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Track the Films You Watch (2011) (1 Viewer)

PatW

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01/07 Beowulf & Grendel (2005) 3.5/5


The old English poem is brought to life in this story of man against beast in which Beowulf is pitted against the troll Grendel. This is a well thought out story with great acting and beautiful cinematography. The characters are well drawn out and what I especially like is the fact that Grendel isn't completely the villian here but has reasons for his murderous ways. What prevented me from giving this a higher rating was the modern dialogue which completely took me out of the story. Reminds me alot of the 13th Warrior, an adaptation of Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead which I'm sure was based on the Beowulf legend.


01/07 Terminator Salvation (2009) 3.5/5


I think this movie gets unfairly bashed by Terminator fans who feel it doesn't follow what came before. Certainly it's exciting enough with good special effects. If you forget the other Terminator movies it's a fairly decent Sci-fi/Action film. The weak link here is the character, John Connor as played by Christian Bale. The more interesting character is Marcus Wright as played by Sam Worthington. It was interesting watching his journey from cold blooded killer on death row to descovering his humanity at the end. To me John Connor just seemed like a throwaway character even though he's important to the terminator saga. In this movie it didn't seem that way. It was cool seeing the CGI Arnie robot. You have to overlook alot of things in this movie but despite that I found it enjoyable enough.


01/07 Forbidden Planet (1956) 4.5/5


It was bittersweet watching this movie again having just recently lost two of its principal actors Leslie Nielsen & Anne Francis. This is probably one of my favourite sci-fi movies from the 50's, innovative for its time. Adams and his crew are sent to the planet Altair to discover the fate of a group of colonists that were sent 20 years prior but haven't been heard from. On the planet they discover only the lead scientist, his daughter, a robot and a murderous electrical creature that seems to be responsible for the deaths of the other colonists. Fascinating story with great acting and some comedic bits courtesy of the robot. Very unique well thought out movie for its time. On the bluray there is a great documentary called Watch the Skies about the 50's Sci-fi movies and how they affected directors Spielberg, Lucas, Scott and Cameron.


01/08 Monsters Inc. (2001) 4.5/5


Not much to say about this one other than the short, For the Birds is worth the price of this movie.
 

Michael Elliott

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Social Network, The (2010)


Victor Schertzinger


Disappointing pre-code about Captain Roberts (Adolphe Menjou) who falls in love with a woman (Lili Damita) already married to a sadistic man (Erich von Stroheim). The husband blackmails the Captain and he goes away but soon he learns that his best friend (Laurence Olivier) has also dated and loved the woman. The two friend make a vow to both turn their backs on her but soon they run into her at a party and all bets are off. Considering the amazing cast one can't help but call this a major disappointment because even at just 66-minutes the screenplay simply doesn't have enough going for it to make things interesting or believable. I think the biggest problem is that the screenplay is so over-dramatic that at times you can't help but roll your eyes and wonder if the cast knows how silly things are getting. The perfect example of this is when the two men sit wounded from a battle and burn the pictures of the woman they both love. The dialogue during this sequence is just plain bad and seems to be spoken by teenage boys and not distinguished men. Another problem is that the woman isn't a very sympathetic character and yet it really does seem like the screenplay wants us to pity her and feel sorry for everything she's involved in. The stuff dealing with her abusive husband takes a rather odd twist towards the middle of the film but it frees up everything that follows, which again comes off way too dramatic. I won't ruin the final sequence inside a bedroom but it goes a tad bit too far and just comes off rather fake. The performances are also a mixed bag but there's no question that Menjou steals the film as a grieving lover. I thought the actor came across quite distinguished and really made you feel for the character. Another positive aspect to the performance is the fact that we could feel the pain he's in without him having to say a word as Menjou's perfect face really tells all the emotions he's feeling. Damita is also pretty good in her role, although at times I kept asking myself if she was trying to do a Greta Garbo impersonation. von Stroheim is wickedly fun as usual and we even get Frederick Kerr who also appeared in FRANKENSTEIN the same year. It's been said that Olivier's earliest American films were quite embarrassing for the actor and although I wouldn't go that far there's no doubt that he's out of his elements here. The performance is quite stagy and it doesn't help that Olivier goes so over-the-top with some of his facial gestures and body movements. FRIENDS AND LOVERS is quite boring even with its more racy plot elements. It's certainly not every film that featured a married woman going out with various men but the racy elements don't make a movie and in the end this one here just doesn't work.
 

Pete York

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Saturday’s Hero (1951) Dir: David Miller

Production: Columbia Pictures


Surprisingly biting critique of the business of college football, and more. While not the first such film (Wellman’s COLLEGE COACH hit some of the same points back in 1933), it hardly pulls any punches. John Derek plays Steve Novak, the son of an immigrant from a small mill town in New Jersey, whose football talent takes him down to staid, traditional Jackson College in Virginia. The academic powerhouse makes Steve the centerpiece of its first big recruiting class put together in an attempt to give the school a national profile as a football program. It works. But Steve, no fool, is determined to earn his way as a student. However the success of the team, and increasing pressures from a powerful alumnus, conspires to take Steve down a different path.


The film certainly operates as an attack on “the great American hypocrisy of football” as writer-producer Sidney Buchman stated was his intention. Players are bought and paid, grades are fixed, reporters generate hype, doctors do anything to get a hurt star player back on the field, etc. But the underlying meaning of the film is about Novak, and his dream of going from outsider to acceptance, the classic immigrant tale, and how that can ultimately be a kind of fool’s errand. Something drives him to Jackson. All the football powers are chasing him, places where he can be All-American, yet he eschews them for this, at the moment, small-time program. When Novak first arrives on campus, strolling around wide-eyed at the ivy covered walls, we get a hint at what the appeal is for him. It becomes more obvious when one of the few wealthy, well-connected guys on the team is asked to join a prestigious fraternity and it’s clear to Steve that he similarly won’t be. We see the disappointment. While this is all interesting, I had a problem with the ending. After everything comes crashing down around Steve, the ultimate message seems to be to not reach too far outside your station. Because if you do, you’ll be struck down by societal forces and put back into place (you can gather that the Code officials had problems with the script’s “anti-American[ism]”, something that didn’t help one-time Communist Buchman, who was blacklisted within a couple of years). The problem for me is that Steve is complicit in how he ends up, his decisions help write his ending for him, so the fatalism is a little false to me.


