A Memorial Day Weekend Holiday Update

My likely last movie for a few days might as well concern insurance fraud.

The reason why I am posting this later than usual and why I expect to not see any films for the next few days is a good one, and it being Memorial Day weekend in the United States is part of it. Today one of my sisters and two of my nephews arrived via plane to Florida and will be here until the middle of next week. Aside from the young boys visiting Florida for the first time and them visiting all the Disney parks in Florida along with a beach (which involves me escorting them around) I will have to be a de facto dad during this time... a terrifying thought that is! I'll never be a parent as that is just not for me but I'll do my best while they are here. They are typical young boys so it will be exhausting at the very least.

Now you can see why I expect to not have much free time for frivolous motion picture viewing-let alone reviewing-until around the 3rd and I only had time earlier today to watch a half hour silent short, and I chose another one of the Chaplin connection they have on the Criterion Channel. This was a pretty good effort where The Tramp plays a fireman that in the first section bumbles around the firehouse and to steal a line from a Letterboxd mutual, there's some footage ran in reverse in humor, so this actually has more than one Tenet moment.

Anyhow, a heel makes a deal with the fire chief-who naturally does not get along with The Tramp-to have the heel's house burn down for the insurance money and once the cash rolls in, the chief can marry his pretty daughter. Of course circumstances happen and there's laughs throughout involving a fire hose, the firehouse pole, the firetruck, etc. While not my favorite from Chaplin, there was still enough comedy (not to mention a nice stunt or two) where “pretty good” is the rating I can give this.

The White Hell Of Pitz Palu

The White Hell of Pitz Palu (Die Weibe Holle Vom Piz Palu) (1929)

Runtime: 134 minutes

Directed by: Arnold Fanck/G.W. Pabst

Starring: Gustav Diessl, Leni Riefenstahl, Ernst Petersen, Otto Spring, Ernst Udet

From: Sokal-Film GbmH

Ladies, get yourself a man like Dr. Johannes Krafft.

One of the many great aspects of being a hardcore movie fan is that no matter how long you're in the game, new information and even new genres can be learned about. Not that long ago came the revelation to me that in the time between World Wars there was a “mountain film” genre, popularized by co-director Arnold Fanck in the 1920's and '30's. Of course there are various movies made in the past 80 years that involve the climbing of a mountain but Franck popularized that nearly a century ago. Just judging by this movie, it was impressive with the technology of the time to see these actors in a frigid real life setting with the potential of an avalanche causing actual harm. From research, I know that lead actress Leni Riefenstahl had health problems after this shoot for the rest of her life due to all the time spent in freezing temperatures... whether or not you feel bad for her due to what she made in the 30's is up to you...

The plot has Johannes Kraftt lose his wife in the opening scene due to an accident while attempting to climb the titular Pitz Palu, a real life Swiss mountain where this was filmed. He is forever haunted by this; besides the love of his life dying, he wants to recover her body, presumably so she can receive a proper burial. A few years later an engaged couple are in the area; they meet up with Kraftt and due to compassion they volunteer to help him on this latest climb... even though Palu is quite dangerous and in fact there are others who perish the same time the trio are making the trek.

Seeing these actors do their own stunts in an environment without trick photography or other effects (and presumably without stunt doubles) is still impressive in 2021. Given the direct references to the film in Inglourious Basterds, QT must feel the same way. It is always a compelling drama where you enjoy all three leads as they are simply nice problem; of course conflict happens but it is not trite and when peril occurs, they are all rather sympathetic. I put over Johannes as a character which could be appealing to the ladies (or any gender, of course) as not only does he want to find his dead wife's corpse, he does some other noble acts throughout.

A major asset is that Fanck did not direct this alone; none other than the legendary G.W. Pabst did the non-mountain scenes and also assisted with the overall plot. The performances were also fine in this silent; in a cute moment, real life World War I fighter pilot (from kills, only The Red Baron was better) Ernest Udet appears as himself as he assists in an aerial search of the peak. As I say often, in the future I'll have to see another example or two of this genre.

 

Oldboy

Oldboy (Oldeuboi) (2003)

Runtime: 120 minutes

Directed by: Park Chan-Wook

Starring: A number of actors I wish I could have seen in something I could have enjoyed

From: A few Korean companies

You know, Park Chan-Wook is just not for me. I realize most will vehemently disagree w/ my opinion but I can't and won't lie to everyone that follows me.

There is an entire backstory to why I finally saw this movie when my opinion on Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance were rather low; I'll just say that both of those had ugly repulsive stories that not only repelled me, they had nonsense plots. About a month ago, a mutual on Letterboxd asked me to finally see Oldboy-I agreed as I did not want to be a jerk about it... their name won't be revealed as my not loving this will surely be disappointing to them. When I made that promise, it was before I realized that this was now not on any streaming platforms in the United States for some reason. Thus, I had to track it down less than ethically...

I cannot complain about the general filmmaking, from either behind or in front of the camera; in fact, I wish this cast would have been in a movie I actually enjoyed. But not even the nice action can make me enjoy something when the story is so repugnant and gross and something that revels in being nauseating and having “shocking” moments. Yes, I realize it's from a manga but it's right in the director's wheelhouse. The plot was not as much nonsense as in the Vengeance movies... of course it's entirely implausible but at least I could follow along with what was going on. I don't have to wonder about what those that identify as female may think of this... as one mutual has a negative opinion on it too, although for different reasons than I do.

Those that love the work of Wook, I get it; it's just a shame that this will forever be a mystery to me. There's many thousands of films that are more to my tastes so it's A-OK if I avoid directors that have a controversial past, directors that direct their actors to be monotone robots, directors that actively try to piss off the general audience with their product, or directors that are pretentious asshats, or directors that make motion pictures which just have the stench of smugness to them. For comparison's sake, I Saw the Devil is about as “extreme” as I get when it comes to Korean cinema. Also, I prefer motion pictures which don't involve a live octopus being eaten; blech!

Psychomania

Psychomania (1973)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Don Sharp

Starring: Nicky Henson, Mary Larkin, Ann Michelle, Roy Holder, George Sanders

From: Benmar Productions

Imagine: A Clockwork Orange, a biker movie, graveyard frogs, a bootleg Stonehenge, psychedelic rock music, resurrection, a Jaguar Mark 2 police car, seances, vehicle chases, and groovy clothing all in the same horror film.

If that sounds rather peculiar, imagine my reaction when this movie began on one of the streaming channels that Shudder (on its smart TV app) has along with its library of films and then I saw it all come together. I of course at heard its title before-from looking through said library for the purposes of expanding my queue-but otherwise knew little about it. The end result was definitely uneven as there was more than one lull yet overall provided me enough entertainment plus was definitely unique in how all these disparate elements came together.

