Week of February 1 - 7, 2020

To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.

Brain Teasers:

Giuseppe Collizzi first met Woody Strode on the location for which film?

Collizzi made an offer to Woody while he was on location in Spain for SHALAKO.

Which French actor appeared in Italian Sword and Sandal films, Italian Westerns and a TV series starring Terence Hill?

John Grace knew that it was Philippe Leroy.

Which Italian Western star's father was a former Irish member of the U.S. Cavalry who had retired to France?

No one has answered this one yet.

Which Shaw Brothers production reuses footage of the monster in the lake from PERSEO?

John Grace knew that it was MONKEY GOES WEST.

Which American screenwriter provided Sean Flynn with two projects he made in Italy?

George Grimes knew that it was Casey Robinson.

Which American actor who appeared in Italian Westerns fainted onto John Wayne in a World War II movie?

Robert Harrison knew that it was Jim Mitchum in IN HARM'S WAY.

Which American actor, who appeared in an Italian Western, also appeared in a movie starring Harold Lloyd with special effects by John Fulton?

George Grimes knew that it was Lionel Stander.

Charles Gilbert asks, "Which Italian director used the name J. W. Fordson?"

George Grimes knew that it was Mario Costa.

Charles Gilbert asks, "Which two Italian actors used the name Peter White?"

George Grimes knew that it was Franco Cobianchi and Adraino Micantoni.

And now for some new brain teasers:

Which Spanish actor who did Sword & Sandal and Westerns in Spain died in Mexico City at the age of 51?

Which Italian actress did Kirk Douglas put under contract only to tear it up when she wanted out - and then wanted back but he refused?

Which Italian actor was born on November 23, 1941?

Name the movies from which these images came.

George Grimes and Rick Garibaldi identified last week's frame grab of John Philip Law in DA UOMO A UOMO, aka DEATH RIDES A HORSE

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes identified last week's photo of Marisa Allasio in LE SCHIAVE DI CARTAGINE, aka THE SWORD AND THE CROSS, aka SLAVES OF CARTHAGE.
Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came? 

George Grimes and Rick Garibaldi identified last week's frame grab of Elsa Martinelli in LA DECIMA VITTIMA, aka THE 10th VICTIM.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

John Grace and George Grimes identified last week's photo of Yuen Wah and Yuen Biao in EASTERN CONDORS.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

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I am interested in knowing what movies you have watched and what you enjoyed or not. So please send me an email at scinema@earthlink.net if you'd like to share. Here's what I watched last week:

Enjoyed:

Country Music "The Sons and Daughters of America" (2019)

Howard's End (2017) - Kenneth Lonergan wrote this four part TV adaptation which was directed by Hettie MacDonald. Hayley Atwell and Philippa Coulthard were wonderfully enjoyable as the Schlegel sisters, as was Alex Lawther as their brother. Cudos all around, but what happened to the character of Jacky Bast? It appeared that E. M. Forster didn't say in his novel and it was an irritatingly unanswered question.

Mildly enjoyed:

PACIFIC RIM UPRISING (2018)

GIRLFRIENDS (1978) - Anita Skinner looks so much like Anne-Marie Duff that I found it distracting. Of course if I had seen this when it first came out, that probably wouldn't have been the case as I didn't see Anne-Marie Duff until 2006.

An Unsuitable Job For A Woman "Sacrifice" (1997) - Future Star Wars Emperor Palpatine Ian McDiarmid plays another creep in this 3 part series, but the joy of the show is watching Helen Baxendale. Struan Rodger plays DCS Fergusson, but the character was Adam Dalgliesh in the original novel.

An Unsuitable Job For A Woman "A Last Embrace" (1998) 

An Unsuitable Job For A Woman "Living On Risk" (1999)

An Unsuitable Job For A Woman "Playing God" (1999) - If you're a fan of Gerald Butler, here's a chance to see a younger version of him than perhaps you've before seen him.

The Blues "Godfathers and Sons" (2003)

HOWARD'S END (1991) - Would I have enjoyed this more if I had seen it before the 2017 TV version? In any case, most of the virtues of the 2017 version are missing from this earlier movie, though they are virtually identical storywise.

Did not enjoy:

THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938 (1938) - Bob Hope singing "Thanks For The Memory" for the first time is neat, but the movie around it is a drag.

THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN (1995) - There is no dispute that this HBO movie is historically important, but it is also dull.

MIDSOMMER (2019) - I agree the movie is impressive, but I loathed the material.

