To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
By what name is Marlon Sirko better known?
Tom Betts, Angel Rivera, George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it is Mario Siciliano.
By what name is Sergio Ciani better known?
Tom Betts, Bertrand van Wonterghem, Angel Rivera, George Grimes and Charles Gilbert knew that it is Alan Steel.
By what name is Albert Waterman better known?
Tom Betts, Angel Rivera, George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it is Alberto Dell'Acqua
And now for some new brain teasers:
By what name is Luciano Stella better known?
Which Italian actor died from cancer on November 28, 2009?
Which actress, mostly known for work in Italy, died of breast cancer on December 26, 1994?
Name the movies from which these images came.
Tom Betts, and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Jany Clair in LA STRADA PER FORTE ALAMO, aka THE ROAD TO FORT ALAMO, aka ARIZONA BILL.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
Charles Gilbert, Bertrand van Wonterghem, and George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Reg Park, Monica Neri and Leonora Ruffo in ERCOLE AL CENTRO DELLA TERRA, aka HERCULES AT THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, aka HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
Kevin Ross Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Leticia Roman in I PIRATI DI TORTUGA, aka PIRATES OF TORTUGA.
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:
Astrid et Raphaelle, aka Astrid season five episode 5 "Baptism of the Dead" (2022)
THE SILENT PLANET or the sad dreams of Earthlings (2024) - In the future, Earthlings are in a near panic over the arrival of peaceful extraterrestrial refugees called the Oleans. Meanwhile, Earthlings who are convicted of capital crimes are sent to live on uninhabited planets to live the rest of their lives alone while mining rare minerals. Elias Koteas has been on Solitary Penal Planet #384 for so many years that his life monitor begins to flash that he is dying. Not wanting to deal with the flashing light, he cuts the monitor out of his chest. The end of this monitoring status results in a new prisoner being sent to #384. At first Koteas fears that the new arrival has been sent to kill him. Slowly, he begins to consider an existence with another human. Things get complicated, especially when an alien fog sweeps through the area and plays with Koteas' mind. Both Koteas and Briana Middleton offer compelling performances of writer/director Jeffrey St. Jules' material. While mostly a two character drama played on minimal sets, this Canadian feature doesn't feel like a low-budget movie. Drone footage of Gros Morne National Park and music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov gives the film, with those performances, a real sense of scale.
TALL IN THE SADDLE (1944) - Here's a mystery Western in which John Wayne doesn't kill anybody. And Gabby Hayes is actually amusing. In 1942, Gordon Ray Young's novel was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post, Producer Robert Fellows and RKO Radio Pictures got the movie rights and the screenplay is credited to former actor, and co-writer of director Alfred Hitchcock's REBECCA, Michael Hogan as well as actor Paul Fix, who didn't give himself a larger than usual supporting role. John Wayne befriends stagecoach driver Gabby Hayes when Wayne insists on riding up-top on the way to Santa Inez. When told that Hayes is a "grump old cuss", Wayne replies "I like grumpy old cusses. Hope to live long enough to be one." Inside the coach are stuffy Elisabeth Risdon and her beautiful, but naive niece Audrey Long. When the ride gets bumpy, Wayne comments "I never feel sorry for anything that happens to a woman." It turns out that Wayne has a letter saying that he's been hired to work at the ranch of Red Cardell. However, Cardell has been murdered and Risdon is there to claim inheritance on behalf of her niece. Who killed Cardell and are the Harolday family behind the recent spate of cattle rustling? (Interestingly, as the plot involves cattle ranches, there are very few cows seen on the screen.) While Wayne declares that he wants nothing to do with females, both Long and fiery Harolday woman Ella Raines set their sites on him. Are Judge Ward Bond and sheriff Emory Parnell crooked? With some spectacular location work done in Sedona, Arizona, TALL IN THE SADDLE is one of John Wayne's best RKO features. Reportedly, future actor Ben Johnson doubled for Wayne in a fight scene against Wayne's normal stunt double Fred Graham as the bad guy.
