13 Days in France

This is a 1968 Olympic film of the Winter Games that year in Grenoble, France: 

It’s been more than two years since I’ve seen an Olympic film; thus, it needs to be said that in the past I watched a few of those via the Criterion Channel (as the Criterion Collection released 100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912-2012) and I at least liked most of them even if they were all quite different through the years as visual documentation of the events that occur in the Summer and Winter Olympics. Yet, because I’m me I stopped watching those. The fact that many are at best ambivalent about such a niche category should be irrelevant to me, after all.

I do prefer the dry and perhaps cornball straightforward Olympic movies where there is a narrator and the big moments/results are presented. Kon Ichikawa’s Tokyo Olympiad is great as while it is on the arty side in presentation, the important information is provided. 13 Days in France… it is lighthearted and it’s a random snapshot of various scenes filmed throughout; don’t expect to see much if any results provided and in fact, the only names you’ll know are the two that gave the biggest star-making performances: figure skater Peggy Fleming and skier Jean-Claude Killy. At least their popularity was presented; the presentation including songs created for the film… that was a curious decision, as was other bizarre interludes.

The reason why it still gets a 3 star rating? The footage is still shot well and there are some wild moments, such as a POV shot of someone downhill skiing or a figure skater spinning in circles. Furthermore, the soundtrack was rather good, whether it be the score or even those wacky tunes. Others like this more than me, so YMMV if you ever have the urge. There is another documentary on the Grenoble games-Snows of Grenoble-which may be more to my liking; one day I’ll discuss that here.

The Abyss

The Abyss (1989)

Runtime: I saw the 171 minute special edition

Directed by: James Cameron

Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester, Todd Graff

From: 20^th Century Fox

It was in fact a wise decision to finally see The Abyss for the first time 4K restored on a Dolby Cinema screen. As a teenager when I first became acquainted w/ the films of James Cameron and thought they were great, Abyss was never one I got around to. For reasons that probably won’t ever be made public, this alone with True Lies never made the jump into the HD era, at least for purchase/rental on disc or streaming. Thus, the reason why it took until now for me to write about this movie. As an advertisement for the upcoming UHD release of this in March (alongside True Lies), this played in cinemas for one night only. The fact that it was in a Dolby Cinema at AMC for me was even better.

It was only afterwards that the phrase “Cameron’s Interstellar” I saw in a mutual’s review suddenly resonated with me. The Abyss was more sentimental and touching than expected; some may not be on board for the direction this takes in the final half hour or so… could be deemed “cornball” by them? Perhaps. However, even through the silliest moments I was always on board in this tale of a SEAL team being sent to an underwater drilling platform where they are required to team up to find a submarine that sunk after it encountered a mysterious aquatic object of unknown origin.

Even I can admit that the way Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was treated at times in the film was at best of its time and at worst rather sexist—several occasions she’s referred to as a “bitch” solely due to her being estranged from drilling team leader husband Ed Harris. What played was the almost 3 hour long Special Edition, which was still at times disjointed. I’d say that the movie’s fears of tensions escalating between the United States & the Russians was dated due to lingering memories despite the Cold War winding down in ’89, but well…

The movie feels epic, and not just due to its 171 minute length. It is a blockbuster from the past where big events happen, someone’s sanity decreases for a litany of reasons, there’s the wonder of the unknown creatures present in the ocean, the feelings the lead characters have for each other changes, there’s disaster, death, heartbreak… I did enjoy this trek that was taken, presented with plenty of practical effects and a great Alan Silvestri score. However, the by-product of actually filming the movie in an underwater setting was…

The giant submarine in the room that needs to be addressed: long before I saw The Abyss, its tortuous production history was known by me. Both Ed Harris & Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (the clear highlights of the film, in terms of acting craft) broke down due to emotional turmoil, and allegedly after almost drowning, Harris punched Cameron in the face! Others almost perished due to filming in the water, including Cameron himself. Harris will never talk about the movie in public—yep, it was that bad a production. Thankfully (for me), it’s a movie I still think is very good despite not liking how the director behaves on set sometimes and everyone going through a maelstrom to create the film.