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David Deal enjoyed:

THELMA (17) - A sheltered young woman heads to college where she begins to understand herself and her unique abilities.  Director Joachim Trier exhibits a sure hand weaving the supernatural into this Oscar-nominated tale of awakenings from Norway.  Recommended.

HIGH FIDELITY (00)

ARACHNIA (03)

THE TERROR (63)

RIDE LONESOME (59) - Bounty hunter Randolph Scott captures outlaw James Best and encounters devious Pernell Roberts and James Coburn (in his debut), and hottie Karen Steele on his way back to town. Meanwhile, Best's brother Lee Van Cleef is tracking them down.  Arguably the best of the Boetticher/Scott westerns, this is beautifully plotted and realized, with an ending that achieves redemption and fatalism in equal measure.

THE CORRUPT ONES (67) - From 2001: "Very fun adventure film with Robert Stack, Elke Sommer, the stunningly beautiful Nancy Kwan and Werner Peters. Not to mention a groovy title song by Dusty Springfield!"  UPDATE: I had only seen this on tape until I recently picked up the German Blu-ray, which looks great.

MURDER CLINIC (66) - Sinister Cinema's copy is zoomed in from the original Techniscope aspect ratio to 1.85:1 but it's very colorful.

Mildly Enjoyed

TIGER BAY (34)

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Charles Gilbert watched:

BERSERK (1967) Similar to CIRCUS OF HORRORS  this film also shoots in England with a couple of American actors leading the cast. Aerialist Ty Hardin joins the Rivers Big Top owned by Joan Crawford. A series of grisly accidents occur, which seems to boost the show's popularity and purse.

LI'L ABNER (1940) B&W. Buster Keaton appears in a secondary role as an indian, and Jeff York headlines as the tree-tall hick ad nauseum. Toothsome Daisy Mae is played by Martha O'Driscoll. Not a musical like its' remake, but uses a cartoon song fore and aft.  The makeup on ma and pa Yokum is more extreme. Who is the character with hair growing over his eyes and a door knob nose?

Renegade tv series episodes:

    'Teen Angel'. Reno (Lorenzo Lamas) searches for a runaway who's joined an escort service.

    'Den of Thieves'. A female cop targeted by her corrupt  peers solicits help from Reno.

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Week of January 26 - 31, 2020

To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.

Brain Teasers:

Which Italian actor worked with directors Luchino Visconti, Mario Amendola, Viktor Tourjansky, Duilio Coletti, Fernando Cerchio and Cesare Canevari?

It was Corrado Pani.

Giuseppe Collizzi first met Woody Strode on the location for which film?

No one has answered this question yet.

Which French actor appeared in Italian Sword and Sandal films, Italian Westerns and a TV series starring Terence Hill?

No one has answered this yet.

Which Italian Western star's father was a former Irish member of the U.S. Cavalry who had retired to France?

No one has answered this one yet.

Which Shaw Brothers production reuses footage of the monster in the lake from PERSEO?

No one has answered this one yet.

Which American screenwriter provided Sean Flynn with two projects he made in Italy?

George Grimes knew that it was Casey Robinson.

Which American actor who appeared in Italian Westerns fainted onto John Wayne in a World War II movie?

No one has answered this one yet.

And now for some new brain teasers:

Which American actor, who appeared in an Italian Western, also appeared in a movie starring Harold Lloyd with special effects by John Fulton?

Charles Gilbert asks, "Which Italian director used the name J. W. Fordson?"

Charles Gilbert asks, "Which two Italian actors used the name Peter White?"

Name the movies from which these images came.

George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Julian Mateos in I CRUDELI, aka THE HELLBENDERS.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes identified last week's photo of Gianna Maria Canale in LA RIVOLTA DEI GLADIATORI, aka THE WARRIOR AND THE SLAVE GIRL.
Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came? 

George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Daniele Vargas and Lex Barker in LA SCIMITARRA DEL SARACENO, aka THE PIRATE AND THE SLAVE GIRL.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes identified last week's photo of Danny Chan Kwok-Kwan in IP MAN 4: THE FINALE.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

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I am interested in knowing what movies you have watched and what you enjoyed or not. So please send me an email at scinema@earthlink.net if you'd like to share. Here's what I watched last week:

Enjoyed:

Country Music "I Can't Stop Loving You" (2019)

Mildly enjoyed:

2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards (2020)

IT HAPPENED HERE (1964)

MAD WEDNESDAY (1947) - This may not be the original cut of THE SIN OF HAROLD DIDDLEBOCK, but it is alot of fun.

