To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
Which Italian actor and stunt man doubled Tony Anthony in BLINDMAN?
No one has answered this one yet.
What was the movie that director Sergio Leone was preparing at the time he died?
Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes knew that it was THE 900 DAYS OF LENINGRAD.
Which Italian director did Dino De Laurentiis blame for his estrangement with his wife Silvana Mangano?
No one has answered this question yet.
By what name is Giuseppe Segato better known?
Bertrand van Wonterghem, Angel Rivera and George Grimes knew that it was Massimo Serato.
And now for some new brain teasers:
By what name is Chip Corman better known?
Which star of Italian Westerns created "Death Cigarettes"?
Which Italian Western was filmed in Croatia?
Name the movies from which these images came.
George Grimes identified last week's frame grab from QUELLA SPORCA STORIA NEL WEST, aka THE WILD AND THE DIRTY, aka JOHNNY HAMLET
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?
Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's photo of Kitty Swan in GUNGALA, LA VERGINE DELLA GUINGLA, aka GUNGALA THE BLACK PANTHER GIRL.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
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:
BARBIE (2023) - I am happy that no one spoiled the opening and the ending of the movie.
The Colour of Magic (2008) - Writer and director Vadim Jean, who also made the excellent TV movie of Hogfather, is credited for this terrific two-part TV movie version of Terry Pratchett's two funny and exciting novels THE COLOUR OF MAGIC and THE LIGHT FANTASTIC. It all takes place on Discworld, which is a flat Earth like planet supported by four giant elephants on the back of a space traveling giant turtle. While the Astrozoologists ponder the sex of the giant turtle, Discworld's first tourist, Sean Astin arrives in the port city of Ankh-Morpork from the Agatean Empire to see all of the sights, including the Unseen University for Wizards. Just then, Tim Curry convinces James Cosmo to expell David Jason from the University for his inability to advance in his studies. Astin bumps into Jason and offers to employ him as a guide, paying him in advance with gold coins which are worth a fortune in Ankh-Morpork. Jason decides to run away, but is captured by the city's guards and taken to Patrician Jeremy Irons. Irons charges Jason to be a guide and protect Astin on pain of death. The Agatean Emperor knows that Astin is visiting, and the Patrician worries that if anything bad happens to the tourist, it will be an excuse for Agatea to invade Ankh-Morpork. Astin's trunk-like luggage is made from Sapient Pearwood that follows his master around on its own legs and has an homicidal desire to protect him. Astin and Jason end up on an adventure hoping to find dragons and Cohen the Barbarian. What connection is there between Jason and that most powerful spellbook Octavo? What is the cause of the huge red star growing larger in the sky? Who will evil wizard Tim Curry not kill to advance to the office of Archchanellor? Will Death, voiced by Christopher Lee, finally be able to reap Jason?
THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS (1990) - Based on the novel by Ian McEwan, this film's screenplay was done by Harold Pinter. Most everything by Pinter has an underlying feeling of menace, even in the dullest of situations, so he seems to have been the perfect fellow to adapt McEwan to the silver screen. Also, as usual, there is a subtle suggestion of sexual perversity even during the opening scenes of the movie which on the surface seem to suggest our main characters, Rupert Everett and Natasha Richardson, are a bit bored with each other. Menace is introduced when it appears that some unknown someone is taking pictures of the English couple on vacation in Venice, Italy. One night as the English couple is lost in the walkways of the city, Christopher Walken appears to help them find some place to eat. At a table, Walken begins to talk about his life and his story is the same as what we hear as off-screen narration at the beginning of the movie. Eventually, the couple meets Helen Mirren, who is Walken's wife and more unease is introduced. With a very prominent credit for "Wardrobe provided by Giorgio Armani", one wonders if Paul Schrader got the directing gig because of how his film AMERICAN GIGOLO had proven so successful for the Armani brand. The film doesn't give away that it is a thriller until near the very end, by which time the viewer has probably already imagined far worse events than what actually happens.
Echo (2024) - The Disney+ miniseries based on Marvel comics.
