Big Deal On Madonna Street

Big Deal on Madonna Street(I Soliti Ignoti) (1958)

Runtime: 106 minutes

Directed by: Mario Monicelli

Starring: Vittorio Gassman, Renato Salvatori, Memmo Carotenuto, Rossana Rosi, Marcello Mastroianni

From: Several Italian companies

“Donald Duck aprons” was not a sight I was expecting to see.

For the last heist movie I'll view (at least for about a week or two), might as well go with a legendary comedic take on the particular genre. Plenty of films show those daring escapades pulled off successfully... what if the job is done by hoodlums who are fools, in way over their heads? The prize they desire is jewels in a safe. This should definitely be viewed by those that dig these sorts of capers.

This motley crew includes a lousy boxer and a broke photographer who had to sell his camera as his wife is in jail and he has to look after his toddler son. There are double-crosses, plenty of bickering, romances that are sometimes done only for the benefit of the robbery, injuries... there are plenty of chuckles to be had, especially during the attempted heist itself. Just about everything goes wrong there; among other things, they inadvertently make themselves incredibly conspicuous. Rififi (an obvious inspiration; it was made just a few years prior) is easy to use for a comparison; as right as that heist went, the one presented here is bungled beyond belief.

While I recognized only some of the names (Vittorio Gassman, Claudia Cardinale in a small role, and the legendary Marcello Mastroianni before he skyrocketed to stardom) the cast as a whole was pretty solid. Great was the jazzy score from Piero Umiliani that augments so well what is on screen. As there's also gorgeous cinematography from Gianni Di Venanzo, Big Deal on Madonna Street was simply a delight.

The Silent Partner

The Silent Partner (1978)

Runtime: 105 minutes

Directed by: Daryl Duke

Starring: Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer (RIP), Susannah York, Celine Lomez, Michael Kirby

From: Carolco (which came as a surprise to me when I viewed the opening credits)

Finally, I am able to tip my cap to the late Christopher Plummer. Like everyone else I was saddened when I heard of his death a few weeks ago. None all of his work that I've seen in my life has been rated & reviewed on Letterboxd; The Silent Partner is something I've known of for a few years now but it's just now that I pressed play (on the Criterion Channel, where it's at for the moment) and went on the journey to see if this Canadian film deserves the high praise I've seen in some circles. IMO, this Curtis Hanson scripted film does.

It's a simple tale-at first glance-where a bank teller (Elliott Gould) accidentally stumbles upon news that his branch will soon be held up. He tries to game the system so he can also get himself some cash during the holdup. The robber (Plummer) discovers this ruse and as he's a sadistic SOB this results in a cat and mouse battle-likely a million times better than what is shown in the new Tom & Jerry film which just dropped-where they often try to outwit each other. Gould's romantic entanglements are also shown; eventually the viewer discovers the purpose of this. As for all the female nudity present... I already knew the purpose of that, along with the one gruesome death.

It is a serious battle of wits & wills, both wanting that large sum of Canadian loonies. Both the leads are rather interesting characters (for example, Gould's Miles Cullen loves tropical fish) and both deliver noteworthy performances. Not only does it have a few Hitchcockian scenes, there's also early John Candy, in a small role and a rare dramatic part for him. He wears plaid suits and manages to hook up with a young attractive blonde; it is not as happy a relationship as it appears on the surface. Mix in an aces musical score from jazz musician Oscar Peterson and I was not let down by the experience.

BTW, this is set and filmed in Toronto, a nice city I was able to visit for about 40 hours back in '09. Among other things, I went to the stadium first known as SkyDome to see the Blue Jays lose to the Yankees. Time was also spent in the subways, shown briefly in the movie. I drove up from Florida back to my old stomping grounds in Illinois and I took a long scenic route to the Land of Lincoln. I enjoyed my time in Canada and hope to return there one day.

 

Point Break (Yes, The Original)

Point Break (1991)

Runtime: 122 minutes

Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, John C. McGinley

From: 20th Century Fox

As this movie is somehow 30 years old now (then again, it's hard for me to believe that I recently turned 40), it was about damn time for me to finally revisit a famous picture from my childhood and revel in its beauty, its surf lingo, its thrilling action scenes and be amused that this was ripped off by The Fast & the Furious. No, I've never seen the 2015 remake-those that forgot, that was actually a thing-as apparently it is incredibly vapid, has a lamebrained story and charisma vacuums for leads, so why bother even if it has some impressive stunts?

Much to my relief, this is still an exciting tale involving new FBI agent Johnny Utah, an amazing name that otherwise probably has never existed in human history. What a quandary he's put in when he goes undercover to investigate the belief that the Ex-Presidents gang of bank robbers is surfers... which is true and they were the wave-riders that he befriended. If you believe that Utah and Bodhi are more than just heterosexual friends... that is an added dimension. Honestly, there are more than a few homoerotic moments. Besides those moral questions, the bank heists are all entertaining and a great action scene is a robbery followed by a car chase then a lengthy chase on foot which featured the early 90's version of parkour. The skydiving moments are also breathtaking. In addition, it is successful at presenting the surfer lifestyle and why some would think that is cool, perfect if you believe in the zen movement.

The cast is pretty solid overall, but I will spotlight Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, & John C. McGinley as they were all quality with their performances and how those characters were portrayed. It was well-directed by Kathryn Bigelow; it reminds me that I need to watch (first time or otherwise) more of her work. Thank heavens the movie has not aged poorly in these past three decades. This time around, I appreciated Busey playing a typical Busey character, although even with his over the top nature he was still more than competent at his job instead of a caricature.

Blue Collar

Blue Collar (1978)

Runtime: 114 minutes

Directed by: Paul Schrader

Starring: Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Kotto, Harry Bellaver, Cliff De Young

From: Universal

One benefit of having a goal in mind of what to view in the near future: it allows me to finally cross off some films that I've been meaning to see but have put off for years now. In this case, my run of heist movies gave me the inspiration to check out the first directorial effort from Paul Schrader... and almost his last. Apparently, he got Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto to star in this as he told all three that they'd be the star. Once filming began, they weren't fans of the idea of this being an ensemble piece and they all feuded with each other. There were constant fights, Pryor allegedly pulled a gun on Schrader along with purportedly injuring a co-star on set... no wonder Paul nearly quit the business for good.

The heist is of a giant walk-in safe that is at the headquarters of the local UAW that represents the workers at Checker Motors; they are most famous for their Checker Marathon sedans that were mainly used as taxi cabs. That's the distinctive yellow cabs seen in New York City set films of the 60's through the 80's; the example that most will know is that this was what Travis Bickle drove in Taxi Driver. The end credits made clear that this was NOT actual life for the workers at Checker. Those workers for certain fit the title of the movie; none are happy with their union as among other things, a simple fix of someone's locker is not done for months, nor do the beverage machines in the break room operate properly. As Pryor and Keitel's characters are family men and are desperate for cash, they and Kotto's character decide to rob this safe. That is only a small part of Blue Collar, although its ramifications are felt for the rest of the runtime.