The football scenes are actually well done, looking very much like football as played in 1951. Pros and college players from USC and UCLA were used. Derek is the weak spot in the cast. He looks the part, no doubt, but his inability to express much in demanding moments--he tends to just furrow his brow--stands out. Donna Reed has a role that is initially quite disturbing. She plays Melissa, the ‘ward’ of the powerful alum McCabe (a menacing Sidney Blackmer) who runs the program. When Steve first meets Melissa, she is cold, emotionless. She talks in a matter-of-fact way about the many men she’s ‘known’. The implication of her relationship to McCabe, who is also her uncle, is obvious. Soon, Steve will arouse some life back into her and a conventional romance follows. Alexander Knox plays Steve’s faculty advisor and literature professor. He’s initially dismissive of the football player, then surprised by his aptitude and willingness. They have a good scene together, ostensibly to talk Keats (“Beauty is truth, truth beauty”), but really giving us another theme of the picture: maturity is the ability to look deep inside and see oneself as you really are, and Steve is a first generation Polish immigrant. Again, the film’s insistence on being defined by class. Aldo Ray, in his first role (although not the first released), makes a favorable impression as a cynical fellow member of the team, well aware of his worth and realist enough to get compensated for it. Also Elmer Bernstein’s first score, and you might recognize his stamp from the opening credits.


out of 4
 

Martin Teller

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Douce - A kind of "upstairs downstairs" romantic melodrama... though whether or not it is "anti-bourgeoisie" seems to be a matter of debate. I would say it's not, or at best not as much as it intends to be. The servants and lower-classes are hardly any better than the bourgeois countess and her progeny in this film, and arguably worse. I'm going to side with Truffaut on this one. Still, the film is marvelously constructed. The remarkable camerawork is reminiscent of Ophuls (Leibelei came to mind specifically), with graceful tracking shots and frequent use of objects in the frame as symbolic barriers. The dialogue is well-written and all the performances are spot-on. And it's an engaging web of romantic intrigue and manipulation. I just wish I had connected with it on more of a gut level. Rating: 7


Il Sorpasso - A fantastic odd couple/road trip movie with an ending that years of watching movies like Planes, Trains and Automobiles left me totally unprepared for. I'm still processing the finale, and haven't decided yet if it's a stroke of genius or a serious misstep. Nonetheless, the rest of the film is pure delight. It follows the familiar formula... the loudmouth extrovert who eventually reveals hidden depths, and the uptight introvert who learns to live in the moment. But from the moment Vittorio Gassman revs through the opening credits in that iconic Lancia Aurelia, the movie races with boundless energy. Never over-the-top or hacky, but always propelling towards the next amusing encounter. Gassman and Trintignant play off each other wonderfully, making their characters fill their opposite roles without seeming like stereotypes, and bring poignancy without sappiness. Great use of pop music, too. You can't help but smile watching this, and the ending is definitely something to chew on. Rating: 8


Mädchen in Uniform - Despite being apparently toned down from the novel and the play, this film is quite overt in its lesbian themes. Though it's not graphic or lurid in any way, it would have never passed muster in Hollywood, even during the pre-Code era. Here we have young girls (14-ish) in a boarding school expressing love not only for each other, but also for their alluring and compassionate teacher. The emotion is not simply lust (these children are starved for any sort of affection) but there is an undeniable sexual element to it. But this isn't merely a story of budding young passions... it also has a strong anti-fascist message, one which the Nazis would try to suppress. Although there's a little too much good guy/bad guy for my tastes, it does make an effective statement. And it's an artful piece of work. Not quite expressionist, but very expressive in its camera language. An intriguing bit of cinematic history. Rating: 8


Woman in the Moon - Coming after the one-two punch of Metropolis and Spies, this is disappointing fare from Fritz Lang. With a title like this (very misleading, BTW) you'd hope for an imaginative sci-fi romp, Méliès-style. Instead you get a rather ho-hum adventure/thriller with a few sci-fi elements. It's a full two hours before they even get to the moon, and once there, very little is made of it. So much time is wasted exploring inconsequential little bits of intrigue that don't matter to an audience that wants to see what's on the MOTHERFUCKING MOON. When the story indulges in some actual sci-fi (the science can best be described as "giddily ludicrous", although it does seem like some thought went into it), it's a hoot. Too bad it takes a backseat to so many less inspiring subplots. Wonderful visuals and special effects, though. Rating: 6
 

Pete York

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This Side of Heaven (1934) Dir: William K. Howard

Production: MGM


A rather eventful day in the life of the Turner family. Think of the film as a melodramatic prototype of the Hardy family, and looking at the studio, and even the star, Lionel Barrymore, I’d bet that that’s exactly what this was. The Turners are dad Martin (Barrymore), mother Francene (Fay Bainter), daughters Jane (Mae Clarke) and Peggy (Mary Carlisle), son Seth (Tom Brown) and their Southern maid Birdie (Una Merkel). Francene has just had her first book, The Family, bought by a movie studio and they’ve engaged her to come out to Hollywood (meta!). The kids are all absorbed in their own personal dramas; Jane has to choose between two suitors, one a safe, stuffed shirt accountant and the other an impulsive, scrappy newspaper reporter (hmmm, which one will it be?); Seth is in the middle of Rush Week at college, and desperately trying (but failing) to impress the big frat; and Peggy is just about to go off to college for the first time. What no one seems to recognize is their father crumbling apart in front of them. He naively got caught up in an embezzling scheme at work and his company is about to be audited.


