Tombs Of The Blind Dead

Tombs of the Blind Dead (La Noche Del Terror Ciego) (1972)

Runtime: I saw the full 102 minute version

Directed by: Armando de Ossario

Starring: Lone Fleming, Cesar Burner, Maria Elena Alpon, Jose Thelman, Rufino Ingles

From: Interfilme/Plata Films S.A.

Many moons ago I viewed this movie along with its first sequel Return of the Blind Dead, although they were the edited American versions that took out some material... for this movie it was almost 20 minutes worth of footage. The sequels-all three of them-are leaving Amazon Prime mere hours after I post this, but one day in the future I'll get to them somehow. I stumbled upon the unedited version of Tombs so last night this was viewed for the initial time. It was a revelation that among the moments taken out were a lesbian scene and a sexual assault scene.

In this cult favorite Spanish/Portuguese movie, there is a love triangle between Virginia, Betty, and Roger. Virginia acts rather dramatic & literally jumps off a moving train to get away from the other two. Apparently, as late as the early 70's Portugal still uses steam locomotives as if it was still Wild West times. Anyhow, she spends the night in a village abandoned for what looked to be centuries. The titular Blind Dead rise at night and their backstory: they are Knights Templar from the Middle Ages who became evil and via “Egyptian black magic” become immortal. They are hanged and their eyes plucked out by crows but they still rise at night if someone dares visit the village. Like with the aliens in A Quiet Place, they hunt only by sound, so of course all their victims do plenty of screaming and otherwise make plenty of noise.


Say what you will about aspects of the story, mood and atmosphere do carry the film. It is a chilling tale and the soundtrack plays a critical role in creating this feeling. It is just creepy-especially so when there are brief flourishes of chanting. The abandoned village was perfect aesthetically, especially when the sun set. The undead knights never looked not frightening, but when they are on their undead horses (that's right) and are shown riding in slow motion... that will be something I won't forget in the future. Then again, I say that and the only moment I had recalled beforehand from the first two movies was how this ended... and it's still a striking ending. However, my movie tastes are improved now and as I've written all this down, I shan't forget this pretty good example of Eurohorror.

Flash Gordon (The 1936 Serial)

Flash Gordon (1936)

Runtime: 245 minutes

Directed by: Frederick Stephani/Ray Taylor

Starring: Buster Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles Middleton, Priscilla Lawson, Frank Shannon

From: Universal

Flash... AAAAAAAHHH!

Recently I was struck with the realization that sometime in my life, I should finally view one of those serials from a movie era long since passed. For a long while now I have pondered what it would have been like to have gone out for a night at the local cineplex back in the 30's to 50's. It would typically be a double feature (an A movie then a B movie) along with some combination of a newsreel, a cartoon like something from Looney Tunes or Disney, a comedy short like The Three Stooges, and a serial divided into 15 or 20 minute segments that is shown each week. In the case of Flash Gordon, this has 13 chapters so it would take audiences a few months to see the entire story. I picked this out in particular because it was available in full and is among the most famous of its type. As I'll mention later, it inspired several beloved franchises.

Those that have seen the 1980 movie will be familiar with the general plot of Flash and Dale Arden tagging along with Professor Zarkov to the planet Mongo where they have to stop Emperor Ming from ruling the universe & his daughter Princess Aura has taken a shine to Gordon. There is also Vultan and his Hawkmen, Kala, Barin... however, new to me were Shark Men, which were actually humans wearing what appeared to be gold caps and were obviously “inspired” by Egyptian iconography. Lion Men look even less different; the leader of that tribe was an older man with a huge beard. Ming's look here: it was copied exactly for Max von Sydow's appearance as the character a few decades later. The first twelve chapters had a cliffhanger and 2 through 13 began with an opening text crawl which stated what happened in the previous chapter as a reminder or an info dump for those that missed the last installment. It is indeed true that Lucas and Spielberg took the idea of serials like this and updated it to create Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

This was made on the cheap, reusing sets, music, and at times entire scenes from previous Universal productions. Most of the action is not what you'd call spectacular and it is campy as hell. I mean, there is a guy in a gorilla suit who has a unicorn horn, and a giant octopus which is tragically known as an OCTOSAK. Yet, that is a big part of its charm, the silliness of this epic adventure. Olympic medalist in swimming Buster Crabbe at least looked the part as the hero and the cast as a whole was acceptable... although for many of them, I won't be forgetting those who played the roles a few decades later. Prince Barin (Timothy Dalton in 1980) was a chubby middle-aged guy with a mustache who dresses like a gladiator, and most of the time wears a helmet as he's a balding gentleman. For me that made his lust towards the lovely Princess Aura all the more amusing. Personally, Priscilla Lawson as Aura was the most memorable aspect both in performance and how conniving the lady was... “the thirst was real” when it came to her and Flash.

This was released in a 72 minute feature length version in '36 and a 90 minute version for TV back in the 50's; I don't know if those two or a two hour fan edit that some random person uploaded on YouTube are preferable to the whole shebang... viewing it in the span of a little more than 24 hours was a little much as some segments could easily be taken out. Be that as it may, I can still say it was good overall. One day I imagine I'll see the other popular genres of the serial era, such as Western, crime and jungle settings.

City Of The Living Dead

City of the Living Dead (Paura Nella Citta Dei Morti Viventi) (1980)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Lucio Fulci

Starring: Christopher George, Catriona MacColl, Carlo De Mejo, Antonella Interlenghi, Giovanni Lombardo Radice

From: Several Italian companies

The realization that I hadn't viewed anything on Shudder in too long made me realize I should actually use it while I am subscribed for the moment, right? With Fulci, I suspected it wouldn't be the most logical of movies yet I would have something to discuss and it would be best to see the first in his Gates of Hell trilogy.

I can say that at least the general idea of the plot is logical. A priest commits suicide in the town of Dunwich (one of several Lovecraft nods) and this opens the Gates of Hell. As several characters in the town deal with everything going bonkers-chiefly a psychiatrist and one of his patients-a psychic sees this in a vision so she and a journalist travel to the New England town. Getting into the details and how one scene moves to the next... it's best if you don't focus on that or such details as the implication that morticians in New York City apparently don't use embalming fluid. Expecting logic in a Fulci movie-or a decent number of other contemporary Italian genre films-is a mistake as that is not what the focus is on and instead its strengths lie elsewhere.


For the director, naturally the highlights are the atmosphere and how graphically visceral it was... and boy was it ever. Dunwich becomes rather windy once the Gates of Hell are opened, for example. Furthermore, such substances as thousands of maggots are seen & if you ever wanted to see someone literally puke up their guts... such things are the highlight rather than the acting on display or how the plot progresses. Even the ending is rather daffy, although again that has been experienced on quite a few occasions in the past while viewing Italian genre pictures. It's easy to see why many will be over the moon with this experience... I will say it was good and a good time for the wacky, peculiar experience it was.

Sting of Death

Sting of Death (1966)

Runtime: 80 minutes

Directed by: William Grefe

Starring: Joe Morrison, Valerie Hawkins, John Vella, Jack Nagle, Deanna Lund

From: Essen Productions Inc.

