Central Park

Central Park (1932)

Runtime: 57 minutes

Directed by: John G. Adolfi

Starring: Joan Blondell, Wallace Ford, Guy Kibbee, Henry B. Walthall, John Wray

From: Warner Bros. 

The 57-minute length plus my schedule necessitated viewing this for a special late Thursday Letterboxd review posting. I DVR’ed this from a TCM showing yesterday due to someone on the site I follow posting this review several years ago. They weren’t over the moon for it (and accurately stated that the similar Union Depot from the same year was better) yet this was a breezy good time.

This covers one day in the famed New York City locale; this includes Joan Blondell & Wallace Ford as poor people falling in love, cop Guy Kibbee retiring in a week due to failing eyesight (does this portend doom for him?), gangsters attempting to rob a charity event, a lion escaping the park’s zoo, AND a dude named Smiley who’s not only a former zookeeper, but escaped from what we now call a mental health facility.

Plenty happens in less than an hour; there’s at least 90 minutes’ worth of story. At times the story is more than a little preposterous and Smiley-in an OOT performance-is such a lunatic, a beer bottle broken over his head had no effect. There’s also playing cards tossed into a hat, a homemade lasso, the Central Park Casino (an actual location; it’s Italian for “little house” so it did not host any gambling), a wild herd of sheep-was that ever a thing-people jumping head-first through an open window, and more.

Blondell & her eyes were a highlight, as typical. So much happens there’s not even a minute where boredom sets in. Of course there are many other details, that factor into my thinking a movie’s great. Central Park isn’t a masterpiece by any regards but was still fun, with many familiar Warner Brothers stock players and B-movie actors in bit parts, including Edward LeSaint, best known by me for his role as a judge in Disorder in the Court AND Reefer Madness.

I’m glad TCM played this flick; otherwise it’s hard to track down unless you take a journey to the Bowels of the Internet.

Frankenhooker

Frankenhooker (1990)

Runtime: 85 minutes

Directed by: Frank Henenlotter

Starring: James Lorinz, Patty Mullen, many other random people but there's also Shirley Stoler and Louise Lasser (RIP)

From: Shapiro/Glickenhaus Entertainment

RIP Louise Lasser

I realize this is far from the most dignified movie she was in and one day in the future I really need to revisit the one Woody Allen film I saw her in (like 20 years ago by now) but she’s unfortunately someone whose work has mainly not been seen by me. Todd Solondz is really not for me so Happiness is out of the question and her most famous role (the soap opera spoof TV show Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman) was way before my time. 

I should check out most of her work but I picked this as it’s a popular film somehow never watched by me before despite having viewed Basket Case before, my knowing some plot elements-like SUPERCRACK-and some scenes being filmed in The Bad New York City of Old. She’s only in one scene but was good in her role as lead Jeffrey’s Franken’s mom. Jeffrey is maladjusted anyhow but is much more so after his girlfriend Elizabeth Shelley is killed in a freak lawnmower accident, her body horribly mutilated.

The film is incredibly silly; Jeffrey is a mad scientist obviously mentally unwell who creates SUPERCRACK to explode a body so he can have a new body as Elizabeth’s head is the main part that wasn’t maimed so he decides to visit the prostitutes of New York City! No surprise, things go awry once he creates then animates the titular Frankenhooker.

The budget is low, the acting usually isn’t great and this could be nitpicked if you were the intolerable type. Thankfully I am not so I enjoyed the verisimilitude of director Frank Henenlotter, the OOT characters-Zorro, the buff Hispanic pimp was especially memorable-general absurdity-those prostitutes lose their minds once they discover Jeffrey’s crack supply-and how entertaining this trash was. The print I saw on Prime was from Troma-those that enjoy what the studio makes/releases should enjoy Frankenhooker.

One last important detail: the portrayal of the prostitutes is one thing—Elizabeth is presented rather well & sympathetic. Many reviewers have praised her character, especially after she’s reconstructed & deals with stupid men in a satisfying matter. Props to James Lorinz as Jeffrey, Joseph Gonzalez as Zorro, & especially Patty Mullen as Elizabeth. Also, I was amused that Shirley Stoller had a small role; she’s a “That Gal” actor who was in everything from Malcolm X to The Deer Hunter.

Girl in the Picture

I'm subscribed to Netflix, at least one documentary will be viewed.

