October 26 - November 1, 2024

 

 

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

Brain Teasers:

Which future American film director worked as an uncredited extra on ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST?

George Grimes knew that it was John Landis.

Which Italian film editor worked on the screenplays for SE SEI VIVO SPARA and C'ERA UNA VOLTA IN AMERICA?

Angel Rivera, Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes knew that it was Franco Arcalli.

Charles Gilbert asks "Which Italian actress, born in Turin, played the mother on screen to Cornel Wilde, Richard Harrison and Ken Clark?"

George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Elisa Cigani

And now for some new brain teasers:

Which actress was born in Rome on January 16, 1944?

Which actress was said to have been the only woman fashion designer Valentino had ever really loved?

Which Italian actress ended her career with a TV miniseries directed by a British fellow who had been the film editor on the early James Bond movies?

Name the movies from which these images came.

George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's photo of Simon Arriaga and Lucio Rosato in NAVAJO JOE.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Bertrand van Wonterghem and Charles Gilbert identified last week's photo of Roger Browne, Mimmo Palmara and Mario Novelli in I TRE CENTURIONI, aka THE THREE CENTURIONS.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's photo of Roger Browne, Rosalba Neri and Fabienne Dali in SUPERSEVEN CHIAMA CAIRO, aka SUPERSEVEN CALLING CAIRO.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Angel Rivera and George Grimes identified last week's photo of  Zhang Ziyi and Chow Yun-fat in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

**********************************************************************

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:

MERCHANT/IVORY (2023) - Stephen Soucy directed this moving documentary on the private and public lives of moviemakers Ismail Merchant, James Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.

Mildly enjoy:

Atom Man Vs. Superman (1950) - You will believe that a man can turn into a cartoon and fly. This 15 chapter serial was produced by Columbia's Sam Katzman and is more evidence that he can deliver with small budgets. Noel Neill is attractive as Lois Lane, but the character's often stupid actions are really annoying. It is odd that Columbia decided to not give Kirk Alyn a credit and to have Lex Luthor disguise himself as Atom Man. Just as with Spy Smasher, the villain hides his actions behind a television company, and the bad guys use tele-screens to communicate just as in Flash Gordon. Luthor is also behind the rash of flying saucer sightings, and he has a space transporter to zap from place to place. There's even an alternative dimension Luthor calls the "Empty Doom". That's quite a lot of science fiction elements which are still being used in current superhero shows. Did all serials use Lone Pine for locations?

Black Comedy In America season one episode 1 "The Original Kings of Comedy" (2024)

Black Comedy in America season one episode 2 "Def Comedy Jam" (2024)

Dark Side of the '90s season one episode 2 "The Viper Room: Hollywood's Sanctuary" (2021)

Dark Side of the '90s season one episode 5 "Grunge & the Seattle Sound" (2021)

Dark Side of the '90s season one episode 6 "Baywatch: Sex Sells" (2021)

Dark Side of the '90s season one episode 7 "A Tale of Two Cults" (2021)

Dark Side of the '90s season one episode 9 "Secrets of the Runway" (2021)

Dark Side of the '90s season two episode 1 "Arseniooo Hall! (2022)

Dark Side of the '90s season two episode 6 "Tabloid TV" (2022)

Dark Side of the '90s season two episode 7 "Black Sitcom's Last Laugh" (2022)

Dark Side of the '90s season two episode 10 "Morning Show Wars" (2022)

Dark Side of the '90s season three episode 2 "Friends: The One About The TV Show" (2024)

Dark Side of the '90s season three episode 3 "NYPD Blue" (2024)

Dark Side of the '90s season three episode 4 "Robert Downey Jr: The Comeback Kid" (2024)

Dark Side of the '90s season three episode 5 "SNL" (2024)

Dark Side of the '90s season three episode 6 "Infomercials: Shams and Scams" (2024)

Dark Side of the '90s season three episode 7 "Spice Girls" (2024)

Dark Side of the '90s season three episode 9 "Scores Strip Club: Girls & Gambinos" (2024)

Dark Side of the '90s season three episode 10 "Rave Culture: Under the Influence" (2024)