The movie follows a “biker gang” in the UK; to paraphrase a Letterboxd mutual, those youths-including two attractive women-look more like a British band that arrived in the wake of Beatlemania than one of the leather-wearing thugs you saw in late 60's Roger Corman efforts. The group (subtly known as The Living Dead) love causing mayhem; usually it's not above trolling but their actions sometimes lead to death. Between that, their leader Tom being a member of a rich family and the set design, A Clockwork Orange comes to mind... even if they aren't The Droogs by any means. His mom and her butler (George Sanders in his final role) practice “the dark arts” so Tom is able to discover how to die then come back to life. As he is unstoppable after he takes his own life then resurrects, that is appealing to his friends...

While the movie has its flaws, it was still fine for what it was. Besides the peculiar nature that permeates throughout, there are moments of black humor and sight gags which were pretty amusing. There are other weird moments which I won't even bring up but all this made the movie quite the trip. Sadly this has a tragic postscript; Sanders was in a bad way by the time he made this film, both mentally and physically. His Wikipedia provides all the tragic details but he ended up taking his own life; I am unsure of the rumor that he made this decision after seeing Psychomania theatrically. This real life event should not prevent you from giving this a chance.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Runtime: 123 minutes

Directed by: John Ford

Starring: James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien

From: Paramount

When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

This was another DVR viewing; a few days ago I recorded this off of HDNet Movies (a channel I had never received w/ my previous cable provider) so it saved me from having to stream it. More John Ford films should be seen by me anyhow so it was an easy choice to spend two hours with this.

James Stewart and John Wayne in the same movie is pretty rad, and their characters are exactly as you'd expect: Jimmy as a lawyer from “out East” moving to the Wild West and The Duke as a manly cowboy who always refers to Stewart as “pilgrim”, allowing millions of people after seeing this to have a catchphrase for their bad Wayne impersonations. James immediately runs into despicable bad guy Liberty Valance, and as it's played by Lee Marvin, he did a great job of being a loathsome villain. As Liberty has two henchmen (Strother Martin & Lee Van Cleef) and the sheriff of the town is played by Andy Devine-that character can nicely be described as “an ineffectual fool”-that is why Valance is an unstoppable menace. As it's the title, yes someone does shoot Liberty; how that is done is not quite like you'd expect from an earlier Western, even those directed by Ford himself.

The movie is a mature piece of work from a veteran director which covers thoughtful topics concerning the Wild West... chiefly the mythology/myth-making that occurs with heroic acts and the changing of the West with such acts as the territories forming states and the masses having education finally brought to them. Much of the movie is a flashback as it is bookended by Old Jimmy returning to town for a funeral and tells a story to several people, most of whom he knew before. It has a nice cast and many familiar faces: John Carradine, Denver Pyle, Edmond O'Brien, Woody Strode, etc. But I do have to note in particular Vera Miles and the spitfire character she played. Aside from her causing conflict between the two lead men just from her presence, it was a great performance from her.

Like I said, it is a more mature Western than you might expect from the genre, or even perhaps the director... at least compared to early in his career. No matter what you think of The Duke on screen or off, this has to be one of the best movies he was ever in and it is a role that at times was rather atypical for him. It has lovely black and white cinematography (there have been various reasons rumored why it was not in color; the amount of bloodshed it has was probably easier to get away with a monochromatic look) and this is a must for genre fans even if can be described as a “deconstruction.”

Nashville

Nashville (1975)

Runtime: 160 minutes

Directed by: Robert Altman

Starring: Two dozen people... no kidding, the focus is on 24 different characters

From: Paramount

“Who do you think is running Congress? Farmers? Engineers? Teachers? Businessmen? No, my friends. Congress is run by lawyers. A lawyer is trained for two things and two things only. To clarify - that's one. And to confuse - that's the other thing. He does whichever is to his client's advantage. Did you ever ask a lawyer the time of day? He told you how to make a watch, didn't he? Ever ask a lawyer how to get to Mr. Jones' house in the country? You got lost, didn't you? Congress is composed of five hundred and thirty-five individuals. Two hundred and eighty-eight are lawyers. And you wonder what's wrong in Congress? No wonder we often know how to make a watch, but we don't know - the time of day.”

I had enough free time last night to see this over 2 ½ hour motion picture and despite the length it did not feel that long and it was a rewarding journey. A movie that focuses on 24 different main characters could certainly have gone wrong; there are examples I won't name where an ensemble sort of piece has gone wrong. Even with plenty of improv, this walked the tightrope of creating two dozen distinct and interesting characters interacting with each other while weaving a rich tapestry of stories that involve various aspects of Americana... the country music scene in general, politics, stardom, etc. In addition, it has an amazing opening: the first minute or so is designed to look like a period advertisement for a record compilation; this is how all the stars and the most famous songs from the soundtrack are introduced.

The characters include stars that of course have a private life notably different from their public persona, dreamers that wish to be future stars-even if their singing may not even pass muster on American Idol-people on the periphery of the scene, some that are just passing through, hippies, and a third party candidate for President that runs under a Populism message where he rants against “The Elite” (insert your own editorial comments if you wish) and provides the most memorable monologues. It was always fascinating to see these different personalities interacting w/ each other. Thankfully in a movie surrounding an epicenter of a musical genre and featuring many songs (usually performed by those who are novices when it comes to singing), the songs are all at least fine and one-Keith Carradine's I'm Easy-deserves the awards it got.

The musicians in that city's scene apparently didn't care for the eponymous film but me and many others feel it is great. It would be a shame to reveal much more; I can say that there's some amazing clothing on display, the cast is full of quality talent, such sights as Lily Tomlin leading a Black gospel choir (!) was quite unexpected, and I won't spoil which famous faces cameo as themselves. This spends 5 days in Music City and unless you are repelled by the typical Altman tropes (such as overlapping dialogue) it is well worth giving a shot to. In addition, if the terrible pop-influenced nonsense that has infested country music turns you off also... the tunes here are MUCH better than that noise.

Maniac Cop 2

Maniac Cop 2 (1990)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: William Lustig

Starring: Robert Davi, Claudia Christian, Michael Lerner, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Robert Z'Dar

From: Several different companies

Set him on fire, I'll shoot him with an Uzi... but he'll show up in your Jacuzzi.

As I mentioned in my last review, Friday night I saw the first Maniac Cop then this when they were on Shudder's The Last Drive-In; it was a long but entertaining night hosted by Joe Bob Briggs. The OG film was an entertaining time with a great cast but I thought this did the similar idea better. After all, this also had a nice cast of familiar faces (the new ones included the lovely Claudia Christian, Charles Napier, James Earl Jones' dad Robert, Leo Rossi, Michael Lerner, Clarence Williams III, Danny Trejo briefly, and the great Robert Davi. Plus, this has a RAP THEME SONG which plays over the end credits. Technically it is laughably bad, yet charmingly so. Rap had started to really get popular around this time so no surprise that movies started to feature them as theme songs or otherwise had prominent places on soundtracks.

