A Mighty Wind

A Mighty Wind (2003)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Christopher Guest

Staring: The typical crew in these Guest mockumentaries… including (RIP) Catherine O’Hara

From: Warner Bros./Castle Rock

A belated RIP to Catherine O’Hara. When I saw Best in Show for the first time in January, the thought never crossed my mind that she’s passed away only about two weeks later. I pushed off tipping my cap to her until now; this film is on Netflix currently, but only until early April. As someone who grew up in the 80’s & 90’s, I’ll of course forever remember her for Beetlejuice & Home Alone but I’ve enjoyed her in other things, including Best in Show and now, A Mighty Wind.

Truth be told, I never listened too much to folk music; it’s not something I hate but it’s a genre I’ve never done a deep dive on. I wish my late mother was still around-at times she’d remembered the old folk music she used to listen to-this mockumentary spoofed the folk revival of the early 60’s, when Mom was a kid. I do recall she still remembered the songs of Peter, Paul, & Mary. Who knows if she’d be offended at even this light poking fun at that scene.

An old folk music producer passes away; several groups come together for a tribute concert. This includes The Folksmen act that was both on Saturday Night Live in the 80’s & are part of the Spinal Top universe. Of course, many wacky, colorful characters appear throughout. The usual crew for the Christopher Guest mockumentary subgenre are here: Michael McKean, Ed Begley, Jr., Harry Shearer, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge, and many others. What a tremendous look Willard sported in this film.

The droll humor you expected was present; I was entertained by these characters & the scenarios. O’Hara was part of a former duo w/ Eugene Levy but they had the typical nasty split. His character had mental health struggles; thankfully, that wasn’t done in poor taste. To echo others, his character was clearly based on such musicians as Syd Barrett and Brian Wilson. As expected, the O’Hara-Levy duo were simply a treat. Not a bad way for me to pay tribute.

Naturally, for a comedic movie concerning a musical genre, the songs needed to sound authentic while still ludicrous. Thankfully, A Mighty Wind succeeded on this front. The movie was also a success in terms of providing entertainment for 90 minutes, notwithstanding of my limited knowledge of the musical genre it mildly prodded.

Code of Silence

Code of Silence (1985)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Andrew Davis

Starring: Chuck Norris (RIP), Henry Silva, Molly Hagan, Bert Remsen, Mike Genovese

From: Orion

RIP Chuck Norris. I watched something else last night but that review will be posted early next week. I should have inferred yesterday that his hospitalization in Hawaii was serious.

Yes, I’ve heard some things, re: his political stance/how many on Letterboxd would vehemently disagree with them; there’s blissful ignorance on my part if he ever had any abhorrent beliefs. Regardless, I’m not someone who ever watched too much of Walker: Texas Ranger or even paid much attention to the memes. Rather, I’ll note that he was a great martial artist w/ multiple black belts and he starred in silly yet usually entertaining B-movies in the 70’s & 80’s. Code of Silence was seen before, but long before the days of Letterboxd; no better time for a revisit. Thankfully I had time earlier today for the revisit.

Chuck is a Chicago cop alongside the likes of Dennis Farina & Ralph Foody, a.k.a. the Angels with Filthy Souls guy from Home Alone; Foody & some other faces (including Henry Silva) would later appear in Above the Law, also from director Andrew Davis. Things go awry during a stakeout and in a plot point that will garner a reaction from at least some on Letterboxd, Chuck won’t support corrupt police officer Foody, who accidentally shot a random minority civilian but planted a gun on his corpse to cover his own behind. The racism among some cops won’t make people happy either. No wonder Foody was later cast as a gangster. Norris is ostracized as a gang war is occurring. 

The movie is silly yet entertaining; after all, another plot point is a giant robot on wheels that is more “product of 80’s movies” rather than anything that to my knowledge ever existed in real life. This is not my favorite Chuck Norris yet is still a good time. Even early in his career, Davis as a director was an asset; so was the 80’s-riffic score from David Michael Frank. The film’s more a gritty thriller with car chases & shootouts than martial arts—that’s OK as Code of Silence still delivers satisfying action beats. As someone from Illinois, it was great seeing Chicago in the 80’s-many different locales were shown, including a scene on the El Train.

Chuck was acceptable when it came to acting skills, at least in Code of Silence. For those that aren’t as keen on trashy genre pictures like I am, this may be a good selection for someone wanting a Norris movie they would enjoy. I’m glad to have seen some of his cheesy yet fun B-movies in recent years; that’s why I am a little bummed he passed away, even if he reached the age of 86. To borrow a line seen on Twitter today, Death didn’t walk towards Chuck Norris to claim him… Chuck Norris walked towards Death.

 

Tommy

Tommy (1975)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Ken Russell

Starring: Oliver Reed, Ann-Margaret, Roger Daltry, many other actors & musicians

From: Columbia

No one should be surprised that I found the plot of Tommy a little baffling yet also found the music to be incredible and the bizarre maximalism moments to be hilarious. No one should be surprised either that I have even more to say than typical about the movie.

I hadn’t heard most of the songs on the Tommy album as rock operas aren’t always my bag yet who could believe that a Ken Russell (no relation) film would play on IMAX screens across the United States both Tuesday night & last night in the Year of Our Lord 2026? I’d seen Russell’s OTHER 1975 rock opera starring Daltrey (Lisztomania) so no better way to finally tackle the film. Many Who songs I do enjoy, for the record.

