December 14 - 20. 2024

 

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

Brain Teasers:

By what name is Alfonso Brescia better known?

Tom Betts, Bertrand van Wonterghem, Angel Rivera and George Grimes knew that it is Al Bradley.

In what Western did Fernando Sancho play Sartana?

Tom Betts, Bertrand van Wonterghem, Angel Rivera and George Grimes knew that it is LA DILIGENCIA DE LOS CONDENADOS, aka STAGECOACH OF THE CONDEMNED.

Can you name two movies in which Richard Harrison is whipped by Gerard Tichy?

Tom Betts knew that it is I SETTE GLADIATORI, aka GLADIATORS 7, and 100,000 DOLLARI PER RINGO, aka $100,000 FOR RINGO.

And now for some new brain teasers:

During which American concert performance was the distinctive theme song for DJANGO played?

In which Italian Western does a bounty killer join a band of villains and partner with a woman?

In which Italian Western does a bad guy attack by somersaulting and using his spurs to kill?

Name the movies from which these images came.

Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Alberto dell'Acqua in LA COLLINA DEGLI STIVALI, aka BOOT HILL.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Trevor Thomas, George Grimes, Bertrand van Wonterghem, Angel Rivera and Charles Gilbert identified last week's frame grab of Louis Jourdan and Sylvia Syms in LE VERGINI DI ROMA, aka AMAZONS OF ROME.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Suzy Kendall in L'UCCELLO DALLE PIUME DI CRISTALLO, aka THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMMAGE.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Angel Rivera identified last week's photo of Gordon Liu Chia Hui in RETURN TO THE 36TH CHAMBER, aka RETURN OF THE MASTER KILLER.

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:

Downton Abbey season six (2016)

DOWNTON ABBEY (the movie) (2019)

Black Comedy In America season one episode five "Richard Pryor"

Black Comedy In America season one episode six "Eddie Murphy In the 80s"

Black Comedy In America season one episode eight "The Fresh Prince"

Mildly enjoyed:

 

Black Comedy In America season one episode four "The Best Man"

Black Comedy In America season one episode nine "Kevin Hart"

The Dark Side of Comedy season one episode five "Richard Pryor"

The Dark Side of Comedy season one episode six "Dustin Diamond"

The Dark Side of Comedy season two episode two "Sam Kinison"

The Dark Side of Comedy season two episode six "Tracy Morgan"

The Dark Side of Comedy season two episode seven "Family Matters"

The Dark Side of Comedy season two episode eight "Ellen DeGeneres"

Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was ... (2024) - This Netflix special was very much like a church sermon. 

 

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David Deal Enjoyed:

HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD (61)

OSS 117 PANIC IN BANGKOK (64) - Please refer to The Eurospy Guide.

THE WOMAN IN GREEN (45)

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS (54) - This would make a good John Ireland double bill with Gunslinger.

ASSASSINATION (67) - That's right, The Eurospy Guide. The Blu-ray looks nice.

AEON FLUX (05) - I know, it's not good but I like it.

GUNSIGHT RIDGE (57)

BREAKFAST WITH THE DEAD (64) - Fun German noir with a familiar cast.

MACAO (52)

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE (72)

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF TIME (67) - Could there be a decent presentation of this public domain time killer?

PURSUIT TO ALGIERS (45)

THE SWIMMING POOL (69)

THE BODY SNATCHER (45)

Mildly Enjoyed 

LADY GANGSTER (42) - Faye Emerson acts as a decoy in a bank robbery. She's caught and caged but not before absconding with the dough. Warner Bros. crime quickie is entertaining enough but no classic.

THE PARALLEL CORPSE (82) - A mortuary worker discovers a second body hidden in a casket. He figures out the killer and attempts to blackmail him. It doesn't work out. Intricate tale from Denmark with unlikeable characters.

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Angel Rivera  Enjoyed:

BIOGRAPHY: Season 7; Episode 14: "LOVE AND DEATH: THE STORY OF BONNIE & CLYDE" (1995) An interesting episode of the "Biography" series. In watching this, one doesn't realize how young they both were. Bonnie was 24 and Clyde was 25 when they were shot down by "the Law". The episode highlights other facts the 1967 film, "Bonnie and Clyde" "got wrong".

2020: JOHN LENNON: HIS LIFE, LEGACY, LAST DAYS (2020) An interesting and poignant look at the last few days of Lennon leading up to his murder and death. In the aftermath of his death, the documentary shows how great the influence of the former "Beatle" was.

"BEN HUR" (1959) Hadn't seen this one in a while. Still a grand epic.

