughts here: here.https://blairreviewsmovies.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-stabilizer.html

The Invisible Man (The New One)

The Invisible Man (2020)

91% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 275 reviews)

Runtime: 124 minutes

Directed by: Leigh Whannell

Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Harriet Dyer

From: Universal/Blumhouse

A review delayed because of... food poisoning!

Sunday evening I saw this film at an AMC; as I had a giftcard, getting the flatbread pizza-which I had ordered before-seemed like an OK idea. Unfortunately, because of that pizza I experienced what may be the worst case of food poisoning I've ever had... please don't ask for the gory details as to why. It was a restless Sunday night so all day Monday was spent recovering and while I am not 100% now, at least this review can be done, even if it won't be as comprehensive as I could do under better health. All the positive buzz and me thinking that the director's last movie-Upgrade-was pretty awesome meant that this seemed like the obvious thing to view.

Beforehand it appeared as if the trailers gave too much away; while some footage there wasn't in the final product, I wish a great scare which got a great reaction from the crowd wasn't in all the advertisements. All that said, the opening made me realize I was in good hands. With a great score and nothing being said for minutes, the lead (to borrow a phrase, Elisabeth Moss always looks as if she is constantly stressed, making her a great choice for this role alone, which doesn't even consider the fantastic job she did in the role) escaping her abusive uber-rich jerk boyfriend was a great scene, and there are other tremendous moments I dare not spoil here. I recently mentioned the term gaslighting and how it's unfortunately common in these modern times. Well, our heroine is gaslighted in a rather horrific way.

There are a few “hey, wait a minute now...” moments that have nothing to do with someone being invisible or how it is pulled off. That will be excused-at least by me-when the movie as a whole was so well-done between the music, the entire cast being solid, characters I cared for & had sympathy towards, the cinematography creating suspense as you don't know if the camera is pointing at nothing or if something unseen is present. Personally, I say that there is at least one moment where “an unreliable narrator” may be part of the plot. Plus, the way the story wrapped up...

I do not love this like I do Upgrade... that is no slight as Leigh Whannell and Blumhouse found a way to update an extremely old movie and make it modern by addressing the real life horrors of stalking, abusive relationships & fears of modern technology. I am thankful that with the approximately 500 movies or so a year that Blumhouse releases, I got to see one theatrically that is well worth checking out.

Turkish Star Wars!

The Man Who Saves the World (a.k.a. Turkish Star Wars! Dunyayi Kurtaran Adam) (1982)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Cetin Inanc

Starring: Cuneyt Arkin, Aytekin Akkaya, Fusun Ucar, Huseyin Peyda, Necla Fide

From: Anit Ticaret

Things got delayed a day due to me suffering from food poisoning last night; more details on that Tuesday night. For now, I finally talk about an infamous movie:

Personally, I rate this highly in the same fashion that I gave the same to movies like Miami Connection and Samurai Cop: sheer entertainment value due to the WTF nature of what they made. I had seen this before, albeit a long, long time ago; this seemed like the best time for a revisit. To think that this movie's infamy came because the sets they built for the space scenes were accidentally ruined so the director decided to bribe a film projectionist so a print of A New Hope could be copied and used in the beginning, end, and a few times in the middle. I don't know what the explanation is for the soundtrack consisting of score from movies like Flash Gordon (which has a plot that more resembles this movie than A New Hope), Moonraker, The Black Hole, Battlestar Galactica and most blatantly of all, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The plot is a gigantic jumbled mess, and it's not the subtitles that I can't verify are 100% accurate; apparently it was cut before release instead of the bootleg prints being sliced and diced after the fact. At least the general idea is easy enough to understand, even if it's told in a brain-melting fashion. Two space pilots end up on an alien planet, and the villain wants to use their brains for the purpose of destroying Earth. Thankfully for the planet, our heroes are a guy who looks like Ronnie Wood-to steal a line-and the alpha male known as Cuneyt Arkin, who I've previously seen in the movie I'll always know as Lionman and something that became known as Turkish Mad Max, although that is a misnomer & not the most accurate way to describe what is now referred to as Last Step to Death... it's a rather loony story about three people rescuing a doctor that discovered the cure for leukemia and features many leering shots at women who are not wearing much in the way of clothing. Anyway, another good thing is that the two know what I like to describe as TURK-FU.

The movie has its share of surprising reveals concerning the innocent victims of the planet that are being ruled by the jerk bad guys; there are monsters that appear to come straight out of Sesame Street, rock creatures, “skeletons” that are guys in black bodysuits where a white skeleton is drawn on... it is utter lunacy and for me, the sheer entertainment value of all the bonkers moments & sometimes amusing or badass dialogue moments supersede how this is technically a pretty terrible motion picture with the awful effects and overall primitive filmmaking. For certain, more gonzo movies like this from Turkey need to be viewed w/ my own eyes... Turkish Exorcist, Turkish Wizard of Oz, and all the rest.