Mozart In the Jungle season four (2018)
A STAR IS BORN (2018) - The performances of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper enliven this story of which I really didn't want to see another version.
Mildly enjoyed:
MAESTRO (2023) - A portrait of the relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre, MAESTRO isn't the usual biographical movie. Unlike TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY which pretty much listed all of Jerome Kern's accomplishments while completely fictionalizing his life's story, MAESTRO doesn't run through the career highlights of either characters' lives. It also doesn't try to fit their story into a normal three act structure with the normal dramatic beats ending with a summation of what we've seen. The closest it comes to a summation is having Carey Mulligan as Montealegre saying "It's my own arrogance to think I could survive on what he could give." Rather than a drama, MAESTRO is like a series of scenes leaving an impression of what these people and their relationship was with very little explanation. If you, like me, have a limited knowledge of Bernstein and no knowledge of Montealegre, many of the events occur mysteriously. It wasn't until near the end that I was even able to be certain how many children they had. The one lesson to gather from the film is that, as Mulligan also says, "You don't even know how much you need me." It is striking that Cooper begins the movie with in Black&White "Academy Ratio", before changing to color during the 1950s and then widescreen in the 1970s. There is no on-screen notation identifying the time periods - just a change in cinematic aspect. You have to wonder about the behind the scenes wrangling on this film to require six fully credited producers including such heavy weights as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. In addition to an impressive performance by Carey Mulligan, Sarah Silverman also delivers the goods. Montealegre's life is much more interesting than this movie would suggest, so check out the Wikipedia page on her for more information.
Did not enjoy:
A COP AND A HALF: NEW RECRUIT (2017) - Back in 1993, Arne Olsen wrote A COP AND A HALF, which was made into a movie starring Burt Reynolds and Norman D. Golden II. Reportedly, the original script called for a little girl who wanted to be a cop and not a little boy, but after director Henry Winkler found Golden, he convinced Imagine Entertainment and Universal Pictures to let him re-write the project for a little boy. Why someone felt the desire to make a new film after 24 years is a mystery. Was the home video market clamoring for it? Did credited writers Scott Bindley and Adrian Vina feel the need to tell the story of 12 year old Lulu Wilson, who wants to be the cop of her school, join up with broken-down cop Lou Diamond Phillips to stop a dangerous prankster with a fleet of drones bent on humiliating the Police Dept? Did director Jonathan A. Rosenbaum feel that this would be an improvement from directing episodes for the Disney Channel? I am not the intended audience for this material, but I found that I enjoyed the antics of Lulu Wilson, Janet Kidder and Gina Holden. And it is always fun to watch Wallace Shawn.
INNER SANCTUM II (1994) - Inner Sanctum was a series of unrelated thriller novels published by Simon & Schuster beginning in 1930. They were so popular that they became a radio series beginning in 1941. In 1943, Universal Pictures began making a series of feature films and in 1954 there began a syndicated television series. In 1991, producer Alan Amiel and director Fred Olen Ray decided to resurrect the title without the signature creaky opening of the door as an erotic thriller starring Tayna Roberts.In 1994, Amiel and Ray decided to do it again, though with less erotica and more quasi-Horror movie elements. This was the first of five screenplay credits for Steve Armogida with Ray as director before Armogida moved on to network TV and it has all of the stuff you'd expect from a Fred Olen Ray film. Tracy Brooks Swope is a new name for a Ray cast and, unfortunately, she has perhaps the most annoying scream ever put on film - and she is required to do it a lot. She plays a wealthy woman still recovering from having to kill her husband as he was trying to kill her. There is no one around her that doesn't act suspiciously, particularly her dead husband's brother and his wife - played by Michael Nouri and Sandahl Bergman, more new names for a Ray film. Another new name is David Warner, who plays Swope's doctor. Among the more usual cast members for a Ray film are Suzanne Ager and Margaux Hemingway (aka Margo Hemingway) - who had been in Ray's first INNER SANCTUM, James Booth, Peter Spellos, John Blyth Barrymore, Sigal Diamant and Robert Quarry.
