International Secret Police: Key of Keys

International Secret Police: Key of Keys (Kokusai Himitsu Keisatsu) (1965)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Senkichi Taniguchi

Starring: Tatsuya Mihashi, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Tadao Nakamaru, Susumu Kurobe

From: Toho

A.K.A. the movie Woody Allen comically dubbed for his debut What’s Up Tiger Lily? I’ve never viewed Lily before despite knowing of it for years. Yesterday when I reviewed Manhattan, a mutual left a comment stating they only had seen Lily, a film they were not a fan of. I responded and they responded back where they recommended the Toho spy film Key of Keys, part of the International Secret Police series. One Google search later, what a shock it was to discover—Key of Keys was available on archive.org w/ English subs. I knew right then & there what to check out last night.

Tiger Lily has never been viewed by me; in the past the premise would have been of interest-less so now. Besides, from hearsay the film (dubbed into a tale involving an… egg salad recipe) has aged even worse than egg salad left in the heat. Thus, I can only discuss this Toho flick in its original form, the 4th in the series.

Our lead Kitami gets involved in a case involving the residents of an island wishing to overthrow the colonizers inhabiting their land & 10 million dollars locked in a safe. Both Akiko Wakabayashi & Mie Hama of You Only Live Twice fame assist Kitami—much to his delight. You see, our lead is so HORNY, he makes 007 look almost chaste in comparison. No kidding, he literally peeks through a keyhole at Wakabayashi in the bathroom as she’s taking a bath!

The film is decidedly uneven as it juggles through its various plot points and at times uses sets that don’t look too good in HD. Those points duly noted, I was still entertained as Kitami and his two ladies have an uneasy alliance with a gangster; they have a common cause but of course can you trust a gangster?

There’s enough intrigue, escapes, wacky characters (my favorite being a guy best described as “the world’s most demented bartender”. He was one step away from constantly drooling!), cobras and heists to be an entertaining time. The other pictures in the series are said to be better—good luck in me attempting to track those down in any form, let alone subtitled or dubbed; they otherwise can’t be found online whatsoever.

The film has more English spoken and white people in the first half than expected; this did lead to one of my favorite tropes: WHITE PEOPLE DANCING. Those people were definitely white, meaning “no rhythm whatsoever”!

 

Manhattan

Manhattan (1979)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Woody Allen

Starring: Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway, Michael Murphy, Meryl Streep

From: United Artists

I return from a needed day off of watching film to… uncork a review to discuss a famous movie from a controversial director? Yes, Manhattan leaving Prime at the end of the month made me pull a trigger on a movie I’ve had trepidation about for ages but now was finally the occasion. In the past I’ve talked about separating the art from the artist, and that disclaimer seems necessary during the rare times that I review a Woody Allen movie, mainly due to the seriousness of the allegations against him in recent years. As a human being, he’s rather abominable. A shame that he’s one heck of a director.

Manhattan (the movie and the island) looked stunning throughout due to the black and white cinematography of Gordon Willis. The opening was tremendous-Woody delivered a variety of different phrases that described NYC in a variety of different ways as images of the city were shown, all to a Gershwin soundtrack. The characters are various degrees of pretension but my attention did not waver as Woody played a (get this) neurotic comedy writer who has Meryl Streep as an ex-wife, dates another woman but starts romancing Diane Keaton, who is having an affair w/ a married man. How tolerable you find these people is up to you. Viewing how these characters interact w/ each other is the draw here.

A plot point I’ll call “questionable”: the woman that Allen dates is Mariel Hemingway… who played a 17-year-old and was less than 18 during filming. Yes, a 42-year-old man doing so; was it really OK at the time to do this? In this picture at least, it was. If I ever decided to do such a thing as the 43-year-old man currently, there better be outrage from everyone that a middle-aged man would take advantage of someone like this! Allen’s friends aren’t disgusted by this, believe it or not. If that wasn’t uncomfortable enough, Woody IRL actually dated women this age at the time; yes, “women.” There’s dispute as to which woman was the actual inspiration, if it wasn’t a combo of various women. They were take advantage of, which is something that was impossible to excise from my mind while experiencing Manhattan.

It was still a motion picture worthy of viewing; whether a second viewing will ever occur is more uncertain. Manhattan looks and sounds nice w/ its Gershwin soundtrack yet I’ll never forget that Allen presented his id for the entire world. Perhaps this is why afterwards, he was ashamed of the film and probably still now believes it to be his “worst.” For many that belief is just befuddling but it wouldn’t be the first time a director was wrong about their own work. Regardless, if Woody Allen is not someone you automatically avoid for film taste reasons or because of his behavior out of the director’s chair AND you can stomach Allen presenting his id when he probably shouldn’t have… there is plenty to admire about Manhattan.

National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1

National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)

Runtime: 84 minutes

Directed by: Gene Quintano

Starring: Emilio Estevez, Samuel L. Jackson, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Ireland, William Shatner, & many cameos that I won’t spoil

From: New Line Cinema

File this under the category of “films I haven’t viewed since I was a kid”; this is MANY years ago-more than I’d like to admit. I didn’t love the picture as a kid but I still remember liking it. Turns out, that opinion still holds and this is neither the funniest thing with the National Lampoon label put on it nor is it as funny as The Naked Gun pictures… but it’s still good overall.

Quite plainly, it is a spoof of the first three Lethal Weapon films w/ scenes based on films that were big deals at the time-The Silence of the Lambs & Basic Instinct. The main villain (played by Shatner w/ tremendous mustache) is named General Mortars and Kathy Ireland, Miss Demeanor. Despite those names, the movie is not that juvenile. There are many famous faces, mostly appearing in one scene cameos. A particular cameo I won’t spoil is one of the few moments from the picture that always stuck in my mind; another was the parody of Basic Instinct.

To reiterate, it’s not the top of the heap when it comes to the genre; it’s no Airplane! However, if you are familiar with the Lethal Weapon franchise and wish to see it (& other buddy cop pictures) poked fun at, you may find this as good of a time as I did. For certain, nostalgia made me delighted to see Emilio Estevez & Samuel L. Jackson as the leads, along with Jon Lovitz as the recurring Not Leo Getz & Tim Curry.

As National Lampoon has always had a dicey success rate in the world of motion pictures-nevermind how they became truly dire after the 90’s-and spoof movies had a parallel decline in the 2000’s, I’m happy to enjoy a picture that is more amusing than hilarious. Some background gags/puns not focused on is one example of something that appeals to my tastes. There are peculiar moments like them spoofing Wayne’s World for some reason but overall, it was a relief that this journey back to my childhood was not a miserable or disappointing one.

 

Targets

Targets (1968)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich

Starring: Boris Karloff, Tim O’Kelly, Arthur Peterson, Bogdanovich, Nancy Hsueh

From: Paramount

"Is THAT what I was afraid of?"

My knowing of this film for many years plus it leaving the Criterion Channel at the end of the month meant that it was time for me to discover how Targets merged the parallel stories together of a Boris Karloff-like actor played by Boris Karloff in the twilight of his life and a young man randomly becoming a family annihilator… and worse.

The movie is meta without being insufferably so—as I’ll blindly presume Deadpool & Wolverine is to a person like me who has never seen a movie featuring either character and is apathetic about the genre in general. Karloff played Byron Orlok, an aging horror star of old who wants to retire as hey, the horrors of the 1960’s are much scarier than the famed movies he did in the 30’s. Meanwhile, Bobby Thompson seemed like an average anonymous Joe Doe adult male living in the San Fernando Valley. Sure, he and his dad are gun fanatics, but who could have guessed that he’d snap and…

It was quite chilling to see Targets in the summer of 2024 and realize that the movie could be remade today with little difference in terms of content—between the gun violence, senseless tragedy, mental health, and the meta commentary on Hollywood. After all, how wild was it to see footage of previous Karloff movies to portray Orlok’s time on the silver screen, or the director Peter Bogdanovich appearing as… a young director?

