Independence

A short (from JOHN HUSTON!) made for the National Park Service to celebrate the Bicentennial featuring Eli Wallach as Benjamin Franklin is one way to celebrate America’s semiquincentennial. I did not know of Independence’s existence until a mutual reviewed it a few days ago. 

There was no film I wanted to visit or revisit; to be frank, July 4th does not seem like a big deal for me as such a momentous anniversary should. Is it me? Is it because of how the United States has been in recent years, or is it other factors? Heck if I know, but at least I can mention this curio, made for visitors of Philadelphia’s Independence National Historic Park, an area which hosts various landmarks from the beginning of the United States as a country, including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. 

This is as dry and clinical as you’d expect given the platform it was meant for. Those that don’t care for history and/or know little if anything about the early days of the United States as a country, this likely won’t be of interest for you. However, as I am that sort of nerd, I was interested even if none of the information presented was new to me.

What a cast this has:

*William Atherton as Benjamin Rush
* The late James Tolkan-wearing a wig-as Thomas Paine
* Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson. While I’ve never seen 1776, it is known by me he played him in that as well
* Pat Hingle as John Adams
* Eli Wallach as Benjamin Franklin
* Wallach’s wife Anne Jackson is here too, as Abigail Adams
* And E.G. Marshall was the narrator

This was produced w/ the aid of 20th Century Fox! If that isn’t a surprise, knowing why the cinematography looked so good will. This was shot by none other than Owen Roizman-yes, the cinematographer for The Exorcist, Network, and The French Connection, among other famous films still known today. 

Today, nothing special will be done. Staying at home viewing the fireworks on TV is fine by me; nothing will compare to the memories of viewing them as a kid w/ my family anyhow.

One thing I could do is decide which John Huston movies I should check out in the future. Many of his most famous efforts have been tackled already but there should be some more worthy of checking out.

Obsessions

Obsessions (Bezeten-Het Gat in de Muur) (1969)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Pim de la Parra

Starring: Alexandra Stewart, Dieter Geissler, Tom van Beek, Donald Jones, Elisabeth Verslyus

From: Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion/Scorpio Film Productions

Where’s Inde Navarrette?

Actually, last night I discovered that this film was on the Eternal Family platform. The thought crossed my mind, “Why does this Dutch/West German movie sound familiar?” then after Google I realized why. This film was shot in English; I believe this only occurred because he was in Amsterdam for Who’s That Knocking at my Door, but one of the co-writers was… SCORSESE, no lie. He helped translate the script to English, as I only learned after viewing this motion picture.

His involvement makes it funnier that this was a cross between a Hitchcockian tale (wait ‘till you hear who provided the score) and late 60’s Euro-sleaze, complete with an onslaught of naked women. A dude named Nils studying for his doctorate-we don’t see him do much of that-discovers a peephole in his apartment. He plays Peeping Tom, happily spying on his neighbor having sex w/ multiple women to the point that he doesn’t hide this from his girl Marina, despite her rating high on the attractive scale, at least in my eyes. Nils is an unrepentant horndog, as the movie is happy to make clear. As he deals with a case involving tied-up women & LSD, Marina is a reporter investigating a case of a murdered man purported to be in the United States Army.

Even by my standards, the pacing could be incredibly methodical at times; that point noted, I was still entertained by this sleazy tale-I wasn’t too surprised these filmmakers would later release REALLY sleazy pictures in the 70’s, most infamously 1971’s softcore Blue Movie. The mysteries were enough to keep me captivated—are the two cases connected? I enjoyed the period décor and all but a huge asset: the score from… Bernard Herrmann. 

As an aside, I was amused that there was a minor character best described as DUTCH CHAPPELL ROAN; even better, there’s a more important character best described as GERMAN PETER BOYLE. 

Obsessions won’t be for everyone, & not just due to the slow plot progression. However, I was amused; Scorsese’s involvement was why I watched but wasn’t the reason why I had a fine time. It was a relief that the focus proved to be on Marina rather than horndog Nils. Alexandra Stewart thankfully delivered the best performance. One of the best moments of the first half of 2026 was discovering the Eternal Family platform (via an Instagram ad, of all things) as several interesting films have already been watched via Eternal the past 4 months plus.

 

Kantara

Kantara (2022)

Runtime: 147 minutes

Directed by: Rishab Shetty

Starring: Shetty, Sapthami Gowdy, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty

From: Hombale Films 

TIL, Indian demigods apparently loved going WOOAAAHHHH!

As I desire to have great variety this month, it was time to check out another film from India. As mentioned on several occasions by now, more than a few mutuals on Letterboxd are from that part of the world. This film-in the Kannada language-on Prime had a striking cover image plus the vague plot description did intrigue.