Mildly enjoyed:

"THE PROPOSAL" (2009) It is amazing how well Bullock looked at 45. She plays a Canadian publishing editor who gets her put upon assistant to marry her so she can keep her job and stay in the US, after her visa was denied an extension to stay in the US. Her co-star is some "Hollywood" upstart named Ryan Reynolds. Wonder what ever happened to him? The film is cutesy, but okay to watch and enjoy, The irony is that Bullock is not Canadian, but Ryan Reynolds is.

"NUTCRACKERS" (2024) An Hulu holiday film. Ben Stiller stars as Uncle Mike to his recently orphaned nephews, (Their parents died in a horrific car accident.) He is a hotshot realtor who has a deadline to meet when he is called to be the temporary guardian of his nephews. Sentimental; it has a kind of charm, as Uncle Mike grows an attachment to his nephews. The title comes from a show Stiller's sister had nearly put on, (as his sister owned and ran a dancing school), a variation of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" ballet. This final "show" endears the nephews to Uncle Mike and he stays with them; instead of looking for a foster home for them. Cutesy with predictable ending.

"THE WARRIOR EMPRESS" (1960/1) The best thing about this film is seeing a young before "Gilligan's Island" Tina Louise. While growing up I was more of a Mary Ann fan and not so much "Ginger". But that was before I got a color TV set. Had I been able to see Louise in all her redheaded glory, she would have been hard to resist. Kerwin Mathews plays her love interest and does an amazing job considering what we now know about him. (Like Rock Hudson, Mathews was a closeted homosexual.) Aside from that, the film does present an okay sword and sandal epic.

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Charles Gilbert watched:

HOUSE OF BAMBOO (1955) Crime drama set in Tokyo with Robert Ryan controlling a nefarious gang of ex GI's having dishonorable discharges. Robert Stack infiltrates under auspices of the U. S. Army because they raided a supply train, and killed a soldier. 

THE GLASS TOMB (1955) B&W. John Ireland in London as a sideshow promoter in an early Hammer film. The feature for the American impressario is Henri Sapolio, the starving man, who is confined in a glass room where the English crowd, with lots of discretionary time on their hands, can observe him. But someone slips him poison ham fat in this fraudulent presentation because he witnessed a murder. Honor Blackman plays Ireland's wife. Geoffrey Keen appears in a villanous role. Cinematography includes scenes of bombed out London real estate from WWII. 

WILD ANGELS (1966) Roger Corman produced and directed the first of a series of biker films for American International. This with Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra. Seems like you can count on Dick Miller and Barbara Morris appearing in most of Corman's films 

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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:

Jomyeonggage / Light shop (2023, Kim Hee Won) - episodes 1 & 2

Mildly enjoyed:

Echappement libre (1964, Jean Becker)

Yooryungeul jabara / Catch the ghost (2019, Shin Yoon Sub) – episodes 8 to 15

Did not enjoy:

Spara Joe... e cosi sia (1971, Emilio Miraglia)

La diligencias de los condenados (1970, Juan Bosch)

Vivo per la tua morte (1968, Camillo Bazzoni)

Le bar du téléphone (1980, Claude Barrois)

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December 7 - 13, 2024

 

 

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

Brain Teasers:

Which star of Italian Westerns was born on January 9, 1925 in New Jersey?

Tom Betts, Bertrand van Wonterghem, Charles Gilbert, Angel Rivera and George Grimes knew that it was Lee Van Cleef.

What Italian Western was reviewed in the U.S. ending with the joke "Could it be we will soon have before us such epics as THE GOOD, THE BAD AND MACBETH?"

George Grimes knew that it was JOHNNY HAMLET.

In which Italian Western is the villain named Bill San Antonio? 

Tom Betts, Angel Rivera and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it is DIO PERDONA... IO NO! aka GOD FORGIVES... I DON'T!

And now for some new brain teasers:

By what name is Alfonso Brescia better known?

In what Western did Fernando Sancho play Sartana?

Can you name two movies in which Richard Harrison is whipped by Gerard Tichy?

Name the movies from which these images came.

Tom Betts, Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Simon Arriaga and Lucio Rosato in NAVAJO JOE.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Charles Gilbert identified last week's photo of Mark Forest in IL MAGNIFICO GLADIATORE, aka THE MAGNIFICENT GLADIATOR.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's photo of Claudia Cardinale and Giuliano Gemma in CORLEONE.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Joey Wong and Leslie Cheung in A CHINESE GHOST STORY.

