To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
What name did Dragomir Bojanic-Gidra use when he appeared in Italian movies?
Tom Betts, Angel Rivera, George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Anthony Ghidra.
Which Italian actor and stunt arranger directed 7 feature films?
Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Alfio Caltabiano.
Complete the lyric: "She talks about a _____ without a ____."
No one filled in these gaps yet.
And now for some new brain teasers:
Which Italian actress died on November 15, 2015 in Seattle, Washington?
In which Western does Terence Hill pretend to hand over his pistol only to fire it upside down?
Complete the lyric: "He doesn't ____; doesn't ____ it."
Name the movies from which these images came.
Tom Betts, Rick Garibaldi and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Jose Manuel Martin, Nazzareno Zamperla and Giuliano Gemma in UNA PISTOLA PER RINGO, aka A PISTOL FOR RINGO.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
No one identified the above photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's photo of Alberto Sordi and Nicoletta Machiavelli in UNA QUESTIONE D'ONORE, aka A QUESTION OF HONOR.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
No one identified the above 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:
Classic Albums "The Doors" (2008)
Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star (2002)
The Who - Sensation - The Story of Tommy (2013)
Unsung presents Best In Black "Film Pioneers" (2023) celebrating Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay, Gordon Parks, Lena Horne, Billy Dee Williams, Cicely Tyson, Quincy Jones, Pam Grier, Viola Davis,
Chadwick Boseman and Sidney Poitier. That's not a bad list, but I thought how about Melvin Van Peebles, Brock Peters, Woody Strode, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Isaac Hayes, Hattie McDaniel,
Raymond St. Jacques, James Earl Jones, Paula Kelly and Jim Brown?
Uncnsrd. "Sheryl Lee Ralph" (2023)
Mildly enjoyed:
THE MALTESE FALCON (1931) - Since the Humphrey Bogart cult has deemed the 1941 film the definitive version, few seem aware of this original version. Made in the "pre-code" era, the 1931 version has sexual content not seen in the 1936 SATAN MET A LADY version or the Bogart film. Ricardo Cortez also portrayed the hero as a skirt-chasing lothario who is more of a "wise ass" than a "tough guy". I prefer Warren William in the 1936 film, which tells the same story with a lighter more comedic quality. Plus it is the only time I found Bette Davis attractive.
THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) - I remember being rather disappointed when I finally got a chance to see this "classic" at a revival theater years ago. Having just watched the 1931 version, I felt it was time to give the film another chance and I still don't like it much. The 1931 version had virtually no music score, but Ricardo Cortez' humorous portrayal of Sam Spade kept the movie bouncing along punctuated by Bebe Daniels' suggestions of nudity. The 1941 version doesn't have much sexual suggestiveness and has a rather overbearing music score that keeps suggesting that what we are watching is amusing. What doesn't work for me is the romantic relationship between Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. The 1931 version suggests that the relationship is mostly physical, and it isn't until a jail house coda that the suggestion is made that Spade might actually have fallen in love. In the 1941 version, the climax of the movie is all about Spade refusing to allow his possible love get in the way of doing what he thinks is right. As the romance didn't work for me, this ending felt unearned. Another thing striking about both versions is that so much of the action is talked about rather than shown. What is also striking is how much of the dialogue is the same, except that in the 1941, we don't learn that Wilmer killed Gutman and Cairo before being arrested.
THE WOLVERINE (2013) - While it is enjoyable to see Hiroyuki Sanada get the co-starring credit, the film itself tends to drag a bit and has too many double crosses to my liking.
Did not enjoy:
MEINE FREUNDIN CONNI - GEHEIMNIS UM KATER MAUR, aka CONNI - SECRET OF MAU THE CAT, aka CONNI AND THE CAT (2020) - As I am not the intended audience, it is not surprising that I've never heard of the series of "Conni" books from Germany - written by Liane Schneider and illustrated by Eva Wenzel-Burger. The books spawned a TV series, a radio series and this movie which popped up on my cable service. The animation is comparable to the Curious George TV series on PBS, and I supposed it is aimed at the same age group: 2 - 4 year olds. A Germany-Ireland Co-Production, this movie tells the story of a tomboyish little girl who is going on her first school trip away from home and she wants to take her cat. "No animals on the trip", she is told, but the cat manages to sneak aboard the bus in the luggage compartment. For a long time, Conni doesn't know that the cat is about - making friends with a raccoon and failing to catch a bird that hangs around. Mischief abounds, and young Luca's pet raccoon is blamed for it. Of course the adults don't believe Conni telling them that some of what happened is the fault of her cat - because Luca's mother is allergic to cats and she's not sneezing. Also, raccoons are known to steal shiny things and cats don't. Finally, Conni is able to find the thieving bird's nest and the stolen items are returned, so the raccoon isn't sent away to a petting zoo. Was this movie inspired by Gioachino Rossini's opera LA GAZZA LADRA, aka THE THIEVING MAGPIE?
