To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
Can you name two actors who made Italian Westerns who had daughters who made movies accused of being child pornography?
Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that Walter Barnes daughter, Laura Wendel starred in MALADOLESCENZA when she was 11. So that's half of an answer.
Which French actor who appeared in Italian Westerns has a small role in the first feature film directed by a former writer for Cahiers du Cinema?
No one answered this question yet.
Who didn't play Klaus Kinski's brother: Giuliano Gemma, Jean Louis Trintignant or Antonio Sabato?
Bertrand van Wonterghem, Angel Rivera and George Grimes knew that it was Jean Louis Trintignant who didn't play Klaus Kinski's brother.
Which Italian Western sports a title inspired by a scene in THE ALAMO?
George Grimes and Angel Rivera knew that it is DEGUEO, aka DEGUEYO, aka DEGUELLO.
And now for some new brain teasers:
In which Italian Western does a roulette wheel signal the moment for the final shootout?
In which Dean Strafford Italian Western can you hear music from BLIND MAN?
In which Luis Davila Spanish Western can you hear music from GUNFIGHT AT RED SANDS?
Name the movies from which these images came.
Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Antonio Molina Rojo in I CINQUE DELLA VENDETTA, aka FIVE GIANTS FROM TEXAS.
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 from SUPERUOMNI, SUPERDONNE, SUPERBOTTE, aka AMAZONS AND SUPERMEN, aka SUPER STOOGES VS. THE WOMEN WOMEN.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Luciana Paluzzi in LA MORTE NON HA SESSO, aka A BLACK VEIL FOR LISA, aka DEATH HAS NO SEX.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Yuen Biao in PRODIGAL SON.
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:
LAY THE FAVORITE (2012) - Beth Raymer wrote a memoir of her time in sports gambling, which director Stephen Frears turned into a charming and fun film with a screenplay credited to D.V. DeVincentis. Rebecca Hall delivers an engaging and sexy performance as a young woman who arrives in Las Vegas hoping to get a job as a cocktail waitress. Instead, she is directed by Laura Prepon to seek employment with Bruce Willis, who runs a gambling joint. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Willis' very jealous wife who objects to her husband's efforts to teach Hall the business. Joshua Jackson plays the most normal guy Hall has met, with whom she ends up moving to New York City when Zeta-Jones gets her fired. In New York, Hall ends up working for Vince Vaughn, who is running an illegal bookie group. Trouble ensues with John Carroll Lynch tries to welch on a bet saying that his probation officer has contacted the feds regarding his illegal gambling. Of course, Hall turns to Willis for help in an effort to protect Jackson. I don't understand why this film has such a poor critical reputation. I found it delightful. I particularly liked Willis wearing a New York Dolls t-shirt.
ULISSE, aka ULYSSES (1954) - As you would expect in a movie produced by Dino De Laurentiis, it begins with Penelope played by Dino's wife Silvana Mangano, trying to hold off the suitors invading her home asking for her hand in marriage. Actually every version of Homer's epic begins this way - except the 1997 TV mini-series. We are introduced to our hero, Ulysses (which is the Roman version of Odysseus), played with the expected exuberant vitality of Kirk Douglas, as he washes ashore on Scheria and is discovered alive by Nausicaa, played by Rossana Podesta. As the good people of Scheria nurse him back to health, Douglas confounds the doctors by not regaining his memory. As Mangano is being manruvered into agreeing to a wedding, Podesta is preparing to marry Douglas. It is at this time, that Douglas starts to flashback and regain his identity. So, we get the story of Polypheums (but without the "my name is Nobody" line), the Sirens and Circe - also played by Mangano. Rather than have a trip to Hades, Circe brings the dead to her island in an attempt to convince Ulysses