At first there are laughs; the longer it goes, though, the more serious and sober it becomes. The first act has Pryor cracking wise and there's literally a coke-fueled party shown... as legend tells it, this activity also occurred off-screen. The final act is tremendous-that is why the overall rating is quite high. It is a rather negative viewpoint of unions in general-to say the least-and I'll abstain from sharing my opinions on the topic as nothing good can come from talking to strangers on Letterboxd about it. In Blue Collar, the union commits illegal crimes and might as well be the Mob. It is the serious sort of picture that you best got in the 70's and it is appropriately gritty considering the inner-city Michigan setting. Considering the acrimonious relationship amongst the trio, all three are great in their roles. Pryor was the most impressive as his character gradually becomes more solemn and he played the role so well I wish he would have had the opportunity to be dramatic in worthwhile motion pictures like this one. Indeed, talk about an underrated picture; I wish more would have been said by even film fans to convince dopes like myself to give this a shot.

BTW, it was a nice blues-based score from Jack Nitzsche that was wholly appropriate for the film. The opening titles song (Hard Workin' Man) was quite the combo of Jack, Ry Cooder and Captain Beefheart... who has a rather unique singing voice and his music in general is too odd even for me but in this setting where he sang some ribald lyrics, it worked.

Plunder Road

Plunder Road (1957)

Runtime: 72 minutes

Directed by: Hubert Cornfield

Starring: Gene Raymond, Wayne Morris, Elisha Cook, Jr., Stafford Repp, Steven Ritch, Jeanne Cooper

From: 20th Century Fox

This made me realized Los Angeles has had several issues for far longer than I realized.

A few days ago a mutual on Letterboxd reviewed this film and that was the inspiration for me to track it down and see this as part of Heist Week for me. In particular, the item stolen: 10 million dollars in gold from the U.S. Treasury that was on a train. That heist was well-done and was a nice way to open the movie... several trucks are on a Utah road during a rainy night, heading towards the locomotive. The heist itself was great, well-executed, thrilling and containing the first of several references to The Wages of Fear.

The entire picture focuses on just those five men and their journey in three trucks after the heist towards Los Angeles. The ringleader thinks he has a foolproof plan but naturally things go awry due to foolish mistakes. The two most famous faces are Gene Raymond and Elisha Cook, Jr. That invites comparisons to The Killing and while that is better as a classic movie and a heist picture, Plunder Road is a pretty good movie overall. It is lean & mean at only 72 minutes and has plenty of moments filled with suspense, along with a scene that concludes with a brutal moment. Radio broadcasts are the way that the quintet-along with the audience-are kept abreast of law enforcement's efforts to track down the thieves, although at times you do see police officers... there is no important role for a cop, though. I was amused-and surprised-that even back then the LA area had “air pollution control” as a way to try and combat smog.

Olive Films (technically still around, although it's been years since I've heard them put out anything) released it on disc; I wish it was easier to-legally-track down. The final few minutes are also aces for me. It was just unfortunate that one moment in the movie now reminds me of what happened with Tiger Woods less than 12 hours ago as I post this... that should not dissuade you at all from giving this a shot if you love noir and/or heist pictures.

The Town

The Town (2010)

Runtime: 125 minutes

Directed by: Ben Affleck

Starring: Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively

From: Warner Bros.

I stumbled into the idea of seeing heist films the rest of February. The idea germinated after realizing the last two movies I saw before last night (The Badlanders and White Fire) involved a heist of some sort, might as well continue the trend as I've been meaning to see more of that genre anyhow. As this-the theatrical cut-is available on Prime until the end of February and I rated Ben's first directorial effort pretty highly, no better time than now to give this a shot.

It does not reinvent the wheel and present a new fresh take on the heist genre, even with the twist of someone in the gang of thieves falling in love with a woman who was briefly taken hostage during a bank robbery. However, the movie is solid between the well-executed heists, the authenticity of the Boston setting (the heavily Irish neighborhood of Charlestown in particular), the gritty earthy characters, the subplot of the FBI investigating the gang, and the interesting note that Affleck's character is trying to leave his lifelong friends and do something better w/ his life-which includes being clean from substance abuse. Ben is not someone I've ever followed closely but I am glad he has been clean for awhile now.

It has a nice cast of familiar faces and while of course the likes of Affleck and Jeremy Renner were memorable, I was actually the most impressed with Rebecca Hall. I barely remember her in Iron Man 3 (a role I know now was greatly truncated anyhow) so this might as well have been the first time I've seen her act. While the lead is not as dark or twisted as he could have been and Gone, Baby, Gone is what I think is “best” between the two, The Town thankfully was not a disappointment. Besides, it has what I am sure is the most exciting automobile chase involving a Dodge minivan. Also, it was nice to see the Bunker Hill Monument, the giant granite obelisk dedicated to an early battle in the American Revolutionary War. It was a place I remember visiting as a child while on vacation.

White Fire

White Fire (Vivre Pour Survivre) (1984)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Jean-Marie Pallardy

Starring: Robert Ginty, Belinda Mayne, Fred Williamson, Gordon Mitchell, Mirella Banti

From: Several European companies

Perhaps the leading male character shouldn't fall in love with someone that looks quite a bit like his sister in a twisted (and obvious) riff on Vertigo!

Ooh boy, what a movie I have to discuss here; the high rating should only be compared to something along the lines of Andy Sidaris at this best or an accidental gem like Raw Force. Somewhere, I heard about this in passing a few yeas ago; that's back when it was relatively obscure, before Arrow did a restoration and released this tire fire. After that, I heard comparisons with the like of Miami Connection & Samurai Cop... this captured my attention. Finally, this was given a shot last night and it does deserve its WTF reputation, although part of this is for an incredibly sleazy reason found nowhere near Miami Connection or Samurai Cop. Perhaps not a surprise from a French softcore director who once did something known in some circles as EROTIC DIARY OF A LUMBERJACK... none of that was fiction created by me for laffs.

The titular White Fire (pro tip: never do a drinking game based off of usage of this phrase... you'd be deceased) is a giant radioactive diamond which is discovered in Turkey, near “Istambul” (as a title card stated; that was an old name for Istanbul which I don't think has been used for hundreds of years!). A brother and sister duo wish to pilfer this diamond although the whole heist aspect is incredibly bungled-which leads to quite the wet fart ending-and much of this is rather inept. The action scenes are not staged well, even if there are a few bits that become quite graphic out of nowhere and one scene involves a chainsaw. Some of the “acting” smells like last week's garbage. The plot: a total mess. To think that it features some European genre actors I recognized-such as Dolph Lundgren doppelganger Gordon Mitchell-but the biggest names are Robert Ginty and “not showing up for almost an hour” Fred Williamson.