YOUNG BILLY YOUNG (1969) - While certainly easy to watch, YOUNG BILLY YOUNG is precisely the kind of Hollywood Western that helped me to love Italian Westerns so much. Based on the novel WHO RIDES WITH WYATT by Will Henry, aka Heck Allen, this story combines many well-worn elements from other Westerns without any effort to innovate or surprise. Obviously, writer/director Burt Kennedy and actor Robert Walker (who dropped the Jr. from his credit) got along while making THE WAR WAGON, so that Kennedy cast him in the title role, but that's kind of a "fake-out" as the movie is Robert Mitchum's from the beginning. Possibly the title was intended to appeal to the "youth" audience, as was all of the dialogue about our hero seeing that those who thought of themselves as being bad just needed someone to whom they could look up. Walker had already appeared in a film which did appeal to the "youth" audience in 1969 - EASY RIDER, so YOUNG BILLY YOUNG really felt reactionary. Angie Dickinson appears in a variation of her role in RIO BRAVO, though in that film she wasn't as mistreated as she is here. Jack Kelly is the brute, but the character named at the beginning of the film, Frank Boone, is the real villain. When he finally appears, played by John Anderson, it is a bit of a disappointment as he doesn't appear to be as formidable as hyped. Kennedy even gives him a speech about the regrets he has in killing Mitchum's son, but those expecting a redemption will be disappointed. I was disappointed that the action finale was treated with a similar easy-going attitude as the rest of the film - which began with a line of peasants being executed by Mexican soldiers. Italian Westerns were criticized for their depictions of violence, but is that as bad as Hollywood Westerns that show violence with a smirk? Shelly Manne, known for "West Coast Jazz", provides a rather eccentric music score. Paul Fix and David Carradine appear in small roles. The film marked the acting debut of Dean Martin's daughter Deana and she's okay playing an annoying character. As much as I dislike this movie, the title song written by Shelly Manne and Ernie Sheldon and performed by Robert Mitchum, has haunted my subconscious for decades.
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Charles Gilbert Watched:
TERROR OF THE STEPPES (1964) Clash of the Khans pits nomadic Sandor Khan (Kirk Morris) against ambitious Altan Khan (Daniel Vargas), who's counselor Guilio Donnini looks like Dracula. At Sandor's side is best friend Furio Menicone who usually, but not here, gets the villain roles. Sandor's ward is Samira (Ombretta Colli) daughter of Yessen Khan (Franco Cobianchi), the former with whom he falls in love, and incites jealousy from peasant girl Malina (Moira Orfei).
THE BIG GUNDOWN (1966) Lee Van Cleef plays a lawman on the search for a Mexican named Cuchillo (Tomas Milian) accused of rape and murder of a 12 year-old girl. Wealthy Baron Broxston (Walter Barnes) takes a personal interest, indeed, because his son-in-law (Angel del Pozo) is the guilty offender, making Cuchillo a scapegoat.
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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:
Gam-si-ja-deul / Cold eyes (2013, Jo Ui-seok)
Death and others details – season 1 (2023) – episode 3
Aillaendeu / Island (2022) – season 1 – episodes 3 to 7
American ultra (2015, Nima Nourizadeh)
Gyeongseongkeulicheo / Gyeongseong creature – season 1 – episode 3
Nae nam janeun cupid / My cupid man (2023, Nam Tae-jin) – season 1 - episodes 1 to 10
Mildly enjoyed:
Gojora tai Desutoroia / Godzilla vs Destroyah (1995, Takao Okawara)
Santo vs la invasion de los marcianos (1967, Alfredo B. Crevenna)
Did not enjoy:
Garden of the dead (1972, John Hayes)
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Angel Rivera Enjoyed:
"ST. ELMO'S FIRE" (1985)
"MIGHTY URSUS" (1961/2)
'TITANIC" (1997)
"THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP" (2024) - A Netflix documentary about the making of the song and video for "We Are the World".
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