April 8 - 14, 2023

 

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

Brain Teasers:

Which Italian actor played Pat Garrett in an Italian Western?

Tom Betts, Angel Rivera, George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Fausto Tozzi in EL HOMBRE QUE MATO A BILLY EL NINO, aka FOR A FEW BULLETS MORE.

Which Spanish actor played the Sheriff out to get Billy Carter in a Spanish Western?

Tom Betts, Angel Rivera, George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Aldo Sambrell in FUERA DE LA LEY.

Which director, born in Argentina, was given director's credit on a number of Westerns shot in Spain for tax purposes?

Tom Betts and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Leon Klimovksy.

And now for some new brain teasers:

Which Italian actor co-wrote a Western, which arguably gave him the best role of his career?

Which American actor co-wrote his only Western?

By what name is Alex Burks better known?

Name the movies from which these images came.

Tom Betts and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Guy Madison as Wyatt Earp in DESAFIO EN RIO BRAVO, aka GUNMEN OF THE RIO GRANDE.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Bertrand van Wonterghem, George Grimes and Angel Rivera identified last week's frame grab of Yoko Tani and Gordon Scott in MACISTE ALLA CORTE DEL GRAN KHAN, aka SAMSON AND THE SEVEN MIRACLES OF THE WORLD.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

No one identified the above photo. It's from RATS NOTTE DI TERRORE, aka RATS NIGHT OF TERROR.

George Grimes identified last week's photo from AN AMOROUS WOMAN OF THE TANG DYNASTY.

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:

11'09''01, aka SEPTEMBER 11, aka 11 MINUTES 9 SECONDS 1 IMAGE (2002) French producer Alain Brigand had the idea of getting 11 filmmakers from around the world to contribute a short film commenting on the impact of the destruction of the World Trade Center. Former teen heartthrob turned Oscar winning producer Jacques Perrin assisted in pulling everything together. 

From Iran, director Samira Makhmalbaf focused on the children in an Afghan refugee camp in Iran who work on making mud bricks. Their teacher calls all of the children together to explain the catastrophe, but they seem more concerned with the catastrophes in their own lives. 

From France, director Claude Lelouch tells the story of a deaf-mute French photographer who is having an affair with a tour guide in New York City. Because they had a fight, she is convinced that he will leave her as he goes out the door to guide a tour to the World Trade Center. As she is writing, she doesn't see the events playing out on TV, but thinks that it would take a miracle for the man to return to her. 

From Egypt, director Youssef Chahine begins with how he was turned away from making a film at the World Trade Center because he didn't have a permit. Later, Chahine is visited by the ghost of an American soldier killed in the 1983 bombing of the Multinational Force in Beirut, Lebanon. Chahine tries to explain to the ghost that American foreign policy after World War II has led to militancy. They observe a young Palestinian man strapping on a "suicide vest" and heading out on a mission. 

From Bosnia-Herzegovina, director Danis Tanovic shows a young woman from Srebrenica hearing about the World Trade Center destruction on the radio, but deciding that it is more important for her to participate in the monthly demonstration, on the 11th, of the massacre by Bosnian Serbs on July 11, 1995. 

From Burkina Faso, director Idrissa Ouedraogo tells the story of a boy who has to leave school in order to get a job selling newspapers in order to help pay for his sick mother's medical bills. After reading that there was a $25 million reward for Osama bin Laden, the boy thinks he sees the fellow on the street. Enlisting his friends in a plan to capture the wanted man, the boy thinks about all of the good he could accomplish with that money. However, the target soon leaves on a jet plane.

From the United Kingdom, director Ken Loach profiles a refugee living in London of the C.I.A. sponsored coup in Chile on September 11, 1973. He writes a letter to the families of those killed in the World Trade Center destruction asking them to unite in memory with those killed in Chile.

From Mexico, director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu mostly uses the sounds of the World Trade Center reportage on a black screen. Occassionaly, we get a visual flash, mostly of those who jumped from the skyscrapers to their deaths. It ends with the an Arabic sentence, then translated as "Does God's light guide us or blind us?"

From Israel, director Amos Gitai contributed a film shot all in one take showing the aftermath of a terrorist bombing in Tel Aviv with first responders dealing with in the injured and the search for more bombs. A television reporter arrives on the scene to report live on the incident. When her feed is cut off due to the news about what happened in New York City, she responds by remembering other catastrophes which occurred on September 11 in history. 

From Pakistan, director Mira Nair relates the true story of the mother of Mohammad Salman Hamdani. An American citizen of Pakastani heritage, when Salman was reported missing during the downing of the World Trade Center, authorities began to investigate whether he was part of the terrorist plot. His mother found herself shunned by her former friends in the community as the investigation was reported on television. Eventually, when Salman's remains were found in the World Trade Center, it was realized that being an Emergency Medical Technician, he had rushed to the scene to help with the first responders. 