to stay with her and accept immortality. In the Nolan version, Odysseus desecrates the temple of Athena during the destruction of Troy. Here he desecrates the temple of Neptune (the Roman version of Poseidon), so his blinding of Neptune's son, and his willfull refusal to sacrifice and pray to the god of the Sea gives Neptune plenty of reasons to accept Cassandra's curse on our hero. Obviously a long in development and expensive film for its time, ULYSSES has a very unique screenwriter credit: "Screen Play by (in alphabetical order) Franco Brusati, Mario Camerini, Ennio De Concini, Hugh Gray, Ben Hecht, Ivo Perilli and Irwin Shaw Based on Homer's Odyssey". Veteran Italian writers Brusati, De Concini and Perilli, along with director Camerini, are to be expected here, but Hollywood heavyweights Ben Hecht and Irwin Shaw are surprising - probably at the suggestion of Paramount Pictures. Reportedly, this film was intended to be in 3D and directed by G.W. Pabst. After Pabst quit, Camerini was hired with Mario Bava aboard to handle special effects. Some think he directed much of the film, including the Plypheums story, which he would also do, with credit, on the 1969 Italian TV mini-series. Reportedly, the Italian release version runs 26 minutes longer, but I've not seen that. Also in the film are Anthony Quinn, Franco Interlenghi, and Piero Lulli as the ghost of Achilles with Andrea Bosic as the ghost of Agamemnon. Benito Stefanelli is also reported to be in this film, but I didn't recognize him. Reportedly Alberto Moravia's 1954 novel IL DISPREZZO was based on his experience working of this film as a script doctor. Moravia's novel was made into the movie LE MEPRIS, aka CONTEMPT, which was produced by De Laurentiis' ex-partner Carlo Ponti.
Mildly enjoyed:
Astrid et Raphaelle, aka Astrid season five episode 8 "One Weddig and Four Funerals" (2024) - While I still enjoy watching Sara Mortensen and Lola Dewaere in their roles, I am not happy with the way the writers have begun to title the episodes with witty references to old movies. Plus the plots are leaning toward the outrageous. This episode also loses points for being a season finale with a cliffhanger.
OPIUM AND THE KUNG-FU MASTER (1984) - From the film's title, one knows what the story will be. Ti Lung finds that his martial skills are diminished by using opium, so he has to kick his addiction in order to defeat the bad guys in the end. What is surprising, is how brutal the filmmakers are going to be getting to the end. First, the cock-eyed comedy relief fellow, Tau Wan Yue, becomes an addict neglecting his wife and family so that they commit suicide. He then follows by killing himself. Ti's disciple, Robert Mak, aka Te-Lo Mai, is the hero for much of the film, and begins a romance with the villain's sister, Hsueh-Hua Liu. Both of these characters are killed by the real villains, Chen Kuan-Tai and Phillip Ko. There are six martial arts instructors on this film, so the fights are quite good. Veteran stunt coordinator and actor Tang Chia ended his career directing three movies for Shaw Brothers of which this is the final one.
OUR MAN FLINT (1966) - After the success of this film, producer Saul David became the science fiction movie producer at 20th Century Fox making FANTASTIC VOYAGE and IN LIKE FLINT. Afterwards he made SKULLDUGGERY and LOGAN'S RUN for different studios. A parody of the James Bond films. OUR MAN FLINT benefits greatly from James Coburn's charisma and Jerry Goldsmith's music. It is hard to believe that FLINT was Coburn's first starring role as he is so magnetic. How had producers not noticed it before? I think this was made before Coburn began taking lessons with Bruce Lee, but his martial arts action here is convincing. Many nowadays mention that Mike Myers referenced this film in AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY. I've never enjoyed Myers and found his mugging as Austin Powers very off-putting. However, the success of the Myers movie convinced 20 Century Fox to release the Flint movies on DVD, so I guess some good came from it.
