July 4 - 10, 2026

 

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

Brain Teasers:

Who is the "lanky gunman"?

Angel Rivera and George Grimes knew that it is Craig Hill as Hank "Lanky" Fellows in PER IL GUSTO DI UCCIDERE, aka TASTE OF KILLING.

Which Italian Western is based on a book entitled ADIOS?

Angel Rivera and George Grimes knew that it is ADIOS GRINGO.

By what name is Giorgio Stegani better known?

Bertrand van Wonterghem, George Grimes and Angel Rivera knew that it is George Finley.

And now for some new brain teasers:

In what year did Craig Hill make his first Western in Spain?

In what year did Rafael Romero Marchent direct  his first Western?

What relation is Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent to Joaquin Romero Marchent Gomez de Avellaneda?

Name the movies from which these images came.

Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of George Hilton and Walter Barnes in IL MOMENTO DI UCCIDERE, aka A MOMENT TO KILL.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Bertrand van Wonterghem, Charles Gilbert, Angel Rivera and George Grimes identified last week's photo of Mylene Demongeot and Roger Moore in IL RATTO DELLE SABINE, aka THE RAPE OF THE SABINES, aka ROMULUS AND THE SABINES.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's photo of Claudiine Auger in ESCALATION.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Wen-Hsi Hsia, aka Patricia Ha, in AN AMOROUS WOMAN OF TANG DYNASTY.

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:

D.O.A.: A RIGHT OF PASSAGE (1980) - Director Lech Kowalski's documentary started out to chronicle the Sex Pistols' 1978 American tour, but then popped over to London to cover other bands like X-Ray Spex, Generation X, The Rich Kids and Sham 69. We hear two songs by Iggy Pop, and one by The Clash, but we don't see them. Low budget and ragged in look and feel, Kowalski's film is perhaps best known for the interview with Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen which director Alex Cox fucked up in his awful SID & NANCY feature film. The Dead Boys also appear for one song.

Man On the Inside season one (2024) - Reportedly inspired by the 2020 documentary from Chile, EL AGENTE TOPO, aka THE MOLE AGENT, Man On the Inside was an eight part half hour comedy series starring Ted Danson as a widower hired by a private investigator to infiltrate a senior citizen community to find a thief. One of the pleasures of the show was that it featured a number of older actresses such as Veronica Carthwright, Sally Struthers and Susan Ruttan. Another pleasure was that it introduced me to some younger actresses like Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Lilah Richcreek Estrada and Stephanie Beatriz. Creator Michael Schur was rewarded for this utterly charming show on Netflix by having it renewed for a second and third season.

SUPERMAN II (1980) - I remember how much I enjoyed this when it first came out, but I wanted a reminder after putting up with Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz droning on and on about how their original concept for the sequel to SUPERMAN was so much better than the film which director Richard Lester completed. I also remembered how much I hated MAN OF STEEL, which was a "dark universe" version of Zod vs. Kal-El in which our hero killed the villain. SUPERMAN II does suffer from not explaining what happened to the villains after their defeat, but erasing Lois' memory with a kiss is much less objectionable than spinning the world backwards to reverse time, which was how Donner was originally going to end the film before Warner Bros. requested that that should be how "I" ended. Regarding the "Richard Donner Cut", if Superman reversed time in order to rid Lois' knowledge of Clark Kent=Superman, how come the memory of the bully at the diner remained? Donner did not deal with the sticky perspective of a superhero having sex with Lois before deciding to jetison his super powers. I appreciate that in the new SUPERMAN (2025) that question isn't dealt with as Clark and Lois are happily living together. I remember when "II" originally came out that I was a bit shocked that the morality of pre-marital sex wasn't addressed in a film partly aimed at children.

