February 24 - March 1, 2024

 

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

Brain Teasers:

Which Italian director did Dino De Laurentiis blame for his estrangement with his wife Silvana Mangano?

De Laurentiis blamed director Luchino Visconti for casting her in serious movies and filling her head with artistic aspirations.

In how many films did Steve Reeves fight Nello Pazzafini?

No one has answered this question yet.

How many films did Nello Pazzafini make with Giuliano Gemma?

Tom Betts came up with 16.

Which German actor, born in 1929, made seven Westerns for Italian directors and four Westerns for German directors?

Tom Betts and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Horst Frank.

By what name is Antonio Cantafora better known?

Tom Betts, Angel Rivera and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Michael Coby.

Which actor, born in 1936 Massachusetts, became an Israeli citizen in 2006 and appeared in two Italian Westerns?

Tom Betts knew that it was Paul L. Smith.

And now for some new brain teasers:

In what movie did Antonio Sabato co-star with Lee Van Cleef?

What "black listed" Hollywood actor made Italian Westerns with Lee Van Cleef and Charles Bronson?

Which American screenwriter, who worked for many years in Spain, was known to hire "black listed" writers to work for him without credit?

Name the movies from which these images came.

Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Antonio Sabato in DUE VOLTA GIUDA, aka TWICE A JUDAS

Above is a new photo.

Can you identify from what movie it came?

No one correctly identified the above frame grab.

It shows Kirk Morris in MACISTE ALLA CORTE DELLO ZAR, aka ATLAS AGAINST THE CZAR.

No one identified the above photo yet.

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:

Mildly enjoyed:

THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1964) - Reportedly the genesis of this project began with director Anthony Mann finding a condensed version of the  six-volume series of books by Edward Gibbon called THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. Having just finished making the successful EL CID for producer Samuel Bronston, Mann suggested a film about Ancient Rome. A film about the beginning of the collapse of the Roman Empire was perhaps too complex a subject for a single film, and did not lend itself to a traditional dramatic structure. Bronston, having gained a reputation for spending freely to achieve spectacular results, seemed intent on disguising the dramatic weakness of his film by overwhelming visual splendor. Unfortunately this did not convince enough ticket buyers to offset the cost of the production, and the film became known as The Fall of the Bronston Empire. In many ways, FALL tried to duplicate EL CID particularly with the casting of Sophia Loren, who got star billing. However, while CID ended with a sense of triumph, FALL telegraphed a downbeat ending with the title. With no mention of Christians in the film, even though it was set in the year 180 AD, a message of peace and universal brotherhood was made by James Mason as a Greek philosopher. This was echoed by Finley Currie of QUO VADIS as a senator. Needless to say, this sentiment was dashed when wannabe gladiator Christopher Plummer ascended to the throne. In an attempt to make the proceedings feel emotional, Dimitri Tiomkin delivered an overdone music score that made the few dramatic scenes seem overly melodramatic. Still, with Yakima Cannutt and Andrew Morton on hand, the film featured some amazing battle scenes - though, occasionally, one couldn't tell who was battling whom.

A STAR IS BORN (1954) - Like many people, I had renewed curiosity for the previous versions of A STAR IS BORN after the great success of the new version directed by Bradley Cooper. I avoided the 1976 version when it was in theaters like I avoided every movie starring Barbra Streisand at the time, but I saw the original 1937 version on TV and didn't much care for it. I knew of the cult status of the 1954 version, just as I knew of the cult status of Judy Garland, but I didn't much like THE WIZARD OF OZ and had an aversion for MGM musicals. Some believe that the genesis of this story came from the 1932 movie WHAT PRICE HOLLYWOOD? which was directed by George Cukor. Reportedly Cukor was offered the chance to direct the 1937 "partial remake", but passed. However, in 1954 he couldn't turn down a chance to direct Judy Garland's "come back" movie. This was a story about the Hollywood studio system, featuring a drunken Hollywood insider and his effort to make a star out of an unknown. In 1937 and 

1954, the insider was a star actor. What 1954 did was to turn the film into a musical. Perhaps it was Warner Bros. attempt to compete with the successful MGM musicals at the time. There was even a mention of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS in the dialogue. However, because the Warner Bros. marketing department felt the film was too long at 181 mins, 30 minutes were cut out, which, when it became public knowledge, was thought to have created an audience backlash. It wasn't until 1983 and the potential money to be made on home video that Warner Bros. decided to try and re-create the original running time. While they found the uncut soundtrack, still photographs were substituted to replace missing picture. In any case, Jack Carson, as the studio publicist, turned out to be the villain in this version, being the man who humiliated recently sober star James Mason in public which caused him to relapse. If you, like me, were hoping for the character's comeuppance in the end, then you, like me, would be disappointed. Considering how much of the movie spoofed how Hollywood Studios worked (from a script credited to playwrite Moss Hart) in the early 1950s, it's portrayal of a sympathetic studio head, played by Charles Bickford, who would go with his big star to night court to try and keep her husband out of jail was completely unbelievable. Can you imagine Jack Warner doing that? In any case, the 1954 version's portrayal of the recovering drunk's suicide was incredibly better than the 2018 version, which felt like it was tacked on because they couldn't figure out a better ending. As previously stated, I'm not a fan of 1950s musicals, and interrupting the drama for another musical sequence was irritating for me. However, the film was intended as a vehicle for Judy Garland, who after a series of successful concert appearances was attempting to return to movies. Unfortunately, it did not work out for her. Ironically, as James Mason played the actor on the skids whose career was over, it was Garland as the new talent whose career was on the skids. 

