To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
In what movie did Richard Harrison and Ken Clark both appear?
Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was SOUTH PACIFIC (1958).
What was the first Italian produced Western featuring Ken Clark?
It was not LA STRADA PER FORT ALAMO.
In what movie did Ken Clark man-handle Alan Arkin?
No one has answered this one yet.
And now for some new brain teasers:
Which Italian Western originally sported an English title very similar to the English title of a 1943 film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer?
To which Italian director was Tonino Valerii an assistant before Valerii got his first director's credit?
By what name is Robert Bohr better known?
Name the movies from which these images came.
Tom Betts, Bertrand van Wonterghem and Rick Garibaldi identified last week's frame grab of Patrizia Valturri and Tomas Milian in SE SEI VIVO SPARA, aka DJANGO KILL, IF YOU LIVE SHOOT.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Jeff Cameron in MACISTE IL GLADIATORE PIU FORTE DEL MONDO, aka COLOSSUS OF THE ARENA.
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?
Angel Rivera identified last week's frame grab of Koji Tsuruta taking care of the bad guy in A SCARRED LIFE (1971).
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
**********************************************************************
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:
SERENITY (2005) - Every time I hear someone say that TOP GUN MAVERICK is a great movie, I think that Tom Cruise never made a movie as good as this.
Enjoyed:
Loki (2021) - The Disney + series is even more fun a during a second viewing.
BLACK WIDOW (2021)
Mildly enjoyed:
MORTDECAI (2015) - DON'T POINT THAT THING AT ME by Kyril Bonfiglioli was published in 1972 and was the first of three novels about a dissolute English aristocratic art dealer and his manservant Jock. Eric Aronson is credited with the screenplay for the movie version which is directed by David Koepp, who is best known as the screenwriter for movies like JURASSIC PARK, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and SPIDER-MAN. Widely derided upon its release, MORTDECAI is a mildly amusing romp that mixes an art heist plot with James Bond like action. With the character of Jock, the show is reminiscent of Lord Peter Wimsey, but Mortdecai is not a gentleman detective. He's more of a potential crook, kept out of legal trouble by his old school chum MI5 Inspector Alistair Martland. One wonders if the film would have gone down better if Johnny Depp hadn't been cast in the title role, as his mannered performance might have been felt to be too much like what he did in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. Paul Bettany as Jock is a pleasure. as is Ewan McGregor as Martland and Gwyneth Paltrow as our hero's wife - who finds her husband's new moustache nauseating. Cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister delivers a terrific looking film despite what seems like Depp's self-indulgent performance. Jeff Goldblum makes a welcome, but short, appearance.
Did not enjoy:
FINAL COMBINATION, aka DEAD CONNECTION (1993) - Seeing Parker Posey was an unexpected surprise. That she became, along with Connie Blankenship, the first victims of Gary Stretch, was disappointing. After an angry ex-girlfriend blew his undercover job, Cop Michael Madsen got assigned to the murder case. Eventually Lisa Bonet showed up to inform Madsen that the killer left bodies in other cities before coming to Los Angeles. Stretch, who in reality was an ex-professional boxer, turned out to be a sexually deviant boxer, who got excited by telephone porn, before finding young women to beat to death and then rape. After foot and car chases, Madsen and Stretch face off to the death - thankfully with Bonet able to help the good guy. Twin Peaks fans may enjoy seeing Eric DaRe in a small role, while Star Trek Voyager fans may enjoy seeing Tim Russ without alien makeup.
NEW YEAR'S EVIL (1980) - One pleasure to be had in watching this stupid and ineffective "slasher" movie, is seeing what Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Avenue used to look like before they built that huge shopping mall. Aside from that, the movie is an insult to Hollywood's Punk Rock and New Wave fandom with Roz Kelly as a radio personality hosting a New Year's TV celebration with performances by bands Shadow and Made In Japan. With a special thanks to Bill "Godfather of Rock And Roll" Gazzarri, one need not look far for whom to blame for this travesty - which was available on Cannon Records and Tapes. Using a vocal distorter, Kip Niven calls into the show threatening to murder a "naughty girl" at midnight in each time zone. Hopping from one location to another, Niven seems to be following no particular pattern, and one wonders if Grant Cramer might be an accomplice. While dressed as a priest, Niven bumps into a motorcycle gang, which chases him into the Van Nuys Drive-In, which is showing the trailer to BLOOD FEAST - a retitleing of THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES, and BLOOD BATH (both A Cannon Group Inc. Presentation. Niven's plot to murder a nun is abandoned, which is just one dangling plot thread that looked interesting. Eventually, Niven shows up in Kelly's dressing room and it turns out that he is her husband. Hating all women because of how Kelly seems to have "castrated" him, Niven plots an elaborate and improbable plan to murder Kelly by chaining her underneath an elevator and then forcing the carriage to plunge down. Not surprisingly, the cops prevent Kellly's death, but when cornered on the roof, Niven jumps to his death. Niven and Kelly's son, Cramer, seems to have decided to continue the mission to kill mom by murdering the ambulance driver taking Kelly to the hospital. Former cinematographer Emmett Alston wasn't rewarded by Cannon with another job, but he was hired by Crown International to make NINE DEATHS OF THE NINJA.
