Track the Films You Watch (2006) - Page 12

Blackboard Jungle (1955) 7/10
Pretty good in the first half, and reasonably involving overall, although the second half goes really heavy on the preaching and lecturing. Like in the very last scene, which is pretty intense and mostly well done: the big climactic moments are followed by the entire story halting for about a minute, simply to allow Glenn Ford to explain the exact meaning of what just happened to the entire class! The performances are good, definitely Ford in the lead.

Lust for Life (1956) 7/10
Not the greatest script ever written, as the emotional outbursts often seem to come out of nowhere, but I liked the visual representation of how the various paintings were created, plus Anthony Quinn in his supporting role as Paul Gauguin. Strangely, I had often heard about how Quinn's performance is the shortest ever to win an Oscar for best supporting actor, sometimes listed as being less than 10 minutes of total screentime. But he's actually in it for about 25 minutes! Pretty mystifying how that bit of mis-information got started.

The Aristocrats (2005) 8/10
Anything that can make me laugh as often as this one did certainly deserves a good rating. The importance of timing, inflection, and performance in the telling of a joke is about as convincingly demonstrated here as I've ever seen anywhere else. The interweaving of comedians talking about how the joke can be told with other comedians doing their own versions of it works very well.

The New World (2005) 6/10
As expected with Terence Malick, practically every scene is beautifully filmed, and particularly nice to see in a theater with a big screen. The young girl who plays Pocahontas is quite good, obviously not that experienced as an actress, but I really liked her screen presence. Unfortunately, almost nothing going on with the characters or the narrative held much of any interest for me, so I never felt engaged with what was happening.

Samurai Rebellion (1967) 9/10
Masaki Kobayashi's samurai social drama has a lot of parallels with his earlier Harakiri, although this one has some great female characters in the mix as well. The scene where the young wife snaps and goes after the lord and his mistress seems a little bit silly to me in its freeze-frame stylization, but the intense build-up of the drama and the photography/mise-en-scene is great throughout the whole movie. I prefer Harakiri a bit because of Nakadai's extraordinary lead performance, plus a somewhat more powerful ending, but this one is also great. Donald Richie discusses some very interesting similarities and differences between the two films in his liner notes for Criterion.

First time viewings in Blue

Dark Command (1940)
Above average John Wayne Republic western about the Civil War era Kansas/Missouri border raids.

Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Cecil B DeMille’s adventure tale of ship salvagers off the coast of mid 19th century Key West stars John Wayne, and Ray Milland.

The Heiress (1949)
Olivia De Havilland in a knockout performance as the homely and timid daughter of a wealthy doctor who is duped by golddigger Montgomery Clift. Ralph Richardson and Miriam Hopkins are also excellent in supporting roles.

The Last Frontier (1955)
Anthony Mann Western has wild man fur trapper Victor Mature joining up the Union at a frontier fort then butting heads with psychotic Colonel Robert Preston.

We’re No Angels (1955)
Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov star as a trio of Devil’s Island escapees helping out a local shopkeeper in a French colonial settlement. Wasn’t bad but for a comedy there wasn’t many laughs.

The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
George Stevens directs this famous tale of a group of refugee Jews hiding out from the Nazi’s in an Amsterdam attic. Quality production & fine acting but a bit overlong.

The Reivers (1969)
Odd coming of age film as a young boy stowaways in a auto stolen by plantation handyman Steve McQueen.

The Day of the Locust (1975)
John Schlesinger’s opus on 1930’s Hollywood decadence is a bit too repulsive and off the wall for my liking. Gains back a star for the Conrad Hall cinematography.

Mikey and Nicky (1976)
1970’s gangster flick stars John Cassavettes on the run from the mob enlisting the help from his buddy Peter Falk. Amazingly enough nothing much really happens in this meandering story.

Bad Taste (1987)
The title says it all in Peter Jackson’s uber low-budget splatter-fest about flesh eating aliens. Not really my kind of movie but I gave it a shot anyway.

Ulee’s Gold (1997)
Beekeeper and family patriarch Peter Fonda gets entwined in his convict son’s screwed up life.

The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
Tedious story of inmate abuse at an asylum run by cruel nuns.

Ray (2004)
The performance of Jamie Foxx is the highlight of this bio flick about the life of the legendary Ray Charles.

