Police Story 3: Super Cop

Police Story 3: Super Cop (Ging Chaat Goo Si Ill: Chiu Kup Ging Chaat) (1992)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Stanley Tong

Starring: Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, Kenneth Tsang, Wah Yuen

From: Golden Harvest

Stewed civet and turtle penis!

To be brief, in a matter of hours this will be gone from the Criterion Channel so this was THE priority for last night. In the past I’ve reviewed the first two Police Story films and enjoyed both. Adding Michelle Yeoh to the mix made me happy to check this out in full instead of the original United States version put out by by individual I’ll refer to as Voldemort.

Chan is back as Chan Ka-Kui; this time he has to go undercover in Mainland China to try and bring down a drug kingpin known as Big Brother; this includes busting a henchman out of prison. Sounds stock standard, but in execution this is a lot of fun. It’s Hong Kong so there’s some comedy and not all of it landed perfectly with me; be that as it may, this has what you want if you enjoy the Hong Kong action pictures from this time. It certainly delivers on both the story and the action beats. Chan and Yeoh are as incredible as you’d expect; if only once again Maggie Cheung had more to do…

Jackie Chan the human being I don’t love now; just look at how he treats his children. Jackie Chan the action star who provides laughs along with the martial arts and literally death-defying stunts: I can still love. Villains who are pretty loathsome, Lo Lieh for a bit, gunplay & explosions that are present along with the martial arts, a soundtrack that at times reminded me of Tangerine Dream, time spent in Malaysia, and a tremendous final 20 minutes that is incredible in terms of action that continues to escalate, where no one being maimed or killed during filming was purely the luck of fools—the clips shown during the end credits prove that.

The rest of 2023, I’ll have to check out at least one more Hong Kong action picture of this vintage.

 

Mystics in Bali Is Now...

a film I better appreciate, and the reasons why I feel this way about the infamous 1981 Indonesian picture is below: 

A review I am happy to do a-new. Besides me finally seeing the full 86 minute version (via an HD YouTube upload just put up from a Letterboxd mutual) rather than a truncated 81 minute cut that was long ago on Prime, that old review had a mistake or two. This needed to be fixed so that’s why I revisited this infamous Indonesian horror picture they actually tried to make for a Western market. Once you hear the details, you’ll be incredulous this was the direction they went.

This stars a white girl and an Indonesian man. That lead actress (Ilona Agathe Bastian) was literally a random German woman who was spotted on vacation in Indonesia; she was asked to extend her vacation and star in this picture. She agreed, but after that who knows what happened with her; she for certain never made any other films. I wonder if she knew the details of the plot before she agreed! The film apparently accurately represents the legends of the Leyak and penanggalan—which has some incredibly odd details.

Ilona plays Cathy, an anthropologist who wishes to learn black magic to write a book. A witch who has a Yoda-like voice (at least in the English dub), fingernails inches long and cackles CONSTANTLY-I don’t know if that is part of the lore-teaches her, but bad things happen to Cathy. To mention the most infamous aspect: a few times, Cathy’s head, organs, and entrails detaches from her body under control of the witch! One time, it… devours an unborn baby. Even if it wasn’t presented in a tasteless way, that does not mean it wasn’t gross. That said, I’ll give credit for Ms. Bastian for going along w/ all this insanity.

Oh, and with the passage of time I can laugh that this has something in common with a truly awful movie-1980’s Gamera: Super Monster. There, any effect that had even a bit of complexity was done on tape rather than film, which blatantly looks different between the two. The same applies here; a lot of it was practically done on film, from wire effects to animation added in during the OOT finale, but when the head and everything else go flying… that effect is only daffier by how blurry the taped portion looks.

The film is hilariously weird; not to insult the culture of an entire region (that lore is not just Indonesian) but it’s all so strange. Yet, the plot is never not captivating viewing the Grand Guignol moments in this mondo experience, most of which will not be spoiled here. Yes, there's more than just flying heads; to give but one example, people transform into different animals. An electronic score that I genuinely loved meant that overall, I was happy to revisit this film-this time in complete form-& be befuddled at times yet was still happy to give another chance to a movie featuring unique lore—and appreciating it more.

Carry On Dick

Carry On Dick (1974)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Gerald Thomas

Starring: The typical Carry On crew

From: The Rank Organisation

The name was only partially why this was viewed last night. Truth be told, recently I gained another follower (even I don’t believe there’s now 2,700 on Letterboxd!) and this gentleman has reviewed various Carry On films as of late. As I’ve viewed almost half of that franchise and for the sake of this gent, I selected something that was on YouTube. Yeah, I chose one that has a snicker-worthy title. To elaborate: I gather that many in the UK still know the name Dick Turpin, but for everyone else… he was a highwayman (a robber who steals from travelers) who became a mythical anti-hero decades and even centuries after his death.