What a remarkable debut for Bogdanovich—it was confident, assured direction as the movie took its time and often used silence to its advantage. What a script from Peter, Polly Platt-his wife at the time-and an uncredited Samuel Fuller. However, it was Karloff in his last real role (those Mexican pictures he did that came out after his death was done when he fell ill and couldn’t even leave Los Angeles, so those shouldn’t count) that’s the true highlight. How ironic that Orlok doesn’t think he could do a serious role after years of campy parts; Boris was able to nail this serious role and it was a nice capper to a distinguished career--& arguably also a “goodbye” to Old Hollywood as New Hollywood was beginning its meteoric rise.

Targets impacted me more than expected; besides it successfully converging two different plots & in a meaningful way, its themes are still an acerbic sting to viewers in 2024. Shame on me for not… taking my shot and streaming this ages ago. Even if I hadn’t heard that Tarantino was a fan, a certain picture in his filmography would prove this.

 

Fighter

Fighter (2024)

Runtime: 167 minutes

Directed by: Siddharth Anand

Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, Akshay Oberoi

From: Several different Hindi companies

“A Hindi version of Top Gun” wasn’t as spectacular as it could have been—but was still fine to me. Its presence on Netflix and discussion of the film earlier in the year on a messageboard I frequent dictated my pressing “play” on a movie almost 3 hours long last night.

Appropriately, Fighter is incredibly jingoistic; tensions rise between India & Pakistan. I realize that the two countries have a rather frosty relationship—needless to say, Pakistan is not portrayed with any nuance as their depiction is “we harbor terrorists and in fact we let a major terrorist w/ one red eye and who resembles a Brundlefly version of Anton Chigurh and Michael Jackson (to steal a quote) and for some reason this dude dictates our policy with India.” Meanwhile, we follow a group of students in the country’s version of Top Gun; this world’s version of Maverick is even more of a loose cannon who has great talent but has difficulty working w/ others and following the orders of superiors.

The movie’s middling reputation among film fans around the world is understandable; the plot is not the most complex, not all the humor landed, there were a few contrivances that caused me to roll my eyes, the song and dance numbers aren’t the best although they were still decent to me, a dumb white American. Large swarths of the CG also looked straight out of a video game; all those points aside, I was still entertained by the cliches, the melodrama, the OOT action scenes. Nonsense, but fun nonsense. To steal another quote, despite the presence of real-life tensions between bordering nations, the movie isn’t always… GROUNDED in reality.

My Netflix account will be paused for a month; I’ll subscribe to Peacock for a month for Olympics coverage and other programming that isn’t related to film. I was happy to view a South Asian movie last night, not just because a surprising number of Letterboxd mutuals are from that part of the world. Hopefully it won’t be too long before my return to this part of the world occurs…

I Discuss Two Surfing Documentaries

The first review (1958's Slippery When Wet) was posted on Letterboxd about 5 1/2 hours ago while the second (Surf Crazy, from '59) was just posted there minutes ago. Both are from Bruce Brown and these rarities were seen in an unexpected way... 

Those that are fans of the 1966 surfing documentary The Endless Summer should be interesting in my two reviews tonight of the first Bruce Brown documentaries that were like the embryonic versions of The Endless Summer. Randomly out of nowhere, Turner Classic Movies devoted their primetime schedule last night to those obscure programs that are hard to track down and hardly garner any discussion on Letterboxd or even the IMDb. It may not have resulted in good ratings for the network on this night in other words but I certainly appreciated the programming.

The fascinating aspect of the early Bruce Brown films were that the footage was shot without sound; at whatever auditorium or high school gym he could find, he lugged his own print & projector to each screening, providing sound via a script he read and music accompaniment from his records. For home video, that script was read live to tape (blatantly in one take, judging by all the unnatural pauses and outright flubs) and a jazz score that admittedly was rather grand. It’s charming in a DIY fashion.

Those not familiar with The Endless Summer formula: quality surfing footage is shown alongside silly comedy bits and narration that’s always tongue-in-cheek. That formula is still present here, in a rougher embryonic form. For the target audience, assuredly it must have been a hit. Personally, it was captivating viewing the lifestyle of surfers in a sport soon before it exploded in popularity during the 60’s. After all, one lady surfer was identified as Gidget but I don’t believe she was THE Gidget. Yes, the figure in the Sandra Dee movie and later a Sally Field TV show was an actual teen girl (now known as Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman) who surfed for several years, her author father wrote about it and the 1959 movie was a key reason why surfing became popular.

Anyhow, the surfing lifestyle back in its niche days was a bunch of beach bums living a Bohemian lifestyle, driving POS vehicles, eating pork & beans constantly and either living in shacks or sleeping on the beach itself. To their credit, the surfers themselves were willing to poke fun at their lifestyle. Such entertainment may not be for many on Letterboxd but I am happy to give my thoughts on this (and in a few hours, 1959’s Surf Crazy) for posterity’s sake.

The second Bruce Brown surf movie I saw last night, the second he made, and the last one viewed last night via Turner Classic Movies. Those that didn’t read my review posted for 1958’s Slippery When Wet, I discussed how the network spent hours showing the obscure films that Brown made before the 1966 surf movie cult hit The Endless Summer. Two had to be viewed by me due to interest and the lack of presence anywhere on the Internet to stream, whether legally or otherwise.

Like w/ Slippery When Wet, what is on video for posterity was not originally what was screened on 16mm projectors to audiences. Back then it was Brown reading a script on a microphone while spinning his records. On video, he re-reads the script in one take while accompanied by a jazz soundtrack. Otherwise, it’s a micro-budget rough version of what was presented to audiences in The Endless Summer.

Neglected in my review of Slippery When Wet: mentioning the locations visited by the surfers. In Slippery, the action began in So Cal before moving to Hawaii. Surf Crazy featured those locations plus what was virgin territory at the time: Mexico. There is some stereotyping which occurs, but much of it was mild to me… a dumb white guy, yes. This includes the exact sort of music you’d expect to hear plus what I’ve heard called Montezuma’s Revenge, Brown called “The Aztec Two-Step” and via a Google search, now I’ve discovered it is known as Travelers’ Diarrhea! Alongside the surfing is some tongue-in-cheek narration and some comedy sketches that likely was hee-sterical to the target demographic.

Surf is the same as Slippery in representing the Bohemian lifestyle of the surfer in the days before the sport left its niche era in its transformation to a mainstream sport. In the late 50’s, I’m sure these guys (along with a few gals) would have been dumbfounded had they been told that in 2024, surfing would be an official sport in the Summer Olympics, that competition about to start a few days after I post this review. Its origins have been debated but for certain, surfing was a big deal in the Polynesian region. How fitting then that the competition is in French Polynesia-Tahiti, to be exact.

