To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
Which Italian Western begins with Gordon Mitchell in bed with a woman?
Tom Betts knew that it was NATO PER UCCIDERE, aka BORN TO KILL.
Which Italian Western has Maurizio Merli buried up to his neck in dirt with his eye lids forced open?
Tom Betts and George Grimes knew that it was MANNAJA, aka A MAN CALLED BLADE.
Which actor did not appear in a movie buried up to his neck in dirt: Franco Nero, John Phillip Law, Lee Van Cleef, or Gianni Garko?
Tom Betts, Angel Rivera and George Grimes knew that it was Lee Van Cleef.
And now for some new brain teasers:
Which American actor, who made Italian Westerns, is credited as the co-director of two American films in the 1950s?
Which Italian stuntman frequently doubled for Lee Van Cleef?
Which Italian director began his career with a Western starring Gianni Garko and Ivan Rassimov?
Name the movies from which these images came.
Tom Betts, Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's photo of Mimmo Palmara playing an Indian in BLACK JACK.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
No one identified the above photo yet.
Can you name from what movie it came?
No one identified the above photo.
It shows Alberto Dell'Acqua and Diana Polakov in QUEL POMERIGGIO MALEDETTO, aka THE PERFECT KILLER.
George Grimes identified last week's frame grab from MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE.
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:
DIE HOLLE VON MANITOBA, aka UN LUGAR LLAMDO GLORY, aka A PLACE CALLED GLORY (1965) - By 1965 there were so many Westerns being shot in Spain that even German producers Central Cinema Company, aka CCC, decided to stop working in Yugoslavia and take the stars of the Winnetou films to the Balcazar Studios in Barcelona. Author Jerold Hayden Boyd penned the story which became A PLACE CALLED GLORY, but I was unable to find any information on Boyd's career until after he took the name F.X. Toole, wrote a collection of stories called ROPE BURNS: STORIES FROM THE CORNER, which inspired the film MILLION DOLLAR BABY. How Boyd became associated with Edward Di Lorenzo, who had already co-written L'UOMO DELLA VALLE MALEDETTA, aka MAN OF THE CURSED VALLEY starring Ty Hardin, is unknown, but Argentine born actor Fernando Lamas must have been connected to this project for him to get one third of the writing credit. Another mystery is how Sheldon Reynolds took a break from directing American TV to make three feature films in Europe; A PLACE CALLED GLORY being the first after the TV special Sophia Loren In Rome. And why do some prints of this movie hide his credit behind the name Ralph Gideon? German actress Marianne Koch had already made two Westerns in Spain - DER LETZTE RITT NACH SANTA CRUZ, aka THE LAST RIDE TO SANTA CRUZ in the Canary Islands, and PER UN PUGNO DI DOLLARI, aka A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS in Almeria - before GLORY, and would make three more after. On October 4th, Glory City - the fastest growing city in the West - celebrates Founder's Day by hosting a duel between two famous gunslingers. Posters around town tout that the showdown will be between Brenner and Deakes. Pierre Brice rides into town to inform the sponsors of the show that he killed Deakes two days ago. That night, Brice rides upon Lex Barker's campsite and asks to bed down there. Does he know that Barker is Brenner and does he intend to kill him before the scheduled gunfight? That is just one of the mysteries surrounding Brice's character. In any case, Barker and Brice end up spending the days before the gunfight in another town, which is split between land owner Jorge Rigaud, who is allowing settlers to live on his land, and saloon owner Gerard Tichy, who doesn't approve. Rigaud's daughter, Koch, agrees to be Tichy's girl inorder to prevent her father's murder. Barker and Koch were an item eight years previously, but he refuses to get involved in the local conflict. However, the misbehavior of Tichy's men - including Aldo Sanbrell and Antonio Molino Rojo, inspire Barker and Brice to step in occasionally. Everyone knows that Rigaud is good with a gun, but he has stopped wearing one. Finally, the tension builds to Rigaud putting on his gun again and calling Tichy out for a confrontation on the street. Obviously, Tichy plans to cheat, but will Barker and Brice prevent that? And will Barker and Brice make it to the October 4th celebration to face off in Glory City? Not surprisingly, this film is much more like an American Western than other films shot at the Balcazar Studios, and no other production made there featured more extras as townspeople. Though obviously re-voiced for the English soundtrack, the film has mostly intelligent dialogue and the dramatic scenes play well. Action is kept to a minimum for most of the running time and a generous amount of suspense is created before the expected erruprtions. The climaxes feature unexpected surprises that are satisfying. The Wild East DVD release is nearly perfect. Why does the German title translate as THE HELL OF MANITOBA?There is nothing in the English language version to suggest that the film takes place in Canada.