Of course, the series based a movie rather loosely on Turpin so they would be able to call Sid James as the titular character BIG DICK on several occasions. The story is that Big Dick leads a trio of bandits and the Bow Street Runners-an actual law enforcement group, even though they were based in London and the movie is set in a small village-are looking to stop them. The masked marauders have a secret identity: Turpin is a priest & the other two are his underlings! Many laughs were had as Kenneth Williams is constantly duped by the antiheroes. Unlike “a series of sketches loosely tied together” that was this series at times, it was an actual plot with setpieces.

There is even bawdier humor than usual for this silly film which involves cross-dressing, puns, crass jokes and important characters named JOCK STRAPP and ROGER DALEY who meet up at the OLD COCK INN. There is in fact no shortage of humor revolving around tallywackers, including Turpin allegedly having a birthmark on his. Either what I’ve said will be appealing to you or you’ll think it is too juvenile. For franchise fans, this was the last film of writer Talbot Rothwell along with James, Hattie Jacques and Barbara Windsor—all storied veterans of these films.

In a Lonely Place

In a Lonely Place (1950)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: Nicholas Ray

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy, Carl Benton Reid, Jeff Donnell

From: Columbia

This movie has a tremendous line of dialogue, but you can find that in many other reviews & the movie has acres of great dialogue. Believe it or not, despite loving some of Bogie’s films and the same for some of Nicholas Ray in the director’s chair, it wasn’t until last night that I finally checked out this famed noir from Bogart’s production company, from when TCM played it during their day devoted to the lead. In hindsight, I was a blind, knuckle-headed squirrel for not viewing this MUCH sooner.

Bogie plays a sardonic Hollywood screenwriter w/ the amazing name DIXON STEELE who is accused of murder as the dame he asks to tell him about a trashy book--she ends up dead after leaving his place. Thankfully for him, Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame) is his neighbor and gives him an alibi. Of course they fall in love, but… right away the viewer discovers that Steele is an incredibly dark character who has a hair-trigger temper and is his own worst enemy. The hook is that along w/ Gray, the viewer does not know if Dixon is the killer or not; despite having a police officer friend with the even funnier name of BRUB NICOLAI, evidence is in abundance which could make the viewer think he could be guilty.

What a hell of a film this is. Between the plot, the stellar lead performances, the supporting characters, the lighting and other tricks used to make Bogart quite menacing in certain scenes, the mystery, the climax… this is all-time great, and not just as a film noir, but as a film in general. It’s even a cynical look at Hollywood. Speaking of cynical, I was a little bummed reading the film’s Wiki page and discovered that not only was this character allegedly uncomfortably close to Bogie in real life, it was not hard to understand why Grahame soon ended her marriage to Ray; apparently he was abusive & controlling. It’s depressing thinking of those talents in a non-idolized manner…

In any case, don’t let those details dissuade you from checking out the movie, especially if you love the genre, the director, and/or its leads.

 

Urban Legend

Urban Legend (1998)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Jamie Blanks

Starring: Alicia Witt, Jared Leto, Rebecca Gayheart, Michael Rosenbaum, Loretta Devine

From: Tristar

Yes, I remembered this starred Jared Leto. That goes against the meme of his filmography holding many surprises yet for a long time his presence here was unknown to me; Urban Legend may have only been seen by me twice in total, both on VHS. It was by happenstance that this was chosen, close to its 25th (!) anniversary. What little I recalled was that this unabashedly ripped off Scream... which was in fact the case. Then again, Kevin Williamson even started ripping himself off; that's how horror was in the late 90's.

The novelty is getting to see and hear about various urban legends, which of course are in general nothing more than lore, but are still fun to hear about. Some won't like that one of those re-created was “the dog in the microwave” tale; you've been warned. At a bucolic New England college-actually filmed in Ontario-young adults start dying in rather creative ways, although this doesn't have much gore. The deaths seem to be connected to Alicia Witt, but why?

The movie is silly nonsense you don't want to scrutinize too hard. Yet, I still had fun with this crap. There are many familiar faces-besides the names already mentioned, Joshua Jackson, Rebecca Gayheart, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Tara Reid, Robert Englund, and even another “scary actor” who wasn't listed in the opening credits so their name won't be dropped here-the late 90's moments that made me chuckle as those were my teen years, some genuine laughs, and how one performer really camped it up at a key moment and continued that act the rest of the way.

The film can be picked apart if you so desire and at least a few will notice that all the main male college students are various degrees of trashy/sleazy; overall, this was a nice blast from the past I was happy to check out again after literal decades.

Emperor of the North

Emperor of the North (1973)

Runtime: 120 minutes

Directed by: Robert Aldrich

Starring: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Keith Carradine, Charles Tyner, Malcolm Atterbury

From: 20th Century Fox

I’ve had this on the DVR since… October 13, 2022! About time “play” was pressed. This was a film discussed on the Pure Cinema Podcast long ago and the high praise intrigued. As it’s an arduous task just to try and track down the picture, that’s why it was recorded when the film played on Fox Movie Channel during its retro hours—meaning no commercials and nothing’s edited out. A plot of “1930’s hobos try to ride a train but have to deal with sadistic conductor Ernest Borgnine” is esoteric. Yet, the lead hobos are Lee Marvin & Keith Carradine, in a production directed by Robert Aldrich-there is no excuse for waiting so long for viewing so it could be deleted.