A cast that does a fine job despite the circumstances (whether it be the more familiar faces like Harris, Mary Elizabeth or Michael Biehn or the less so familiar, like Todd Graff and Kimberly Scott) and a movie with a message that is undoubtedly on the nose yet is still a message worth hearing… flaws noted, I still prefer this to the safe, homogenized flavorless blockbusters that Hollywood in general has produced for at least the past decade now. I’m happy that this was my first experience with The Abyss, however long overdue it was for me.

 

Spaced Invaders

Spaced Invaders (1990)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Patrick Read Johnson

Starring: Douglass Barr, Royal Dano, Ariana Richards, J.J. Anderson, Gregg Berger

From: Touchstone

Hi, my name is Blair Russell, and I saw Spaced Invaders on the big screen back in 1990. After watching some serious, downbeat films as of late, it was time for much lighter entertainment; also, early last evening I randomly found an HD copy of this on YouTube (I know, I know) so that’s what was selected. Note that I never saw the film again on VHS after the one theatrical viewing; that is perhaps a sign of what my opinion was as a kid… I really remembered nothing at all. Why Mom chose to take me and my two younger sisters to this is quite the mystery, but it’s something I can laugh about now.

One possible reaction I had back in ’90: WTF was that? The premise of the movie’s actually a nice idea: what if actual Martians hear a rebroadcast of the 1938 Orson Welles radio dramatization of War of the Worlds and decide to land on Earth as they believe the broadcast is of legitimate events & their brethren are attacking the planet? Of course, it was a family comedy made by Disney subsidiary Touchstone so it’s only a small ship of few particularly stupid aliens who are little green men and because it’s Halloween, people first think they are children in costume. To demonstrate the age group this is geared towards, some of the aliens sound like “70’s versions of Jack Nicholson, Dr. Strangelove and General Patton” and to make Alien Jack blatant as a parody, he wears sunglasses and a Lakers t-shirt… see what I mean when I say this is weird? I knew of the late 80’s TV show War of the Worlds at the time-but where beforehand would I have known of the Welles radio play as a 9 year old?

The movie is rather dumb, juvenile, and silly—in addition there’s a subplot where an evil land developer (is there any other kind?) who wants to take over the struggling farms in the small Illinois town of Big Bean-more on that at the end-so there’s a lot going on. As flawed as the movie is (full of stereotypes and humor that doesn’t always land) I can’t stay too mad at it. After all, there are plenty of charming practical effects, Royal Dano playing a farmer that wasn’t too dissimilar to his role in Killer Klowns from Outer Space and a young Ariana Richards as the lead child. When another 1990 theatrical experience was GHOST DAD, how inoffensive this was is fine when Ghost Dad was not only terrible, but also had adult themes not really suited for kids.

Spaced Invaders is set in a fictitious Podunk Illinois town. While I grew up in Belvidere, Illinois (a small city) it still had a Podunk feel… plenty of farms and I’m sure if an alien ship landed in Belvidere, there would be “beer-bellies running around in the dark w/ shotguns” as depicted in the film! Come to think of it, perhaps Big Bean is located close by Haddonfield…

Godzilla Minus One

Godzilla Minus One (Gojira -1.0) (2023)

96% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 85 reviews)

Runtime: 125 minutes

Directed by: Takashi Yamazaki

Starring: Ryunosuke Kamaki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetake Yoshioka

From: Toho

Is this the best Godzilla film ever? There’s always recency bias-not to mention my own biases-but I will explain why my rating is so high. Many of the films in the franchise have been seen by me, and some have put a strong focus on the human characters… to varying success. In this film, they nailed that aspect just about perfectly. I’ll try to be on the vague side as I went into this rather blind (only knowing the setting was right after World War II) and I presumed it would be like the original Gojira in the movie’s themes blatantly based on Japan’s guilt about the war combined with fear of nuclear weapons… which this was.

The focus is only on a few characters; one in particular goes through a LOT—it was an arduous journey for him. Like in Shin Godzilla, a random group of people have to work together to defeat a foe; unlike in Shin, it is not a satire inspired by the Fukushima disaster. Minus One is a far more sober piece that revolves around such themes as survivor’s guilt, fear, and PTSD. It doesn’t mean that Godzilla’s path of destruction is anything less than satisfactory.