Corpse Bride (2005)
Tim Burton’s return to claymation fantasyland is very enjoyable as a betrothed young man mistakenly proposes to a…well corpse. The only quibble was that the songs come up lacking compared to the more musical A Nightmare Before Christmas.

Dark Water (2005)
An emotionally disturbed Jennifer Connolly and daughter move into an apartment with spooky…..um…… plumbing problems. Was fairly suspenseful until the ridiculous finale.

The Legend of Zorro (2005)
Antonio Banderas returns as the masked avenger. Throw in some marital problems with Catherine Zeta Jones and the kiss of death for movie sequels – an obnoxious kid. Flashes of entertainment but lacks much of the charm of the first film.

Oliver Twist (2005)
Roman Polanski’s update on the Dickens classic. Watchable, but I kept comparing it to David Lean’s superior 1948 version.

Blackboard Jungle is the only one of the 7 Controversial Classics I still haven't watched. I've always heard that it's a wee bit preachy, so it hasn't been high on my list to pull off my shelf. I guess I should get around to it.

I enjoyed The Aristocrats for the same reasons you did too Haggai. I loved all of George Carlin's serious descriptions of how he approaches comedy. Some people don't think that comedy can be (or even should be) analyzed, but I've always liked the attempts to break it down to its components - even if it doesn't always work. It's similar to the music genome project and its attempt to break down songs by their "DNA". Not always successful nor meaningful, but it's damn interesting and occasionally points you to other noteworthy things. One of the most interesting parts of The Aristocrats was actually my least favourite comedian - the ventriloquist guy. It showed that just having a "potty mouth" doesn't necessarily make you funny. He had none of the flair and personal spin the others brought to the joke...Like Drew Carey's final flourish.

Can't wait to see Samurai Rebellion as I love both of Kobayashi's other Criterion released titles - Kwaidan for its spectacular imagery and Harakiri for its intense storyline.

So much to catch up on, but I'll just throw out some general comments on recent posts and my own viewings...

Too bad you didn't like Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance that much Haggai. I thought it was even better than Oldboy (which I still really liked) because of it's almost perfect mix of black humour, horrific occurences and "what the heck is gonna happen next" plot.

Picnic At Hanging Rock - While I firmly understand George's (and anyone else's) dislike of the film, I really enjoyed it. It certainly didn't have a basic plot or resolution, but I got caught in its dream like feeling. It's one of those films that I approach as I would certain pieces of modern or surrealist art - it may not necessarily represent anything concrete, but can still wash over you with images and feelings that stick with you.

Having said that, I just saw Breathless for the first time and though many consider this to be an "art" film, I didn't like it much at all. I can't quite say why, as I liked the different approach to editing and the use of camera, but I really disliked both of the main characters and the entire mid-section of the film (where they are both lounging in bed at the girl's apartment - reminiscent of the mid-section of Contempt).

Never said I was completely consistent with my tastes...

Recent documentary viewings have been quite good. End Of The Century, Deadline, Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room and The Wild Parrots Of telegraph Hill all did a fine job of showing interesting people in varying positions of influence. The Corporation was less successful as it tackled it's subject matter from a definitely biased stance and via scattershot methods. Though if even just a quarter of what they state in the film is true, well, I'll just leave it at that...

One last thing...I recently rewatched Ocean's Twelve and must say that I'm still really baffled as to why I'm one of the few poeple that really liked it (even more than its predecessor). It's not a conventional heist film, but still provides great heist film moments (banter between the characters, clever thefts, etc.). Not overly realistic, but consistent within its universe (OK, the backpack scene was stretching it a bit). It's story was also completely consistent - the second viewing shows that everything that happened made sense. And dammit, it was also a lot of fun. I can't help but feel that many people who hated it did so because of an irrational and intense dislike of Julia Roberts.

First Blood (1982)

I decided to watch this again after reading some of Joe Karlosi's comments last month. This initial Rambo offering is a pretty decent film, especially the first half of it. Rambo as a Vietnam vet trying to come to grips with reality is a very sympathetic character. The small town sheriff and his minions eventually get what they deserve after pushing a bit too hard. They all learn a whole new meaning to the phrase "biting off more than you can chew." I love the smug attitude Richard Crenna brings to the role of Colonel Trautman, Rambo's wartime commander. Interesting that Rambo doesn't kill a single person through the entire film. The final act disappoints a bit but all in all, an enjoyable hour and a half.