A STAR IS BORN (1976) - Well, this was easier to watch than I expected. First Artists was created to be a new United Artists - a production company controlled by actors who wanted control over their movies. Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier and Barbra Streisand formed the company in 1970 and were joined in 1971 by Steve McQueen. Dustin Hoffman came aboard in 1972. National General Pictures was their original distributor, but when they went bankrupt in 1973, Warner Bros. took over. Of the 17 features made by First Artists, A STAR IS BORN was the most successful at the box office. It would seem that Warner Bros. came up with the idea of doing a remake and the IMDb rattles off a bunch of names of writers, directors and actors who were approached. Having just won an Oscar for the screenplay of DOG DAY AFTERNOON, Frank Pierson seemed a good choice as director and worked with John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion to transform a story about fame in Hollywood into a story about fame in the music 

business. Eventually Barbra Streisand came aboard as the star along with her hairdresser/boyfriend Jon Peters as producer. Rumor had it that four other writers labored on the script. Kris Kristofferson got the lead role as the self-destructive star and said that the experience of working with Streisand "cured" him of wanting to make movies. However, he soon got over that, and even appeared in a Streisand music video in 1984. Director Pierson also reported to have had a bad experience, which he wrote about in an article called "My Battles with Barbra and Jon". Pierson, too, seemed to get over that in order for him to direct the music video for "Woman In Love" with Streisand in 1981. The 2018 version took many plot elements from the 1976 version, but happily added a family for the new star to help flesh out her story. In addition to drink and drugs, Kristofferson was shown as being reckless and having poor impulse control, so that his death in the end was slightly ambiguous. As Kristofferson's tour manager, Gary Busey might qualify as a villain, but the blame was all on Kristofferson. I didn't recognize Sally Kirkland in her role, but Paul Mazursky was convincing as Kristofferson's agent. Rather than honoring the memory of her dead husband, Streisand expressed her anger at  him, and ended the film with a triumphant on-stage performance showing that she will rise above. The love story aspect of the story worked better in the 2018 version to the point that many thought that Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga must have secretly been a couple.

STOP THE WORLD - I WANT TO GET OFF (1996) - In 1961, a musical by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley premiered in Manchester before transferring to London's Queen's Theatre where it ran for 485 performances. Broadway producer David Merrick brought the show to New York's Shubert Theatre in 1962 before transferring it to the Ambassador where it ran for 555 performances. An altered movie version was made for Warner Bros.in 1966, which flopped. In 1996, A&E cable TV network's "Clarol on Broadway" aired a faithful version of the play credited as "A Muskegon Lake Television Inc. Production Taped at the Cherry County Playhouse In Association with Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution copyright Bristol-Myers Squibb Company". Peter Scolari took on the role of Littlechap without the mime make-up which Anthony Newley wore. Known mostly for his work on TV, Scolari showed a wider range of talents in this production than could be imagined in what he usually was given. All of the important female roles in the show was played by one woman. Originally it was Anna Quayle, who is perhaps best remembered for her short scene with John Lennon in A HARD DAY'S NIGHT. Here it was Stephanie Zimbalist, best known for her role on TV's Remington Steele. Dressed in a blue velor jumpsuit, Zimbalist, as with Scolari, exhibits a wider range of talents than what was usually asked of her. And she looked incredibly sexy either playing the wife, the Russian official, the German domestic or the American singer. I have loved the title of this show for most of my life, but what I imagined the work to be was not what it was. The life story of a working class lad, who seemed to easily bed every woman he met, until he met an upper class woman, for which he had to work at it. The story of a working class guy marrying the boss' daughter was very popular in the early 1960s as evident in films like SATURDAY NIGHT, SUNDAY MORNING and ROOM AT THE TOP, only in this story he doesn't have to destroy his lower class mistress - as in A PLACE IN THE SUN - to achieve his goal. Littlechap was such a creep that it proved impossible for me to like him. After his wife gives birth to two daughters, Littlechap complained that he wanted a son. This seemed to be his excuse for being unfaithful and inattentive to his wife. Rising up in business, Littlechap was offered a chance to become a politician and eventually a Lord. It wasn't until his old age that he realized how terrific his wife was, just before she died. As he wrote his memoir, his youngest daughter gave birth to a son, and when the specter of death called for the boy, Littlechap sacrificed himself to save the chap. The play ended with the suggestion that Littlechap would be reincarnated into the circus ring of life. Filled with the obvious life lessons which seemed deep in the early 1960s, STOP THE WORLD was blessed with three hit songs: "Once In A Lifetime", "Gonna Build A Mountain" and "What Kind of Fool Am I?" which ensured a lasting legacy. By the way, as many times as Littlechip shouted "Stop the World" inorder to speak a soliloquy, he never said "Stop the World I Want To Get Off". Mostly known for directing live events on TV, David Stern did a credible job capturing this production on camera. 

 

Did not enjoy:

 BLOODLINE (2018) - Seeing the Blumhouse Productions logo at the beginning of a movie has, so far, meant that I was going to have a bummer viewing experience. A nurse walks down a deserted hospital corridor to the locker room. After stripping naked, she takes a shower. Suddenly, an unseen assailant stabs her in the side of her neck, pulling the blade forward to rip out her throat. In quick cuts, we see hands being washed and a body dumped into a make shift grave. Sean William Scott then quietly enters a dark bedroom with Mariela Garriga silently sleeping in the bed. Is she going to be another victim? No. When an offscreen baby starts to cry, Scott tells Garriga that he'll take care of it, gets out of bed, picks up the baby and assures it that everything is okay 'cause daddy's here. The words "Three Months Earlier" flashes on the screen and we see that Scott works as an high school guidance counselor dealing with troubled teens. Garriga is his wife, and Scott's mother, Dale Dickey, comes over to help her during the late stages of her pregnancy. In flashbacks, we learn that Scott was beaten by his father. So, when he hears a teen talking about abuse from a father, Scott takes it upon himself to murder the man and bury the body. Viewers of serial killer movies know that burying a number of bodies in the same place is a bad idea, and eventually a dog walker stumbles upon the graves. But, before that, we learn in flashback that one night in the past, as his father was beating on a younger version of Dickey, a younger version of Scott killed him. He and his mother buried the body. The film eventually catches up with the beginning scene, but it turns out that Dickey killed the nurse - because she had such a bad attitude while dealing with the mother of her grandson. At the same time, Scott was dealing with another bad father. After the bodies have been found, Detective Kevin Carroll comes to interview Scott because all of the dead people were the fathers of Scott's patients. One patient, Raymond Cahm Jr., confronts Scott with a gun demanding to know if Scott killed his father. Garriga witnesses this, and later makes an appointment to meet with Cahm. where the bodies were buried. Garriga uses Cahm's own gun to kill him, stages it to look like suicide and types a suicide note on Cahm's cellphone claiming to be the murderer. The film ends with the family of murderers looking down lovingly on the baby they are raising. Since director Henry Jacobson takes a possessory credit here, let's put all of the blame for the movie on him. Fans of splatter gore may enjoy the kills, but with no sympathetic characters in jeopardy, no suspense is created.

INTIMATE OBSESSION (1992) - Boots Rakely gets the blame for the story while Phoebe Caulfield takes the blame for the screenplay for this "erotic thriller". Jodie Fisher seems to be bored with her husband Richard Abbott, so Kristi Ducati suggests that she have an affair. After spying on James Quarter (aka James Ouattrochi) having sex with a busty woman, Fisher sees him again working as a bartender at a party. Eventually, Fisher and Quarter have sex, but when a videotape of the action turns up, Fisher discovers that her husband, Abbott, hired Quarter to get the evidence he need to divorce Fisher. It turns out that Abbott is having an affair with Ducati, which is also caught on video. After Fisher tells Quarter that Abbott beat her up, Quarter kills Abbott. While Fisher seems to be preparing to leave the country with Quarter, the police find the videotape of Abbott and Ducati in Quarter's apartment, which seems to be enough evidence to arrest Quarter. In the end, Fisher meets Ducati on a tropical beach where they toast 

with champagne the successful conclusion to their nefarious plan. This is the second "erotic thriller" directed by Lawrence Lanoff using the name Lawrence Ungar. After six more similar projects, Lanoff began churning out videos under the Playboy brand. As you may have guessed, I found this movie neither erotic or thrilling or particularly watchable. 

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD (1995) - I've enjoyed silly Westerns and I've enjoyed over stylized Westerns, and I've enjoyed other movies directed by Sam Raimi, but this film didn't work for me at all. Obviously bringing in elements from Italian Westerns, THE QUICK AND THE DEAD completely fails to recreate the atmosphere and the fun of the kinds of movies the Italians made in reaction to the Westerns with which they grew up - or their attempts to duplicate whatever box office success was current. Sharon Stone obviously wanted to make this movie, but her scowling through all of it didn't make her look tough. It just made her look annoyed. Her character is kind of a variation on what Charles Bronson did in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, but completely lacks his "cool" confidence. Her appearance for the finale, trumpted by a series of explosions may have been inspired by A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, but looks more like COMIN' AT YA! Though seeing daylight through a man with bullet holes is more mindful of the American Western THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN. Alan Silvestri did an okay job of composing music that sounded reminiscent of Ennio Morricone, but wasn't something memorable. I saw this close to when it first came out, and it was the first time I laid eyes on Russell Crowe and Leonard DiCaprio and I had a hard time understanding why critics mentioned them so often in their reviews. I later learned it was because of the work they had done in earlier and better films. Bruce Campbell is listed in the credits, but all of his scenes were cut out. Reportedly writer Joss Whedon was brought on to fix the ending of the film, which he did in an afternoon. I didn't notice it being any different from the rest of the movie.

 

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David Deal enjoyed:

2 FACES OF TERROR (72) - From 2016: "Murder and intrigue amongst the doctor set.  I like the milieu and cast.  Euro-ambience when you need it."

HOUSE OF WAX (53)

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (75) - Ages since I'd seen this. It's very, very good.

THE BIG SLEEP (46)

DR. MABUSE VS SCOTLAND YARD (63)

Mildly Enjoyed

THE HUMAN JUNGLE (54) - Police captain Gary Merrill intends to quit the force as he's just passed the bar exam. His boss talks him into delaying his resignation and taking over the toughest precinct in the city for a couple of months, which he does. Hardliner Merrill begins stewing the organized crime pot, riling the locals. When a dance hall girl is killed, Merrill tries to pressure fellow dancer Jan Sterling into revealing the killer. She's the alibi for psycho Chuck Connors who did the dirty deed. This film noir puts the hard in hardboiled, with the grimmest attitude I've seen in a while. And while the ending provides unlikely hope for redemption, it just doesn't ring true. It's fun, however, to see some young actors who had yet to fully bloom, like Connors, Joe Turkel, and Claude Akins.

AGENTE X 1-7 OPERAZIONE OCEANO (65) - Spy guy Lang Jeffries is assigned to guard a professor who has a new invention (doesn't matter) while he's visiting his daughter in Switzerland. No sooner does Lang arrive when he's drugged and the professor is kidnapped by the bad guys. This is the slender thread upon which hangs a mediocre Eurospy movie. Lang Jeffries is a capable hero, generally, but here he's not asked to do much, as opposed to the audience who is expected to get into the shabby goings on. If you do decide to take a chance on this, enjoy the tunes and stay until the non-ending. It's a proverbial hoot.