Last night I decided to view something decidedly unpretentious; this lead me to something I've had on disc for many years: this B-movie, on DVD via Something Weird Video. It was filmed in the southern half of Florida and has a Jellyfish Man. The most infamous aspect is the appearance of the creature but I'll get to that in a bit.

College girl Karen brings some of her gal pals to her dad's private island. He is a marine biologist who has two assistants, one of them mildly deformed and named EGON-no, not Harold Ramis. He apparently is supposed to have a visage like Rocky Dennis with how other characters treat him... the makeup used does not reflect this. Trouble happens when some other college kids show up for a shindig and treat him like dirt. This is when Jellyfish Man really ramps things up.

Note that this costume is: a dirty black SCUBA suit w/ flippers, colored ropes, and what look to be Mardi Gras beads. It is not until the end that the full outfit is revealed, and it is not to the movie's benefit when it is shown that the head is... a giant opaque garbage bag! Striking terror into the hearts of all, it does not. However, it will provide plenty of guffaws. This is an incredibly goofy movie with bad acting and a plot with several illogical moments. Yet my low rating does not reflect the amount of campy charm this has. It is at least an easy watch and it is apparent that director William Grefe does try. Sure, the scene with a school of jellyfish is obviously portrayed by multicolored plastic bags yet the idea of what he was trying to go for in the scene was sound.


The true highlight is that somehow, NEIL SEDAKA provides two songs for the soundtrack. He must have been like many acts in that their careers went down the commode for awhile after The Beatles became a phenomenon. In the early 1960's he had several Top 10 hits on the charts and more often than that you can hear those on the oldies/60's stations. He went from that to working with a random low-budget filmmaker in Florida and creating the earworm of a ditty known as Do the Jellyfish. With its inane lyrics, it is no Breaking Up is Hard to Do. That said, forever seared into my brain is the “dancing” that accompanies Do the Jellyfish; White People Dancing is the best descriptor! Imagine your parents or grandparents back in '66 gesticulating around w/ no rhythm...

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse (2019)

90% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 354 reviews)

Runtime: 109 minutes

Directed by: Robert Eggers

Starring: Mostly it's just Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattison

From: A24... and boy is this ever an A24 movie

After a long while, it's the return of Hot Take Blair: 

You know, I should just avoid most of these modern pretentious horror movies.

I realize many on a site like Letterboxd will vehemently disagree but for years I have thought these “heightened horror movies” (a term I'll never understand) were typically either overrated (The Babadook, It Follows, Hereditary) or just plain bad and insufferable (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, that wretched Suspiria remake) and to be honest I was wary of a 2019 movie shot in black and white & with the old silent movie aspect ratio, as it gave me a sound not-unlike the foghorn you often here in this movie that the director had his head up his own ass. I mean, don't expect me to ever see Midsommar as I've heard more than enough to tell me it would be an awful 2 ½ hours and it'd be better spent revisiting the original The Wicker Man instead.

Thing is, The Witch is a movie I thought was great and am glad I saw theatrically. I didn't even have a problem hearing or deciphering most of the Olde English used. Thus, it being free on Prime meant that I might as well see the next movie from the guy who gave me The Witch. Unfortunately, those specific accents used at the expense of the typical audience member-much to my relief that wasn't too difficult most of the time, although it was still an unnecessary complication & the subtitles were turned on-and hearing that director Eggers wanted scenes done in a hyper-specific way... it scream out PRETENSION. So does the story of two random jerks in early 20th century New England acting like jerks to each other for almost two hours. If only there was a reason for me to care... seeing too many gross moments, Dafoe's constant farts or Pattison wanking off were not reasons why, nor was the story devolving into nonsense and increasingly inexplicable imagery.

It is a shame as the look and sound of the movie was tremendous and I can't fault the performances of Willem Dafoe or Robert Pattison with the material they had. That overall vibe helped me get through the movie despite not enjoying or liking the journey it was taking me on. It is why I can give this an OK rating; as I state too often, it is nice that most people love something and it leaves me despondent the feeling isn't shared by myself.

Take Aim At The Police Van

Take Aim at the Police Van ('Jûsangô taihisen' yori: Sono gosôsha o nerae) (1960)

Runtime: 79 minutes

Directed by: Seijun Suzuki

Starring: Michitaro Mizushima, Misako Watanabe, Shoichi Ozawa, Shinsuke Ashida, Mari Shiraki

From: Nikkatsu

Last night I realized it was a prudent decision to start viewing a few motion pictures from the iconoclastic Japanese director Seijun Suzuki. This is the earliest movie discovered after a cursory search and it seemed only logical to start off with what I heard was subdued compared to the wild pieces of work he would soon create and years later gain fame for in the Internet film fan community.

Plus, the matter of fact title tickled me pink.

This is in the style of a noir and follows a prison guard. He gets suspended for poppycock reasons: somehow it's his fault that as he is on a police van (i.e. bus) transporting prisoners, some nefarious fellows create an accident and via a sniper rifle, start shooting up the bus, resulting in two men being killed. At least he has time to investigate this on his own and the trek takes him to some seedy locations, including strip clubs and escort services. To my surprise, this features topless women, one of whom is shot right in the boob via a bow & arrow.

A plot point or two was perplexing and perhaps I shouldn't scrutinize the story that closely. Any way you slice it, I can look past that and say this was pretty good overall. Our hero Tamon is a badass who does some badass things. The other characters are usually memorable and the action includes shootouts, fights & a memorable bit involving a gas tanker truck. It was a breezy watch shot stylishly and the jazz score was great, so this movie was just cool. The deeper I go into Suzuki's career, the cooler the films will become, or so others have stated. As is, this is a rough example of a noir that genre fans may enjoy.

Wind Across the Everglades

Wind Across the Everglades (1958)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Nicholas Ray/Budd Schulberg

Starring: Burl Ives, Christopher Plummer, Chana Eden, Emmett Kelly (yes, the famed circus clown, and out of gimmick) Tony Galento (yes, the old boxer who once fought Joe Louis)

From: Warner Bros.

For a movie I first heard about approximately 24 hours before I post this review, this was worth a last minute watch. This was on in the wee hours of the morning on Turner Classic Movies as part of their Earth Day celebration and for a movie directed by Nicolas Ray (at least in part; without knowing details, I understand the production was troubled and he was fired; screenwriter Budd Schulberg finished it. I've heard differing accounts of the percentages concerning how much of the resultant work was from Ray. With a truly bizarre cast, it is rather surprising I had no knowledge of it beforehand.

The setting is early 20th century southern Florida, both Miami and the nearby Everglades. Christopher Plummer-very early in his career-plays a game warden who has to deal with both bird poachers (led by Burl Ives w/ red beard) and a population that is ambivalent towards protecting wildlife and instead are focused on bird feathers in order to complete their quite frankly ugly outfits. Plenty of time is spent with Ives and his crew; holy Cow do they all look appropriate for the roles of “ruffians who drink moonshine & live in squalor in the swamp.” To my surprise, the movie is styled just like a Western and is more mano y mano between the two leads and philosophical than what I expected.

Note the collection of actors here: Besides Ives and Plummer, there is burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee in a small part as-shock of shocks-the girl who runs a house of ill repute, former boxer Tony Galento-a hardscrabble sort who was a tough as nails brawler and yet was successful enough to fight against Joe Louis for the World Heavyweight Title and actually knocked Louis off his feet... before Joe summarily beat the tar out of him-legendary clown/circus performer Emmett Kelly who was out of his hobo Weary Willie makeup and instead played a Native American when he presumably has no Native American heritage at all and in his movie debut, Peter Falk.