The setting is 1933 during The Great Depression, where the United States is in rough shape; that’s why there were so many hobos that rode the trains so they could try to find work somewhere. That practice is illegal but Borgnine’s method is to kill those men with a giant mallet; that made him an easy villain to root against. By the by, the film’s original title (Emperor of the North Pole) refers to how even the best hobo would not be any better than an emperor of a vast, empty, frozen wasteland. Borgnine’s character is simply known as Shack, Carradine’s Cigaret and Marvin’s, A No. 1; need I say more?

The premise is simple: Borgnine’s character was literally supposed to represent The Establishment and Marvin was the Anti-Establishment (apt casting in that case) and it is a mano y mano battle where the goal is for a hobo to ride Shack’s train for any length of time as it’s never been done. It’s a challenge and the movie is quite visceral; you wouldn’t believe the final showdown, yet alone the weapons involved.

It’s a movie loosely based on a Jack London novel that was filmed in the same area of Oregon as Buster Keaton’s The General—a tale which takes two hours to tell but is never dull due to the time spent on knowing the protagonists and the unique world of hobos-Wiki has a great article about the topic. There’s That Guy actor Charles Tyner in a big role, Lance Henriksen in a bit part, Vic Tayback & Elisha Cook, Jr. for a moment and Sid Haig in one scene… a shame that the only ways to track this down is Fubo, finding a stream in the bowels of the Internet, or trying to order a physical copy that likely will be pricey, especially the long out of print Twilight Time Blu.

Over the Top

Over the Top (1987)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Menahem Golan

Starring: Sly Stallone, Robert Loggia, Susan Blakely, David Mendenhall, Terry Funk (RIP)

From: Cannon

RIP Terry Funk. As the type of pro wrestling fan who still follows the inner workings of the industry despite not watching the modern product (due to how atrocious much of it has become), I have to say a few words about Funk. He modified his persona and due to him being tougher than shoe leather, wrestled off and on for half a century despite wrestling in some insanely violent matches in the 90's while he was in his 50's. He could always wrestle and had such a great character, this was why he was so beloved by so many. He was also a very nice man outside the ring; I actually met him once & purchased one of his t-shirts but that will be discussed at the end. While he was in poor health for awhile, his death still upset a lot of people... both wrestlers and fans say that he was their favorite of all time.

As for his acting career, he also did that off and on... for the health insurance benefits. You see, you aren't offered that even today in the large organizations like WWE, but I'd rather not open that can of worms! I've already reviewed Road House (where Funk played Morgan) and don't need to discuss that again so I instead went with this cheesetastic 80's film which seemingly tried to popularize arm wrestling by having the final act taking place at that niche sport's World Championships in Las Vegas—it didn't work. Funk played one of the henchmen/bodyguards for Robert Loggia, whose character was a rich jerk that tries to keep his 12 year old grandson from Stallone's truck driver/arm wrestling character Lincoln Hawk... which is an amazing name. Why exactly is he referred to as “Hawks” on several occasions? Beats me! Is it a surprise to hear that Loggia played a real A-hole... now there's an easier question to answer.

The film is silly nonsense-yet still earnest-filled with cliches from better stories-to borrow a phrase-as Linc tries to befriend his son Michael despite Loggia's best attempts. There's also a sick mother (there are more tearjerker moments than expected), other arm wrestlers that are so... over the top that they might as well be pro wrestlers* , Hawk committing property damage, a Moroder score, and songs from 80's artists which are mostly only OK but Sammy Hagar's Winner Takes it All was the clear highlight. Speaking of the songs, this was watched on Prime and they obviously used the International version of the film. Besides the captions using the UK spelling of certain words, the opening tune was sung by Eddie Money instead of by Robin Zander of Cheap Trick-like me from the Rockford area of Illinois. I have NO idea why any of that happened, BTW.

This is the sort of film where the World Championships in arm wrestling purportedly has a “trucker's division.” I rolled with that, Michael's snotty attitude in the opening act, the sweaty action in the final act, & more. I was entertained, in other words. As for meeting Terry Funk in person, it was when Mom had just moved to Florida but I was still in college in Illinois and Dad hadn't moved down either (long story). I was on vacation here and went to a Major League Wrestling show in Orlando. Funk was selling merchandise and along with purchasing a shirt-signed by him-I briefly chatted with him. I'm happy for that moment along with getting to see him compete against another legendary wrestler, Abdullah the Butcher.