This should be considered standard operating procedure by now. This was put by me in the site's queue awhile back; the specific reasons why are hazy by now. Certainly, there was no foreknowledge of this story; thus, what a surprise it was to witness a dark, dark tale involving:

Murders
Abductions
Abuse, including sexual
Aliases
Bad events happening to children

I'll be vague for those that want to check this out fresh like I did, somehow avoiding the hype when this released four years ago. The opening is a young woman named Tonya Hughes passing away in Oklahoma in 1990. There is much more to the story after that; all I'll reveal is that this blonde lady was smart and generous, making many friends along the way, and they were interviewed to express this opinion. She had an impact on a number of lives, making her ultimate fate all the more tragic. One man you'll despise-for good reason-as he committed vile acts for decades. Thankfully this monster is now deceased, passing away after the release of Girl in the Picture.

As harrowing as this journey is for the viewer and as many times as you'll say “WTF?” through the duration, nice people are interviewed throughout... from friends and family to law enforcement determined to solve the mysteries (yes, more than one) surrounding this sordid case. That helped make this a worthwhile trip to take, one which isn't punishing or seems like an endurance test.

Skye Borgman has made several popular documentaries for Netflix; I was delighted to have finally viewed one. Her niche is “WTF documentaries,” at least judged by the plot synopsis of the others.

The First Deadly Sin

The First Deadly Sin (1980)

Runtime: 112 minutes

Directed by: Brian G. Hutton

Starring: Frank Sinatra, Faye Dunaway, David Dukes, George Coe, Brenda Vaccaro

From: Artanis Productions, Inc./Filmways Productions

The First Deadly Sin is a Christmas movie.

I’ve known of this motion picture for years; when it recently played on Turner Classic Movies, a DVR recording was made. Frank Sinatra (in his final starring role) in a crime thriller where he is nearing retirement and investigates what he believes is a serial killer… “color me intrigued” was my opinion all those years.

Now, I can say the film is fine; it’s not the best police procedural of its era-and heck, Sinatra’s 1968 movie where he portrays a similar character (The Detective) is better yet was still interesting. He’s a Sergeant a few weeks from retirement, which usually portends doom in entertainment. The viewer knows who the killer is immediately-we get to see the lead do the standard groundwork to crack the case, despite the protests of his new A-hole boss. I know how some feel about cops in general-I’m sure you’ll question how Ol’ Blue Eyes doesn’t follow the rules, bribes Joe Spinell to enter a suspect’s apartment, & uses civilians instead of his colleagues to do the groundwork in determining the murder weapon (which is on the poster but I won’t reveal here as the ID of the weapon is a subplot) and whittling down the list of suspects.

Yet, it’s not a character you hate; no one believes there is a serial killer due to his moving around different boroughs in New York City-necessitating this lone wolf quest-he has a loving wife in Faye Dunaway, has a tuxedo cat named Rocky, and who doesn’t want to see a crazed serial killer be stopped? We don’t know much about David Dukes as the villain except that I was reminded of Patrick Bateman, only on a surface level as the bad guy has a nice job & nicer apartment but is mentally ill but can hide it or no one notices he is troubled.

Seeing Sinatra in a film like this-where the opening is straight out of a horror film-was wild. He was swell as the weary, weathered cop who wants to solve this case before he retires. Faye Dunaway as the wife… I won’t say the role is thankless as they do have a nice, caring relationship but she is bedridden w/ illness the entire picture. The cast is fine; Anthony Zerbe has a one scene cameo & other faces I knew (sometimes “That Guy” actors) included Brenda Vaccaro, Jeffrey DeMunn, George Coe, Martin Gabel and James Whitmore, he playing the typical coroner w/ a pitch-black sense of humor. 

Yes, I also knew for ages that Bruce Willis appeared for a second; it’s in the third act, as Frankie leaves a restaurant-Bruce is walking in but much of his face is obscured by a hat so you’ll miss him unless you know this detail.

This is another film featuring a methodical pace which naturally won’t appeal to everyone. However, I enjoyed this downbeat flick directed by Brian G. Hutton, his first film in 7 years. This project was in development for a long while. In fact, the original director was… Polanski. However, his legal problems and subsequent fleeing of the United States happened so that had to change. Only speaking of him as a director and not a person, who knows how different this movie would have been. As is, Hutton did a good job here.