One of the more baffling aspects is the year this is set in. An opening shows the brother and sister duo that is our leads as children, and is “20 years ago.” Judging by how the diamond mine is totally futuristic (at least in a 1960's version of the future), I can only assume the rest of the film is set in 2004. That is despite everything else screaming 1984, from the fashion and vehicles to the soundtrack/score, which was filled with synth and has two songs from some random group known as Limelight (they are named because both tunes are on YouTube) which is the title song and much to my delight, an 80's power ballad. The band's sound: think an unholy blend of Queen, ELO and the Scorpions. Both tunes tickled me pink. It wasn't until reading another review that I realized the Jon Lord credited for the score was the same dude who was the longtime keyboardist for Deep Purple and was in Whitesnake when Purple folded as an act for 8 years. For the old Brits out there, the power ballad also featured singing from Vicky Brown, the daughter of entertainer Joe Brown.

Less amusing and more horrifying than anything else: the most infamous aspect of the movie... incest! I am not talking about just incestuous overtones here. It takes about a half hour before you realize that our lead male seemingly has a creepy obsession w/ little sister. I mean, after that you see his sibling fully nude-in front of big brother-and he remarks, “A pity you're my sister”... yes, he was turned on by her! It gets FAR worse from there and it involves another woman who looks quite a bit like Ginty's sister; What results from there is totally bonkers and is more than just him falling in love with her. It was beyond the pale even compared to some of the ickier European genre pictures I've viewed before.

White Fire deserves its reputation that has risen ever since Arrow restored the print to a high standard. Whether those of the vintage that dig the cheesy no-budget 80's B-action movies will love this will naturally depend on how they feel about the whole “brother has the hots for his sister” angle. Me: more perplexed and it was gross, but offended... no.

The Badlanders

The Badlanders (1958)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Delmer Daves

Starring: Alan Ladd, Ernest Borgnine, Katy Jurado, Claire Kelly, Kent Smith

From: MGM

A Western version of The Asphalt Jungle? Sure, why not. I can't compare the two as The Asphalt Jungle has not been seen by me (although that will change later in the year). The plot intrigued me so this was seen last night on Turner Classic Movies. On its own, this tale was fine. Two men-played by Alan Ladd and Ernest Borgnine-are released from prison; the film has a negative viewpoint of law enforcement-a sheriff is a real dick and so are the wardens of the prison. Ladd's character informs his pal of a lucrative gold ore deposit in a mine that he only knows about. A scheme is concocted to mine this ore without anyone else discovering. Of course there are complications, and of course each man has a romantic entanglement. That was fine with me as Claire Kelly delivered a fine performance and Katy Jurado was the highlight of the entire film.

While not a must-see Western, it was an interesting tale that naturally has noir overtones due to it being an official remake of the tale told in The Asphalt Jungle novel. It has a requisite amount of drama & action, along with some kudos that I'll give for the positive portrayal of Hispanic people, Mexicans in general. This includes the explosive finale's setting at the town's annual Mexican fiesta. All that plus some hard-boiled dialogue meant that it was a fine way to spend less than 90 minutes on an early Friday evening.

Why Don't You Play In Hell?

Why Don't You Play in Hell? (Jigoku De Naze Warui) (2013)

Runtime: 130 minutes

Directed by: Sion Sono

Starring: Jun Kunimura, Fumi Nikaido, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Hiroki Hasegawa, Gen Hoshino

From: Several Japanese companies

Or: Why don't I understand the Sion Sono love?

This is my first Sion Sono; I've heard various things about this iconoclastic Japanese director, so it was time for me to check out something from him before possibly experience his English language debut starring Nic Cage (Prisoners of the Ghostland) presumably later in the year. The reason why I have not even given him a shot until now: it was a distinct possibility that his work would be too weird and off-putting for my tastes. After all, I know one person who is a huge fan of Asian cinema and they have never jived with any of his pictures.

Regrettably, I have to agree with that person I know. Of course, it's just one movie and this isn't the most highly regarded motion picture he's directed-although “a 4 hour movie about an upskirt photographer” IS the one which is the most highly regarded motion picture-but this and Prisoners of the Ghostland may be the only ones I ever check out. From the average rating attached, that proves it's not a movie I hated... I am not over the moon like most are.

Early on I knew there would be trouble for me; amateur filmmakers stumble upon a fight between random youths... which looks incredibly phony and out of nowhere they become buddies after throwing eggs at a delivery truck after the youths were A-holes and wouldn't let them pass? Follow that up with a scene involving a little girl & a lot of blood... which again looked phony and preposterous? Honestly, a phony artifice permeated this film and that was just not for me. Sure, there were enjoyable elements (some incredibly violent moments, a few laughs, someone wearing a glistening snakeskin suit w/ a shirt containing various hues of red)-overall, though, I shrug my shoulders. All the “try WAY too hard” moments did not help either.

There are other directors I don't jibe with (I am looking at you, Christopher Nolan; that's not as controversial an opinion due to more than a few having a Tenet backlash. At least here, Sono did not make the dialogue hard to hear on purpose...), which is no sweat off of my back. The way I look at it, there's more time to check out works that I suspect will be rewarding for me.

Shaft In Africa

Shaft in Africa (1973)

Runtime: 112 minutes

Directed by: John Guillermin

Starring: Richard Roundtree, Frank Finlay, Vonetta McGee, Neda Arneric, Debebe Eshetu

From: MGM

A movie featuring... a clitoridectomy subplot and the lead villain being a cuckold!?

Last month I viewed the second movie in the Shaft series; the previous night I had the itch to check out this final entry in the trilogy. Some have given it rave reviews; if only I could do the same.

To be frank, the entire story does not hold up well if looked at with even a little scrutiny-admittedly that can be said about many movies-and the first 25 minutes were more an annoyance and a slog than any fun. Thankfully it it more fun once they leave the United States, albeit that was also when I started to notice the illogic of the film. The story-as it is-has Shaft recruited by an emir of an African country to go undercover and gather information on a slavery ring that transports Africans to Europe. A large amount of the film was filmed in Ethiopia & it was fascinating to have a snapshot of what life was like in the capital of Addis Ababa and out on the savannas.

There are fun moments (including stick fights) and badass scenes so I can't say this was bad... just disappointing. For what I've heard some say was “an attempt at a Black James Bond”, that was not it for me. There were some baffling aspects; the one in particular I will mention is the subplot involving the emir's daughter (Vonetta McGee). The film introduced to me the term clitoridectomy, which in short is female genital mutilation and I will step FAR away from that topic & not discuss it any further, as nothing good can come from that. I am confounded it was actually a plot point here. At least there were more humorous details I can mention. That includes the size of Shaft's phallus-addressed as such-being canon and the evil slave-trading villain being a cuckold. I don't mean to kink-shame here, but...

