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.
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.
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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