August 5 - 11, 2023

 

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

Brain Teasers:

Which American actor who appeared in Italian Westerns made his last film appearance in a superhero movie?

No one has answered this question yet.

Which Italian actor made two Westerns in which his character was killed right near the beginning of the film, leading to plot complications for the heroes?

No one answered this question yet.

In which Italian Western does one of our anti-heroes attempt to rape the leading lady until he is stopped by the other anti-hero?

No one answered this question yet.

In the English language version of which Italian Western came the line "Scott is your father."?

Tom Betts knew that it was LE COLT CANTARONO LA MORTE E FU... TEMPO DI MASSACRE, aka MASSACRE TIME, aka THE BRUTE AND THE BEAST.

And now for some new brain teasers:

In what movie starring Robert Downey Jr. can some of Ennio Morricone's music for TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA be heard?

In what Italian movie do Kirk Morris, Mario Novelli and Gordon Mitchell appear with none of them taking off their shirts?

Which Italian actress played Hercules' wife to Mark Forest and Reg Park?

Name the movies from which these images came.

Tom Betts and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's photo of Tomas Milian and Fabio Testi in I QUATTRO DELL'APOCALISSE, aka FOUR OF THE APOCALYPSE.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

John Black identified last week's photo of Elsa Martinelli in LA FABULEUSE AVENTURE DE MARCO POLO, aka MARCO THE MAGNIFICENT.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

John Black identified last week's photo of Annette Vadim and Elsa Martinelli in ET MOURIR DE PLAISIR, aka BLOOD AND ROSES.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

No one has identified the above photo.

It shows Wang Lung-Wei in TEN TIGERS OF KWANGTUNG.

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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:

Iron Man: Armored Adventures season two (2011) - A continuing storyline in this 52 half hour episode series, is Gene Khan's effort to locate the ten (finger) rings with which he will assume the power of the Mandarin. Unlike in the MCU, Howard Stark is still alive and had been kidnapped to help Khan find the Makluan Rings, which are of extra-terrestrial origin. This storyline bares a resemblance to the Infinity Stone saga of the MCU, and climaxes with a different "Battle of New York". Here, the invasion comes not from Loki opening a portal for the Chitauri, but from a Makluan space ship hovering over Manhattan. As this series did not involve the creation of The Avengers, the teenage Iron Man battles the invaders with the help of War Machine, Rescue (Pepper Potts), Black Widow, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, Black Panther (!), Hulk, Howard Stark and Maria Hill. A good time is guaranteed for all!

Manhunt season two The Night Stalker (2021) - In 1972, producer/director Dan Curtis did a modern day vampire TV movie called The Night Stalker - which led to a 1974 TV series. Since then, the title has been attached to various other things, including a book about the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. In Los Angeles, we think of the 1984 case of Richard Ramirez. In London, it refers to the case of Delroy Easton Grant, whose criminal career lasted over 17 years and victimized over 100 people. SIO Colin Sutton was called into assist on the case, which became part of his memoirs and formed the basis of the second season of Manhunt starring Martin Clunes. In addition to being a compelling look at police procedure, without the usual tossed in melodrama, Manhunt season two is a meditation on aging in our society as Sutton approaches retirement and the villain preyed on elderly women. For a second season, ITV gave the makers four one-hour episodes.

Mildly enjoyed:

BATTLE BEYOND THE SUN (1969) - Roger Corman bought the 1959 Soviet film NEBO ZOVYOT, aka THE SKY BECKONS, used some of the effects shots in VOYAGE TO THE PREHISTORIC PLANET and then assigned Francis Ford Coppola, fresh out of UCLA Film School, to come up with a new English language version. He also requested that Coppola add some space monsters. The fun of these Americanized Soviet Science Fiction films is in trying to figure out what the original movie was like. Coppola sets his story after the nuclear war in the far future of 1997. The political dynamics of the world have changed into a competition between the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. So, the original story of a race to Mars between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., with the U.S.S.R. being the good guys, has changed into North Hemis vs. South Hemis, but everyone is still White. Some matting is needed to cover Soviet lettering on the space crafts and Jack Hill helps to shoot the space monster footage. The basic story remains the same - the other space ship isn't ready for the trip to Mars, but heads off anyway to win the race. Our heroes are ready for the trip, but have to burn up needed fuel in order to rescue the other guys from being pulled into the Sun. Unable to continue to Mars, the space voyagers land on an asteroid orbiting Mars and radio for Earth to send an unmanned fuel ship. The unmanned ship crashes and burns, so a second ship, this time manned, is sent out. The manned ship lands safely, but the pilot dies. In the U.S. version, he is attacked by the space monsters, but I don't know why he dies in the original film. Returning to Earth, the crews of the two failed Mars missions are hailed as heroes, with a narrator in the U.S. version telling us that scientific cooperation between the competing governments will ensure that the future will be better. Taking out at least 10 minutes from the original film's running time ensures that BATTLE BEYOND THE SUN is a brisk viewing experience.