In fact, when we do see G appear, it is a terrifying event; the amount of devastation it causes each time is rather cataclysmic. The effects look great for an alleged budget of only 15 million bucks-I’m sure there are many nebulous reasons why movies made in America are so darn expensive and/or CG on its own is so pricey. No matter the reasons, it makes too many of the modern Hollywood movies look bad in comparison… that’s not entirely the fault of those effects houses, but let’s avoid a heated debate over a topic I should learn more about beforehand.

The movie has its share of bleak, depressing moments; Japan after the war was devastated & we see characters who can barely survive as they live in ruins. At the same time, through the whole ordeal I became quite sympathetic to the plight of the main characters and henceforth was delighted when they and others got together (despite various issues they may have had in the past) to try and defeat a seemingly unstoppable enemy against all odds.

Admittedly, there was more than one “hey, wait a minute now” moment. This did not ruin the experience when I was so enveloped in the plot and in a rare moment for the franchise, actually felt rather emotional at times for the leads. It is in fact a Hollywood blockbuster of yore; I phrase it that way as most modern blockbusters are just sterile and cold, if not crap the bed terrible. If you’re a franchise fan, this is a must, especially if you can attend a screening at your local cinema.

 

I Revisit Sabotage

I'm referring to the 1936 Hitchcock movie, not the David Ayer disaster: 

Listen up y’all, it’s Sabotage… a new review of the film that was needed because perhaps a second impression would be better and the original review from 2014 was rather lackluster in hindsight. The Criterion Channel added a new collection of Hitchcock movies; many I had seen before (& I’m happy with those reviews) but revisits probably will happen that won’t be noted online as I’m happy with those original opinions I wrote years ago. As it’s been too long since one of his movies has been discussed by me, a link to my list of Hitchcock reviews is here for those curious. In short, most of the movies by the Master of Suspense I think are at least good, and some are 4 ½ or 5 stars.

It is tragic for me to say then that this movie is still one I don’t love as much as others--which has been the trend with the last few I’ve seen, but alas. Unbeknownst to Sylvia Sidney, her husband happens to be working with terrorists who cause havoc across London, because… well, that’s a MacGuffin. That husband Karl needs money as running a movie house isn’t enough to pay all the bills; after all, there’s also Sidney’s little brother Stevie, still a child. As Karl is undercover doing that bidding for the villains, so is someone from Scotland Yard undercover investigating the dastardly heels.

Despite my not loving the movie (possibly because there are many Hitch pictures I do love), that doesn’t make Sabotage bad, or even worse, comparable to the atrocious David Ayer Sabotage. It’s always nice seeing Sylvia Sidney, after all; there are also some nice suspense sequences, especially one that leads to the film’s most controversial moment. It’s a narrative decision I’m not offended by—audiences at the time were, though. There were other narrative decisions I didn’t necessarily love, although it did not turn the entire head of lettuce brown, to reference an insignificant plot point. I wish we could have gotten to know more about the majority of the leads.

There are still several memorable characters & the movie still works despite its small scale where much of the action takes place at a movie house. Having seen a decent amount of Hitch’s British beginnings, this is still one of the better ones; you’d be surprised at how bad some of them are.

Season of the Witch

Season of the Witch (1973)

Runtime: 105 minutes; that’s the cut I saw, anyhow

Directed by: George A. Romero

Starring: Jan White, Raymond Laine, Ann Muffly, Joedda McClain, Bill Thunhurst

From: The Latent Image

No, I won’t be going through a run of George A. Romero films. Rather, the impetus behind viewing this a night after Knightriders… I mentioned Season of the Witch as (based on hearsay) possibly being even stranger than Knightriders. IMO, it is. To clarify right away, the film was watched on Arrow’s streaming service—and it was the 104 minute extended cut. I’ve heard different explanations for why there were several versions under several different names (the title on the print was Jack’s Wife, and it was also released as HUNGRY WIVES as some bizarre attempt to make people think this was sexploitation, which it isn’t in any cut) before coming out as Season of the Watch after Dawn of the Dead in a re-release. A 90 minute version was restored in 4K and well, the added footage was clearly not, so that made identification obvious.