Surprises occurred throughout; having viewed some of the director’s films before, bizarre moments were expected. I wasn’t quite imagining the titular Tommy to become “deaf, dumb, & blind” after a certain traumatic event, Tina Turner appearing in a bedroom above a strip club w/ red cape then turning into a metal knight, Ann-Margaret straddling a long pillow after being doused w/ baked beans & chocolate sauce, her being seduced by Jack Nicholson (on-screen during his one scene… although presumably he also tried to do so off-screen! Also, he SANG), Elton John’s Giant Shoes, or many other moments that probably shouldn’t be spoiled by me.

The film has a wacky plot… yet as I’ve seen others eloquently proclaim, the story is more thoughtful than I expected concerning such topics as abuse, exploitation, religion, cults, stage parents, celebrity worship, & more. At the time I realized the story of Tommy Walker wasn’t a cheery one; after all, he was obviously sexually abused by a relative (a trigger warning for those out there). Well, after reading other reviews, there might have been implicit abuse of that nature by other loved ones that was beneath the surface of the bizarre scenes… yes, morbid.

Perhaps it’s better I be amused by such things as the clothing Oliver Reed wore, or another assumption: on set wasn’t the only time that Reed and Keith Moon partied with each other. The story was more than expected when going in, I only knew the wacky premise of “a deaf, dumb, & blind kid can sure play some mean pinball.”

I’ll give Pete Townshend (I REALLY hope the reason he provided why he got “in trouble” in 2003 was true) and Russell credit; they collaborated on this film and created a product that greatly entertained me-while sometimes puzzling me as well-and was deeper than I first give it credit for. Then again, with hindsight, I should have given Phantom of the Paradise more kudos for presenting serious themes & some evils concerning real life behind the veneer of bombastic moments & catchy music.

Like w/ De Palma, Russell is a talented director despite his proclivities towards seedy genre material. His direction was a huge asset for Tommy; the final few minutes before the end credits alone were incredible… it featured an epic journey to a great song, leading to an awesome shot that mirrored the opening, then hearing the great song again during the end credits. I am glad that a director like Russell had one undeniable commercial success while maintaining his outrageous style.

Between the quality sets, the music, & the ending, that alone is one of the many reasons why I don’t feel quite the same about modern films as I do older ones. I also have to acknowledge that Ann-Margaret was the MVP; afterwards, I discovered she won a Golden Globe & was actually nominated for an Oscar.

As for the crowd that came out on this night: a mix of people, but many older folks who could have watched this on the big screen in ’76. Not all the Gen-Z’ers stuck around to the end of the film (the heck with them. I know those reading this aren’t like them) but most of the middle-aged & older stuck around for the end credits, then loudly cheered & clapped. Not only was I happy they had a great time, but that it’s easier now than ever before to view older movies at all the major theatrical chains in the United States. While it’ll have to be done at home, I’ve probably been sleeping on Ken Russell for too long.

Gugusse and the Automaton

Wake up folks, a lost film from 1897 (!) was recently found again: 

In this special post earlier than usual for a weekday, I discuss the tremendous story behind this piece of lost media, which was recently revealed as having been found again. This 45-second short features director Georges Melies interacting w/ an automaton dressed as Pierrot the clown, using the trademark Melies camera tricks & editing. Whether or not this should be considered as “the first instance of a robot in cinema” or even “it was the first sci-fi movie” can be debated.

Instead, I’ll focus on how the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. acquired this on a film reel. They were donated a box of reels from a Bill McFarland in Michigan; his great-grandfather William Frisbee was a potato farmer and schoolteacher who was a showman at night who went around w/ a projector and another new device (a phonograph) to show the world’s first films to paying customers. How cinema was shown way back when during those nascent days is a topic I know little about but need to do a deeper dive on in the future. The topic sounds endlessly fascinating to a nerd like myself.

I’ve not seen the Scorsese film Hugo but I do realize Melies is a key character & like in the film, he had his own automatons. My granting a rare 5 star review is not entirely due to the content of this short (shorts are always difficult to rate as it’s not a fair comparison to feature films) but rather the story of how Automaton was discovered. I'm thankful the LoC was able to restore this nitrate print; it's always nice seeing silent cinema "found" again-much of it is still lost. Perhaps London After Midnight is out there somewhere... 

Blood & Gold

Blood & Gold (2023)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Peter Thorwarth

Starring: Robert Maaser, Marie Hacke, Alexander Scheer, Roy McCrery, Jordis Triebel

From: Netflix

This was much preferable to Sisu to me. Earlier in the year, someone on a messageboard discussed the German Netflix film and noted the same opinion that I did. It was a relief that Blood & Gold wasn’t a massive letdown like Sisu was. An actual story was present, the hero (heroes in this case) weren’t superhuman like they were part of the MCU, the dark humor actually landed, and Nazi scum were still killed.

As a deserter of the German Army is captured and hung from the neck until dead, Heinrich isn’t dead due to rescue from Elsa, a woman who lives on a remote farm w/ Paule, her brother that has Down Syndrome. Heinrich would really like to see his young daughter again. Meanwhile, the same Nazi scum are looking for a cache of gold belonging to some Jewish people.

Some minor nitpicks could be made; instead, I’ll focus on the positives. Heinrich is an enjoyable hero, while Elsa was competent in facing off against the villains without being OOT unstoppable. The action wasn’t a must-see yet was still enjoyable, especially the gory moments. The characters were fun, whether the heroes or the hissable villains. Paule was the most memorable role-& not just because the character wasn’t a lame stereotype. Of course, the highlight was seeing Nazi Scum Get Wrecked ™

Adding personality to the mix was that this had the flavor of a Western (including the score) and featured several songs, including one from Marlene Dietrich during a key scene. My negative opinion of Sisu puts me in the minority; regardless of your opinion, re: that motion picture, Blood & Gold is one I recommend for those that have their interests piqued by the premise.