Saw

Saw (2004)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: James Wan

Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Tobin Bell

From: Twisted Pictures 

I don’t have to ask-everyone will be APPALLED I had never seen any Saw film until this last night on Netflix. Oh yeah, I’m subscribed again, just for the upcoming month—a few movies will be watched on that platform. This is leaving the platform two weekends from now and considering the recent news, it was nice to see Danny Glover in something. After finally checking out the OG, I don’t want to see any of the sequels (which from cultural osmosis I know double down on things I do NOT like in horror) but at least the original was a pretty good time, occasional goofy moments and gross details aside.

Even more so than elevated horror, what was pejoratively called “torture porn” at the time was way too off-putting for my tastes. No hate on people who love that gruesome form of entertainment-I know how popular this franchise has been since 2004. Props then to James Wan and Leigh Whannell, who were Australians that had a unique, bold idea, went to Hollywood, and worked hard to create an unexpected hit, launching both their careers.

By now, I’m sure I don’t need to explain how Whannell and Cary Elwes wake up trapped in a gross room, or how Glover investigates The Jigsaw Killer, or why Jigsaw plays his games. Some moments were hilariously dated to the early 2000’s; aside from that and some story quibbles, otherwise I had a pretty good time with Saw. The nonlinear story plus seeing two strangers attempt to escape that gross room despite all odds by working together despite their frequent squabbles, along with never having the surprise ending spoiled during the preceding 22 years… those were the highlights. There are nice suspense scenes, along with horror moments and a few gross-out bits.

It was also nice seeing a quality performance from Danny Glover as a police officer whose obsession burns ever-brighter due to events that occurred. Those that missed the news, several days ago he made it public that for awhile now, he’s suffered w/ Alzheimer’s. Many people have been touched by someone afflicted w/ that awful disease—unfortunately, my late grandfather was one of them. What a miserable last few years for him before passing away in ’09. 

On a lighter note, while I’m not interested in the subgenre it spawned-where the focus was on vile things happening to innocent people in traps apparently funded by Elon Musk, they were so elaborate & presumably expensive to build… this and Paranormal Activity were the most influential horror films in the first decade of the 2000’s, at least in the West. It was a relief then that Saw was a movie I did enjoy; as mentioned by me too often, a popular movie should have been tackled by me long ago. This picture is more than just a memorable villain and several clips that I knew from cultural osmosis for many years.

 

Independence

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

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

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

What a cast this has:

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

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

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

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

Obsessions

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

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Pim de la Parra

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

From: Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion/Scorpio Film Productions

Where’s Inde Navarrette?

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

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

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

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

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

 

Kantara

Kantara (2022)

Runtime: 147 minutes

Directed by: Rishab Shetty

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

From: Hombale Films 

TIL, Indian demigods apparently loved going WOOAAAHHHH!

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

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

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

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

Godzilla vs. Gigan

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

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Jun Fukuda

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

From: Toho

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thunder on the Hill

Thunder on the Hill (1951)

Runtime: 84 minutes

Directed by: Douglas Sirk

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

From: Universal 

RIP Ann Blyth

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Spaceballs, Revisited

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

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

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

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

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

The Replacement Killers

The Replacement Killers (1998)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

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

From: Columbia

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

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

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

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

Citizen Vigilante

Citizen Vigilante (2026)

Runtime: 89 LONG minutes

“Directed” by: Uwe Boll!

Starring: Armie Hammer! Also, there’s Costas Mandylor and many others you’ll never have heard of

From: Companies that should be embarrassed for themselves… that includes Boll’s own production company

Hey, I didn’t pay any money to see this!

To elaborate, yesterday it was discovered that the movie was released on Twitter (!) for free (!!) but only for a limited amount of time, due to purported claims that governments are “banning” the film due to its
“inflammatory content”… claims that likely are nothing more than hogwash. As it’s a new Uwe Boll (!) flick starring Armie Hammer (!!) which has received “worst of 2026” buzz already, morbid curiosity was too much for me. Releasing a new movie on social media is silly, especially when it’s so easy to download such streams… or so I’ve heard.

The reason for the outrage: in “Europe” (that’s as specific as the movie is), Hammer enters the country and rages against “immigrants”-meaning, people with darker skin-in sanctimonious lecturing towards the viewer, to borrow a phrase. For those not in the United States, for years now the issue of “immigrants” (again, meaning those with darker skin) has been THE controversial issue that divides people.