One late note: I can’t tell you about the 21st century genre documentaries but someone elsewhere mentioned that their only exposure to the sport was Point Break and… that one scene in Escape to LA, oof. Of course, The Endless Summer is a must; otherwise, I wish Brown’s other work was easier to track down—at least for the time being, the 1994 sequel The Endless Summer II is on YouTube. I should “add that to my collection” before it possibly vanishes one day…

The Living Skeleton

The Living Skeleton (Kyuketsu Dokuro-Sen) (1968)

Runtime: 80 minutes

Directed by: Hiroki Matsuno

Starring: Kikko Matsuoka, Yasunori Irikawa, Matsumi Okada, Asao Uchida, Asao Koike

From: Shochiku

Viewing another Shochiku genre movie from the late 60’s came about due to-as happens sometimes-a recommendation from a Letterboxd mutual. In a comment, they mentioned that every other film in the When Horror Came to Shochiku DVD boxset was better than The X from Outer Space, singling out Goke, the Body Snatcher from Hell (something I’ll tackle either in September or October) and this picture. As nothing was on the agenda for last night, why not? The picture on the Criterion Channel stream was DVD-quality but as it was my only option…

The film wasn’t quite what I expected—not a negative by any means. The cold open is a band of modern pirates boarding a freighter and killing everyone on board, including a doctor and his newlywed wife. Three years later, the wife’s twin sister is drawn to the freighter when it mysteriously returns… from there are many things that I suspected once it became apparent what direction they were going in, along with several rather peculiar detours into moments out of left field.

There is plenty to enjoy: the curious yet effective score, the atmosphere, the performances, etc. I was in fact reminded at first of The Fog w/ the seaside setting, the ship and the visage of ghosts-in this case, actual skeletons. Those, along with some rubber bats, are charitably described as “quaint” in appearance but they didn’t ruin the great vibes of The Living Skeleton, which successfully blended Japanese ghost stories with a few different elements. It would be good for Spooky Season this year or any year, really—as long as you are not totally turned off from seeing something bad happen to a collie dog identified as JOHNNY in the subtitles.

 

The X from Outer Space

The X from Outer Space (Uchu Daikaiju Girara) (1967)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Kazui Nihonmatsu

Starring: Shun’ya Wazaki, Itoko Harada, Shin’ichi Yanagisawa, Keisuke Sonoi, Peggy Neal

From: Shochiku

A movie more sexist than an episode of Mad Men. To be frank, I’ve never watched an episode of Mad Men; my opinion is solely based on conjecture. As for X, it was a product of the Shochiku Studio back in the late 60’s when they focused on genre fare, including the then-popular kaiju movies. This was part of a collection that the Criterion Collection released on DVD. It’s on the Criterion Channel—in DVD quality. Thus, instead a streaming rental was made elsewhere, thankfully w/ a better picture.

Plenty of time is spent in outer space. A ship is launched from the FAFC (not FAFO) to investigate why ships are vanishing on missions to Mars before getting their asses to Mars. After a mysterious encounter, a spore is found on their ship. Naturally, once it’s brought to Earth, it grows to kaiju size as Guilala, which is… called a giant chicken and it’s not the worst comparison?! The creature is rather daffy-looking and that is unfortunate.

Although, to me arguably worse is the story itself. Most of the action isn’t bad and the effects are charming in various aspects. But, the plot is for the birds… or rather, the giant space chicken. You see, Guilala does not appear until more than halfway through; this is an issue when the plot is dominated by a rather wishy-washy love triangle between one of the Japanese men on the ship, a Japanese woman back at base and an American woman on the ship. Not only is it a limp dishrag of a subplot, the women are not portrayed positively-rather, they typically are shrill, jealous, emotional creatures. The first half especially is a slog.

There can be fun while experiencing The X from Outer Space—the goofy monster, the kaiju action, the jazzy soundtrack. Be that as it may, there are plenty of genre efforts which have better stories, including the human drama.

 

Twisters

Twisters (2024)

78% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 272 reviews)

Runtime: 122 minutes

Directed by: Lee Isaac Chung

Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney

From: Universal/Warner Bros./Amblin

Hopefully everyone else got to see this movie w/ a better crowd than what I experienced last night at an IMAX screen in the vicinity of Orlando. That screening fit my schedule best even if beforehand I feared there would be a problem. Actually, most seemed OK—but I had to move away from the worst, most odious, most disgusting couple who deserved my drink being dumped on them or a tongue-lashing delivered to them by me after the film. However, while I was definitely feeling it, discretion won out and thus I didn't chase it... at least moving to a worse seat away from everyone else resulted in no further irritations. When I saw the OG Twister in '96 theatrically, it was w/ the entire family (a rare occasion) and while even now the story pales in comparison to everything else, the family experience is a nice memory to have.

After seeing either of the two trailers for this at least the past dozen times I went to the cinema, I was hoping the movie would be fine. At first it wasn't, and that's not just because of the kerfuffle with the A-holes. Rather, the movie was full of dumb cliché characters and there were some preposterous moments as the viewer followed the two competing storm chasers during an outbreak of tornadoes in Oklahoma: one featuring Daisy Edgar-Jones (it was nice to finally see her in something and know her for something other than not being unattractive...) and the other featuring “tornado wrangler” Glen Powell and his buddies, including the dude who yelled WE'VE GOT TWINS... TWINS!!! at one point.

To mention a point not addressed in ages, modern blockbusters typically aren't my jam; this is why many of the spectacles I review are from before the 21st century hit. Funny thing is, my enjoyment of the second half was notably higher than the first; my investment increased & * actually cared about the three leads played by Edgar-Jones, Powell & Anthony Ramos. It was nice spectacle and it was a satisfying climax, however improbable it might be. Note that I'm not referring to the final few minutes that fell kind of flat for me. Regardless, it was delightful to experience in IMAX—even though two of the country songs they used were absolutely horrid. Thank heavens the other genre tunes they used were markedly better.

To the film's credit, it did not commit too many of the modern tropes that are loathed by me. Not all the humor landed—at the same time, there wasn't an excess amount of humor either nor was it the aggravating Marvel-style comedy either. The important detail in that it did NOT disrespect the original or bring in old characters to humiliate is especially appreciated. Thus, many people should at least enjoy this popcorn entertainment—and with a crowd free of any Troglodytes. Judging by the trailers, I imagine those Troglodytes will love Red One; even without hearing the rumors of Dwayne's disrespectful behavior on set, its trailer made the movie resemble the lamest, most brain-dead insipid form of “entertainment” possible.

47 Meters Down: Uncaged

47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Johannes Roberts

Starring: Sophie Nelisse, Corinne Foxx, Brianne Tju, Sistine Stallone, John Corbett

From: Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures

Well, the National Geographic Channel is still showing shark programming… in the past, I’ve ranted & raved about my distaste of the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. Besides my disgust in how awful that channel (like most cable channels) have become in the past decade or so, Shark Week specifically grinds my gears. Not only is it straight-up fiction too often when the shows are alleged to be all legit, the set purpose of all those programs appears to be “let’s make everyone petrified of sharks as a whole when many of them are endangered”… I could go on yet I won’t.

Perhaps I’m part of the problem in that my share of aquatic horror have included those specific fish—despite my ambivalence towards the original 47 Meters Down, this sequel was on Netflix & the probability was high that this would be campy schlock… which it was. After a first 15 minutes which were dreadful to me as it featured bitchy teen girl drama then bitchy teen sister drama, the tenor improves as a quartet of teen girls sneak off to dive in a Mayan city that was flooded long ago. Sharks appear, as improbable as portrayed here. Then again, to be perfectly frank—this movie is stump-dumb… I mean, really stupid. If you loved it when a great white roared in Jaws: The Revenge-a fish literally screams!