It is rather disjointed at times and it would have been ideal if Ray had been allowed to finish Wind Across the Everglades. Be that as it may, this odd movie with an odd cast and odd premise was for certain not dull and had great atmosphere with its location shooting in South Florida. Of course the Technicolor images of the Everglades were a sight to behold and the ecology message was a nice one, along with being ahead of its time. As stated already, this wasn't quite what I was expecting-there isn't much in terms of action scenes-yet had some very good moments and colorful characters; for the focus being on them, thankfully Ives as Cottonmouth (he often carries around that poisonous reptile around) and Plummer as Walt Murdock are both strong in terms of the role and the performance. It is rather hard to track down online for a viewing, making me glad that apparently TCM plays this once in a blue moon.

I Viewed The DisneyNature Documentary Bears

It was perfect for the day today: 

I usually don't post reviews at this time of night but with my schedule and today being the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, it seemed only logical to check out a DisneyNature production on the day then immediately afterwards write and post a review. Bears was selected in part due to its Alaska setting; that is an area I visited as a kid, 26 years ago. I'd love to return sometime later in life as it's a gorgeous area you could spend many days in.

Last April I saw DisneyNature's Penguins on an IMAX screen; viewing that proved what I heard. It was family friendly and that concoct a story to be audience-pleasing; it is not as serious and austere as something from the Discovery Channel (at least the old Discovery Channel, not the network that does obvious phony crap for its Shark Week) or the Planet Earth miniseries. Here, the narrator is someone I am sure is beloved among most Letterboxd users: John C. Reilly. Except for his Adult Swim work-I would rather stick my head in a vat of muriatic acid than watch any of it-there's no beef with me and him.

A year in the life of a mama bear (Sky) and her two cubs Amber and & Scout are shown. The expected adventures happen... confrontations w/ other bears, a wolf tries to kidnap one of the cubs, they are always looking for food, etc. This is rather silly; aside from the at times goofy narration, this suggests that there is one raven in particular which on multiple occasions assists Sky and kids in locating grub.

That said, at least this had adorable animals to look at throughout, a wide variety of other animals (fish and birds are the chief examples) and always stunning Alaskan scenery; perfect for Earth Day. While I am more of a “serious nature documentary” sort of fellow, at least this was fine and demonstrated the struggles that a mama bear has raising her cubs.

On April 20th I Watched A Documentary Called Grass

That 1999 Canadian production was seen by me before, albeit a long time ago. The details are below: 

It was only apropos on the night of 4/20 to revisit this Canadian documentary about pot and why the American government was so hell-bent against it for decades, only loosening restrictions in recent years. I believe it was 2003 that I first rented this from my college town's liberal videostore. It is a light documentary filled with licensed popular music, silly graphics and plenty of stock footage, narrated by Woody Harrelson... someone who I understand is more than familiar with Mary Jane.

As explained in the film: while marijuana was already in the United States by the early 20th century, when Mexicans brought it over the border when they emigrated over, they were discriminated against for the usual reasons and their usage of weed was used as a means of prejudice. Yes, even over 100 years ago... jazz musicians in New Orleans and fans of that music popularized ganja as jazz spread across the country; West Indies sailors brought it to the Mardi Gras city and jazz singers brought it to other cities. Harry J. Anslinger-the first drug czar-was struggling at first to get each state to sign anti-drug laws. However, he used the rising popularity of weed in “urban areas” to scare people and it wasn't long before all 48 states (at that time) had stringent regulations against all the hard drugs, along with cannabis.

While of course there's a full story which has much more detail about why marijuana was treated so harshly by the United States government for decades, this does show that racism and prejudice played a key role in bud being viewed so harsly. Anslinger was in power for more than 30 years and several past Presidents declaring a War on Drugs resulted in many prisons being clogged by those who used and sold pot. Attitudes have changed since this has come out and plenty of states have medical marijuana-although some of those only have weed low in THC-and some have decriminalized it altogether. Without sharing how I feel concerning this topic myself, there should be longform podcasts, books, or an entire television series about the history of grass in the United States. Grass the documentary does work at giving a cursory glance at the issue for those that know little to nothing of the topic... and is a slick look which a segment of the audience will classify as audience-pleasing.

Baby Face

Baby Face (1933)

Runtime: 76 minutes

Directed by: Alfred E. Green

Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Donald Cook, Alphonse Ethier, Margaret Lindsay

From: Warner Bros.

As the kids would say, this movie be wildin' out.

This was yet another motion picture that played on Turner Classic Movies so due to the high ratings it has on the IMDb and Letterboxd, a Sunday night viewing seemed appropriate. Turns out, this was even crazier than I had heard and expected from this Pre-Code drama. The version that they show on TCM is the “restored” one, from an old print that was found. What was officially released back in '33 had some moments too vulgar even for that era, necessitating some changes after limited preview screenings; I'll extrapolate on later.

In unedited form it starts off with quite the bang; Barbara Stanwyck-Lily-is forced to worked at her father's speakeasy. There's the revelation that-in so many words-she's been PIMPED OUT to her father's customers since the age of FOURTEEN. One guy there is just like Harvey Weinstein, persistent in sexually harassing her. Even after having coffee poured on his hand after he feels up her leg-a .gif I have seen elsewhere-it takes a beer bottle to the head to drive him away. Things happen, and the father dies. The only friends she has is a black lady who also works there and a cobbler who loves Friedrich Nietzsche and tells her to use her womanly powers to succeed in life and take advantage of dumb men. No, really. The two ladies hop on a boxcar and it all but says Lily has sex with a guard to avoid being kicked out. Of course that is another bit that had to be cut out.

Once she reaches the big city, Lily uses her womanly ways to achieve success. In a tremendous visual you see throughout, she literally sleeps her way to the top; this is shown via a model of a building where due to carnal actions, she moves up through the various departments of a bank and the higher you go up in the building, the better the position... wait, let me say “the better the department” instead. This results in many broken hearts, an engagement ruined and multiple men dying! Despite all this, I still greatly enjoyed Lily's path of destruction. Stanwyck's performance is tremendous and between her attitude & her physical appearance, no wonder she weaves a spell on so many men... who are incredibly dumb lunkheads I did not have much sympathy for. This includes John Wayne in a small supporting part. The ending I saw was less sentimental and less judgmental than what was seen by most audiences

Baby Face is a tawdry tale which was made pretty well by Warner Brothers and the cast as a whole was fine; as already stated by me, it was Stanwyck's show and she delivered. Before this I had only seen her in Double Indemnity, where she was also great. One task will be to see more of her work; another is to view 1932's Red-Headed Woman, starring Jean Harlow and said to be the biggest inspiration for Baby Face. Apparently, that is rather savage in its own way; I am sure it is rather piquant considering Jean Harlow played the title character. For me, those are indications that Pre-Code films are something I can go down the rabbit hole with... and probably have an enriching experience while doing so.

