April 13 - 19, 2024

 

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

Brain Teasers:

The step-daughter of which Italian Western star performed nude at the age of 12 in an Italian movie?

It was William Berger, whose step-daughter Katya Berger starred in PICCOLE LABBRA, aka LITTLE LIPS, for director Mimmo Cattarinich in 1978.

The English version of which Italian Western ends with the line "The Red and the Black"?

No one has answered this question yet.

Complete the lyric: "She talks about a night without a ____."

No one has answered this one yet.

Which Italian/Spanish Western begins with someone trying to pry a gold tooth out of a dead man's mouth?

No one has answered this question yet.

Which Italian Western featured two actors who were born in Cuba?

Tom Betts, Angel Rivera, George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was CORRI UOMO CORRI, aka RUN MAN RUN.

Which Italian Western star, born in France in 1930, claimed Irish nationality?

Tom Betts, George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Donal O'Brien.

By what name is Franco Martinelli better known?

Bertrand van Wonterghem, George Grimes and Angel Rivera knew that it is Marino Girolami.

And now for some new brain teasers:

How many films did Jess Hill make with Terence Hill?

Complete the lyric: "You left to find a ___ __ ____."

Can you name two Italian Westerns in which Franco Nero finds out that his brother has a different father from his.

Name the movies from which these images came.

Tom Betts, George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's photo of Chelo Alonso and Tomas Milian in CORRI UOMO CORRI, aka RUN MAN RUN.

Above a new photo.

Can you identify from what movie it came?

No one identified the above frame grab yet.

Can you identify from what movie it came?

Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's frame grab from L'ULTIMO SQUALO, aka THE LAST SHARK.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes identified last week's photo from the 1963 version of 13 ASSASSINS.

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:

Eureka season one and two (2006 - 8)

Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. "In the Blood - Michael Douglas & Lena Dunham" (2024)

Netflix Stand Up: Neal Brennan Crazy Good (2024)

STANDING IN THE SHADOW OF MOTOWN (2002) - This is an exciting and loving tribute to the musicians behind the hit records which came out of Motown before they left Detroit. The talents and comaraderie of The Funk Brothers are wonderfully celebrated.

Mildly enjoyed:

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024) - The five hour long episodes provided an interesting insiders look at how bad conditions can be working on television. However, the advertising around the episodes made me hate the ID channel.

Did not enjoy:

BIG BAD MAMA (1974) - The success of BONNIE AND CLYDE led to a whole bunch of low-budget Prohibition era gangster flicks of which this was another Roger Corman/New World Pictures production. For those who have been wanting to see Angie Dickinson get naked since 1959's RIO BRAVO, this movie delivered that, but not in any satisfying way. You also got to see William Shatner and Tom Skerritt nearly naked if that was of interest. Director Steve Carver delivered what was required of the Roger Corman formula, but failed to make it interesting. Dick Miller played the bumbling federal agent that keeps not catching the crooks, but did kill one. Thirteen years later, Jim Wynorski directed a follow-up to this film which was more of a remake than a sequel.

HARD TIME (1998) - In 1981, Burt Reynolds directed and starred in a successful cop film called SHARKY'S MACHINE. Later he would lament that he didn't focus his career on more directing jobs. 18 years later, he got a chance to try again for TV producers Robert Halmi Jr. and Larry Levinson. At 62 years old, Reynolds was too old to be playing a detective in Florida, and Charles Durning was way too fat to be playing his partner. Naturally, Reynolds got framed when the stolen money went missing, and, or course, he finally figured out that his captain was crooked and that his best friend stole the money.

SMASHED (2012) - I'll watch just about anything featuring Mary Elizabeth Winstead - and the fact that I sat through 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE and BIRDS OF PREY AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN is proof of that, but I can't watch another drama about a woman facing her alcoholism and how that breaks up her marriage. One can not fault the sensitivity and sincerity of the screenplay by Susan Burke and director James Ponsoldt, nor the performances by Aaron Paul, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Octavia Spencer, Mary Kay Place and yet another member of the Arquette acting family: Richmond.