If you can ignore all the illogic in the film and are able to laugh with the CG that is best described as FLOUNDERING, then at times there are solid laughs and even some fun to be had w/ this utter claptrap as the ladies swim through some claustrophobic settings. Plus, both John Corbett and Nia Long receive easy paychecks. There are a few songs from the past that thankfully weren’t the same ones that are incredibly played out due to being used in WAY too many pictures, and the absurdity of TWO progeny who have huge stars as fathers: Corinne Foxx and Sistine Stallone.

I’ve thankfully avoided the vast majority of the bad modern shark pictures, but I know of their existence. At least 47 Meters Down: Uncaged provided enough entertainment where I did not hate a movie that is a short time investment at less than 90 minutes. Plus, I’ll give it props for not only the unexpected inclusion of a few old songs, but ones that aren’t played out. After all, one was from Aztec Camera!

El Crack

El Crack (1981)

Runtime: 119 minutes

Directed by: Jose Luis Garci

Starring: Alfredo Landa, Maria Casanova, Manuel Tejada, Miguel Rellan, Manuel Lorenzo

From: Several different Spanish companies

Giggle-worthy title aside, this is worth tracking down if you like the neo-noirs of the 70’s. The distinct difference is that this is a product of Spain; however, there’s a dedication to Dashiel Hammett in the opening. That tone is reached as the viewer follows the policeman turned private eye lead, German Areta, masterfully portrayed by Alfredo Landa. The opening is tactfully done: a small café is robbed by a pair of hoodlums; German is present, eating dinner. He does nothing until he’s provoked—after that, he demonstrates how badass he is. Lest you think Areta’s a one-note character, German serves as a surrogate dad to the young daughter of the mom he’s seeing.

The case itself: the father of a young woman is terminally ill, but she went missing several years ago. Is it really a spoiler to suggest in this genre that the simplistic nature of the case upon first appearances belies how complex it was in actuality? German has several pals he associates with, including an underling who stereotypically is known as… The Arab. Yeah, a few moments were of their time but it wasn’t anything offensive at all to my tastes.

The key note I’ll pass along to anyone interested in tracking this down (how I saw this will be explained at the end): be patient with the movie and its measured, assured pace. Some may find the first half slow; personally, the deliberate pace proved to be quite rewarding in the second half as the build-up crescendos to a satisfying release. This includes a little more than 10 minutes where the action moves from Madrid to one of the most famous cities in the world. 

Those that enjoy neo-noirs from the 70’s stand a decent chance of finding this journey rewarding. I first heard of this via the Rupert Pupkin Speaks blog from years ago; tracking down a copy w/ English subtitles (or even dubbed) was impossible--until a copy appeared on archive.org. It is DVD-quality but that was sufficient for the circumstances. There was a 1983 sequel which is even more difficult to track down but if there’s ever the chance…

Bank Robbers: The Last Great Heist

This is a 2022 documentary from Argentina that can be found on Netflix: 

An Argentinian documentary about a bank heist in that country involving a scheme straight out of a heist picture… sign me up. At least on Letterboxd, few of my mutuals have viewed it yet I never let such things factor into what I select. Before pressing "play” on Netflix yesterday, I had no foreknowledge of this case. Afterwards, it was clear why not only was the incident turned into this documentary, the nature of the heist itself was so cinematic, of course it was made into a movie: 2020’s The Heist of the Century.

What a tale this is: the ringleader of the heist decides to commit it not mainly for the obvious monetary gains, but rather because… he took up art, martial arts & cultivating marijuana & after smoking all the time he wanted to create art via a creative heist?! Strange but true. He recruits a motley bunch who have specific skill sets, such as the engineer that… fixes Jet Skis for a living. Only some of the gang appear here; the others don’t even have their image show, I’m sure for specific reasons.

The specifics of their scheme won’t be elaborated upon here; if you must know, using Google to search for 2006 Buenos Aires Bank Heist will give you the answers. That search will also reveal the aftermath, which is literally what I’ve seen in fictional noir/heist films. The participants tell quite the tell, which is reenacted throughout; the ways they brought the heist to life was done in several creative/unique ways and involved aspect ratio changes-that was a genuine surprise.

The documentary fans that are intrigued to learn about a fascinating bank robbery, this gets a hearty recommendation for viewing on Netflix.

The Kid Brother

The Kid Brother (1927)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Directed by: Ted Wilde… and Harold Lloyd… and Lewis Milestone

Starring: Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Walter James, Leo Willis, Olin Francis

From: The Harold Lloyd Corporation

“Harold Lloyd on a farm in California” was in fact as charming as I had hoped. A change of pace was needed and the Criterion Channel allowed me to check out this late Lloyd comedy short. It was story-driven but that’s all good when the gags complimented the plot and it didn’t feel like a loosely-connected series of sketches & ideas tied together.

The Hickory family literally run a town in California named… Hickoryville. The sheriff dad and two of his sons are macho, alpha gentlemen while Harold Hickory is exactly as milquetoast and meek as you’d expect a Lloyd character to be. A medicine show comes into town, Harold steals pop’s badge to impress pretty girl Jobyna Ralston. From there, his siblings became jealous, there’s a theft of money set aside to build a town dam, and things escalate.

Throughout, the film is funny at a consistent level. Naturally, what created the laughs won’t be elaborated upon except that one scene features the brothers hiding from Harold & his new girl, and another is Harold hiding from the brothers. The end setpiece in a specific location (featuring a monkey) is a swell conclusion and The Kid Brother is simply a lot of fun, with a dash of heart to boot. It was a pleasant realization that even late in the silent era, Lloyd could still come up with creative setpieces and tremendous gags.

Sabata

Sabata (Ehi amico... c'è Sabata. Hai chiuso!) (1969)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Gianfranco Parolini

Starring: Lee Van Cleef, William Berger, Ignazio Spalla, Aldo Canti, Franco Ressel

From: Prudozioni Europee Associate

Featuring the Wild West version of Call an Ambulance… But Not for Me!

Via the DVR recording a showing of this on HDNet Movies last month, I finally got to see Sabata as the lead when in the past, Django and three Sartana films were experienced—including one where Sabata appeared because copyright laws apparently don’t exist in Italy and instead of Lee Van Cleef or even Yul Brynner, the character was played by someone who resembled JOHN CENA. No shocker that this often echoed Sartana-- Gianfranco Parolini directed the initial entry in that series but then was passed over for subsequent installments, instead being handed this new franchise.

The film involves money stolen from a bank that villains wish to use to… acquire land that will become valuable once the railroad arrives. Gee, why does that sound familiar? Lee Van Cleef as Sabata shoots down those bandits and the crux of the movie is the bad guys attempting to dispose of him so they can re-acquire the dough. There are plenty of characters around, as literally dozens die throughout-usually through preposterous yet inventive ways to shoot someone w/ a four-barreled gun. This is just like a Sartana film so if you enjoy those pictures…

It's not the most serious Spaghetti Western picture. After all, there are some moments that in general are preposterous and this includes such elements as a character named Banjo who (get this) plays the banjo… which is also a rifle! Also, there’s an acrobatic troupe. However, this will help me remember this cartoony genre effort where Sabata is aided by a Civil War veteran and the villain is portrayed as a heel because he’s a faux-intellectual, pompous ass. Oh, and there was-no kidding-a moment where you think that someone is going to die and makes a remark as such, but it was a swerve.