I'M A STRANGER (52) - A young man treks a long way on foot until reaching a London residence where he is expected. At the same time, Greta Gynt (playing herself) has a broken car and a man stops to help her. On their way to a repair shop they discover a hurt girl in the back of his truck and take her, as she requests, to a a doctor's house. These two strands meet up and a complicated mystery is hitherto resolved in this British thriller. It's ok entertainment but its short running time makes reliance on coincidence a foundational element.

FROSTY (65) - A Russian fairy tale from director Aleksandr Rou. Rou and company suffered from comparison with fellow director Aleksandr Ptushko (Sampo et al). Rou had smaller budgets, less ingenuity, and a cast lacking in talent. The result is a watchable, well-intentioned mediocrity.

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Bertrand van Wonterghem Highly enjoyed:

Kiba Ôkaminosuke / Samurai wolf (1966, Hideo Gosha)

Kiba Ôkaminosuke: jogoku giri / Samurai wolf 2 (1967, Hideo Gosha)

Enjoyed:

Sarinjaui syopingmol / A shop for killers – season 1 (2023) – episode 8

The perfect furlough (1959, Blake Edwards)

The avengers - episodes “Room with a view” (1965, Roy Ward Baker) / “Small game for big hunters” (1965, Gerry O'Hara)

Mildly enjoyed:

Invasion of the saucer men (1957, Edward L. Cahn)

The fall of the house of Usher – season 1 (2023) – episode 2

The champions – episode “A case of lemmings” (1967, Paul Dickson)

Hitori kakurenbo gekijo-ban / Hide and go kill 2 (2009, Yamada Masafumi)

The Hitler gang (1944, John Farrow)

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Angel Rivera Enjoyed:

YOUNG SHELDON" and "SON OF CRITCH"
Two sitcoms worth watching, at least in my opinion.

Mildly enjoy:

"BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE" (2024)
While the story of Bob Marley may be an interesting one; the best thing about this movie is the music. Now I am not a big Reggae fan, but I did enjoy the records this movie played. One I wasn't aware was done by the Wailers. ("Get Up, Stand Up!";. I thought that one was by the rock band, WAR.)
and of course, "One Love"!

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February 17 - 23, 2024

 

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

Brain Teasers:

Which Italian director did Dino De Laurentiis blame for his estrangement with his wife Silvana Mangano?

No one has answered this question yet.

During the making of what film was Steve Reeves informed that he had an ulcer?

Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes knew that it was VIVO PER LA TUA MORTE, aka A LONG RIDE FROM HELL, the only film for which Reeves worked as a producer.

In how many films did Steve Reeves fight Nello Pazzafini?

No one has answered this question yet.

How many films did Nello Pazzafini make with Giuliano Gemma?

No one has answered this question yet.

And now for some new brain teasers:

Which German actor, born in 1929, made seven Westerns for Italian directors and four Westerns for German directors?

By what name is Antonio Cantafora better known?

Which actor, born in 1936 Massachusetts, became an Israeli citizen in 2006 and appeared in two Italian Westerns?

Name the movies from which these images came.

George Grimes. Rick Garibaldi, Angel Rivera and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Nello Pazzafini and Steve Reeves in VIVO PER LA TUA MORTE, aka A LONG RIDE FROM HELL.

Above is a new photo.

Can you identify from what movie it came?

No one correctly identified the above frame grab.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes identified last week's photo of Rosanna Schiaffino in DAS GEHEIMNIS DER DREI DSCHUNKEN, aka RED DRAGON, aka CODE NAME ALPHA.

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:

Highly enjoyed:

PRINCESS CARABOO (1994) - As a writer, Michael Austin was known for penning THE SHOUT - co-written with director Jerzy Skolimowski from a story by Robert Graves, FIVE DAYS ONE SUMMER - from the short story "Maiden, Maiden" by Kay Boyle, and GREYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, LORD OF THE APES - from a screenplay originally written by Robert Towne based on the novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs. With KILLING DAD OR  HOW TO LOVE YOUR MOTHER, Austin wrote the screenplay based on the novel by Ann Quin and ended up getting his first credit as a director. PRINCESS CARABOO was his second, and last, effort as a director and getting co-writing credit with noted satirist and actor John Wells. What Austin did after this movie is unknown. At a time when vagrancy and begging were often punished by hanging in England, a young woman is found in the countryside, dressed in strange garb and speaking a strange language. The wife of banker Jim Broadbent, Wendy Hughes, thinks the mystery woman may be a foreigner in need of help and so takes her into her household. Speculation about the woman leads to examination by Professor John Lithgow, Reverend John Wells (the writer also working as an actor), and Magistrate Roger Lloyd Pack. Eventually, they come to believe that she, Phoebe Cates, is a Princess from an undiscovered South Pacific island. Meanwhile, journalist Stephen Rea investigates Cates' real background. Following the basic true story, the filmmakers have fashioned a charming and moving romance that may not be historically accurate, but is compelling and convincing with easily the best showcase of Cates as an actress. After this film, she retired from acting to raise her two children with husband Kevin Kline, who is very enjoyable in CARABOO as a suspicious butler in Broadbent's household. Cates would appear on screen again with her husband in 2001's THE ANNIVERSARY PARTY. It is hard to imagine now that in 1994 Jim Broadbent got star billing over Cates, but the evidence is on the screen, though the real leading man is Rea. Also in the film is THE REPTILE's Jacqueline Pearce and the future wife of Rupert Murdoch - Jerry Hall. The lovely photography is the work of cinematographer Freddie Francis.