As for my ultimate opinion of Witch… “weird” and “odd” are the words that come to mind. It’s not even “good,” “bad,” or even “indifferent”—the movie was just weird. After all, it was Romero learning about both feminism and witchcraft; deciding to incorporate them both… why not? As with George A.’s most famous films, social commentary is a-plenty. A middle-aged woman (named Joan Mitchell who hilariously is sometimes referred to casually as Joanie; Joni Mitchell had already found fame by this point) who has a lout of a husband (Jack) always away on business and a carefree 19 year old daughter is also suffering from the banality of suburban ennui (to borrow more than one phrase). Joanie randomly hears about witchcraft; after a LOT of discussion over how she and her galpal Shirley are miserable as aging ladies, Mitchell decides to take the plunge.

There is not that much witchcraft on display, and don’t expect anything supernatural. The story is more about Joanie attempting to take agency of her life and finally find happiness again. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any frightening moments; there are various nightmare sequences, including an extended one in the opening scene. Unfortunately, the movie didn’t grab me like it did for many others on Letterboxd. It’s no fault of Jan White, who portrayed Joan Mitchell; she was swell as the housewife who had to run the gamut of emotions. Now was it the at times masterful editing by Romero or the 70’s electronic score from Steve Gorn. Speaking of that decade, between the décor and the clothing, the gaudy, brightly-colored looks greatly amused me.

Even if the film didn’t blow me away, its oddity and how it was about an unhappy middle-aged woman becoming a feminist and gaining confidence in the process will be noted by me. Sure, there were some questionable decisions on her part, but… to close this out, yes the audience does hear Donovan’s Season of the Witch. That’s a better title for the film than Jack’s Wife and especially Hungry Wives.

 

Knightriders

Knightriders (1981)

Runtime: 147 minutes

Directed by: George A. Romero

Starring: Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll, Patricia Tallman

From: United Film Distribution Company/Laurel Productions

Right before this left the Criterion Channel I deemed it most opportune to finally watch… well, it may not be the oddest film in his filmography (I know his Hungry Wives/Season of the Witch has been described as “unclassifiable”) but any movie almost 2 ½ hours centered around a Renaissance troupe who performs in random fields all across Pennsylvania where the mounts are not horses but rather motorcycles… that is a unique premise even in 2023. Admittedly, cycles instead of horses will be PETA and the less extremist nutjob animal lovers happy.

In all honesty, the setting isn’t the most important aspect of the film. Sure, the low-budget outlaw nature of their operation causes conflict w/ law enforcement; that said, any group of people presenting a production where there’s conflict between the disparate people that tended to be misfits could have worked. Ed Harris is their leader as the literal and figurative King of the act. He does some foolhardy things to try and prove himself and make the act not a cheesy thing on bike; that naturally upsets the regular riders, not to mention his lady.

Unfortunately, the film has some rather peculiar moments; just why exactly do they let random biker dumbasses (including a Nazi) dick around on the field after the tournament concludes, anyhow? Also, yeah the length can be a little much at times. Yet, despite that, a King who isn’t always a likable chap, and some dodgy acting, the movie definitely… well, it’s odd. It’s a movie I wish could have been liked more by me, yet there are still merits. For one thing, I now know why this was in a collection of films featuring gay characters; one is a lesbian and there’s also a man who is questioning if he is a homosexual.

For all its flaws, at least there was interest in seeing those colorful characters interacting w/ each other and trying to deal with drama. The one character I’ll recall the most was Merlin, the troupe doctor played by Brother Blue. Wikipedia can offer more of an explanation but what a fascinating person he was—a literal storyteller and street performer in Boston who unsurprisingly was successful at offering philosophical advice mainly to Harris’s character but also others. It was also wild to see Tom Savini as an actor w/ a huge role; he was fine when it comes to performance. In addition, when the viewer sees motorcycle action, it is thrilling.

Overall, this downbeat movie (again, it is straight out of the 70’s despite its ’81 release) does work better for some people; there was a messageboard interaction today where I saw someone comment that this was popular in the early days of cable. If you saw the movie back then but never since-which was the scenario w/ that poster-it might be a revisit at the risk of ruining good childhood memories. Those that see the movie for the first time ever or the first time in decades: the opening several minutes are shot REALLY soft; that was for a stylistic reason rather than a reflection of the entire film’s look.