Titanic (1997)

This has become one of my all-time favorite films. I have come to regret not seeing this on the big screen. An outstanding artistic and technological achievement. First rate performances by all...especially Leo and Kate. One of the joys of watching film is that, every once in a while, a film comes along that really sinks it's hooks into you, often times for reasons you can't really explain. For me, this is one of those films.

Dark City (1998)

I've seen this film twice now, and I'm still not quite sure whether I like it or not. Very original set design and special effects, but way the final act played out left me rather unimpressed. I need to watch this again sometime.

The Great Escape (1963)

A classic WWII epic that is always fun to see again. I usually find films that feature a multitude of stars to be rather distracting...such as THE LONGEST DAY and MIDWAY...but this is an exception.

The Third Man (1949)

Carol Reed's masterpiece catches your attention immediately with the unusual score and never lets go. Wonderful lighting effects and strange, unusual camera angles enhance this mystery as the story plays out.

Clueless

Irritating film about irritating people.

I must say, that for a movie praised to the sky, I also really dislike Clueless for the same reasons George listed.

I'm sure my personal experiences have something to do with it. Let's face it - these are basically the same kids who end up pledging Omega Theta Pi and Omega Pi Pi Pi, and I much prefer how they're dealt with in that movie.

The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
Charlton Heston is quite good as the artist Michelangelo, the talented sculptor who did not want to paint when commissioned by Pope Julius II (Rex Harrison) to decorate the massive ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. At first he resists the order, but eventually feels a higher calling beckoning him to undertake the job. An interesting series of events shows the hardships of such intricate work and is held together by the strong lead performances of both Heston and Harrison and the strained relationship of their characters.

Walking With Monsters (2005)

Viewed 2/1/2006 (first viewing)

Prequel to the BBC documentary Walking With Dinosaurs explores the lifeforms that preceded the dinos. As with WWD, computer animation brings the animals to life. Fun and informative if you've an interest in the subject.

out of


The Corpse Bride (2005)

Viewed 2/2/2006 (first viewing)

More Gothic fun from Tim Burton. A young man, distraught over his impending forced marriage, accidentally marries a dead girl and is whisked away to the underworld. A visual delight, both humorous and moving. Pretty much could have done without the songs though.

out of


Saint Ralph (2005)

Viewed 2/2/2006 (first viewing)

Unfocused little indie flick about a boy who decides that winning the Boston Marathon is the miracle needed to revive his comatose mother. Good enough when it steers its own course, but the intrusive Rushmore elements are distracting, as are the anachronistic songs.

out of


In Her Shoes (2005)

Viewed 2/2/2006 (first viewing)

Ostensible chick flick turns into something quite a bit better as two troubled and feuding sisters discover a long-lost grandmother and begin changing their lives for the better. A film that skirts the ordinary by using reserve and an unhurried pace. Nice little ending too.

out of


The War Within (2005)

Viewed 2/2/2006 (first viewing)

An innocent Pakistani man is arrested and tortured after being designated a terrorist suspect by American authorities. This drives him, upon his release, to join a terrorist cell in the United States. But has he become fanatical enough to carry out his plans? And can he put at risk his lifelong friend now living comfortably in New Jersey? An edgy, disturbing film, though a bit too (literally) murky at times. The earlier film The Terrorist covered much the same ground in a more oblique fashion.

out of


The Haunted Palace (1963)

Viewed 2/2/2006 (first viewing)

Entertaining mishmash of Lovecraft and Poe by Roger Corman and Vincent Price. A man travels to his recently-inherited castle where he is possessed by the spirit of an evil ancestor. Insular villagers, inbred mutants, Cthulhu and friends, what more do you want?

out of


Tower of London (1962)

Viewed 2/3/2006 (first viewing)

Roger Corman and Vincent Price tackle Richard III. Doesn't seem to be well-regarded, but I enjoyed it.

out of


7 Men From Now (1956)

Viewed 2/3/2006 (first viewing)

Compact Western has Randolph Scott tracking down the robbers who killed his wife. Typical, but well-done.

out of


Steamboy (2004)

Viewed 2/4/2006 (first viewing)

