To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
Which American actor who made 6 Italian Westerns reportedly turned down an offer to appear in MACKENNA'S GOLD?
No one has answered this question yet.
Which American actor who made Italian Westerns lost part of his middle finger while building a playhouse for his daughter?
Tom Betts, Bertrand Van Wonterghem, Charles Gilbert and George Grimes knew that it was Lee Van Cleef.
Which American actor who made Italian Westerns was born January 9, 1925 in Somerville, New Jersey?
Tom Betts, Bertrand Van Wonterghem and George Grimes knew that it was Lee Van Cleef.
Which American actor who made Italian Westerns worked as a sonarman in the U.S. Navy during World War II?
Tom Betts,Bertrand Van Wonterghem and George Grimes knew that it was Lee Van Cleef.
And now for some new brain teasers:
Which American actor who became a star in Italian Westerns began his career making a short film narrated by Tallulah Bankhead?
Which American actor who became a star in Italian Westerns played MacBeth at UCLA?
Which Italian actress who made both Sword & Sandal movies and Italian Westerns made her first Western appearance in an American TV show?
Name the movies from which these images came.
Tom Betts, George Grimes and Bertrand Van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Lee Van Cleef in LA RESA DEI CONTI, aka THE BIG GUNDOWN.
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 Walter Barnes and the future Mrs. Roger Moore - Luisa Mattioli 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?
George Grimes and Bertrand Van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Walter Barnes in IL GIUSTIZIERE DEI MARI, aka AVENGER OF THE SEVEN SEAS.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
George Grimes identified last week's frame grab from CRIPPLED AVENGERS.
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:
FADING GIGOLO (2013) - As his book store is going out of business, Woody Allen talks with his friend John Turturro (in his 3rd effort with Allen) about his dermatologist, Sharon Stone (in her 3rd effort with Allen). Stone comments that she and her girlfriend, Sofia Vergara, want to experience a ménage à trois, and Allen says that he might know of a man, but it would cost $1,000.00. Allen suggests that Turturro should do it because he needs the money. After some reluctance, Turturro agrees and Allen starts working as his pimp. Allen lives with black woman Tonya Pinkins, and her four kids. When one of the kids is found to have lice, Allen takes him to see Vanessa Paradis, the young widow of an Hasidic rabbi, for treatment. Sensing Paradis' loneliness, he sets her up with Turturro just so that she can again feel a man's hands on her bare skin. Jealous Hasidic neighborhood patrol man Liev Schreiber, investigates what Paradis is doing and eventually kidnaps Allen to appear in a Rabbinic Court. Thankfully, Pinkins knows to contact Allen's lawyer, Bob Balaban, who shows up to help. However, it is an appearance by Paradis who testifies to violating the laws of modesty because of loneliness. Meanwhile, Stone and Vergara bring in Turturro for sex, but he can't perform because he has fallen in love with Paradis. Schreiber confesses his feelings to Paradis, who accepts him and says goodbye to Turturro. Turturro plans on leaving the city, but Allen suggests that they could continue their old business arrangement. It is curious that a film written and directed by the son of Italian immigrants would be the first film featuring Woody Allen to deal with Hasidic Jews. While the story of a man needing money who becomes a "ho" is in the forefront of this film - similar to the HBO series Hung in 2009, the real story is how a widow of an Hasidic rabbi deals with the strict rules governing her life. Turturro uses a song by Paradis on the "needle drop" soundtrack, plus two songs by Dalida, evidencing that Turturro enjoys French pop songs. Also included in the cast are Michael Badalucco (of BROADWAY DANNY ROSE), Bob Balaban (in his 3rd effort with Allen), Max Casella (of BLUE JASMINE), Sol Frieder (in his 4th Allen effort), David Margulies (in his 3rd Allen effort), Aida Turturro (in her 3rd effort with Allen) and Donna Sue Jahier (of BLUE JASMINE). Director of photography Marco Pontecorvo is the son of director Gillo Pontecorvo and with whom Turturro worked on 1997's LA TREGUA, directed by Francesco Rosi. Fans of "Canadian Sunset" by Gene Ammons will be pleased to hear it used as the main theme of this movie. "QED International presents an Antidote Films production a film by John Turturro."
MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT (2014) - Many of Woody Allen's favorite elements are present. There's a magician - with illusions actually performed by Erick Lantin & Valerie, set in the 1920s and a discussion on the importance of illusion in a dark and meaningless universe. Like Harry Houdini, magician Colin Firth has a mission to expose phony psychics. So when fellow magician Simon McBurney asks him to expose Emma Stone who seems to be taking advantage of a rich family living in the South of France, Firth jumps at the chance, even if it means cancelling a vacation with his fiancee Catherine McCormack. It seems pretty obvious that Stone will cause Firth to believe in magic - because Allen has never established a couple at the beginning of his movie without breaking them up (except MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY), but will he actually allow an happy ending? Beautifully photographed by Darius Khondji in widescreen, and embracing CGI, Allen has made another warm and humorous romance that features a number of pleasant surprises. For someone who famously has small budgets with which to work, Allen often features lavish crowd scenes. For an extended part of this movie, the cast is only a handful which seems a reflection of his budget. And then the huge 1920's costume party comes on, like something from THE GREAT GATSBY, and again one has to marvel at his crew's abilities. Cole Porter's "You Do Something To Me" is the main theme of this movie, but excepts from "The Rite of Spring" by Igor Stravinsky, "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel, "Symphony No. 9 in De Minor" by Ludwig van Beethoven and various recordings by Bix Beiderbecke also pop up on this "needle drop" soundtrack. Plus Hamish Linklater performs a number of songs as he serenades Stone. "Put simply, Emma Stone has it all. She's not just beautiful, she's beautiful in an interesting way, which makes her fun to look at, which makes her a true movie star." "Sony Picture Classics Presents In association with Gravier Productions, A Dippermouth Production In association with Perdido Productions & Ske-Dat-De-Dat Productions." The financing is by EEC.IAC LLC, WASP 2013 LLC through City National Bank, with help from the New York State Governor's Office for Motion Picture & Television Development's Post Production Credit Program and the tax credit for foreign film production in France. The film's copyright is solely with Gravier Productions. Highlighting the supporting cast is Eileen Atkins, as well as Erica Leerhsen (in her 3rd Allen film), Marcia Gay Harden, Jacki Weaver and Kenneth Edelson (in his 16th Allen film).
IRRATIONAL MAN (2015) - We are back in the Woody Allen murder world, but with the beat of "The 'In' Crowd" as performed by Ramsey Lewis Trio. Rhode Island may never look as beautiful again as it does here with Darius Khodji's widescreen photography. Allen's usual pondering on philosophy results in Joaquin Phoenix playing a Philosophy Professor lecturing at a small college. Having lost any sense that life has any meaning, Phoenix quickly becomes the object of romantic interest to chemistry professor Parker Posey and promising student Emma Stone. Phoenix and Stone switch off doing narrative work. Unable to perform sexually with Posey, and unwilling to be irresponsible with Stone, Phoenix's life changes when he overhears a conversation at lunch where in a woman complains about a prejudiced judge ruling against her in a child custody case. *Ping* this resounds with Allen's loss of custody of the three children he had with Mia Farrow. Thinking that the world would be better if the judge was dead, Phoenix finally finds a reason to live in plotting the judge's murder. He is able to perform sexually with Posey and decides to be irresponsible with Stone thanks to a new zest for living given him with the decision to commit murder. Thankfully this doesn't follow the plotting of CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS and MATCH POINT, but Fyodor Dostoevsky's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT does pop up. Again the copyright is solely with Gravier Productions, though it is billed as a Perdido Production released by Sony Picture Classics. This was the last film executive produced by Jack Rollins, who joined his partner Charles H. Joffe in death in June 2015. Also in the cast are executive producer Ronald L. Chez, Tom Kemp (of BLUE JASMINE), David Boston (of MELINDA AND MELINDA) and Kenneth Edelson (in his 17th Allen film).