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:

Anthony Jeselnik Bones and All on Netflix (2024)

ROOMMATES (1995) - For a director whose claim to fame came with thrillers like ROBBERY and BULLIT, Peter Yates might have seemed an odd choice to make this  comedy drama about the evolving relationship between a grandfather and grandson set over decades. However, he followed BULLIT with JOHN AND MARY and more recently he made BREAKING AWAY and THE DRESSER. Based on University Professor Max Apple's book ROOMMATES: MY GRANDFATHER'S STORY, the film makers brought in playwrite Stephen Metcalfe to help Apple fashion the screenplay. With Peter Falk as the Grandfather, and D.B. Sweeney as the adult Grandson, the film worked very well, especially when Sweeney began romancing Julianne Moore. After the expected tragedy struck, the film became a bit maudlin, especially the conflict involving mother-in-law Ellen Burstyn. But the audience goodwill was strong enough to bring the film to a satisfying, if predictable, conclusion. Seeing this now was a good reminder of when D.B. Sweeney got lead roles in movies, and how gorgeous the talented Julianne Moore was even in her youth. Also appearing in this film was Frankie Faison, who would go on to do The Wire for HBO, and William H. Macy, who went on to work with Moore again in BOOGIE NIGHTS. My favorite movie featuring Peter Falk is CASTLE KEEP in which he played a World War 2 soldier yearning to be a baker again. Seeing him play a baker in ROOMMATES brought back warm feelings for me.

Mildly enjoyed:

 

RUN (1991) - Australian director Geoff Burrowes had a success with his 1982 feature THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER. In 1991, he made this Hollywood feature in Vancouver, Canada, and had such a bad experience that he retired. The screenplay was credited to former actor Michael Blodgett and former singer Dennis Shryack, who had previously written TURNER & HOOCH. The film was a nail-biter action film that had a problem with tone. Accidentally causing the death of the son of a small town gangster, Patrick Dempsey found that the gangster could mobilize the entire town against him. At times, the film resembled INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS with bystanders suddenly recognizing our hero and trying to get him. However, someone seemed to think that the film should be more like RISKY BUSINESS, with humor amidst the paranoia. Reportedly Kelly Preston replaced Tracy Pollan during production, and whlie the film was a reminder of what a beauty Preston was, the romantic angle didn't really work - though having Dempsey doing a scene only in a bath towel seemed to be an effort to capitalize on his sexy image from LOVERBOY. After much of the running time successfully being a slam-bang thriller, events towards the end of the film showed why it was necessary to inject some humor along the way. While hardly convincing, the film proved to be compelling and enjoyable - kind of like the thrillers coming out of Hong Kong at the time.

Did not enjoy:

RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY (2021) - As the video game RESIDENT EVIL seemed to be ripping-off George A. Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and THE CRAZIES, it made sense that the German company Constantin Film hired George A. Romero to make a film version. When his screenplay was submitted for approval, the head of Constantin Film didn't want to make a Zombie movie. Two years later, and the continued world wide success of the video game, Constantin Film changed their mind and hired Paul W.S. Anderson to make the film. By bringing in actress Milla Jovovich, Anderson added THE FIFTH ELEMENT to the list of rip-offs. As with THE FIFTH ELEMENT, Jovovich went on to marry her director, Paul W.S. Anderson. After six films, ending with RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER, Anderson and Jovovich concluded the series. Naturally, Constantin Film decided that a reboot was needed, so British Horror moviemaker Johannes Roberts was hired to make this film. I have hated all of the RESIDENT EVIL movies, but I continue to keep tabs on them. This film included Donal Logue and Neal McDonough among a primarily British cast for a Canadian-German coproduction. It didn't make enough profit to inspire a sequel, so Constantin decided to try a Netflix series in 2022, which only lasted 8 episodes. Unfortunately, there is an effort to make RESIDENT EVIL; THE UMBRELLA CHRONICLES underway.

ROCK N' ROLL COP (1994) - If you like your cop movies filled with hyper active camerawork and over wrought emotions, then this movie may be for you. Though the film seems to have been named after the Hong Kong detective played by Anthony Wong Chau Sang - he has a sideline selling LPs on the street and can transcribe a song onto a music sheet from Chen Ming Chen singing the tune - but the film is more an ensemble piece with Mainland Captain Wu Hsing-kuo having a very important subplot involving his lost love, Carrie Ng, who is now working with the bad guys. We know that the Chun-Lei Red Scarf gang are villains from their introduction during which one fellow beats a cat to death against a wall and then tries to stuff the dead cat into the mouth of a retired police officer they want to kill. Later on, after a night with prostitutes, the villains kill the women rather than pay them. After pulling a job in H.K., the gang goes over the border to the Mainland, so the H.K. cop is sent to work with the Mainland cops to get them. Needless to say, most everything goes wrong until the final shootout. I watched this on an Ocean Shores laserdisc which seems to have been censored because we don't see the chief bad guy get killed. We see his hand get cut off and his being shot in both legs, but we don't see the coup de grace. The film ends with the Mainland cop saying that after 1997 the border will be gone and things will change.