Mildly enjoyed:

UN HOMME ET UNE FEMME: VINGT ANS DEJA, aka A MAN AND A WOMAN TWENTY YEARS LATER (1986) - French film director Claude LeLouch had the biggest hit of his career in 1966 with UN HOMME ET UNE FEMME. Was it an attempt to recapture past glory or perhaps an attempt to answer the critics who dismissed him as a shallow entertainer that LeLouch decided to make this rather complicated sequel? Along with writers Pierre Uytterhoeven, Monique Lange and Jerome Tonnerre, Lelouch imagines new lives for Anouk Aimee and Jean-Louis Trintignant and decides to answer the question of whether the couple stayed together at the end of the first film. They didn't. Trintignant has retired from racing, but still works helping to coordinate races. Aimee has become a movie producer whose newest movie is a flop. Feeling nostalgic after the break-up of her relationship with a TV news man, Aimee reaches out to see Trintignant again. Meanwhile, Trintignant meets the younger sister of his son's new bride who wants to go with Trintignant on his trip to the desert. Without telling his new girlfriend, Trintignant goes to meet Aimee and she asks permission to make a movie musical based on their relationship - which we saw in A MAN AND A WOMAN and we see bits again in flashbacks. At first, Trintignant says no, but enjoying seeing Aimee again, he finally agrees. Meanwhile, psychiatrist Philippe Leroy tells the public that his serial killer patient who had escaped from the hospital isn't dangerous. The patient is later found dead in the psychiatrist's apartment along with the psychiatrist's murdered wife. It soon becomes news that the patient's wife and daughter have also been murdered. After the production of Aimee's movie musical is finished, Trintignant leaves for his desert journey. Aimee's news man ex calls her saying that he has new information on Leroy's murder case. When it looks like her movie musical is certain to be another box office flop, she decides to switch gears and make a thriller with Robert Hossein playing Leroy. Meanwhile, in the desert, Trintignant informs his young girlfriend that he wants to break up with her, so she hatches a plan stranding them in the desert with a disabled vehicle, a busted radio and no water - wanting them both to die. Will Trintignant be rescued? What is the new information about the Leroy murder case? How much did Lelouch have to pay to have DIAL "M" FOR MURDER playing on the TV set? Also in the cast are Richard Berry and Tanya Lopert playing themselves, as well as the director's daughters Salome and Sarah Lelouch. Jean-Claude Brialy, Michele Morgan and Gerard Oury can be seen briefly in shots of the audience watching Aimee's flop movie. Francis Lai reuses him music from A MAN AND A WOMAN with new arrangements. Lelouch and his editor Hugues Darmois have a lot of infectious fun cutting back and forth from the various storylines, and showing the behind the scenes work on the various movies being made within the movie.

 

Did not enjoy:

 BAD GIRLS (1994) - Recently on her TV show, Drew Barrymore had an heart felt reunion with the co-stars of this movie - Madeleine Stowe, Mary Stuart Masterson, Andie MacDowell and Dermot Mulroney. I am happy that they all had such great memories of having worked together about thirty years ago, but boy the movie is awful. I probably would have enjoyed the reunion more if they had invited Neil Summers to join them. In any case, the screenplay blamed on producer Albert S. Ruddy, Charles Finch, Gray Frederickson, Ken Friedman and Yolanda Finch (aka Yolande Turner), only gives the talented cast the dullest of cliches to work with, though, at the time, some thought that having four female Western heroes was novel. Did anyone else notice that our heroines' attempt to trade a gatling gun for an hostage was right out of THE WILD BUNCH? Not surprisingly, for all of director Jonathan Kaplan's use of slow motion, the finale had none of the fury or excitement that director Sam Peckinpah brought to his movie.

DEADLY SINS (1995) - In most movies, the inhabitants of women's prisons and Catholic convent schools are all young and beautiful, and so it is in this made in Canada "erotic" thriller. While co-star Alyssa Milano had already proven that she was no longer a child actress with EMBRACE OF THE VAMPIRE and so didn't do nudity in DEADLY SINS, it fell on the beautiful Corrie Clark to prove that she was no longer a child actress for this film. Deputy David Keith arrives on a remote island near Seattle to find that there have been a series of mysterious disappearances at the local convent school. One young woman is suspected of hanging herself with the rope for the church's bell. Milano is the school's secretary and she's eager to help Keith in his investigation. Luckily, she reveals that she's not a nun but a private investigator before going to bed with Keith. John Langley and Malcolm Barbour get the blame for the script, while Michael Robison gets the blame for the directing. Composer Barron Abramovitch seems to have been inspired by Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar winning score for THE OMEN.

DISCLOSURE (1994) - Michael Crichton's novel was adapted to the screen by Paul Attanasia for producers Barry Levinson and Michael Crichton and turns the issue of sexual harassment into a thriller about office politics. Selling the film as "erotic" sold tickets and the film was a box office success while the reversal of having a man suing his female boss for harassment generated a lot of public discussion. Directed by Barry Levinson ensured that the film was slick and professional with ILM providing CGI to simulate virtual reality programming. The film was a little fuzzy whether Demi Moore's sexual play for Michael Douglas was a mistake on her part, or was it part of Donald Sutherland's scheme to get rid of Douglas? Why did the bosses decide to screw up the standards at the manufacturing plant in the first place? Coming after FATAL ATTRACTION and BASIC INSTINCT, it seemed that Douglas was going after parts in which he was a man being victimized by a woman. Thankfully, he soon made THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT. Demi Moore, Caroline Goodall, Roma Maffia, Jacqueline Kim and Rosemary Forsyth all looked great. The effective music was by Ennio Morricone.