Mildly enjoyed:
Astrid et Raphaelle, aka Astrid season five episode 4 "The Last of the Aztecs" (2022)
EVOLUTION (2001) - Don Jakoby is credited with coming up with the story for this movie, which has a screenplay credited to David Diamond and David Weissman. Whether it was them or director Ivan Reitman that fumbled what seemed to be a good idea is unknown at this time. A meteor falls into the desert of Arizona and soon begins to secrete ooze teaming with single cell organisms. For some unknown reason, the cells soon begin to evolve into more complex life forms with the potential to take over the world. To play this as a comedy is not necessarily a bad idea, but to play it as an unfunny comedy is. However, the film features three of my favorite actresses - Julianne Moore, Katharine Towne and Sarah Silverman - so it has its bright spots. And it ends up being a commercial for the shampoo that I use - Head & Shoulders.
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2024) - Can Humans and Apes live in peace? Well, that's where this film ends, suggesting that in the next film the answer will be no. But this film is about a gorilla who has learned about the Ancient Roman Empire from a captive human, played by William H. Macy, who wants to unite all of the ape clans into one kingdom under his rule. To achieve that goal, the King wants to pry open a vault door, behind which is suspected to be all of mankind's previous knowledge - especially military knowledge.Our hero is a chimpanzee of the Eagle Clan who so far has failed to bond with an adult eagle. After the King's forces destroy his village, kill his father and take all of the villagers prisoner, our hero sets out to the rescue. Along the way, he meets an orangutan, who remembers Caesar's law about humans and apes living in peace, and a female human with a secret agenda. Much of this storytelling is related in a confusing manner. but visually the film is quite striking. While watching the film, one can easily get lost in spotting elements that don't make sense - such as the female human wearing clothes and being well groomed, though a bit disheveled.
OPERATION GANYMED (1977) - While looking through some old magazines, I came across and ad for this German Science Fiction drama in the German magazine VAMPIR Nr. 20. As it starred Horst Frank, I desired to see it. I checked on YouTube and there is was, in two versions. One was English only and the other was English with some scenes in German. I opted for the latter. I don't know what I may have missed in the untranslated scenes, which were dialog heavy, but I figured whom ever cut them out of the English version felt that they just slowed things down. The IMDb now tells me that this was made for German TV ZDF, which explains the low budget production values. The film starts with a TV announcer tells us that the missions launched to explore Jupiter have been unreachable for 900 days so they have been declared dead and that all space exploration has been stopped because of that. What Earth doesn't know is that one crew is still alive and is on its way back home with its multi-national crew. Arriving in Earth orbit, the crew find that the lander which is supposed to be in orbit waiting for them isn't there. They are still unable to reach anyone by radio to let them know they are there. With survival supplies running out, the crew decide to do an emergency landing on Earth, though they have no idea where they will splash down.Getting to shore, the crew find that there is only desert before them. Later, when they find a village, they discover that there are no people inhabiting it. Eventually, some one suggests that in the four years since they lost contact, maybe Earth has been destroyed by nuclear war. Is that what happened? And will any of the crew survive to find out? Writer/director Rainer Erler, whose career is mostly confined to TV, including the 1963 version of DER HEXER by Edgar Wallace, seems determined to made this film as realistic as possible, with only some flashbacks to break up the misery these men face in crossing the desert. The desert is provided by the Canary Islands in Spain. Jurgen Prochnow plays the Soviet crew member.