Nicolas Le Floch "Murder At the Hotel Saint-Florentin" (2013)
Nicolas Le Floch "Blood In the Flour" (2013)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season one (2017)
Bones #245 "The Geek In the Guck" (2014) - I was reminded of how much I enjoyed Denyse Tontz in The Last Day of Summer (2007), so I went to the IMDb to see what else she had done. It turned out that I had a copy of the episode of Bones she did, so I pulled it out and took a look. I had forgotten how much fun this show was, and Tontz had changed so much that I hadn't recognized her when I first saw this episode. Now I want to see more of Laura Spencer.
SUPERMENSCH The Legend of Shep Gordon (2013) - Mike Myers decided to make a documentary about the small-time drug dealer who became the manager for some of the biggest successes in music, movies and cooking and I am grateful.
Mildly enjoyed:
CAFE SOCIETY (2016) - With a title like CAFE SOCIETY, one would expect a portrait of the "Jazz Age" as if written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. What Woody Allen delivers is a story about a Jewish family from Brooklyn with members in the movie business in Hollywood, the crime world of New York City and the nightclub world of Manhattan. This potentially could have been a epic tale, but Allen is more interested in the story of unrequited love between Jesse Eisenberg (of TO ROME WITH LOVE) and Kristen Stewart. As Allen writes it, Eisenberg's sister Sari Lennick is married to left-wing intellectual Stephen Kunken, who espouses the usual Allen philosophical comments - "Socarates said the unexamined life is not worth living. But the examined one is no bargain." A surprising story bit is that when Eisenberg's gangster brother Corey Stoll (of MIDNIGHT IN PARIS) is sentenced to die in the electric chair, he converts to Christianity because Jews don't believe in an afterlife. "Too bad the Jewish religion doesn't have an afterlife," says Eisenberg's mother Jeannie Berlin. "They'd get alot more customers." Allen does not appear in the film, but voices the third person narration. Partly mining his love of Hollywood and Jazz in the 1930s, Allen concocts a colorful picture, beautifully captured by Vittorio Storaro using the Sony CineAlta F65 digital camera - Allen's first movie not shot on film and in the 2:00:1 aspect ratio. Thanks to a wonderful cast, the film is fun but the story elements don't mesh with what is really a small scale romance. After a successful run with Sony Classic Pictures, Allen was approached by Amazon Studios with a five picture deal, of which this is the first. Reportedly Bruce Willis was cast in this film, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with Willis appearing on Broadway in MISERY. He was replaced by Steve Carell. Also in the cast are Sheryl Lee (who is seen so briefly as to be unrecognizable), Gabriel Millman (of EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU), Anna Camp (of PITCH PERFECT), John Doumanian (in his 15th Allen project), Kaili Vernoff (in her 3rd Allen film), Douglas McGrath (in his 7th Allen project), Maurice Sonnenberg (in his 9th Allen film), Blake Lively, Kat Edmonson (who performs two songs on the soundtrack), Pedro Chomnalez (of MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT), Tom Kemp (in his 3rd Allen film), Tony Sirico (in his 6th Allen film), Kenneth Edelson (in his 18th Allen film), Vince Giordano (not only appears as a musician in the film, he, with his group the Nighthawks, recorded much of the music used on the soundtrack) and Lynne Valley (of BLUE JASMINE). And returning from IRRATIONAL MAN are Parker Posey (as a blond!), Rosemary Howard, Nancy Ellen Shore and David Pittu. "Amazon Studios Presents In association with Gravier Productions A Perdido Production." Distributed by Lionsgate.