OVER THE HEDGE (2006) - In 1995, the syndicated comic strip Over the Hedge, by Michael Rey and T. Lewis, debuted. It told the tale of woodland creatures dealing with suburbia suddenly encroaching on their habitat. Writers Len Blum, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton and director Karey Kirkpatrick adapted it to a feature film at DreamWorks Animation with co-director Tim Johnson. This was a pleasant surprise as it has been a while since I enjoyed an animated feature film. A raccoon, voiced by Bruce Willis, is caught stealing food from a bear, voiced by Nick Nolte, who is trying to hibernate. The food ends up being destroyed by a passing truck. The bear is going to kill the raccoon, but the raccoon convinces the bear that he can replace the food. Since his hibernation isn't due to end for another week, the bear gives the raccoon a week to replace the stash. How can he do this in a week? He needs to find others to help him gather. A group of woodland creatures come out of hibernation in a hollow log. Led by a turtle, voiced by Garry Shandling, the group includes an hyperactive squirrel, voiced by Steve Carell, a skunk, voiced by Wanda Sykes, an opossum, voiced by William Shatner, and the opossum's teenage daughter, voiced by Avril Lavigne. There is also a family of porcupines, voiced by Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Shane Baumel, Sami Kirkpatrick and Madison Davenport. While it may be difficult to accept that such a variety of creatures would live comfortably together, at least they can't communicate with the humans. They are all puzzled on a new housing development which sprang up while they were sleeping. The raccoon sees these creatures as a work force to be exploited, and he teaches them how to scavenge food from the humans. Will all of the animals work together to amass the pile of food needed to satisfy the bear? Will the animals be able to escape the clutches of the exterminator, voiced by Thomas Haden Church, who was hired by the president of the homeowner's association, voiced by Allison Janney? Will the attempt to disguise the skunk as a female cat work to distract the real cat, voiced by Omid Djalili, that guards the neighborhood? The gag of having a skunk deliberately pretending to be a cat is a wonderful payoff after years of Pepe Le Pew cartoons. The music by Ben Folds is also a plus.
SPIDER-MAN BRAND NEW DAY (2026) - As much fun as this film is, it feels longer than it need be. But Sadie Sink is impressive.
Did not enjoy:
MICHAEL (2026) - Has there ever been a movie biography about a musician that wasn't total bullshit? I did find it amusing to have Michael Jackson lounging in a swimming pool waiting for inspiration from God. "If I'm not here to receive it, He might send it to Prince."
TURBO (2013) - Here's another film not designed for a viewer like me. The story goes that in 2009, Dreamworks Animation held a competition for its employees to submit a one-page pitch. Writer/director David Soren won with "THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS with snails." Well, that's not quite what the final film came to be. Theo, a garden snail - voice by Ryan Reynolds, is tired of laboring in the tomato garden and dreams of winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race against people in cars. After being accidentally sucked into a car at a street race, Theo, who prefers to be called Turbo, gets a dose of nitrous oxide and becomes super fast. Rather than just win the snail races put on by a pizza truck driver, voiced by Michael Pena, Turbo, who can talk with humans, convinces Pena to help him enter the Indy 500. When the current champion, voiced by Bill Hader, agrees to allow his entrance into the race, Turbo takes his place at the starting line. Of course the film has the expected happy ending and who cares if none of this makes any sense. Other voices on the soundtrack include Paul Giamatti, Samuel L. Jackson, Snoop Dog, Maya Rudolph, Luis Guzman, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Kurkwood Smith, Mario Andretti and Paul Dooley.
YOU'RE DATING A NARCISSIST! (2026) - Having been hurt in a relationship in her twenties, Marisa Tomei has become a psychology professor who recently wrote a book about narcissists. She is counseling a lesbian colleague, Sherry Cola, in cutting ties with her toxic partner, when Tomei discovers that he daughter, Ciara Bravo, is becoming serious with Marco Pigossi. Tomei becomes convinced that Pigossi is a narcissist, or "narc" as she calls them, and, not surprising, becomes estranged from her daughter as a wedding date approaches. Writer/director Ann Marie Allison follows the usual romantic comedy formula with the mother clumsily spying on the guy while also being romanced by hotel owner Jose Maria Yazpik. I found it unfunny and irritating.