Ikiru

Ikiru (1952)

Runtime: 143 minutes

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa

Starring: Takashi Shimura, Shin'ichi Himori, Haruo Tanaka, Minoru Chiaki, Miki Odakiri

From: Toho

Last night I decided to view some “serious” cinema so I went off to the Criterion Channel and realized that even among Kurosawa's legendary filmography, this has been spotlighted as one of his best. As I know someone who has a different sort of issue with their belly, the possibility of this being an especially dour experience for me was possible with a plot that the lead has stomach cancer; much to my relief, the movie did not wallow in misery and in fact had its share of inspiring moments.

Narration in the opening-you only hear it a few times-informs the audience right away that Kanji Watanabe is ill and he won't be long for the world. Watanabe is a bureaucrat and one of the film's biggest themes is the futility and quagmire of bureaucracy. One line from the narration is that he “has not really been living for years” due to how pointless and drab his job is. Once he discovers what his illness is, he is in a stupor and runs across various characters who try to cheer him up or he enjoys being around them due to their vibrancy. Home life is an issue; the son and his wife live with Kanji yet they have a fractured relationship partially because of the job and partially due to other reasons that are explored in one of the film's few flashbacks. He is incredibly sympathetic even before his personal life is fully revealed.

A key aspect in the movie's excellence was the astounding performance of Takashi Shimura as Watanabe. I know him from other Kurosawa pictures and also some kaiju ones... I've never seen him better than he was here. His emoting was note-perfect in expressing the varying emotions he went through once realizing he won't be among the living for much longer. This includes anger/disappointment at realizing that too much of his life has been wasted, mired in pointless bureaucracy. He is involved in several incredible scenes that I dare not spoil; one is what I'll call “his version of a famous 21st century music video” and the other is the most famous image from this, often seen on posters... him on a swing. In context it is incredibly touching.

It is nearly impossible for me to determine which Kurosawa movie is “best”. One definitive statement I can declare: he created something special with this, a story that is more than just about death... there's also redemption among all the statements made about deteriorating family life in Japan, alienation, and all the issues surrounding local/state governments. With the flashbacks, this is told in a non entirely linear fashion; this allows for the audience to realize which characters deserve the most scorn. The film's title translates to “to live” in English and by the end the title's meaning will become crystal clear. The time for me to determine it deserves the highest possible rating: far shorter than that. Anyone who argues this is the best Kurosawa work he created, I would not disagree with their opinion. This and Bergman's Wild Strawberries could make one heck of a double feature.

ants!

ants! (1977)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Robert Scheerer

Starring: Robert Foxworth, Lynda Day George, Gerald Gordon, Myrna Loy (!), Brian Dennehy (RIP)

From: Alan Landsburg Productions

Like everyone else, I was upset when I heard the news that Brian Dennehy had passed away. I haven't reviewed on Letterboxd everything I've ever seen him in but for many years he's been a familiar face and always a pleasure to see act. I haven't seen any of his work on-stage... maybe one day I'll come across a recording of his theatre work. As I have already reviewed First Blood and Tommy Boy in the past-both memorable, for entirely different reasons, I went for something presumably light-hearted instead of serious; furthermore, this was in the first year of his career once he went into the world of films and this was one of many made for television movies he did in his life. Sometime soon I'll see something from the prime of his career.

He does not show up until the third act so I will describe the movie in full. It was one of many Nature Gone Amok pictures prevalent in the 1970's. In this case, pesticides and “other chemicals” are to blame for ants raising hell at a rustic lakeside resort somewhere on the left coast of the United States (actually filmed in British Columbia). There are various dramatic subplots, including a few romantic relationships-one of which involves a guy that looks just like Aaron Eckhart, except with a different chin-a smug jerk who wants to buy the resort and turn it into a casino, the hesitation of the resort's owner-believe it or not, Myrna Loy-even without knowledge of the place's future fate, and it is construction next door of a new resort which pisses off the ants and causes them to attack.

Now, this movie is on the silly side. I mean, one person is hurt and the other killed on the job site and instead of detectives or the Board of Health, it is construction workers Robert Foxworth and Bernie Casey who are asked by a doctor to investigate what happened. In a plot point I swear was unknown beforehand, the Board of Health does show up and they determine the accidents and deaths that have happened are... due to a virus so the resort has to be quarantined-this might be a plot point I can't avoid for the rest of 2020. Instead of testing the guests or sequestering them... they are asked to leave?! Huh? Then again, this is a movie where another Board of Health member opines for the days when pest control involved ARSENIC as somehow that is better or safer than the insecticides of the 1970's. Thankfully this piece of work provided some solid unintentional laughs.

Be that as it may, I can still give this an OK rating. The cast is an unusual grouping of talent-the other big names not already mentioned are Lynda Day George and Suzanne Somers. There is at least some scenes of tension and creepiness, and the final act is memorable as the fire department shows up to try and rescue the few people (i.e. the main characters) still left in the hotel. Even in a small role, Dennehy delivered a quality performance and it was exactly what you'd expect that character to be. There was also a creepy score that included some piercing violins, a horror staple.

Like I said, this was OK. Some TV movies of the past are well worth watching; I've seen some of those and in the future I'll check out a few others. As for this motion picture, it's known by a few others. I'll go by what was shown on screen in the beginning: ants! It's like Aranofsky with mother!

The Omen Remake

The Omen (2006)

Runtime: 110 minutes

Directed by: John Moore

Starring: Julia Styles, Liev Schrieber, David Thewlis, Pete Postlethwaite, Mia Farrow

From: 20th Century Fox

The impetus behind seeing a remake some may have forgotten was even a thing: a few days ago I was looking at my collection of Blu-ray discs. In a separate section is all the box sets; one of those is an older 20th Century Fox release of the original three movies and the remake, instead of the made for cable Omen IV: The Awakening, which I saw parts of many moons ago. As the first three were watched then reviewed by me in 2018, glancing at it made me realize... for the sake of being a completest, might as well see something I've never heard great things about.

After seeing the film... it is not a Xerox copy of the original like Van Sant's Psycho was to the Hitchcock classic; yet, it is nothing more than a modern retelling of what Richard Donner did back in '76 to the point that the guy who wrote this was not credited as the WGA ruled it was too similar to the OG script from David Seltzer, which is why Seltzer was credited instead. Only a few ideas are added, and they were not great ones... pointless brief dream sequences being the chief example. Otherwise, you are better off seeing the Gregory Peck movie; nothing about this movie was better than that. The cast is fine and has familiar faces all over... unfortunately there is no Peck to lend any gravitas to the proceedings and this has a moment of truly awful CG; I mean, it was almost SyFy Channel terrible.

As for Damien here... I'll echo someone else here who stated he looked more like Alfalfa in a theoretical 2006 reboot of The Little Rascals! The time he's on screen he's not terrible... just not as good as what Harvey Stevens did back in '76. As for Mia Farrow being in this: a “Ha! I saw what you did there” casting which was more “cute” than seemingly the right person for the role of Mrs. Baylock. Even the score takes cues from what Jerry Goldsmith composed; what Marco Beltrami composed is not bad-unfortunately, hearing that made me realize that Goldsmith's bombastic flourishes were the right choice for a film revolving around The Antichrist. It may be kind to give this an OK rating; personally, I thought it was an easy movie to get through and nevermind how pointless it seems, at least it is not a travesty like Van Sant's Psycho, last year's Black Christmas or the 2005 The Fog. Plus, the director being John Moore gave me no confidence as he was the “auteur” who gave us A Good Day to Die Hard. I suppose that he can create something alright if he closely follows a movie that is very good.