But it is not just a funny-bad rap song which makes the movie endearing to me. Everything was bigger in scope, especially the stunts... holy crap, some of those stunts. The two main protagonists from the first return... for a bit. After that there are new leads (which thankfully were also interesting) and the added twist of a serial killer also becoming involved in a tale where you see Matt Cordell finally try to finish his revenge on those that “killed” him in Sing Sing. It was quite the performance by Leo Rossi as the serial killer. Like in Halloween II, he sang a hilarious colorful ditty; that made me quite happy.

There's more action, more bloodshed, more explosions, more fire, (much) more broken glass... even with some elements that perhaps could be criticized, that will not happen as this was a fun tale which not only continued the commentary concerning such aspects as “violent cops” and “corruption involving the police force”, also broached was the idea of the law having issues but there being a stigma concerning seeking mental help. That is still a concern in general-presumably it is much more so in that line of work.

If you have seen Maniac Cop and even thought it was OK rather than good or better, I and a large collection of film fans believe that its immediate sequel is an improvement. Many say that Maniac Cop 3 is not too good and from what I recall, “compromised” is the best way to describe that movie's production. At least 2 was not a movie I regret finally giving a shot to.

Maniac Cop

Maniac Cop (1988)

Runtime: 85 minutes

Directed by: William Lustig

Starring: Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene London, Richard Roundtree, Robert Z'Dar

From: Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment

Look at the size of those hematomas!

(Friday) night I at the last minute heard that The Last Drive-In on Shudder was going to show the first two Maniac Cop movies; as I haven't seen any of those, the late evening was spent with Joe Bob Briggs, Darcy the Mail Girl, Bruce Campbell, and William Lustig as special guests. In a few hours I will post my review of Maniac Cop 2.

A movie that involves Tom Atkins, Campbell, Lustig, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, Sheree North, Robert Z'Dar, a Larry Cohen script and two songs from David Carradine (?!) will of course sound appealing to me. It could have been something I loved... instead it was more a like but that is OK. In 2021, all the talk concerning the public not trusting police officers and fear that some are trigger-happy or violent goons... even Cohen might have not realized how prescient he was. Anyhow, someone in a cop uniform is murdering citizens, stoking fear among the general public. It's not long before those investigating realize this case has a supernatural bent.

It can be easy to criticize various aspects; I won't rip it to shreds as this was a B-movie good time which had various kills (even if they weren't the most inventive), some big stunts, memorable dialogue, a few sleazy moments, and a story which always intrigued. Personally, this set up its first sequel well and that was important as I feel Maniac Cop 2 did it better but I'll explain why tomorrow.

The French Connection

The French Connection (1971)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: William Friedkin

Starring: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco, Marcel Bozzuffi

From: 20th Century Fox

Did you ever pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?

As has been common as of late, I have revisited motion pictures I last saw many, many years ago. As this was recently added for free on Prime, no better time than now to see if The French Connection was as great as I had recalled. Thankfully, it was.

Based loosely on real life cops Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso (who have minor roles in the movie and in fact Egan retired from the force to become an actor) and a huge heroin bust they had in the 60's, Popeye Doyle and Cloudy Russo are narcotics officers who stumble upon a deal that they eventually realize is a large quantity of “the horse” from Marseilles, France. The key thing to note about the movie is that it has a deliberate pace as not only does it demonstrate the drudgery and tedium that police work can be, it enhances the gritty feel that this has. The setting is the grungy and dirty New York City of old and the two leads can be rough to suspects... not to mention use some “politically incorrect language.” The tale has other characters which were inspired by real life figures, including the main criminals.

There is plenty of interesting lore surrounding the movie: the legendary car chase-still effective half a century later-often happened in real traffic with real life pedestrians... Fernando Rey being cast as the lead bad guy by mistake after Friedkin did not know which actor he was impressed by in Belle de Jour (at least Rey delivered a quality performer and the right actor-Francisco Rabal-later was later one of the leads in Sorcerer)... this was low budget so a wheelchair was used for what would normally be dolly shots... but while I get why some wouldn't like this movie, it works like gangbusters for me. I was always invested in the story & despite their gruff nature, it was easy for me to root for the protagonists as they put in the hard work and long hours-taking a small break for Popeye to have a booty call!-to crack the case.

The rough NYC setting adds to the ambiance; so does the high standard of the performances all around, especially from Hackman and Scheider. The awesome jazzy score from Don Ellis was also a huge benefit. This won several of the “big” Oscars in '71 and even if some could argue if all those awards were “right”, this is a must for those that dig those pugnacious cop dramas from the 70's. The long chase sequences that includes the Pontiac Le Mans chasing the elevated train segment-there's running on foot done before and after-is excellent and perhaps the movie should be watched for that alone.

One A.M.

This is a 1916 Charlie Chaplin short that (for now) is on the Criterion Channel streaming service: 

Great for when I only had a half hour to spare.

As I did not have as much time/motivation in the past 24 hours, I returned to the Criterion Channel and saw one in their collection of Charlie Chaplin silent shorts he made at Mutual Film from 1916 through the next year. As I had a selection, this was picked as it had quite the simple (yet promising) plot: The Tramp is drunker than Cooter Brown and has returned to his house. As he has great difficulty just getting out of the taxi, into his home, and various bric-a-brac on the ground floor-such as a spinning table and various rugs-you can only imagine his struggles in walking up a flight of stairs so he can sleep it off in his bedroom. If you're like me in my college days, you'll sympathize with his stumble-bum behavior...

There are only a few intertitles as most of this is Chaplin on the screen alone, engaged in much visual humor, sight gags, and pratfalls. Sometime in the future I'll see a Tramp comedy where he interacts with others and is in a situation that has a more complicated plot; this on its own worked for me as the 27 minutes flew by. The increasingly absurd situations were mined for all they were worth & there was never any boredom from me. This did help lighten my mood-helpful as there have been some aggravations the past several days.

Rosemary's Baby

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Runtime: 137 minutes

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Starring: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans

From: Paramount 

RIP Charles Grodin

I recalled from seeing this many moons ago that his role (the first theatrical motion picture for him) was rather small; his screentime was even shorter than I had remembered, although still has some importance for the story and as typical, his performance was solid. Sometime later in the year will be a review of a movie where he has a more substantial part; for now, there are no regrets finally discussing this here. 