THE 355 (2022) - Screenwriter Simon Kinberg started his career writing the sequel to XXX - XXX: STATE OF THE UNION. He then wrote the action spy comedy MR. AND MRS. SMITH before getting involved with the X-MEN movies. He made his directorial debut with X-MEN DARK PHOENIX, during which actress Jessica Chastain suggested that they make a female-led action spy film for her Freckle Films company. The concept seemed workable - hire five of the world's most beautiful actresses to play agents from around the world who have to come together to defeat the bad guy. Unfortunately, the screenplay credited to Theresa Rebeck and director Kinberg was unimaginative, unconvincing and predictable. There was a lot of action, but nothing very exciting was seen. Naturally, the real bad guy turned out to be Chastain's ex-boyfriend, whom no one ever got around to killing - probably expecting that the film would get a sequel. For the first half of the movie, C.I.A. agent Jessica Chastain fights it out with German agent Diane Kruger. Chastain brings MI6 agent Lupita Nyong'o into the action, and Colombian agent Penelope Cruz soon got tangled up as well. Eventually, everyone ends up in Singapore, where Chinese agent Bingbing Fan got involved. The five end up working together, probably hoping to create a franchise. However, the film got bad reviews and flopped at the box office.

THE WRONG WAY (1972) - This came out the same year as LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, so It is hard to imagine that it was inspired by the Wes Craven film, but it shares many elements. Two young women are stranded in the countryside when their car breaks down. They think a passing car will provide help, but it just delivers them to a motorcycle gang of rapists. One young woman's father calls the police, who are bumbling in their efforts to search. The soundtrack features some annoying folky style music - which I don't think Quentin Tarentino will use if he ever does a sequel to THE HATEFUL EIGHT. Eventually, after 40 some minutes of unerotic abuse, the bikers decide to leave the young women defenseless in the countryside. The women try to hike to safety, but end up coming upon a Manson-like family burying a dead man. Meanwhile, a police helecopter working in the search sees two unrelated men drag another woman into an abandoned house. The two men "have their way" with the woman for about twenty minutes of screen time. Back to the original story, the police arrive just in time to stop the Manson-like people from killing the two young women. The cops then get a call to investigate what's going on at the abandoned house. As the cops arrive, the suspects are putting their woman into the trunk of their car. Not surprisingly, a gunfight breaks out - filmed at a distance by a locked down camera - which is how most of the raping is shot. Both suspects are killed, one cop is killed and we hear the chatter on the radio about how the day was different from usual. If you were wondering about the career of "actress" Laurel Canyon, this seems to be her only credit. Candy Sweet had a previous credit for a bondage film in 1965. This is an example of how X-rated movies were before hardcore became standard. Thankfully, director Ray Williams seems to have no other credits.

 

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David Deal Enjoyed:

THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN (46) - Newspaper columnist Lee Bowman is drawn into the mystery surrounding the death of his close friend, a priest he grew up with. Sharp-tongued Marguerite Chapman is also ambiguously involved. The clue to the murder is two bibles that reveal the location of a long lost Da Vinci masterpiece. Fun "treasure map" mystery with good patter and a few horror overtones. A higher profile lead would have improved this underrated detective story's reputation.

FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (64)

FULLER REPORT (67) - See The Eurospy Guide for a complete review of this superior entry.

WICHITA (55) - Joel McCrea makes an excellent Wyatt Earp and this has a deep cast of good guys and bad guys to seal the deal.

EVERY MAN IS MY ENEMY (67) - One of two prime crime flicks Robert Webber made for Franco Prosperi in 1966/67 (the other is Hired Killer, one of the great unsung hitman movies). This one is a heist flick that also stars Jean Servais (Rififi) and Elsa Martinelli (One on Top of the Other, Hail Mafia). Highly recommended.

WINGS OF DANGER (52) - Zachary Scott is a cargo pilot for a small airline. When fellow pilot and friend Robert Beatty goes missing over the English Channel, hints of counterfeiting and smuggling rise to the top and Zach is determined to find the truth. This Zach's movie. His leading roles weren't plentiful but when they happen, he takes full opportunity. The refined beauty of Kay Kendall as femme fatale is also a delight. She would be gone five years later, a victim of leukemia.