I See Another Harold Lloyd Short

Just Neighbors (1919)

Runtime: 9 minutes

Directed by: Harold Lloyd/Frank Terry

Starring: Lloyd, Bebe Daniels, Snub Pollard

From: Rolin Films

The past 24 hours (from late Tuesday afternoon to late Wednesday afternoon) I only had the time/motivation for something short; henceforth, my viewing of a 9 minute picture from Harold Lloyd on the Criterion Channel. It looks a lot better than the copies on YouTube; skimming through one of them that is 13 minute long... the difference in time is simply because the film is played at different speeds. There are also different intertitles, which I am mentioning due to one on the Criterion version having an amazing phrase, as I'll mention in a bit.

The first few minutes are Lloyd attempting to commute home; even a century ago, that is a real hassle. The rest is Harold and his wife feuding with his neighbor and the neighbor's wife. This includes the two couples accidentally and then on purpose destroying each other's property due to such calamities as the neighbor's chickens escaping and the neighbor's failed attempts at building a small shed. Things change when what looks like a 2 year old girl ends up in the middle of a busy street... no, really.

This is fast-paced and a LOT happens. Naturally, there are many laughs per minute. It came close to being too exhausting but for me did not make it over that precipice into total excess. There are a few intertitles and my favorite involved the dog of the Lloyd family. It was part of an argument involving the wives and Harold's dame responded, “He's a good Presbyterian dog!”, which is quite the turn of phrase. It reminds me that I should view more of these Lloyd shorts as they are something I in general provide me with plenty of mirth and chuckles.

I View The 1977 Italian Version Of Godzilla

Before I discuss this bizarre oddity, the copy of this I saw online was NOT the piss-poor print on YouTube; rather, it was on another popular site, said to be restored by a random person. That at least looked pretty good in terms of quality. Now, for those unfamiliar: infamous Italian filmmaker Luigi Cozzi wanted to cash in on the popularity of the 1976 King Kong so he ended up at Toho and acquired Godzilla... only it was the 1956 American version where Raymond Burr was spliced in. The Italian distributor did not want to release something black and white, necessitating it being colorized. The way it was done has garnered the whole enterprise a reputation for being psychedelic. A gel process was used; it was not consistent, meaning that scenes would hardly have any color at all, while some bits looked more traditional, but a lot of it can be best described as “splotches of color laid on the frame”... it comes across as very peculiar and trippy.

The product commonly referred to as Cozzilla is not just a colorized version of Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Additional moments were also added... this includes clips from The Train (yes, the Frankenheimer movie), The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, an effects shot from Godzilla Raids Again for some reason, and some others. Unfortunately, real life footage of the aftermath of Hiroshima is also there-seeing buildings leveled is fine. It can be said that the message of the movie was obvious already without that being stressed. Yet Cozzi demonstrated that he'll always be an exploitation filmmaker as also included was... actual corpses left behind from the atomic bomb being dropped. That was just gross and not needed whatsoever.

If this wasn't already peculiar enough, there's also some 70's Italian synth movie present, obviously inspired by Moroder. Otherwise, it's the original score. Everything about this creation is just odd, resulting in an incomparable viewing experience. Some of the scenes actually looked awesome with the coloring process (I am referring to Gojira's attack on Tokyo; there is plenty of red and orange from the fire, along with other pigments), yet the trashy aspects left a sour note. Thus, I'll rate it the same as I do Godzilla, King of the Monsters! One last note: Fangoria fans will be delighted to hear that the image of Godzilla which appears on the cover of its debut issue is taken from the poster of this release.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)

Runtime: I saw the 199 minute version that is commonplace now

Directed by: George Stevens

Starring: This has an all-star cast; the lead is the late Max von Sydow

From: MGM

I had enough free time on Easter to view a film over 3 hours long, and as this was on TCM and had a plot entirely appropriate for the day, this is why an all-star retelling of Jesus Christ was watched; about time, as this is one of those many pictures I've known of for literally decades now yet haven't seen despite having at least a mild interest in doing so.

I don't need to recount the plot as I'll operate under the assumption everyone is familiar with the story. Perhaps the term “portentous” shouldn't be used to describe a movie about the Son of God... be that as it may, it does seem appropriate to describe it as such. After all, some will think that of a movie with such a bold title. It was well-directed, with many long shots of lovely scenery in the American Southwest. This was done deliberately as director George Stevens chose to shot in that region rather than in the Middle East-for the aesthetic. While I noted how serious this was, at least there was gravitas and except for one factor I'll mention in a bit, the subject matter was addressed appropriately. As Christ, Max von Sydow was of course very good in the role and this has some splendid scenes filled with grandeur, matched by a score that is ethereal at the appropriate times.

Unfortunately, even I can say this was slowly paced, and I can only imagine what this was like when it was originally released at a leg-numbing 260 minutes. To make an assumption, that cut is long gone, never to be resurrected... in addition, this is one of the many 50's and 60's movies filled with an all-star cast. I have no complaints with the likes of Charlton Heston (as John the Baptist), Claude Rains, Telly Savalas-he shaved his head for the role, and never grew it back-Jose Ferrer, Donald Pleasence, Martin Landau, David MacCallum, and others acting in substantial roles, as it was nice seeing all of them.

However, many talented performers appear briefly and I wish that more would have been done with the likes of Richard Conte, Angela Lansbury, Sidney Poitier, Jamie Farr, Van Heflin, Shelley Winters, Sal Mineo, and others. It started to become so prevalent-all those famous faces-that it became distracting; it seemed like useless cameos, you know. Then there was John Wayne... that is the most infamous aspect of the movie. He is there for seconds, as a Roman Centurion, and warbles, “Truly, this man was the son of God.” This may be apocryphal but it's been rumored that many takes were done of this line, which was something that Stevens usually did anyhow. Old George wanted more emotion from The Duke, a sense of awe. Allegedly, the next take was Wayne saying, “Awww, truly this man was the son of God.” It's an amusing anecdote no matter if it actually occurred. I am glad I finally saw the movie and I can say it was good overall. I just wish it would have been the greatest telling of the story.

One Cut Of The Dead

One Cut of the Dead (Kamera Wo Tomeruna!) (2017)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Shin'ichiro Ueda

Starring: Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama, Harumi Shuhama, Kazuaki Nagaya, Hiroshi Ichihara

From: Several Japanese companies

I have known of this film for a few years now; that was when it first got buzz in its native Japan for being a hit at small film festivals. It spread like wildfire and for something said to have a budget of only the equivalent of $25,000, it is a great achievement to have made over 30 million bucks worldwide. I was intrigued yet once it hit Shudder, I put off giving this a spin. While I only subscribe to it once in awhile, it was excuses made for why this wasn't jumped on sooner, despite almost universal acclaim. In hindsight, what a fool I was.