STREETDANCE, aka STREETDANCE 3D (2010) - After Nichola Burley's dance crew qualifies for the big dance competition, their leader, and Burley's boyfriend, quits, saying that he has to focus on his paying job. They also lose their rehearsal space. Burley's job is delivering food from a deli. Delivering a sandwich to a ballet school, Burley meets teacher Charlotte Rampling and mentions that her students don't look like they enjoy dancing. Rampling asks to see Burley's crew perform, which they do in a shopping mall. Not having a permit, the crew is chased away by mall security, but Rampling saw enough to invite Burley and her dancers to rehearse at the ballet school. However, she springs a surprise condition - Burley has to integrate five ballet dancers into her crew.At this point, audiences should be able to figure out how the rest of the screenplay by Jane English will play out - Burley's boyfriend turns out to have joined a rival dance crew, the ballet school arranges for the ballet dancers now integrated with the hip hop dancers have an audition for the Royal Ballet at the same time as the street dancing competition and after seeing a proper ballet performance, Burley injects ballet moves into her crew's routine. Of course, the ballet dancers get to the competition after the audition for the Royal Ballet and the good guys win the street dance competition. While it is fun seeing Eleanor Bron as a ballet teacher disapproving of the hip hop dancers, directors Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini fail to provide any entertainment to those not interested in hip hop streetdancing. However, this BBC Films, Vertigo Films and UK Film Council production in 3D was the highest grossing film of 2010 at the U.K. box office, so a sequel was made. There was also a French remake in 2019 called LET'S DANCE.
TRACK OF THE MOON BEAST (1972) - Screenwriter Bill Finger was the co-creator of the Batman comic book back in 1939, but Bob Kane did not acknowledge his contribution until after Finger died in 1974. TRACK was "on the shelf" until 1976 when it was sold to television. However, during his lifetime, Finger co-wrote with Charles Sinclair, two of the Gamma space station movies, LA MORTE VIENE DAL PLANETA AYTIN and THE GREEN SLIME. As unimpressive as those two movies were, they were at least professionally made, which was not something of which TRACK OF THE MOON BEAST has been accused. After working as an Assistant Director, Richard Ashe got his chance as the helmer of this low-budget feature made in New Mexico. Thankfully, he was not given the chance again. A comet hits the moon and fragments fall to Earth hitting Chase Cordell in the head. He turns into a man-size lizard monster, which supposedly is part of the local Indian lore, but NASA scientists can't help him as the particles are spreading throughout his body which will cause him to eventually explode. In order to stop him from killing more people, Gregorio Sala fashions an arrowhead from another piece of the fallen meteorite and shoots it into Cordell hastening his explosive end. Of the cast, only Patrick Wright was able to continue a notable acting career.
X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014) - Considering how much I disliked X-MEN FIRST CLASS for trying to change the history of the Cuban Missle Crisis, you can imagine how I felt about this film suggesting that JFK was a mutant.
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Charles Gilbert Enjoyed:
THE STOLEN LIFE (1946) B&W. Bette Davis plays twins: Pat and Kate, one married to Glenn Ford, making the other jealous. Extrovert Pat drowns in a boating mishap. Kate tries to hoist her as she goes under but manages to retrieve her wedding ring only. So she seizes the opportunity to assume her sister's identity with benefits.
DEAD RINGER (1964) B&W. Bette Davis again plays twins Edith and Margaret. The former shoots her sibling and assumes the identity of her high society sister. Her boyfriend cop Karl Malden gets wise.