Cat City

This is quite the animated feature film from behind the Iron Curtain: 

This sure was a 1986 Hungarian animated movie featuring anthropomorphic cats & mice where the former are the villains & portrayed as gangsters. Instead of watching the Oscars last night (they haven’t been viewed by me in at least the past few years), my time was better spent on the Eternal Family streaming platform; I went to one of their 24/7 streaming channels, and a movie was ending. This played next-as this was on my watchlist anyhow, the channel wasn’t changed.

There’s a Star Wars crawl and the movie was announced as taking place “80 Years After Mickey Mouse”… no, I don’t know why either.

Cats and mice live on Planet X but it’s not harmonious. A badass mouse named Grabowsky is tasked to grab plans from a city called “Pokio” (i.e. Tokyo. Expect to see mice that some will describe as “racially insensitive”… but there’s an even worse example of that I’ll mention in a moment) to built a weapon that will protect the mice for good. The cats attempt to stop this, although that is done via bumbling henchmen.

A subplot is present involving someone called LAZY DICK who is a police officer & becomes involved w/ crude Mexican stereotypes; that did not age well. Otherwise, I had a pretty good time with this adult cartoon (which was never graphic or OOT) and had a silly sense of humor that typically did make me laugh. The animation was nice, as was the score. Oh, and Cat City randomly had several musical numbers.

From other reviews, evidently not all the Hungarian humor and situations will translate well for those like me that are ignorant of the culture, either 40 years ago or now. Even so, I was still happy to have tackled an interesting animated feature film like Cat City last night. Thankfully, Deaf Crocodile released it on Blu in the West. One day, the similar Felidae (a German animated movie featuring only cats)-which I’ve known of for far longer-will finally be viewed then reviewed here.

The Pledge

The Pledge (2001)

Runtime: 124 minutes

Directed by: Sean Penn

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Tom Noonan (RIP), many others

From: Morgan Creek/Franchise Pictures

A belated RIP to Tom Noonan. While many-myself included-will remember him best as Francis Dollarhyde in the incredible Manhunter, I was always delighted to see him pop up in a film… even ones I didn’t care for like RoboCop 2 or The House of the Devil. The reason why I selected The Pledge: the impressive cast, the plot, and hearing a recommendation from-of all things-a Patreon episode of a true crime podcast that did something different one time and discussed underrated crime dramas rather than actual crimes & mysteries.

Police chief Jack Nicholson is on his last day before retirement but pledges to the mother of a slain girl (Ginny) he will find her murderer. Ginny was brutally assaulted then killed-the viewer sees some graphic images of her; that was more than enough motivation for him to work this case despite now being retired. The Pledge is the sort of film I should gravitate towards more frequently. A crime drama, character-driven, takes its time, full of famous faces.

As Nicholson will turn 90 next year, I should give my props to a legendary actor while he’s still alive. He was as magnetic here as ever; the role wasn’t flashy or bold yet his Jerry Black was still convincing as the determined officer who the viewer believes would be the honorable type that would keep such a promise… yet becomes consumed by obsession. The other famous faces seen throughout (no matter how small or large their parts were) included Patrick Clarkson, Mickey Rourke, Vanessa Redgrave, Helen Mirren, Aaron Eckhart as-naturally-a police officer-Benicio Del Toro, Sam Shepard, Robin Wright, and Harry Dean Stanton. It was a treat to see all those actors.

The movie was made w/ Franchise Pictures; I won’t go down the rabbit hole of discussing who they were or their brief troubled history. I will note that I wasn’t surprised to read afterwards of money problems and scenes that weren’t filmed. This included scenes w/ Noonan-his screentime was limited yet effective.

Yes, Sean Penn is another guy I put in the “separate the art from the artist” category. However, as a director he did a swell job even w/ that story handicap. The music, the cinematography, the setting-much of this is rural British Columbia substituting for rural Nevada, my interest never wavered.

Some viewers have their issues w/ The Pledge, either feeling disappointed or downright disliking the movie, for reasons that obviously can’t be revealed without massive spoilers. That is understandable-what I recall from that podcast episode, hints were given that prepared me for certain things. Patient viewers and those accepting what the story was about after its final resolution… hopefully you’ll find the journey rewarding. Soon, the film won’t be on Netflix any longer but The Pledge has the rare distinction of also streaming on Peacock AND Hulu.

Kate

Kate (2021)

Runtime: 106 minutes

Directed by: Cedric Nicolan-Troyan

Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Miku Martineau, Tadanobu Asano, Jun Kunimura, Woody Harrelson

From: Netflix

After a rare but needed night off from watching film, last night I returned to that world by checking out something that easily could have been Netflix gruel yet the idea was to see more Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Even now, hardly anything’s been seen from her; I’m not interested in The Farting Corpse Movie given my loathing of Everything Everywhere All at Once & Scott Pilgrim has always seem equally as repellant to my tastes. One day I’ll get to 10 Cloverfield Lane but my desire for an action flick, the basic plot description, the Japan setting, and Woody Harrelson (his political leanings aside) intrigued.