At least a few great elements are present. As with the first two, it has a badass funk score, this time from Johnny Pate, along with a quality opening credits song from the Four Tops. And of course Richard Roundtree is still a bad mother... as John Shaft. If only in Africa could have been better in my eyes-all those elements plus John Guillermin as a director and Sterling Siliphant as the writer should have meant a groovy good time instead of a meh experience that still made me guffaw a few times.

I Talk A Harold Lloyd Short Called Never Weaken...

but the first part of this discussion of a 1921 short is some (typical) Twitter foolishness: 

This was a movie made before 1975, and it was not “like reading hieroglyphics.” Last night was busy for me so there was only time to see a silent short-via the Criterion Channel-but I do have the opportunity to mention the controversy that once again arose over what Martin Scorsese said concerning modern movies and how they are presented. Somehow, some people got fired up over him not liking how many modern streaming sites are presented & curated. Whenever something flares up, I think of the image from GTA: San Andreas from the opening of the game where CJ says, “Ahhh s***, here we go again.”

Then, there's some random tool on Twitter w/ a blue checkmark who proclaims himself to be a “critic” (I've never heard of him before) who stated that he “doesn't watch movies before 1975” and he thought that Citizen Kane “was like reading hieroglyphics.” Then, that tweet was deleted and said that his comments “were a joke”, which to me means that not only was he NOT kidding, this individual that doesn't deserve to be named is a troll. Someone not liking older movies is fine; someone being a dick about it is just not cool.

Anyhow, onto this 100 year old half hour film that is the funniest thing ever made concerning both medical malpractice and attempting to take your own life. The first half is Harold trying to drive patients to the doctor's office she works at. This is done by both causing calamity-raising the ire of a cop-and staging accidents (leading to staged cures) with a tumbling associate. The second is a misunderstanding causing Harold to snuff out his own life... only he doesn't really have his heart in it, which is why via a contrivance he ends up on the girders of an under construction skyscraper, which is a series of great gags.

Despite it being far older than a product from 1975, it was a very good time due to the number of gags present and how the whole suicide aspect never became tasteless. It... never weakens in the second half, in other words.

Vivre Sa Vie

Vivre Sa Vie (1962)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Jean-Luc Godard

Starring: Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot, Andre S. Rebarthe, Guylaine Schlumberger, Gerard Hoffman

From: Les Films De La Pleiade/Pathe Consortium Cinema

Featuring a pretty sweet 1950's pinball machine. I bring that up as in the past I've played some 1950's and 1960's pinball; that was either at a pinball museum I visited not too far from Tampa or at special gaming events held during a weekend in an Orlando hotel ballroom where older games owned privately are brought by nerds-let's be honest here, and I am saying that as a nerd-and there's a flat fee you pay to play any of them. The one here was from 1956 & called Sea Belles; it'd probably be fun to try out once.

I say that as a detail which amused me in an otherwise serious and downbeat look at the downfall of a young lady who wishes to become an actress but fate destined that she became a prostitute, and a happy ending is not shown. It is only my second Godard; what I know of his filmography (well, some of it, anyhow) it is not to my tastes. However, I gave high marks to Breathless so I might as well see another early work from him. It stars Jean-Luc's muse, Anna Karina. The movie is framed so the viewer would fall in love with her and well... it is understandable why he had her as his muse. This seemed to be inspired by silent movies (G.W. Pabst's Pandora's Box, a great effort from 1929; they both share similar hair) as it is divided into a dozen chapters, each worse for our lead Nana.

Seemingly, each chapter was filmed different, although all seemed to be inspired by the cinema verite style; after all, much of the dialogue was improvised. You know that things will be different when in the opening segment the first few minutes are spent with Nana and whom we would soon find out is her husband, at a bar and their backs to the camera, their faces only seen occasionally in a mirror. How this is shot and framed is always fascinating, a key component in the film's power. It was not just a random movie choice that one segment had Nana at a revival screening of the legendary silent The Passion of Joan of Arc, about the persecution of a famed woman from the past. Vivre Sa Vie (roughly translated as My Life to Live) takes its time, allowing the viewer to relax instead of feeling stressed despite the sad fate of Nana. There's time to hear philosophical discussions or listen to groovy French music.

Indeed, one of the (many) things I'd like to do film-wise in the future is to see at least some more French New Wave. Hopefully nothing I see is so radical that it becomes a turn-off; we'll see.

The Age Of Innocence

The Age of Innocence (1993)

Runtime: 138 minutes

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Geraldine Chaplin, Jonathan Pryce

From: Columbia

Not in my typical wheelhouse but still appropriate for the night of Valentine's Day. The fact that it played on Turner Classic Movies last night when I had nothing going on at the time was a reason why Innocence was viewed... in addition, there are some rave reviews here on Letterboxd. I am not as over the moon as others are; that being said, this was still very good and it was Scorsese at his most restrained.

A movie based on a novel concerning stuffy snobs in 1870's New York City & the obsession w/ being “proper” & “rigid” result in unrequited love after a man does the awkward thing of falling in love with his fiancee's cousin-that normally wouldn't be my bag. But all the talent behind & in front of the camera made this work and it was a very good film. As expected, this world was brought to life so well and I was compelled even if I shook my head at all those rich and prim people act like fools and follow absurd guidelines as to how they should live their lives. It was nice to see Michelle Pfeiffer show up and shake things up by refusing to conform; it was frustrating that Daniel Day-Lewis & his character recognized his true feelings and was too afraid to follow his heart... but that was the intended reaction. The performances of Day-Lewis, Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder are all great; Michelle's role was the most complex as she dealt with the pressures of high society being against her yet she did not want to ruin the relationship between her cousin and her husband to be.

For a measured movie that took its time and was full of dialogue, I was always captivated. Part of that was the script and part of it was how Innocence was shot. I have seen criticisms of how the camera moved around often and several times there was flashy editing-which was not kosher to some. I get it but it never became distracting... it was not unrestrained chaos, as if Michael Bay was given too much Adderall. Lesser directors and editors may have screwed that aspect up-along with the occasional Joanne Woodward narration-but no surprise that Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker nailed this aspect.

To be frank, most romantic pictures are or seem like as enjoyable as having bamboo chutes shoved up my fingernails! However, The Age of Innocence worked for me, even though I can understand the negative reviews as period dramas can be an acquired taste. Of course, later in 2021 I'll visit or revisit a few more of Marty's films, ones that are more in my wheelhouse.

I Revisited The Original My Bloody Valentine...

and it is still pretty good. It's not the first revisit done during this time of year but I am noting it now due to the new Scream Factory Blu-ray release of the film, which I bought first day and it is a must for those that are fan of the movie.