 

The Hard Way

The Hard Way (1991)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: John Badham

Starring: Michael J. Fox, James Woods, Stephen Lang, Annabella Sciorra, several other familiar faces

From: Universal

As typical, messageboard discussion led me to check out this buddy-cop action-comedy from John Badham. Badham’s movies were talked about, including this one. Furthermore, for years I heard about the OOT performance that Stephen Lang delivered as the villain. It’s variously been described as “cartoony”, “Daffy Duck” and “The Joker”--all apply, I believe. As long as you can separate the art from the artist and see a movie starring James Woods when he plays a loose cannon NYC cop and he’s a jerk…

You need to roll with the premise of Michael J. Fox as a frou-frou action star who no one takes seriously so to prepare for a shot at a serious police officer role that Mel Gibson (speaking of separating the art from the artist) also wants, he rides along w/ Woods while the latter is obsessed with Lang’s serial killer Party Crasher character. Old James also has relationship problems w/ new girl Annabella Sciorra. Despite knowing the name for years, I haven’t seen her in a whole lot; by happenstance I imagine that will change. Here, she did a nice job with the supporting role where she was also the mom of… Christina Ricci.

It’s a loud, typically profane movie where Woods is even angrier and irritable than on Tw… I mean than usual in a role. That said, those familiar with buddy-cop action-comedies should be used to such trappings. It gave me plenty of laughs, which was needed after an insane past several days in the world. The action also delivered, especially when it came to the glorious practical effects and big stunts that are still impressive by modern standards. Not much time is spent with the Party Crasher character until the final act; that can be argued but too much of an OOT character can be… well, too much.

The Hard Way is not the best genre example by any means. However, it’d be foolish to dismiss the movie as it gives you chuckles, thrills from the action beats, familiar faces (like Luis Guzman, Delroy Lindo and in his acting debut, LL Cool J) and the view of The Bad New York City of Old a few years before gentrification rolled in. I was glad to view something entertaining to make me forget about recent days, no matter how violent this became.

The fact that I could review Hillbilly Elegy now and it would actually be topical… actually, let me not do that. Besides it being generally regarded as Ron Howard’s worst film, it’s something where I’d have to get political due to the writer’s biased interpretation of the truth and I’d just be asking for trouble! Whether it be arguments in the comment section or worse… better not.

Popeye

Popeye (1980)

Runtime: 114 long minutes

Directed by: Robert Altman

Starring: Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall (RIP), Paul L. Smith, Paul Dooley, Ray Walston

From: Paramount/Disney

RIP Shelley Duvall. My strong dislike of the film as a whole has nothing to do with her or per performance as Olive Oyl. Robin Williams as the titular character was also spot-on casting. I'll explain my rating after mentioning that Duvall was someone I knew as a kid from such entertainment as Faerie Tale Theatre and it wasn't until as an adult that I saw her in various Altman productions and of course her all-timer performance as Wendy in The Shining. Before last night, Popeye was watched years before I even joined Letterboxd in 2013 but my dominant memory was that it was weird & not that enjoyable. As it is one of her most famous films and she starred in it, a second chance was in order.

Unfortunately, ROBERT ALTMAN directing a movie produced by Robert Evans where one of the studios involved was DISNEY which brought a famous cartoon character to the big screen but was a musical because Paramount wasn't able to make Annie (true story) & it's set in a bizarre unpleasant town where Popeye rolls into town, discovers it's taxed to death and everyone fears him just because he's an outsider—it's weird, isn't it? Even worse, “bizarre” & “unpleasant” are the two adjectives that best describe my opinion of Popeye.

Despite an expansive practical set which was a marvel that brought the town of Sweethaven to life, I was mostly not entertained by this migraine-inducing mess which believes that yelling and everyone talking over one another is hee-larious, doesn't have a coherent plot whatsoever, features other “jokes” that mostly flop-laughter was rare during this home viewing experience-featured (usually; He Needs Me is worth hearing) off-putting songs from Harry Nilsson, shoehorned in a gambling subplot (!) & in general did a giant disservice to the cast: Duvall, Williams, and Paul L. Smith as Bluto chiefly. It's them and the set (which is still on the isle of Malta today as a tourist attraction known as Popeye's Village) which made me not rate this even lower.

I do get why some would love the film due to how off-kilter it is. However, I'll never be one of those; Popeye cartoons were something I saw as a kid, and those were much more fun and enjoyable than what had to ostensibly be a family comedy-musical but definitely did NOT feel like something suited for everyone in the family. As for Shelley, at least there's always The Shining and an actual good (in fact, great) musical-comedy from Altman in Nashville. I'm glad that after those years of mental illness and rumored behavior from her-BTW, a giant middle finger to Dr. Phil for exploiting her in 2016-she seemed to be doing better; it was a relief that she did not pass away at her lowest and most vulnerable.

Judging by online reactions, a LOT of people felt sadness upon hearing of her death. At least a talented, unique quirky performer will never be forgotten.

A Quiet Place: Day One

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

87% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 249 reviews)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: Michael Sarnoski

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Elaine Umuhire

From: Paramount/Platinum Dunes

Is New York pizza really that good?

If I was the type to do one line reviews, I'd end it there and sit by as dozens upon dozens of likes roll in. As that is not my style, I'll instead note that for the few who haven't viewed it yet but want to in the future... wait until the end before you judge any plot points that seem rather daffy at first. As I saw the first two Quiet Places movies on the big screen & enjoyed them both, eventually I had to check out Day One despite the frostier reception it's received.

To be frank, the chronicle of terminally ill hospice resident Lupita Nyong'o's Sam did not enthrall me as much as following the Abbott family in the first two movies. Be that as it may, that does not mean I thought the movie was bad or that I wasn't interested. Some criticism seen off of Letterboxd said that the film was “predictable” and “boring.” It does not do much to expand the lore of the aliens or show the damage they caused around the world.

Admittedly, it wasn't the most original tale, but there was no complaint with this being a character study where we see Sam pessimistic at first (understandable; remembering my late mother in hospice 4 years ago... understandable) but things change as she attempts to deal with what seemed like the end of the world, while meeting some people and her one true friend by her side: feline Frodo. Whether or not the cat survives: if it's a deal-breaker for you, the Does the Dog Die website will be useful. It has a staggering amount of triggers for anyone that may become upset by something that could be viewed as “mundane” by the general public.

It may not be what some were hoping or expecting to get—this is not an action extravaganza full of carnage & a surplus of characters. However, director Michael Sarnoski does a nice job with the-ahem-quiet moments along w/ the scary moments involving the alien invaders. I haven't seen his movie Pig but one day I should. There is some striking imagery, especially when the invasion began; utter chaos whose echoes of 9/11 likely weren't be happenstance. Thankfully I did care about both Lupita and Joseph Quinn—who only hours after I arrived home learned was Eddie in the 4th season of Stranger Things that I never saw because the third season was so atrocious but I knew what Eddie looked like...

Anyhow, with any luck there wasn't an overshare of information on my part which will convince someone (or not) to give this a shot in the future. Considering how I feel about much modern horror-especially the hyped entries-it is a relief that there's an entertaining trilogy which has some chills & thrills without becoming pretentious or insufferable.

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing

So, I watched a 2022 documentary and I could only post about it now on Letterboxd because...

There should be a Part 2 to this documentary. 

(Before I begin, of course this is being posted super-late due to the inexcusable issues that Letterboxd has had for all of today. I was SUPER not happy about it earlier and thought about not looking at this site at all for the next few days... I've calmed down although I have zero faith that everything is 100%. That faith has to be earned, you know. Also, what a crummy day I had today in general, but perhaps I'll go into detail on a future review. Oh, and I may not post another review until Saturday.)