The War of 1812 (2011) - Lawrence Holt and Diane Garey's two hour film provides much information about the war little known in the U.K. and the U.S. but celebrated in Canada. It also points out how inaccurate Johnny Horton's song "The Battle of New Orleans" is. Airing on PBS TV stations, it is the usual mix of talking heads and re-enactments, but it is always fascinating and entertaining. Ken Chowder gets the sole writer's credit with Joe 

Mantegna voicing the narration. I got a little teary when the story of "The Star Spangled Banner" was related. At the end of the war, neither the British or the Americans could really claim victory, but the Native Americans again came out the losers.

Banned From Television III Uncensored! (1998) - After working at Real TV, Joe Francis came up with the idea of a home video release of footage he couldn't show on TV. The success of Banned From Television led Francis to just focus on women flashing the camera  and so Girls Gone Wild was born. I came across this vhs on my way to Yoshinoya for dinner. It was sitting on top of a trash can on Lankershim Blvd. and seemed to be in good condition so I took it home and watched it.

Mildly enjoyed:

SUPERGIRL (2026) - I was shocked after this was over to discover that the running time was under two hours. It sure felt like it was at least a two and a half hour movie. Partly this was because it was a bit boring to have our heroine spending so much time denying that she was going to help defeat the bad guys. While many applaude the appearance of Jason Momoa for livening up the proceedings, I only felt that his role was positive because he had no problem with killing bad guys. Call me a sexist pig, but I spent much of the movie wondering when Milly Alcock was going to wash her hair.

Did not enjoy:

CLIFFORD (1994) - If you want an adult to play an irritating 10 year old boy, it is hard to think of a more perfect casting than that of Martin Short. I always find Short irritating, and so this film is very irritating. It actually starts with Short as a grey haired priest who tells the story of his youth to a boy attempting to run away from his school. As his brother has to go to Hawaii for business, Charles Grodin agrees to take care of Short. Because he wants fiancee Mary Steenburgen to think he's good with kids, Grodin tries to bond with Short, who takes every opportunity to humiliate his uncle. Of course, by the end of the film, Short learns his lesson which he imparts to the boy at the school. If you enjoy Martin Short talking to a toy Brachisaurus than this film might be for you.

DETROIT 9000 (1973) - This film seems partly to have been inspired by ACROSS 110TH STREET from the previous year. A white cop is teamed with a black cop to investigate a rip-off. The difference is that in the previous film, it is the Mafia that got ripped off and they are violently seeking the thieves. Here it is a political fundraiser for a black man running for governor. How did the thieves know about the fundraiser? All is revealed near the end of the movie when prostitute Vonetta McGee is dying in the arms of Hari Rhodes. Orville H. Hampton is credited with the screenplay which is an old fashioned cop film in which police officers fire freely at crooks who are running away. Hampton is also credited with the screenplay for the 1952 Hammer Film LADY IN THE FOG, aka SCOTLAND YARD INSPECTOR. Alex Rocco plays the white cop. Scatman Crothers plays a minister who shows an unholy interest in McGee. Director Arthur Marks came to this project after making BONNIE'S KIDS and THE ROOMMATES. He went on to make BUCKTOWN, FRIDAY FOSTER, J.D.'S REVENGE and THE MONKEY HU$TLE. Pulling a gun on a wounded criminal who is reaching for his fallen pistol, Rhodes does a variation on the DIRTY HARRY "do you feel lucky, punk?" speech.

DINOCROC VS. SUPERGATOR (2010) - Executive produced by Roger Corman, this movie was made for the SyFy Channel. Behind the name "Jay Andrews" is director Jim Wynorski, who also gave himself a small role. Wynorski takes co-writing credit with Mike MacLean for the silly script about a research lab in Hawaii that originally intended to make giant food to solve the world's hunger problem. However, the owner of the lab, David Carradine, insisted that they experiment with a crocodile and an alligator. Not surprising, the giant reptiles escape and begin to eat everyone in sight. Carradine orders Lisa Clapperton to "leave no witnesses" and hires Rib Hillis to kill the monsters. Corey Landis and Amy Rasimas stumble into the the situation and become the heroes who finally save the day. The film could have been called DON'T PUT ON A BIKINI because every young woman who exposes herself in such swimwear ends up being eaten. Poor quality computer generated monster effects and tongue-in-cheek inane dialogue may be what the formula for this kind of movie is expected, but it is a drag to sit through.