True Lies

True Lies (1994)

Runtime: 141 minutes

Directed by: James Cameron

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Grant Heslov

From: 20th Century Fox

A movie available in HD on Prime... for the moment. Not that long ago this made its first appearance on Amazon Prime for free streaming viewing, as an exclusive title where it's only for those that subscribe to the service. Then it vanished before I got around to it. Just recently it returned and as on other occasions I've been burned by something disappearing before I could play the film... that is why this was a priority. The fact that this (along with The Abyss) have never been offered on Blu-ray-let alone 4K-in the United States has to be due to circumstances that would be a long convoluted story to explain. I mean, I understand it has received HD disc treatment in other countries before... it's all bizarre to me. But at least there was this chance to see something I saw more than once on VHS as a kid and that was it. About time this was finally experienced in widescreen.

By now I presume that most are familiar w/ the plot of how Arnold Squared (Schwarzenegger and Tom) are part of a special federal agency who have to stop Middle Eastern terrorists... but after Arnold S. discovers that his wife, oblivious to what his real job is, is having an affair with a used car salesman-an amazing Bill Paxton. With 2021 eyes, the aspect of so much time being spent on our lead being obsessed over his marital problems and how the end result was her stripping in front of her incognito husband-as others have noted, it certainly seemed like something from a man who has been divorced. Also, what are we to think of a man who spent the time & effort of himself and others on that case rather than continuing the investigation on Middle Eastern terrorists who might bring in nuclear arms into the United States? Heck, TOM ARNOLD played the voice of reason here!

All that said, this is a movie that is still very good to me. Nostalgia may be clouding my viewpoint but I was still greatly entertained. True Lies is certainly James Cameron's funniest movie and thankfully many of the attempts at comedy do work-I laughed often. This includes the terrorists ultimately showing their colors as incompetent buffoons; I've seen discourse about it on Letterboxd but to me that seemed like the goal rather than blatant racism and xenophobia. Anyhow, Paxton was the true highlight in that regard, although this was truly Tom Arnold's finest hour-most of what he said was delightful and like I said, he was the voice of reason & tried to keep his friend on track, even if at times he was a real smartass. Naturally, for a Cameron picture of this vintage you'd hope for quality action scenes and some obvious greenscreen aside, those are still incredibly effective almost 30 years later. There are several setpieces huge in scope and at times feature out of the ordinary moments-look at a horse chasing after a motorcycle through a Marriott hotel in the nation's capital.

Much to my delight, True Lies was not a movie which has aged horribly. Hopefully one day in the future, this and The Abyss will be much easier for people to visit or revisit in high quality. I will just presume this movie will be better than the proposed television adaptation that was to be on Disney + but was just moved to CBS... yes, this was a thing I discovered just a few hours ago. My first reaction was surprise, then I saw that McG was involved-that will be a “nah” from me.

Master Of The Flying Guillotine

Master of the Flying Guillotine (Du Bi Quan Wang Da Po Xue Di Zi) (1976)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Jimmy Wang Yu

Starring: Yu, Kang Chin, Chun-Erh Lung, Chia-Yung Liu, Lung Wei Wang

From: First Films Organisation

Because all 70's Kung Fu movies should be scored to 70's Krautrock.

I have heard of this Jimmy Wang Yu picture before, a sequel to 1971's One Armed Boxer... which hasn't been viewed by me before as I understand it wasn't necessary to do so, and that seemed like the right choice on my part. It sounded like my jam and well... if you love wild over the top martial arts pictures from the past, then boy do I have a movie for you.

Yu is a one armed boxer who has a school. However, he kills two underlings of an old blind dude and this dude is PISSED. He has a flying guillotine weapon that decapitates you if it wraps around your neck. A martial arts tournament is held and as our hero will be there, that is where the villain decides to show up for revenge. The fact that this location has several one armed people is one of the many absurdities present. I mean, this is a motion picture which shows the martial arts tournament for more than 20 minutes and it proves to be superfluous except to introduce some further enemies that assist the blind man. Thankfully, when we witness the copious amounts of martial arts battles, all are different so that aspect never wore out its welcome.

There was plenty that made me laugh. Jimmy walks on the ceiling at one point as if he's Lionel Richie. An “Indian” fighter can extend his arms, and that was the inspiration for Dhalsim from the Street Fighter series-no kidding. The fights in the tournament was typically to the death, and I laughed harder & harder each time some stooges came out w/ a stretcher to drag off bodies. There's more I dare not spoil but the soundtrack has to be discussed. Whether it was Yu or someone else, whoever decided to use Krautrock (without asking those record labels for permission, a common phenomenon for foreign movies at the time) was a genius. Personally, that made this all the more awesome seeing the villain have a theme song from Neu!-it was why Tarantino used that for Kill Bill; he loves this motion picture. A song from an early Tangerine Dream album was used, three ditties from Kraftwerk's Autobahn that wasn't Autobahn were heard, and then there's two from Neu!

This is not the film if you want to see a serious, austere martial arts film, even though the action here was fine. Rather, if you enjoy the strange, psychotronic entries in the genre, then you'll be happy this is easy to track down via YouTube.

Tokyo Story

Tokyo Story (Tokyo Monogatari) (1953)

Runtime: 136 minutes

Directed by: Yasujiro Ozu

Starring: Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara, Haruko Sugimura, So Yamamura

From: Shochiku

Recently I realized there are some directors whose works I need to see more of; Yasujiro Ozu belongs in that category. Before last night the only effort I had watched was 1934's A Story of Floating Weeds; there are various choices I could have made on the Criterion Channel for my second motion picture from him. I went with his most highly regarded work; of course I knew the basic story and how melancholy at best it sounded... a key plot point was unknown to me and parts of this did make me pretty sad due to some memories of 2020 being brought back to the forefront. That did not impact how I rate Tokyo Story; besides, my family is far different from the one portrayed here.

It's a simple story where an older man and his wife visit their children, now all adults living in Tokyo. As they live in a city that's about an hour and a half away by plane and they made the journey by train... parents and children rarely get to see each other. What a shame then that all their children are too busy to hang out with them, some-I am looking at you, Shige-acting more cruelly than others. To think that the only one who goes out of their way for these elderly people is Noriko, the widow of their one offspring that died in World War II. Then that key plot point happens and those offspring really present their true colors.

I've heard the term “quietly powerful” used to describe this and that is true; even though it has a measured pace and it is not a convoluted tale, I was engrossed throughout. The universal themes present & how they were presented brought the movie its power. This has what I've heard are Ozu's trademarks: a camera low to the ground, characters looking right at the camera, etc. It is like a slice of life look at this family and the heartbreaking way that elderly couple were treated aside from Noriko. Even visits to old friends that also moved to Tokyo also ring with sadness as they themselves have regrets. Yet is isn't a miserable film to check out, even if it will make some feel depressed if they haven't seen family for an extended amount of time due the pandemic; for example, when a score is used, it is a light, pleasant soundtrack.

Never overly schmaltzy or over the top dramatic, Tokyo Story reaches such excellence, the lofty praise it has received from film critics (professional or otherwise) is understandable; more than a few have said this is THE best of all time. It doesn't receive that designation from me... but it should eventually be seen by all diehard movie fans. If nothing else, it should inspire more than a few to give a call/a hug to their parents/grandparents.