Rosemary's Baby is a film that takes its time; after all, it is more than 45 minutes before the lead becomes pregnant and it is almost 140 minutes long. From the first minute, though, the sense of dread and macabre horror starts permeating the movie and does not let up until the end. For those that have never seen this, the eventual outcome will probably not be a surprise by the time the final act begins. The inevitability of it is what will more likely than not stick with you, along with several scenes that I never forgot. Those dream sequences... holy cow.

There is the elephant in the room of the director's personal life and various illegal acts he has allegedly done... that won't impact my rating or opinion of the movie. He's unfortunately one of many Hollywood directors who have or been accused of vile things and while it's less awkward if I simply don't watch most of his films, I will say that in a vacuum, he did a masterful job of directing here. The very way it is shot plays a critical role in setting the unsettling mood. Other aspects are aces: the music, the sets, the great clothing that Mia Farrow wears throughout. The cast as a whole does a swell job, but of course the highlights were Farrow and her reactions to all the gaslighing done to her, along with Ruth Gordon as the distaff half of the old neighbors that ingratiate themselves into her and her husband's life.

I won't demand that all horror fans check this out; those that want to pass due to their feelings on who made the movie, there won't be any arguments from me. Those that aren't turned off by the off-screen incidents that happened years after this was released, it is quite the harrowing experience. If you identify as a woman, I can only imagine what your reaction is to seeing Rosemary have almost every action controlled by a man... actually, there is a mutual here who noted just how stomach-churning that was for them.

Harakiri

Harakiri (Seppuku) (1962)

Runtime: 133 minutes

Directed by: Masaki Kobayashi

Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita, Tetsuro Tanba, Masao Mishima

From: Shochiku

Featuring a scene I'd boldly say was more gruesome than (probably) anything in Spiral: From the Book of Saw.

For a long while now I have known that Harakiri has a sterling reputation and is currently one of the highest rated films on all of Letterboxd; last night on the Criterion Channel it was discovered that it deserves such lofty praise. It may sound like a simple premise of “a ronin samurai feels disgraced that he is poor and can't find a new master so he wishes to commit ritualistic suicide in a random clan's courtyard, only they think he is running some sort of scam for money or other goals” but it is far more complex than that. The movie has a measured pace and has plenty of dialogue; it works in this case as the more conversation you hear, the more the story unfurls and you realize what everyone's motivations are.

It would be a crime to reveal much more so I'll mention a few general comments. The setting is early 17th century Japan and it was brought to life perfectly, as was everything in this movie... both in front and behind the camera. Various themes are addressed, from machismo and tradition to the sometimes absurdity of samurai tradition/lore. It was an expert job done by director Masaki Kobayashi. The few times that there is violence, it was brutally effective. The most unforgettable moment there was early on in a scene that I will safely presume was more wince-inducing for me than anything in the new Saw film. Not that I've seen any of the Saw movies... but I know that the deaths are all so absurdly over the top they are gross yet they wouldn't be effective for me because they are preposterous. The moment I am referring to in Harakiri was just incredibly painful due to all the details surrounding it... the bloodshed, the facial expressions, the way that things were turned around on someone, etc.

Point is, this is much more than just “a samurai movie” and to use a phrase from someone else on Letterboxd, it it almost plotted like it is a courtroom drama. No matter what you typically prefer in a movie, there's a likely shot that you'll find this to be as excellent as advertised.

I Revisited Top Gun

For those that have an AMC Theatres with a Dolby Cinema, you can watch Top Gun on the big screen for the next few days. This is what I did yesterday afternoon. It's a movie I've seen a few times before (it's not even the first revival screening; that had to be around 2008 or so) and early last year reviewed here. That linked review should be read first as my opinion on this has not changed and I don't want to reiterate everything I wrote less than 18 months ago.

Naturally, the movie looked and sounded great; it's always nice to hear the glorious soundtrack/score theatrically. Top Gun still has plenty of silly moments yet at least it is still an engaging time which has a nice cast and action scenes that still work 35 years later. Seeing this with 2021 eyes, I recall the talking point that some have concerning modern movies having flawless protagonists (::coughcoughReycoughcough::); thank heavens that Pete “Maverick” Mitchell has plenty of doubts and fears which make him relatable. Also, it's nice that Iceman is a rival yet isn't a stereotypical A-hole and in fact has valid criticisms of Maverick's behavior in the air.

While I am not 100% sure that Top Gun: Maverick is needed, I'll still see it whenever it comes out-currently that will be November, but the way the past year has been that could change at least 5 more times before it is finally released. Hopefully the new movie turns out right but one thing I am certain of: the sequel won't be incredibly homoerotic to the point that people interpret it as “a story of a man's struggle with his own homosexuality.”

 

Emergency Squad

Emergency Squad (Squadra Volante) (1974)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Stelvio Massi

Starring: Tomas Milian, Gastone Moschin, Mario Carotenuto, Stefania Casini, Ray Lovelock

From: Rewind Film

The recent viewing habits of more than one Letterboxd follower finally inspired me to see another poliziotteschi; they have been watching some of those films. My most popular list here consists of the genre examples I've seen; regrettably not too many have been seen the past few years. The availability of those movies is a factor-it is usually not easy to find examples I haven't seen which are in English. One illegal streaming service (to be honest) that I saw a few of those on is long defunct and there are YouTube channels which are up for a bit but then are taken down for presumed copyright reasons... it's a hassle, in other words.

But I found this; while subdued compared to a typical example, it was still an interesting tale which covered a loose cannon cop (Tomas Milian) investigating a daring highway robbery; the robbers-led by Gastone Moschin-hide out after the heist. Various sleazy characters are seen throughout; speaking of sleaze, I was amused that the gratuitous nudity usually present in this genre was even more gratuitous than usual here. But anyhow, a few years prior Milian's wife was killed by gunfire; of course Moschin was responsible for that.

Even if it is not action-packed like some of these are, what action is present was good; in addition, I was never bored with the investigation or the in-fighting among the villain. There were other familiar faces (Ray Lovelock, Stefania Casini of Suspiria fame) and a solid score. One strange aspect of the viewing experience last night: on several occasions, the audio would switch over from dubbed English into the original Italian, before switching back. That's not the first time this has happened but it was never a few times in the same movie. What gave me the biggest laugh: there's no nice way to say it so I'll have to be blunt: one of the villains in one scene wears pants so tight, it looks like he has a camel toe!

Bringing Up Baby

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Howard Hawks

Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Charles Ruggles, Walter Catlett, Barry Fitzgerald

From: RKO

This past Wednesday was Katharine Hepburn's birthday; thus, Turner Classic Movies played her films all day. This was recorded off of the DVR and watched two evenings ago. Now, to be honest I wasn't sure just based on what I heard how I would take Hepburn's character. I understood she was rather nutty and it would have been easy for me to have massively been turned off by someone so flighty. At first I wasn't sure about this movie, between the early actions of Susan Vance and Cary Grant as paleontologist who is absent-minded himself and has a wet blanket of a spouse-to-be.