Overlong epic from the director of Akira. A little boy is caught between feuding inventors whose steam-powered inventions could alter the future of mankind for better or worse. Visually stunning, with an intriguing premise, but it really could have used some trims.

out of


The Temptress (1926)

Viewed 2/4/2006 (first viewing)

Greta Garbo silent about a woman whose beauty drives men to desperate acts. Odd mix of melodrama and action moves from well-heeled Paris to the wilds of Argentina with interesting results - I'd never seen a whip duel before. Personally directed by Fred Niblo!

out of


Haunted Spooks (1920)

Viewed 2/4/2006 (first viewing)

Middling Harold Lloyd vehicle has the comedian and his new bride running from the "ghosts" who haunt her inherited mansion.

out of


The Upside of Anger (2005)

Viewed 2/5/2006 (first viewing)

Solid drama about a woman whose husband disappears, leaving her to deal with their four contentious daughters. Resorting to bitterness and drink, it might just take a disillusioned, torch-carrying ex-baseball player to get her life back on track. The fine cast makes this journey down a well-traveled road quite enjoyable.

out of


Bubble (2005)

Viewed 2/5/2006 (first viewing)

Steven Soderbergh's latest is a despairing, no-frills look at the lives of three people stuck in a dead end existence. Stark, realistic drama, populated by people for whom even hope has become elusive. The amateur cast is surprisingly good.

out of


The Brown Bunny (2004)

Viewd 2/5/2006 (first viewing)

Finally got around to watching Vincent Gallo's controversial Cannes flop (though I'd previously watched the particular scene on the 'net). Not nearly as bad as I'd feared, but it's really little more than a moderately interesting seventies throwback (like something Monte Hellman would have done).

out of

George, everytime I see Sorority girls on Campus a quote from Jurassic Park always pops into mind.

added:

title: bubble
rating: f
comments: i am definitely not getting this director's popularity and this movie was one of the worst. it felt like a low-budget college project. i know the actors were new, the dialogue was mostly improv, etc ... but sheesh ... i really had to force myself to finish it. thank gawd it was only an hour'ish long.

Joe,


I know you've watched THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY (1965) primarily because you're a big fan of Chuck Heston but, now that you've tackled Michelangelo, how about giving Vincent Van Gogh a try?

As you may know, Vincente Minelli's superb biopic of the tormented Dutch genius, LUST FOR LIFE (1956), with a magnificent Kirk Douglas in the lead has just been released on DVD by Warners. Ironically, I've only watched it once myself many years ago but my VHS copy looked so bad that I never bothered with it anymore and now, thankfully, I won't have to; having said that, I've yet to pick up the DVD...


Mike,


I've always wanted to watch SPARROWS (1926) after reading about it in an old movie magazine of my father's but, even though I know it's been available on DVD for some time, I haven't picked it up yet. That's an intersting story about Mary Pickford's derailing of William Beaudine's career, although he did get to direct two of my favorite comics - W. C. Fields in THE OLD FASHIONED WAY (1934) and Will Hay in WINDBAG THE SAILOR (1936) and WHERE THERE'S A WILL (1936) - before being relegated exclusively to the "B" picture stables.

As for RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (1962), I've watched it several times and I've always loved it. The aging leads are, of course, the main reason to rejoice but the supporting cast (Edgar Buchanan, Warren Oates, L. Q. Jones and R.G. Armstrong) is also great. Yes, the young leads come up somewhat short in this distinguished company but isn't that always the case? Anyway, in my view, this is second only to THE WILD BUNCH (1969) in Peckinpah's canon, a superlative Western in every way.

added:

title: the united states of leland
rating: b
comments: interesting story, if not a touch contrived here and there. nice acting by the leads. loved the melancholy feel (and soundtrack).

The Guilty Generation (1931) 1/2
A very youthful Robert Young (of "Father Knows Best") plays an architect named "John Smith" who's changed his true name from Marco Ricca to break any ties with his despicable gangster father, Tony Ricca (Boris Karloff). There's a war between the Italian Ricca family and their rivals, the Palmiero family, lead by Mike Palmiero (Leo Carrillo). In between their GODFATHER-like tit for tat retaliations, of course things get more complicated when John Smith falls in love with crime boss Palmiero's daughter, Maria (Constance Cummings). This was a moderately enjoyable picture with some good fun, though it comes up just a bit short of being genuinely "good". It's nicely directed by Rowland V. Lee but tends to slow down in spots. Leo Carrillo is the real draw of the film as Mike Palmiero, and though Boris Karloff is a real hoot as an Italian crime leader, he has his best scene at the start of the movie and isn't featured very much thereafter.