RUN THE RACE (2018) - Do you want to see an inspiring film about two brothers using sports to cope with the death of their mother and the abandonment of their father? Jake McEntire came up with the story in which Tanner Stine and Evan Hofer are gifted athletes, except Hofer has epalepsey. Stine is hoping that his sterling high school football career is his ticket out of their small town, which is put in jeopardy when he injures his leg in a brawl. Hofer steps up to become a track star. Meanwhile, their estranged dad, Kristoffer Polaha, seems only to be trying to use them for favors. Eventually, all of them end up in Pastor Mario Van Peebles' church, where they remember how the dead wife and mother's faith held the family together. When Hofer has a stroke and ends up in the hospital, Stine steps up to replace him in the big track race. Hofer dies in the hospital while Stine comes in second place, which still impresses the football scout to get Stine a scholarship. Famously Christian Football player Tim Tebow was one of the executive producers on this, along with his brother Robby. Chris Dowling is the director with Frances Fisher and Mykelti Williamson filling supporting roles.
TO ALL A GOODNIGHT (1980) - David Hess proved to be an effective villain in a number of movies, but here he proved to be an abysmal director. I guess Alex Rebar's script was a rip-off of BLACK CHRISTMAS because it opened before FRIDAY THE 13th came out. At least those films featured interesting cast members and some vivid murders. If you've been wanting to see Harry Reems, under the name Dan Stryker, in a non-pornographic role, this movie may be what you want. We don't even get to see his murder - just a gush of blood and guts tossed from off screen.
******************************************************************
Charles Gilbert watched:
CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN (1955) B&W. Another Clover Production in the sci fi genre. Mobster Frank Buchanon (Michael Granger) is exacting revenge with help from German scientist who can animate corpses via radium source. Police lab tech Chet Walker(Richard Denning) cracks the case and becomes chief target. Film employs a bevy of stuntmen like Charles Horvath and Red Morgan made up with facial potmarks menacing the viewer via the "fourth wall"
THE SLIME PEOPLE (1963) B&W. Robert Hutton directs and stars as a tv reprter battling "artichoke head"monsters carrying spears. They have Los Angeles enveloped in a smoggy dome. With Susan Hart.
******************************************************************
Bertrand van Wonterghem Highly enjoyed:
The goes wrong show – season 1 – episode 3
Enjoyed:
Willow – season 1 – episode 3
Se sei vivo spara (1967, Giulio Questi)
Nope (2021, Jordan Pele)
He qi dao / Hapkido (1972, Huang Feng)
Paris police 1905 ( season 1 – episode 1
Mildly enjoyed:
Doctor Who – season 12 – episodes 5 to 10 / season 13 (7 episodes)
Tian long ba jiang / The invincible eight (1971, Wei Lo)
21 hours at Munich (1976, William A. Graham)
Did not enjoy:
Le avventure e gli amori di Scaramouche (1976, Enzo G. Castellari)
***************************************************
David Deal Enjoyed:
CRACK IN THE WORLD (65)
THE VIOLIN CASE MURDERS (65) - See The Eurospy Guide book for a complete review of Jerry Cotton's debut.
INVISIBLE AGENT (42)
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DOCTOR WATSON (79)
DEATH OCCURRED LAST NIGHT (70)
Mildly enjoyed:
THE UNKNOWN MAN OF SHANDIGOR (67)
JOHNNY FIRECLOUD (75) - Victor Mohica returns from the service to his small western town and discovers that crummy redneck Ralph Meeker and his cronies are running the joint. When Meeker's gang kill Mohica's grandfather (Frank DeKova), Mohica goes revengin'. Generally unpleasant, this exploiter falls to wallowing in the behavior it purports to hate. The revenge is well-deserved and metted out with style but the taste is not so sweet. Sasheen Littlefeather is humiliated and raped, and DeKova is just humiliated.
THE DAY MARS INVADED THE EARTH (63)
SO YOUNG, SO LOVELY, SO VICIOUS (75)
***************************************************
Angel Rivera Mildly enjoyed:
"She Said" (2022) a docudrama about the two female NY Times reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein story which in turn started the whole #me too movement.
"Prehistoric Women (1967), A Hammer Production starring Martine Beswick,, a Bond girl (she was featured in two Bond movies starring Sean Connery.) The film is like a cross between "She" (1965) the Ursula Andress version (also a Hammer Production) and "One Million Years B. C. (1966) So the highlight of the film is all the pretty girls in fur bikinis.
***************************************************