Spy Smasher (12 episodes Republic serial 1942) - Alan Armstrong, the Spy Smasher, was introduced in Whiz Comics in 1940, before the U.S. entered World War 2. Fighting Nazi spies, Armstrong couldn't be employed by the U.S. counter-intelligence groups because that would suggest that the U.S. government wanted to be at war with Nazi Germany. So, Armstrong, like Batman, is a vigilante with a secret identity. Why anyone would want to engage in counter-espionage while wearing a cape doesn't make much sense. And neither does Republic Pictures' idea to turn the comic book into a 12 chapter serial. Giving Alan a twin brother, Jack, who is the fiancee of the daughter of the head of U.S. Government Intelligence Admiral Corby seemed odd. As does the Admiral allowing a television crew into his office every day and being surprised to later find out that they were agents of "The Mask". The twin brother element doesn't make much of an impact on the plotting, except that fiance Marguerite Chapman mistakes Alan for Jack in the first episode, and the bad guys mistake Jack for Alan in a couple of the later episodes. Mostly Jack operates as Alan's sidekick and as someone who can actually be employed by the government. Nothing in this production is convincing and the stars are really the stunt men who seem unable to leave any piece of furniture unsmashed.

****************************************************************

Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:

My week with Marilyn (2011, Simon Curtis)

Fatal instinct (1993, Carl Reiner)

Doom patrol – season 4 – episodes 2 to 11

What a way to go ! (1964, J. Lee Thompson)

Mildly enjoyed:

Star Trek – episode “Who mourns for Adonais ?” (1967, Marc Daniels)

Et pas une ride (show) (2011, Marie-Pascale Osterrieth)

Wolfs (2023, jon Watts)

Did not enjoy:

Alien: Romulus (2023, Fede Alvarez)

Deadpool & Wolverine (2023, Shawn Levy)

****************************************************************

Angel Rivera Highly enjoyed:

"VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED" (1960)
The orignal classic about Midwich, a small village in England where one day, all the women of child-bearing age, suddenly become pregnant whether they have had sex or not. They all give birth on the same day to babies that will age at a fantastic rate and grow to be almost preteen-age. They will all have strange mental powers which will be exhibited with "glowing eyes". This is one I first saw in the theaters and is definitely a must see for me. ( I once met Martin Stephens, the child actor who plays the ipso facto leader of the children with the powers, at a Chiller Theatre convention in Jersey. Nice fellow! He was also featured in "The Innocents"(1961).  Had an active career as a child actor in the late fifties to early sixties before deciding to become an architect; which he became.)

Mildly enjoyed:

"SUPERMAN AND LOIS" (2024) Season 4; Episode 4: "A Perfectly Good Wedding"
Just filler to tie up loose plot threads as this is the final season. Superman returns in this episode.

******************************************************************

Charles Gilbert watched:

THE HANGING TREE (1959) Gary Cooper plays a frontier doctor settling in a gold mining camp. Following a devastating stagecoach crash the residents bring him a young Swiss lady who has been rendered blind from the rollover. He nurses her back to seeing, and then is compelled to ward off her affection for him.

THE CALIFORNIA KID (1974) Television movie with Martin Sheen arriving in Clarksburg driving a fancy roadster that turns heads, especially that of the bully sheriff (Victor Morrow).

WILD WOMEN OF WONGO (1958) Ed Fury appears, but not prominently, as the focus is on a group of fetching women from the island of Wongo who want to mate with virile lads of Goona.

BATTLE BEYOND THE SUN (1959) Russian production treated for western audiences by Roger Corman and Frances Ford Coppolla. It depicts a space race between the Soviets and Americans to Mars rather than the moon.

THE RED SHIEK (1962) Master illusionist Channing Pollock stars with Mel Welles, Luciana Gilli, Rosalba Neri, and Ettore Manni in this peplum directed by Fernando Cerchio. Lo sceicco rosso, as it is also titled, is similar to the Zorro tale. Pollock bears a resemblance to Fess Parker, and indeed guest starred on Daniel Boone S2E17 'Seminole Territory' with Leonard Nimoy and Richard Devon. In both appearances his card tricks and dove illusions are featured.

Story Television: Armstrong. Documentary on the first man to step foot on the moon. The Wapakoneta farm boy returned to Ohio after the historic feat, but settled in Lebanon about three miles from my childhood home. Living modestly he took a job as science professor at the University of Cincinnati.