WEST SIDE STORY (2021) - Acclaimed choreographer Jerome Robbins originally conceived of a modern day version of ROMEO AND JULIET to be focused on a Jewish family at odds with a Catholic family in 1949 to be called EAST SIDE STORY. That project fell apart, and in 1955 playwright Arthur Laurents and composer Leonard Bernstein convinced Robbins to revisit the project to be set in Los Angeles involving Chicano gangs. Laurents felt more comfortable dealing with Puero Ricans. Eventually, they brought in lyricist Stephen Sondheim and the play was produced in 1957. The Broadway show was such a hit, that, naturally a movie version was made. in 1961. From various books and magazines, I knew about the movie years before the film got a theatrical revival on the Japanese circuit. Seeing it on the big screen had quite an impact on me, though years later I became convinced that the show was better as a theater piece, where the unreality of being a musical would not be fighting with realistic visuals - even though film director Robert Wise brought in many surreal elements. That director Steven Spielberg wanted to do a new movie version in 2021 seemed like a bad idea from the get go. Just as I felt that using real locations for the 1961 version was wrong, the 2021 version doubled down on this by also updating the dialog to underline the reality of gang conflict. The Spielberg production also seemed to feel the earlier film didn't give P.R. culture enough emphasis. Rather than enhancing the story, it made the artificial material even more glaringly wrong. Even setting the story back in the early 1960s didn't help, because Bernstein's music does not evoke a particular time period. The entire show is a theatrical art piece, mostly designed to showcase dancing, so all of writer Tony Kushner's intelligent script additions just emphasize how corny the original book was.
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Angel Rivera Highly enjoyed:
"KING KONG" (1933) colorized version (1989)
From when I first saw it to today, this is one of my favorite movies. As a kid I saw the B & W original version. But I really enjoy the colorized version. None of the remakes don't even come close to the original. (The only one that comes the closest is "Kong: Skull Island"(2017)
"BONANZA" Episode: "A Christmas Story" (S8, E15; 1966)
While searching the preview guide, I saw Wayne Newton's name as a quest on "Bonanza" and I seemed to remember seeing an episode as a kid where he was featured and thought I'd watch it again. Then to my surprise the setting was Christmas at the Ponderosa and it was not the episode I remembered. In this episode Wayne Newton returns as the same character; this time with a no-account uncle as his manager planning Newton's singing career. The uncle is played by Jack Oakie. Newton sings a lot of songs, while his uncle thinks of ways to make money off of him. Newton has returned to Virginia City to perform in a charity benefit to raise money for an orphanage in the town. When you think uncle will abscond with the money raised for the orphanage; Newton spots him before he leaves and works Oakie's conscience and he does the right thing. Mary Wickes is also in the quest cast as a very rich widow and Oakie ends up with her. Newton and Lorne Green sing a duet to "Silent Night".
Enjoyed:
"THE OUTER LIMITS" Episode: "Second Chance" (S1, E23; 1964)
In this show unsuspecting passengers going to what they think is an amusement park attraction don't know they are being taken for a ride in a real spaceship. As an alien who is taking the humans back to his home planet for a rescue mission is Simon Oakland in "Monster" costume.
As the "captain" for the amusement park attraction who is really a scientist in hiding because he didn't want to sell out to the Defense Dept. and make weapons for them is portrayed by Don Gordon. Mimsy Farmer is also in the cast. The episode has a few surprises.
THE OUTER LIMITS" Episode: "Fun and Games" (S1, E27; 1964)
In this episode which has a similarity to the Original "Star Trek" series Episode, "Arena"; two humans are transported to the "Arena" planet to do battle to the death with two aliens and save the Earth from extinction, if they win. One of the humans is Nick Adams.