I say that as of course this came out in 2022 and does not cover the no-good, miserable very bad 2024 that Boeing has had so far-from the manufacturing defects to a damn door falling off during a flight that only by a miracle lead to no loss of life. Downfall paints a rather damning picture of the aircraft manufacturer & made clear to me how such horrid behavior resulted in such a disastrous past several years for a company that used to pride itself on safety and quality.

Downfall covers the two crashes of 737 Max aircraft that happened a few months apart and resulted in the loss of life of 346 people. From the get-go, Boeing was incredibly callous and shady about these tragedies. Throughout the film, it was revealed that due to a corporate merger years ago, Boeing became only focused on the stock price than quality. It's a standard documentary which presents the events in chronological order, interviewed some of the reporters, talked to a few of the whistleblowers (including John Barnett; more on him at the end) and slowly unfurled the story of what flaw lead to those crashes... and how the company knew there was a major problem but moved ahead anyhow so they wouldn't lose money/their reputation. 

Part of the story I heard before; however, the totality of it made Boeing look SO awful and repugnant a company. The viewer did not need to know the many instruments/aids that pilots use to fly an airplane or all the computer that work in tandem to make a complex process happen. Rather, it seemed to explain what happened well enough where anyone can comprehend what went wrong. As expected, some family members of those lost in the crashes were shown-it was key to show the human factor when it's contrasted against a company that just seemed so cold-hearted the temperature was absolute zero and just so callous. 

It is still furious to hear of Boeing's behavior yet Downfall is important if you want to learn about their current fate and why the company is currently in BIG trouble. Incidentally, if you recognized the name John Barnett that I mentioned earlier, it's for good reason. He was shown often here; just a few months ago, he passed away due to what was ruled a suicide. Of course, it's the Internet and others tied to the case have either fallen ill or died, so some would like to think of it as a conspiracy. I'd feel better knowing a 70's paranoid conspiracy thriller isn't occurring IRL w/ a huge company but Boeing has acted so vile about the whole thing...

Kill

Kill (2023)

Runtime: 105 minutes

Directed by: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat

Starring: Lakshya Lalwani, Raghav Juyal, Tanya Maniktala, Abhishek Chauhan, Ashish Vidhyarthi

From: It was released in the United States by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions, believe it or not

Those that dreamed of an Indian The Raid, prepare to be satisfied.

In this super-early Wednesday post (someone has to be dropped off at the airport, then I’ll be doing other activities elsewhere, possibly not returning home until late in the evening), I discuss a movie from India that isn’t the masala-style entertainment which blends together different genres, has musical numbers, and is 2 ½ to 3 hours long like many in the West stereotype every movie from that country as, when of course this has never been the case. It’s styled like one of those dark, gruesome action-thrillers from Southeast Asia and is only 105 minutes in length.

 

Still, some traits synonymous with that country’s cinema are expressed here. In this Hindi-language effort, a pair of commandos (the lead character is Amrit) are on a train to New Delhi; other passengers include Amrit’s girlfriend Tulika, who is part of a wealthy family and has an arranged engagement with someone else. Also on board: bandits who wish to steal everyone’s money/valuables. Naturally, things quickly spiral out of control and by the end, there are not only a plethora of kills, many areas of the train’s floor looked like the floor of a slaughterhouse.

 

For about the first 45 minutes, the movie was quite thrilling; the train itself has a narrow alleyway as seating/bedding is on either side. Thus, there is plenty of close-quarters fighting, which was done in a thrilling manner where many dudes get wrecked ™. Then, a certain moment happens, and the tone changes. Suddenly, more deaths occur, and the action becomes REALLY gruesome. As the sound design and music are both aces, it augments all the brawls, stabbings, hammer blows, usage of a fire extinguisher, and other implements.

 

A key aspect: like in many Indian movies, melodrama is used unironically. It seemed as if many if not all of the members of the bandits were related to one another, or at least there were plenty of fathers with their sons, along with brothers working together in their scheme. When there’s death on either side, expect plenty of anguish and “ugly crying.” This aspect is but one reason why Kill won me over.

 

Those that love graphically violent action pictures where one badass or a few badasses lay waste to evil SOB’s using just their bare hands, Kill is a no-brainer recommendation. In the next month or so, the plan is to see a few films from the country of India—more than a few from that country follow me but the entertainment value that some of their films provide is the best motivation for me to dip more of my toe in a vast universe.

The Corrupt Ones

The Corrupt Ones (Die Holle Von Macao) (1967)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: James Hill

Starring: Robert Stack, Elke Sommer, Nancy Kwan, Werner Peters, Christian Marquand

From: Several different European entities

Why not watch Robert Stack lead a Eurospy movie… even if no one in the film was technically a spy? It’s been months since I’ve delved into that world; as I’ve at least been charmed by what I’ve seen, checking out one on YouTube which has a great HD print and features several familiar faces (Stack, Elke Sommer, Nancy Kwan, Werner Peters) and even has a theme song from Dusty Springfield… it wasn’t a bad idea.

Stack is a freelance photographer who is given a medallion for safekeeping by someone on the run. Of course, this person on the runs meets the expected fate and multiple different entities are after Ol’ Robert as the trinket is said to lead to vast riches—so, the plot isn’t the most elaborate or most original. That is alright when the action is set & filmed in Hong Kong, whether it be the city itself or the countryside. It’s the late 60’s, so in fact in this genre, there is both a yellowface character and casual sexism.

As long as that is not a deterrent for you and you enjoy Eurospy pictures, the film could be a pretty good time for you. There’s enough action, intrigue, sex appeal, elaborate torture devices, and even some proto Indiana Jones beats-Stack leads a charge through some underground catacombs towards the treasure-for my satisfaction… & perhaps you also.

Miami Vice

Miami Vice (2006)

Runtime: I saw the 132 minute theatrical cut

Directed by: Michael Mann

Starring: Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li, Naomie Haris, Ciaran Hinds

From: Universal

According to some, proclaiming this as your favorite movie is a “straight man” move… uh, what? So, this became a controversy on Twitter this weekend when a film critic (who I don’t care for anyhow but that’s beside the point) said he was going to show his favorite movie to his girlfriend for the first time, and it was Miami Vice.

A curator at the Guggenheim Museum-a Black lady, not that this really matters except that I treaded lightly into reading the responses, for obvious reasons-scoffed at this film opinion and even after hundreds clapped back at her, this fool’s course of action was not to take the L & concede defeat but rather melt down for HOURS—as she is literally attempting to doxx dissenters today, this lunatic is still melting down like the Chernobyl core reactor! Why her opinion was that Michael Mann’s film was as aggro as American Sniper or truly wretched like Cats: baffling.

By the way, there was another dumb Twitter moment in that world where someone praised Ayo Edebiri for her spotlighting the 60’s movie Charade when they were part of the Criterion Collection’s Closet Picks feature, then someone tried to dunk on the commenter for his admiration of Ayo’s selection because this fool thought that CHARADE was “an obscure, pretentious-ass movie” when it’s a light and silly heist picture starring two iconic actors and because it’s public domain, anyone can view it instantly. What a bizarre decision to dunk on someone for admiring an actor’s movie taste—and in doing so you show your entire ass by telling film fans that you are obliviously clueless! But back to Miami Vice…

As it’s a Mann movie, it’s natural that there are multiple cuts out there; as the picture was viewed on Netflix, the theatrical version was what I experienced. Why I didn’t view this until last night despite the director and cast: the mixed reception it has had the past 18 years. As you can see from my rating, my opinion was that this film was just fine and nothing more.