Crisis in Six Scenes (2016) - Aside from a deal making feature films, the Amazon streaming service asked Woody Allen to come up with a six part half-hour mini-series. It was the announcement that Miley Cyrus had agreed to be in it that Dylan Farrow gave as the reason she wrote her "open letter" in the New York Times reviving the molestation accusation. For his part, Allen gave an interview in May of 2015 saying that he "regretted every second since I said OK... I don't know how I got into this. I have no ideas and I'm not sure where to begin. My guess is that Roy Price (the head of Amazon Studios) will regret this." Having just worked with her daughter Jeannie Berlin in CAFE SOCIETY, Allen cast Elaine May as his wife and probably hoped that she would help to bring the funny to this underdeveloped idea. Allen and May were fun in SMALL TIME CROOKS, but it seemed obvious that neither were inspired with this story of an escaped prisoner hiding in the home of a conservative couple living in the country in the late 1960s. Cyrus played the escapee whose militant Marxism inspired May to have her book club read Karl Marx and Mao Tse Tung. Also in the cast were Rachel Brosnahan (who soon got her own series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Joy Behar (of MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY), Julie Halston (in her 4th Allen project), Sondra James (of MIGHTY APHRODITE), Rebecca Schull (of CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS), Lewis Black (of HANNAH AND HER SISTERS), David Harbour, Nina Arianda (of MIDNIGHT IN PARIS), Tom Kemp (in his 4th Allen project), Michael Rapaport (in his 3rd Allen project), Deborah Rush (in her 3rd Allen project), Douglas McGrath (in his 8th Allen project), Sebastian Tillinger (of CAFE SOCIETY), David O'Neal (who provided music for IRRATIONAL MAN and MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT), Kaili Vernoff (in her 4th Allen project) and William Hill (in his 3rd Allen project). Narration only comes in during two episodes, and it is done by Steve Mellor, who got on camera in CELEBRITY. Woody Allen's sister, Letty Aronson, has been Allen's producer for years. Aronson's daughter, Erika, joins the team with this project. Egili Bryld, who previously was the cinematographer on House of Cards, shot this. Who could have imagined a Woody Allen project starting with the Jefferson Airplane singing "Volunteers of America" over a montage of 1960s political strife?
WONDER WHEEL (2017) - With his bleakest ending since THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO, Woody Allen shows that he does not find Coney Island in the 1950s as enticingly nostalgic as Manhattan in the 1930s. While the "needle drop" soundtrack may be filled with bouncy numbers like "Coney Island Washboard" by the Mills Brothers, and a variety of other tunes performed by Paul Eakins, the tone of this film is relentlessly downbeat. Life guard and wannabe playwrite Justin Timberlake narrates the film who warns us that he loves melodrama. Shortly after the main characters of Juno Temple, her father Jim Belushi and her stepmother Kate Winslet are introduced, the suspense is who is going to murder who? Will the gangsters, Tony Sirico (in his 7th Allen film) and Steven R. Schriripa, find Temple on behalf of her husband, or will Winslet kill her out of jealousy? Or will Winslet's pyromaniac son, Jack Gore, set a fire and kill everybody? While in his autobiography, Allen pairs this with BLUE JASMINE as too influenced by Tenneesse Williams, Timberlake keeps referencing Eugene O'Neill in the movie. Probably Allen hoped that this film would earn accolades for Winslett and Belushi the way that JASMINE did for Blanchette and Dice Clay, but he feels that the public storm over Dylan Farrow's "open letter" in the New York Times ruined public perception of the movie and its cast. Winslett subsequently publicly regretted working with Allen, which seems to be her attempt to ward off "Me Too" criticisms. In any case, the movie isn't much fun unless you get a kick out of director of photography Vittorio Storaro's using his dimmer board to change the lighting in the middle of scenes. Also in the cast are Debi Mazar (of BULLETS OVER BROADWAY), John Doumanian (in his 16th Allen project), Max Casella (in his 3rd Allen film), Bobby Slayton (of Crisis In Six Scenes), Danielle Ferland (in her 3rd Allen film), David Krumholtz, Jacob Berger, Kenneth Edelson (in his 19th Allen film) and Leonard Zimmerman (of BLUE JASMINE). Returning from CAFE SOCIETY are Nancy Ellen Shore and Neil Fleischer. "Amazon Studios Presents In association with Gravier Productions A Perdido Production" with Gravier holding the copyright.