But soon I just rolled with the punches and I did laugh quite a bit at the increasingly absurd situations-not to mention the manic pace this has-the two leads found themselves in; that included a bone from a brontosaurus and a pet leopard, the titular Baby. At least Grant's character (David Huxley) has a more entertaining life with Vance-who I will insult because I'll make a comparison to Paris Hilton but she is an airhead heiress-than he does with his sour, stern fiancee. At least she was not truly intolerable like ANY Kardashian/Jenner blight on humanity...

I was unsure how much to say about the film in general; the end decision there was not to reveal too much and instead speak in generalities. Of course, huge assets in this movie's favor include the two leads, a talented supporting cast (from Charles Ruggles and Barry Fitzgerald to Virginia Walker and May Robson) and a legendary director in Howard Hawks. It did not take long for me to be won over by this motion picture; it has what you'd expect from this genre-mistaken identity, a couple that at first feuds but then of course they change their mind, etc.-and quite a few unforgettable moments. I haven't seen enough screwball comedies by any means but those interested in the genre (no matter how little) definitely should track this down.

For His Son

This is a 1912 silent short from the infamous D.W. Griffith that is... an anti-drug piece!

Apparently, D.W. Griffith wasn't a fan of Coca-Cola.

To be perfectly honest, I did see a movie last night (once again via the DVR) but I've been preoccupied with various things the past 24 hours so I need more time to finish that review. Earlier today on my Letterboxd activity feed came a mutual reviewing a D.W. Griffith short I had never even heard of before... as apparently he made at least 500 in his life, that is understandable. Besides being a hair under 15 minutes, its plot made me laugh when I read that mutual give his brief review on the short.

Get this: a physician desires the ability to give more money to his adult son. His solution: creating a soft drink subtly named DOPOKOKE which contains-get this-cocaine! Context is needed here: Coca-Cola did indeed contain cocaine in the first few decades of its existence... along with other beverages. At least in the United States, some thought that the drug had medicinal effects. A National Food and Drug Act was finally created in 1906-which meant that the white powder's presence had to be identified-although it wasn't until 1914 that it was classified as a narcotic.

Anyhow, naturally Dopokoke became popular in town, including children consuming the drink. Dad makes money he can give to his son but as Griffith was a moralist (despite The Birth of a Nation), things go wrong and a tragedy happens. Thus, it was a worse idea on dad's part than the European Super League. Even without the usage of copious intertitles, the story still comes across and it was a fine 15 minutes that managed to do a satisfactory job of demonstrating the evils of cocaine and avarice. There are several copies of this floating around online, of varying quality. Overall, I was and am amused as the idea of “a D.W. Griffith anti-drug silent short.”

Pather Panchali

Pather Panchali (1955)

Runtime: 125 minutes

Directed by: Satyajit Ray

Starring: Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Chunibala Devi, Uma Das Gupta, Subir Bannerjee

From: Government of West Bengal

I hope I am not the only one who at first thought this was called Panther Panchali.

The Criterion Channel is back in my rotation and as May 2 would have been Satyajit Ray's 100th birthday, it was about damn time I finally saw a film from a legendary director, one beloved on sites like Letterboxd. It was remarkable that this turned out to be a great movie considering it was a first time director, a crew with little experience, and a cast of mainly amateurs. But a great movie this is, one that from description could have been a dour 2 hours... real drudgery to get through.

Thankfully, this movie done in a neorealistic style was actually warm and humanistic despite the hardships the main characters experience-which was abject poverty. Young boy Apu has various women that shape his life, including his older sister Durga and his mother Sarbajaya. His dad is rather feckless so it's mom who rules the roost. The movie is from Apu's perspective so the viewer experiences the joy at various things he discovers from the first time. But bad things do happen... no spoilers on what I am referring to.

It'd be a crime to reveal much more but overall this was incredibly realistic and always felt natural. This and an ace score from a then-unknown Ravi Shankar helped make this such a rewarding journey filled with unforgettable moments even through all the heart-wrenching moments. It may take many months but eventually I'll see the other two movies in the Apu Trilogy. No doubt, this is one of the best debut films ever made.

Crime Busters

Crime Busters (I Due Superpiedi Quasi Patti) (1977)

Runtime: 110 minutes

Directed by: Enzo Barboni

Starring: Terence Hill, Bud Spencer, David Huddleston, Luciano Catenacci, Ezio Marzano

From: Several Italian companies

This movie is quite stupid, but...

In the past I've mentioned how the Terence Hill/Bud Spencer duo was incredibly popular in certain parts of the world but that was not the case in the United States. At least there's streaming that will allow me to discover why this pair still has so many fans.

To be frank, the film is pretty dopey; yet I couldn't get mad at it and the charm of Hill/Spencer was definitely an asset. They played two strangers who meet up in Miami, both unsuccessfully looking for work. They bungle an attempted supermarket robbery so badly that they end up joining the police force-don't ask. The plot is threadbare but at least they do have villains to go after after they kill “a Chinaman” that Hill briefly knew. Various hijinks happen, some of which revolve around our leads not wanting to be cops but circumstances force them to not quit. Various dudes get wrecked throughout, and so do plenty of automobiles.

I couldn't get chuffed at how nonsensical it was at times; after all, there was some funny dialogue, ludicrous situations, Spencer being indestructible-which probably was the case in every film featuring him & Hill-another likely series staple where much food is consumed at once, and more. Plus, I know some will appreciate Laura Gemser's presence; from an actual acting perspective, there's David Huddleston in a supporting role as the police chief. This was one of the many Italian productions from the late 70's through the 80's that filmed in South Florida. Besides the obvious weather factor (at long as it's not during the summer... trust me, hot temperatures and high humidity is pretty miserable) I will presume that they were “persuaded” by those in power in the Sunshine State at the time to film here.

To be honest, this perhaps is rated a little higher than it should be; no kidding, that is due to the groovy movie (from Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, who always deliver catchy scores) and some of the astounding clothing you see in this motion picture. Not only does Spencer wear a boss blue-hued jacket that has JUMBO written on the back, I couldn't even begin to describe the Western wear they have on for a few minutes.

Moon Zero Two

Moon Zero Two (1969)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Roy Ward Baker

Starring: James Olson, Catherine Schell, Warren Mitchell, Adrienne Corri, Bernard Bresslaw

From: Hammer

It's time for me to catch up here. I should have posted this on Sunday, but alas... 

A movie set (in part) on May 9th, 2021.