MONSTERS DARK CONTINENT (2014) - I wasn't aware that this was intended as a sequel to 2010's MONSTERS, in which extraterrestrial creatures appeared on Earth in Mexico. Now they have spread to the Middle East, which complicates the U.S. military that is still battling insurgents in what looks to be Iraq. British director and Co-writer Tom Green seems to mash up THE DEER HUNTER with STARSHIP TROOPERS, starting the film with a lengthy introduction to the close friends who will soon ship out to war. As Johhny Harris is narrating this film, it soon becomes apparent that he is the only character who will survive. Aside from "war is hell", there doesn't seem to be much of a point to this narrative which uses a lot of hand held "shakey" camera work. The extraterrestrial monsters add nothing to the BLACK HAWK DOWN style of the film except to complicate events. They have no bearing on the climax, which just reinterates that going to war will drive men crazy.

PENNY DREADFUL (2006) - Traumatized after witnessing the death of her parents in an automobile accident, Penny, played by Rachel Miner, is afraid of being in a car. So, her therapist, Mimi Rogers, decides that they should go on a car trip into the mountains. Not surprising, they encounter an hooded figure on the road. It is revealed later that the figure is escaped lunatic Liz Davies. Davies stabs one of the car's tires after being thrown out of the car and eventually Rogers sets out on foot in the dark night to seek help. Miner takes a sedative, falls asleep, and then wakes up with Rogers' dead body beside her and the car wedged between two trees. PENNY DREADFUL is an ideal low budget film. There are only a few actors and most of the movie is set in a stationary car at night. For a viewer, if you are not engaged in the plot set-up, this makes for a very dull experience. Three people show up as potential rescuers, but are easily dispatched by the killer. Eventually, Miner escapes the car and makes it to the road, where a new character drives up and appears to kill the killer. Naturally, as this is a new Horror film, we see the killer move before the final cut to black ending. While the story is credited to Diane Doniol-Valcroze and Arthur Flam, co-producer and director Richard Brandes added his name to the screenplay. Michael Berryman fans may enjoy his small role as a Gas Station Attendant.

BANDITS, PROSTITUTES, AND SILVER (1977) - Pao-Shu Kao, aka Kao Pao-Shu, is one of the few female directors of Hong Kong action films, but with this, and her earlier film BLOOD OF THE DRAGON, her output is indistinguishable from the majority of such films. Wang Tao, aka Don Wong, is a carriage driver who wants to redeem the love of his life who has been sold into prostitution. To raise money, he agrees to help Chiang-Lung Wen rob a rich man delivering a cask of silver coins. After getting the cask, Wen insists that our hero murder the rich man and his driver. Wong refuses and ends up killing Wen. Soon the Three Scar Bandit gang, led by Kao Fei, aka Phillip Ko, and Angela Mao arrive, as they were hired by Lieh Lo, aka Lo Lieh, to also steal the cask of silver. After Wong defeats all of the bandit gang, Mao decides that it is best that they let Wong keep the money. When Mao and Ko try to explain their reasoning to Lieh, he kills them with a sort-of simplified flying guillotine. When Wong goes to redeem his woman, the pimp orders a small army to kill him. Of course, Wong kills all who attack him, including the pimp. But then Lieh shows up and kills the woman. After a fierce and bloody battle, Lieh looks to have the upper hand on Wong, but our hero then maneuvers the villain so that they both die. The music is credited to Fu-Liang Chou probably because he had a copy of the LP for Ennio Morricone's score to LA RESA DEI CONTI, aka THE BIG GUNDOWN. While hearing some of my favorite music in a new context is mildly entertaining, it doean't keep the movie from being a bit of a bore. That is no criticism of the athletic prowess of the performers, who prove to be worthy of their star status.