Yes, Kate is rather improbable, predictable, and quite silly. That doesn’t mean I was not entertained by the film. Kate-the lady-is a badass, mentored since childhood by Harrelson’s Varrick… presumably a nod to the quality 70’s film Charley Varrick. She wants to retire, and that goes exactly as well as that proclamation does in films… she is poisoned and looking for revenge during a very long night in Tokyo.

As flawed as the movie can be, several aspects are assets. The Japan setting was neat-Tokyo at night will always be exotic to my eyes. The cast is fine, including the Japanese talent-some of whom I of course instantly recognized; even newcomer Miku Martineau was not bad… although Winstead was of course the highlight and pulled off this vulnerable badass character. The action was from 87North Productions; the John Wick-flavored house style hasn’t grown tiresome with me quite yet. Those action beats were fun-a further asset in my enjoyment of the film.

The other half of the Spiderman pointing meme (of course, I’m referring to Gunpowder Milkshake) stands a stronger chance of rubbing me the wrong way-don’t expect a review from me, even to compare the two. I was thankful that Kate wasn’t a waste of time and did not turn me off—even if I wish there would have been less of the “overly explanatory moments” that I should refer to as “Netflix’s house style” no matter who makes their original movies.

Soup to Nuts

Soup to Nuts (1930)

Runtime: 70 minutes 

Directed by: Benjamin Stoloff

Starring: Ted Healy and the men to be later known as The Three Stooges

From: Fox

This was a good movie to watch last night to celebrate the 131st birthday of Shemp Howard. Those not familiar w/ the early lore of The Three Stooges, at this time they were a vaudeville act of Moe, Larry, & Shemp but led by their leader/manager, a dude named Ted Healy. This was their debut on film. A few years later, Shemp left the act, Moe & Larry dumped the allegedly abusive alcoholic Healy, and added Curly. This was also of interest to me as a co-writer of the script was Rube Goldberg. Yes, the guy who the phrase “Rube Goldberg Machines”-an idea I’ve referenced more than once in reviews. He even has a cameo as himself.

To copy and past from his Wiki article:

“Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. Goldberg is best known for his popular cartoons depicting complicated gadgets performing simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways.”

As for the movie… it made me realize that Ted Healy and his Stooges would never have been beloved even in 2026 like The Three Stooges are. I don’t know if people back then were supposed to like a loudmouth verbally abusive jerk that was Healy’s lead character, but I certainly didn’t last night.

The plot: Healy works at a costume shop, ran by a guy obsessed with Rube Goldberg Machines; this is why the business is bankrupt and taken over by creditors. Healy also enjoys hanging out at the fire station where Moe (billed in the credits as HARRY HOWARD, no lie), Larry, & Shemp work at… just because. A mute fireman named Freddie also is a fireman; there’s always a risk in injecting a political reference in a review but saying that “Freddie has Ben Shapiro’s eyebrows as they appeared in a recent viral Photoshopped image” is an accurate statement!

The Stooges are only shown in a few scenes before the final act; Healy is in many more… my belief that the movie is “fine” is DESPITE Healy and his odious presence. The other characters and scenarios thankfully gave me enough entertainment to counteract Ol Ted. This includes child actor Billy Barty (who in the 60’s had a TV show on KTLA in Los Angeles that would air Three Stooges shorts), Mack Swain of The Gold Rush fame and Heinie Conklin, who would appear in a few dozen Stooge shorts.

As a fan, it was fascinating to see routines and lines of dialogue that would appear when they were on their own. Most people, there likely is little need to check out Soup to Nuts & its threadbare plot unless you’re a huge Stooge fan and/or had the foreknowledge that there was a person named Rube Goldberg.

Save the Children

This is a 1973 concert film that was resurrected in an edited form for a 2023 release,as I explain below: 

Despite some controversial moments in the past, it wouldn’t seem right for me not to say RIP to the recently-departed Reverend Jesse L. Jackson. I should be canceled if his impact as a critical civil rights leader for Black people starting in the 1960’s was not noted by me. I mention Reverend Jackson as this concert film (where the film crew was entirely composed of Black talent) was filmed at the PUSH Expo in 1972 Chicago-as in Jackson’s Operation PUSH.

A longer version of this was barely released by Paramount in 1973, then summarily vanished and could only be seen in bootlegs before the Reverend sought to have the movie restored starting in 2021. I say longer because the cut on Netflix-as Save the Children: A Concert for the Ages-is about 20 minutes shorter than what was released in 1973. The presumption is that non-concert scenes were excised although that’s a non-confident guess.

If the low amount of ratings on IMDb & Letterboxd are an accurate barometer, another presumption is that the film is hidden on Netflix-people not knowing of its presence on the platform. For those that have seen & loved 1973’s Wattstax and 2021’s Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), this is a must. What an astounding collection of Black talent, including:

Marvin Gaye
The Temptations
The Main Ingredient (led by Cuba Gooding, Sr.)
Cannonball Adderly
Reverend James Cleveland and his choir
Isaac Hayes
The O’Jays
Curtis Mayfield
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Quincy Jones
Roberta Flack
The Jackson 5, who wore some of the most incredible multicolored clothing my eyes have ever seen. A few songs from them are shown, as the crowd treated them as if they were a boy band, they were so over at the time.

Among many others; I don’t want this review to be too long. I was happy to see the collection of legends perform. Reverend Jackson is shown preaching, twice. This alone is a great artifact of his skill as a great orator.

In addition, during a few performances, footage is shown of Black people living their life in Chicago & the surrounding environs.

While it’s a shame that more people don’t know that Save the Children exists (especially in the high quality presentation that’s on Netflix), I was happy to publicize it via this review no matter who was involved with the production.