UCCIDETE JOHNNY RINGO, aka KILL JOHNNY RINGO (1966) - Those expecting a film about the historic Johnny Ringo, or even a film based on the rather silly 1959 TV series, will be profoundly disappointed with this flick. There is a nice looking print of this airing on Starz related cable channels, but it is credited "American version Russ Moro" and only runs 82 minutes. While I can understand someone wanting to shorten this rather ponderous 93 minute Western made in the American style, taking out key scenes such as the opening explanation of the plot, showing what happened to the pistol secreted in Ray's jail cell and showing how Annie got shot doesn't do the viewer any favors. Though we never see him shave, Texas Ranger Brett Halsey remains clean cut through out the film, even after the numerous punch-ups he endures. As in an Hollywood Western, Halsey would rather slug the villains and shoot the guns out of their hands than kill them - until the final big shootout. This proves rather frustrating to the viewer who thinks it would be more efficient if he started killing the bad guys earlier. And his horse comes to him after he whistles. Numerous bits in the movie make no sense. How come no one reacts to when Halsey shoots dead a sniper from off a rooftop in town? How come the townspeople seem willing to join a lynch party when it is obvious that the fellow is being set-up? Just who is that picture hanging on the wall of the sheriff's office supposed to be? And here's another movie in which the hero rides out of a town which is littered with dead bodies which no seems interested in cleaning up. In a number of ways, this film resembles 1935's PARADISE CANYON, which was the last film John Wayne made for Lone Star Productions. While Wayne was identified as a "federal man", Halsey is a Texas Ranger, and this movie seems to feel that Texas Rangers have the ability to deflect bullets, no matter how many bad guys shoot at one. Director Frank G. Carroll, aka Gianfranco Baldanello, takes the trouble to show various gunmen re-loading their weapons after much shooting, and even throws in a bit where the villains say they will wait until our hero runs out of bullets before rushing him. In the end, Halsey gives the final villain the chance to surrender as he only has one bullet left. So, the filmmakers did consider a little realism in the movie. Much of the film revolves around Nino Fuscagni, as Ray Scott. Fuscagni is in love with saloon singer Greta Polyn, as Annie. Unfortunately, town boss Angelo Dessy, as Jackson, figures that Polyn belongs to him.. After Dessy tries to get Fuscagni killed, Halsey figures that he can get the young man to give evidence against Dessy's counterfeiting operation. With the help of Sheriff Lee Burton, aka Guido Lollobrigida, Halsey plans to expose Dessy in court, which, naturally, Dessy takes pains to avoid. Fuscagni's sister Barbara Loy doesn't approve of Polyn, and I don't approve of Polyn suddenly turning up looking completely different, which is later explained by her being in disguise to avoid being detected by Dessy. Anyway, a possible romance between Loy and Halsey comes to naught. Pippo Caruso's music often seems that it belongs on an Horror movie, but it mostly works well. One advantage of the shortened "American version" is that the ending music fits better than the version I've seen that is longer. Credited screenwriters Arpad de Riso and Giovanni Scolaro are veterans of Italian costume and spy flicks which often feel that scenes which don't really congeal into a cohesive whole. Similarly, the final shootout of KILL JOHNNY RINGO doesn't easily flow from one confrontation to the next. Did even the long version suffer from rethinking in the editing room? Fans of William Bogart, aka Guglielmo Spoletini may enjoy his small role here. There two versions of this movie on YouTube. One is the same "American version" shown as part
of a link to Starz, and the other has Italian opening credits, but is another 82 minute version. Possibly someone got a copy of the Italian version and then stuck the English track from the "American version" onto it - and then shorten the Italian version to fit. Surprisingly, no one seems to have uploaded the long version, available on Scandinavian home video, in English, to YouTube.
Did not enjoy:
COOTIES (2014) - Elijah Wood plays an aspiring novelist taking a job as a substitute teacher for the summer. Unfortunately, the school at which he works is soon bursting with adolescent murderous zombies infected by virus contaminated chicken nuggets. Co-starring Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBraver and Jorge Garcia, the film intends to be a gross-out comedy, but isn't very funny. More WORLD WAR Z than DAWN OF THE DEAD, COOTIES gets its name when children misidentify what's happening to them because a young girl is spreading the contagion by biting boys in the face. The movie follows a group of teachers fighting to survive the onslaught only to reach another town and finding that the catastrophe seems to have spread worldwide. The makers of this may be vegetarians, like the makers of BABE, but have less story sense than those guys. Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion are the credited directors. Normally filmmakers try to avoid graphic depictions of violence against children. These guys seem to revel in it.