Based on a novel called It Happened One Day, you can definitely picture L.B. Mayer thinking of it as a tryout for his dream series, the ups and downs of his ideal movie family (which he would eventually get). The problem here is the family, there’s nothing particularly likable or memorable about them. Peggy and Seth are both irritating characters (and not written with a lot of help to the two actors playing them), while Jane is, well, plain. Martin is kind of a milquetoast, his legal issue arises because he’s pretty easily duped into something stupid, although Barrymore’s breakdown is probably the best part of the movie. Bainter, in her first movie role, has an interesting character, but her thread goes away after 20 minutes or so. The facile treatment of the serious events the family goes through also makes the story seem silly (I think if you were hit by a speeding streetcar you might be in the hospital for more than an afternoon).


Small, amusing bits include a gay interior decorator who exists in the film only to be a gay interior decorator, he has virtually nothing to do with the story (“It strikes me as a bit too gay” Jane’s beau Walter says about a pattern for drapes), and a scene with Peggy and her boyfriend having a romantic picnic and wanting so badly to screw each other that they immediately go off to get married. Dorky Mickey Daniels has an unlikely small part as the star quarterback and frat member at Seth’s college. And Dickie Moore, who was contractually obligated to appear in every third film to come out of Hollywood in the early 30’s, makes his mandatory appearance as a trouble-making student in teacher Jane’s class. The drama in the story is easy enough to roll with, I suppose, but you probably won’t think much of it ever again after it’s over.


out of 4
 

Mario Gauci

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Martin,



I've already commented on some of your 2011 viewings on "Facebook"...but I just have to congratulate you over here too for having gotten under your belt several rare but highly rewarding movies so early on in the year: AN ITALIAN STRAW HAT (1927; which I own but have yet to watch), COMRADESHIP (1931), GIRLS IN UNIFORM (1931; ditto), SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932), DOUCE (1943), IL SORPASSO (1962; a veritable Italian film masterpiece that I really need to acquire the 2-Disc Set of one of these days), JUDEX (1963), PIXOTE (1981; owned but unwatched), etc.


As for Jacques Rivette's OUT ONE folly, I am one of those lucky(?!) few who've sat through the full 13-hour cut (albeit split over 5 days) on VHS recorded off of a one-off Italian TV screening. Like you, the bits I enjoyed the most were the ones featuring Jean-Pierre Leaud and Juliet Berto; the rest, as Shakespeare said before me, is silence!
 

Martin Teller

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I've been trying to polish off the TSPDT 1000 list before they update it for the new year. I guess it would make more sense to wait until AFTER they update and then polish off the new version. But then something like Touki Bouki could drop off the list and then who knows if I would have ever seen it?


I am hoping The Art of Vision drops off though, because I don't know any way to get a hold of it, and that bothers the completist in me.
 

PatW

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01/08 Fate is the Hunter (1964) 2/5


It's odd that I read a newspaper story that someone had sent me about a plane on route from US to Germany that got diverted to Canada because of spilled coffee causing the planes security alarm to go off. In this movie the plane crash happens fairly early in the film killing everyone but one. Sam McBane (Glenn Ford) is determined to prove that the accident was not pilot error but the result of something else. Interesting premise for a movie but dull with an especially irritating performance from Rod Taylor as the pilot. The rest of the cast were adequate in their roles. Maybe I'll give this another go sometime when I'm not so tired.


01/09 Battle of Britain (1969) 4/5


The title says it all. The mainly all star cast put in solid performances though some were too brief for my liking (Michael Caine). The air battle at the end was especially striking.


01/10 Girl in White (1952) 3/5


The first female intern in New York City hospitals fights to gain respect from her fellow interns. The movie takes place at the turn of the century. It was extremely rare for women to be admitted into this male dominated world. June Allyson protrays Emily Dunning a young woman who has to fight prejudice from her days in Cornell Medical School to internship in New York hospital. This is an inspiring movie maybe not so much now but the story was weakened considerably by the inevitable love story.


01/12 Shutter Island (2009) 4.5/5


I was feeling alittle cheated by this movie until the last line of the film which totally redeemed what had come before. This is a great mystery/suspense firm directed by Martin Scorcese probably one of my top three by this director. Teddy and Chuck are US federal marshalls that are sent to an isolated mental hospital for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of one of its inmates. The trailer made you think this would be more of a horror story but it's creepy nontheless. Events just aren't adding up at this institution and Teddy is determined to uncover what is really going on.

Top-notch acting here and with the creepy atmosphere of this film Alfred Hitchcock would be proud.
 

Martin Teller

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Wild River - I'm not a huge Kazan fan, but he always does a tremendous job with actors, and this ranks right up there with his very best. Montgomery Clift is a Tennessee Valley Authority agent, tasked with getting stubborn Jo Van Fleet to vacate her soon-to-be-underwater island. Along the way he gets involved with the woman's granddaughter (Lee Remick) and becomes entangled in local racial tensions. All three threads of the plot are very compelling, with some unexpected turns and complex character development. Clift (at this point in the midst of an array of personal problems) gives a mighty fine performance, and although Remick fails to impress at first, she comes into her own by the end. Albert Salmi is also memorable as the slimy, sadistic lead racist. But the absolute star of the cast is Jo Van Fleet, who was also so terrific in East of Eden. She does an awful lot with relatively little screen time, and won over my sympathy even after I was certain I'd despise her character. Round things off with a lovely, understated score and some surprisingly good cinematography for a Kazan film... the last few minutes contain some powerful images. A terrific movie about the costs and benefits of "progress." Rating: 9


The Long Day Closes - This film has much in common with its predecessor, Distant Voices, Still Lives. A bittersweet collection of brief nostalgic episodes, with heaps of songs... as before, both diegetic and non-diegetic. Again, the memories are both good and bad, emphasizing the small comforts and minor torments of life. In this case, the painful events are not in the form of an abusive father (in fact, Bud's father is entirely absent and I don't think he's even mentioned) but come from bullies, school humiliations, and religious fears. Although many of the joys come from the same kind of wondrous family moments as in the previous film, there's a fair share of little private moments and more important, escapes to the movies. Bud is often seen going to (or desiring to go to) the cinema, and audio clips from The Magnificent Ambersons and Meet Me in St. Louis, among others, are played over various events. And once again, Davies plays with chronology, although not in a jumping-back-and-forth manner. Instead, time seems to flow like a river, eroding gaps between memories as one flows seamlessly into the next. It's a beautiful film, both haunting and warm, and one that shows a growth in Davies' abilities as filmmaker, especially with so many incredibly striking compositions. I also want to praise Tina Malone and Jimmy Wilde, who provide some terrific comic relief. And I love that Davies has enough faith in his audience to present a racist incident without telling you how to feel about it in any way. Rating: 9