NEBO ZOVYOT, aka THE SKY BECKONS (1959) - Someone has kindly put this film on YouTube with English subtitles, so it can be seen for comparison with BATTLE BEYOND THE SUN. Seeing the original Soviet film is not as much fun since it takes away the effort to try and figure out what the Americans have changed. The original film begins with a reporter requesting an interview with a Soviet scientist to talk about the future of space travel. A subordinate then takes the reporter into a museum to highlight Soviet space accomplishments and plans for the future. Later on, the reporter imagines the story which becomes the main focus of the film - the competition between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. to reach Mars. Oddly, there is no mention of anyone trying to land on the Moon. The Soviets are portrayed as warm hearted people, willing to share their knowledge and resources with the Americans, while the Americans take needless risks and court sensationalism. Why the pilot of the manned refueling ship dies is still a mystery, though it may have something to do with the injury he received when the Americans blasted off for Mars from the Soviet Space Station without getting the proper clearance. Back on Earth, one of the Americans declares that the experience taught him the importance of human friendship. The reporter finishes telling his fantasy to the Soviet scientist who then looks into the camera and says, "We are only spying on space. But after some time, people will own space. Safe journey, younger generation." Much has been made about how much better Soviet visual effects were in 1959 to what Hollywood was doing. But nothing in NEBO ZOVYOT compares favorably to what can be seen in CONQUEST OF SPACE or FORBIDDEN PLANET.

2+5: MISSIONE HYDRA, aka STAR PILOT (1966) - So what happened to director Pietro Francisci? After two of the most important films in Italian cinema history - LE FATICHE DI ERCOLE and ERCOLE E LA REGINA DI LIDIA, he made two relatively big budget spectacles - L'ASSEDIO DI SIRACUSA and VENERE DI LESBO, which weren't big successes. He then returned with ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE starring Kirk Morris. Was it because of the science fiction material that it took three years before he made 2+5: MISSIONE HYDRA on what looked to have been a tiny budget? Antonio Margheriti had already made two science fiction films at least five years before this - SPACE MEN and IL PIANETA DEGLI UOMINI SPENTI, and in both of those movies Margheriti knew humans needed pressure suits in outer space. Could Francisci not afford the needed costumes so he went with a small breathing apparatus like what Sean Connery used in THUNDERBALL? The American release of this movie as STAR PILOT - the first film released to theaters to capitalize on the success of STAR WARS - is a bastardization of the original film, with added footage from DOOMSDAY MACHINE with actors Grant Williams, Henry Wilcoxon and Casey Kasem, which includes footage from GORATH. Missing from the U.S. version are the sequences right after the opening credits which shows "Leontine" working on a TV commercial for director Francisci. Leontine wants to be a movie star, and she's excited to be working for the director who made Leonora Ruffo and Steve Reeves stars. This self-referential material shows that this movie wasn't intended to be taken seriously, and the fact that it is missing from the U.S. version distorts the entire attitude of the film. The U.S. version also deletes most of the other humorous bits in which Leontine is involved including a car trip around Rome that seems like a tourist commercial. This pays off with another sequence missing from the U.S. version, when our heroes return to Earth and find all of those tourist spots destroyed by nuclear war.. Plotwise, the film at first seems like a remake of IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, with aliens from Outer Space needing humans to help repair their crashed space ship. It becomes something else after the space ship takes off from Earth, with two spies - who in the U.S. version take the trouble to say that they are Oriental but not Chinese while in the Italian version they say they are Chinese and proudly say that China is forging ahead with science since they now have the Bomb, trying to take command. Leontine immediately gets the hots for alien Kirk Morris, while Earthman Anthony Freeman starts making goo-goo eyes at alien commander Leonora Ruffo - who has the same eye make-up as Leontine and even borrows her feather boa at one point. The aliens come from a planet in the Hydra constellation, where the government arranges who can mate. Eventually, our heroes discover that while their trip didn't seem so long, it was long enough for both planets to be destroyed because of radiation. However, this means that the romantic couples can get together without government interference. The effects work and production design of 2+5 make the Star Trek TV series look like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, though 2+5 shares Star Trek's idea of female costumes being skimpy. All and all, 2+5 is fun, though trying to portray weightlessness by using trampolines instead of wires is a bad idea. Future director Alfio Caltabiano has a nice role as another alien, while Gordon Mitchell appears for one scene as the boss  back on the alien planet. The recent Blu-ray release has a splendid print of this movie with English subtitles. The disc does not have the STAR PILOT version, but a shortened English language version of 2+5. The audio commentary by David Del Valle and his Italian friend is among the most annoying yammer fests I've ever heard.