This tale was a little different in that part of the plot focused on folklore/mythology & demigods-yes, they constantly went WOOAAAHHHH! If that is part of lore, my apologies to those of South Asian descent. Hopefully you can understand why that’d be surprising to a dumb white guy like me. In any event, the residents of a rural village don’t want to leave due to the government’s plan to have the area become a national forest due to old lore that they are protected by a demigod. To greatly oversimplify the plot, a dude named Shiva and his pals wish to save the village despite the best efforts of some real heels, including a forest ranger.

This does have some hallmarks that could be stereotyped as being common in modern Indian cinema. Speed ramping, slow motion or sped-up footage, an unstoppable hero… it’s all here. At the same time, I had a lot of fun as the demigod angle did add extra flavor. The film was also shot quite well by star/director Rishab Shetty, featuring a propulsive score from B. Ajaneesh Loknath and wacky moments as LOG-FU during a great extended finale. The action beats did deliver.

Last year they made a prequel; one day-likely in the far-future-I’ll check it out.

Godzilla vs. Gigan

Godzilla vs. Gigan (Chikyû kôgeki meirei Gojira tai Gaigan) (1972)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Jun Fukuda

Starring: Hiroshi Ishikawa, Yuriko Hishimi, Minoru Takashima, Tomoko Umeda, Toshiaki Nishizawa

From: Toho

a.k.a. The One where Gojira & Anguirus talk to each other, their words appearing in cartoon bubbles.

It’s been awhile since seeing anything from this franchise; as there’s only a few left before all have been viewed—I feel there’s no rush to complete what’s been a fun journey. As I was struggling last night deciding what to check out-a struggle that sometimes occurs-suddenly the inspiration struck to view then review this.

There are other reasons why this entry is rather silly. Our hero is a manga artist who at one point draws an image best described as “suited for a Garbage Pail Kids card” and sometimes literally stumbles around like a buffoon. He’s hired by “Children’s Land”, an amusement park under construction who has a suspiciously young chairman. Yep, they’re aliens (cue meme image of that one dude w/ wacky hair) whose actual form is incredibly on-the-nose.

I can carp about that, how more than one character doesn’t change clothes all that often for days-I guess that saves on the wardrobe budget-or how a key dude is a chubby Japanese hippie. Yet, that chubby Japanese hippie was a hoot & the human story was fine; the fact that they did more to defeat the villains than some franchise entries was an asset. They were goofy without becoming irritants.

As juvenile as this could be and as obvious as it slides in another message concerning pollution-when that was the key theme in the last movie, Godzilla vs. Hedorah-I still had fun with the movie. As typical, the miniatures & effects were swell, and most important for kaiju fans, the monster battles were a blast. It was Godzilla & Anguirus vs. King Ghidorah and the titular Gigan, a bipedal creature with a buzzsaw on its belly. Wacky, yet certainly memorable. For the first time, Godzilla bled on camera.

The cost-cutting was unfortunate—stock footage from earlier efforts were used, and so was the score. At the same time, I was satisfied. Godzilla vs. Gigan was not total juvenile inanity like All Monsters Attack, after all.

Thunder on the Hill

Thunder on the Hill (1951)

Runtime: 84 minutes

Directed by: Douglas Sirk

Starring: Claudette Colbert, Ann Blyth (RIP), Robert Douglas, Anne Crawford, Philip Friend

From: Universal 

RIP Ann Blyth

Some will be as surprised as I was to learn that she was still alive at the age of 98 until passing away last week. The circumstances were eerie: an account on Twitter noted she would be turning 99 later in the year, then praising both her and Joan Crawford for 1945’s legendary Mildred Pierce, where Blyth played her evil teen daughter. Indeed, both performances were great. Right after this post was made, her death was announced. As I’ve already reviewed Pierce, instead the choice was made to check out a Douglas Sirk picture starring Claudette Colbert. It’s nun noir, to steal a phrase from a mutual. Hey, Kino released it as part of a box set on film noirs…

The plot for certain intrigued: Colbert is a nun at a convent attached to a hospital. Torrential downpours and flooding are in the area of Norwich, England (I’m sure the UK would prefer that to the brutal heatwaves they and most of Europe have received as of late) have not only resulted in a jam-packed building, Blyth and her cop escorts are stuck there… she was convicted of murdering her invalid brother. Claudette believes she’s innocent so while mainly stuck in the convent, she attempts to prove that Blyth’s Valerie is innocent.

Yes, you can tell this was based on a stage play. “Old newspapers” is one way she attempts to be a sleuth.

The scenario is admittedly far-fetched; be that as it may, I was still entertained by this malarkey. The viewer has to accept that more than one man is rather tiresome and his behavior is especially bad by 2026 standards. I was entertained by the drama, the petty squabbles between the nuns & nurses, an oppressive doctor, a “half-wit” groundskeeper named Willie (the movie’s term, not mine), and all the rest. The score was solid as was the direction from Sirk and the sets created for this Universal production.