Moana - Yet another semi-documentary bit of ethnography from Robert Flaherty. This one follows a young man and family through their various Samoan routines... hunting, making clothing, preparing food, dance and finally, an elaborate tattooing ritual that ushers Moana into manhood. There's some pretty interesting stuff and Flaherty treats his subjects with respect, but it all feels a bit been-there-done-that, especially after having seen the superior Tabu. Rating: 7


only 25 left to go on the TSPDT 1000 list
 

Michael Elliott

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Shit Saturday continues with two more goodies.



Navy vs. the Night Monsters, The (1966)


Edward Bernds


Number thirty-eight is certainly a step up in the series has a King and Princess from a fake European country find themselves hiding in the Bowery after being kicked out of the country. It turns out Louie (Bernard Gorcey) is the brother of a rebel who is fighting to bring the King back but in the meantime Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) must fight the bad guys who plan on double-crossing the King. Considering how fair to poor the previous few films were I really wasn't expecting too much out of SPY CHASERS but it actually turned out to be pretty good and in the end it delivered more laughs than many in the series. The plot is certainly a very stupid one with one big hole after another but then again it's doubtful anyone expected anything better. The film does a nice job with the humor as it comes in a variety of ways but the highlights are when the boys are making fun of Col. Alex Baxis (Leon Askin) who happens to be a bad guy. The stuff that happens when Slip and Sach first meet him is priceless and gets plenty of laughs. Another terrific sequence is a later scene when Slip and Sach come up with a plan to get the Princess back after she's been kidnapped. This includes going into a restaurant where the owner is played by Roger Corman regular Mel Welles. The insults start flying and contain some of the best jokes in the series and Sach's "act" is without question one of the funniest bits you'll see in any of the films. Both Gorcey and Hall seem re-energized as both of them are working at a very fast pace and both deliver what they do best. Gorcey has some very funny lines this time out and Hall plays dumb as well as he can. Daddy Gorcey also does a pretty good job in his role but it's a shame the screenplay didn't include a scene of his brother, the General in battle as it would have been great seeing this "brave" brother. Askin is fun as the bad guy as is Veola Davis in the role of the vixen who uses Sach to carry out her orders. SPY CHASERS certainly isn't a masterpiece but it's a decent enough of an entry and I'm sure fans of the series will have a good time with it.
 

PatW

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01/12 Ondine (2009) 3/5


An Irish fisherman pulls a young woman out of the ocean in his fishing net and his young daughter is convinced that he's has rescued a Selke ( a seal turned human on land). An interesting premise, well acted with a disappointing finish.


01/12 Wandering Eye (2010) 1/5


Pretty dreadful movie of the week about a young neglected wife who decides to have an affair with a connection she made online. She decides not to go through with it but her male "friend" is found murdered shortly after she leaves the room. Not too much to like about this movie.


01/13 Total Recall (1990) 3.5/5


Based on a Philip K. Dick story, this movie still holds up well after twenty years. Though I never considered Schwarzenegger much of an actor he is perfect for these type of action movies. Not for the faint of heart due to some graphic violent scenes. Rumour has it this is being remade with Colin Farrell in the lead role, God help us!


01/13 In Bruges (2008) 4/5


Slow moving crime/drama about two hit men who cool their heels in a picturesque town in Belgium awaiting further instructions from their boss. The hit men are played by Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell, the former delighted with his surroundings while the latter is bored out of his skull. This movie builds slowly and is quite funny at times. There is quite a colourful cast of characters assembled here including the foul-mouthed boss, a comical dwarf, a beautiful con artist and her ineffectual boyfriend. The highlight of this film for me was the relationship between these two hitman almost a father and son type of relationship. Colin Farrell even managed to make me forget my dislike of him since he was quite outstanding in his role.


01/15 The Social Network (2010) 3.5/5


There is no denying this is a well acted and directed movie. I've enjoyed alot of David Fincher's past work Zodiac in particular, and though I admire this film I didn't really enjoy it. Maybe I'm just getting too old but I couldn't relate to anything I was seeing on the screen. My kids BTW loved this film. A big annoyance for me was the soundtrack. Not the contents but the loudness seemed to drown out alot of the dialogue for these old ears. It also didn't help that most of the characters were extremely unsympathetic. This movie will probably be nominated for alot of awards and good luck to it. This just isn't my cup of tea.
 

Martin Teller

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Samson and Delilah - This is actually my very first Cecil B. DeMille film. And I wouldn't mind it being my last. I don't have much affection for Biblical epics, even ones with Hedy Lamarr in skimpy outfits. It's kind of fun as a fairy tale, but most of its entertainment value is derived from its pure corniness. Hammy acting (oh Victor Mature, I was just starting to like you) and terrible dialogue. Almost every line is overwritten, leaden with metaphor and mannered speech, as if everyone from that period just spilled proverbs out of their silly faces all day long. Garish costumes and sets that look cheap as hell. Bad special effects and some shoddy editing... the lion fight is particularly laughable. I didn't hate it, watchable as a lark, but hardly my cup of tea. Rating: 5


Europa '51 - It never fails... every time I start a Rossellini movie, I think "oh man, I hate Rossellini" but it never ends up being that bad. Then I go look at my old ratings and realize that I never hated him after all. I'm just usually underwhelmed by him. This one -- about a bourgeois woman who discovers spirituality compassion after a tragic family incident -- has some very beautiful moments. Ingrid Bergman gives a sympathetic performance, gets into some compelling situations, and the cinematography and score are very strong. Where the film goes off the rails is in the final act, when the heavy hand of Rossellini is felt. The melodrama, which was already fairly thick, kicks up a notch and we learn that kindness equals insanity in the eyes of society. Oh, and Ingrid Bergman acheives sainthood. I'm not complaining too much, though... I kind of like the way Rossellini handles religion. It certainly beats DeMille's idea of religion, anyway. Overwrought at times but generally well done. Rating: 7