 

Undertone

Undertone (2025)

85% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 46 reviews)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Ian Tuason

Starring: Most of the film, it’s just Nina Kiri

From: A24

It presumably wasn’t the intent of the filmmakers to have large pockets of the audience uproariously laugh in disbelief AT their movie for more than 30 seconds straight once the end credits hit, nor have people still chuckle & make negative comments minutes later! They clearly found Undertone to be—underwhelming.

I couldn’t bury the lede here; last night, AMC played this movie on their Dolby Cinema screens before its wide release debut on Friday the 13th. The trailer intrigued despite my mixed opinions on the films A24 either produce themselves or pick up for release. The crowd was decent in size and thankfully weren’t the disruptive folks I feared going in, especially for a movie that proved to be a slow burn, to use modern vernacular.

They reacted appropriately to certain moments. However, they evidently felt the same way I did, re: the final act and did not feel the destination was worthy of the journey the viewer went on. Their reaction is what I’ll first remember, re: Undertone. My issues with the movie were not related to its style, the ambiguity or the style of scares that were presented. I’ll attempt to explain why without revealing too much for those interested… yes, it will be a characteristic long-winded review.

Be that as it may, even after sleeping on it, I struggle with rating the movie. There was plenty I enjoyed, including the conceit that the film was sound-driven. I knew that from the trailer—I did NOT know that only one character was shown speaking & the only setting was the house she lived in w/ her invalid mother.

Another detail unknown to me: her mother was bedridden, comatose, and in the last days of her life. That brought uncomfortable memories of what happened to my late mother. Apologies for those that already recall past discussions of this but she was ill for the entirety of 2020 & was in hospice for far longer than predicted before passing away in late July. I wasn’t “triggered” and that detail doesn’t impact my rating. I do understand why lead character Evy did not have mom in hospice-it’s not cheap.

The plot that I haven’t even alluded to yet: Evy plays the skeptic role on a “true horrors” podcast with a random American dude living in London named Justin that’s a believer. They are anonymously e-mailed 10 different scary audio files of something spooky.

What I was a fan of: the lore intrigued, the sound design was thankfully aces, the subtle images that were or weren’t in the background, the film was patient (the way it was shot… let’s just say I was NOT shocked to read that director Ian Tuason was just announced as the guy who will be the director of the next Paranormal Activity), and while the movie is more “experience” than “story” (to steal a line), I was intrigued. As the lead that dominated the screen due to the story’s structure, Nina Kiri did a swell job as Evy.

Regrettably, I wasn’t the only one who felt that the story fell apart in the final act; they did NOT stick the landing. Moments did not make logical sense & made me realize that earlier moments probably shouldn’t be scrutinized either. I didn’t laugh riotously at the end credits-I was & still am more conflicted in my thoughts.

Even by A24 standards, I surmise that Undertone will be polarizing, whether by Joe Q. Public or Letterboxd members. I saw more than one comparison w/ a movie avoided by me… Skinamarink, or to rip off a term I’m mad at myself for not inventing, STINKAMARINK. And here I thought The Bride would be the only divisive genre movie released in March. I’ll be fascinated in reading the reviews starting Thursday night; for some, Undertone will greatly resonate with you.

Police Python 357

Police Python 357 (1976)

Runtime: 126 minutes

Directed by: Alain Corneau

Starring: Yves Montand, Francois Perier, Simone Signoret, Stefania Sandrelli, Mathieu Carriere

From: Albina Productions S.a.r.l./TiT Filmproduktion GmbH

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting… that’s not meant as a negative & I’m still pleased with this as my first Radiance purchase. A few days ago, someone on a messageboard gave the heads-up that Barnes & Noble were running a sale on a few different labels, including the European label Radiance. For years I’ve known of this French film, which otherwise is difficult to track down. I was happy to not have done what is typical for me & wait many months to see a physical media purchase.

The title is great… even if it’s simply a reference to the specific police officer revolver that the lead’s police department had-made by Colt, who reinstated production of the gun a few years ago.

The title might lead a viewer to surmise the film would be action-packed; this would be in error. Instead, the film shows cop Yves Montand have an affair w/ younger woman Silvia (a lady who had obvious mental health struggles-no sense in shaming her for that-who also is keeping secret that she has a relationship with Montand’s boss. Things happen and Ol’ Yves is suddenly under fire. His Marc Ferrot is a flawed and not always likable character, yet was of course still compelling. So was the boss (Ganay) along with supporting characters, especially Menard as one of the assistant investigators.

A key detail to note: the movie has a methodical 70’s pace; that alone won’t be for all tastes but I was always riveted as the story and police procedural slowly unfurled. It was nice seeing Montand again-before yesterday I’d only peep a few of his pictures; the same goes for Simone Signoret’s supporting part as an invalid. As for the titular gun, Yves uses it at the firing range but it’s not until the back half where he’s required to pull it out in the field for protection.

The film is a loose remake of a noir-the name won’t be revealed-from the 40’s-which was also remade in the 80’s; the story gripped me, as did elements that many can enjoy (the score from Georges Delerue) along with the moments only fit for esoteric me-a view of a period French grocery store. The film likely will be rewarding for patient viewers; you’ll want to see the denouement.

Police Python 357 is a downbeat 1970’s film that featured a few unexpected Dirty Harry flourishes-of course that’d be of interest to me. The rare occasions I make blind buys, they aren’t always successes—thankfully, this was. The print looked great so I’m happy to compliment Radiance on this release.