Graft (1931) 1/2
Cheap and rather unremarkable film about a zany wannabe reporter (Regis Toomey) who tries to earn his wings by trailing a crooked politician and his murdering henchman (Boris Karloff). Though the movie is nothing much, Karloff is featured steadily throughout and his presence here is possibly the one thing making this feature worth checking out (and he does get some funny lines). Also of historic note is that, supposedly, Karloff's "look" here is what convinced James Whale to cast Boris as the Frankenstein Monster.

Landscape in the Mist

In the mood for a serious drama? Did you know that Germany and Greece share a border? If so, then you probably aren't surprised that the long lost father of two human children is a tree.

Yes, this film is as stupid as it sounds.

added:

title: grizzly man
rating: b
comments: one of the most interesting doc's i've watched in a while. that guy was definitely a little loose in the head, but i don't think he was flat-out crazy. without question a passionate person. while i got the feeling herzog definitely treated him with respect, i felt his view was a little one-sided (leaning towards 'he's a nut' territory).

Bubble (2005) - Steven Soderbergh's experimental film explores the seething discontent in a seemingly banal small town setting. Acting, dialogue, dramatics, camerawork, all are understated, and yet present characters chafing at the economic limitations their educational and geographic circumstances have imposed upon them. The performance Soderbergh draws out of the lead actress is extraordinary and the presentation is equally impressive, as a simple look or shot will convey a dark undercurrent to what we are watching. I was blown away by her reactions following the film's major event.

The music and Soderbergh's cutaways to the foreboding, barren landscape increase the hermetic atmosphere, that leads to the icing on the cake: as the credits roll we are greeted with the impassive faces of dolls and the factory surroundings that form much of the film's setting. These haunting images, reminiscent of Werner Herzog, end the film on a note of symbolic contemplation as we join the dolls in silently observing what we see before us. - A-

Nanny McPhee (2005) - A warm and magical family film that is a pleasant throwback to a more wholesome kind of family film free of gross-out "jokes" and pop culture references. It presents a simple message of self-reliance and family sticktoitiveness with healthy doses of humor and charm. It does get a little too silly at times with a CGI talking horse and a food fight, but this is material kids eat up and doesn't really detract from the overall film. Emma Thompson, Colin Firth and the acting ensemble all fit their roles well and imaginative sets and wonderful costumes add to the storybook atmosphere. I found the ending surprisingly affecting and the experience highly satisfying overall. - B+

Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Another film about emotions seething beneath the surface, the story is well known to just about everyone by now. Director Ang Lee does a very good job of taking us inside the lives of the characters and letting us know who they are. The love stories feel authentic, allowing the tragic qualities of the film to resonate. Technically, the film exhibits a high degree of skill, showing off the ruggedly beautiful environment and allowing the actors space to shine.

I did feel it was a stronger film early, when the actors were on equal footing, rather than later when Jake Gyllenhaal's story is given less screentime despite a story and struggle at least as interesting as that of Heath Ledger's character, particularly the relationship with his wife. Still, this is my favorite of the 5 Best Picture Oscar nominees. - B+

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005) - This is the touching story of a 40something San Francisco man who cares for the wild parrots who live in a nature area near his home. He feeds them by hand, cares for the sick and injured birds, observes their personalities, and keeps diaries of their behavior. His warm and engaging manner quickly overcomes the eccentricities one might associate with this behavior, as, through his eyes and words, we see what he sees and become an intimate observer of this little world.