Zorn's Lemma - It is tempting to write this off as pure wankery, but I found the concept rather intriguing. I won't attempt to describe it, and I can't really explain what it means (for one thing, I've tried to comprehend the mathematical axiom it's named after... and failed). But I did enjoy how it toyed with expectations, the way it gradually replaces one kind of symbol with another. Greenaway has cited Frampton as an influence, and there seems to be a straight line from this to Vertical Features Remake, especially in the meticulous attention to patterns and rhythms. However, what sets Greenaway's film apart is the sense of humor. Getting through an hour of Zorn's Lemma is a tough slog. Yes, I was intrigued, but after 15 minutes the tedium kicked in, and kicked in big time. I was relieved when the film switched gears entirely (and substituting a visual rhythm for an aural rhythm was a nice touch) at the end... but then that became a chore as well. I'm not ready to give up on Frampton, but the next logical step would be the "Hapax Legomena" series, and that's a much bigger time investment. Rating: 5


Rose Hobart - A reasonably compelling experiment in which footage of actress Rose Hobart from the film East of Borneo (a talkie) is chopped up and played with colored filters and a samba soundtrack and made to look like a silent. It reminded me of the deconstructionism of Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son and the recontextualization of Scorpio Rising... while pre-dating them both by some 30 years, making Joseph Cornell something of an avant-garde pioneer. And like Anger's and Jacobs' films, it's not only interesting as a concept but also rather fun to watch. It does outstay its welcome a little, even at a lean 19 minutes, but has a real beauty to it. Rating: 7
 

Mario Gauci

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[SIZE= 12px]My slowly-progressing but complete Luis Bunuel retrospective continues with this very slight rewrite of a 2006 review and a freshly-baked one: [/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]01/06/11: NAZARIN (Luis Bunuel, 1959) [/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Although this is definitely a minor Bunuel – being pretty much a straightforward melodrama, with little of the expected subtext – it is still well-made and acted and undeniably entertaining; as opposed to most of his Mexican work, there have been two R1 DVD releases of the film from Cozumel (the first to be released and the one I immediately purchased) and, more recently, Facets. THE BRUTE also provided the director with a rare chance to work with popular Mexican actors who, like EL (1953)’s Arturo De Cordova soon after, already had established reputations in Hollywood – though it is safe to assume that Pedro Armendariz would never again be so rugged nor Katy Jurado so earthy as in their sole film for Luis Bunuel![/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]As I said, the plot is simple: wealthy but ageing businessman Andres Soler wants to sell a property currently leased to numerous poor families; he presents them with an eviction notice but, through the instigation of a few headstrong tenants, they unanimously refuse to vacate the premises and almost assault their landlord for what they consider his inhumanity and greediness! Arriving home with his pride broken, he does not elicit sympathy from his much younger and determined wife (an altogether startling turn by Jurado, who walked off with a Silver Ariel award for Best Supporting Actress!) but she instantly suggests, metaphorically, that he simply get rid of the opposition and, to this end, Soler hires a brawny but slow-witted slaughterhouse worker nicknamed “Bruto” (Armendariz).[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]The latter’s first attempt at intimidation, even if he had even hardly touched the man, results in tragedy (due to the victim’s weak physical condition); for this reason, Soler shelters him in his own house, where the boss’ hilariously doddering and cantankerous, yet mischievous, father (played by 81-year old Paco Martinez) also resides; the elderly man’s shtick – his uniquely doddering walk on the way to procure himself some candy behind his son’s back, his constant muttering of the would-be swear word “Pugnales” and even licking tequila off of his daughter-in-law’s little finger – is a source of much amusement throughout the film. Bruto’s defection to the Soler household liberates him from the oppression in his own home which he shares with his live-in girlfriend and her family of ‘leeches’: a bed-ridden, perennially expiring but chain-smoking would-be-mother-in-law; her own lame brother who badmouths her at every turn; her ingrate and unemployed son who only visits to fleece the relief money, etc.! Before long, Jurado turns her attentions to Bruto – who is unable to resist her; in fact, the sexual tension the film displays in their clandestine encounters must have been an eye-opener for its time (certainly when compared with the Hollywoodian standard).[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Further plot complications arise when the residents try to teach Armendariz a lesson and, injured by a nail driven through his shoulder(!), he stumbles into the hovel where the daughter (called Meche, just like the milk-bathing girl in Bunuel’s LOS OLVIDADOS [1950]) of his own earlier victim has been living; she unselfishly looks after him, and he finds himself falling for the girl (a young Rosita Arenas, later star of such classic Mexi-Horror titles as THE WITCH’S CURSE [1960] and THE CURSE OF THE CRYING WOMAN [1961]). This turn-of-events – which anticipates Marlon Brando’s fate in Elia Kazan’s Oscar-laden classic ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) – obviously jeopardizes Bruto’s relationship with Jurado and, after she confronts the younger woman and Armendariz gives the boss’ wife a piece of his mind in the only way he knows how, the rejected mistress informs her clueless husband that Bruto had raped her![/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]All of which leads first to a tete-a`-tete between the landlord and his thug, which leaves the former with a broken back and his face smashed in (again, it was unusual to depict violence in such an unflinching manner back then) and, eventually, Bruto’s own demise in a hail of bullets when he is cornered by the Police (led to him by Jurado herself); curiously enough, there are some who hold the view that THE BRUTE is Bunuel’s retelling of the Frankenstein tale in a modernized socio-political key but, frankly, it did not strike me that way – after all, the creator did not intend his creature to do his evil bidding! Anyhow, Arenas had grown fond of Armendariz in spite of herself and she lies by his side as he expires but, tellingly, the film’s last shot sticks with his other jilted lover – Jurado now left all alone and probably gone off her rocker Tennessee Williams-style as she glares defiantly at a rooster believing it is making fun of her![/SIZE]
 