I am not offended because this portrays minorities so poorly, or that older movies like Death Wish w/ similar themes addressed such topics with MUCH more subtlety, grace, and ambiguity. There also isn’t a hint of satire in that Hammer’s character (a former military man called Sanders; to steal another line, he should have been Colonel Sanders!) is an immigrant himself, from America. Instead, this is an edgelord movie from someone trying his hardest to be provocative. No kidding, he wanted to originally title this motion picture… THE DARK KNIGHT.

“Grifting” is another term-like “slop”-which is overused. Perhaps “carnival hustler” is the more creative way to go. Many people seem to be hustling for a certain audience-many in America alone will agree with the message of Citizen Vigilante. The pre-credits scene is a “migrant” with dark skin who randomly stabs a blonde white woman in the neck. The acting in general is bad-I was disappointed that Costas Mandylor delivered the worst performance.

The rest of the filmmaking is rather lousy-to put it nicely-including some horrendous-looking CG blood, the lack of actual plot (unless you consider Sanders is also a dick landlord (?!) and he really hates black mold… please don’t ask) and other details that Boll clearly will never learn despite his decades as a filmmaker.

The movie’s inept, mind-numbing, insufferable, laughable… unlike Vigilante’s message (which can be hotly debated), it is much harder to argue that this isn’t a terrible cash-grab carnival barker motion picture attempting to earn some cash from the looniest of the right-wing audience.

What are they to think of Sanders graphically shooting law enforcement who attempt to arrest him (or for that matter, that scene being set to a modern jazz song!), the Neil Breen speeches the lead delivers in lieu of actual commentary on a contentious topic-yes, I’m stealing another quote-or a judge who has the surname REINHOLD and is addressed by dialogue as JUDGE REINHOLD. How can I take this failure seriously? The monologue at the end includes both “we the people” & “the woke left.”

Sure, there’s some graphic violence but even that wasn’t too satisfying except for a moment where he is-rightfully-against bullying. There are much better vigilantism pictures out there… I mainly know the ones from the past but I’m sure even modern ones are more worthwhile than Citizen Vigilante. Don’t even hate-watch this or be like me and view it out of morbid curiosity-that’s what the filmmakers want. I say this nonsense isn’t even worth the effort, a squandering of a topic worthy of contemplative discussion.

I’m sure the same goes for the upcoming Daily Wire picture where Jonathan Majors makes his comeback with a plot that by description sounds anti-Muslim. I wouldn’t expect anything better from the incredibly dry and unappealing Ben Shapiro…

In the Dust of the Stars

In the Dust of the Stars (Im Staub der Sterne) (1976)

Runtime: 98 groovy minutes

Directed by: Gottfried Kolditz

Starring: Jana Brejchova, Alfred Struwe, Ekkehard Schall, Milan Beli, Silvia Popovici, Violeta Andrei

From: DEFA

I didn’t quite know what to expect from a 1976 East German/Romanian sci-fi flick, but it wasn’t this! Sure, some Soviet sci-fi from various decades has been viewed & reviewed before, yet something from the 70’s elsewhere behind the Iron Curtain was a mystery.

Turns out, this was incredibly groovy while concurrently addressing at least one philosophical argument. The crew of one planet are on a trek to another planet after hearing a call for help. Those residents on another planet purport that this call was in error and in fact throw a wild party full of scantily-clad women, a buffet, random women naked, and pythons slithering about, but of course the crew is in danger for reasons that won’t be revealed.

I can reveal that this contains the standard groovy 70’s sci-fi sets, hilarious period clothing, the ship’s AI assistant possessing a robotic voice, etc. I was also delighted that filmmakers behind the Iron Curtain knew of such period filmmaking techniques as split screen & mirror images. The inclusion of a 70’s synth score was appreciated by me. However, because the villains were thinly-veiled capitalists, we also got to see…

* Them using breath spray but it was portrayed as a drug they were addicted to. In essence, different-flavored vapes
* The leader’s a random pudgy balding middle-aged dude who randomly dyes what hair he has different colors, just because
* These people also do random interpretive dance, just for the hell of it
* They have pen guns

In the midst of those wacky details, the crew of 4 women and 2 men are led by a woman, who thankfully was not portrayed poorly. Our explorers are tasked with making the right decision concerning a philosophical question, like genre fans would expect in the most austere of science fiction. Yes, at times this did feel like a rather peculiar episode of Star Trek mixed w/ Barbarella!