SLAUGHTERHOUSE RULEZ (2018) - After about an hour of irritating farce about a British public school - with a reference to director Lindsay Anderson's ...if, monsters start coming out of the ground and the film becomes a gory horror comedy. If it wasn't for the fact that I enjoy watching Hermione Corfield, who I first noticed on the TV series We Hunt Together, I probably would have fast-forwarded through much of this. After the successes of films like SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost created their own production company, Stolen Picture, and Crispian Mills directed their first feature production. Even with Michael Sheen and Margot Robbie in supporting roles, the film isn't much fun.
Did not enjoy:
CLEOPATRA'S SECOND HUSBAND (1998) - Writer/director Jon Reiss cites work at Target Video in the early 1980s. That seemed to lead him into making music videos but also producing BAD LOVE (1992) with Pamela Gidley and Tom Sizemore and SOUL MATES, aka EVIL LIVES (1992). After a bad experience allowing Amos Poe to house sit for him, Reiss came up with the material for a feature film which I found very irritating but uninteresting. Bitty Schram of A LEAGUE OF OUR OWN is the female lead, but Radha Mitchell and Alexis Arquette are better known.
CROOKS ANONYMOUS (1962) - Reportedly this was Julie Christie's first movie, which doesn't make it funny but does give it a certain aesthetic appeal. She wants Leslie Phillips to stop being a criminal, so he goes to Crooks Anonymous to learn how to resist temptation. Naturally, he ends up on the verge of opening an huge safe and calls for a "guardian angel" to help him resist the crime. The crime looks too good so that the "angel" calls his "angel" and soon the entire group empties the safe. In escaping, they run into Christie who threatens to turn them all in if they don't return the money. Finally married, Phillips prepares to enjoy his wedding night, but Christie gets a phone call to help a brother crook to resist temptation. Ken Annakin directs and this didn't derail his long and successful career.
TINTORERA (1977) - I watched the version shown on MGM-HD and it had a confusing ending. Wikipedia says that the film ends with Hugo Stiglitz awakening in an hospital minus an arm, but alive. The MGM-HD version seems to suggest that Stiglitz dies after killing the shark. Rather than having John Williams' version of The Rites of Spring on the soundtrack, director Rene Cardona Jr. or someone on the team decided that this killer shark was an heavy breather. Was this after STAR WARS? Anyway, Hugo Stiglitz arrives at a Mexican resort village to rent a yacht. He has an affair with Fiona Lews, who leaves him to dally with Andres Garcia. One morning she goes skinny dipping and gets eaten by a shark, but no sign of her shows up, so no one knows what happened to her. Stiglitz and Garcia decide to team up and have a ménage à trois with Susan George. George leaves after Garcia gets eaten. Stiglitz calls in the Navy to go after the shark. After killing a whole bunch of sharks, they figure they got the one. However, while more women go skinny dipping, the shark turns up to kill again. Stiglitz decides to go after the killer mano a sharko. And then we get the confusing ending.
VACANCY 2 (2018) - I'll watch just about anything with Agnes Bruckner, but I hope none of the others are this awful.
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Charles Gilbert watched:
SAILOR OF THE KING (1953) B&W. I was thinking this was the film with the man stranded on an island with a pet rooster, but not so. A WW2 naval battle between England and Germany results in the sinking of H.M.S. Amesbury and concomitant damage to the opposition raider Essen, which takes refuge for repairs in a lagoon. Kapitan von Falk (Peter Van Eyck) has also taken two British sailors prisoner from the waters: signalman "Canada" Brown (Jeffrey Hunter) and petty officer Stokes (Bernard Lee) who lost a leg. Brown is not under scrutinous watch so he escapes overboard with a confiscated rifle and hides in the rocks surrounding the lagoon, taking pot shots to delay repairs. Just as a squad of Kraut marksmen go ashore and close in on him, they are signalled back to the ship getting underway.