From the U.S., director Sean Penn cast Ernest Borgnine as a lonely widower complaining to his dead wife that the apartment doesn't get enough light for her flowers to grow. Suddenly, one day, the shadows of the Twin Towers fall, the sunlight gets the flowers to bloom, and Borgnine comes out of his mental haze to realized the truth.

From Japan, director Shohei Imamura uses the story of a Japanese solder, who returned from the trauma of World War II, convinced that he is a snake. A flashback suggests that the soldier's trauma stemmed from being beaten by a fellow soldier accusing him of not wanting to participate in their "Holy War". Driven out into the wild, the soldier is seen drinking from a river, before the message "Holy wars do not exist" appears on the screen.

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER (2022)

Mildly enjoyed:

ERCOLE CONTRO I TIRANNI DI BABILONIA, aka HERCULES AGAINST THE TYRANTS OF BABYLON (1964) - Many feel that all of these "sword and sandal" films are silly, but this one really is. It seems that director and co-writer Domenico Paolella and co-writer Luciano Martino spent their time trying to figure out how to reuse footage shot for SODOM AND GOMORRAH rather than come up with a sensible plot. Rock Stevens plays Hercules, but he's stuck in a script that seems more suited for Maciste, though he's on a mission to save his queen like URSUS. In any case, fans of the mythological, or even the cinematic, Hercules will be disappointed, especially by that very unconvincing club Stevens waves around - and even throws occasionally. Come to think of it, that club makes him look like a well barbered Alley Oop.But the film is filled with favorite performers like Helga Line, Mario Petri, Livio Lorenzon, Franco Balducci and Pietro Torrisi. Not so familiar is Anna-Maria Polani, who is beautiful. Director Paolella made a number of these films, and all of which seem to suffer from "how do we reuse footage from more expensive productions". Jeff Cameron can be seen first as a Babilonian soldier and then as a freed slave attacking Assyrian soldiers.

TO DECADENCE WITH LOVE, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING (2020) - Stuart Sox seems to have felt that the New Orleans Southern Decadence Week needed to be documented so he did. Mostly following Laveau Contraire and Franky Canga, Sox shows the hard work and dedication of cross dressing performers hoping to be able to make a living doing "drag".

Unsung Presents Best In Black: Fashion Icons (2023)

Uncnsrd "Tevin Campbell" (2023) 

X-MEN (2000)

X 2: X-MEN UNITED (2003)

Did not enjoy:

FRIEND REQUEST, aka UNFRIEND (2016) - An official German-South African co-production, FRIEND REQUEST is a warning to beautiful young women who are popular on Facebook not to become "friends" with creepy young women who have no friends. Alycia Debnam-Carey (of Fear The Walking Dead) is the woman who gets taught a lesson by Liesl Ahlers. Co-writer and director Simon Verhoeven (the son of director Michael Verhoeven and actress Senta Berger) creates the idea of a "black mirror" in front of which a witch can hang and burn herself to death in order to become something like a demon. Debnam-Carey befriends Ahlers out of sympathy, but when Ahlers begins to stalk her, our heroine "unfriends" her - dropping her Facebook friends total to "0". After Ahlers kills herself, our heroine finds that her best friends suddenly also start killing themselves, and videos of the suicides appear on her Facebook feed. The movie occassionally shows how Debnam-Carey's "friends" total is diminishing with each outrageous posting. Our heroine asks computer geek Connor Paolo to help figure out what's going on, when he decides that the only way to stop the death of her friends, is to kill her himself. However, witches (or demons) can control wasps so our heroine survives in order for the movie to reach its non-ending. The music over the end credits - by either Gary Go or Martin Todsharow - is the only enjoyable element of the movie. I've had my fill of watching Debnam-Carey being terrified thanks to Fear the Walking Dead.

RoboCop Prime Directives "Dark Justice" (2001)

THREE NIGHT STAND (2013) - Sam Huntington and Meaghan Rath aren't doing well as a couple, so he hopes that a romantic weekend at a ski lodge will rekindle the romance. Surprise, the ski lodge is being run by Huntington's ex-girlfriend Emmanuelle Chriqui. Canadian co-writer and director Pat Kiely's film is billed as a romantic comedy, but it isn't very romantic and it isn't funny. Kiely soon moved on to making "rom-coms" for the Hallmark Channel. Catherine Breillat fans may enjoy that her name gets dropped in a conversation.