THE UNNATURALS (69) - From 2016: "A small group of travelers is stranded in a storm and takes refuge with a medium and her son.  Terrible secrets are revealed.  Not a film the younger set would embrace but this is one of Antonio Margheriti's most visually elegant films; a claustrophobic and sexualized Gothic tale of retribution.  Joachim Fuchsberger, Marianne Koch, Dominique Boschero, and Luciano Pigozzi."

BLOOD ON THE MOON (48)

TONY ARZENTA (73) - So nice to have a good presentation of this classic on Blu-ray.

THE DEATH RAY OF DR, MABUSE (64) 

Mildly Enjoyed

THE UNHOLY GARDEN (31) - Suave criminal Ronald Coleman falls in with a gang of cutthroats in a decaying Algerian hotel. The gang has its eyes on an old baron who lives upstairs and is rumored to have a large cache of cash. Coleman takes the lead but the baron's granddaughter Fay Wray is the wild card that could upend everything. Odd, exotic crime story that has interesting set design (from Willy Pogany) but decidedly uneven characters and plot diversions. Still, Coleman and Wray hold things together enough for a viewing.

WHO IS HOPE SCHUYLER? - Special Prosecutor Joseph Allen Jr seeks the witness, Hope Schuyler, who can secure a conviction against corrupt DA Ricardo Cortez. And the bodies pile up. This programmer is short, complicated and seems to merely hover for an hour before landing. Despite the pedigree of the 20th Century Fox technicians behind the scenes, there is little weight to the proceedings.

COOGAN'S BLUFF (68) 

SO SWEET, SO DEAD (72)

THE WRESTLING WOMEN VS THE AZTEC MUMMY (64) - Archaeologists have discovered a "codex" that will provide them the location of an Aztec shield that will in turn reveal the whereabouts of a vast treasure. Unfortunately, the Black Dragon, a criminal organization led by an Asian villain and his wrestling Karate Sisters, begins piling up bodies in its search for the codex. Thankfully, wrestling women Lorena Velazquez and Elizabeth Campbell are on hand to defeat the gang and the Aztec mummy guarding the shield. Classic Mexican monster-and-wrestling movie with some Gothic horror atmosphere to offer between the wrestling scenes, the flat comedy and the many discussions taking place.

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Angel Rivera Enjoyed:

"THE GIANT BEHEMOTH" (1959) With all the talk about the solar eclipse and if you look at it directly, you run the risk of eye damage; I decided to pull out my copy of "The Giant Behemoth"! (1959) I remember something about running the risk of a horrible death, if you look at" the Behemoth" directly! So as I started watching the movie, I couldn't help but notice how much more it has in common with "Godzilla"(1954/56), than let's say "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms"(1953). First both "Godzilla" and "Behemoth" start with a small village being attacked by the monster. A village in Japan for "Godzilla", and a village in England for "the Behemoth". Then both have deadly weapons shooting out of them. In "Godzilla", Godzilla has the atomic breath. In "Behemoth" he can shoot out harmful radioactive waves which can burn or even incinerate its victims, leaving nothing but corpses made of ashes, shaped like humans. The stars of "Behemoth" are Gene Evans, an actor probably best known for playing the gruff sergeant in Sam Fuller's "The Steel Helmet" (1951). [A Korean child is nicknamed "Short Round" in that film and Steven Spielberg used the name for one of his characters in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984)] and Andre Morell, best known for portraying Professor Quatermass in the BBC TV serial, "Quatermass and the Pit" (1958-9) and as Dr. Watson opposite Peter Cushing's Sherlock Holmes in the 1959 Hammer Production adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles". "The Behemoth's" scenes as the creature rampages thru the countryside of England ending with the destruction of London are done in stop-motion animation supervised by Willis H. O'Brien, the man behind the effects of "King Kong" (1933). The film has an interesting ending which I won't spoil here. I will say that Evans and Morell do persevere against "the Behemoth" in the end. An interesting film which I hadn't seen in ages.