Mario Gauci

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[SIZE= 12px][COLOR= #181818]01/10/11: THE DRACULA SAGA (Leon Klimovsky, 1973) [/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px][COLOR= #181818]This was renowned as the best of the 3 virtually interchangeable vampire ‘classics’ emanating from Italy early into their Gothic Horror phase; however, while that may be so, it is still nothing to write home about! [/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE= 12px][COLOR= #181818]I am not sure about THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA (1960) since it has been some time from my sole viewing of it, but this at least maintains a period setting throughout (beginning with villagers rising up against a bloodsucking couple). Incidentally, while Walter Brandi also turns up here, he is not the monster – the latter, in fact, is played by Dieter Eppler and he proves one of the hammiest ever depicted, while hilariously looking like Criswell from the Ed Wood movies! Brandi, then, makes for an ineffectual lead (he is even bitten twice throughout, offering virtually no opposition to his female assailants!) – though he does contrive to ambiguously participate in the climax, where we are unsure whether he intends harming a little girl or not, before trapping Eppler and proceeding to impale him with the pointed edges of a wooden gate![/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px][COLOR= #181818]During the course of the film, Eppler manages to vampirize two ladies: Brandi’s wife Graziella Granata (who is virtually put under a spell by the villain, whose coffin is hidden in their country-estate’s wine-cellar!) – an unintentionally amusing scene has her responding to Eppler’s disembodied voice, then he nonchalantly appears from behind a nearby tree! – and her maid (who looks an awful lot like a plumper version of Isabelle Adjani!). The most impressive member of the cast is Paolo Solvay, actually a pseudonym for director Luigi Batzella (best-known for the nonsensical erotic Gothic NUDE FOR SATAN [1974]), here appearing as Dr. Nietzche(!) and evoking Peter Cook, of all people, in appearance – in his case, the most hilarious bit has him telling Brandi of Granata’s imminent demise and getting no reaction whatsoever (incidentally, the English dialogue of this one is exceedingly stilted, which may well have been an intentional choice so as to complement Eppler’s stagy performance)! Another future film-maker, Alfredo Rizzo, turns up here as well but in a minor role this time around.[/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px][COLOR= #181818]In conclusion, I recently watched an interview with director Mauri on the “Stracult” program on late-night Italian TV: apart from SLAUGHTER itself (in Italian), this section included scenes from a number of his other efforts…and I was sufficiently intrigued to acquire the black-and-white Giallo NIGHT OF VIOLENCE (1965), the psycho-drama MADELINE, STUDY OF A NIGHTMARE (1974; with Camille Keaton, and whose failure through poor distribution Mauri particularly bemoaned) and THE PORNO KILLERS (1980; albeit in its softer original form) soon after![/COLOR][/SIZE]
 

Mario Gauci

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[SIZE= 12px]01/14/11: THE MARK OF DEATH (Fernando Cortes, 1961) [/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]To begin with, I interrupted my ongoing parallel Luis Bunuel (Part 2) and ”Euro-Cult” marathons to indulge in an old-fashioned Hollywood oater on the big screen. This was due to an unscheduled, but most welcome, invite by a couple of movie-buff friends of mine (who are actually my Dad’s peers). Since we settled on which film we would be watching at the very last minute, I went into this knowing only the odd title (which I was familiar with alright, but it had somehow never cropped up for viewing until now) and the male lead involved (Jeff Chandler)…and, yet, I had to smile when, upon wondering if this was helmed by Joseph Pevney, his name actually turned up in the opening credits![/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Being a Universal production, one has to remember that this sort of mindless crowd-pleasing fare used to be churned out virtually on an assembly-line during this era – with the slightest of trimmings to accommodate the studio’s current top box-office draw (be it Chandler, Tony Curtis or Rock Hudson)! Similarly, several journeymen directors flourished there at the time, proving adept at practically every setting and storyline the executives could throw at them! Now, to get back to the single biggest coup of the film under review, it is the effortless blending of sure-fire formulas which rendered the whole most enjoyable: in fact, proceedings start off in a Western milieu, then the scene shifts to the high seas and a brief interlude of pirate action, before eventually settling into an Arabian Nights adventure! Without wishing to attribute undue subtext to an inherently modest product, I am sure it would have greatly pleased the Surrealists to witness its depiction of amour fou literally transcending genre conventions![/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Anyway, here we find trapper Chandler and redhead Rhonda Fleming falling for each other virtually at first sight (though, typically, she is intended for another who unsurprisingly proves to be an arrogant bully). Soon enough, the two men engage in a horse race, which Chandler wins thanks to an Indian yelp (like the one Richard Dix gave in CIMARRON [1931]) which frightens his rival’s steed! Sailing to Marseille with her father, she is kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery to a Moroccan potentate (or, rather, an aspiring usurper) played by Rex Reason – here billed as Bart Roberts and later promoted to lead status for the sci-fi classic THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955)! The real ruler (an ill-at-ease Lee J. Cobb) fears his own army would not withstand a full-scale attack by Reason’s forces. He is saved by the arrival of Chandler upon the scene, who offers to school his soldiers in quick-shooting tactics in exchange for a place at court in an effort to get wind of Fleming’s whereabouts. For his services, Chandler is not only garbed in the latest Oriental fashion but gets acquainted with their customs (including owning a personal slave-girl in the shapely form of delightfully “cackling” yet jealously conniving Mamie Van Doren, also thankfully the closest thing here approximating comic relief) – prompting him to exclaim at one point, “I can Salaam with the best of them!”[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]As is to be expected, Chandler eventually regains Fleming and loses her once more to Reason, before himself falling into his clutches. Their obligatory showdown (by the way, there is also a cat-fight between the two girls over their supremacy in Chandler’s harem!) takes place on the prison turret, with the villain predictably getting his just desserts by being impaled on a set of horns which protrude from the walls to prevent convicts from escaping! One thing which I noticed but forgot to tell my host (who is a Victor Mature fanatic) is that Reason’s castle was, in all probability, the very same one to be featured (complete with a strategically-placed palm-tree) in Mature’s own Universal-produced Arabian Nights epic THE VEILS OF BAGDAD (1953), and which had actually been one of the first titles we caught at his private cinema! [/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]In fact, watching YANKEE PASHA – via a surprisingly well-preserved 16mm copy, despite the occasional image blurring and emulsion problems – in an ambience which attempted to recreate the full theatrical Saturday matinee` experience (complete with walls adorned by vintage movie posters and musical accompaniment before the performance and during the reel-changing break) heightened the steady dose of unassuming colorful entertainment provided by the main feature. In conclusion, the career of silver-haired Jeff Chandler may have been short-lived but it proved incredibly prolific nevertheless: having checked just now, I have some 23 of his films lying unwatched in my collection – as opposed to the 7 which I have gotten under my belt so far! Given that this year marks the 50th anniversary of his tragic passing, I might make room for a well-deserved retrospective throughout my proposed generic viewings in 2011…[/SIZE]
 