Just last night on another site I saw a still that someone posted of this movie; it was a sign which noted that the date in Moon Zero Two's universe was today. Seeing more than one motion picture set in 2021 was something I wanted to do this year and at least this was better than Johnny Mnemonic. If only this was more exciting...

In 2021, everything is owned by a corporation... at least that prediction was correct. The leads are two pilots who own the last private ship; they salvage space junk. There is plenty of kitsch with the low budget sets/effects and the 2001-like space suits. There are some rather curious choices made with some hair styles, not to mention hair colors. At least this has a version of Monopoly known as MOONOPOLY where the board is circular. Not only is a millionaire A-hole looking to mine a giant asteroid made out of sapphire (?!) a woman is looking for her missing brother, a miner on the moon.

This is said to be like a Space Western and in ways I do agree. There's even a saloon brawl, only done without gravity... which on this budget could only be presented as “it was easy to toss people and crap around.” This movie-made by Hammer!-is not awful (despite it appearing on the very first season of MST3K) yet the movie is not a must-see for sci-fi fans unless you are an extreme die-hard fan. At least it was an average experience which did have a nice jazzy musical score from jazz artist Don Ellis. This was his first score, before the French Connection movies and The Seven-Ups. For a movie seen by happenstance, this could have been FAR more painful.

Kubo And The Two Strings

Perhaps not the best choice for Mother's Day, but...

Yesterday I once again used the DVR and this time it was to record a GOOD family movie from recent years-very good, as a matter of fact. Before last night, the only Laika I had seen was Missing Link; I enjoyed that but understood from hearsay that all their previous work was better than that. As I know at least some on Letterboxd will be aghast I hadn't seen more from that cult favorite studio, it was a wise choice to see this when it was broadcast on FXM. I won't say why it was a curious choice for Mother's Day (and that day for me will be different for the rest of my life after what happened last year) but I was able to handle that and I see that Laika movies also belong on the list of worthwhile movies for all my little nephews... I'd rather them see quality movies rather than rubbish full of burp and fart jokes.

It is a standard heroes journey tale starring the titular Kubo, a young boy living in a feudal Japan village who has a single mother and they are in hiding as some members of their family are after them. He eventually finds such wacky companions as a beetle/human and a snow monkey as this natural storyteller goes on a real life quest for an item. Besides telling an interesting story with some intriguing adult themes that blends in various aspects of Japanese folklore that is respectful of the culture, it always features gorgeous stop-motion animation (which was also influenced by such native techniques as origami, ink wash painting & Ukiyo-e art) which looked stellar at times, several big action sequences, and an appropriate soundtrack.

Even if this may have a few moments that would be scary for the real young ones, if I could handle Large Marge when I was less than 10 years old and see all of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure... it won't take me many years to see the rest of Laika's output.

Under Siege

Under Siege (1992)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: Andrew Davis

Starring: Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey, Erika Eleniak, Colm Meaney

From: Warner Bros.

The only time you'll see me use the term fo'c'sle (that's usually the living quarters for the crew on a ship).

This was a movie I just finished watching on Netflix; in fact, I went to Netflix early in the afternoon to try and find something to watch. This popped up and as I hadn't seen this in MANY years, it was time for me to finally talk about Steven Seagal here. Way back in the past I have put up brief reviews of a few Seagal movies. Steven's real life behavior (whether it be political or his alleged behavior towards multiple women) and how increasingly lazy-& bad-his films in the 21st century have been... this is why I haven't gone back to do longer reviews or seen anything not talked about here beforehand. I won't otherwise be going in depth on his real life issues (or make cheap wisecracks concerning his increasing mass; why do that when there are more valid criticisms of him?) as I discuss something that had a far bigger budget than Seagal's first four movies.

The movie does strain credulity... not only does Seagal play a badass Navy cook named Casey F'ing Ryback (that phrase is the main thing I remember about this movie's sequel), but he is allowed to be disrespectful to his superiors, not follow orders or wear appropriate clothing while on duty. I excused that and went along for the ride as Seagal had to be the hero on the USS Missouri when both Gary Busey and Tommy Lee Jones-sporting a tremendous look-take it over for means of revenge against the United States government.

This movie has assets that help make it rise above the typical Seagal work from the first decade or so of his career. The fact that he is off-screen for long stretches while time is spent with the villains... to be frank, that helps in the acting department. Having a talented director like Andrew Davis definitely helps, along with having both Busey and Jones (right before he became a big deal to the public with Davis' next film, The Fugitive). The rest of the cast has some other familiar faces: Colm Meaney, Patrick O'Neal, George Chung, Nick Mancuso, Damian Chapa, Bernie Casey, and providing a memorable bit of on-screen nudity that I know many others around my age recall fondly, Erika Eleniak. This Die Hard clone is a goofy yet unforgettable piece of slick entertainment w/ big stakes that has exciting action and a story that always kept my attention.

I could write paragraphs about how Old Steven is a fascinating character but there is all those bad things he's apparently done and if someone would want to avoid anything he's ever done because they think he's trash... I get it. However, I am still able to see most of the movies he did when it seemed like he was trying, even if some of those are also rather lousy. It was a relief that it still thrilled me after all of this time.

A Bay Of Blood

A Bay of Blood (Ecologia Del Delitto) (1971)

Runtime: 84 minutes

Directed by: Mario Bava

Starring: A bunch of actors playing a bunch of characters I couldn't give a crap about

From: Nuova Linea Cinematografica

No one is more surprised by this rating (2 1/2 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd) than I am.

Last night I went to Shudder and scrolled through my queue; as it's a movie from Mario Bava, is highly regarded and is said to be the proto-slasher of proto-slashers, how could I go wrong with it? Much to my amazement, it was not a movie I loved... in fact, it was totally “blah” for me aside from the graphic kills, some of which were lifted wholesale for 80's slashers-and a genuinely out of left field ending.

The beginning was fine: a Countess is murdered and there is intrigue surrounding her mansion, including a real estate agent wanting to take possession so that the land can be used for profit. Then a trope in actual slashers (dumb teens or young adults) appears and I suddenly lost interest as I did not give a damn about them... then the realization that I did not care about the rest of the story or the other characters either. The issue of the viewer having no sympathy for anyone on screen was a talking point I heard/seen before but it really impacted me. Most of the Bava I've seen have been at worst a good time so this not connecting much with me at all is a real shame.

The effects from Carlo Rambaldi are nice and I dug the score from Stelvio Cipriani; yet that and the expected visual flair from Old Mario was not enough to entertain me. At least it was incredibly influential (more than one death scene was lifted rather blatantly for a slasher made in the 80's) and you will likely enjoy this better than I did. If only this did not leave me feeling so disappointed by something which has more than one badass English title-Twitch of the Death Nerve is also a tremendous moniker.