******************************************************************

October 19 - 25, 2024

 

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

Brain Teasers:

Which actor from THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY appeared in THE SHERIFF OF FRACTURED JAW?

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

Which actor from BLINDMAN appeared in a Woody Allen film?

Tom Betts. George Grimes, Angel Rivera and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Lloyd Battista of LOVE AND DEATH.

Which Swedish born actress, who made an Italian Western, died in 2018 due to Alzheimer's?

Tom Betts, George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Agneta Eckemyr of BLINDMAN.

And now for some new brain teasers:

Which future American film director worked as an uncredited extra on ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST?

Which Italian film editor worked on the screenplays for SE SEI VIVO SPARA and C'ERA UNA VOLTA IN AMERICA?

Charles Gilbert asks "Which Italian actress, born in Turin, played the mother on screen to Cornel Wilde, Richard Harrison and Ken Clark?"

Name the movies from which these images came.

Tom Betts and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's photo of Frank Brana, Antonio Molino Rojo, Fabio Testi and Paolo Figlia  in C'ERA UNA VOLTA IL WEST, aka ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Bertrand van Wonterghem, George Grimes  and Charles Gilbert identified last weeks' photo of Mario Petri and Fay Spain in ERCOLE ALLA CONQUISTA DI ATLANTIDE, aka HERCULES CONQUERS ATLANTIS.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Robert de Niro in C'ERA UNA VOLTA IN AMERICA, aka ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes identified last week's photo of  Chiang Sheng and Kuo Chui in FLAG OF IRON, aka SPEARMAN OF DEATH.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

**********************************************************************

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:

Mildly enjoy:

HOT ENOUGH FOR JUNE, aka AGENT 8 3/4 (1964) - In 1960, NIGHT OF WENCESLAS by Lionel Davidson was published and won the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger award and the Author's Club First Novel Award. A movie version loosely based on it wasn't made until after the worldwide success of the James Bond films. The film opens with John Le Mesurier bringing a number of items to a clerk who then puts them in a locker. The clerk pulls out the locker card for "007" and turns it around to show "deceased". "I guess we'll have to find a replacement." Unemployed British writer Dirk Bogarde goes to the labor exchange to collect his unemployment check, where he is told that he has to go for a job interview or risk losing his benefits. Born in Czechoslovakia, Bogarde speaks Czech,so he is qualified for the job. After a night playing cards with his friends - including Noel Harrison, Bogarde reports to the office of Robert Morley, where he is told that his new job will pay him a lot of money and all he has to do is visit a glass factory in Prague carrying a tourist book. He will meet someone to whom he will say "Hot enough for June" to which they will respond "You should have been here in September". The stranger will then put something in the book and Bogarde will bring the book back to England. On the plane, Bogarde sees a newspaper about a British businessman being arrested for spying. At this point, Bogarde begins to worry about what he's doing, and as soon as he lands, the Secret Police obviously suspect him of being a spy. He is provided a beautiful female driver, Sylva Koscina, who turns out to be not onlly a member of the Secret Police, she is also the daughter of the head of the Secret Police, Leo McKern. Obviously, Bogarde and Koscina fall in love, which isn't portrayed very convincingly, and she will end up helping him to keep a step ahead of those trying to arrest him. Producer Betty E. Box and director Ralph Thomas obviously intended this film to be an enjoyable romantic comedy thriller, and it is mildly amusing. I saw it as a kid under the title AGENT 8 3/4, which reportedly had been shortened by twenty minutes for U.S. audiences. This was the first appearance by Sylva Koscina in an English language film, and she looked beautiful, but having her re-voiced by a different actress hampers her performance. While getting a movie contract with the Rank Organization in 1947 was a tremendous financial milestone for Bogarde, he soon began to hate the silly assignments he got and hated becoming a matinee idol who was mobbed by teen girls. In his second memoir, SNAKES & LADDERS, Bogarde dismisses the films he did with Rank, and doesn't even mention HOT ENOUGH FOR JUNE. For him, it belongs among the work he did under contract to Rank, and he was delighted when that contract ran out and he could seek more meaningful work elsewhere. However, for fans of British actors, the supporting cast is filled with familiar faces from other loved films including Roger Delgado (from THE STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY), Derek Fowlds (from FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN), John Junkin (from A HARD DAY'S NIGHT), Gertan Klauber (from SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN), Richard Pasco (from THE GORGON), Eric Pohlmann (from THE GLASS CAGE), Alan Tilvern (from THE FROZEN DEAD), Richard Vernon (from A HARD DAY'S NIGHT), Frank Finlay (from Olivier's OTHELLO), George Pravda (from FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED) and John Standing (from TORTURE GARDEN). As the production was shot in Padua, Italy, standing in for Prague, it was not surprising that in addition to Italian star Koscina, Italian middle weight champion Tiberio Mitri had a small role and the the music was composed by Angelo Lavagnino.