The film slips a bit in trying to generate a dramatic finale that proves to be a lot less critical than it initially builds the situation as, though it does payoff with a winning final moment. 2005 proved to be a great year for documentaries, and Wild Parrots is one of the best. My 2nd favorite of the year next to Grizzly Man. - B+

Cronicas (2005) - John Leguizamo stars as an ambitious TV journalist trying to ferret out a serial killer in this Equadorian film. The film offers some acting dramatics but the story feels like TV crime show material. Leguizamo attempting to goad a man offering him clues to the serial killer's identity into confessing that he is the killer while his cameraman and assistant tour the countryside conducting interviews and looking for clues. The climax, where Leguizamo's actions have serious, unintended consequences and lead to a crucial moral decision is the highlight of the film but the rest of the film is never as impressive. - B-

02/05/06: LA NOCHE DEL TERROR CIEGO (Amando De Ossorio, 1971) ***

After his undistinguished first foray into the Horror genre with the vampire flick, MALENKA aka FANGS OF THE LIVING DEAD (1969), Amando De Ossorio struck gold with the saga of satanic Knight Templars who rise from the grave (centuries after their demise at the hands of the Catholic Church) to feed on the living. Along with an ingenious decision to make the creatures (and their horses!) move very slowly, the look of "The Blind Dead" (as they came to be known) with their hollow eyes - which had been nibbled at by crows! - and accompanying eerie Gregorian monks chant-like theme, was decidedly creepy and memorable. As with your typical Euro-Cult fare, the film's pace is somewhat lethargic at times, with endless scenes of characters searching through labyrinthine passages for their companions who have gotten themselves conveniently lost; however, as I said, this is more than made up for by those scenes depicting the marauding Templars (who resort to hunting through sound) and, especially, the sequence where they rise from their tombs shrouded by fog. The ending is a downbeat, open-ended one which neatly paves the way for subsequent outings. I had first heard of this series through an old Horror film tome of my father's but, by the time I got into DVD, Anchor Bay's double-feature DVD had gone out-of-print; I did get to watch the shorter U.S. version of the film, entitled simply THE BLIND DEAD, courtesy of a friend of mine but it has taken Blue Underground's recent DVD edition of the full-length Spanish version for me to fully appreciate this landmark Horror film. Incidentally, my disc does have the noticable audio dropout which had been remarked upon by fans but, personally, it did not bother me that much as it barely lasts a second!


02/05/06: EL ATAQUE DE LOS MUERTOS SIN OJOS (Amando De Ossorio, 1973) ***

The second outing of the terryfing eyeless Knight Templars is quite a livelier affair with more colorful characters, more humor, more action and more gore. The Knight Templars here are apparently not the same ones which had caused mayhem in the first picture (despite having emerged victorious!), as they are depicted as having suffered a different fate: in this case, they were rounded up by an angry mob of villagers who first burned out their eyes with torches and then proceeded to light them up witchhunters-style. Although the resurrection of the Blind Dead sequence here is taken almost verbatim from the first film, the last half-hour, with the bickering main characters trapped inside a house (although this being Spain, it's a Church), while obviously modeled on George A. Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968), is nonetheless exciting with its thwarted escape attempts, bouts of jealousy and even one gratuitous decapitation for good measure! While the final resolution seems like a major anti-climax, on second thoughts it works well enough as an hommage to Alfred Hitchcock's similarly unexplained surrender of THE BIRDS (1963).

The Blue Underground DVD (which also has a minimal audio/video glitch around the 22-minute mark) includes the slightly re-edited U.S. version of the film (rated **1/2) which, apart from trimming it of some gore (notably a gruesome torture 'flashback' sequence) and nudity, also makes some injudicious and clumsy cuts to the film's plot-line (including how the Blind Dead were resurrected in the first place)!; furthermore, the typically shoddy English dubbing adds an unintentional moment of hilarity or two.


02/05/06: THE DESCENT (Neil Marshall, 2005) ***

Marshall improves on the promise shown in his earlier DOG SOLDIERS (2002) with this nail-biting sleeper. After a slowish start in a belated female DELIVERANCE (1972) mode, the film piles on the shocks and the gore with unfaltering expertise. The all-female cast members are relative newcomers, a factor which adds immeasurably to their vivid portrayal of women out of their league fighting the elements, the supernatural and, at times, themselves. It is to the director's credit that he deliberately withholds the appearance of the "Crawlers" (with their creepily effective Graf Orlok-like make-up) for as long as he does; if I were to nitpick, I would say that I would have liked for them to have been given a different 'voice' - which to me sounded far too similar to that of the creatures in Guillermo Del Toro's MIMIC (1997). The surprise, downbeat, open-ended 'twist' ending, then, is ultimately the natural progression to the relentless grimness of what has gone on before.