GEORGE BALANCHINE'S THE NUTCRACKER (1993) - Inspired by E.T.A.Hoffmann's 1816 short story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikosvky and choreographer Marius Petipa premiered the 2 act classical ballet The Nutcracker in 1892. Choreographer George Balanchine premiered his version with the New York City Ballet in 1954, and that version has been performed every year since during the Christmas Season. In 1989, Time Warner Entertainment Chairman Steve Ross and Elektra Records executive Bob Krasnow approached Peter Martins, the Master-in-Chief of the New York City Ballet, with the idea of doing a film version. The George Balanchine Trust hired Emile Ardolino to direct the film, with a narration written by Susan Cooper and read by Kevin Kline. In order to give the film a star, the choice was made to hire Macaulay Culkin, who had performed in a small role for the School of American Ballet. Culkin's participation led to problems with Culkin's father and manager, Kit Culkin, who tried to gain control over the production by threatening to pull his son out if his demands weren't met. Reportedly, his demands were ignored and the film was released. Unfortunately, the film was a box office failure and Macaulay Culkin's performance was widely criticized. In a large cast of professional ballet dancers, many of whom were children, Culkin sticks out like a sore and stiff thumb. As Drosselmeier's Nephew, who becomes The Nutcracker and then a boy, Culkin is pretty, but very awkward, especially when he's supposed to generate some romantic chemistry with the lovely and graceful Jessica Lynn Cohen. I'm not very knowledgable about ballet, but I love Tschaikosvky's Nutcracker Suite, so I figure that seeing professional dancers turn it into live movement should be fun. But the way Ardolino captures it on film is akin to a PBS TV broadcast, with the camera safely on the outside of the proscenium. Perhaps I've been spoiled growing up with movies directed by Bob Fosse, but when the music gets dramatic, I longed to see the camerawork get dramatic, too. Instead, I frequently dozed off. With my eyes closed, I could still enjoy the music.

KILLING ZOE (1993) - I'm happy to report that the title of this film is a bit of a fake-out. As Zoe, played by Julie Delpy, is the only sympathetic character here, the only suspense generated in this movie is caused by the threat that she won't make it out alive. After co-writing RESERVOIR DOGS with Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary got the chance to debut as a director with this low budget heist film, that doesn't reveal it's a heist film until it is half way over. Eric Stoltz gets into a taxi driven by French speaking Martin Raymond. The dialogue informs us that we are in Paris and that Stoltz says he's here on business. Raymond gives Stoltz a phone number for a prostitute who is a "nice girl". The "nice girl" shows up at Stoltz's hotel room and it is Delpy. After a pleasant session in bed - while the silent film NOSFERATU plays on the TV, Stoltz and Delpy are interrupted by the arrival of Jean-Hughes Anglade, who throws Delpy out of the room and drags Stoltz to the place where the gang has gathered. Now we are informed that Stoltz is a safe cracker requested by Anglade to come to Paris for a bank job. The job is to take place tomorrow, and Stoltz wants to prepare, but Anglade insists that he join the guys in doing a lot of drugs and hanging out at a dixieland jazz bar. When Stoltz comes to in the morning, Anglade drags him into a van to do the job. Not surprising, as everyone is a fucked-up sometime terrorist, the job goes badly and make-up artists Tom and Toni Savini are given plenty of opportunities to show off their skills. The shock comes when it turns out that Delpy works at the bank and is among the hostages being threatened with death by Anglade. Similarly to how Tarantino writes, Avary fills his film with dialogue that seems pointless. However, here, it doesn't illuminate anything. It just gives the film a listless tone. In the gang's hideout hangs a poster for LA REINA DES VIKINGS, but we don't get a clear enough look at it for me to tell if it is for the British THE VIKING QUEEN or for some Italian film. Later on, someone comments about one guy loving movies about Vikings, but the conversation goes no where because everyone is getting high. Gregory Peck's daughter, Cecilia Peck, has a small role as a woman in the club telling Stoltz that she likes to be treated like a dog. She is best known for producing documentaries like Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult and Brave Miss World. Reportedly one of the guys killed in the bank scene is played by Ron Jeremy. Reportedly, Avary said that he wanted to make a film about how nihilistic he felt his generation was. Surprisingly, it isn't all that different from the nihilism found in other generations.

POISON IVY II: LILY (1996) - The only thing that the first and second POISON IVY movies had in common was that it starred a former child actress looking to show that she was all grown up and sexy. While Drew Barrymore had a double her for the nude shots (though not Jaime Pressly as was rumored), it seemed that Alyssa Milano did her own nudity, though only briefly and director Anne Goursaud chose to capture it shooting through various elements with dim lighting. The previous year, Milano made EMBRACE OF THE VAMPIRE in which her nudity was captured in brightly lit situations. In LILY, there was a scene in which Art Professor Xander Berkeley posed a semi-nude Milano for a painting he was doing that echos a scene in VAMPIRE in which a lesbian photographer posed Milano while undressing her. If you wonder which film influenced the other, that fact that both were directed by Goursaud would seem to answer the question. LILLY began with Berkeley finishing having sex with a topless woman, and then telling her that their relationship wasn't working and that it was over. This woman didn't reappear in the film, but I guess when Berkeley's wife, Belinda Bauer, said that she didn't want to lose him again, perhaps it was a reference to this affair. In any case, the main story was about Milano as a new art student moving into off-campus housing with a number of suspicious tenants. She soon began a relationship with sculptor Johnathon Schaech, while the creepy Asian chello player seemed to keep watch. Milano found a box in her closet which belonged to the previous tenant, Ivy. In the box were a number of nude self portraits along with a diary in which she wrote about her desire to find freedom in her sensuality. Inspired by the diary, Milano began to loosen up, and even allowed her Art teacher Berkeley to become inspired to paint her nude. It would seem that what happened to Ivy would be a mystery to be solved, but the movie didn't address that. Instead, the suspense was regarding who would turn out to be a danger to our heroine, especially after she took the job of babysitting Berkely's daughter, Camilla Belle. Not too surprising, it turned out to be Berkeley. Chloe King got the blame for the screenplay which didn't quite deliver the thrills for this "erotic thriller". 