I Viewed Scary Movie 2

... and thankfully I still enjoy the film, flaws aside: 

The world missed out on the trio of MARLON BRANDO, Andy Richter, and Natasha Lyonne

For the next few weeks, I’ll be subscribed to the MGM+ service that Prime offers. They have the first two Scary Movie pictures-I never plan on seeing 3 through 5-so it made sense to view 2 after revisiting 1 the night before. 2 was another theatrical experience—unlike the first Scary Movie, there’s no amusing anecdotes concerning that screening. Checking out this again after so many years was still a nice trip down memory lane.

Famously, they rushed this movie into production after the surprise success of the first movie; I was not surprised the movie was only 76 minutes before the end credits hit. Be that as it may, I was still entertained by this film-the story not a specific spoof but instead parodied haunted house films. The leads are dragged by Tim Curry (always great to see him) and David Cross-playing a jerk in a wheelchair; that character I did not always enjoy even in ’01-to Hell House, a reference I appreciate much more now after having viewed The Legend of Hell House. The lore of the house & the plot wasn’t too bad, horror-wise.

As in the first, the humor didn’t always land and some moments have not aged well by 2026 standards, and not just the scatological moments. Despite this and such serious nitpicks as “prominent characters evidently vanishing” & “I felt uncomfortable seeing all the verbal and physical abuse inflicted upon Anna Faris as Cindy,” this does not mean there weren’t laughs to be had, or that amusing running jokes were not present. Chris Elliott is someone I typically ignore but for me, he and his deformed hand were quite amusing.

As an aside, Tim Curry will be turning 80 next month; while I’ve always praised him in reviews, his health hasn’t always been great in recent years so my doing so now felt necessary. Of course, I hope he lives for many years to come.

For something thrown together and a movie that Keenen Ivory Wayans wasn’t entirely satisfied w/, I still like Scary Movie 2 today. This lore was unknown to me until years later, but yes I am still shocked by the story of how James Woods (in a role that is especially wild in current times) wasn’t the first choice to portray the lead priest in The Exorcist spoof that opens the movie. Rather, it was MARLON BRANDO as the lead priest, Andy Richter in the Father Karras part, and Natasha Lyonne as Not Regan. Brando was on set-believe it or not-but his health was so poor, even that small role couldn’t be completed. Seeing him engage in excessive vomiting, straining on the toilet struggling w/ a bowel movement and uttering gross comments… we all missed out on that insanity, as damaging as that could have been for his legacy.

Scary Movie

Scary Movie (2000)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Keenan Ivory Wayans

Starring: Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon & Shawn Wayans, Shannon Elizabeth, Lochlyn Munro

From: Miramix 

A politically incorrect film I can share another amusing anecdote about. The first viewing was theatrically in 2000, the Saturday night it opened; some pals happened to be there also so I sat by them-more on that at the end. Yes, teen males at the time would love a movie like this; now, naturally my opinion isn’t the same as a 45-year-old dude. I did see it again between then and now-yet that was eons ago.

In addition, this will substitute a viewing of Scream 7. Before that sequel’s release, there was a struggle as to whether that should be even watched, due to the controversy, people thinking I’m taking a stance on something both trivial & serious, and what people would think… despite many Letterboxd users watching it anyhow. Well, the majority proclaiming Scream 7 as a stinker is a great excuse for me to not even bother.

Instead, I was glad to revisit this spoof of both Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer; somehow, how constantly vulgar & crass this was had left my memory. Of course, the most tasteless moment (which involved the lead couple in a bedroom) was never forgotten, nor was one of the gags that aged the worst, involving the P.E. teacher Miss Mann. No disrespect against Jayne Trcka, who passed away just a few months ago.

The jokes didn’t always land (I’m not just referring to the dated material, either) yet Scary Movie wasn’t lacking in laughs nor in pointed jabs against a pair of movies that aren’t immune to mockery. Of course, it’s a little wacky that Dimension Films released this and the Scream films but I was reminded that this shouldn’t have been a surprise when (unfortunately) the name Harvey Weinstein appeared in the end credits as an executive producer. Thankfully, for every awkward moment involving the “mentally handicapped” Doofy, Anna Faris & Regina Hall were always entertaining. Heck, even Shannon Elizabeth was fun. I’m glad the first two are returning for the new film.

It was a relief that I could still entertained by this film, and be brought back to halcyon days of yore. The first sequel was seen by me, but the rest were skipped. With any luck, the new film coming out in a few months will be fun-will it be as vulgar as the original film, or should it even be that off-color? IMO, modern horror is especially ripe for mockery so I’ll be disappointed if Scary Movie 6 is bad.

As for that Saturday night screening back in 2000, I recall it as almost a full house. The dominant memory: the reaction to the aforementioned “most vulgar moment” that involved the two leads in a bedroom. The-ahem-climax was so shocking, everyone was still guffawing long into the next scene, resulting in one of my pals yelling to the projectionist, “Hey, rewind it back!” Who knows if Scary Movie 6 will elicit such a reaction from audiences.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Michael Schultz

Starring: Peter Frampton, The Bee Gees, & Many Others

From: Universal 

What a movie to watch & announce my return to Netflix! Yes, I’ve viewed Sgt. Pepper’s many moons ago; the details as to why my memories of this being a fever dream were long forgotten. As it’s been on Netflix for ages, about time to decide if perhaps a modern viewing would change my mind… nope. That doesn’t mean I did not howl with laughter or had a bad time experiencing this again. I did not remember that Donald Pleasence w/ hair SANG-well, it was more spoken-word-let alone dressed like a 70’s cowboy in his initial appearance then wore other preposterous outfits, or the cornucopia of bizarre moments.