THE LONG WALK (2025) - While based on the first novel written by Stephen King, under the name of Richard Bachman, THE LONG WALK seems more to have been inspired by THE HUNGER GAMES. Instead of young people killing each other to prove the power of the state, here young men are supposed to walk until only one survives which is supposed to inspire the country to be more productive. Changing the premise of King's story results in a film what doesn't make much sense, plus we don't get Jennifer Lawrence in a cat suit so where's the fun? The idea of getting young men to walk themselves to death seems similar to an idea I had in high school while having to run around the track in P.E. There I considered a movie in which running around the track would be a metaphor for life. Since the drama focuses on the relationships formed between the young men on this journey, it becomes fairly obvious how the movie is going to end. One is left with the nagging question, "What is supposed to be the point of all this?" If you enjoy seeing Mark Hamill playing a villain, then you may enjoy this. I would rather re-watch Judy Greer play the mother in the ANT-MAN movies than watch her sob here. And how come they call an M-16 like weapon a carbine? Francis Lawrence, who directed episodes 2, 3 &4 of THE HUNGER GAMES, helmed this film from a script credited to J.T. Moliner.
THE MAGIC PENGUIN (2024) - Director Stefano Milla was born in Turin, Italy, so it is not surprising that after a successful career making commercials and working for the Discovery Channel, Milla would decide to make this children's movie in his native city. He obviously is enamored with using drones for sweeping areal photography, which becomes a bit annoying. A talking penguin shows up in an obscure European kingdom and is treated well, so it drops a pearl as a thank you gift. Possessing the pearl anoints one as the ruler of the kingdom. Prior to an anniversary celebration, a female usurper hires two goons to kidnap the penguin with the idea that she will force the flightless bird to drop another pearl making her queen. Of course the plan goes wrong. Eventually the usurper gets the penguin to drop a new pearl, causing the old pearl to disintegrate. By using a catapult, friends of the penguin are able to send the bird flying over the locked gates to prevent the usurper from forcing the king off his throne. This film was obviously not made for me, and I didn't appreciate it.
Interestingly, Melissa Kate Steven looks more attractive in her work clothes as the penguin's handler than she does "all dolled up" for the anniversary celebration.
THE PERFECT GAMBLE (2025) - Having worked with director Martin Scorsese twice, Israeli born but Brooklyn raised actor Danny Abeckaser seems to have felt that he could follow in that man's footsteps and became a director of mob movies starting with 2023's THE ENGINEER. Working with screenwriter Kosta Kondilopoulos, he also made MOB COPS which starred David Arquette. The three came together for this story of a small time American gambler just released from prison, who gets an invitation from his former partner, Abeckaser, to join him in running an illegal casino in Georgia. Soon, Arquette discovers that he is working for Russian gangsters, and the local Georgian casino guy doesn't approve. Quentin Tarantino's wife, Israeli born Daniella Pick Tarantino plays Arquette's love interest. Like MOB COPS, THE PERFECT GAMBLE was mostly shot in Israel. While Abeckaser does a pretty good job of acting like Joe Pesci, Arquette is no Robert DeNiro.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (2020) - I am not the intended audience for this film. I don't play video games and I hate movies based on video games. I hate the way filmmakers try to make the ridiculous video game plots into something more logical for movie scenarios. Here, the computer generated character of Sonic is born on another planet with special powers, so villainous echidna creatures attack hoping to steal his power. Luckily, Sonic's mentor is a kindly owl who gives him a bag of golden rings allowing Sonic to jump onto different planets for safety. Sonic lands on Earth, and while keeping out of sight from the inhabitants of the small U.S. town of Green Hills, grows to love its people. However, he is lonely and one night, while trying to amuse himself by playing every position in a game of baseball, he causes an electromagnetic pulse which takes out the power grid. Alarmed by this event, the U.S. government sends for Doctor Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, to investigate. Robotnik discovers one of Sonic's quills, which generates enough power for Robotnik's robots and drones to match Sonic's speed. Sheriff James Marsden comes upon Sonic as he is about to use a gold ring to leave Earth, but shoots Sonic with a tranquilizer dart just as he imagines San Francisco. The bag of gold rings falls through the open portal onto the roof of the Transamerica Pyramid. Eventually, Marsden and Sonic head to San Francisco to retrieve the bag, with Carrey in hot pursuit. Robotnik is rather trigger happy in the chase, and we see a lot of property damage, with no concern for possible human collateral damage. Naturally, the film ends with Robotnik sent to another planet and the U.S. government thanking our heroes for keeping everything quiet with a gift card to The Olive Garden. What kind of deal did the filmmakers make to get their movie to serve as a rather long commercial for The Olive Garden, and its never ending pasta dish? Sony found their audience and two sequels quickly followed with a fourth announced.