02/06/06: EL BUQUE MALDITO (Amando De Ossorio, 1974) **

The third entry in "The Blind Dead" series is arguably the weakest: dull, uninvolving and peopled with thoroughly unsympathetic characters who are hard to identify with and, ultimately, care much about. The Knight Templars are, yet again, not the same 'characters' seen in the previous films, as these here have been punished for their evil deeds to perpetually roam the seven seas in the Ghost Galleon of the title; also, they seem to have diminished to a handful as opposed to the endless array of Knight Templars from the previous film. The ending, however, is a beauty: having disposed of the Blind Dead into the deep sea, the two surviving characters reach the shore and, supposedly, safety - only to see the Dead rise from the sea and make their way s-l-o-w-l-y but surely towards them! Some people have seen this film as being a major influence on John Carpenter's infinitely superior THE FOG (1980) but, to me, those comparisons are tenuous at best.


02/06/06: LA NOCHE DE LAS GAVIOTAS (Amando De Ossorio, 1975) **1/2

Having recently caught some snippets of the fourth entry in "The Blind Dead" saga on late-night Italian TV, I did not have high hopes for it but, surprisingly, it was a definite improvement on the previous film. Although the film is ostensibly set in contemporary times (in Scotland?), everything looks several centuries removed with diffident, superstitious villagers suspicious of foreigners, quaint religious customs smacking of Paganism, etc. It's a small wonder that I was reminded of films like STRAW DOGS (1971) and THE WICKER MAN (1973) as it played on, not to mention a village idiot straight out of RYAN'S DAUGHTER (1970)! But this eclectic, disparate air only manages to lend the film a freshness missing from previous outings in the series. One thing that I was always curious about is that while the Knight Templars are always seen to wear white in the 'flashback' sequences, the resurrected "Blind Dead" are clad in grayish-brown cloaks; perhaps the color white was thought to give them too benign a look? Although this was officially the last of "The Blind Dead" films, infamous Spanish film-maker Jesus Franco apparently made his own version of the tale in LA MANSION DE LOS MUERTOS VIVIENTES (1982); unfortunately, I missed out on a chance to rent this on DVD-R while I was in Hollywood a couple of weeks ago!


02/07/06: AMANDO DE OSSORIO: EL ULTIMO TEMPLARIO (TV) (Xose` Zapata, 2001) **1/2

This decent introduction to the work of this Spanish film-maker, best-known for The Blind Dead series, while not especially illuminating, does make one want to delve more into his filmography, particularly his other works in the Horror genre, namely NIGHT OF THE SORCERERS (1973), THE LORELEI'S GRASP (1974) and THE POSSESSED (1975); luckily, the DVD format is apparently going to provide us with just such an opportunity in the near future, since the first two are being released by BCI.


02/07/06: LAS TROMPETAS DEL APOCALIPSIS (Julio Buchs Garcia, 1969) **

The Italian title for this Spanish-Italian co-production, I CALDI AMORI DI UNA MINORENNE (which literally translates to "The Hot Loves Of A Minor") leads one to expect a mildly saucy sex comedy which proliferated in the Italian cinema between the late 60s and early 80s; the presence in the cast of Tyrone Power's daughter, Romina - who had previously appeared in the title role of Jesus Franco's MARQUIS DE SADE'S JUSTINE (1968) - only adds to this impression. However, what we actually get is something a lot different and even less appetizing. As it happens, despite being top-billed, Power's role is only secondary, and serves only as a red herring to boot. The plot deals with an inexplicable spate of suicides among London's Swinging 60s hippie youths and the subsequent investigation by one of the victims' brother among the underbelly of dope-addled, peace-loving, long-haired freaks who go by such tell-tale names as "The Fool", "The Prophet", "The Romanian", etc. Ultimately, the film isn't entirely disagreeable to watch, thanks in no small measure to its horrendously dated 'hipness', awful would-be psychedelic songs and risible dialogue. Apparently, the moral of the piece is that listening to music while under the influence of drugs eventually leads to suicide! Go figure...

added:

title: lord of war
rating: b
comments: great flick, possibly one of my fave cage performances. the story stretched here and there, but no big deal. the wifey was uber-hot!

title: happy endings
rating: a
comments: totally loved this movie. for once, a movie with real characters, people you could believe you'd actually meet. great performances ... who knew kudros and arnold could act!