Martin Teller

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Martin Teller
L'Argent - There's no denying this film has some stunning cinematography, with a surprisingly mobile camera. Perhaps L'Herbier took some lessons from Abel Gance. And the performances are generally quite good, and the story has some compelling human drama. But I have to agree with the one negative review on IMDb: the movie plods. The first hour in particular is loaded down with a lot of not-very-interesting business deals. It sets the stage for the rivalry between Saccard and Gunderman, but we don't need to see this much. I cared a lot about the Hamelin couple, I even cared about Saccard, but still I was fighting boredom. It felt like it needed a lot of tightening up. I'll take the Bresson. Rating: 6


Under the Bridges - This movie has been called "the German L'Atalante" and they definitely share some qualities. Two men and a woman on a boat, wonderfully expressive camerawork, and such alluring charm and beauty. It's very easy to get caught up in the gentle, appealing but slightly foreboding rhythms of the film, with so many memorable moments and the camera always finding a unique perspective. And we're not saddled with an annoying Michel Simon character on this barge journey. Each of the three leads is flawed but lovable, especially Carl Raddatz and Hannalore Schroth. If the ending is a bit hard to swallow, it doesn't matter because you really want to see these characters flourish. It's hard to believe such a lovely film was made under the Third Reich. Rating: 8
 

Michael Elliott

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Tron (1982)


Tom DiCillo


Johnny Depp narrates this impressive documentary that covers the rise and eventual fall of The Doors. The documentary mainly takes a look at lead singer Jim Morrison as he formed a band not knowing how to sing and would rise to the top only to die at the age of 27. This documentary originally debuted at Sundance and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it didn't go for your typical talking heads. We don't get a single interview with anyone who was there during the time all of this stuff was happening. There aren't any current interviews with the surviving band members and we don't get to hear from any rock experts on why The Doors were so great. Instead, all we get is archive footage ranging from home movies to concerts to even a movie Morrison made himself. I'm not a die-hard fan of the group but even I've seen quite a bit of the footage here but I think director DiCillo does a terrific job at keeping everything fresh, exciting and fast moving. I thought he did a wise job not having the talking heads and instead letting the actual footage do all the talking. If you know anything about The Doors then I'm sure you know about the infamous Miami concert where it was said Morrison exposed himself. I'm sure you also know about the Ed Sullivan appearance where the band went against the hosts wishes and sang Light My Fire with all the original lyrics. I think this stuff is always interesting no matter how many times you watch it. What was more interesting was the footage that was shot by Morrison for his movie and we even gets clips of a film he made at film school. Another major plus is that Depp does a terrific job with the narration. Many times people do great jobs with their narrating jobs but at the same time you feel as if they're just reading a script and probably don't know anything about what they're saying. You feel the exact opposite here with Depp who, as a musician, tells us this stuff as if he knows what it means. The one downside is some stuff we've seen way too many times about this era and that includes all the political stuff that was going on at the time.
 

Pete York

Supporting Actor
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
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610
Sunday Punch (1942) Dir: David Miller

Production: MGM


The denizens of a Brooklyn boarding house for boxers get a jolt when the niece of the home’s matron moves in. The boxers are mostly a group of mugs (as played by Leo Gorcey, Rags Ragland, Anthony Caruso and their trainer, Sam Levene), but the one contender is a college boy named Ken Burke (William Lundigan), who made the dubious decision to walk out of Johns Hopkins medical school for the quick riches of boxing. The colorful crew at Ma Galestrum’s (Connie Gilchrist) house is rounded out by the Swedish janitor, Ole (Dan Dailey), and Pops (Guy Kibbee), a washed up manager. Soon after moving in, Ma’s niece, Judy (the super cute, if improbably cast as a hard-bitten cynic, Jean Rogers), whose recent failure to make it as a singer has made her intent on landing a rich man (with just a hint that, at her low point, she resorted to, let’s say, unsavory means for her survival), bonds with Ken over their similarly jaundiced world view. Which soon turns to love, with Ken thinking of going back to school and settling with Judy. That doesn’t sit well with his promoter and the house’s benefactor, Bassler (J. Carrol Naish), who decides he has to break up the couple to get Ken a shot at the title.