Mildly enjoyed:
"TARZAN IN MANHATTAN" (1989)
I may have seen this movie when it first aired on TV, but didn't remember it well. Tarzan is portrayed by the late Joe Lara who seven years after this movie was made will portray Tarzan again in "Tarzan: The Epic Adventures" (1996-1997) In this one Kala, his mother, has been killed and some one has taken Cheeta. He knows the villains have taken Cheeta to New York City, so he goes to NYC for the rescue. While traveling through the city he meets Jane Porter played by Kim Crosby who is a cabdriver who helps Tarzan in his quest to rescue Cheeta. Jane's father, "Archimedes" Porter is an ex-cop who now owns his own security agency. He is portrayed by Tony Curtis who is obviously camping up his performance. The villain is Jan-Michael Vincent who is kidnapping animals from Africa for experiments. Needless to say Tarzan, Jane and "Archimedes" win out and Vincent is sent to jail. Jane decides to join her father's security agency and Tarzan has decided to stay on and help his love interest and her father.
"LANTERNS" (2026) Episodes One and Two
While I am a big Green Lantern fan, this series has little resemblance to the comic book character I followed. While it has some interesting moments, (the Hal Jordan-Green Lantern I know of should be portrayed as a John Glenn/Chuck Yeager type. The way he is written and portrayed by Kyle Chandler, he is more of a wise ass.) In the comic books, trainees are given power rings. In this series, John Stewart the trainee must earn it. The whole series is set up like a mystery/detective show; so I may grow to like it more.
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David Deal Enjoyed:
RAW EDGE (56) - Apparently Oregon was really the wild west. Local bigwig Gerald Montgomery makes the laws here, one of which states that any unattached woman is free game for any man that wants her. Into this hotbed of lust and greed rides Rory Calhoun to visit his brother John Gavin. Unfortunately, Gavin has been unjustly hung by Montgomery for attacking his wife Yvonne De Carlo. Rory aims to right this wrong but too much plot gets in the way. There's a lot going on in this savage Universal oater directed by John Sherwood (The Monolith Monsters). The deep cast includes Mara Corday, Neville Brand, Rex Reason, William Schallert, and even Ed Fury, to name a few. Recommended for those seeking out a raw edged western.
THE SPIDER WOMAN (44)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (81) - Yes, it's the fun and annoying splatter flick with Melissa Sue Anderson.
SCOTLAND YARD INVESTIGATOR (45) - Erich von Stroheim wants the Mona Lisa. By chance Sir C. Aubrey Smith who is the curator of the National Gallery in London is shipping Mona back to the Louvre after it was loaned during the war. Eric steals it but discovers it's a fake. He tells Sir Aubrey about it and kicks off a chain of events that includes multiple murders as Mona changes hands. A fun and preposterous crime story from Republic.
SEVEN WAYS TO SUNDOWN (60) - Rookie State Ranger Audie Murphy is assigned by head Ranger Ken Toby to join veteran John McIntire in tracking down charming killer Barry Sullivan. Audie manages to capture Sullivan and proceeds to bring him back for trial. Top notch road western with a good cast and interesting locations. Recommended.
CATCH-22 (70)
COLLEGE GIRL MURDERS (67)
Mildly enjoyed:
SOMETHING CREEPING IN THE DARK (70) - From 2021: "One of the more interesting cinematic orphans looking for Bava-esque significance. This has a hyper reality to it that reminds me of the Amicus horror anthologies of the same time period, but blended with an operatic sense of drama and surrealism that confound any attachment to reality."
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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:
Le bourreau des cœurs (1983, Christian Gion)
En êtes-vous bien sur ? (1947, Jacques Houssin)
Party down (2023) – season 3 – episodes 1 to 4
Naeildo chulgeun / See you at work tomorrow ! (2025, Jo Eun-sol) – episodes 1 & 2
Mildly enjoyed:
Sigeuneol / Signal (2015, Kim Won-seok) – episode 10 to 16
Did not enjoy:
Qu'est-ce qui fait courir les crocodiles ? (1971, Jacques Poitrenaud)
Cochinas (2025) – season 1 – episodes 1 & 2
Deadloch (2022) – season 1 – episodes 1 & 2
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