This starts off with a 37 minute-yes, in a row-one shot take, which I presume was edited to appear that way... that does not diminish how well it was pulled off, especially considering the budget and most of the actors not being experienced in the movie world. A no-budget zombie picture is being filmed in an abandoned water filtration plant and the director is a tyrant and a bully who is so deranged, he keeps on shooting even with the arrival of actual zombies. In fact, he prefers this as the resulting “real” reactions from the cast makes for better material in his warped mind. On this journey, surprises will appear; of course none of them will be revealed here as the movie was fortunately not spoiled for me.

To tap-dance around any revelations, One Cut managed to be creative and a different look at the zombie subgenre... as mentioned by me several times by now, zombies are incredibly hackneyed and tired, and it's been that way for a few years now. I appreciated its take; another benefit was it being a horror-comedy that actually had plenty of laughs. Something I've said even more often is my viewing of modern comedies as a blight that in general I try to distance myself from, and not even socially. It's a film that is a crowd-pleaser while being clever & saying plenty about such topics as the art of movie-making & the struggles of a low-budget production.


One last note: those of you that start to get weary or a little flummoxed during the 37 minute opening take... stick with this.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Runtime: 124 minutes

Directed by: John Huston

Starring: Bogie, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett, Barton MacLane

From: Warner Bros.

Not to start this on a sour note, but I have to state that I am still supremely unsatisfied with my cable provider, which is also where I get my phone and Internet. Since Thursday afternoon the 9th, my phone and Internet has been down for hours on end and among all the other issues that causes, I know this is a nationwide problem for the millions that also use this service, which I will name in the future if this remains an issue. What a wonderful scenario for all those that have to work at home, to boot. It wasn't an issue last night but I had to catch up on various sites when I had the opportunity to. While I am glad there is plenty of physical media at home for me, when I am paying for more than one streaming site at the moment... and that ruins the rough idea I had of what to stream from those places-and others-in the near future.

At least there is Turner Classic Movies, which I will be happy to praise again. This movie was on in the afternoon and as I had all the time in the world on Saturday, might as well view then talk about a late 40's classic. Bogie, Walter Huston and Tim Holt are an unlikely trio, wishing for better life as gringos in Mexico due to an obvious lack of cash. Bogie and Holt are poor beggars who manage to get ripped off when they do find work, and have to beg for every scrap they get. Huston is a prospector who says there is gold in them thar Sierra Madre mountains. They go make the journey and a treasure is actually discovered, but... this story is ultimately about all too human desires, greed and paranoia being the most obvious.

Plenty of time is spent at the mining site as it takes time to acquire all that gold. This is when suspicion rises, with Bogart's character being the most gruff and the least trustworthy. When other people get involved-friendly or otherwise-of course the situation becomes more complicated. This won Best Director and Best Screenplay for John Huston; to boot, he directed his father Walter to a Best Supporting Actor win. Without seeing most of the other nominees, those prizes seem well-deserved as this movie is great, including how the enthralling story is handled and the performances of all three leads. It does not demonize them for becoming corrupted by the idea of wealth; the prospector himself states early on that “even decent men” are susceptible to this.

It was quite the journey, filmed across the Southwestern United States and Mexico. The desert locations are accurately shown to be brutal on the trio, and they become covered w/ dirt & grime. The movie is not entirely a downbeat drama; there's also some action, a few melancholy moments, and nice characters who reward the one out of the three that does a great gesture by assisting them in a serious emergency. A great Max Steiner score-which at times is ethereal-is another asset. This has to be one of the best American movies of the late 40's, and far more significant than just a way for me to kill 2 hours this afternoon when I had nothing better to do.

Beverly Hills Cop II & III

Unfortunately I've had internet issues all yesterday and today so I am getting this up in the rare opportunity that it's working:

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Tony Scott

Starring: The usual trio, along with Brigitte Nielsen and Jurgen Prochnow

From: Paramount

Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: John Landis

Starring: There's no John Ashton, and Hector Elizondo's character was not made to be an acceptable substitute

From: Paramount

As I imagine happened to many others who have the same cable/phone/Internet provider as I do, it was out for most of the day yesterday. There's one of many reasons why I am glad there is plenty of physical media where I am to consume... along with some digital files, but nevermind about that. This movie I have as part of a cheap DVD set I purchased a few years ago. I revisited the first a few years ago and unfortunately, due to a death it is just now that I got around to checking out II again this afternoon. I found out Wednesday night that Allen Garfield has passed away; only a small amount of his work has been seen by me and as this fit a few needs-including seeing something that is more modern than all the old ancient movies as of late-this is what I went with, even if it wasn't the best spotlight of Garfield's talents.

The first movie I enjoy, more for the comedic antics and the chemistry between the leads than the in-depth story or creative plot by the bad guys. This was more of the same; sure, it is more slick and has better action due to the direction of Tony Scott yet the scheme of the Alphabet Crimes is not spectacular-although those action beats are very good-and I wish there would have been more of Jurgen Prochnow. Thankfully it is slick entertainment and it was a gas seeing Foley, Rosewood and Taggart bounce off of each other and the further schemes that Axel does to get ahead in the case, all due to his running his mouth and being full of bluster. Further high notes are a nice cast in general (of course, the statuesque Brigitte Nielsen always stands out) and a quality score from Harold Faltermeyer, along with the 80's-riffic soundtrack. While I prefer Bob Seger singing Old Time Rock & Roll or Against the Wind, at least Shakedown is a catchy tune.

There is full of 1980's excess and the plot meanders at points; to me, the random few minutes at the Playboy Mansion is the highlight there. As for Garfield, he is the Chief of Police and I recalled the character being one-note; much to my regret, it was even more stereotypical than I recalled. All that character (Lutz) amounts to is an idiot who is also an A-hole. No complaints about the performance, yet Garfield can do more. Late last night I revisited part of The Conversation, which I've discussed before and it's a great movie for many reasons, Allen's role being one of them. His character was sleazy in a used car salesman sort of way yet is also one of the best at his job and is able to convey that while being more trashy than the uber-serious Harry Caul.


Anyhow, even if it's more antagonistic than the first and in my eyes the original is funnier overall, this should satisfy those that liked the first. When I get around to the third entry... something tells me that a 2020 viewing won't suddenly make it any worthwhile with the benefit of hindsight and the passage of all that time. Thank goodness II is far better than III.

****************

Come See About Me!

I might as well get this movie out of the way; viewing it hours after I revisited II seemed to be a logical move. I don't think I had viewed III in a quarter century and my memories of it were not positive. With 2020 eyes, I can state... this is still a pretty bad motion picture that was an insult to the Axel Foley character.

At least the movie stated right away that this would be an unworthy successor; instead of exciting opening credits that included an upbeat tune indicative of the era, this did not even have any opening credits and instead we are greeted by... schlub mechanics at a chop shop singing & dancing along to Come See About Me, by Diana Ross & The Supremes?! That is one of the many great songs from Motown Records but talk about cringe. There is also a car chase involving a Dodge Stealth-remember those?-and apparently that is the perfect bulletproof vehicle as it can take dozens of bullets from a MAC-10-including to the exposed engine-and keep on driving.