Middling material capably handled by Miller, with maybe some less than convincing boxing scenes. The film just about overcomes an early impression that it’s going to be nothing but silliness. There are some likable actors around (Dane Clark makes his debut as a hobo Pop desperately tries to turn into a boxer, and IMDb lists Ava Gardner as a spectator, although I couldn’t find her), but Gilchrist and Dailey both offer up ‘yumpin’ yiminy’ bad Scandanavian accents. The early goofing off by Gorcey, Ragland and Levene quickly dies down (in the opening narration, Levene’s character, who is prone to malaprops, calls Brooklyn a “melting plot”; that’s basically as good as it gets). While Ken and Judy are the obvious romance, Ole, himself smitten with Judy, decides to become a boxer to impress her. Pop sees something in Ole and decides to train him. He’s no good at first, but his strength gives him an ability to land a knock out blow, the ‘Sunday punch’. It soon becomes obvious that Ole and Ken are on a collision course, with Judy, in a way, as the prize. How this eventually resolves itself may keep you checked in as a viewer, but if it doesn’t, nothing else will.


out of 4
 

Mario Gauci

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[SIZE= 12px]01/15/11: THE WORLD OF THE VAMPIRES (Alfonso Corona Blake, 1961) [/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]I first heard about this (and became sufficiently intrigued by it) over the Internet; it is virtually the only vintage Turkish film to be given reasonable exposure in recent years, apart from the Genghis Khan reworking KIZIL TUG (1952), which I also own but have yet to watch.[/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]This, then, joins the ranks of other foreign-language adaptations of the Bram Stoker horror classic – such as the two German NOSFERATUs (1922 and 1979); two from Spain i.e. DRACULA (1931; albeit filmed concurrently with the quintessential Hollywood rendition on the very same sets!) and COUNT DRACULA (1969; its director, Jess Franco, even made an updated distaff version in VAMPYROS LESBOS [1970]) and the Pakistani THE LIVING CORPSE (1967; which is actually just as obscure and which it most resembles in the long run, not least in the numerous musical interludes). Unfortunately, the copy I viewed was in very bad shape (which perhaps enhanced the expected pervasive mood of dread and inherent strangeness): an exceedingly dark and splicy print, marred even further by combing issues and subtitles that went out-of-synch for considerable stretches![/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]While the obvious model for this one was the Bela Lugosi milestone (down to refraining from showing the vampire’s ultimate come-uppance…but, then, the camera focuses squarely on the heroine’s shapely figure while she changes into ‘something more comfortable’ soon after!), it proved most interesting in what differed from the usual blood-sucking fare. As for Dracula himself, he is atypically played by a bald-headed fellow (albeit resembling Brian Eno much more than the Max Schreck of the original NOSFERATU!) whose role, once the scene shifts from Romania to Turkey, is so severely diminished that he virtually becomes a supporting character in his own ‘star vehicle’(!!) – for the record, he can disappear and manifest himself at will, as well as take any animal form he wishes (though, understandably, we are only ever shown one very brief bat mutation throughout) via a simple flashing of the cape over his face…which, at the end, results in unintentional hilarity, when he loses the emblematic garment and is thus forced to literally run for his life (incidentally, here we also have the very first depiction of the famous moment in Stoker’s tale where the Count is seen scaling his castle walls, not to mention an off-screen reference to the equally renowned baby-feeding scene)![/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]To get back to what is novel here vis-a`-vis the source material and the myriad movie versions before and after: Dracula’s properties in Istanbul are amusingly referred to as “kiosks”; the Count’s hunchbacked servant back home eventually turns on him, and pays with his life, in an effort to protect the victimized hero (which is not even appreciated by the latter!); most hilariously, the vampire is warded off not by the traditional cross but rather mere garlic (lots of ’em!)…but, then, characters are made to freely bestow blessings upon one another (perhaps a requisite of the country’s religion?)!; the ‘Mina’ counterpart is a blonde “Follies” dancer (the girl is forever excusing herself to perform for some Red Cross benefit activity!), and she is even made to give a private show, under hypnosis, for Count Dracula!!; another unusual setting is the sea-side one reserved for the ‘Lucy’ substitute’s initial attack (later on, however, it takes her boyfriend and the obligatory elderly vampire-hunter three separate visits to her crypt in order to ascertain the girl’s return from the dead!).[/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]Given the number of classic films that were inspired by Stoker’s original over the years, it is unlikely that this particular version will ever be included in that pantheon – but it is certainly enjoyable along the way and weird enough to withstand more than a cursory viewing from horror aficionados.[/SIZE]
 

Michael Elliott

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Sunnyside Up (1929)


Howard Hughes


Notorious Western had to battle the Hayes Office for two years before eventually getting released where it ended up battling more censorship issues but a certain pair at least got people into the theater. Doc Holliday (Walter Huston) has a falling out with Pat Garrett (Thomas Mitchell) after he sides with Billy the Kid (Jack Buetel). Billy and Doc become friends and head off but they are soon battling over a woman (Jane Russell) as well as constantly having Garrett trying to track them down. The aspects of this that were shocking in 1943 are pretty much tame and dated by today's standards but what I found so shocking about THE OUTLAW is how poorly made it was and how many awful things here in it. I don't mind the changes in history that the film made but for the life of me I couldn't understand what Hughes was trying to do with this thing other than to show off Russell's big breasts. I found the screenplay to be a complete mess as it never seems to know what it wants to do or what type of story it wants to tell. Is it meant to be a real Western? If so why are there so many silly moments? Was it meant to be a silly comedy? Well, that's fine but if so why on Earth were there so many darker moments? The movie contains one of the worst scores in Hollywood history as the thing is embarrassingly bad. The thing is over dramatic when there's nothing going on in the scene and sometimes the score is so loud and over-the-top that you can't even hear the dialogue. The film has also become legendary due to the homosexual aspect of the story. Again, I'm not certainly a love triangle between Billy, Garrett and Holliday is what Hughes was going for but that's how it comes off. I'm going to guess this is just part of the film being poorly made because at times the three men seem to be flirting more with one another and just letting Russell be on her own. The film has some really weird and out of touch comedic moments including various sound effects that happen during times when something serious or dramatic is going on. As far as the performances go, Huston comes off the best as he at least seems to be trying to give a performance. Buetel has no personality and comes off very stiff and appears to be bored. Mitchell was a fine character actor but he's miscast here and is never believable in the part. As far as Russell goes, she certainly looks beautiful and I enjoy the fact that Hughes wanted to show off her certain parts but he didn't give her much of a chance to act as she's simply used as eye candy. Hughes direction is all over the place and in the end he delivers a pretty big turkey. I understand this movie having a cult following due to its reputation and troubled history but for the life of me I can't understand some of the positive reviews I've read.
 

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