WITHOUT A TRACE (1983) - I had no interest in seeing this movie when it first came out. I did not want to put up with watching Kate Nelligan be anxious and miserable for two hours. The publicity for the film gave away that it had an happy ending, so why put up with it? Well, 40 years later, it showed up on the TV schedule, so I figured I could fast-forward through it in case there were some surprises to be had. Not a surprise, since this was released by 20th Century Fox back when they still had the rights to STAR WARS, was seeing STAR WARS merchandise in the missing child's room. Producer/director Stanley R. Jaffe spent much of the running time on the police procedures in dealing with a missing child case, as well as what a visitor had to do when visiting the Brooklyn Detention Center. Inspired by the case of Etan Patz - which did not have an happy ending, Beth Gutcheon wrote the novel STILL MISSING, and was given the credit for writing the screenplay. It was surprising how much director Jaffe milked the happy ending, which, even for someone with a cynical perspective, proved effective.

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Charles Gilbert watched:

Waco  American Apocalypse. Three part documentary with extensive original footage.

TRUE JUSTICE, URBAN WARFARE Steven Seagal produced and plays a cop leading a team of two men and two women on the case of a rapist.  Separately he  is targeted by someone from his blackops days in Afghanistan.

THE 27th DAY (1957) B&W. Creature Features presentation includes Tina Cole (television's My Three Sons) visiting the set with host Vincent Van Gogh. The film involves 5 culturally diverse earthlings whisked off to space for instructions on each managing a small box containing 3 capsules that could annihilate respective international enemies. In the end the bad guys (defined in the film as Marxists) are all killed.off, leaving the world peaceful. Gene Barry, George Voskovec, Valerie French.

The Detectives S1E02 'A Shot in the Dark' A policeman is grilled after shooting a 14 year old (Bart Braverman) in the mean dark streets of LA. The Sicilian immigrant residents are vengeful.

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David Deal Enjoyed:

BOB LE FLAMBEUR (56)

THE PREVIEW MURDER MYSTERY (36) - Famous Hollywood actor Rod La Roque has been receiving threatening notes, and when he is killed at the preview of his latest picture, suspicion falls upon the denizens of the studio. Publicity man Reginald Denny and his secretary Frances Drake (Mad Love) determine to solve the mystery. Paramount thriller shot on their lot and stages with plenty of "in" jokes for fans of the oldies. A good watch.

THE SNORKEL (58)

PARANOIAC (61)

RANGO (11)

MOONAGE DAYDREAM (22) - Immersive documentary on David Bowie. Recommended for fans.

DEAD EYES OF LONDON (60)

A QUEEN FOR CAESAR (62) - The power struggle between Cleopatra (Pascale Petit) and her brother kicks off this telling of the famous tale. Petit plays the queen as a conniving temptress who will say anything to get her way. Reasonably well-mounted and fun. Giorgio Ardisson is the captain of the guard who falls for Cleo and aids her escape from her brother's grip. Features Akim Tamiroff, Rik Battaglia, and Gordon Scott shows up near the end as Julius Caesar.

Mildly Enjoyed

THE PRICE OF FEAR (56) - On the same night that decent fellow Lex Barker is being framed for the murder of his former business partner, investment counselor Merle Oberon runs down an old man and flees the scene. When Lex steals her car, Merle senses a way to out of her predicament. This has some neat film noir plotting but leans heavier on the relationship drama. Enjoyed it but it's not very dynamic.

PRIVATE HELL 36 (54) - Detectives Howard Duff and Steve Cochran are on the trail of stolen loot. They track some of it to Ida Lupino (who co-wrote) who tips them to a guy with the dough. When that guy drives off a cliff, Cochran steals some of the marked money which puts the two partners on a trajectory with a bad ending. Don Siegel directs with speed and efficiency, traits that would serve him well with Dirty Harry, etc. This leans more toward melodrama than hardboiled doom but it's a solid cast and soundtrack.

SO EVIL, MY SISTER (74) - When Susan Strasberg's husband commits suicide she moves in with her sister, Faith Domergue, a recent mental health patient. Susan soon begins experiencing hallucinations and it appears someone is trying to drive her insane. Reginald Le Borg's (Diary of a Madman) would-be Hitchcockian thriller is poorly executed and indifferently acted. You've seen it before and done better elsewhere.

NORMAN CONQUEST (53)

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Angel Rivera Enjoyed:

"Mister Roberts" (1955)

"The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" (1939)

Mildly enjoyed:

"Superman and Lois" Season #3, episode #4

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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:

Tupyo / Into the ring (2020) – season 1 – episodes 10 to 14

Super-héros malgré lui (2021, Philippe Lacheau)

Beau Brummel (1924, Harry Beaumont)

Alibi.com (2016, Philippe Lacheau)

They rode west (1954, Phil Karlson)

Mildly enjoyed

Machine-gun Kelly (1958, Roger Corman)

Young Sheldon – season 6 – episode 15

The big door prize – season 1 – episode 1

Murder mystery 2 (2022, Jeremy Garelick)

Fumer fait tousser (2022, Quentin Dupieux)

Viaje al centro de la tierra – season 1 – episode 1

Did not enjoy:

Canis familiaris – season 1 – episode 1

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