RONNIE & JULIE (1997) - Young Alexandra Purvis runs out of the school gymnasium at night, collapses in the snow, and cries into her camcorder that Ronnie and Julie are dead and it is all her fault. That and the feud. The film then flashes back for a modern day high school version of Romeo & Juliet. Joshua Jackson's family is at odds with Margot Finley's family because their fathers are both running for Mayor. Jackson is on the high school ice hockey team while Finley is working to become a figure skater. They first notice each other on different ice, but soon fall in love. Purvis loves to spy on the couple and captures them kissing. The videotape of them kissing ends up on the local news which causes problems. Finley's brother keeps bullying Jackson's friend, which causes a fight. Jackson has a friend who says that he will act as a "go-between" for the two, but he is actually trying to sabotage the relationship because he fancies Finley. When Purvis sees Jackson checked so hard at a game that his helmet flies off, she becomes convinced that he's dead. Later, when Finley skates to Swan Lake, she becomes convinced that Finley has died too. Of course, at the end, Jackson and Finley find Purvis in the snow and she knows that they are not dead. Also, the parents put aside their differences for the sake of their children. Well, what did you expect from a Hallmark Movie made in cooperation with Showtime? Philip Spink is the director of a script credited to producer Larry Sugar with Richard Clark and William T. Conway.

SUPERMAN II: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT (2006) - I shouild reveal my prejudices. I haven't seen a film directed by Richard Lester that I've not liked. I haven't seen a film by Richard Donner that I do like - and that includes THE OMEN, all of the LETHAL WEAPON movies and especially THE GOONIES. So I finally watched this DVD to see what the differences were, but, that isn't fair because Donner didn't get to do everything he had planned. The idea that the "turn back time" idea was originally intended for II before the decision was made to give it to I is interesting, but I didn't know that when I watched this, so I was flabbergasted that they had the same stupid ending for II as for I. I did appreciate that in the "deleted scenes" they gave an idea of what happened to Miss Teschmacher.

SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE (1987) - Some felt that SUPERMAN III was too "adult" for the intended kid audience. Well, there's nothing "adult" in SUPERMAN IV. Plus it even spells out a message for impressionable minds. Unfortunately, the message comes with a movie that isn't entertaining. Reportedly, this movie tested so poorly with preview audiences that the filmmakers excised 45 minutes of material. So, while the film isn't very much fun, it is shortish at about 90 minutes. Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal who had just scripted the very poor sequel to ROMANCING THE STONE - THE JEWEL OF THE NILE. Looking at the credits the two racked up after SUPERMAN IV, one has to wonder why they keep getting hired. For a time, Cannon producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus seemed to think they were in the major league, and their buying the rights to the SUPERMAN movies seem to confirm that. However, they had failed to get a SPIDER-MAN movie into production and they stopped making money once they moved away from Chuck Norris/Charles Bronson action flicks. Because of their money problems, Cannon reportedly slashed the buget for SUPERMAN IV from $36 million to $17 million. Director Sidney J. Furie was unable to fashion the material to disguise the cheapness of the production even with Gene Hackman, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure and Margot Kidder reprising their roles. 

UP! (1976) - I haven't seen many films by director Russ Meyer, but what I've seen I didn't find funny. And for all of the female nudity, I didn't find them erotic either. A naked Francesca Kitten Natividad is the "greek chorus", aka narrator, for this film. She introduces the audience to Nazi Wizard Adolph Schwartz, played by Edward Schaaf, who needs two or three women and a man, played by Robert McLane, to get him off. Someone kills Schaaf while he is taking a bath afterwards and Natividad keeps running down a list of suspects. Buxom Raven De La Croix suddenly appears on the scene, and after turning down a ride with Sheriff Monty Bane, she accepts a ride with Larry Dean. Dean knocks her unconscious and rapes her. She awakens after the rape and ends up killing him when they fight. Bane sees the killing and offers to keep her out of it is she has sex with him. Eventually, it is revealed that Schaaf was actually Hitler, and he was murdered by his illegitimate daughter, Eva Braun Jr., played by Janet Wood, because he was making her husband, McLane, have sex with him. In the end, it turns out that De La Croix is a cop, who arrests Wood and McLane. Oddly, while the consensual sex scenes are editorially fragmented in a variety of different locales, the two rape scenes are shown in a straightforward manner. In the second rape scene, Meyer appears seeming to urge every man in the room to join in. Meyer has a reputation for appreciating well endowed women, but here he also shows an appreciation for hairy female pubis.