The story is more of the same: once again Foley has to make a sojourn to Southern California for the purpose of avenging a friend. In this case... he's now friendly with the gruff Inspector Todd? Todd was an understandably perturbed superior who got mad at Axel's outrageous ways. John Ashton did not even bother to show up for this entry, which ruined the overall chemistry among the leads and Hector Elizondo was not allowed to do much as the Taggart substitute. Then again, even Foley was incredibly dull and tired; where's him succeeding due to his brash ways... such as entering any establishment or staying at a mansion under construction due to his bluster and confidence in the BS he is spewing? None of that is here. I know that Murphy stated, “Oh, Axel has grown up so he's changed.” but why did he think that people would prefer a boring Foley?

John Landis did not seem like the right director for this, for a multitude of reasons. The plot is a dull affair involving a theme park that was like a cross between Disneyland and a Six Flags establishment, along with a guy that might as well be known as Not Walt Disney. Except for a few moments, there were not that many laughs, lame action scenes, predictable plot twists, and this was a waste of time overall. It seems as if for the past 25 years, there has been talks of a Beverly Hills Cop IV as an apology for how bad this turned out. Who knows if it'll officially happen, and if it'll even be any good. At least the first two movies are fun slices of 80's action/comedies.

Drive A Crooked Road

Drive a Crooked Road (1954)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Richard Quine

Starring: Mickey Rooney, Dianne Foster, Kevin McCarthy, Jack Kelly, Harry Landers

From: Columbia

Last night I revisited the 1948 noir He Walked by Night, which I reviewed back in early 2016 and now I still think is very good. Monday night was me seeing another film noir, this one for the first time.

Years ago on a messageboard, someone referenced this 1950's noir from Columbia, one I hadn't heard of before. The description (“Mickey Rooney is a driver in a bank robbery”) made me laugh, and some were greatly amused at my comment of “Hopefully Mickey wore a silver jacket w/ a gold scorpion on the back.” As this month the Criterion Channel uploaded various 50's noirs from Columbia and this was one of them, I could finally view Rooney in such a role.

Like with The Driver, Rooney's Eddie Shannon is a rather awkward loner who might be “on the spectrum.” He is a low-level racecar driver and mechanic at an auto shop. Two lowlifes-who were pretty lousy human beings-spot him and realize he is a sap. One of them has their girlfriend Barbara feign a romantic relationship with Eddie so he could be roped into being the getaway driver for the robbery. It is easy to feel sorry for Shannon as he was played like a fiddle by a not unattractive lady and two jerks.

While a movie filled with brightness and sunshine due to all the scenes shot at daytime in Southern California, it still fits many of the noir trappings; one deviation I was fine with: Barbara wasn't a standard femme fatale who was morally bankrupt and a wicked lady. The performances of Dianne Foster and Rooney were the standouts here. He did not dress like The Driver but in the final act Mickey does have on a leather jacket, which was a tremendous visual. This was a solid genre effort which has an exciting getaway scene and some memorable side characters. Speaking of that...

The actions of Shannon's fellow mechanics did catch me off guard. It was a shop that worked on British models such as MG's and Rolls-Royce. With that knowledge, you'll understand my astonishment at how all the other mechanics acted whenever a random woman passed by their partially underground shop. They hooted and hollered as if they were the teen leads of an 80's sex comedy that was a Porky's ripoff! Much to my relief, the film did not seem to cast aspersions at Eddie for being different from his coworkers and not howling at the moon whenever any attractive dame comes within eyesight.

Winchester '73

Winchester '73 (1950)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Anthony Mann

Starring: Jimmy Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally, Millard Mitchell

From: Universal

Thank Heavens that TCM has barely changed since the world has gone to pot in the past 6 weeks or so; I hardly watch television as it is but when I do, it's been impossible to avoid what has now been constant reminders of what's going on... I am tired of hearing about it online as it is, so TV hasn't been a relief aside from Turner Classic Movies. That was where I saw this classic Western on Saturday afternoon. It was more of a psychological bent and packed a lot of action into its hour and a half.

Jimmy Stewart is Lin; he is after an SOB named Dutch. In Dodge City he wins the eponymous gun, legendary in the Wild West days due to its effectiveness and quality. Dutch then steals the gun and Lin gets quite angry. Yes, “aww, shucks!” Jimmy Stewart is actually a badass here who is full of rage and the desire for revenge. The rifle then passes through various hands as Lin is trying to track down Dutch. That Winchester is like a harbinger of doom, bringing upon a maelstrom of death and destruction upon whomever possesses it. This includes a Native American played by... ROCK HUDSON?! Yes, that is typical Hollywood back then, along with how the Native American tribe was treated in the movie.

As this was directed by Anthony Mann, of course it looked great and there was lovely black and white cinematography throughout. It was shot at nice locations in Arizona, the exciting finale in a great setting for a shootout. Old Jimmy wasn't entirely full of anger... he has nice relationships with both his partner Millard Mitchell and love interest Shelley Winters. Perhaps there is too much in the movie but it is never dull and at least Stephen McNally gets time to shine as the dastardly Dutch. At the end you get the full story on why Lin is so obsessed with tracking down his quarry, and it's strong motivation. It's not a surprise to me that this was the first of several collaborations between Stewart and Mann, and for me was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

The Games Of The VIII. Olympiad Paris 1924

The previous night I viewed the Winter Olympics counterpart from the same filmmaker (Jean de Rovera) it only made sense to see the official documentary about the 1924 Summer Olympics from Paris. As there were many more events to cover, this was almost 3 hours long. To echo was was stated in the review for The Olympic Games Held at Chamonix in 1924, who knows how many cameras they had at their disposal and I will be fair in not critiquing how not every sport was filmed as well as they do it today.

At times this did D-R-A-G. Editing and use of footage has advanced in almost 100 years but me-a sports fan in general-thought that some bits felt interminable. Rugby union and especially soccer are examples of what I'm talking about, and I enjoy watching both on TV or in person. The soccer segment was like 20 minutes long and felt like 200. That overall does not diminish my opinion of finding the entirety of this to be interesting... although it just stops after the boxing segment rather than show anything from the closing ceremony-if there was one-or anything else aside from a The End title card. Also, who knew that yachting and rope climbing were once events you could earn medals in?

Speaking as a nerd, I enjoyed seeing how all those events were held and what those sports looked like at the time. Some have advanced more than others; personally I was amused to see the athletes competing in loafers instead of sneakers. In addition, factories are billowing out smoke right by some venues. Slow motion was also used here-if perhaps used a little too often, it was still a nice technical achievement for 1924. As the Summer Olympics has been postponed to next year, it was nice to see some retro action last night, and some famous athletes of the past, such as Finnish runners Paavo Nurmi and Ville Ritola, who won many medals between the two. Some of the other names will be familiar to film fans: part of a Johnny Weissmuller race is seen and those who remember Chariots of Fire, you can view the real life Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell compete.

The Olympic Games Held At Chamonix In 1924

The Olympic Games Held at Chamonix in 1924 (yes, 1924)

Runtime: 37 minutes

Directed by: Jean de Rovera

Starring: This is a documentary

From: The International Olympic Committee... I suppose

Fearing a tremendous poster.

Back in 2018 Criterion released 100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912-2012; it was the sort of esoteric collection that piqued my interest. Back in July of that year, I thought of splurging and purchasing the box set at a Barnes & Noble during their twice a year Criterion sale. Ultimately I did not and in hindsight that was correct as many of those probably won't be seen more than once and that cash went into other endeavors instead. Thank heavens for the Criterion Channel as this allows me to finally see those movies.