* this briefly featured Scott Norton, of later Japan and WCW fame but at the time was an arm wrestler; the World Championship also had a women's division that wasn't focused on. One of those competitors was Reggie Bennett, a rather stout lady wrestler who mainly competed in Japan in the 90's when that was a big deal in wrestling.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter

The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)

48% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 168 reviews)

Runtime: 118 minutes… which was too long

Directed by: Andre Ovredal

Starring: Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Chris Walley

From: A surprising number of production companies

What a contrast this Dracula is compared to Nicolas Cage in Renfield! Demeter wasn’t a success w/ the critics or the general public; what swayed me to this theatrical experience was hearing a few somewhat positive reviews and phrases like “Gothic Horror”, which I hope to have more than one of by the time Halloween rolls around. For certain, there will be several theatrical experiences of horror films—although at least one could be a real stinker. Thankfully, I did not think this was bad; flawed? Oh yes.

As most have noted, a hair under two hours was just too lengthy for this story; more judicious editing would have benefited this production and the plot. Furthermore, I went “Hey, wait a minute…” more than once with the story. Otherwise, I thought this tale of Dracula being transported from Carpathia to London via ship was fine although not great.

The characters are decent-when they aren’t made to look dumb-there are some Gothic moments, gory deaths, and while the dog dying wasn’t a surprise, another death will be an eye-opener to many. The bleak tone and the claustrophobic nature of how the crew’s panic increases as they feel impending doom envelop them… that, the dark, rainy scenes, capable cast, nice score and solid sound meant that this was a good time for me despite some complaints; amusingly, it was in one of the larger auditoriums at the AMC I went to.

Not all will like Demeter but some will feel that… this is a voyage worth embarking on. The Andre Ovredal films I’ve seen, all I’ve liked. That is this, Troll Hunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe and even Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I know the latter’s reputation isn’t outstanding but I was still entertained.

 

The Story of Mankind

The Story of Mankind (1957)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Irwin Allen

Starring: An all-star cast, who probably were embarrassed by the end result

From: Warner Bros.

Was the viewer SUPPOSED to agree with Vincent Price’s devil character? In short, earlier in the summer I and <a href="https://letterboxd.com/noracharles1934/">Karina Oliveira</a> (I mention their name as they mentioned mine in a review to a film I recommended) discussed this infamous film-from Irwin Allen; ironic then that this was a disaster!-and it wasn’t mentioned as a good motion picture but rather one so bizarre it was better seen than described. It has to be said right away: despite my bottom of the barrel rating, I am NOT upset about being cajoled into finally checking out an oddity I’ve known of for ages.

When it played on TCM earlier in August during their day devoted to Ronald Colman, I DVR’ed the showing as the picture ran in the morning, almost as if the channel was trying to hide it. Or, perhaps it’s because the print has clearly never been restored; not that there’s a clamor for this ever to happen nor would an extensive 4K restoration would do anything else besides polish a turd.

For my tastes, The Story of Mankind contained a heap of bad cliches even before this got out of the starting blocks. Courtroom movies aren’t really my thing due to personal preferences… or rather, what drives me batty. To clarify, there is a trial in Heaven because humanity discovered “the super H-bomb” and it actually will blow up the world, like Oppenheimer said could possibly happen w/ the first atomic bomb. There are arguments over whether “they” should intervene or if rather we should blow up our own dumb asses! Price is Satan while Colman is “Everyday Man” arguing to save us from ourselves. All the gavel banging, characters in the “courtroom” laughing like it’s a laugh track, and other crap (which is a constant throughout) made me fight REALLY hard against stopping the movie and deleting this aggravating garbage, as it was like Chinese Water Torture for me.

How was I rewarded with this decision? Why, besides the copious usage of stock footage, there was cheap-looking presentations of various events throughout history, where Price is constantly the victor by noting how awful humanity has been throughout this white Eurocentrism-focused presentation of our species, while Colman’s arguments are weak and flimsy in comparison. Oh, and note that a cast full of famous faces are shown in these scenes, all miscast: why, see Hedy Lamarr as Joan of Arc! Marvel at Dennis Hopper as Napoleon! Harpo Marx is Sir Isaac Newton! Virginia Mayo is Cleopatra! Peter Lorre is Nero! Sorry for the exclamation points, but it’s all absurd yet not even fun to see those famous faces in such roles.

Many will get more out of this than I do… and still think the movie is comparable to spending time in Hell. There is novelty in the loony casting but The Story of Mankind was seemingly designed to repel me.

Strange Behavior

Strange Behavior (1981)

Runtime: 101 minutes

Directed by: Michael Laughlin

Starring: Michael Murphy, Dan Shor, Louise Fletcher, Fiona Lewis, Dey Young

From: A few companies based in the United States, Australia & New Zealand

“Weird” is my best descriptor for this motion picture. I’ve known of this oddity for awhile but its status as “leaving soon” on Arrow’s streaming site yet there being no indicator as to when “soon” will be—it was time to pull the trigger on a movie that was supposed to be set in the real-life city of Galesburg, Illinois but was actually filmed in New Zealand-its first horror film. I grew up about 2 ½ hours from that city and don’t remember ever even been through that hamlet, but it was obvious to me that the scenery was not that of Northern Illinois. That’s more amusing than offensive; after all, Haddonfield, Illinois has blatantly never been actually filmed in Illinois…

Anyhow, think of this as an early slasher mixed w/ a paranoid 1950’s sci-fi film. Weird things are happening in Galesburg, including the murder of teens; is it the college in town where strange experiments are being done… quite frankly, besides online plot descriptions mentioning this detail, the film lays its cards on the table early. Thus, for the viewer it’s watching our heroes attempt to piece together the puzzle, along with us trying to find out WHY the villains have such a devious scheme.