RAGE AND HONOR II HOSTILE TAKEOVER (1993) - Having met while working on director Sammo Hung's MILLIONAIRES EXPRESS. Richard Norton and Cynthia Rothrock turned to producing on RAGE AND HONOR and HONOR AND GLORY. For IRS Media, North and Rothrock joined together for a sequel to RAGE AND HONOR, in which they play the same characters from the previous film. Now Rothrock is working for the U.S. Government, and she is sent to Jakarta to work at a bank in order to find evidence that bank president John J. Soucy is laundering money for criminal Frans Tumbuan. Meanwhile, Norton works as a bartender for Alex Tumundo, so Norton is there to protect his boss when Tumbuan's henchman Ron Vreeken tries to force Tumundo to pay for protection. Soucy's son, Patrick Muldoon (4 years before he did STARSHIP TROOPERS), sees Norton's prowess and asks to become his student. At the bank, Muldoon asks Rothrock to join him at a party his father is hosting, where he thinks he's introducing Rothrock to Norton. Commenting that people using phony names are either criminals, or someone trying to catch criminals, Norton figures out that Rothrock is up to something. Soon follows more punchng, kicking, shooting and car chases that a low budget film made entirely in Indonesia can afford. Unfortunately, all of the action is as unimpressive as the screenplay blamed on Louis Sun and Steven Reich. This is the directorial debut for stunt coordinator Guy Norris, who amassed 6 more directing credits while still working on stunts for such films as BULLETPROOF MONK and MAD MAX FURY ROAD.

THE OTHER WOMAN (1992) - One might expect that an "erotic thriller" produced by Gregory Hippolyte, aka hardcore porn director Gregory Dark, would generate some sensual heat, but not as directed by Jag Mundhra, who previously delivered NIGHT EYES with Andrew Stevens and Tanya Roberts. I guess it might work for some people, but Lee Ann Bearman taking a shower while crying, or laying naked on the floor with (introducing) Jenna Persaud, aka Juliet Reagh did nothing for me. The screenplay blamed on Georges des Esseintes did even less. Bearman is an ambitious newspaper reporter who is so interested in the story of how Sam Jones' wife died that she turns down an offer to have sex with husband Adrian Zmed in order to get back on the job. Zmed goes out of town, but when his laundry is delivered to their house, Bearman finds photographs of Reagh in his coat pocket. She stakes out "the other woman" and discovers that she does nude modeling. Pretending to do a story of women working in the sex industry, Bearman befriends Reagh. Of course she finds herself attracted to Reagh's promiscuity and ends up having sex with her. Naturally, an hidden camera captures their liason, which discredits Bearman with her boss. It turns out that the whole "other woman" scheme was a ruse by Jones to stop Bearman's investigation and set her up for a phony "suicide". Luckily, Reagh figures out that she's been used and shows up with a male stripper dressed as a cop to save our heroine. In the end, Bearman has learned her lesson, and while getting it on with her returned husband, she doesn't answer the phone call from work. I supposer the fact that the photography is in focus is a plus.

ZORRO THE GAY BLADE (1981) - When I was a kid I loved slapstick movies directed by Blake Edwards. As I grew older, I began to loath them. The makers of ZORRO THE GAY BLADE may have hired Peter Medak, best known for the cult film THE RULING CLASS, as director, but the film's style is very much Edwards' - with George Hamilton mangling the English language with a Spanish accent just like Peter Sellers did with a French accent in the Pink Panther movies. It is 50 A.Z. That is 50 years after Zorro. George Hamilton lives in Spain acting more like Don Juan rather than Don Diego when he gets a letter from his father ordering him back to Los Angeles, California. When he arrives, he is told that his father is dead and that his childhood friend, Rob Leibman, is now the Captain of the Guard and the man soon to be elected to be the new Alcalde. Hamilton also receives a coffin in which he finds his father's legacy - the costume of Zorro. Putting on the costume to attend Leibman's ball, Hamilton takes back the money taken by tax collector James Booth on his way to the party. Soon, Hamilton is swashbuckling against Leibman's soldiers but hurts his ankle while making a getaway. Leibman orders a "reign of terror" which Hamilton can not answer as he heals. Luckily, Hamilton's twin brother, George Hamilton, arrives having just gotten his father's letter. Having been brought up in England, the second Hamilton is "a sissy boy", who agrees to act as Zorro but not in that drab black costume. The new Zorro also favors a whip rather than a sword in combat with which he can still leave "Zs' all about. Meanwhile, well-meaning Lauren Hutton cheers on our hero in his cause to help the "peepble". Eventually, Leibman orders Hutton to be executed by firing squad, causing his wife, Brenda Vaccaro, to be-little him as a "lady killer". Of course, Hamilton shows up and offers his life in exchange for Hutton's. Also, of course, everyone is saved by the arrival of the 2nd Hamilton which causes both the land owners and the soldiers to turn against Leibman - who still continues to shout orders in defeat. The film starts with a dedication to Rouben Mamoulian, who directed by 1940 flick THE MARK OF ZORRO. And while Ian Fraser is credited as the music composer, there is also the credit "music adapted from ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN (1948) by Max Steiner and DANZES FANTASTICA by Joaquin Turina". I did not recognize Clive Revill in this film, nor did I recognize Carolyn Seymour, who was married to the director at the time. As with Hamilton's previous film, LOVE AT FIRST BITE (1979), this is a Melvin Simon Production. 

 

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David Deal enjoyed:

DEATH TRIP (67) - See The Eurospy Guide for a complete review of this Kommissar X entry.