SHERLOCK HOLMES (2009) - Robert Downey Jr. stars as the title character, reimagined as an action hero. Jude Law plays Dr. Watson with Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler. Mark Strong plots to kill both Houses of Parliment with a poison gas while pretending to have supernatural powers. The ending suggests that Holmes will soon face Professor Moriarity. SHERLOCK HOLMES A GAME OF SHADOWS (2011) - And face Moriarity he does in the sequel. Killing off Rachel McAdams soon after the start of the movie also kills off some of my interest as does the sense that this movie is director Guy Ritchie's audition to take over the James Bond franchise. The writers seem more intent on convincing the viewer how clever they are than in constructing a plausible scenario, which also fits into the sense that this is like a James Bond movie. Jared Harris plays Moriarty, who is intent on starting World War 1 so that he will make a fortune with all of the munition companies he's bought. As soon as we get a long shot of where the climactic peace summit is being held, we know how the story will end - but the film will throw in a few more scenes to tidy up the plot, and suggest that there might be another sequel. If you want to see Stephen Fry walk around naked playing Mycroft Holmes, this is the movie for you.

DOOMSDAY MACHINE (1976) - Reportedly this was originally shot in 1967 under the title ARMAGEDDON 1975 or DOOMSDAY PLUS SEVEN, but was unfinished, probably because of money problems. In the 1970s, the shot footage was purchased and with the 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY idea that if the ending doesn't make sense, viewers will think it is profound, completed for distribution. The basic story has promise, but the production of it is dreadful. An Asian-American spy is able to get past a Red Chinese guard with dog, by throwing a cat over a wall. (Where is the ASPCA?) Sneaking into a secret base, the spy finds a nuclear device that China is about to test which may destroy the world. Coincidentally, the U.S. is about to launch the ASTRA mission to land on Venus. Mission commander Denny Miller is alarmed that his carefully scheduled launch is pushed forward and that three of his all male crew have been replaced by three females. The government says that there is no time to explain, so the space ship is sent off right away. When the Earth blows up, the crew of ASTRA realize that they are last surviving human beings and that they are meant to re-start the (all-White) race on a new planet. However, the deadly radiation from the destruction of Earth might render everyone sterile unless they can reach Venus more quickly. Only by reducing the crew of 7 to 3, can they increase their speed. When Grant Williams attempts to rape Lorri Scott, and she accidentally opens the outdoor air lock, the crew number drops to 5. Miller refuses to lose any more of his crew, but when part of the ship fails to detach as needed, Bobby Van volunteers to go outside and pry it loose. Russian cosmonaut Mala Powers is in love with Van, and so goes with him. They succeed in detaching what needed to be detached, but seem doomed. However, they find a Soviet space craft still in orbit around Venus from a failed previous mission, so they look like they will be saved. It is here that the movie suddenly changes to footage that doesn't match the rest of the movie, with unidentifiable actors. This new stuff is too dark to see clearly and paced so badly that it seems to be there to pad out the film's running time to cross the 80 minute mark. Was the film originally to end with Van and Powers joining Miller, Ruta Lee and Henry Wilcoxon on a livable Venus? Did the more recently accepted knowledge that Venus had an unlivable environment force the new filmmakers to construct a new ending involving an intelligence on Venus refusing to allow Earthlings, obviously a destructive force, to land on their planet? And what are we to make of Van and Powers supposedly being sent on a new adventure "to the end of the Universe"? If anyone saw this in a movie theater, I can't help but wonder if the audience cried out "Huh?" collectively. As badly made as the original film is, it is a fun watch because director of photography Stanley Cortez paints the inside of the space ship with many colored lights. There's also the fun of spotting "America's Top 40" DJ Casey Kasem as a Mission Control Officer back on Earth. Also seen back on Earth is a pre-M.A.S.H. Mike Farrell as a reporter during a press conference. Aside from the expected NASA launch footage, the film sports various effects shots, reportedly stolen from GORATH (which explains the Japanese isignia on a space ship), but they are inserted so willy-nilly into the movie that it is confusing.

Did not enjoy:

MACHISMO: 40 GRAVES FOR 40 GUNS, aka THE REVENGE OF THE WILD BUNCH (1971) - Unable to stop a gang of Gringos who stole a golden cross from a poor Mexican village before they escaped across the border, a federale officer convinces a gang of Mexican bandits to go after the Gringos in exchange for a pardon and a reward. The Mexicans take over the town which serves as a base for the Gringo gang, a couple of them end up having romantic relationships - and R-rated sex - with local women, and all die bloody in a final shootout with the Gringo gang. Like Gary Graver, director Paul Hunt slogged around making low-budget exploitation films but gained a certain respect by being cheap enough for Orson Welles to hire him on a number of projects. With MACHISMO, Hunt tries to emulate director Sam Peckinpah but proves to be as inept with staging action as he is at storytelling. Hunt hired Robert Padilla as his star and they obviously got along as Hunt would reuse him in three more films. In addition to some old-timers like Stanley Adams, Bruce Gordon and Royal Dano, Hunt hired Gregory Sierra, though why Sierra chose to hide behind the name Dirk Peno is a mystery. 