As methodical as the pacing can be, that didn’t bother me too much & even if it does for you, hopefully the groovy moments can keep your focus from wavering. This is another gem from Deaf Crocodile that delights me-thank goodness some of their offerings are on Eternal Family. What esoteric foreign films they select for release.

Incubus

Incubus (Inkubo) (1966)

Runtime: 74 minutes

Directed by: Leslie Stevens

Starring: William Shatner, Allyson Ames, Eloise Hart, Robert Fortier, Ann Atmar, Milos Milos

From: Contempo III Productions/Daystar Productions

My English review is below the review in Esperanto-translated by Google, as I don’t know the language myself. I’d only post this review in Esperanto (the language spoken in this movie) except that I am sure most people reading this will do so on mobile, requiring a download to have it translated and it’s just be an annoyance for them.

Esperanto

Mia anglalingva recenzo estas sub la recenzo en Esperanto - tradukita de Google, ĉar mi mem ne konas la lingvon. Mi afiŝus ĉi tiun recenzon nur en Esperanto (la lingvo parolata en ĉi tiu filmo), escepte ke mi certas, ke plej multaj homoj legantaj ĉi tion faros tion per poŝtelefono, bezonante elŝuton por traduki ĝin.

Estas multe por diskuti pri ĉi tiu filmo. Reĝisoro Leslie Stevens - post kreado de The Outer Limits - faris ĉi tiun nigrablankan filmon, kiun multaj rimarkis esti inspirita de Bergman. La kopiaĵo estis timita perdita dum jaroj, ĝis unu kun bruligitaj francaj subtekstoj estis trovita en '96. En la lastaj jaroj, alia kopiaĵo en multe pli bona stato estis trovita; ĉi tiu estas kion Arrow uzis por kaj fizika kaj flua eldono. Konsiderante ke kelkfoje, vi nelonge vidas francajn subtekstojn aperi... tiu nova kopiaĵo verŝajne ne estis kompleta. Estas pli, sed mi klarigos ĉe la fino.

Unue, klarigo pri Esperanto verŝajne necesas. Ĝi estis kreita en 1887 de L.L. Zamenhof kiel rimedo por krei "universalan duan lingvon", kiun ĉiu povus lerni. Tiu ideo estas nobla, kvankam ekzistas tre malsamaj raportoj pri "kiu parolas ĝin"... ĉie de 30 000 ĝis 2 milionoj! Kvankam ne esprimita tiel, oni konjektis, ke ĝia uzado en Incubus estis ĉefe por plifortigi la strangajn vibrojn tra la tuta programo.

Finfine, la filmo temas pri sukuboj (la pluralo de sukubo) vivantaj en fora regiono tuj apud puto supozeble havanta magiajn povojn. Tiuj virinoj celas pekulojn, kiuj vizitas la puton, kiel oferojn al Infero. Unu el ili - Kia - decidas anstataŭe celi bonan viron, kiu vizitis tiun puton... William Shatner! Alia sukubo provas ĉesigi la ĉikanadon de Kia kontraŭ Shatner kaj lia fratino, sed tio montriĝis vana.

Ne ĉiuj ŝatos ĉi tiun filmon 60 jarojn post la faktoj; la ritmo estas sufiĉe metoda kaj religio fariĝas ŝlosila temo. Mi trovis Incubus sufiĉe bona, mia atento neniam ŝanceliĝis. Vikio (kie mi akiris multajn fonajn informojn por ĉi tiu recenzo) asertas, ke parolantoj de Esperanto ne ŝatas kiom malbone ilia lingvo estis parolata ĉi tie — sed tio estas atendebla. Por ripeti penson el alia recenzo, Shat almenaŭ parolis siajn dialogojn memfide. La ceteraj aktoradoj estis bonaj.

La reĝisorado kaj muziko estis bonaj, sed la kinematografio estas rimarkinda. Ne nur ĝin ĉefe filmis Conrad Hall (poste gajnis Oskarojn pro Butch Cassidy kaj la Sundance-Infano, Amerika Beleco, kaj Vojo al Pereo) sed ankaŭ William A. Fraker - kiu estis nomumita por Oskaro kvin fojojn - la vida aspekto estis altkvalita, precipe dum fantomaj nebulaj noktoj.

Se ne jam estus sufiĉe da historio, la filmo estas supozeble malbenita. Milos Milos (jes, tio estis lia nomo. Interalie, li estis unu el la korpogardistoj de Alain Delon) mortigis la fremdiĝintan edzinon de Micky Rooney, poste sin mem, alia aktoro - Ann Atmar - memmortigis sin baldaŭ antaŭ ĝia mallonga publikigo, kaj du jarojn poste la filino de alia aktoro - Eloise Hardt - estis murdita en ankoraŭ nesolvita krimo.