The key reason why I enjoyed Thunder on the Hill were the powerful performances from Colbert and Blyth. The former was always likable despite the resistance she received from multiple characters, especially a nurse who was a hater through & through. The latter was bitchy at first, although if it was the night before you were to hang from the gallows by the neck until dead… my mood wouldn’t be cheery either.

While the mystery was solved by me quicker than usual for the genre, Thunder was still a nice way for me to tip my cap to who was one of the last few famous names from that era of Old Hollywood still around.

 

Spaceballs, Revisited

This was how I celebrated the 100th birthday of Mel Brooks. Around these parts an explanation should not be required why me and most everyone else consider him a legend. Sure, only half of his directorial efforts have been reviewed here so I could have done something not discussed by me before. However, Flashback Cinema (who have provided retro movies to smaller non-national chains for years) played this yesterday & it felt only fitting to pay tribute this way... by viewing a movie I've loved since childhood & reviewed on Letterboxd once before, many years ago.

Yes, once the Internet entered my life in the late 90's I realized many don't care for the film-their opinion ranging from “annoyance” to downright “hatred.” It's not hard to see why—admittedly the movie is quite silly in spoofing sci-fi, but mainly Star Wars. Well, Star Wars and Star Trek were both viewed by me as a kid, and I was a kid in the 80's & 90's... perhaps it shouldn't be a shocker that the movie would be appealing, nevermind its faults or how it isn't transgressive like Blazing Saddles or is seen as hysterical by more people like a Young Frankenstein or The Producers.

Personally, I'd like to think it's not just nostalgia which explains my high rating, although that can be argued. Regardless, even if the movie hasn't been watched by me in ages (and note that not everything I revisit is mentioned on Letterboxd by any means), I am still greatly entertained by the parody of Star Wars characters, the quality cast, the puns, the wordplay, the sight gags, the dialogue-much of it still tickles me pink now-the 4th wall breaks, and how they poke fun at Star Wars while not being malicious. No wonder George Lucas was a big fan of this flick.

In my 45 years on this planet, Spaceballs is one of the films watched the most by me-there was more than a few childhood viewings. The film drew a decent-sized crowd at my screening; I was amused that beforehand, the trailers were for kids entertainment, due to the PG rating Spaceballs has... ignoring that this is the 80's version of PG, meaning there's an F-bomb and a few vulgar phrases, especially “I bet she gives great helmet!”

The sequel coming out 40 years after this—I am quite cautious how that will turn out. I'd appreciate a score like John Morris which successfully aped the John William sound and nice practical sets/effects like we got here-aided by ILM. This probably won't be the cast but I'll be crestfallen if the humor is modern and/or millennial; look at my review of the new Masters of the Universe to learn the strong degree which that is considered a repellent. I'm glad the main cast has returned & it will be great to see Rick Moranis again. Leaving Hollywood to raise his children after his wife died of cancer is tragic although of course the right thing to do. No matter how Spaceballs: The New One turns out, I'll always love the original.

The Replacement Killers

The Replacement Killers (1998)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Mira Sorvino, Michael Rooker, Kenneth Tsang, Jurgen Prochnow

From: Columbia

As sometimes occurs, messageboard discussion spurned my viewing of a film. The past few days, there was discourse concerning both this and The Big Hit (which I won’t watch soon but perhaps one day years in the future that’ll occur) concerning hazy memories of late 90’s video store rentals. Despite being the proper age-a teen in the late 90’s… yes I’m old!-neither were ever rented by me.

The opening w/ The Crystal Method blasting in a club as Chow Yun-Fat stylishly gunned down fools got this started on the right foot. He’s an assassin hired to kill the son of police officer Michael Rooker as a revenge killing… before anyone panics, Rooker kills a criminal in self-defense so it’s justified; the killer’s father is the one who hires Chow. He develops a conscience & won’t murder a 7-year-old boy. That’s why he’s on the run, needs the assistance of forger Mia Sorvino to flee the country, and that’s when the titular replacement killers enter the picture.

In less than 90 minutes-I wish more pictures like this were so economical-Antoine Fuqua (in his debut, believe it or not) created a movie full of style, was fast-paced, had a nice cast full of familiar faces, and had action beats which weren’t epic like in Hong Kong yet was still delightful. Fat does duel-wield pistols by the end, much to my gratification. I bemoan Chow not succeeding in Hollywood due to no fault of his own… I should shoulder a tiny part of blame as both this and The Corruptor (another pretty good time) could have been viewed on the big screen in ’98 by myself but failed to do so. Why Sorvino did not have a better career in Hollywood is again due to no fault of her own, but of course is much more horrifying if you don’t know the reasons.

On a lighter note, especially these days I greatly appreciate a serious movie that don’t constantly wink at the camera, is shot well, features some quality lighting for the aesthetics, has a nice score/soundtrack, the team of Til Schweiger & Danny Trejo, and Mr. Magoo! As lamented by me many times by this point, I wish there was more modestly-budgeted R-rated theatrical movies out in the United States for me to view… then again, the effort for me is to go & see those when they’re available.