It took me visiting The Bowels of the Internet to discover the Director’s Cut; like I suspected, the opening there not only had actual opening credits, there was an entire scene before there was a hard cut to the nightclub scene. The theatrical version cutting IMMEDIATELY to the nightclub and that Jay-Z/Linkin Park mashup was so incredibly jarring, it hurt the entire picture. Then again, it’s more accurate for me to say that the plot not thrilling me was a bigger issue in my not loving the film.

It has little to do with the cast (what a tremendous hair/mustache combo Colin Farrell had; it’s also neat that Gong Li and Naomie Haris had prominent roles), the settings, the direction and the musical score. The digital photography look does not always look great but it’s the story of Crocket & Tubbs going undercover and its lack of thrilling me which is why I can’t rate the movie as better than “fine.” Afterwards, I read that it was a troubled shoot-among other things, the intended ending wasn’t filmed & instead they had to use one that was earlier discarded.

It seems that there is about as many people who are ambivalent or worse towards the movie that love it to pieces, whether on Letterboxd or elsewhere. Personally, I’d much rather revisit Heat, Manhunter or Thief rather than experience any cut of Miami Vice again—in addition, I prefer the iconic 80’s show.

 

The Last Detail

The Last Detail (1973)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: Hal Ashby

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, various performers in small roles

From: Columbia

RIP Robert Towne

I’ve seen a few movies written (whether credited or not) from the famed writer/script doctor, including the first two Mission: Impossible pictures because he was great pals w/ Tom Cruise. Instead of revisiting one of his classics-like Chinatown-I instead picked one of high regard which was free on Prime for me and I figured there needed to be more Hal Ashby and Jack Nicholson experienced by me.

Nicholson and Otis Young are Navy men tasked with escorting Randy Quaid to the brig; no, not for his bizarre legal issues in the past 15 to 20 years but rather for theft. He’s a kleptomaniac, you see. Much of the movie is just these three different characters interacting w/ each other. Jack is of course a wild guy while Young is more sober in demeanor and Quaid is a meek, withdrawn man. They have excess time for the trip to the naval prison so the trio engage in profane shenanigans.

The plot descriptions you find online make note of their profane antics; to clarify, the F-bombs used (which weren’t that many by modern standards but at the time actually caused some controversy) and other foul language didn’t bother me too much as they usually were artfully used rather than what we get now—which are salvos upon salvos of F-bombs used artlessly. As for the movie, it was riveting seeing the trio change throughout this journey filled with debauchery and touching moments alike. Of course Jack and Quaid did swell jobs with their roles; so did Young, who was someone I was far less familiar with but despite having a brief career on screen, his Letterboxd bio notes how he became a pastor and a teacher before passing away in 2001.

Serious character-driven 70’s dramas are apparently my jam; this likely pairs well with either Scarecrow or another Nicholson movie, Five Easy Pieces. Besides assisting me with viewing something worthwhile from a number of quality talents (including cinematographer Michael Chapman), seeing several familiar faces in bit parts and hearing a Johnny Mandel score that appropriately incorporating military marching music, it was a great story that captured the zeitgeist of the country in the early 70’s. This is a must if you’re interested in this era.

 

The Blob (The Original)

The Blob (1958)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr…. and Russell S. Doughton, Jr.

Starring: “Steven” McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, Earl Rowe, Olin Howland, Stephen Chase

From: Paramount

Beware of The Blob… it creeps, and leaps, and glides, and slides across the floor…

Yes, I’ve known of the hysterical opening credits song (and how groovy the credits were) for years now. Heck, I’ve known it was written by BURT BACHARACH and Mack David-brother of his songwriting partner Hal-yet it was just last night that I finally gave this a shot. I’ve seen some cheesy 50’s and 60’s sci-fi before, and at times was charmed by their low-budget silliness. Make no mistake about it, The Blob is also campy entertainment-yet has more merit than I suspected going in. To steal a quote, the song makes you think that it’ll be a good time when Blobbie visits town—which is not the case!

Steve McQueen (or Steven, as the groovy credits proclaim) as the lead did help, even in his first big role. Of course, it’s kind of ludicrous that he is playing a teenager when he was in his late 20’s at the time… and appeared to be in his 30’s! The same goes for his co-star Aneta Corsaut-only a few years younger-and many of the “teens” spotlighted. There is a scene of hot-rodding as they were attempting to ensnare the Rebel Without a Cause crowd along with the sci-fi fans. They were typical rebel youths, for sure. The titular blob was in a meteorite that crashed in rural Eastern Pennsylvania, found by someone best described as “an old coot” and it becomes larger/more lethal with time.

Steve-that’s his character’s name also-sees the “monster” and of course some of the adults think he’s full of it. I stated “some” as refreshingly, this does not fall into the cliché loathed by me where no adult believes someone young no matter the circumstances. Steve’s dad doesn’t dismiss his claims and there’s even a sympathetic ear in the police department. Another refreshing detail was that the teens weren’t useless once the chips were down and The Blob was at his most destructive-the adults learned they weren’t so bad after all.

The effects were of their time and rather charming. Parts of the film undoubtedly appeared low-buck, not to the point that it ruined your immersion into the plot. The acting and dialogue were sometimes rather rough. On the other hand, Steve and his gal Jane were rather likable which kept me engaged when The Blob wasn’t seen often until the final act due to the obvious budgetary reasons. It was schlock that wasn’t forgettable slop—which is a hoot when I read after the movie that many of the people on the crew were involved with religious and/or educational shorts.

This is worthy of viewing during Spooky Season for those that view such things as summer turns to fall then Halloween arrives. As for the 80’s remake directed by Chuck Russell-no relation-I plan on checking that out during Spooky Season this year.

 

Murder, My Sweet

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Edward Dmytryk

Starring: Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley, Otto Kruger, Mike Mazurki

From: RKO

Dick Powell made for a better Philip Marlowe than expected; he wasn’t the best I’ve seen, but Powell was the first to play that iconic character on screen. As I needed more variety & it’s been months since a film noir has been experienced, the DVR was used from a TCM recording made last month. People will know this story as Farewell, My Lovely (and the famed Robert Mitchum movie from the 70’s), which I haven’t seen so a compare & contrast can’t be done. The name was changed-at least in the United States-as… RKO thought people would think of this as another Dick Powell musical like the Busby Berkeley musicals from the 30’s I know him best from. No, really.

It's a hard-boiled noir tale which begins w/ Marlowe being interrogated in a room while blindfolded. After a minute of discussion, the rest of the movie is a flashback until the end. What we hear is a sordid tale which is more complex than you’d suspect from an ex-con mug named Moose hiring Marlowe to find a dame named Thelma. Is it a spoiler to suggest that you can’t trust every character you meet on this sordid journey? It’s complex but never so labyrinth it is too impenetrable to follow. The detective’s occasional narration does help in that regard.

Those that have seen other films featuring Marlowe-such as The Big Sleep-will not be surprised to hear that this is full of seedy characters, tough dialogue, insults, gunfire, people in general engaging in fisticuffs, etc. The performances are all at least fine, from Powell and Claire Trevor to Anne Shirley, Otto Kruger and Mike Mazurki in a real Mike Mazurki role, meaning “a big brute.” Edward Dmytryk directed the hell out of this; besides several stellar scene transitions, at one point Marlowe was drugged and the viewer gets to see his visions while tripping balls. That was wild.

Those who are fans of Chandler’s work, film noir and/or the other movies featuring Philip Marlowe (the recent picture starring Liam Neeson doesn’t count), Murder, My Sweet is well worth the investment and IMO, is not a film nearly talked about enough.