Did not enjoy:

KUNG FU KIDS BREAKING AWAY (1980)

The Blues "Warming By the Devil's Fire" (2003)

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David Deal enjoyed:

THE MYSTERIOUS INTRUDER (46) - Another entry in the Whistler series, this one has Richard Dix as a shady PI on the trail of a missing girl with a treasure.  William Castle ups the noir ante with some interesting photography and a downbeat ending.

TIME TO KILL (42) - This is the first version of Raymond Chandler's The High Window wherein Philip Marlow (changed here to Michael Shayne (Lloyd Nolan) to fit into that series) chases down a rare coin.  Nolan is much more comfortable in the role than George Montgomery was in The Brasher Doubloon (47).  Snappy fun.

THE MASKS OF DEATH (84) - Sherlock Holmes comes out of retirement to take on two cases that wind up being connected.  Peter Cushing is Holmes and John Mills is Dr. Watson in this pastiche made for British TV.  Fair enough entertainment that features Anne Baxter, Ray Milland, and Anton Diffring.

THE PROFESSIONAL (81)

THE GAY FALCON (41)

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (57)

COBRA WOMAN (44) - Somewhere in the South Pacific, Jon Hall's fiance Maria Montez is kidnapped and taken to Cobra Island where her evil twin sister rules without mercy.  Jon follows to discover that Maria is the true heir to the throne.  Another totally fun Technicolor fantasy with lots of action and spectacle.  Vera West went all out on Montez's gowns.

THE STRANGE COUNTESS (61)

Mildly Enjoyed

MUTANT WAR (87) - Matt Mitler is again adventurer Harry Trent in Brett Piper's sequel to Battle For the Lost Planet.  This time Mitler battles more stop motion animation monsters in a post-apocalyptic landscape of mattes and miniatures.  Piper's effects technique improved over the previous entry.  Unbelievably, Piper snagged Cameron Mitchell for the role of a gang leader.

THE LIMPING MAN (53)

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Charles Gilbert watched:

THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1963) This version (which I'd never heard of)  starring comedian Tom Poston is a collaboration of William Castle and Hammer Films; painfully silly and monotonous. I couldn't wait for it to end. Janette Scott (THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE) costars.

MAN OF THE EAST (1972) Western humor Italian -style from E. B. Clutcher reunites Terence Hill and Yanti Sommer. A dude arrives in the wild west to be welcomed by his dad's old army buddies, who take him under their wing to instill some machismo. 

BUFFALO BILL, HERO OF THE FAR WEST (1965) Gordon Scott, always interesting, plays the civilian colonel who tries to keep peace with the Sioux.  But renegade Yellow Hand (Mirko Ellis) and store owner Big Sam (Mario Brega) are trafficking Winchesters,  thereby jeopardizing the treaty. Amusing to see all those peplum actors playing cowboys and indians.

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Week of January 18 - 24, 2020

To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.

Brain Teasers:

Which French actor worked with directors Sergio Leone, Robert Enrico, Philippe Setbon, Federico Fellini and Giuseppe Colizzi?

It was Antoine Saint-John, aka Antoine Saint-Jean.

Which Italian actor worked with directors Luchino Visconti, Mario Amendola, Viktor Tourjansky, Duilio Coletti, Fernando Cerchio and Cesare Canevari?

No one has answered this question yet.

Giuseppe Collizzi first met Woody Strode on the location for which film?

No one has answered this question yet.

Which French actor appeared in Italian Sword and Sandal films, Italian Westerns and a TV series starring Terence Hill?

No one has answered this yet.

Which Italian Western was co-produced by Shaw Brothers of Hong Kong?

George Grimes knew that it was EL KARATE EL COLT Y EL IMPOSTER, aka THE STRANGER AND THE GUNFIGHTER, aka BLOOD MONEY.

Which Italian Western was co-produced by Yangtze Film Company Ltd.?

George Grimes knew that it was ...ALTRIMENTI VI AMMUCCHIAMO, aka KUNG FU BROTHERS IN THE WILD WEST.

Which Italian Western star's father was a former Irish member of the U.S. Cavalry who had retired to France?

No one has answered this one yet.

And now for some new brain teasers:

Which Shaw Brothers production reuses footage of the monster in the lake from PERSEO?

Which American screenwriter provided Sean Flynn with two projects he made in Italy?

Which American actor who appeared in Italian Westerns fainted onto John Wayne in a World War II movie?

Name the movies from which these images came.

George Grimes and Rick Garibaldi identified last week's frame grab of Cameron Mitchell in JIM IL PRIMO, aka THE LAST GUN.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

No one has correctly identified the above frame grab yet.