THE LETTER (1940) B&W. Early Bette Davis as wife of a rubber plantation owner. The story opens with her charging out of her bungalow in Singapore shooting a man to death firing a pistol multiple times. Her defense is that he attacked her, but a letter discovered that she had written to him tells of an affair. She goes to trial but is acquitted when her "honest" attorney withholds the letter evidence. Widow Gale Sonderguard with the original letter offers it for bribe cash, and gets revenge in the end
THE BURGLARS (1957) B&W. Noir with Dan Duryea leader of a small theft ring that includes Jayne Mansfield who cases a mansion they break into. The rest of the film they are laying low and contending with a corrupt cop who wants in on the action. Martha Vickers costars.
THE PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES (1955) B&W. Kent Taylor plays a biologist assigned to uncover the cause of several radiation deaths along the ocean coast. Also a diver he encounters a shaft of atomic light at the bottom of his decent that is guarded by a man fish mobster. Some international subterfuge as Philip Pine tries to gain formulae from the scientist behind the mystery. With Cathy Downs.
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David Deal Enjoyed:
MATANGO (63)
THE RESTLESS BREED (57) - Scott Brady goes revengin' for the death of his father who was a lawman. Scott remains single-minded in his blood quest, ignoring the law and remaining a man of mystery as long as he can. He's after Jim Davis, who shows up near the end, but first Scott has to cut thru his minions headed by Leo Gordon. Anne Bancroft is the woman who falls for Scott, and marshall Jay C Flippen is his old family friend trying to talk him out of killing. Allan Dwan's western has an edge - like an unflinching cockfight - but ends in the expected way.
RIMFIRE (49) - Gambler Reed Hadley rides into Stringtown, NM to do some gambling. After winning big, Reed is framed for playing with marked cards, and is soon tried in a kangaroo court and sentenced to hang. Reed's last words before his untimely demise remind the townsfolk that he dies unjustly and there will be repercussions. Shortly after, the supposed ghost of the gambler goes on a killing spree, marking each corpse with a playing card. All this has something to do with hot federal gold as well as revenge. A fast-moving western that teeters between old fashioned oatery, Gothic mystery, and film noir. A curio.
MUTINY IN OUTER SPACE (65)
Mildly Enjoyed
REVENGE OF THE BARBARIANS (60) - It's Rome vs the Visigoths, sparked by the hot-headed Barbarian Robert Alda. The Roman emperor is a dim fop whose sister (Daniella Rocca) is the brains of the outfit. She uses her feminine wiles to undercut the Barbarians at every turn. Or so she thinks. Giuseppe Vari's adventure has a kinky edge to it which adds to the usual goings on.
ROGUE'S YARN (56) - Derek Bond and Nicole Maurey plot to kill Derek's wife. Derek uses to an automatic pilot on his yacht so he can dash off it and kill his wife without anyone the wiser. Unfortunately for him, a particularly dogged inspector from Scotland Yard is on his tail. This Brit thriller hinges on proving the theory of the autopilot or that Derek's wife knew who killed her, so didn't raise an alarm. It's a bit stodgy but enjoyable enough.
JOHNNY YUMA (66)
THE BLACK DOLL (38)
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Angel Rivera Enjoyed:
"Vicki" (1953) Leonard Maltin's classic movie book says it is a remake of "I Wake Up Screaming" a 1941 mystery which starred Betty Grable and Victor Mature which I had never seen. The remake stars Elliot Reid, probably best known as Jane Russell's love interest in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"(1953) in the Victor Mature role and Jeanne Crain in the Betty Grable role. The plot has a model murdered. Here Richard Boone plays a detective convinced Reid is the murderer. The gal murdered was portrayed by Jean Peters, seen in flashbacks. Character actor Casey Adams is also in the film. (Jean Peters and Casey Adams costarred with Marilyn Monroe in "Niagara"(1953). So the film has an interesting cast playing all these elaborate scenes trying to keep one from knowing who is the murderer and then there is what some reviews call an unexpected twist.
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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:
Gokushufudo / The way of the househusband – season 1 (2020) – episode 3
The Cherokee kid (1996, Paris Barclay)
Three strangers (1946, Jean Negulesco)
DC’s legends of tomorrow – episode « Ground control to Sara Lance” (2020, Kevin Mock)
Kumonosu-jô / Throne of blood (1957, Akira Kurosawa)
Mildly enjoyed
Young Sheldon – season 6 – episode 17
Le magnifique (1973, Philippe de Broca)
Sapevano solo uccidere (1968, Tanio Boccia)
Il ritorno di Clint il solitario (1972, Alfonso Balcazar)
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