Along the way, there are many interesting or otherwise peculiar moments:

* There’s a Tangerine Dream score; of course it’s bitchin’

* Someone pisses blood in the bathroom of a Steak ‘n Shake. That was certainly memorable and that restaurant chain is definitely a staple in Illinois as that’s where it was founded… but the one in the film looked nothing like any of the locations I’ve ever been to!

* There’s a Halloween dance number done to… Lou Christie’s Lightnin’ Strikes? Yes, the 60’s oldie. As great as that tune is, the New Wave song heard later was more expected for the setting. By the way, the New Wave songs are from Oceanic bands, including The Birthday Party. Yes, Nick Cave fans.

* High school senior Marc McClure notes that a girl named Lucy Brown “gets around.” He is then told that Lucy is THIRTEEN years old. Marc’s response… “No problem there!” Yeah, some men are pretty gross. Lucy actually becomes a minor character, and is soon seen with a guy named WALDO who drives a car with all the doors removed and looks to be about twice her age. She is then chased by someone wearing a Tor Johnson mask-no kidding.

* The town’s mayor and a key assistant in the police department are both elderly men.

* This was written by future Oscar winner Bill Condon. In fact, this is how he began his career.

The film overall is uneven, with at least one plot thread which goes nowhere. That said, it is without a doubt a film which will be different from the other horror I’ll experience the next few months. Between the vibes and the creepy nature of what is creating the scares = of course this became a cult favorite. While I wish there would have been a little more Louise Fletcher, Strange Behavior (or Dead Kids, depending on where you live) was worthwhile to me. One last note: as others have noted, for reasons I won’t elaborate upon, this would make a sweet double-bill w/ Gary Sherman’s Dead & Buried.

I Revisited The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

and it's still a weird oddity I can enjoy... despite knowing between my original review in 2012 and now, that The Diceman persona in his stand-up included racist and homophobic material. Of course I can't excuse that but at least the movie had none of the former and only one scene of the latter.

Mad God

This is the 2021 Phil Tippett stop-motion animation film literally decades in the making: 

Could I tell you what any of this means? Heck no! Films of the experimental kind aren’t usually my jam-as I’m sure has been made clear for those following for any length of time, narratives are my thing, so ones I don’t care for is when I become pretty peeved. All I can say for certain about this feature length nightmare was that it certainly had a message about how the working person is treated, and this also seems to be anti-war. Otherwise, to me this was a motion picture full of bizarre and grotesque imagery; it’s up to the viewer to decide what interpretation this should have, if any.

The reasons why this is still getting high marks: it’s not just that I have a lot of respect for Phil Tippett and the incredible career he’s had for almost the past 50 years now as a pioneer in the world of stop-motion animation. It’s not even that he started work on this after RoboCop 2, stopped because after Jurassic Park he thought no one would care any longer about stop-motion before being convinced to finish 20 years after that… or even that he literally had a mental breakdown while completing this epic project.

Rather, for better or for worse this is the singular vision of the Dinosaur Supervisor, him totally unfiltered. I don’t really know what this is about aside from an apparent anti-war message and an obvious screed against the mistreatment of workers. Otherwise, the audio and visual presentation is undoubtedly impressive-especially for stop-motion-an 80 minute (before credits) apparent descent into Hell. This was something I was glad to have seen once; do I need to see it again? I’m uncertain of that…

I Revisited an Indonesian Horror Movie

and one that's odd. I'm referring to 1981's Srigala, to use its original title: 

Why not start off Spooky Season with an Indonesian Friday the 13th ripoff? I know it’s rather early but some started at the beginning of the month, multiple horror films are at the cineplex now, some stores have Halloween bric-a-brac already displayed & I wanted to see this rarity while the English-subtitled print is still available on YouTube without the effort of having to download the video. From now through Halloween, I’ll frequently (although not always by any means) see appropriate films and in early November a list will be posted. I watch whatever I want independent of any “official” lists done by many at this time of year.

Believe it or not, I saw Srigala (its original title; the English translation is also correct. I don’t know WHY it is called Wolf aside from a wolf’s howl being heard a few times) long ago… in VHS quality without any subtitles or dubbing. I tried to follow along without knowing Indonesian; it was only seen due to rarity and the absurdity of this ripping off the plot of Friday the 13th while combining it with a story involving a trio of dudes looking for treasure at the bottom of a lake meeting up with two young ladies and a feckless man who some would say is just like the typical white guy we see in too many modern movies… anyhow, it wasn’t too difficult to follow w/ the aid of an online plot description.