 

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Runtime: 118 minutes

Directed by: Mark Molloy... whoever the heck that is

Starring: The legacy characters, plus familiar faces like Kevin Bacon and some actors I was not familiar with

From: Netflix

This is yet another example of a modern movie that left me cold. It happens frequently, and is why I don't watch as many modern movies as most people do. It is rather disappointing that I was upset at what happened w/ the 4th Beverly Hills Cop flick. After all, rumors of a 4th one have been swirling around for MANY years-that tale had been around for so long, I didn't think it would finally happen. After viewing Axel F., I wish it wouldn't have happened.

The plot-I did not care for it at all. Axel has a daughter (Jane) who of course is a lawyer and of course is in trouble... of course they don't get along and of course Axel flies out to Beverly Hills because of course Billy goes missing and of course Jane is working with Billy... sigh. Then there is how blatantly obvious the villain is; I literally went “this person's a villain!” the first few seconds they appeared! It became insulting when this individual flagrantly flaunted their evil ways and a legacy supporting character looked REALLY bad for not realizing it. Boy, they did that supporting character real dirty. Axel's legacy wasn't destroyed too badly yet I still did not need to see family drama w/ a daughter who unfortunately came off as insufferable to me.

The other modern bits I did not care for:

* The constant usage of foul language. There was a stretch where it was especially bad and it especially tried my patience.

* Bad modern humor. There needed to be way less of that and way more of classic Axel Foley. Don't get me started on that Ashley character, as minor as she was.

* Thank goodness some legacy songs were heard, as the modern songs made in the past few years were all atrocious. Truthfully, modern music is WAY worse than modern movies; I haven't listened to the top 40 in YEARS as apparently it's all terrible Autotuned garbage. For certain, those tracks in this film were just travesties and made me wish for more Glenn Frey or The Pointer Sisters.

* One trope I've never mentioned in a review before but is a major problem now: a character clarifying who someone else is referring to when it is blatantly obvious and was not needed. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who I guess was OK here) told the audience that someone was referring to Billy Rosewood... no s***, Sherlock! It really isn't a surprise this would happen in a Netflix Original Movie.

* Action that was not filmed in a memorable or exciting fashion. Maybe people are too lazy to do it well now, or maybe it wasn't the best idea to have a total unknown sit in the director's chair when the first three were directed by well-known figures who had success before and after their time in the seat.

Kevin Bacon... he doesn't do much with such a dumb role. Taggart and Rosewood were apparently too old for this s*** given how much time they have on screen. A character actor's cameo was nice because it wasn't spoiled for me beforehand.

I hate having to post a crabby review on the 4th of July; yet, I was taken aback by how much I didn't like this film. If I have to give positives—well, Foley felt more like himself than in the last installment, and likely this was at least better than III... low bar that it is to hurdle over. The synthwave version of the original Harold Faltermeyer score was fine. Otherwise, hopefully people have a higher tolerance for modern motion pictures than I do and can get more out of this legacy sequel than I did.

Dr. Giggles

Dr. Giggles (1992)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Manny Coto

Starring: Larry Drake, Holly Marie Combs, Cliff DeYoung, Glenn Quinn, Keith Diamond

From: Largo Entertainment

As silly as you'd expect for a movie called Dr. Giggles. When this was recently put on Shudder-it's also on Prime, as I discovered afterwards-it was a priority for me to view then review. It's not something I have nostalgic love for—except that one night in college (this is over 20 years ago now) me and some pals watched this-someone else chose the film. Sadly, there aren't as many instances as I'd like for there to be of this kind of shared communal experience during that time in my life. There are still some nice memories, such as I mentioned in my review of the Tony Montana Scarface how I first saw the movie (well, the initial hour or so before leaving to go out partying!) in a pal's room.

Regardless, I did not remember too much about Dr. Giggles except that it was rather goofy yet was fine overall. Turns out, my opinion has changed little in 2024. The title character is broadly characterized as schizophrenic; no matter the malady he escapes from the institution and heads back to his old hometown to make a house call and start killing random people-you see, his father was an actual doctor but he went bonkers so I guess mental illness is hereditary there. Lest you think my pun about house calls was corny, wait until you hear most of the medical-related puns that Dr. Giggles himself made throughout. The tone was decidedly not serious, in other words.

By the end the movie becomes especially absurd, but overall I'll say this was fine. Larry Drake in the title role was simply delightful being OOT and giggling more often than The Joker. The gory moments we do get don't necessarily come from the kills, but at least those deaths are appropriate modus operandi for the villain. I was amused by the other teens in the stock teen situations while Holly Marie Combs was likable as a teen who has a reason to be moody-she recently lost her mom and she has a heart condition.

If you need a prescription for a wacky 90's slasher/comedy which actually has more artistic moments than you'd expect (especially in a Hall of Mirrors sequence) and has better lighting than too many modern films, take one Dr. Giggles & call me in the morning.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (2024)

44% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 102 reviews)

Runtime: 181 minutes

Directed by: Kevin Costner

Starring: Costner and many others

From: New Line Cinema... and Costner's production company

While I did not love everything about Chapter 1 (nor Kevin Costner's antagonistic interview from recently which many people seemed to swoon over for whatever reasons) I can still respect the hustle of a star spending many millions of dollars to bring his own passion project to screen after it being a germ in his mind since the late 80's-one epic in scope-and see it to fruition. Sure, he left a popular TV show and far worse, ruined his marriage, that's on him. I am the sort to be down for a 12 hour saga spread out over 4 movies about the American West; despite the mixed reception it has received online and it flopping at the box office, I was cautiously optimistic.

It's always possible that my rating will rise after viewing all four installments, but minor objections aside, the verdict was that it was pretty good. It was refreshing to see the start of the boom of the migration to the American West (starting in the 1860's) as a wide variety of characters are shown in several different settings. Some are moving out there, others are running away from danger, while a poor town was swindled and was built in a rather hazardous location. The Native American perspective is also presented. The 3 hours went by relatively quickly as the viewer is often switched between the settings; for example, Jena Malone is introduced then her proper story doesn't start for awhile-and you'll be surprised when a famous face finally makes their first appearance.

Many balls were juggled in the air; IMO, this was done rather well and my attention never wavered w/ the cornucopia of characters. I appreciated the vast assortment of scenic locations, the solid direction, and the pleasant musical score from John Debney. This has even more famous names than first realized—thus I won't note them all in case anyone wants to be surprised. It was a nice ensemble cast where Costner wasn't the focus; not too many films have been seen of either Sam Worthington or Sienna Miller yet both did a swell job-the latter having a rather dramatic role. It's also nice to see the likes of Malone, Isabelle Fuhrman, Danny Huston and Will Patton.

The movie naturally skews towards the boomer crowd-meaning those older than me at the age of 43-thus many on the Internet will be lukewarm at best towards a classical Western without revisionism or ironic self-detatchment. Me, I'm on board with seeing how Chapter 2 will turn out. It was admittedly bizarre how Chapter 1 did a hard cut to a preview of Chapter 2 for a few minutes-without announcing beforehand this is the pivot they would make-so nevermind how it seemed to reveal spoilers it perhaps shouldn't have, it was just jarring & took me a few seconds to realize what was happening. Chapter 1 intrigued me so in thankfully a matter of weeks I can see how well Chapter 2 continues all those plot threads. Again, I do appreciate Costner for taking such a bold risk and even if it may not find its fans until sometime in the future w/ home viewing, it was an effort I am happy to support.