 

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David Deal Enjoyed:

ENDSTATION 13 SAHARA (63) - Second time around for this small Seth Holt film. It really holds up well. Recommended.

HAYWIRE (12)

HOUSE OF FEAR (45)

MURDER PARTY (62) - Also recommended is this German curio lensed by Sven Nykvist. 

THE NIGHT STRANGLER (73) - Please refer to the Television Fright Films of the 1970s book.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (59)

RIFIFI IN THE CITY (63)

THE WALKING DEAD (36) - The new Blu-ray looks nice.

UNEARTHLY STRANGER (63)

LAST OF THE MOHICANS (92)

DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS (65)

Mildly Enjoyed 

HIDE AND SEEK (64) - Astrophysicist Ian Carmichael becomes embroiled in espionage when he tries to return a forgotten chess set to his East German friend. This twisty, comic thriller is fun, far-fetched, and ultimately forgettable. Curt Jurgens shines in the all-to-brief role of the calculating villain.

HOTEL OF DEAD GUESTS (65) - A hotel detective from San Remo is killed in the London office of crime reporter Joachim Fuchsberger. The detective wanted to provide some mysterious information to the reporter, so off to San Remo heads Joachim where he meets up with friend and fellow reporter Karin Dor, and they unravel the mystery of several murders. Convoluted, drawing room mystery that takes place almost completely within the hotel, and lacks the atmosphere of the Edgar Wallace films that were being made in the same era. The two leads are faves of mine but this has little to recommend it.

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Angel Rivera  Highly enjoyed:

"SUPERMAN AND LOIS (2024) Series Finale
And so the CW/DC Superhero line up has come to an end with the airing of the last episode of this series.  A fitting end to the "Superman and Lois" series, as the Superman of this planet, (shown to be a parallel world to ours) is shown aging and dying and meeting up with his "Lois" as she died a few years earlier of cancer. Superman also beats his "Luthor" along with the Bizarro Superman/Doomsday creature created by Luthor. Now to await the "Superman: Legacy" film. (Now known simply as "Superman" to be released in 2025.)

"BEATLES '64" (2024)
An interesting documentary about the early years of the Beatles and their arrival and first time in the U.S.A.

Mildly enjoyed:

"HOLLYWOOD PARTY" (1934)
An curious film from MGM. Jimmy Durante, star of the "Schnarzan" series of movies holds a party in Hollywood to celebrate his success. A lot of forgotten stars show up for the party. Some well known names from the period show up at the party. They are the "Three Stooges" while they were still known as "Ted Healy and His Stooges. (They would soon leave Healy to work at Columbia Pictures as "The Three Stooges".); Lupe Velez, a few years before she began her series of B-pictures as "the Mexican Spitfire"; and "Laurel and Hardy". After some wild shenanigans, it all turns out to be part of a dream,  Durante was having after reading a "Tarzan" novel; "Tarzan, the Untamed" shown in his hands after waking up.

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Charles Gilbert watched:

VIOLENT SATURDAY (1965) Criminals Stephan McNally, J. Carroll Naish, and Lee Marvin abduct Victor Mature and his car for robbery of the Braedenville bank. They seclude him with Amish farmer Ernest Borgnine and family on their farm in the barn hayloft. A subplot of Peyton Place proportions has also developed with wealthy mine owner Richard Egan battling the bottle and his unfaithful wife. She is killed during the bank heist, and the thieves die from gunfire after they've returned to the farm with the loot, having planned to get away in a nondescript farm truck. 

THE PREACHER'S MISTRESS (2013) A single mom falls for a man who helps her with a flat tire, and eventually learns he is a wealthy philandering married preacher, scheming with her coworker who wants revenge for the the death of the coworker's brother. 

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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:

Place of bones (2023, Audrey Cummings) 

Kilmi, hilmi / Kill me heal me (2015, Kim Jin-man & Dae-jin Kim) – episode 1

Prega il morto e ammazza il vivo (1971, Giuseppe Vari) 

The trouble with Jessica (2023, Matt Winn)

Mildly enjoyed:

Gyeongseongkeulicheo / Gyeongseong creature – season 2 – episode 1

The gates (2022, Stephen Hall)

Inherent vice (2014, Paul Thomas Anderson)

Joker (2019, Todd Phillips)

Joker: folie à deux (2023, Todd Phillips)

Did not enjoy:

Talchul: project silence / Project silence (2023 Kim Tae-gon)

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