Icons Unearthed: James Bond (2023) - With only six episodes this series seems a bit skimpy to cover 27 movies and about 50 years, but it does a good job covering the business aspects of the franchise. As usual there is no mention of David Warbeck, and George Lazenby still comes off as an asshole.
Did not enjoy:
NERDLAND (2016) - Reportedly screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker was a big fan of the cartoons produced for Adult Swim by Chris Prynoski and Titmouse, Inc. so when they accepted his script he was really excited. The moviemakers assembled an impressive cast to voice their animated feature, including Paul Rudd, Patton Oswalt, Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci - but I mostly enjoy these guys when I can see their actual faces, not the ugly drawings provided here. The idea of two wannabees in Hollywood determined to become famous no matter what seemed to be fertile ground for a comedy, but nothing here was the least bit enjoyable. But, then again, I'm not a fan of what's on Adult Swim, so maybe I'm just not the right audience for this.
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David Deal Enjoyed:
JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN (69)
HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN (64)
SECRET AGENT FIREBALL (66) - See The Eurospy Guide for a complete review of this Richard Harrison entry.
OPERATION COUNTERSPY (65) - See above for this superior genre example with George Ardisson.
GARGOYLES (72) - See the Television Fright Films of the 1970s book for a complete review of this Emmy-winning entry.
DEVILS OF DARKNESS (64) - From 2006 "A low-key Brit-French vampire movie with William (Gorgo) Sylvester as the hero and Hubert Noel as zee vampire. Colorful and satisfying in the manner of the logical Brit horror flix of the time."
CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE (64) From 2007 "Better-than-average example of the Italian/Spanish gothics of the period. Christopher Lee has a good guy role as the dad of the reincarnation of the Karnstein witch. Good stuff."
Mildly Enjoyed
THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE (59) - From 2017 "A voodoo curse reaches through the centuries. Good old-fashioned 50's shocker that would have been a classic had William Castle directed it instead of Ed Cahn. As it is, FSJD has that studio-bound "clean floor" style and an aging Henry Daniell going for it, but a dull script working against it."
VOODOO ISLAND (57)
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Angel Rivera Enjoyed:
"MY ADVENTURES WITH SUPERMAN" (2023 to second season 2024)
A new animated series with a new take on the Superman mythos. The characters are drawn to look younger and the series has a darker take on the Man of Steel's history. Interesting take, but I don't like Jimmy Olsen changing from a red-head like in the comics to a brown skin. I am all for diversity, but I wish they had created a new character instead of changing an established character. The story lines will be familiar to Superman fans. Supergirl is included but with a major difference.
"LEGALLY BLONDE" (2001)
It's always a pleasure to see Reese Witherspoon, especially in her most iconic role. She is a "princess" trying to win her "Prince Charming" back by joining him at Harvard Law School: only to find what a dick he is. She becomes a law student "savant" and defends a celebrity murder suspect who also happens to be a sorority sister and wins her case. Cute and Reese looks great.
Did not enjoy:
"PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE" 2024
The press stated; one debater delivered what are considered "rambling answers". The other "countered with falsehoods." Scary state of affairs for the country, I think.
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