You Only Live Once

You Only Live Once (1937)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: Fritz Lang

Starring: Sylvia Sidney, Henry Fonda, Barton MacLane, Jean Dixon, William Gargan

From: Walter Wanger Productions

YOLO! That had to be mentioned right away; the elephant in the room needed to be addressed so I could get past that. It is true that ever since I first heard of this movie, I laughed at its title because that was after YOLO became popular... which was almost 10 years ago! As it is on the Criterion Channel for the moment, there was no excuse for me not to see Fritz Lang's second-ever Hollywood film.

Talk about “victims of circumstance”, that's what Henry Fonda's character Eddie Taylor was. Taylor's a low-level criminal who is just released from prison. In California there must have been a four strikes and you're out rule at the time... if he goes to jail again he's in there for life. Despite him having Sylvia Sidney (playing Joan, ironically a secretary to a public defender) as a girlfriend, they experience discrimination due to Eddie being a felon. A lot could be said concerning how even today felons experience discrimination no matter if they are reformed or not. As his new boss found a flimsy reason to fire Eddie's ass, what else is he supposed to do? This leads to an amazing streak of bad luck where he end up on death row and his crimes suddenly turn serious.

While I did laugh at how Bad Luck Brian the life of Eddie Taylor turned out, the film was pretty good overall as it was still a compelling tale where I never lost interest in the fate of Eddie and Joan, which not coincidentally was similar to that of Bonnie & Clyde. According to some people on Letterboxd, they could understand why anyone would fall for a young Henry Fonda. Highlights besides the performances of the two included Margaret Hamilton showing up for a few minutes, some haunting moments done in silence, and the occasions where Lang could show off his German Expressionistic style; no surprise that there are some moments involving fog and an important bit involving tear gas. This is not legendary like M or Metropolis; that said, I was glad this was better than a random movie I only saw so I could crack wise about its title.

If You Meet Sartana... Pray For Your Death

If You Meet Sartana... Pray for Your Death (Se Incontri Sartana Prega Per La Tua Morte) (1968)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Gianfranco Parolini

Starring: Gianni Garko, William Berger, Sydney Chaplin, Fernando Sancho, Klaus Kinski

From: Paris Etolie Films/Parnass Film

This month I finally saw the first movie in the Sartana series, starring Gianni Garko. Like with I Am Sartana, Trade Your Guns for a Coffin, it was viewed on the Arrow streaming site; the print does look real good. It is a standard Spaghetti Western with the various trademarks: a badass hero who can do some improbable things, a few memorable one-liners, double and triple crosses, a poker scene, sparsely populated towns, people chasing after gold, a Gatling gun, etc. It's just that this is more convoluted than the rest; that includes A Fistful of Dollars, which this was heavily “inspired” by. It was amusing to me that this also stole the musical pocketwatch idea from For a Few Dollars More.

At least I was still entertained even if the story tied itself into Gordian knots at times. At least Garko was fun in the role (between grinning, uttering some badass lines and using his concealed small poster that he hides on his wrist as if he was Travis Bickle) & the bad guys were memorable... including real life bad guy Klaus Kinski. However, my favorite character was Dusty, the old and diminutive town undertaker who has a distinctive look and offered a few moments of levity in otherwise a grim tale.

Black Sunday

Black Sunday (1977)

Runtime: 143 minutes

Directed by: John Frankenheimer

Starring: Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Fritz Weaver, Steven Keats

From: Paramount

What I watched yesterday evening instead of the Super Bowl.

For a variety of reasons, I've hardly paid attention to the National Football League in recent years. All the controversy revolving around Colin Kaepernick is not the main reason for me although if I was Black, a different tune would be sung. Rather, it's insufferable to me due to various rule changes that have been made (where anything worse than sneezing on the quarterback is a no-no), good defense has been outlawed and sometimes even they don't know their rules, resulting in embarrassing moments-look at what happened to the New Orleans Saints vs. the LA Rams back in January 2019. I did not watch the Super Bowl back in 2019 or 2020 as I went to Walt Disney World instead, which were wise decisions. Yesterday, I stayed in and instead of watching the big game-those not from the United States, that event is a HUGE deal-I viewed a motion picture revolving around an actual Super Bowl from the past which I hadn't viewed before.

A movie from John Frankenheimer which starred Robert Shaw & Bruce Dern and had a John Williams score sounded promising enough to me. The end result was better than I expected, even w/ some effects that have regrettably turned sour and don't look so convincing any longer. What a game of cat and mouse, although the two sides play each role. A European/Arab lady who supports a Palestinian terrorist organization teams up with a Vietnam vet who was long a prisoner of war over there-and what a realization it was that this character was obviously modeled on Vietnam War POW John McCain; I mean, McCain even resembled Dern at the time. No matter what you think of his politics as senator or some of the morally questionable things he did after the war, at least he was not so bitter over his life or how his country treated him where he wanted to pilot the Goodyear Blimp-this dirigible is a common sight at televised outdoor sporting events-and drop a bomb at the Super Bowl where 80,000+ people would be killed.

I've never read the novel-written by none other than Thomas Harris-but for certain, the movie tried to make clear it was not really taking sides on the whole Israel vs. Palestine conflict... of course I will NOT share my thoughts on said conflict as nothing good can come from making that public. Even though Shaw plays an Israeli agent of Mossad who is trying to stop this act, all three main characters are flawed individuals and he is an “old dog” who is tired of fighting this war as a member of counter-intelligence for a few decades now as it is starting to seem futile for him. 

Believe it or not, footage from a real Super Bowl (X, to be exact) is used. They were actually allowed to film at this event, so you actually see Shaw walk or run around the Orange Bowl stadium in Miami as the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers face off. Lord knows that will never happen in modern times, a big Hollywood movie filming at a Super Bowl and using footage from the game... the NFL would never want to be connected again to a motion picture surrounding a big terrorist act. You know Goodyear feels the same about an iconic vehicle advertising their product being used as a weapon to potentially slaughter so many innocents. This authenticity definitely helped for Black Sunday. Not so authentic was some of those effects shots and such things as Michael V. Gazzo as a Turkish man... but such things did amuse me rather than take me out of the experience.

The movie has a measured pace which I know won't be for all tastes; me, I was riveted by everything in this almost 2 ½ hour picture. There is espionage intrigue, a long chase that ends on Collins Avenue in South Beach, and what a thrilling final 30 to 40 minutes; I was never bored. The fact that this has a quality Williams score was an asset. For certain, it was a better usage of my time than seeing a noncompetitive game last night which featured a guy that really did not need to win ANOTHER title.

Backdraft

Backdraft (1991)

Runtime: 137 minutes

Directed by: Ron Howard

Starring: Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Robert De Niro

From: Universal

This is going up before midnight Mountain Time as I was wrapped up in a long online stream. In fact, the rest of the night I'll relax and no reviews (or anything else) will be posted here until Monday evening.