Incubus ne plaĉas al ĉiuj gustoj; tamen, mi ĝojis, ke mi finfine provis ĝin. Se vi amas ion kiel Carnival of Souls, tiam vi devus almenaŭ provi la filmon ankaŭ.

English

There’s plenty to discuss w/ this motion picture. Director Leslie Stevens-after creating The Outer Limits-made this black-and-white flick that many have noted was inspired by Bergman. The print was feared lost for years, until one w/ burnt-in French subtitles was discovered in ’96. In recent years, another print in far better condition was discovered; this is what Arrow used for both physical and streaming release. Given that on a few occasions, you briefly see French subtitles appear… that new print must not have been complete. There’s more but I’ll explain at the end.

First, an explanation of Esperanto is probably needed. It was created in 1887 by L.L. Zamenhof as a means of creating “a universal second language” anyone could learn. That idea is a noble one although there are wildly different accounts of “who speaks it” … everywhere from 30,000 to 2 million! While not expressed as such, it’s been speculated that the usage of it in Incubus was mainly to strengthen the eerie vibes throughout.

After all, the film concerns succubi (the plural of succubus) living in a remote area right by a well purported to have magical powers. Those women target sinners that visit the well, as offerings to Hell. One of them-Kia-decides to instead target a good man who visited that well… William Shatner! Another succubus attempts to stop Kia’s harassment of Shatner & his sister, but that proved to be futile.

Not everyone will care for this film 60 years after the fact; the pacing is rather methodical & religion becomes a key theme. Me, I found Incubus to be pretty good, my attention never wavering. Wiki (where I got plenty of background info for this review) alleges that Esperanto speakers don’t like how poorly their language was spoken here—but that’s to be expected. To echo a thought from another review, Shat at least spoke his dialogue confidently. The rest of the performances were fine.

The direction and music were fine but the cinematography has to be noted. Not only was it mainly shot by Conrad Hall (later won Oscars for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, American Beauty, & Road to Perdition) but William A. Fraker-who was nominated for an Oscar on five occasions-the visual aspect was quality, especially during spooky foggy nights.

If there wasn’t already enough lore, the movie is allegedly cursed. Milos Milos (yes, that was his name. Among other things, he was one Alain Delon’s bodyguard) killed the estranged wife of Micky Rooney then himself, another actor-Ann Atmar-took her own life shortly before its brief release, then two years later the daughter of another actor-Eloise Hardt-was murdered in a still-unsolved crime.

Incubus is not for all tastes; however, I was happy to have finally given a shot to. If you love something like Carnival of Souls, then you should at least give the flick a shot as well.

I Review a Short from 1908

This is a short one today. I discuss 1908's The Electric Hotel: 

For those unfamiliar with the game from influential Spanish filmmaker Segundo de Chomin… my schedule only allowed a review of something short. As he was a contemporary of Georges Melies (typically, both created pictures full of camera/editing tricks along w/ plenty of phantasmagoria as there were wild sets, usually bizarre creatures, demons, ghosts, etc.), Chomin deserves more attention from cinephiles. The three from the director I’ve seen before last night fit this category: Legend of a Ghost, The Red Spectre, and The Bewitched House.

The Electric Hotel is by contrast a light-hearted silly thing. What they mean by “electric” is “when a couple check into the hotel, every item-including ones that they own-becomes sentient & via stop-motion, the viewer sees the likes of tables, razors, clothing, & brushes moving on their own.” To steal a line that more than one mutual uttered in their reviews, “it’s more like the hotel is haunted.”

This plus a funny last minute that’s a great punchline meant that this was a delightful 9 minutes. Those that enjoy the output of Melies yet have never given the works of Segundo de Chomin a shot—you might become a fan

Super Fuzz

Super Fuzz (Poliziotto Superpiu) (1980)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Sergio Corbucci!

Starring: Terence Hill, Ernest Borgnine, Joanne Dru, Marc Lawrence, Julie Gordon

From: El Pico S.A./Transcinema

This sure was a wacky Italian comedy filmed in South Florida where neophyte police officer Terence Hill acquires superpowers. I’ve known of Super Fuzz for years-how they were able to get Ernest Borgnine for a large role, how this was from Sergio Corbucci (!) or how it has an earworm soundtrack, especially the opening credits song, called SUPER SNOOPER. Either or its original Italian title, POLIZIOTTO SUPERPIU, should be used by me instead.