However, now I better appreciate the film w/ the improved picture, the subtitles and having watched more horror from the country in the meantime; heck, the director was Sisworo Gautama Putra was also responsible for the original Satan’s Slave. As stated, this is set in the woods and involves an older man and his two buddies looking for treasure and meet a trio of youths. The first half is original before it becomes a rainy night and this found a way to incorporate many moments of Friday the 13th wholesale without the whole plot thread about Jason Voorhees dying at Camp Crystal Lake. The villain’s motivations are certainly different although thankfully not nonsensical. There were some nonsense moments but that wasn’t it.

The deaths are nothing special and there’s hardly any gore; otherwise, this had some half-assed martial arts, a boat chase, a decent synth score and nice horror atmosphere once the Friday the 13th elements are introduced. It’s an oddity-one thankfully also watchable.

Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1

Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1 (2022)

Runtime: 167 minutes

Directed by: Mani Ratnam

Starring:  Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Trisha Krishnan

From: Several Indian companies

I have several Indian followers/Indian film fans; about time I served those masters. There’s no shortage of movies that can be seen in America w/ little effort, yet the easy availability of everything else I’m interested in plus how long most those pictures are means that this only happens once in awhile. This Tamil-language picture was chosen as I heard it wasn’t the bats--- insanity of RRR (as fun as that is, variety is the spice of life) but instead was a “historical action” movie based on a 1950’s novel where they tried to bring it to screen pretty much since then, only happening in these modern times. Of course, this still has multiple scenes of one dude beating up many at the same time & the finale is still rather OOT.

The setting is the 10th century and I understand is loosely based on real-life events. It sounds simple on the surface (in the Chola kingdom, there are political machinations, so the Emperor’s son tasks his buddy with delivering a message to his sisters) but of course it is more complicated as presented. A lot happens-none of which I dare spoil-none of which is difficult to follow despite the surplus of characters. Various entities wish to rule the Chola kingdom, and I’ll leave it at that. One surprising comparison I’ll make-and others have made: you may be reminded of… Braveheart.

Most of the actors I was not familiar with (the one name big to me: the still-lovely Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) but nonetheless this was a solid production which at times has great lighting-including the musical numbers-and despite some improbable action beats, the overall production was relatively grounded. The director (Mani Ratnam) is a veteran around for decades who gave us a serious crime movie well worth tracking down-1987’s Nayakan. Part 2-which concludes the story-is already on Prime; one day I’ll give that a whirl to see how this epic ends.

Silent House

Silent House (2011)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: Chris Kentis/Laura Lau

Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Adam Trese, Eric Sheffer Stevens, Julia Chan, Adam Barnett

From: Universal

You know, I didn’t even like the original film… years ago I saw and reviewed The Silent House, a Uruguayan “horror” film shot in one take which had some buzz yet I thought was pretty putrid. Practically all of it left my mind long ago so it took reading my own review to recall why it sucked so bad. I’ll compare in a bit but while I’ll start watching movies for Spooky Season real soon, this isn’t a part of that list which I post each November 2 or so—even though some started at the beginning of the month and some retail stores already have Halloween decorations up. 

The general idea is the same: a young woman is w/ family members at an old homestead in the middle of nowhere which is being renovated, until things go wrong—and it is in faux one take like Birdman. Like with the original, the format they chose is a real hindrance. At first I would say that this wasn’t as boring, but then there’s a long stretch which felt interminable. 

To compound the problem, it is just as dopey and nonsensical, with a final act plot twist that I recall was the same as in the original, and like with The Silent House, its execution doesn’t make that twist work. The camera work in TSH I don’t recall either… here, it could be nauseating as it’s all handheld, even if someone is running. Some will enjoy that the focus is always on Elizabeth Olsen, but not even her talents could save this when you hardly know anything about her character.

Ultimately, the gimmick is a hindrance in a story with a twist that many will not like, whether it be because of what the story turns into or the nature of the swerve. It’s a point that will be upsetting to some and elaborating any further will be a massive spoiler. Ultimately, Silent House a remake which doesn’t ruin the foreign original as the OG product was bad to begin with… but doesn’t really improve on the original either.

Cocaine: One Man's Seduction

Cocaine: One Man's Seduction (1983)

Runtime: 97 minutes

Directed by: Paul Wendkos

Starring: Dennis Weaver, Karen Grassle, Pamela Bellwood, James Spader, David Ackroyd

From: Charles Fries/David Goldsmith Productions

Don't let the lurid title turn you off of this TV movie. It was watched on Tubi, because of course they had a print. Why I watched this early 1983 TV movie that played on NBC: yesterday a mutual posted a review of this film and noted that they used cocaine themselves; I was surprised. Then I looked at the film's page and noted that another mutual also did white lines in their past. I only note this detail to comment that they stated this drug's impact on someone was accurate; I definitely am NOT passing judgment on their past behaviors as I'd be a real A-hole. Addiction has been a huge problem through history and I'm glad they are doing better, even if I've heard that will be a daily battle for the rest of their lives. Incidentally, I have to hear other people's opinion on the matter as I've never done any nose candy myself; this and other films make me glad I've never even been offered it.