Musicals in general I rarely view due to my lack of interest… jukebox musicals even less so, even of a band that had many songs I dig or that those original tunes were covered by great musicians. As a rock opera horror story of the musical industry, it’s no Phantom of the Paradise… or even Josie and the Pussycats. That proves to be a subplot anyhow when the main plot involving Mr. Mustard introduces himself… and it’s baffling. I don’t fault The Bee Gees or Peter Frampton-both entities are rad.

I did love the presented message that arcades & pinball machines will lead to the downfall of a town-an attitude straight out of the 1930’s-and gives us a moment where a random lady literally pulls a giant wad of cash from underneath her short skirt!

Despite the presence of many familiar faces (whether acting or musical) the movie is a gigantic mess, usually to a hysterical degree. The story is told via the music and occasional narration from George Burns rather than any dialogue driving the story forward. There were things I loved; naturally for me, the 70’s aesthetic delighted me, whether it was the quality production design, the amazing clothing, or the appearance of Los Angeles at the time.

While the soundtrack greatly varied in quality in terms of their covers (I’m glad that other songs from the Beatles catalog were used; Sgt. Pepper’s isn’t my favorite album from them, to be frank), at least the songs from Aerosmith & Earth Wind & Fire have rightfully stood the test of time. I also appreciated that Billy Preston was the ultimate hero of the story. I’m referring to Billy Preston the musician who made awesome music-including being on the OG version of Get Back-and not Preston the person… his addiction to drugs is one thing but he was arrested for sex charges in the 90’s. Reading that on Wiki last year was greatly disappointing.

This is the sort of campy spectacle I enjoy… not modern musical disasters like Cats the movie! Sgt. Pepper’s is better than the other inexplicable musical from the 70’s involving Beatles songs: 1976’s All This and World War II. After I saw it years ago, there’s still no explanation why people thought that covers of Beatles tunes over random footage of World War II & clips from 20th Century Fox movies was a swell idea… it was not, despite the soundtrack featuring an even more impressive lineup. It had everyone from Tina Turner & Elton John to Rod Stewart, Jeff Lynne, and… The Bee Gees, no lie.

 

Aavesham

Aavesham (2024)

Runtime: 156 minutes

Directed by: Jithu Madhavan

Starring: Fahadh Faasil, HIPSTER (yes, that's his name), Mithun Jai Sankar, Roshan Shanavas, Sajin Gopu

From: A few different Indian companies 

A movie appropriate to see yesterday while Indians around the world celebrated Holi-a key scene in the film was set during the holiday. It was not only overdue for me to see a movie from India, this in particular was one of more than a few recommended that I see in the Malayalam language after my review of Marco from late last year. Marco was an extremely violent film, grimdark and IMO it went a step too far in the final act. Well, Aavesham was completely different, at least in tone.

The movie is a wacky action-comedy affair concerning a group of freshmen who enter a college of engineering in Bangalore. Besides it being a place which requires school unforms and the freshman can stay at the BK Hostel, but there’s a group of seniors who run an informal gang & were real hoodlums. I can’t necessarily say this was far-fetched as I don’t know what college life is like in India… I can only say this didn’t happen to me during my college days. Well, those freshmen befriend a literal gangster in a bid to gain revenge…

Ranga (Fahadh Faasil) was the gangster; what a dude, a middle-aged gentleman sporting many chains around his neck, adorned w/ gold rings on his fingers and a SWEET mustache, although not as incredible as the mustache on the face of his henchman, Amban. Still, Ranga was the epitome of masculinity. Note that they first meet at a urinal, everyone smoking a cigarette as they relieve themselves! Like in some modern Indian films, warnings are posted whenever characters drink & smoke that they aren’t condoning the behavior; those warnings appear often, believe me. I personally can condone that Ranga does Tik Tok dances… no, really. He’s an amazing character, and what a performance from Mr. Faasil.

Aside from a long charades scene where many different films/people were referenced and it was all a mystery to me as an ignorant white guy from America, the movie was a hoot from beginning to end. Comedy was at the forefront-thankfully, much of it did translate well for me. It’s a LONG while before the action beats begin; at first, the aftermath of violence is shown. However, once that release finally occurs, I was satisfied. Is the action what I stereotypically expect only judging by the modern Indian films I see on rare occasions… yes, although the fighting styles were at least different from the norm and the action wasn’t so bombastic it became divorced from reality, like I thought films like War 2 became.

Pulsating music that was among the best I’ve ever heard in an Indian movie (including catchy tunes) further aided my enjoyment of a film I’m happy to have tackled. Those that watch cinema from this country, you will be overjoyed to hear that I don’t plan on seeing just this movie from India during the month of March-there should be others.

Delta Space Mission

This is a 1984 movie & what a wacky movie it is: 

This was probably what I should have expected from an 80’s Romanian animated sci-fi movie. Deaf Crocodile helped rescue this movie from obscurity… actually, the Romanian Film Archive & the Romanian Film Centre in conjunction w/ the label restored the movie but Crocodile released it to the West-gaining enough notoriety that the movie was on the Criterion Channel for a bit. However, today I saw it on the Eternal Family platform, where oddities like these are commonplace.