Hill is Dave Speed. He is sent by his superior Borgnine to a Seminole village out in the Everglades but is exposed to a nuclear test of “red plutonium.” While the residents of the village were evacuated beforehand, it’s best not to broach such questions as “jurisdiction” or “fallout” as Super Snooper has the vibes of a cartoon. His love interest is of course Borgnine’s niece, and of course is a cute lady-Julie Gordon of Blood Rage (i.e. Nightmare at Shadow Woods) fame. Hilariously, this is the final film role for Joanne Dru, of multiple John Ford and Howard Hawks pictures, as a woman named Rosy Labouche, a truly tremendous name. Borgnine has the hots for her old film star character.

Even by 80’s Italian standards the movie is incredibly goofy. Yet, at least in this case I still chortled at this buffoonery, and there is superhero lore: after acquiring those powers in that accident, he learns what he can do yet there is his version of kryptonite: seeing anything painted bright red. Yeah, it’s regrettable that at one point, Dave Speed used his powers on his girl in a way that is horrible by 2026 standards yet she at least slaps him and later gets the last laugh. Otherwise, I chuckled at what was sometimes slapstick silliness and him outwitting some rather dopey villains.

The sites around South Florida were nice & as someone who lives in Florida (where the Publix supermarket chain has been king for many decades) it was a gas to see a scene set at one of their stores. However, it was the discoriffic soundtrack from Italo-disco megastars La Bionda that greatly entertained me. Note that I’ve known the title song (credited to The Oceans) many years before finally giving Super Snooper a shot.

For those older than me (i.e. someone likely at least the age of 50) who grew up in the United States during the 80’s, you’ll likely recall that this was an HBO staple during the early years of the decade. That detail was read on Wiki but was also independently confirmed elsewhere. As Super Snooper has been on my figurative watchlist for years by this point, crossing the movie off the list has been long overdue.

The Plague Dogs

The Plague Dogs (1982)

Runtime: 103 harrowing minutes

Directed by: Martin Rosen

Starring: John Hurt, Christopher Benjamin, James Bolam, Nigel Hawthrone, Warren Mitchell

From: A few different United States and UK companies, including United Artists

Parents, do NOT show The Plague Dogs to your children!

There was more than one choice that could have been made concerning the viewing of additional animation best for adults. Selecting the other Martin Rosen animated film adapted from a Richard Adams novel seemed logical, especially after stumbling upon a random YouTube account that had upscaled 4K music videos and films, presumably done by AI. The usage of such tools for this purpose, that’s a rabbit hole best worth not going down. To clarify, what was viewed was the original UK release at 103 minutes rather than a much shorter edit released in the United States.

Another rabbit hole that I don’t want to go down: the usage of animals in laboratories to test products or otherwise conduct experiments. The opening minutes are quite upsetting (and sets the tone) as we see a Labrador mix dog named Rowf drown in a tank then resuscitated; this is a common practice. No wonder a fox terrier named Snitter convinces Rowf to escape. This movie is so grim and bleak, I can’t even make a joke concerning how rough the film is-or is that RUFF-when humans are killed, death is a constant theme, Snitter often wishes that he would die, neither dog receives any breaks from fate, and there is a reason why the film is titled The Plague Dogs.

Between the plot and my stating that the tone is comparable to such bleak entertainment (the movie is perfect for those that want to create their own Bleak Week in the future) as Grave of the Fireflies, many will be hesitant to ever press “play” in the future. If abuse of canines is not a deal-breaker, you’ll find a dark yet fascinating story as the two leads are forced to survive in the rural northwestern section of England-full of woods & mountains-and question their own mortality as their only companion is a fox they have a love/hate relationship with & as they kill sheep, occasionally pondering if they should quit & embrace death instead.

Several elements kept me transfixed through this harrowing journey. The British voice acting was swell, from John Hurt and Nigel Hawthrone to names less familiar to me and even Patrick Stewart in a small part during the conclusion. The music was pleasant. However, it was the stunning animation that captivated me-partially the animation was done in San Francisco-none other than Brad Bird was one of the animators. Whatever I review next, undoubtedly will be less heartbreaking and traumatic than The Plague Dogs.