Killer of Sheep

Killer of Sheep (1978)

Runtime: 80 minutes

Directed by: Charles Burnett

Starring: Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett, Eugene Cherry

From: Milestone Films 

I mentioned not that long ago that cinema verite and slice-of-life movies aren’t always for me. However, I was glad to finally check out this film that there’s been an interest in checking out for years yet the trigger wasn’t pulled even when it was added to the Criterion Channel a few months ago. The platform’s 24/7 service playing the film finally gave me the impetus to cross this off of my figurative queue, it of what has to be thousands of movies still. There were times when this movie was impossible to track down (legally); the soundtrack was unauthorized and as this is full of mostly Black music… but all that’s settled for the time being.

Ostensibly this is about a random Black man dealing with insomnia and malaise as he has a slaughterhouse job in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles and he struggles with being the head of a family w/ young children… in actuality, this is a slice-of-life where a wide variety of characters (including more than a few kids) are shown living in Watts and their experiences living in a poor area, whether good or-typically-bad. The cast is mainly non-actors this was mostly filmed between ’72 and ’73. Best of all, director Charles Burnett presented this movie as his Master of Fine Art thesis for the School of Film at UCLA in 1977. It is wild that Burnett made the bold choice to adopt this style for a student film involving Black talent in the early 70’s.

For a dumb white guy like me who wasn’t even alive in the 1970’s, this black-and-white film (which yes, does evoke feelings of Italian neo-realism) was quite illuminating. There isn’t too much else that I’d wish to reveal-people should experience this journey themselves if the premise sounds intriguing. For a movie filled with amateurs and helmed by a neophyte filmmaker, it has some great cinematography; the hip-hop community noticed it, given that Mos Def took an image from the film & gave it a red tint for his The Ecstatic album, along with The Roots using an aesthetic from the film for their Undun album.

The new 4K restoration made this 16mm movie look outstanding-for that reason alone, I can’t be too upset it took this long to finally tackle Killer of Sheep.

Girl with Hyacinths

Girl with Hyacinths (Flicka Och Hyacinter) (1950)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Hasse Ekman

Starring: Eva Henning, Ulf Palme, Birgit Tengroth, Anders Ek, Gosta Cederlund

From: Terrafilm

This film is part of the Criterion Channel’s new Nordic Noir section, and as according to the channel this movie is an unexpected popular watch, why not tackle it for myself? Whether or not you consider this noir or not is debatable; I have a list devoted to the genre but as I only add American films to it anyhow… a young lady named Dagmar who’s a loner took her own life via hanging.

That happens a few minutes in and that should be mentioned for those that don’t want to view such things for whatever personal reasons. Dagmar’s apartment neighbor is a writer and he investigates why she made this decision. The blurb on the channel in fact invoked the name Citizen Kane; that’s a tall order but the movie is very good. The viewer sees flashbacks which shone a light on Dagmar’s life and why she committed suicide.

The description on the Criterion Channel reveals a key detail which perhaps shouldn’t have been revealed beforehand; even if you don’t know, people today might have an easier time guessing the big surprise at the conclusion. A segment of the audience reading this probably would be interested in Dagmar as a character due to her preferences. Hyacinths was an easy 90-minute watch; the runtime flew by as the author Anders investigates, we see many flashbacks, and he has frequent discussions w/ his wife Britt concerning the case.

Whether behind or in front of the camera, I wasn’t familiar w/ most of the cast and crew, aside from Anders Ek. There’s strong filmmaking craft involved and the cast as a whole was swell. That said, Ulf Palme as Anders and Eva Henning as Dagmar were the highlights; the latter was incredibly sympathetic as a nice lady who is treated horribly by seemingly every man in her life, then she took her own life.

The movie is of the downbeat variety yet I was still glad to have gone on this journey. None other than Ingmar Bergman was a fan. In the future I’ll view at least one more from the Nordic Noir collection.