Ostensibly, the focus is on a space crew in 3084 who interact w/ a voluptuous humanoid alien w/ green-blue skin and bright red hair named Alma… a new ship (Station Delta) has a silver dodecahedron AI brain which goes haywire after developing the hots for Alma. 

What the film featured:

* Primitive yet charming colorful animation which featured watercolor backgrounds
* Kaiju-sized monsters
* Alma’s “alien dog” Tin, which I’d better describe as an alien frog, but Tin was awesome
* Many bleeps & bloops on the soundtrack, along with a prog-like synth score from Calin Ioanchimescu that was also awesome
* A human duo that had a buddy cop comedy sort of energy to them
Creative alien worlds, especially on the planet Acora
* An onslaught of robots

Some aspects you shouldn’t scrutinize too hard. That said, I was entertained by this peculiarity. It’s no Fantastic Planet nor Son of the White Mare yet the film still proved my theory that cinema behind the Iron Curtain is typically bizarre, due to environment, repression, the government, etc. Evidently, this was a spin-off from a cartoon on television-of course, no foreknowledge of that show is required to see the film. IMO, Delta Space Mission is a trippy delight.

An Angel for Satan

An Angel for Satan (Un Angelo Per Satana) (1966)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Camillo Mastrocinque

Starring: Barbara Steele, Anthony Steffen, Claudio Gora, Mario Brega, Marina Berti

From: Discobolo Film

In this special late-night posting on Letterboxd, I discuss another film watched on the Eternal Family platform; that esoteric service also has a quartet of streaming channels divided by genre. While the channels don’t tell you how far along in the movie or short you are, at least every few minutes, in the bottom right corner the name of the film and year of release are shown-especially critical for a platform full of obscurities.

The film is rather reminiscent of Mario Bava’s Black Sunday, and not solely due to both starring cult favorite Barbara Steele. The scenario of Satan: a sculptor travels to a small Italian village by a lake during the last years of the 19th century. Barbara Steele hires him to restore a statue recently pulled from the lake after 200 years, despite the protests of the superstitious village. Well, they were right in their fears; someone witchy is causing havoc, tearing the town apart. To be fair, some of those people deserved it…

Yes, the movie is not as good as 1960’s Black Sunday. That doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile, or that you wouldn’t have a good time seeing this as the back half of a double feature w/ Black Sunday during a chilly fall evening, perhaps while drinking chilled or warm apple cider. Ms. Steele was especially bewitching here; the rest of the main/supporting characters are colorful archetypes. It was a delight watching a specter ravage the town & causing so much havoc. The black and white photography was note-perfect for this Gothic tale & all the spooky happenings. Appropriate OOT acting + the atmosphere = a pretty good time.

Again, this film is rather “normal” compared to much of what’s on Eternal Family. By the end of the month, you’ll see what I’m referring to.

Behind the Door

Behind the Door (1919)

Runtime: 70 minutes

Directed by: Irvin Willat

Starring: Hobart Wadsworth, Jane Novak, James Gordon, J.P. Lockney, Wallace Beery

From: Paramount

This was a “superdrama”, indeed. I never know whether to name people I follow on Letterboxd or not; what will be revealed: one recently reviewed this film, described as the “most brutal silent” then another gave a review, also positive. As the restoration is on YouTube (more on that at the end), I couldn’t turn down this curio.

The opening is a gentleman named Oscar Krug, returning to a bucolic little Maine town… in 1925. The viewer discovers he had a taxidermy shop, long-since abandoned. He finds an old handkerchief and sighs wistfully to days of yore; except for the ending, the rest of the film is in flashback to 1917 & 1918. Krug loved a girl named Alice. Despite his status as a nice man who even assists children w/ fixing a sailboat or a doll torn apart, he experiences prejudice as it’s World War I time & he’s of German heritage--the father of Alice does not approve, especially once the United States enters the war. As least we don’t have that sort of behavior now in the States concerning someone born in the country with “a foreign-sounding” name, especially from a country that the United States has heat with…

To be serious again, a xenophobic brawl happens outside the shop, resulting in torn clothes & obvious facial bruising. Oscar gets out of town, enlisting in the Navy. Oscar and Alice secretly wed; the father throws her out. You see, he wants his early 20’s daughter to marry his chosen middle-aged guy instead of the middle-aged Oscar. Yes, unfortunate age gaps like this occurred in cinema even that long ago. Things happen, Oscar meets the evil German submarine captain Wallace Beery-recently, I discovered that this actor, often portraying villains, was likely a villain IRL; you can read his Wiki page and discover the accusations former wife Gloria Swanson made against him.

After a horrifying act, Krug is looking for revenge, and I’ll just say that Norman Bates wasn’t the first taxidermist to stun audiences in a motion picture. We are told what Krug did as an act of revenge; it’d leave audiences flabbergasted for a protagonist to do that NOW in a film. Even w/o the benefit of spoken dialogue, the pure rage from Krug was palpable. The interactions between Krug and the evil Lieutenant Brandt were the highlight. Between that and a woman’s sexual assault, people in 2026 won’t believe this was released by Paramount, but ‘tis true.

This was a compelling 70-minute journey that was restored in 2016 by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, the Library of Congress, and Russia’s Gosfilmofond; the latter two had different prints that were combined-even then, two scenes had to be represented by stills as no known complete print exists. Be that as it may, the restoration was of high quality. Accompanied by an appropriate score from Stephen Horne, I was happy w/ the restoration and that such a wild silent wasn’t lost to the sands of time. Flicker Alley (a great niche label I’ve mentioned on several occasions in the past) have the movie on Blu if anyone’s interested.