                                                        

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Charles Gilbert Watched:

SANSON Y EL TESORO DE LOS INCAS (1964) Spaghetti Western despite the title does incorporate a bit of bare chested (Alan Steel's) muscle antics in the end. A secreted Inca reserve draws lusty cowboys to hidden caverns where a lost tribe guards. Mario Petri, Pierre Cressoy costar. Dialogue in Spanish. Elisabeth Fanty included in the credits but I couldn't spot her.

NAVAJO JOE (1966)  The siloueted avenger (Burt Reynolds) exacts summary justice on Aldo Sanbrell's (spelled with an 'n' in the opening credits) and his ruthless gang. Pierre Cressoy in this one, too. My first time viewing.

Wagon Train S8E07 'The Alice Whitetree Story" Diane Baker plays a halfbreed falsely accused of murder. Cooper (Robert Fuller) falls for her.  John Hoyt and Ken Lynch the bad guys.

Holmes vs. Tyson  January 22, 1988. Thirty eight year old Larry Holmes loses to young Mike Tyson by KO. Kirk Douglas and Jack Nicholson attending.

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David Deal Enjoyed:

SUDAN (45) - Maria Montez is an Egyptian princess who inherits the kingdom when her father is killed. The evil George Zucco sells her into slavery so he can rule the land. Maria escapes and falls in with Jon Hall, his sidekick Andy Devine, and the handsome leader of a free tribe, Turhan Bey. Eventually things get sorted out. The last technicolor adventure for the team of Montez and Hall, and it is as fun and colorful as one would hope. Montez would make a few more films, and move to Europe where she drowned in her bath at age 39.

IKARIE XB 1 (63)

WAR OF THE PLANETS (65)

THE EXECUTIONER OF VENICE (63)

HERCULES VS THE HYDRA (60)

THE VAMPIRE DOLL (70)

THE CORRUPT ONES (67)

THE RETURN OF RINGO (66)

MURDER CLINIC (66)

GUN CRAZY (49)

THE H-MAN (59)

Mildly Enjoyed

TOO MANY WINNERS (47)

THE FLESH EATERS (62)

THE TALE OF TSAR SALTAN (67) - Literally, the tale of a tsar who marries happy, much to the chagrin of some of the court. When a son is born to the tsar, a plot is set in motion to kill the bride and her son. Another fantastical film from Aleksandr Ptushko, made at the end of his career. This sports the technical advances since his most famous films in the 1950''s but doesn't fascinate like those earlier efforts. Still, this is a pleasure to watch.

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Angel Rivera Enjoyed:

"PLANET OF THE APES" (1968) The original and still the best. It has great acting, great pacing, great dialogue, great music and a message that still resonates, maybe even more today.

"THE WISTFUL WIDOW OF WAGON GAP"(1947) My favorite comedy team, Abbott and Costello in what I consider one of their most funny movies. Abbott and Costello are way out in the old west. They are framed for murder, but because an old Montana law about dueling makes them (or at least Costello) responsible for the deceased's family including the widow; Costello (along with Abbott) is given to the charge of the widow, here played by Marjorie Main, known for her role as Ma Kettle. As the widow, Main starts to henpeck and chase Costello hoping to marry him. When Costello is able to take down a drunk who won't kill Costello and have the widow chasing him. Costello then becomes the fearless sheriff of the town as no one wants to have Main chasing after them. For my taste hilarious goings on.

"CHASING AMY" (1997) An interesting little film about relationships by Kevin Smith. Maybe next to Kevin Smith's "Clerks" (1994) ; this may be his best work. Ben Affleck. plays a comic book artist who meets a female comic book artist played by Joey Lauren Adams who even though she is gay wants to be friends with him. A love affair ensues with some somewhat unexpected results. Very interesting film showcasing different sub-cultures of society and their customs and the prejudice against them and how individuals within the culture deal with these prejudices.

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Bertrand van Wonterghem Highly enjoyed:

The murderer (2022, Wisit Sasanatieng)

Enjoyed:

When eight bells toll (1971, Etienne Périer)

Meitantei Holmes / Sherlock Holmes (anime) (1984) episodes 1 & 2

Operazione paura (1966, Mario Bava)

Mildly enjoyed:

Scary movie 2 (2001, Keenen Ivory Wayans)

Gwok chaan Ling Ling Chat / From Beijing with love (1994, Stephen Chow)

Hidden strike (2022, Scott Waugh)

Quelques jours avec moi (1988, Claude Sautet)

Did not enjoy:

Transformers: rise of the beasts (2022, Steven Caple Jr)

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