The Emoji Movie!

The Emoji Movie (2017)

Runtime: 86 long, long minutes

Honestly, everyone involved with this should be ashamed of themselves

The first film I've ever DVR'ed; I swear this is true. I realize how preposterous it will sound when I say that until Tuesday I've never had a DVR in my entire life, but that is exactly the case. Who knows how often it will even be used, but of course I have seen others use one so I was interested to try it out. This “wonderful” motion picture was on the FXX Channel yesterday so that was programmed, and it played without a hitch. Of course, some would say I would have been better off had it not recorded...

Going in I expected this to be like the poop emoji, and that indeed it was. To be honest, it just seemed like a bad idea from the very concept... life in the smartphone of a dopey 14 year old boy and emoji being living things which can only express one emotion in their entire lives & Gene Meh (unfortunately voiced by T.J. Miller) is “broken” as he has multiple emotions. He has to go on the run to fix himself and while I am one of the few on the planet that doesn't love The Lego Movie, that did a similar concept better than this lame, vapid, dopey film where I only chuckled a few time and I usually groaned or rolled my eyes at this “entertainment”.

I get that smartphones have become popular for little kids in recent years-I have four little nephews, after all. However, I don't even know if the children will enjoy this crap. At least now I fully understand why many people have a strong dislike of James Corden between his character here and whatever the heck he was doing in Cats. As many have noted already, it is not in good taste to see a motion picture for the young ones heavily plug certain phone apps to the point that instructions are given on how to play Candy Crush & Just Dance... which of course is a console-only game.

I can only hope that none of my nephews have ever seen this dreck; at least I know there is plenty of worthwhile family entertainment just in these modern times... among other options, the majority of what Disney and Pixar have released in recent times. Don't be a fool like me and even give a shot to The Emoji Movie for ironic laughs; at least personally, there has to be literally thousands of films that range from stone cold classics to simply interesting that are far more worthy of my time rather than an infamous animated flick that people hated simply for its very conceptualization... and turned out to be something that needed to be far better just to be meh.

The biggest laugh I got: the movie having a “dungeon” where never-used emojis are stuck in. One of them was... an eggplant. Now, I know it is poppycock that a 14 year old boy won't use that emoji often in messages to a significant other or a potential significant other!

Freebie And The Bean

Freebie and the Bean (1974)

Runtime: 113 minutes

Directed by: Richard Rush

Starring: James Caan, Alan Arkin, and a bunch of 70's character actors

From: Warner Bros.

A movie with dated elements, but still the way that I'll tip my cap to the late Richard Rush.

I've been meaning to visit or revisit something from the director once I heard last month that he had passed away. I only saw Freebie and the Bean once before today, and that was many moons ago. By 2021 standards, the movie has plenty of material that will offend more sensitive types (after all, even the title is problematic, considering that Alan Arkin is playing a Mexican character...). Despite that and how loud the movie is-which more often than not would be tiring to me-I still enjoy the bats--- insanity of this motion picture.

The threadbare plot has James Caan and Arkin has undercover cops in San Francisco who have a love/hate relationship where it seems as if the latter usually wins out. They have to guard a mob boss during Super Bowl weekend; the big game is in the area. From that germ of an idea came a LOT of chaos in San Fran; the duo were like agents of chaos in that they made everyone else act loud, crazy, and cause plenty of wanton destruction all across the area. There are many car crashes, brawls, s--- getting destroyed, etc. A sequence in the middle lasts about 10 minutes long and is astounding in the amount of monetary damage that must have happened from just a would-be assassin attempting to elude capture. Some definitely won't like the amount of innocent bystanders that are collateral damage, or the number of offensive slurs that both title characters use. Heck, plenty won't like Bean's behavior as he believes his wife is cheating on him and eventually confronts her.

Despite myself, the movie is still rather entertaining due to all the chaos, all the dialogue that is funny without being too gross, and the absurd situations our “hero” duo find themselves in. Big assets include the cast (and not just Caan & Arkin. This also has plenty of familiar 70's character actors), the jaunty score, how well the action is staged and yes, the gigantic cojones it took to make such an outrageous movie. While not a movie I'll revisit often (it'd be too exhausting for me) it was a good idea to finally be able to sing its praises on Letterboxd. After all, of all the classics that came out in '74, allegedly KUBRICK said this was his favorite from the year.

Night of Terror

Night of Terror (1933)

Runtime: The version I saw was only 63 minutes long

Directed by: Benjamin Stoloff

Starring: Bela Lugosi, Wallace Ford, Sally Blane, Bryant Washburn, Tully Marshall

From: Columbia

As of late I've mentioned a few times my issues with my Internet/phone/cable. Well, I've been gaslit by what's happened during this period of time but today I have a new provider which installed some fiber optic cables and now everything is not only working again, the speeds are notably improved from before... and the performance in the past was good when it worked. Realistically, there should be no more problems with that anytime soon so it should be a LONG while before I carp and moan about such things in a Letterboxd review.

The installation was done this morning; this was seen on Prime in the early afternoon, although it's easy to find elsewhere as it's in the public domain. I've known of this for years and mainly chose it due to its brief length at barely more than an hour. It is a Pre-Code horror movie involving a mansion filled with various characters... this includes a young lady who is engaged to a scientist-who is going to be buried alive to prove that he created a serum that causes someone to breath without oxygen!-but she is constantly bothered by a tool of a newspaper reporter who always forces himself on her, “mystical” characters, one of whom goes into trance-and in the third act does a seance-& another played by Bela Lugosi, and (unfortunately) a Black servant who is a total buffoon. Oh, and there's an ugly-looking maniac prowling around in the area.

There are actually other characters which also come across as one-note. All that said, it is an entertaining yarn which has enough macabre laughs/spooky moments for me to say that this was “fine”. Plus, it was nice to see some other faces I recognized (Wallace Ford, Tully Marshall). In addition, the ending scene has one of the characters breaking the fourth wall and talking right to the audience, for reasons I won't spoil but it was a menacing message. I actually saw that clip before and it was funny out of context. In context... it's still funny.

Carlito's Way

Escape to Paradise.

I still had to use physical media last night (tomorrow I am FINALLY going to have Internet and cable again; if this long nightmare continues for me and something goes wrong there... expect an all-timer rant from me) so thankfully in my collection was a steelbook of this movie. I don't usually purchase those but I found it for cheap somewhere so I couldn't turn that down. It's another De Palma movie where Pacino plays a Hispanic character and even if it's not as great-or over the top-as Scarface the film is still very good.