Nightmare Beach

Nightmare Beach (1989)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Harry Kirkpatrick, mostly, although Umberto Lenzi was on set

Starring: Nicolas de Toth, Sarah Buxton, John Saxon, Michael Parks, Lance LeGault

From: Overseas Filmgroup

A relevant movie for me to discuss today, it was. I mention that as a key plot point to this nonsense set at Spring Break in Florida was that the lead male is a college football quarterback who blew it in the national championship game in Miami by throwing 5 interceptions. Well, tonight is the college football national championship… the game will be held in a Miami suburb. Hopefully either Fernando Mendoza or Carson Beck don’t throw 5 INT’s in the game; they’ll be a total wet blanket during Spring Break and be a drag for their horndog wide receiver friend that is ready, willing & able to engage in the bacchanal that is Spring Break on a beach.

When I was in college way back when, I never went to Spring Break in Florida, thus I did not witness or even participate in the binge drinking, unprotected sex, wet t-shirt contests, and other debauchery all day & night. On the other hand, I also did not have to worry about the scenario presented in this Italian horror movie… a biker who was executed but is hinted at being resurrected as a killer in black biker leathers and a helmet who is indiscriminately killing people during the college rite of passage in Florida. At least for these people, they have John Saxon as a loose cannon aviator shades-wearing badass cop named… STRYCHER. Of course, the movie is easy to criticize or even scoff at if you aren’t entertained by incredibly silly genre movies and goofball young adults. 

The acting aside from old pros like Saxon and Lance LeGault is spotty at best, terrible at worst. The logic of the plot shouldn’t be scrutinized too hard. Yet, I was entertained by this trash. The 80’s clothing, hair, and music throughout always made me chuckle. There are some absurd deaths-thankfully, the effects were decent-red herring characters that include a weird-looking creep that’s a Peeping Tom, and side plots that entertained me… both men and women, solo and in groups, people steal the money of the poor saps that are visiting for Spring Break. Another good reason for me not regretting going there!

Like with many Italian genre pictures for at least a 10 year period, they filmed in the Miami region of Florida; nice scenery was presented, and I’m not referring to the pretty ladies in the cast… or handsome men, if that’s your bag instead. The film was a good time. Note that Umberto Lenzi (someone I am a fan of) was the original director but he abdicated that position because he found the plot too similar to an earlier film he did… I won’t reveal which one as it could be deemed a spoiler. Instead, he stayed on in an advisory role and screenwriter Harry Kirkpatrick directed instead. From a mutual’s review, when he met Saxon at a comic con, he confirmed this to be the case.

Nightmare Beach was fun, especially as something different from the typical 80’s slasher.

Best in Show

Best in Show (2000)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Christopher Guest

Starring: A great cast. What a deep bench it has.

From: Warner Brothers/Castle Rock Entertainment

Me giving up on a new streaming release 10 minutes in because it was a nonstop torrent of F-bombs shouldn’t be too surprising to longtime readers-the fact that the film also had a flagrant logical fallacy made it all the easier to hit “stop”, never to return. What may be surprising or perhaps even a little galling to some: I’d never seen any of the Christopher Guest mockumentaries he’s directed despite the lavish praise they’ve received all these years… well, except the one that was released on Netflix, but that’s the “magic” of Netflix, I suppose—and that was long before their mandate of “verbally explaining the plot on multiple occasions because many of our viewers are on phones while watching.” Sigh…

Back on topic, I was happy that while droll humor isn’t always my thing (the same goes for improv humor), this was quite funny. I’ve never watched any dog shows-even the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show-yet that was irrelevant in this case. Wacky characters of wildly different personalities bring their pooches to a major dog show in Philadelphia. It’s everyone from a campy homosexual male couple and a North Carolina fisherman to an amazingly stressed couple and an amazingly dorky Eugene Levy who has a wife… well, I don’t want to shame Catherine O’Hara’s character as I could get canceled for such things now!