This is a PSA designed to scare people from using the drug... but it is the early 80's when there was a boom in the drug's usage, sometimes among the rich and sometimes at discos. Thus, a warning about potential catastrophe is fine with me; other TV films have had similar goals about such similar topics as teen drinking. Here, Dennis Weaver has a steady job as a real estate agent, a nice wife (Karen Grassle) and equally nice teen son (James Spader!) yet he's feeling like a “47 year old loser” as he's not doing as well at work & is worried about paying the bills. When a couple of yuppies introduce him to blow and note that it seems to help them, he takes a sniff. At first he does better at work and can even afford a leather Member's Only jacket! Of course, he has quite the rough downfall.

The film can delve into histrionics, that is true. That said, I was always fascinated, even when things become dark and you witness the lead's life falling apart. There are nice performances from the likes of Grassle, Spader, and Pamela Bellwood/David Ackroyd as the yuppie couple. However, Dennis Weaver was the true highlight as someone who acted appropriately manic whenever he was high as a kite, or when he crashed as the drug wore off. He helped kept me invested even when the outcome as inevitable. There's even Jeffrey Tambor in a supporting role as a fellow White Line Fever enthusiast who happened to be Weaver's friend beforehand.

Mix in competent direction from the guy that gave us 1959's Gidget (Paul Wendkos) and a score from Brad Fiedel that was amusingly of its time, and this was a solid watch. What actually impressed me the most: the serious dramatic moments. Those were effective; it was amusing to see the tracksuits and a bustle-back Cadillac that proved to be a flop for GM. However, the in your face delivery of the message was a success.

Quick Millions

Quick Millions (1931)

Runtime: 69 minutes

Directed by: Rowland Brown

Starring: Spencer Tracy, George Raft, Marguerite Churchill, Sally Eilers, Bob Burns

From: Fox

“Spencer Tracy engages in racketeering”… I’m sold. This month, three movies directed by Rowland Brown were put together in a small collection on the Criterion Channel. He was a screenwriter who wrote the likes of Kansas City Confidential and Angels with Dirty Faces; his directing career consisted of only three films as he apparently was a hothead who literally fought w/ producers. Also, even Criterion noted that he seemed to be well-acquainted w/ the life of a gangster… draw your own conclusions about someone who might have known Bugsy Siegel.

Tracy played Bugs and has friends named Arkansas & Nails, so you know he’s the shady type. His truck driver character fights w/ a cop in the opening scene. Then the realization comes that he would like to be rich, and accomplishes this by racketeering; that means running a protection racket. He even runs one to try and hook up with a wealthy dame even though he has another sweet tomato at home. Needless to say, people eventually get tired of his shakedowns…

This was Spencer’s second feature film and even in ’31 you understand why he became a big star; he was the highlight although George Raft in his first major role was a twist as exactly the sort of character you’d expect him to play—although him cutting the rug in one scene was a shock as I had no idea he was a dancin’ fool. The movie is not always smooth although I’ve come to expect such things in an early talkie and that usually doesn’t BUG me. I also enjoyed the main lady roles as portrayed by Marguerite Churchill & Sally Eilers.

This was a tough little Pre-Code effort that is only 69 minutes (nice) which has snappy patter, some dirty characters, an unsentimental ending and even a killing from the POV of a DOG (the critter witnessed the death… it did not cause the murder!) meant that those who like crime movies from this era may very well think that this picture slays.

 

Meg 2: The Trench

Meg 2: The Trench (2023)

28% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 152 reviews)

Runtime: 116 minutes

Directed by: Ben Wheatley… although you might not be able to tell

Starring: Statham, some other returning faces, along with new ones like Wu Jing and Sienna Guillory

From: Warner Bros. and some Chinese companies 

Today I'll catch up here... this is the first of two reviews to be posted through the night: 

I get why many didn’t like this, yet… I saw The Meg theatrically in ’18, but never again. That was fine, although part of the entertainment was that I sat by a random family which included a dad that acted like this was an MCU entry for him, a young son that went “yay!” softly a few times, and a young daughter who got scared a few times but it was never distracting. I wish I had that family this time in the crowd, but alas… another factor was that after I posted that review 5 years ago, Mom ended up becoming a big fan… of The Meg, not my review of it. She saw it at home more than once before she became sick then passed away. It’s a shame that happened; probably, she would have been over the moon (or rather, the sea) for it.

Statham and some others from the first return in an adventure that includes a Meg in captivity (!), three Megalodons on the rampage, secret mining operations and swerves that were telegraphed from a mile away. Truth be told, the movie has some issues; besides some obvious moments, the humor could be sigh-inducing, some moments were old-hat decades ago & this is just a dumb blockbuster. That said, it wasn’t a movie I hated—in fact, there was enjoyment to be had.