Did not enjoy:

MIVTZA SHTREIMEL, aka OPERATION SHTREIMEL, aka RAIDERS IN ACTION, aka OPERATION EAGLE (1984) - Is this just a badly made low-budget World War 2 action film, or an incompetently made military comedy? The film opens with a Jewish soldier showing gallantry in taking out a Nazi machine gun nest while the rest of his group is pinned down. The soldier is ordered to report back to London, where, because he was born in a German town where the new V weapons are being made, he is given the assignment to parachute into the area and steal the plans for the V weapons. He agrees if he can pick his own men. Where are your men? In Israel, what you call Palestine. So our hero recruits two oddball characters, they go through the usual training program and then land in Germany. We only see one fellow jump out out of a plane during the training sequence, but for the operational bit, we just see the three guys fall to the ground and dispose of their chutes. The Germans, who are led by an actor who only communicates by shouting, quickly capture the guys, but they are soon rescued by Paul L. Smith dressed as a Christian monk. Around this time, I fell asleep. When I woke up, our heroes had been joined by a beautiful young woman, so I had to rewind the tape to see from where she came. The German officer decides that the enemy is after the V plans, so he takes them out of the safe and takes off in a car. We then get a very long sequence of our heroes breaking into the vault and opening the safe to find it empty. After killing just about all of the Nazi soldiers in the compound, our heroes jump into a car and quickly catch up with the officer who has the plans. Eventually they jump into a plane whose pilot thinks that they are going to Berlin. No, London. Heil Hitler! No, Heil Churchill. At this point, Smith settles into a comfortable position with the beautiful young woman and gives the middle finger salute to his comrades. Aside from no sense, this film has no thrills, but they kill a lot of Nazis without suffering any casualties. This appears to be the only film made by Israeli director Benni Shvily.

****************************************************************

Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:

Slow horses - season 4 – episodes 3 to 6

Gangmaegang / Seoul busters – season 1 – episodes 11 & 12

Der Teppich des Grauens (1962, Harald Reinl)

Salem's lot (2022, Gary Dauberman)

Mildly enjoyed:

Going postal (2010, Jon Jones)

Cosi Sia (1972, Alfio Caltabiano)

Dolawayo ajeossi / Please come back, mister (2023, Shin Yun Seop) – episodes 5 to 7

The she-creature (1956, Edward L. Cahn)

Darimy family / Iron family (2023, Seong Jun Hae) – episodes 1 to 3

Did not enjoy:

Hellboy: the crooked man (2023, Brian Taylor)

Agente segreto 777: invito ad uccidere (1966, Enrico Bomba)

****************************************************************

Angel Rivera Mildly enjoyed:

"THE APPRENTICE" (2024) aka "Young Donald"! The story of how a late twenties Donald Trump met infamous attorney Roy Cohn, said to be responsible for the execution of the Rosenbergs. Trump sees Cohn as a mentor and Cohn teaches Trump his three rules for becoming a "winner" or "killer" as he calls it. One, "Attack, Attack, Attack. Two: Deny, deny , deny! Never admit any wrong doing. And three, always claim victory, even if defeated! The film sort of plays like the making of Michael Corleone or J. R. Ewing or even Lex Luthor (as he appeared in the 'Smallville" TV show.) There are parallels to all three with the first part of the movie playing through the disco era. Like with the Corleones or Ewings, there is a brother who is considered weak like Fredo or Gary Ewing. The second part plays almost like a romcom as Donald pursues Ivana who at first has a boyfriend and has no interest in Donald. He wears her down and love blossoms. That is until she shows her ambitions of wanting to be a well respected interior designer. He is shown as being resentful of her success. The film then shows him being successful while using dirty tricks presented by Cohn. He is shown to have what I consider an "Aryan" streak", as Trump believes only winners like himself are genetically predisposed to win as they are superior genetically. The film sort of ends like "The Omen" with Trump looking out at the NY skyline while he muses about becoming the US president.