"YOUNG SHELDON" (2024) S7 E7 Features the wedding of Georgie and Mandy and the arrest of Meemaw.

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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:

The gentlemen (2019, Guy Ritchie)

Branding in Seongsu-dong / Branding in Seongsu (2023, Jung Heon Soo) (tv serie) episodes 15 to 24

The completely made-up adventures of Dick Turpin – season 1 – episodes 4 to 6

Amhaengeosa / Royal secret agent (2020, Kim Jung-min) (tv serie) episode 5

Wellington paranormal – season 1 – episodes 2 to 6

Mildly enjoyed:

Ngo si seoi / Who am I ? (1998, Benny Chan & Jackie Chan)

The gentlemen – season 1 – episodes 1 to 4

Did not enjoy:

Ils sont grands, ces petits (1979, Joël Santoni)

Blutsbrüder (1975 Werner W. Wallroth)

Ant-man and the wasp: quantumania (2023, Peyton Reed)

Skvoz vremya / Time wars (2023, Aleksandr Boguslavskiy)

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Mike Eustace watched:

LOS AMANTES DEL DESIERTO, aka DESERT WARRIOR (1957)

Neither of the two leads are quite as pure as we normally see. Riccardo Montalban assassinates the mayor, Noor El Din, without the latter being painted as much of a villain, other than praying for Ibrahim to be the new Sultan. Or Sheik in some versions.

Carmen Sevilla, when confronting the dying Zuleika, and imagining that she is Montalban's lover, says why should I save your lover? Er well, does she now hate Montalban so much she doesn't mind if he dies. Then when she is told that Montalban loves her, off she goes to save him. A bit venal and self-serving there.

Okay Anna Maria Ferrero. There's a can of worms. If you are referring to the girl playing Zuleika, that is Franca Bettoja. Zuleika is variously described as Montalban's stepsister, as a woman who grew up under the same roof as him (as Prince and slave presumably), but clearly she loves him, as evidenced by the way Bettoja plays the role. The other main woman, besides Sevilla, is Mariangela Giordano, credited as Blanca Maria Giordano. She is Sevilla's handmaiden.

So Anna Maria Ferrero isn't in the movie. And yet there is a poster for the Spanish verson - LOS AMANTES DEL DESIERTO - which credits Anna Maria Ferrero just below Gino Cervi, and above Montalban and Sevilla. The poster also shows Sevilla in a veiled dancer's bikini, and harem pants, so quite a bit of falsehood here. I imagine this could have been a pre-production poster, when they thought they were hiring Ferrero, but then didn't.

Of course, we should expect Sevilla to dance. When Montalban seizes her caravan and asks who she is, she says a dancer and singer in the harem.

So he says: Well then dance for us. He doesn't say: sing for us. But someone else does the dancing, and she just sings. In the German version, I need to make it clear that she says "We are singers and dancers".

There might well have been dropped scenes, because there certainly are sudden unexpected time lurches. No scene showing why or how they captured Zuleika. No scene showing Amina's caravan leaving Mahabda. Zuleika in prison, then she's back in the village. Amina releases Montalban from prison, but we don't get the scene where he would accuse her of betrayal, by sending the white dove to trick him into being captured, and her admitting she was tricked by Selim/Kemal into revealing the dove would bring Said/Ali to Mahabda.

The scene where Amina gives away the secret of the dove reminds me of that Shaw Brothers movie The Girl with the Whip. Cheng Pei Pei confronts the villain and accuses him of killing her family and burning her village. She says: I know it's you, I recognised you. And he says, how could you recognise me,I was wearing a mask. Oops.

I don't know anything about how troubled the production was. It's got four directors. We know they shot a 4:3 version and a 2.35 version, so that's a long schedule. I did notice in the chess scene that the German dialogue perfectly fitted the Italian version, so I assume they just pointed two cameras from slightly different angles and played the scene once. Other times, it's clear that the scene was played more than once, because Montalbana often puts different pauses in his dialogue.

 

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