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Angel Rivera Highly enjoyed:
"BIG HEAT" (1953)
TCM is showing its annual "Summer Under The Stars" and one of the stars they were featuring was Glenn Ford who I know mostly as "Pa Kent" in the first Christopher Reeve "Superman" movie. Here he plays a hard-boiled police detective out to find the killer of his wife, who died when a car bomb meant for him exploded killing her. The film is also known as the one where villain "Lee Marvin", in one of his earliest roles, throws hot coffee in the face of girl friend "Gloria Grahame" scalding her and burning her face. Carolyn Jones also has a small part, a few years before she became "Morticia Addams" on "The Addams Family" TV show. .Classic Film-moir.
Mildly enjoyed:
'CAPTAIN KRONOS-VAMPIRE HUNTER" (1973/4)
"Svengoolie" was showing "Captain Kronos-Vampire Hunter' which I had heard about, but had never seen. A different kind of "Hammer"Films horror film in that the vampires suck the life force or the "youth" out of their victims causing them to age before they die. Carolyn Munro has her last role in a Hammer film here just before she became a Bond Girl and before "Starcrash". Slightly amusing and interesting.
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David Deal Enjoyed:
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON (42)
THE KILLERS (64) - From 2016: "Looks like the TV movie it was meant to be but Don Siegal's colorful film noir is harsh and violent and damned entertaining."
A MAN NAMED ROCCA (61) - A friend of low-level, but good shot criminal Jean-Paul Belmondo is framed by the head of a gambling house and imprisoned. So Belmondo muscles in on the business while trying to figure a way to get his friend out. He is later shot and imprisoned in the same lockup as his friend. What happens next to the men takes up the rest of this curveball crime story from Jean Becker. It is interesting if not entirely compelling.
FORT WORTH (51)
A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY (87)
CLASSE TOUS RISQUES (60) - From 2022: "Gangster Lino Ventura makes his way back to Paris from Italy with the help of Jean-Paul Belmondo but Lino's other friends leave him high and dry. Claude Sautet's film noir is full of nice touches and will satisfy any fan of Jean-Pierre Melville. Recommended."
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER? (67) - I'd never seen this Stanley Kramer classic. It is beautifully written and acted. Spencer Tracy's finale. Recommended.
AN ANGEL FOR SATAN (66) - The Severin Blu-ray is an excellent restoration.
Mildly enjoyed:
THE MAN UPSTAIRS (58) - Richard Attenborough is going out of his mind in his boarding house room thinking he killed a man. Things take a rather serious turn when he pushes a cop who came to roust him out down the stairs nearly killing him. Now it becomes a battle between the mental health advocates and the cops who want to take him the hard way. This is a talky, claustrophobic British drama that features Bernard Lee, Patricia Jessel (City of the Dead), and, in an early role, Edward Judd (Island of Terror).
NIGHT OF VIOLENCE (65) - Call girl Helene Chanel is killed by a mysterious man. Her sister, Marilu Tolo, begins her own investigation but the attacks on prostitutes continue and commissioner Alberto Lupo (Atom Age Vampire) is at a loss. A by-the-numbers procedural from Roberto Mauri who directed Slaughter of the Vampires, Island of Lost Girls, and other sub-par genre efforts. Lisa Gastoni appears briefly, and the soundtrack is cool jazz.
CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS (72)
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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:
Party down (2009, season 1)
Mildly enjoyed:
Banzaï (1983, Claude Zidi)
Did not enjoy:
Le duel (1939, Pierre Fresnay)
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