WOMAN IN HIDING (50) - On the day Ida Lupino marries Stephen McNally, she discovers he's really after her money. When she bolts, she realizes he's cut the brakes and she crashes over a bridge into the drink. She escapes but must go on the run, where she meets easygoing Howard Duff. Fun lady-in-peril flick with outstanding photography.

RUSTY KNIFE (58) - Yujiro Ishihara (I Am Waiting) just wants a normal life after doing five years in the slammer for stabbing the guy he thought raped his girlfriend. The cops know that Yujiro and his friend Akira Kobayashi (Black Tight Killers) witnessed a murder but the two are reluctant to squeal on the mob bosses who committed the crime. These two plot lines merge in this seminal Nikkatsu noir that would catapult the two stars and director Toshio Masuda to stardom. Well worth a watch.

CONVOY BUSTERS (78)

THE WHITE SPIDER (63)

Mildly Enjoyed

THE GREAT VAN ROBBERY (58) - Our man from Scotland Yard, Denis Shaw, is on the trail of stolen money. The case takes him to stock footage of Rio, of Rome, and of Paris before returning to London to solve the case in his own backyard. This small Brit B feature moves fast; it only has an hour to tell the globetrotting tale, so efficiency is key. Character actor Shaw makes for a no-nonsense, brawling detective. Not unentertaining.

THE HIDDEN EYE (45) - Blind ex-cop-turned-private eye Edward Arnold uses his wits and his dog Friday to unravel mysterious killings within a family. Fast moving mystery that gives up the mystery part about halfway thru, and becomes a cat and mouse game between Arnold and the killer. No lost classic but not bad.

HERO OF BABYLON (63) - Gordon Scott is the true heir to the throne of Babylon, but first he must defeat the sadistic despot Piero Lulli and his treacherous woman Moira Orfei. Looks good, plenty of action, but this peplum has more than its fair share of violence toward women.

VIVARIUM (19) - Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg, looking for a house to buy, find themselves trapped in a mind-numbing suburban environment that stretches ominously as far as the eye can see, an unchanging landscape. Attempts to leave are fruitless, when suddenly, the two are given a chance to be released. A lot can be read into director Lorcan Finnegan's work here (he co-wrote). obviously. There are fears and frustrations aplenty to deal with, and very little in the way of redemption. Still, I didn't not like it.

EMANUELLE IN BANGKOK (76)

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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:

Sarinjaui syopingmol / A shop for killers – season 1 (2023) – episodes 1 to 7

Gui ma zhi duo xing / All the wrong clues for the right solution (1981 Hark Tsui)

Mildly enjoyed:

Colpo maestro al servizio di sua maesta britannica (1967, Michele Lupo)

Flash Gordon's trip to Mars (serials – 15 episodes) (1938, Ford L. Beebe & Robert F. Hill)

The fall of the house of Usher – season 1 (2023) – episode 1

Did not enjoy:

Night of fear (1973, Terry Bourke)

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Angel Rivera Enjoyed:

'THE BORN LOSERS" (1967) - Forget Spaghetti Westerns. These are the films I grew up watching in theaters. I saw this film when it was first released and while I vaguely recall the Billy Jack character, I do remember more the "chicks." Especially the one who did the striptease. (Of course I was only 11 or 12 when I first saw the film, so a semi-naked female would be of interest.) The story is simple. Billy Jack rescues and defends a coed who is a rape victim from the nasty rapist motorcycle gang which attacked her. Almost a western on wheels. Of course Billy Jack gets an even bigger workout in the eponymous named sequel. Still find it entertaining even after all these years.

Mildly enjoy:

"THE HOLDOVERS" (2024) - Paul Giamatti is a curmudgeonly teacher of an upper class boarding school who has to take care of a student left behind for Christmas break at the school. Recreates the the late sixties, early seventies very well. The relationship of teacher to student evolves during the break. There is also the story of the African American cafeteria manager, who she has just lost her son to the Vietnam War. He had graduated from the school that he was able to attend thru scholarship. But he joined the army in order to return to school on the GI Bill. She had obtained the job at the school so she could be close to him in the hopes of watching him become successful. The film is true to its time period.

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Charles Gilbert watched: 

MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD (1957) B&W. A year before the inception of The Rifleman, the Levy Gardner Laven team presented this sci fi flick starring Tim Holt, Hans Conried, and Audry Dalton. Several regulars from the show: Harlan Warde, Ralph Moody, and  Charles Tannen. Laven's wife Amanda Ames (her birth name was Wallace Earl) plays the switch board operator.

SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (1977) Jackie Gleason grabbed the spotlight as Sheriff Buford T. Justice chasing the Bandit (Burt Reynolds) from Texarkana to Atlanta. Along the way, while running decoy in his TransAm for a truckload of Coors beer, driven by Jerry Reed, the southern egomaniac picks up a reluctant bride-to-be (Sally Fields) for the rural adventure. Garnering second place behind STAR WARS in 1977 for box office draw, the film was alledgedly a favorite of Alfred Hitchcock.

SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT II (1980) Many of Gleason's humorous contributions have now become cliched. The Kenworth W900 truck has been traded in for a GMC General, this time hauling a pregnant elephant from Florida to Texas to be presented as a mascot for a Republican rally.

SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT III (1983) Reynolds, Fields, and the truck are absent. Now it's just Gleason and Mike Henry chasing Jerry Reed and Colleen Camp in a newer Trans Am hauling a model shark. Pat McCormick and Paul Williams are given more to do in the plot.

ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE (1967) Roger Corman produced and directed this rendition of the 1929 gangland killing in Chicago. A couple of his stock players (Dick Miller and Barboura Morris) have bit parts alongside many actors that appeared on Desilu's The Untouchables. I didn't like Robard's portrayal of Capone, nor Meeker's role of Bugs Moran.

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