CARNIVAL ROCK (1957) B&W. Melodramatic schlock from Roger Corman depicts creditors (Ed Nelson and Bruno Vesoto) closing in on carnival owner Christy Christakos (David J. Stewart) who is not only financially delinquent, but maniacally distracted and obsessed with singer Natalie (Susan Cabot). She explains he us too old and is planning to marry street hustler Stanley (Brian Hutton) who has won the night club carnival business on impromptu card betting that relegates Christy to a humiliating role as a clown. Dick Miller plays Ben who is on hand to appease the conflict. The Platters appear as themselves in a brief performance. Hutton is one of the names on tombstones in HIGH PLAINS DRIFTERS.
The Making of CONVOY - Documentary. Hour and 13 minutes with producer Michael Deeley, Kris Kristofferson, Ali McGraw, Ernest Borgnine, et.al. describing the chaos in filming. Director Sam Peckinpaw who "lived in a Malibu trailer park", succumbed to cocaine addiction, and was fired before completion of filming. The movie is considered inferior to any of his others, but has been viewed worldwide more.
Mayday S01E05- Alaska Airlines 261 "Cutting Corners". Slack maintenance practice resulted in the loss of 88 people in the Pacific ocean when a flight from Mexico to Alaska lost control from a broken tail trim jack screw failing due to negligence of grease.
Highway Patrol 32 "Reckless Driving" B&W. Hugh Sanders plays a hard-headed salesman who receives multiple driving citations. His wife (Vivi Janis) becomes his chauffer but her driving glasses get broken at a stop at a roadside restaurant and he foolishly gets behind the wheel.
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David Deal enjoyed:
TRUCK TUNER (74) - From 2004: "Very enjoyable crime thriller that surprised me. Isaac Hayes was good and the movie wasn’t too stupid. Prime action."
TESLA (20) - Stylized telling of the misfortunes of the brilliant inventor and poor businessman. Ethan Hawke is Tesla, Kyle Maclachlan is Edison, and Jim Gaffigan is Westinghouse. I actually liked it but I think I'm in the minority.
Mildly enjoyed:
ARIZONA HEAT (88) - Unorthidox Phoenix detective Michael Parks is teamed with openly lesbian Denise Crosby as they investigate a series of cop killings. What could have been an interesting twist is hobbled by pedestrian handling. You know how the angle and the mystery will go.
STUNTWOMEN: THE UNTOLD HOLLYWOOD STORY (20) - Interesting documentary.
THE CURSE OF NOSTRADAMUS (59) - The vampire son of Nostradamus, German Robles, wants to reestablish his father's name by forcing a famous debunker to declare the old seer legit. The man refuses so German begins to kill 13 men until the man gives in. The four-film Nostradamus series from Mexico began as a 12-chapter serial that K Gordon Murray trimmed down for American TV. Adequate entertainment so far but the presentation is lacking.
NO DIAMONDS FOR URSULA (67) - A very unlikable Salvo Randone blackmails a crew into heisting some fabulous jewels belonging to a slumming Dana Andrews. Despite a twisty ending this is a drab, uninvolving crime flick from Gino Mangini (Hyena of London). Features Jeanne Valerie as Ursula.
THE MONSTERS DEMOLISHER (59) - The second of the four-film series on the vampire Nostradamus. A modest step up from the first (see Curse of Nostradamus).
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Bertrand Van Wonterghem Highly enjoyed:
Black books – season 2 – episode 6
The watch – season 1 – episode 4
Sin noticias de dios (2001, Agustin Diaz Yanes)
Enjoyed:
Le retour du héros (2017, Laurent Tirard)
Doom patrol – season 2 – episodes 7 & 8
Swedish dicks – season 1 – episodes 8 to 10 / season 2 – episodes 1 to 3
Absolute beginers (1986, Julian Temple)
Le mataf (1973, Serge Leroy)
Save the tiger (1972, John G. Avildsen)
Mildly enjoyed:
Family business – season 1 – episodes 1 to 5
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