"THE WICKER MAN" (1973) A film I saw when it originally had its initial theatrical run. All I remember is the naked dance by Brit Ekland and the ending which at the time I didn't really get. Then the cable channel TCM offered a chance to see it again after all those years. The naked dance is now credited to a body double for Ms. Ekland and the ending now makes a little bit more sense to me. A strange film for sure.

"MARINE BOY" (1965/6) A new cable channel, MeTVToons which shows old cartoons not shown on Cartoon network and its sister channel, Boomerang! I never caught "Marine Boy" when it aired in syndication back in the sixties. Along with "Speed Racer" it features some of the same voice actors. It is also in color which I would not have seen it then as I didn't have a color TV until 1970. Cute cartoon as Marine Boy uses his father's scientific inventions to breathe underwater and patrol under the sea with a crew on a small undersea vessel. He even has a mermaid friend as well as a dolphin. Nice little piece of nostalgia.

"SUPERMAN AND LOIS" (2024) Season 4, Episode 3, "Always a Hero"

Superman is still dead. Now his other son, Jonathan is exhibiting powers. Luthor tries to turn Jordan, the other superson against his family. But (spoiler alert) Gen. Lane sacrifices himself so that Superman has a heart transplant donor. The saga of Superman and Lois continues as this is the final season.

******************************************************************

Charles Gilbert watched:

RUMBLE ON THE DOCKS (1956) B&W. Sam Katzman Clover Productions features James Darren posing as a teen negotiating gang rivalries. Waterfront mobster Michael Granger attempts to groom him for corruption while taunting the longshoremen.

HARDCASE 1972 First film produced by Hanna- Barbera features Clint Walker returning from the Spanish-American War to find his wife (Stephanie Powers) remarried, and his property sold.

YELLOWSTONE KELLY (1959) The renowned trapper deflects an offer by the U. S. Cavalry to scout enemy Sioux in New Mexico. His "surgeon" skills saved their chief (John Russell) years ago, and now he's called upon again for a wounded Arapaho squaw taken captive by the chief's overweening nephew (Ray Danton). Ed Byrnes costars.

RETURN OF THE GUNFIGHTER (1966) Aging Robert Taylor plays a renowned fast hand recently released from Yuma Prison. He makes a trek into Mexico at the summons of a messenger to help the daughter of an old war buddy search for her parents' murderers.  Along they way he is encumbered with a wounded gun fighter (Chad Everrett) on the run from three vengeful Boone brothers whose brother he'd killed over a woman. They develop mutual respect, but he happens to be the brother of the peremptory killer aforementioned. Lyle Bettger in that role matching the characters he played in GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL and The Rifleman episode 'Skull'.

THE VIOLENT MEN (1955) Glenn Ford plays ex Union officer who rejects an offer from imperious crippled rancher Lew Wilkinson (Edward G. Robinson) on land purchase to control the frontier. Wilkinson's wife (Barbara Stanwyck) is philandering with brother-in-law Brian Keith, so one must have pity on the old guy. Diane Foster plays their daughter in a performance contrasting her meek demeanor in THE KENTUCKIAN.

SWORD OF THE EMPIRE (1965) Roman military legates Lang Jeffries and Red Ross are sent by the brawling Emperor Commodus (Turin- born Enzo Tarascio who was the sheriff in TRINITY IS STILL MY NAME) to deter a conflict with Barbarian Adriano Micantoni. In the end it's enemies from within that dominates their efforts.

EDGE OF ETERNITY (1959) Mild-mannered deputy sheriff of Mojave County Arizona (Cornel Wilde) investigates the death of an elderly man near the Grand Canyon. Tense ending when he battles a "friend" (Mickey O'Shaunessey) on a tram spanning the gorge. Hats off to the stuntmen and woman in that harrowing scene

******************************************************************