The characters are all peculiar and are poked fun at without being cruelly mocked too harshly. Arguably, Fred Willard was the highlight as the color commentator of the dog show due to his constant remarks that were either cheesy cliches or bizarre off the wall statements. That said, I was entertained by all the main players; I wasn’t let down by a film that had Levy & his fake teeth, O’Hara, Michael McKean, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Larry Miller, and Guest himself in a key role, among others. There’s also a small part for That Guy actor Don S. Davis, a distinctive-looking older bald man who I’m sure many will recognize for his recurring role on Twin Peaks but as that’s still a show I’ve never tackled (I know, I know) he’s best known to me for small roles in a few random 80’s and 90’s pictures.

Comedy with awkward characters and humor as dry as a biscuit is not something I desire to view constantly so it is probable that months will pass by before I give something like Waiting for Guffman or A Mighty Wind a shot. Be that as it may, Best in Show thankfully wasn’t a disappointment. It spoofed the inherent absurdities of dog shows in a playful way-personally, I was happy to view many different varieties of dogs throughout. As modern “comedies” leave me cold, I’m glad to find one from the past worth seeing-and the runtime of 90 minutes is a bonus.

 

Only Angels Have Wings

Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

Runtime: 121 minutes

Directed by: Howard Hawks

Starring: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Richard Barthelmess, Thomas Mitchell, Rita Hayworth

From: Columbia

Another review done via request. Earlier in the month, I gave a positive review to the 1952 movie Mogambo; this was mentioned on a messageboard. Another regular on the board mentioned this film as one he was a fan of. Of course I’ve known of Only Angels Have Wings for years. A highly-regarded Howard Hawks film starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Rita Hayworth… shame on me for never giving it a shot sooner.

The setting of “South American Port Town” was a great one; Grant’s Geoff Carter was the stern, standoffish leader of a small airline who has the unenviable task of flying 1930’s aircraft through dangerous, high passes in the Andes Mountains. However, he does have the enviable task of expressing interest in both Arthur and Hayworth… but seriously, the film opens with a light tone before revealing the dark undercurrent that resides in this fatalistic, insular world where every pilot’s flight could be their last & Carter himself flew the riskiest flights. Arthur was the fish out of water character who was also the voice of reason.

This is another example of an enthralling journey where I’d rather not reveal too much. I will note that the film has a panoply of colorful, unforgettable characters. The airplane footage is still impressive today but the crux of the focus is on the players and their drama while on the ground. The two-hour runtime… flew by. Of course, Grant and Arthur were solid but it was Rita with a minimal amount of screentime which made me understood why after this film, she skyrocketed in popularity. Silent star Richard Barthelmess was appropriately weathered-looking for his role. In addition, I was personally happy to see Three Stooges regular Vernon Dent in a bit part.

Wings has action, melodrama, heartbreak, romance, and some laughs in an enticing package. 1939 is generally regarded as the best year in the history of cinema (and to think, Thomas Mitchell was in this and several other classics released that year)-there’s no shortage of movies from this year worth seeing—Only Angels Have Wings is another worth seeing without a doubt. The stunning nature of the conclusion alone is motivation should be motivation for those fools like me that took a random Internet poster’s praise to finally DVR the movie when it played on cable.

The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11

This is another Netflix documentary: 

Why do modern documentaries deem it “cool” to show themselves set up a shot (including a clapper board) before then running the shot? I know it’s been a trope for years but the example here was way too elaborate and was just a sign that this BBC/Netflix effort was overproduced.

I realize at least some reading this weren’t alive in late 2001 (which makes me feel ancient); in the weeks after 9/11, letters filled with anthrax were sent to various entities. What was implied in the documentary but not explicitly stated was that the FBI bungled the investigation from the beginning… it took way too long to realize this was a coordinated attack. What a scary time it was for all Americans at the time; I remember that fear & confusion distinctly despite it happening a quarter-century ago.