This was more chosen for length-a hair more than a half hour if you take out the credits-than any other factors. There won't be any order in which I see these in the future; I'll occasionally subscribe to the channel for that... and also the gigantic assortment of titles they have in general, including those they borrow from various studios for a set amount of time. This covers the 1924 Winter Olympics in the small southeastern French town of Chamonix; it wasn't until the next year that this was retroactively made into the first Winter Olympics, due to these games being a success.

I heard this described as “being like a newsreel” and that is fair. It's in highlight form and the participants usually aren't identified, although at least some of the medal winners are shown in personal shots and ID'ed. This was still footage I was glad got restored recently; it was fascinating for me to see how different it was compared to the modern Games. The opening ceremonies had the athletes parading down what may have been Main Street; all the sports were held outdoors, including hockey and figure skating. Not all the sports were shown but what was seen, they were for certain different. Figure skating, for example, was apparently judged by the grooves made on the ice.


Credit will be given to those that filmed this: aside from hockey not being easy to follow with a camera-which is even an issue today-they were able to get some nice shots even with the limitations of 1920 cameras and the frozen landscape they filmed at, which produced some gorgeous scenery. I will grant extra credit for them using slow motion several times. Of course this is primitive compared to the sports highlights you see today; I am appreciative this still exists, especially in our current climate where the return of new sporting events may be a long time away.

The Panic In Needle Park

The Panic in Needle Park (1971)

Runtime: 110 minutes

Directed by: Jerry Schatzberg

Starring: Al Pacino, Kitty Winn, Alan Vint, Richard Bright, Kiel Martin


From: 20th Century Fox

This movie played (Thursday) evening on Turner Classic Movies and as I heard good things, it seemed like a good idea to see early Al Pacino; he was not the only highlight. Thank heavens I viewed TV instead of streaming something online, as my Internet was out for a few hours, which was not what I needed during these times.

Anyway, Needle Park refers to an area in New York City which was known for having many heroin users around. Bobby (Pacino) uses the white horse; he claims he is not addicted but as typical, he is deluding himself. Helen (Kitty Winn) is an artist who meets up and eventually forms a relationship with Bobby, despite finding out early on that he is a user who steals items and sells them for drug money. Although, he is charismatic so there is a reason why she-not a user-would hook up with him. Would it be a spoiler to say that her hanging out with him and his druggie buddies would have a negative impact on her life?

Drug movies like these are never an easy watch. Thankfully it isn't so incredibly bleak that it is a brutal watch, a struggle to get through because the content is so depressing and sad. That is not to imply this shies away from the effects of drugs and how it ruins a person's life... not to mention their looks; oh no, that is portrayed here. The fact that there is an up and down relationship involving a couple helps humanize this movie and you do feel bad for them as their lives spiral out of control. As others have noted, this is easier to digest than something like Requiem for a Dream.

It was filmed in the crappy New York City of old in a cinema veritae style and that was quite effective. Pacino was great as Bobby but so was Winn as Helen; they were quite the duo and both went through a wide range of emotions throughout; yes, this includes Pacino getting angry and yelling in several scenes. Thankfully he wasn't at 100 the entire time and he had his share of quiet, tender scenes also. If you enjoy 70's gritty cinema, this is one of many applicable examples.

Finally, It's Time To Catch Up

In the preceding week I revisited Yojimbo for Toshiro Mifune's 100th birthday-it's still great-and also saw a unique 20 minute short from 1978 called A Different Approach. My thoughts on it are below:

This is different from what I usually view and review here; I found this on a site (don't ask which one) last night, which was the first time I had heard of this 20 minute short. The topic: promoting the hiring of handicapped individuals by employers and businesses. Of course it is an admirable idea and an all-star cast is present. A reel of film is projected in a boardroom to corporate bigwigs in an attempt to convince them of this movement, and the projectionist is someone who would become quite famous himself in a few years.

Sorrell Booke-for me it was odd to hear his normal speaking voice instead of his Boss Hogg accent-is in charge and those in the room include Charlotte Rae. The famous names that appear throughout-mostly for only a few seconds-include Beverly Archer, Martin Mull, Ed Asner, Norman Lear, Jim Neighbors, Carroll O'Connor, Jim Nabors, and two Golden Girls: Rue McClanahan and Betty White. The projectionist also created the film, which uses various approaches to address the idea... some are supposed to be better than others. Thus, the opening musical number done by people in wheelchairs and several with dwarfism (!) was supposed to be cringe-worthy. This was also supposed to be comedic, and that was hit or miss. At least it was a nice message and many examples were listed as to why employers shouldn't shy away from those with a handicap, whether it be blindness, deafness, wheelchair, dwarfism, or anything else.

This projectionist/producer-named HOWARD SCARFF-was played by none other than... Michael Keaton! Even better, he wears a Star Wars shirt that says “Darth Vader Lives”... which was odd as he did not die in A New Hope, but it was still an amazing sight. This was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film; I mention that as it lost to Teenager Father, directed by someone who found fame in the 80's: Taylor Hackford.

An Update

On Saturday, I'll be making three posts here, where I'll catch up and mention what I've seen as of late, which include films new to me, rewatches, and a all-star 20 minute short which has a future star in a prominent role.

This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse

This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse (Esta Noite Encarnarei No Teu Cadaver) (1967)

Runtime: 110 minutes

Directed by: Jose Mojica Marins (RIP)

Starring: Marins, Tina Wohlers, Nadia Freitas, Antonio Fracari, Jose Lobo

From: Iberica Films

February of this year, Brazilian actor/director/entertainer Jose Mojica Marins passed away at the age of 83; I knew that sometime in March I'll be viewing a film starring his most famous creation, Coffin Joe. The Halloween season of 2016 I viewed the first movie with that character-At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul-and had a grand old time with that so last night was this, the second in the series.

For those that need a capsule take on the character, Joe is an undertaker who is looking for someone to sire him a son... but the woman must be just right for him... someone who shares his twisted beliefs. Those include... hating how corruptible adults are, loving how pure children are, a loathing of “superstitious religion”, and more. He's a captivating character with his unique philosophy of trying to “be pure”, although he does some horrible things so don't think of him as any sort of hero. Saving a young boy from being run over is nice and all-along with befriending a disfigured hunchbacked individual-but he also kidnaps a sextet of women and while they're all locked in a room, releases a few dozen tarantulas to see which one is not afraid. In addition, he apparently gets in the mood by hearing the anguished screams of those women... 


This movie is pretty wild. I won't spoil many of the craziest moments... I'll just mention that there is an almost 15 minute sequence which stands out compared to the rest for reasons I won't detail here; that segment by itself is on YouTube-at least at this moment-and without any context clues you should figure which video I am referring to. There is plenty of Coffin Joe expounding his theories repeatedly... which for me is kosher as the villain is unforgettable between his unusual worldview, always clad in black and sporting fingernails a few inches long. The movie is as terrifying for how Joe manipulates people lacking in savvy as it is unleashing tarantulas or killing multiple people in gruesome ways. It is more complex than a typical 60's horror picture and I was glad to tip my cap to Jose Mojica Marins for creating a character from more than half a century ago that is still a cult favorite.