Private Lessons (1981)
When a rich man leaves town for a business trip, he leaves his young 15-year-old son Philly (Eric Brown) at home in the care of his sexy foreign housemaid, Miss Mallow (Sylvia Kristel) and their sniveling chauffeur Lester (Howard Hesseman - 'Johnny Fever' of WKRP IN CINCINNATI). Like many red-blooded teenage boys, Philly and his young buddy Sherman are looking for cheap thrills by spying on sun bathing girls and dreaming of sex. What a surprise Philly's in for when Miss Mallow catches him watching her undress from outside the window one night and then invites him inside to get the best view. Soon, the maid is seducing the boy, and Philly begins to experience every adolescent male's fantasy - scoring with an older woman. The problem is, Miss Mallow and her partner Lester have other plans in store for this aspiring Casanova.

I first saw this unusually risqué teenage comedy/sex fantasy back in 1981 when I was 19, which was considerably older than the 15-year-old character is. But the dream was still something I could relate to, and when I saw that a DVD release was coming out I decided to revisit it and see how it stood up, so to speak, after 25 years. Turns out it's still fun, and Eric Brown is humorous as he stammers while trying to contain his excitement at seeing Sylvia Kristel (and her body double in some shots) naked. Kristel was popular doing this type of film in Europe, so it was interesting to see her in an American production doing something that would never be allowed at your local cineplex today. Not only are some of her sequences sensual, but there are a fair amount of laughs, some of them courtesy of Philly's pudgy know-it-all friend Sherman, and also from Howard Hesseman who has some funny moments being pushed around and humiliated by Ed Begley Jr! As is the case with many early '80s teen comedies, the soundtrack is pretty good too, and features music from Rod Stewart, Air Supply and John Cougar, among others.

The most easily obtainable version of this film I would guess is now the 2006 Lions Gate DVD, but purists should be warned that a couple of quick lower frontal nudity shots have been obscured on this release by an annoying white dot. Well, it's not like this is great art, and the movie doesn't really suffer from the brief obliteration. Besides, this was a forgotten cult classic of sorts and hard to locate for so long that it's just good to be able to view it again. I know some people get uptight about this daring film, especially in these days, but relax. It's just a fun little movie, if not a great one, and sometimes even has a little bit of charm to it as well. And it's nothing that many teenage boys aren't thinking about already.

Added to master list:

Dune (1984): /

This is the second screen version of Dune I've seen. The first was the Sci-Fi miniseries. They each have their strengths, but overall I prefer the miniseries. The film changed a couple of key elements from the book, and I don't think it stands on its own very well. I'm not sure how much it appeals to those who haven't read the books, but I can imagine most in that group gave this a pass.

The good points are the visual effects, music, and set design, plus the amazing story itself. The scenes prior to the Atreides arrival on Dune were quite well done, but once on Dune, it felt like everything moved in a blur. I respect the efforts at adapting the story for the big screen, but I think Dune is too big a story for a 2:17 film.

If I could juxtapose the faithfulness to the story of the miniseries with the production values of the movie, that would be my perfect screen version of Dune.

Catching up a little.......

I saw 28 movies in January, 23 for the first time. The 5 best new movies I saw were
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931)
Mosquito Coast 1/2
Brief Encounter 1/2
To Be Or Not To Be (1942) 1/2
Oldboy 1/2

Singin' in the Rain out of I am gradually making my way through the AFI Best 100 films and watched this film with my children. What a joyous experience! Supremely entertaining songs and dance numbers and full of a sly humor. In fact this has to be one of the best movies about movie-making.

Grizzly Man 1/2 out of I know some felt this documentary was a little biased but I felt it was a pretty balanced portrait of an interesting character. I also appreciated Herzog's interjections. The whole film raises lots of questions, some about Treadwell and some not.

It wasn't the boy, it was Sylvia Kristel's lower region (or more likely her double's). It appeared to be a video-imposed white-out not in the original film. It's been a long time since I saw it in '81 so I don't recall if it was uncensored in the theatre back then.

Well, it's not the most ideal copy of the movie but this is a film that's become a cult item and was missing in action for many years, so it's okay with me.