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.