Can you name from what movie it came? 

George Grimes identified last week's photo of Claudia Cardinale in VAGHE STELLE DELL'ORSA..., aka SANDRA.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes identified last week's photo from TWO CHAMPIONS OF SHAOLIN, aka TWO CHAMPIONS OF DEATH.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

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I am interested in knowing what movies you have watched and what you enjoyed or not. So please send me an email at scinema@earthlink.net if you'd like to share. Here's what I watched last week:

Enjoyed:

Country Music "Hard Times" (2019)

Country Music "The Hillbilly Shakespeare" (2019)

Mildly enjoyed:

IN HARM'S WAY (1965) - For two hours, this is a solid World War II drama with a refreshing look at non-action events. Then it becomes a heavy melodrama and the final battle featuring minature ships and fireworks is rather poor.

Midsomer Murders "The Black Book" (2009)

Did not enjoy:

DECEPTION (2003) - I'll watch just about anything featuring Dina Meyer, and for a twisty suspense film, this wasn't bad - but it wasn't good enough to prevent me from fast-forwarding through. Anna Silk and Rachelle Lefevre also put in welcome appearances.

THE TOUCH OF SATAN (1971)

PENITENTIARY III (1987)

NINJA PHANTOM HEROES (1987)

THE DEVESTATOR (1986)

UNA MARIPOSA EN LA NOCHE, aka A BUTTERFLY IN THE NIGHT (1976)

SHAOLIN TEMPLE, aka SEVEN SPIRIT PAGODA (1976) - It is a pleasure to watch Hsu Feng, but in better movies.

BABY LOVE (1969) - The trailer for this movie was so much better than the film.

ALL FALL DOWN (1962)

KAHIL GIBRAN'S THE PROPHET (2014)

YOUR CHEATIN' HEART (The Hank Williams Story) (1964)

GREEN DOLPHIN STREET (1947)

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David Deal enjoyed:

THE WHISTLER (44) - Despondent over the death of his wife, Richard Dix puts out a contract on his own life.  When his wife is found alive, Dix must race to stop his murderer.  William Castle's implausible thriller puts former big-time star Dix thru the paces but the acting honors must go to J. Carrol Naish as the killer who terrorizes his prey before pouncing as an intellectual, psychological experiment.  The first of a series of eight programmers based on the popular radio program.  Dix starred in all as different characters.

DR. CYCLOPS (40) - The Blu-ray looks fabulous.

THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES (72)

THE PURPLE MASK (55) - Another take on the Scarlet Pimpernel with Tony Curtis; light, colorful and fun enough.

LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE (19)

THE GAY DIVORCEE (34)

Mildly Enjoyed

BATTLE FOR THE LOST PLANET (86) - Matt Mitler is an adventurer who steals a secret weapons tape and then steals a space shuttle to escape.  Stuck in space, he witnesses an attack on Earth, and years later, is finally able to land on our post-apocalyptic planet.  An early Brett Piper no-budget sci-fi production features stop-motion animation, monstrous-looking aliens, and plenty of miniature work.

THE DEFILERS (65)

SUBMARINE ALERT (43)

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Charles Gilbert watched:

THE SWORD AND THE CROSS (1958) Yvonne de Carlo plays Jewish harlot Mary Magdalene who falls in love with Roman tribune Gaius Marcellus (Jorge Mistral), doubletiming as mistress to Hebrew Hamen (Massimo Serato). The story assumes she is the same Mary that was sister to Martha (Rosanna Podesta) and brother Lazarus (Terence Hill) whom Jesus raised from the dead. But her home town of Magdala vs. Bethany distinguishes her and "It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment" who was from Bethany. I think they are two different Marys, making the storyline invalid.

RED SUN (1971) Trainrobbers (Charles Bronson, Alain Delon  et. al) incur the wrath of a Japanese entourage conducting a stately present to POTUS in the form of a gold sword. The Frenchman steals it, doublecrosses his pal, thereby producing a tentative Oxidental-Oriental alliance to recover the gift.  Along the way they pickup "working girl"  Ursula Andress. They're all fighting the Commanches in the end.

Cannonball 1958 B&W television episode:

   'Shock'. Canadian truckers Mike Malone (Paul Birch) and Jerry Austin (William Campbell) pick up a passenger who has been given a job as a parts man for their company C&A Transport. He has a drinking problem and doesn't know the first thing mechanically. But, it turns out at a traffic accident, and to everyone's surprise, he demonstrates his mettle as a physician. Directed by Leslie Selander.

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