Perhaps it was because I saw a 3D showing and a few gags were explicitly for that format, but I had fun with this nonsense, including the goofy OOT setpieces, guys getting wrecked/killed, the presence of other creatures, villains getting their comeuppance… it was just enough to be acceptable. The fact that Chinese star Wu Jing was fine in his Hollywood blockbuster debut was another asset.

There was an abandoned plot thread or two and didn’t really seem like a Ben Wheatley picture—that will be irrelevant for some when there’s all that silly action in the third act. In other words, if you liked the first one for whatever reasons, there’s a chance you’ll feel the same way about The Trench.

Island of Death

Island of Death (1976)

Runtime: 106 minutes

Directed by: Nico Mastorakis

Starring: Bob Behling, Jane Lyle, Jessica Dublin, Gerard Gonalons, Jannice McConnell

From: Omega Pictures

Yeah, this was an endurance test! For awhile now I’ve known of this infamous Greek movie, filmed in English with plenty of English-speaking market by a Greek director for export. This literally was made only for money, because director Nico Mastorakis saw The Texas Chain Saw Massacre-the opening here blatantly rips of that off-and wanted to create something even more shocking. On that account, he succeeded. However, heaven knows this isn’t as good or well-regarded as Tobe Hooper’s classic.

A young British couple (Christopher and Celia) go to the Greek island of Mykonos for what seems like a honeymoon. In actuality, they are murderous sociopaths who do all sorts of heinous things along with an unusual kink or two. This includes:

Bestiality
Watersports
Blasphemy
Sexual assault
Homophobia
Voyeurism; oh, there’s plenty of that
Racism
Drug abuse

And more I won’t spoil. The movie was written in only a week and it shows. It’s far more about being appalling rather than appealing, more about offending than writing a compelling story and the acting talent varies wildly.

As I’ve alluded to in other reviews, shock movies like this aren’t usually my thing. That doesn’t mean I’ve avoided them entirely: I’ve seen A Serbian Film, for crying out loud. I’ve only seen this Mastorakis movie because it was my first and the others I check out from him will be less outrageous. By the third act (where for some reason we start hearing Christopher’s narration when that wasn’t a device used beforehand) this really started to run out of steam. Not even nice cinematography of what looked like a charming little island and an interesting score from Nikos Lavranos that goes in unexpected directions could keep my interest throughout.

This wasn’t as bad or punishing as I expected; at the same time, it was obvious why this was a Video Nasty in the UK that was actually prosecuted. Not that many people have probably done so, but undoubtedly this is one I won’t ever revisit.

 

Wild Style

Wild Style (1982)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Directed by: Charlie Ahearn

Starring: Many hip-hop and graffiti legends

From: First Run Features

Watching the first hip-hop movie on the 50th anniversary of hip-hop was only natural. August 11, 1973 is seen as the day that this phenomenon was born when DJ Kool Herc spun his two turntables and played breaks nonstop until the break of dawn at his younger sister’s back to school party in a Bronx apartment rec room. Friday had all sorts of celebration for this momentous day; while modern rap is just as rotten as modern music is in general, the classics are still great, even from the first few years rap was formed. The Criterion Channel has a collection called Hip Hop which has this and several other pictures from the 80’s through 2013.

The key note for this production: it was amateur in nature, given that the performers are actual people in the NYC hip-hop scene at the time, whether they be DJ’s, rappers, breakdancers or graffiti artists. All of those roles were important in that scene, at least at the time. We follow a graffiti artist named Raymond (Lee Quinones) who has a Zoro alter ego; he has issues with his fellow tagger girlfriend Rose (Lady Pink) & eventually strengthens his relationship w/ Phade (Fab 5 Freddy), which is beneficial for him. Yeah, the action, staging, direction, the plot construction and other technical aspects often aren’t great, to be charitable.

On the other side of the coin, the movie feeling so raw and authentic can also be seen as an asset. What is most important for those that even have a passing interest in the subject: all the legitimate art, dancing, and raps. It was great getting to see all those people from that scene perform: there’s also tagger Zephyr along with a panoply of musicians: Busy Bee, the Fly Girls, Union Crew, Grandmaster Flash (literally spinning in his kitchen), Fantastic Freaks, Double Trouble, the Rock Steady Crew, and others. Someone who also contributed to the soundtrack: Chris Stein. No surprise then that there are two Blondie songs. 

For all its faults, Wild Style is an invaluable artifact to a specific time in a movement that was still seen by most as a fad at the time, years before it took over the world. Even those who have an interest in seeing the Bad New York City of Old… yikes did The Bronx look awful; technically, I’m referring to the South Bronx. If you’ve seen films like Fort Apache, The Bronx or Wolfen, there are entire blocks leveled, burned/abandoned buildings, and it just looked bad.