Carlito Brigante is a Puerto Rican drug dealer who is released from prison due to a technicality by his sleazy lawyer and he actually wants to reform and be involved in legit businesses (a nice twist); in fact he has an end goal in mind-he just needs to earn enough movie the right way but not only does his past haunt him, but some people in the present are really hampering him. Not even reuniting with his girl Penelope Ann Miller can help him. There were quality performances all around... from Latin actors Luis Guzman and John Leguizamo to Miller and Pacino. But, it was Sean Penn as Jewish lawyer David Kleinfeld who gave me the most entertainment.

I am not sure about Penn IRL (among other things, there are rumors concerning some things he may have done to Madonna when they were together) but this character was an amazing scumbag. The Art Garfunkel hair, some of his clothing, him being a cokehead-there were plenty of laughs and as I say often, those chuckles were needed. The story was engrossing (as talk about a conflicted lead), 1970's NYC was brought to life rather well and it has a wonderful soundtrack between the salsa music and the disco tunes. While it would have been better if it wasn't shown in the beginning, the ending is rather haunting.

It was a delight to finally talk about Carlito's Way on Letterboxd.

In The Earth

My first Ben Wheatley movie... no, really.

Of course I've known of Wheatley for years now yet haven't checked out anything from him until last night at an AMC in Orlando. To be honest, there was some question concerning if I would find his typical movie to be “pretentious claptrap” or something else that wouldn't appeal to me even if it would be favorable to the average Letterboxd user. When I saw Godzilla vs. Kong theatrically, the trailer for this played beforehand and it looked interesting as something which looked like folk horror set in the woods.

This was shot quickly last year during the pandemic, so it is set in a more severe pandemic as a researcher is led into a forest by a lady. There aren't too many other characters and I'll leave it at that; it's not a spoiler to say that things go wrong as the duo experience bizarre elements out in an isolated location. Now, it has some unforgettable scenes that feature very trippy imagery, an electronic score (how that factors into the story made me guffaw when it probably wasn't supposed to) and a small cast full of unfamiliar faces which all were at least fine. What a doggone shame then that this wasn't too enjoyable to me overall, with some stretches that just felt L-O-N-G and that did sour my opinion.

This does fit into the “heightened horror” category; the term itself I don't fully understand its name but to be frank, most of the ones I've seen I thought were overrated. That does include Hereditary, It Follows and The Babadook. This is not as highly rated as those-unfortunately it's one of those films which has a few gruesome over the top gory moments... that has been tiresome to me for years now. I do get why some would love this, while others would hate the movie to death. Myself, I am more ambivalent about the end product. This being made during the pandemic where (presumably) it was made safe & various people got work... that is nice and all; if only I would have liked it better, and there wouldn't have been a few minutes of strobing light-which was noted in a warning at the beginning-I don't have epilepsy so my complaint about that is that it hurts my eyes; for some reason it seems like a bad idea to create an effect that causes many people to not look at your movie...

This hasn't made me swear off Ben Wheatley for good; one day I hope to see something from him that is more up my alley-and I am not referring to the upcoming sequel to The Meg.

 

Carry On Cowboy

As I haven't seen any entry from this franchise in awhile & this is one of the Carry On movies I have on disc that hasn't been watched yet... the absurdity of a British Western filmed in Jolly Old England was the reason why it was selected.

Sid James played The Rumpo Kid, a villain in black who takes over Stodge City with the aid of his ruffian friends. Like in Blazing Saddles, the mayor asked Washington for assistance, although it's otherwise an entirely different scenario. The mayor genuinely needs helps after the sheriff is killed and because of a misunderstanding, a sanitation worker played by Jim Dale called MARSHAL P. KNUTT is hired as a U.S. Marshal to drive the bad guys out of the city. Even if you are not familiar with the series or how it's known for its silly ribald humor, the names alone should tell you what sort of motion picture it is.

In every review I've done for the franchise, the type of comedy this is has been noted; it is more of the same here, although it still tickles me pink. While not a classic like Blazing Saddles, Carry On Cowboy is still an amusing picture which does poke fun at various cliches and even spoofs such films as High Noon. Knutt is unknowingly assisted by the sheriff's daughter... Annie Oakley! It was unexpected to see a real life figure being used. As in other Westerns even by this time, there was “redface” action going on by having whites play a Native American tribe. The “drunken Indian” stereotype also used here hasn't exactly aged well due to the real life issues with alcoholism that plague Native Americans... yet I can chuckle that old fey man Charles Hawtrey played the leader of that tribe, BIG HEAP. With the way things have gone as of late, I needed some laughs, which this helpfully provided.

 

Mortal Kombat (The New One)

 I apologize for being gone for days; now is the time to catch up: 

Great... for a videogame movie.

Not to start off another review of mine with an update on my long miserable saga concerning my Internet/phone/cable situation, but due to reasons (monetary being one of them) I now have a new cable provider. It will be a fiber optics hookup-it's wired all through the neighborhood-and that sounds great... except that sometime in the next few days, they have to install that cable in my abode... Cripes almighty that will be a lengthy process and preparations have to be made to ensure they have space to install it in my room. The appointment for that hasn't even been confirmed yet but unless it's tomorrow, I hope to see something somewhere tonight and post a new review sometime tomorrow. No guarantees there... but this has been far more of a nightmare than I could have predicted.

Last night I literally had nothing better to do, so I used my AMC A-List service and saw this film. Neither of the films made in the 90's have ever been seen by me-as the first is from Paul Writes S***** Anderson and Annihilation has such a toxic reputation-but in the 90's I at least put a few quarters into the original arcade machines and at home I have played some of the games on console. I am not a superfan of the franchise by any means so take that into account with my review.

Whenever playing the games, the story or any sort of story mode was never of any concern; one on one battles where hopefully I can land a fatality was more my focus. It is to be expected that bringing this wacky over the top characters with special powers into “the real world” will be pretty goofy, and this was just that. My opinion: Mortal Kombat 2021 is nonsense but at least entertaining nonsense. A new character (Cole Young; why not introduce someone that will be playable in the next game?) is an MMA fighter who discovers that competing in an epic tournament is his destiny. Of course, there's no actual tournament in this origin story movie, but maybe next time...

The plot at times is for the birds and it probably won't hold up well if I were to really scrutinize it. I've seen complaints concerning the pacing and editing-both are valid criticisms. Hardcore fans will likely think different but for me who has only played some of the games, the movie was fine for what it was. It is nonsense where several iconic catchphrases are shoehorned in kind of awkwardly, one character definitely qualifies as “odious comic relief”, and it blatantly sequel-bates at the conclusion. All that said, there was plenty of action, brawls, some gunfire, and several moments that were befitting of a franchise that caused a HUGE stink in the 90's with its graphic gore.

The circumstances I've been in as of late where I haven't been able to watch much of anything perhaps has impacted my rating; in any event, I did not feel disappointed with this silly motion picture.