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

Angel Rivera Enjoyed:

"TARZAN"S THREE CHALLENGES" (1963).

The globe trotting Tarzan began with this "Tarzan". Jock Mahoney may have been older than any other Tarzan when he took over the role, but he was in great shape for his age. In this one Tarzan helps a boy king get to his throne. Causing interference is Woody Strode as the opposition. The final challenge is a duel to the death between "Tarzan" and Strode as "Khan". The ending is kind of  unsatisfactory as Strode is not that evil a villain so when he loses you don't feel he actually deserved his ending; even though you know he had to lose. Unfortunately Mahoney became very ill after taking this role and unable to continue as ERB's "apeman"..

 

"SAMSON AND THE 7 MIRACLES OF THE WORLD" (1961/2)

Gordon Scott is "Maciste" (Samson in the American dub) and helps a young princess get her throne. What amazes me most about this AIP Release is the voices of the actors dubbing the dialogue. They're the same voice actors who were heard on the old "Speed Racer" cartoons. ( I could recognize the voice of "Speed Racer" himself, Pete Fernandez as the voice of the young prince.)  

 

"MURIEL'S WEDDING" (1994)

Toni Collette in her first lead role plays socially inept Muriel who wants to marry so she can feel like a success. Heartwarming story with a lot of ABBA songs as they're her favorite group and she wants life to feel like an ABBA song.

 

"L. A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997)

Gritty neo-noir set in 1950s L.A.. Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce (two Australian actors) play Los Angeleno Police detective who butt heads trying to solve a vicious and violent crime. Great action and performances all around. Throw in Kim Basinger in her Academy award winning role; along with Danny Devito,James Cromwell and Kevin Spacey and you have a great crime melodrama.

 

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

David Deal Enjoyed:

COMANCHE STATION (60) - The last of the classic collaborations between Randolph Scott and Bud Boetticher. For me, this group of westerns outshines those of James Stewart and Anthony Mann.

ENO (24) - Excellent documentary on artist-musician-producer Brian Eno's career and creative processes. The film comes with a gimmick in that it can randomly shuffle the scenes to produce a different version of itself. But this is relatively unimportant to the one-time viewer.

THE HAUNTED PALACE (63) - My favorite of the Corman/Poe series. This has a certain sophistication that appeals.

FOG ISLAND (45) - Any movie featuring Lionel Atwil, George Zucco, and Jerome Cowan deserves to be watched.

Mildly enjoyed:

THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH (71) - A classic giallo that nonetheless has worn out its welcome for me.

GOLDA (23) - A portrait of Golda Meir (Helen Mirren) during the Yom Kipper War of 1973. Technically, this is a success; it looks great and the characters are well drawn. It would help the viewer to have some background on this point in history to grasp the gravity of the decisions made in the war.

TWINS OF EVIL (71) - This late cycle Hammer flick leaves much to be desired but not much to the imagination.

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

Bertrand van Wonterghem Highly enjoyed:

Goupi mains rouges (1943, Jacques Becker)

Enjoyed:

The big heat (1953, Fritz Lang)

Mildly enjoyed:

Das Rätsel den roten Orchidee (1962, Helmut Ashley)

Bluebeard (1944, Edgar G. Ulmer)

Did not enjoy:

La surprise du chef (1976, Pascal Thomas)

Bait (2025) – episodes 4 to 6

Blonde savage (1947, Steve Sekely)

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