The FBI focused on one suspect-only for another suspect right under their noses appear and that guy was a better candidate. Because reasons, this person was never convicted in a court of law for these attacks… and part of this documentary featured reenactments of this person as if this was a show on Investigation Discovery. A curious decision was that these moments featured known actors… Clark Gregg of War of the Worlds fame (well, that’s how I’ll know him for the rest of time!) and Peri Gilpin.

My criticisms aside, it was still nice to see people involved in this case interviewed. I remember some of those events when they happened + I’ve read some articles after the fact. For those not as familiar, this was a nice cursory glance at the event and the subsequent investigation. Of most interest to me: the moments devoted to following those affected by the anthrax exposure at the Brentwood post office in Washington, D.C. Then and now, the government also botched how that was handled, especially considering that two of the five victims (Thomas Morris, Jr. and Joseph Curseen) were employees of that office.

I haven’t read any books solely devoted to the case; as flawed as Wikipedia can be, their article “2001 anthrax attacks” is worthy of reading for those on a quest for more knowledge, re: what occurred starting in late 2001.

Primate

Primate (2025)

79% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 131 reviews)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Johannes Roberts

Starring: Johnny Sequoyah, Jess Alexander, Troy Kotsur, Victoria Wyant, Gia Hunter

From: Paramount

I… went ape for Primate.

Truth be told, the effective advertisements (where they stressed that test screenings made everyone in the audience jump in shock) plus learning that the film had a Carpenter-esque synth score from Adrian Johnston… that was enough to persuade me. Indeed, the score typically reminded me of old-school John Carpenter, which is a compliment.

The film is unapologetically a B-movie; of course that won’t be for all tastes. College girl Lucy (a great name if you get the reference) returns home to Hawaii for summer break-she’s been away due to her mom’s passing from cancer. The family has a chimpanzee named Ben who was taught sign language. Middle-aged me was reminded of Koko the Gorilla, who was taught sign language. A rabbit hole is reading the dirty details of how she was evidently cared for and other unfortunate controversies. Ben is bitten by a mongoose that has rabies-perhaps a few liberties were taken in how quickly Ben turns evil.

I probably shouldn’t question how quickly Ben turned into an evil chimp that inflicted gory carnage as if he’s watched the Terrifier films. That plus that monkey subplot in Nope (you know, people still debate now how that subplot tied into the main plot! I’d almost want to watch that disappointing movie again to discuss that…) reminded me of poor Charla Nash. She was a lady whose friend’s chimp snapped one day and mauled her. Her aftermath/the damage to her face would cause even the toughest and most extreme film-watchers to genuflect.

Primate can be nitpicked to death if you’re the insufferable CinemaSins type. This won’t be me; instead, I’ll shower praise and note why I was glad this wasn’t one of those “elevated horror” movies that almost always leave me cold or those PG-13 Blumhouse flicks that are lame and squander potential good premises. This is an R-rated film that features several gore-heavy moments, all done practically. Including end credits, the movie is an hour and a half long, never overstaying its welcome-perhaps at the expense of seeing Ben as a kind animal before his turn.

Unlike w/ too many modern films, I wasn’t aggravated w/ any of the main characters I was supposed to like. Plot armor isn’t a huge deal like you also get w/ too many modern films, not to mention certain popular streaming shows… I’ve seen a few Johannes Roberts films before and those were only mediocre at best but this contained several tense suspense scenes and used mainly one location decently well. This was also the first film I saw Troy Kotsur in-he was the one credited name in the cast I knew and his performance was good. Thankfully, there wasn’t a dreadful performance in the cast.

I’m evidently a simple man; still, there’s no shame in enjoying a silly yet unpretentious B-movie that delivered on its premise. I wish that there wouldn’t have been too many knuckleheads in the auditorium audience, but alas… I’m also reminded that one day I should check out the similar Link and Shakma.