Another example of seeing a movie due to real life events.

In this case, it was unfortunately a fire that happened to a residence real close to mine. It required the fire department to show up but it was not so serious that the entire structure burned down and I'll confidently assume it was not a case of arson. As I've never seen this Ron Howard picture before and no one was harmed in that blaze, this was my Friday night viewing. Plus, it is my second movie in a row set & filmed in Chicago.

The movie follows a pair of siblings who grew up in a family of firefighters; Kurt Russell (no relation) is the veteran, a loose cannon who takes many risks but has not yet been... burned, literally or figuratively. William Baldwin new to the crew, giving this line of work another shot after bouncing from job to job. Due to childhood events, they have a frosty relationship. Oddly, the opening is a flashback to two decades prior, where as kids their dad is played by... a mustached Russell. I guess it was one less person to cast... Several cases of arson, an alderman who has shut down fire houses and a Hannibal Lecter of pyromania also factor into the plot.

Admittedly the movie is cliché, has saccharine moments and has more than one logical fallacy; that does not even cover the conceit that fire is “a living thing, a monster”, which most experts would say is pure poppycock. All that said, this nonsense still entertained me as it was easy for me to root for both brothers even though both have major flaws and sometimes shoot themselves in the foot. It is a slick product The fact that this has many famous faces definitely helps; some of them (like Jennifer Jason Leigh) I wouldn't have minded seeing in more substantial roles. But naturally, it's the action scenes involving fire which are still stellar now. Of course real life fires are much smokier than what is presented in any movie; that'd make it less cinematic if presented accurately. In Backdraft, all of it is still incredibly thrilling 30 years later as it's all practical effects and dangerous moments. As indicated in the end credits, Russell, Baldwin and Scott Glenn did at least some of their own stunts, which is especially impressive in such an environment.

Depending on your age, your parents may dig this more than you; myself, it was blockbuster entertainment I actually thought was engrossing, which is more than what I can say for most blockbusters these days. The parents thing is best proven by the presence of TWO Bruce Hornsby songs in the film!

Red Heat

Red Heat (1988)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: Walter Hill

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Belushi, Ed O'Ross, Peter Boyle, “Larry” Fishburne

From: Carolco

It's time for me to catch up here. This is the first of two movies I've seen the past two nights which were set and filmed in Chicago. The second review should be sometime right before midnight:

Recently, I discovered that there was a 4K stream of this on Prime. Soon after that was the even more surprising revelation that StudioCanal did this and in the United States, it was put on 4K disc by Lionsgate. Last night I watched that 4K stream. I know there's controversy over which 4k streams are “the best” or even if they are any better than a 1080p disc; it'd be best if I never go further down that rabbit hole. Instead, I'll mention that the picture at least looked real nice.

It is not the best movie from Walter Hill, Arnold, the buddy cop action/comedy genre... or even the highlight for Jim Belushi as a star. Even then, this was fine for me; that is including how implausible it is that Arnold is SOVIET police officer Ivan Danko. A drug lord in the area kills his partner (this is after Arnold kills that drug lord's brother in a bust gone wrong) and flees to Chicago. He gets busted and Danko goes to Chi-Town to extradite him. Of course that goes horribly awry also so he teams with a typical Jim Belushi character-meaning competent at his job but still a total wiseass-police officer to nab him and also get revenge.

A few moments do strain credulity; that said, for my tastes this was fine. There are some laughs, R-rated action in decent setpieces (some of which featured uncommon ideas or moments; this includes one bus chasing another), much sugar glass getting destroyed-no surprise for a Hill picture-and some familiar faces in small roles... from Kurt Fuller and Brion James to Gina Gershon, Sven-Ole Thorsen, and Mike Hagerty. “Larry Fishburne” plays an important supporting character. There's even some attempts at political talk as a jailed militant Black leader talks to Ivan about how both countries exploit various people, just under a different name.

Plus, this is the first movie from the West to film in Moscow's Red Square. Of course, much of the footage set in the Soviet Union was actually filmed in Hungary and Austria but at least this had a little more authenticity.... which does help in a movie that stars Arnold as a Russian.

Grand Hotel

Grand Hotel (1932)

Runtime: 112 minutes

Directed by: Edmund Golding

Starring: Greta Garbo, The Brothers Barrymore (Lionel & John), Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, Jean Hersholt

From: MGM

Last night I decided to go in an entirely different direction-at least compared to what I've seen so far in 2021-by talking about a famed early 30's ensemble drama (the fifth movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture) filled with some of MGM's biggest stars at the time. The setting is Berlin-as it's based on a German novel from Vicki Baum-and it shows a few days in the titular hotel following several characters and storylines that usually intersect with each other.

This includes a manic overly dramatic ballerina-Greta Garbo, who proved here why she was a huge star at the time-a Baron who squandered his cash and is desperate for money, an industrialist who hired a stenographer as he tries to close a big deal, and an accountant who decides to go all YOLO and live it up due to his dire health. There's even an interesting subplot where a bellhop is anxious about the impending birth of his first child. For me it was a treat seeing these roles brought to life by the likes of Garbo, the Brothers Barrymore (Lionel & John), Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, and Lewis Stone. Despite the claim from a supporting character in the beginning-and end-to say that “nothing happens” at this location is a falsehood.

It was a fun ride and despite the almost two hour length there was nary a dull moment due to all the stories being told and its quick pace. There is drama in the Baron's repeated attempts to acquire some ducets, romance in Garbo finding love, and the sheer joy of accountant Otto finally enjoying life as it is coming to a close... while Garbo's performance is arguably the best, Lionel Barrymore as Otto was the most memorable for me. It was delightful to see the character get drunk, hang out w/ the rich folk, and hang out with early 1930's Crawford. When Otto passed away after the events of Grand Hotel, I am sure he had a smile on his face. Thankfully a few people there showed him compassion and even if they had the chance to rip him off, their conscience got in the way and they did the right thing instead.

Mix in nice direction from Edmund Golding that included some nifty camerawork for the time, and this was a delightful time even if some of the participants had rather dark final moments. After all, this is the movie where Greta (more than once) utters “I want to be alone.”

Rocky Balboa

Rocky Balboa (2006)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Sly Stallone

Starring: Sly, Burt Young, Milo Ventimiglia, Geraldine Hughes, Antonio Tarver

From: MGM/Columbia/Revolution

A movie which proves the power of guilt tripping.

Way back in 2015 I reviewed the OG Rocky; it is excellent to me as what an underdog story and a tale that anyone can be inspired by. Late 2018 I saw the sequels and talked about them. While they got sillier with each installment, at least they were fun... but let's do what this movie implied the audience should do, which was forget that Rocky V ever happened. As Stallone himself was not doing well when it came to his career, it seemed like the right time to make a more appropriate story to conclude this legendary character, the Creed movies excluded.

Balboa starts off totally lost; sure, he has a restaurant in Philadelphia and people on the street still recognize him. But he's unhappy as he is unable to get past the death of his love Adrian (from personal experience, I can tell you that it is quite difficult to get over a loved one's passing), he rehashes past glories constantly and has a fractured relationship w/ his son. To think that a goofy ESPN computer simulation fight had Rocky defeating current Heavyweight champion Mason Dixon (what a name; that is not so preposterous in this series, to be frank)... a fighter who is unpopular because no other fighter can give him a challenge. Goading from various people and a desire to prove himself sets up an exhibition fight which turns stone cold serious and it indeed is inspiring to see Balboa fix various aspects of his life.

Admittedly, a few moments can be a little silly and I laugh at not only the guilt tripping that Rocky does a few times in order to get his way (not to mention the minor character of Marie from the original movie appearing in multiple sequels); even then the overall product is pretty good as it does redeem the title character. I was happy by the end to see both him and Paulie doing better than they were at the beginning. Sure, Paulie is sometimes a real ass and is also a bigot-which is at least canon if you remember the third installment-but he is also devastated at Adrian's death as that's his sister and he feels like crap for his behavior towards him. I'll give credit to Sly and Burt Young for their performances here. Antonio Tarver as Dixon, at least this boxer is better as an actor that Tommy Morrison was as Tommy Gunn in V. Another moment that made me chuckle was that Mike Tyson is there as himself at the climatic fight; both him and Muhammad Ali are canon in this universe, which makes me wonder what the fictional title lineage looks like.

As I've mentioned in the past, boxing as a sport is something I don't like, for a multitude of reasons. Yet I like most of this franchise, as the fights themselves are far less important than the outcomes or how the results affect all the characters. Dixon vs. Balboa at least seemed more realistic than some of the pugilistic battles seen in previous installments. A 50's Rocky in the ring does not seem so far-fetched anymore considering a 54 old Tyson was in the ring a few months ago in what I heard rumored to be a glorified sparring session against Roy Jones, Jr. and until it was postponed yesterday, a pair of reprehensible human beings were going to have an exhibition fight themselves in a few weeks... yes I am referring to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Jake Paul.

Anyhow, eventually I'll discuss the Creed movies; it will be sooner than a few years from now.

Change Of Habit

Change of Habit (1969)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: William A. Graham

Starring: Elvis, Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara McNair, Jane Elliott, Edward Asner

From: Universal

A movie I've been wanting to see for ages: Elvis in a serious role as Dr. JOHN CARPENTER.

Last night on Turner Classic Movies they played a few of the movies that were written about in the 1980 book The Golden Turkey Awards, from Harry and Michael Medved. This included Plan 9 from Outer Space, The Conqueror, The Swarm and this motion picture-the last fictional role for Elvis. I've never read the book but from Wikipedia I know this is on the list as they found it absurd that one of the nuns in this movie was played by Mary Tyler Moore. I discovered this was not the only absurdity present.

A trio of nuns (one of whom was Black) go incognito and work at the “inner city” clinic that Carpenter runs. There's plenty of friction: the old priest in the area is an uptight A-hole, a laughable version of a mob boss rules the block, a white grocery store owner is ripping off the minorities, two men are the late 60's movie version of The Black Panthers, and of course Elvis has the hots for Moore. Much of this is rather clumsy and of course there were some laughs at how po-faced this was. All that being said, too much of this was irritating instead of fun like the typical cornball Presley picture & it was rather bizarre to see him in something where you heard the N word, a certain homosexual slur (yes, that one), mild cursing, and even a sexual assault. I wish The King got to do more serious roles like this... if only the movies themselves would have been better.

The trio attempting to ingrain and ingratiate themselves into the community by holding a big block party, which of course gets the stereotypical resentment from the expected parties. While there are wacky moments like Elvis being able to do his KING-FU (his version of the martial arts) in the final act, they pretty much soiled the bed when they introduced autism into the film. Apparently the first time it was mentioned in a Hollywood production, I was stunned they managed to sneak in an accurate fact-the little girl who is autistic is shown stimming at one point-among the terribly inaccurate portrayal of this affliction. She doesn't talk nor like being touched: Change of Habit said this had to be because of a traumatic act early in her life. If that wasn't bad enough, a **horrifying**-and long-scene happens where Doctor John Carpenter thought that the way to “cure” her of those traits was by... holding her in his arms for hours despite her constant screams of pain. If that wasn't disgusting enough, that treatment worked! No way could I even give this an OK rating after that subplot.

But hey, Elvis does perform the song Rubberneckin'...

Break

Break (Otryv) (2019)

Runtime: 85 minutes

Directed by: Tigran Sahakyan

Starring: Irina Antonenko, Mikhail Filippov, Denis Kosyakov, Andrey Nazimov, Ingrid Olerinskaya

From: Attraction Film Company

To catch up... last night I revisited the Jason Statham Homefront, due to it being a hot Netflix movie of January, 2021; that was still a good time. Saturday night I saw Frozen (the Adam Green thriller, not the tale of Anna & Elsa) again, which again was a good time. That was because Frozen and Break are quite similar-even when it comes to their posters-and Break is a random movie from Russia which is more popular in the West than I first realized. The details are below: 

You know, there is MUCH more available on Prime than I first realized.

Randomly, I recently did a search for what modern Russian movies are on Prime. Turns out, there's quite a bit, most of which was unknown to me beforehand. If you know what terms to use, many different films and TV shows from all over the world are available. This picture was selected due to its length-85 minutes-and the premise sounding like a Russkie version of Adam Green's Frozen, which it does echo a few times. Also, the version on Prime is dubbed, which does add some campy charm.

The plot: several young adults are at a ski resort on New Year's Eve; via contrivances they end up stuck on a gondola lift and no one knows they are there. Like in Frozen it involves a bribe to the operator to allow entry; unlike in Frozen this guy dies due to preposterous circumstances that aren't quite as dumb as in a Final Destination film but still made me laugh. There are other chuckle-worthy moments: one character morphing into a murdering A-hole out of nowhere, someone macking on one of the two women hardcore like an oblivious fool, and all the cliches present: relationship problems, one of the women OF COURSE being pregnant, multiple dream sequences, CG that looks poor at times, one of the characters being a YouTube personality, etc.

All that said, this was at least an average watch. There was still entertainment value present; the characters sometimes go outside the gondola, after all. Even when this became far-fetched it kept my attention, in other words. Only afterwards did I look at this movie's Letterboxd page. To my surprise, this was not as obscure as I presumed beforehand; two mutuals had reviewed it last month but it was easy for me to not see as somehow I have over 1,000 followers. Many enjoyed this less than me; personally, it provided a modicum of entertainment so an average rating it will receive from me. After all, there's some lovely mountain scenery and I now know what a can of Pringles looks like in Russia.